Mysore

Mysore, or Maisub (Mahesh-Asura = "Buffalo demon"), a native state in southern India, entirely surrounded by British territory, extends over 24,723 square miles, occupying a lofty plateau 2,000 feet above the sea-level, with a slope towards the Bay of Bengal, into which the Cauverj, Tungabadru, Krishna, Pennair, Penar, Hugri, and Palar rivers discharge themselves. The area is divisible into two distinct parts, the hill-country, or Malnad, marked by isolated rocks (durg) that attain a height of over 4,000 feet, such as Nandidurg, Savandurg, etc. on which strong fortresses were often built, and the plain, or Maidan, an undulating expanse thickly populated and well cultivated. The climate, owing to the elevation, is mild and healthy, and the soil yields all the products of India with many of the temperate zone, such as apples, peaches, and strawberries. Drought is the one serious drawback, and to guard against it 20,000 tanks or lakes have been made in various parts, yet in spite of this famine not seldom prevails. Gold mining has recently been revived, but the manufacture of rugs and carpets, the smelting of iron, and the production of jewellery are the chief industries. Mysore, the ancient capital, stands in a valley at the foot of the Chamandi Hill ten miles S.W.of Seringapatam. It consists of fairly well-built and spacious streets covering some three square miles, and at the S. is erected the vast quadrangular fortress, enclosing the palace of the Maharajah, who, however, now resides chiefly at Bangalore, the administrative centre of the state. In the E. suburbs are the British residency and the European quarter.