Page:Sikhim and Bhutan.djvu/52

 acre, taking into account the nature of the soil, &c. This was a most arduous task in a mountainous country, covered with dense undergrowth, which made survey work anything but easy and necessitated cutting lines in every direction. It was, however, accomplished in five years, and thus a basis for taxation and revenue was established. At the same time the forests were placed under control, excise was introduced, and by these means in about ten years the revenue was raised from Rs. 8000, or a little over £500 per annum, to Rs. 2,200,000, or about £150,000. But the country was very sparsely populated, and in order to bring more land under cultivation, it was necessary to encourage immigration, and this was done by giving land on favourable terms to Nepalese, who, as soon as they knew it was to be had, came freely in. Earlier in my service I had spent over a year in Nepal on special duty and had learnt something of the people and their ways which proved now to be of use in dealing with them.

During this period I visited every corner of Sikhim, even the most remote, accompanied by the Shoe Dewan and the Phodong Lama, and became acquainted with every head man and I might almost say with every villager. I never refused an interview to any one, and the people soon realised that they could freely bring before me any grievance they wished to ventilate or case that required settlement. I took up the cases where I was in camp, and unless of a very serious character, decided them then and there, but grave charges, such as murder, fortunately extremely rare, or grievous hurt, had to be brought to Gangtak for trial. This constant intercourse with the people gave me an insight into their character which otherwise I should never have acquired. Their hospitality is proverbial, no Sikhim man or woman ever comes before you without bringing a small offering of rice, eggs, milk or fruit, and on my tours at every village I found a little shelter of branches and green leaves erected, in which such offerings were placed along with chungas or bamboo mugs of marwa, the native