APPENDICES. 



71 



APPENDIX K. 

 Tea Planting in the Kangra Valley * 



A FRIEND from whom we hear occasionally, sends us the fol- 

 lowing regarding the tea-land sale at Dhurmsalla on the 2nd 

 instant: 



" I enclose you a tabular statement of the result of the sale of 

 land held at the Dhurmsalla Court House this day, 2nd July, as 

 it may interest many of your readers. The sale was conducted 

 by Lieutenant Paske, the officer selected to obtain lands from 

 the villagers. He advertised in May, that 6,000 acres (or 

 about that number) would be put up for sale. In June the 

 quantity was diminished to 2,835, and that day a whole let, 

 No. 15, was said to be non inventus ! The quantity put up was 

 consequently only 2,594 acres. The number of bidders was 

 comparatively small, but the bidding tolerably spirited. The 

 whole affair did not last more than three quarters of an hour. 

 The very important announcement was made previous to the 

 sale, that on the additional payment of 20 rupees per acre, 

 the Government were willing to allow the purchaser to reduce 

 the land rent in perpetuity. That is a very important point 

 gained in the tenure of land. Let it be extended to all India, 

 and European settlers will know what they have to look to. The 

 rain continues to hold off in a most singular manner. We have 

 had none since Thursday. A storm on the previous Tuesday 

 (26th June) astonished us not a little, and seems to have been 

 very general. 



RETURN of SALE at DHURMSALLA. 



Fropi Delhi Gazette, 10th July, I860. 



