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HISTORY, TOPOGRAPHY, ANTIQUITIES, &c.

OF THE

PROVINCE OF SHAHABAD.

BOOK II.

DISTRICT OF SHAHABAD.

CHAPTER I.

AREA, TOPOGRAPHY, RIVERS, LAKES AND MARSHES,

METEOROLOGY, &c.

The greatest length of this district in a direct line is along the Son, and extends about 117 British miles. Its greatest width, crossing the above line at right angles, from the Karmanasa, where it begins to form the boundary on the plain between the provinces of Behar and Banaras and the Son, a little north from Rautas Gar, is about 52 miles. According to Major Rennell, its southern extremity on the Son is in about 24° 31' north latitude, and its northern point near the Dewha is in about 25° 52′. Its eastern extremity on the Ganges is about 3° 21' west from the meridian of Calcutta, and its western extremity on the Son is extended 1° 32′ further in that direction. It contains 4,087 square British miles, and, although long and narrow, is tolerably compact, except that it sends a projecting corner across the Ganges, and that a portion of Merzapur projects into its middle across the Karmanasa, and another across the Ganges.

SOIL. On the lowlands there is very little barren soil absolutely unfit for the plough, and I nowhere heard the calcareous nodules accused of producing sterility; but in this district they are seldom mixed with the surface; nor do I recollect seeing any of them except on the banks of torrents, or towards the bottom of wells. Close to the hills in most

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For Montgomery Martins Edition of the Official Survey of Shahabad.

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SOILS, BALA, USH, USHAR, AND REHer.

391

parts the soil is excellent, nor is it broken into ravines, except in a very few of the recesses among the mountains. This broken ground is, indeed, in a great measure confined to the vicinity of Shergar, especially in the great recess west from that old fortress, and to that of the small hills which are scattered along the bank of the Son in the upper part of its course. In the same vicinities, and in the great recess north from Rautasgar, a good deal of the level land is destroyed by stones, gravel, and sand; but in general the soil, within a few yards of the most barren rocks, is excellent. At a distance from the hills a very little land, in detached spots, is too sandy for use, and in some even it consists of barren gravel'; but, except in the division of Ramgar, this barren land, so far as I could judge, nowhere in any one division amounts to a square mile. The Ganges in this part seems to deposit only a rich mould; and it is the west wind alone that blows up the sand from the extensive channel of the Son, so that this district in a great measure has escaped from destructive depositions of sand. Towards the Son the natives indeed talk of having much Ush, Ushar, Reher, and Bala land; but except a few small plots of Reher, too much impregnated with soda, and these not near the Son, and the few sandy spots, all seems abundantly capable of cultivation, and a great part denominated Ush, Ushar, Reher, and Bala, is abundantly under crop.

This light sandy soil extends in most places 3 or 4 cos from the Son, and occupies a great part of the country in that direction, except towards the mouth of the river, where the soil is richer. This soil may be divided into two kinds. One is quite free, consisting of fine sand mixed with a loose mould, and is usually called Bala, Ush, Ushar, and Reher, between the application of which terms I could not trace any difference. The other consists of a very tenacious clay intermixed with a great deal of coarse sand. In dry weather this forms a clod abundantly hard, so that then it may be readily mistaken for clay; but, when moist, it dissolves into a mud, which has no sort of tenacity, and readily parts with the water. Both soils, when kept moist, are abundantly productive, but, without much labour bestowed on irrigation, they will produce only some pulses, that are sown in the rainy season. In these districts a free mould forms every

392

CLAY LANDS MOST VALUABLE.

where a considerable portion of the soil, and in the lowlands is never of a red colour. It is generally of various shades of ash; when it inclines to yellow, as in some places is the case, it is called Gorangth, but the same term is applied to clay, when of the same colour. When the mould is quite free, and in a dry state has little tenacity, it is called Dhush, Pairu, and Dorasa; when it contains a portion of clay, it is called Sigat. This distinction, however, is not very exactly observed, and all the four terms are sometimes applied indiscriminately to soils apparently quite similar. This free mould in the inland parts requires a good deal of irrigation in the dry season; but with that is very productive, and even without it linseed and several kinds of pulse come to tolerable perfection, while all the crops that grow in the rainy season succeed well; and near the Ganges, even in the dry season, it produces every grain in luxuriance, with no watering and almost no trouble.

The clay lands are, on the whole, reckoned the most valuable, as they are the most retentive of moisture, and produce wheat, barley, and all winter crops without irrigation; except Chana, however, lentils and linseed, all the crops when watered are more luxuriant, even on the best clays, nor did I even hear it alleged, as was done in some parts of Behar, that watering did harm. When the clay soils are of the various shades of ash, they are called Karel and Kebal ; when of a yellowish tinge, as I have already mentioned, they are called Gorangth; nor in the lowlands are there on the surface any soils of a red colour. The hills have much more soil than those in any of the districts hitherto surveyed. The surface of the table land, of which their great mass consists, is indeed much diversified by hills and vales, and in many places is too steep or too rocky for the plough; but there is, also, a good deal of land abundantly capable of being laboured. In general this is of a reddish colour, like the soil which in the south of India is considered as best adapted for the Eleusine Corocanus: and although not very stiff, this is pretty retentive of moisture, so that, where cultivated, even in the dry season, it produces several crops without watering. These crops are not good; but this appears to be more owing to want of skill in the farmers than to the fault of the soil; for maize and arahar are probably the crops best fitted for such

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