Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/310



Position of district, boundaries, Parganas, taksils, transfer of parganas—Aspect of district—Land levels, drainage—Water-shed—Character of rivers—Nature of the soil—Distribution of cultivated, culturable, and barren lands—Climate—Rainfall—Temperature—Wind—Storms—Sanitary and medical aspects.

The district is somewhat irregular in shape, but nearly approaches an oblong pitched obliquely in a direction porth-west by south-east across the 81st meridian, which passes through Lucknow, the capital of the province, at about its centre. It lies between 27° 12' and 26° 30' parallels of north latitude, and 80° 36' and 81° 18' east longitude. Its average length is about forty-five, miles and breadth twenty-five, and it contains an area of 955 square miles. The population amounts to 789,465.

It is bounded on the north-west by Hardoi and Sitapur, which are separated by the river Gumti up to its entrance into the district; on the north-east and east by tbe Bara Banki up to the easternmost point at which the Gumti leaves the district; and thence the border line bending slightly to the south-west by Rae Bareli; the entire length of its south-western flank is bounded by the district of Unao.

The parganas into which the district is divided form the units of its composition. These seldom appear to depend on any natural features, though the rivers Gumti and Sai may have determined the limits of two or three of the parganas which they bound and divide.

The district at the commencement of the settlement contained ten such parganas, distributed between the four tahsils of Lucknow, Kursi, Mohanlalganj, and Malihabad. They were distributed thus,—to Lucknow three parganas; the Lucknow pargana lying round the city, Bijnaur and Kákori lying to the south and west of it; to Kursi three parganas, Mahona lying on the left bank of the river Gumti, Kursi and Dewa to the east of it; to Mohanlalganj two parganas, Mohanlalganj and Nigohán Sissaindi, that take up the south-east end of the district; and to Malihabad, the two parganas of Malihabad lying on the right bank of the Gumti and Mohán Aurás, the most westerly pargana of the district. After the commencement of the settlement, its two most easterly parganas of Kursi and Dewa were transferred to Bara Banki, and Moháu Aurás of Malihabad to Unao; and on the re-arrangement of the district thus necessitated Malihabad and Mahona were put up together and made one tahsil,