OBSERVATIONS ON IRRIGATION WORKS IN INDIA. 169 



but you had only to travel, in some cases 100 yards or 300 yards, 

 outside the area where water had not reached, and the crops were 

 almost invisible. That was a time when the whole country was 

 wealthy and happy ; but I went in the time of famine when the 

 canal was not only bringing happiness and prosperity to the people 

 who won the food ; they were not only well fed themselves, but they 

 got double and treble the price for their produce and sold with 

 enormous benefit to themselves. The happiest time I ever spent 

 was in going over that country and observing the prosperity of the 

 people. I never enjoyed anything more than seeing the result of 

 these labours in the happiness they brought to the inhabitants of 

 India. 



Sir Charles Stevens. — Mr. Chairman, I was hoping that I 

 should be crowded out by Mr. Buckley and other experts who are 

 here, because Mr. Buckley's speech was very much more interesting 

 and important than anything I can say. 



I was glad to receive Mr. Odling s invitation to come here to-day, 

 because I knew that I should have much to learn from my old 

 colleague, as I may call him ; and, again, I thought I should have 

 this opportunity of congratulating the Institute on having a paper 

 from one of our chief Indian authorities on this very important 

 subject. 



Mr. Buckley has anticipated me in more than one remark that I 

 was thinking of making. I was glad to find that Mr. Odling laid 

 stress on big figures, because an English audience, as a rule, has very 

 little idea of the work that has to be done in India. AYhen Mr. 

 Odling spoke of a tract of nearly a million square miles unprotected, 

 I think that people who have lived all their lives on the British 

 Isles, the total area of which is about 122,000 square miles — will 

 have some slight idea of the country of which engineers have yet 

 to deal. I do not know whether this estimated area includes 

 the very large area which is either occasionally or constantly 

 protected by private people. There are some large works which 

 have been constructed after the model of the Government works ; 

 but I am referring more particularly to the minor works of 

 which one sees hundreds or thousands, perhaps, in the country 

 which are constructed in places where nothing on a large scale 

 could possibly be carried out. 



On going through the country we see little rivers and streams 



M 2 



