836 General Notes. { October, 
be at once comprehensive and minute. Hence the provincial ga- 
zetteers or accounts occupy about a hundred printed volumes, 
aggregating 36,000 pages. A gigantic task has been completed 
at last, such as had hitherto baffled the efforts of all former gov- 
ernments. At length that central supervision and that methodi- 
cal arrangement were brought to bear for the want of which so 
much able and conscientious work had on former occasions be- 
come labors in vain. But Dr. Hunter’s services did not end here. 
Although the hundred volumes of information on all that relates 
to British India were by no means too elaborate for administra- 
tive requirements, they were not calculated for general use, and 
it was necessary to condense their information into an Jmperial 
Gazetteer for the use of the public.” 
“In the Imperial Gazetteer of India great pains have been taken 
to secure uniformity and due proportion as well as completeness. 
It was necessary that every place which deserved mention should 
be recorded; while it was almost equally desirable that each 
place should receive neither less nor more space than its relative 
importance demanded. On this principle, about eight thousand 
places were selected from the statistical survey for treatment in 
the Imperial Gazetteer. Dr. Hunter then drew up model articles 
showing the exact order of subject and method of treatment; and 
thus, although there were several contributors, complete uniform: 
ity was secured alike in the preparation of the Gazetteer and in 
the method of preparing the survey.” 
“The principal feature of the six volumes that have now been 
published, is the article on India, which occupies 515 pages 40 
is a complete work in itself. The arrangement of this admirable 
treatise is made in accordance with sound principles. The three 
bases of all statistics are space, number and time. Space 1S the 
abstract of all relations of co-existence, number of all relations of 
comparison, time of all relations of sequence. Under the ee 
head Dr. Hunter gives a masterly and most interesting sketch 0 
the geography and physical aspects of British India; under a 
second he furnishes details of the population; and under the ie 
he has drawn up a condensed history of the people of India, 4! 
vided into clearly marked periods, from that of the early ae 
Aryan races to the days of British rule. The value of this exXc® 
lent historical summary is very much enhanced by the vce 
in foot-notes of lists of the principal authorities for each periO® 
and each reign.” . 
_ It supplies a brief but complete history of India from the sci 
inal sources, Sanskrit, Mohammedan and Hindu, show!ns : 
growth of the Hindu race and religion and giving also 4 
account of the present system of government. oe 
0 The three bases of statistics are naturally followed by - se 
nomic statistics of production and distribution ; and in the impo 
: e 
ant section on agriculture and products Dr. Hunter discusses th ee 
clear 
