MONTGOMERY, a town which gives its name to the north-eastern district of the Multan division of the Panjab. It was named after Sir Robert Montgomery, K.C.B., a distinguished civil officei of the Bengal Government. The district occupies a wide extent of the Bari Doab, and stretches across the Ravi into the Rechna Doab. Fron time immemorial, the Rechna Doab has formec the home of a wild race of pastoral Jat. At the time of Alexander's invasion, the Kathreans held the northern portion of the modern district, while the Malli, with their capital at Multan, had posses. sion of the southern tract. The population of the district consists largely of the Jat, with their subdivisions •Khattia, the turbulent together with the Fatehana, Murdana, Baghela, Wattu, and Johea, and Hindus of the Arora, Rajput, Brahman, Kshatriya, and with Syud, Moghul, Pathan, Baluch Mahan'. madans. Many of the Jat, Gujar, and Rajpul have adopted the Sikh and the Muhammadat religions. Sir Robert Montgomery distinguishec himself during the Indian revolt of 1857, anc afterwards served as Lieutenant-Governor of the Panjab. During his administration, there were steady and progressive measures of He subsequently became a member of the India Council to assist the Secretary of State for India.
The course of the local monsoons is determined by the existence of alternately high and low atmospheric pressure over the country. This centre of minimum pressure is, as it were, a point upon which the wind turns, or it is the goal towards which the wind blows, while the place of greatest pressure is the point from which the winds diverge. As the determination of these points gives the general character to the monsoon In the south and east of Asia, the races occupy ing the various countries divide the year int( months, but some reckon by the lunar periocb and some by the solar changes. The HinduE
further divide the month into two portions, called pukh, or fortnights. The first is termed badi, reckoning from the 1st to the 15th, which day of partition is called anmavus, answering to the ides of the Romans, and held by the Hindus, as it was by the Jews, in great sanctity. The last division is termed Sudi, the bright half of the mouth from new to full moon, and they recom mence with the initial numeral, thence to the 30th or completion, called poonum ; thus, instead of the 16th, 17th, etc., of the month, they say Sudi ekum (1st), Sudi doag (2d). The lkinham madans of Arabia, Persia, and India, following the lunar changes, divide their year into twelve months, viz. :— Mal arram. Jamadi-ul-awal. Ratuazan.
Safer. Jamadi-ul-akhir Shawal.
Rabi-ul-awal. orJamadi-us-sani.
RAi-ul-akhir or Rajah. Zu-ul-hajja.
itabi-us-sani. Shaban.
The Ifultammadans, like most others, have weeks of seven days, called shaumbalm. The follow ing arc time Persian names of the days :— . Sunday. I Panj-shambah,Thurs. Do-ahambah, . Monday. Aduna or Si-shembalt, . Tuesday. Shamban, . . Satur. Char-shamban, Wednes.
The Arabs distinguish their days or yom as first, second, third, etc., and the Muhanimadans in British India use terms partly of Arabic, partly of Persian, and partly of Sanskrit origin :— Aitawar, . . Sunday. Jumarat, . . Thursday.
l'ir, . . . . Monday. Juma, . . . Friday. Mengel, . . . Tuesday. Haftah or Awal Char-shambah, Wednes. Haftah, . Saturday.
Several of the Hindu races designate the months of the year by terms derived from one source :—