The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-11 00:00:00

C 'ACHAR.

If the information recently afforded by the Hurkaru be
•
at all of a reliable charactA .;r—and we ourselves have no
doubt upon that point—one of the most barbarous and back
ward provinces of the Bengal' Presidency is likely ere long
to be the most completely Anglicised portion of our Indian.
territories. Little more than a quarter of a century ago the
entire province of Cachar, 110 _miles in length and 65 in
breadth, was offered' on lease by the British Government
for £2,000 a year, vOhout a single bid being obtained.
Though eminently adapted for the cultivation of
cotton, silk, coffee, and sugar, and traversed by
a navigable river a.nd :many fine streams, it pos-
sessed at that time several drawbacks which more than
counterbalanced its nuiverous advantages. The plains
were infested with tigers, ope n to inroads from the savage
tribes on its eastern frontiers„ and more than once ravaged
by the Burmese. The populatit.'a also was thinly scattered,
and not a single decent road cotild be said to exist in any
direction. One good result, howover, of the last Burmese
invasion is the absence of small cottiers. The working
classes are mere labourers and not sn.iall " capitalists" after-
Mr. Grant's pattern. There is at present, indeed, a scarcity
of labour, but this may be obviated by a large use of
machinery, for which there is abundance of water power,
The certainty of employment, however, will gradually at-
tract labour in conformity with the law of supply and de-
mand. The Lieutenant-Governor, moreover, has sanctioned
the making of roads, and a company has already been
formed for the cultivation of the tea plant. In the absence
of native proprietors there is an excellent opportunity for
Europeans to form a permanent colony, holding the land
in their own hands, and employing the peasantry as free
labourers occupying cottages built upon the estate. There
is every reason to believe that the tea cultivation will
answer fully as well as it has done in Assam.
At first there are incidental expenses to be Incur-
red which will naturally diminish the profits for a few
years, or rather it should be said that no clear returns must
be el:pected until the fifth 3, ear. To work a grant of 100
acres will require a capital of nearly £2,000, including sub-
sistence until the speculation become a paying one. When
in full working order the profits are calculated to exceed
£2O per acre ; and under intelligent management an
acre should be brought to yield fully £25 clear of all
charges. A more easy and delightful occupation
can scarce,!y be imagined, and every year will increase I be
number of J3uropean settlers and neighbours. A few yen
ago there web., not a single English resident in the) di tri. et,
and now there' are not fewer than 70. It is impossible
immense benefits that may accrue to
to overrate the'
India from having a British colony settled in Cachar.
only would a sense of security be imparted to the Bong a
Government, but the moral influence of the Anglo-Sagoe
character would be ex,tended over adjacent countries, at id
might prove of inappre viable importance when the thi, rd
and final war is commented by the Burmese. As the It t-
dian Government appears .at last to be awakening to tl to
necessity of ruling the counta on some definite system an d
policy, it may be hoped that seasonable and suitable encou •
ragement will be given to men of enterprise and sufficien
capital to induce them to redeem from waste the fine up-
lands of Cachar, and open up new mines of wealth by their'
intelligence and perseverance.—Allen's Indian Mail.