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KUMAON

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 945 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KUMAON , or KuMAUx, an administrative See also:

division of See also:British See also:India, in the See also:United Provinces, with headquarters at Naini Tal. It consists of a large Himalayan See also:tract, together with two sub-montane strips called the See also:Tarai and the Bhabhar; See also:area 13,725 sq. m.; pop. (2902), 1,207,030, showing an increase of less than 20'0' in the See also:decade. The submontane strips were up to 185o an almost impenetrable See also:forest, given up to See also:wild animals; but since then the numerous clearings have attracted a large See also:population from the hills, who cultivate the See also:rich See also:soil during the hot and See also:cold seasons, returning to the hills in the rains. The See also:rest of Kumaon is a See also:maze of mountains, some of which are among the loftiest known. In a tract not more than 140 M. in length and 40 M. in breadth there are over See also:thirty peaks rising to elevations exceeding 18,000 ft. (see See also:HIMALAYA). The See also:rivers rise chiefly in the See also:southern slope of the Tibetan See also:watershed See also:north of the loftiest peaks, amongst which they make their way down valleys' of rapid declivity and extraordinary See also:depth. The See also:principal are the Sarda (See also:Kali), the See also:Pindar and Kailganga, whose See also:waters join the Alaknanda. The valuable See also:timber of the yet uncleared forest tracts is now under See also:official supervision. The See also:chief trees are the chir, or three-leaved Himalayan See also:pine, the See also:cypress, See also:fir, See also:alder, sal or See also:iron-See also:wood, and saindan. See also:Limestone, See also:sandstone, See also:slate, See also:gneiss and See also:granite constitute the principal See also:geological formations.

Mines of iron, See also:

copper, See also:gypsum, See also:lead and See also:asbestos exist; but they are not thoroughly worked. Except in the submontane strips and deep valleys the See also:climate is mild. The rainfall of the See also:outer Himalayan range, which is first struck by the See also:monsoon, is See also:double that of the central hills, in the See also:average proportion of 8o in, to 40. No See also:winter passes without See also:snow on the higher ridges, and in some years it is universal throughout tllemountain tract. Frosts, especially in the valleys, are often severe. Kumaon is occasionally visited by epidemic See also:cholera. Leprosy is most prevalent in the See also:east of the See also:district. See also:Goitre and See also:cretinism afflict a small proportion of the inhabitants. The See also:hill fevers, at times exhibit the rapid and See also:malignant features of See also:plague. In 1891 the division was composed of the three districts of Kumaon, See also:Garhwal and the Tarai; but the two districts of Kumaon and the Tarai were subsequently redistributed and renamed after their headquarters, Naini Tal and See also:Almora. Kumaon proper constituted an old See also:Rajput principality, which became See also:extinct at the beginning of the 19th See also:century. The See also:country was annexed after the See also:Gurkha See also:war of 1815, and was governed for seventyyears on the non-regulation See also:system by three most successful administrators—Mr See also:Traill, Mr J.

H. See also:

Batten and See also:Sir See also:Henry See also:Ramsay. ' KUMASI, or CooMASSIE, the See also:capital of See also:Ashanti, British See also:West See also:Africa, in 6° 34' 50" N., 20 12' W., r68 m. by See also:rail N. of See also:Sekondi and r2o m. by road N.N.W. of Cape See also:Coast. Pop. (rgo6), 628o; including suburbs, over 12,000. Kumasi is situated on a See also:low rocky See also:eminence, from which it extends across a valley to the hill opposite. It lies in a clearing of the dense forest which covers the greater See also:part of Ashanti, and occupies an area about 1 in. in length and over 3 M. in circumference. The See also:land immediately around the See also:town, once marshy, has been drained. On the north-west is the small See also:river Dah, one of the headstreams of the Prah. The name See also:Kum-asi, more correctly Kum-ase (under the okum See also:tree) was given to the town because of the number of those trees in its streets. The most imposing See also:building in Kumasi is the fort, built in 1896. It is the See also:residence of the chief See also:commissioner and is capable of holding a See also:garrison of several See also:hundred men.

There are also See also:

officers' quarters and cantonments outside the fort, See also:European and native hospitals, and stations of the See also:Basel and Wesleyan See also:missions. The native houses are built with red See also:clay in the See also:style universal throughout Ashanti. They are somewhat richly ornamented, and those of the better class are enclosed in compounds within which are several See also:separate buildings. Near the railway station are the leading See also:mercantile houses. The principal Ashanti chiefs own large houses, built in European style, and these are leased to strangers. Before its destruction by the British in 1874 the See also:city presented a handsome See also:appearance and See also:bore many marks of a comparatively high See also:state of culture. The See also:king's See also:palace, built of red sandstone, had been modelled, it is believed, on Dutch buildings at See also:Elmina. It was blown up by Sir See also:Garnet (subsequently See also:Viscount) See also:Wolseley's forces on the 6th of See also:February 1874, and but scanty vestiges of it remain. The town was only partially rebuilt on the withdrawal of the British troops, and it is difficult from the meagre accounts of See also:early travellers to obtain an adequate See also:idea of the capital of the Ashanti See also:kingdom when at the height of its prosperity (See also:middle of the 18th to middle of the 19th century). The streets were numerous, broad and See also:regular; the See also:main See also:avenue was 70 yds. wide. A large See also:market-See also:place existed on the See also:south-east, and behind it in a See also:grove of trees was the Spirit See also:House. This was the place of See also:execution.

Of its population before the British occupation there is no trustworthy See also:

information. It appears not to have exceeded 20,000 in the first See also:quarter of the 19th century. This is owing partly to the fact that the commercial capital of Ashanti, and the See also:meeting-place of several See also:caravan routes from the north and east, was Kintampo, a town farther north. The decline of Kumasi after 1874 was marked. A new royal palace was built, but it was of clay, not See also:brick, and within the limits of the former town were wide stretches of grass-grown country. In 1896 the town again suffered at the hands of the British, when several of the largest and most See also:ancient houses in the royal and priestly suburb of Bantama were destroyed by See also:fire. In the revolt of 1900 Kumasi was once more injured. The rail-way from the coast, which passes through the Tarkwa and Obuassi See also:gold-See also:fields, reached Kumasi in See also:September 1903. Many merchants at the Gold Coast ports thereupon opened branches in Kumasi. A marked revival in See also:trade followed, leading to the rapid expansion of the town. By 1906 Kumasi had supplanted the coast towns and had become the distributing centre for the whole of Ashanti.

End of Article: KUMAON

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