DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.2374#0373
MYSORE, CANARA, AND MALABAR.
363
This is at the rate of 1300 inhabitants to the British square mile, CHAPTER
which appears to me impossible ; especially considering that there v^s?J
are few or no towns in the country, and few or no manufactures ; Dec 1—~i.
and still more so, considering that large quantities of grain are ex-
ported. That the population is not exaggerated, I have strong-
reason to think. From Mr. Smee's valuation of the districts under
Mr. Warden, it would appear, that the average quantity of rice in
the husk annually produced there, after deducting seed, amounts
in round numbers to 6,500,000 Porays. Now, allowing one Edan-
gally daily for every person, which is a reasonable maintenance,
the annual consumption of 123,000 persons in round numbers will
be 4,500,000 Porays, leaving 2,000,000 Porays, or almost a third of
the whole produce, for exportation. I omit bringing to account
the other grains raised in these districts, as they are of no great
importance, and are not more than sufficient to make up for the
maintenance of strangers, vagrants, and cattle. I suspect, there-
fore, that Mr. Warden's estimate of the extent of a Poray land is
inadmissible. Even taking the Poray lands to be all of the same
size with the one that I measured, the population will amount to
567 souls to the square mile, and that is more than can be reason-
ably allowed. Mr. Baber's estimate of the numbers of persons
being taken would indeed reduce the number to 440 persons in
the square mile; but I am more inclined to think that the dimen-
sions of the territory are diminished, than that the number of
inhabitants is over-rated. However, as I have no better data to
proceed on, I consider the Poray sowing of land to be equal to Pomy-can-
7622 square feet, and, on that supposition, give a corrected Table.
1
363
This is at the rate of 1300 inhabitants to the British square mile, CHAPTER
which appears to me impossible ; especially considering that there v^s?J
are few or no towns in the country, and few or no manufactures ; Dec 1—~i.
and still more so, considering that large quantities of grain are ex-
ported. That the population is not exaggerated, I have strong-
reason to think. From Mr. Smee's valuation of the districts under
Mr. Warden, it would appear, that the average quantity of rice in
the husk annually produced there, after deducting seed, amounts
in round numbers to 6,500,000 Porays. Now, allowing one Edan-
gally daily for every person, which is a reasonable maintenance,
the annual consumption of 123,000 persons in round numbers will
be 4,500,000 Porays, leaving 2,000,000 Porays, or almost a third of
the whole produce, for exportation. I omit bringing to account
the other grains raised in these districts, as they are of no great
importance, and are not more than sufficient to make up for the
maintenance of strangers, vagrants, and cattle. I suspect, there-
fore, that Mr. Warden's estimate of the extent of a Poray land is
inadmissible. Even taking the Poray lands to be all of the same
size with the one that I measured, the population will amount to
567 souls to the square mile, and that is more than can be reason-
ably allowed. Mr. Baber's estimate of the numbers of persons
being taken would indeed reduce the number to 440 persons in
the square mile; but I am more inclined to think that the dimen-
sions of the territory are diminished, than that the number of
inhabitants is over-rated. However, as I have no better data to
proceed on, I consider the Poray sowing of land to be equal to Pomy-can-
7622 square feet, and, on that supposition, give a corrected Table.
1