bitants of the cities, towns, or stations who have much intercourse with persons employed about the courts of law, by zemindars, &c., and with foreigners and others in a different state of civilization, generally imbibe their habits and opinions; hence their religious opinions are shaken without any other principles being implanted to supply their place; consequently a great proportion of these are far inferior in point of character to the former class, and are very often even made tools of in the nefarious work of perjury and forgery. 3d. A third class consists of persons who are in the employ of landholders (zemindars), or dependent for subsistence on the courts of law, as attorneys' clerks, &c., who must rely for a livelihood on their shrewdness, not having generally sufficient means to enter into commerce or business; these are, for the most part, still worse than the second class, more especially when they have no prospect of bettering their condition by the savings of honest industry, and no hope is held out to them of rising to honour or affluence by superior merit.”

Probably these considerations will be despised, and colonization permitted; but then, English laws, as Rammohun Roy says, and English police, must be introduced all over India; it is, however, not to be forgotten what has been repeatedly attested before Parliament, that the simplest customs and minutest acts of the Hindoo have their origin in his religious creed. To introduce therefore English laws, would be a monstrous violation of the promises held forth by the British government, of allowing perfect freedom of present institutions, and it would be a direct annihilation of his moral creed; this point, however, will be more fully seen in the " Judicial” chapter.* It may, however, be said, "if we do introduce

• The evidence of the Honourable Mountstuart Elphinstone before the Lords' Committee in 1830, is conclusive with respect to the evils which the natives would suffer from the projects of colonization now on the tapis. This enlightened individual says, "I think that any unrestricted residence of Europeans in India would be productive of more harm than good."

2382. Q. Would not a greater resort of Europeans to the country tend to keep down the native population, and to prevent the natives rising to the possession of those offices in which you think it would be desirable to place them?-A. I think it certainly would. If Europeans

were

our vices among the Hindoos, and suppress their laws, yet we shall make them compensation by introducing among them the arts of civilized life;" but let us pause and enquire whether the Hindoos, although so long bowed down by despotism, are such an uncivilized race, that they would profit by receiving in exchange for a knowledge of the arts of life a familiarity with European crimes, an entanglement in the chicanery and extravagance of English jurisprudence, and a loss of their landed property. That the latter would be the probable result of colonization, has were allowed to go without restraint to India, I think many would go at first, some without capital, and others on speculations which would soon reduce them to poverty; that from the compassion of their countrymen in India, and their greater fitness for office, they would be introduced into employments to which we have been of late endeavouring to introduce the natives; and that if they formed friendships with the Europeans in power, which they have greater means of doing than the natives, they would get advantages in other ways.-Q. So that the elevation of the native character appears to be inconsistent with the more general resort of Europeans to the country? A. Inconsistent with the unrestricted resort.-Q. In your opinion, would it be necessary to subject the Europeans residing in India to restrictions as well as to impose restrictions on their resort thither?-A. I do not know that any of the present restrictions could be dispensed with. It would be sufficient if the Government had the power of sending them out of the country, and of sending them from one district to another, in case of their being guilty of any oppression, or creating any great disturbance in any particular district, as has happened sometimes. I am always supposing they are not so numerous as to form a very considerable community in India. Such a community would be very unruly, and very difficult to manage, on the part of a government which must be always arbitrary in its character. If there were a great body of discontented colonists, such as at the Cape, for instance, I think their clamours would probably weaken the government very much with the natives. Their disagreements with the natives would also be dangerous; and I think there would be a great increase of the feeling which there is now only among the lower orders of Europeans in India, of contempt and dislike for blacks. There would be a more marked distinction between blacks and whites, as there is in all regular colonies.-Q. Where differences arise between the Europeans residing in India and natives, by what court would they be tried in the provinces?—A. At present, if the differences are of small consequence, they would be tried by the local court; but if of great consequence, the cause would go to the Supreme Court at the Presidency.-Q. Would a poor native have the power of prosecuting an European in the Supreme Courts?-A. No, a poor native would not. The only chance would be the Government taking up the prosecution, if it were a serious matter.

been demonstrated. Mr. Chaplin truly says, "If Europeans were allowed to settle in the interior, I have no doubt it would lead ultimately to the stripping the natives of their land, depriving them of every office or employment, however subordinate, and ultimately reduce them to the most degraded state of a conquered people." (Lords 2793.)

This is precisely the tenor of Mr. Elphinstone's, Mr. Baber's, (Mr. Rickards' !) and every individual who knows the condition of India, and is capable of expressing an unbiassed opinion. With respect to the uncivilized state of the natives, an answer will be found in the following extract from Bishop Heber's writings, and in a passage of Mr. Rickards' evidence :

"To say that the Hindoos or Mussulmans are deficient in any essential feature of a civilized people, is an assertion which I can scarcely suppose to be made by any who have lived with them; their manners are, at least, as pleasing and courteous as those in the corresponding stations of life among ourselves; their houses are larger, and, according to their wants and climate, to the full as convenient as ours; their architecture is at least as elegant, and though the worthy Scotch divines may doubtless wish their labourers to be clad in hodden gray, and their gentry and merchants to wear powder and mottled stockings, like worthy Mr. and the other elders of his kirk-session, I really do not think that they would gain either in cleanliness, elegance, or comfort, by exchanging a white cotton robe for the completest suits of dittos. Nor is it true that in the mechanic arts they are inferior to the general run of European nations; where they fall short of us, which is chiefly in agricultural implements and the mechanics of common life, they are not, so far as I have understood of Italy and the South of France, surpassed in any great degree by the people of those countries. Their goldsmiths and weavers produce as beautiful fabrics as our own, and it is so far from true that they are obstinately wedded to their old patterns, that they shew an anxiety to imitate our models, and do imitate them very successfully. The ships built by native artists at Bombay, are notoriously as good as any which sail from London or Liverpool; the carriages and gigs which they supply at Calcutta are as handsome, though not as durable, as those of Long Acre. In the little town of

Monghyr, 300 miles from Calcutta, I had pistols, double-barrelled guns; and different pieces of cabinet-work, brought down to my boat for sale, which in outward form (for I know no further) nobody but perhaps Mr. could detect to be of Hindoo origin; and at Delhi, in the shop of a wealthy native jeweller, I found brooches, ear-rings, snuff-boxes, &c. of the latest models (so far as I am a judge), and ornamented with French devices and mottos."*

The testimony of Mr. Rickards before the Commons (19th July 1831) is even even more striking than Bishop Heber's. He shews that even the English language is acquired by the natives without any aid from Europeans, whom he terms “overbearing conquerors.”

"One of the greatest improvements, however, which the mind of man is susceptible of, has been made by natives from their own exclusive exertions. Their acquirement of knowledge, and particularly of the English language and English literature, of which there are many examples in Bengal, Madras, and Bombay at the present moment, is quite astonishing. It may even be questioned whether so great a progress in the attainment of knowledge has ever been made under like circumstances in any of the countries of Europe."

2808. Is not that limited to those who have had particular intercourse with Europeans?-The examples to which I allude, are among natives that have kept up an uninterrupted intercourse certainly with Europeans, from residing at the different presidencies of India; but the exertions of those with whom I am acquainted, have been altogether independent of European assistance, the natives to whom I allude being perfectly self-taught. I would beg leave here to add, that if it be meant to imply, as some of the most distinguished literary authorities in this country have asserted, that the natives of India are incapable of improvement, I must protest against the doctrine, as being, in my humble opinion, an unjust and libellous judgment passed on the whole community. We have at this moment an illustrious example in this country of what native Indians can attain by their own unaided exertions. Let it also be recollected, that in many branches of art their skill is absolutely unrivalled. Several of their fabrics, such as muslins, shawls, embroidered silks, handkerchiefs, &c., together with pieces of workmanship in gold, silver, and ivory, have never yet been equalled by

* Bishop Heber's Journal, vol. ii. p. 382.

British artists. Their architecture, though peculiar, is of a superior order, and in the construction of great public buildings they have exerted powers of moving and elevating large masses which are unknown to European architects. Agriculture also made its first progress, and attained considerable perfection in the East, which in this respect, set the example to Europe. In these, and many other arts connected with the comforts and conveniences of life, the natives of India have made great progress in some, and attained perfection in others, without being in the smallest degree indebted to European patterns or example. I do not mean to say that their progress or advancement has been a hundredth part so great or so rapid as that of Europeans in the arts of life generally, but I do not think it fair to compare their present backward state with the advancement made by Europeans, considering the very different circumstances in which both are respectively placed. The nature of the governments under which the Indians have languished for so many centuries is sufficient to account for their stationary state; and no argument can hence be drawn as to their natural incapacity. Many persons, I apprehend, who now contend for the freest introduction of Europeans into India, to operate as a stimulus to native improvement, seem to forget the vast difference of character existing in the two parties; that, consequently, to overrun India with Europeans before a better system of protection shall have been provided, would be to mingle a race of overbearing conquerors with submissive slaves, and that oppression and injustice would be the inevitable result.

2809. Can you state any improvements which have been introduced by the governments of India ?—The governments of India at each of the presidencies have, very much to their credit, encouraged the improvement of the natives by patronizing and supporting institutions for learning and the acquirement of knowledge. They have also attempted to introduce improvements in agriculture and in manufactures.

Such truths atone for a volume of intemperate diatribes. The conduct of Russia has been proposed for imitation to England; it is hardly to be supposed that the plan of the Russian military colonies are the model held out for the British Government to act on! It is true that Russia holds dominion over the people of sixty distinct nations; that for three centuries she has been making fresh conquests;* her

* In 1806 the whole population of Russia amounted to 41,252,000 persons, and the yearly excess of births over deaths, as published by

the