Ixxvii 



The position of every description of landholder^ whether ryot, 

 zemindar, or inamdar, must have improved very materially during 

 the last 15 years. So far as the first class was concerned, the fall in 

 prices^ which had taken place between the early part of the century, 

 when the money rates of land-tax payable to Government were fixed, 

 and the year 1850, had had such a serious effect upon their resources, 

 that very liberal reductions were then made in the assessment of all 

 the ryotwari lands in those districts where the rates pressed with 

 severity upon the ryots or where they were so high as to keep land 

 out of cultivation altogether. A special department for the re-assess- 

 ment of all districts on liberal and scientific principles was also 

 organized. The position of the Government ryot was consequently at 

 once much improved and the steady rise in prices, which has taken 

 place since that period, has, of course, still further benefited him, but 

 this latter benefit has also been obtained by the holders of land on 

 other tenures, the zemindar and the inamdar, and their respective 

 tenants. It has been already shown that an acre of unirrigated land 

 produces on the average 190 Madras measures, or about 5 cwt. of 



grain, and that an acre of irri- 

 ^%lTue of the produce of 6 acres of ""'' gated land produces 370 Madras 



dryland .. 50 measures or 10 cwt of rice. The 

 Do. do. of 2 acres of Government ryot, therefore, who 



wetland .. ^ j^^j^^ ^^^^ g ^^^^^ ^^ '' dry ^^ land 



105 and 2 acres of " wet," for which he 



Deduct tax (say) . . 20 paid, say, Es. 20 per annum to 



g,5 Government as land-tax, obtained 



for the produce Rs. 105 in 1856 and 



1866- as. Rs. 209 in 1866 as noted in the 



value of the produce of 6 acres of „ • r^ xi, i.i i i , i 



dryland 104 margin. On the other hand, the 



Do. do. of 2 acres of ryot holding the same extent of 



wetland .. 105 land under a zemindar or inamdar, 



209 after giving half the produce to 



Deduct tax (say) , . 20 his landlord, obtained in 1856 only 



— — Rs. 52-8-0, the price of 15 cwt. of 



1 dry grain and 10 cwt. of rice in 



1856, and in 1866 Rs. 104-8-0, 



the price of the same quantity of grain in that year, the zemindar, 



or inamdar, in this case, taking the balance of advantage obtained by 



the Government ryot. This improvement in the position of the 



agriculturist has manifested itself in the very large increase in the 



area of land under cultivation, for, whereas, even in 1856, there were 



less than 10 millions of acres held by registered Government ryots, 



there were upwards of 16 millions of acres so held in 1865. 



The position of the agricultural laborer and, indeed, of all those 

 dependent upon wages had not, at any rate, seriously deteriorated 

 during the 10 years preceding 1866, though the enormous increase, 

 which has taken place in the price of food, must press hardly upon 

 those trades for which the remuneration is fixed, by custom, at a 

 certain rate in money. When reporting on this subject about three 

 years ago, the Board of Revenue, after communicating with the 

 Collectors of districts, stated that, as a rule, all agricultural labourers 



