1853.] Contributions to the Statistics of Bengal. 399 



Taking the mean of all the above Tables then, it may thus be 

 pretty safely admitted, that the adult male population of Rajshahye 

 consumes about 1 seer, 3 chittaks of food per man per day, which 

 amounts in English weight to about 38 oz. 



Comparing the quantity with that consumed in England, it will be 

 seen that the Bengal peasant of this district and time, labours under 

 no comparative disadvantage. 



In the Eeport of the Commissioners for inquiring into the admi- 

 nistration and operation of the Poor Laws (1834) Mr. Chadwick 

 gives the following statement of the average consumption of solid 

 food per week by different classes. 



An independent labourer, 122 oz. per week. 



A soldier, 1(58 



An able-bodied pauper, 151 



Now taking the mean of the above Tables, we get a daily allow- 

 ance of 1 seer, 3 chittaks, or about 266 oz. per week, for the 

 Bajeshye peasant.* 



So much for the quantity, but taking quality also into our con- 

 sideration it will again be found in a perusal of the following extract 

 from Mr. Senior's " Statement of the provision for the poor, and of 

 the condition of the labouring classes in a considerable portion of 

 America and Europe," that the Bengal peasant stands in a very fa- 

 vourable position in that respect also. 



" Quantity of food used by an agricultural labourer having a wife 

 and four children." 



" America, New York.— Tea, coffee, meat, twice a-day. Massa- 

 chusetts. — Poultry, meat, or fish, twice or thrice a-day. 



" Mexico.— Maize, prepared either in porridge or thin cakes, and 

 beans, with chilly a hot pepper, of which they eat large quantities as 

 seasoning. 



" Oarthagena de Columbia. — Chiefly animal food. 



" Venezuela. — Maize, vegetables, and fruit. 



" Uruguay. — Animal food. 



* This excess in quantity over the English diet roll is of course due to the 

 Tvant of concentration of the nutritive elements. 



3 E 



