PEARL FISHERY, SURVEYS, POPULATION OF ARRACAN, &c. 
are all easily transplanted : and that hand- 
some specimens of them are now flourish- 
ing at Guindy, which have been taken 
thither from Madras. 
PEARL FISHERY. 
From a paper published by Lieut. White- 
lock of the Indian Navy, in the Transactions of 
the Geographical Society of Bombay, we learn 
that the pearl fishery in the neighbourhood 
of the Persian Gulf gives employment to no 
less than 30,000 men, and produces 40 lacs 
of rupees’ worth of pearl annually. 
SURVEY OF THE MALDIVES. 
A paper on the Maldives is also pub- 
lished. This curious group of islands is 
on the direct tract of ships bound from 
Calcutta to Bombay. The desire of aiding 
the project of steam navigation ; induced 
to their careful survey ; they were however 
found exceedingly unhealthy, which circum- 
stance has been the great obstacle to their 
foreign intercourse and internalimprovement. 
THE INDUS RIVER. 
A valuable paper is also given on the 
Indus by Lieut. Wood, who has been 
employed by Government in surveying that 
river. This paper contains a narrative of the 
Lieutenant’s passage in the little Steamer 
Indus from Hyderabad to the Sea. The 
result of his experience was rather unfavour- 
able to the navigation of the river, in the 
Delta. 
POPULATION AND EXTENT 
OF 
CACHAR AND ARRACAN. 
We learn from a report on the eastern 
frontier by Capt. Pemberton that the new 
population now rising in these countries, 
especially in Cachar and Arracan, is quite 
distinct from the original inhabitants, and 
consists chiefly of settlers from the adjoin- 
ing parts of Bengal. It is still extremely 
inadequate to the cultivation of the soil. 
According to Captain Pemberton, the whole 
valley including Upper, Central, and Lower 
Assam, has an area of 18,900 square miles, 
and a population of 602,500 souls, or nearly 
32 to the square mile ; whereas from the 
richness of its soil it will support a popu- 
lation ten times as numerous as that which 
now occupies it. Ih 1833, Captain Fisher 
estimated the quantity of arable, but unoccu- 
pied landin Cachar at 1,800,000 biggas. The 
entire area of Arracan is calculated by Cap- 
tain Pemberton to be about 16,520 square 
miles ; and the statistical returns for 1831 
gave a population of 73,928, or lOf to the 
square mile. Hence it is evident that in these 
three provinces there is the widest scope for 
colonization. There is land in abundance 
unoccupied, which is at the perfect disposal 
of Government, and may therefore be allotted 
to new settlers on whatever terms may be 
thought expedient. There are no existing 
rights to be interfered with, and no popu- 
lation to be thrust out of their native 
acres. 
LINES OF COMMUNICATION BE- 
TWEEN THE BRITISH POSSES- 
SIONS AND THE BURMAN EM- 
PIRE. 
We also learn from the same report which 
we have abstracted from the Friend of India 
that an army, proceeding from Calcutta to 
Ava, would reach that city, by the Assam 
route, in 170 days,by Muneepore, in 107 ; by 
Rangoon, in 82 ; and by the Aeng Pass in 
Arracan, in 39 days. From the comparison 
of routes, it is manifest, that if ever the Bur- 
mese are again foolish enough to engage in 
hostilities with the English, and it be con- 
sidered expedient to renew our invasion of 
their territory, the way of the British army 
must lie through Arracan. 
With the exception of Muneepore and 
Upper Assam ,t he whole of the inhabited coun - 
try on the Eastern Frontier is now under 
British rule ; and the excepted portions are 
under British protection and influence. In 
the first years of our way over these new 
territories, many errors were committed in 
the schemes of taxation and judicial admi- 
nistration which were adopted. But as, we 
doubt not, an honest intention existed on 
