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IM"DI -V-N^ 2sTOTES *
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¦ INDIA, AND INDIAN PROGRESS.
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tinder the Company ' s government . Now , however , rights of property in the soil are to be conceded rights of enjoyment of personal property are secured and defined by the law ; and for these rights , unpossessed under the native rule , it is but just the people of India should pay . The Succession Duty falls at a time when it Can best be paid , and according to a rate in inverse proportion , to the interest of tlie successor ; for the widow or chttd pay only a : nominal rate , while the stranger In blood , who gratuitously succeeds to property , pays the highest proportion . There is , too , security for the levy of the tax ; and , although the ingenuity of the natives of India will—like the ingenuity of the natives of England- —suggest various " anodes of evasion , on the whole a large amount of property must be brought under taxation ,
» p IXDIA 2 T NOTES . THE Succession Duty has made little progress in Calcutta , while the Black Act is forced on with the same speed as the Customs Increase was . The Indian oiMcials regard their native subjects , but care not how tliey affect English citizens resident within tlteir jurisdiction . The English-have chiefly to pay the increased customs duties ; but on tho natives will mainly fall the Succession Duty , and as they may ol > jL > ct to it the officials express great tenderness Tor ' them . If any duty is well calculated to be imposed in India , it is a Succession Duty ; for the people have been accustomed ^ to wholesale confiscation and absorption by tlie native princes , and have not been indiilged -with the rights of property ; for even of the land they only acquired a kind of user ; nor have they tad more
trians , it has no line from Alexandria to Malta , CorftC or Constantinople , and thus , unless a steamer is dispatched from Malta to Alexandria with a message , no communication can lie made with tlie outgoing packet at Aden after she has once left Suez . Occasional Government messages can be sent , but that is all . A partial remedy may be obtained by the Government making such arrangements of the mail steamers and their own steamers as will enable the merchants to telegraph so as to catch the Aden steamer , and measures should be taken to send messages home .
It is imperative that all the lines of connexion shall be proceeded with . The Constantinople line has unfortunately failed , or there would have been one working connexion . The present state of Continental affairs renders it tlie more necessary to have alternative lines . From Malta to Marseilles £ t line can be worked while France is at peace with us . Another line should be laid _ from Malta to SiGily , so as to connect with the Neapolitan and Italian lines , and have the opportunity of a course by France , Switzerland , or- —when events permit ¦¦ it 1 —by Lonibardy and Austria . The Corfu line should be connected , not only with Trieste , but with , the Neapolitan lines and with Albania .
By a connexion with the Neapolitan lines an alternative communication is obtained by way of France . The most important connexion" Is , however , that by way of Albania . Unfortunately our Government has never paid any attention to the transit between the ports of Albania and the countries of the Lower Dantibe ; and , although Albania ^ is disturbed , arrangements may be made for passing a telegraph line . Such line would be a . good alternative to the Constantinople line passing its messages beyond French influence , and it may even serve as a course of communication when Austria is hostile , by giving us access through Hussia to Prussia- The Constantinople line would possess the like advantages .
Alternative lines are required for political and engineering purposes . Hitherto we have been dependent for the passage of Europe on Franco or Austria , because the independence of Italy being destroyed , no route by Switzerland and the Rhine can be relied on . The passage through Austria is virtually barred by the French , who may dredge up any Trieste cable . The Constantinople cable becomes therefore of great importance , but the Corfu cable is of greater importance if it be connected with Albania . Unless we have all Europe against us , we then have a possibility of obtaining a route . In the course of events we may , however , be safe even from such a general combination , for the successful establishment of the Red Sea cable will successful establishment ot the Jtted Sea cable will
now promote the Atlantic cable , and before the end of next year we shall have one or more such lines in operation , with a connexion with Panama and other places on the Pacific coast ; and the Americans are quite bold enough to lay a cable across tlie Pacific , and" give us thereby access to the East . Every day the [ cost of maiiuiacturing and laying telegraph cables is diminished , and what was last year a most costly enterprise has already become a moderate venture . With an alliance cemented with our brethren of the United States , such as is now in progress , neither will European ambition be allowed to assail these islands , or to deprive the English racq of its empire in the East . For engineering purposes it . is desirable to have alternative cables to meet the casualties and defects of insulation to which all submarine cables are subject . Tho report of the Bombay and Baroda , Railway Company , laid before tho shareholders at tho meeting on Thursday , is an interesting document . The engineer has run an engine on a trial trip from Swat to Broach , a distance of thirty-three miles , and tho distance from Surat to tho veeturnee River , on the Bombay junction lino , is in
progress of construction . The Company ' s plans for the remaining portion of forty-six railos have tp undergo the mischievous form of being examined by the Government , and thus are delayed the arrangements for tho stores and workshops of the entire line , and , the opportunity of commencing construction from the only port whore tlie English materials can be landed without transhijrfMent . The directors are under the expectation of an opening throughout between Ahmedabad and tho Veetumoo river , a distance , of 260 miles , within tho year 1800 , but then the junotion with Bombay
This tax Is of the more monientj because prices are rising in India ; and although , in the beginning , it may bring in a relatively small amount to the treasury , it will in time constitute a resource steadily increasing . It is of great importance that the tax should be imposed at once , because it will give a solidity to the Indian exchequer much wanted . The opium duties may decline ; and before many years the opium monopoly must be abolished ; but the Succession Duty -will yearly afford further supplies .
The completion of the Suez and Aden line of telegraph is a great and important fact , and is one ¦ of the uaany services rendered to the public by Sir Macclonald Stephenson . This eminent man has , from the earliest time of his inception of railways for Bengal , constantly looked forward to the means of communication between India and England , lie dared to sketch put that great undertaking , the national highway between England and India , at a time when not a mile , of railway was laid in India ; but he received the countenance of the Indian authorities because they felt the necessity for such communication and appreciated its
value . They mused his hopes—they could little more ; but this obtained for him the countenance of the home Government , and thereby of foreign administrations . On his return' homo he took measures for proceeding with the Euphrates line— , a proposition which was received with much favour but other parties took tho opportunity to trade upon it , and . hewfls obliged to waive his own p lans . In tho meanwhile he engaged in the promotion of tho Turkish railway system , and produced a powerful influence on the Turkish and Austrian Governments with regard to the national highway . Having likewise taken under his charge the
telegraph by way of the Red Sea , he has , notwithstanding great difficulties , succeeded in carrying it out . lie was very much embarrassed by- the promoters of his own plan by way of the Euphrates , who attempted to prevent the establishment of a Red Sea route , bathe succeeded in obtaining from the English Government a liberal guarantee for tho undertaking , and has since accomplished the construction of the lino . As yet the full benefit of this feat cannot bo obtained , because tho connexion At either end is deficient .
The Government has managed to render this undertaking abortive . After playing with the sub * Tpot , and engaging in a most objectionable compact for delivering over the communication to the Aus-
Im"Di -V-N^ 2stotes *
has to await the period when sanction for its completion may be granted . The Government have grautod to the Bombay and Baroda Company a guarantee , ' and ' 550 , 0001 . additional capital , of which 300 , 000 / . may be issued in debentures . This debenture plan has constituted a very valuable resource tor the railway companies and the Governnient of India , and it is to be regretted it is not more extensively applied . The Government have likewise authorised the companv to survey an extension . between Broach and Baroda to Indore , which open up rich districts of Central Indiaalibi-din" - valuable ex-^ ^ ,
, ports . We are very sorry , to see in tlie balance sheet ot this company , " Customs Duty , 2 , 704 12 s . 4 d . " One concession , which will cost the Government nothing , and be valuable to the companies , is the remission of customs duties . Attention is being given to the waste lands in Oudc , of which leases " are being granted on condition of the reclamation within a specified period , that is to say , within two years , of one-third of the whole grant . These arrangements are defective on two-grounds . First , that the whole is liable to
resumption unless the one-third has been cleared , so that if one-fifth be cultivated it may be renewed instead of the remaining portion ' uncultivated , and the grant is ' only . by the 'defective systein of lease , instead of the recognition at once of a fee-simple title on compliance with the requirement of cultivation . We have reason to believe that the whole of each grant being included in a lease is subject to the fiscal regulations and to forfeiture for a portion not paying- the land tax . The Indian authorities cannot yet accommodate themselves to the requirements of the times .
The consumption of opium in Malabar is attracting attention . There Is too much reason to fear that this vice is extending over India as it is through China ; and opium will not impossibly thin off" the vast population of these ; countries before the English race as . ' fire-water lias done in the east . It appeal's very desirable that some measure should be adopted to restrict its periiiciou . s effects . In Malabar it is used by both sexes , and boys begin the mischievous practice at tho age of fourteen years .
The complaints of the want of labour for public works is common in India , and it is one indication of that rise in prices , which , is taking place throughout India . On the East Indian rnilway , in more than one district , a difficulty is found in obtainin g day labour , but the officers commonly succeed in the end in getting the coolies to work by contract , which obtains an effective increase ol labour , but in many districts they do not perform one-third of the labour they did two years ago .
The Commander-in-Chief returned to Simla on finding that the insubordination of the European troops had been allayed . The telegraph line from H y derabad to N " agporo is finished and at work . This will bo a great help to the political arrangements of Central India , At Nynee Tal iron works have boon lately established , of which Mr . Iloskins is the manager . These works form an addition to tho resources ) of tho district . Within a short time the hills will become as great scats of motallurgic manufactures as the hill districts of En < rliuxd . The mission in bel
Ahmednugger Bombay , onging to one of the American societies , has now eleven churches and a large staff of assistants . In twenty-three years before 1854 it received 199 converts , and in the lnat three years alone 203 . The main and effective increase is , however , by tho baptism of children , of whom 2 / 51 arc under the direction of the mission . At Uraritsur , lately in Lahore , six converts wore baptised at once . Tho law school of Bombay is 'making . progrc « tf . In tho last session there wore forty-one student * , one an Indian European , the otliors of native descent , including ton Paraeos . Tho court oi lectures include those of tho Terry professor ol . jurisprudence , of professors of common law , judicial evidence and procedure , principles oi equity , mercantile law and criminal law . The best school of law will bo tlie establishment of
justices of the peace , English and native , all over tho country . This will familiarise tho intelligent classes of the population with the workings or the law , and lead many to make themselves acquainted with its principles . A bastard system of law ,
¦ India, And Indian Progress.
¦ INDIA , AND INDIAN PROGRESS .
Untitled Article
E A B [ J the d overninent , Qrt THE -Ii DE . No . 484 . ply 2 , 1859 . * ¦ ¦ ¦ — - ¦«—^ J ^^ MM ^ M ^ M ^ Bi ^^ BB ^^ M ^ BWM ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ . - ^^^^^¦^*^ . ^^^ J' ^*^^""**^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ . ' . _ ' ¦ « ^ ^ 4 » ¦ , ¦
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 2, 1859, page 790, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2301/page/10/
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