85 



the remainder are worked by Natives. I omit, more- 

 over, all mention of a long list of fifty-six villages 

 in the Kangra Valley, where tea is said to be cul- 

 tivated by LumberdarSj as there is some reason to 

 believe, that many, if not most, of these, have no 

 real existence. Dr. Stewart, the late Officiating 

 Superintendent, in forwarding this return says, f it 

 may be, that not a tithe of these, have accepted 

 of, or applied for seed &c., for any other reason, 

 than to please their official superiors, and conse- 

 quently will not continue the cultivation for long/ 

 The Natives of India, however, are not quite so 

 simple as is often believed; and in this instance 

 they not only stole n march on the Europeans, but 

 shamefully abused the liberality of Government. 

 Many of them applied for seed, for the alleged 

 purpose of cultivating the tea plant, and sold it for 

 considerable sums to bona fide planters, whose 

 indents could not be complied with, in full, by the 

 Government Superintendent. It is however gratify- 

 ing to note among those Natives who have really 

 established tea plantations, the names of such 

 noblemen and gentlemen as, the Maharaja of 

 Cashmere, Raja Lall Singh, the Raja of Nadawu, 

 the Raja of Muudee, the Raja of Noorpoor, and 

 many others ; and I would add, that since the 

 Return from winch I take these facts was prepared, 

 the number of plantations in the hands of both Euro- 

 jeans and Natives has considerably increased. 



