NOTE. SOME difficulty has been found in reducing the various maunds (or mans) to avoirdupois weight. Thus, the railway uses a maund of 80 lbs.; the steamers, one of 82 lbs.; and the Sirajganj boats, one of 8410 lbs. As a rule, the standard of 82.35 lbs. has been used throughout this Account, when converting native weights into tons. STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRICT OF PABNA.' HE DISTRICT OF PABNA, which forms the south-east corner of Behar Division, is 48′ and 24° 47′ north latitude, and between 89° 03′ and 89° 56′ east longitude. The area, as returned by the Boundary Commissioner in March 1875, is 1838 square miles; and the total population, as ascertained by the Census of the 15th January 1872, is 1,211,594 souls. The Census Report gives the area at 1966 square miles; and for the sake of uniformity, this latter figure has 1 The principal materials from which this Statistical Account has been compiled are :-(1) Five series of Special Returns furnished by the Collector in 1870 and 1871. (2) A Special Medical Return by the Civil Surgeon of Pábná. (3) A Report (dated December 1873) on the Land Tenures of Pábná, by Bábu Krishna Prasád Ghose, Deputy-Collector. (4) Report on the Census of Bengal, 1872; and the District Census Compilation, by Mr. Magrath, C.S. (5) A Statement by the Surveyor-General, giving the Latitudes and Longitudes of the principal Towns and Villages in the District. (6) A Return of the District Area and Latitudes and Longitudes by the Boundary Commissioner. (7) Report on the Administration of Bengal, 1872-73. (8) The Statistical Reporter, published by the Government of Bengal, November 1875 to May 1876. (9) The Income Tax Reports for 1870-71 and 1871-72. (10) The Annual Reports of the Inspector-General of Police, and the Inspector-General of Jails, for 1870-73. (11) The Annual Reports of the Director of Public Instruction for the years 1856-57, 1860-61, 1870-71, and 1871-74. (12) Annual Reports on the Charitable Dispensaries of the Lower Provinces for 1870-73. (13) Bengal Meteorological Reports for 1871, 1873, and 1874. (14) Postal Statistics, furnished by the Director-General of Post Offices. (15) Parganá Statistics, and other printed Reports of the Board of Revenue. (16) The Annual General Administration Reports of the Collector of Pábná, for the years 1870-75. (17) Records, Reports, and Correspondence in the Offices of the Magistrate and Collector of Pábná. The botanical names of the indigenous medical drugs, and of other plants mentioned in this Statistical Account, have been supplied by Dr. King, Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta. been adopted throughout this Account, in the calculation of all averages based upon the District area. The Administrative Headquarters, and, if estimated by its population, the second town of the District, is Pábná, situated on the right bank of the river Ichhámatí, in 24° 0' 30" north latitude, and 89° 17′ 25′′ east longitude. Sirajganj, the chief town of the District, both in population and commercial importance, and the headquarters of the Subdivision of the same name, is situated in 24° 26′ 58′′ north latitude and 89° 47' 5" east longitude. BOUNDARIES.-Pábná is bounded on the north by the Districts of Rájsháhí, Bográ, and Maimansinh; on the south by the river Padma or Ganges, which separates it from the Districts of Nadiyá and Faridpur; on the east by the river Jamuná, which separates it from the Districts of Maimansinh and Dacca; and on the west by the Districts of Rájsháhí and Nadiyá, the Padma or Ganges forming a natural line of demarcation between the latter District and Pábná. JURISDICTION.-The Magisterial and Revenue jurisdictions of the District of Pábná differ considerably. In 1870 the Collector reported that, while the tháná (police circle) of Chátmahar was under his criminal jurisdiction, the land revenue of the whole tract of country included within that police circle was paid into the Rájsháhí treasury. At that time, also, tháná Ráiganj, in the Subdivision of Sirajganj, was subject to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate and Collector of Bográ, although its land revenue was paid into the Pábná treasury. At the present date (1876), however, in consequence of recent readjustments, the jurisdictions of the Magistrate and Collector are identical in all matters, except the payment of land revenue; but in nearly every police circle (tháná) in Pábná there are still some few estates, the revenue of which is paid into the treasury of another District. Pábná District, when first formed in 1832, was placed under a Joint-Magistrate and Deputy-Collector; and it was not until the year 1859 that a full Magistrate and Collector was placed in charge. Since that date, numerous changes have taken place in the limits of the jurisdiction of the District officers. The most important change was the transfer, in 1862-63, of the large Subdivision of Kushtiá from Pábná to Nadiyá. On the 1st May 1871, tháná Pángsá was transferred from Pábná to the Goálandá Subdivision of Faridpur District; and tháná Kumárkhálí to the Kushtiá Subdivision of Nadiyá. |