PABNA. 513 been constituted the uniform southern boundary of the District. In the meantime, the magisterial and revenue jurisdictions have been gradually brought into harmony; but even at the present day there is scarcely a police circle in Pabna, in which some estates do not pay their land revenue into the treasury of an alien District. The only event of late years which has disturbed the even current of civil administration in Pabna, is the agrarian riot of 1873. The first quarrel between landlord and tenant arose in the large parganii or Fiscal Division of Pusafsháhí, formerly part of the possessions of the Náttor Rájí, but now owned by five families of samindiírs. From the first, the relations of these new-comers, with their niyats and with one another, appear to have been unfriendly. They attempted to enhance their rent-rolls, partly by consolidating customary cesses or dibu'úbs with rent, and partly by reducing the standard of the local measuring-pole. These attempts the riyats resisted by every means in their power. They refused to pay any rent at all. They contested the claims for enhancement in the courts of law. Finally, they banded themselves together in a league, to oppose, by force if necessary, their landlords' demands. The agrarian conibination spread through the District, and in some p»laces led to serious breaches of the peace in July 1873. A strong body of police was marched into the District to quell the disturbances, and 302 persons were arrested, the majority of whom were sentenced to terms of imprisonment. Since that date order has been preserved. The ruyats, on the whole, congratulate themselves on having got the best of the contest. The ill-feeling on certain estates has been by no means allayed; but it is hoped that recent legislation will settle this chronic difficulty between landlord and tenant, which is common to Eastern Bengal, and was only marked in Pabná by syimptoms of special acuteness. Population. No early estimates of the population exist sufficiently trustworthy to deserve record. The Census of 1872 ascertained the number to be 1,211,594 persons, residing in 2792 mauziís or villages, and in 198,220 houses. At the last enumeration in 1881, the population of Pabná District was returned at 1,311,728, showing an increase of 100,137, or 8:26 per cent. in nine years. This increase is fairly distributed throughout, and in the absence of any considerable migration into or from the District, may be taken as the natural increase of population in a fairly healthy agricultural District. The results of the Census of 1881 may be summarized as follows: Area of District, 1847 square miles, with 2 towns and 3919 villages, and 206,395 houses, of which 200,447 were occupied. Total population, 1,311,728, namely, males 618,311, and females 663,417. Average density of population, 710'19 persons per square mile ; towns and villages per square mile, 2'12; persons per town or village, 334 ; VOL. X. 2 K
