(NORTHERN), an extensive district of Indostan, extending about 470 miles along the coast of Coromandel, from the frontier of the Carnatic to that of Bengal. It reaches inland from 40 to 70 miles, when it is separated from the provinces of Hyderabad and Berar by a range of hills, which in the south are low and detached from each other; but in the north rise into high mountains, impassable for horses or carriages, unless at a single point near Salourgant. The area of the whole is estimated at 17,000 square miles, of which Mr Grant (Appendix to Fifth Report on Indian Affairs, p. 620) supposes one-fifth to be under cultivation. This last estimate is given as purely conjectural; and considering that the tract is generally level, and that besides maintaining a large internal population, it exports grain to a great extent, it seems scarcely possible that it should not contain a much larger proportion of cultivated land. The number of inhabitants is calculated at two millions and a half, which would give nearly 150 to the square mile.

The Circars, after enjoying for many ages a native government, experienced the weight of Mahometan power, when, in 1541, the sovereign of the empire of Beder, conquered first Condapilly, and afterwards Guntoor, with the whole district of Masulipatam. The subjection, however, was so imperfect, that, in 1571, the country was to be considered anew. It became then attached to the dominion of Hydrabad, and along with it fell, in 1687, under the wide spread empire of Aurungzebe. That conqueror, however, absorbed in distant and more splendid objects of ambition, appears to have been satisfied with little more than a formal submission. The Circars never fully felt the yoke, till, on the breaking up of the Mogul empire, they became a portion of the kingdom founded at Hydrabad, by Nizam-ul-Mookl. These territories formed to the Nizam a more important object than they had done to the Mogul. He accordingly occupied them with a military force, and took vigorous measures for collecting the revenue. After the death of Nizam-ul-Mookl, his third son, Salabat Jung, was enabled, through the aid of the French, to obtain the sovereignty of the Circars; but when Masulipatam, in 1759, yielded to the British arms, Salabat Jung, deprived of French support, was unable to maintain his authority, and these territories reverted to the reigning Nizam. Soon after Lord Clive threw upon them an ambitious eye; and, availing himself of the obsolete claim of the Mogul, obtained from that sovereign a grant of the Circars, which, in the following year, the Nizam found it necessary to confirm. Only four of the five, however, came into the immediate occupation of the British; the fifth, Guntoor, being retained for life by Bazaleet Jung, a son of the Nizam, who held it in Jaghire, so that it did not devolve to the Company till the year 1788.

Under all these revolutions, the interior administration of the Circars remained unaltered. Here, and over the greater part of the south of India, the village system has been long fully established. A village, politically considered, includes not only the inhabited spot, but a certain surrounding district, from which its subsistence is drawn. In each village, all employments, except the simple one of cultivating the ground, are performed by public servants, who receive, as the salary of their office, a certain portion of land, besides some small perquisites at the time of harvest. Of these functionaries the most eminent are, the patial, or chief, the talia and totie, two species of police officers; the boundary man; the superintendant of the water courses; the brahmin; the schoolmaster; the astrologer; the smith and carpenter; the poet; the musician; and the dancing girl. Under this simple form, most of these villages have, for a long series of ages, preserved not only their institutions, but even their name unchanged; they have seen, uninjured, all the storms of revolution pass over their heads. When revenue is to be raised, or even exactions levied, it is found most convenient to make the agreement with several of the leading men in the village; the sum being then collected by an arrangement among the inhabitants themselves.

This constitution prevails chiefly in the plains. The hilly districts are possessed by Zemindars, who let their lands by a sort of feudal tenure, on condition of military service. These Zemindars, unless when kept in strict subjection by a foreign power, hold in their hands the chief sway over the Circars. About the time when the province came into the possession of the British, they were supposed to have on foot no less than 41,000 troops. The Company appointed provincial chiefs and councils; but the power of the Zemindars continued nearly unbroken till 1794, when punishment was inflicted on the great Zemindar of Vizianagrim, who had oppressed and expelled many of the inferior chiefs. In 1802 and 1804, the salutary system of a permanent settlement of the territorial revenue was introduced. The administration, however, has not yet been placed on that regular and systematic footing, from which Bengal has derived such important advantages.

The climate of these provinces is, by the influence of the sea breezes, rendered cooler than most other regions placed under the same latitude. At the season, however, which immediately succeeds the vernal equinox, the heat becomes exceedingly intense, particularly in some of the sandy tracts near the sea coast. In the hilly districts, filled with marsh and jungle, the damp and heat combined generate a pestilential air, which gives rise to a dangerous malady, called the hill fever. The soil along the shore is sandy, but improves as it approaches the hills, when, at a certain height, cultivation gives place to woods and jungle. The intermediate tracts are well watered, and, though they yield only one crop in the year, yet that one is abundant. Rice and other grains are not only produced in quantity sufficient for internal consumption, but are exported to such an extent, as to make the Circars, during the northern monsoon, be considered as the granary of the Carnatic. Fruits, greens, and roots are raised with difficulty, particularly in the southern districts, owing, it is supposed, to the influence of the sea air. Sugar and cotton are not so plentiful as to render the province independent of foreign supply; but bay, salt and tobacco are, to a certain extent, objects of exportation. An article capable of being turned to the most valuable account, presents itself in the noble forests of teak timber which grow upon the frontier mountains. The animal productions are confined chiefly to the useful species of sheep and horned cattle, which are produced in great abundance.

The Circars are not less eminent as a manufacturing, than as an agricultural district. The cotton tares fabrics which form its staple, are chiefly of two kinds. The first is fine long cloth, which forms the basis of the finest calicoes. This exquisite manufacture is chiefly carried on in the island of Nagur, formed by the two large branches into which the Godavary divides itself before entering the sea. The security here enjoyed from the ravages of war has allowed this valuable branch of industry to attain its present degree of perfection. This cloth forms the sole basis of the trade to Europe; and the annual exports thither are supposed, by Mr Grant, not to fall short in value of thirty lacs of rupees. The next fabric consists of coarser cloths, dyed with the chaya root, the madder of India, which grows in perfection in the sands annually overflowed by the Kistna. This manufacture is much more widely diffused, and the demand for it is immense, both in the interior, and in the regions to the east. The muslins of Cicacole, the woollen carpets of Ellore, and the silks of Berhampoor, form curious and elegant fabrics, but are produced in such small quantity, as to be of little commercial importance.

The foreign trade of the Circars is chiefly carried on by the channel of Madras, to which the natives, in their small craft, convey its produce. The valuable article of piece goods, however, is chiefly exported in larger vessels from Masulipatam. In 1805, the exports to Madras amounted in grain to 17,64,040 sicca rupees; in piece goods to 5,59,146; and a variety of minor articles raised the total amount to 25,60,564 rupees. The imports, consisting of numerous small articles, did not exceed 5,91,144 rupees.

The Circars are commonly reckoned five in number, divided from each other by a succession of considerable rivers which cross the territory and fall into the sea. Cicacole, the most northerly and most extensive, is separated from the rest by the great stream of Godaverry, which, after a course of upwards of 700 miles, falls here into the Bay of Bengal. Rajamundry is situated around and within the branches of the Godaverry; Ellore and Condapilly occupy the space as far as the Kistna or Krishna; while Guntor fills the interval between the Kistna and the southern boundary of the Circars. Masulipatam and the surrounding district have been recently considered as forming a sixth Circar.

The following estimate formed by Mr Grant, of the gross revenue, in Madras pagodas of 4 rupees each, drawn, in 1783, from the different Circars, will give a tolerable idea, at least of their relative value:

| Circar | Revenue | |--------------|---------| | Guntoor | 3,51,000| | Masulipatam | 1,44,500| | Condapilly | 3,18,000| | Ellore | 3,41,143| | Rajamundry | 5,04,052| | Cicacole | 9,92,427|

26,51,122

The Circars are chiefly known to Europeans by their sea-ports, which, however, are neither numerous nor of convenient approach. The most important by much is Masulipatam, affording the only point on the coast of Coromandel at which vessels can anchor without experiencing the inconvenience of a heavy surf. The town is very extensive and populous, and is defended by a strong fort, viewed as the maritime bulwark of the Circars. The French had a factory here from 1669; and in 1751, they obtained possession of the town and fort, which they greatly strengthened. In 1759, the British, under Colonel Ford, took the fort by storm; Masulipatam was soon after ceded to them, and has continued in their possession ever since. Though no longer, as formerly, the principal place on the coast of Coromandel, it is still the theatre of an extensive commerce. Besides Madras, it trades on a great scale with Calcutta and with Bassora, on the Persian Gulf. The trade with Calcutta consists chiefly of imports, as rice, raw silk, shawls, rum, and sugar. That with Bassora is supported almost entirely by the export of piece goods, particularly chintzes, which, though inferior to those of Europe, are celebrated in the east, and an object of extensive demand throughout the Persian empire. The exports to Bassora in 1811-12 amounted to 1,299,000 rupees, while the total exports did not exceed 2,136,000. See Fifth Report on Indian affairs.