our colleges. The money spent on the Arabic and Sanskrit colleges was, therefore, not merely a dead loss to the cause of truth; it was bounty money paid to raise up champions of error, and to call into being an oriental interest which was bound by the condition of its existence to stand in the front of the battle against the progress of European literature.

In the five districts named in the margin, one of which contains the former Moham- Murshedabad, Bheerbhoom,

medan capital of Bengal, Mr. Adam Burdwan, South Behar,

found only 158 students of Arabic Tirhoot. learning. In the single government college of Calcutta there are 114 students. Although supported and patronised by the British government, this college differs in no respect from the Mohammedan colleges at Constantinople and Bokhara. It is as completely a seminary of genuine unmitigated Mohammedanism as the Jesuits' college at Rome is a seminary of Roman catholicism. It is considered by the Moslems as the head quarters of their religion in Bengal, and it has made Calcutta the radiating centre, not of civilization, as it ought only to be, but, to a lamentable extent, of bigotry and error.

The Sanskrit college was a still more desperate

attempt to reproduce the feelings and habits of thought of past ages in the midst of a comparatively enlightened community. By establishing the Hindu college at their own expense, the Hindus had seven years before given a decisive proof that it was instruction in English and not in Sanskrit which they required. But, in spite of this evidence, the act with which we signalised the commencement of our educational, operations was the establishment of a Brahminical college, in which false science and false religion are systematically taught, in which the priestly domination and monopoly of learning are maintained both by practice* and precept, and the members of which, although they reside at the head quarters of British Indian civilization, are always present in spirit with the founders of the Hindu system, with whom they daily converse, and to whose age they really belong. Can we wonder that the young men educated at such a seminary are, according to their own confession, burdens to the public, and objects of contempt to their countrymen? It might have succeeded if it had been established a thousand years ago; but the institu

*None but Brahmins and a few persons of the medical caste are admitted to study at this institution.

tions of a barbarous age will not satisfy a people whose eyes have been opened, and who are craving after true knowledge.

After the committee had confessed that " a taste for English had been widely disseminated, and independent schools, conducted by young men reared in the Hindu college, were springing up in every direction *," it might have been expected that they would have modified their plan of proceeding. It was admitted, that to give instruction in European science was their ultimate object; it also appears from their report that this was the only part of their operations which was propagating itself, and proceeding with an independent spring of action; why, therefore, was scope not given to it?

For some time after this, however, we continued to prop up barbarism by the power of civilization, and to avail ourselves of the enormous influence of the English government to press on the people decayed and noxious systems, which they themselves rejected. That we did not succeed in giving to those systems a more effectual impulse was not owing to any want of exertion on our

See the whole extract at page 8.

part. We pushed them as far or farther than they would go, and it was only because the natives would not buy the books printed by us, or read them without being paid to do so, that a change was at last resolved on.

CHAP. IV.

Objections answered. Construction of the Charter Act of 1813. Change in the Employment of the public Endowments for the Encouragement of Learning.Abolition of Stipends. - Probability of the Natives being able to prosecute the Study of English with effect. The alleged Necessity of cultivating Arabic and Sanskrit for the sake of improving the vernacular Languages.-The Plan of employing Maulavees and Pundits as our Agents for the Propagation of European Science. Whether or not it is our Duty to patronise the same Kind of Learning as our Prede

cessors.

I SHALL now proceed to reply, with as much brevity as circumstances will admit, to the objections which have been urged to the change in the committee's plan of operation made in accordance with the resolution of the Indian government, dated the 7th March 1835; and as my object is not to write a book of my own, but to put this important subject, once for all, in a clear point of view, I shall continue to avail myself of the writings of others whenever they express what I have to say better than I could express it myself.