122 The Ancient Canals in the Delhi Territory. (Marcu, 
offer most for it, and as the rent offered can never exceed a rate which 
must be under the cost of other modes of doing the same work, the 
employment in this way of surplus water, or of streams again returned 
to the canal for irrigation, is a general benefit to the community, and 
tends to cheapen commodities for which the demand is constant. 
The first introduction of the system was by Captain Buanz, who per- 
mitted the erection of three small mills for grinding flour in Delhi, on 
payment of an annual rent of 25 rupees. Since these, mills of superior 
powers have been erected at the cost of government, which in Delhi and 
its vicinity are rented at rates varying from two rupees to five rupees per 
day, each mill; according to its power, which depends on the height of 
head water available at the different sites. The produce of the flour 
mills in Dedhi fluctuates considerably, but with the supply of water now 
becoming annually more constant, the range will become from 25 to 
30,000 rupees per annum, beyond which it is not likely to go. Similar 
mills are being constructed at Karndl, the income from which is ex- 
pected to realize from 9 to 12,000 rupees,—as the large cantonment, 
added to the city, will probably yield abundance of work, and time and 
leisure will enable future superintendents to select many advantageous 
spots for the erection of small flour mills suited to the demand, 
every one of which may be more or less a productive source of revenue, 
compared with the expenditure, if due attention be paid to suit the sup- 
ply of mills to the probable work. On Frroz’s canal, the only mills erect. 
ed are those at Hans?, less powerful than the Delhi ones, but as yet 
too powerful for the demand; their produce however compared with 
their expence is satisfactory, and in such a rising town as Hansi, 
full employment for them may be anticipated. With exception of 
the vicinity of Jhind, no other place holds out work for any extensive 
sets of mills on this canal, and there the slope of the canal appears 
sufficient to promise a return of about 15 per cent. on the outlay. 
The capabilities of the Doab canal in this respect, as in many others, 
are very great. Flour mills have been erected at Sahardnpir, and near 
Delhi, and the produce shown in the abstract is the return from them; 
others are just completed at Shamli : and there are other large towns 
capable of affording work for many more, some of which are authorized 
and others contemplated, the waste water from all being available for 
irrigation below the mill sites. Besides the above, saw mills are about 
to be tried at Delhi and Karnal, places which would yield much of 
such work, being the marts from which the upper part of western India 
is supplied with timber, from the forests of the Jamna and the Ganges. 
Models of oil and sugar-cane mills have also been prepared, which 
