bitants of the Jhelam valley,
was 765,442. They are no doubt mostly descendants of various Hindu
castes, perhaps in the main of Hill Brahmans, but Islam has wiped out
all tribal distinctions. Sir Walter Lawrence wrote of them: "The
Kashmiri is unchanged in spite of the splendid Moghal, the brutal
Afghan, and the bully Sikh. Warriors and statesmen came and went; but
there was no egress, and no wish ... in normal times to leave their
homes. The outside world was far, and from all accounts inferior to the
pleasant valley.... So the Kashmiris lived their self-centred life,
conceited, clever, and conservative."

The Hindu Kashmiri Pandits numbered 55,276.

~Tribes of Jammu.~--Agricultural Brahmans are numerous in the Jammu
province. Thakkars and Meghs are important elements of the population of
the outer hills. The former are no doubt by origin Rajputs, but they
have cast off many Rajput customs. The Meghs are engaged in weaving and
agriculture, and are regarded as more or less impure by the higher
castes.

[Illustration: Fig. 32. Blind Beggar.]

~Gujars.~--Gujars in the Maharaja's territories are almost always
graziers. In 1911 they numbered 328,003.

~Dard Tribes of Astor and Gilgit.~--The people of Astor and Gilgit are
Dards speaking Shina and professing Islam. Sir Aurel Stein wrote of
them: "The Dard race which inhabits the valleys N. of (the Inner
Himalaya) as far as the Hindu Kush is separated from the Kashmiri
population by language as well as by physical characteristics.... There
is little in the Dard to enlist the sympathies of the casual observer.
He lacks the intelligence, humour, and fine physique of the Kashmiri,
and, though undoubtedly far braver than the latter, has none of the
independent spirit and manly bearing which draw us towards the Pathan
despite all his failings. But I can never see a Dard without thinking of
the thousands of years of struggle they have carried on with the harsh
climate and the barren soil of their mountains[3]."

[Illustration: Fig. 33. Dards.]

~Kanjutis.~--The origin of the Kanjutis of Hunza is uncertain, and so are
the relationships of their language.

~Mongoloid Population of Ladakh.~--The population of Ladakh and Baltistan
is Mongoloid, but the Baltis (72,439) have accepted Islam and polygamy,
while the Ladakhis have adhered to Buddhism and polyandry.

[Illustration: Fig. 34. Map showing races.]

~Ethnological theories.~--In _The People of India_ the late Sir Herbert