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differences, and at the same time taking- into account 

 that frightful famines have periodically decimated 

 the population of the one, throwing half the country 

 out of cultivation, and that the other, besides being 

 naturally far more fertile, has been comparatively free 

 from these visitations, I am unable to alter the con- 

 clusion at which I have arrived, that if the perpetual 

 settlement in Bengal has enriched the Zemindars, 

 it has kept the people in a sadly impoverished and 

 depressed condition, and immensely retarded the 

 material progress of the country. It may be said 

 that to build bridges and to make roads is the busi- 

 ness of Government ; but it is folly to argue as 

 if Government were some benign individual, that, 

 disinterestedly distributes its favours from a sense 

 of philanthropy wholly regardless of return. No 

 landlord lays out Capital on his estate without 

 entertaining reasonable expectations of a return, 

 unless it be for the purpose of beautifying it or im- 

 proving its salubrity. Were he to do so the World 

 would assuredly write him down an Ass ! And as 

 the position of Government in this sense, differs in 

 no respect from that of a good and wise landlord, 

 why should the Government of India have laid out 

 millions of money in public works that could not 

 have tended to increase its income by one shilling 

 per annum ? There is no sound practical reason for 

 the adoption of such a course. It has consequently 

 systematically refused to do so, and if any one en- 

 tertains doubts on the subject, let him consult the 



