AT HOME AND ABROAD 35 



Tbavancore, South India, 

 26 May /85. 



Esteemed Sir — I have just finished reading your 

 latest book — The Use of Life, and I write to express my 

 great admiration of its style and contents. 



It is an encyclopaedia of wise and good thoughts. It 

 is interesting and instructive from beginning to end. 



Yes, " the best books are the cheapest " (p. 127). 

 Quite true. And the books which you have written — 

 though not included in your 100 Books, are surely among 

 the best books of the English language. I have derived 

 from them all the pleasure and profit so well described 

 by you in the chapters on " Libraries " and " Reading." 



As an Indian, I must say that we are grateful to you 

 for your sympathetic thoughts about India. The 

 British Government in India is not only respected — but 

 deeply loved — so I beg to assure you that your appre- 

 hension " that we are loved in India cannot perhaps be 

 maintained " (p. 151) is " unfounded." 



The English rule in India is the noblest, the wisest 

 and the best that India has ever seen. In this view all 

 are agreed — both Princes and Peasants, the educated 

 and the ignorant. The ancient Governments of India 

 never came up to the ideal of the British Government. 

 I am touched profoundly by some of the phrases you 

 have so generously employed in the Chapter on 

 " Patriotism," as for instance, where you write — " our 

 honest effort and desire has been to govern India for the 

 benefit of the people of India. We may have made 

 mistakes there as we have made mistakes at home." 

 Quite true. It appears to me that the expenditure of 

 administering and protecting India, and the heavy taxes 

 are two of the big items of Indian Rule which have not 

 received sufficient attention of the Statesmen at home. 

 These are capable of improvement ; so we educated 

 natives honestly think with regard to the proportion of 

 taxes, though perhaps the British Indian Government 

 does not levy more than the Native Rajahs of old. 

 There is much difference in the actual collection of the 

 ryots' dues. 



The British Government does it with a scientific 

 precision and punctuality unknown in former days. 



With the old Rajahs there was less exactitude, and 

 more consideration shown for a variety of grounds — so 



