fort. In the prosecution of the war several actions ensued, and various fortresses were taken ; but it would appear that one of the Bhatti chiefs at variance with General Thomas commenced hostilities against him about the period now alluded to; and in this new warfare with his late allies his forces were so much reduced by repeated en counters, that, being scarcely able to stand an engagement, he fortified his camps. The Bhattis, after frequent attacks, withdrew their troops by night ; whereupon General Thomas took and burned Fathidbad and other places, and might have occupied the whole country, had not a neigh bouring chief concluded an alliance with the Bhattis, and sent 1000 cavalry to their aid. General Thomas retreated to Jaijar, a town within his own territory, leaving the
Bhattis in possession of their capital.The triumphs of the British arms proved fatal to the European adventurers who at that period had established themselves in Northern India, and the arrangements made with Sindia brought the British into contact with the country of the Bhattis, against whom they were compelled in 1810 to march a force, which expelled the chief, and transferred the greater part of the territory to his son, who had voluntarily proceeded to the British camp.
BHÁWALPUR, a feudatory state in North-Western India, under the political jurisdiction of the Lieutenant- Goveruor of the Panjab, lying between 27 41 and 30 25 N. lat., and 69 30 and 73 58 E. long. It is bounded on the N. by Sind and Panjab, on the E. and S.E. by the British district of Hissar and the Rajput states of Bikanir and Jasalmir, and on the S.W. by Sind. The state con tains an estimated area of about 22,000 square miles; greatest length from N.E. to S.W., 310 miles; greatest breadth, 110 miles. Only a sixth part of the total area is capable of cultivation.
Thornton thus describes the general aspect of the state : " Blia- walpur is a remarkably level country, there being no considerable eminence within its limits, as the occasional sand-hills, seldom ex ceeding 50 or 60 feet in height, cannot be considered exceptions. The cultivable part extends along the river line for a distance of about 10 miles in breadth from the left or eastern bank. In the sandy part of the desert beyond this strip of fertility both men and beasts, leaving the beaten path, sink as if in loose snow. Here, too, the sand is raised into ever-changing hills by the force of the wind sweeping over it. In those parts of the desert which have a hard level soil of clay, a few stunted mimosns, acacias, and other shrubs are produced, together with rue, various bitter and aromatic plants, and occasionally tufts of grass. Much of the soil of the desert appears to Le alluvial ; there are numerous traces of streams having formerly passed over it, and still, where irrigation is at all practicable, fertility in the clayey tract follows ; but the rains are scanty, the wells few and generally 100 feet deep or more."
The Ghara, a great stream formed by the united waters of the population was estimated at 472,791 the majority of whom are Mahometans, consisting of Jats of Hindu descent Beluchis, and Afghans. The principal products are woollen and cotton cloths^ silk goods, indigo, cereals, alum, saltpetre, &c. These form the principal exports ; the imports are inconsiderable. Value of external trade in 1872, 358,000; internal trade 444 700 Principal trade routes: (1), From Bikanir to Central Asia" ria Bhawalpur ; (2>, from Jasalnur to Afghanistan ; (3), from Bha walpur to Sind In 1872 the gross revenue of the state was re turned as 197,344 ; estimated military force, 2679 Principal towns- Bhawalpur, the capital, situated on a branch of the River Urnara ; Ahmadpur, Uch, Khanpur, and Michinabad.
The state was a dependency of the Durani kingdom till its dismemberment, when Bhawalpur became inde pendent. On the rise of Ranjit Singh, the khdn of Bhawalpur tendered his allegiance to the British Govern ment, and received a life-pension of 10,000 per annum for his services in the Sikh war. The present ruler is a minor (1875), and the state is now under British manage ment, under which it has greatly prospered. The Panjab Administration Reoort for 1871-72 states that on the death of the late chief, when Bhawalpur came under British management, " the treasury was empty, the Government in debt, the army disorganized, the canals, on which cultiva tion mainly depends, neglected, while a general sense of insecurity prevailed ; but now (1871-72) there is a cash balance of 80,000 in hand, the state debts have been paid off, the revenue has reached 200,000 a year (or double what it was three years ago), while the ordinary expendi ture is about 160,000, the canals have been greatly in- creassd in number and efficiency, waste lands have been brought under cultivation, population has increased, and the army has been reorganized."
BHIL, a tribe and a British political agency in Central India. The political agency comprises the following native states :(!.) Dhar, revenue in 1871-72, 60,000, expen diture 55,000; (2.) Bakhtnagar, revenue 5933, expen diture 4495 ; (3.) Jabua, revenue 11,000, expenditure the same; (4.) Alirajpur, revenue 12,095, expenditure 10,783 ; (5.) Matwash, revenue 620, expenditure 334 ; (6.) Jobat, revenue 1500, expenditure 1200 ; (7.) Kati- wara; (8.) Ratamnall; (9.) Amjhera, Dektan, Sagar, Bang, Bankanir, and Manawan, belonging to Sindhia; and (10.) Pitlawad and Chikalda, belonging to Holkdr. The Bhil agency comprises an area of 8160 square miles, with a population of 240,000 souls, and consists of (1) Mdnpur Pargana (British); (2.) Barwani state (under British manage ment in 1871-72); (3.) Jarnnia, Rajgash, Garhi, and other Bhumia chiefdoms; (4.) Holkars districts south of the Yindhyan range ; and (5.) Dewas or Bagod Pargana. The Bhil agency was formed in 1825, when the Bhil corps was organized, with a view to utilizing the warlike instincts of the Bhil tribes. This brave body of men have done good service, and gradually put down the predatory habits of their countrymen. The Bhil tribes chiefly inhabit the rocky ranges of the Vindhya and Satpura mountains, and the banks of the Narbada and the Taptf. In common with other hill tribes, the Bhils are supposed to have been aborigines of India, and to have been driven to their pre sent fastnesses at the time of the Hindu invasion. They are of dark complexion and diminutive stature, but active, and capable of enduring great fatigue. Various efforts have been made by the British Government to reclaim this people from their predatory habits, and in 1869-70 the official report stated that "the Bhils of Manpur are becoming reconciled to the life of cultivators, though not yet willing to take out leases."
BHOPÁL, a British political agency in Central India, comprising 31 native administrations classified as follows: First, Bhopal, a treaty state, its ruler having the power of life and death; second, Rajgarh and Narsinghgarh, the rulers of which receive salutes, and exercise independent civil and cri minal jurisdiction, but submit proceedings in cases of heinous crime for the political agent s review; third, Kilchipur, Kurwal, and Maksiidnagar, the chiefs of which receive no salute, but possess independent authority, except in heinous offences ; fourth, Pathari, Basauda, and Muhammadgarh, lesser chief ships, under the more direct supervision of the political agent ; Larawat, the chief of this is a jdgirddr or holder of a grant of land under life tenure, and is subor dinate to the political agent in all matters of administration; fifth, sixteen petty chiefs called thakurs and jdgirddr s ; sixth, four districts of other native states not within the jurisdiction of this agency. The Bhopdl political agency is subordinate to the Central India agency.
under the political superintendence of the British Go vernment, lying between 22 32 and 23 46 N. lat., and 76 25 and 78 50 E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the state of Gwalior and the British district of
Bairsia. on the N.E. and S.E. by the Sagar and Ner-