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almost to preclude the possibility of people, accus- 

 tomed to frame their ideas on the scale of an island 

 comparatively so diminutive as Great Britain, form- 

 ing- any very accurate opinion on the subject 

 has hitherto placed it beyond the power of any of 

 the Sovereign Rulers who have governed India, 

 to bring* it under the control of one system of laws. 

 The variety of races, moreover, which inhabit India, 

 differing' many degTees in civilization, would render 

 the adoption of any one system, in its integrity, 

 at present inexpedient. Ruling- Sovereigns, again, 

 prior to the succession of Her Britannic Majesty, 

 have never even fully established their authority 

 within one half of the extent of territory over 

 which they nominally have held swa}', and thoug-h 

 British rule, has for a considerable time been 

 tolerably firm over the greater portion of Hin- 

 dostan proper, it is only within the last few years, 

 i. e. since the year 1858, it can be said that 

 the work of consolidating- the Empire has com- 

 menced. Up to this day then, no Government of 

 India has been in a position to assert those rights 

 which leg-ally belonged to the Crown, and hence it 

 has been, that in different forms, and under varying 

 conditions, many have been appropriated by the 

 subject. These rights have been allowed to exist, 

 to use the expression of Earl Canning, in a ( rude 

 form/ because the Government itself has existed in 

 only in a rude form ; and the real question is, how 

 shall the Government,, now that it finds itself in a 



