

178 



all the assistance it could obtain, in righting the 

 evil, it was alleged by the Zemindars " that Govern- 

 ment were bound to defray the entire expenses of the 

 Police establishment, and had not even the right to 

 insist on the appointment of the village watchmen, 

 if the Communities considered their interests did not 

 require it."* It would be monstrous to suppose 

 that the Bengalis, a race wholly devoid of physical 

 courage, who have ever been at the mercy of the 

 first stalwart race of Northern men who chose to 

 invade them, should be protected both in life and 

 property at an enormous cost to Government ; that 

 the State should be saddled with a debt of a hundred 

 millions sterling on this score ; and they contribute 

 nothing towards its liquidation. It is wholly incon- 

 ceivable, out of India, that persons situated as are 

 the Zemindars of Bengal, persons who, as before 

 shown, within little more than a quarter of a century, 

 have been permitted to accumulate a hundred and 

 fifty millions sterling over and above their legitimate 

 gains, should be unwilling to aid a Government 



* Statement of objects and reasons of a bill to amend the 

 law relating to Police chowkedars introduced by Mr. Moffat 

 Mills into the Legislative Council of India, 16th September, 

 1854, Mr. Mills continued, "The Course of Legislation on 

 this subject which is described below, does not in my opinion 

 bear out this assertion," and lower down in his statement he 

 adds, -"the consequence of these defects in the Law is, that 

 the village-watch, the basis of our Police system, is utterly in- 

 efficient, the Chowkedars are inadequately and uncertainly paid, 

 and * being kept in a permanent state of starvation,' they keep 

 themselves comfortably, by leaguing with thieves and robbers." 

 In the original the extract given in the text> is in the present 

 tense. 



