tween the mountains and the sea, this country is covered with thick jungles, inundated and intersected in all directions by small rivers, lakes, and creeks. In extreme length it may be estimated at 230 miles from north to south, by an average breadth of fifty miles from east to west. The great chain of mountains, forming the eastern boundary, commences at Cape Negrais, and runs northerly almost as far as the southern bank of the Brahmapootra in Assam. By the natives, these mountains are called the Yomadoung. Their general elevation seems to be from 3000 to 5000 feet. In both Ramee and Cheduba are many small volcanoes, mostly of the description called mud volcanoes; generally, when in their tranquil state, throwing up greasy mud mixed with petroleum, and strongly impregnated with sulphur; and occasionally also discharging flames and quantities of iron pyrites. These volcanoes are worshipped by the Mugs, who think they are occasioned by the great Naga, or serpent, which supports the world. The productions of this country are principally rice, salt, tobacco, indigo, cotton, hemp, ivory, timber, and bees' wax. Lead is found in the mountains, and in the streams towards Bassein small quantities of gold and silver. The forests afford abundance of timber of various kinds; but, although they produce the teak, it is generally found in places so difficult of access, that little advantage is derived from it. The animals are, in general, the same as in Bengal, the principal being the elephant. The principal towns are Arracan, Akyab, Ramree, and Sandowy. This country is called by the natives Rekhaing, and by Mahomedan writers "Urkhung," from the name of its capital; and from this last is derived the English name Arracan. Its inhabitants con

sist of Mugs, who are the original natives, Mahomedans, originally from India, and Burmese. The Mugs are called by the Burmese "Great Mrunmas," and are considered by them as the original source of their own race. The total population in 1826, including the islands, was estimated at not more than 100,000, of whom 60,000 were Mugs, 30,000 Mahomedans, and 10,000 Burmese. ARRACAN, the capital of the province of Arracan, is situated inland, about forty miles from the coast, upon a river of the same name, which flows into the sea. Lat. 20 deg. 30 min. N., Lon. 92 deg. 5 min. E.

ASAR, the third month in the Hindostanee year. See BYSACK.

ASHAM, or AHSHAM, Hindostanee. Retinues, military pomp, and parade; the military.

ASHAM OMLAH, retinues of the public officers, whether for protection or parade.

ASHAM SESSAYE, retinues of soldiers, military pomp, or parade. Military jaghires, or assignments of land, for defraying military expenses.

ASIA, a quarter of the globe, extending eastward from the twenty-fifth degree of east longtitude to the hundred and seventieth degree of west longitude, and from the seventyeighth degree of north to the tenth degree of south latitude. It is about 6000 miles in breadth from the Dardanelles on the west, to the eastern coast of Tartary, and about 5500 miles in length from the most northern cape of Asiatic Russia to the most southern part of Malaya. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic or Frozen Ocean; north-east, by Bhering's Straits; east, by the Pacific; south, by the Indian Ocean; west, by the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Russia in Europe. The principal countries of Asia are Tartary, which includes Asiatic Russia, Chinese Tartary, Tartary, and Thibet; Turkey in

Asia, Persia, China, Arabia, Hindostan, or India, Burma, or Ava, Siam, Cochin China, Malaya, and some islands. The people of Asia are called by the general name of Asiatics. All religions exist among them, the heathens being the most numerous. ASIN, the sixth month in the Hindostanee year. See BYSACK. ASSAL, written also ASIL, AUSIL, AUZIL, origin, root, foundation; capital stock, principal sum. Original rent, exclusive of subsequent cesses. The word is in use throughout India.

ASSAM. This country lies on the north-eastern frontier of Bengal. On the north it has Bootan, and a range of lofty mountains dividing it from Thibet; on the east, it is believed to be bounded by other ranges of mountains separating it from China; south, it has the Shan country, Mogaong, and Cossia districts of Ava and Kachar; and west, the district of Gentinpoor, adjoining the Silhet district of Bengal, the Garrow mountains, and Bijnee. It is divided into three provinces, Kamroop on the west, Assam in the centre, and Seediya on the east. The province of Kamroop was formerly an extensive division in Hindoo geography, and included a large part of Assam, with the modern districts of Rungpoor and Rungamutty, part of Mymunsing, Silhet, Munnipoor, Gentia, and Kachar. As the name is now used, however, it is restricted to the western divisions of Assam, and extends from the province of Bengal eastward about 130 miles. In number and magnitude the rivers of Assam probably surpass those of any other country in the world of equal extent, the total number being said to be sixtyone. The principal are the Brahmapootra, or, as it is called in Assam, the Loohait; and the Dihong, Dibong, Dikho, and Diprong, all of which fall into the Brahmapootra, or some of its branches. The whole of this country may be considered as forming the main valley of the Brah

mapootra river, extending in its greatest dimensions about 350 miles in length, by sixty, its average breadth. It is enclosed on all sides by ranges of mountains. Those on the north and east particularly are very lofty, and have their summits constantly covered with snow. There are hilly tracts covered with woods in different parts of the valley, and the mountains also are covered with forests. The productions of Assam are much the same as those of Bengal, which country it greatly resembles in appearance. The principal articles are rice, mustard-seed, black pepper, chillies, ginger, betel, tobacco, and opium. The sugar-cane thrives, but is generally eaten by the natives fresh from the field; cocoanuts are very rare, oranges abound. The most remarkable produce of Assam, however, is silk. No fewer than four different kinds of silkworms are reared, silks of several varieties forming great part of the native's clothing, besides leaving a quantity for exportation. The native women of all classes, from the rajah's wives downwards, wear the four sorts of silk. The cultivation of tea has lately been introduced, and promises to become of much importance. Gold is found in all the rivers, particularly in the Dikrong; and there are probably other metals. Buffaloes and oxen are common, but horses, sheep, and goats are scarce, and there are no asses. The wild animals are generally the same as in Bengal. The principal towns are Gaohati, Jorhat, Gerghong, Rungpoor, and Suddiya. The inhabitants of Assam consist of numerous different tribes, some of Hindoo origin, others apparently from Thibet and China. The following are the names of some of the principal classes:-Ahams, Mismees, Mahamaris, Meerees, Singhpos, and Kolitas; all differing from each other more or less in language and manners. The whole are, however, commonly denominated by European

writers by the general name of Assamese. The amount of the population is doubtful, but it may be estimated not to exceed 150,000, including the petty states adjacent. ASSEERGURH is a strong hill

fortress, situated about twelve miles northerly and easterly from Boorhampoor. It is noted on account of its siege in 1819 by the British troops, by whom it was captured after an obstinate resistance. ASSYE, a village in the province of Berar, remarkable as having been the scene of a great battle between the British troops under the Duke of Wellington (then General Wellesley), and the Mahratta armies of Scindia and the Basla rajah.

ATA (annona squamosa), the Indian custard apple. The fruit of a small tree which grows above fifteen feet high in all parts of India.

The leaves are smooth and soft, and about three inches long, tapering at both ends, The fruit is nearly round, with a rough outside, about the size of an orange. When ripe, it is easily burst. It is filled with a soft white substance of a sweet taste, and separable into small portions, each containing a small black seed. It bears once a year. The fruits are ripe in July, and are much sought after. Perhaps there is no Indian fruit about which we hear so many various opinions expressed by Europeans. To some it is the most delicious fruit in the country, while to others its flavour seems not merely a mawkish sweetness, but almost nauseating. In a word, it is rare to meet two persons who agree in their opinion of the custard apple. Care should be taken when eating it, not to scrape off with the spoon the part which adheres to the outside scales of the fruit; for this certainly will, if frequently repeated, cause a smart inflammatory sore throat. And the finer the fruit the more liable it is to cause this. The part which surrounds the seeds, and which adheres to them, should alone be eaten. The

kernels of the seeds are also poisonous, though the seeds are frequently swallowed whole without any ill effects. In countries where it meets with peculiar soils and careful cultivation, as in the Mauritius and the Eastern islands, the ata attains a very large size, at least double that of the largest in India, and its flavour is generally improved; this last difference may be observed here, and indeed with many fruits in all countries, the largest sized are generally the best flavoured. There is much uncertainty as to whence this fruit, and its congener, the annona reticulata, or sour-sop of the West Indies, were originally derived; it has been supposed that both were originally brought from Spanish or Portuguese America, and thus propagated through their Asiatic dominions and to China, though from its abundance in China and Cochin China, it may equally have been obtained from those countries. It is probable that the Portuguese settlements on the eastern coast of Africa may have furnished it on the one side and China on the other; but if the truth be told, there is but little or nothing known of what are the peculiarities of the various kinds of this and many other fruits, which are, however, well worthy of more attention and study than they have hitherto obtained from us. The annona reticulata is said to be indigenous in the mountainous country east of Bengal, but the absence of any Sanscrit name for the fruit is evidence enough that it is of foreign introduction, though now the commonest fruit in India.

ATCHKUTT, Hindostanee.

Rice

fields, lands prepared for the culture of rice. ATTA-GOOL, the Hindostanee term for the essence of the rose; called in England, and vulgarly spelt, "Otto of Roses." ATTAH, coarse flour. This is as much in use in the north of India as rice is in the south and west. It is

simply mixed with water, and baked into cakes on a thin circular iron plate. The cakes are called Chuppatties.

ATTI, the name of a deed, by which the Jalmkars, or hereditary tenants of the soil in Malabar, pledge their lands, reserving to themselves twothirds of their value, besides a certain interest therein, amounting to about one-third.

ATTI PER, the name of a deed in Malabar, by which an hereditary tenant transfers the whole of his interest in his land to a mortgagee. ATTOK, a fortress situated on the eastern bank of the Indus, in Lat. 33 deg. 56 min. N., Long. 71 deg. 57 min. E. It is noticed as being placed on the principal route across the Indus, and as marking the point at which Alexander the Great, Tymoor, and Nadir Shah all entered India. The name Attok (Utok) means limit, or hindrance. It is a place of little strength, and does not contain more than 2000 inhabitants. AUB-E-DOOGH, Persian. Buttermilk and water, a common and much-esteemed beverage, especially among the Persian soldiery and wandering tribes of Illyauts. It is generally made from goats' milk. AUB-E-GOSHT, Persian. Literally, water of meat. Soup. AUGIAREE (from Ag', or Aug, fire). The temple, or place of devotion of the Parsees or fire-worshippers. Within these temples the sacred fire is kept constantly burning, the priests fulfilling the office of the vestals in continually watching and feeding the flame. Pious Parsees, in going to the Augiaree for purposes of prayer, take with them lumps of fragrant sandal wood, which are handed to one of the priests or officers of the temple, who see to its application to the intended object. It is usual with wealthy Parsees to endow a temple with a vase of silver for the reception of the sacred fire. There are two or three Augiarees in Bombay and in Surat, the cities in Western

India where the Parsees chiefly reside.

AUM, the mango (fruit of the mangifera Indica), a rich fruit, of a bright orange-coloured pulp and a coat of orange or green intermingled with a red bloom. There are in India so many sorts and varieties of this rich fruit, which, in fact, may be called for its abundance, the Indian Apple, that it would take a volume to describe them. As a mere tree it is valuable, being of not very slow growth, and affording, by its dense, dark shade, the most grateful shelter from "the traveller's enemy," the sun. Its wood is most extensively used, and, in fact, the planks supply, for a large part of India, the uses of fir plank in Europe, and when carefully preserved by paint, it lasts many years. The fruits, in their season, are so abundant in all the bazars that the cows are often regaled with them, and always with the stones, which they crunch, apparently with great delight. A curious fact is, that in remote villages, near extensive forest tracks, the bears, at the season of the fruit, are known to invade the mango topes, and to take possession of them till they have devoured all the fruit, in spite of all the efforts of the villagers to drive them out! The finest mangoes on the Bengal side of India are said to be those of Malda, though there are certainly some in the neighbourhood of Calcutta equal, or superior to them. The finest in all India are said to be those of Goa, where they have been cultivated by the Portuguese. Until of late years, however, little or no attention was paid to the sorts planted, or, at all events, it was rarely thought, by natives at least, worth the trouble or expense of sending far for good kinds; the topes, indeed, being as often planted as an act of piety to afford shade, as for the fruit, which, he who planted rarely expected to taste. Good grafts, and these upon good stocks, are now more sought after, especially

in the neighbourhood of large towns, where a few mango trees, if bearing choice fruit, are valuable property. Perhaps nothing can show more strongly what the mango may become, by careful cultivation, than the fact that, at the plantation of Black River, in the Isle of France, no less than 'twelve varieties, of the most exquisite flavour, of sizes from a large apple, to that of a man's head, some almost without stones, have been obtained by the care and attention of a long series of years. The mango, in India, is eaten in every possible form, and an extensive trade is carried on in the young green and acid fruits, which, being dried in the sun, are sold in all the bazars as a favourite condiment for curries. The crop of this fruit is very uncertain, as the prevalence of fogs at the time of flowering, drought, or storms, will often destroy a large crop in a few hours.

AUMANY, AUMANI, or AUMANIE,

trust, charge. Land in charge of an Aumeen, or trustee, to collect its revenue on the part of government. N.B. In the peninsula of India the term is particularly applied to a settlement under which the government receives its share of the produce of the lands from each cultivator in kind, instead of stipulating for a pecuniary commutation, or farming them out to individuals by villages, or large portions of territory. The same term appears to prevail in Behar.

AUMEEN, trustee, commissioner. A temporary collector, or supervisor, appointed to the charge of a country on the removal of a zemindar, or for any other particular purpose of local investigation, or arrangement. AUMIL, agent, officer, native collector of Indian revenue. Superintendent of a district or division of a country, either on the part of the government, zemindar, or renter; the same as AUMILDAR, q. V. AUMILDAR, agent, the holder of an

office in India. An intendant, and

collector of the revenue, uniting civil, military, and financial powers under the Mahomedan government. AURUNG, the place in India where goods are manufactured. AURUNGABAD, a province of the Deccan. Its boundaries consist of, north, Guzerat, Khandesh, and Berar; east, Berar and Beder; south, Bejapoor and Beder; west, the sea. The following are the principal districts:-Jowar, Kallianee, Bombay, below the mountains; Sumgumneer, Jooneer, Ahmednuggur, Perrainda, above the mountains, belonging to the British dominions, and Aurungabad; Bheer, occupying its eastern side, and belonging to the Nizam of Hyderabad. The rivers are the Godavery, Seena, Beema, all of which have their sources in this province, Moota, Moola, and many smaller. This province is traversed from north to south by the great range of western mountains, and its surface throughout is very irregular and broken, abounding with rocky jungly hills. It is in general fertile, and its climate, above the mountains, temperate. There are some remarkable caves or excavations in different parts, which are noticed in connexion with the towns near which they are situated. On the coast, in about 19 deg. N. Lat., and separated from the main land by a narrow strait, are several small islands, of which the principal are Salsette and Bombay. The productions of the soil are rice and other grains, and cotton. Horses of a small, but very active and hardy breed, are reared in great numbers on the banks of the Beema. Fruits of different kinds are abundant and fine, particularly grapes, melons, oranges, and figs. The towns are Jowar, Basseen, Kallianee, and Bombay, below the mountains; Nassuck, Sungumneer, Jooneer, Ahmednuggur, Perrainda, Aurungabad, Jalna, and Peytun. In ancient Hindoo geography, this province, with some others, was included under the general name of Mahrash