114 REVENUE SURVEYS. 



Gorakhpur was completed in 1887-88 after five seasons' work, 

 and a further grant was sanctioned by the North-West Provinces 

 Government which it was expected would enable the cadastral and 

 topographical survey of the Tarai district, already commenced, to be 

 finished during the next season. A scheme, submitted by Colonel 

 Sandeman, was also approved for the reconstruction of maps and 

 revision of records of the Jhansi district, entirely through the agency 

 of patwaris, who, it was anticipated, would carry out the survey and 

 write the records, each in his own circle, in two years. The cost was 

 estimated at Rs. 40 per square mile. 



Bengal. — The Eastern Soane Irrigation cadastral survey in the Gaya 

 and Patna districts was practically all but completed by Mr. B. T. S. 

 Johnson in 1876-77, and the party transferred to the North- West 

 Provinces to take up the cadastral survey of the Jaunpur district, 

 beginning at its south-western extremity, bordering on Oudh and 

 Allahabad. Operations were continued through four seasons, and 

 finally concluded in 1881. The general maps of the district reduced 

 from the cadastral sheets consist of 23 standard-sized maps on the 

 2-inch scale. 



A part of the establishment previously employed on the Jaunpur 

 cadastral survey was deputed to Sylhet for the purpose of testing 

 the accuracy of the old mahalwar* maps, prepared by a local 

 establishment in 1862-64. Three blocks of villages in different 

 parts of Sylhet were selected, the test consisting of a complete 

 cadastral or field survey, while the surveyors were required to 

 prepare at the same time the village registers or Jchasras. The old 

 surveys had been laid off by magnetic bearings, taken at each bend 

 of the thaJcbust or village boundary, a system which often resulted 

 in errors, so that the polygon would not close, while contiguous 

 mahals* either overlapped or would not meet on the map. It was 

 evident from the comparisons that a large amount of careful and 

 laborious work had been done during the mahalwar survey, but 

 there were also numerous and large discrepancies brought to 

 light, 



A cadastral survey of the Khurdah estate in the Pooree district 

 of the Lower Provinces, on the scale of 32 inches to the mile, was 

 commenced in 1876-77. The cost was high owing to the small 

 size and intricate nature of the fields, and the difficulty in inducing 



* Mahal, a separate estate. 



