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MULTAN CITY.

the Sun, from which General Cunningham derives the name of the city, once occupied the very middle of the citadel, but was destroyed during the reign of the zealous Musalmán Emperor Aurangzeb, who erected a Jamá Masjid or 'cathedral mosque' in its place. This mosque afterwards became the powder magazine of the Sikhs, and was blown up as mentioned above.

The population in Múltán city and suburbs (excluding the cantonments), in 1868, was 43,385, or including cantonments, 54,652. In 1881, the total population of the city and suburbs was 57,471, namely, males 31,088, and females 26,383, or including cantonments, 68,674, of whom 38,988 were males and 29,686 females. Classified according to religion, the total population of the city and cantonments in 1881 consisted of Muhammadans, 36,294 ; Hindus, 29,962 ; Sikhs, 661; Jains, 46; and others' (mainly the European civil and military population), 1711. Number of houses, 12,617. Municipal revenue in 1875–76, £8240; in 1883-84, £10,214, or 3s. 6 d. per head of population (57,471) within municipal limits.

The civil station of Multán, which lies north and west of the city proper, contains a court-house and treasury, Commissioner's offices, the dwellings of the civil residents, jail, post-office, church, telegraph office, dispensary, staging bungalow, and municipal hall with clock-tower. Besides the public institutions, there is a branch of the Arya Samaj in the city, which numbers about 100 members. There are two railway stations at Múltán, one at the city, and one at the cantonments. Within the fort, and overlooking the town, is the plain, massive obelisk, 70 feet in height, erected in memory of Mr. Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson, two British officers, murdered in April 1848, at the outbreak of Múlraj's rebellion. The Church Missionary Society maintains a station at Múltán. East of the city is the Amkhas, formerly the audience hall and garden house of the Hindu governors of Múltán, now used as the tahsilí building. North of this is the cenotaph of the Díwán Sáwan Mall, and the European cemetery. A fine public garden lies to the west of the city.

As a trade centre, Múltán ranks of first importance, being connected by rail with Lahore and Karachi; and by the Ráví, Jehlam (Jhelum), and Chenab with the whole central Punjab. It therefore collects into a focus all the trade of the Province with Karachi (Kurrachee), and, through Karachi, with Europe. Large quantities of raw produce were formerly shipped by country boats and by the steamers of the Indus fotilla, and of the Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway, from Sher Shah, the port of Múltán, to Kará the steamer service has ceased since the opening throughou Indus Valley State Railway. The local merchants correspond with firms in all parts of the Punjab, west of the Sutlej, and in most of the