IN I.I A. 



INDIANA. 



401 



Anotlirr authority states that more than ono 



million human beings were recently swept 



oil' in tli.- northwestern provinces, and that the 



mnont of India furnished rations, in 1869, 



1 70,086 inhabitants, in order to save them 



from starvation. During the period between 



the beginning of Juno and the end of October, 



1869, 92,989 persons died of want and its at- 



ut ills in the State of Gwalior. During 



;irao period nearly 400,000 animals per- 



The first vessel reaching Bombay by way of 

 the canal of Suez was the steamer Asia, which 

 arrived in January, 1870. During the last 

 week in May, 81,000 bales of cotton were 

 shipped to Europe by the same route. A line 

 of steamers was also started to run direct to 

 England from Eangoon, via the Suez canal, for 

 the conveyance of cotton. The first vessel of 

 the line, the Carolina, left on August 2d, with 

 a full cargo and several passengers. 



According to an official report, the shipments 

 of precious metals from Great Britain to India, 

 in 1869, amounted to 9,053,186 against 10,- 

 189,904 in 1868 ; the average annual shipments 

 of the last ten years comprised 13,445,191, 

 making the enormous aggregate of 134,451,- 

 910, or $650,747,244. The heaviest amount 

 exported in any one year was in 1864, summing 

 up 24,318,189, or $117,700,035. 



During June and July a Mohammedan cir- 

 cular was sent from village to village in the 

 Jullinder Doab. It was called a "Durschut- 

 nama " or " Note of "Warning," and, although 

 it was principally of a religious character, it 

 contained a few sentences of a seditious na- 

 ture, warning the people that there would be 

 a complete change of government before the 

 end of 1870. The paper professed to come 

 from Mecca, but it could not be traced any far- 

 ther than Delhi or Mynpoorie, and there was 

 every reason to suppose that it had emanated 

 from one of those places. It had silently 

 passed from village to village, like the famous 

 "chuppatie," before the great mutiny. Al- 

 most simultaneously with the appearance of 

 this circular, 2,000 of the Thakoors in Rajpoo- 

 tana, with their followers, rebelled against their 

 chief, but, although it was at first supposed 

 to be a serious rising, the insurrection was 

 promptly subdued by the energetic action of 

 the government. The Black Mountain tribes 

 at Agrore, according to a report from Delhi, 

 made frequent raids into the adjoining country, 

 and made it necessary for the government to 

 dispatch a considerable force to preserve 

 peace. At Allahabad fears were entertained 

 of a native rising. On August 29th a panic 

 prevailed, as ominous expressions of native ser- 

 vants spread the belief in an immediate revolt. 

 Fortunately, on August 25th, two companies 

 of the Fourteenth European regiment were 

 dispatched to Allahabad, and on their arrival 

 assisted in allaying the general uneasiness. 



A new provincial government was estab- 

 lished for the district of Assam in Bengal. 

 VOL. x. 36 A 



This district, which is traversed by the Brah- 

 mapootra, has of lato become of considerable 

 importance through the rapidly increasing culti- 

 vation of the tea-plant, and the highly-favorable 

 results obtained. The country, which extends 

 from Dardshilling to Aracan, contains exten- 

 sive coal-mines, and is otherwise of great im- 

 portance to commerce. The Assamese are 

 addicted to the use of opium, of which they 

 bought, in 1869, 160,000. 



Mr. Forsyth, a high government official, was 

 sent on a special mission to Yarkand, for the 

 purpose of inducing the Kashgar government 

 to reduce the transit duties upon merchandise. 

 This transit duty formerly amounted to fifteen 

 per cent., but was some years ago reduced to 

 four per cent., and has never been entirely 

 waived by the Kashgar government. A free- 

 trade route to Cashmere has been established 

 through the exertions of Mr. Cayley, another 

 government envoy, the most important point 

 on which is the city of Lee, in the district of 

 Ladakh. From reports which he furnished to 

 the government, it appears that trade between 

 India and East Toorkistan was steadily increas- 

 ing. In 1867 the movement of commerce was 

 estimated at 55,494 ; during the next year, it 

 increased to 103,840, while in 1869 it summed 

 up 129,159. With the removal of the former 

 restrictions a more decided increase was con- 

 fidently expected. In 1869 the commerce be- 

 tween the Punjab and Yarkand had been more 

 than doubled. The people of Yarkand came 

 to India in unusual numbers, offering for sale 

 nine hundred horses and mules, and a great 

 quantity of gold and silver ; some twelve hun- 

 dred tradespeople and merchants from East 

 Toorkistan emigrated to India out of fear of 

 an advance of the Russians and of disorder 

 in Yarkand. A nephew of the sovereign of 

 East Toorkistan was appointed governor of 

 Yarkand and the other provinces on the fron- 

 tier, and was in command of a strong force of 

 reliable troops. He had strengthened his ad- 

 vanced positions by considerable reinforce- 

 ments, and had constructed several forts on 

 the frontier. The Russians, on their part, had 

 erected a formidable stronghold on the river 

 Karyn, which they spanned by a bridge, thus 

 coming within five days' march from Yarkand. 

 The uneasiness became general among the in- 

 habitants, and the wealthier classes removed 

 into British India to await more tranquil times. 

 The Russians claimed the right of settling at 

 Kashgar, as guaranteed to them by a treaty 

 with the Government of China ; but, as the 

 Chinese are no longer in possession of East 

 Toorkistan, the governor of Yarkand did not 

 consider himself bound by any such treaty, 

 and would not allow any one to cross the fron- 

 tier unless he was a Mohammedan trader. 



During the month of June the cholera made 

 dreadful ravages in different parts of India, 

 and was particularly virulent at Madras. 



INDIANA. The State of Indiana, accord- 

 ing to the Federal census of 1870, has a popu- 



