^54 



available in a readily accessible form to make a similar ana- 

 lysis of statistics for later years. The agricultural returns 

 published by the Board of Eevenue show that in 1890-91, 

 the area transferred by private sale was 58,000 acres in the 

 Coimbatore district or 2*4 per cent, of the total area of ryot- 

 war holdings, which pretty closely accords with the estimate 

 arrived at by Mr. Nicholson. There is no reason to think 

 that the percentage is higher in other districts. 



It is also a noteworthy fact that land transactions take 

 place mostly between the ryots themselves, and that money- 

 lenders in not less than 80 per cent, of the cases belong 

 to the agricultural classes. Information furnished by the 

 officers of the Registration Department clearly establishes 

 this point.^^" This fact explains the reason why the evils of 

 agricultural indebtedness do not appear to have developed 

 in this presidency to the extent they appear to have in the 

 Bombay-Deccan. There the money-lenders are stated to be 

 foreigners, different in religion from their clients; entirely 

 out of sympathy with them ; and accustomed to retire with 

 their profits after a sufficiently long course of business to their 

 homes in Eajputana. The money-lenders in this presidency 

 may roughly be divided into four classes, viz., 1st, the richer 

 ryots ; 2ndly, the Komaties or Banya traders in the Telugu 

 districts ; Srdly, the Lingayet traders in the tracts of country 

 bordering on the Mysore territory ; and, 4thly, the Muham- 

 madan Lubbay traders on the East Coast and Moplahs in North 

 Malabar, and the Nattukottai Chetties in the southern dis- 

 tricts. As already stated, taking the presidency as a whole, 

 not less than 80 per cent, of the money-lenders belong to the 

 agricultural classes, who are of all castes. The Komaties or 

 Banyas form a small class, and as they have been for gene- 

 rations permanently established in their several places of 

 business, their terms are generally moderate, and harmonious 

 relations prevail between them and their clients. In the 

 Cuddapah and Nellore districts, where this class is numerous, 

 the rates of interest are generally lower than in other parts 

 of the presidency. The Moplahs are usurious money-lenders, 

 and as they are keen men of business placed in the midst of 

 an indolent population, alien to them in religion, they are 

 more than usually hard in their dealings. The Moplahs do 

 not, however, except in North Malabar, practise money-lend- 

 ing to any great extent and they are more often borrowers. 

 The Nattukottai Chetties are the Marwadies of this presi- 

 dency ; but they are established only in a few tracking centres 



"" For partictilarBiuide statement printed as appendix VI.-G. (2). 



