60

under different conditions to the other villages, there was a good deal of water
lying in excavations near by. The subsoil water was 12 feet from the surface.
The spleen rate was—

Villages of the Gujrat Thana.

        The Gujrat district may be looked upon as partly submontane where it lies
below the hills of Naoshera and partly Doab where it lies between the Jhelum and
Chenab rivers. The former tract consisting of the thanas of Karian, Karianwala,
Jalalpur and Gujrat is crossed by numerous torrents passing from the hills to fall
into the Chenab river. The latter comprising the thanas of Lala Musa, Dinga,
Kutheila Sheikan, etc., is of a different character, being for the most part
higher land and less heavily watered. The thana of Aurungabad lies geographic-
ally in the upper portion of the Jhelum valley, separated from Gujrat by some
low hills. It is the submontane portion which has suffered so severely from the
epidemic and the worst affected of the thanas was that of Gujrat. (Vide Map I.)

        Of all the thanas that of Gujrat is most cut up by streams falling into the
Chenab. At the time of my visit rain had swollen many of these, and it was
possible to see how when so swollen they were liable to break their banks and
inundate large areas.

Mortality.

        Mapped out in epidemic figures for the villages an arrangement very like that
seen in the Amritsar district is evident. But in this case the contrast between
tracts in which the villages have been severely affected and those less affected is
greater. To the north-west will be seen a considerable number of villages with
low rates; this portion of the thana adjoins that of Dinga in which the epidemic
figure was in October only 5.9. The country here is also of higher character
than elsewhere. Forming a sort of continuation of this high land eastwards is an
area occupied by a single village Nairowali with a figure of only 2. To the south,
and especially in the south-west corner, the villages on the other hand all show
without exception very high rates indeed. Groups of villages showing especially
high mortality are also seen at "a" and "b."

Reaction of the Tract to Epidemic Conditions.

        Gujrat has been affected by severe epidemic conditions on several occasions.
In 1900 the deaths in October were 3,883 or nearly three times the normal
rate; in 1892 they numbered 8,351 and in 1890, 15,744 or half as many again as
they did in October 1908.