904 
half my life without any knowledge 
of the partial detail which 1 now 
intend to present to you. 
The inhabitants of this small ze- 
mindary, of which you lately had a 
description, live together in one 
village, which contains about one 
thousand souls ; a population of 
nearly one person to each Scotch 
acre ; and twelve individuals to each 
plough. The number of working 
cattle on this property is four hun- 
dred; that of ploughs ninety. 
After the zemindar, the person 
next in rank and importance is the 
Pulwari, the faétor or keeper of 
accounts between the proprietor 
and tenants: he colleéts the rents, 
whether in grain or in money, mea- 
sures the ground, and, in the ab- 
sence of the zemindar, succveds to 
any petty jurisdi¢tion which the 
small society may require. In him 
you may recognize the Baron Bailie 
of Scotland: the salary of this offi- 
cer is paid by the farmer, at the 
rate of one seer and a half each for 
every hundred paid to the proprie- 
tor. Sugar, cotton, and other ar- 
ticles, not consumed on the estate, 
pay a certain portion for their va- 
jued price to the landholder, and for 
each rupee paid to the landlord, 
athe Putwari receives half an ana, or 
1-30th part nearly. 
The Byah, or weigher of grain, 
is the next to the Putwari; this 
man divides the grain between the 
vemindar and the tenant by weight, 
in their respective proportions. The 
Byah is paid by both parties, at the 
rate of twelve seer for every hun- 
dred mauns. 
From the mean habitations of the 
Farmers, and their scanty and wretch- 
ed implements of every kind, I had 
egueeived that there were but little 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. 
division of labour, and few pré- 
fessed tradesmen. Iron-smiths and 
carpenters make two separate pro- 
fessions in the smallest village. A 
Sochar, or master tradesman, re- 
ceives from each plough a maun of 
grain, consisting of a part of each 
sort. This is in the nature of a re- 
taining fee, and must be paid an- 
nually, over and above his allow- 
ance, when a¢tually employed in 
your house. As often as you have 
occasion for his services there, whe- 
ther in constructing the building, or 
making furniture, he is entitled to 
a daily allowance of one pukka, or 
great seer of grain. During each of 
the three harvests he receives one 
sheaf of wheat, barley, or rice, ac- 
cording to the nature of the crop 
then reaped. ‘This sheaf is not un- 
defined in quantity, but consists of 
about three seer. 
Whether it arises from indolence, 
or superstition, I am unable to de- 
termine, that the poorest Hindoo 
families do not wash their own 
clothes; it is certain, however, that 
each village retains a number of 
‘washermen as a distinét profession. 
The washerman receives from each 
plough twenty seer of grain an- 
nually ; and three sheayes during 
the three harvests, as in the case of 
the other tradesmen already men- 
tioned. ‘The families of tradesmen, 
who have no plough, pay the wash- 
erman in specie, at the rate of two 
anas yearly. A sum not exceeding 
four pence, of British money, an- 
nually, is certainly a small allow- 
ance ; ‘but you will recolleét, that 
the quantity of clothing used by a 
family of Hindoo peasantry, is not 
the forticth part of what is necessary 
for one of your tenants. The chil- 
dren, till they are ten or twélve, 
seldom 
—— eae Cae ae or a ar | a 
