KHASI HILLS. 199 



chased from such Khasi merchants, who have raised and sold it. And 

 on a very few maunds indeed has the prescribed royalty of 1 Rupee 

 per 100 maunds been paid by the Government, or its representatives, 

 to the Cherra Eajah, as very few maunds have been raised by persons 

 in their employment. Just at present, while the coal is easily accessible, 

 it can be procured in this way as cheaply, if not more cheaply, than if 

 men had been paid to hew it, and the royalty paid on the quantity 

 extracted. But such indiscriminate and unsystematic working entails 

 an enormous waste of the coal itself And no precautions being taken 

 to keep open the mines or to support the rocks above the coal, after 

 these workings have been extended a little, all will fall in, and mines 

 and miners be buried in one common grave, (a) 



There is no such restriction affecting the iinnes at Lakadong, which 

 are the property of Government ; the whole of the Jynteah hills, in 

 which they are situated, having passed into the hands of the Indian 

 Government, together with all the rights to mines, jungles, &c., 



(a) The lease referred to above is in the following terms : — " To the Political A"ent 

 Cossiah Hills, Cherra Poonjee. I, Soobah Singh, Eajah of Cherra Poonjee, hereby o-ive a 

 perpetual lease to the British Government of tlie Cherra Poonjee coal-beds, now beino- 

 worked, situated within my territories, known by the names of Oosdir, Ooskau and Non- 

 kreem Hills. The terms of the lease, mentioned in the following paragraphs, are to be con- 

 sidered final and binding : — 



" 1st. I am to receive for all coal mined by Government servants at the above places 

 1 rupee for every 100 maunds. I will on no account demand more. The Government 

 are not to prevent my own subjects from working on their own account at the above mines ; 

 and such of my subjects as do so will settle and pay to me direct for-all coals they may 

 mine at the abo\e beds. The Government have the power, however, to prevent others than 

 my own subjects from mining at the above places, without their previous sanction and order. 



" 2nd. The above terms to be held good for a perpetual period. I will on no account 

 ask for any new arrangement to be made. 



"3rd. Should at any future period any new coal-beds be discovered within the 

 limits of my territories, I hereby agree to make them over to the British Government on 

 the above terms." Dated 20th April 1840. 



The lease granted by Beera Singh and Ram Roy, Cossiah Sirdars of Bairung Poonjee, 

 and confirmed by Soobah Singh, Kajah of Cherra Poonjee, was in all respects similar, and 

 bore the same date. It granted the right to work the Coal at Bairung. 



