244 



An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies, [Aprii* 



with the infringement of the rules of their caste, accepting a trifling 

 remuneration for the same, the sum being much smaller than the 

 Goturany and a Punchaiut would have decreed them to pay. This sys- 

 tem has been going on for many years now. If a naik or zumeendar 

 hears of a person having violated their rules, he or she is threatened 

 with exposure and fine ; this leads to a bribe being tendered to keep 

 silence, some five or ten rupees or probably a cow ; the accused will 

 afterwards go to some other person of influence and ask him to dine in 

 company with him, or he himself offers to become a guest at the zu- 

 meendar's or naik's house. A few rupees are offered to this influential 

 person. This would seem to settle the business, but some third per- 

 son remarks that he does not understand how the affair has been hush- 

 ed up. The chances are that this will lead to a third bribe being 

 offered — notwithstanding this patchwork mode of adjusting matters that 

 has latterly obtained, all the respectable people look up to the Ruggut- 

 wan as being the only qualified person to restore offenders to their 

 caste. 



The dealings of the Kolies with the Bunniahs and money-lenders: 



In any account of the habits and present state of the Kolies and tribes 

 residing in the hilly tract of country to the east and along the range of 

 mountains termed the Syadry ghauts, it is impossible to overlook the 

 distress and misery that have been caused more or less to every family 

 in that part of the country, by the very exorbitant rate of interest 

 charged for money, and the unjust and unfeeling proceedings of the 

 Bunniahs, who are the merchants and money-lenders settled in the 

 villages in that part of the country. Although I am disposed to think 

 that this misery was originally produced by the excessive exactions of 

 the rapacious agents and underlings of a despotic government on the 

 poor and destitute Koly farmers, which compelled them to have recourse 

 to the money-lenders to satisfy in the first place the demands of the 

 State ; I am satisfied that I can show that the bitter complaints I have 

 often heard the Kolies make of the odious, usurious system of the Bun- 

 niahs is perfectly true. I shall confine myself to giving a full and am- 

 ple explanation of the manner the Kolies, &c. and the Bunniahs ma- 

 nage their affairs in Rajoor as I am better acquainted with the 

 inhabitants of that district ; but the same system extends along the 

 range of hilly country I am now giving an account of, as well as in 

 many other places in the Dukhun. 



The Bunniahs settled in Rajoor are from Guzerat. There are four 

 distinct families ; they constantly keep up a communication with their 

 relatives and friends in their native country, and retire there when they 

 have realised a competency to enable them to live comfortably for the 



