294: SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
says, that Arungzebe allowed the old Sur Deshmooks 2 per 
cent. on the revenue. But the Sur Deshmookee of modern 
times which appears in all village accounts, was 10 per cent. 
of the Moghul revenue, exacted by Sewajee from the Moosul- 
mans; it was levied over and above the land tax. The suf- 
ferers, therefore, by Mahratta violence were the Mahratta 
cultivators; and on the whole of the possessions of the Moo- 
sulmans coming into the hands of a Mahratta government, the 
Sur Deshmookee should have been abandoned, but it remains 
te this day; for instance, at Jehoor, near Ahmednuggur, the 
Tunkha, or government revenue or assignment, from the town 
was 10,817 rupees, 2 qr., Sreas ; the Sur Deshmookee 1350 ru- 
pees, Sqr., dreas ; but the Kumal, or total sum raised from the 
cultivators, including village expenses and Hukdars, was 
19,363 rupees, 3 qr., | reas: so that the Moosulmans origin- 
ally took little more than half of the revenue now raised from. 
the town, that is to say, the Moosulmans took 10,817 rupees; 
then came Sewajee, the Mahratta, and wrenched from 
them 10 per cent. of their revenue, which should have been 
1081 rupees. The Moosulmans, instead of paying it out of 
10,817 rupees, clapped the demand of Sewajee upon the town 
as an additional burthen ; and instead of honestly fixing it at 
1081 rupees (10 per cent. of 10,817), they adroitly took oc- 
casion to exact a little more from their Mahratta subjects. 
Many individuals have shares in the village revenues under 
the names of Mokassa, Sahotra, Babtee, and Nargowra. The 
most intelligible way to describe these, is to say that persons 
have money assignments, amounting to a definite per centage 
on the revenue, under these names. In their origin, Mokassa 
is 66 per cent., Sahotra 6 per cent., Babtee 25 per cent., and 
Nargowra 3 per cent. of the Chout, or fourth of the whole Mo- 
ghul revenue, which was extorted from the Moosulmans by 
the Mahrattas. Sewajee and his chiefs shared it amongst 
themselves ; the chiefs had the Mokassa for military services ; 
the Sahotra was given to the Punt Suchew, one of Sewa- 
jee’s ministers ; the prince’s own share was the Babtee; and 
the Nargowra, which is synonymous with Sur Pateel, or chief 
of all the Pateels, was at the disposal of the prince. As these 
grants were hereditary, the equal division of property and 
rights amongst children has occasioned the reduction of some 
of the shares to the most trifling amount where families have 
multiplied. 
Such are the tenures that came under my notice; and it is 
necessary to state that, with the single exception of Surwa 
Eenam or “entire gift,” there was an obligation of specific 
service on the individual or parties enjoying advantages under 
