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in the Punjab, takes the warmest interest in the 

 success of the planters, the best guarantee, that 

 when he comes to look into matters he will put 

 them to rights. 



Most certainly it is imperative on a Government 

 in the position of the British Government in India, 

 scrupulously to respect all the just rights of the 

 people in the soil or otherwise ; but it is equally its 

 duty carefully to investigate all claims on the State 

 of any class, be they European or Native, and espe- 

 cially if supported by traditionary evidence, which 

 may either retard the improvement of the country, 

 or involve the imposition of unjust burdens on the 

 whole community. And, when the interests of the 

 State and the country, may be sacrificed, in the 

 manner above mentioned, it will be apparent that 

 some standard should be adopted, more in accord- 

 ance with principles based on sound experience, 

 than the varying opinions of settlement authorities 

 are likely to be, if it be desired that the land 

 tenure of the whole country shall ever be placed 

 on that solid basis, the singularly important relation, 

 it bears to the revenues of the State, demands. 



And if the present age is at fault in regard to 

 some of the links of such a chain of evidence as 

 would enable us to trace back the history of proprie- 

 tory rights to their first origin, in India we are 

 not altogether helpless. We have Institutes older 

 than Justinian's, and the advantage of having 



