ON THE STATISTICS OF DUKHUN. 287 
tested by the fact that, in the earliest mention of the chiefs of 
the present great Mahratta families, they are styled Desh- 
mooks of such and such districts. ‘Their rights were here- 
ditary, and saleable, wholly or in part, like those of every 
other hereditary office or right: the right of alienation is 
proved by different casts being now associated in the office. 
At Ahmednuggur a third of the Deshmookee belongs to a 
Brahman, and two-thirds to the ruling Mahratta family at 
Nagpoor. Similar instances are very numerous. In some 
cases a Deshmook is also Pateel of one of the villages in his 
district. The rights and emoluments of the Deshmook are 
very extensive, but not uniform throughout the country ; they 
had a per centage on the revenue varying from one to five 
per cent. In the Poona Collectorate the mean charge for 
Deshmooks and Deshpandehs amounted to 3:06 per cent. of 
the gross revenue, but on the nett revenue it amounted as 
nearly as possible to six per cent; although these persons are 
now non-efficient, their authority being superseded. As a 
single illustrative instance, it may be as well to state, that at the 
village of Ankoolsur, Talook Ahmednuggur, out of a village 
revenue of 4533 rupees, the Deshmook received 265 rupees, 
and the Deshpandeh 15U rupees; the former sharing 5:84 per 
_cent., and the latter 3°31 per cent. Their next advantage 
2 is in some of them enjoying villages in free gift; the third, 
, in possessing Eenam land in most of the villages in their dis- 
| tricts, sometimes to a large amount. At Mohol Talook 
__ Mohol, the two sharers in the office of Deshmook have ‘each 
4650 acres of free (or Eenam) land. The fourth right of the 
_ Deshmook is a portion of grain from each village, called 
_ Googree, from all the land under cultivation. In addition to 
_ the above, from some villages they were entitled to a sheep 
and some butter annually; from some villages a dress, from 
_ others a turband, and where sugar-cane was cultivated, they 
had a portion of the raw sugar. They possessed the above 
_ advantages on the tenure of executing the duties previously 
2° lam They were to a district what a Pateel is to a vil- 
lage. 
i Re Vipandehi-—'The Deshpandehs are contemporary in their 
institution with the Deshmooks; they were the writers, ac- 
_ countants, and registers of districts; they were always 
_ Brahmans. The terms appear to be derived from the Sanscrit 
_ Desh, country, and Punnah, to do business. They were to 
_ districts what Koolkurnees were to a village: they had, and 
have nearly the same rights and emoluments as the Desh- 
_ mooks, but in a diminished ratio of from 25 to 50 per cent, 
ia 
