38 



of India, and because I am convinced that an ener- 

 getic and thorough enquiry into the subject will 

 result in a great gain to the revenue of that country, 

 that I have written this essay in the interests of the 

 Government whose servant I am. 



3. There is at present an increasing demand for 

 ^peSiy siS?- cheap material for paper-making, and the 



able for this . . n i i p / 1 > 



enquiry. opportunity seems favorable for the investi- 

 gation of the whole question of the importance, alike 

 to the Government and the consumer, of these great 

 sources of wealth, which have so long remained in- 

 sufficiently appreciated in the European markets, and 

 valueless commodities to our Eastern Dependencies. 

 At a time when it is necessary to borrow eight and 

 a-half millions to defray the expenses of famine relief, 

 and when the future of the silver question is wholly 

 - uncertain, the importance of developing 





veloping every , , . 



source of wealth, every source of wealth must be apparent, 

 and although our endeavours in connection with 

 Indian fibres have hitherto been futile, there is every 

 reason to hope that, if the work is wisely taken in 

 hand, the efforts of the Government will yet be 

 crowned with success. I, of course, perfectly appre- 

 ciate the necessity for railroads and canals, but these 

 are costly, and not always perhaps not generally 

 remunerative undertakings, and I would respectfully 

 and strongly urge upon the Government of India 

 the advisability of utilizing the thousands of acres of 

 crop indepen- sterile land which might be cultivated with 



dent of rainfall , , , . , -, 



or irrigation, a crop absolutely independent of ram or 

 artificial irrigation, and which thrives with a mini- 



