remainiug, improvements and investment of capital now encou- 

 raged, the district holds up, though this is the fourth successive 

 bad year of short rain. During the last 4 years, 18 inches of 

 rain in the 12 months have been the maximum; this year there 

 were only 16 inches and the land is parched, the crops scanty,' 

 wells nearly dry and cattle dying for want of grass and water 

 in large numbers ; but with good prices, great industry and 

 much energy among the cultivating classes, the rental, notwith- 

 standing all difficulties, keeps up and is collected' without 

 oppression or any balances to speak of." The testimony afford- 

 ed by the reports of the Collectors in other districts in regard to 

 the improvement in the condition of the agricultural classes 

 which had set in about this time is equally emphatic. The 

 ryots were granted complete freedom in the matter of taking 

 up lands or relinquishing them. Xumerous petty and vexatious 

 imposts, grouped under the general head of moturpha, were 

 abolished. The titles to inams or favorably assessed lands 

 were placed on a secure basis. The Settlement Department was 

 organized with the professed object of alleviating the heavy 

 burdens on land and of removing inequalities in the assess- 

 ments. The revenue remitted between the years 1 844 to J 860 

 in consequence of the above measures amounted to 68 lakhs ^*^ 

 of rupees. As a consequence of the recommendations of the 

 Public Works Commission already referred to, greater atten- 

 tion was paid to the maintenance of irrigation works and the 

 construction of roads, railways and canals. The system of im- 

 pressment of labour for Government works and the payment of 

 discretionary wages was abolished. A new Police force was 

 organized, which, whatever its shortcomings may be when 

 judged by a high standard of efficiency, is incomparably 

 superior to the unspeakably corrupt Police which it superseded ; 

 and the magistracy were relieved of police duties. In conse- 

 quence of the revelations of the Torture Commissioners, who 

 submitted their report in 1855, the employment of illegal pres- 

 sure and coercion,-^ whether in the collection of Government 

 revenue or detection of crime, was prohibited under stringent 

 penalties. The revenue and magisterial establishments were 

 revised, the taluk and village accounts were simplified, and a 

 scheme of examinations for qualifying for public service was 

 brought into force iu view to securing the services of a more 

 honest and capable class of officers than were available under 

 the old regime . All these reforms, it will be seen, were in the 

 direction of freeing the ryots from official dependence and 



>* A detailed statement showing the revenue remitted is printed in the appendix A, 

 section IV. 



'■ See extracts from the report given in the "appendix D, section IV. ••■ 



