Memorandum On The Progress Of The Madras Presidency: During The Last Forty Years Of British Administration

Lord Connemara entrusted to the author in July 1890, the task of examining whether the economic condition of the Madras Presidency and especially of the agricultural classes, has improved or deteriorated during the last 40 or 50 years of British administration. Excerpt from this Memorandum he has made a few verbal changes in portions of the Memorandum already issued and added footnotes in three or four places to’ make his meaning clearer on some points to prevent misapprehension. The writer has also given in the appendix extracts from a reply published by him in the Madras Mail to some criticisms which appeared in the Calcutta Review on the question of pressure of population and one or two important matters bearing on the condition of the agricultural population. The statistics given in the appendices have been revised, as far as possible, with reference to the results of the last census. It is hardly necessary to add that the views he has expressed on these and other matters are his individual opinions submitted for the consideration of Government, and are not to be understood as reflecting the opinions of the Government itself. It contains a map of then Madras Presidency.