provided with roads, and which thus offers no attractions for the investment of capital on the part either of traders or land-owners.
As a result of the general mortality, the population which had been 937,427 in 1871, and since then had largely increased, fell in 1881 to 924,882; the solitary town in the whole district which showed any augmentation being Bulandshahr itself, which rose from 14,804 to 17,863. Still, distressing as it was at the time, the epidemic ran its course and left no lasting ill effects behind. On the contrary, the result was rather one of relief from overcrowding, and when the period of depression had passed, a large increase in the birth-rate showed that it was chiefly the very old, or young or infirm, who had been removed, and that the actual vigour of the community remained unimpaired.
Much has been done of late years by the irrigation department to correct the excessive humidity which has been caused by their canals, and extensive schemes for the relief of the most low-lying and water-logged lands have either been carried out or are still in progress. As many as 186 miles of drainage cuts have been excavated; the Kálindi has been straightened and kept within its banks, at a cost of Rs. 94,757; and similar operations estimated to cost Rs. 37,800, are now being commenced on the Karwan. The only portion of the district where artificial drainage is still required is the Jewar Pargana, and for this a provision of Rs. 20,000 has been made. To complete the project, however, it will be necessary to improve the bed of the Patwaiya, which will involve a further outlay.
All this must have a beneficial effect on the general atmosphere; but the special conditions of the towns and villages are so unfavourable. that many years must elapse before any marked improvement can be expected in their vital statistics. The whole surface of the country is a dead level, with the population massed in artificial depressions, which have been dug to supply the earth for building purposes. The houses, instead of being raised—as sanitary laws would require—are sunk some two or three feet below the level of the ground, and the sides of the pit form the basement of the walls. To complete the necessary height, mud is mixed and brought in from any waste spot near at hand. The result is, that the village itself stands in a hole, and is hemmed in by an irregular circle of trenches used as receptacles for every kind of abomination. Add to this,
