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 — BANNU. border, to which, indeed, they return

93

during the hot- weather months.

and robust people, possessed of many manly virtues, fairly industrious as cultivators, and regular taxpayers. The Marwats, inhabitants of the lower and more sandy portions of the Bannu valley, are one of the noblest races of the North-West Frontier. Pathans of pure descent, they are naturally haughty and of a fiery disposition. In person they are tall and muscular in bearing, frank and open. Almost

They

are a

tall



who has administered

every officer

on record

a

the affairs of the District has

They

favourable mention of them.

To

are

now

left

excellent

the Bannuchfs form a painful contrast. mixed descent, and exhibit every Afghan vice, without possessing the compensating virtues of constancy and selfrespect. They are generally small in stature and inferior in physique, sallow and wizened in appearance, and in disposition mean and revengeful. They are, on the other hand, industrious cultivators, and have been uniformly quiet and submissive subjects to the British Government. Of the remaining Muhammadans, 53,453 are classed in the Census returns under the heading Jat,’ a term which here bears no ethnoagriculturists.

They

these,

are indubitably of

‘

logical signification, but includes all of the cultivating

who

Muhammadans

There are also 74 Of 3309 Rajputs, 2906 are

are not either Pathans, Sayyids, or Koreshis.

Hindus and 373 Sikhs returned

Muhammadans. Hindus number in all

as Jats.

returned as Khattris,

and money-lenders of the

The

District,

last

-

One

family at least of Aroras will few Brahmans also are engaged in The mass of the population is either agricultural or pastoral,

comparatively recent immigrants.

be found trade.

2027 Brahmans, 1722 mentioned are the traders into which they are said to be

30,643, including

and 24,286 Aroras.

A

in every rustic village.

and is scattered in small hamlets over the face of the country. The Census returns show 477 towns and villages in the District, of which 163 contain less than 200 inhabitants, and 307 less than 500. These figures, however, do not include hamlets, which are numerous, and have been treated as forming a part of the main village in the revenue-paying area (niauzd), of which they are treated. Many of these mauzds, especially in the cis-Indus tract, are of enormous area, and include a considerable population scattered over numerous small hamlets.

The

only towns properly so called in the District are

Edwardf.sabad (Dhulfpnagar), having a population in 1881 of 8960 Laki, 4068 Kalabagh, 6056 and Isakhel, 6692.

Agriculture cultivation

.

—A





great part of the District has been brought under

since the introduction of British rule.

Some

early,

and

perhaps imperfect, returns give the cultivated area, in 1849, 265,470 acres. In 1862, the recorded area of cultivation was 432,379 acres.