72 Some Account of the Famine in Guzerat, 4'C. 



assigned, though it is but fair to observe, that the Mahome- 

 dans suffered in a greater proportion than in former years, and 

 that the regiment at Kaira were new-comers, and, of course, ex- 

 posed to increased dangers, from the influence of climate and 

 the prevailing causes of sickness. 



The influx of a large proportion of the population of a coun- 

 try yielding an annual revenue of L. 500,000, cannot be accu- 

 rately ascertained : the emigrants arrived in Guzerat in detach- 

 ed bodies, and, for the purpose of convenience, spread them- 

 selves over the face of Guzerat, from the borders of the Gulf 

 of Kutch to Surat, in many instances, even flocking from ports 

 on the coast to Bombay, which they were enabled to do, in con- 

 sequence of native chiefs and opulent merchants granting them 

 passage free of charge. It should, however, be observed, that 

 the larger proportion of the people who resorted to the presi- 

 dency were from the Kitiwar, which suff'ered, from the want of 

 rain and ravages of locusts, in a much greater degree than the 

 province of Guzerat. It is also out of my power to give any 

 certain account of the number of Marwarees who perished in 

 the famine. I have seen, in an evening ride in the suburbs 

 of this town, in which every practical means for saving them 

 were benevolently exercised, not less than fifty bodies scattered 

 around, which the servants of Government had not had time 

 to inter. I would, therefore, from a review of all the circum- 

 stances related, be inclined to estimate, that not more than one 

 in a hundred of these poor creatures ever returned to their 

 native country. — Memoirs of the Lit. Society of Bombay^ vol. i. 



On Physical Geography. 



A HE following remarks of the celebrated Professor Schouw, of 

 Copenhagen, are illustrative of our opinion, formerly stated, in 

 regard to the present imperfect and erroneous systems of geo- 

 graphy taught In our schools, and embodied in printed works. 



" I do not fear to affirm,'' he remarks, " that, paradoxical as 

 the assertion may appear, our abridgments of geography do by 

 no means describe the globe, or fulfil what ought to be expect- 



