205 



his the Lieuteuent Governor of Bengal was ad- 

 dressed, for this the Governor General in Council 

 was petitioned, and for this the strongest pressure 

 of the Press was brought to bear on the Supreme 

 Authority in India. No delay could be tolerated. 

 The necessities of the planters were imminent ; and 

 it was considered harsh and unjust on the part 

 of the Indian Government, to refuse any longer 

 that which the Lieut. Governor of Bengal had so 

 strongly recommended, that which, it was asserted, 

 had been already conceded by the Secretary of State, 

 when he sanctioned the redemption of the laud 

 tax in Madras, and the cornrnutation of annual 

 payments in Bengal. 



It is quite true that in August 18GO the Lieut. 

 Governor of Bengal had transmitted to the Govern- 

 ment of India the dnfc of a new set of rules for the 

 disposal of the waste lands in the provinces under his 

 Government, providing for the sale of grants as a 

 ' valid heritable and transferable tenure in perpe- 

 tuity/ subject however to the conditions previously 

 in force regarding clearances, except as regards the 

 penalty of fori'eiture, which included o^ily such 

 portions of the grants as might not have been 

 brought under cultivation; and the mind of the 

 Calcutta public was in the state above described, 

 when these rules were brought before the Supreme 

 Government for consideration. One Member of 

 Council wrote a Minute, strongly advocating the 



