FINANCE. The Imperial revenue is derived chiefly from the opium monopoly (over 35 per cent.), land-rent (about 22 per cent.), the salt monopoly, and customs. The Imperial expendi tures amount usually to less than one-fourth of the revenue, and the surplus is partly utilized to cover the military expenditures both in Ben gal and in other parts of India, and partly spent on public works. The cost of the administration of the province is covered by the provincial and municipal taxes.
The population of Bengal is as follows: Of the total population of Bengal, including the native States, about 64 per cent. are Hindus, about 32 per cent. Mohammedans, and about 4 per cent. Animistic. There are about 200,000 Buddhists and as many Christians. The pre vailing language is Bengali, or Bengalese, one of the most important modern Aryan tongues of India. spoken by some 40,000,000 people. Be sides the speakers of Aryan dialects, there are in this province several more or less numer ous aboriginal•peoples (Santals, Kols, Gonds, Bhuiyas, Orions, etc.) of Dravidian or Kolarian stock, with others in the eastern parts of Indo Chinese affinities, while the rest consists of Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, and Jews.
Behar, the northern part of Bengal, anciently a powerful Sanskrit monarchy, was conquered about A.D. 1200 by the Mohammedans, and was ruled until 1576 by governors who enjoyed at different times almost independent authority. The first British commercial settlement was made about 1620. In 16S6 the English bought, from the grandson of Aurungzch, the site of the present In 1757 Clive's victory, gained against odds of twenty to one, transferred Ben gal from the :Mogul's viceroy to the English East India Company, which was secured in its possession by the Mogul's own grant of 1765. Warren Hastings consolidated the British power in Bengal (1772-S5). Under him and his suc cessors the civil administration was thoroughly organized and important land legislation enact ed. After the treaties of 1765, which placed Bengal, Behar, and Orissa under British adminis tration, the history of Bengal merges with that of British India. See INDIA, and its bibliog raphy.