clxxix 



BENGAL. 



342. The districts under this Government are of an exceedingly 



wide extent and diversified character; por- 

 Province of Bengal. tions being densely, others sparsely, populated. 



A large tract lies in the Delta of the Ganges ; 



some others are hilly, with ranges of a more or less wild character. 

 Excepting Orissa and a few isolated portions, I have not as yet had an 

 opportunity of personally examining the fisheries, and this is the more 

 to be regretted, as the returns are amongst the most incomplete that 

 have been received. 



343. The main rivers are the Brahmaputra to the east, taking its 



course through Assam, receiving many af- 



Main rivers of Bengal. fluents from the Himalayas, and finally fall- 



ing into the Ganges, which last river, in its 



numerous sub-divisions, descends through the centre of the province. 

 On the extreme west is Orissa, a district about 200 miles long, and 

 situated between the ghats and the sea ; it is intersected by a large 

 number of streams crossing it on their passage from the hilly country to 

 the Bay of Bengal. These are generally large water-courses, torrents 

 during the rains, but nearly dry, sandy beds in the dry season. The most 

 westerly of the larger of the rivers is the Mahanuddi. 



344. What proportion of the general population would eat fish could 



they obtain it ? In Burdwan the amount is 



province gy "^ set down at about 95 P er cent v m Hooghly 



90 per cent., and these are all the answers 



to this question circulated to the native officials of the extensive 

 province of Bengal. The Commissioner of Rajshahye, however, reports 

 that in his division fish are largely consumed by all classes of people. From 

 Assam and Orissa no replies at all have been received, but in the latter 

 province, from personal investigations made in 1869, I was given to 

 understand that, with the exception of religious mendicants, and those 

 who have taken a vow that neither themselves nor their descendants 

 shall eat fish, all classes join in its consumption. However, there may 

 be, and probably are, some other exceptions, still the average given in 

 the Hooghly and Burdwan of from 90 to 95 per cent, being permitted to 

 eat it, also probably obtains in Orissa. In Assam I see it is stated 

 that most of the people will eat it. Thus it may fairly be concluded 

 that at the very least three-fourths of the population may be set down as 

 not prohibited by religious scruples from consuming fish. 



345. How are the local markets supplied with fish f Again, there 



is the same want of native returns, which 

 uppHel m insufficientl y are much more likely to be correct than such 



from Europeans, who rarely visit the native 



bazars. In Burdwan Division, the native report is that the supply is not 

 jual to the demand, and if more were brought to the market, they would 

 find a ready sale. In Hooghly, the markets are stated " to be fairly 

 supplied ; the fishermen, however, try to keep up the market price by 



