272 SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
The Koolkurnees*, or accountants and village-clerks, are 
always Brahmans; many of them are shrewd and very quick, 
and possessed of infinite ingenuity in avoiding the detection of 
a fraud or mistake in their ;papers; many of this class, how- 
ever, I found too stupid to keep an individual’s account, much 
less the complicated details of a village assessment. The 
shopkeepers being generally people from Goojrat, keep their 
accounts in the Goojratee language. The character in universal 
use for business is the Mohr in the districts. The following will 
show the number of schools, as far as the returns received 
from the collectors will permit,—not any account of schools 
was received from the collector of Ahmednuggur. In the Col- 
lectorate of Dharwar there is one school to 2452 inhabitants ; 
in Khandesh there is only one school to 4369 souls; and, in 
the Poona Collectorate, deducting the population of the city 
of Poona, there is one school to 3337 souls. It is fair to infer 
therefore, that as Dharwar supports proportionably so many 
more schools than the other collectorates, that information is 
more generally spread amongst the people, and that they are 
better able to manage their affairs than others less instructed ; 
and the breadth of cultivation, and general manufacturing and 
commercial industry of the people, would seem to justify the 
inference. 
Irrigation. 
Preliminary to speaking of agriculture, it is necessary to 
state that lands are watered artificially in two ways. First, by 
conducting streamlets from running rivers or brooks. Lands 
so watered are called Paatsthul, from Paat, a channel, and 
Sthul, a field.} These streamlets do not always last through 
the hot season; and though this species of irrigation, while 
available, is infinitely less onerous and less expensive to the 
cultivator, affording also a more plentiful supply of water than 
the well watering and great returns; yet it is not so certain, and, 
on the whole, is less permanently efficient than well watering. 
The second method is by well watering. Lands so watered are 
called Moht Sthul, from Moht, the water-bucket, and Sthul, a 
field. There is a good deal of trouble attending this method, 
and it requires the continual expense of the support of two or _ 
four bullocks, the wear and tear of materials, and the keep of — 
one man, who, however, can readily manage two buckets, and _ 
two pairs of bullocks: at the same time it requires also a boy 
in the garden or field to open and shut the different channels. 
* Village clerks and accountants. 
+ Literally “ firm land.” 
