Difference between revisions of "Bengal"

<p> '''(1):''' (n.) A thin stuff, made of silk and hair, originally brought from Bengal. </p> <p> '''(2):''' (n.) Striped gingham, originally brought from Bengal; [[Bengal]] stripes. </p> <p> '''(3):''' (n.) A province in India, giving its name to various stuffs, animals, etc. </p>

<p> One of the three Indian presi dencies, but more particularly a province lying in the plain of the Lower [[Ganges]] and the delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra, with the [[Himalayas]] on the N. At the base of the mountains are great forests; along the seaboard dense jungles. The climate is hot and humid, drier at Behar, and passing through every gradation up to the snow-line. The people are engaged in agriculture, raising indigo, jute, opium, rice, tea, cotton, sugar, &c. Coal, iron, and copper mines are worked in Burdwân. The manufactures are of cotton and jute. The population is mixed in blood and speech, but Hindus speaking Bengali predominate. [[Education]] is further advanced than elsewhere; there are fine colleges affiliated to [[Calcutta]] University, and many other scholastic institutions. The capital, Calcutta, is the capital of India; the next town in size is Patna. </p>