THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
138 
[September i, 1890. 
enterprises. Moreover, when we think of the great 
pecuniary loss which famines have entailed upon the 
country, and the unbusiness-like — I had almost said 
stupid — methods by which she has acquired her assets, 
when in spite of all these ordeals, the country has 
emerged from them, almost free of a national debt, 
it is surely a proof, if not of wealth, yet of an 
elasticity of resource (with the exception of America) 
unparalleled in the history of any other country. 
That India, in common with other countries, is 
afflicted with much p'Werty cannot for one moment be 
denied. There, as elsewhere, there are, alas, too many 
who fall in their strife with fortune. It is easy to paint a 
dismal pi ture of the poverty of a nation, but to solve 
the problem is a different matter. I often think it would 
be well for India, were her offlcials to devote more 
of their energies in amelioraiing a condition, wfich 
India shares in common with every wealthy country, 
instead of dwelling constantly, in season and out 
of season, upon her so-called poverty- On the other 
hand, one cannot but respect the opinion of those, 
however mistaken, who are profoundly impressed with 
the poverty of India, and who ascribe this poverty 
to the expensive foreign organizations which we have 
imposed upon her. There is no doubt much truth in 
the contention that the civil and military services might 
be conducted upon a more economical basis ; this may be 
said of all countries. The hardship with India lies in 
the fact, that those services are conducted principally 
by foreigners, and are, necessarily, more expensive. 
Still, in the face of all this, the broad fact remains, 
that judged by large and comprehensive issues, such as 
the increasing consumption of luxuries, &c., &c., India 
is not a country bleeding to death, as some would have 
us believe. Were this so, the process has been going 
on for upwards of two hundred years ; and the evidence 
at which I have had time merely to hint, all points in 
the direction of increasing wealth. 
4? ^ * 1^ * 
At the outset I said, that with one erception, India 
had in abundance everything which constitutes the 
wealth of the Unl'ed Kingdom. The exception I re- 
ferred to is the weak executive ability of the race ; it 
is this principle, this ever present cliaracterisnc, which 
in my humble opinion is the main hindrance to the 
development of the wealth of India. The Indian peo- 
ple are admirable administrators, exact copyists, when 
placed in a groove; but they are lacking in the self- 
adaptive faculty of suiting themselves to the ever chan- 
ging requirements of new developments. The individual 
has his p ace fixed for him in society by the rigours of 
caste, and thus his individuality is lost iu that of the 
community, which in its turn is lost in looking to Gov- 
ernment. There is a want of self-reliance, of that bold 
and sturdy spirit which leads individuals and com- 
munities to lean upon themselves, rather than upon 
those who govern them; hence, as stated, the weak 
execu'ive ability of ih" race is the main hindrance to 
the creation of wealth in India. This may be illustra- 
ted by the fact that upon our acquiring the country 
we found it all but destitute of roads, by which the 
inhabitants could communicate with each other. They 
were practically shut •. ff from selling to theraeelves, 
or to the world, the fruits of their labours; in cou- 
seeruence of their w6uk executive ability they were 
unable to appreciate the nece.ssity for roads, sa as to 
give their wealth-creating faculty full scope. Hence, 
also, the hoarding propensities of the race, and their 
inability as a nation to associate capital, or to com- 
bine and organize themselves as one-against an enemy. 
The paramount power in India is, and has always 
been, the centre from which all social and public works 
eiiianato. The people look to the Government to .see 
everything, know and provide everything, whereas 
with the strong e.xecutive facully of the Western 
races they are themselves the centre, and the Govern- 
ment is but the organ of their wishes. 
The good quilities of the ludian people — their 
patience, their cour’esy, thur contentment— all serve 
to Bcceutiiate iheir w' ak executive ability. In their 
rel gion, there is nothing tike what wo under -and 
by dissent, nor is Uitretlio ever restless ingenuity 
to discover new and improved methods, so typical 
of 'Western races. ] 
It is easy to criticise, but not so easy to suggest 
a remedy. As has been well observed, “T'ou may 
alte'- the conditions of the race but never their charac 
teristics.” So in the case before ns, I fear a remedy 
is impossible, and to defer the devolopement of the 
wealth of India until this national v. eakness is overcome 
is simply postponing indefinitely all measures for the 
promotion of its growth. Nor is it necessary in this 
instance that we should make the the attempt to 
alter this characteristic, for have we not as a 
nation, assumeu ihe executive of India? We have 
assumed the trusteeship of the people, and no country 
has ever taken upon itself such responsibilities to 
another as England has towards ludia. If India has 
suffered since our possession, for want of proper 
communications with which to develop her resources, 
the fault clearly lie.s with the Executive which we 
have imposed upon the country, and if we desire 
India to become wealthy, and to take her place 
among progressive na'ions, it is upon this Executive 
that our atti ntioa must be concentrated. 
I have attempted to show y.u whrrein the wealth 
of India consists — namely, in her wealth creating 
faculty applied to a marvellous numbrr and variety 
of pn ducts. I have tried to interpret to you a few 
of the national characteristics of the race, the chief 
one being an innate desire to better their condition. 
I have endeavoured to show you wherein mainly 
consists the hindrances to the country becoming 
wealthy — namely, the weak executive faculty of the 
people and the feeble Execu ive which the House of 
Commons has given to the country. I fear thuig-s 
cautiot improve unless this country can be roused to 
take a more active interest in the affairs of India. 
When one thinks of the millions of families in 
this country, who receive their daily bread in virtue 
of our connection wi'h India, and how, were the 
inhabitants of this country, but to take a greater 
interest in the affairs of India, the number of these 
familits could he indefinitely increased — when one 
thinks of the millions of the Indian race who receive 
their daily bread in virtue of our connection with 
their country, and I ow, by a mote active interess 
on our part in its affairs, their number could be largely 
increased. In meditating over tli- se things and the 
apathy of this country towards India, lam some- 
times inclined to estimate tuch neglect as almost 
criminal. India ought to be considered as an integral 
portion of this Eu.pire. It was so viewed a few 
years ago when Enssia threatened her frontier. 
With how much more reason should it he so regarded 
in relation to all those peaceable ecor-omie questions, 
common to all progressive countries. 
[There is another side to parliamentary interference 
with India. For instance : Bradlaugh representing as 
a martyr of tyranny the Maharaja of Kashmir, who 
was deposed because of his tyranny and oppression. 
There is another side also to the charaettr of the 
admini.strators of India. There are exceptions, of 
coui'oe, but cn the whole no corc(uered people were 
ever more ably, righteously ana benevolently governed 
than the people of India. — Ed. T. A.~\ 
GARDENLNG IN INDIA. 
There seems to be a prevalent idea among those 
who have not been to the tropics, and e.specially 
India, that gardening there must he a very simple 
affa r, ]ust in the same way as some imagine tnat 
tigers prowl about the i treeta, and cobras meet you 
at every turn ; but the reverse is actudlly the case : 
good gardens, like tigers, are, in fact, not plentiful, 
and it is possible to live in India a long time with- 
out ever seeing a cobra oiitbido a snake-charmer’s 
basket. 
Btfore I went to India, I had similar erroneous 
notions, iiarticularly as regards Indian vegetation. I 
fancied 1 was going to see a Kew Palm-huuse-like 
aspect everywhere; mighty Palms, and rampant 
climbers ; in short, just like the choice “ bits ” of 
jungle scenery that travellers in the tropics arc wont 
