small patches of waste are scattered about a village circuit, intervening with the cultivated parts, they should invariably be included in the Khusrah, for the sake of the comparison of the total area of the village with the Professional, as without this check, it is most unlikely that the Ameen will be at all cautious, or be swayed by a wholesome dread of detection in any malpractices he may have in contemplation. CHAPTER IV. ON A NEW AND IMPROVED MODE OF CONDUCTING HAVING given the usual mode of native measurements as carried on throughout the North-Western Provinces and Bengal, we proceed to notice an improved and very superior system introduced of late years in some of the Eastern Districts, and which, for accuracy and general usefulness, far surpasses the rude and antiquated specimens which in our own experience we have seen, and had good cause to deplore. It is obvious that a heavy file of papers in the vernacular, containing the detailed specifications of a village, comprising perhaps 1,000 to 1,500 fields, without a map, or merely a rough ideal sketch made without reference to scale and compass, must at the best be a doubtful document, and in spite of the strictest Purtall, or check in the field, may contain many inaccuracies, and elude the vigilance of Office examiners. To obviate such doubts and uncertainties, and to place this native process of measuring land on a better comparison with English conceived ideas, the Ameens in the districts of Sylhet, Jynteah, and Cachar have been taught the use of the compass, and to conduct their measurements, and enter them in the Fieldbook in such a way, that a bonâ fide map, by scale and protractor, may be made from it, not only by themselves, but by any other person unacquainted with the field duties, at any subsequent time. The class of natives usually employed as Ameens in India, are proverbially shrewd, intelligent men, and have a good eye for surveying, and many rise to be practical Surveyors, and use even a Theodolite with facility and correctness. The art therefore of taking a bearing with the very simple compass which is here described is very speedily learnt, and an instrument quite sufficient for the purpose may be made up in any bazaar in India for about three. or four rupees. The diagram, page 113, represents an instrument of similar construction, an open round box made of brass from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, and half an inch deep with two upright pieces, screwed on perpendicularly, and exactly opposite to each other. In the centre of the box, a pivot of steel finely pointed, is fixed, on which the magnetic needle freely revolves. The needle must be made of steel, the North end being well distinguished by an arrow, and a small brass cap of a conical form (agates not being procurable) in the centre, to rest on the pivot. Inside the compass box, a slight ledge is necessary to hold the glass, over which a thin ring of brass removable at pleasure fits tightly, to secure it from falling off. Underneath the compass box, a common socket of about an inch long is fixed, for fitting on to the tripod stand, on the top of which it must turn freely, with a small clamp screw to prevent the instrument falling off when carried from one station to another. A paper dial divided into degrees from 1° to 360°, which is easily constructed with a common protractor, with the figures marked in the vernacular character, is fixed to the bottom of the compass box, care being taken to make the division of 360° coincide exactly with the hair sight vane— and consequently 180° with the eye vane. The degrees must be numbered round the circle from zero towards the left, and the cardinal points inverted, the result of which is, that in turning the compass in any direction, the figures underneath the North end of the needle indicate the correct magnetic bearing of the object, and the observer has only to read off. The needle must be properly magnetised, for which purpose a common horseshoe magnet which may be procurable in Calcutta, for a few rupees, ought to be provided by the Surveyor, and this will enable him to keep as many needles as he likes in good order-care, however, should be taken never to entrust this magnet in the hands of a Native, who being unacquainted with its properties, would be sure to employ the negative and positive points, to the wrong end of the needle, and thus render the compass unfit for all practical purposes and likewise injure the magnet.* A simple tripod stand of any seasoned wood is also easily made up by any bazaar carpenter. The circular pieces of glass to fit over the compass box, may be difficult sometimes to obtain, glaziers and diamonds not being plentiful in India, but by sending a paper pattern to the nearest large town or city, a supply can generally be found, and spare glasses should always be kept ready to replace breakages.† It must not, however, be imagined that this roughly constructed instrument above described, is the best that can be found, or that by proper application through the Government authorities, better ones are not to be had. In the Government instrument maker's department in Calcutta, the best workmanship and best *On the first introduction of this system, the compasses were nothing more than mere blocks of wood, hollowed out to receive the needle with brass uprights for sights, and these rough instruments costing a mere trifle (less than a rupee), did effectual service for some time, until they were superceded by the brass and more durable ones above described. A very simple expedient for cutting glass, though perhaps but little known, may here be recorded with advantage. By taking any piece of glass, such as a broken pane out of a window, and a pair of good sized scissors, and placing both hands well under cold water, in a large chillumchee or brass basin, the glass may be cut round and round until the proper size is obtained. The only care that is requisite, is to keep both the glass and the scissors completely under the water, and to clip the glass very gradually, so as not to cut off too large a piece at a time. In this way many compasses have been rendered serviceable out in the jungles, and Ameens kept at their work, when otherwise delay and inconvenience must have arisen. materials are procurable, and surveying compasses are made up, fit for this purpose, equal to any that come from England. These, however, are expensive articles, and where such numbers are required, economy should be considered. It is, moreover, the object of these pages to show the readiest and easiest practical method, of turning the means at hand, to the best account. Surveyors should never be at a loss for an expedient, and situated as they are frequently, and indeed generally, in unknown parts of this vast empire, an ingenious mind, ever ready to make shift with such advantages as present themselves, will be the surest road to success. Being provided with a compass of this simple construction and having learnt the manner of reading off, and taking bearings, the Ameen commences to measure the exterior fields of the village, that is, all the fields extending round the boundary-as shown in the accompanying map Plate XV. For each field two bearings are taken, one for the length and another for the breadth, with occasionally a diagonal observation for the better connecting link between the several fields, and to ensure greater accuracy in the mapping, and also to enable the observer to take all his bearings from one station. In the Khusrah Fieldbook, separate columns are given for this "station bearing," and "distance" as it is called, by which means it is not confused with the quantities required as multipliers for the contents of a field. The bearings are inserted in the following form, which only differs slightly from the form before given at page 583. For the boundary work, columns 11 and 12, as well as 7 and 9, are therefore merely required for the due protraction of the fields on the map, whilst 8 and 10, in addition to their use for this purpose, are alone required for the area of the fields, to give the contents for column 13. For the record of the measurement of the fields in the interior of the circuit, columns 7, 9, 11 and 12 are entirely omitted, the fields being put together from their respective linear values. |
