1 ORIGINAL PREFACE.
2 vn
3 1 need hardly say how largely I am indebted to others for both faets and
4 ideas. The greater part of the inforumtion contained in the report has been
5 either taken from scattered publications and from district Settlement or Census
6 reports, or furnished me by correspondents. I owe much to Mr. Wilson^s
7 Code of Tribal Custom in Sirsa and to Mr. Barkley's notes on the Jalandhar
8 district, both of which the writers placed in my hands in MS., and to Sir
9 Tupper's work on Panjab Customary Law ; xvhilc every chapter of the report
10 attests my obligations to Mr. Alex. Anderson for the prompt and complete
11 manner in which he answered my numerous inquiries about the peculiar and
12 interesting tract of which he was in charge. In one respect I was singularly
13 ill-fitted for the tas^ entrusted to me ; for practically speaking my whok
14 Indian servi- .a been confined to a single district (Karndl), which does not
15 even Up • ..e Panjab pnoper. Thus I have been throughout in the greatest
16 dan- of ^vl•ongly extending to the Province, as a whole, knowledge accpiired
17 in a small and very special portion of it. I can hardly hope that I have
18 altogether escaped this pitfall ; but that I have not fallen into it more fre-
19 quently, IS wholly due to the invaluable assistance rendered me by Messrs
20 Alex. Anderson, Coldstream, Douie, O'Brien, Steedman, Thomson, and Wilson
21 ihese gentlemen have carefully read the proofs of the report as they issued
22 trom the press ; and their criticisms have enabled me to correct many faults
23 and errors, and to add much that is valuable. I cannot express too stron-ly
24 my obligation to them for undertaking and cariying through in their hardly-
25 earned leisure so tedious and uninteresting a task. Mv warmest thanks are
26 also due to Messi-s. Cunningham, Douie, and Merk fo'r valuable help un-
27 sparingly given on all points relating to the frontier tribes ; to Major Plowden
28 or h,s careful examination of the sections on the Pathans and their language •
29 to Mr. Christie for his copious and suggestive annotation of my discussioiT of
30 the vagran and criminal classes ; to Mr. Tupper for much valualde help given
31 m the earlier stages of the operations ; and to Dr. Dickson an.l the Rev! Mr
32 Wherry for the personal attention they most kindly bestowed on the Census
33 printing without which I should scarcely have succeeded in getting the work
34 done. Bui these are only a fe^v among the many who have helped me I
35 applied ior assistance to many officei-s of many Departments, and to none in
36 vain ; and it is to the help thus received by me, that whatever value my report
37 may be found to possess is mainly due.
38 My wai-mest acknowledgments are due to Mr. W. C. Plowden, Commis-
39 sioner of Census, for his ever ready help and counsel, for the patient consider-
40 ation with which he listened to my difficulties and suggestions, and for the
41 kind anxiety which he evinced from first to last to do anything and everythinc
42 that might make matters easier for me, so fai- as the unity of the Imperial
43 scheme permitted. ^