398 



INDIA. 



other hill tribes, including Sohras, Pabs, Bins- 

 wals, Kauras, Koles, Khonds, Gowarees, and 

 Hulbas, 408,379; Europeans and Eurasians, 

 6,026; and Parsees, 90. The Chumars have 

 thrown off Brahminical influence, have set up 

 a new creed, possess a high-priest and priest- 

 hood of their own, they own much of the land 

 in Chutteesgurh, and are the best subjects which 

 the British Government has in this locality. 

 The Ooriyas under which generic name come 

 all the races and castes which speak the lan- 

 guage of Orissa are found in the central prov- 

 inces in Sumbulpore only. 57 per cent, are en- 

 gaged in agriculture, against 64 in the latter, 

 and 56 in the Punjaub. Of the 57 per cent., 

 155,740 are landholders, 3,750,457 tenants, 

 795,805 farm-servants, and 177,626 " other agri- 

 culturists." The commercial classes number 

 204,950. The artisan, class is returned at 

 844,952. The menial and miscellaneous class 

 contains the following : laborers, 949,867 ; 

 washermen, 47,855 ; carriers, 41,833; barbers, 

 79,945; servants and officials, 537,564; and 

 other non-agriculturists, 875,775. In the north- 

 west there were 86.6 females to each 100 males. 

 As might be expected, the proportion is more 

 equal in Central India, or 95.4 to 100, because the 

 Rajpoot or female-infant-slaying castes are not 

 so numerous ; population is of more importance, 

 females especially are held in higher esteem by 

 the hill tribes, and among them marriage takes 

 place at a later and more healthy time of life. 



An official " Statement of the Moral and Ma- 

 terial Progress of India" contains valuable in- 

 formation on the cause of education. It appears 

 from this statement that in the course of the 

 year 1865-'66 the number of colleges and schools 

 under the direct management of the Bengal 

 Government, or receiving aid from the public 

 revenues, increased by 290, and the addition to 

 the number of scholars was 10,734. This prog- 

 ress, however, is not so rapid as that which 

 took place in former years, and the difference 

 is attributed to the ravages of disease in Central 

 Bengal, and the scarcity which was felt toward 

 the close of the year throughout the lower 

 provinces. The progress of female education 

 in the northwestern provinces continues to be 

 satisfactory ; but the movement is yet in its in- 

 fancy, and requires delicate handling. As in 

 the boys' schools, the great want is that of effi- 

 cient teachers ; and efforts are being made to 

 create a class of trustworthy and capable school- 

 mistresses. A proposition has been made by 

 some of the native community of Lahore, under 

 the auspices of the principal of the college, to 

 found a university for the promotion of Oriental 

 learning; and the precise form which the insti- 

 tution shall take is under consideration. The 

 censorship over the native press, which was 

 established in 1857, has been withdrawn, and 

 the number of presses and vernacular periodi- 

 cals has in consequence considerably increased. 

 The number of schools in the central provinces 

 has risen during the year from 1,185 to 1,441, 

 and that of the pupils from 34,400 to 46,738. 



The cost of educating each scholar was about 

 14s. a year. In the Madras presidency the num- 

 ber of the private schools under Government 

 inspection in 1865-'66 was 278 more than in the 

 preceding year, and the number of pupils in- 

 creased by 5,936. In 1863 an act was passed to 

 enable any town or village, in which the majori- 

 ty of the inhabitants desire it, to appoint com- 

 missioners and levy rates for the maintenance of 

 schools. The chief difficulty in carrying this 

 measure into effect consists in the want of com- 

 petent school commissioners ; and the introduc- 

 tion of the act has been prohibited in places 

 where such persons are not available for the 

 duty, or where the request of the people for it 

 is not entirely voluntary. In Malabar and 

 Canara, into which districts it has already been 

 introduced, it appears likely to work with suc- 

 cess. The revised grant-in-aid rules have led 

 to a considerable improvement in many of the 

 schools previously existing, but as yet not much 

 has been done in the establishment of additional 

 schools. In Coorg, where an attempt to estab- 

 lish a school at Mercara met with the most de- 

 termined opposition ten years ago, the feeling 

 is now one of universal appreciation of the 

 benefits conferred by education ; and the prin- 

 cipal men amongst the Coorgs have readily 

 contributed from their private means to the en- 

 dowment of the central school. In the island 

 of Bombay, a diocesan board of education has 

 been formed for the purpose of establishing 

 schools intended chiefly for the children of 

 Protestant Christians; but, in order to enlarge 

 the sphere of the society's operations, it has 

 been decided that the principles of the Church 

 of England shall not be enforced in the case of 

 the children of nonconformists. 



The following are the statistics of " matricu- 

 lation " at the three universities of Calcutta, 

 Bombay, and Madras : 



On the 25th of October a treaty was pub- 

 lished between the Government of British India 

 and the King of Burmah. It was signed on the 

 one part by Colonel Fytche, and on the other 

 part by the Pakhan "Woongyee, Men-Thudo- 

 Mengyee Maha-Menhla See-Thoo; and it was 

 ratified by the Viceroy and Governor-General 

 of India in council on the 26th of November. 

 "With the exception of earth-oil, timber, and 

 precious stones, which are reserved as royal 

 monopolies, all merchandise passing between 

 British and Burmese territory is to be liable at 

 the Burmese custom-house to a uniform im- 



