Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/52

42 F A R F A R to sit on the Naval Retiring Board, a board then specially constituted for clearing the navy of unfit or disloyal officers, and a few months later was appointed to the command of the " Western Gulf Blockading Squadron," with the rank of flag-officer, and ordered to proceed forthwith, in the " Hartford," to the Gulf of Mexico, to collect such vessels as could be spared from, the blockade, to proceed up the Mississippi, to reduce the defences which guarded the ap proaches to New Orleans, and to take and hold the city. All this Farragut executed to the letter, with a skill and caution that won for him the love of his followers, and with a dash and boldness that won for him the admiration of the public, and the popular name of "Old Salamander." The pas sage of the Mississippi was forced on the 24th April 18G2, and New Orleans surrendered on the 26th ; this was immediately followed by the operations against Vicksburg, from which, however, Farragut was compelled to withdraw, having relearnt the old lesson that against heavy earth works, crowning hills of sufficient height, a purely naval attack is unavailing ; it was not till the following summer, aud after a long siege, that Vicksburg surrendered to a land force under General Grant. Daring this time the service on the Mississippi continued both difficult and irksome ; nor until the river was cleared could Farragut seriously plan operations against Mobile, a port to which the fall of New Orleans had given increased import ance. Even then he was long delayed by the want of monitors with which to oppose the ironclad vessels of the enemy. It was the end of July 1864 before he was joined by these monitors; and on the 5th August, undismayed by the loss of his leading ship, the monitor " Tecumseh," sunk by a torpedo, he forced the passage into the bay, destroyed or captured the enemy s ships, including the ram " Ten nessee," bearing Admiral Buchanan s flag, and took posses sion of the forts. The town was not occupied till the following April, but with the loss of its harbour it ceased to have any political or strategical importance. With this Farragut s active service came to an end ; for though in September 1864 he was offered the command of the force intended for the reduction of Wilmington, the state of his health, after the labours and anxieties of the past three years, in a trying climate, compelled him to decline it and to ask to be recalled. He accordingly returned to New York in December, and was received with the wildest dis play of popular enthusiasm. It was then that the Govern ment instituted the rank of vice-admiral, previously unknown in the American service. Farragut was promoted to it, and in July 1866 was further promoted to the rank of admiral. In 1867, with his flag flying in the " Franklin," he visited Europe. The appointment was an honourable dis tinction without political or naval import : the " Franklin" was, to all intents, for the time being, a yacht at Farragut s disposal; and her arrival in the different ports was the signal for international courtesies, entertainments, and social gaiety. She returned to America in 1868, and Farragut retired into private life. Two years later, on the 14th August 1870, he died at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. No biography of Farragut, at all fitting his great reputation, has yet appeared ; the ouly one that can be mentioned, Life and Naval Career of Vice- Admiral Farragut, by the Rev. P. C. Headley (1865), notwithstanding its claim to be based on personal information, is a badly written boys story-book, overloaded with childish and irre levant matter. A better account of his more distinguished serrices is to be found in Putnam s Rebellion Record (1864-68) or Boynton s History of the Navy during the Rebdlion (1867). (J. K. L.) FARRAKHABAD [FURRUCKABAD], a district of British India, in the Agra division, and under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces, lies between 26 45 45" and 27 42 45" N. lat., and 79 10 45" and 80* 6 0" E. long. It is bounded on the N. by BudAon and SbAbjahAnpur, E. by Hardul, S. by Cawnpur and Etawah, and W. by Mainpuri and Etah. The district is a flat alluvial plain in the middle dudb. The principal rivers are the Ganges, which has a course of 87 miles either bordering on or passing through the district, but is not at all times navigable by large boats throughout its entire course ; the Budh GangA, which enters the district in its north-west corner, and falls into the Ganges opposite the town of Farrakhabad, after a course of 45 miles; the KAli-nadi (84 miles), and the Isdn-nadi (42 miles), both tributaries of the Ganges ; and the Arind-nadf, which, after a course of 20 miles in the south of the district, passes into Cawnpur. The census of 1872 returned the population at 499,722 males and 419,026 females, total, 918,748, of whom 816,733 were Hindus, 101,538 Ma hometans, and 477 Christians. The area of the district is 1744 square miles, of which 1021 are returned as under cultivation, and 264 as cultivable, but not actually under tillage. The principal products are rice, wheat, barley, millets, pulses, cotton, sugar-cane, potatoes, &c. The grain crops, however, are insufficient for local wants, and grain is largely imported from Oudh and Rohilkhand. The district is, therefore, liable to famine, and it has been severely visited by this calamity five times during the present century in 1803-4, 1815-16, 1825-26, 1837-38, and in 1868-69. The civil station and principal town is Farrakhdbad, situated on the right or west bank of the Ganges in 27 24 N. lat. and 79 40 E. long. ; population, 65,441. The other towns are Fathigarh (Futtehguhr or Futtygur), civil and military station on the Ganges, 3 miles east of Farrakhabad, population 13,439; Kanauj, on the right bank of the KAU-nadi, 17,903; Kaimganj, 10,323; ShAmsAbAd, 8710; Allahganj, 6246; Chibramau, 5444. Kanauj is of great archaeological interest as being the ancient Hindu capital of this part of India. The ruins of the ancient town cover an area of 5 square miles. The only municipality in the district is that of Far- rakhabad-cum-Fathigarh, with a population of 78,880; municipal revenue in 1875, .8177, 10s. ; expenditure, 766, 6s. The total revenue of the district in 1876 was =197,229; the expenditure on civil administration, 43,755. The regular police force consisted of 943 officers and men, maintained at a cost of .10,279. For the education of the people there were 320 Government and aided schools in the district, attended by 7507 pupils, and receiving state aid to the extent of 3416. For medical relief four charitable dispensaries are maintained, at which 789 indoor and 19,732 outdoor patients were treated in 1875. Farrakhabad is one of the healthiest districts in the dudb, but fevers are prevalent during August and September. The average annual mean tem perature is almost 80; the average annual rainfall, 29 4 inches. Of the tract comprising the present district, the portion lying north of the Kalf-nadl was included within the jagir or fief of the Rohilla nawab of Farrakhabad, while the country to the south of the river formed part of the terri tories of the vizir of Oudh. During the wars of the middle of the last century, the district frequently changed hands, at one time being held by the Rohillas, and at another by the nawab vizir, In 1774, however, the latter, with the assistance of the English, completely defeated the Eohillas ; and FarrakhAbAd, together with the whole of Rohilkhand, passed into his hands, and remained with him till 1801, when it was ceded to the East India Company. In 1804 the MarhattAs, under Holkar, ravaged this tract, but were utterly routed by Lord Lake at the town of FarrakhAbAd. During the mutiny FarrakhAbAd shared the fate of other districts, and passed entirely out of our hands for a time. The native troops, who had for some time previously evinced a seditious spirit, finally broke into rebellion on the