| Description | It was mentioned in a previous letter that his father did not understand why English notions of land tenure had not been introduced to India. William gives what he thinks are the reasons, noting that his father's ideas depend upon a landed aristocracy. In India, the landed class are not the wealthiest; the merchants and bankers are. Bengal is a rich province and has the germ of an aristocratic class. He discusses the idea that establishing 'Lords of the soil' would be conducive to security, believing that the British must establish structures which would stand even if Europeans were driven out of India. He thinks they must not leave India, however. He compares the power of the Zemindar to that of Highland chieftains and gives an account of Amar Singh, who with his brother Kunwar Singh, have shown stubborn resistance to the British. William outlines some of the difficulties of establishing landlords on the English model, which Lord Cornwallis attempted in Bengal. But he sees the rights of the ryotts becoming more vague, and the Zemindars will eventually win that conflict. He discusses the relationship between these classes at length, the financial difficulties resulting from them, and the potential for British government involvement in investment. In a postscript he declares that Alick [Alexander Stewart Herschel] has what news there is, and that another of his horses has died suddenly. |