The Census of the Panjáb Province was carried out in 1881 by Mr. (afterwards Sir Denzil) Ibbetson of the Indian Civil Service and his Report on the Census was published in 1883. The Report has always been recognised as one of the most remarkable official publications in India, and a work of the greatest value both from the administrative and from the literary and scientific point of view. It at once attracted widespread attention, more especially in view of the copious information which it provided regarding the people of the Province, and a separate volume was issued in 1883, under the title of "Panjab Ethnography" which contained a reprint of those portions of the Report which dealt with the Religions, the Languages, and the Races, Castes and Tribes of the people. The number of copies published, however, both of the Report and of the Ethnography, was comparatively small and they are now difficult to procure outside Indian official circles. There are at the same time indications of a continuing demand for the Report, and more especially for the ethnological portion of it, and to meet this demand the Punjab Government has determined to undertake the issue of the present volume.
This volume reproduces a portion only, - but that is the most important portion, - of the original Report, namely the chapter on the Races, Castes and Tribes of the Panjab. The chapters on Religion and Language, which formed part of the "Ethnography" published in 1883, though valuable and interesting, have necessarily lost something of their original importance owing to the progress made in scientific enquiry during the last thirty years, but the chapter on the Races, Castes and Tribes still contains much valuable information that cannot be obtained elsewhere, and this chapter must always command attention and respect for its vigorous and comprehensive treatment of the subject. The figures are, of course, out of date and the territorial boundaries of the Province and districts with which the chapter deals are now considerably altered. There are also, no doubt, points on which later investigation suggests modification of the facts and opinions originally given, but it has been thought best to reproduce the chapter as it stands, without any attempt to annotate it or bring it up to date. It is believed that in this way the wishes of most readers will best be met, and it is felt that by this course the volume will best fulfil the further object which the Government of the Panjab has in view, namely, the perpetuation of the memory of the original writer.
