Library

CENSUS OF BRITISH INDIA 1871-72

In the year 1871—72 the first approach was made to the taking of a general Census census for the whole of India at a given date. Enumerations of the people had taken in already been made in the North-West Provinces in 1853 and 1865, in Oude in 1871—72' 1869, in the Punjab in 1855 and 1868, in the Hyderabad Assigned Districts in 1867, and in the Central Provinces in 1866; while in Madras quinquennial returns have been prepared since 1851—52 by the officers of the Revenue Department, giving with more or less accuracy the numbers of the people in each district, and in British Burma also a tolerably correct census is made each year for the purpose of the capitation rate. Nor was the Government supposed to be without some means of forming an estimate of the numbers under its rule in Bengal, in Bombay, or in the minor provinces, though in Bengal at least the estimate has been found to have been utterly wrong. The Census of 1871 was, however, an attempt to obtain for the whole of India statistics of the age, caste, religion, occupation, education, and infirmities of the population; and the results, for their respective provinces, have been carefully analysed in the reports written by Mr. Beverley for Bengal, Mr. Plowden for the North-West Provinces, Mr. Neill for the Central Provinces, Surgeon-Major Cornish for Madras, Surgeon-Major Lumsdaine for Bombay, Mr. M‘Iver for British Burma, and Major Lindsay for Coorg and for Mysore, which State, though administered for(11:08 Native Prince, may for present Purposes be treated as part of British In ' . - ' ' Unfortunately the enumeration was not carried out in all the provinces, it Imperfection being thought undesirable to incur the expense or disturb the people in the 0f the Punjab, Oude, and Berar so soon after the last census taken in those parts of- the census' country. In the following endeavour, therefore, to bring into one view parti culars relating to the whole population of British India, it will be necessary to use for those provinces returns which are from three to six years antecedent in date to the general census of 1871—72.