MOSTLY ABOUT BEARS 157 



I was visiting Kashmir in connection with salt, 

 they thought that I was perpetrating an ingenious 

 official swindle; but in no other place in India 

 was the supply and taxation of salt so burning 

 a question as it was, and perhaps still is, in 

 Kashmir. The Governor of Kashmir, Pandit 

 Man Mohan Nath, who had begun his official 

 career under me when I was Settlement Officer 

 of Gurdaspur, informed me that he had seen 

 poor Kashmiris sitting round a lump of Punjab 

 rock-salt, and eating their sag (vegetables) in 

 its proximity, but without actually tasting it, 

 as it was too costly to be consumed. It was, 

 in fact, a case of " potatoes and point/* An 

 attempt to induce the Kashmir Darbar to adopt 

 the sensible arrangement in force in most of the 

 Native States in India under which the ruler, 

 in consideration of a fixed annual payment by 

 the British Government, forgoes the right to 

 impose any additional duty upon British duty- 

 paid salt entering his territory, was unfortunately 

 unsuccessful, and the primary object of the tour 

 was therefore not attained; but the information 

 acquired was very useful to me. 



The salt used in Kashmir is brought from the 

 mines in the Salt Ranges in the Punjab, and this 

 salt at that time was liable to a British duty of 

 two rupees eight annas a maund of 827 Ibs. In 

 addition to this, a duty of one rupee five annas 

 six pies per maund was imposed on the salt, 

 when imported into Kashmir, by the Darbar ; 

 and, as the cost of transportation of salt in Kash- 

 mir is very high, the price of salt in the more 

 inaccessible places was prohibitive. Salt of good 



