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VI The indiscriminate abuse of English rule, in which Bengali patriots are too apt to indulge, makes it difficult to read their effusions with any degree of patience; yet it cannot be denied that there is a solid foundation in fact for the substance of their complaints, both as regards unnecessary cost in administration, ad also as to the sacrifice of local to imperial interests, whenever the two come into collision. If India were governed by any other European power, there would be no pretence of disguising the fact that the dependency was held for the advantage of its rulers, and the subordinate position would probably be accepted without a murmur. It is the affectation of superior morality, which makes its occasional relapses into selfishness such an argument throughout the civilized world of the traditional perfidy of British statesmanship. It is much to be regretted that a Government which is mainly beneficent in its purpose, should wantonly damage its reputation by the obstinate maintenance of a few comparatively petty abuses, which are obvious to every one, and which from an Indian point of view it is absolutely impossible to defend. For example, an interesting indigenous art like that of the silversmith is utterly paralyzed by the retention of the customs duty and the barbarous system of hall-marking. The removal of these restrictions upon freedom of exportation would be an immense benefit to India, and in England would lead to no inconvenience beyond a slight and temporary disarrangement of a few items in the financial statement, coupled with an artistic gain to the country in the almost immediate future. Still the concession, though its justice is admitted, is indefinitely postponed. It is only India that clamours for the reform; and as India has no vote and therefore no weight in party politics, its wishes may be disregarded with impunity.

Again, there is absolutely no raison d'être for the Governors of Bombay and Madras, except that they supply the ministry with two pieces of valuable preferment; yet no Cabinet, whether Radical or Conservative, will consent to forego the patronage and so relieve India of an utterly un