joor 



HKXr.Al.. 





,... 



which from the quicVnH nml luxuriance of tl:cir prowth ore so useful 

 to the peasantry of India fur tin- lu-ir dwellings and 



many other domestic uses, are everywhere Been. Flowers are abun- 

 dant, beautiful, and in great variety, but except roses and a few others 

 they are scentless. 



The cattle employed in husbandry are of small M/.C, and their value 

 u seldom greater than five or six rupees (ten or twelve shillings) per 

 bead, Bufialoes are kept for the sake of their milk. Sheep are of 

 very diminutive size, but when well fed their flesh is excellent Their 

 wool is used for making coarse blankets for the natives. The horses 

 of Bengal are of a very inferior breed, ill-shaped, and but little adapted 

 for labour of any kind. Klephauts and camel.", which are much used 

 among the wealthier inhabitants, are kept in good condition, and arc 

 Terr serviceable on journeys and for the conveyance of goods. 



The streets of every town of Bengal are infested by dogs often 

 without owners. The woods or jungles teem with animal life. Innu- 

 merable apes and monkeys inhabit the woods, and frequently visit the 

 villages, where they ore fed by the inhabitants, who consider them 

 sacred animals. The sanctity of the lirahminy bull secures for him 

 here the kindest treatment, and he rambles over the c.mntry 

 not only without molestation, but receiving caresses from the people. 

 Bed-deer, fallow-deer, elks, antelopes, and goats are numerous. In 

 the Sunderbnnds, or Delta of the Ganges, tigers occasionally attack 

 and carry off some of the natives. 



A large species of heron (A rdea A rgala) frequents the towns in 

 considerable numbers. They perform the office of scavengers, and 

 are so useful that no disturbance is ever offered to tin-in. 



r'i-h is exceedingly abundant, and within the reach of almost every 

 class of inhabitants. The fish most highly esteemed is the mango, so 

 called from its making its appearance during the season when that 

 fruit is most abundant The bicktee and sable-fish arc much esteemed 

 by Europeans. Mullet are numerous, and are taken by shooting them 

 ' with small shot, as they swim against the stream close to the surface. 

 A small but excellent kind of oysters is found on the coast of Chitta- 

 gong. Turtle is procured from the island of Cheduba in the Bay of 

 Bengal. Almost every stream in the province is infested by alligators, 

 and in all the large rivers porpoises ascend to a distance of 200 miles 

 from the sea. 



Mineral*. The province of Bengal is poor in mineral productions. 

 The hills in Silhct produce iron ore. Iron is made at Punduoh. 

 Some petroleum springs exist in the same district [SIMIKT.] 



i- ab.mdant in the Jungle Mahals. Coal and iron ore ore 

 procured in Birbhum, and iron-works have long been carried on there 

 by the natives. Extensive forests occur in the neighbourhood of these 

 works, and charcoal is used iu smelting the ore. Coal is also found 

 in contiguity with iron in the Silhet and Burdwan district*. Nitre is 

 abundant, and is extensively exported from Bengal ; in 1845 the 

 quantity imported into England from British India amounted to 

 307.303 barrels. Salt is also largely produced iu Bengal. 



The presidency of Bengal comprises the provinces of Bengal, 

 Allahabad, Cuttuck, Ceded districts on the Nerbuddnh, (lin 

 the territory east of the Ganges to the frontiers of Hinna, ami the 

 north-western provinces, which are treated as a scparat 

 sometimes called the Presidency of Agra. Of the native states of 

 HindimUn which are within the limits of the political supremacy of 

 the East India Company, though not under its direct rule, about 170 



state*, with an area of 607,948 square miles, an annual rovem i 



about m millions of pounds sterling, and a population of 44,255,517, 

 being about five-sixths of the entire population of the native states 

 bearing that relation to the East India Company, arc in correspond- 

 ence with the presidency of Bengal The military resources of these 

 state* are cavalry, 54.f,71 ; infantry, 287,309; artillery, ; 

 The aggregate annual subsidy, tribute, or other payment by these 

 states to the company's government amounts to about SOO.min?. 



In the lower provinces of Bengal the land is held elm-fly on the 

 xeuiindary tenure, th,- chief feature of which is the cultivation of the 

 soil in common, or tinder a kind of joint-stock system. I 

 of a |>ermanent settlement made by Lord Cornwall!* th- 

 in precluded from deriving any increase of revenue fi 

 cultural improvement of the country. In the n->rth-wei.i. 

 the system adopted is that called the 1'utteedarce sottl.-m nt. under 

 which an estate U sub-divided, and each member cultivate* hi* own 

 plot ; but all are jointly responsible to the government for the 

 aggregate amount of assessment on the land. This assessment, 

 >ted on two-thirds of the net rent, ha* been fixed for a period 

 <>f thirty year*. The result of this syitem is that every landholder, 

 however small his possession, is to a certain extent a capital 

 i* more directly interested in the profitable cultivation of his land. 

 d deal ha* l>ecn done of late years in the construction ..f 

 road" ' Hi- province and presidency of Bengal. The 



trunk-mad from Calcutta to Delhi, 887 mile* long, commenced 

 about 1886 and constructed at an expense, including bridge*, of 

 nearly lOOOi. a mile, beside* the cot* of convict labour employed on 

 H, ha ruled from Delhi to Kumoul, 7* mile, and is to be 



rrie ,,,t 458 miles beyond Kiirnoul. A road 



from QalcuMS) to Aim is cmmet twelve yean 



made from Ahmednugger to Bombay, 168 mile*, makes 1170 miles in 



all. The cost of making this road was about : The road 



Agra to Btu miles, commenced in 



3301. a mile. The estimated e.\|H-nn; of keeping it in re; 

 5000/. a year fur distance. The expenses i 



connection with the making and repair of roads, bri 

 government buildings, and other public world ii 



during ten years (1840-49) amounted t 



of convict labour, which is employed to a coi >.Unt on tin- 



public workx. Within the last two or three years a grant of 

 of rupees (nearly a million of pounds sterling) hn.s been made ! 

 East India Company for the completion of the Cangca Canal, 

 canal, which is now nearly finished, will, ineludii -ies, be 



810 miles in length : it is 10 i '-u feet wide :it : 



its general width at top is 200 feet; its total cost v irds of 



.' 001. 



' fnvr in 1 



of the power --I" th-- K:i'.r!i h in Kenu-al date- from tin- \- .u- I'i.'.L'. when 

 through the influence ot a in,- ho had bet i, 



1, where he had successfully applied his ; 

 skill, a licence was given permitting the Kngll 

 to trade to an unlimited extent free fr- 

 duties ; this privilege was granted u] 

 nominal sum of 8000 rupees. T'-. 



countrymen in the province appears to have been at the t-.n ->f 

 Hoogly, '1'A miles higher up the river thn ., h--K- 



formed was considered 



It was not until 1698 that the Knglish factory was removed from 

 Hoogly to Calcutta, and that Fort William was built. This .- 

 was obtained by purchase as a zemindar}'. In 1707 the xubonl ; 

 to Madras ceased, and Calcutta was mode a separate presidency. In 

 1717 the company obtained a license from the Mogul, permitting the 

 purchase of lands contiguous to the factory, and continuing the 

 exemption of their trade from duties. In 1756 the English au 

 ties in Calcutta having been induced by the di 

 ings on the part of the French, then at war with England, to strei 

 their fortifications, the Soubahdar of Bengal, Suraja Dowla, wl 

 never been friendly to the Knglish, made this a pretext for at' 

 the city. The outposts were assailed on the 18th of .Inn 

 after two days the fort was carried by storm. ( in the lit 4 day ->f the' 

 following year, Calcutta wa retaken by the English : on the '_" 

 June following the nabob was defeated at Plossey by < ; and 



e.irly in July was assassinated by order of the son of hi> 



From this time may be dated the beginning of the absolute e. 

 rnent of the English in Bengal, although the I -li-.rity 



to collect the revenue, was ihe M.^-i:; 



Allum until the 12th of August- 17<lj. I Ihl- ccs-i- 



possessions of the East India Company in Bengal wen- th. 

 Cossimhazar, Dacca, and Calcutta, with a district in tii. 

 the last-named city denominated the 24 Perguiinah, situated i 

 pally to the south of Calcutta, on the east side of tl 

 The grant of this district was mode in the first instj; 

 personal jaghire, or leasehold estate, of Lord ('live, by v. 

 enjoyed until 1775, when it came into the full possession of tie 

 India Company. 



The grant of the Dewannee already mentioned was con- 

 wishes of Nujeem ad Dowla, then soubahd.ir, or nabob. 

 Such however was the power of the Knglish that he wo* com: 

 to submit, and to transfer the managci province with all 



it* advantages to the company, upon the assign m 

 pension equal to nearly half a mil! 



yearly paym--nt of 26 lacs of rupee*, at that time e-pial to about, 

 300,00i' 



Shah Allum, but this annuity was considered to be f.-i f. .-ilc.l. 

 that prince placed himself voluntarily in tl:. I, m,l of the MahrattaB. 

 :m:d payment wan afterwards fixed at 15 lacs of rupees, at 

 whieh rale it has remained ever since. 



Ih -currcnce of those event* the Engli ' 



undisputed master* of tin- province of I .1 of which 



come the seat of government t.. which th-- I".MIP,,I 

 other | have been made subordinate. IV,.m tl 



.1 occurrence* within this provii, 

 idered as applicable to the wh-.l-'-.f H' 

 will be found a statement of 

 of our K.istcrn empire. 



7V, .,;i.. The province of Bengal is divided into 17 



rirunge, llirbhum. I'.in 



'la' a. I. Xn,i,!e:.li. I'' 



Rajshahr, Kunirpurp, Silhet. Tipernh, the 24 Pergnnnahs, Midi 

 and the Jungle Mahals. 



ulati.m of the; n district* in 1822 w.i 



mated at 23,858,760, in a statement given in Ih- -A].|.. n,!K t.. the 

 Keport of thn Sleot Committee of the lion: -ms -m tin- 



Aim! m ->f the Kast India Company,' which coin' 



::i 1S31. The total population of the provinces immediately 

 subject to t ngal in utat .1 in tl 



have been esrtimj' :2 at 69,71 <'.f>71. I 



Syke*, one of the director* -'ft! 

 Statistical Return' of tho area, revenue, population, Ac., of the 



