Five rivers), a strip west from the Indus to the mountains, and the province of Gurwhal in the Himalaya.

This Government is in general a plain, but the Himalaya rises less abruptly from the plain here than it does in Bengal. There are outer ranges of hills, and the Salt range is somewhat distant from the Himalaya.

The crops here are much the same as in the North-west Provinces, but the climate is drier, and in winter. much colder. Snow falls occasionally in the plains at Lahore.

There are several English hill-stations in Gurwhal, among which Simla is the summer residence of the Viceroy. In the Himalayan province of Chumba is the English hillstation Dalhousie, on the northern edge of the English territory.

(5) Bombay contains the provinces Concan along the Malabar coast, Khandeish across the Taptee valley, Poona and Sattara on the Deccan plateau east of the Western Ghats, a strip of territory round the head of the Gulf of Cambay, and Scinde (quite detached) on the Indus.

The climate varies from extreme moisture in the South Concan near the ghats, to burning dry heat in the deserts of Scinde.

The English hill-station is Poona.

(6) Central Provinces comprise the old Sangur territory, Berar (or Nagpore) annexed by Lord Dalhousie, and certain districts ceded by the Nizam.

This Government lies wholly in the Deccan it contains considerable areas of cotton soil, and also possesses coal mines. The railway up the Nerbudda valley has given the province a great commercial impetus, and is being still pushed eastwards. It will another day be the main line from Calcutta to Bombay. Three-fourths of the population are Hindoos, the remainder belonging to aboriginal tribes.

(7) Assam comprises the valley of the Brahmapootra, Assam Proper, occupied mainly by impure Hindoos; the Khasi range of mountains, 4,000-6,000 feet high, south of Assam, occupied by Khasis and other Kookie tribes; and the districts of Sylhet and Cachar, in the plain south of the

Khasi range. Tea is largely cultivated by English planters both in Assam and Cachar. Assam is capable of supporting a large population on rice, but was nearly depopulated under the Burmese régime.

Shillong, the political capital, is the English station on the Khasi hills.

(8) Ceylon, somewhat smaller than Ireland, presents a central group of mountains, with low-lying tracts all round to the sea. It is hot and moist, and celebrated for its belt of coco-nuts continuous along the south-west coast, its cinnamon, and its coffee plantations. The island was nearly depopulated under native rule, and large tracts on the eastern side are now jungles containing the ruins of large cities. Palk Strait, which separates it from India, is too shallow to permit the passage of ships. Ceylon closely resembles Travancore, on the opposite coast of India.

(9) Hyderabad is the heart of the Deccan, lying on the table-land, mostly 2,000 feet above sea-level. It contains a large area of black cotton-soil. Extensive irrigation works have been constructed, both on the Godavery and Kistna. The present Nizam being an infant, the province is administered by Sir Salar Jung, under the approval of the English Government.

(10) Rajpootana. This large area is within the region of the Indian desert, and its numerous small states are often little more than oases. The Governor-General's agent for Rajpootana superintends the whole, and has under him residents in the more important states, some of which are practically ruled altogether by the Resident.

The Rajput princes regard themselves as the highest-born men in India.

On the Aravalli range is Mount Aboo, altitude 5,000 feet, where the English have a station, at which the GovernorGeneral's agent often resides.

(11) Gwalior is irregularly shaped, containing separate patches on the Chumbul, and includes a large area of the famous black cotton soil of India (disintegrated trap). Cotton and opium are largely exported.

Scindia is one of the subsidiary Mahratta princes. By treaty he is entitled to keep a private army, and his artillery gained him the military compliments of the Prince of Wales at his Review. But in all these cases where native Rajahs are allowed to play at soldiers, the Government of India has the expense of maintaining a sufficient English force to overwhelm them whenever necessary.

(12) Indore is a small but valuable territory, lying mainly along the central Nerbudda, but extending over the Vindhyas into the Malwa plateau, where is Holkar's capital, Indore.

(13) The Guikwar has the peninsula of Goojerat and a small separate district in the continent, where is his capital, Baroda.

(14) Mysore is a plateau 3,000 feet above the sea. This is nominally a Native State, but has been in fact directly administered by the English Government for forty years past. The present supposed Rajah is a minor, and the English Government has not yet settled what is to be done when he comes of age.

The

(15) Travancore is closely under British protection. Rajah employs several British officers in the higher administrative posts, and has accumulated much treasure. He is a zealous Hindoo.

488. TOWNS. Enumeration of those containing 100,000 or more inhabitants :

:-

(1) Bombay, population 800,000.

(2) Madras, population 420,000.

(3) Calcutta, population 400,coo, on the Hooghly.

(4) Patna, population 280,000, on the Ganges; the chief town of Behar.

(5) Benares, population 170,000, on the Ganges; the Sacred City of the Hindoos.

(6) Allahabad, population 105,000, at the junction of the Ganges and Jumna.

(7) Agra, population 140,000, on the Jumna: here is the Taj, the most famed building in India.

(8) Cawnpore, population 110,000, on the Ganges, opposite Oude.

(9) Lucknow, population 300,000, on the Goomtee; the chief town of Oude.

(10) Bareilly, population 105,000; the chief town in Rohilcund.

(11) Delhi, population 150,000, on the Jumna.

(12) Oojein, population 130,000, near the headwaters of the Chumbal; famous 2,000 years ago.

(13) Baroda, population 100,000, the capital of the Guikwar.

(14) Ahmedabad, population 130,000, north of the Gulf of Cambay.

(15) Hyderabad, population 200,000, the capital of the Nizam.

(16) Nagpore, population 110,000, the chief town in the Central Provinces.

Sect. XXIX. AFFGHANISTAN (with Beloochistan).

489. EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES. Affghanistan is bounded on the North by the Hindoo Koosh; on the East by India; on the South by the Indian Ocean; on the West (along an unsettled line) by Persia.

490. CLIMATE. Affghanistan is intensely hot in summer and always dry. It is part of the Desert region of southwest Asia; there are hardly any trees, except a belt at the base of the Hindoo Koosh, which may be regarded as a continuation of the Indian Terai.

491. MOUNTAINS. Nearly the whole of Affghanistan is a raised table-land, and the northern part is very cold in winter.

492. RIVERS. Owing to the drought there is no considerable river in Affghanistan; the small streams often dry up or slip away. Only small areas near water can be cultivated, but these are very fertile. Though the whole area of the country may be twice that of France, the population is probably less than that of Ireland.

493. RACES OF MEN. The Affghans are an Aryan race, of the elder branch, closely related to the Persians. They are Muhammadans in religion. On the coast of Beloochistan is a wretched, barbarous tribe, eating fish, who were found there by Alexander the Great 2,000 years ago, eating fish then.

494. PRESENT POLITICAL STATE. Different chiefs at different centres exercise a practically independent sovereignty as far as they can; the Ameer at Cabul is the largest chief.

495. COMMUNICATIONS. The great trade-route proceeds from Peshawur along the Cabul river to Cabul, and thence directly west to Herat. One route from Herat proceeds by Mushed to Astrabad on the Caspian; another, keeping south of the Elburz, proceeds to Teheran. It is more than 500 miles from Peshawur to Herat, and 500 miles from Herat to Astrabad; this is the direct line for a railway from India to Europe.

496. ANIMALS AND PLANTS. Affghanistan possesses excellent horses and camels. Also, owing to the greater dryness of the climate, many fruits come to perfection here which cannot be grown with good flavour in India: such are melons, grapes, apricots.

497. TOWNS. (1) Kawbul, population 60,000, is 6,000 feet above sea-level.

(2) Herat, population 20,000, is 6,000 feet above sealevel.

Sect. XXX. PERSIA.

498. EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES. Persia is bounded on the East by Affghanistan and Beloochistan; on the South by the Persian Gulf; on the West by Asiatic Turkey; on the North by Russia, the Caspian, and Turkestan.

Its area is more than double France, its population less than that of Ireland.

499. CLIMATE. Persia being part of the western Desert region of Asia, is intensely hot in summer and very dry;