country, not protected by the positive pledg- bad taxes, (the Transit Duties at Madras, es given by the Legislature of 1793 would those remaining at Bombay, and the taxes upsupply the Exchequer with funds suficient to on justice must be got rid of before we meddle compensate for the immediate pecuniary loss, with the salt monopoly,) for every net ruwhich the abolition of the Transit Duties pee yielded by the assessment of invalid Lawould entail, the benefit which the people | kiraj tenures, What I would if I were abwould derive from such a shift of the burthen solute, I will recommend and enforce, to the of taxation would be almost incalculable. A utmost of my ability and power, in my actual the expense of a little temporary dissatisfac situation,-be that what it may be. tion on the part of a comparatively small body One more last word. On the strength of who have already enjoyed exemption of many the encreased and encreasing Land Revenue years duration from all fiscal demands, an un-resulting from the assessment of invalid rentexceptionable tax would be substituted for free tenures, a very considerable addition (aone which is acknowledged on all hands,-by mounting in the aggregate to several lakhs of the highest authorities both in this country rupees per anum,) was made about a year ago and in England, -to bear with the most de- to the salaries and allowances for establish. pressing and injurious effect upon the nation-ment of the different classes of Native Judges. nal energy and resources. Is that one of the "uses for the money" to be The Board are, of course, incompetent to sneered at; or is there one man in the counpass an opinion with respect to the possibi- try of unprejudiced understanding, who will lity, in a financial point of view, of associating not admit that it is a much better employment the strict enforcement of Resumption Laws for the public funds than permitting them to with an immediate boon in the shope of rebe arrested, on their way to the treasury, by mission. Of this, however, they are certain, a body of sinecure pensioners ninety-nine out that the imunity from all taxation enjoyed by of hundred of whom have obtained their athose Lakhirajdars, whose tenures have not busive privileges in the manner indicated in been guaranteed to them in perpetuity, is as the passage which I quoted from Lord Hastdirect a spoliation of the common stock, from ings's Minutes ?. which every charge of protection and Govern ment is defrayed, as if the money so divested were abstracted from the public Treasury; and that every rupee which such persons åre allowed to retain, beyond the profits enjoyed by landed proprietors in general, is, and in To SAMUEL SMITH, ESQ., the present state of the finances, must ne cessarily be made good by other individuals Editor of the Bengal Hurkaru. and that, too, at a serious detriment to the ag Whether the Sir,-In your paper of this morning you gregate wealth of the country. great body of the people are sufficiently en-have thought proper to treat a mistake of mine lightened to comprehend a proposition which as a reprehensible perversion of fact. I acwould be considered self-evident in Europe, knowledge the mistake, though I certainly is another question; but the entrinsic truth read the sentence in Mr. GAUNTLET's letter to of the principle cannot be affected by that con you, he speaks not I speak. You are welcome sideration. An attempt to inculcate this prin- to this triumph, it makes no difference in ciple might be made in the Preamble of the what I wished to show, that I considered the new Law, now under preparation, or in a manuscript as one letter and only one. I am Proclamation issued simultaneously." bound, however, to retract my accusation against GAUNTLET of wilful misstatement, so far as relates to that sentence, and I 'unequivolcally do o accordingly. I need only further state, upon this branch of the subject, that I have reason to know that a gentleman of considerable official rank in the Revenue Department, personally assured, not only many of the leading native agitators against the resumption operations, but Mr. Dickens himself, some time before the late meeting at the Town Hall, that if the petitioners, after urging all that they might think fit against those operations, and praying that they might be absolutely relinquished, or pursued only in a modified shape (according to their views,) would then ask that at least bad taxes;(such as those on justice,) to a proportionate extent, might be given up, the latter solicitation should not only have his most ear nest support, but that of a far more influenti al personage. Is this the conduct of insincerity? For my own part, I have always said, and will say it again in my own person, as well as under an assumed signature, that if I were autocrat of the Indies, I would gladly give up a rupee of I am, Sir, yours obediently, November 21, 1838. GAUNTLET. [Ibid. With regard to Mr. Glass, utterly deny the truth of his statement, which speaks for itself, as he says I asked him (for to me, I presume he alludes in speaking of the Editor who was absent when he called) if GAUNTLET was a Deputy Collector, when the fact is that I told him I knew the writer, and that if he wanted his letters inserted entire, he must send his name and address to us. GAUNTLET has not told you, that before Mr. Glass appeared at our office, he sent a native sircar ; and it now appears that his servant did not deliver the missing letter to any person in our office, but put it into the letter-box out-side. If such were the case, what became of it I know not, nor has it been seen by any person belonging to our establishment. I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, In our correspondence column, will be found | same character, another allusion was made to a letter to our address, from Mr. Douglas, the the same gentleman. publisher of the Englishman ; and as he admits "And to those horrid Indies too! where you the inaccuracy of his quotation from GAUNTLET'S letter of the 20th instant, and withdraws the charge of wilful misstatement, founded on that very inaccuracy, we shall readily receive the explanation he offers on this point, merely reminding him of the old lines: "If 'tis true, as you say, that I've injured a letter, I'll change my nate soon, and I hope for the better. May the right use of letters, as well of men, Hereafter be fixed by the tongue and the pen; Most devoutly I wish that they both have their due And that I may never be taken for U. [you] In respect to GAUNTLET, No. 2 which, non est inventus, he, in his capacity of publisher, may truly state, it never came into his hands, malgré the blunder about MSS, for the extraction of contributions from the receiving box, forms, we understand, no part of his duty; but as a piece of advice, we recommend him in future, not to pledge himself that " son belonging to the establisment" makes short works with any MS. of unpalatable flavor which may fall into his hands. It is quite clear that a letter was put into the "Bull's mouth; and how it got out nobody can tell. no per are sure either to get the cholera, or be put in prison by R D. M. By the bye, love, who is this R. D. M. whom you have wrote so much to me about, whenever you have been absent from home, and of whom you seem to be so dreadfully afraid? I have often wished to ask you this question, but didn't like to do it, for fear of wounding your dear, generous feelings. I except he must either be the King of the Indies, or the Beadle of that Parish of yours, you sometimes speak of." We now leave our cotemporary to his reflections.-Hurk. November 26. The Editor of the Courier is like a perverse for telling a fib, thinks it is great revenge to school-girl, who, having been well punished draw down upon herself severer castigation, by reiterating-whilst the tears are yet runing down her cheeks-" but he has got an inuence."-Unwilling as we are to inflict, yet, as twere pity so hopeful a child should be Spoiled, for want of a little of the "rod" we shall not be " sparing." The general question, as regards the parThe Editor of the Courier, in lieu of reasontiality and unfairness of the editorial manage-ing and fact, opposes to all our arguments ment of the Englishman and the prostitution of on the Resumption question, in the face of the paper to personal and private interests, re-truth, and in defiance of his own knowledge, gardless of its duty to place before the publict the assertion that the Hurkaru is under the the truth, the whole truth, and nothing bu, influence of Dwarkanauth Tagore. The Edithe truth," may be safely left, after the pre-tor of the Courier when he thus fights against sent exposure, to the judgment of the commufact, forgets his own position. He is a hired nity. We wish for no other evidence than his servant, dependent upon masters-honourable own pages supply, and from which [by the masters it is true-and therefore, as we do not way, in contradiction to his assertion, vide wish to take the bread out of his mouth, howIndia Gazette of 21st and 23d inst. ], we have ever reckless he appears himself, we caution extracted the defence set up, and which was him, not to be independant of truth; for if he shivered to pieces. We cannot, however, forbe, his honourable maste s must remove him bear remarking, that the charge of suppressing from his situation. He is now dependent upon a reply comes well and consistently from the honourable masters, and in such honourable party, whose pen as scarcely dry from erasing dependence he may remain; but it is impossithe passages in GAUNTLEr's letter, and who re-ble that his masters, who are only trustees fused admission to the answer of the proprie-for others, can allow him to remain, in his tor of this paper, to the five-columned accu- situation, if he devotes the columns of the sations and invectives of Captain Macnaghten. In his utter recklessness, however, the En. Englishman locum tenens, has ventured to promulgate the following specimen of his ideas of truth. journal, which belongs to those for whom they act, to the constant reiteration of that, as fact, which he knows from the very best authority, is directly contrary to fact." Careless ness" will not excuse this, and, whatever leniency his masters may shew, they cannot per"One fresh accusation we are bound to de-mit this description of "carelessness." Let, ny, which is, that two days ago a civil servant then, our contemporary look to it. He may was insolently named,' by a contributor to be dependent upon honorable masters; but the Englishman in a detail of the adventures of an uncovenanted servant in England. This is an absolute untruth, and we challenge the Editor of the Hurharu to the proof.” We accept the challenge and produce the proof-clear as the sun at noon-day. We confine ourselves, however, to the shortest extract possible from the letter in the Englishman of the 20th instant, purporting to be written by "a woman of the town," and which, in extenso, we should regret to place before our readers. We may add, that in a previous letter of the if he consider himself independent of truth, he must soon find himself dependent upon charity. He is now dependent upon our charity for not saying more. Nor do we wish to draw invidious comparisons, but, as he has so far forgotten himself as to taunt us with "decay," we have only to hope that the symptoms may continue as they have been the last year, to the end of the chapter. On that score, 'our withers are unwrung," how the debit and credit of the Courier's account stands, is un autre chose.—Ibid. We know not precisely who it is who writes of a great defunct, Agency House, and conthe editorials of the Hurkaru in which he troled by it; it was under control when it attacks the editor of this paper; be he who fought the battle of the great departed firms; he may, he is a vulgar, and a vapouring fellow, and we believe it at this moment to be under and his charging us with deliberate falsehood control and under sinister control on certain behind another man's back, is, to say the subjects, connected with mercantile interests. least of it, a very skulking preceeding. His On the Opium question, it was under sinisvulgarity we should not notice; he might ter control, and if we remember right, on the empty his mud cart at his pleasure: but after question of the Company's advances, its artiwe took the trouble to shew him and his rea-cles appeared to be those of a person having at ders, that all the recent articles, except those disposal unemployed English Capital, and which have appeared very lately in his paper consequently having a direct interest, in pre-, on the subject of Resumptions, were written venting the merchants here from obtaining under the influence of persons interested in Capital by Company's advances, to enable the subject, and having a pecuniary connec-them to meet, and compete with the Calcutta tion with the Hurkaru, that the charge of Agent of the English capitalist, and so premaking assertions in the face of truth, and vent him from having the market at his own in defiance of our knowledge should be rei-disposal. Upon all these subjects, speaking terated against us, is surprizing; and shews to the best of our knowledge and belief, we a total absence of candour in the writer of believe the Hurkaru has been controled and the article. influenced; and that the editor of the HurkaHow and why the articles in question were ru himself does not entertain any very decidwritten, is certainly not known to the editored or well-defined opinions upon any one of of the Hurkaru himself, at least if our recol.the points above mentioned. Such, we relection play us not false. And how the writer peat, speaking from recollection, is our conof this morning's article can reconcile it to viction and belief. If this can be construed his conscience (to say nothing of gentlemanly into "assertion, in the face of truth and in feeling) to make the charge he indites against defiance of our knowledge," the Hurkaru's the editor of this paper, we leave it to himself assertions of this morning may be borne out; to say, as he could possibly know no more if not, whoever wrote the article has made a than his principal, who, as we believe, knows foul and unjustifiable charge against the edi nothing on the subject. tor of this paper,-for which, however, he can As to the assertion of the Hurkaru-" that be made responsible only to his own consciin lieu of reasoning, and fact, we have oppos-ence. It may be thought by those who have ed to all his arguments on the Resumption any knowledge of us, that we have taken too question only the assertion that the Hurkaru much notice of what is but a vulgar and spleis under the influence of Dwarkanauth Ta-netic effusion. But the charge, although fregore," we shall merely observe that, with the quently, we believe almost invariably, made exception of some nonsense about the Duke by the Hurkaru, when in controversy with an of Portland and Sir James Lowther, and some learning about the doctrine of nullum tempus occurrit Regi not applying to suits of the Crown in England (upon which point we did not take the trouble to argue with him,) all of which was too ridiculously irrelevant to the Resumption question, to require notice, we remember no argument of his lately put forward on this question. We have as yet written but two articles on the subject, in which the principles of the measure were In conclusion, there occurs the following discussed-one of which was preliminary in vapouring phrase in the article on which we its nature-in the course of which articles we, are now commenting:-" he is now depenby way of caution to the public, suggested that dant on our charity for not saying more." the Hurkaru was influenced on the Resumption We beg of this charitable person, not to do question, by Dwarkanauth Tagore. Since violence to his amiable feelings, but while he the promulgation of which fact, for fact it is to is about it, let him made a clean breast of it and the best of our knowledge and belief, we have say all he knows, instead of, as he now does, been subjected to the vulgarity and personali-dealing in shuffling, shabby innuendo, and ty of this cotemporary's writer. If by coarse shooting off his personalities from behind anoness to ourselves he thinks to persuade peo-ther man's back. We shall probably be told in ple that the Hurkaau is not under control and influence, we think he will miss his object. The very sensitiveness manifested by him, is strongly indicative of the existence of the fact he seeks to disprove: in addition to which we will add, that the Hurkaru has, to the best of of our recollection, ever been notorious for being under control and influence. On the Bar racpore shooting question, it was under sinis ter control. It was for a long time the paper opponent, is one of which, as a public writer, we are bound to take this sort of public notice; we have, therefore, stated, that on this question of the influence, exercised over the Hurkaru, we speak partly from facts within our own knowledge, resting upon our recol· lection and belief, and partly from what we have heard repeated in many quarters, and heard passed as unquestionable. answer to this, that the nominal editor is responsible for all that appears in the paper; such responsibility is much after the fashion of that exhibited in the pantomime, i. e. Harlequin plays all the tricks, and the Clown gets all the slaps in the face. This may be all well enough in ordinary circumstances, but when a charge of deliberate falsehood is made, he who makes it ought not to shift his responsibility. We have now done with the subject, which we shall no longer publicly discuss.-Calcutta statement, to make this communication to Courrier, November 26. you. The statement already put forth by me, I still adhere to in every particular. It is true that Mr. Douglas mentioned to me that be knew the writer, desiring me to give his compliments to GAUNTLET and to inform him, that he knew who he was; but it must be kept in mind that I made three visits to Mr. Douglas. It was on the occasion of my first visit that he made enquiries with the view of ascertaining the author. On my second visit, he mentioned to me that he knew the writer; so that it will be seen at a glance that the truth of Mr. Douglas's statment in this particular, which I fully admit, by no means affects the correctness of my statement. We are really sorry for the Courier; he is running a career that it is impossible for him to justify to his employers. In spite of our own assertion, which we trust is as valuable as his; in spite of the solemn declaration of Dwarka. nauth Tagore, for the truth of which the Editor of the Courier heard the Advocate-General Vouch in open Court; in spite of Dwarka- nauth's assertion out of Court, that he is not owner of a single beega of Lackeraj land; in spite of all these, he still continues to reiterate that the opinions of the Hurkaru on the Re sumption question, are under the influence of Dwarkanauth Tagore! Now, if our contemporary will reflect a little, surely he will dis- I think the correspondence which has been cover that he has no right to do this. Let us published, affords internal evidence, that Mr. suppose that the Hurkaru had asserted, that Douglas's knowledge of the authorship of the the Editor of the Courier, in his professional letters, was not at the time of my first visit capacity, never ventured to give an opinion to what it amounted to on the occasion of my his clients, as his own, without having it pre-second visit; for it will be perceived that No. viously corrected and touched up by the Ad- 4 of the series, which was delivered on my vocate-General, or some other barrister; let us first visit, is addressed to GAUNTLET-comsuppose that thereupon the Editor of the Coumences with a Sir, and ends with yours obdily. ; rier were, not only to deny the fact himself, while No. 6 of the Series, written during my but the Advocate-General were to deny it too; second visit, is addressed to-GAUNTLET* Esq., what would the Courier, what would the public commences with Dear Sir, and ends with yours say, if, in spite of such evidence, we were still very respectfully. I suspect that after my first to continue, day after day, to reiterate our visit to the Englishman office, I was tracked assertion? We will answer that question. to my place of employment; and a knowledge The Courier and the public would say, in the of this circumstance most probably removed words we used, that "in the face of truth, and the ignorance which, from his first enquiries, in defiance of our own knowledge", we Mr. Douglas appeared to beļunder. continued to assert so and so. What privilege I was absent from town till this morning, then has the Courier to iterate and reiterate or I should have made a communication to that which is not true, and of the untruth of you on the appearance of Mr. Douglas's letter which we give irrefragable evidence, on the in the Englishman. strength of his mere belief, founded on hearsay assertions? If he will go on repeating that which is proved to be untrue, are we to falsify truth, to our own detriment, in order that we may not offend the Courier? We have reite In one of the most talked of, and his birth rated, almost as frequently as the Courier has repeated his" influence" assertion, that we and connections considered, one of the speeches which will prove of the most practical never will begin a personal attack; and we have just the same number of times, declared utility to the cause of the interlopers, we mean oat resolve, always to repel and punish one. that of Dwarkanauth Tagore, at the Black an observation The Editor of the Courier might have learned Act meeting, there occurs from a recent example, the consequences of or two which mars the symetrical commencing unfounded and unwarrantable of this oration, and maketh a discordant personal attacks upon us. The Courier may music such as that produced by "sweet be envious of disgrace, and ruin, and if he bells jingled out of tune;" we allude to the chuse to persevere, he is welcome to both. If lugging in, head and shoulders, by this speak. he is emulous to run the gauntlet of the Press er into his speech, of the Resumption question. of all India, he will continue to" reiterate." He says that the estates in Orissa and other If otherwise, he will manifest his return to a parts of the country under temporary settlesense of propriety, by retracting his" little ment, pay a higher rate of Revenue than the mistake," as to "shirking responsibility", estates in the permanently settled provinces which he, no doubt, "carelessly" fell into, in-and upon the equalizing principle sought a moment of inadvertency.-Hurkaru, Nov. 28. to be established by the Government, it might 6 Yours Obediently, A. W. GALSS. [Ibidt. contour be argued that the permanently settled estats ought to be made to pay the higher assessment, and lose the ADVANTAGE of the perma. nent settlement ! To the Editor of the Bengal Hurkaru. DEAR SIR-The communication of Mr. Douglas, published in the Englishman of The Esq. is omitted in the Hurkaru of the 21st, but Saturday and Hurkaru of yesterday, obliges that it was used, the accompanying original note (which me, in support of the truth of my former please to return after perusal) will abundantly testify. "The advantage of THE PERMANENT SETTLE- as to withhold from the press, those doMENT!!!" "A Daniel come to judgement!cuments which had been adopted at a public Now, Infidel, I have thee on the hip"!!! Our meeting. The object of this studied concealnative fellow citizen must forgive us the ment it is not easy to divine, but the effect of above quotations, but we are, we admit, vast-it has been to retard the full discussion of the ly amused by the admission from our great subject in all its bearings. In the article Resumption Agitator, that the permanent which we penned a fortnight ago, regarding the settlement is an advantage. We have ever Resumptions, we particularly alluded to the considered it as such, but we never expected withholding of these papers from the public to hear the admission from his lips. To revert, eye; and stated that, in the absence of them, however, to the observations on Resumption we were constrained to gather the object of made by this speaker, he calls Resumption the meeting from the speeches which were deanother principle of equilization on the part livered. The Englishman, took us to task for of Government, and the principle on which confounding the sentiments expressed by, Government proceeded was to equalize all the those who had got up the measure, with the tenures. They assess the rent-free lands to recorded opinion of the Landholder's Society, bring them on a level with the lands which but though a fortnight has since elapsed, the pay revenue-carry out the principle, says petition and the letter have not yet been pubthe orator, and you raise assessment of the lished. The Reformer gave us a report of the permanently settled lands to bring them to meeting, which occupied five large, closely a level with the lands in Orissa and elsewhere, printed columns, and even furnished the pub. which pay a higher revenue! We regret to lie with an English translation of the speechhear such a style of observation proceeding es which were delivered in Bengallee; but from one, who has weight and influence in the letter and the petition were withheld. the community. The assertion is uncandid, Though we have not, however, the means of and in every sense an unfair representation examining how far the allegations of the petiof the Resumption question. Moreover, it tion accord with truth, we can no longer reis a bad illustration of the speaker's own frain from taking up the great question of Remeaning, to carry out the equalization prin- sumptions, and laying before our readers ciple as stated by him. Government, instead those views of this subject, which have arisen of resuming the pseudo Lakhiraj tenures, in our minds from a close, and, we trust, an and assessing them under the permanent set- impartial investigation. We do this untlement, should, without Resumption, clap on der the manifest disadvantage of not having the high assessment paid by the lands in perused the petition of those who differ from Orissa and elsewhere, as stated by Dwarka- us; and it is possible that we may be redunnauth, leaving the boon of the permanent dantly combating points, which they themselves settlement to those only, who are ascertained haven ot thought it prudent to defend. In this as entitled to its advantages. The lands case we must throw ourselves on the indulof the pseudo Lakhirajdars, would then gence of the reader. be on an equality with the lands in Orissa and elsewhere, and that would be The Resumptions now in progress, have recarrying out the principle according to the ference to lands, of which the British Govern. doctrine laid down by Dwarkanauth Tagore. ment has long been deprived of its share of But the mistake made by the speaker in intro- the product. By the ancient and immemorial ducing this illustration, is the total want of custom of India, a certain portion of the proanalogy, which he either blinks or does not duce of each beegah of land, is vested in the see, is obvious between the equalization prin- State for the general support of Government ciple of Mr. Macaulay, and the grand and in all its departments. In Bengal, one-fourth philanthropic measures of Cornwallis and his and according to others, one-third of all the successors and it is unwise, we think, as well cultivated lands have been exempted from as unjust, to seek to throw upon the wise and contributing any thing to the maintenance of beneficent measure of the permanent settle- Government for the last seventy years. In ment and its attribute resumption, the stigma, the year 1777, an official examination was inwhich necessarily attaches to the ill digested, stituted, of the extent of the lands, the rent of unconstitutional, and jejune legislation, exhibited in the Black Act. It is attempting to put in force the very principle so forcibly exposed by Dwarkanauth Tagore himself, it is attempting to reduce Cornwallis to the leval of Macaulay.-Cal. Cour, November 28. We have been looking out for four weeks for the publication of the Petition against the Resumptions, and the letter of the Landholder's Society, both of which were read at the Anti-Resumption meeting, held in the Town Hall, on the 31st of last month. On no occasion within our recollection has so singular and anomalous a course been puresued, which had thus alienated from the public exchequer. That enquiry, though confined to certain districts, issued in discovering lands thus held to the extent of four millions, four hundred thousand beegahs. It was at the same time calculated, that if alienations had been made on the same scale in the districts which were not embraced by the Commissioners of Enquiry, the total amount would have been seven millions, one hundred thousand beegahs. As the process of alienation was continued for several years after this period, and was not finally checked till 1793,—if then,we may assume that the question at issue between the Landholder's Society and the Government of Bengal has reference to the rent |