(    14    )

1,364,000, and by the bills which were passed in 1867-69
the number was raised to 2,448,000. By 1884, the
constituency had reached in round numbers 3,000,000.
The Act of 1885 added about 2,000,000 to the number,
i. e., nearly twice as much as was added since 1867 and
more than four times as much as was added in 1832.
This brief history contains both guidance and encourage¬
ment for us. With a fairly liberal franchise, we are in
a position to start with electorates the dimensions of
which will be regarded by ^x^ry reasonable man as
satisfactory, when all the circumstances of the case are
borne in mind.

Religions Differences.

12. As regards the second " dominating condition,"
it is true that Indian Society is composed of vast num¬
bers of people who belong to different religions, races,
and castes. But it seems to me an exaggeration to
say that this circumstance " constantly threatens its
solidarity." The people of India are more law-abiding
than perhaps those of any other country in the world.
Differences of religion, race and caste do not stand
in the way of their generally living and working toge¬
ther as good neighbours and friends, or of their combin¬
ing for promoting common purposes. The occasional
outbursts of religious feeling—which no one can deplore
more than we Indians do—are due to ignorance which
the bureaucracy has failed to remove, and to the defects
of a foreign system of administration which can only
be mitigated by power being substantially shared v/ith
the rep'esentatives of the people. Mr. Montagu and
Lord Chelmsford say that '* the difficulty that outweighs
all others is the existence of religious differences." With
due deference to them, I venture to say that they have
taken much too exaggerated a view of this difficulty.
They refer  appreciatingly to the agreement reached at