ASIA. 



European portion is described as the City of 

 Palaces. Behind it is ranged the native town, 

 deep, black, and dingy, with various crooked 

 streets, huts of earth baked in the sun, or of 

 twisted bamboos, interspersed here and there with 

 ruinous brick bazaars, pools of dirty water, cocoa- 

 trees, and little gardens, with some fine large 

 dirty houses, the residences of wealthy natives. 



2. Assam is remarkable as the chief seat of 

 the cultivation of tea, which it now sends in very 

 large quantities to the Calcutta market. 



3. Of Nepaul and Bhotan, native states, in 

 which Buddhism still prevails, we shall not stop 

 to speak. 



3. The Dcccan, or Southern Hindustan. 



The chief divisions of this part of India are : 

 I. The Bombay presidency proper, which lies 

 at the north-eastern corner of the table -land of 

 the Deccan, and includes the Ghauts and the 

 sea-coast from the Gulf of Cambay south to the 

 town of Goa, and a long tract of the table- 

 land. It produces cotton, rice, and millet. 

 The labouring population are rapidly improv- 

 ing their condition, thanks chiefly to railway 

 and European works. Mahratta and Canarese 

 are the chief languages of the people, who 

 profess Hinduism. The capital, Bombay (pop. 

 800,000), is spread over a considerable surface, 

 the houses of the wealthier European inhabit- 

 ants standing apart among gardens and orch- 

 ards. In the native town, the houses are small, 

 and the streets narrow and crowded. Bom- 

 bay is the seat of a great trade with Europe 

 by the Suez Canal, and with the Persian Gulf. Its 

 population is oT the most varied character. The 

 Parsees, who are descended from Persian ancestors, 

 who left their native country to escape Moham- 

 medan persecution, are the most remarkable sec- 

 tion of the population. They adhere to their 

 old religion, and conduct, as merchants, a great 

 share of the business of Western India. Poonah 

 (pop. 130,000), which stands at an elevation of 

 2000 feet, is an important military post. 



2. The Madras presidency, which occupies a 

 great part of the eastern slope of the Deccan. The 

 alluvial tracts watered and irrigated by the 

 Godavery and Krishna, and other rivers, supply 

 great crops of rice ; maize and sugar are also 

 cultivated. Along the coast and in sandy districts, 

 the cocoa-nut and other palm trees are cultivated. 

 The population exceeds 31 millions. The chief 

 languages are Telugu and Tamil. The chief 

 religion is Hinduism, and Brahmans are more 

 numerous in the presidency than elsewhere in 

 India. The Mohammedans are not numerous. 

 Madras (pop. 406,000) is the seat of government. 

 The shore is here low, and dangerous to approach 

 by vessels, which have to load and discharge by 

 means of boats, pulled through a heavy surf. On 

 the beach stands Fort St George, a place of con- 

 siderable strength. A noble range of public edi- 

 fices, including a custom-house and court-house, 

 also adorns what is called the north beach. 

 Madras differs in appearance from Calcutta. It 

 has properly no European town, the settlers resid- 

 ing in houses in the suburbs, in the midst of 

 gardens, and transacting business in the district 

 appropriated to the residence of the natives. 



3. The Central Provinces, which have a popu- 



lation of 9 millions, more backward than any 

 in India, and consisting of Mahrattas, Moham- 

 medans, and Gonds. A great proportion of the 

 people, including those last named, dwell in rude 

 huts in the forests, and subsist by the chase. 

 Nagpoor, the capital (pop. 98,000), consists chiefly 

 of mud huts. It has only one good street. 



4. Hyderabad, the name now given to the 

 dominions of the Nizam of the Deccan. The 

 state has a population of 10 millions. The cli- 

 mate is one of the most salubrious in India. 

 The soil is arid, but, when irrigated, produces fine 

 crops. Hyderabad, the capital of this native 

 state, has a pop. of 354,000. 



Ceylon. 



The island of Ceylon, though closely connected 

 with British India, and also a British possession, 

 is administratively distinct, under its own gover- 

 nor. Ceylon is a rich and beautiful island, rising 

 in the centre to a table-land, round which runs 

 a low belt of coast plains. The population is 

 above two and a half millions. The chief in- 

 habitants are the Singhalese, who occupy the 

 south and south-west coasts. They are Buddhists 

 in the interior, Christians on the coast. In the 

 north-east, there is a Tamil population, who are 

 Hindus. Colombo (pop. 40,000) is the residence 

 of the governor. Point de Galle (pop. 18,000) 

 is the point at which the Indian and Australian 

 steamers touch. Ceylon was successively Portu- 

 guese, Dutch, and English. 



INDO-CHINA. 



Indo-China forms a peninsula, bounded on 

 three sides by the sea. It has not a well-marked 

 frontier on the north. It consists of a table-land 

 with an elevation of from 5000 to 6000 feet, and 

 traversed by lofty mountain-chains, which, as they 

 run south, spread out like fingers. The basins 

 they form correspond, or nearly so, with the old 

 political divisions Burmah, Siam, Cambodia, and 

 Cochin-China. The whole country lies within 

 the tropical zone ; but the northern table-land 

 has a temperate climate. The whole peninsula is 

 copiously watered, and very fertile. The popula- 

 tion, including the semi-independent Laos or 

 Shan states in the interior, is about 40 millions. 

 The inhabitants (save in the long peninsula of 

 Malacca, where they are Malays) are of Mon- 

 golian stock, speaking languages resembling 

 the Chinese, but divided into five groups : (i) 

 the Anamese, spoken in Tonquin and Cochin- 

 China ; (2) the Cambodian ; (3) the Siamese ; 

 (4) the Burmese ; (5) the Mon, a dialect spoken 

 in the delta of the Irrawadi. In the east, the 

 inhabitants in their personal appearance and 

 habits resemble the Chinese most closely. In 

 the west, they have been much influenced by the 

 languages and civilisation of India. 



The chief countries are Burmah, Siam, and 

 Anam. 



i. Burmah includes the basins of the Irrawadi 

 and Saluen, and a narrow plain to the north and 

 south of them running along the Gulf of Bengal. 

 The lowland country forms an elevated tract, much 

 of which lies at an elevation of 2000 feet. The 

 maritime provinces are low and damp, with a 

 rich soil. They are not, however, well cultivated. 

 Rice is the chief product. In the towns, the manu- 

 facture of pottery, silver ornaments, and jewellery, 



