tREFAOE. Vll 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 



The additional section containing suggestions as to measures 

 to be adopted for the amelioration of the condition of the 

 agricultural classes has now been completed, and the Memo- 

 randum is accordingly issued in a complete form. 



I have made a few verbal changes in portions of the 

 Memorandum already issued and added foot-notes in three or 

 four places to make my meaning clearer on some points to 

 prevent misapprehension. I have also given in the appendix 

 extracts from a reply published by me in the Madras Mail 

 to some criticisms which appeared in the Calcutta Review 

 on the question of pressure of population and one or two 

 important matters bearing on the condition of the agri- 

 cultural population. 



The statistics given in the appendices have been revised, 

 as far as possible, with reference to the results of the last 

 census. Tiie Board of Revenue having furnished revised 

 figures as regards the acreage of holdings for some of the 

 earlier years, these have been adopted in the statement of 

 acreage of holdings printed in the appendix. I have retained 

 the life-table for the population of the Presidency taken fram 

 the census report of 1881, as the table prepared in connec- 

 tion with the census of 1891 relates to the population of the 

 Madras city alone. The comparative table of persons classi- 

 fied under various occupations in 1871 and 1881 has also been 

 retained unaltered, as owing to a radical change of classifica- 

 tion adopted for the census of 1891, a comparison between 

 the results of this census and those of the earlier censuses 

 has not been found possible. 



No pains have been spared to render the statistics as 

 accurate as possible, but considering the great mass of figures 



