New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-01

what like the play of Hamlet" with the part OF
the Prince of Denmark omitted. But the biog-
rapher's explanation is sufficient His task was
TO write of CORVALLIS solely as one of the rulers
of India and all other topics were, by tho eXlgen-
eics of the publishers plan, excluded. The Amer
lean War is indeed referred TO, but with little
critical felicity. Mr. Seton-Karrs business is here
to furnish the tame incidents Of a particularly
commonplace and inglorious career, and, if only
TO keep his hand in and preserve the harmony oil
his apology throughout, he intimates doubt
whether the fate of CORVALLIS at Yorktown was
not really altogether the fault of somebody else,
and darkly insinuatcs that if the Marquis had had
better luck he might have been credited with more
genius This may pass. and we hasten to the
events which are to prove the true greatness oil
CORVALLIS in his Indian administration Sooth
20 say the demonstration proves both difficult and
tedious; for the one measure upon which his repu-
taton as GOvernor-General rests is of such char-
acter that any conscientious attempt TO explain 1t
plunges writer and reader into the arid region OF
complicated land legislation, and involves the de-
scrintion of numberess Asiatic customs and prac-
tees, and interminabe explanations OF the rela-
lions between Ryots and Zemindars, and all man
1er of other folk.
What Lord Corvallis really did was to
straighten out the fearfully muddled land system
he found in operation He devised what has been
known ever since as the Perpetual Succession, and
which appears TO have been based upon a Dolu
guess on the part of the Government 1t must
be understood that the first necessity Of the East
India Company on taking possession or control
of territory in India was to secure the regular
raising of a revenue. In order to effect this 1t
was imperatively required that the ownership OF
the land should be traced TO IDS actual source
ATTEMPTS to do this had resulted in much con.
fusion 1t had been ascertained that claSS u
officials called Zemindars collected the rents pay
ing part of them to over-lOrds, who were l''Iahs'
or other great functionarics. but whether UneSe
ZemIndars were actually the owners OF the ahu
mr. merely the agents of the over-lords, was
question which seemed harder TO answer the more
fbe subject was explored. For there was TOO nuch
evidence in support of both hypothesis, ana more
over the natives themselves did not appear "
have any clearly defined idea. The AemlhuaI'
acted in many respects as if they had o"neu 'H0
land In many other respects they acteu as Il V"oS
bod NOT owned the land. It was quite clear that
the Ryots. who titled the land preserved rights III
sbe soil which the Zemindars could not ignore
or violently wrest away Certainly II they hao
not proprietary rights, they had tenantrigh|
eloselv resembling that of Ulster right whlch
,ros hereditary. which could be devised or SOFA
without consulting the Zemindar. and WIN Uhe
free exercise of which he could not interfere
Rut the land customs were complicated anu
ertansled that it was impossible to determine
where she rights of the Ryot ended and those OF
the Zcmindar began, and the fundamental ques-
fion-who owned the land in fec-remalned uh-
answered and apparently unansweraole.
CORVALLIS ended the confusion by assuming that
the Zemindar was the landlord and that the hyO1
possessed tcnant-right. lie may have been wrong
,nor,- learned Anllo-Indians have hOtly commended
that he was wrong. and that the ZemindarS were
really only agents, administrators ana conectoIS
for their suzerains, who were tie actual Aah"-
owners However this may be. 1t was thought
ot thc close of the last century that the most
important point was to settle the case delihl'eS /,
and that II this could be done upon the basis OF
the existing arrangements. the natives would
have little cause for complaint, since they would
simnIv he required to adhere 70 the customs which
tbev themselves had established. The advantages
IN no derived from the Perpetual Settlement were
many and obvious The function OF rent-stanoard
was in itself great boon TO the RYots, VINO could
no longer be at the mercy of the Iemmdar
eaprice or rapacity The Government looked 10
the Zemindar for its revenue but compeneo MIN
so TO collect it that its incidence should DC eQuai
and stimulating, not oppressive, TO Agriculture
The Perpetual Settlement was to produce cohi-
dence stability, the encouragement OF industry,
+ba filling I'D of waste places, the increase OF
population and produce, and the general ADVANCE
Of prosperity and peace. These effects, more
over actually resulted from the measure which.
though crude and mistaken in several points, was
undoubtedly happy conception and source OF
great and abiding benefits for the people of Ben
cal where alone IT was generally applied
Mr.. Seton-Karr enters into the details OF the
hsw law at considerable length, but nowhere ap-
nroaches q solution of the real ownership oil the
land There were indeed titles ard titles; grants
of various kinds and degrees; exemptions from
taxation of every conceivable character AS was
found long afterward, when an effort was maze 10
regulate these exemptions, time ana accideht hau
played havoc with title-deeds, and the mild lin
doo when his documents had been destroyed by
white ants. or damp, or anything else, too COM
,roplv Welded TO temptation and forged new deeds,
thereby increasing the confusion and rendering
more difficult the administration of justice. Bu0
I'm the first application Of the new pflhclpIe d
rough equity was maintained, ana the general IT,
suits were benefcent. So clear was TINS In prac-
,ico that the Succession has never been touched
from, that day 10 this, and thus 1t remains the
landmark of a new era for India. This was not
,ho orlv wholesome piece Of work done by Corn
wallis during his administration, but 1t was the
n,ost ;mnortant and far-reaching Reform oil the
C;,il Service was advanced also in his time, ana
NOT before the change had become urgent. lhe
nolicv of the company up TO that time had been
20 nav its covenaned servants meagre salaries, ana
let t6em extract whatever they could out oil 'he
natives. by holding mOnOpolics, By private trad
,ng and by accepting brides and rewards ior
noIitical and other services. Lord CornwaihS
saw that the Civil Service was rotten ana as the
Ior,o Government looked upon India as means
Of pensoning of followers of the party In power power
and acquitting themselves of social and polltlcai
debts. the pressure upon the GovenOr-General TO
make berths for all kinds of incapabes was 50
oreot as 70 threaten the collapse Of the whole In
dian Empire. ~ .,-