482 Notes of a trip from Simla to tlie Spiti Valley. [No. 5 



agricultural pursuits, half of the present rate would be an adequate 

 and acceptable remuneration to the men, whilst at the same time a 

 great pecuniary relief to the traveller. Parties who argue thus, 

 would probably esteem it a more thorough sort of relief, to at once 

 resort to the old " begaree" system of gratuitous or forced labour, 

 once recognised and prevalent in the hills when European travellers 

 Avere rarer than at present ; and as no one class of the population 

 could gain a living by this inoppressive system (to the pockets of 

 the traveller), the entire population, who in turns would have to 

 surrender their services, would be led to entertain an appropriate 

 sense of respect for their vagabond lords and of the manifold bene- 

 fits conferred by their presence. The time has, however, arrived for 

 native customs of this description to give place, and for us to regu- 

 late our conduct towards natives of this country by rules consonant 

 with European rather than Asiatic ideas. Endeavouring, therefore, 

 to estimate the amount of what may be considered a fair day's pay for 

 a fair day's work, I confess that four annas does not appear to me an 

 extravagant charge ; that is, for an average march of fourteen miles, 

 often along extremely bad and difficult roads, over which the cooly 

 has generally to return empty-handed. 



A far juster ground of complaint than the rate of cooly hire 

 or wages, is the capricious rate at which flour is sold to the traveller, 

 and as a matter of justice, I was forced to make up the difference to 

 my servants, when the price rose above nine seers for the rupee, as 

 otherwise their wages would have barely sufficed, in some places, to 

 provide them with flour alone, since in some villages of Kunawar 

 I got no more than five seers for the rupee. This I believe to have 

 been an imposition, though it must be remembered, that wheaten 

 flour is not the staple of the district in these places, but is imported 

 for the use of travellers. At Korzo, at the western extremity of 

 lake Chomoriri, I got four and a half seers, and was told that it was 

 no more than twelve seers per rupee at Le or Ladak. One circumstance 

 which proves that this was not an altogether fictitious price, put on 

 for the purpose of profit, was that, though paying this high price, I was 

 unable to get as much as I required, and was forced to take rice and 

 sheep to feed my people, as well as flour. 



By order of the Maharajah, I believe all officers attached to the 

 Grand Trigonometrical Survey, in his territory, are supplied at the rate 



