Major Colvin, ‘On the Restoration of the Ancient Canals in the Delhi Territory’, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 2.15 (March 1833), pp. 104–27. British Library, shelfmark AC.8826.

Among the priorities in public expenditure of the Indian government was the construction of canals to improve irrigation. They were seen not only as a means of providing transport, and a motive force, but as a way of increasing the productivity of land in order to generate revenue in excess of the costs of construction. In 1820 Major John Colvin was appointed Superintendent of Canals in the Delhi territory, and here with the construction of the Ganges Canal in 1843 he was to establish his reputation as an irrigation engineer. In this paper, Colvin explores the principles of canal construction and its potential benefits. He suggests that successful principles had been demonstrated by the techniques of the ancient builders of canals in India, and that modern builders had much to learn from them.