XXX\111 



pointed out, but only to a very limited extent. It would also seem 

 to be capable of demonstration that the cause in question cannot be a 

 drain of bullion to meet the tribute paid by India to England, for in 

 this particular instance of the Punjab^ bullion was fast flowing into 

 the country when prices were falling, and so of India at large. The 

 tribute has been paid by means of exports of produce, without requir- 

 ing the transmission of bullion to England, excepting on rare occa- 

 sions ; and the imports of bullion into India have, as already noticed, 

 been, on the whole, very large ; so that the metallic currency of all 

 British India must have been rapidly increasing for many years past. 

 " This remarkable fall of prices, which has almost invariably fol- 

 lowed the transfer of territory from Native to British rule, while 

 neither capable of being accounted for by the state of the crops and 

 extent of cultivation, nor by the annual tribute remitted to England, 

 may yet be clearly traced to the extraordinary demand for money 

 occasioned by our collecting the land assessment in cash, and con- 

 veying it away from the agricultural distinct to our large military 

 stations for the payment of the troops located there. A much larger 

 currency than before would clearly have been required under this 

 change of system, in order to sustain prices at the old standard. It 

 was, however, impossible to enlarge the currency so as fully to meet 

 the change, and no attempt to do so was made, or apparently ever 

 thought of. The consequence was, that in order to obtain money for 

 the payment of his assessment, the ryot brought more produce to 

 market than before ; but as there was no corresponding enhancement 

 of the demand for it, prices necessarily fell." 



(B.) — Description oftJie Madras ryot hy Mr. Bourdillon in 1853. 



The ryots may be divided into two principal classes — those who 

 are comparatively well-off, the few, and those who are poor, the many. 

 The former in general are either those whose villages or lands were 

 from any cause favorably assessed at the first ; or those who have 

 inam or rent-free land in addition to their rent-paying land ; or those 

 who have more extensive holdings than common, all of whom have 

 good land and have more or less inam. Individuals of the favored 

 classes, as they are called, who hold their land on easier terms than 

 usual, because belonging to certain castes, are also necessarily better 

 off than others ; and, lastly, personal character has its own influence 

 here as elsewhere ; the careful and frugal will get rich, and so will 

 the crafty and subtle, skilful to gain the favour of the tahsildar or to 

 supplant a rival, 



2, Even among this more wealthy class of agriculturists, the num- 

 ber of those who possess any considerable amount of property is very 

 small. It is difficult to form or to convey an exact^ idea of their real 

 means, but I will attempt it, I should say that if a man of this class 

 is able to spend 15 or 20 rupees a month, or rather if he can command 

 a value equal to that, for he will rai'ely see so much money, such a 

 man, I say, may be accounted to be very well off ; and that a net 

 income from all sources to the value of from 30 to 50 rupees a month 



