Chapter XVII: Appendix: II

SIR WILLIAM HUNTER TO MR. BLUNT

Calcutta,
_6th January, 1884_.

DEAR MR. BLUNT,

I have been unable to procure a copy of the “Settlement
Handbook.” But here is one which I have borrowed. With regard to
the Madras settlement, some detailed facts will be found at pp.
668 and 672, among other places.

The rules are: (1) First calculate the actual average produce
and actual average value of it, over a period of years. Say
the actual gross produce thus ascertained is 100 bushels. (2)
Then deduct from the average actual gross produce one-sixth,
as an extra allowance for risks of the season; leaving 83⅓
bushels. (3) Take an average of one-fourth, or 25 per cent., from
this reduced gross produce as Government Revenue; this is four
eighty-thirds and a half, = 20-3/4 bushels.

The 20-3/4 of bushels are about one-fifth of the actual gross
produce (100 bushels), which has already included the risk of
seasons, for it is the actual produce yielded, as a matter of
fact, on an average of many years and seasons.

The 20-3/4 bushels are about one-half of the _net_ produce after
allowing for cost of cultivation and all possible risks; and this
is probably what your _raiyat_ friends meant in Madras.

The actual yield of each class of land is estimated by many
experiments, sometimes 1,300 in a single district. The Famine
Commissioners, by independent inquiry, came to the conclusion
that the average land tax throughout India was only 5-1/2 per
cent. of the gross produce; but their calculation included Bengal
and the Permanently Settled Districts. I have not been able to
examine afresh the evidence on which they based this conclusion;
but they were careful men, and by no means favourers of the
_status quo_.

I am no favourer of that _status_ in many parts of India; and if
you care to go into the question I shall be happy to send you
my exposure in Council of the heavy burden imposed by our Land
Assessments on the Deccan peasant. The speech was telegraphed
verbatim to the “Times” fourteen months ago; but, if you did not
see it, and care to look at it, I can get you a copy.

I send you the foregoing facts, not to convert you to a system
which has grievous defects, but to enable you to deal with that
system without running into little inaccuracies which would be
laid hold of as vitiating your main argument.

I have been much impressed by your sympathy for the hard lot
of the peasant, whether in Egypt or in India, and by your
determination to find out the facts for yourself. If at any time
you desire to compare the information thus collected with the
statistics officially accepted by the Government, I shall be
happy to render you any assistance in my power.

Very faithfully yours,
W. W. HUNTER.