remnants of the Kshattriyas after the extermination of the race by Parasurám. The Mongolian Manipuris assert themselves to be the descendants of Arjun, one of the five Pándava brothers; and the aboriginal Káchárís, as soon as they were admitted, within quite recent times, into the pale of Hinduism, got themselves proclaimed to be the descendants of Bhíma, another Pándava, but who had fallen off from the true faith by contact with the heathen. The Káyasth was not one of the castes established by Manu, society not being sufficiently developed in his time to require a separate writer class. The rational conjecture appears to be, that when this necessity arose, the higher class of Súdras pushed themselves upwards, and thus formed the Káyasth caste.
The seven virtues for which a Káyasth should be distinguished are the following:—Learning (bidyá), meekness (dhíratá), charity (dátabya), benevolence (paropakáritá), loyalty (ráj-sebá), forgiveness (kshamá), and purity (suchi). This caste is classified into Kulins and non-Kulins. The first, or Kulin class of Káyasths, consists of the families of Ghosh, Basu, and Mitra. The chief non-Kulin or Maulik families of Káyasths are De, Datta, Guha, Kar, Pálit, Sen, Sinha, and Dás. Other seventy-two families, including the Nag, Pál, Aditya, Rám, Syám, Dáná, Daitya, Bhut, Pret, Ket, Nandan, etc., are known as the Báháttures. Their only restriction upon marriage is, that a Káyasth of the dakshín rárhi, or south country, may not marry into a Káyasth family of the uttar rárhi, or north country. A Kulin Káyasth, however, can marry a Maulik or non-Kulin without losing rank in any way. The Káyasths are employed in every variety of clerkly work, and, according to the Census Report of 1872, number 82,803 in the 24 Parganás.
Sudra Castes.—Following the Káyasths come the undoubted Súdras, who comprise the remainder of the Hindu population, and who are divided into seventy-four classes. The most respectable Súdras are the following nine castes, who are of equal rank, and termed Nabasáks. I give a brief description of each, with their supposed origin, as furnished to me by the Collector. The figures are taken from the Census Report of 1872.
(1) Nápit, or barbers.—This caste is divided into four sections, each of which takes its name from a division of the country—namely, Uttar rárhi, or the northern country; Dakshin rárhi, or the southern country; Mandalghát, a large Fiscal Division in Midnapur; and Anarpur, a Fiscal Division in the 24 Parganás. They are also sub-
