118 The Ancient Canals in the Delhi Territory. [Marcn, 
lst.—Of the purposes for which the Canals were re-opened. 
The original and almost sole purpose of the government in under-. 
taking these works appears to have been to convey a large supply of 
water from the Jamna, for the purposes of irrigation of the crops, lst, 
on lines of country where the natural depth of the wells was so great 
as to render the cost of irrigation from them so heavy as to impede 
the improvement of the districts, and delay the resettlement of waste 
villages, as on the Delhi canal. 2nd, to supply the means of cheap and 
easy irrigation to districts, as on the Doab canal, where although the 
wells are not so deep, yet the irrigation from the canal would be so 
comparatively cheap and easy as to afford the probability of great ex- 
tension of the benefit: and 3rd, as on Frroz’s canal, to confer the 
means of irrigation on districts where from the excessive depth of the 
wells none was heretofore in use, and to convey a supply of good and 
wholesome water to a country where generally it is brackish or salt ; in 
some districts so much so, as to preclude their occupancy, except for a 
few months grazing in the rains. To these points alone the general in- 
structions of government tend,—and with such in view, the original 
estimates of the Delhi canal were framed; with the progress of this 
work, the advantages derivable from water-carriage, brought promi- 
nently forward after the water was first turned in, and the means of 
using the water as a motive power for machinery, of which the late 
Capt. Bans, the first superintendent, made a commencement, led to the 
original designs of the other canals being formed with reference to 
these ends, which have been followed up on all the canals by further 
works designed to render one or other of the above purposes more ef- 
ficient ; so that on the completion of the designs either sanctioned or 
now before government, little further work can be necessary, excepting 
such as may be for the extension of these various benefits to new parts 
of the country. 
2nd.—Of the results to the present period. 
The annexed abstracts will show in a condensed form the results up to 
the end of the last official year. In elucidation of which, and explanation 
of comparative small returns, with such works, I may possibly be oblig- 
ed to be more diffuse than I would have wished, to be enabled to convey 
a correct idea in regard to both the present results shewn by these papers 
and the future prospects; and first I have to notice, as having general 
reference to all the canals, the often repeated declaration of the 
government to the superintendents, as their main rule of guidance, 
that, the object of government in collecting a rent through them was 
