INDIA. 



395 



INDIA, BRITISH, a vast empire in Asia, 

 equaling in extent the continent of Europe 

 without Russia. The area of the region in 

 which the supremacy of England is acknowl- 

 edged is estimated at 1,450,744 square miles, 

 with a population of 239,000,000. The popu- 

 lation varies in density from 700 persons to 

 the square mile in some parts of Oude and the 

 lower provinces of Bengal to 10 in some of 

 the hill districts. About two-fifths of the 

 country consist of independent native states, 

 whose chiefs acknowledge the supremacy of 

 Great Britain, and are, to a certain extent, 

 subject to its control. British India proper 

 comprises the remaining three-fifths. 



According to the ".Memorandum of the 

 Census of British India of 1871-'72" (Lon- 

 don, 1875), the area and territory of the dis- 

 tricts under British administration were, at the 

 date of the latest enumerations, as follows : 



The aggregate area of the native states of 

 India is 546,695 square miles; population 48,- 

 267,910. The most important of the native 

 states is Hyderabad, with an area of about 

 80,000 square miles, a population of about 

 11,000,000, and an annual revenue of about 

 1,655,000. Then comes Maharaja Sindia's 

 state of Gwalior ; then Baroda and Jeypoor. 

 The united military force of the native states 

 is estimated at 100,000 men. 



In regard to religion, the population of Brit- 

 ish India (exclusive of the native states) con- 

 sisted, according to the census, of 139,248,568 

 Hindoos, 1,174,436 Sikhs, 40,882,537 Moham- 

 medans, 2,832,851 Buddhists, 896,658 Chris- 

 tians, 5,102,823 persons connected with other 

 religions, and 425,175 persons of unknown re- 

 ligion. 



The total revenue of India, during the finan- 

 cial year ending March 31, 1874, reached the 

 sum of 49,598,253, and the expenditures 

 amounted to 54,959,228. The three most im- 

 portant sources of the public revenue are land 

 (21,037,912), salt (6,150,662), and opium 

 (8,324,879). The heaviest items among the 

 expenditures are the expenses for the army 

 (11,872,941) ; for relieving the sufferers from 

 the famine, 3,851,423 were expended. The 

 total amount of the Indian debt on March 31, 

 1874, was 107,368,949, on which was paid 



interest during the year amounting to 4,618,- 

 850. For the same period, the obligations of 

 the Government of India amounted to 9,918,- 

 929, and the interest paid thereon to 541,001. 

 These obligations are for the most part savings- 

 banks, fund, and other deposits. 



The imports and exports, from 1871 to 1873, 

 were as follows: 



The following table gives the movement of 

 shipping : 



Cotton-manufacture in India is assuming im- 

 portant dimensions. According to a report 

 dated June, 1875, there were altogether twen- 

 ty-five cotton-mills in India in full operation, 

 working 600,000 spindles and 7,000 looms. 

 The spindles produced about 130,000 pounds 

 of cotton thread a day, of which about 50,000 

 pounds were used to produce cloth. These 

 mills were chiefly in the Bombay Island, where 

 a new spinning-mill, just opened by a wealthy 

 Hindoo and working 25,000 spindles, made a 

 total of seventeen working mills. Up-country 

 there were several others one at Surat, two 

 at Broach, two at Ahmedabad, one at Jaul- 

 gaum, one in the native state of Bhownuggar, 

 and one at Madras. Extensions were also 

 rapidly going forward. Eight extensions were 

 in course of construction at Bombay, chiefly 

 on share capital, and these would provide at 



