He is variously described: sometimes with two faces, three legs, and seven arms, of a red or flame colour, and riding on a ram, his vahan, or vehicle. Before him is a swallowtailed banner, on which is also painted a ram. He is by others represented as a corpulent man, of a red complexion, with eyes, eyebrows, head, and hair of a tawny colour, riding on a goat. From his body issue seven streams of glory, and in his right hand he holds a spear. The Brahmuns, who devote themselves to the priesthood, should, like the priests of the Parsee (guebre) religion, maintain a perpetual fire; and in the numerous religious ceremonies of the Hindus, Agni, the regent of that element, is commonly invoked. AGRA. This province is bounded on the north by Delhi; east, Oude and Allahabad; south, Mahva; west, Ajmeer. Its divisions consist of Narnool, Agra, Aligurh, Furrukhabad, Etaweh, Macheree or Alvar, Bhurtpoor, Gwalior, Gohud, Kalpee. The tract of country between the Ganges and Jumna, comprehending the districts of Aligurh, Furrukhabad, and Etaweh, is also commonly designated the Dooab, from doo two, and ab river. The rivers are the Ganges, Jumna, Chumbal, and several smaller streams. The Chumbal rises in Malwa, and flows northerly and easterly into the Jumna, running between the districts of Bhurtpoor and Gwalior. Northward of the Jumna the surface of the province is in general flat and open, and for the greater part very bare of trees. Southward and westward it becomes hilly and jungly. Though traversed by several rivers, the province is not well watered, and depends greatly upon the periodical rains. The heat, during the prevalence of the hot winds, is intense, and the jungly districts very unhealthy, but at other seasons the climate is generally temperate, and occasionally cold. Rice is grown in the vicinity of the rivers, but the general cultivation is of dry grains, as millet, barley, gram, &c. The staple article of product is cotton. The province also yields abundance of indigo, with tobacco, sugar, saltpetre, and salt. It has the common breeds of cattle and sheep, and horses of a good description. Firewood is scarce throughout the Dooab, and expensive. The jungly districts swarm with peacocks, which are held in great veneration by the natives. The only manufacture of note is that of coarse cotton cloths. The towns of the province of Agra are, Narnool, Nooh, Muttra, Agra, Dholpoor, Attaer, Anoopshuhr, Cowl, Moorsaum, Secundra, Hatras, Furrukhabad, Futihgurh, Kanoje, Mimpooree, Etaweh, Bela, Alwur, Macheree, Rajgurh, Deeg, Bhurtpoor, Beeana, Gualior, Antra, Pechor, Nurwur, Bhind, Jalown, Kalpee, and Koonch. The present name of this province is derived from that of its capital. The inhabitants are Hindoos, including the Mewatties and Jats, and Mahomedans, among whom are many Pathans. They are generally a handsome, robust race of men, much superior to the natives of the more eastern provinces. AGRA, the capital of the province of Agra, stands on the southern side of the Jumna, in Lat. 27 deg. 11 min. N., Long. 77 deg. 53 min. E. During the reign of the Emperor Akbar, by whom it was greatly enlarged and embellished, Agra was made the capital of the Mogul empire, and became one of the most splendid cities in India. The seat of government having been subsequently reestablished at Delhi, Agra greatly declined, and is now much decayed. Amongst the still remaining edifices which bear witness of its former grandeur, the most remarkable is the Taj Mahal (q. v.), erected by the Emperor Shah Jehan, for the celebrated Noor Jehan, and which is considered the most beautiful and perfect specimen of oriental architecture in existence, unequalled by any thing in India. AGRAHARAH, who takes first, an epithet given to Brahmuns. Rentfree villages held by Brahmuns. AHMEDABAD, a zillah station in Guzerat, Western India, under the government of Bombay, distant from the presidency 300 miles. Long. 72 deg. 37 min. E., Lat. 22 deg. 58 min. N. It was originally a well fortified town, but, nevertheless, fell to the British arms late in the last century. AHMEDNUGGER is situated in Lat. 19 deg. 5 min. N., Long. 74 deg. 55 min. E. It was built in 1493, by Ahmed Nizam Shah, who made it his capital. At present it is one of the principal civil stations of the British Government. It contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, and has a strongly-built fort. See NuG GUR. AHMEDNUGGUR, a fortified city of the Deccan, under the government of Bombay, from which presidency it is distant, via Poonah, 180 miles. It was founded by the Emperor Aurungzebe, who made it his head-quarters during the progress of his conquest of the Deccan and Carnatic. It is now garrisoned by one or two native infantry regiments. Long. 150 deg. E., Lat. 19 deg. 10 min. N. See NUGGUR. AHON, Persian, a moollah (q. v.). AIGRETTE, or EGRET, a tuft of feathers worn in the turban of the Sultan of Turkey and other persons of great distinction. AITĒMAD-U-DOWLUT, a Persian term, signifying "the hope (or dependence) of the state," a title bestowed on officers in the Shah's confidence, generally on the primeminister or vizier. AJMEER, or RAJPOOTANA, is bounded on the north by Mooltan and Delhi; east, Delhi and Agra; south, Malwa, Guzerat, and Cutch; west, Sind. The Bhattee country, Bikaneer, Jussulmeer, Marwar or Joudpoor, Jeypoor, including Skikawut tee, Ajmeer, Meywar or Odeypoor, Boondee, and Kota, form the boundaries of the province, which is destitute of rivers, except in the southern and eastern parts. The only streams of any note are the Banass, which rises in the district of Odeypoor, and flows south-westerly, until it is lost in the Run of Cutch; and the Chumbul, which enters the district of Kota from Malwa, and flows northerly into the province of Agra, to the Jumna. In its south-eastern district this province is fertile, well watered, and hilly; but westward and northward, with a few exceptions, it is absolutely desert, the whole surface of the country being either covered with loose sand, which in some places is driven by the wind into mounds and hillocks, some of them 100 feet in height; or else composed of hard flat salt loam, wholly destitute of vegetation. In the midst of these burning plains, the watermelon, the most juicy of all fruits, is found in astonishing perfection and of large size. Water is procured, but in small quantity, and brackish, from wells, which are frequently 300 feet deep, though not more than three or four feet in diameter. During the hot season, the passage of the desert cannot be attempted without great risk of suffocation from whirlwinds of driving sand. The productions of the cultivated parts of this province are wheat, barley, rice, sugar, cotton, indigo, and tobacco. Camels are numerous, and bullocks of a superior description. Salt is abundant, and the Odeypoor districts yield copper, lead, sulphur, and iron. The chief towns in the province of Ajmeer are Bhatneer, Bikaneer, Jussulmeer, Nagore, Joudpoor, Jeypoor, Ajmeer, Chitore, Odeypoor, Neemuch, Boondee, Kota. This province derives its name of Ajmeer from that of the city of Ajmeer, which was its Mahomedan capital; but it is more commonly designated as Rajpootana, or the country of the Rajpoots, from its being the seat of the chief Rajpoot principal- | ALEEKOOM SALAAM, "With you ities of India. The inhabitants are Rajpoots, Jats, Bhatteeas, Bheels, and a small proportion of Mahomedans. AJMEER, formerly the capital of the province of Ajmeer, stands at the bottom of a fortified hill, in Lat. 26 deg. 31 min. N., Long. 74 deg. 28 min. E. This was once a large and opulent city, and occasionally the residence of the Emperor of Delhi. The English had a trading factory here in 1616. It was nearly ruined during the disorders which followed upon the dissolution of the Mooghul empire, and the establishment of the Mahratta power; but since its transfer to the British in 1818, it has greatly improved, and is now a handsome town. At Nusserabad, fifteen miles from Ajmeer, is a British cantonment, and there is a British political agent in the town. AJUNTEE, in Lat. 20 deg. 34 min. N., Lon. 75 deg. 56 min. E., is a large town, but not populous. In the neighbourhood are some excavations resembling those of Ellora. AKHBAR-NURVEES, news-writers, a class of men formerly employed at the native courts of India to record the proceedings of the princes and their ministers. The newspaper has almost superseded the functions of these court chroniclers. AKHERJAUT AURUNG, Hindostanee. Expenses of an aurung, or place where goods are manufactured. Charges for transporting salt to the place of sale; for weighmen, erection of storehouses, &c. AKYAB, the principal military station of the British troops in Arracan. AL, an Indian plant, rising (when fit to be dug) less than a foot above ground, and having a ligneous root above eighteen inches in length, and of a bright yellow colour. It is grown only in the black soil, and receives no watering. It is an article of considerable traffic in the Dooab and to the south, and is used for dyeing the coarse red cloth called Kurwa. be peace!" the usual reply to the ordinary Mahometan salutation, " Salaam Aleekoom." ALEEWAL, a village on the banks of the Sutlej, which has acquired celebrity from its contiguity to the scene of a great battle, in which Major General Sir Harry Smith, with a division of the army assembled under Lords Hardinge and Gough to oppose the Sikhs, in 1845, totally defeated an immensely superior body of the enemy's troops. ALEPPIE, in the province of Travancore, is on the Malabar coast, about midway between Cochin and Nuilon. It is the chief dépôt from which the Travancore government exports its pepper and timber. AL HUM ID ILLAH! Thanks be to God! A Moslem ejaculation. ALIGURH, a strong fortress, situated about fifty miles to the north of Agra. In 1803 it was one of Dowlet Rao Scindia's principal strongholds, and was stormed by the British troops under Lord Lake. The town is called Coel. A regiment of Sepoys is quartered here, and there is a civil court of justice and a collector of revenue. ALLAH, the name given by the Mahometans of all classes to the Almighty. ALLAHABAD, a province of India, bounded on the north by Agra and Oude; east, Bahar; south, Bahar and Gonduana; west, Malwa and Agra. The divisions are Cawnpoor, Allahabad, Manikpoor, Juwanpoor, Benares, Mirzapoor, Bundulkhund, Rewa. It is watered by the rivers Goomtee, Ganges, Jumna, Tonse or Tunsa, Betwa, and numerous others. The Gogra flows along part of the northern frontier of the province, dividing it from Oude. This province is one of the richest and most productive in India. The surface of the districts adjacent to the Ganges and Jumna is level and very fertile. In Bundulkhund and Rewa, the country forms an elevated table land, occasionally mountainous and jungly, and diversified with high hills; but for the greater part open and capable of being made very fruitful. The northern frontier of the Rewa country consists of an abrupt front of sandstone rock, rising perpendicularly from 200 to 300 feet from a sloping base. A large proportion of the water that falls during the rainy season on the table land of Rewa is precipitated over this rocky margin in numerous cataracts; amongst which those of the Beyhar and Tonsa rivers are of remarkable grandeur. The Beyhar cataract is one of the highest in the world, forming a single unbroken fall of 360 feet. Wheat, barley, rice, maize, and other grains, are the productions of this province, as well as opium, sugar, indigo, cotton, and flax; in the hilly districts | ALLAH HU AKBER! Persian. God ALLAHABAD, a city, and civil and military station in the province of Oude in Hindostan. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Jumna, 470 miles N. W. of Calcutta, in Long. 82 deg. E., Lat. 25 deg. 45 min. N. Allahabad was founded by the Emperor Acbar, who intended it as a defensive post; but the fortifications, of which remnants still exist, in spite of the subtle and undermining assaults of the Jumna's waters, could never have been of any importance. Allahabad is the seat of a superior court of justice, and it has been sometimes contemplated to convert it into the locale of the Supreme Government of India, a distinction for which it appears from its central position to be well adapted. are dyeing drugs and gums; chironja nut, catechu, and iron-diamonds, sometimes of large size, are found in the Punna district of Bundulkhund; and in the district of Benares there are extensive stone quarries. A great deal of alkali is also supplied from the country between the Goomtee and Ganges, from Kurra to Benares. The province has long been noted for its cotton fabrics, particularly muslins and brocades. Carpets are also manufactured, and coarse cumlies. The towns are Rusoolabad, Cawnpoor, Akberpoor, Futihpoor, Kurra, Shahzadabad, Allahabad, Manikpoor, Mahowl, Azimgur, Mow, Juwanpoor, Benares, Chunar, Ghazipoor, Mirzapoor, Dittea, Jhansee, Keeta, Banda, Kallinjer, Chutturpoor, Punna, Maltown, Hutta, Douree, and Rewa. By the Hindoos, Allahabad is named Bhat Prayaga, or, by way of distinction, as the largest and principal, simply Prayaga, and it is much resorted to by pilgrims; amongst whom suicide, by drowning themselves at the spot where the rivers unite, is a frequent practice. The word Prayaga means the confluence of any two or more sacred rivers. is great! ALLAH KEREEM! God is merciful! the officers of the regiment, and others permanently residing at the place, and the rent charged is extremely reasonable. The military cantonments are at the western extremity of, and close to, the city of Almorah. Prior to our invasion and conquest of Kumaon, Almorah was the place of residence of the Goorka Viceroy, who was appointed from Katmandoo; and previous to the Goorka invasion, it was the seat of government of the Rajahs of neat and well built, and manufactures large quantities of castor oil. On a mountain, at one side of the town, there was formerly a strong fort. AMBOYNA, a spice island in the Indian Ocean, Long. 12 deg. 70 min. E., Lat. 40 deg. S. Originally occupied by English and Dutch settlers; the latter expelled the former, but were in their turn driven out in 1796. It was subsequently ceded to the Dutch, in whose hands it now remains. Kumaon. The town is built on the | AMEER, (or Emir,) a nobleman. The top of a ridge, running east and west, at an elevation of 5400 feet above the level of the sea. From the nature of its situation, the city of Almorah is principally composed of one long street of nearly a mile in length, though there are suburbs which extend down a long way on both sides of the hill. It is paved with stone throughout, and the houses are generally very good, none being under two stories, and many | three and four stories high; the houses even of the poorest people are all built of stone, and have slated roofs, so that they are remarkably substantial. Indeed, those in the town of Almorah are unlike any thing one ever sees in the plains of India, and reminds the visitor of England, to a small town in which country Almorah has altogether a greater resemblance than to one in Hindostan. The officer commanding at Almorah has, also, the general command of all the troops in the district. ALVAR, or ALWUR, is situated in Lat. 27 deg. 44 min. N., Lon. 76 deg. 32 min. E., at the base of a strongly fortified hill. It is the capital of the Macheree rajah's territories. AMANUT DUFTER, an office in India for deposits, or perhaps for recording the reports of Aumeens. AMAUN! A Persian cry for " Mercy!" AMBOOR, a town situated near the eastern hills of the Baramahal, about 120 miles westerly of Madras. It is term is Asiatic and African. Its origin is Moslem. AMEER UL OMRAH, noble of noble, lord of lords. AMHERST. See Ava. AMLAH, Hindostanee. Agents, officers; the officers of government collectively. A head of zemindary charges. N.B. It is sometimes written omlah, or umlah. ANAM. See COCHIN CHINA. ANARUSH (bromelia ananas), the pine-apple. As the name for this fruit is Persian, and there being no Sanscrit one, it is supposed to be an imported fruit in India, though common all over the country where the climate is not too severe for its growth in the open air; a greenhouse, hot-house, or cool-house for plants or fruits, being yet entirely unknown in India, even amongst Europeans. The common bazar pine of India is a very inferior fruit to the English hot-house pine, and even to those which have been raised with care and under shade (which they seem to prefer) in India. Those of the eastern islands are very far superior, the commonest Malay or Javanese anana being equal, it is said, to the best in India, except, perhaps, those of Goa and other Portuguese establishments on the western coast, where, as in the case of the mango and some other fruits, we still find traces of the care which the early Portuguese colonists bestowed on them. This is probably owing to peculiarities of soil and cli |