85 



ing* European settlers into the districts in which 

 waste lands are situated, in those districts from 

 whence the cry for the sale of land in fee-simple 

 emanated, that object had been already gained without 

 it. At the very time, the cry for the fee-simple 

 was being 1 raised in Calcutta, scores of Europeans 

 were pouring- into Assam and Cachar, a hundred 

 and fifty thousand acres had been already leased, 

 and more was being- daily applied for far more 

 than to bring- one third part of which into cultiva- 

 tion there was even a remote prospect of getting 

 either capital or labour for. Or were it true that 

 both these desiderata could be obtained which, 

 however, was not the case, the seed for the 

 only crop it was desired to grow, could not be 

 procured but in the most limited quantities, for 

 the supply did not equal a tenth part of the wants 

 of those already in possession of the field. Instead? 

 therefore, of there being the slightest necessity for 

 attracting Europeans to those wastes from whence 

 the cry came, by the concession demanded, the 

 necessity, if necessity there was at all, lay entirely 

 the other way, and consisted, rather, in warning 

 an excited public against too hurriedly rushing into 

 a field w r hich, looking at the circumstances of the 

 cultivation in progress, was over-occupied already ; 

 or placing such checks as would serve to keep the 

 immigration of Europeans within the limits pre- 

 scribed by the circumstances of the Province, and 

 the cultivation in question. Indeed it became 



