with Indian administrative topics. The cheerful view of the prospects of Indian finance, thus expressed by one of the earliest of Indian Finance Ministers, is deserving of attention, because the embarrassments of its Exchequer, the unsoundness of its financial policy, and its probable or impending insolvency have been favourite topics with ignorant critics of the Government of India. The truth is that in no department can Indian administrators show a bolder front to their assailants. The larger portion of the National Debt is now understood to be represented by great engineering projects, which have already enormously enriched the country, and which, when fully developed, will be the grandest national possession in the world. Despite the disturbances arising from the fall in Exchange, the automatic growth of Indian revenue — the outcome of growing wealth and property — cannot be put at less than a million sterling per annum; and, on the whole, the general position of Indian finance is infinitely stronger than it was when Mr. Laing reviewed it.
