Page:Adam's reports on vernacular education in Bengal and Behar, submitted to Government in 1835, 1836 and 1838.djvu/392

332 the Rajmahal mountaineers by Mr. Cleveland’s arrangements, show the advantage that would accrue to Government by extending that conquest over their minds which, by the Bengal Government of 1784, was justly declared to be at once “the most permanent” and “the most rational mode of dominion.” Since the date of this declaration—an interval during which British armies have overrun and subjugated almost the whole of India—what means have been employed to effect this higher and nobler species of conquest over the hill-tribes? I am aware that much may be, and has been, done to civilize those tribes by promoting and protecting industry, by administering justice between man and man, and by punishing crimes against society. But such moral conquests can be secured only by that knowledge and those habits which education gives, and the means of education have hitherto been very sparingly employed. The only institutions, as far as I am aware, formed under this Presidency for their benefit, are a school at Bhaugulpore in which a few of the children of the Rajmahal tribes are taught English and Hindi; a school established at Surgeemaree in Rangpur for the Garrows, some of whose children were for a while taught their own language in the Bengali character, the Bengali language, and the English language; and an English school established for the Ramghur Coles. The two last mentioned institutions no longer exist, and it would thus appear that the ground is almost wholly unoccupied.

The present Government has recently expressed sentiments on this subject, to which it may be hoped that some means may be devised of giving practical effect. During the past year it was ascertained that amongst the Kunds, one of the three aboriginal races mentioned above as being found in Orissa, an extensive system of human sacrifice is practised; and when this subject was brought to the notice of the Governor of Bengal the following instructions were communicated to the commissioner and superintendent of the Tributary Mehals in Cuttack, under date 14th March 1887:—“His Lordship has perused the details given by you of the system of human sacrifice prevalent among the Kunds with feelings no less of horror than surprise. He is well aware of the difficulty of dealing with a description of crime which, however unnatural and revolting, has been sanctioned by long usage as a national rite and confirmed by the gross delusions of the darkest ignorance and superstition. The working of a moral change among the people can alone eradicate from among them the inclination to indulge in rites so horrible. But though the entire suppression of the practice of human sacrifice among this wild and barbarous race must be the work of time, yet much may be done even now, and no proper exertion should be omitted towards checking the frequency of the crime by the