AGRICULTURE AND REVENUE 269

and tanks, where they find leaves and shrubs, roots and
herbs. These they boil, as often as not without even salt
or any kind of condiment ; and this primitive food forms,
for the greater part of the year, the most substantial part
of their meals.” There may be poverty and indebtedness
in these days, but it is not the poverty of the pre-British
era,
That India is undoubtedly amassing material wealth
can be verified by certain trade statistics, especially by
noting the enormous imports of gold and silver. What
becomes of it? Gold is not coined in India; it is not
a legal tender ;! and of the silver imported, only a portion
(perhaps half) finds its way to the mints. What becomes
of the remainder ? It is hoarded, turned into ornaments
maybe, or actually buried, but not much of this amassed
wealth is distributed amongst the great striving population
of tillers of the soil.
But although, under the benign influence of the Pax
Britannica, there is a steady development of material
wealth in India, it is only right to point out that this does
not directly improve the position of the 168,000 Europeans
who live in the country. Year by year does it become
more difficult to balance income and expenditure in such
a manner as will ensure the attainment of that “ something
over” at the last which will ease off the roughness of life's
declining years in England. Europeans who are but
pilgrims in the land can usually live fairly comfortable on
their incomes, but they can carry little away with them.
No “Pagoda tree” has been known in India for many
years. Even the best paid and most lucrative appointments
 involve expenditure in proportion to their prominence
 in the social scale which severely discounts their
financial advantages. There is, indeed, more of the
European style in general mode of living, more of incessant
 leave-taking and travelling to and fro, more care
taken in keeping up preseniable houses and surroundings
than formerly ; but there is, on the other hand, less free
hospitality, and far less expenditure on oriental luxuries.
1 Written in 18g8.