Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/308

Rh 28(5 AGRA It is bounded on the N. by the district of Mathurd; on theE. by the Mainpuri and Etdwah districts; on the S. by the Gwalior territory and the Dholpur state ; and on the W. by the Bhartpur territory. Its area in 1872 was returned at 1873 square miles, and its population at 1,094,184 souls. The general appearance of the district is that com mon to the Doab, a level plain intersected by watercourses (nalas) and ravines. The only hills are the sandstone eleva tions in the west and south-west of the district. The prin cipal rivers are the Jamnd, Chambal, Uttangan, and Khari. The Jamnd intersects the district, cutting off the sub divisions of Itmadpur and Firozdbdd ; and a branch of the Aligarh division of the Ganges Canal passes through its northern parts. The general elevation of the district is estimated at from 650 to 700 feet above the level of the sea. The soil is sandy; many of the wells are brackish, and the local water supply is scanty. The failure of the periodical rains during the monsoon suffices to produce great scarcity, sometimes reaching the famine point. Only five towns are returned by the census as containing up wards of 5000 inhabitants, viz., Agra city (the capital of the district), population 149,008; Fathipur Sikrf, the site of Akbar s famous mosque and palace, 6878; Firozabdd, 14,255; Pindhdt, .6571; and Saimrd, 5704. There are three municipalities, viz., Agra city, Firozdbdd, and Fathi pur Sikrf. These muncipalities derive their local revenue from octroi and from property within the municipal limits. The total municipal income and its incidence per head of the population are as follows : Agra city, municipal income, 15,441, incidence per head, 2s. Ofd. ; Firozabad. 724 Is. per head; Fathipur Sikri, 366 Is. per head. The land revenue of the whole district was stated in 1871 at 162,882, and the gross revenue at 660,526. A scheme of rural instruction by means of indigenous schools was introduced in 1848. In 1871-72 there were 431 schools in the district, attended by 10,823 pupils, of whom 8820 were Hindus, 1293 Mahometans, and 710 of other deno minations. The educational establishments within the city will be described below. The police force consisted of 1358 regular police in 1871, equal to one man to every 1*37 square miles of area, or one to every 805 inhabitants; and a village watch or rural constabulary of 1921 men, being one man to every - 97 square miles of area, or one to every 570 inhabitants. The chief crimes of the district, in common with the rest of the Doab, are burglary and theft. AGRA CITY, situated on the banks of the Jamnd river, in 27 10 N. lat., and 78 5 E. long., is the head-quarters of the division and capital of the district. Formerly it was the provincial capital also, but since the mutiny the seat of government has been removed from Agra to Allahabad. The city, which is about 4 miles in length by 3 in breadth, sweeps along the banks of the river in a semicircle. The principal thoroughfares are a fine broad street intersecting the town from north to south; and the Strand, which runs along the banks of the river for a distance of 2 miles. This road measures 80 feet in width, and is said to have been constructed by the destitute poor during the famine of 1838. In 1846 the population of the city was esti mated at 66,000; in 1872 it was ascertained to be 149,000. The conservancy and improvement of the town are in the hands of a municipal committee, which derives its funds principally from octroi duties. In 1871-72, the municipal income was returned as follows: Octroi duties, 13,587; miscellaneous receipts, such as rent from land belonging to the municipality, &c., 1854 total, 15,441. The details of municipal expenditure were as follow : Establishment and cost of collection, 1667, 12s.; police, 4041, 12s.; conservancy, 1749, 12s.; lighting, 672, 14s.; watering, 255, 10s.; original works, 3561, 16s.; repairs, 1429, 2s.; education, 120; vaccination, 36, 6s.; dispensary, 360; charities, 240; grants to cantonments, museum, &c., 1465, 2s. total, 15,599, 6s. The principal educational establishment in Agra is the Government College, a hand some building, situated in the civil lines a short distance from the town. It was established in 1820; in 1872 it contained 385 pupils. The other chief schools are the St John s College, established by the Church Missionary Society in 1854; the Victoria College, established in 1862; and St Peter s Catholic College. These three colleges in 1872 had 643 pupils on their rolls. There is also a medical college, founded in 1853. The total number of students admitted into it during the sixteen years from 1855 to 1870 inclusive, was 1168, of whom 235 passed the pre scribed examination and received appointments in the government medical service. The Agra fort has a very imposing appearance, but is of no great strength. It occu pies a large space of ground on the banks of the river, enclosed by high walls and towers of red stone. The fortress was constructed by the Emperor Akbar in the latter part of the 16th century, and exceeds a mile in circuit. In 1803 the place was held by the Marhattds; but being invested by Lord Lake s army, it surrendered after a day s bombardment. During the mutiny of 1857 it formed a place of refuge for the European and Christian community of Agra, and was threatened by the insurgent sepoys. The buildings of most note within the walls of the fort are the palace and hall of audience of Shdh JaMn, and the Moti Masjid, or &quot; Pearl Mosque.&quot; &quot; In the centre of the palace,&quot; says Mr Fergusson in his History of Architecture, vol. ii., pp. 699-700, &quot;is a great court 500 feet by 370, siirrounded by arcades, and approached at the opposite ends through a succession of beautiful courts opening into one another by gateways of great magnificence. On one side of this court is the great hall of the palace, the Diwani-Khas, 208 feet by 76, supported by three ranges of arcades of exquisite beauty. It is open on three sides, and with a niche for the throne at the back. This hall is now used as an arsenal. Behind it are two smaller courts, the one containing the Diwani-Am or hall of private audience, the other the harem. The hall in the former is one of the most elegant of Shah Jahan s buildings, being wholly of white marble- inlaid with precious stones, and the design of the whole being in the best style of his reign.&quot; The Mod Masjid or Pearl Mosque is the most elegant mosque of Indian-Mahometan architecture. Mr Fergus- son describes it as follows: &quot; Its dimensions are considerable, being externally 235 feet east and west, by 190 feet north and south, and the courtyard 155 feet square. The mass is also considerable, as the whole is raised on a terrace of artificial construction, by the aid of which it stands well out from the surrounding buildings of the fort. Its chief beauty consists in its courtyard, which is wholly of white marble from the pavement to the summit of its domes. In design it somewhat resembles the great Dehli mosque, except that the minarets are omitted, and the side gateways are only recesses. The western part, or mosque properly so called, is of white marble inside and out ; and, except an inscription from the Kuran inlaid with black marble as a frieze, has no ornament whatever beyond the lines of its own graceful architecture.&quot; Agra, however, is even more famous for the Taj-Mahal, a splendid mausoleum built by the Emperor Shah JahAn for the remains of his favourite wife, Mumtdzd Mahal, and where he himself is also buried. The building is of white marble, with four tall minarets of the same material, one at each corner. The whole rises from an elevated marble terrace. The following account is extracted from Mr Fergusson s History of Architecture, pp. 692-694: &quot;The enclosure, including the gardens and outer court, is a parallelogram of 1860 feet by more than 1000 feet. The outer court, surrounded by arcades and adorned by four gateways, forms an oblong, occupying in length the whole breadth of the inclosure, by about 450 feet in depth. The principal gateway, measuring 110 feet by 140, leads from the court to the gardens, which, with their marble canals and fountains and cypress trees, are almost as beauti ful as the tomb itself. The tomb stands on a raised platform 18 feet high, faced with white marble, and is exactly 313 feet square.