The Beautiful Tree: Indigenous Indian Education in the Eighteenth Century c4.s5.t5.14

c4.s5.t5.14

Knowing what Hartog considered as sufficient proof, Shah began his letter by saying that he 'need hardly point out that at the time under reference, no country in the world had like definite, authoritative, statistical information of the type one would now recognise as proper proof in such discussions'; and that 'all, therefore, that one can expect by way of proof in such matters, and at such a time, can only be in the form of impressions of people in a position to form ideas a little better and more scientific than those of less fortunately situated, or less well-endowed, observers.' Shah finally concluded with the view that 'the closer enquiry of this type conducted by Leitner is far more reliable, and so also the *obiter dicta* of people in the position to have clear impressions'; and felt that 'even those impressions must be held to give rather an underestimate than otherwise.'