220 H. Blochmann —Geography ancl History of Bengal. [No. 3, 
changes that took place ; these I must necessarily reserve for the second 
volume of my Ain translation. But I shall now attempt to trace the 
frontiers of Bengal under the Muhammadan rule as far as existing historical 
sources allow us to do. 
The Frontiers of Muhammadan Bengal. 
Abulfazl estimates the breadth of Bengal from Garin to Chatgaon at 
four hundred hos. From north to south, the longest line was from Koch 
Bihar to Chittua in Sirkar Medinipur. “ The zamlndars are mostly 
Kayasths.” Not a word is said on the strength of the Muhammadan popula¬ 
tion, or the progress of Islam—comparative statistics were not thought of in 
his age. The remark made by old English travellers that the inhabitants 
of the islands and the coast of south-eastern Bengal were chiefly Muham¬ 
madans, and the uncertain legend regarding the introduction, in the 
beginning of the 16th century, of Islamitic rites into Chatgaon by Nu£rat 
Shah are the only allusions that I have seen on. the subject. Neither history 
nor legends allude to the conversions among the semi-aboriginal rural 
population, that must on a large scale have taken place during the reigns 
of the independent kings of Bengal, chiefly, no doubt, through the exertions 
of the numerous Afghan Jaglrdars. 
The military and naval power of the country is fixed at 23,330 
horse, 4,260 guns, 1,170 elephants, and 4,400 boats. In Nawab Ja’far’s 
rent-roll, however, the strength of the naval establishment ( nawara ) 
consisted of 768 armed cruisers and boats, which were principally 
stationed at Dhaka, to guard the coast against the Mags and foreign 
pirates ; and the number of sailors included 923 Firingls, chiefly employed 
as gunners. The annual charges of the navy, including construction and 
repairs, was fixed at Rs. 843,452, which was levied under the name of 
’amalah i nawara from parganahs in South-Eastern Bengal. The same 
rent-roll mentions that the garrisons along the whole eastern frontier from 
Chatgaon to Rangamatl on the Brahmaputra consisted of 8,112 men ( 'ahsham ), 
who cost 359,180, Rs. per annum. 
Of the roads in Bengal we have no information prior to Van den 
Broucke’s map (1660) in Valentyn’s work. He marks (1) a principal road 
passing over Patna, Munger, and Rajmahall to Suti, where the Bhagirathl 
leaves the Ganges. From here a branch went to Moxudabath (Murshid- 
abad), Plassi (Palasl), and Hagdia,* crossed the Bhagirathl for Gasiapore, 
* Hagdia is Agardip. Van den Broucte’s map gives here an interesting 
particular. He marks Hagdia on the left bank of the river, and Gasiapoor (Ghazipur) 
on the right bank. Both places lie now far from the right bank, with only a small 
k’hal between them, and a large semi-circular lake round both. The lake, as else- 
