The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-07 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

sound legislation on the subject. Its
high importance to our domestic harmony
and Jour national religion cannot possibly be
exaggerated, awl We rejoice to see the country
in various direotions beginning to demonstrate
its ecnivietions.

rilE BALTIC, EXPEDITION.
IT is MM mattet for sittprise that the redact
news ftom the Bis.ck fea should cause dit-
ferenco of opinion crri the results of our great
naval expedition to "the Baltic. The vivacity
of those discussions is, perhaps, promoted by

recollection of the injudicious speech made

by Sir JAMES GRAHAM at the too celebrated
banquet at the Reform Club ; but on grave
questions, where the professional honour of
both English and French admirals is con-

cemed, we must be cautious how we censure,
when the whole circumstances of the case are
still concealed from view. The propriety of
an attack on Cronstadt must be governed by
considerations totally different from those
which, in a mere naval point of view, justi-
fied the storming of Copenhagen, Algiers, and
Acre. The prodigious strength of Cronstadt
is admitted by all military authorities, and
the difficulty of approaching it with large
ships is evident at a glance. Supposing that
an attack were made upon it, and the British
fleet was seriously crippled, there is a
powerful Russian fleet behind its walls, which
would then come into action, fresh and unin
jured.
The splendid exploits of the British navy►
(to some of which NAPIER himself brilliantly
contributed) have caused an extravagant esti-
mate as to nautical possibilities where our
admirable " blue jackets" are concerned.
We must remember that our glorious NELSON
was for two months previous to the battle of
the Nile assailed with idle taunts upon his
inactivity: nor let us forget that the same
mighty hero was unsuccessful in his expedi-
tion against Boulogne, not long after his
victory at Copenhagen. Mr. DISRAELI said,
with true British feeling, " that in the con-
" duct of the war no commander need dread
" from the Conservative side censures like
" those of the Whigs in other days against
" WELLESLEY on the Douro;" and we applaud
both the justice and public policy of such a
manly sentiment.
Nevertheless, idle talkers have a certain
superficial ground for their taunts at the
apparent inactivity in the Baltic. We at
once admit that it may yet become a question,
why the expedition to the North was not
organised in another style. All we contend for
is, that we should not cast unjust slurs upon
English and French commanders, when it is
very likely that the real blame (if any) should
lie upon Ministerial shoulders. Whether at
the present time we could have sent a large
English military force along with the fleet is
open to some doubt, and some persons might
say that it would be unworthy of the honour
of this country to allow the entire military
expedition directed against Cronstadt to be
supplied by our gallant French ally. It will,
also, remain for discussion and investigation
why a flotilla of gun-boats was not provided
for Sir CHARLES NAPIER, according to the
admiral's explicit wishes? Until these points
are satisfactorily decided, it would be pre-
sumptuous and unjust to sneer at the non-
performance of crushing Cronstadt in the
style dreamed of by some mere sciolists in
military affairs. NAPIER has the reputation
of a daring and famous career to shield him
from ignorant critics, and men of sense will
not be prepared to concur with idle talkers on
a subject where the dread-nought Earl of
DUNDONALT) has given his powerful testimony
• in favour of " Old Charley."
it

" UNITED SERVICE " SCANDALS.
SCARCELY had the investigations into the 46th
Regiment closed when attention was drawn to
alleged scandals on board H.M.S. the Daunt-
iiss. Two officers of the navy were said to be

SATURDAY,

inculpated in a charge of manslaughter, in the
case of an unfortunate woman. The whole
public mind was at once fixed upon the case,
and several columns were daily assigned to
the reports of the inquiry into the facts.
Although there is ratteh to be displeased with,
and something also that deserves severe
notice, it appears that, the statements in the
case were excessively titaggerated.
From the necessity, however, of comment-
ing at any length on tho whole facts we are
saved by the well-considered and temperate
remarks of the Mayor of Portsmouth, whose
judicial ability (as apparent in this case) re-
flects high credit upon him. He has clearly
and cleverly shown, beyond reasonable doubt,
that, however highly improper was the conduct
of Lieutenant KNIGHT, the officers of the
Dauntless cannot be held obnoxious to the
charges so sweepingly and recklessly made
against them. Mr. SEYI4OI7II was completely
cleared from these charges, but Lieutenant
KNIGHT'S conduct being still before the Admi-
ralty we may refrain from its examination.
We prefer to advert to some serious considera-
tions which we must emphatically press upon
the attention of young officers in the arin3i
and navy.
Any officer who thoughtlessly gives causes
for public scandal at the present time does
great injury to her Majesty's service. He
vilifies his noble profession ; he exposes his
comrades to an inquisitorial tribunal ; he may
be said to cater for the coarse and prurient
tastes of those gross natures who feast on low
personal malice. That there are such classes
of readers we may lament, but the fact is
unalterable, and whoever wears the honoura-
ble livery of warlike service should now
be particularly cautious as to his habits
and actions. The plain truth is, that
periodical clamours are raised aginst the
clergy, the bar, and the united services.
At present the whole public gaze is con
centrated on these latter ; and let officers,
therefore, beware how they assist by impru-
dence in raising " a cry.' Assailants will be
enrolled against them with a rapidity requiring
no bounty on enlistment, save the vulgar pri-
vileges of the volunteer railer and the politi-
cal scold. We entreat of officers (we address
ourselves especially to youthful ones) to recol-
lect " that causers of scandal are justly to be
" dreaded by the authorities in the Horse Guards
"or the Admiralty." It is the enemies of his
country, and not the companions of his mess,
that a British officer should bring into serious
scrapes. Let his name be looked for in the
Gazette, not in those painful columns dedi-
cated to Police.

THE LAND REVENUE OF MADRAS.
OUR attention has been drawn to the existing
evils of the land-revenue system by an anec-
dote related to us on excellent authority. But
first we must beg leave to explain what that
system is, and how it comes to press so heavily
on the unfortunate cultivator.
The plan, then, is this :—The lettings being
from year to year, the rentroll at the com-
mencement of the season may be considered
a tabula rasa ; but there are hereditary owners
of all the land, and in them is vested the
right of cultivating it. Some of this land
is arable and some grazing, but the greater
part is jungle ; that is, land overrun with
dwarf trees and bushes of no value to any one,
but which land, under a proper system of land
tax, would nearly all be cultivated. The col-
lector's first task in each year is to collect
together the people of the village, and ascer-
tain how much of their land it is their inten-
tion to cultivate, and, as his character with
Government depends on his raising the reve-
nue as high as possible, it is of course his
object to compel the people to enter into en-
gagements to till the largest number of acres
that he can. On the other hand, the rents
being far too high, and the extortion of the
revenue officials in addition most enormous,
the people naturally wish to confine their cul-
tivation to the quantity necessary for their
subsistence. Then comes the screw. Every

OCTOBER 7, 1854.

engine of power possessed by that little des-
pot the collector is put in force, and, being
the magistrate of the district as well as the
collector, his power is unlimited. The refrac-
tory are threatened with all kind of evils,
including confiscation of their lands; and
that is a threat of much import, as the owners
like not to part with what has been valuable
to their ancestors, and may, in better times,
be valuable to themselves. Claims for arrear,
too, are put in force which it would be hope-
less for the ryot to attempt to pay; and at
last, wearied out, he gives a bond to cultivate
infinitely more than he has capital to till,
content for the present to avert his doom by
the acceptance of this forced bargain. The
lettings for the year thus thrust upon the
people are then summed up by the collector,
and the result is communicated in a flourish-
ing report of progress and improvement to
Government. _ _

When the time comes round, however, for
the collection of all this revenue the scene is
changed into one which any man of sense
would readily anticipate. The ryot's promises
to cultivate have of course been broken ; his
tillage has been scanty; and the produce is
not enough, if all sold, to pay half the rent
detailed in his engagements, without leaving
him a single particle for his own subsistence.
Then come protests from the ryot—prayers to
the collector—petitions to Government—and
bribes to the revenue officials ; and the end is,
that after being made to pay as much as
possibly can be screwed out of him, the amount
is carried to the public account, while fabulous
flights of locusts, droughts that never oc-
curred, and other excuses of that kind, are,
together with the staple topics, " the igno-
" ranee and apathy of the natives," reported by
the collector to Government as the reasons
why all his glorious anticipations of an enor-
mous revenue have failed. The report is sent
to rot in the archives, and so the farce goes on
from year to year, as may be seen in the
records at the India-house by any proprietor
who cares to read them.

Now, not many years ago, there was a
collectorate in the Presidency of Madras
still more rackrented and still more mis-
managed than any other collectorate even
in that very ill-conditioned territory. The
people had been screwed by a crack collector
till scarcely a particle of capital had been left
among them. Tillage had in consequence
been gradually abandoned, and the revenue
had fallen to half its proper amount. Villages
were deserted, and the inhabitants, agreeably
to the custom in India in such cases, had
taken for a livelihood to plundering travellers
on the road. The only things that flourished
were jungles and gaols.
At this period a new collector was sent, very
clever and very good-natured, but who had
no opinion of the system he was paid for ad-
ministering. Shocked at the miserable con-
dition of his collectorate, he bethought him
of a very simple remedy. It was no use try-
ing to coerce people into cultivating what they
had not means to cultivate—so he determined
to let them in this matter please themselves.
The acreage assessment of the collectorate was
far too high ; but, by allowing them to culti-
vate as much waste land as they pleased with-
out charging for it, there was a way, without
loss to Government, of virtually reducing it. In
short, he saw before him a country capable of
paying easily five times as large a revenue as
was screwed out of it, if only dealt with on the
principle that under such circumstances would
be followed by the owner of an estate in
England. What he said, therefore, to the
people was this, " The land is yours, but I
must have so much revenue from it ; give
me that revenue yearly, and deal with your
lands as you please. The man who has
hitherto cultivated ten acres may cult: Cato
fifty if he likes—l will never trouble him
with measurements. All I want is that each
village shall pay me the aggregate at which it
stands assessed in the Government books ;
but pay it fairly, and without making claims
for remissions. Government will thus be an
enormous gainer, for it will get freely paid to
it nearly double the amount that has ever been
realised; while, if the ryots get their lands
virtually at half or a quarter of the rents
hitherto paid by them, the reduction will be