Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 8.djvu/588

Rh 566 E T C E T G Lodhas, 34,795; (8) Gadariyas, 21,926; and (9) Kolis, 20,391. The density of population is 395 persons to the square mile. The district exhibits a striking variety of surface and scenery. The greater portion lies within the Duab or level alluvial plain between the Ganges and the Jumna. This part falls naturally into two sections, divided by the deep and fissured valley of the river Sengar. The tract to the north-east of that stream is rich and fertile, being watered by the Cawnpur and Et;iwah branches of the Ganges canal, which will soon be supplemented by other important works now in progress. The south western region has the same natural advantages, but possesses no great irrigation system, and is consequently less fruitful than the opposite slopes. Near the banks of the Jumna, the plain descends into the river valley by a series of wild ravines and terraces, inhabited only by a scattered race of hereditary herdsmen. Beyond the Jumna again a strip of British territory extends along the tangled gorges of the Chambal and the Kuari Nadi, far into the borders of the Gvvalior state. This outlying tract embraces a series of rocky glens and mountain torrents, crowned by the ruins of native strongholds, and inter spersed with narrow ledges of cultivable alluvium. The East Indian .Railway runs through the centre of the district. The Jumna forms a great water-way for the heavy traffic ; while good roads connect most of the local centres with one another, and with the neighbouring cities. The principal crops are wheat, barley, pulses, millets, sugar cane, cotton, and indigo. The district is essen tially agricultural, and its exports consist entirely of tlie rural produce. Four towns in 1872 possessed a population exceeding 5000 : Etawah, 30,549 ; Phapluind, 6536 ; Auraiya, 6459 ; and Jaswantnagar, 5310, In 1873 the total revenue of Etawah district amounted to .191,097, of which sum 128,540 was contributed by the land-tax. The town of Etawah has the only municipality in the dis trict. The climate, once hot and sultry, has now become comparatively moist and equable under the influence of irrigation and the planting of trees. Etawah was marked out by its physical features as a secure retreat for the turbulent tribes of the Upper Duab, and it was not till the 12th century that any of the existing castes settled on the soil. After the Mussulman conquests of Delhi and the surrounding country, the Hindus of Etawah appear to have Leld their own for many generations against the Mahometan power; Babar con quered the district with the rest of the Duab, and it remained Ui the hands of the Mongols until the decay of their empire in the last century. After passing through the usual vicissitudes of Marhatta and Jat conquests during the long- anarchy which preceded the British rule, Etawah was annexed by the vazir of Oudh in 1773. The vazir ceded it to the English in 1801, but it still remained so largely in the hands of lawless native chiefs that some difficulty was experienced in reducing it to orderly govern ment. During the mutiny of 1857, serious disturbances occurred in Etawah, and the district was occupied by the rebels from June to December ; order was not completely restored till the end of 1858. ^ ETAWAH TOWN, the capital of the district, is picturesquely situated amongst the ravines on the brink of the Jumna, 70 miles S.E. of Agra. According to the census of 1872, its population amounts to 30,549 souls, comprising 21,241 Hindus, 9256 Mohametans, and 52 Christians. Deep fissures intersect the various quarters of the town, over which broad roads connect the higher portions by bridges and embankments. A fine modern square, known as Humeganj, from the name of its founder, stands in the centre of the city, and contains the chief public buildings. A handsome mosque, the Jama Masjid, forms the chief architectural ornament of Etawah. It was originally a Hindu or Buddhist temple, and has been adapted to its present use by the Mahometan conquerors. Several Hindu temples also stand about the ruins of the ancient fort. The chief trade is in ghi, grain, cotton, and oil-seeds. The Etawah municipality had an income of 3064 in 1875-76, of which 2435 was raised by taxes ; the incidence of municipal taxation was Is. 7^d. per head of the population. ETCHMIADZIN, EDCHMIADZIN, or ITSMIADSIN, a town and monastery in the Russian government of Erivan, famous as the seat of the Catholicus or pnmate of the Armenian church. It is situated in the plain of the Aras or Araxes, about 2985 feet above the sea, 12 miles W. of Erivan and 30 N. of Mount Ararat. The monastery comprises a pretty extensive complex of buildings, and is surrounded by brick walls 30 feet high, which, with their loopholes and towers, present the appearance of a fortress. Its architectural char acter has been considerably impaired by additions and altera f ions in the modern Russian style. On the western side of the quadrangle is the residence of the primate, on the south the refectory, built by the Catholicus Abraham (1730- 1735), on the east the lodgings for the monks, and on the north the cells. The cathedral is a small but fine cruciform building with a Byzantine cupola at the intersection, a large tower at the western end, and a smaller tower above each wing of the transepts. Of special interest is the porch, built of red porphyry, and profusely adorned with sculptured designs somewhat similar to those of Gothic architecture. The interior of the church is decorated with Persian frescoes of flowers, birds, and scroll-work. It is here that the Catholicus confers episcopal consecration by the sacred hand of St Gregory ; and here every seven years he prepares with great solemnity the holy oil which is to be used throughout the churches of the Armenian communion. Of the numer ous relics.the chief are the head of the spear which pierced the Saviour s side, a piece of Noah s ark, presented by an angel ta St James of Nisibis, and a piece of the true cross. Outside of the main entrance are the alabaster tombs of the primates Alexander I. (1714), Alexander II. (1755), Daniel (1806), and Narses (1857), and in hospitable con tiguity a white marble monument erected by the East India Company to mark the resting-place of Sir John Macdonald, who died at Tabriz in 1830, while on an embassy to the Persian court. The library of the monastery is said at one time to have contained 15,000 volumes, and in spite of de predation and neglect, it still remains a rich storehouse of Armenian literature. Brosset s Catalogue de la Bibliotheque (T Etchmiadzin, St Petersburg, 1840, contained only 635 numbers, but the new list drawn up by the monks (a copy of which was presented by Major Cunnyngham to the Oriental Library at Cambridge) mentions 2500 volumes, many of great size. Among the more remarkable manu scripts are a copy of the gospels in a massive binding of carved ivory dating from the 10th or llth century, anil three bibles of the 13th century, one of which had belonged to Aytoun II., king of Armenia. A type-foundry, a printing- press, and a bookbinding establishment are maintained by Lhe monks, who publish a weekly Armenian newspaper called The Ararat, and supply religious and educations, works for their co-religionists. The number of inmates in the monastery varies considerably. In 1834, according to Dubois, there were 50 monks and 13 bishops and arch bishops ; and in 1872, according to Telfer, there were 5 bishops and archbishops, 20 monks, and 25 novices. The revenue, estimated at 10,000, is derived from the con ventual domains, which, though much less extensive than they once were, still comprise, not only a number of estates, but five villages presented or rather restored by* the Russian en .peror. The Catholicus has an annual income of 10,000 rabies. To the east of the monastery is a college