The Press.
London, England, 1853-06-04 00:00:00

113

for a time.* In the meanwhile short leasea were granted,
from three to tire %yam, to pniprietor*, sir pseudo proprie-
mist. of didenmt kinds, to reminder.. to independent ta-
looktlars. and other violin:tins; but e% en during Bloat* short
periods it was often necessary to Traibast the auuautt of
33,No,onetit. .%11 this created *II discontent. Mani. SW
justly thialVva of their proprietary rights, clantouri.sl for
rt.ares.s. and were told to appeal to the civil courts. This,
in eifeet, was a •kol'y awl it delusion. T Iv* perplexity
was only inereaseil The errors of the arcs' * were often
Perretititteil by the judicial department ; and the suitor in-
idied in new etulourassnients 11l t pitintul Bout the old.
Decrees.- it it &list, *ere constantly passed ro irvecon•
citable with truth and justice, that it was absolutch tin.
possible to execute them...
The inside of eolleeting the revenue tended shrilly to
the IKTPiltilition of initistiee. The colleetora endeavoured
to guard against default by placing watehmen over the
si liag oeopm. If, in spite of this precaution, then, was
a deficiency of IVlellae. the property of the registered land•
holder was dlatTitialetl awl he himself thrown into prison.
Then the estate was !nit Op to situ', 11111114.01:11.$
pun issrtl,
iit a nominal aunt, by some astute native ittlicial--otleit
a stranger foxim the lower provinces.* But as these largo
estates, although standing on the (linen ttttt lit records in
the loktilt• kf some kale rei•oviscil proprienir, sere 111 reality
often held in isipareenery Mlllong a number of sharers, of
w Mon (love eat hail na 'L1111%1410., it happened often
Hutt the &Goat of it few eauseil the pimislimentlit'
All wets • in..ersed ill one ttt hint 5 ruin. The here.
;Altary eitlthators were aepri‘,4l, basidy MINI NbMililtel\, of
their right**, and compelled to sue for leases under some
perhaps fraudulent, purchaser. whisili they hated
and despised.
,Mitch injury ensued to proprietary rights by
the arbitrary nature of the proeess. Dry the fear
which natives in general entertained of the
assessing officers, by the inevitable lionentnee
of those officers themselves, and by the mul-
pntetieem of native subordinates. Many
fraudulent I.lllllSferei tit' propetiy took place.
Many impostors were confined in their astir
pations of broad lauds, while the real owners,
unable to prove their claims, languished in
poverty. The injustice thus wrought was
afterwards discovered, but could searettly
remedied. .t commission appointed to inquire
into these abuses brought to light more evils
than it could cure, and dealt partially with
individual cases, not. however, touching the
root of the mischief. One great imnree of
error was our it.,,not-ance of the peettliar tenure
by whielt lands in Northern India are held.
The village communities, bound together by
ties of immemorial duration, were altogether
ignored at. first, and not fully reeognistml until
I H2-t. lly a regnlittion dated in that year, the
principle of Joint responsibility was Silliellooe4l,
311141 the head Ilutu of the 111111.ge ellall'l,4ell with
the sloe volleetioll of 11oVelilllielit rent,.
though this great, reform commenced during
the vice-royalty Of 1.4,111 Ilitstings, to 1.4
William Ilentinck was reserved 44 the glory
of
etfectually carrying it out. In 1t4:13 the work
of revision began, and continued in progress
during many years. Tllll amse3ollll4,lll. 134+441111e
at once lighter 111141 ! e4lllllllle ; the Imam-
datriem of villages were for the first time de-
fined, as also the respective rights of their
inhabitants ; a system of registration was
inaugurated ; u local police established : ac-
counts wen' regularly kept ; n fund created
for the construction of roads. 1:1144,1' alien
11101 as 111111. Ikletellife, 11obellsoli,1111411.11011111-
Moll, Upper India began to euit,y it prosperity
such as, under our rule at least, it bad never
known. !Mr. Kays lamotage of panegyric
is here not misplayed. nod with it. wa. gladly
close our review
'nue NI ortli-Wostuns Prsiviiires of India hoe new
flr half a century, under British ride The weal exiwri-
nient of Indian government has there been heed
forward I
with remarkable (intl.* and solution h 114.1.1 sh
14%. W
Of India are the signs of progress so great mad MO
TIOTe is a freshness. a yipsiir. it healthy roldist
viaith, W 4 it Wurt.. apparent eee.M%•llo.ll. ill
* the adnrilrismw
thin of these provinces. 'floe physiral improvement id' the
ttttt try, Mid lilt. Mosul improvement of the !people, alt. IA-
Valwil 44, Maier our eyes, w ith It rapidity which would till the
bygone generatii on of Italian ail ttt i t list ran *rs with as •11 as•
tonishinetit ti the iowient 110.4. Of
.oldis•rs would experience
Nt the of the magoitirent sliuu•nsiuns of our Indian
empire. I 110 lint 101.1i1.% 4'
that t in the world
eimseienti, MIS tuid loom lalmaioUs class of s'i% it falai 4.1111E141.
allot those Who, Staler' one of this. beat Diets WWI iii teat admailtln.
trators who have vier devoted their hies to the service *if
the eff
pcsiple of India, are now Issuing the bunion and heat
a the day. in serious toilsome oris to make the yokeo of
foreign cerepieht sit lightly oil tile liiilive tothieets of w
British Crown. Earnestness and energx are contagions,
and it, the nortlywesterti pri•viiicA•ri of 'lndia the le•avy.

• The .1110Ation Wm front those rit‘ive•gl at the India.
Ikons,. owl awns. vcry able menders 4.1 r aim •ili melutling Mr.
E.I ~,,, n.tono. and Mr. '11..k..r, advovaled Jim iatrofineti.m of the
permanent tiettlipowitt into the Norili.Wrat but the
majority of the U.oort did not enterteuu the, project.
Neleirly one•half of the I aanporo and ehstridadi
panned tut* the hands of native ottletalw.