2 



History of the Ramoossles. 



[Jan. 



family, having been twice married, and the subject of our 

 present memoir was the third child by the second wife. 

 PTe was a slight made man, about five feet four inches in 

 height, with large dark searching and expressive eyes, a 

 large nose deeply set under the brow ; his features, upon 

 the whole, were mild and rather pleasing; he had a very 

 fine throat, and his skin was of an unburnished copper 

 colour. Oomiah lived with his mother after the Ramoos- 

 sies v/ere expelled from Poorundur and deprived of their 

 lands, pay, and emoluments, by order of the FeshwahBajee 

 Row, in consequence of having obstinately refused to de- 

 liver up the fort to his authority, upon his return to Poona 

 from Bassein, in May 1803. 



In the course of a few years after the above mentioned 

 period, a number of Ramoossies, who had been engaged in 

 various disturbances and outrages, fled with their families 

 to the eastward, to evade the Peshwah's troops, and ob- 

 tained shelter in the villages of the Nizam's dominions^ 

 around Perinda, and in those belonging to some Jageer- 

 dars within the limits of the Peshwah's authority in that 

 quarter. I'hese having eventually obtained service, other 

 Ramoossies from the neighbourhood of Poona joined them. 

 In the beginning of the year 1814, Oomiah accompanied 

 his cousin Raggooh, (who had deposited his turban before 

 the shrine of the god kedary, on the hill fort of Poorundur, 

 as before related,) and three other friends, who proceeded 

 to the vicinity of Maunkessur. The Ramoossies in the 

 service of a Mahommedan Fakeer, (a religious) th^ 

 Enamdar of Raie Mhow, &c., near Beer, &c., son of one 

 of Mhadajee Sindiah's spiritual guides, had gained the 

 favour of the Fakeer's elder wife, and as she was ex- 

 tremely jealous of her rival, the Fakeer's youngest lady, 

 who was a favourite with the husband, and very popular 

 with her acquaintances, she resolved on getting rid of her 

 young and handsome rival, by violent means. She consult- 

 ed the Chief Ramoossy Naik,* and offered to pay him nine 

 hundred rupees in cash, provided they complied with her 

 wishes ; but the Ramoossy replied, that his kinsmen would 

 be always ready and happy to perform the most difficult 



* Bappoo Chowan of Selsey, near the Kaniatty ky Ghaut, was a connec- 

 tion, and a very staunch friend of Oom lah'a. Kis own restless habits and lat- 

 terly, a most unreubonabie deuuad on the ^rd oi a Bifiuxiiu olilcial at Sa- 



