76 The Ethnology of India. 
in Malabar, it appears that most of the cultivating Bramins there are 
of Tamil extraction. Many of them condescend to officiate as astro- 
logers and religious guides to the very lowest and scarcely Hindu 
castes of Southern India. 
Briefly I would thus recapitulate the position of the Bramins in 
the principal Provinces of India. 
In Kashmir, they are altogether dominant by the peat and pen, 
but are not military. 
In the Punjab, Scinde, and countries about the Saraswatee, Bramins 
are superseded by other races, and are only found here and there in 
the eastern part of this tract as industrious cultivators claiming to be 
the ancient occupants of the country. 
Jn Hindustan, Bramins have altogether lost literate predominance 
(with the exception of some immigrant Cashmeerees), and also 
political predominance, except something retained by quasi-Bramins 
of mixed caste in the extreme east of this country. But they 
constitute a large section of the population of Hindustan, especi- 
ally of the eastern half, and a large proportion of the cultivators, 
soldiers, de. 
In Bengal and Orissa, Bramins form a large portion of the Hindu 
population, occupy to a great extent an aristocratic position, and have 
a large share in the superior rights in land, in offices, and in the 
literate professions; but are at the same time quite rivalled by 
Kaists. 
In the Maratta country, Bramins are altogether dominant in literate 
work, and have the largest share of political power. 
In the Telinga country, Bramins are in possession of most of the 
literate work, and apparently of a good deal of office, land, We. 
but my information is very imperfect. 
In the South of India, Bramins have but a moderate share of the 
literate work; but on the West Coast, they have a large share 
of the land and form a large proportion of the best cultivating 
population; while in the east of this country they seem to be not 
dominant and are rivalled by several other tribes, though here also 
they are numerous and employed in many capacities, secular as well 
as sacerdotal. 
