Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 10 (2nd edition).pdf/122

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IIO MYSORE. holdings planted by themselves or previous occupiers, sandal-wood excepted. There were in 1880-81, 643 square miles of reserved forests. In addition, great numbers of trees have been planted along roads and in villages. The revenue of the department in 1880–81 was £68,069; and of this, £52,336 was derived from the sale of sandal-wood, 1718 tons of which were collected during the year. In 1883-84 there were 898 square miles of reserved forests, and about 700 square miles of unreserved forests. The revenue of the Forest Department in 1883-84 was £37,897. Postal Facilities. --The plan of extending postal communication, by opening village offices under the hobli or village schoolmasters, has been attempted with some success. There are now (1881) in the Provinces 180 offices; and a new postal line is being established to bring the coffee district of Koppa into more direct communication with Chikmagalúr, the head-quarters of Kadúr District. When this is done, the postal lines of the Province will aggregate 2477 miles in length. In 1880-81, the number of paid letters carried was 1,167,425. The annual revenue from all postal sources in 1880-81 was £5182; the expenditure was £15,965; so that the cost to revenue of the postal department was £10,782 for the year. Justice. — The system of judicial procedure, both civil and criminal, is now assimilated to that in force in British territory. In former days, pancháyats were largely resorted to for the adjudication of civil cases, and great latitude was given to the officers presiding in the courts. The greater part of the civil work is now (1884) performed by munsifs, having jurisdiction in suits up to £100 in value, with small cause powers up to £5; and by subordinate judges, who dispose of suits between £100 and £500; all these officers being obliged to write out their decrees themselves. In appeal cases, the opportunity of appearing personally is always afforded. The number of munsifs in 1880 was 125, or an average of two for every táluk in the State. The number of civil cases decided in 1880 was 17,461, of which 53 per cent. were uncontested. The total value in dispute was £224,510. In the same year, the total number of criminal offences (great and small) was 9695; the number of persons brought to trial was 18,989, of whom 9242, or 48°7 per cent., were convicted, being i person convicted of an offence of some sort to every 453 of the population. The number of prisoners in jail at the end of 1880 was 2126, of whom 87 were females. The number of civil cases decided in 1883 was 14,085, with a value of £168,247, of which nearly threc-fourths were uncontested. In the same year, the total number of criminal offences (great and small) was 9128; the number of persons brought to trial was 18,059, of whom 6006, or 32 per cent., were convicted, being i person convicted of an