第7章 James Mill(7)

Romilly was persuaded to join,and they had hopes of the £1000given by Burdett to the West London institution.But the thing could never be got into working order,in spite of Place's efforts and Mill's counsels;and,after painful haulings and tuggings,it finally collapsed in 1820.17The efforts of the Utilitarians to effect anything directly in the way of education thus fell completely flat.One moral is sufficiently obvious.They were,after all,but a small clique,regarded with suspicion by all outsiders;and such a system as could seriously affect education could only be carried out either by government,which was thinking of very different things,or by societies already connected with the great religious bodies.The only function which could be adequately discharged by the little band of Utilitarians was to act upon public opinion;and this,no doubt,they could do to some purpose.I have gone so far into these matters in order to illustrate their position;but,as will be seen,Mill,though consulted at every stage by Place,and doing what he could to advocate the cause,was,after all,in the background.He was still wrestling with the Indian History,which was,as he hoped,to win for him an independent position.The effort was enormous.In 1814he told Place that he was working at the History from 5A.M.till 11P.M.When at Ford Abbey his regular day's work began at 6A.M.And lasted till 11P.M.during which time three hours were given to teaching his children,and a couple of short walks supplied him with recreation.How,with all his energy,he managed to pay his way is a mystery,which his biographer is unable fully to solve.18The History at last appeared in 3vols.4to ,at the end of 1817.Dry and stern as its author,and embodying some of his political prejudices,it was at least a solid piece of work,which succeeded at once,and soon became the standard book upon the subject.Mill argues in the preface with characteristic courage that his want of personal knowledge of India was rather an advantage.It made him impartial.A later editor 19has shown that it led to some serious misconceptions.It is characteristic of the Utilitarian attitude to assume that a sufficient knowledge of fact can always be obtained from bluebooks and statistics.Some facts require imagination and sympathy to be appreciated,and there Mill was deficient.He could not give an adequate picture of Hindoo beliefs and customs,though he fully appreciated the importance of such questions.Whatever its shortcomings,the book produced a remarkable change in Mill's position.He applied for a vacant office in the India House.His friends,Joseph Hume and Ricardo,made interest for him in the city.Place co-operated energetically.20Canning,then president of the Board of Control,is said to have supported him;and the general impression of his ability appears to have caused his election,in spite of some Tory opposition.He became Assistant to the Examiner of India Correspondence,with a salary of £800on 12th May 1819.On 10th April 1821he became Second Assistant,with £1000a year;on 9th April 1823he was made Assistant Examiner,with £1200a year;and on 1st December 1830Examiner,with £1900,which on 17th February 1836was raised to £2000.The official work came in later years to absorb the greatest part of Mill's energy,and his position excluded him from any active participation in politics,had he ever been inclined for it.Mill,however,set free from bondage,was able to exert himself very effectually with his pen;and his writings became in a great degree the text-books of his sect.

During 1818he had again co-operated with Place in a political matter.The dissolution of parliament in 1818produced another contest at Westminster.Place and Mill were leaders in the Radical committee,which called a public meeting,where Burdett and Kinnaird were chosen as candidates.They were opposed to Romilly,the old friend of Bentham and of Mill himself.Both Mill and Bentham regarded him as not sufficiently orthodox.Romilly,however,was throughout at the head of the poll,and the Radical committee were obliged to withdraw their second candidate,Kinnaird,in order to secure the election of Burdett against the government candidate Maxwell.Romilly soon afterwards dined at Bentham's house,and met Mill,with Dumont,Brougham,and Rush,on friendly terms.On Romilly's sad death on 2nd November following,Mill went to Worthing to offer his sympathy to the family,and declared that the 'gloom'had 'affected his health.'He took no part in the consequent election,in which Hobhouse stood unsuccessfully as the Radical candidate.

III.LEADER OF THE UTILITARIANS

Politics were beginning to enter upon a new phase.The period was marked by the 'Six Acts'and the 'Peterloo massacre.'The Radical leaders who upheld the cause in those dark days were not altogether to the taste of the Utilitarians.After Burdett,John Cartwright (1740-1824)and Henry (or 'Orator')Hunt (1773-1835),hero of the 'Peterloo massacre,'were the most conspicuous.They were supported by Cobbett,the greatest journalist of the time,and various more obscure writers.The Utilitarians held them in considerable contempt.Burdett was flashy,melodramatic,and vain;Hunt an 'unprincipled demagogue;'and Cartwright,the Nestor of reform,who had begun his labours in 1780,was,according to Place,wearisome,impracticable,and a mere nuisance in matters of business.