1837.] An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo KoUes. 



93 



port to the government authorities all irregular conduct on the part of 

 the Patells, and others towards this man after his return to his village. 



The Naikwary's perquisite^ consisted of from 16 to 24 seers of grain 

 from each village according to its size ; also a seer of ghee, a fowl and 

 one rupee in cash. The Naikwary's services are dispensed with at pre- 

 sent, and they no longer receive the dues of their office ; some of them 

 occasionally endeavour to levy a few annas or a rupee from the people. 



The Koolkurnies (the village registrar or notary) and Despondiahs 

 (the district record keeper) being Brahmans, there is little occasion to 

 say much about them. They exact in some places a seer of grain for 

 every rupee of revenue paid to government ; also a seer of ghee and a 

 rupee on account of stationery, from each village. The Despondiah and 

 the Koolkurny receive 21 per cent, on the amount of revenue collected 

 annually. These men, having charge of the village allowances, deduct- 

 ed from the revenue for discharging the various public expenses of the 

 village, contrive to embezzle a portion of it ; they also plot and intrigue 

 with some of the Patells and Desmooks to deceive the government 

 Shaikdars and Mamlutdars, with respect to the amount of money actu- 

 ally realized, by returning some of the cultivators as dead, absconded, or 

 as paupers, and exhibiting a false return of the quantity and quality of 

 the land actually cultivated. There are instances of the Koolkurnies in 

 the hilly country overawing the government agents, and completely 

 thwarting them in their endeavours either to ascertain the real state of 

 the districts or afford an? redress to the complaints of the people. How- 

 ever they have considered it advisable to conciliate such of the Mam- 

 lutdars as were of a fearless character and a meddling disposition. Such 

 matters are commonly arranged with comparative facility among 

 Brahmans, by which both the people and the government are frequently 

 defrauded. It is seldom necessary to grant any remission (abatement) 

 of the revenue to the Koly population, as the supply of rain in the hilly 

 districts is pretty regular, but when this takes place, little or no benefit 

 is ever derived by the. wretched Koly from this act of generosity on the 

 part of the government. The intermediate parties divide the amount 

 among themselves, and the probability is, that the man it was intended 

 for never hears any thing more of it. At all events, if he is sufficiently 

 daring to question them upon the subject, some perplexing statement 

 is read or explained to him, which compels him to remain silent. It is 

 to be hoped that the spread of education will gradually ameliorate the 

 condition of these ignorant, impoverished and much oppressed people . 

 that it will diffuse among them a more elevated tone of moral feeling 

 and moral courage, and enable them to assert their own rights by dis- 

 closing and checking the numerous irregular and fraudulent acts, of 

 which the village and district officers, as well as the government agents. 



