cxl 



NORTH- WESTERN PROVINCES. 



311. The North-West Provinces, according to the census and 



statistical account taken in 1865, contains 

 f ^ ^ area of 25,375,327 acres, out of which 



22,293,819 are cultivated, and 3,081,508 are 

 unassessed. Some changes in the province have occurred of late years, as 

 in 1858 a greater portion of the Delhi district, including 2,195,180 persons, 

 was transferred to the Panjab, the Pergunnah of Lonee, on the left bank 

 of the Jumna, alone being retained, and it was merged into Meerut. In 

 Mr. Probyn's report, it was observed that the North-West Provinces 

 have an area of 216,152 square kilometres, with an average population 

 of 139*30 to the kilometre, the density being thus amongst the highest 

 on record. Of the 30,110,615 persons who were present in 1865, the 

 agricultural class numbered 21,342,403, or two-thirds of the whole 

 amount. " The extremes of density (1865) in the sub-divisions, into 

 which the districts of the North-West are divided, vary from 6,773 to 

 the square mile in Dehat Amanut of Benares (which contains the city 

 of that name), to 37 to the square mile in Agoree, Robertsgunge, in the 

 Mirzapur district. * * The Agra division is the most thickly popu- 

 lated, containing 474 to the square mile; next in order is Gouchpur, 

 with 465 to the square mile. Benares stands next with 447 to the square 

 mile ; then Rohilcund with 440 ; last in order are Meerut 415, Jansie 

 198, Ajmere 160, and Kumaon 58 to the mile.-" Nearly 26 millions 

 are Hindus, and 4i millions Mahomedans, the latter being most nu- 

 merous in Meerut and Rohilcund, where they comprise one-fifth of the 

 population, whilst more than half of these reside in the northern dis- 

 tricts. There are 560 castes or sub-castes of Hindus,, irrespective of 

 Christians, Mahomedans, Parsees, Bengalees, Madrassees, Thibetans, 

 and Chinese, raising the number to 574. The Brahmins number 3,541,692, 

 and have 70 sub-divisions; the Kshatryas 2,827,768 with 175; the 

 Vaisyas 1,091,250 with 65; the Sudras 18,304,309 with 230; those 

 unnoticed 12,336; Sikhs 1,425; Jains 49,983; other sects 195,977 ; 

 Christians 37; Mahomedans unclassed 2,207,576; Sheiks 1,140,108; 

 Pathans 515,526; Syuds 170,248; Moguls 41,748; Parsees 76; Bengalees 

 1,148; Madrassees 26; Thibetans 67, and Chinese 37. 



312. The most important rivers in the British territory are the 



Ganges and Jumna, which, arising in the 



Rivers and Canals in the Himalayas, pass down through the Sub-Hima- 

 North-West Provinces : also the j Sewaliks, and joining at Allahabad are 



rainfall. J , . , . . 4 n mi 



continued into the Lower Provinces. Inese 



rivers, near their sources and first parts of their course, receive numerous 

 hill affluents, many of which are not snow-fed, and these warm streams 

 are the natural breeding-grounds of most of the important species of fish, 

 especially the mahaseer ; irrespective of this, however, very many of the 

 sorts which, though despised by Europeans, are consumed by natives, find 

 here the natural locality in which to deposit their spawn. All, or nearly 



