NOTES ON TRAVEL 239 



INDIA, 1900-1901 



Early in 1900 Ramsay was asked by the Indian 

 Government to go out to India and advise on an 

 educational question of importance. Among the many 

 Parsee philanthropists whose names stand high in the 

 annals of India Jamsetjee N. Tata holds almost the 

 foremost place. He was a man of the widest sympathies 

 and learning, and at the same time of great financial 

 ability and enterprise. His far-reaching intelligence 

 spent itself not only in promoting great engineering 

 and manufacturing projects, but also in striving to 

 improve the education of his Indian fellow-subjects. 



In a quiet, unobtrusive manner he had, for many years, 

 helped promising students of the Indian universities and 

 colleges to go to Europe and do post-graduate work 

 in the universities there. This had not always the 

 success for which he hoped, and he felt that an institution 

 in India for post-graduate research of a scientific 

 character, and which would lead to the opening up of 

 careers for its students, would be a benefit to the people 

 at large. To provide such an institution he offered 

 to the Indian Government building land and properties 

 estimated to yield an annual income of 8333, after 

 providing for administrative expenses, rates and taxes 

 and an adequate sinking fund. Further the family of 

 Mr. Tata guaranteed that for ten years the property 

 would yield this income. The capital value of these 

 gifts was about 200,000. It was to advise on the best 



