﻿IN 



HINDUSTAK. 



HINDU8TAK. 



IM 



meridian (if (loynlpore it truTerus the Brabmapdtrm, ud attaiu in • 

 that ilini-tion the Hiiiuilit}'* Moiintain*. On thia ud* the pUin ia 

 c<>nii>H-t<<<I with the maritime low tnot of ChittagODg and the valleys 

 of Silhet nnd Amoi, which differ considerably in their natural charutar 

 from the plain of Bengal 



The plain of Bengal comprehends four natural diTiaiona ; the Son- 

 derbunds, the ooantry subject to inundation, the country which ia 

 not inundated, and the Tanu. 



The Sunderbunds occupy the most southern part of the plain 

 between the mouths of the Oanges and Brshmaptitrs, and aa far 

 Dortli aa the salt water of the sea is carried by the tideo. The district 

 extends farthest alons the Horingotta branch, where it advancea to 

 the neighbourhood of Colna, a distance of 70 miles : the mean width 

 may be about 50 milea. The tract ia entirely uncultivated. The 

 ■oil is extremely swampy all the year round, and overgrown with tall 

 trees, which produce excellent timber. The thicketa are inhabited 

 by tigers, rhinocero s e s , and other wild animals ; while the numerous 

 twancbes into which the different arms of the Ganges divide within 

 this tract harlwur erooodilee. The inhabitants are lev, owing to the 

 great nnhealthiness of the country. Their occupationit are the cutting 

 down of timber trees, and the preparation of salt from the sea- 

 water, which enters the rivers and canals with the tides. It is only 

 towards the two extremities, along the Hoogly and the principnl 

 branch of the Oanges, that some cultivated tracts occur within the 

 Sunderbunds. 



The country subject to inundation comprehends not only what is 

 called the Delta, or the country between the branches of the Ganges, 

 but also the country between the Ganges and the Brahmap<itra, as 

 far north as 25°. The inundation is greatest in the eastern districts, 

 especially where the waters of the Brahmaputra are connected with 

 the Ganges, in which part an immense tract of country is covered for 

 •erend months with water many feet deep, so that at the end of June 

 the towns and villages, which are built on artificial mounds and pro- 

 tected by embaukioeiite, appear like islands. The river baa then risen 

 15 feet above its level in the dry season, but it still continues to rise 

 for several weeks, about 6 inches every day. At Custee it rises 

 between 81 and 82 feet; at Dacca, only 14 feet; at Luckipoor, not 

 more than 6 feet ; in the Sunderbunds it is not perceptible. In 

 October, when the water rapidly decreases, the country is sown with 

 rice, and the produce of this tract is sufficient to furnish the whole 

 plain of Bengal with this principal article of food. The western 

 districts of the country subject to inundation are only slightly covered 

 with water; and though they likewise produce rice, they are princi- 

 pally covered with plantations of mulberry-trees; while in the 

 northern parts indigo, sugar, cotton, and tobacco are raised in abun- 

 dance. The plantations, with which the villages are surrounded, 

 eonsist of mango-trees, cocoa-trees, and other kinds of palms. The 

 whole of this plain is covered with alluvial earth to a depth of ISO or 

 140 feet, and no wells have been made in it 



The country not subject to inundation lies partly west of the 

 Boogly, and partly north of 25° N. lat. The district west of the 

 Hoogly is of great fertility, especially Bnrdwan, which produces grain, 

 ■ngar, cotton, silk, and indigo, in great abundance and of excellent 

 quality : it is the best cultivated, most populous, and most pnxluctive 

 district in India. The country north of 25° N. lat. is fertile and well 

 cultivated in its southern districts; farther north large tracts of 

 waste land occur, which are covered with rank grass and reeds. 

 These sterile tracts increase in number and extent as they approach 

 theTarai 



The Tarai (the swamp) divides the plain of the Ganges from the 

 lower rwion of the Himalaya Mountains, and extends from the banks 

 of the Brabmapfitra along the foot of the mountains to the place 

 where the Ganges issues from them at Uurdwor. But it varies in 

 width and also in character, narrowing insennibly as it proceeds 

 farther to the north-west In Bengal it is from 20 to 25 miles across, 

 but towards its north-western extremity only a few miles wide. It is 

 • deep swamp of great fertility, which is covered with a vigorous 

 ▼egetation and large forest-trees, and is the haunt of numerous wild 

 ■n fm als. The inhabitants are few and miserable ; they chiefly main- 

 tain themselves by cnttbg down the forest-trees, which are sent to 

 Calcutta and other towns in BengaL Farther north, in Babar, Oude, 

 and Kohilcund, the underwoo<l and the climbing plants disappear, 

 and the ground between the trees is covered with long coarse grass, 

 which being destroyed by putting Are to it, herds of cattle pasture on 

 uc new Brass which immediately springs up. 



The ITain of Babar, which extends west of the river Coosy and the 

 Bajmahal Hills as far as the meridian of Allahabad, is divided by the 

 Ganges into two regions. The southern, or Bahar Proper, ia narrowed 

 •t both extremities by the Kajmahal Hills and the projecting ofSkeU 

 of the Kimoor Mountains. Its surface along the banks of the river 

 is undulating, but farther south it rises into hilla By the industry of 

 ita inhabitanU this country has attained such a degree of cultivation 

 that it rsMmbles a garden. Its principal products are opium, indigo, 

 lies, and cotton. [Bahaii.1 The oountay north of the Ganges is 

 called Tirhnt or Trihnia. Its surface is undulating, and the districts 

 which border on the Ganges do not differ much from Bahar Proper in 

 ■oil and cultirition. But nl.out 30 or 40 ii.ili-i from Iho river larg.i 

 tracta ai« covered with forwt-tices, especially eaul twes, which 



increase in extent as the country approaches the Tanu. The great 

 abundance of water in the rainy season forms extensive lakes, which 

 render this part of the Oangctic plain very unhealthy, and prevent the 

 extension of cultivation. 



West of the meridian of Allahabad, the Oangetic plain comprehends 

 the Doab, or couutr}- between the rivers Oangej and Jumna, together 

 with Oude and Rohilcund. The surface slopes with rapidity, descrad- 

 ing from north-west to south-east from 1200 feet to 300 or 400 feet, 

 and consequently the running water is soon drained off, and the soil 

 is dry. As the beat of the summer, though excessive, lasts only a 

 short time, and the cold in winter ia considerable, the vegetation difers 

 greatly from that of the lower plain. The winter crops resemble Uiosa 

 of Europe, consisting chiefly of wheat, barley, oats, and millet together 

 >vith peas, beana, and vetches; siso tobacco, flax, and hemp. The 

 summer crops, which grow during the rainy season, are rice, javary, 

 cotton, indigo, tto. The palm-tree disappears ; but the Kuropean 

 fhiit-treea grow together with bananas, custard-apples, and fruits 

 which have been transplanted from China. 



The country which lies to the west of the Jumna, and extends as 

 far as the banks of the Sutlej and Qharra, constitutes the connecting 

 link between the phuns of the Oanges and the Indua. It is a level 

 tract Where this plain borders on the Himalayas, it is in some 

 measure watered and fertilised by the numerous small rivers which 

 originate along the declivity of the lower range ; and numerous vil- 

 lages, with some cultivated tracts, occur here. But the small volume 

 of water brought down by these rivers is soon absorbed by the sandy 

 soil, and some of them cease to flow at a distance of about 30 to 40 

 miles. The remainder unite in one somewhat larger stream, the 

 Qagur, which continues to flow for about 100 miles, and then also is 

 lost in the sand. With the decrease of the waters of these rivers the 

 country gradually assumes the dismal aspect of the Indian desert 

 At the few inhabited places fresh water can only be found at a 

 depth of from 50 to iOO feet 



In the Uangetic plain the rains set in towards the end of April or 

 in May : they are however not abundant in Calcutta before the begin- 

 ning of June. In the countries farther east, as Chittagong and Silhet, 

 the abundant rains begin a month earlier. At Calcutta the mean 

 annual quantity of rain is 71 to 72 inches, but at Dacca it probably 

 doeii not fall short of 100 inches. The heat is excessive all the year 

 round, but especially so before the setting in of the raina. The mean 

 annual temperature of Calcutta is 79° of Fahrenheit ; that of the hut- 

 test month (May) 86° ; and that of the coldest (Janiuu7) 67°. The 

 climate changes greatly as soon as the hills of Kajmahal are passed in 

 ascending the Ganges. In Bahar the difference between the hottest 

 and coldest season is much greater. The quantity of rain at Benares 

 does not exceed 404 inches annually, and the raius set in there a month 

 later. The difference between Bahar and the Doab, in respect of 

 climate, is not so great as between Bengal and Bahar, though the 

 difference of elevation is greater, a great portion of the Doab being 

 more than 600 or 700 feet above Bahar. The western tlistricts of the 

 Doab are visited during the hot season by scorching westerly winds 

 from the Indian desert The rains are abundant in the district* 

 between the Himalayas and the Ganges, but much less ao in those 

 farther west, and very moderate to the west of the Jumna. Farther 

 to the west in the desert country between the Jumna and Sutlej very 

 little rain falls. 



The Oangetic plain is the most fertile, the best cultivated, and most 

 thickly inhabited portion of Hindustan. It contains more than one- 

 half of all its population, and the number of large towns is con- 

 siderable. Some of these towns are noticed elsewhere. [AonA ; Alla- 

 nABAO; BACKERaVNQE; Bahak ; Bareillt; Bkkabes; BuaurooR; 

 BunuwAN; Calcutta; Cawnpoor; Dacca; Delhi; DiNAOEroRK; 

 FcRRVCKABAO; Ftzabas ; MooRsiiEDADAD ; Pdrmkah ; RajmauaL.] 

 Colna, at the confluence of the Chundna and Gurroy, branches of the 

 Ganges, is a rapidly increasing place. Palna, the modem capital of 

 Bahar province, is situated on the right bank of the Ganges, in 25° 36' 

 N. lat, 85° 15' E. long. The city within the walls is about a mile and 

 a half long, from east to west, and about three-quarters of a mile 

 broad, from north to south. This part of the city is very closely 

 built, but the suburbs are of far greater extent, and the buildings 

 altogether extend for 9 miles along the Ganges, with a breadth of about 

 2 miles ; but the buildings outside the walls ore irregularly placed, 

 and there are considerable spaces between them. The greater number 

 of the houses are of mud, the reat are built of bricks. Nearly all the 

 roofs aretDed. The population is about 300,000, of whom two-thirds 

 are Hindoos, and the remainder Moliamuicdaus ; the number of 

 Europeans is very smaU. The city is the scat of a considerable bank- 

 ing trade. A considerable trade is also carried on in opium, rice, 

 saltpetre, cotton cloths, and silk goods. Monghir, a fortress with a 

 population of 20,000, is noted for ita manufactures of iron. The great 

 commercial town of Minapoor, on the right bank of the Gauges, 

 between Allahabad and Benares, ia the chief market for ailk and cotton, 

 and is estimated to contain a population of from 200,000 to 800,000. 

 Oaya, the capital of Bahar district, situated on the Fulgo, a small 

 feeder of the Oaoge*, has 36,000 inhabitants and a famouK temple of 

 Viahau, which is visited by a great numlier of ]iilgrini8. The towns 

 of Tirhut have not yet risen to iin|>urtanco, but are rapidly incrcaciiig 

 with the extension of cultivation in this fertile district Valpte is stiU 



