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Abstract
The Unique institution caste did not fail to arouse intellectual curiosity among the more efficient of the Britishers in India, officials as well as non-officials, and our understanding of the institution Is largely helped by this work
A full census of India was to harje been attempted in 1861 but because of the dislocations caused bythe suppression of the rebellion of 1857-9 and of the sensitivity which the British had develop-ed to the what, at least in north India, might be constructed as undue interference in the life of the people, the census was postponed until 1g71-2. A census of most of the province and princely states was carried out in 1871and 1 872. But imperfection, both in administration and in conception, developed that not much reliance was put in the provincial censuses. The rules for recording the heads of households differed from province to province, certain categories of information, for example on education. and literacy, were not collected in all provinces, and there was much evidence of little cooperation from thepopulation because of the fears that the carrying out of the census was for tax purposes.