1841. J On the Salts, called Puckwah and Phool-Kharee. 949 



Population (according to him) of Patna and Behar,... 33,64,420 

 Bhagulpore, . . 20,19,900 



Total 5,384,320 



In Rungpore he speaks of the gunpowder-makers, but not of the 

 Atusbaz. I do not know if he means the same thing, and it is not un- 

 likely in small places, that the two trades are exercised by the same per- 

 son. In Calcutta I find they are sometimes mixed and sometimes se- 

 parate. We must also recollect that, in India, great numbers of individu- 

 als as often make their own gunpowder as buy it. I leave then the 

 mere gunpowder-makers out of the question, and look only at the fire- 

 work-makers. 



If we take the 162 artizans in this trade, to find employment each for 

 3 workmen at 5 Rupees, and the master to make 7 Rupees per month 

 we have per month, ... ... ... Rupees 22 



For 162 artists, this is per month, of profits,* ... .. 3,564 



or 12 per annum profits, ... ... ... 42,768 



If we take the profits to be 10 per cent, on the capital 



employed, this will be capital employed ... ... 4,27,680 



If we take about three-fourths of this to be in Saltpetre, 



we may say for Saltpetre, .. ... ... ... 3,00,000 



At 6 Rs. per maund, this is, ... ... ... Maunds 50,000 



Now 50,000 maunds of Saltpetre annually, for a population of 

 5,384,000 would give, for one of 50 millions, about 4,62,000 maunds 

 of Saltpetre, which, when we take all the home-made gunpowder and 

 other manufacturing demands into consideration, is not so far from 

 our former calculation. Patna, Behar, and Bhaugulpore comprise, 

 I may observe, all varieties of population, from a great and luxurious 

 city to the wild Hill tribes ; and thus offer the elements of a fair 

 average. Like all Indian statistical questions, the elements are so un- 

 certain, that they are really but mere approximate notions, and I should 

 not have occupied your time with it, were it not that the question of 

 *' what is the internal consumption of Saltpetre," is really an important 

 one in our estimate. If we say that the 5,00,000 maunds of Saltpetre 

 are worth at 6 rupees, 30,00,000 Rs., this would still not give an ex- 

 penditure of one pice each in fire works for 50 millions of population. 



* Wages must be paid out of profits. 



