133 



* 



miliar as * household words/ for upwards of a quarter 

 of a century, whole families consisting 1 of grand- 

 fathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, 

 sisters, brothers' wives, daughters, uncles, aunts, &c., 

 share the paternal estate, under one roof, living* in 

 the constant turmoil, toil and trouble, of female 

 broils and disputes, and native gentlemen, brought 

 up in English schools and colleges, are unable to 

 shake themselves free of this community of interests 

 and property inherited with their birthright, be- 

 cause it is the custom of their country. 



If then, the theory that individuality of property 

 is the condition of society in its highest or most arti- 

 ficial state, admitting- progressive development, it 

 will be self-evident that to attempt to introduce or 

 to carry out the principle in India now, would be 

 absurd ; and if the application of this idea, seems 

 absurd from this, the abstract principle or lowest 

 point of view, how much more so will it appear, 

 when viewed practically ? It is not my intention to 

 go over here, all the arguments for and against the 

 alienation of the revenue of State derived from land, 

 by its commutation for an immediate payment. 

 These will be found far more ably discussed in books 

 on political economy, and in the state papers, already 

 before the public, on the subject.* There are one 

 or two points, however, which, as I have already 



* Vide particularly the very able minute of Mr, Ross D. 

 Mangles, of the Indian Council, and the opinion of Sir John 

 Lawrence. Parliamentary Papers, 2 1st July, 1862. 



