Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/695

 POPULATION. 659

cultivation. There were found to be 471 persons to a house or hut, and 7 - 06 to an enclosure, or family dwelling. The census further showed that there were 44j millions of Mussulmans, in the North- West Provinces, or about one-seventh of the total population, the other sixth-seventh being Hindoos of the four chief castes, namely, Brahmins. 70 subdivisions; Kshatryas, 175 subdivisions; Vaisyas, 65 subdivisions; Soodras, 230 subdivisions. The Soodras were found to form the great bulk of the Hindoos, being 18,304,309 in number; the Vaisyas numbered 1,091,250; the Kshatryas, 2,827,708; and the Brahmins, 3.451,092. As regards occupa- tions, the people of the North-West Provinces, in the census of 1865, were classified after the English system, as follows : — ' Pro- fessional ' were 428,246, of whom 93,204 government servants, 20.454 soldiers, and 313,908 belonging to the learned professions. The bidk of the people were returned as ' agricultural/ viz. 17,657,006, of whom 138,559 were engaged about animals. Under the head of ' industrial ' came 3y868,822 ; of these, 303,356 were devoted to arts and mechanics, 1,456,326 to textile fabrics and dress, and 951,420 to food and drink. The sixth class, ' indefinite and nonproductive,' embraced 4,369,049. Of these, 3,824,956 were dependents, and 4,080 persons of rank and property.

The census of the Central Provinces, taken on November 5, 1866, showed that the race and religious elements of the Inhabitants of this division of British India were 6,064,770 Hindoos, 1.995,663 Gonds and aboriginal tribes, 237,962 Mussulmans,. 6,026 Europeans and Eurasians, and 90 Parsees. An unexpected fact here was the small number of Mussulmans. Taking the results of this and the North-West census, the Mahomedans seem to be only one-eighth, and not, as formerly believed, one-fourth of the inhabitants of India. The occupations of the native inhabitants of the Central Provinces were found much the same as in the adjoining North -West Pro- vinces. Fifty-seven per cent were engaged in agriculture, against 64 in the latter, and 56 in the Punjaub. Of the 57 per cent.. 155.7 t0 were landholders, 3,750,457 tenants, 795,805 farm servants, and 177,629 ' other agriculturists.' The commercial classes numbered 204,950, of whom 52,405 dealt in monev, 77,419 in grain and tobacco, and 75,126 in English cloth and other goods. The artisan class was returned at 844,952. Of these, 141,702 worked in iron, gold, silver, copper, and brass; 47,097 were potters; 414,124 weavers and spinners; 55,148 carpenters; and 122,148 shoemakers and workers in leather. As regards the proportion of the sexes, it was found that in the North- West thei*e were only &6"6 females to each 100 males. The proportion was more equal in Central India, or 95*4 to 100, because, as- stated by the Census Commissioners, 'the Rajpoot or female infant-slaying castes are not so numerous; the

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