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Bykantpur and Boda, which formerly belonged to the Rangpur district.
The district forms part of the belt of the Terai ; all the districts north and
nort-west of Jalpaiguri may he called Terai. The country approaching the
mountains is very devoid of water during the dry season, and people in some
places have to travel ten miles for water. The smaller rivers often pass for
many miles under ground and then reappear ; the bed which they traverse in
the rains remaining to mark their course. Owing to the hard, stony nature of
the sub-soil, wells are impracticable. In the plains distant from the hills, the
sub-soil is entirely gravel or sand, or a mixture of the two, through which
water percolates in all directions. True clay is not found in the district.
The district is drained into the Ganges on one side and the Brahmaputra on
the other ; the slope for natural drainage is well marked and stagnation of
water is impossible.
Water is found in the dry months at from 12 to 15 feet from the surface.
In the rains it is almost level with the surface.*** The country is partially
under water during the rains in July, August, and September : the surplus
water is, however rapidly carried off when the rains cease, and the lodgment
of water is a very rare circumstance.*** Tanks are not numerous. *** The
district is undoubtedly malarious, and some portions of it eminently and
dangerously so.*** The water supply is from rivers, wells, and tanks. The
villages are generally situated on the highest spots of land obtainable. The
dead are disposed of by burning on the banks of the rivers and by burial
about 4 or 5 feet below the surface at some distance from villages and human
habitations, as the case may be. Regarding cholera, the Civil Surgeon of
Julpaiguri writes :—" Cholera is raging to the east and west and south, at this
moment (14th May), in a very severe form, but it is not a frequent visitor
of this district. It seems to have marched north from Rangpur, Kuch Behar,
and Purneah." Writing of the general mode of life of the people, he mentions :
" Fatigue and frequent wetting during the cultivating seasons, and sleeping
on damp floors " as productive of rheumatism ; and in regard to the frequency
of dyspepsia says—" Pood is eaten in too large a quantity at a time, and at too
long intervals." He also states:—"Prostitution is very rife, and enthetic
diseases, affecting both sexes, and all ages, are exceedingly frequent."
Darjiling.—Has only in recent years been reclaimed from dense jungles
and populated ; it contains the hill sanitarium of the Bengal Province
and numerous tea plantations. The population is chiefly agricultural. In
1864 the district was visited by epidemic cholera, but to a limited extent
only ; it appeared simultaneously all over the district, and the duration of the
epidemic was short.
Purneah.—The Civil Surgeon reports that no epidemic prevailed in 1868.
Burdwan.—Cholera is epidemic in the district. Outbreaks of the
disease are of occasional occurrence in Burdwan, but the character of the
disease is generally mild. Every year during the hot season sporadic cases are
reported. The water-supply is from the Banka river and tanks. Malarious
fevers of a severe intermittent and remittent type were epidemic during 1867
and 1868, and caused much loss of life.
Bankoora.—The sub-soil water is generally found about 15 to 20 feet
below the surface. Tanks are very numerous. There are very few wells
indeed. During the rains sub-soil moisture is found at a depth of 17 to 18 feet,
and in the cold season of 10 feet. Cholera was very rife in some parts of the
district in 1868, especially at Sonamukhi. The Civil Surgeon of Raniganj,
in this district, states that " cholera is never absent in spring."
Birbhoom.—Regarding cholera, the Civil Surgeon of Suri writes :—" This
disease has been flying about the district during the months of March,
April, May, July, October, November, and December. Sudden violent outbreaks'
of a most virulent character have occurred during the months in question in
different localities simultaneously, or at short intervals, carrying off in a
few hours a large number of those attacked, and then suddenly disappearing
from one place to reappear in another, but in some localities it lingered for
longer periods, and even visited the same place in some instances twice during
the year." Regarding the meteorology of the year, he writes :—" The only
peculiarity calling for notice during the past year was an excessively cloudy,