124 Report on the District of Azimgurh. [Feb. 



possible hereafter to conceive that any doubt should exist as to the 

 decision, and the real position of the boundary. One cannot but 

 regret that the agents employed in these operations should often have 

 been false and corrupt ; but there can be no doubt ; that any attempt 

 now to revise these proceedings, or any failure of decision in support- 

 ing the demarcation now made, would be attended with the greatest 

 possible evil, and throw the whole district into confusion. 



119th. The only authority competent in any way to alter the de- 

 cisions already given, is the Civil Court in a regular decision. The 

 Courts will now have each case clearly before them, and every possible 

 light will be thrown on its merits. The sound rule to lay down is, 

 that every decision must be confirmed, unless it can be proved that 

 it was unjust, and the right to another boundary established. If this 

 rule be strictly followed, no evil will result. 



120th. One great advantage of the system is, that the district is twice 

 visited by the revenue authorities, once before survey, to settle the 

 boundaries, and again after survey to fix the Government demand. 

 The latter is a valuable opportunity to inquire into any cases of alleged 

 hardship or injustice, which occurred in the former operations. This 

 has been always done. The officer who came on the second occasion 

 to form the settlement, was generally of superior experience to the offi- 

 cers employed on the former occasion, and the opportunity seized to 

 examine the former decisions. I can confidently say that no cases have 

 been left, where the correction of apparent partiality would not have 

 violated some important principle, which could not, according to the 

 spirit of the law, or the dictates of sound policy, be shaken without very 

 injurious results. 



121st. The adjustment of the right of co-parceners and of the rates 

 payable to them by non-proprietary cultivators, has also been a work 

 of great labor. It has been much increased by the expression of a 

 general wish on the part of the people, subsequently to the settlement, 

 to have their shares in the estate separated, both in the cultivated and 

 culturable parts. This has been very generally done at their own 

 expense, towards which they readily contributed. In such an event, 

 the village has been remeasured ; the holding of each person distin- 

 guished by a peculiar colour; and new Khusreh Khuteonee and Ten)' 

 formed accordingly. Nothing, I believe, has given more satisfaction 

 in the district, or tended more to the security of property, than the way 

 in which this operation has generally been performed. 



122nd. The incidental advantages arising out of the present settle- 

 ment, and the other operations which have been conducted to a close 

 during its progress, may be thus enumerated :— 



