India is pre-eminently agricultural. The (un checked) census shows that the adult male popula tion in 1891 was 62,002,461. Of these, 37,393,055 were engaged in agriculture, 8,137,082 were thou labourers, and 8,749,270 were engaged in in dustrial avocations. Also, 4,136,430 were in domestic employ, 3,425,738 in commerce, and 2,401,630 in professions and Government service.
The bulk of the agriculturists profess some form of Hinduism. In the extreme south of the Penin sula, the Tamil-speaking race, who assume the titular designations of Mudali and Pillai, are there the most numerous; further north are the Canarese speaking race, who are all agricultural ; several tribes in Telingana, the Reddi, the Naidu, the Katnavaru, westwards as far as Beder, and south wards to Mysore and the Carp:die, are engaged in tillage; further north are the Uria race and the Gond, the great Kunbi and Mali races of the Malt ratta country •, and throughout the plateaux and the plains of Northern India, are the Jat, Kurmi, Kaell'ili, Koeri, Lodhi, Mali, Kaibartta, Sadgop, Khan, and Gujar, with the pastoral Ahar, Ahir, Dhangar, Gadariya, Gop, Coale, Knrubar, and Han gar, the labouring population being the numerous landless, broken, non-Arvan tribes and clans, as the Pariah, Dher, Mhar, Mang, Dom, and others, who are dispersed, are scarcely yet freed from a con dition of predial slavery, and evince no inelinition to abandon their own fetish and shamanist cults.
The mountain ranges harbour many tribes, who have fled to them for shelter, or been thrust into them by more powerful races ; and similarly the corner provinces, as of Kattyawar and Orissa, have a diversified population. In Kattyawar, of the old ruling races there remain the Jait•a, Churasama, Salunki, and Wala, who exercised sovereignty in the country prior to the immigration of the Jhala, Jarija, Prattler*, Kathi, Gohil, Jat, Mahowedans, or Mahrattas. So, in Orissa and Gaojam are the Bhumij ; Illiniya, Gond,Kandlt ; Khaira, Kol; Pan ; Santal, Savant, Teling, and Urya.
The frontiers of British India are nowhere con terminous with any highly-civilised state. On the north Kashmir, on the north-west Nepal, and in the south - cast Burma and Siam, alone can claim possession of a literature. Both within the British bounds and beyond are many tribes and nations under democratic rule. The most power ful of these are on the north-west, and may be thus shown : Independent Tribes, dwelling along the outer face of the north-west frontier, and inhabiting hills, viz. —
Adjoining frontier of Hazara district,—Hussanzai. Adjoining frontier of Peshawur district, — Judoon, Bunoorwall, Swati, Ranizai, Osmankheli, Upper Mohmand.
Adjoining frontier of Peshawur and Kohat districts,— Afridi.
Adjoining frontier of Kohat district,—Buzoti, Sipah, Orakzai, Zaimusht Afghan, Turi.
Adjoining frontier of Kohat and Debra Ismail Khan districts,—Waziri.
Adjoining frontier of Debra Ismail Khan district,— Sheorani, Oshterani, Kasrani, Bozdar.
Adjoining frontier of Dehra Ghazi Khan district,— Khutran, Kosah, Lughari, Gurchani, Murri, Bugti, Muzari.
British Tribes within the frontier,and British subjects, inhabiting partly bills and partly plains Hazara district,—Turnouli, Gukkar, Doond and Sutti, Kaghan Synd, and other tribes of Hazara. Peshawur district,—Yusufzai, Khaleel, Mohmand of the plains.
Peshawur and Kohat districts,—Khuttuk.
Kohat district,—Bungush.
Dehra Ismail Khan district, — Bunnoocbi, Murwuti, Butani, chiefs of Tank, chiefs of Kolachi, chiefs of Dehra Ismail Khan, Nootkani, Loond.
Debra Ghazi Khan district,—Dreshuk, Muzari.
The number of their fighting men has been estimated at about 170,000, which would repre sent a total population of one million. The fighting men of the principal tribes being Muzari, . 2000 Kasrani„ . 1500 Mohmand, . 16,000 . . . 1500 Ustrant, . . 900 Otman Khel, . 5000 Mum . . 2500 Sheorant, . 5000 Swati, . . . 6000 Curet :ant, . . 1200 Waziri, . . 44,000 Bunerwal, . 2000 Lagbari, . . 3700 Turi, . . 5000 Judun, . . 2500 Khosa, . . . 4000 Zaimusht, . 4500 , Chigurzai, . .
Khntran, . 4500 Orakzai,. . 29,500 Mussanzat, . 1700 Bozdar, . . 2700 Kabal Khel, . Y Akazal, . . 1000 Afridi, 23,500 The Himalaya on north is the meeting ground of the/Aryan and Turanian races, who in some places are curiously intermingled. In the extreme north-west are found the Dard, an Aryan race abutting on the Afghans on their west, and with the Balti, a Turanian race of Mahomedanized Tibetans, on the east. Here also are the Champa nomades who wander about the high level valleys of Rupshu, and likewise the Ladakbi cultivators in the valleys of Ladakh. The other Aryan races are the Pahari or mountaineers, the Kashmiri and the Dogra and Chibali who inhabit the outer hills.