AGRICULTURE AND REVENUE 271

the straitened finances of Government have led to customs
duty on imported European goods, to income tax, and
other inconveniences, all of which tell on the narrowing
income of the English civil or military officer, and reduce
his means.
Taking it all round, the undoubted development of
wealth in India generally is not reflected in the increasing
value of that return for life's labour and ability which is
represented by an Englishman's pay. The falling rupee
has not distressed India: it has only hampered Government,
 and made life less worth living to Government
employees.
A few trade statistics may be quoted to illustrate the
sxtent to which India is gradually widening her area of
commercial enterprise. The chief exports of India have
already been noted—wheat, rice, cotton, oil seeds, hides,
and jute, with tobacco and opium, figure most largely on
the list, and the value of them varies from year to year
with the variations of financial conditions between England
 and India. The value of the wheat exports, for
instance, vary between one million and five millions, the
amount exported depending on the value of the rupee,
and the amount of grain which a year of exceptional
plenty or otherwise can throw into the market. Nothing
else varies so much as wheat; the exports of rice,
tobacco, &amp;c., remaining pretty even from year to year,
The imports are chiefly clothing, metal (manufactured
or free), with gold and silver. Material for clothing forms
about a half of the sum total of imports. The people of
India can find nearly all else that they require to meet
their very simple wants within the limits of India itself ;
consequently the value of imports are invariably less than
that of the exports by many millions of pounds. Five
or six years ago something. akin to perfect freedom of
commercial intercourse was established between England
and India! England maintained her duties on Indian tea
and coffee, and India imposed duties on imported salt, on
liquor, and on arms and ammunition only, But financial
1 Written in 1898.