grasses, and rice stalks, increases annually, and in process of time a crust is foi-med capable of supporting human beings, and on which rice is cultivated. Small floating patches are thus formed, and the natives assert that in very strong blowing weather these are some times carried from one side of the swamp to the other, and are a cause of great dispute. A Government official, whose duties often took him to these swamps, mentioned that the first time he found himself on ground of this kind, being totally unaware of its nature, he was greatly alarmed at feeling, as he thought, the earth moving beneath him ; and still more astonished when, on seeking information from the inhabitants, he was told it was only the tide coming in. The owners of these floating fields make holes through them, and catch the fish which are immediately attracted by the light."
The census of 1872 disclosed a population of 2,377,433 souls in Bakarganj district, spread over 4935 square miles, inhabiting 4269 villages and 321,657 houses; persons per square mile, 482 ; per vil lage, 557 ; per house, 7 4. The Mahometans are the largest section of the population, and number 1,540,965, or 64 8 per cent, of the total inhabitants; Hindus, 827,393, or 34 S per cent.; Bud dhist, 4049, or 2 per cent. ; Christians, 4852, or "2 per cent ; and Ersons of unspecified religion, 174 souls. The Musalmans of ikarganj are among the worst of their creed, steeped in ignorance and prsjudice, easily excited to violence and murder, very litigious, and grossly immoral. The Faraizis or Puritan sect of Mahometans are exceedingly numerous in the district. The Buddhist population consists of Maghs or the people of Arakan, who first settled in Bakarganj about seventy years ago, and have made themselves very useful in the clearing of the Sundarbans. A gipsy -like tribe called the Bebajias are rather numerous in this district. They principally live in boats, travelling from place to place, profess Muhamrnadan- ism, and gain their subsistence by wood-cutting in the Sundarbans, fishing, lortune-telling, and trading in trinkets. The Christian community of Bakarganj owes its origin to the Roman Catholic monastery at Bandel near Calcutta, and to the Protestant (Bap tist) missionaries at Serampur. The principal native converts come from the Hindu low-caste Chandals, &c., who subsist by cultivation.
Barisal, the headquarters station, situated on the west bank of the Barisal river, in 21 41 40" N. lat, and 90 24 30" E. long., is the only town containing upwards of 5000 inhabitants. In 1872 its population amounted to 7684 souls; municipal income, 1019, 18s.; municipal expenditure, 1006, 2s.; incidence of taxation, 2s. 7 d. per head. There are also three other municipal towns (1.) Nalchiti, a large trading village; principal exports, rice and paddy; imports, salt, tobacco, oil, and sugar; (2.) Jhalakati or Maharajganj, a large timber market, also trading in rice, paddy, and salt; (3.) Daulat Khan, the principal village in the island of Dakshin, Shahbazpur; exports, betel-nut. A number of small trading villages exist throughout the district, and each locality has its periodical fairs for purposes of traffic. The material condi tion of the people is good. Every inhabitant is a small land holder, and cultivates sufficient rice and other necessaries for the support of his family. Owing to this reason, hired labour is very scarce, and during the harvest season, when the few available labourers are sought for by the landholders, the price of labour rises to Is. per diem. The average cost of living to a labouring man is about 6s. per month. Except in the larger villages, the dwellings of the people are very isolated. The inhabitants seldom congregate together into hamlets, but each man builds his homestead on the highest spot on his own land without any reference to his neigh bours. Kice is the great crop of the district, and three harvests are obtained annually the dman, or winter rice ; dus, or autumn crop ; and boro, or spring rice. The former yields the finest grain, and is the staple crop of the district. It is sown at the setting in of the rains in April or May, transplanted from the beginning of June to the middle of August, and reaped in November or December. About 100 varieties of the dman rice are cultivated in the district. The dus crop is sown in the early part of the hot weather, and reaped in August. Upwards of 20 varieties of this rice are produced. The boro or spring rice is of a coarse description, largely used by the poorer classes, and is cul tivated to a considerable extent in the alluvial river accre tions, and on other low-lying grounds. It is sown broadcast in December, and reaped in April or May. Bakargauj exports its rice chiefly to Calcutta. The average yield of rice land here is from 17 to 22 cwt. per acre. Other crops Jchesdri (Lathyrus sativus), musuri (Cicer lens), sarishd or mustard, rape-seed, linseed, jute, sugar-cane, betel-nut, &c. Manufactures pottery, coarse cloth, oil, fine mats, and molasses. The district has only five small roads, but its rivers afford ample means of communication.
increased in prosperity since its administration passed into the hands of English officers, and especially of late years, since the country has been directly under the Crown. From the time of the acquisition of Bengal by the British in 1765 up the end of 1817, Bakarganj formed a part of the Dacca district. It was then formed into a separate collectorship, with the object of encouraging enterprising persons to cultivate its immense tracts of waste lands. In 1818 the net revenue of the district amounted to 96,438, and the net civil expenditure to 13,647. Two years later (1820) the net district revenue had slightly decreased to 95,709, while the net expenditure on civil administration had increased to 16,659. During the next forty years both revenue and expenditure rapidly increased, and in 1860-61 the net revenue of the district amounted to 150,305, and the net civil expenditure to 32,584. In 1870-71 the total net revenue was 203,445, and net civil expenditure, 44,902. The land revenue of Bakarganj is settled in perpetuity with the zaminddrs. In 1872 the district contained 4729 estates, held by 5960 proprietors, who were assessed at a total revenue of 143,156. In 1871 the machinery for protecting the district consisted of 583 men of the regular police of all ranks, maintained at a total cost of 1 1,186. Attached to the regular police is a river patrol consisting of five boats, and manned by a crew of 35 men. The village watch or rural police consisted in 1871 of 5135 men, maintained at a cost of 18,486, paid by the landholders and villagers, each village watchman having besides a small plot of ground rent free. A muni cipal police of 53 men was also maintained in the towns and large villages, at a total cost of 403, 14s., defrayed out of municipal receipts. Education is in a very back ward state in Bakarganj, owing to the inhabitants being almost wholly composed of petty husbandmen, the majority of whom are Mahometans of the most bigoted tenets. In 1856-57 the district contained 5 schools, attended by 482 pupils, and maintained at a total cost of 595, 13s. In 1871-72 there were 78 Government and aided schools, attended by 3713 pupils, and maintained at a total cost of 3767, 12s., the total cost to the state being 1232, 10s. This is exclusive of private schools uninspected by the education department. The census report of 1872 returned the total number of schools (Government and private) at 512, attended by a total of 7299 pupils. Barisal town contains a Government school, which is the largest in Eastern Bengal, and financially the most successful; the cost to Government for its 355 pupils in 1872 being only 31, 12s. Bakarganj district is divided into 5 magisterial sub-divisions, viz., Barisal, Dakshfn Shahbazpur, Mada- ripur, Pirozpur, -and Patuakhalf, comprising 18 police circles or thdnds, and 54 fiscal divisions or pargands. The climate of Bakarganj is one of the healthiest in Eastern Bengal, owing to the strong south-west monsoon, which comes up directly from the Bay of Bengal, and keeps the atmosphere cool ; but the heavy rain-fall and consequent humidity of the atmosphere, combined with the use of bad water, are fruitful sources of disease. The average annual temperature varies from 78 to 85. The thermometer
ranges from 62 to 98. The endemic diseases of Bakar-