(121)
The strength of the affected jails is 15,307, the percentage of admissions
to strength 350, and of deaths to admissions 51. Of the 536 admissions, there
were 8 in January, 73 in March, 110 in April, 80 in May, 50 in June, 118
in July, 36 in August, 1 in September, 13 in October, 17 in November, and
30 in December.
Meteorology.-No remarks.
Food-supply.-In 1876 the price of rice had risen in several districts,
particularly in Eastern Bengal, West Tirhut, and Orissa; the prices of wheat
and the pulses were lower throughout the other districts than the averages
of the preceding three years excluding 1874 (the famine year), with the solitary
exceptions of Naddia in wheat and Lohardagga in pulses. The highest prices
for food-grains ruled in Darjiling, Chittagaon, Julpaiguri, Rungpur, and
Naokhali. In Eastern Bengal the rise in prices is due to the cyclone. On the
whole, however, food was cheaper than in recent years throughout the province;
the rainfall of the year was plentiful and seasonable. In the greater number
of the districts wages continued to be the same throughout the year as
compared with the preceding year, and wherever there was a change, the
tendency of the change was rather towards a rise than fall in wages.
R