412 



On the Statistics of Dtikhim. 



ed, but it lernains lo this day ; for instance, at Jelioor, near Ahmednug- 

 gur, the TuiilthM, or government revenue or assignment, from ihe town 

 WHS 10,817 rupees, 2 qr., 3 reas; the Sur Deshmookee 1350 rupee;', 3qr. , 

 3 rea- ; but the Kumal, ortoial sum raised from the cultivalors, in-lud- 

 ing village expenses and Hukdai's, was 1 9,363 rupees, 3 qr., ! reas : so 

 that the iMoosulmans originMlly took little more than baif of the reve- 

 nue now raised from the to^vn, tbat is to say, the Moosulmans took 

 10,S1 7 rupees ; tben came Sevvajee, the Mahratta, and wrenched from 

 them 1 0 per cent, of their revenue, which shoukl have been 10^1 ru- 

 pees. The Moosulmanb, instead of paying it out of 10,817 rupees, clap- 

 ped the demand of Sewajee upon the town as an a iditional burthen ; 

 and instead of honestly fixing it at 1081 rui)ees (10 per cent, of I0,S17), 

 they adroitly took occasion to exact a little more from their Mahiatta 

 subjet-ts. 



Many individuals have shares in the village revenues \inder the names 

 Moka. sa, Sahoira, Baotee, and Nargcwra. The most intelligible 

 way to describe these, is to say that persons have money assignments, 

 amounting to a definite per centage on the revenue, under these names. 

 In their origin, Mokassa is 66 per cent., Sahotra 6 per cent., Bahtee 25 

 per cent., and Nargov/ra 3 per cent, of the Chouf, or fourih of the whole 

 Ivjoghul revenue, v/hich was extorted from the Moosulmnns by the 

 Mahrattas. Sewajee and his chiefs shared it amongst themselves ; ihe 

 chiefs had the Mokassa for military services ; the Sahoira was given to 

 the Punt Suchew, one of Sewajee's ministers ; the prince's ov.-n share 

 was the Eabtee ; and the Nargowra, v.hich is synonymous with Sur 

 Pateel, or chief of all the Pateels, was at the disposal of the prince. As 

 these grants were hereditary, the equal division of property and rights 

 amongst children has occasioned the reduction of soir.e of the shares to 

 the most trifling amount where families have multiplied. 



Such are the tenures that came imder m\' noiice ; audit is necessary 

 to state that, with the sinole exception of Surua Eenam or "entire gift," 

 there was an obligation of specific service on tlie iridividual or parlies 

 enjoying adviintages under the several tenures; the non-pe: forraance of 

 these duiios in\ olved the forfeiture of their ri-^lits ; bitt iiidependeutly 

 of such forfeiture, ail grants ^vh \l?vor (ludcss specined to the contrary) 

 were resumable l)y the sovereign or other grani.ee. Grants for religious 

 purposes were rarely recalled; bur for other objects they were frequent- 

 ly abrogated, particularly Jogkecr, Surinam, ajid Ilu/.d^/r grr.nts. To 

 such an extent did this exist under the Peshwa's government, that the 

 Hoi). M. Klphiustone, in his report as commissioner, enumerates as un 



