440 



To ROBERT GAMBLER, Esq. 



Chief, &c. Members or the Board of Revenue 



at Barociie. 



Gentlemen, 



In obedience to the commands of the Honour- 

 able the Governor and Council at Bombay, we are now to give the 

 required explanations of our minute on the subject of farming the 

 Honourable Company's lands; but previously we deem it incum- 

 benton us to disclaim all collusion which our Honourable superiors 

 seem to suspect. 



In answer to the first point we have to observe, that contracts 

 for farms, from the want of a sufficient number of responsible 

 persons in this place, cannot be managed in the manner the 

 Honourable board may expect. Once, on public trial even of 

 single small villages, competitors could not be found; and the first 

 and principal part of the business will therefore be necessarily 

 transacted in a sort of private manner, and through the adminis- 

 tration of a set of corrupt zemindars. Add to this the constant 

 and unavoidable dependance of the farmers on the same persons 

 who grant the leases, for effectual support in their farms; and we 

 imagine what has been already said, without enlarging, will be 

 sufficient to give the preference to the mode of jumma-bundy. 

 But no farm having, to our knowledge, ever taken place, it was 

 impossible we could mean any reflection on the present collector- 

 general, or sub-collectors; but as they might be hereafter intro- 



