said; and the Company's Residency, Silk Manufactory, Fort &c. at Maldah, were built from its bricks; even now any buneea or telee, who builds a shop at Angrazabad, furnishes himself with bricks, from the foundations of this ancient City. Very few of its buildings exist at the present date; the principal are the Golden Mosque with a pukha tank, a mile north of Chandnee; the Kotwalee gate or Southern entrance, still in pretty good preservation; a Telegraph Tower near the Fort and several mosques, are lined with black marble. The tanks are, the famous Sagur Dighee, one mile and a quarter long; the Chota Sagur Dighee near the Golden Mosque, and several other pukha tanks, all more or less infested with alligators; there are three tame alligators in the Sagur Dighee; in the month of March a Mahomedan festival is held in its immediate vicinity, when these animals are fed plentifully by the Mussulmans with the flesh of goats and fowls; they come high and dry out of the water to receive these donations, and appear to be quite obedient to a Fakir who resides near the tank, coming whenever they are called. Gour is infested with tigers; the following circumstance occurred when I was encamped in one of the neighbouring Pergunnahs. Mr. John Taylor who resided at Goamaltee factory in January 1848, was enjoying a cheroot in his verandah one Sunday afternoon, when he saw four tigers amusing themselves on the bund, close to his house; he immediately sent a despatch to the Civil Station, for Messrs. Kemp and Drummond, C. S., who quickly returned fully equipped to Goamaltee; they then all repaired to the spot where the tigers had been seen; after a short search, they were found, and three of them soon became victims to their prowess, the fourth only escaping, in consequence of night setting in.

The inhabitants of Gour are rather partial to the tigers and are unwilling to point out their lairs to sportsmen; they call them their chowkeydars, as they are useful to them in destroying the numerous deer and wild hog, with which the place abounds and which make sad havoc of their crops. The climate of Gour is excessively unhealthy, during August, September and October; part of November is bad also; the remainder of the not so much so.

year

The Asiatic Researches, Vol. 7, page 10, 8 vo. edition, affords an interesting account of this ancient City: but the following extract from Major Rennel's memoir of a Map of Hindoostan, gives the best modern account of the City, that is to be found in print. I therefore give it verbatim, see note of page 28, C. Stewart's History of Bengal, "Gour, called also Lucknowti, the ancient Capital of Bengal, and supposed to be the Gangia regia of Ptolemy, stood on the left bank of the Ganges, about 25 miles below Rajmahal. It was the Capital of Bengal 730 years before Christ, and was repaired and beautified by Homayoon who gave it the name of Jennuteabad, which name a part of the Circar in which it was situated still bears. According to Ferishta's account, the unwholesomeness of its air, occasioned it to be deserted soon after; and the Seat of Government was removed to Tanda or Taurah, a few miles higher up the river."

No part of the site of ancient Gour is nearer to the present bank of the Ganges, than four miles and a half; and some parts of it, which were originally washed by that river, are now twelve miles from it. However, a small stream that communicates with the Ganges, now runs by its West side and is navigable during the rainy season. On the East side and in some places within two miles, it has the Mahanunda river, which is always navigable and communicates also with the Ganges.

Taking the extent of the ruins of Gour, at the most reasonable calculation, it is not less than 16 miles in length (extending along the old bank of the Ganges), and from 2 to 3 in breadth. Several villages stand on part of its site; the remainder is either covered with thick forests, the habitations of tigers and other beasts of prey, or become arable land, whose soil is chiefly composed of brick dust. The principal ruins are, a mosque lined with black marble elaborately wrought, and two gates of the citadel, which are strikingly grand and lofty. These fabrics and a few others, appear to owe their duration to the nature of their materials, which are less marketable and more difficult to separate, than those of the ordinary brick buildings, which have been and continue to be an article of merchandize, and are transported to Moorshedabad, Maldah and other places for the purpose of building. These bricks are of the most solid texture of any I ever saw, and have preserved the sharpness of their edges and smoothness of their surfaces, through a series of ages. The situation of Gour, was highly convenient for the Capital of Bengal and Behar, as united under one Government, being nearly centrical with respect to the populous parts of those Provinces, and near the junction of the principal rivers that compose that extraordinary inland navigation, for which those Provinces are farmed, and moreover, secured by the Ganges and other rivers, on the only quarter from which Bengal has any cause for apprehension.

In the year A. D. 1203, 4 and 600 Hejira, Muhumud Bukhtyar Khujilee gained entire possession of Bengal and established the city of Gour as his Capital; he ordered nearly all the Hindoo temples to be destroyed, and from their materials, erected mosques and many other public buildings. This accounts for the scarcity of Hindoo ruins in any part of Gour.

Towns.-The towns are Raneehattee, Seebgunge, Dowlutpoor and Khansat; the two latter are marts of very old standing and importance, for all kinds of native produce.

Indigo Factories.-The factories are Muhudeepoor, Chandnee, Ujmutpoor, Solah, Ramchunderpoor, Toorteepoor, Baroo Ghureea, and Noorpoor to the South of the Ganges; there is also a silk factory at Baroo Ghureea belonging to Watson and Co., Calcutta ; all these appear to be in a very prosperous state.

Soils. The soils are Muteear, Dorus, Balsoondur and Baloo, the Ganges and its Churs occupy a large portion of the area, still the Pergunnah is highly cultivated; the soil is moist and requires no irrigation, it produces plentifully fine crops of boro rice, rice, barley, wheat, gram, dal, mulberry, indigo, peas, mustard-seed and tobacco, without much tillage owing to the loose nature of the soil.

Harvest. The harvests are Bhuddooee, Khureef and Rubbee.

Thannah.-This Pergunnah is under the Police jurisdiction of Thannah Seebgunge.

Beegah. The luttahs in use at the time of survey are as follows:

Area. The total area of this very fine Pergunnah amounts to 106,568-1-02 British acres or 166·50 square miles, of which notwithstanding the large area covered by the Ganges, nearly two-thirds is under culture.

Assessment.-The rate of assessment is noted in the General Statistical Return.

SOORJAINUGGUR.

No. 39, or Pergunnah Soorjainuggur, is completely separated from the other part of the District by the lands of Purneah; it is bounded on the North by Tajpoor of Maldah, on the East by Pergunnahs Dehat and Tajpoor of Dinajpoor, on the South by Hutundah of Purneah, and on the West by Pergunnah Maldooar of Purneah. There are several detached villages, interlaced with the lands of Tajpoor and Barour of Purneah. Its rivers are the Mahanunda and the Nagur, the latter forms its natural Eastern boundary and no towns or places of note exist within its limits. The soils are of excellent quality, being principally Muteear and Dorus; these without irrigation yield fine crops of rice, mustard-seed, kullye, moong, kaseree, bhoota, mussoor, gram, wheat, hemp, chillies, barley and field the harvests are Bhuddooee, Khureef and Rubbee. This Pergunnah is under the Police jurisdiction of Thannah Barnshye of Bhaugulpoor, but pays its jumma into the Collectorate Treasury of Maldah, in conjunction with Akburabad, in which Pergunnah all its proprietors reside. The luttahs in use are 5 haths and 5 haths and 3 inches. The total area is 27,968-3-21, British acres or 43.70 square miles, more than two-thirds of which is cultivated.

pease;

ROOKUNPOOR OF MALDAH.

No. 12, or Pergunnah Rookunpoor of Maldah, is so considerably intermixed with Rookunpoor of Dinajpoor, that at the time the former came under demarcation for survey, it was considered expedient to thak the lands of the latter, and not only for this reason, but because the lands appertaining to Rookunpoor of Dinajpoor, are very nearly surrounded by those of Maldah, and it would have caused the Dinajpoor Surveyor much trouble and delay in tracing them out. The Pergunnahs are bounded on the North by Sumulpoor of Purneah, Bhalasuree and Rajnuggur of Maldah and Rajnuggur of Dinajpoor, on the East by Shikarpoor, and on the West and South by Sumulpoor of Purneah, and Begumabad and Bhutteea Gopalpoor of Maldah.

Rivers.-The Mahanunda river forms the natural Western and Southern boundary, and the Tanggun the Eastern boundary; both these rivers have been adverted to before.

Roads.-The Dâk road from Angrazabad to Dinajpoor, passes through the Western part of the Pergunnah, from the Neemuh Suraie Ghat, and enters Pergunnah Bhalasuree at the village of Goalparra; a few cart roads exist, but generally they are almost impassable.

Soils. The soils are Muteear, Dorus and Baloo; in the vicinity of the Mahanunda, they are of a loose and sandy nature, and produce excellent and abundant crops of rice, dal, wheat, barley, mustard-seed, gram and mulberry; but near the Tanggun and towards

the middle of the Pergunnahs, the cultivated lands are so moist, as to be unfit for any thing but boro and other kinds of rice.

Harvests.-The harvests are Bhuddooee, Khureef and Rubbee.

Climate. The climate is excessively damp and unhealthy; indeed to strangers during some months of the year, that is, immediately after the rains, and from April to June, it is deadly; the people of my Establishment suffered severely during the survey, and I lost here several valuable men.

Jungle.-Half of the surface of these Pergunnahs, is covered with grass, tree, bamboo and cane jungle, which is filled with all manner of wild animals; but it is difficult to get at them, on account of the denseness of the jungle.

Jheels.-There are several large jheels and swamps; the largest jheel is called the Julkur Buthan, it swarms with fish and is let out to several fishermen who pay a considerable rent to the proprietor; this jheel is connected with the Tanggun by two nullahs, and in former years was also connected with the Mahanunda.

Towns.-The ancient town of Maldah is situated on the Eastern bank of the Mahanunda, in the village of Surwurree; although there are at least 900 houses built of brick, every thing about it has a squallid and miserable appearance; the town is built without method or the least regularity, and the streets are narrow and dirty in the extreme; several independent people reside in the town, but generally speaking, the brick houses are occupied by buneeas, artisans and tradesmen of various descriptions. There is a miserably dirty Suraie near the Thannah; this Suraie was nearly in a ruinous state in 1848, the rooms were nearly choked up with filth, and the square in front disreputably dirty. The other towns are Mungulbaree and Mobarikpoor of Maldah, and Koheehutta of Dinajpoor.

Thannah.-The Maldah Thannah is situated in the town of Maldah, directly opposite to the mouth of the Kalindry river; the Pergunnahs are under its Police jurisdiction. Area. The area of both Pergunnahs is as follows:

Names of Pergunnahs.

Total Area by Detached lands
Survey. to be added.

Included lands
to be
deducted.

Recorded
Area of
Pergunnahs.

Square
Miles.

Rookunpoor, District
Maldah,

41,233 0 25 1,857 2 36 2,337 2 17 40,853 1 01 63.83

Rookunpoor, District 27,855 1 30 1,192 2 39
Dinajpoor,

0 0 0 29,048 0 29

45.38

Beegah. The luttahs in use during the time of survey are as follows:

Luttah 4 haths of 18 inches each 1,600 square yards per beegah.

Assessment. The rate of assessment is noted in the General Statistical Return