14 



from that in which their forefathers lived a thousand 

 years ag*o. I need hardly say, it is very primitive. 



We all recollect the corn laws, their action, the 

 excitement their proposed abolition gave rise to in 

 Great Britain, and the intention and objects of that 

 measure. Before the abolition of protection, the 

 universality of some of the most important theories 

 of Political Economy had not been submitted to the 

 test of practical proof; and on this account, the result 

 of that great measure was doubtless looked for with 

 deep anxiety, by the thinking- part of Europe. That 

 it has triumphantly vindicated the truth of those prin- 

 ciples on which sound Economists took their stand, 

 I need not mention ; but I desire to draw attention 

 to the warm and animated discussions that took place 

 in the House of Commons at the time, and the very 

 strong- party of protectionists as they were called, 

 that rallied round the leaders that opposed this 

 measure, as evidencing- that, short a time ago as this 

 was, free England had not then, generally, given in 

 her adhesion to all the principles of a science which 

 now, it would appear, an influential section of her 

 people expect to be well known and acted on in re- 

 mote regions of the despotic East. But it will be 

 long-, centuries I am afraid, before India will be in 

 a position to comply with this expectation, at pre- 

 sent wholly unreasonable. Nor do I think a blind 

 adherence to the naked principles of Economic 

 Science, as applied to an island many centuries in 

 advance of her in civilization, will in any way tend 



