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 ;

BARD WAN.

136

some supposing

of the fever of late years,

from the

to result

it

interference with the natural drainage of the country by river

and

railway embankments, by changes in the courses of the large rivers, and

by the

silting

and drying up of the channels of the small streams

others attribute

and

it

others, again, believe that

of which

is



while

to the drinking water, or defective sanitation, etc.

some influence is at work, Be the cause of the

not fully understood.

the operation fever what

it

may, there is no doubt that with improved drainage, a better watersupply, and the spread of sanitary knowledge among the people, the ravages of the fever will abate.

Attention

is

now being bestowed on Schemes

these points by the Municipalities and District officers.

all

for a water-supply to the

municipal towns are under consideration, and

Eden Canal supplies pure water from the Damodar to a large tract of country which hitherto depended entirely upon polluted tanks. The the

silted-up beds of old drainage channels are also to be cleared.

The

fever at present (1883) is very much less than ten years ago, and at least further improvement may be anticipated year by year. [For further

my Statistical Account of 1876); also for information regarding the state of the country on the accession of British Rule, see my Atifials of Rural Bengal (Smith & Elder, 1868). Also Census Bardwan

particulars regarding

Bengal, vol.

iv.

Report for 1881

ment

pp.



17 to 201

District,

the Report on the

Press, Calcutta)



see

(Triibner,

Bardwan and Hugl'i Fever

and Provincial Administration Reports

(Governfor

1880

to 1882.]

Bardwan.

— The

head-quarters Sub-division of the District of the

same name in Bengal, lying between 22° 57' 30'' and 23° 32' n. lat., and between 87° 32' 45" and 88“ 16' 45" e. long. area, 1242 square miles, with 1726 villages and 130,817 occupied houses. Population (1881) 639,593, namely, 500,007 Hindus (or 78'i per cent, of the Sub-divisional population), 139,445 Muhammadans, and 141

Average density of population, 515 per square mile; 370; houses per square mile, 11971; persons per occupied house, 4'89. The Subdivision contains the 8 thdnds (police circles) of Bardwan, Sahibganj, Khandgosh, Raona, Gangur, Bud-Bud, and Ausgram. In 1882 there were 1 7 magisterial and revenue courts and the total police force Christians.

villages per square mile, i'39; persons per village,



consisted of 6612 men, including village watch.

The

separate cost

of Sub-divisional administration was returned at ;^Si37Bardwan. Principal town and civil station of the District of the

—

same name, ^7°

situated

on the Bankd

nadi.

Lat. 23° 14' 10" n., long.

in Population in 1872, 32,321 1881, 34,080, 53 55" E. namely, 23,683 Hindus, 10,263 Muhammadans, and 134 ‘others.’ Municipal revenue in 1881-82, ;^573i ; expenditure, f^566g; average ^

rate of taxation, 2s. 5|d. per



head of municipal population.

The town