CHAPTER III.
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE KINGS OF OUDH,
WITH
A GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE PROVINCE.
Oudh is a strip of territory extending from the base of the sub-Himalaya-mountains, in a direction from north-west to south-east, until it reaches the Ganges. Its greatest length is about 270, and its breadth 160 miles. Its general character is that of a, more or less, undulating plain, with a gradual declination as it extends from the mountain to the river. It is intersected by numerous streams, the principal of which, inclusive of the frontier stream of the Ganges, are the Sarju, Ghagra, Chawka, Gumti, and Sai. These, with numerous lesser streams and tributaries, entering the country from the Himalayan chain and Tarai[1] forest, which separates Oudh from Nepal, and flowing gently through the country towards the Ganges, without cutting very deeply into the soil, always keep the water near the surface, and available in all quarters, and in any quantity, for purposes of irrigation. Never was there a country more favoured by nature, or more susceptible of improvement, under judicious management. There is hardly an acre of ground that is not capable of good culture. It is generally well timbered, studded with groves and fine solitary trees in great perfection. The soil is good, and the surface everywhere capable of tillage, with little labour or outlay. Considered generally, however, Oudh surpasses in natural advantages almost every other part of India—having the Ganges running along the whole of its southwest frontier, a varied and fertile soil, a genial though hot climate, and numerous facilities for irrigation and water carriage. Yet with all these natural advantages, never was there a country where anarchy and confusion so generally prevailed. An unusual blight seemed to rest upon it, and neither life nor property were secure, the cause of which is briefly explained in Chapter I of this book.
The climate of Oudh is less humid than that of Lower Bengal, and has greater varieties of temperature. The
- ↑ Tarai is the malarious belt of thick jungle .lying between the lower slopes of the Himalayas and the plains of the North-West Provinces and Bengal.
