COXVl 



l:yot. It is thus that ryots generally find themselves entangled in the 

 sowcar's hands ; and once a ryot is so entangled, it seems really a very 

 difiicult matter for him to get out again. The account once opened 

 generally continues to run on, and occasional unfavorable seasons and 

 slight droughts, which seem to be more common in the Ceded Districts 

 than elsewhere, tend to contribute to the permanency of the connection 

 formed by the ryot with the sowcar so that the sowcar seems to have 

 become a necessary evil with the average ryot. 



As I have already stated before, the ryot class people have no 

 doubt made an advance on the whole and not retrogression, and enjoy 

 more material comforts now than before, but there seems to be a 

 change in only one point which they do not seem to relish at all. I 

 mean the severity of the forest law, which they seem to complain has 

 curtailed many a concession they were enjoying before in that direc- 

 tion. In fact, they had no restraint whatever in that direction in 

 times past either under grazing or under fuel or timber. The ryot 

 class people, however, do not seem to understand the ultimate good 

 that the forest law is intended or expected to do to the country. 



Now, as regards the trading classes, there does not, to my mind, 

 seem the least doubt that, as compared with times past, they have 

 grown both in quantity and quality. The method of business that a 

 sowcar or merchant adopts in these rural parts seems to me to be such 

 that, once starting in business, he hardly experiences a failure. They 

 generally undertake to deal in different things, and what little they 

 rarely lose in one is generally more than counterbalanced by their gain 

 in .others. They are, moreover, a proverbially economical and simple 

 class of people in these parts, and are generally unknown to luxuries 

 of any kind. Traders, unlike the agricultural classes, are, further- 

 more, people who gain throughout all seasons. They have not that 

 distinction between a good and a bad season which a ryot has, and, in 

 fact, a bad season or a regular famine does a trader more good than a 

 favorable one. The enclosed memorandum, containing statistics as 

 far as available, as regards income to the Ad6ni Municipality from 

 professional lax and tolls as also the number of cotton bales pressed in 

 the three cotton presses here, would also show that, excepting bad 

 seasons, trade here has been on the increase on the whole. 



As regards recovery of this part of the country from the effects of 

 the famine of 1876 — 78, my humble opinion is that it has very nearly 

 recovered. Compared with the extent of Government assessed land 

 under occupation before the last famine of 1876-78^ similar extent now 

 under occupation in this division consisting of the Adoni and Alur 

 taluks is about 28,500 acres less. But of this difference as much as 

 nearly 19,00O acres is already under " Sivaijama " or unauthorized 

 cultivation, and there seems no doubt whatever that that, as well as 

 even the still outstanding difference, will come under permcawnt 

 holding before long. In this connection it is also to be remembered 

 that some extents of assessed land . under occupation previous to the 

 famine of 1876 — 78 have since been included in the forest reserves 

 formed, and that some of the lands so included are such as would have 

 already been under occupation had they not been so included in 

 reserves. 



