ANCIENT INDIA. 



11 



simply from absence of information regarding them. In a 

 climate of extremes such as that of India, with dry heat at 

 one period, and heavy rainfalls at another, refuse matters are 

 removed to a greater extent than would be the case in more 

 temperate regions. 



Of the great officers of State, those who had charge of cities, 

 were anciently divided into six bodies of five each. The 

 members of the first looked after everything relating to the 

 industrial arts ; those of the second attended to the entertain- 

 ment of foreigners ; they assigned to them lodgings ; they 

 kept watch over their modes of life by means of those persons 

 whom they gave them for assistants ; they escorted them on 

 their way when they were leaving the country, or, in the 

 event of their dying, forwarded their property to their 

 relatives ; when sick they took care of them ; when they 

 died had their bodies buried and temporarily took care of 

 their property ; and this illustrates the manner in which the 

 dead were disposed of in those /?re-cremation days. The 

 third body inquired when and how births and deaths occurred, 

 with a view not only of levying taxes, but that births and 

 deaths might not escape the cognizance of government. 

 The fourth class superintended commerce and trade, weights 

 and measures. The fifth superintended manufactured articles 

 that were sold by public notice. The sixth class collected 

 the tenths of prices of articles sold. These classes are now 

 more or less fully represented by our City Magistrates and 

 Town Councils. 



The village in fact became the basis of a political orga- 

 nization and type of the kingdom of which it was an 

 individual member. The headman was the rajah ; there was 

 a council of elders. At a later period it had its own officials 

 including accountant, watchman, priest, physician, musician, 

 and artisans of various crafts. In rural districts inspectors 

 observed the yearly inundations, and looked after the great 



