Page:A descriptive and historical account of the Godavery District in the presidency of Madras (IA descriptivehisto00morrrich).pdf/138

 120 THE GODAVERY DISTRICT,

think we must consider the works to have gone on well, considering our cireumstances. Our principal difficulty has heen, and is, the keeping the peoplo to their work. There has been very consider- able waste in some part of the operations, especially in the embank- ment, from their idling; but as this has arisen mainly from the great numbers of people employed before we had sufficient superin- tendence, and from things being at first in disorder, compared with the state we may hope to get them into after a time, we may hope that, in this respect also, there will be nothing to complain of, par- ticularly with the additional European superintendence that we shall now have, é 4

“That we have made the progress which we have, is entirely owing to Mr. Henry Forbes, the Sub-Collector, whose vigorous and active measures have already roused the District to a degree that could not have been expected ; and it may be said, indeed, that ag respects the getting public and private improvements effected, the District is ten years in advance of what it was a few months ago. The people have come freely from all parts of the District, and both they and the native public servants now fully understand that great ima- provements can be effected. Tho actual use of the Godavery water from the new channel, as far as Samulcotta, over an entirely new tract, has also, no doubt, helped to enable the people to realize the practicability of improving the state of the District.

“With respect to the estimate, as we have uot yeb trenched on the largest items, I cannot speak vonfidently, but, so far as we have gone, I think there has been a fair result for the money expended. About one and a haif laes of rupees will be laid out in railways, boats, buildings, and machinery, al! which will be of use in the exceution of the remaining works included in the estimate of twelve lacs.” *

The estimate was, however, insnflicient. About a year later Major Cutton reported that from various causes, such as want of stone to complete the rough-slone dams, and inability to use steam on the railways, because the locomotives had uot been sup- plied, the expenditure had greatly excoeded the estimate, althongh the works were uot half finished. He requested sanction, therefore, to expend 139,100 rupecs more. The Government of Madras, while soliciting the orders of the Court of Dircetors for this sum, observed that the Civil Engineer had noé sufficient data in the present state of the works for estimating the ultimate expenditure, and that they

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 * Report, dated August 18, 1847.