10
The plant is not cultivated in the Korikan as a
field. crop, nor even as a market crop in gardens,
but it occurs in small numbers in many .private
gardens, and I have ,seen specimens that seemed
to :me to be self-sown, and afterwards taken care
of by the gardeners. This cultivation is some-
thing like that of tobacco in English gardens and
not .much more important.
20. I can't recommend the Commission to
trouble themselves about this district, where the
consumption of hemp drugs ,by local natives is
unimportant.
33. The habitual consumption is looked on as
discreditable in the Thana district.
34. Probably not very serious. I don't think
it is even found .necessary in jails to allow these
drugs, though I have known eight ounces of
alcohol per diem allowed in one case (gradually
diminished to vanishing point with complete ease),
and we allow Burmese convicts tobacco.
35. You can prohibit anything, but the prohi-
bition of so portable an article could not easily be
enforced. If it were, I suppose the few who now
use it here would take to dhatura (a common
weed), opium, or country spirit.
36. I should say not; the consumption of
country spirit iu this (very drunken) district is
apparently diminishing.
45. hemp Drugs Crime—Kennery Island Case.
—The accused was a native of Upper India, a man
of unusual size and strength, probably 5 feet 10
inches high, and nearly 11 stone in weight. I
forget his name. He was a washermau in the
service of the light-keeper on Kennery Island,
and got leave to go to Bombay for a few days.
On his return he brought a stock of bhang (which
he was described as " eating" habitually), and for
several days was noticed to be more or less under
its influence. Finally, at midnight he forced his
way into the English light-keeper's bed-room,
where the latter was sleeping with his wife. The
lady was awakened by the noise of his forcing
open the shut door. Almost instantly he rushed
to her bed-side, caught her by the throat, and
attempted to strangle her. She was a tall, strong
woman and resisted stoutly, arousing her husband.
The noise brought down the servants of the lamp
from the lantern above, and the accused retreated
under the bedstead, a heavy solid piece of fur-
niture, where he detended himself for some time,
but was at last dragged out, pinioned, and bound
to a verandah post. The light-keeper telegraphed
to me, then District Magistrate of Kolaba and
resident at Alibag. I came off with the Superin-
tendent.of Police and two policemen to the island,
and desired the Superintendent to hold his inquiry
and prca:eed according to law. Part of what he
and his men did was. to let their -prisoner escape,
of which he only took advantage to walk down to
a tank, drink and wash himself, and then, when
they found him, surrendered quietly. He was
taken to Alibag and put under medical observation
in the subordinate jail. When reported sane and
fit to be tried, he was tried by myself. The
medical evidence was that, when admitted, and for
some time after, he showed symptoms of being
under the influence of bhang, and repeatedly asked
for it. I tried him, and sentenced . him to 18
months' rigorous imprisonment under section 457,
Indian Penal Code. I think I remember getting
the warrant returned in -the usual way at .the
expiration of the term of sentence; at any rate I
never heard of him as a lunatic or criminal
again.
Panwell ease.—The accused was a Brahmin of
the Panwell taluka in the Kolaba district, a village
accountant, always in bad health and in bad odour
with his caste, neighbours, and superior officers on
account of his dissipated and irregular habits.
One morning he was found in a temple with the
broken image of a goddess, and was prosecuted
under section 295, Indian Penal Code. His de-
fence was that the goddess fell in love with him
and invited him to her arms. The medical evi-
dence was that he , was insane from the abuse of
some preparation of hemp. He was sent to
Kolaba Lunatic Asylum, cured and discharged,
tried on the criminal charge, acquitted (on the
ground of insanity I suppose), and reinstated in
the public service. I did not take the case myself,
but the papers relating to it necessarily came
before me when he was sent to the Lunatic
Asylum. Of his return cured, second judicial
proceedings, and reappointment to the public
service I know only by report, but trustworthy
report. I understand that he has since left the
service, but am not informed of the manner of his
leaving it.
53. See the two cases -above (answer to question
45).
55. No; this is done with dhatura.
58. It is working well.
63. No,
64. No, and of this I have seen a good deal
when Collector of Kolaba, because, a very impor-
tant ganja firm has its headquarters (for mercan-
tile convenience sake only) in the port of Panwell,
and exports " urbi" (i.e., to Bombay) and " orbi."
It gave no trouble.
65. Quite reasonable and not a subject of
complaint from any one.
68. No, and there is no need for them nor call
for them.
69. Not in Thana, because the matter is unim-
portant. But if it were important, I would
consult the villagers, as is always done in the
really important case of liquor shops.
70. No facts and no ,smuggling into Thana.
The Bombay contractor complained of smuggling
from Kurla and Bandora (suburbs of Bombay,
but in Thana District) into Bombay. But he now
holds both the Thalia and Bombay farms, and
says that ,he is all right. The inference is that
the hemp drugs smuggled into Bombay were such
as had come into Thana legally.
Note by the Commission appended to
MR. SINCLAIR ' S evidence.
45. Records in the two cases called for and
read
(1) Kennery Island case.—This was a case in
..which the ,dhohi of Mr. Dyer, Light-
keeper, Kennery Island, was charged with
entering his master's bed-room at night
and . attempting to throttle Mrs. Dyer.
.He was sentenced bo, Mr. Sinclair to
eighteen months' rigorous imprisonment,
The Magistrate held " that the accused
committed the offense when violently in-
toxicated by some preparation of hemp."
One witness, a lascar at the lighthouse, said
in evidence : "Accused is a.regnlar ganja-
,