1870.] Translations from the Tdrikli i Mfuz Sh.iJii. 9 



landed proprietors, and other opulent men. In collecting the revenue he 

 made one law applicable to all of them, and to such a degree did their 

 obedience extend, that a single constable of the revenue department in 

 exacting the taxes would seize some twenty landed proprietors, chief 

 men, and agents, and minister kicks and blows to them. It was not 

 possible in fact for a Hindu to hold up his head, and in their houses not 

 a sign was left of gold and silver [and tanhahs and j'etals], and articles 

 of luxury, which are the main incentives to disaffection and rebellion. 

 In consecpience of their impoverished state, the wives of the landed 

 proprietors and chief men even used to come to the houses of the 

 Musalmans, and do work there, and receive wages for it. 



The same Sliaraf of Qayin, the Naib Wazir, also carried out the 

 business of investigating and recovering the embezzlements of all the 

 superintendents, overseers, revenue officers, and functionaries, agents, 

 and collectors, to such an extent, and effected such a close scrutiny, 

 that every j'etal standing against the name of each of them was extract- 

 ed from the ledgers fbahi) of the patwdris (or village accountants), 

 and in accordance with that, the sums were levied from them under 

 pain of torture. It was no longer possible, therefore, for any one to 

 take one tankah or any single thing indeed from either a Hindu 

 or Musalman by way of bribe.* 



He thus reduced the revenue officers, collectors, and other function- 

 aries to a state of poverty and destitution ; for he used to commit them 

 to prison, and kept them for years in irons for the sake of a thousand or 

 five hundred tankahs, so that these appointments were regarded with 

 greater disgust by the people than a plague. The office of revenue clerk 

 too fell into bad odour, so that no one would give his daughter in mar- 

 riage to such a person, while the post of superintendent would only be 

 accepted by one who had no regard for his life ; for these officials 

 and collectors passed most of their days [on suspicion] in confinement, 

 suffering from blows and kicks. 



* In the Ed,. Bill. Indica, p. 289, 1. 3 dele the words larisliwat before chize. 

 On 1. 9, the word /L& has either the meaning the jail situated in the shiqqah of 

 a shiqddr (?) , or it is blunder for cX& and dor shahlc means on suspicion. 



In Shakespear's Hindustani Dictionary I find j| ,>,&.« shiqqddr given in the 

 sense of perplexing, uncertain ; but surely, this is a mistake, or an Indian spel- 

 ling, for j\o.£J, from ^S£, shahh, doubt. 



2 



