Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/170

Rh 152 S A H S A I by numerous streams from the Siwaliks, while the Eastern Jumna and the Ganges Canals, which traverse the district from north to south and issue from its north-west and north-east corners, cover the district with a network of irrigation channels. The only large rivers are the Ganges, which enters Saharanpur 180 miles from its source, by a well-marked gorge formed in the rock at Hardwur; and the Jumna, which debouches into the plain about 123 miles from its source, at a place called Khdra. The district has abundant means of communication : the Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway traverses it for a dis- tance of 42 miles, with stations at Deoband, Saharanpur, and Sarsawa ; and it has numerous roads, both metalled and unmetalled. The climate of Saharanpur is that of the North- Western Provinces in general ; at one season it is tropical, at another partially European. Its average annual rainfall is about 37 inches. Wild animals are plentiful, including the tiger, leopard, wild cat, lynx, hyaena, and wolf. By the census of 1881 the population of Saharanpur numbered 979,544 (530,427 males and 449,117 females). By religion there were 653,272 Hindus, 317,535 Mohammedans, and 1793 Christians. Five towns had populations exceeding 10,000 each, namely, SAH/R- ANPUR (q.v.), Hardwar Union (28,106), Deoband (22,116), Rurki (12,818), and Gangoh (12,089). Rurki (Roorkee) is a town of con- siderable importance, situated in 29 52' 25" N. lat. and 77 55' 40" E. long. It is the headquarters of the Ganges Canal workshops and iron-foundry, with the Thomason Civil Engineering College, for the instruction of natives and others in practical engineering ; it contains also an excellent meteorological observatory. Hard- war municipality, which lies 39 miles north-east of Saharanpur town, on the right bank of the Ganges, is the most frequented of all Hindu places of pilgrimage, and is largely used for the bathing festivals. Every twelfth year, when Jupiter is in Aquarius, a great fair or kunibh-mela is held, which attracts an immense number of people ; as many as 3,000,000 attended in 1882. Of a total area of 2221 square miles 1256 are cultivated and 331 are cultivable waste. Cereals form the principal products. The chief spring crops are wheat, barley, pulses, and oil-seeds, and the staples of the rain crops are rice, joar, bajra, and vegetables ; the cultivation of cotton and indigo is also carried on, the latter in much greater quantities since the introduction of canal irrigation has rendered its out-turn less precarious than formerly. The commer- cial importance of the district depends mostly on its raw materials. It manufactures broad-cloth, jewellery, and sweetmeats; among the articles produced at the Riirki workshops are steam-engines, pumps, printing presses, lathes, and mathematical instruments. The gross revenue of Saharanpur in 1883-84 amounted to 172,960, of which the land-tax contributed 118,067. During the later years of the Mogul empire Saharanpur was the scene of much strife and suffering on account of the perpetual raids of the Sikhs, but in 1785 the district under Ghulam Kadir enjoyed comparative tranquillity. On his death the country fell into the hands of the Mahrattas, but it was for a time occupied by the adventurer George Thomas, until his death in 1802. It was afterwards overrun by Sikhs and Mahrattas, remaining practically in the hands of the former until their final defeat in November 1804, when it passed under British rule. Several disturbances subsequently took place among the native chiefs ; but from 1824 to 1857 nothing occurred to disturb the peace of the district. The mutiny in this part was soon quelled. SAHARANPUR, principal town and administrative headquarters of the above district, is situated in 29 58' 15" N. lat. and 77 35' 15" E. long., on a small stream (the Damaula Nadi) in an open level country. Its height above the sea is over 900 feet. The town possesses a fine botanic garden, where early experiments were made in tea and cinchona culture. Amongst its buildings are an old Rohilla fort, used as a court-house, and a handsome Mo- hammedan mosque. A considerable trade is carried on in grain, sugar, molasses, and country cloth. The population in 1881 was 59,194 (31,506 males and 27,688 females). SAID A. See SIDON. SAIGA. See ANTELOPE, vol. ii. p. 102. SAIGON, the capital of French Cochin China, occupies an area of 1000 acres, on the right bank of the Saigon river or Don-nai (one of the streams that inosculate with the deltaic branches of the Me-kong), about 60 miles from the China Sea. In 1884 it was connected by rail with Mytho, 37 miles south-west on one of the branches of the Me-kong, with which it had obtained direct water-communi- cation in 1877 by the opening of the Canal de Cho-gon. The present city has been practically created since 1861, and its fine streets, boulevards, squares, and public buildings make it one of the most attractive towns in the East, as it was well planned and the plan not un- worthily carried out. The town possesses a governor's palace or cit- adel (cost 12,000,000 francs) with a grand Fia. 1. Map of Saigon District. fa9ade, a cathedral (1877; cost 2,500,000 francs), a palace of justice (1882), a chamber of commerce, a large military hospital, municipal gardens, and botanical gardens with collections of wild beasts. Among the educational insti- tutions are the College Chasseloup-Laubat and the Col- lege d'Adran, the latter in memory of Bishop Piqueaux de Behaigne, whose tomb is in the vicinity of the town. There is a large arsenal with upwards of 100 European employes and a special establishment for the artillery with machine-shops and foundries. A floating-dock was constructed in 1868; a much larger one (cost 3,400,000 francs) sank in 1880-82 at its first trial and became a wreck. The population of Saigon in 1881 was 13,348. The Europeans, exclusive of the troops, numbered only 965 (913 French). The Chinese element was the strongest, and next came the Anamite. The muni- cipality consists of fifteen members, of whom four are Anamites, the rei;t, including the mayor, being French. As a commercial centre Saigon is one of the principal towns in the colony, but most of the trade is really done at Cholon, 4 miles off on the Arroyo Chinois and Rach-lo-gom, but connected with Saigon by a steam tramway. Though it has its own local government and officials, Cholon is practically part of the capital. Chinese emigrants from Bien-hoa were its founders in 1778, and the Chinese still form half of its population and almost monopolize its trade. In 1881 it had 39,925 in- habitants (83 Europeans). Wide streets have been opened up through its original complexity of lanes and substantial quays constructed for miles along the Arroyo. A fine granite- paved market stands in the heart of the town. Rice is the great staple of the Saigon -Cholon trade, finding purchasers mainly at Hong -Kong, Java, and the Philippines. Other articles are black pepper, gamboge, and cocoa-nut oil. In 1883 8,648,243 piculs of rice, worth more than 2,000,000, were exported. In 1884, leaving out the Messageries Maritimes, 503 vessels (568,077 tons), of which 239 (253,871 tons) were British, cleared from Saigon. Fig. 2 shows the relative positions of Saigon and Singapore. Saigon was the native capital of Lower Cochin China and the residence of the governor of the southern provinces. In 1836 it was fortified for the emperor Gia Long by Colonel Ollivier. The French under Admiral Rigault de Genouilly captured it in 1858, and it was part of the territory ceded in 1861. The importance of the old town may be judged by the vast mounds of brick and stone which still crowd the ancient necropolis on one of the two roads between Saigon and Cholon.