1853.] Contributions to tie Statistics of Bengal. 391 



The absence of all entry under the head of " schooling" (column 

 24,) would not imply the entire absence of education, as such may 

 have been paid for in kind. Column 28 exhibits the balance for, 

 or against. When the latter occurs, it is shewn by asterisks, but, 

 according to the Table, this unfavourable condition only existed 

 in eight cases out of the hundred. 



The sums contained in this Balance Column, however, it must be 

 remembered are still chargeable with the heavy demands consequent 

 upon pujas, Marriage and Burial ceremonies, as well as the possible 

 interest of debts. It is to be regretted that I did not ascertain the 

 current outlay due to the latter. Putting debt aside, however, which 

 ought to form but an unimportant item in a healthy state of society, 

 the foregoing Table offers a favourable view of the resources, and ad- 

 aptations of income to expenditure in a native of Bengal. 



Having thus endeavoured to determine the average income and 

 expenditure of one hundred families, who may be regarded as types 

 of the great mass of the inhabitants of Bengal, it became a point of 

 interest to ascertain the actual quantity and quality of food consumed 

 daily by the same class. JSTo opportunity for effecting this inquiry 

 occurred during my subsequent stay at Chittagong. As soon as I 

 became sufficiently acquainted with Kajeshye, however, I put it in 

 operation. Forms of inquiry regarding the separate daily consump- 

 tion of food of twenty men were accordingly placed in the hands of 

 six Darogahs attached to the same number of separate Thannahs of 

 Kajeshye. These were accompanied by full instructions to the effect 

 that twenty inhabitants of the nearest village should be individually 

 and separately questioned as to the amount and kind of food daily 

 consumed by each. On my receipt of these detailed tables the 

 Totals for every five men were tabulated as below, and from their 

 total again the mean quantity was computed. The fact of six returns, 

 made by as many separate inquiries, differing so little from each 

 other in mean results, and approximating so closely to the table 

 formed by myself, on which I bestowed considerable care, gives them 

 a claim to reliability which in the absence of such checks they would 

 have failed to possess. 



3 d 



