KASHMIR. 251 



than good. It is curious to think of a Maharajah 

 looking from his balcony beside his golden temple 

 into the waters of the Jhelam, and wondering whether 

 his royal father is one of the big or of the little fishes 

 floating about in its stream or in some adjacent water. 

 Among the improvements introduced by Ranbir 

 Singh are those in the administration of justice and 

 the manufacture of silk. The Chief-Justice of the 

 Court of Srinagar is an educated native, I think 

 from Bengal, who was well spoken of and, absurdly 

 enough, is in charge of the silk department also. He 

 has been at pains to make himself acquainted with 

 the breeding of silk- worms and the spinning of their 

 cocoons, as pursued in other countries, and has turned 

 this knowledge to good account in Srinagar. One 

 pleasing and extraordinary innovation which he has 

 been able to introduce, is that of inducing children 

 and others of the Brahmin caste to engage in the 

 spinning of silk. Anything like such an occupation 

 has hitherto been considered as degrading, and for- 

 bidden to Brahmins, and has hot been entered on by 

 those even in such advanced Indian cities as Calcutta 

 and Bombay. It shows a curious way of managing 

 matters that the Chief-Justice of Srinagar should also 

 be the head of the silk department ; but such is, or 

 at least very lately was, the case ; and under his 

 management sericulture has been improved and de- 

 veloped. In 1871, the Maharajah set apart 30,000 

 for the development of this branch of industry, and 



