NOILGONG DISTRICT. 413 Rahá, and Chápari-mukh. The principal articles of export are tea, mustard seed, cotton, jungle products, and a little rice; in return for which are received salt, sugar, oil, ghi or clarified butter, and miscellaneous European goods. The profits of trade are almost entirely in the hands of Márwárí traders from Rajputána. The principal means of communication are afforded by the rivers ; but except the Brahmaputra and the Kalang, none of these are open for navigation all the year through. The principal line of road is the Assam Grand Trunk Road, which runs from Dhubri via Gauhati to Sibságar and Dibrugarh at the upper end of the Assam valley, passing for 96 miles through Nowgong District. It crosses several rivers, all of which are bridged, with the exception of the Kalang, Deopání, Dimal, and Kiling. The cultivation and manufacture of tea is largely conducted with European capital and under European supervision, but the soil and climate are said to be less favourable than in Upper Assam. The teaplant was first introduced into Nowgong about 1854; but the industry was not carried on to any great extent until after 1861, when the speculative demand for tea property by companies and private individuals led to extravagant sums being paid for suitable land. This season of abnormal activity was naturally followed by a period of depression, from which the industry is now beginning to recover. The difficulty of imported labour has at last settled itself; and at the present time large extensions are being made to the old-established gardens. The statistics for 1874 showed a total of 2878 acres under cultivation, with an outturn of 387,085 lbs. The number of European assistants employed was 5, with 51 native assistants; the total number of labourers averaged 2553, of whom 1136 were imported under contract from Bengal or other parts of India. Since 1874, the cultivation and manufacture of tea has advanced with rapid strides. In 1881-82, out of 75,306 acres taken up for tea cultivation in 64 gardens, 10,011 acres were under mature plant, yielding an out-turn of 2,494,104 lbs. of leaf. In 1883, the area under tea was 10,786 acres, yielding an out-turn of 3,703,475 lbs., or an average of 382 lbs, per acre of mature plant. On the 31st December 1881, a total of 6074 labourers were employed on the tea-gardens, of whom 1902 had been imported under the provisions of the Labour Acts. Administration. The administrative staff of Nowgong District consists of a Deputy Commissioner, 2 extra Assistant Commissioners, Assistant Superintendent of Police, District Engineer, and Civil Surgeon. In 1870-71 the net revenue anounted to £69,073, towards which the land-tax contributed £38,000, or 55 per cent., and ábkári or excise £26,550, or 38 per cent. ; the net expenditure was £12,573, or less than one-fifth of the revenue. In 1881-82 the revenue of the District amounted to £75,064, of which the land-tax contributed
