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been economically produced in Any otter district , that I am aware of . A small working w *» made in the Tenasseiim provinces , which I myself visited and reported on , hut it is very distant from th « coast , and there are difficulties in transporting it , except at one season of the year ; the coal itself i f not mineral coal , bat a lignite . WhMt are the principal iron districts of India ?—Iron i $ distributed almost universally in India ; I have seen U in many of the different localities , hoth in the Himalaj * . and ia the Tenasserim fprovincea . I have seen
luge blocks of ironstone projecting from the hills in the TenaBserim provinces , which are so rich in magnetic iron M » that the particles actually followed the hammer -when applied to the rock . In the Tenasserim provinces tin Abounds , and is worked by Chinamen . Copper also exists to theHimalayas , hut has not yet been iwrofitablyproduced J * y Europeans , la Kamaon , and in theGwaUor territory , there we large deposits of iron , also in various other ttasts of the Himalayas ; hut from their being utterly inaccessible to capitalists , no attention whatever can be paid to those minerals at present .
Will the railway that goes from Calcutta in the -flixection of Delhi bring together much coal and iron ? ^~ The railway which traverses the continent from $ ombay to Mirzapore will pass through Jubbulpoxe , which is close to oae of the principal deposits of coal and iron . m Will not the railway which goes firom Calcutta in the direction of Delhi bring together the coal of Burdwan and the iron of Monghyr ?—Yes , it might be effected by abort branches . Monghyr is one of tae principal locali-| fes for the production of indigenous iron in India * It is wotked b y the native methods , and there is a
considerable annual export from Monghyr towards Nepaul and our own provinces . There is also a native manufacture of fire-arms on the spot , which has existed for a long period ; so that , besides the raw material , you have , to some extent , a population accustomed to the manipulation of iron . The coal of Burdwan is not far off , and limestone exists in parts of the same range of hills . I hare long thought , and have endeavoured to make known my opinion , that if the district in the vicinity of Jttonghyr -were thoroughly investigated , and the iron , the coal , and the limestone brought within easy access of one another , the most valuable results might be obtained - —_ _ . _ . __ . ^
. One peculiar advantage-which England possesses of course is , that the coal and iron and lime are found in contiguity , thereby giving you at once a means of smelting and a means of flux for tie article . Is that the case in India ?—I believe it to "be the case on the Xferbudda . The three materials are in closer proximity to one another there than anywhere else in India , so far we are at present informed . it , then , of great importance to establish ready - » f communication , bo as to bring these invaluable ¦/* . ? contact with one another ?—It is the only ¦ ing them useful Withjcegard to wheat , 11 dt there is no limit to the production of wheat * eap rate in India , ani . especially in the > » f India , and in the Punjaub . i iwieve ' that country is a splendid country for corn ? —The Buniaub ia certainly a splendid country for corn . I have seen it one vast sheet of com in the spring , eape- dally in the upper part of the Punjaub , in the vicinity of the Himalayas ; there you may look over mueaof ountry , one continued field of corn , which is bounded only by the base of the Himalaya * . ^ When you speak of corn , you mean wheat ?—Yes , wheat . ' When the projected canals are completed in the Punjaub , that country wfll , I imagine , become the granary of India , if not of other countries . 3 o you think that com might bft exported from India In consequence of the abandonee of its production there ? —I should consider tiiat it might . I had occasion to inquire into the agriculture of the Punjaub in 1858 . A . series of questions were circulated by the Government to all the civil officers in the district , and Dram their TepHes I framed a general report oa the subject , which I -Dffw hold in my hand . I will mention , with regard to the price of corn , that in one portion of that report I Stated that the prices of-wheat at Lahore and Mooltan were equivalent to la . 6 d . and U . 8 fd . per Winchester bushel of 60 lbs . In North America , at the shipping places on Lakes Erie and Michigan , the prices of wheat , fhe produce of Ohio and the -west , as stated by my brother , Mr . Seymour Tremenheare , in 1861 , were from 2 b . 2 ld . to 2 b . 8 $ d . for the aame weight , and it Bold at Xdverpoolfor 6 s . 9 a . per bushel . That , therefore , shows that European skill and capital are independent of locality , and that cultivation follows them -whether in the eastern ao -well as in tho western parts of the world?—Yes . "Would not improved facilities of communication be n very great benefit in proyenting famines , -which somotlmea prevail in India ?—Yes ; years of scarcity have recurred at Bengal at regular periods , with intervals of " from eighteen to nineteen years- Thus tbo years 1783 , 1752 , 1770 , 1807 , and 188 C arc recoidcd au those of the greatest distress within tho laBt century . In tho North-Western Provinces the intervals hare been Bhorter , the principal years of scarcity having becu 1782 , 1792 , 1802 , 1812 , 1810 , 1825 , and 1882 , tho intervals being from seven to ton years ; canals and irrigation alone will not prevent the disasters caused by
oft-recurring famines , because all parts of the country are not adapted for the construction of canalsit is only hy affording the greatest facilities for the transport of produce that the true remedy can be applied . ' . Is there any great extent of waste land in that part of India with which you have been acquainted ?—There is a great deal of uncultivated land at the base of the Himalayas . Is there not this difference between the waste land ef England and the waste land of India , that in India the waste land is very often land which might with great advantage he brought into cultivation ; whereas here the waste land is generally land that is least capable cf being brought into cultivation ?—Yes .
You have spoken of the extension of railways and canals ; would worts of irrigation also greatly increase the productiveness of India ?—I think works of irrigation axe of the greatest importance with regard to vegetable productions , and that they might be extended by means of private capital ; they have hitherto been constructed out of the revenues of the country . There appears to be no reason why private capital should not le applied to public works of this nature , as -well as to railways . That would be another means of developing the resources of tie country , by the application of European skill and capital ?—Yea .
One portion of the inquiry which has been devolved upon this Committee by the House of Commons is the possibility of availing ourselves of the climate of the hill stations of India for colonization and settlement ; have you . ever turned your attention to that subject?—I think one « f the most important things that could be done would be to make the hill stations accessible by railway from the plains . You mean of course by carrying railways to the foot of the hills ?— -To the foot of the hills . Do you mean for commercial purposes ?—For commercial purposes , as well as for the purposes of settlement in the hills .
„ ii I s To what hill stations do you allude ?—I allude to tae hill stations of Simla and Mussooree , Almora , and Darjeeling there are others also to the northward of Simla , such as the station of Dalhousie , which was formed a few years ago , and Murree for the Punjaub . Do they all lie near the East Indian Eailway ?—No ; it would be necessary to have branch railways from the East Indian Railway to have access to any of those stations .
I o b n h d c ii They could be easily reached by branches ?—Easily . Are you aware that a new road has been made to Darjeeling-, which is constructed in such a way that rails could be laid down upon it?—I am aware that is las been sanctioned , but I am not aware that it has been made . In a military point of view is it not very desirable to havo access to thane hill stations ?—Undoubtedly it ib desirable oa every account to have access to them ; I conceive that means of speedy access to the hill stations is one of the chief wants in India .
- \ 1 i i i < 1 Will you proceed with your remarks on this subject ? —Toe climate of the plains of India is decidedly adverse to tie settlement of English families of the labouring class . In illustration , I need only refer to the care which is necessary to preserve the health of our soldiers in the East . For a great part of the day , during summer , they remain in their barrack-rooms , which are darkened by wetted mats fixed ia the doorways to cool the air . The sun ' s rays at that season are so powerful that the economical employment of European labour in the plains of India is , I conceive , impracticable . In the hill districts the case is different ! . As you ascend the slopes of the Himalayas the climate , and with it the character of the vegetation , changes gradually , ti ll , at
elevations of 4000 , or from 4000 to 6000 feet , they become entirely of the European type . Here you feel at once that the temperature and climate are adapted , to the European constitution . Of mere manual labour there is no deficiency in India ; on the contrary , native labour ia abundant and cheap , and at equitable rates , proportioned to the distance men are required to go from th « lr own homes , it is available for any part of our possessions . What is chiefly desirable is , the settlement of European capitalists , and that the indigenous labour of the country should be skilfully and profitably directed . The true function of the European in India is not hb a labourer , but as a director of labour . It is very important that some plan should be devised to increase tho number of tho English in India . As a nation , we are
too small a body there ; and this perhaps , as much as any other cause , has led to the recent attempt to exterminate our rule . Tho conquest of the country by tho Mahonacdan powers , was followed by a largo mixture of Mfthomedans with the native population -, now cities wore founded , and a community of feeling sprang up between tho conquering and tho conquered race ; whorens wo live in cantonments , or standing « amps , apart from the people , and there is no identity of interests between us . Wo do not , tin a body , understand tho native character , its habits of thought , and springs of notion . This cxporionco has been , seldom gained except by sucli men as tho SUinnora , tho Forsteis , and Van Cortlandt , -who havo been born in tho country , and havo Krown up ia daily intercourse with tho natives .
When it is combined with the nntni-ai « , „ . ' ¦*• European , its influenc ^^ may be turned to the best account "" awtible , and Is it not easier to rear in India the children * f « « women , than the children of European 2 " ? x ? hve you send the children of EuropeSo S h ! n V" * Ot * they are just aseasily reared aTSe ^^ tSt I thuik you could not reckon upon raisin » T JL i in the plains from the EuropeTsowKftt J ^" ^ whatever By keeping them in the ^ SoE'JSZZ generally lanky , degenerate-looking men 7 ^ Bp hfcT 7 i ^^ Z % ^ ssS ^ Asylum ; those I have seen are just £ robust ^^ as much beef as children in England . ' ** At what age have you seen them ' ?—I think nine or
Wjfld not the advantage that would be derived bv establishing a European militia force ia theS J the progeny of European parents to a ereat ex W ,, „ terbalance the cost & seeing tiSiE ^ S ^ SS soldiers to India ? -Undoubtedly , and thatroiuTina great measure counterbalance the expense of rearing them in the hills I have heard that the transport of a soldier from England to Meerut costs about 130 / . Is it not the case that the engineers and contractors have been obliged to bring their own men of that class over from England?—Yes : they are not obtainable in India . Are not many independent institutions now rising- ud for the education of children in the hills?—Some exist which . I have seen , but their progress ia not great .
very Within a few years , have not several been established in the Neilgherries ?—Some may have been established there . Are there not moral reasons why the soldiers , if they are permitted to marry in large numbers , should marry Europeans rather than natives?—I think so . If they married natives , would not the children ran a great risk of being brought np as heathens or as Mahomedana ?—Yes ; when the father died I think it wouia lead to the demoralization of the children left behind .
You have been ia the province of Tenasserim ; what is the climate there as affecting European constitutions ? —The climate of Tenasserim is generally very favourable to the European constitution ; it is a climate moist and damp , and at the same time generally healthy , ft is an exception to other parts of India in most respects . There is a very small population ia Tenasserim , amounting to not more than one-half or three-fourths of a man per Bquare mile ; the consequence is , that labour is very dear , and although the soil is unusually healthy and fertile , and covered with the densest vegetation , it is comparatively an uncultivated waste .
What resources does Tenasserim offer to the British , capitalist ?—To the British capitalist I-should say the first resource there would be the production of tin . Timber also occurs . Teak timber is tolerably abundant , but it has been a great deal worked out , and it is now only obtained from rather distant and less accessible localities . Knowing the Tenasserim provinces , of course you know the capabilities of the port of Ackyab?—From general acquaintance with the country . I have touched only at Ackyab . You know that twenty years ago it was a place which imported its own rice?—I cannot speak with confidence on that point . I believe that in former times rice was to some extent an article of export firom Arracan .
Are you not aware that at present it exports many hundred thousand tons of rice in a year?—Yes . With regard to private soldiers , do you see any objection to giving them grants of land in the hill country , when their term of service has expired?—I do not flee any particular objection to it if they are willing to take it in the hills ; I see no objection to their attempting the cultivation of tea , or hemp , or flax ^ o * any products of that kind . . .. ..
You are aware that in tho establishments of the old military pensioners in India , it is found that there is a vast deal of drunkenness and immorality , which is to a great extent ascribed to their having nothing to do ; do you know whether they have asked for land to cultivate as gardens?—I am not awaro that they have asked for hand ; I know there is a great deal of drunkenness and jrreat evil , but Boldiere , -when not pensioners , are not vory ready to cultivate gardens ; they are not very fonu
Is not tho produce of sugar per acre a great deal larger than tho produce of indigo?—That I cannot say . I think that one of tho first things that should be done to develop tho resources of tho country ia to pormcato the land with railways . Before many years Havo turned wo shall havo a system of trunk . lines of railway , but that ia only tho foundation of tho system wUicU ought to ho constructed in India ; feeders inust bo supplied to those trunk lincH , just as tlio feeders of a river jiro necessary to swell the main Btrcnm , and until that is done in ovary portion of tho country , and all the productive part * of tho country arc penetrated by railway . ' , thoro will no progress in the development of Ua great R-
Cjf tl \ lff *{\ Q Have you calculated tlio period in which such ft network of railways could bo established in India / -- " ' imposuiblo to calculnto tho period if tho uutoriuca w
Untitled Article
«BR these 722 THE REAPE . TKo . 8 . i ^ > 1858
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 24, 1858, page 722, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2252/page/26/
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