IOR/F/4/1950/84888

Table of Contents.

[pp 1-2] Letter from the Government of India, Revenue Department, No.24, to the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 29th November 1841, regarding the cultivation of flax in the Provinces under the Bengal and Agra Governments, and forwarding a report by the Agricultural and Horticultural Society at Calcutta on the subject. States that Government is inclined to doubt whether any bounty or reward from Government is necessary or would be justifiable for the support of flax cultivation.

[pp 3-5] Letter from the Revenue Department, No.7, to the Governor General of India, dated London 28th April 1841, proposing that measures be adopted in India for encouraging the growth and manufacture of flax.

[pp 7-14] Report by the Revenue, Judicial and Legislative Committee of the East India Company, dated 31st March 1841, regarding the cultivation of flax in India.

[pp 15-16] Letter from James Melvill, Secretary, to Alexander Rogers, James McKillop and Henry Gouger, dated East India House 23rd April 1841, regarding their memorial detailing the measures they had adopted for the purpose of ascertaining by practical experiments whether flax suited to the English market might be advantageously cultivated in India.

[pp 17-20] Correspondence between T H Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India, and H H Spry, Secretary to the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India, 12th July and 25th September 1841, regarding determining the measures to be adopted for improving the cultivation of flax. The Society was requested to provide such accurate detailed information as they may possess, or as they may be able to obtain, regarding the present state and prospects of flax cultivation in the Provinces under the Bengal and Agra Governments.

[pp 21-34] Report by the Standing Flax Committee of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India regarding the present state and prospects of flax cultivation in the Provinces under the Bengal and Agra Governments.

[pp 35-112] Appendices to the Flax Committee's Report.

[pp 113-114] Letter from T H Maddock, Secretary to the Government of India, to H H Spry, Secretary to the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India, dated 22nd November 1841, stating that the Society's report on flax cultivation will be transmitted to England for the information of the Court of Directors, and that the cultivation of flax can no longer be considered a doubtful experiment, since it appeared from the report to have proved in many instances successful and where successful to be fairly profitable; but doubts whether any bounty or reward from Government is necessary or would be justifiable for the support of the undertaking.