1845 46.] MB. FINNIE'S FOUR YEARS IN TINNEVELLY. 97 



lies under the range of mountains between Tinnevelly and CHAP, 

 the Native state of Travancore, and which enjoys the in- _ 

 fluence of both the North-east and South-west monsoons. 



Necessity for the co-operation of the Natives : em- 134 

 ployment of hired labour by the European always a 

 loss. Mr. Finnie's ultimate object was to test the capa- 

 bilities of the large area of country, thus peculiarly situated, 

 for the cultivation of the New Orleans variety. But his 

 more immediate object was to interest the people directly 

 in the new cultivation, by inducing some of the more in- 

 fluential Ryots to plant an acre or two each, on their 

 own account, but according to his directions. Nothing in- 

 deed could be done without the co-operation of the peo- 

 ple ; for it was an established fact, that if the people 

 would but adopt the improved agricultural method, they 

 could always produce the raw material, whatever that mate- 

 rial might be, very much cheaper than any European could 

 do by the hired labour system. Mr. Finnie knew from ex- 

 perience, that the hired labour system afforded such nume- 

 rous opportunities for peculation, that it was impossible for 

 a capitalist to follow that system with any profit in India in 

 the growth of any article whatever. 



First intercourse with the Ryots s allays fears and 135 



suspicions. On the 1st of June 1846, Mr. Finnie reached 

 Courtallum, and made the people acquainted with his object. 

 On the 3rd, he was visited by some of the more respectable 

 Eyots, who asked for an explanation of his object, and at 

 the same time expressed their own doubts and fears. First, 

 they thought that Mr. Finnie aimed at getting possession of 

 their lands ; but he assured them that he wanted nothing be- 

 yond the bare trial of the experiment, on a small scale the 

 first year, and then if successful on a larger scale the next. 

 Secondly, they expressed a fear that, if the new Cotton suc- 

 ceeded, the Government would raise their assessment ; but 



