225 



History of the Ramoossies. 



[July 



tivators, and hard workins: labourers of the place. In these Pur- 

 guimahs many of them are Meerassdars hokrni<j; lands on this tenure, 

 and which they occasiondllv mortg:age or sell when reduced to great 

 want. The Ramoossies become security at times lor Koonbies, and 

 mallies (gardeners) on account of any minor offences these n)ay be 

 charged with. In Sungumnair there are twenty Ramoossies who 

 have been employed, as local police in the service of Government. 

 They receive a regular allowance in cash monthly, and have no per- 

 quisite with exception of a rupee which they receive in lieu of a sheep 

 at the Dussra, from the villages they protect. During the Peshwah's 

 Government, they were allowed to collect the Balottah allowance 

 from the same villages. The Bheels discharge the duties of the 

 police and village watchmen in the greater part of these three Per- 

 gunnahs, and the Ramoossy cultivators present the Balottah allow- 

 ance along with the rest of the villagers to Bheel watchmen. There 

 is an instdnce of a family of Ramoossies holding a few begahs of 

 Enam land in the Sungumnair Pergunnah, and another family in 

 the Sinnure. From what the Ramoossies themselves state with res- 

 pect to their settlement m those districts, I am inclined to think they 

 must have been there at least one hundred and fifty years, but hovr 

 much longer it is very difficult to say, for there is no data that I 

 am aware of, from which any opinion approximating even to certain- 

 ty can be formed. It should not be overlooked, that four Ramoossies 

 of the Sinnure and six of the Parnere district are employed in the 

 pay of Government by the Rukwalldar Bheel Naiks. Having now 

 traced the course of tliese people to the northward, I must return 

 to finish the account of the proceedings of those families that became 

 the hereditary Ramoossies of the Poorundur fort, and then extend- 

 ed along the district east of Jejoory and to the south banks of the 

 Bheema, nearly opposite to Pairgaun or Bhadoorgur. 



CHAPTER V. 



Account of the Kolies and Ramoossies on the Poorundur Hill fort.— Khun- 



doojee Koiey seizes the fort. — New arrangements respecting the garrison 

 and their pay. - Unsettled state of the country.— Ramoossies guilty of nume- 

 rous outrages. — Dadjee Naik a notoiious character seized and executed. — • 

 Bajee Row abandons Poona. — The Ramoossies and Kolies retain possessi- 

 on of the Poorundur Hill fort.— The Peshwah ultimately obliged to get a 

 detachment from the subsidiary force to march to Poorundur,— The Ra- 

 moosMes and Kolies expelled — Their lands and all their emoluments se- 

 questered.— Gokla puts ^o death anumber ofthe Jejoory Ramoossies.— The 

 Karnoossies cause disturbances in the Satara territory.— The Poorundur 

 Ramoossies and Kolies have their lands restored to them, when hostilities 

 commenced between the Peshwa and British Government. — The HolgaU 



