357 



of 1839, "the general law has recognized it ay a 

 penal offence to contract with any native of India 

 for labor in a colony beyond Seas, or to aid any 

 native of India in emigrating for employment 

 as a laborer. " And since the expenditure sanction- 

 ed for Public Works this year, reaches the enor- 

 mous sum of <12,000,,000, and the Secretary of 

 State has admitted that the whole of this amount 

 cannot be laid out, because labor is not forth- 

 coming for the purpose, the present would not 

 seem to be the most favourable time for initia- 

 ting a change of this policy. Those, therefore, who 

 have the interest of India at heart, cannot but 

 observe with deep concern the recurrence of trea- 

 ties with foreign powers entered into by her Ma- 

 jesty's Government, to deprive India of that which 

 she cannot spare of that the want of which, it is 

 now admitted, retards her own progress. The 

 philanthropic policy of the British Government in 

 regard to the Slave Trade, in the steady pursuance 

 of which England still spends millions of money, 

 must be the admiration of the World, for all ages 

 to come. But it is questionable how far it will be 

 considered adrnisssable, or how far it is the in- 

 tention of her Majesty's Ministers to sacrifice 

 the best interests of India, to a question of British 

 policy, after it has been acknowledged that the 

 laboring population is below the wants of the 

 Country itself. 



