Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 15.djvu/323

MAI MAI 303 The chief affluent of the Loire within the department is the Maine, formed a little above Angers by the junction of the Mayenne and the Sarthe (the latter in turn having previously received the waters of the Loir). All three rivers are navigable. Other tributaries of the Loire are the Thouet (with its tributary the Dive), the Layon, the Evre, the Divatte on the left, and the Authion on the right. The latter, which has a course parallel to that of the Loire, has been supposed, but erroneously, to occupy an ancient bed of that river. The Mayenne is joined on the right by the Oudon, which can be navigated below Segre . The Erdre, which joins the Loire at Nantes, and the Moine, a tributary of the Sevre-Nantaise, both take their rise within this department. The climate, which is very mild, shares the characteristics both of the Sequanian and of the Armorican districts. The mean annual temperature of Angers is 3 Fahr. above that of Paris ; the rainfall at the same place is only 18 G4 inches, but rises to 23 - 6 inches farther down the river, and 27 75 as the sea is approached. Notwithstanding this deficiency of rain, the frequent fogs, combined with the peculiar nature of the soil in the south east of the department, produce a degree of moisture which is highly favourable to meadow growths. The winter colds are never severe, and readily permit the culti vation of certain trees which cannot be reared in the adjoining departments. Of the entire area more than one-half is arable ; one-tenth is occupied by meadows ; and considerably smaller areas are occupied by woods, vineyards, and heath respectively. Oxen number 225,000, pigs 100,000, and sheep 68,500 ; these figures represent a considerable commercial activity, as most of the animals are pur chased out of neighbouring departments for the purpose of being fattened. Cholet alone exports annually 100,000 cattle, 150,000 or 200,000 sheep, and 25,000 or 30,000 pigs. The number of horses in the department is 55,000, chiefly of a race much used for light cavalry service. The cavalry school is at Saumur within this department. The production of cereals is in excess of the con sumption ; there are extensive areas in the valleys of the Loire and Sarthe under hemp, and linseed and colza oil are produced in quantity. The legumes of Saumur and Angers are specially prized. The wine of the department (14,000,000 gallons in 1880) is fairly good, and the white wine of Saumur is exported and sold as spark ling champagne (about 6,000,000 bottles yearly). Cider is pro duced, and large quantities of apples, pears, and plums are exported to the markets of Paris, England, and Russia. Floriculture is an important industry, and the forests of oak and beech abound in game (stag, roebuck, wildboar). Near Angers are slate quarries in which 3250 workmen are employed; and the " Layon-et-Loire " coal-bed produced in 1881 15,288 tons of coal and anthracite, which, however, did not supply the demand of the department. There are sandstone quarries in the arrondissements of Saumur and Bauge. Cholet, the chief manufacturing town, is famous for its pocket- handkerchiefs ; it has also manufactures of linen cloths, flannels, and cotton stuffs, worsted and cotton thread factories, and bleach ing works. Similar manufactures are carried on at Angers ; the speciality of Saumur is the making of enamels and beads, in which it employs 600 workmen, producing goods to the annual value of 1,500,000 francs. The population of the department was 517,258 in 1876, being an increase of 141,714 since 1801. There are five arrondissements, Angers, Bauge, Cholet, Saumur, and Segre. The capital is Angers. MAlNPURf , or MYNPOOREE, a district in the lieutenant- governorship of the North- Western Provinces, India, be tween 26 52 30" and 27 30 N. lat., and 78 27 45" and 79 28 30" E. long., is bounded on the N. by Etah, on the E. by Farrukhabad, on the S. by Etawah, and on the W. by Muttra and Agra, and has an area of 1697 square miles, of which 949 are cultivated, and 190 cultivable. It consists of an almost unbroken level plain, intersected by small rivers, but unvaried by any greater elevations than a few undulating sand ridges. It is wooded throughout with mango groves, and isolated clumps of babul trees occasionally relieve the bareness of its saline usar plains. On the south-western boundary the Jumna flows in a deep alluvial bed, sometimes sweeping close to the high banks which overhang its valley, and at others leaving room for a narrow strip of fertile soil between the river and the upland plain. From the low-lying lands thus formed a belt of ravines stretches inland for some 2 miles, often covered with jungle, bnt affording good pasturage for cattle. Moving north-eastward from this point, one reaches in succession the small rivers Aganga, Sengar, Rind, Isan, and Kali Nadi, most of which supply water to a small tract on either side, besides giving origin to rich deposits of cultivable silt. The Etawah and Cawnpur branches of the Ganges canal intersect the district for irrigation purposes, and the Lower Ganges canal, when completed, will furnish additional facilities in the same direction. The census of 1872 returned the population of the district at 765,783 (males, 426,955 ; females, 338,828). The Hindus num bered 724,663, Mohammedans 40,965, Christians 85. Among high-caste Hindus, the Brahmans number 67,072, and form a wealthy landholding class. Rajputs are returned at 60,155., amongst whom the Chauhans form the largest clan. They have long formed the aristocratic class of the district, and in 1872 owned 44 per cent, of the total area. Much of their hereditary property is, however, passing out of their hands into those of merchants and traders. Of the lower castes, the most important are the Ahirs, numbering 123,358, who own over 12 per cent, of the soil. For many centuries this tribe consisted -of lawless robber hordes, who held the fastnesses of the Jumna ravines ; and, though they have now been reduced to a comparatively in dustrial life, they still continue to afford the local authorities much trouble and anxiety. The Chanuu-s, 103,193 in number, are mere hewers of wood and drawers of water for the landholding classes, who held them in a condition of absolute serfdom under native rule. Other important Hindu tribes are Kachhis (72,898), Lodhas (53,658), Gadariyas (28,047), and Kahars (25,273). The Moslems are for the most part poor and without social influence. Only four towns in the district contain a population exceeding 5000 : Mainpuri, 21,117; Sbikohabad, 10,069; Bhongaon, 6271; and Earhal, 5574. Mainpuri is one of the districts where the question of female infanticide has long, engaged the attention of Government, and even as late as 1872 this practice was so common as in a great measure to account for the large preponderance of males in the general population. In 1842 measures were first introduced for the supervision of the Chauhan Rajputs and Phatak Ahirs, among whom the practice was most common. Every female birth had to be duly reported and authenticated, together with a subsequent report on the child s health. Illness had to be immediately announced to the police, who held an investigation. These rules remained in force until supplemented by those of the Infanticide Act of 1870. In 1843 there was not a single female child among these tribes ; in 1847 therewere but two hundred and ninety-nine. In 1851 a convention of the heads of clans was held, when a body of rules was drawn up and subscribed to, but they were never observed. In 1865 a census of the Chauhan and Phatak villages was held, when six of the former were found without a single female infant. In some cases a daughter had never been known in the village. In 1870 it was found necessary to impose more stringent rules, and a special Infanticide Act was passed by the viceregal council. Inquiries instituted in connexion with the census of 1872 revealed the fact that many other tribes than the Chauhans and Phataks were implicated in the practice. In 1875, although a large proportion of the community had so far reformed in this respect as to be exempted from the special supervision provided by the Infanticide Act, there were still two hundred and seventy-six villages on the "proclaimed list" under the surveillance of a specially organized police, maintained by a tax levied on the guilty communities. In Mainpuri almost every acre of available soil is under tillage. The total area under cultivation at the date of the last settlement was 607,991 acres. Kharif or rain crops included cotton, 48,901 acres; joar, 120,497; bdjra, 74,028 ; indigo, 5369 ; with a little maize, rice, hemp, &c. , making up a total of 299,850 acres. Eabi, or spring crops were the following : wheat, 105,488 acres ; barley, 60,443; wheat and barley mixed together, 66,488; with gram, poppy, &c., making a total of 282,376 acres. There were also 17,523 acres under sugar-cane. Of the 607,360 acres cultivated in 1881, 337,726 were unirrigated, 180,415 were irrigated by private individuals, and 89,219 by Government. Two-thirds of the land is held by tenants with rights of occupancy, and one-third by tenants-at-will. Mainpuri sulfers little from floods or blights, but in former years it used to be severely afflicted by drought. The means of communication, added to the large and increasing irrigation system, are now probably sufficient to protect the district from extreme distress in years of famine. The district trade is almost entirely of a rural character, chief exports are cotton, grain, indigo, gfn, and miscellaneous

agricultural produce ; while metals, English piece goods, sugar,