will therefore create a greater feeling of security, and to encourage the outlay of capital and labour on land will be beneficial to the entire population.  It will thus be quite a national measure reaching all, and not in the interests of a few, and is calculated to develop the capabilities of the land to the utmost.  The prospect of the Government ever being benefited by the reservation of an increase of assessment on the unearned increment is a mere dream.  Such increase is sure to be resisted or evaded, occasioning meanwhile great discontent.  The Government may confidently look to the development of other sources of revenue from the increased prosperity of the people.”

But whether the best remedy lies in granting, as I have proposed, a fixed assessment on land brought under well-irrigation at owners’ expense, or in granting a permanent assessment for all lands, or, perhaps, in extending the period of lease from thirty to sixty years (and the last proposal would answer fairly well), one thing is certain, and that is, that under the thirty years’ tenure system it is impossible to expect such a development of the landed resources of India as will secure the Government from the vast financial losses caused by famine, or at least reduce these losses to a moderate amount.  And we have ample evidence to prove that, where adequate security exists, private enterprise will be sure to step in and carry out most extensive and important irrigation works.  This has been particularly shown in the proceedings of the Government of the North-West Provinces and Oudh, where the condition of things in the permanently settled districts has been contrasted with that in the temporarily settled, or thirty year leasehold districts.  I have no space to go into the details.  They would only weary the general reader, and it is sufficient to say that in the permanently settled districts there has been an immense progress in irrigation carried out by private enterprise; and that, to quote from the proceedings:—­“Throughout the whole tract there have been occasional periods of agricultural distress, but it has always been in a mild form, and for a century famines such as have occurred in other parts of India have been unknown.”  In short, private enterprise, backed by a fair assessment fixed for ever, has driven famine from the tract in question, and this will occur in other parts of India if the Government will only grant tenures sufficiently safe to induce the people to invest their money in wells and permanent improvements.  And if further proofs are needed, we have only to turn to Mr. Gribble’s valuable memorandum on well irrigation, which is published in the proceedings of the Famine Commission.