MANASAROVARA IN tJN DE'S. 



m 



account of our loads not having come up yelterday. As far as Lata 

 fouth wards, the country is called But'kant, but it is underftood that 

 the Rengni river feparates that country from Hindujlan, The Butias 

 pay a fmall futn of money annually to the -JJnias ; or its value in kind ; 

 and the quota of Maldri is fix rupees, which is commonly in barky* 1 

 The inhabitants of the whole tra£r. between L4td and Nil/ complain 

 much of the extortions of the Gorkiahs. The poo re ft man is compell- 

 ed to pay a poll tax of four kacha rupeeso This has caufed many villa- 

 ges to be deferted ; and the population is now much diminilhed. This 

 ^evening, whillt looking at our goats, a Maldri man came to us and en- 

 tered into converfition. We alked how it happened that one portion 

 of the village was in ruins, and that fo many of the houfes were in fuch 

 a ftate of decay? The former inhabitants, he faid, were dead; and 

 when enquiry was made, if there had been any fudden and violent 

 ficknefs, he an f we red, that, ©f the particular quarter to which we 

 pointed, the tenants had been plundered of their goats by the Juarh; 

 ■ that, unable without thefe animals to carry on their ufual traffic of 

 grain and fait with the Unids, they were deprived of the means of 

 paying tbeir rent to the Gorkiahs, who took the remainder of their 

 .cattle, their cooking utcnfils, the rings out of the nofes of their 

 wives and daughters, and feized their children as flaves* Many per- 

 Ions were actually ftarved to death, and others fled. Including the 

 regular rent, he faid, the inhabitants of Maldri had an annual fum of 

 1000 rupees forced from it, although the firfl only amounts to 250. 

 if In the time of our Rdjds? faid the man, " thefe yards, now empty, 

 were filled with goats ; each old inhabitant had one house to place his 

 fon in when rmrried, and another for his daughter, who had a 

 portion in cattle. We were then, if not wealthy, at lead at our eafe 9 

 and occupied and happy. At prefent we are poor and wretched. If 

 m<i had mafters like you once again, thefe pens might contain the fame 



