60 



better means of inter-cotnmunicntion exist, must 

 in India, ever be the inevitable consequence famine 

 prices for food. The attention of the Civil Authori- 

 ties, was, naturally, diverted from encouraging what 

 was considered a doubtful experiment, to their more 

 legitimate duty of importing grain from the plains. 

 The hill-men were starving ; and had the authorities 

 fed them and employed them in thousands in pre- 

 paring land for tea cultivation, they could not have 

 discharged their duty more agreeably to the people, 

 or more beneficially to the Government and the coun- 

 try. But the experiment had been already pro- 

 nounced a failure in Assam, and Mr. Fortune's 

 report had done something to turn popular opinion 

 in the North West in the same direction. The 

 responsibility certainly was great. It was not accept- 

 ed and the opportunity was lost. 



The results obtained, therefore, from these 

 and other causes, though commensurate with the 

 small means, and very inefficient European establish- 

 ments with which the superintendent had to work, 

 were by no means great. Ten or twelve years had 

 elapsed since the first batch of seeds and seedlings 

 had been planted in the hills. Government from being 

 impatient, finally became lukewarm : the European 

 public strongly prejudiced against the experiment ; 

 the natives seeing the little interest taken in it by 

 the authorities neglected it altogether ; and for the 

 second time iu the history of this interesting experi- 



