52 



will not be able to shake it off. The Government, 

 therefore, if it desires to be free, should be active and 

 not passive ; seizing- with avidity on every opportu- 

 nity of opening 1 up new fields of wealth, and pre- 

 paring- them for those who it decides shall work 

 therein. But let Finance, Education, Commerce, 

 these three, be placed on a sound basis let there be 

 a competent head appointed for each, and I have little 

 doubt that all necessity for the direct interference of 

 Government will soon vanish, and India, wealthy, 

 enlig-htened, and prosperous, putting- off her swad- 

 dling- clothes, will walk alone, leaving- her Govern- 

 ment to look after such affairs of State only, as 

 older nations, b} r the common consent of the people, 

 think it better for their national honour and welfare, 

 should be manag-ed by persons appointed for the 

 purpose. 



And here I think it as well to mention that there 

 is no necessity to see in this view a tendency to turn 

 the Government of India into a ( Royal Merchant 

 trading- to the East Indies/ or to establish it on the 

 model of the old Merchant Company of celebrated 

 memory ; nor yet a desire to support in the abstract, 

 the principle of a Government supply of capital. 

 Nothing- of the kind. I simply assert that the natives 

 of this country are not in a condition to work out 

 their own prosperity, nor to initiate or carry out such 

 experimental operations, as are necessary to induce 

 others to undertake the task for them, and that if the 

 Government of the country, does riot do the work, 



