OOXT 



showing that all classes are now enjoying more independence than 

 before, and that the sweets of liberty have been tasted even by the 

 lowest orders. Even in other respects, the people on the whole seem to 

 be enjoying more material comforts than in days.past. The introduc- 

 tion of the machine-made goods into the market, although it has more 

 or less interfered with some of the native industries such as weaving, 

 &c., has no doubt done the masses and the public at large a world of 

 good by placing cheap and ready-made goods almost at their doors. 

 The fact, moreover, that, unlike in former days, people now dare to 

 enjoy any wealth they possess more freely and openly, also bears 

 testimony to the fact that there is now more peace prevailing about 

 the country than in the old days when, some people say, people would 

 not dare to wear even the jewels they possessed or build big and com- 

 fortable houses to live in, for fear of robbers and dacoits. It seems 

 also quite a fact that the bulk of the peoples' wealth — both cash and 

 jewels — used to be under ground in former days and not in current 

 use as now, and the fact that we are still coming across instances of 

 hidden treasure and valuables here and there all over the province goes 

 to show that in times past people thought their safes could only be 

 under ground and never above it. 



The opening of the railways and telegraph lines and postal com- 

 munications have also been a source of great relief and alleviation to 

 the people in several ways. 



As regards the condition of an average ryot in this part of the 

 country, my own experience and impression is that, provided the 

 country is not visited with anything like a severe drought or famine 

 necessitating the grant of dry remissions, he gets on tolerably well 

 without any kind of distress, living easily from hand to mouth. And 

 had it not been for the heavy expenses they have to incur now and then 

 in connection with marriage ceremonies occurring in their families, 

 there is no doubt the condition of the average ryots in this part of the 

 country would have been much better. Many an old ryot has told me 

 that occasional marriages occurring in a ryot's family from time to time 

 have been draining away from his pocket more than anything else, 

 and that, however miserly and economical an average ryot may be at 

 other times, he will be obliged to spend some hundreds of rupees, never 

 less than two, as I am given to understand, for a daughter's or a son's 

 marriage. They say the figure generally ranges from Rs. 200 to 

 Rs. 500 in the case of an ordinary ryot. It appears that these costly 

 marriages generally necessitate borrowing, and the ryot, though with 

 much reluctance, is obliged to go and open an account with the ever- 

 safe sowcar on account of these marriages. Debts incurred by ryots 

 from sowcars are often er conditioned to be liquidated in kind by annual 

 instalments, and the rates of prices fixed on the produce supplied by 

 him being at times even lower and cheaper than what are colloquially 

 termed ^^|)$;bew or the harvest season rates, the ryot necessarily 



loses a good deal in this direction also in the long run. As he is 

 dunned by tlie sowcar for the payment of the instalment due at the 

 harvest season, the ryot cannot think of laying by any excess quantities 

 of grain, &c., produced on his lands until he finds high prices ruling 

 in the market, so that the fruit of the ryot's labor is in several in- 

 stances really enjoyed more by the sitting sowcar tham by the plodding 



