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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 22, p. 333.

ADMINISTRATION 333 The revenue history in pre-annexation times presents no special features. A summary settlement was made in 1847 by the European Political officers under the Regency. The kind rents of the Sikhs were appraised and a reduction of io per cent. made, while all extra cesses were abolished. This assessment worked well until the fall in prices which followed annexation. Bad seasons and bad management aggra- vated the distress, and even large remissions failed to prevent the people from abandoning their holdings. In 1850 the Rechna Doab settlement began, including the present Districts of Sialkot and Gujran. wala, and the tahsils of Shakargarh and Shahdara. The demand of the summary settlement was reduced from 15 lakhs to 13. Cesses were also reimposed at the rate of 16 per cent. on the demand. The settlement was revised in 1863-6, and a general reduction made, one- sixth of the gross produce being assumed as the equivalent of half the net `assets.' The initial demand was slightly over 12 lakhs, and the ultimate demand 12" lakhs. The sanctioned theoretical rates at the next revision (1888-93) indicated a revenue of 183 lakhs, but the actual demand .was 15 lakhs, an increase of 21 per cent. The average assess- ment on `dry' land is Rs. 1-4-6 (maximum Ks. 1-14, minimum R. o-11), and on `wet' land RS. 2-o-6 (maximum Rs. 3, minimum Rs. r-1). The demand in 1903-4, including cesses, was over 17•3 laklls. The average size of a proprietary holding is 7.6 acres. The collections oŁ land revenue alone and of total revenue arc shown below, in thousands of rupees:- M0-i. 1890-1. .....1900_1. Land revenue Total revenue 11,49 15,75 The District contains seven municipalities, SInLKoa', DASKA-Cum-Kot Daska, JAMKI, PASRIIR, KILA SOBHA SINGH, ZAFARWAL, and NARO- WAL; and nine ',notified areas.' Outside these, local affairs are managed by the District board, whose income, mainly derived from a. local rate, amounted in 1903-4 to 1-8 lakhs. The expenditure was also 1•8 lakhs, hospitals, schools, and public works forming the chief items. Sialkot is one of the few Districts in the Punjab in which local boards have answered expectations. The regular police force consists of 576 of all ranks, including 59 cantonment and 146 municipal police, in charge of a Superinten- dent, who usually has 6 inspectors under him. The village watchmen number 2,149. There are 17 police stations. The District jail at Sialkot town has accommodation for 482 prisoners. Sialkot stands twenty-third among the twenty-eight Districts of the -Punjab in respect of the literacy of its population. In 19ol tile Y 2