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in our favour as to have had a powerful efficacy in attaching them 

 to the British government, knowing that they had only a choice of 

 masters; yet were this difference of policy taken away, their ha- 

 bits and manners, which are more congenial to those of the Mus- 

 sulmans, would probably induce them to prefer their government 

 to ours. 



After a very candid and fair statement of the difficulty in con- 

 verting the Hindoos, his Lordship draws the following satisfactory 

 conclusion on this important subject. 



il Upon the whole, I am fully persuaded that the first step to 

 be taken is that of rendering our own religion respectable in the 

 eyes of our Indian subjects, by an establishment of greater splen- 

 dor and dignity; and especially by a better choice and more 

 vigilant inspection of the regular clergy ; and that government 

 should studiously avoid interesting itself in the conversion of the 

 natives, since it is impossible that they should not connect in their 

 minds the zeal of proselyting, exerted by those in power, with a 

 plan of coercion and intolerance. If placing in the hands of the 

 Hindoos translations of the scriptures into the languages of the 

 country, will not induce them to make unfavourable comparisons 

 between our lives and our doctrines, and consequently expose us 

 to contempt, no objection can be made to such a dissemination of 

 the principles of true religion. To its silent operation the cause 

 of Christianity should be left, and who will not rejoice at its success ?" 



It must be acknowledged by all, who know how much religion 

 intermingles with the general system of the Hindoos, and pervades 



