was honourably acquitted, and had the satisfaction of
seeing the lying rascals put into the dock by the indignant magistrate
and prosecuted summarily for getting up a false charge and giving
false evidence. It was a lesson to the police in those parts, and they
did not dare to trouble me much afterwards; but it is only one
instance out of hundreds I could give, and which every planter has
witnessed of the barefaced audacity, the shameless extortion, the
unblushing lawlessness of the rural police of India.

It is a gigantic evil, but surely not irremediable. By adding more
European officers to the force; by educating the people and making
them more intelligent, independent, and self-reliant, much may be done
to abate the evil, but at present it is admittedly a foul ulcer on the
administration of justice under our rule. The menial who serves a
summons, gets a decree of Court to execute, or is entrusted with any
order of an official nature, expects to be bribed to do his duty. If
he does not get his fee, he will throw such impediments in the way,
raise such obstacles, and fashion such delays, that he completely
foils every effort to procure justice through a legal channel. No
wonder a native hates our English Courts. Our English officials, let
it be plainly understood, are above suspicion. It needs not my poor
testimony to uphold their character for high honour, loyal integrity,
and zealous eagerness to do 'justly, and to walk uprightly.' They are
unwearied in their efforts to get at truth, and govern wisely; but our
system of law is totally unsuited for Orientals. It is made a medium
for chicanery and trickery of the most atrocious form. Most of the
native underlings are utterly venal and corrupt. Increased pay does
not mean decrease of knavery. Cheating, and lying, and taking bribes,
and abuse of authority are ingrained into their very souls; and all
the cut and dry formulas of namby pamby philanthropists, the inane
maunderings of stay-at-home sentimentalists, the wise saws of
self-opinionated theorists, who know nothing of the Hindoo as he
really shews himself to us in daily and hourly contact with him, will
ever persuade me that native, as opposed to English rule, would be
productive of aught but burning oppression and shameless venality, or
would end in anything but anarchy and chaos.

It sounds very well in print, and increases the circulation of a paper
or two among the Baboos, to cry out that our task is to elevat