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of India,, in which individual property in the soil 

 is held under the Crown, the increase of families 

 always tends to maintain the ancient and normal 

 state of societies, constituting communities within 

 communities, as contemplated in their ancient laws. 



It will be objected, I fear, that I lay much 

 too great stress on ancient laws, many of which 

 are contradictory, and most of which are now 

 obsolete. But, if many are contradictory it is because 

 they were framed for societies in different stages of 

 progress, for which we have not the key, and if most 

 are obsolete it is for a similar reason. At the same 

 time a careful study of the customs and habits of the 

 people of those parts of India in which I have lived, 

 has satisfied me that viewed by the light of more 

 modern native writers, these ancient laws afford still 

 a more accurate picture of the existing state of 

 native society in the interior, than any yet sketched 

 by European pen or pencil. And, if this be 

 true, and I do not think it will be disputed by 

 those who are competent to form any sound opinion 

 on the subject, we could not have a stronger proof 

 of the very slow degrees by which the progressive 

 development of societies, when left to themselves, 

 is worked out. Even in Calcutta, the metropolis 

 of British India, where Newton and Bacon, Shakes- 

 peare and Milton, have been familiar as * household 

 words,' for upwards of a quarter of a century, 

 whole families consisting of grand-fathers, grand- 



