I m p e r I a L g a z e t t ee r o f I n d I a vol. X i I i
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N o t e . — T h e T h o n g w a t o w n s h i p w a s c o n s t i t u t e d a f t e r t h e C e n s u s o f 1 9 0 1 . 3° HA NTH A JVADD J is thus almost wholly rural. There were 10,000 immigrants from India residing in the District in 1891 and 43,800 in 1901, three-fourths of whom were Madrasis. Buddhism is the religion of the great majority of the inhabitants; but after Rangoon City Hanthawaddy has the largest number of Hindus (39,500) of any District in the Province, and its total of Musalmans is lower only than those of Akyab, Rangoon, Amherst, and Mandalay. The Hindus are for the most
part agricultural labourers and
coolies from
Madras. Burmese
is the
language ordinarily spoken. Practically all the
persons returned as Karens at the enumeration speak the Karen language; but of the Shans only about half, and of the Takings only a
proportion, have
retained their
own vernacular. Of Indian languages, Tamil and Telugu are the most widely spoken. The majority of the inhabitants are Burmans, but in 1901 the Karens numbered 44,100, the Takings 32,700, and the Shans 15,400. The number of Chinese is large. Nearly 70 per cent, of the total population are engaged in or dependent on agriculture. There are 7,440 Christians, nearly half of whom are Baptists, natives numbering 6,840. The Christian missions have their head-quarters in Rangoon; but there is an important branch of the American Baptist Mission at Insein, and several schools of this mission and of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel are maintained in the large villages. The two southern subdivisions, Twante and Kyauktan, are prac tically deltaic islands, and, excluding a ridge known as the Kondan . . ,
running from Syriam to Kyauktan, and a similar Agriculture. . . , ™ 3
A formation between Iwante and Kungyangon, con sist in the main of flat plains of alluvial soil in which the rice is ordinarily sown broadcast and not transplanted. The same may be said of the western portion of the Insein subdivision as far north as Hmawbi, beyond which the creeks lose their tidal character, and such streams as exist have separate sources in the Pegu Yoma. In this portion of the District the rice is almost always transplanted. In many places large tracts are subject to inundation, but the floods appear to be becoming less destructive and the precarious area more circum scribed. The Kondan portion, although suitable for fruit cultivation on its lower slopes, is in the main covered with scrub jungle, and, beyond a small area in which the Shans cut taungvas, is of little value except for bamboo plantations. It is only on and near this high land, which cannot be used for rice, that miscellaneous crops and garden produce are cultivated, although in the immediate vicinity of Rangoon the people are beginning to cultivate vegetables after the rice is reaped, by means of irrigation from unbricked wells. The rainfall, which may be
AGRICULTURE roughly taken to average 100 inches per annum, is usually timely, and it is only in the extreme north of the District that partial damage to crops from unseasonable rainfall is in any way marked. There is, however, as has already been noted, an almost yearly loss of rice caused by rain in the early spring, when the cultivators, with their national carelessness, leave the grain unprotected on their threshing- floors.
The best rice in Burma is said to come from Pyawbwe in the Twante subdivision, and from an agricultural point of view the District may be viewed as a huge paddy-field producing a better average yield than any other part of Burma. No other crop is of any general impor tance ; but the fruit and vegetable gardens, which extend along the Kondan from Rangoon to Insein, and supply the Rangoon market with pineapples, mangoes, jack-fruit, marian plums, betel-nuts, and other fruits and vegetables, may be noticed. The area cultivated in 1891 was 1,473 square miles. The main agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are given below, in square miles:— T o w n s h i p . T o t a l a r e a . C u l t i v a t e d . F o r e s t s . Taikkyi . . 898 262
Insein . . 482
324 Twante . . 3 6 9 272
Kungyangon . 453
267 - 639
Kyauktan . . 4°3
237 Thabyegan . 314 225
Thongwa . . 104
199 Total
3,023 1,786
6 3 9 The area under garden crops in 1903-4 was 55 square miles, mostly in the Insein and Twante townships, while 3,000 acres were planted with the dani palm. The area under rice increases yearly; but good waste land is becom ing exhausted except in the Taikkyi township, where large tracts to the east of the railway are still available for cultivation, and in the extreme south, where certain fuel reserves have lately been thrown open and island formations occur. The average size of a holding is large. At the revision settlement it was found to be over 40 acres. Comparatively little is done to improve the quality of the crops by systematic methods. No applications have been recently made by the cultivators for loans under the Agriculturists’ Loans Act, but advances under the Act have been made from time to time in the past. The agricultural stock is for the most part of the ordinary Burmese breed. Indian cattle imported from Calcutta are, however, becoming not uncommon. This is especially noticeable along the railway, where large settlements of natives of India are employed in supplying milk to 3- ITAXTTTA JI'ADD) Rangoon. Kine are more numerous than buffaloes. The area reserved for grazing purposes is 109,000 acres, and it is only where natives of India are breeding large herds of cattle for milking that any real difficulty in feeding the live-stock exists. Beyond the ordinary system of field embankments and the garden cultivation effected by means of unbricked wells near Rangoon, there is no regular irrigation in Hanthawaddy. A large reservoir has recently been constructed at Hlawga, 15 miles north of Rangoon, from which the water-supply of that city is drawn, and there are many village tanks of local importance. The fisheries of the District lie for the most part on the west, towards the Irrawaddy delta ; they are all either in the beds of streams or in shallow depressions filled by the overflow from the waterways. Of the former kind there are 58 and of the latter 41. The largest fisheries are the East and West Gayetlami in the Twante township. The area of ‘reserved’ forest in 1904 was 394 square miles, and of ‘unclassed’ forests about 245 square miles. The latter are rapidly F rests
diminishing, as
cultivation extends
and clearances ' are made by excessive cutting for fuel for Rangoon. The hill forests cover the western slopes of the Yoma, and include large tracts of evergreen forests, in which teak and pyingado (Xylia dolabri-
these forests were once very rich in teak; but much of this valuable timber has been extracted, and they now compare unfavourably with the forests on the eastern slopes of the same range in Pegu District. The plain forests consist of non-tidal and tidal growths. The former extend from the foot of the Yoma on undulating land, and are almost wholly in
the Insein
subdivision. Characteristic trees are
chiefly deciduous, but evergreen forest is found along some of the streams. In the moister localities pyinma (.Lagerstroemia Flos Reginae) and
teak, pyingado (Xylia dolabriformis), and in (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus). The teak is usually of poor quality, and much of the pyingado was used up for sleepers when the railway to Prome was being made. Large portions of the tidal forests have been reserved for fuel, but many rights in these Reserves exist, and they have been largely cut over. They are now not capable of supplying the demands of Rangoon, which must in future look to the plain forests in the Insein subdivision for the immense quantity of wood required for domestic purposes and brickmaking. There are 2,767 acres of teak plantations, dating from 1868. In 1900 a plantation of 30 acres of Para rubber trees was made near Rangoon, but its growth is not promising. The forest receipts in 1901 amounted to Rs. 71,155, including Rs. 35,799 from firewood and charcoal. In 1904 they were nearly Rs. 1,15,000.
TRADE AND COMMUNICATIONS 33 Laterite and pottery clay are produced, but otherwise the mineral resources are unimportant. Laterite, which is largely used for road- metalling, is distributed along the Kondans, and is extracted by manual labour, Indian coolies being usually employed at a wage of 8 annas or more a day. The cost per 100 cubic feet delivered in Rangoon is Rs. 14, but the price varies with the cost of carriage. The annual out-turn is estimated at 22,000 tons. Ordinary alluvial clay is exten sively excavated for briekmaking, and at Twante a superior kind is found, suitable for pottery. Cotton-weaving on a small scale is carried on everywhere, but the people are gradually giving up their own hand-made cloth for European goods, which can now be bought in all the large villages. Silk-weaving as a local industry has almost communkTtfons. entirely disappeared. Salt is manufactured at Tan- manaing in the Kungyangon township from sea-water, which is boiled in cauldrons after being passed over successive drying pans. The out-turn paying duty in 1903 was 46,600 cwt., which was almost entirely used locally in preserving fish in the shape of fish-paste (ngapi). Pots for salt-boiling are made in Kungyangon. At Twante large water and oil jars, often standing 4 feet high, and commonly known as Pegu jars, are made. They are glazed with a mixture of rice water and galena. Coarse mats used for packing are woven from bamboo in the Twante subdivision, and a finer kind for domestic use in parts of the Insein subdivision. Wood-chopping and other das, sickles, axes, and other ironwork for local use are made in many of the larger villages. There are seven riee-niills in the District, almost all just outside Rangoon City, or within easy reach of it by water. Their annual out turn is estimated at 64,000 tons, which all goes to the Rangoon market for export. Near the Pugyi and Palon railway stations are two small saw-mills supplying the local market, and at Insein are the workshops of the Burma Railways Company, which employ 2,500 men. The Burma Oil Company’s refinery at Syriam is the most important factory in the District, employing a staff of 22 Europeans and 3,150 natives. The crude oil is brought down in tank-steamer flats from Upper Burma, and is refined by the process known as continuous distillation. It is then stored in large steel tanks, and pumped through a 5-mile pipe line to the tank-steamers belonging to the company in the Rangoon river. It is also shipped in smaller quantities in tins and casks. The trade of the District centres in Rangoon, but there are markets at Twante, Thongwa, Paukkon, and elsewhere. Excluding teak and other forest produce, extracted under the supervision of Government, rice may be regarded as composing the entire export. The grain is bought up by brokers of the large Rangoon firms at local centres all over the District, and is brought to the mills by boat or rail. The
34 I!A NT! IA 11’ A / ) / ) ) ’ use of large barges of European pattern, manned by natives of India, and often towed by small launches, is becoming general on the tidal creeks, and the number of Burmese craft in these waters is decreasing. Beyond this, the only export trade is the daily supply of the Rangoon market with fuel, milk, fruit, vegetables, and a little live-stock, princi pally pigs. The greater part of the fuel is brought in logs by boat from the tidal forests, but a considerable amount of charcoal is manufactured in the Taikkyi township, and comes into Rangoon by rail. The principal imports are piece-goods, salt, oil, sugar, hardware, oilman’s stores, gunny-bags, rope, and miscellaneous goods. These are all obtained from the Rangoon markets, and are retailed in the local bazars and shops by Burmese, Chinese, and Indian traders. Within the District there are 70 miles of railway, nearly 200 miles of metalled roads, and 30 miles of fair-weather cart-roads. Of these the Rangoon-Prome trunk road, the Dala-Twante road, and some branch roads (in all, 109 miles) are maintained from Provincial funds, and the remainder from the District cess fund. The Insein subdivision is served by the Rangoon-Prome railway, which runs through it from south to north for a distance of 60 miles, and the south-east corner by the Rangoon-Mandalay line, which leaves the District 3 miles to the north of Togyaungale railway station. The main water-communications are the Hlaing river, which runs almost parallel to the railway on the west, and has numerous tributaries, the T w a n t e C a n a l , and the Bawle, Panhlaing, and other creeks connecting the Hlaing with the eastern mouth of the Irrawaddy. . Except for the roads from Kyauktan to Syriam and Thabyegan, and from Twante to Dala and Kungyangon, the Twante and Kyauktan subdivisions depend almost entirely on water carriage. The Twante ('anal shortens the distance by the Kanaungto creek between Rangoon and the To river, and, although shallow, is much used by small river steamers and boats, being the quickest route from Rangoon to the main stream of the Irrawaddy. A small drainage canal at Kayan, in the north of the Kyauktan subdivision, is navigable by boats in the rains. The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company has a daily service of steamers from Rangoon to Thongwa via Kyauktan, and from Rangoon to Twante through the canal. Launches run daily from Rangoon up the l’egu river to Kamamat, and down the Rangoon river to villages in the Kungyangon township. A regular service is maintained on the Hlaing, where, in the rains, launches ply as far north as Sanywe in Tharrawaddy District. A steam ferry plies several times daily between Syriam and Rangoon, and there are boat ferries 011 all the chief lines of communication. The District is divided into three subdivisions: Insein, comprising the
and
I n s e i n townships; Kyauktan, comprising the ADMIXISTRA TI OX 35
y a u k t a x , T h a k y e g a x , and
T h o x g w a townships; and Twante, comprising the
and
K u x o y a x g o x town- . . , . °
. . rr Administration, ships. They are under the usual executive officers, assisted by 799 village headmen (361 of whom have no part in the collection of revenue), but there still remain twenty-three of the old revenue circles under circle f/tugyis. Of the headmen, 7 have special criminal and 2S civil powers under the Milage Act. The head-quarters are at Rangoon, where the Deputy-Commissioner is assisted by a treasury officer and an akunwun (in charge of the revenue). The land records staff consists of a superintendent, 8 inspectors, and 106 sur veyors, the District being under supplementary survey. The excise staff is under a superintendent, subject to the control of the Deputy- Commissioner. The District forms a Public Works division, with three subdivisions conterminous with the civil subdivisions. It is likewise co-extensive with the Rangoon Forest division. Hanthawaddy forms part of the Hanthawaddy Sessions division, and sessions cases are tried by the Divisional Judge. The District (civil) court is presided over by a whole-time District Judge. One civil township judge tries the cases in the three township courts in the Kyauktan subdivision. The other
townships each
have a special civil township judge. 'The
township judges
at Insein,
Kyauktan, and Twante exercise Small Cause Court jurisdiction within these three towns. The criminal work is heavy: and two additional magistrates are employed, one
(regularly) at
Insein, and
one (occasionally) at Kyauktan, to try cases during the open season, when the subdivisional and township officers (who ordinarily perform the magisterial work of their charges) are on tour. These officers have no territorial juris diction proper, but cases are transferred to them for trial by the District and subdivisional magistrates. The statistics of crime fluctuate year by year, lioat-robberies and dacoities were once very prevalent in the delta, but of late years these forms of crime have been less common, and
housebreaking appears
to have
taken their
place. Similarly, cattle-theft, for which Insein was once notorious, is now not particularly prevalent, although still far
from extinct. The numerous waterways make smuggling easy, and offences against the opium and excise laws show little signs of falling off. Numerous territorial changes
in Hanthawaddy District make
it exceedingly difficult to trace the growth of the revenue derived from land. The first regular settlement commenced in 1879-80, in what is now the Kyauktan subdivision, and was completed in 1884 with the settlement of a part of the Insein subdivision ; but it was not until 1895, when the Kyauktan subdivision was transferred to Hanthawaddy, that the District as now constituted was formed. Since 1897 the
3 6 ZZANTIIA JVADDY settlement of all three subdivisions has been revised, and the present settlements will expire in 1910-1. At the time of annexation the principal taxes (excluding customs collected at Rangoon) of Rangoon District were capitation, land (per yoke of oxen), fisheries, and salt taxes. These imposts were continued by the British Government, but at fixed rates per acre for land, the old assessment being quite arbitrary. Many grants under the liberal waste-land grant rules of 1865 have been made. Thirty-nine of these grants in different stages of assessment exist (from the minimum rate of 4 annas per acre to the maximum of Rs. 1-8 per acre when the land becomes permanently settled), covering an area of 37,346 acres. The largest of these are a grant of over 4,000 acres in the Twante circle, and the Tawkayan grant of 2,500 acres in the Kungyangon township. The Cocos and Preparis Islands are leased under special arrangements for the collection of coco nuts and fibre. The highest assessments on first-class rice land are Rs. 4-8 per acre in part of the Kungyangon township, Rs. 4-4 in certain portions of the Kyauktan subdivision, and Rs. 4 011 land to the east of the railway in the Insein subdivision. On second-class soil the minimum rate is Rs. 1-4. The average assessment for rice land may be taken at about Rs. 3-8. Garden land is assessed at from Rs. 1-4 to Rs. 6-0 an acre. Dani pays Rs. 5 an acre, and betel-vine from Rs. 7-8 to Rs. 10.
Accurate statistics of revenue for the years prior to 1890-1 are not available. The following are the figures from 1890-1 onwards, in thousands of rupees :— 1890-1. I9OO-I. 1903-4- Land revenue . . 9 ,S2
30,12 34-29
Total revenue . . 39 > 6 ° 47,88 The total revenue for 1903-4 includes 4-8 lakhs from capitation tax and i-8 lakhs from fisheries. The District cess fund is administered by the Deputy-Commissioner for the construction and maintenance of roads and the provision of other local needs. It
is provided mainly by a levy of 10 per cent. 011 the total land revenue; and in 1903-4 the income was Rs. 4,12,000 and the expenditure Rs. 4,41,000, mainly devoted to public works (Rs. 2,52,000). There are 110 municipalities. I nsein
was declared a ‘notified area’ in the early part of 1903, and a committee has been formed.
There are three lighthouses in the District—the China Bakir, Eastern Grove, and Table Island. The China Bakir is an iron-framed structure, standing on the edge of the fiats at the end of the China Bakir or
ADMINISTRATION 37 To river in r6° 17' N. and 96° ri' E. It was lighted originally in 1869, and was dismantled and erected in its present position on steel piles in igor. The lighthouse shows a dioptric white light of the first order, fixed and flashing. The focal plane of the light is 74 feet above water-level. The Eastern Grove lighthouse stands on the east of the entrance to the Rangoon river, in 16 0 30' N. and 96' 23 0 E. It shows an occulting dioptric white light of the third order, visible at 15 miles in clear weather. The focal plane of the light is 93 feet above high- water level. The structure is of iron, braced on screw piles. The lighthouse was first lighted in 1869 and was altered in i88r. The old light was converted into an occulting light and exhibited on May 9, 1896. The Table Island lighthouse stands on the summit of the south-west end of Table Island, 2 miles from the Great Cocos Island, in 14° 11' N. and 93 0 21' E. It shows a dioptric fixed white light of the first order, visible at 20 miles in clear weather. The focal plane of the light is 195 feet above high-water level. The structure is a cast-iron circular tower, painted with alternate red and white bands. The lighthouse was lighted in 1867. There is a signalling station (marked by an obelisk) at Elephant Point, west of the entrance to the Rangoon river. The forts guarding the Rangoon river and some of the submarine defences are within the District; they are garrisoned from Rangoon. In.sein is an important centre of the Burma Railways Volunteer Corps. The civil police force consists of 5 inspectors, 66 head constables and sergeants, and 426 men, under a District Superintendent, with 3 Assistant Superintendents stationed at Insein, Kyauktan,and Twante, the head-quarters of the three police and judicial subdivisions. There are 21 police stations, 9 of which are in the Insein, 5 in the Kyauktan, and 7 in the Twante subdivision. Three officers and 187 men of the Rangoon military police battalion are attached to the District. The Central jail at Insein on the west of the railway is the largest prison in Burma, and has accommodation for 2,464 prisoners. It is in charge of a Superintendent, who has under him a staff of 2 Hospital Assistants, 12 jailors, and 67 warders. The principal jail manufactures are cotton winding, carpentry and carving, cane and bamboo work, blanket and coir-making, and blacksmith's work. The articles pro duced are supplied to various Government departments, and may be purchased by the general public. The average jail population is 1,81 o convicted and 21 under-trial prisoners. There is a reformatory school at Insein, which was moved there from Paungde in 1896, and now has accommodation for 200 boys. There were 82 boys in the school on January 1, 190^, who were employed in gardening, tin and cane-work, weaving, and carpentry. The staff consists of a super intendent three schoolmasters, and two
trade inspectors. The
I I A X T H A J J ' A D D Y removal of this building is under consideration, as it is considered that its proximity to the jail is objectionable. The standard of education is fairly high. The proportion of literate males in 1901 was over 48 per cent., and of females 11 per cent., the latter being higher than in any other District of the Province. For both sexes together the proportion is 32 per cent. In 1903-4 there were 3 special, 17 secondary, 397 primary, and 382 elementary (private) schools, with 19,749 pupils (16,231 males and 3,518 females), as compared with 8,888 in 1890 1 and 19,092 in 1900-1. Higher education is largely dependent on the schools in Rangoon. The Burman schools show steady improvement, but the Karen seminaries, although increasing in numbers, remain of an inferior type. There has been a decrease in Tamil and other Indian schools. The only notable educational institution is the Government School of Engineering at Insein, which was established in 1894 to train Burmans for the Public Works department. Several scholarships are tenable in the school, and one appointment as overseer and five as sub-overseers in the Public Works department are presented annually by Government. There is a Survey school at Insein. The total expenditure on education in 1903 4 was Rs. 59,900. of which Rs. r6,8oo was contributed from Provincial funds and Rs. 37,800 from the District cess fund. The receipts from fees amounted to Rs. 5,300. Hanthawaddy is for medical purposes in charge of the Civil Surgeon, Rangoon, and the people of the District for the most part use the Rangoon hospital. There are, however, three other hospitals with 53 beds, in which 900 in-patients and 18,898 out-patients were treated in 1903, and 339 operations were performed. The income of the hospitals comes mostly from Local funds, which contributed Rs. 7,600 in 1903, while the railway gave Rs. 3,400 to the Insein hospital. Vaccination is nowhere compulsory, and progress has been retarded by the popular practice of inoculation. In all 2,830 persons were successfully vaccinated in 1903-4, or only 6 per 1,000 of the popu lation.
[Captain M. Lloyd, Rangoon District Gazetteer (1868) : R. G. McKerron, Settlement Reports (1900, 1901, and 1902).] Hanumangarh. —Head quarters of the tahsil of the same name in the Suratgarh nizdmat of the State of Bikaner, Rajputana, situated in 29 0
0 20' E., 011 the left bank of the Ghaggar river, and on the Jodhpur-Blkaner Railway, 144 miles north-east of Bikaner city. Population (1901), 1,303. There is a post office, a vernacular school attended by 76 boys, and a railway dispensary ; but the place is famous for its fort. Its old name was Bhatner, ‘the fortress’ or ‘ the habitation ' of the Bhattis, who were originally Bhati Rajputs, and who after becoming Musalmans were called Bhattis. It was styled If A PUR TOWN 39 Hanumangarh in r8c>5, because it was captured by the Bikaner I >arbar in that year on a 'Tuesday, a day sacred to the monkey-god. Bhatner is frequently mentioned by the Musalman historians ; it has been identified as the Bhatia captured by Mahmud of Ghazni about 1004, but this is doubtful. In 1398 it was taken by Timur from a Bhati chief named Dul Chand, but appears to have been restored to the Bhatis on their giving a girl of their tribe in marriage to the conqueror. In 1527 it is said to have been acquired by the Rathor Rajputs, and was retaken from them by Kamran, the brother of Humayun, in 1549. It was recovered by the Bikaner Raja about 1560, and held for about twenty years, when it was seized by the Subahddr of Hissar. The possession of the fort seems to have changed hands frequently, till in 1805 it was, after a siege of five months, captured by the Bikaner Darbar from a Bhatti chief named Zabita Khan. [H. M. Elliot, History of India, vols. ii and iii (1869).] Hapa.—Petty State
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