BAL
215
may also be remarked that the census was taken here before the revenue survey, and that, in consequence, all its areas are wrong. For the distribution of castes I have been obliged to rely on the settlement returns; and if it
numbers are slightly under the mark, they may at any rate be depended on for tolerably accurate proportions between the different classes of inhabitants. Of these, by far the most numerous are the Kurmis, Brahmans, and Ahirs, who head the list with 3,630, 3,190, and 2,961 houses, respectively, or, allowing 4^ to each house, 16,335, 14,355, and 13,325 souls. The Kurmis are, as elsewhere, excellent agriculturists, and belong their
almost
—
the Gujarati division another sign of the curious connexion this country and the distant Gujarat. The Brahmans belong to the Sarwaria division, and claim a superiority not conceded to them by their Kanaujia brethren on the score of abstinence from meat of all kinds and smoking tobacco, and refusal to touch a plough. There are nearly 1,700 houses of Koris, who are usually bond slaves, and whose families spin at their homes large quantities of coarse cotton cloth. Chhattris are unusually scarce, and the returns only give them 400 houses in the whole pargana. few scattered houses of Bhars and Tharus yet remain, but the mass of the old aboriginal population has been displaced by more careful and thrifty classes of cultivators, and taken refuge in the fever-guarded fastnesses Wandering encampments of people, akin to the great of the Tarai jungle. Gipsy family, are very common Siarkhawwas wild smart men, but with good straight features, who hunt on foot with spears and a fine breed of dogs, jackals and pigs, and are said not to refrain even from fairly fresh carrion or Qalandars, a tribe which subsist chiefly on begging, breeding asses and mules, and prostitution, and profess a rude and superstitious form Some of the wealthiest men in the pargana are the of Muhammadanism. Shankarach£rj Goshains, of whom a short sketch is given in the district Many of them are large grain merchants, and they almost ^monoarticle. Their polize the trade in jewels, spices, unwrought gold, and asafoetida. celibacy and usual practice of only adopting one son as successor prevents their being very numerous.
which
all to
exists
between
A
—
—
native assessments since 1799 A. D. are preserved in the q^ntingo's and show with extraordinary distinctness the rapid progress of the pargana in population and wealth. In the first year, for which records exist, the Government demand was Es. 48,247, which rose within four years to Rs. 61,000, and after annual fluctuations fell again in 1816 A. D. to Rs. 30,291. This was followed by a tolerably steady rise, till in 1833 A. D. the demand was Rs. 1,67,925 this fell in 1837 A. D. With to Rs. 89,133, but three years later again rose to Rs. 1,43,920. the exception of one year, the revenue remained steadily within a few thousands of this sum, and at annexation stood at Rs. 1,38,000. The exceptional year was when Raja Darshan Singh, is said to have collected Rs. 2,88,823 ; and as he had chased the rdja into Gorakhpur, and made a practice of transferring to his own treasury not only the whole rents, but, as far as he could, the whole agricultural stock of every district which was fortunate to own him as nd.zim, it is possible that the account At annexation the Raja submitted his village accounts, and is correct. the Government demand was fixed at Rs. 1,34,035. In the winter of 1871-72 A. D. the pargana was again assessed, and the Government
The
papers,
