Page:Imperialgazettee030583mbp.pdf/12

 separate volumes. No less considerable are the changes that have been made in methods of compilation, Apart from the Historical volume and a few other chapters of 'The Indian Empire,' the whole of the work has been written by officials in India under orders of the Indian Government; and every page has been submitted to the criticism of the several Administrations or Departments concerned.

The task of editorial supervision has been shared between India and England. In India the first outlines were drawn up in consultation with Sir Herbert Risley, K.C.I.E., at the time when he was Census Commissioner. On his nomination to be Secretary in the Home Department, Mr. W. S. Meyer, C.I.E., was appointed editor for India; and to him are due the detailed regulations under which the greater part of the work has been executed, the general scheme of the Atlas, and the primary revision of most of the chapters dealing with India as a whole. When he, in turn, was promoted to be Secretary in the Finance Department, he was succeeded by Mr. R. Burn, who has carried out the primary revision of most of the other volumes, and otherwise completed the work that had to be done in India. The editor in England throughout has been Mr. J. S. Cotton, who was closely associated with Sir W. W. Hunter in both the former editions. On him, in subordination to a committee appointed by the Secretary of State, has rested the responsibility for the final form of the work, and the duty of seeing the whole through the press.

The volumes of 'The Indian Empire' have been entirely rewritten, with the exception of the history of the British period, where the personal impress of Sir W. W., Hunter's knowledge and style is preserved. The principle adopted was to entrust each subject to an author best qualified to deal with it either by special study or official experience. The names of the authors are usually appended to their chapters; but in other cases the text, as finally approved, can be