Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/694

Rh 65G A M B - A M B seat of the supreme government of India during the hot veather, and its chief town, of the same name, is the largest hill station in India, The other two districts of the divi sion lie upon the plains at the foot of the Himalayas. They are bounded on the X.E. by those mountains, on the N.W. by the river Satlej, on the S.W. by the district of Firozpur, the independent native state of Patiala, and the district of Karnal, and on the S.R by the river Jairma, AMBALA DISTRICT stretches X.W. and S.E. along the lower face of the Himalayas, and lies between 29 55 and 31 14 N. lat., and between 76 37 and 77 38 E. long. It is bounded on the X.E. by the Himalayas, on the X.W. by the river Satlej, on the S.E. by the river Jamua, and on the S.W. by the district of Ludhiaiui, the state of Patiala. and the district of Karnal. The total area of the district is 26-8 square miles, or 1,681,930 acres, of which 945,5-6 acres are cultivated, 283,989 acres are cultivable, but not actually under tillage, and 452,415 acres are uucultivable and waste. The total population of the district, according to the census of 1868, amounts to 1.035,488 souls, divided into the following classes : Hindus, 689,333; Mahometans, 286,874; Sikhs, 56,440; others, 2841. The males numbered 567.930, and the females 467,558; the proportion of males to the total population being 5 4 8 4 per cent. The principal tribes and castes in point of numbers are (1.) Jats, viz., Hindus and Sikhs, 161.967; Mahometans, 13,368: total, 175,335. (2.) Chamars (Hindus), 125,638. (3.) Rajputs viz., Hindus and Sikhs, 20,121; Mahometans, 62,*866: total, 82.987. (4.) Brahinans, 63,744. (5.) Gujjars viz., Hindus and Sikhs, 24,500 ; Mahometans, 24,195 : total, 48,695. (6.) Banias (Hindus). 39,093. The total agricultural popula tion vas 501,056. Taking the population as compared vrith the area, the result gives 1 - 62 acres per head of the population, or 3 -35 acres per head of the agricultural population. Putting aside the uncultivable and waste laud, there are 1 18 acres of cultivated or cultivable laud per head of the population, or 2 45 acres per head of the agri cultural population. Taking only the area under actual cultivation, there are 91 acres per head of population, or 1 88 acres per head of the agricultural population. &quot;Vith one small exception, the whole district consists of a level alluvial plain, sloping away gradually from the foot of the Himalayas, and lying between the rivers Janiua and Satlej. These rivers do not materially affect the district, which has a drainage system of its own, consisting of the numerous torrents and water-courses which pour down upon it from the hills. In the southern portion of the district these torrents run in broad sandy beds scarcely below the sur face of the country, and vary from 200 yards to a mile in width, until, at a distance of 20 or 30 niiles from the hills, thej assume the form of comparatively docile streams, with well-defined clay banks. Towards the northern por tion of the district the torrents run in deep beds from the point where they debouch from the hills ; they also differ from the streams of the southern tract in being free from sand. The principal of these northern streams is the Ghaggar, into which all the other minor streams sooner or later empty themselves, some within and some beyond the limits of the district. Whatever surplus water of this river is not swallowed up by irrigation passes on through Fatiala state and Sirsa, and is finally lost in the sands of Rajputaui The Ghaggar is the only perennial stream within the district, and even it dwindles down to a tiny rivulet in the dry weather, and disappears altogether beyond the border of the district. The Sind. Panjalv and Dehli railway passes through the centre ol the district from south-east to north-west. The other principal land routes are two main lines of road, one passing through the district parallel to the line of railway, and the other coming from Defali and Karnal, entering it on the south, and running northward till the two roads meet at Ambala city. A less important road runs northward from this town to the foot of the Himalayas, and forms the route to the hill station of Simla, The principal agricultural products of Ambala district are wheat, grain, and barley for the spring harvest, and rice, joar ^spiked millet^, and Indian corn in the autumn. The total area under cultivation in 1871-72 was, for the spring harvest 437.377 acres, and for the autumn crop 496.542 acres. The land settlement of the southern portion of the district was completed in 1S53, and that of the northern pxrt in 1855. Both will expire in 1SSO. The following eight towns are returned as containing a population of upwards of 5000 souls, the first-named seven being also municipalities: Ambala, population, 50,662 souls: Shahabad. 11.673: Jagadhri, 11.678; Sadhauni, 11, IPS: Kiijxir, $700: Buna, S351 ; Thaneswar, 7929 ; Mani Majra, 59S9. A municipal in come is also raised from the following seven towns : Kharar, Siswan, Morindah, Pihewah, Ridaur, Ladwah, and Khizirabad. All the municipalities derive their revenue from a system of octroi duties. The total revenue of Ambala district for 1871 was 101,362, of which 74 per cent, or 74,446, was derived from the laud. The other principal items of revenue were as follows: Distilleries, 3594, 14s. ; drugs and opium, 3151, 4s. ; income-tax, 2709, 14s. ; stamps, 9308, 14s.; local rates levied under Act xx. of 1S71, 7653, ISs. Ambala is one of the territories previously held by a Sikh Sardar which lapsed to the East India Company in default of rightful heirs. The district was seized by Kaujit Singh during one of his marauding expeditious. This aggression caused the movement of British troops in 1S09 which resulted in the treaty with Ranjit Singh by which he was required to withdraw his army from the left bank of the Satlej, and to relinquish his recent con quests in Sirhiud. AMBALA CITY, the capital of the district of the same name, is situated in 30 24 X. lat.. and 76 49 E. long. It forms a large and important station on the Sind. Pun jab, and DehH railway. The military station and can tonments lie a few miles south-east of the town. Amba!a is a large walled town, situated in a level and highly-culti vated country, well supplied with water, and capable of furnishing abundant supplies. The houses are built of burnt brick, and the streets are very narrow. The town population is returned at 50.662 souls, but this probably includes the English station. The population within muni cipal limits numbers 24,040, divided as follows : Agricul turists, 3226; non-agriculturists, 20.814. The town has been constituted a second-class municipality, the affairs of which are conducted by a committee consisting of six official and five non-official members. The municipal in come is derived from an octroi duty, and the revenue has increased from 836, 16s, in 1867-68, to 1520 in 1871-72. The average incidence of municipal taxation in the latter year was Is. 3^&amp;lt;L per head of the population within municipal limits. AMBARYALIA. or AMBAETALE SACEUM (amlio aud arn/;??,to go round the field), an annual festival celebrated ia ancient Rome on three days during the month of May. The private ambariwlia is to be distinguished from the facrijcium d(& dix celebrated by the twelve fratra armies, though the two festivals were coincident in point of time and had a common object, namely, to obtain from the gods a favourable harvest. The tacrincium was offered up on behalf of the entire state ; the ambarvalia was cele brated by each proprietor for himself. The victims were a sow, a sheep, and a bull, and were called by the combined name fuovetaurilia. Previous to the sacrifice these were led round the fields, while the peasants sang hymns to Ceres. The form of prayer used (carmen amlarvalf] is preserved in an inscription of the date of the Emperor Elagabalus (218 A. p.), which was discovered in 1777. The same inscription gives an interesting account of the entire ceremony. (See Marini s Gli Atti c Monumenti de Fratflli ArwU, Rome, 1792.) The Christian festival that seems to have taken the place of the amfarvaUa is the Rogation or Gang Week of the Roman Catholic Church, for which the perambulation of the parish boundaries was substituted at the Reformation.