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northern portion of the Chenáb low-lands and central plateau ; that of Mailsi the eastern riverain of
the Sutlej and the south-eastern part of the plateau ; and that of Lodhran the western riverain of the
Sutlej and the angle at the junction of that river with the Chenáb ; while the Multan and Shujabad
tahsils, of which the former lies to the north and the latter to the south, include the median low-lands
of the Chenáb, the Multan Tahsil also stretching away from the river into the centre of the district.
The whole of this tract is an alluvial plain sloping gently from the north-east to the south-west.
It is all of comparatively and much of it of very recent formation. The general aspect of the district
is as follows. Starting from the present banks of the rivers Chenáb and Sutlej, we find first of all a strip
of land subject to Sailáb or the annual overflow of the rivers during the rains. This strip extends in-
land about three miles on the Sutlej, and rather further on the Chenáb and Ravi. These lands form
the low chaks or assessment circles of the regular and present settlements; they are traversed by the
canals, but do not generally receive much canal water. Beyond these comes a belt of higher land
where wells can be made without difficulty, the water being from 20 to 30 feet below the surface, and
on which canal irrigation is generally plentiful. The depth of this belt depends chiefly on the canals.
Where there are none, as in most parts of Sarai Sidhu, it is not more than four or five miles; along the
Chenáb, where canals run almost parallel with the river, it is six or seven miles ; and along the Sutlej,
where they strike more inland, it is more than ten miles.
Multan is celebrated for its heat, but it is doubtful whether it is really much hotter than most
other districts in the plains. The hottest month is June, in which the mean temperature of the air in
the shade stands at 95.73° F. and January is the coolest, in which it is registered 54.70° F. The average
rainfall from 1873-74 to 1877-78 of each tahsil in tenths of an inch was: Multan 65, Shujabad 41,
Lodhran 61, Mailsi 19, Sarai Sidhu 41.
The district is certainly a healthy one. The prevailing sickness is fever, which is very general
from August to the end of October. It is very difficult to shake off entirely, but is not often fatal.
Lodhran Tahsil.—During the months of April, May and June 1895, Surra, vernacular name
" Sár," is said to have broken out amongst the equines of four villages of this tahsil, when twenty-four
horses out of a total of thirty-seven succumbed to the disease, representing 64 per cent. of those
possessed by the villagers.
Muzaffargarh District.
The following outbreaks of Surra are reported in this district: —
Muzaffargarh Tahsil.—In the village of Kodewala, Surra appeared during the month of January
1895, a horse and two asses died. During October of the same year a low-lying village Doába suffered
from the disease and lost five horses and five asses, out of 40 horses and 50 asses kept.
During 1896, four villages of this tahsil are reported to have suffered from the disease ; the loss
sustained was 8 horses and 9 asses only, out of 57 horses and 112 asses owned by the villagers.
Alipur Tahsil.— One village of this tahsil, viz. Bastideni, suffered from Surra during October 1895
and lost five horses out of nineteen.
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
Saharanpur District.
This is the most northerly district of the Doáb and is bounded on the north-east and east by the
Siwálik hills and the Ganges ; on the north-west and west by the Jumna, and on the south by the district
of Muzaffarnagar. It comprises an area of 2,219 square miles, with a population of 883,782 souls or
399 to the square mile. It is divided into four tahsils, Saharanpur, Deoband, Roorkee and Nakur.
Below the Siwáliks lie the Bhábar and Terai, and in the north-east corner of the district is the great
alluvial Khádir land, through which one-half the mountain drainage finds its way to the Ganges. To
the east and west are the great basins of the Ganges and Jumna, and southward the Bangar or uplands,
itself divided into lowland and upland, marked by the basins and watersheds of the rivers, which flow
through it southwards. The Siwalik range is pierced by numerous passes, chief of which are the
Mohand, on the Mussoorie road, and the Timli on the road to Chakrata.
The soil in this sub-montane tract is of a dark-chocolate colour, and rests on a stratum of boulders.
In the immediate vicinity of the hills the water rises to the surface, and exhibits itself in pools or
streams and rills, which flow for a short distance and then disappear in the sand and shingle.
In the belt, Bhabar, varying from five to ten miles in width, water can only be found at depths
varying from 100 to 150 feet. This belt consists of a layer of boulders, resting on an impervious bed
of indurated gravel and clay, along which the percolation water runs, until the bed again crops up at
the surface, to form the southern boundary of the waterless tract and the northern boundary of the
Terai or moist tract. Here the streams again appear at the surface, and unite together to form rivers.
The lowlands, on the west of the sub-montane tract, are confined to the old or existing bed of the
Jumna.