160 



But Her Majesty's Ministers again over-ruled the 

 Viceroy's orders, limiting* the power to redeem the 

 land revenue to lands required for dwelling- houses, 

 factories, gardens, plantations, &c., and substituting 

 for the tentative and experimental measure of Earl 

 Canning, the larger and more extended measure of 

 a permanent settlement throughout India, in all 

 districts and parts of districts where the assessment 

 was ascertained to be equitable and no considerable 

 increase could be expected. 



To renew the discussion of questions which have 

 been already considered and decided by the advisers 

 of the Crown, is in India open to objection. I find 

 some little difficulty, therefore, in treating this 

 portion of the subject, especially as great differences 

 of opinion have arisen between the highest authori- 

 ties in arriving at present conclusions, and, if the 

 question be narrowed to an election between redemp- 

 tion as an experiment, and permanency of settle- 

 ment as a rule, I am decidedly of opinion, that of 

 two evils, our late deeply lamented and respected 

 Viceroy chose the least. Great questions, however, 

 of this nature are of no mere local interest. They 

 involve principles which are of universal application, 

 principles which have been discussed by economists 

 in all ages, which will be so discussed probably 

 to the end of time, and which concern not Her 

 Majesty's Ministers nor the Indian Government 

 alone, but the Governments of all existing Empires, 

 and the thinking portion of the whole civilized 



