Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/119

Rh cultivation mainly depends upon artificial irrigation, effected principally by canals leading from the Indus. In 1872-73 there were 15 main canals, drawing their supply direct from the Indus, of which 2 were the property of private individuals, and 1 3 were under the management of Government. Alum, earth salt, and raggi (an impure carbonate of soda) are manufactured in some quantities. The exports are indigo, opium, salt, dates, wheat, cotton, barley, millet, ghi, and hides. The imports are sugar, fruits from Cabul, gram, woollen goods, English piece goods and broad cloth, metals, salt, and spices. The total revenue of the district in 1872-73, exclusive of local funds and canal collections, amounted to 45,161, of which 35,588, or 79 per cent., was derived from the land. The administrative staff of the district consists of a deputy commissioner, with two assistants and one extra assistant, four tahsildars, each with a deputy or assistant, a district superintendent of police, and two civil surgeons. The police force numbered 733 men. There are 35 schools, maintained or assisted by the state, and 132 indigenous village schools total 167, attended in 1872-73 by 2907 pupils. Three charitable dispensaries afford gratuitous medical relief. The principal town of the district, and chief seat of commerce, is Dera Ghazi Khan, situated on the west bank of the Indus, 30 4 lat., 70 61 long. Population in 1868 : Mahometans, 10,699; Hindus, 8850; Sikhs, 328; Christians, 52; &quot;others,&quot; 194 total, 20,123. The other towns containing a population exceeding 5000 souls are Jarnpur, population 7796; Choti, population 7300; Dagil, population 5693 ; and Rajhan, population 5656. Rajanpur, although not containing 5000 inhabitants, is important as a cantonment, a regiment of cavalry and two companies of infantry being stationed there. The foregoing towns are all municipalities.

The census of 1868 returned the population as follows : Mahometans, 264,527; Hindus, 38,467 ; Sikhs, 1124; &quot;others,&quot; 4722 ; total 308,840. The Beluchis, who are Mahometans, form by far the most important section of the population, and number 82,590. The Jats, who are also Mahometans, are the most numerous, numbering 162,519. Among the Hindu population, the Aroras form the most important caste, 33,024 in number, principally traders. Of the total population, 164,729, or 53 per celit., are returned as agriculturists.

 DERÁ ISMÁIL KHÁN, a district of British India in the Derajat division of the lieutenant-governorship of the Punjab, is situated between 30 35 30&quot; and 32 33 0&quot; N. lat., and 70 15 0&quot; and 72 3 20&quot; E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the district of Bannu, on the E. by Shahpur and Jhang, on the S. by Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghdzi Khan, and on the W. by the Sulaiman hills, which mark the frontier. The district is divided into two almost equal portions by the Indus, which intersects it from north to south, and is the only river of any importance. To the west of the Indus, the characteristics of the country resemble those of Derd Ghazi Khan. To the east of the present bed of the river there is a wide tract known as the Kachiy exposed to river action. Beyond this, the country rises abruptly, and a barren, almost desert plain stretches eastwards, sparsely cultivated, and inhabited only by nomadic tribes of herdsmen. The area of the district is 7096*56 square miles, or 4,541,800 acres; the cultivated area amounts to 541,913 acres, of which 428,604 acres are under irrigation, and 113,309 unirrigated. The uncultivated area, which is returned at 3,999,887 acres, is sub divided as follows : grazing lands, 364,864 acres ; cultivable, but not actually under cultivation., 1,329,796 acres; uncultivable, 3,999,887 acres. The district has recently been granted a regular laud settlement for the first time. The period of the latest summary settlement expired in 1868 in part of the district, and in 1871 in the remainder, The principal agricultural products are wheat, barley, grain, pease, tobacco, and oil-seeds for the spring or rabi harvest; and rice, millets, and cotton for the autumn or kharif crop. There are no manufactures of importance. The principal municipalities and trading towns, with their populations (1863), are as follows: Dera Ismail Khan, the civil station and chief town, population 24,906 ; Leid, 17,033 ; Kolachi, 9921; Takhwara, 6800; Karor, 5720; Bhakkar, 5554 ; Panmala, 5502. Other minor towns, which are also municipalities, are Kot Sultan, Mankhera, and Tank. The income of the district in 1872-73 (exclusive of municipal taxation) amounted to 50,918, of which 39,784 was derived from the land. The police force consisted of 617 men. There were 18 Government or aided and 87 indigenous village schools in 1872-73, attended by 2190 pupils. The census of 1868 returned the population as follows : Mahometans, 338,387 ; Hindus, 48,756 ; Sikhs, 1587 ; others 6134 ; total 394,864. Of the Mahometan population, the principal classes are the Beluchis, 34,703 in number ; Pathans, 51,823 ; and Sayyids, 8669. The Hindus consist almost entirely of Aroras, 42,087, principally traders and money lenders. Of the total population, 187,096, or 48 per cent., are returned as agriculturists.

 DERAJÁT, a division or commissionership of British India, under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-governor of the Punjab, comprising the frontier districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Derd Ismail Khan, and Bannu, situated between 28 27 0&quot; and 33 15 30&quot; N lat. and 70 15&quot; 0&quot; and 72 3 20&quot; E. long. The division is bounded on the N. by the district of Kohat, on the E. by the districts of Rawal Pindi, Shahpur, and Jhang, and by the River Indus, on the S. by the district of Jacobabad in Sind, and on the W. by the Wazlri and Sulaiman hills, beyond British territory. The two northern districts of the division, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan, are intersected by the Indus. The Bannu valley is drained by the Kuram and Gambila rivers. It is shut in on the N. and S. by hills, and is traversed from N. to S. by a continuation of the great Punjab salt range. According to the census of 1868, the Derajat division comprises an area of 14,432 square miles, with a population of 991,251 souls, inhabiting 1695 villages, classified as follows : Mahometans, 863,464, or 87 1 per cent.; Hindus 113,445, or 11 5 per cent.; Christians, 341; Sikhs, 3204, or 3 per cent.; and &quot;others,&quot; 10,797, or 1*1 per cent.

 DERBEND, or DERBENT, a town of Russia, in the government of Daghestan, on the western shore of the Caspian, about 170 miles E.N.E. of Tiflis, in 42 4 N. lat. and 47 53 E. long. It occupies a narrow strip of land lying between the sea and a mountain ridge of moderate elevation, which is crowned by the citadel, or Narin Kale&quot; ; and on all sides except towards the east, where it projects into the water, it is surrounded by strong walls built of porous limestone. Its general aspect is decidedly Oriental, owing to the flat roofs of its two-storied houses. Besides the governor s residence, which stands in the neighbourhood of the citadel, the town possesses a fine Russian church, 3 Jewish synagogues, 17 mosquen (including one belonging to the Sunna sect), 3 bazaars, and a number of caravanserais. The upper part of the town is supplied with water from a reservoir in the citadel, fed by a fountain in the mountain behind ; but the Dubar, or lower town along the shore, communicates by an aqueduct with the Rubas-Chai, a small river to the south. The environs are occupied by vineyards, gardens, and orchards, in which madder, saffron, and tobacco, as well as figs, peaches, pears, and other fruits are cultivated. The madder is a valuable export, and the saffron is in high repute. Earthenware, weapons, and silk and cotton fabrics, are the principal products of the manufacturing industry. To the north of the town is the monument of the Kirk Lar, or Forty Heroes of Daghestan, whose valour is commemorated in Arabic inscriptions ; and to the south lies the seaward extremity of the great Derbend or Caucasian wall, otherwise known as 