Drug Abuse

No. 379, dated Bankipore, the 30th November 1880.

From—A. C. MANGLES, ESQ., Opium Agent of Behar, To—The Secretary to the Board of Revenue, Calcutta.

 

I HAVE the honor to submit my annual report on the operations of the Behar Opium Agency for the past season 1879-80 together with thev several statements marked A to F cited in the margin.

Statement A, showing the quantities of land cultivated in 1878-79, and 1879-80 and the damdatta produce in those seasons.
Statement B, showing the aggregate advances made for the provision of opium poppy- leaves and trash, on account of season 1879.80.
Statement C, showing the receipts and expenditure of poppy-leaves and trash on account of season 1879-80.
Statement D, showing the weight, and average weight of chests of each consistence of season 1879-80. 
Statement E, showing the receipt and expenditure of opium of season 1879-80.
Statement F, showing the quantity of land cultivated, produce of each Division, average produce per beegah, sale-proceeds at Calcutta, and quantity and value of opium supplied for Abkari purposes for the last ten years.

2. Mr. E. E. Lowis, who had been officiating agent during the greater portion of the previous year remained in charge till the 27th October 1879, when on my return from leave f relieved him and the agency was under my charge for the rest of the year.

3. The work performed by a district officer in the course of his cold weather tour is much more closely supervised now than used to be the case, when, to satisfy the requirements of rule 26, page 24 of the Manual, a map was submitted drawn to any scale or to no scale at all, showing the line of march.taken by a sub-deputy through his charge, accompanied by a diary containing just sufficient information to satisfy the Accountant-General, and to enable the transmitting officer to-draw his travelling allowance.

4. For the past two seasons district officers have been supplied with printed skeleton maps of a uniform scale on which they have to trace not only the route they follow, but mark off their halting places with the dates of' halting at each, so that with the help of the diary a very good check can be kept on their movements. This will be again improved upon during the present cold season when, by calling in the assistance of their settlement maps and registers, officers have been directed to mark off by means of figures not only the villages at which they actually halted, but all the villages visited by them both on the line of march and from camp during the days on which they halted.

5. In following only the line of march in districts where there are but few roads, it is difficult to say how much of his cultivation an officer has or has not seen, as everything depends on his own energy in leavino. the direct line whilst on the march and in visiting villages from the differeft encamping grounds. The maps prepared as now directed will do away with this difficulty and will show at a glance the amount of work performed by each offiCer.

6. During the year under report sub-deputy agents would appear to have made generally useful tours, but more especially so Mr. Tytler, sub-deputy agent of Alleegunge, and his assistant Mr. Clarke.

7. For my own part I started into camp on the 3.st December 1879, and with the exception of an interval of a few days when I came into the Sudder station for the transaction of business and to allow of my camp passing over from the districts to the north to those to the south of the Ganges, remained out uninterruptedly till the 27th February 1880. During this time I visited the head-quarters and inspected the offices of all sub-deputy agents, as also the sub-division office at Hazaribaugh. Later in the year, at different times as opportunately arose, I again visited the sub-districts of Shababad, Gya, Monghyr, Chuprah, and Hajeepore, as also the newly opened out sub-division' at llehree in the Shahabad district.

8. Whilst on tour I chiefly interested myself in endeavouring to find out first, why it was that the cultivation of poppy was annually becoming more and more unpopular with the cultivators; and secondly why the average yield per beegah was on the decrease. I have in special reports from time to time informed the Board of the conclusion I came to, and that it was the reduction in the price paid for the crude drug from Rs. 5 to Rs. 4-8 which was the cause of both the one and the other. For the falling off in the popularity, because at existing rates other crops such as sugarcane, potatoes, &c., paid better than poppy, and for decrease in produce because the better class of lands were reserved for the more paying crops and inferior ones oiven to us more for the sake of our advances than for the profits to be deriveffrom the crop on its coming to maturity.

9. Whilst visiting the indigo-producing districts to the north of the Ganges, I was fortunate enough more than once to fall in with Mr. Hudson, the Secretary to the Behar Indigo Planters Association, and with his assistance to dispose of certain slight differences which had arisen between planters and opium cultivators regarding their respective rights as landlords and tenants.

10. The collection of our outstanding balances was another subject which demanded' and received a considerable amount of attention at my hands ; but thanks to the manner in which district officers had conducted this important part of their duties I received none of those petitions which I fully expected I should have received, even if there were no just grounds for complaint.

11. In the districts to the north of the Ganges such as Chuprah, Alleegunge, Mooteehary and Betteah where the balances amounted to nearly six lakhs of rupees, I received several deputations from the cultivators, but not in a single instance had the grievance complained of anything to do with the collections that were being made, but invariably had reference to the reduction that had been. made in the price paid for the crude drug, which the cultivators looked upon as a breach of faith on the part of Government who were being made to suffer for it by the failure of their (the cultivators) crops, and the consequent loss to Government in opium.

12. In my last annual report, paragraph 27, I mentioned that the outstanding balance which at the close of the year 1877-78 had amounted to Rs. 6,49,052-2-6, had in the course of the succeeding twelve-months been reduced to Rs. 2,13,166-7-9, of which sum Rs. 44,635-1-1 had been recommended for remission. Government however having only accorded their sanction to the remission of Rs. 6,866-11-2 in the sub-districts of Hajeepore, Shahabad, Gya, Tehta, and Monghyr, pending further enquiry in the other districts, there still remained a balance of Rs. 2,06,299-12-7 to be made good ; to which sum the year 1878-89 added a further balance of Rs. 99,804-12-5. By the end of June 1880, the balance of 1877-78 had been reduced to Rs. 16,227-5-6, when a further recommendation was made to the Board for obtaining the sanction of Government to the remission of Rs. 9,536-8-3 leaving a balance of Rs. 6,690-13-3 up to the close of the year. However, the Government sanction to the remission ot the Rs. 9,536-8-3 had not been received, but in the meantime a further sum of Rs. 3,308-3-8 bad been collected thus leaving the sum of Rs. 12,919-1-10 still to be collected if the remission asked for was not complied with, but only Rs. 3,382-9-7 if it were, and there is every reason for supposing that it will be.

13. Of the balance Rs. 99,804-12-5 which accrued during 1878-79, Rs. 341-14-6 has been remitted and Es. 89,926-2-1 collected during the year under report, leaving a balance of Rs. 9,536-11-10 which is in process of collection.

14. The outstanding balance for the year under report is comparatively small amounting only to Rs. 10,914-3-9, but unfortunately no less than Rs. 10,550-9-8 is due from the district of Monghyr alone where the crop suffered much from hail-storms in the months of February and March. The circumstances of each individual case are being carefully enquired into, and will be reported on in due course.

15. The season on the whole, was more that an ordinarily favourable one Cultivation reports of district offi- for the districts on both sides of the Ganges, but cers.    more especially so for those to the north. Owing to the lateness of the rains, the sowings were somewhat backward, there being too much moisture in the low-lying lands to allow of their being prepared. In the districts to the north, however, this was a fault on the right side, and great expectations were entertained of our having a bumper crop. During its earlier stage, the plant looked somewhat yellow, and of an unhealthy appear-ance, which gave rise to fears that blight would follow, but such fortunately was not the case, and everything went on most favourably till about the middle of February when the leaves were being collected, and the juice   
extracted from the most forward plant. East wind and rain then set in  accompanied by hail in a few places, putting a stop to the manufacture of leaves, and washing off and reducing the consistence of the drug which was being collected. The rain only lasted for a few days, and did comparatively little harm, as it benefited the backward plant, but the east winds which prevailed well into March reduced the outturn very considerably by lessening the flow of the juice and rendering it thin and of low consistence. By the end of March the collections had been- completed, givin,,o. a gross outturn of  maunds 51,694-14-71 or maunds 53,173-29-51 of damdatta opium, as against maunds 39,133-2-7+ gross, and maunds 41,095-12-damdatta of the previous year.*   

16. I am afraid that our endeavours in this respect have not been as successful as I could have wished. The Board having, in their letter No 354B, of the 4th August 1870, brought to the notice of Government the action taken by the Opium Agent against poppy cultivators who had been convicted of opium smuggling, recommended that all such offenders, residents of Behar, no matter where the convictions had been obtained should be sent to the jails of their respective districts to allow of their being identified and subjected to examination by the opium authorities. Government accorded their sanction to ihis proposal, and by their letter No. 1465, of the llth IVIay 1871, directed the Inspector-Gefieral of Jails to issue the necessary instructions on his subordi-nates. These orders were subsequently modified by Government of Bengal's letter No. 2144,"of the 9th September 1878, directing that all such prisoners, i.e. opium smugglers and residents of Behar, instead of being tent to the jail of the district to which they belonged, or pretended to belong., should be sent to the Patna jail there to be examined by the Opium Agent himself. The Board's recommendation was made on the grounds that when a conviction. was obtained in districts other than opium-producing ones, it was difficult to bring home the offence to the ryots, as they generally assumed fictitious names; and when a reference was made to the sub-divisional officer within whose jurisdiction the delinquent's residence was supposed to be situated, no such name as that given by him could be traced in tile register of licensed cultivators.   

17. Notwithstanding all our exertions, however, the difficulty represented by the Board still remains, and is likely to remain till such time as Government offers some inducement, such as mitigation of punishment to the detected smuggler to speak the truth. The only difference between the old system. of carrying out the sentence in the district in which it was imposed, and the new one of transferring the prisoner to Patna is that Government is put to considerable expense. The prisoner lies as freely in the vicinity of his home, or supposed home, as he did at a distance from it, and changes his story as often as he thinks it advisable to do so.   

18. According to the information furnished to this dep4rtment by the Magisterial authorities, there were, during the year under report, 59 persons, residents of Behar, concerned in 45 cases, convicted of opium snaug-gling. Of this number, 36 were sentenced to undergo different terms of imprisonment without the option of fine, five were imprisoned in default of payment of fine, and eighteen were released on payment of fine.   

19. Of the 41 imprisoned, 39 were examined by the Opium Agent, with the following results: 5 were found to be actual opium cultivators, one to be closely connected with, and living in the same village, if not in the same house, as cultivators; 22 either evaded recognition by giving false names and places of residence, or if recognized, were found to have no connection with the cultivation or those engaged in it, and the statements of the remaining 11 were still with the sub-deputy agents for the purpose of enquiry at the close of the year.   

20. When we come to consider that, to look after a scattered cultivation of from 450,000 to 480,000 beegalis carried on by some 720,000 cultivators, we have a native mofussil establishment consisting only of 1,000 men, all told, including gomashtas, mohurirs, mutsuddees, zillandars and burkundazes, and that of this number only 633 are zillandars, whose duty it is to be in. daily intercourse with the assamees, it is not to be wondered at if smuggling. is carried on to some extent without detection, or if detected, that in many instances the offender cannot be identified even though we know him to belong to one of the opium-producing districts.

21. Notwithstanding the exertions of district officers, the cultivation fell off during the year under report, by settlements, from 504,560 beegalis to 483,297 beegahs, and by measurement, from 500,371 beegahs to 473,550 beegabs as compared with 1878-79. This falling off was attributed in some districts, notably that of Monghyr, to an unusual amount of sickness amongst the cultivators themselves, and to a murrain having broken out amongst their cattle which rendered it difficult, if not impossible, for them ta prepare their lands ; in others, such as Tehta, to extension having followed on extension till lands had been brought under cultivation which could not give a profit to the ryot or repay him for the trouble he had expended on them, but in all districts, without exception, it was held to be mainly due to the disheartening effects of two bad seasons, and to the reduction in the price paid for the crude drug from Es. 5 to Rs. 4-8.

22. In writing on this subject in his last annual report, Mr. Carnac says, that, in the course of conversation with cultivators during his tours, he has elicited the fact that in the North-Western Provinces the cultivation of poppy is most popular ; and states that wherever it was suggested that, in consequence of its not being a payinc, crop to tlie assamee, the cultivation should be discontinued, they at once protest7d and begged and prayed that on no account should any change be made. Also that the pith and substance of complaints and petitions received by him were not that persons had been made to cultivate against their will, but that some wicked gomashta or other subordinate having a grudge against the petitioner had refused to obtain for him a license to cultivate, or had not permitted him to cultivate to the full extent to which he was prepared to engage. Such a happy state of thing's, I am afraid, does not exist in this agency, where, if it were not for our advances, which the impecunious ryot finds it hard to resist, the cultivation of poppy would stand a very poor chance by the side of that of many other crops which I could mention.

23. Within existing limits, that is to say within those districts in which the cultivation is at present being carried on we have but little room for extension as may be gathered from a report submitted by Mr. Harrison, sub-deputy agent of Telita, in the Gya District. Mr. Harrison writes " Two out of the three kothees in this sub-agency, viz. Tehta and Belkharra contain the best poppy lands, the tract of country included in them being highly cultivated and suitable for poppy. The area of poppy cultivation this year in these kothees amounted to 32,981 beegahs in 1,109 villages. There are only 16 villao'es in which poppy was not grown last year. Out of these 16, poppy has 'been tried at different times in 15, but has been given up by the ryots on account of its not proving a profitable crop, so that there is only one village out of the 1,125 in which poppy has not been tried, and in this villag all the lands are paddy lands and unsuitable for poppy."

24. If we endeavour to go beyond those limits we are again placed at a disadvantage, for with the Benares Agency to our west and Nepal to our north, we have only the east. and south to look to. To the east vve have Bhagulpore and Purneah. In the former district a sub-agency was formed . in 1828-29 but abandoned in 1858-59 as unprofitable, and a like experiment proved equally unsuccessful in Purneah where a sub-agency having been started in 1830-31 had to be closed in 1848-49. In Chota Nagpore to the south we met with even less success than in the eastern districts, so that the sub-agency there with. its head-quarters at Ranchee existed only for eight years, or from 1869-70 to 1877-78.

25. In the districts to the north of the Ganges, indigo and potatoes are our chief rivals, whilst in those to the south sugarcane, always a very formi-dable opponent to our interests, is fast becoming more so, not only owing to the greater facilities for irrigation which the canal affords, but because sugar manufacturers both European and native have adopted our system of making ad.vances, and, competing with one another, are making them at very high rates. Alive to their own interests however, and wishing to obtain our advances as well as those of the sugar manufacturers, the cultivators have not deserted us altogether, but at the same time they are playing us false by giving us an inferior quality of land and reserving their best for the crop which pays them best, and no blame can attach to them for so doing.

26. Left to themselves it was only the more well-to-do ryots who could afford to grow sugarcane as it is a crop which occupies the land for a whole year, but when capital is introduced and advances given, owing to competition, at unreasonably high rates, the smaller cultivators with whom we chiefly have to deal can undertake it, and with the aid that is being afforded them are doing so very largely.

27. Some inducement beyond the mere giving of advances should be held out to induce the cultivators to give opium the preference over every other crop which comes into competition with it, and I am glad to say that Government have consented to revert to the old rate of Its. 5 as the price paid to the cultivator for the crude drug instead of Rs. 4-8. This concession will doubtless be of great assistance to us in retaining the cultivation we have, but I am very doubtful whether it will give us any increase in really profitable lands, or wheth...1r it will enable us to recover any of such lands which we have already lost.

28. It is in this respect that we are so heavily handicapped in compari-son with the North-West as regards our outturn and average produce per beegha. Take, for example, last year 1878-79 when out of a cultivation of 416,015 beeghas in the Benares Agency there were only 10,091 beeghas unirrigated, whilst in this Agency, with a cultivation of 415,289 beegahs we had no less than 81,911 beegahs unirrigated, and entirely dependent on the amount and timeliness of the rainfall for giving a crop at all.

29. It may be asked why, then, have not the means for irrigation been more extensively introduced thoroughout the whole of the Bclar Agency ? This might most certainly have been done, but unfortunately there are large tracts of country in the districts to the north of the Ganges where the use of the well-water for irrigation purposes does infinitely more harm than good. The soil, which is of a light sandy nature, is strongly impregnated with alkali, and tbe well-water is the same, so that if the latter be used for irriga-tion purposes it only adds fuel to the fire, the result being that the crop is burnt up and destroyed.

30. In the Chuprah district, however, where well-water can be made use of, the sub-deputy agent, Mr. Tytler, has clearly shown what immense benefit may be derived from it. 1VIr. Tytler writes—" during the past six years, since when. my special efforts have been directed to pucca well-making, nearly 2,300 have been both constructed and repaired, at a total cost of nearly a lakh of rupees. Of this sum Rs. 7,640 still remain outstanding, the amount not yet being .due for repayment according to the terms under which the money was lent. Arrears of recoveries do not exist. This year seven new wells have be.en made and nine old ones repaired. In comparison to the work of previous seasons this is nothing, and arose both from the fact of the previous rainy season having been heavy thus causing the water-level in the etrth to be high, and the year unfavourable for well-sinking with the simple appliances at the command of the ryot, for wells made by them in such seasons partially dry up in years of great drought, and also because I believed it probable that I might not remain at Sewan to carry throu.gh the work to the close of the season, which prevented my commencing an extensive undertaking, the favour-able completion of which by a new arrival would have been difficult.

31. " Situated as Alleegunge is between a greatly non-irrigated district to the north, as Betteah, and with what appears to me may be an inadequately irrigated one to the south, as Chuprah, it is of interest to compare the outturn this year of all these, which is as follows :—

" The Alleegunge beegah-average exceeds that of Betteah by 2 seers 13i chittacks, and of Chuprah by 1 seer 3/ chittacks, which of itself is a practical prootof a great gain obtained by the extensive well-irrigation scheme that has been carried out here for years past. -The averages of the other North Gangetic districts are also far below that of Aleegunge, which, likewise, is far superior even to all the South Gangetic districts also, thus once more taking the lead throughout the agency in beegah-average for the third time since the wells began, though during these six years twice the poppy crop has here been swept away by blight. Had such not been the case it is not unreasonable to suppose the gain would be even more marked.

32. " The gain obtained by these irrigation-wells can only be ascertained by comparison with neighbouring districts, and especially with one that prior to the wells nearly always gave better results than Alleegunge. Such a district is the southern one of Chuprah, which during the previous twenty-three years before the wells (my records go back no further) was for twenty years ahead in beegah-produce. During the six subsequent years, since the wells have been in use, it has been so but once when blight completely destroyed the Alleegunge crop. Again, South Gangetic districts have hitherto been far superior to all the northern ones in beegah-produce. Once alone in the previous twenty-three years was a North Gangetic district first throughout the agency in this respect ; however, since these wells began, Alleegunge has, including the present year, taken the lead as already noted thrice in six years.

33. " So marked, indeed, has this general difference of produce between North and South Gangetic districts, been to the advantage of the latter that His Honor Sir Ashley Eden, when alluding to the subject this year in his letter to the Board of Reaenue No. 1463-680, dated 9th April last, desired that every effort should be made to extend the cultivation in the profitable districts of 1 Sbababad, Gya, Tehta, and Patna, while in the districts of Tirhoot, Chumparun 1 and Sarun in. which the average yield is small, greater care should be taken 1 in the selection of land, as yet thrice in six years, two of which. have been complete failures through blight, has Alleegunge by means of these irrigation-wells taken the lead throiughout the agency. These results I feel sure" when duly considered cannot but be acknowledged as remarkable."

34. I intend during my cold weather tour to impress upon district officers the necessity, and on landowners the advisability, of their rendering every assistance to the cultivators in "extending their means of irrigation.

35. The Board having in their letter No. 111B, of the 17th April last, directed that a complete system of maps and registers should be Introduced into this agency the same as was already in force in the Benares ageney, and that the same should be ready for each opium district by the 15th of July, or within three months from the date of the orders, by which time Mr. Buckland hoped to be able to pay us an inspection visit, I took the earliest possible opportunity of going to Gazipore with the view of ascertaining how the system was worked there. Als I had expected, I received every assistance from Mr. Rivett-Carnac, the consequence being that on my return I was in a position to issue a circular explaining fully to district officers what it was that was required of them. With these instructions before them sub-deputy ac,ents were able to set to work at once, and doing so with a will, they, mucCto their credit, without a single exception, performed what was required of them within the given time. The maps and registers were subsequently inspected by Mr. Buckland and approved of by him.

36. In the districts south of the Ganges, Gya, Shababad, Tehta, Patna and Monghyr, the whole of the cultivation amounting to 2 l6,351 beegahs was irrigated; in the districts north of the Ganges and west of the Gunduck river, Chuprah and Alleegunge, there was a cultivation of 77,297 beegahs, of which 73,067 beegahs were irrigated, and only 4,230 beegahs unirrigated, and in the districts north of the Ganges and east of the Gunduck river, Tirhoot, Hajeepore, Moteehary, and Betteah there was a cultivation of 167,438 beegahs, of which only 48,564 beegahs were irricrated, and 118,874 beegahs unirrigated. Thus the total cultiva-tion amounted to9,61,086 beegahs of which 337,982 beegahs were irrigated and 123,104 beegahs unirrigated.

37. In the year under review Rs. 11,294 were advanced for the construc-tion of wells for irrigation purposes, 30 pucca and 2,647 ktitcha wells were constructed, 20 pucca and kutcha wells were repaired, and 4 pucca wells are under construction ; 21 beegahs and 6 cottahs of land were brought under poppy cultivation owing to the above advances being made and the existing cUltivation in other places benefited thereby.

38. The increase of cultivation after deducting failures was in Tirhoot 10,047 beeo•ahs, in Hajeepore 4,808- beegabs, in Chuprah 27149 beeguhs, in Alleeguncre 6,056 beegahs, in Moteehary 23,483 beegahs, in Betteah 7,655 beegahs, in Ifonghyr 1,036 beegahs, givin,,,OE a total of 55,234 beegahs against a decrease in Shahabad of 4,642 beegahs, in Gya 1,063 beegahs, in Tehta 3,188 beegabs, and in Patna 544 beegahs, making a total of 9,437 beegahs, and leaving a net increase of 45,797 beegabs.

39. The settlements for the year were 483,297 beegahs equal to 302,060 acres. The actual cultivation after deducting failures is the same as that shewn in paragraph 30 viz., 461,086 beegahs equal to 288,178 acres.

40. A comparative statement showing the operations of the Agency as to land, outturn, &c., is here given, as directed by the Board in their letter No. 215B, of the 16th July 1879.

41. The following statement shows the average of land sown with poppy, and the produce therefrom for each khattadar and cultivator, as also the number of cultivators to each license.

42. The last estimate of this year's produce was maunds 53,787-0-4. The gross weight of opium received at 80 tolahs weight was maunds 51,286-38-31-. The amount of confiscations maunds 21-36-14 The deductions made for impurities, pussewah, &c., under the examination rules amounted to 530 maunds 9 seers. 8¾ chittacks. The deductions for low consistence to 329 maunds 32 seers 5¾ chittacks. Tite additions for high consistence to 3,188 maunds 23 seers 101 chittacks, leaving 53,593 maunds 23 seers 111 chittacks as the amount of the damdatta quantity at 70° consistence, exclusive of 8,650 maunds 1 seer 10½chittacks received from the Benares Agency. The net increase in the damdatta opium of this, compared with that of the preceding year, was 12,325 maunds-21 seers 13 chittacks.

43. The average produce of the season per beegah ranges between 6 seers and 81 chittacks, the highest in Alleegunge, and 2 seers and 141 chittacks the lowest in Tirhoot, the general average being 4 seers and 10i chittacks against 3 seers and 154- chittacks in 1878-79.

44. The damdatta produce of the season at 70° consistence converted by the rule of three to standard opium of 75° consistence, gives an outturn of 50,020 maunds 26 seers 14 chittacks ; this, together with 8,073 =muds 14 seers 91, chittacks received from the Benares Agency produced 31,118 chests of provision opium acrainst 29,786 in 1878-79, and 3,3181 Abkari chests against 3,2971; 17244,728 cakes were made, 950,698 cakes were manufactured at 75° consistence and each contained 1 seer 71 chittacks _of opium, and 294,030 cakes were manufactured at 74° consistence and each contained 1 seer 7 chittacks 31 kuchas of opium exclusive of 31 chittacks allowed for Lewa.

45. The mulcts which have been enforced by examining officers on opium sent in as inferior by the sub-deputy opium agents, under the rules in force as follows—

From the above quantities 53 maunds 11 seers 15 chittacks were deducted under rule 5, and 476 maunds 37 seers 9/ chittacks under rule 6 ; 12 maunds 16 seers ill chittacks were subjected te analysis.

46. Of the opium sent in as good by the sub-deputy opium agentq in jars and pots, 233 maunds 9 seers 111 chittacks were found on examination in the sudder godown to contain more or less impurities incurring a deduction of 25 maunds 37 seers 8 chittacks, and 6 maunds 4 seers 11 chittacks were found to be so impure as to necessitate its being confiscated.

47. The statement showing the quantities of adulterated opium and kuffa muleted and confiscated in the sudder godown, required in your letter No. 204B, of the 8th September 1874, is herewith forwarded.

48. The opium of the season under review exclusive of the quantity confiscated was received and paid for at the dlfferent consistences shown below :—

49. The quantity of kuffa received from the opium cultivators was 14 maunds 16 seers from which 6 maunds 21 seers 12¾ chittaeks were deducted on account of cloth, impurities, &c. and 6 maunds 29 seers 121 chittacks were confiscated, leaving a balance of 1 maund 4 seers 61 chittacks of net opium for which payment was made.

50. During the year under report the Government of India by their letter No. 1867, of the 24th December 1879, a copy of which was forwarded to this office by the Board with their memorandum No. 19B, of the 22nd January 1880, sanctioned, as an experimental measure for one year, the granting. of commission to khattadars at the rate of 1 rupee per maund for all pussewah Tne annexed statement will show the result as compared with the previous year 1878-79. It will be seen that there was a very large increase in the amount delivered, but district officers are inclined to attribute this more to the season with its rain and &east wind at the time when the drug was being collected than to the commission which they look upon as being too small to have any effect. As there is some doubt however on the subject, I would recommend that the experiment be given another year's trial without any change of rates.

Statement showing the quantity of Pussewah received in 1878-79 and 1879-80 and the amount of commission paid in 1879-80.

51. The price paid to the cultivators for opium supplied by them was at the rate of Rs. 4-8 per seer of 70° consistence.

52. The season's outturn amounted to opium of the standard consistence of 75° 50,020 maunds 26 seers 14 chittacks, the balance of the previous year in store was 1,707 maunds 15 seers 41-- chittacks ; batta taken on account of impurities, &c., 495 mounds 19 seers 2 chittacks; received from the Benares Agency 8,073 maunds 14 seers 9+ chittacks; miscellaneous receipts 7 maunds 38 seers 4 chit-tacks, and godown surplus 394 maunds 34 seers 4/ chittacks giving a grand total of 60,699 maunds 28 seers 5/ chittacks. Out of this 45,730 maunds 35 seers 9/ chittacks of 75° consistence were expended in the manufacture of 1,244,728 cakes of provision opium; 7,330 maunds 3 seers 91 chittacks were used in the preparation of Lewa ; 3,153 maunds for the A bkari Department ; 11 maunds 38 seers 14i chittacks for the Medical Departrnent ; 18 seers 101- cliittacks for miscellaneous purposes, and 4 maunds 37 seers 3 chittacks were sent to the Benares Agency for extraction of alkaloids making a total of 56,231 maunds 13 seers 15 chittacks leaving a balance in store of 4,468 maunds 34 seers 6/ chittacks from which 3,808 maunds 32 seers will be- converted into abkari, and 20 maunds 10 seers and 101 chittack into medical opium.

53. During the opium season 1879-80 bills of rewards to informers and apprehenders amounting to Rs. 2,363-7-5 were submitted by the different revenue and magisterial officers up to July 1880, and were countersioned by me. Since then, in accord-ance with the Accountant-General's circuLr No. 19 in his book of circulars, only monthly bills of the amounts paid during the month amounting to Rs. 218-11-4 have been sent by the above officers for my cjuntersignature and despatch to the Accountant-General, the amounts being chargeable to the budget grants of 1879-80 and 1880-81.

54. No legal steps have been taken to recover outstanding balances except in three cases in the Tirhoot sub-agency in consequence of the defaulters declining to pay the amounts due although well able to do so.

55. During the year under report the following officers were either dismissed or suspended-

None of the cases call for any particular notice.

56. I annex in original the Principal Assistant, Dr. Sheppald's, report on the working of the 'factory, the timber-yard, and the saw-mill, for the year under review, and in doing so would remark that the season on the whole was a most unfavourable one for factory operations. Owing to the prevalence of east winds and rain at the time when the drug was being collected it was very low in consistence when received at the factory, the consequence being that manufacture could not be commenced upon at once. A.partial block resulted, and before it could be cleared the Benares opium which was ordered to be used exclusively for excise purposes, and Lewa, came in in large quantities by train thus causing considerable confusion. In his anxiety to prevent the drug of one agency getting' in any way mixed with that of the other, and thus admit of somb of the Benares opium finding, its way into the body of our provision cakes, Dr. Sheppard determined on not commencing on excise manufacture till such time as he had the Behar produce carefully stowed away. When. this had been accomplished the weather vvas unfavourable, so that our excise manufacture was not commenced upon till the 9th August instead of in the month of May as had hitherto been the custom. Fortunately the Benares Agency were in a position to lend us 500 chests which enabled us to tide over the difficulty. The east wind which prevailed generally throughout the whole of the hot weather, and the unusally heavy rains which followed, have also thrown great difficulties in the way of our provision manufacture and the preservation of the cakea when manufac-tured.

57. The buildings, especially the storine,OE godowns, did not stand the severe test to which they were put during the month of July when we had unprecedentedly heavy rains so well as we could have wished, but by dint of close watching and taking immediate measures for repairing any defects in the masonry as soon as they showed themselves, the cakes did not suffer to any very great extent or beyond repairing. It will take another season at least before we can say whether the trash godowns are a complete success, or if not in what their defects consist.

58. In nay last annual report, paragraph 31, I mentioned that whilst a supply of water had been obtained amply sufficient to meet all the requirements of the timber yard and works in connection with it, the Department Public Works had not been so successful in their endeavours to protect us in the event of fire breaking out within the precincts of the factory proper; and that consequently it would probably be necessary to sink another well in the bed of the river at a more convenient distance from the bank than the existing one. This difficulty I am glad to say has, in so far as we can see at present, been overcome without subjecting Government to any expense by our taking over from the Depart-ment Public Works a small portable engine with a centrifugal pump which was lying at one of their depôts unused and fast falling into dis-repair. The Principal Assistant reports favourably on the arrangements made, and there is every reason to hopé that our water-supply will not now fail us no matter whether the river recedes or is in high flood. Whilst on this subject I would strongly recommend for the favourable consideration of Government and the Board, Dr. Sheppard's proposal to purchase another fire-engine for the use of the factory, so that in the event of one failing us, as it did in the case repre-sented by him, we should have the other to fall back upon.

59. With his usual zeal and energy Dr. Sheppard has not been.behind-hand in suggesting various reforms both in the factory which is under his immediate charge and in the working of district officers when se.nding in their opium. Many ol these have already formed the subject of special correspondence and have been disposed of ; the others are under consideration and will be reported on should it be thought necessary to do so.

60. District officers have already been instructed to make use of o stronger and somewhat differently shaped jar to that hitherto in use ; as alsc to procure a better quality of cloth, samples Df which have been sent them; for their covers. It' is estimated that though the original outlay may be a little, but comparatively very little, in excess of what it was in the previouE years, the,„gain to Government will be very considerable, by there being fewei jars broken in transit, by the opium at the top of each jar remaining unsoiled and by the covers being made use of a second, if not a third year, instead o only one.

61. Though with the help of an extra saw-frame purchased with th( sanction of the Board of Revenue we have been able to turn out more planking this year than las. by some 54,351 superficial feet, the working of the naill has not been all the; I could have wished, inasm.uch as no chests have been manufactured. Thil as represented both by Dr. Sheppard and Mr. Girling, is due to' the heall alterations and repairs which had-to be made to the chests already in stock tc bring them, as nearly as possible, within the recently prescribed- specificatioi for serviceable chests; and to the non-receipt of machinery ordered frou England for dovetailing according to the latest approved fashion. We wen further unfortunate in the month of July last, in breaking accidentally till connecting-rod of our large 30-inch timber-frame which threw it out o work for the remainder of the year.

62. These obstacles to our obtainino better results may be said to hav, been beyond the control of 3/Er. Girling, who, in other respects, has fully proved the interest he takes in his work by inventing and completing a machine for cutting slots in the chest compartments, and by having nearly completed another machine, also his own invention, for drilling the holes for the recep-tion of dowels for joining the planks to be used in chests, and also for rabbeting, ploughing, and squaring the edges of the same.

63. Mr. Girling is also to be congratulated on the savings he has effected in the manufacture of clamps ; and on the construction of the pitch-house, which has proved a great success, ensuring the pitch being properly melted with a minimum of fuel.

64. At the commencement of the year the following contracts for the supply of 260,402 cubic feet of sal, and 14,074 of asna were in force, being the balance of the previous year. Conservator of Forests (sAl.) at Rs. 1-4 per cubic foot 44,930. Messrs. Dear and. Co. (shl) at Rs. 1-9 per cubic foot 1,20,515. Messrs. Fornaro and Co. Ohl) at Rs. 1-8 per cubic foot 94,957    260,402 cubic feet. The 14,071 cubic feet of asna had been contracted for by Behari Singh to be delivered at the factory ghtlt at the rate of 11 annas 6 pie per cubic foot.

65. Of the above amount the following quantities were delivered during the year.
By the Conservator of Forests 37,385 cubic feet.
By Messrs. Dear and Co. on behalf of Messrs. Fornaro and Co., whose contract they had taken over, 62,476 cubic feet, and by Behari Singh 4,931 of asna 104,792 cubic feet thus leaving a balance of 169,681 cubic feet still to be supplied by—

This latter contract for the further supply of asna has been cancelled, as the contractor has not made his arrangements with the Nepal authorities ; the timber which he was supplying from Betteah was found to be very inferior to that which could be obtained from Nepal. He hopes to be able to make arrangements for entering into another contract with us this season.

66. During the year under report new contracts were entered into with Mr. Kalberer for the supply of 50,000 cubic f'eet of shl at Rs. 1-6 per cubic foot, of which 15,340 cubic feet have been delivered, leaving a balance of' 34,660 cubic feet, and with Behari Singh for 131,500 cubic feet of semul at 6 annas 3 pie, and. 4 annas 6 pie per cubic foot according to the diameter of the logs. Of this amount 77,250 c.ft. have been supplied leaving a balance of 51,250 c.ft.

67. During the year under report more than the ordinary number of transfers took place, owing to several of the district officers having held their respective citarges for more than five years. It was at first the Board's intention that six sub-deputy agents, Messrs. Cooper, Masters, Savi, Field, Drake, and Tytler, should thus change places at the close of the working season, but under the orders of Government Mr. Tytler was allowed to remain at Alleegunge in the Chuprah district. The other changes were effected as follows : Mr. Lloyd who was acting for Mr. Masters at Hajeepore changed places with Mr. Drake, and took charge of the Mozufferpore district Mr. Cooper from Moteehary relieved Mr. Savi at Monghyr, who relieved Mr. Field at Chuprah, who took up the appoint-ment vacated by 'Mr. Cooper at Moteehary.

68. The following sub-deputy agents retained charges of their respec-tive districts Alleegunge, Gya, Tehta, Betteah and Patna, throughout the year, Messrs. Tytler, Cosserat, Harrison, Ryves, and Turnbull. In Tirhoot Mr. Drake, who was in charge at the commencement of the year, was relieved by Mr. Lloyd on the 13th February 1880, who on proceeding on furlough was relieved by Mr. Drummond on the 18th June ; Mr. Drummond remained in charge till the close of the year. In Hajeepore Mr. Drake relieved Mr- Lloyd on the' 13th February 1880, and retained. charge for the remainder of the are. In Chuprah and Moteehary the only changes were those already referred to, Mr. Savi relieving Mr. Field, and Mr. Field, Mr. Cooper in the month of June 1880. In Shahabad Mr. Peppe, who took three months' leave was relieved by Mr. Drummond on the 2nd April, who on proceeding to 1VIozufferpore was relieved by Mr. Christian on the 15th June. Mr. Christian remained in charge till Mr. Peppe returned from leave on the 1st July. Mr, Cooper having taken three months' leave at the time of his transfer from Moteehary, Mr. Elliot relieved Mr. Savi at Monghyr on the 27th May and remained in. charge till the close of the year.

69. During the year Messrs. Peppe and Cooper took three months' privilege leave from the 2nd April and 1st June respectively, whilst Mr. Lloyd took a year's furlough from the 18th June. Mr. Masters was on leave during the whole of the year under report. The only transfers which took place ammo. assistants were those which were necessitated by the abovenamed distric't officers proceeding on leave.

70. Notwithstanding that the year was comparatively a favourable one, district officers, what with the collection of outstanding balances and the introduction of settle-ment maps and registers, had plenty in their hands to keep them fully occu-pied. It is difficult to classify and place in order of merit senior officers holding the position of sub-deputy agents, and I therefore abstain from doing so, but I am glad to be able to report most favourably of them as a whole, and to give it as my opinion that in so far as lay in their power they did all that was required of them cheerfully and well.

71. Of the assistants I was sorry to lose the services of Mr. Hobson on his promotion to the other Agency. For some months prior to his transfer Mr. Hobson had ,succeeded Mr. Tyson as first assistant at the factory. Messrs. Drummond and Elliot both acted for several months during the year as sub-deputy agents ; they are well acquainted with their duties and can safely be entrusted with an independent charge. As an assistant Mr. Elliot is very highly spoken of by his immediate superior for detecting and putting a stop to malpractices amongst his subordinates. Messrs. Christian, Ryves, Gennoe and Ross are all very promising young officers with more than average ability ; they are well reported on by their district officers, and from what I have seen of their work deservedly so. Mr. Fagan, I am sorry to say, is somewhat wanting in energy, and has not acquired that knowledge of his work which he should have done considering the time he has been officiating in the department.

72. I have already referred to the zeal and energy displayed by Dr. Sheppard in the performance of his multifarious and onerous duties, and it therefore only remains for me to thank Mr. Graham, my head accountant, for the valuable assistance he has invariably rendered me throughout the year.

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