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of it — a rent whicli it can periodically enhance as 

 circumstances enable the land to bear it. 



And yet we are always in difficulty about money.* 

 Conceive the Groyernment of Great Britain similarly 

 situated, and yet having to levy income taxes, and 

 license taxes, and the like. 



Well may the people of India cry out against inno- 

 vations like these, and say, '^ the State keeps all the 

 land in the country; this ought to suffice for any Gro- 

 vernment ; if it does not, the Government, whatever 

 its other merits, is too dear at the price." And this 

 is the feeling that is slowly, but surely, creeping over 

 the face of the empire. It is not the confirmed mal- 

 contents only, these must always be numerous in a 

 country governed by foreigners; it is equally those 

 best affected to our rule who begin to say, " The 

 Government means well, it does much for us, it gives 

 us peace internally, but this is a poor country, and 

 the Government costs too much ! '* 



We must be blind indeed to the teachings of history 

 if we cannot, to some extent, foretell to what this 

 must ultimately lead. 



Now that the people feel so keenly the costliness of 

 the Government is due in some degree to unwise and 

 unnecessary expenditure,! but mainly to the fact that 

 our land revenue, not having advanced in proportion 



* Tlie writer can remember no period witliin tlie last twenty- 

 years, when any attempts to obtain funds for agricultural im- 

 provements were not negatived on the ground of financial 

 pressure. 



t This is too large a question to enter on here, though one 

 branch of it has been glanced at in a later portion of this paper. 



