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Sialkot, Zafarwal and Pasror Tahsils.—Surra occurred during November 1895 in three villages of
these tahsils.
It is very possible that the disease is prevalent in parts of this district, but the enquiries which
have been so far made are very unsatisfactory.—(Veterinary-Captain Pease).
Jhelum District.
The Jhelum District is one of the four districts of the Ráwalpindi Division and forms the southern
half of the rough hill country at the head of the Sind-Ságar Doáb. The superficial area as estimated
by the re-measurement made for recent settlement shows an area of 4,039 square miles, with a
population of 589,373 souls.
This large tract is divided into four tahsils, viz. Jhelum, Pind Dádan Khán, Chakwál and Talla-
gang. Tahsil Jhelum occupies the whole eastern end. All the west is engrossed by Tahsil Talagang.
The central area between is held on the north by Tahsil Chákwál, and on the south by Tahsil Pind
Dádan Khan.
Round Jhelum itself there is a wide expanse of level plain which is prolonged into a narrower strip
along the course of the river ; but elsewhere the surface is generally rough, broken, and disturbed.
Much of it is covered by the mountains of the salt range and its tributaries. The whole lower bound-
ary of Tahsil Talagang is fringed by the northern ridges of the hills. Still, in this part of its course, the
range keeps mostly to the district of Shahpur; but when it reaches the boundary of Tahsil Pind Dádan
Khan it passes altogether into the Jhelum District.
The drainage of the eastern end of the district is by means of the Kahán and Bunha nuddis into the
Jhelum ; that of western by Soj, Gabhir, Ankar and other streams into the Indus. The only river be-
longing to the district is the Jhelum, which forms the east and a great part of the southern boundary,
and skirts the district for rather more than 100 miles. Speaking generally the district cannot be said to
be well supplied with water.
The climate of the district is not uniform throughout. The cold of the winter season is sometimes
severe and the heat in the summer is very great, specially in valleys and gorges between the hills, where
it is sometimes almost suffocating. The following are the average rainfalls of each tahsil :—Jhelum
27.2, Pind Dádan Khan 16.8, Chakwál 14.4, and Talagang 15.1 inches. The district is fairly healthy ;
malarial fever occurs chiefly along the course of the river, and specially at those parts of it which
overflow or change course, thus leaving ground to dry.
The horses of this district, especially those of the Dhan, have long been held in good estimation.
Although the Dhan is best known for its horse-breeding, yet very good animals are to be found all
over the district. Pack-camels are in pretty extensive use, especially for carrying salt.
Pind Dadan Khan Tahsil.—Surra broke out in two villages of this tahsil during August 1895,
causing a slight loss of 6.25 per cent. horses and 6 per cent. asses possessed by the villagers.
In four low-lying villages five animals succumbed to the disease during the months of May, July,
August and December 1896. The vernacular name is " Sokra ".
One more outbreak is reported from a village of the same tahsil during October 1896. The loss
was not very great.
Peshawar District.
This occupies the extreme north-western corner of the Indian Empire and: extends from the Indus
to the Khaibar mountains, covering an area of 2,504 square miles, with a population of 599,674
souls.
The Peshawar Valley is an amphitheatre closed in on all sides by hills except for the few miles to
the south-east, where it rests upon the Indus. It is drained by the Kabul river, which joins the Indus
opposite Attock.
The Peshawar Valley comprises four main natural divisions : 1, a shingly table and fringing the
plain immediately below the hills upon the north-west and west ; 2, the open plain (Maira) of Ysafzai
and Hashtnagar ; 3, the Doába enclosed between the Sivál and Kabul rivers ; 4, a region of low hills
and intricate ravines to the south of the Kabul river, gradually rising to the heights of the Khattak
hills. To these may be added a fifth division comprising a fertile strip to the south of the Kabul river
and the rich lowlands generally, which follow the courses of rivers or lie in the bottom of ravines.
It is divided into 6 tahsils, of which three lie to the east and three to the west of the Sival and Kabul
rivers, viz. Utmán Bulag, Mardán, and Hashtnagar, and Doába Daudsai, Pesháwar and Nowshera.
The elevation above sea level ranges from 1,108 to 1,200 feet ; of the Kabul river, the principal
affluents are the Sival, the Bára, and the Kalpani, each having minor affluents.
The country bordering on the Indus is somewhat inundated when the river is at its highest in May,
June and July, but the overflow from the Kabul in most places is not extensive, the surplus waters