228 



History of the Ramoossies. 



[July 



late considerable sums of money in the most distant vil- 

 lages, which ensured to the cultivators a much readier 

 market than at present, and enabled them to pay their 

 rents with greater facility. 



Shortly after the country came into our possession, a 

 few horsemen and Sib undies were stationed in the 

 small villages in the hills three and six miles distant from 

 each other ; this checked the proceedings of plunderers, 

 while they assisted in rendering the condition of the poor 

 villagers easier, by disbursing their pay amongst them. 

 But unfortunately for all parties, the call for economiz- 

 ing, or some pressing necessity, has caused these small 

 parties to be withdrawn, under the impression that the 

 country was perfectly quiet, and would continue so ; in 

 fact, that it w-as quite useless to keep them in places 

 where their services were not required. This has too 

 frequently proved to be a fallacy, for when the parties 

 of horse and foot, whose presence only was the means 

 of preserving tranquillity, were withdrawn, outrages 

 were perpetrated : and the robbers by degrees became 

 more audacious in their conduct, until the Police of the 

 district required in time to be increased ; and frequent- 

 ly the services of detachments of the regular Infantry 

 were required to restore order. A number of persons 

 who had held hereditary and other appointments in the 

 Police of the hilly districts, under the old Government, 

 used to avail themselves of such opportunities to press 

 their claims on the notice of the Government. As con- 

 nected with this subject in a slight degree, I may ob- 

 serve, that the system of discipline established in the na- 

 tive army in the British pay, has rendered the men so 

 efficient, that a small party of men now perform duties, 

 which large bodies of irregular troops under the native 

 Princes were required to execute. This has thrown a 

 large portion of the inhabitants out of employ, it may be 

 said, for in the existing state of the country there is 



