PREFACE. 



FOUR years ago I ventured to publish a small 

 work treating- of the history and mode of conduct- 

 ing certain agricultural enterprizes in India, in 

 which the people of England are interested. Not 

 expecting that the subject, notwithstanding its 

 importance, would prove very attractive to the Eng- 

 lish public, the edition was small, and the book was 

 soon out of print. It was reviewed, however, very 

 generally, and its reviewers, as a rule, were far 

 more kind and considerate in their estimates of any 

 little merit the work may have possessed, and 

 far more lenient to its many defects, than I had 

 anticipated they would be, or indeed than I had any 

 right to expect. Some portions of the subject I 

 ventured to discuss were very difficult, particularly 

 those involving considerations of the land tenure in 

 India, and the duties and obligations of Government 

 in regard to the development of the wealth of the 

 country. My views on many points were opposed 

 to received opinions in England ; and some of my 



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