MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT. 3'15 



of 1829 received orders from tlie Court of Directors to adapt CHAP. XIII, 

 their policy to the rules and instmictions laid down by the i'AET ii. 

 Supreme Government in their resolution of the 7th May 1824, l{^^N^;E 

 and by the Court in the despatch of 8th July 1829, " conceiving History. 

 it expedient that the rules observed in granting permission to 

 Europeans to hold lands in India should be, as nearly as circum- 

 stances will permit, uniform at the several Presidencies." 



The immediate cause of the issue of the resolution of the 7th i\Ak-y 

 May was the desire of Doctor Wallich, Mr. Gordon, and others to 'f ^i"''' „ 

 obtain lands for coffee cultivation in Bengal — a project which Lord Government. 

 Amherst's Government were anxious to encourage. This docu- 

 ment is of great interest, which is my excuse for quoting from it at 

 length. 



" As far as a judgment can in such cases be formed until trial be 

 made, there appears to be abundant reason to conclude that the 

 cultivation of coffee may be successfully prosecuted in this country on 

 an extensive scale, and that the ai'ticle may indeed be produced at a 

 cost considerably below that which the lowest prices hitherto known 

 in the market would amply reimburse, while at the same time there is 

 scarcely anything of which the consumption is likely to experience so 

 large an augmentation in the event of any material reduction of price. 



" The extension of the export trade of ludia is an object of the 

 highest importance both to England and to India, and the introduc- 

 tion of a new branch of trade such as that in question may eventually 

 become would be a great national benefit. The speculation appears 

 therefore to be one which is in a high degree worthy of the support of 

 Government. From the nature of the case it is indispensably neces- 

 sary that those who undertake it should have an assured tenure in the 

 lands appropriated to the cultivation for a considerable period of 

 time, and although it is to be expected and desired that the Natives 

 will before long enter on the speculation and be guided by the example 

 set to them in the conduct of it, yet to its early and successful 

 introduction on a large scale it appears to be essentially requisite to 

 allow scope to European enterprise and intelligence." 



After remarking that the land required would ordinarily admit 

 of easy demarcation. Lord Amherst expressed a hope that little 

 difficulty would be experienced " in providing- for the satisfactory 

 adjustment of all claims and the effectual pi'otection of all riglits 

 attaching to land to be used in the cultivation of coffee, or other 

 use necessarily included within the limits of the plantation. For 

 this purpose, and especially for the protection of the ryots and 

 the security of the real interests of the speculators,'' especial 

 rules were considered necessary. The rules may be summed up —rules pro- 

 as follows :— mulgated. 



(I.) Arrangements for occupation of land by Europeans, between 

 them and the owners and occupiers, were to be certified by the Col- 

 lector. 



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