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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 15, p. 264.

264 KHASI AND fAINTIA HILLS Magistrate is stationed at Shillong, and an Engineer who is also in charge of Kâmrnp District. The Jaintia Hills, with Shillong, and 34 villages in the Khâsi Hills, are British territory. The rest of the Khasi Hills is included in twenty-five petty Native States, which have treaties or agreements with the British Government. These States vary in size from KHYRIM, with a population of 31,327, to NONGLEWAI, with a population of 169. Nine of these States had a population of less than 1,ooo persons in 1901. The High Court at Calcutta has no jurisdiction in the hills, except over European British subjects. The Codes of Civil and Criminal Procedure are not in force, and the Deputy-Commissioner exercises powers of life and death, subject to confirmation by the Lieutenant- Governor. Petty criminal and civil cases, in which natives of the District are concerned, are decided by the village authorities. Serious offences and civil suits in which foreigners are concerned are tried by the Deputy-Commissioner and his Assistants. There is, on the whole, very little serious crime in the District, but savage murders are occasionally committed. Land revenue is assessed only on building sites and on flat rice land in the Jaintiâ Hills, which pays Rs. 1-14 per acre. The principal source of revenue in British territory is a tax of RS. 2 on each house. The revenue from house-tax and total revenue is shown in the following table, in thousands of rupees:- Revenue from house-tax . Total revenue. Exclusive of forest revenue. 27 1135 1903-4- 28 1,44 There are police stations in the hills, at Shillong, Cherrapunji, and Jowai, and an outpost at Nongpoh, half way between Shillong and Gauhâti. The force has a sanctioned strength of 23 officers and 183 men, who are under the immediate charge of the Deputy-Com- missioner, but ordinary police duties are discharged by the village officials. The only jail in the District is at Shillong; it has accommo- dation for 78 prisoners. Thanks to the efforts of the Welsh Presbyterian Mission, education has made considerable progress, and in 1901 the proportion of literate persons (5-7 per cent.) was higher than that in any District in Assam. The number of pupils under instruction in 1880-1, 1890-1, ryoo-I, and 1903-4 was 2,670, 3,582, 6,555, *and 7,275 respectively. The Khasi Hills owes its position to the spread of female education, 3'4 per cent. of the women being able to read and write, as compared with 0•4 per cent. in Assam as a whole. In 1903-4 there were