5 



when he is presented to a temple in compliance with some super- 

 stitious vow. The Sherramukkuls are held by various tenures, and 

 tie reluctance of their Masters finally to dispose of them issogreat, 

 that the most pressing necessity can alone induce them to it. They 

 are most frequently Mortgaged or held inPunnium, that is the own- 

 er receives the full value, but retains the power of recalling the pur- 

 chase, tenures but little adapted to improve the situation of the 

 slave, whose services being received as equivalent to the interest of 

 the debt, holds out an inducement to urge bis labours, and diminish 

 his comforts : they are not sold out of the country.* A very consi- 

 derable number of Prcedial slaves belong to Government, to whom 

 they escheat as other property on the failure of heirs; they are part- 

 ly employed on Circar lands, partly rented out to the Ryots. A 

 male being rated at about eight Purrahs of Paddy annually, (not 

 quite two Rupees) the female less thi^n this amount. If however 

 hired from a Junmee (owner) the (demand would be much greater. 

 The value of a Polayen varies from six to ten Pagodas, that of a fe- 

 male may reach perhaps to twelve, but (amongst some of the Caste 

 of Sherramukkul) they are very rarely subject to sale. 



In earlier times the murder of a Slave was scarcely considered as 

 a crime the deed of transfer goes to say, " you may sell or kill him 

 or her," the latter privilege has now of course ceased. The Sher- 

 ramukkuls are only employed in Agriculture, they live in hovels si- 

 tuated on the banks of the fields, or nestle on the Trees along their 

 borders to watch the crop after the toils of the day, and are discou- 

 raged from erecting better accommodation, under the idea, that if 

 more comfortable, they would be less disposed to move as the cul- 

 ture required. Their labours are repaid (if such can be called com- 

 pensation) in Grain. Three measures of Paddy to a man, tvv'O to a 

 Woman, and one to a child, is their daily pittance, this is not re- 

 gularly given being reduced to half on days when they do not work, 

 and withheld entirely on symptonis of refractoriness. Harvest is a 

 period of comparative plenty, but their meagre squalid appearance 

 betrays the insufficiency of their diet, and the extreme hardships to 

 which both sexes are equally doomed. They have no idea beyond 

 their occupations, are never guilty of violence to their masters, are 

 said to be obedient perhaps from the sluggish apathy of their cha- 

 racter, which renders them unmindful of their lot. The external 

 distinctions of the Proedial Slaves are subject to great varieties, they 

 are sometimes remarkable for an extreme darkness of complexion, 



* Of Travancore, Ed, 



