Page:Nil Durpan.djvu/152

 had a large circulation; it had not decreased since the publication of the libel. The question of the respect and deference shown to the Englishman was a question for outside opinion and not for him to determine. He had a number of Indigo planters on his subscription list, but not a large number proportionately to the whole number of subscribers. He did not feel called upon to state the actual number, as he declined to go into the details of his subscription list. Before answering on question regarding any numbers, he would ask the protection of the Court that he might not be asked any further question regarding the numbers in his subscription list.

The Court did not think such a question should be put unless it bore directly upon the facts of the case.

Mr. Eglinton explained that he considered editors as men who write for gain; hired writers to uphold a certain interest. He thought it requisite to ascertain the number of that interest in order to prove that the view taken by the Englishman with reference to the Indigo question was calculated to bring additional subscribers.

Cross examination by Mr. Eglinton continued:—He was not prepared to say how many subscribers he had among the Indigo planters, but did not believe his subscription list as regards them had increased by one since the publication of the Nil Durpan. He explained that there were constant changes in the constituency of a paper, but that he did not believe that there was any virtual difference. The subscription list of the Englishman had been increasing steadily on a stated average for the last two years. He most certainly declined to answer whether or not he received more than Rs. 1000 yearly from his subscribers among the planters.

Mr. Eglinton would press the question. The Court in that case would direct Mr. Brett to answer, but must say, it considered the question quite irrelevant.

Cross-examined by Mr. Eglinton,—He did receive more than Rs. 1000 per annum from subscribers among the Indigo planters. He knew newspapers advocated particular interests and opinion all over the world.

Re-examined by Mr. Cwie,—He did not advocate the Indigo interest or any other interest, with the view of gaining Rs. 1000 or any other sum. He believed that he was charged in the passage read out of the introduction