1839.] Report on the District of Azimgurh. 89 



It is only during the last year that so much money has been drawn 

 from the district by bills, and that is occasioned by speculation in 

 Sugar, which is generally paid by bills on the Collector, drawn either 

 direct from Calcutta, or intermediately from Ghazeepore, Benares, or 

 Mirzapore. 



19th. The inhabitants of the district are generally very illiterate. 

 The Rajpoots, who constitute the great mass of proprietors, are seldom 

 able to read or write. Endeavours have been frequently made to 

 obtain returns of village schools, but these have been very unsatisfac- 

 tory. Indeed there are very few professed instructors of youth ; nor is 

 instruction regularly afforded to the youth of any part of the country, 

 except at the Sudder station and its immediate neighbourhood, where 

 the Residents have established schools. In other parts of the country 

 the village Putwaree, or some other Lallah, occasionally gives instruc- 

 tions in Hindee as it suits his leisure or inclination, and his neighbours 

 will occasionally send their children, and acknowledge his services by 

 small presents, perhaps of money, or more probably grain or other 

 agricultural produce. All Brahmins of any learning have a few 

 disciples attached to them, but this sort of instruction is not professedly 

 for gain. It is restricted to their own class, and partakes greatly of the 

 nature of a religious duty. 



20th. The returns show seventy-seven schools, where instruction is 

 given for remuneration. The number of scholars is supposed to be 

 674, and the total monthly emoluments of the teachers about 300 Rs. 

 per mensem. The great majority of these are for the instruction of 

 Mahomedans in Arabic, Persian, or Oordoo. There are also sup- 

 posed to be 134 schools where instruction is given to 1,334 scholars, 

 without any express remuneration to the teacher, all of which, with 

 one exception, are kept by Brahmins for giving instruction in Sanscrit. 



21st. Having thus generally stated the extent, disposition, and 

 resources of the district, I proceed to explain the nature of the landed 

 tenures, as they are now found to exist. In doing this it will be 

 necessary first to decide in whom the proprietary right to the land ac- 

 tually rests. 



22nd. In discussing this subject, it is of little use to view it theoreti- 

 cally, and to refer to the maxims and principles laid down in books of 

 law. Supposing these to be ever so clear and decisive (which they by 

 no means are) it is questionable if they ever were acted upon with 

 any consistency ; or supposing them at any time to have been acted 

 upon, the period has long since passed away, and the disuse into which 

 they have fallen for centuries has practically annulled them. It is of 



