scattered all over the country. \Ve saw the crumbling masonry which once marked the lines of streets and enclosures of palaces, dockyards filled with Weeds and obsolete cranes."
l’anjim or New Goa lies in lat. 15’ 30’ N., long. 75° 53' E., at the mouth of the river Mandavi, and is a modern town with few pretensions to architectural beauty. Ships of the largest tonnage can lie out in the harbour, but only vessels of moderate size can be brought alongside of the city. The population is estimated at 15,000. Panjinr was the residence of the viccroy from 1759, and in 1843 was ranked the capital of the Portuguese possessions in India.
The territory of Goa, including the two cities of Old Goa and l’anjim with the adjoining country under Portuguese rule, amounts, as. already stated, to 1062 square nriles. 0f the total population, namely, 392,234, nearly two-thirds or 232,089 are lloman Catholics, 128,824 are Hindus, and 2775 Mahonretans. The ltoman Catholics are subject in spiritual matters to an archbishop, who has the title of primate 0f the East. The Hindus and Mahometans enjoy pcr- feet liberty in their religious affairs, and have their own places of worship. Agriculture forms the chief industry of the country. The total area under cultivation is 234,754 acres. Rice is the staple produce; next is the cocoa-nut, which is deemed important from the variety of uses to which the products are applied. The (‘lllt'f exports are cocoa-nuts, betel-nuts, mangoes, water-melons, cinnamon, pepper, salt fish, gum, firewood, and salt ; and the chief imports rice, cloth, sugar, wines, tobacco, glassware, and hardware. The district seldom suffers from great Iloods. Some parts are subjected to inurrdatiorrs during heavy rains, but little damage is done to the crops. The high-lyingr town of Panjim takes its name from the native word Ponji, meaning “ arable land that cannot be inundated." The total revenue in 1873—74 was £108,148; the expenditure, £107,145. The police force numbers 919 men. In 1869-70 there were 137 lowcr schools, and 25 higher schools, including a National Lyceum with 2433 pupils. There are also medical and chemistry schools, and since 1870 a college for the study of practical sciences has been established. The prevailing endemic diseases are intermittent and remittent fevers, diarrhoea, and dysentery. The average annual rainfall for the three years ending 1875 was 100'22 inches.
See " Livro dos privilegios (la Cidada dc Goa," in A rclu'rl'o Portuguez Oriental, 18-37; :lz'chz'ro via [Mucus dc Goa contemlo varies ((oczunenlos dos Seculos, 17. 13, e 19, by J. I. de Avranclres Garcia. 1872, &c ; Feigécs melerologicas d: Goa, 1867.- lioletiul cle Gor-crno dos Eslados (Ia India, Goa and New Goa, 1838—70, &c.; 0 h'ubim'lc [illerru'io dds 1"untainhas (monthly, 1816, the); 'l‘olbort, “The Autho- rities for the History of the Portuguese in India," in Jom'n. of Asiatic Soc. of Bengal. 1873; It. I-'. Burton, Goa and the Blue Mountains, 1851 ; Mrs Burton. A.E.l.. lrubm, Egg/pl, India, 1879.
GOA POWDER, a drug occurring in the form of a yellowish-brown powder, varying considerably in tint, which has recently been brought into notice by Dr Fayrer of Calcutta as a remedy for ringworm. It derives its name from the Portuguese colony of Goa, where it appears to have been introduced about the year 1852. In 1875 it was shown by Dr Lima that the substance had been exported from Bahia to Portugal, whence it found its way to the Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. The tree which yields it belongs to the genus Andim of the natural order Leguminosw, and has been named .lraroba. It is met with in great abundance in certain for- ests in the province of Bahia, preferring as a rule low and humid spots. The tree is from 80 to 100 feet high, and is furnished with imparipinnate leaves, the leaflets of which are oblong, about inch long and inch broad, and some- what truncate at the apex. The flowers are papilion~ accous, of a purple colour, and arranged in panicles. The Goa powder or araroba is contained in the trunk, filling crevices in the heartwood. To obtain it, the oldest trees are selected as containing a larger quantity, and after being cut down are sawn transversely into logs, which are then split longitudinally, and the araroba chipped or scraped off with the axe. During this process the workmen feel a bitter taste in the mouth ; and great care has to be taken to prevent injury from the irritating action of the powder on the eyes. In this state, 2'.c., mixed with fragments of wood, the Goa powder is exported in casks.
In India Goa powder has been used in the form of a paste, made by mixing the powder with vinegar or lime juice, as a local appli- cation for the cure of Indian ringworm. It appears to be one of the best remedies for that obstinate disease ; and so highly is it valued that its price in Bombay averages £3, 12s. per 1h. Its use in chlo- asnra, intertri go, and psoriasis, aswell as in various other skin diseases, has also been attended with considerable success. The only disadvantages attending its use are—that it leaves a stain which is ditIi- cult to remove, and that the powder is apt to set up severe irritation of the eyes, If rt come in contact with the conjunctiva. On this ae- eount Mr" Bahnanno Squire prefers to use it in the form of oint- ment. V‘l hen given internally it has been found to act as an emetic and purgative. In England it is now regarded as one of the most eflicacious rcmcdies in intractable cases of ringworm.
GOÁLPÁRA, the most westerly district of Assam, be- tween 25J 21' and 26° 51' N. lat. and between 89° 44' and 91 ‘ 0’ E. long, bounded on the N. by Bhutan, E. by Kamrup, S. by the Garo Hills, and W. by Kuch Belrar and Rangpur. The district is situated on the Brahmaputra, at the corner where the river takes its southerly course into Bengal. The sceneryis striking. Along the banks of the river grow clumps of cane and reed ; farther back stretch fields of rice cultivation, broken only by the fruit trees surrounding the villages, and in the background rise the forest-clad hills overtopped by the white peaks of the The soil of the hills is of a red oclrreous earth, with blocks of granite and sandstone interspersed ; that of the plains is of alluvial formation. Earthquakes are common and occasionally severe shocks have been experienced. The Bralrrnaputra annually inundates vast tracts of country. Numerous extensive forests yield valuable timber. Wild animals of all kinds are found.
Goalpara has always formed the frontier between Bengal and Assam; originally it nurst have constituted part of the legendary Hindu kingdom of Krimrr'ip ; from that it must have fallen into the hands of the early rajas of Kuclr Behar, who, however, were unable long to retain their kingdom. From the cast the wild Ahams came down the valley of the Brahmaputra, while from the west the Mughuls extended the limits of the Delhi empire. In 1603 the Mughuls came into collision with the Ahams, but were forced to retreat with a decisive defeat. The district came into British pos- session with the rcst of Bengal in 1765. It has undergone several changes in administration, and in 1872, whcn Assam was consti- tuted a separate administration, Goalpz'rra was included within it.
In 1872 the population was 407,714_—311,419 being Hindus, and 89,916 Mahometans. Godlpara town, with between 3000 and 4000 inhabitants, is the most populous place, as well as the chief centre of trade. Dlnrbri is the point where the traffic of northern Bengal is shipped on board the Assam steamers. Gauripur and Lakhshmipur carry on a thriving trade in timber.
Rice forms the staple crop of the district. Mustard and jute are also largely grown. The area under cultivation is cstimatcd at 600,000 acres, or about one-third of the total area. The district is not liable to any form of natural calamity; occasionally blights have been caused by wornrs and insects, but the harvests h.ve never been affected. The manufactures consist of the making ct brass and iron utensils and of gold and silver ornaments, weaving of silk cloth, basket-work, and pottery. The cultivation of 1111 has recently been introduced, and is advancing considerably. The chief centres of traffic are Goalpara town, Dhubri, Jogigopha, Bijni, Gauripur, and Singiwari. Local trade is in the hands of Illarwari merchants, and is carried on at the Muir's, weekly ha’ls or markets, and periodical fairs. The chief exports are mustard-seed, jute, cotton, timber, lac, silk cloth, india-rubber, and tea; the imports, Bengal rice, European picce goods, salt, hardware, oil, and tobacco. The Brahmayartra and its tributaries are the chief means of com- rnunication, and are navigated by river steamers and the largest native boats. Goalpara is considered an unhealthy district both for Europeans and for natives. The principal diseases are intermit- tent and remittent fevers, diarrhcca, dysentery, rheumatism, and chest complaints. Cholera frequently occurs in an epidemic fornr, and small-pox is more or less prevalent every year. The lll‘cull annual temperature is 75° Fahr. ; and the average annual rainfall i» 98'75 inches.
Goálpára, the chief town of above district, situated on the left bank of the Brahmaputra, in 26° 11' O" N. lat, 90° 41’ 0’ E. long. It was the frontier outpost of the Mahometan power in the direction of Assam, and has long been a flourishing seat of river trade. The civil station is built on the summit of a small hill commanding a magnifi- cent view of the valley of the Brahmaputra, bounded on the north by the snowy ranges of the Himalayas and on the south by the Gare hills. The native town is built on the western slope of the hill, and the lower portion is subject to inundation from the marshy land which extends in every direction. Population (1872) 4678.
