MlNBllALS. 197 



the utilization is on a large scale, is to lump up the price of the 

 firewood and stone together and to charge a fixed rate for one 

 burning, according to the capacity of the kiln. By this means 

 the -worry and labour of frequent measurements and of watching 

 against unpaid removal, as well as all chance of disputes, are effec- 

 tually avoided, and no premium is offered on careless or unskilful 

 burning. In the dry shallow beds of streams issuing from the 

 Himalayas, numerous pebbles and boulders of limestone are annu- 

 ally brought down by the floods during the heavy rains. They 

 are collected without trouble, and yield excellent lime, which is 

 much in request. This limestone is best sold by leasing for a 

 lump sum, for a whole year or season, definite lengths of the 

 stream course, and then the price of the fuel should be separately 

 recovered at so much a charge according to the capacity of the 

 kiln. 



The exploitation of ores will nearly always be effected on the 

 same basis as that of limestone. Iron-smelting, on a small scale 

 and according to most primitive methods, is carried on in many of 

 our forests. 



In several of our rivers washings of the sand yield a small 

 quantity of gold. As it is impossible to check the quantity col- 

 lected, each collector should be made to pay a certain fee per 

 month or season, according to the richness of the sands. 



Stones for building, paving and road-material, and other minerals 

 are best sold by measurement, although exceptional cases may 

 occur in which the levy of a fixed rent will be found preferable. 



