CHAP. I.] GENERAI. 7IEW. EETENUE. 11 



or from motives which were merely personal. It is be- 

 lieved that many of these lands were only given for 

 life, but have been appropriated by the family ; and that 

 other Inams have been improperly created, or annexed. 

 Accordingly, an Inam Commission has been set on foot 

 to determine the rights of holders of Inams, and to fix 

 a very moderate assessment, redeemable at wills where 

 those rights are found to be invalid. This matter, how- 

 ever, is only of consequence so far as it serves to explain 

 the nature of Inam lands.* 



Nature and extent of the Cotton soils of India.— The 16 

 principal Cotton soil of India is known as collector of 

 Black land, which is of various depths. Thus Sf^''Pfj^ 

 in Ouddapah it is found to extend to twenty ly, isss. 

 or thirty feet, and generally rests, either on ^■®- 

 kunkur or lime, or else on sand. In Madura collector of 

 it is from four or five feet to fifteen feet in ^^^'^j\y^ 

 depth, and rests in many places upon rocks Juiy.isoS. 

 of black and white marbles and granite, and ^' ^' 

 also upon masses of gravel. In Tinnevelly ^""nevefiy's 

 again we are told that the Black soil varies letter, sth 

 in depth from two to five feet ; and in Coim- Si's.' ^^'^'^' 

 batore it is described as being from three collector of 

 to six feet. This Black soil appears to be 9ti™^f„°Jg'^ 

 peculiarly adapted to the growth of Indian Dec., isos. 

 Cotton, and is to be found more or less in ™- S- 

 almost every District in the Presidency. In preparing 

 the large Cotton Map which illustrates the present 

 Hand-book, a sketch map of each District was forwarded 

 to each District Engineer, with a request that he would 

 colour those parts in which this Cotton soil prevailed. 

 The results are accordingly exhibited in the Cotton 

 Map, and generally serve to show the extent of land 

 available for the cultivation of Indian Cotton. The 

 amount of Cotton land actually under cultivation for 

 the last eight years is also exhibited in the Appendix, 



* The average rate of Government assessment of such lands as 

 those upon which Cotton is generally cultivated, varies very con- 

 siderably in each District. Thus in fiellary the average is about 

 Is. 3|rf. per acre, whilst in Vizagapatam it is nearly 8«. per acre. A 

 statement exhibiting the average rate in each District will be found 

 in the Appendix. 



