On the Population of Bengal. 339 



Cruize Fct the ship Louisa, then expected ; the other sent 

 with the same vessel to keep a-head of her all the way to 

 China, and which lost her passage in returning, being 

 obliged to bear away for Malacca, from whence she is this 

 month arrived. The public service, therefore, expected to 

 accrue from them has been rendered totally abortive by being 

 made subservient to private convenience ; and the protec- 

 tion due to the company's allies having been thus withdrawn, 

 the Bornevans cannot, with justice, be accused of want of 

 faith in not scrupulously fulfilling the engagements on their 

 part. 



LVIII. On the Population of Bengal. By a Gentleman 

 now residing in that Country *. 



In India no bills of mortality, nor registers of births, mar- 

 riage?, and burials, afford data for calculation. The arga- 

 meiits by which we are convinced of the great population 

 of Bengal, arise on the results of various speculations. 



The inhabitants of Bengal are certainly numerous in pro- 

 portion to the tillage and manufactures which employ their 

 labour. Former computalions carried the population to 

 eleven millions; and to these a late publication seems to 

 allude in mentioning the number of twenty millions for the 

 inhabitants of our territorial possessions in India j the po- 

 pulations or our dominions in the Deccan being estimated 

 at nine millions. 



An inqi-iiry, instituted in 1769, requiring from the col- 

 lectors of districts their opinions on the populations of their 

 respective jurisdictions, founded an estimate of twenty-two 

 millions f for Bengal and Bahar. Sir William Jones has 

 hinted a higher estimate ; and though he has not mentioned 

 the grounds of his opinion, it may be admitted that he has 

 not hazarded a vaouc and unfounded estimate. We think 

 with him that twenty-four millions I is at least the present 

 number of the native inhabitants of Bengal and Bahar, and 

 phall subjoin arguments which might lead us to compute the 

 population at thirty millions. Wc cannot, therefore, hesi- 

 tate to state twenty-seven millions for the whole population, 

 including the zcmindary of Benares. 



* From the Asiatic Annual Rrghtn for 1802. 



+ Qiiotcd ftom mtmoiy. 



+ Prtface to the translation of the Al Siiajnjab. 



y 2 1st. An 



