8 COTTON IN THE MA DBAS PRESIDENCY. [CHAP. I. 



haps call "parishes." Each village comprises not only 

 houses and families, but cultivated lands and waste 

 lands. Each village has also an organization and go- 

 vernment of its own. Of course the bulk of each vil- 

 lage community is composed of Ryots, or landholders ; 

 but each village has also its own officers and artisans. 

 Eirst of all there is the Head man, whose duties origin- 

 ally were to pay the yearly land tax or tribute to Go- 

 vernment for the entire village ; and who also, in con- 

 junction with the villagers in council, allotted the lands 

 for cultivation, apportioned the yearly contribution each 

 one was to pay towards the Government demand, set- 

 tled all disputes, and performed other Municipal duties, 

 which need not be specified. The latter duties, and in 

 some cases the former duties, are still performed by the 

 Head man of the village, but this will be explained 

 hereafter. Next to the Head man is generally the 

 Accountant, who keeps the village records and accounts ; 

 the Watchman, who guards the boundaries and watches 

 the crops ; the Money-changer, the Priest, the Astro- 

 loger, the Smith, the Carpenter, the Barber, the Potter, 

 and the Leather- worker ; and in many cases there is 

 also the Tailor, Washerman, Physician, Musician, Min- 

 strel (or genealogist) ; and, at any rate in the south, 

 there is generally the Dancing-girl. These village 

 officers and artisans are remunerated for their services 

 by grants of land rent-free, and by fees contributed by 

 the Ryots, sometimes in money, but more frequently in 

 grain. These villages have existed from time imme- 

 morial. They are essentially Hindoo institutions. To 

 use the words of Sir Charles Met calf, " the village com- 

 munities are little republics, having nearly everything 

 they can want within themselves, and almost independ- 

 ent of any foreign relations. They seem to last where 

 nothing else lasts. Dynasty after dynasty tumbles 

 down ; revolution succeeds to revolution ; Hindoo, 

 Patan, Mogul, Mahratta, Sikh, English, are all masters 

 in turn ; but the village community remains the same.'* I 

 11 Three Revenue systems : 1st, the Village joint rent 

 system. — By bearing in mind the village communities, | 

 it is easy to obtain a general view of the Eevenue sys- j 



