England's honor. Oh, ye Indigo planters! Your malevolent conduct has brought a stain upon the English nation which was so graced by the ever memorable names of Sydney, Howard, Hall, and other great men. Is your desire for money so very powerful, that through the instigation of that vain wealth, you are engaged in making holes like rust in the long-acquired and pure fame of the British people? Abstain now from that unjust conduct through which you are raising immense sums as your profits; and then the poor people, with their families, will be able to spend their days in ease. You are now-a-days purchasing things worth a hundred rupees by expending only ten; and you well know what great trouble the ryots are suffering from that. Still you are not willing to make that known, being entirely given up to the acquisition of money. You say that some amongst you give donations to schools, and also medicine in time of need—but the planters' donations to schools are more odious than the application of the shoe for the destruction of a milch cow, and their grants of medicine are like unto mixing the inspissated milk in the cup of poison. If the application of a little turpentine, after being beat by shamchand, be forming a dispensary, then it may be said that in every factory there is a dispensary. The editors of two daily newspapers are filling their columns with your praises; and whatever other people may think, you never enjoy pleasure from it, since you know fully the reason of their so doing. What a surprising power of attraction silver has? The detestable Judas gave the great preacher of the Christian religion, Jesus, into the hands of odious Pilate for the sake of thirty rupees; what wonder, then, if the proprietors of two newspapers, becoming enslaved by the hope of gaining one thousand rupees, throw the poor helpless people of this land into the terrible grasp of your mouths."
Now, it certainly appeared to him that each Indigo planter would, by looking at this mirror, find his own reflection; and although it was said to apply to a class, still each one of that class would find himself represented. He held that if it was not an imputation it would not be carrying out the sense intended to be conveyed to ordinary minds. It appeared to him to be a very grave charge, and he was unable to come to any other conclusion than that they were libellous. As regards the second count, it
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