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part in the opening out of good roads and tramways in his native District. The Mahamahopadhyaya is a Member of the Bengal Asiatic Society, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the Calcutta University, the Board of Examiners, the Central Text Book Committee of Bengal, the Behar Sanskrit Samaj and the Anthropological Society of Bombay; and he has lately been elected a Foreign Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at Buda-Pesth. He is also Joint-Secretary of the Hindu Hostel Committee, a Member of the Bethune (Girls') College Committee, and a Visitor of the Government Engineering College at Sibpur in the neighbourhood of Calcutta.

Residences. Calcutta ; and Ndrit, Amta, Howrah.

MAHESH SITLA BAKHSH SINGH (of Basti), Raja.

Born 1848. The title is hereditary, the Rajas of Basti belonging to a Kshatriya family claiming descent from a scion of the ancient Rajas of Kalhans. The founder of the latter family was Sej, who, with Tej his brother, in the i4th century came to Oudh and conquered the territories of the Dom Raja of Gonda. Tenth in descent from Sej was Raja Achal Singh, who granted Basti to his cousin, ancestor of the present Raja. The Raja has two sons Lai Patesir Partab Narayan Singh, born 8th August 1870 ; and Babu Bhavaneshwari Partab Narayan Singh, born 23rd February 1873.

Residence. Basti, North- Western Provinces.

MAHBSHWAR PRASAD SINGH, Maharaj-kumar Rao.

Is the brother of the Maharaja Bahadur of Gidhaur in Bengal. Educated in Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi, and English.

Residence. Gidhaur, Bengal.

MAHIMA RANJAN RAI CHAUDHRI, Raja.

Born 3rd February 1854. The title was conferred on i6th February 1887, as a personal distinction, on the occasion of the Jubilee*of the reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty. The Raja is the son of the late Babu Sambhu Chandra Rai Chaudhri. Belongs to the Chaudhri family of Kakina, Rangpur, whose ancestors first settled in the district in the reign of Charles I., at which period Rama Nath Chaki was in the service of the Raja of Kuch Behar. His son, Raghu Ram, became the Sendpati or Commander-in-Chief of the Kuch Behar forces. His son, Ram Narayan, became the first Zamindar of Kakina under the Mughals when they gained possession of Rangpur in 1687, and obtained the title of Chaudhri ; he died in 1710. His son, Raja" Rai Chaudhri, and his grandson, Rudra Rai Chaudhri, followed in suc- cession ; the latter died in 1768, shortly after the passing of Rangpur into British possession. His son, Rasik Rai Chaudhri, died in 1770, leaving a minor son and heir; his widow, Alaknanda Chaudhurani, successfully administered the Zamindari until her son, Ram Rudra Rai Chaudhri, succeeded in 1784. The latter, who was distinguished as a philanthropist and scholar, died in 1820, and was succeeded in turn by his eldest son and grandson; the latter dying without issue in 1850 was followed by his cousin Sambhu