Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 6.djvu/793

DACCA 757 and pulsas, two-fifths fallow or uncultivatsd, and one-fifth under other crops. The manufactures consist of weaving, embroidery, gold and silver work, shell carving, and pott 317. The weaving industry and the manufacture of fine Dacca muslins have greatly fallen off, owing to the competition of European piece goods. Forty different kinds of cloth were formerly manufactured in this district, the bulk of which during many years was made from English twist, country thread being used only for the finest muslins. Thore of the most delicate texture were known by the name of db-rawdn, or " running water," and shabnam, or " evening dew." It is sail that, in the time of the Emperor Jahangir, a piece of ab-rawdii muslin, 15 feet by 3, could be manufactured, weighing only 5 sikkds, or 900 grains, its value being 10. In 1810, the finest cloth that could be made of the above dimensions weighed about 9 sikkds, or 1600 grains, and was worth 10. Since then the manufacture has still further decayed, and the finer kinds are not now made at all except to order. The manufacture of indigo is largely carried on with European capital. The great trading centres are Naraingauj and Madanganj, at the confluence of the Lakshmia and Dhaleswari rivers, on opposite banks. Nardinganj may be termed the port of Dacca, from which it is distant about 9 miles by land, and 1 6 or 1 8 by water. It constitutes the great south-eastern mart on the Jamuna, and has regular steam communication with Calcutta and the Assam districts. The general revenue of the district increased from 86,926 in 1860-61 to 111,620 in 1870-71 ; and the civil expenditure in the same period from 44,666 to 49,80:5. The land tax contributes about one-half of the general revenue, and amounted in 1870-71 to 53,672. There are 8 magisterial and 25 civil and revenue courts, besides 1 honorary magistrate s court, situated in the district. The regular police consists of a force of 430 officers and men, besides a municipal and rural police. For educational purposes, there is a Govern ment collega at Dacca city, together with 1 48 Government or aided schools, attended in 1871 by atotal of 7155 pupils, besides numerous unaided village schools, for which no statistics exist. Diseases. Cholera and small-pox occasionally visit the district in an epidemic form. The principal endemic diseases are intermittentand remittent fever, elephantiasis, bronchocele, enlargement of the spleen, dysentery and diarrhoea, rheumatism, catarrh, whooping cough, bronchitis, ophthalmia, cutaneous diseases, and intestinal worms. C ittle disease is also common. Five charitable dispensaries are maintained in the district, one of which, the Mitford Hospital, is the largest institution of the kind in Bengal out of Calcutta. There are also a lunatic asylum and an almshouse for indoor paupers. Population. The Bengal census of 1872 returned the population of Dacca district at 1,852,993 persons (males, 905,775 ; females, 947,218), distributed over 2897 square miles, and residing in 5016 villages or towns, and 290,593 houses. The population is thus clas sified according to religion : Hindus, 793,789, or 42 9 per cent. ; Muhammadans, 1,050,131, or 567 per cent.; Buddhists, 4; Christians, 7844, or 4 percent. ; "others," 1225. The proportion of males in the district population was 48 9 per cent. Six towns contain a population of over 5000, viz. : ^1) Dacca city (q.v.) population 69,212 ; (2) Manikganj, population : Hindus, 6381 ; Muhammadans, 5159 ; and "others," 2 total, 11,542 ; (3) Nara- inganj, population : Hindus, 5200 ; Muhammadans, 5694 ; and Christians, 17 total, 10,911 ; (4) Sholaghai, population: Hindus, 4478 ; Muhammadans, 2047 total, 6525 ; (5) Hasara, popula tion : Hindus, 4807 ; Muhammadans, 900 total, 5707 ; (6) Narisha, population : Hindus, 2030 ; Muhammadans, 3570 ; Christians, 37 total, 5645. The material condition of the people particularly of the cultivating classes, has greatly improved of late years owing to the increased prices of produce, and the cultivation of more valuable crops. DACCA CITY, the principal place in the above district, is situated on the left or north bank of the Burfganga river, in 23 43 20" N. lat. and 90 26 10" E. long. The city is bounded on the E. by a low alluvial plain stretching to the Lakshmia river, and on the N. and N.W. by a tract of jungle interspersed with Muhammadan cemeteries, deserted gardens, mosques, and ruined houses. The streets, Idzdrs, and lanes extend four miles along the bank of the Buriganga, the breadth of the town being about miles. The chauk, or market-place, lies at the west end, near the river bank. It is a square of considerable dimensions, surrounded by mosques and shops. The numerous streets which intersect the town are extremely crooked ; and only a few are wide enough for wheeled conveyances. In parts of the city, inhabited by particular castes, such as the weavers and shellcutters bdzdrs, where building ground lets at a high rent, many four-storied houses have a frontage of only 8 or 10 feet, while the side walls ruu back toa distance of twenty yards. The opposite ends of these buildings are roofed in ; the middle part is left open, and constitutes a small court. The ruins of the English factory, St Thomas s church, and the houses of the European residents lie along the banks of the river, and give the town a rather imposing appearance when viewed from the south. In the Armenian quarter are several large brick houses, for the most part now falling into decay. Of the old fort erected by Nawab Islam Khan, in the reign of the Emperor Jahangir, no vestige remains ; but the jail is built on a portion of its site. The principal Muhammadan public buildings, erected by subsequent governors and now in ruins, are the Katra and the Lal-bagh Palace, the former built by Sultan Muhammad Shuja in 1645, in front of the chauk, or market place. Its extensive front faced the river, and had a lofty central gateway, flanked by smaller entrances, and by two octagonal towers rising to some height above the body of the building. The Lal-bagh Palace was commenced by Sult&n Muhammad Azim, the third son of the Emperor Aurangzeb. It originally stood close to the Burigauga river ; but the channel has shifted its course, and there is now an intervening space covered with trees between it and the river. The walls on the western side, and the terrace and battlement towards the river, are of a considerable height, and present a command ing aspect from the water. These outworks, with a few gateways, the audience hall, and the baths, were the only parts of the building that survived in 1840. Since then, their dilapidation has rapidly advanced ; but even in ruin they show the extensive and magnificent scale on which this princely residence was originally designed. It appears never to have been completed ; and when Tavernier visited Dacca, circ. 1666, the Nawab was residing in a temporary wooden building in its court. The English factory was built about that year. The central part of the old factory continued to be used as a court-house till the present century, but owing to its ruinous state it was pulled down in 1829 or 1830; in 1840 the only portion that remained was the outward wall. The French and Dutch factories were taken possession of by the English in the years 1778 and 1781 respectively. The trade of Dacca, which formerly was considerable, has steadily declined since the beginning of this century. In 1800 the population of the city was estimated at 200,000, while a census in 1830 returned only 66,989 in habitants. The city still continued to decline, and in 1867 its population was estimated at 51,636 only. The rise, however, of the jute trade in late years, and increased prices for country produce, have now begun to compensate For the loss of its cotton manufactures. The census of 1872 showed that the population of the city had increased to 69,212 souls (males, 37,395 ; females, 31,817) made-up

as follows : Hindus, 34,433 : Muhammadans. 34,275 ;