1833.] | The Ancient Canals in the Delhi Territory. 111 
equivalent to the gross produce of the land, supposing every part of it 
yielded one first-rate crop annually, and that the whole of the lands 
were under irrigation, a matter for which the capacity of the canal was 
perfectly inadequate. Either the price of produce must have been much 
higher then, or the village bounds much more extensive; or what is 
more probable, districts were designated by the names of the principal 
towns or villages, and thus the rents stated include the total revenues. 
Certainly no such results are now witnessed in villages of the first 
magnitude, where irrigation is used to the extent of 1500 Rs. per 
annum for the use of the water. One such village, Bhatgaén, yields 
the Begum Sumroo 20,000 rupees a year, I believe ; and another, Sissa- 
na, pays, I think, to our Government 16,000 rupees. Another, Kordna, 
pays about 14,000 rupees, and is one of our finest villages on the ca- 
nals, though not so large as others: these villages irrigate extensively*. 
THE DOAB CANAL OF ALI MARDAN KHAN. 
Iamless acquainted with the former history of this canal. It certainly 
bears the name amongst others of Aut Marp&én Kun, and must therefore 
be coeval with the Delhi canal; but having undergone several reparations 
in parts, its names are various. It was originally led from the Jamna 
shortly above the ruins of Bddshah Mahal, along a nala of the Jamna 
to the village of Nya Shahr, from which an excavated channel 
conducts it into a small mountain-torrent near Raipir, in which it 
proceeds about two miles, and is then led slanting across the beds of 
two great mountain-torrents, (the Nyagaén and Maskareh Rao ;) on 
getting clear of which, it was led by Sahdranptr, apparently along 
the crest of the ridge between the Jamna and Hindan rivers, from the 
feeders of the latter leading off from its left or east bank; whilst it is 
ascertained that several hollow ways lead towards the Jamna from its 
right bank. In its course from Sahdranpir to near Delhi, there is 
nothing particular to notice, beyond the absolute absence of the re- 
mains of any trace of ancient bridges or water-courses. Near Delhi, it 
descends into the valley of the Jamna, and passing partly direct, and 
partly through the grounds of a Royal preserve, it rejoins the Jamna 
opposite the city. From the above-mentioned want of traces of ancient 
works, I conceive the task of maintaining the passage across the 
mountain-torrents at its head, of which three are first-rate, was found 
to be so great, that the canal was abandoned almost as soon as formed, 
and that the repeated attempts at reparation afterwards were only 
* In these sums I do not pretend to perfect accuracy : they are noted from recollec- 
tion. Bhatgaén and Kordna are two of those stated to have yielded a lakh of rupees 
a year. 
