The waters which fall on your mountain heights and unite at their base to form mighty rivers, are a treasure which, duly distributed, will fertilise your plains and largely augment their productive powers.  With electric telegraphs to facilitate communication, and railways and canals to render access to the seaports easy and expeditious, we shall be able to convey the surplus produce of this great country to others where it is required, and to receive from them their riches in return.

I rejoice to learn that some of the chiefs in this part of India are taking an interest in these matters, which are of such vital importance to the welfare of this country and the prosperity of the people.  It affords me, moreover, sincere gratification to find that, under the able guidance of the Lieutenant-Governor, the Sikh Sirdars in certain districts of the Punjab are giving proof of their appreciation of the value of education by making provision for the education of their sons and daughters.

Be assured that in so doing you are adopting a judicious policy.  The experience of all nations proves that where rulers are well informed and sagacious, the people are contented and willingly submissive to authority.  Moreover, it is generally found that where mothers are enlightened, sons are valiant and wise.

    I earnestly exhort you, therefore, to persevere in the course on which
    you have entered; and I promise you while you continue in it the
    sympathy and support of the British Government.

At Umballa Lord Elgin left the camp with which he had been travelling, and struck up, nearly due northwards, into the Hills.  The 1st of April found him at Kussowlie, from which point he visited two places which greatly interested him—­the ‘Lawrence Asylum’ and the Military Sanitarium at Dugshai.

[Sidenote:  Lawrence Asylum.]

The ‘Lawrence Asylum’ (he wrote) is an institution originally established and endowed by the late Sir Henry Lawrence, but now transferred to Government, and maintained on an enlarged scale.  It receives and educates the children of European soldiers, both male and female; and, considering what they are exposed to while they remain with the regiments, or are left as orphans, it is an immense boon to them, physically and morally.  I found about 600 children at the institution; and, so far as I could judge on a transient inspection, the condition of things generally seemed satisfactory.  Looking to the returns, however, it did not appear that the sanitary state of the school was quite as good as it might be, considering the fineness of the climate; and I desired that some inquiries might be made on this head.  It is probable that the children may in many cases bring bad constitutions with them; but it also appeared that the dormitories were somewhat crowded, and that the uneven character of the surface rendered it difficult to provide playgrounds—­both of which circumstances may be unfavourable to the health of the children.

[Sidenote:  Dugshai station.]