200 



amftng the peasantry at a particular time. If, in 1840, the 

 ordinary subsistence of a peasant was then represented by the 

 then equivalent of 10 maunds of grain, but in 1870 it is re- 

 presented by the equivalent of 20 maunds, it is evident that 

 (assuming the efficiency of cultivation to have remained the 

 same), the assessment of Re. 1 an acre with grain at Re. 1 

 a maund can only rise to an assessment of Rs. 1-8-0 with grain 

 at Rs. 3, unless the standard of comfort is to be lowered." 

 It is in view of these considerations that the Bengal Tenancy 

 Act of 1886 provides that the rent of an occupancy ryot shall 

 not be enhanced by the landlord even with the consent of the 

 ryot by more than 2 annas in the rupee or 12^ per cent, and 

 that the rent once fixed by contract shall not be liable to 

 enhancement during a period of 15 years from the date of 

 such contract. 



74. The land assessments in 16 out of the 22 districts 



have been revised in accordance with the 



Districts in which set- principles abovc referred to, and settlement 



tlements are m progress. r r _ ' _ _ 



Those which remain to opcratious are lu progrcss lu the remaining 

 IS.'^d tke'lsT^i'ot 6, viz., South Arcot, Bellary, Anantapur, 

 peroas. Necessity for Tan j Ore, Malabar and South Canara. In 

 oP^"todt'ation ""^Jo ^^uth Arcot, the settlement rates have been 

 these districts also, to introduced iuto the two most important 

 Eund'SHSg!' taluks, viz., Cuddalore and Villupuram. 

 The revenue from wet lands has been 

 increased by 8 per cent., and that from dry lands diminished by 

 1 per cent., the net increase on the whole being 3 per cent., 

 while the excess area discovered by the Survey is 8 and 9 per 

 cent., respectively, in the two classes of lands. The Bellary 

 and Anantapur districts are, as recently remarked by Govern- 

 ment, "the poorest and most backward in the Presidency, the 

 most sterile and the most subject to drought;" and for this 

 reason, the Government declined to sanction a scheme for 

 the settlement of these districts which would have raised the 

 revenue by 12*5 per cent. After prolonged correspondence, 

 the Government has accepted a modified scheme which will 

 have the effect of increasing the revenue in five taluks in 

 these two districts by 8 per cent., while the increase in the 

 area is only 4 per cent. There is to be practically no in- 

 crease in the case of wet lands, but on dry lands the revenue 

 is to be increased by 9 per cent. In the Tadpatri taluk, the 

 increase is to be as much as 15 per cent, in the case of dry 

 lands, while the increase in the area is hardly 2 per cent. I 

 venture to think that, having regard to the generd poverty of 

 the districts and the unsatisfactory nature of the data on which 

 settlement rates are based, which fact was fully brought out in 



