PETT7 FAULTS. 
But while pointing out this fact it is by no means 
intended to in any way depreciate the master, for he 
has much, everything indeed, in his power in creating 
and increasing this labor supply, because an estate 
that is or has been for any time short-handed is en- 
tirely dependent on the manager, or the means used by 
him for increasing the labour force. But after this 
fo''C8 is fully established, and the coolies get settled, 
and like the estate, the same superintendent, who took 
so much trouble in initiating the labour, were he 
leaving the estate, would probably be unable to induce 
any of the coolies to leave with him, especially if he 
was going to some other district. The only w^ay in 
which he could do it would bp to take them suddenly, 
pay them up to date, and tell them he w’^as leaving 
to-morrow and they had better come with him ; but 
leave them for a week, and they would not move. 
Of course amongst the planting community such shabby 
acts are unknown, these possible contingencies being 
merely written to illustrate the character and dispo- 
sition of the cooly, which was, as it still is, a strange 
mixture of two extremes, honesty and dishonesty, truth, 
and falsehood, cleanliness and dirt. Give a coolj a sum 
of money, send him off with it, to make a pa^yment, 
or delivery, and, as a rule, one may have no fear of 
the result. He takes a pride in his commission, and 
in the punctual and exact execution of it. Ask the 
same man at the pay table, on handing him eight 
shillings, if his pay is correct. “Yes, sir,” is the 
prompt repl}^ but, if you should have made a mistake, 
and a sixpence slip amongst the four rupees, he will 
walk off with it, saying nothing. He does not consider 
this conduct dishonesty, Eeverse the case, and he will 
stick out for his rights, ‘sixpence short.’ Task them 
a given number of coffee trees to prune, or wned, they 
will most likely execute the works quite correctly, as 
to quantity, with little or no respect to the quality, 
unless strictly looked after, so that the master, if in 
his bungalov^ at his accounts when the cooly presents 
himself, stating his task is finished, would do well to 
rise, go out, and examine the cpiality of the work 
done — not if the task his done, but how it is done. It 
is the same with regard to truth and falsehood : triist 
a good man on any matter of importance, he will 
generally be found perfectly truthful and correct, in- 
deed much more so than many other classes of people, 
who would scorn to be put in the same balance of 
principle with the cooly. But he makes light of petty 
falsehoods, or what are called in European parlance 
“ white lies,” while at the same time they attac 
much importance to the character of being considere 
