much practised. In the vicinity of Maldah, Nema Suraie, and Angrazabad, line-fishing with bait is much resorted to, and with considerable success, several hooks are attached to one line from 50 to 60 yards long, which has a stone or piece of lead attached to one end, for the purpose of throwing the line to its full extent into the stream. The fish in all the rivers of Maldah are of the very finest description, and are exported to Moorshedabad in large quantities; the finest mullet in the world are to be found in the Mahanunda. Roads.-Only one decent road exists, that from Purneah to Maldah, which is kept in pretty good repair by the Ferry Fund Committee. Towns.-The principal towns are Nijgaon, Pranpoor, and Arheedanga; the former is considered to be the Capital Climate. The Eastern part of this Pergunnah is low, unhealthy and uninhabited, the people have removed close to the banks of the Kalindry; from Kootubpoor to Bukra of Pergunnah Bhalasuree, there is one continued line of villages along the public road for nearly three miles. The jungly or Eastern part of this Pergunnah affords excellent grazing ground for cattle, large droves of which are to be seen in every direction. There are several modees' shops in Pranpoor and Arheedanga, and weekly hauts are held in various parts of the Pergunnah. Soil. The soils are muteear, dorus, and on the banks of the Kalindry a little baloo; the lands are very fruitful and yield fine crops of rice, wheat, mustard-seed, mulberry, pulse of various kinds, Indian corn, barley, johara, pease, tobacco, paun, and indigo; where irrigation is necessary, the water is raised from tanks and jheels, and distributed by small water-courses through the fields; but this part of the country is so low that the earth retains it moisture throughout the year. Harvests.-The Harvests are Bhuddooee, Khureef, and Rubbee. Inhabitants. The people of the North-eastern part of the Pergunnah have a very sickly appearance, and are much afflicted with spleen; those residing near the Kalindry, are more robust and healthy. Thannah.-This Pergunnah belongs to Thannah Gorgureebah. Factories.-There are four indigo factories, viz., Jannuggur, Chandpoor, Arheedanga, and Jogneegaon; the first is situated on a Dhar which flows from the Koojlee jheel, and is about a mile from the town of Debeepoor of Akburpoor; the second near Pranpoor, on the Kalindry; the third about of a mile South-east of Arheedanga; and Jogneegaon, on the Saulmaree jheel;, all these factories produce excellent indigo. Altogether this Pergunnah is in a prosperous state, although more than is covered with jungle; in favorable places throughout the jungle boro dhan is cultivated. Area. The total area by survey is 41,510-0-32 British acres; its detached lands amount to 213-2-21 acres, and the included lands of other Pergunnahs to 994 acres, leaving the recorded area, 40,786-3-26 acres or 63:73 square miles. Beegah. The beegahs in use at the time of Survey are as follows: Assessment.The rate of assessment appears in the General Return. No. 5, or Pergunnah Akburnuggur, consists of six Uslee villages and eleven arazees, which are all intermixed with the lands of Pergunnahs Kankjole of Purneah and Maldah as portrayed on these maps. The total area of the Pergunnah is 1558-3-22 British acres, or 2-43 square miles; its soils are Muteear and Dorus; the harvests,Bhuddooee, Khureef, and Rubbee; and the crops, rice, wheat, mustard seed, Indian corn, johur, peas, kullye, and tobacco. Irrigation is not practised. The beegah in use is as follows: Luttab, 4 haths of 18 inches each, = 1,600 square yards per beegah. The rate of assessment is entered in the General Statistical Return. BHALASUREE No. 7, or Pergunnah Bhalasuree oorf Shush huzuree, is situated to the East of Pergunnah Mukraen, on which it abuts on the village of Burael Melik; it is bounded on the North by Pergunnah Radhabulubpoor of Dinajpoor, on the West by Pergunnahs Maheenuggur and Sumulpoor of Purneah and Mukraen of Maldah, on the South by Pergunnah Rookunpoor of Maldah, and on the East by Pergunnahs Rajnuggur of Maldah and Dinajpoor. Lakhiraj or Rent-free. This Pergunnah is Lakhiraj or Rent-free; it was granted by the Emperor Shujaa in 1648 or 1058 Heejree to Suruffadeen, for what cause does not clearly appear, and the grant has always been respected by the Honorable Company. Rivers The Mahanunda forms the natural Western boundary of the whole of the compact portion, except where it breaks through Burael Melik of Mukraen, which as above stated, abuts on Bhalasuree. Roads and Ruins of Purooa.-The Main road from Maldah to Dinajpoor passes through the South-eastern part of this Pergunnah; on both sides of the road lie the ruins of Purooa which are very extensive; there is little to be observed now but heaps of broken bricks, for the most part covered with brush-wood; dense jungle extends on either side of the road, and it is very difficult, unless attended by an intelligent guide, to find out the ruined mosques and monuments; several of the latter are in a good state of preservation, especially those of Mukhdum Shah Jelal and of Kootub Shah, two men, much venerated for their devout lives; their tombs are shrines to which many Mussulmans resort to this day; these monuments have considerable endowments, but from whence derived it is next to impossible to elicit from the more than demi-barbarous and insolent fakeers, who frequent the neighbourhood. With great difficulty Kootub Shah's dwelling can be traced; but from appearances, it must have been extensive. Leopards and wild hog are now its denizens. Several rude inscriptions are to be found, some on rough slabs prostrate with the ground, others in a half standing position. Some again deeply embedded in the roots of the peepul or burgut tree, while a few have withstood the shocks of time and retain their position in the ruined gateway or mouldering tomb; these evidently are the spoils of Gour. The traveller or antiquarian, with time at his disposal, would be well repaid, in passing a few days in this very interesting neighbourhood. These ruins are very minutely described in Buchanan's Survey by Montgomery Martin, volume 2nd, beginning at page 648 of Dinajpoor. Innumerable moslem tombs are scattered throughout the jungles for miles on either side of the road, all are more or less dilapidated. In a few places large blocks of granite are to be seen, these also are supposed to have been brought from Gour ; but there is no mistaking the bricks, they are exactly the same as those of Gour and Rajmahal, with their sharp edges and exactly uniform mould. The Adinah or Adeena Musjid, is in very good preservation, many of its domes (127 in number) are perfect ; numerous fakeers resort here, but how they exist it would be hard to state; however it is certain, they are only beggars by name, although they complain loudly of the lakhirajdars or free-holders, for withholding their rights; this building is a quadrangle of about 170 yards in length and 60 in breadth. There is another very fine ruin, situated some distance to the East of Adeena, called Satasghur; but it is so enveloped in jungle as to be difficult of access, and unless by means of a guide, cannot be easily found. It would be very difficult to state who was the founder of Purooa; but it is supposed, that shortly after the dreadful pestilence at Gour, A. D. 1575, it was chosen as the site of the future Capital, the earliest inscriptions on monuments, &c. bear date A. D. 1592 or A. H. 1000. Towns.-There is no town of any note in the compact part of this Pergunnah; the principal towns are detached, viz. Aokra oorf Shahpoor, in Pergunnah Rookunpoor, on the bank of the Mahanunda, three miles South of Maldah bazaar, Pokhureea detached in Pergunnah Sumulpoor of Purneah, within the limits of which village is also the large town of Peergunge on the Western bank of the Mahanunda; in all these towns are plentifully supplied shops, and a few hauts are held in some of the villages of the compact portion of the Pergunnah. Soils.-The soils are Muteear, Dorus and a little Baloo; the lands are low and produce abundantly rice and mustard-seed, mulberry is likewise cultivated to some extent; irrigation is not resorted to, the soil being sufficiently damp throughout the year. Harvests.-The Harvests are Bhuddooee, Khureef, and Rubbee. Inhabitants. The people are puny, weak, and miserable in appearance; indeed you seldom see a robust looking man among them; towards the Mahanunda they look a little better. In this part of the District, the lower orders live very miserably and are in consequence, peculiarly subject to disease, such as intermittent fever attended with ague, dropsy, attacks of spleen, the two latter do their work; but it is astonishing to think of the vast numbers carried off yearly by the former, and still there appears to be no want of population except in the jungly portions; the apathy of all classes during the sickly season is astonishing, they think and speak of sickness and death as matters of course, and in many cases, I have known people when laboring under severe fever, pertinaciously refuse any kind of remedy. When treating of the ruins of Purooa, I neglected to state, that the dâk road on leaving them, runs along the Eastern boundary for about one and a quarter miles, to the triple junction Pergunnah Station of Rajnuggur of Maldah and Dinajpoor; this part of the dâk road reflects but little credit on those who have charge of it; it is, or rather was, in a miserable state, but it must be allowed that it is very much cut up by garies and droves of bullocks bringing merchandize from Titaleea, Dinajpoor and Rungpoor at all seasons of the year, and also that it is the high road from Maldah and its vicinity to the Nekmurd Mela or Fair, held annually during the month of March near the large village of Raneegunge, 34 miles North-west of Dinajpoor; the Fair is pretty centrically situated between Maldah, Purneah, Titaleea and Dinajpoor; it generally lasts from 15 to 20 days; but every thing relating to it will be fully explained in its proper place, when treating of Dinajpoor. Thannahs.-The Police jurisdiction of Thannah Maldah, prevails in this Pergunnah. There are about 7,200 acres of jungle, that about the ruins of Purooa is very dense. Beegah.-The beegahs in use at the time of Survey are as follows: Luttah of 4 Haths of 18 inches each 1,600 square yards per Beegah. = Assessment. The rate of Assessment is noted in the usual place. RAJNUGGUR. No. 6 or Pergunnah Rajnuggur is divided into two portions; the Western portion adjoining Bhalasuree is bounded on the North by Pergunnahs Radhabulubpoor and Rajnuggur of Dinajpoor, on the West and South by Pergunnah Bhalasuree, and on the East by Pergunnah Rajnuggur of Dinajpoor, a strip of which averaging from 2 to 5 miles wide, separates it from the Eastern portion. Pergunnah Rajnuggur of Dinajpoor bounds the Eastern portion on the North, while Pergunnahs Ajhour, Shikarpoor, and Rookunpoor, bound it on the South and West. Rivers.-The only river of any importance, flowing through or bounding this Pergunnah, is the Tanggon; its channel is very deep and its banks low; so that during the floods it overflows the country to a great extent; in the North-eastern part of the Pergunnah, the river has broken into two channels; the intermediate space during the rains is one sheet of water. There is a great deal of grass and some tree jungle, the resort of tigers, leopards, buffaloes, deer of various kinds and wild hog. Roads.-Only one good road exists, that from Maldah to Dinajpoor; it is kept in pretty good repair by the Ferry Fund Committee of the former place; this road comes in a direct line from Purooa, passes through the town of Gajole, and then strikes off in a North-easterly direction towards Dinajpoor. E A Towns. The principal Towns are Gajole and Kishunpoor, the former is the capital of the Western portion, the latter of the Eastern; there are bazaars in both these towns; the former is very inconsiderable and scarcely deserves the name of town, except from being very thickly populated. Soil. The Soil is very good, being principally Muteear, there is also some Dorus; they yield the very finest rice, which is its principal crop; they also produce mustardseed, barley, pease, kullye and koorthee, but on account of the lowness of the lands, these crops are not much cultivated. Harvests.-The Harvests are Khureef and Rubbee, in many villages only Khureef. Climate. The Climate is exceedingly damp and far from being healthy; the jungle part of the Pergunnah is almost deadly at certain seasons, that is from September to January, and again when the jheel waters begin to stagnate, namely, from the end of March to the latter end of May. Inhabitants. The people have the same sickly, weak appearance as those of Bhalasuree; more especially those of the Eastern part of the Pergunnah. Thannahs.—This Pergunnah is under the Police jurisdiction of Thannah Jugdullah, two chowkees of which are placed in the villages of Gajole and Kishunpoor. Luttah 4 haths of 18 inches each = 1,600 square yards per beegah. ditto = 3,025 ditto ditto. Assessment.The rate of assessment appears in the General Statistical Return. AJHOUR. No. 9 or Pergunnah Ajhour, is perhaps the most compact in all Maldah, and it is quite extraordinary that it should be so, as it is surrounded by lands in a very interlaced, state; Rajnuggur bounds it on the North, Khirdah and Bardaul of Dinajpoor on the East Shikurpoor of Maldah and Dinajpoor on the South, and Rajnuggur on the West. Roads.There are only a few cart roads in this Pergunnah, and they are so bad, as scarcely to deserve the name; in many places, it is difficult to distinguish them; there are also several bullock tracks, which are much frequented in carrying on the rice trade to Bamun Gola. |