The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

MAY 23, 1857.

there is most risk, there is most profit in
every kind of speculation, whether of agricul-
ture or of trade. But these poor ryots cannot.
we repeat, afford to run such risks ; they must
be content to steer clear of such speculations,
and confine themselves to less remunerative
but more certain crops. The wealthier classes,
on the other hand, are in India, or in British •
India at least, deterred by our revenue system
from having anything more to do than they
can help with the occupation or cultivation of
land. The village money-lenders make ad-
vances to the pauper ryots at usurious interest,
but they will not undertake the cultivation of
the soil on their own account. They have
received too many lessons of the extent to
which, if they did so, their fortunes would
become dependent ou every petty official's
caprice.
That such persons have no natural anti-
pathy to engaging in these speculations is
shown by what they have done in Nagpore, in
the Nizam's districts, and in other native States
—States in which the land revenue system is as
favourable to such investments as our owi► is
the reverse. Nothing can be more erroneous
than to attribute the large supplies derived
from Berar to any peculiar quality of climate
or soil; for, as General Low correctly said in
his Minute on the annexation of Nagpore,
its position as to soil and climate was in no
way different from that of the neighbouring dis-
tricts belonging already to the Company, but in
which little or no cotton is grown. It is clear,
therefore, that us far as natural capacity is in
question, we have an abundance of districts
gifted in that way to the fullest extent we can
require. Indeed in this respect we have in
the valley of the Indus as fine a field for the
growth of cotton as any in the world. In
respect to climate, position, natural products,
capabilities, and geological structure, it re-
sembles as closely as one pea resembles
another the valley of the Nile. Every bird,
or beast, or plant, or fish, or fossil, that is found
in the one is to be found in the other; and
the people bear an amazing resemblance to each
other in both. But though cotton grows wild
in Scinde, no cotton is grown for exportation,
while Egypt exports in abundance a cotton
that next to the Sea Island cotton is the finest
that exists. Small as Egypt is in extent, and
misgoverned as it is, it supplied in 1852 more
than half as much cotton as was received
from the whole of India. And this Egyptian
cotton is far superior to the New Orleans, and
brings nearly double the price of Surat.
Why, then, is it not grown in Scinde? The
reason is simply that in Egypt there exists
property in land, and in India there does not ;
and that Europeans acquainted with the cul-
tivation of cotton in Egypt will not consent
to run the risks to which they know that they
would be subjected by bringing their affairs
within the reach of the Company's courts.
We have ourselves seen a correspon-
dence on this subject conducted by a
Scotch gentleman engaged by the then
Paella of Egypt on his cotton farms. He
pointed out with great clearness the entire
similiarity between Egypt and Scinde, and
the consequent adaptability of the latter
province for the growth of cotton of the
Egyptian kind. He was offered every reason
able indulgence if he would only come out
and undertake the experiment in Scinde at
his own risk. But he replied that he had
been informed by others who had gone to
India how dependent he should be on the
official within whose district he lived ; and
that though the present incumbent might be
favourable to him, his successor might be the
loverse. He was not, therefore, prepared to
waste his life in building up a fortune which
might be destroyed at any moment by an
angry official's frown. He was not mistaken
in the opinion he had formed, for many a
European settler in Bengal will tell the same
tale. Nor is it Europeans alone wbo have
been ruined by such caprices. Nowhere was
cotton once more eagerly cultivated by native
capitalists than in Buudelkund. But after
thousands had embarked' their all in it,
there came shat is called a crack collector,
who put on the Government screw. The
people were getting too rich ; lie increased
the assessment ; and the result of one man's
cruelty or one man's ignorance was that

THE PRESS.

the province was destroyed, the revenue
fell to zero, and the cotton planters and their
capital were all swept away. Is it to be won-
dered at that under such a sy3tem India
cannot be got to supply us with the cotton
we require? Change this system, give security
to capital there, and England will never be in
want of the staple, be her consu►nption of it
what it may.