"237 Hiitorfj of tha Ramoossics. [July 



Shortly after this the Ramoossies at Poona becamf fxtromcl^ 

 iroubksome, committing rol)l>tTies constantly in the houses of the 

 European gentlemen residing; tliore ; for the protection of their pro- 

 perty, it was tlicrefore lieenuni ahsohitely necessary to employ Ra- 

 moossies to watch their houses durinjj tlic night. Almost every 

 ofHcer in the place had one of these mpn in his service, receiving 

 seve I rupees montlily pay. Having thus sucreeiled in levying black 

 mail from their European masters, the Naiks in char<;e of the Ra- 

 moossy police found it advantageous to encjap^e persons of other castes 

 to act as watchmen on such occasions as their services were called 

 for. By this arrangement, many of the Ramoossies could follow 

 their accustom -d avocation of pillaging in Poona and the surround- 

 country, as opportunities offcrerl of doing so. It is common 

 now to see Mangs, Dh« res, and Koonbics, &cc. performmii the du- 

 ties of watchmen, and who consequently style themselves Ramoos- 

 sies.* This is also the case at Bombay. 



Annajee, the Ramoos^y Naik, who has been for several years in 

 charge of the police of the cantonment at Poona, has been lately 

 convicted before a Court Martial, of having connived at a robbery 

 that was committed last year in the lines of His Majesty's 4th Dra- 

 goons, and has been sentenced to pay a large fine, besides being 

 imprisoned for ten months. Annajee received fifty rupees pay month- 

 ly : there were one, or two other sources from which he increased 

 his income. 



"What is worthy of notice respecting the proceedings of these peo- 

 ple in latter times, will be included in the sketch purposed to be 

 annexed, of the life of the Ramoossy chief Oomiah Naik, who was 

 regarded by his tribe, as the pride of Poorundur, and the terror of 

 Poona and Bhore.f 



The Ramoossies in the Satara territory were guilty of committing 

 many outrages in the years 1828 and 1829. The Rajah's authori- 

 ties having apprehended a number of them, between thirty and forty 

 were executed in the latter year. 



* In this manner every native of India on the Bombay Establishment who 

 can write English, and is employed in any office, whether he be a Brahmun, 

 Goldsmith, Purwary, Portuguese, or of English descent, is styled a Purvoe, 

 from several persons of a caste of Hindoos termed Prubhoe having been a- 

 mong the first employed as English writers at Bombay. 



t The capital of the Punt Suchew's country and 82 miles south of Poona. 

 It was Oomiah's persisting in claims against the Punt Suchew that chiefly 

 c:v.)8ed the late disturbance at Poona. 



