MEMOIR OF CAPTAIiN LIGHT, 15 



his life brought out the resource and political courage which 

 were the secret of Captain Light's success. This Regulation 

 stopping perpetuity grants in favour of five-year leases was 

 to take effect from ist January, 1795. When the Resolution 

 arrived he allowed it to be known and stopped issuing 

 grants; but at the same time he informed Mr. YoUNG and 

 others that he would not promulgate it, but would get it rescind- 

 ed: ''well knowing (says Mr. YoUNG) the publication would 

 instantly stop all further advance," and especially the pep- 

 per-planting near Glugor which he had started in 1790 and had 

 done so much to promote. Before the Resolution could come 

 into force, he had died. But his immediate successor Mr. 

 Mannington took the same view; and on the 22nd August, 

 1796, "the Governor-General in Council rescinded his Resolu- 

 tion of the 1st August, 1794," viz., that no allotments of land be 

 made in perpetuity. (Papers relating to Land Revenue Ad- 

 ministration, published 1884.) 



It has since been contended that these Perpetuity Grants 

 were a mistake; but the contemporary evidence points entire- 

 ly the other way. In any case the blame would fall on his 

 superiors. The responsibility for that policy lies with Sir 

 J. Macpherson, who, when Captain LiGHT sounded him in 

 April, 1786, before he started on his expedition, as to "granting 

 settlers a portion of land," replied "That would be proper;" 

 and with his successor, Lord CORNWALLIS, whose first des- 

 patch to Captain Light dated 22nd January, 1787, stated: 

 "We leave it to your discretion to receive such colonists as 

 "you may think it safe and advisable to admit and to give each 

 "family such portion of land as circumstances will allow and 

 "you may judge expedient." To Lord CORNWALLis' wise 

 and liberal statesmanship on this and similar points the Set- 

 tlement owes much of its rapid progress. His preference for 

 "perpetuity settlement" may have carried him too far in an 

 old country like Bengal. But in a new Colony it is the only 

 policy that can succeed ; as was soon made clear at Penang 

 when he left, and when Lord TeigNMOUTH endeavoured to 

 reverse it and adopt restrictive measures. 



In this matter as in so many others Captain LiGHT did his 



