SANGAMFSHhhAR TOWN 49
successful. The island, however, long remained an Alsatia for all the
bad characters of Eastern Bengal, and its administration was a constant
cause of trouble in the early years of British rule. The last pirate of
note was Dilal Raja. He is remembered for his attempts to produce
a high physical type among the islanders by compelling members of
different castes to intermarry. The result has been a confusion of
castes upon the island, which has given it a sinister reputation on the
mainland. Until 1822 Sandwip formed part of Chittagong District,
but in that year it was made over to the newly formed District of
Noakhali. A Sub-Deputy-Magistrate-Collector and a Munsif are
stationed there.
From its low-lying position Sandwip is peculiarly exposed to in-
undation from storm-waves, and it suffered severely in loss of life
and property by the cyclones of 1864 and 1876. The number of
deaths caused by the latter was estimated at 40,000, or nearly half the
population, and its effects were aggravated by a terrible epidemic
of cholera which immediately followed. Since this disaster the popu-
lation has rapidly increased, as it was returned at only 72,467 in 1881 ;
the density is now 446 persons per square mile.
Sangameshwar Taluka.-Inland taluka of Ratnagiri District,
Bombay, lying between 16° 49' and 17° 20' N. and 73° 25' and 73°
5o' E., with an area of 576 square miles. There are 190 villages,
but no town. The head-quarter;; since 1878 have been at the village
of DEVRUKH. The population in 1901 was 129,412, compared with
126,700 in 1891. The density, 225 persons per square mile, is below
the District average. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was
Rs. 89,ooo, and for cesses Rs. 6,ooo. The chief river is the Shastri,
which cuts the taluka nearly in half. North of the river, the country
is hilly and becomes rugged at the foot of the Western Ghats, which
are crossed by three passes. A fair amount of alluvial soil is found
in the river valleys, yielding good crops of rice and pulse. Almost
all the rest of the hiluka is crumbled trap. Several hot springs of
varying temperature occur. The annual rainfall is heavy, averaging
143 inches.
Sangameshwar Town.-Former head-quarters of the taluka of
the same name in Ratnagiri District, Bombay, situated in i7° 16' N.
and 73° 33' E., on the Shastri river, at the confluence of the Alkanda
and Varuna, about 20 miles from the coast. Population (igoi), 3,233.
It is a place of some sanctity and antiquity. The river, which thirty-
five years ago was navigable by the largest vessels to the Sangameshwar
quay, is now impassable 6 miles lower down. There is, however, some
trade in grain, piece-goods, and salt fish. During the famine of 1877-8,
about 1,440 tons of grain were forwarded from Bombay through
Sangameshwar to the Deccan. Early in 1878, 55 houses were burnt i
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