The accounts of the various districts have been submitted with punctuality, the arrears being quite exceptional.

Floods.

The rivers Mahanuddy and Katjoorie at Cuttack began to rise at the end of June 1872, and on the 3rd of July the former was two feet higher than the highest recorded flood in 1855, while the latter was only one foot below the flood of the same year. On this day the floods topped the Ganjam and Pooree roads, and breached the embankments which protect the Calcutta road in its first mile north of the Mahanuddy. This flood caused great anxiety to the residents of Cuttack, and sepoys and prisoners were employed day and night in strengthening the embankments of the Katjooree. The damage done by the flood was heaviest on the Ganjam and Pooree road, which was breached in many places. No serious damage, however, was done to any of the bridges; all the district roads were more or less damaged; some of the temporary bungalows on the Sonepore road were submerged 6 feet, and as a matter of course tumbled in. The Madhub and Taldundah roads were both breached, and some timber bridges on the Aul road were destroyed.

The Booreebullong river in the Balasore district rose to a greater height in October than it had done in previous years, and the Orissa trunk road had to be cut through to save the Mooniagooree bridge.

A heavy flood occurred in the Nuddea districts in September last year. The Buggoolah and Bajitpore road was under water in its second, third, and fourth miles, and there was about three feet of water on the first and second miles of the Buggoolah and Baghdah road. The damage to the earthwork on the Kishnaghur and Kissengunj road was very heavy, as the road was breached or cut through in many places. The Gokul khall bridge on the Choadangah and Meherpore road was carried away, and the road itself was breached. This bridge is nearly restored, and will be available for traffic at the commencement of the rains.

Considerable damage was done to the earthwork on the Kishnaghur and Meherpore road; a timber bridge in the fourteenth mile was damaged, and one in the eighteenth mile was destroyed. On the Meherpore and Ganjam road a culvert was washed away, and a timber bridge was destroyed; the other district roads in the vicinity sustained more or less damage.

Storms.

A heavy gale passed over Tura in the Garo Hills in September, doing serious damage to the buildings there. Balasore was also visited by a storm last year, which did some damage. The buildings at both stations were at once repaired and rendered safe.

Fire.

The damage by fire during the year has been very slight, the school-house at Pooree being the only building which caught fire during the year. A new roof has been put on and the building thoroughly repaired. The following figures show the outlay on the different classes of works-Imperial, Provincial, and Local.

The expenditure on imperial works during the year has been distributed as follows:

IMPERIAL WORKS.

The original works under this head were in connection with the accommodation and requirements of native troops at outlying stations, and do not call for any special remark.

The expenditure on Imperial civil buildings has been as follows:

In addition to the above, a sum of Rs. 2,08,571, from deposits set apart for completion of the Imperial Museum, was expended during the year on that building. The work on this building was, however, slightly delayed owing to the late arrival of iron-work from Europe; the progress made during the year has been considerable. Notwithstanding the cracks alluded to in last year's report, no more serious injury has ensued.

Of the large Imperial buildings in course of construction at the Presidency, the new University was completed during the year, and was handed over to the Senate in March 1873 and used at the ensuing convocation.

Satisfactory progress has also been made on the new Telegraph.

Office.

A house and premises in Park Street for the Mathematical Instrument Department was purchased during the year at a cost of a lakh of rupees.

Various improvements are being carried out in the Mint, and several post offices and telegraph buildings have been erected in the interior.

This sum includes the cost of establishments employed on district works.

The following table shows the outlay on each class of buildings, including Establishment, Tools and Plant, and other charges :

In addition to the above a sum of Rs. 31,023 was received as contributions to Educational and other works from committees and individuals, and was distributed as follows:

The new High Court was completed with the exception of the
tower, which is now being finished.
This building was occupied by the High
works in connection with the building

High Court.
Court in May. Various subsidiary
were completed during the year.
A new building for the

Small Cause Court.

some

Small Cause Court was commenced in August 1872; there were difficulties to be overcome in getting in the foundation of this building. Good progress has been made on it during the year, and the building ought to be near completion at the end of the official year 1873-74.

Jails.

The extension of the boundary wall of the Alipore Jail has been completed, and 50 solitary cells had almost been completed at the end of the year. The works at the Central Jail at Hazareebaugh were pushed

on.

At Midnapore the original intention of completing the buildings of the Central Jail with laterite was abandoned, and it was determined. to use brick in future, as being more economical both as regards cost and time. The convict labour at this place was employed almost entirely in the brick-fields, the outturn from which was 30 lakhs of bricks. Good progress has been made during the year on the buildings connected with the Central Jail at Bhaugulpore; various lock-ups and other jail buildings have been erected throughout the province.

The old Sailors' Home in Lall Bazaar has been repaired aud appropriated for the Police Magistrates' court.

Police.

Rapid progress has been made on the new building for the
Presidency College.

Education.

A General and Pilgrim Hospital is being constructed at
Cuttack. A portion of the European
barracks at Berhampore is being con-
A lunatic asylum is also being erected

Medical.

verted into a lunatic asylum. at Tezpore, in Assam.

The chief buildings under this head are the new Small Cause Court at Calcutta, already noticed; a new Court-house for the Magistrate at

Court-houses.

Rungpore; and a Court-house for the Judge of Midnapore, on all of which satisfactory progress was made during the year.

COMMUNICATIONS.

Original works
Repairs

Under the head Communications, there has been expended on

The following are the most important new works under this head. Four stone causeways have been constructed over river beds on the road from Calcutta to the Madras

Road from Calcutta to Madras.

Frontier, and a masonry bridge is

being constructed over the Julka nulla. A bridge is being constructed across the Sursutty River on the Grand Trunk Road in the Hooghly district. The only work remaining to be finished on the Patna and Gya

Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to North-Western Provinces.

Patna Branch Road.

branch road is the bridge over the Dhurdah River. The masonry work has been pushed on, but the iron-work has to come from Europe. Satisfactory progress has been made on the 1st section of the new

Burrakur and Purulia Road.

Girhidi Road.

road from Burrakur to Purulia. The Girhidi road, and the continuation of

the same line from Barodah to Hazareebaugh, were undertaken with a view of opening out more direct communication between the branch line of the East Indian Railway ending at Girhidi, the Grand Trunk Road, and the Chota Nagpore districts. The works have been pushed on rapidly. The whole of the earthwork and construction of culverts have

been completed, and it is expected that the bridges required on the road will be completed during the present year.

The timber bridges on the Ganges and Darjeeling road are being rapidly replaced by iron strucGanges and Darjeeling Road. tures on screw piles. Special repairs and alterations are being carried out on the hill portion of the road, and a first-class timber bridge over the Mahanuddy has been completed.

The earth-work on the Sylhet and Cachar Trunk Road has been almost completed. Eight brick bridges Sylhet and Cachar Trunk Road. have been completed, and ten are in progress; two screw-pile bridges are completed and two are nearly finished.

Various improvements have been carried out at several places on what is called the Assam Trunk Road; on the roads in the Khasi and Jynteah

Assam roads.

PROVINCIAL Reserve Fund.

Hills, and on those in the Garo Hills. In addition to the provincial works noticed above, the following have been carried out by funds supplied from what is called the Provincial Reserve Fund, i.e. the balances and receipts from Provincial as distinguished from Imperial sources :

Improvement and maintenance of the Calcutta and eastern canals; works on the Nuddea rivers; maintenance of the Strand Road and bank, Calcutta; expenditure on tolls, ferries, and staging bungalows. The total amount expended on these works was Rs. 4,27,726.

Cauals.

On the Calcutta and eastern canals, the new cut at Jattrapore has been completed; it is 1,660 feet in length, and shortens the passage by 5 miles. The deepening of the Julokatty and Bhangore khalls to 4 feet below low water has been very nearly completed.

The outlay on canal works during the year has been Rs. 2,08,283, and the income Rs. 3,81,453.

The keeping of the Bhagiruttee River open for native boats during

Nuddea Rivers.

1872-73 was not as successful as the previous year. Owing to a change in the bed of the Ganges, the Bhagiruttee was lengthened 12 miles, and on the outside of the new entrance there was shoal water for 2

miles.

The supply of water from the entrance being much less than that of previous years, an increase in the number of shoals naturally resulted. These were this season 6 times as numerous, and 13 times as long, as those of the preceding year. The keeping open of a navigable channel was a work of great difficulty, and could only be carried out at an unusual The result has been that the least depth maintained this season was 2 feet instead of 3 feet, as usual, and consequently a great diminution in the traffic has occurred.

cost.

The toll collections during the past year fell to Rs. 2,19,376, being Rs. 38,381 less than last year. The available net revenue of the Nuddea rivers for the past year amounted in round numbers to nearly one and a half lakhs of rupees.