183;.] 



An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies, 



245 



rest of their lives. The four Rajoor shopkeepers by means of agents 

 have each established three shops in various places to supply the forty 

 villages of this dang* and to purchase up from the cultivators what- 

 ever grain they may have for sale. It is well known that some of the 

 zumeendars have a share in the affairs of one or two of the shops, and 

 any person of rank countenancing or in any way lending their influence 

 to the Bunniahs, goes far to overawe and silence the poor Kolies, and 

 snake them stifle their groans, dreading that they may have cause to 

 repent any complaint they might venture to make against the Bunniahs. 

 I am convinced that I state correctly in saying that their souls groan 

 within them owing to the oppressions they have been subjected to and 

 are obliged to endure 5 and that they are naturally eager to engage in 

 any undertaking that will afford prospects of being revenged on their 

 enemies, and obtaining toleration for the future. 



These Bunniahs exercise their influence to prevent the Kolies selling 

 their grain to any persons from a distance that may come to collect and 

 purchase it ; and if a Koly takes his grain to another district bazar, to 

 sell it there to some little profit, the circumstance is particularly noticed 

 by the Bunniah, the first time the Koly comes to him to ask him for the 

 loan of any money ; he immediately declines complying with his 

 request, telling him that if he is very much in want, his friend who 

 purchased his grain will of course supply him with any reasonable sum 

 he may require, so he had better go and ask him for it. The Bunniahs 

 even have expressed they.* displeasure at some Kolies accommodating a 

 few of their friends at Kajoor with a small supply of grain at a trifle 

 under the bazar rate. 



The circumstances of all the Kolies, Thakoors, &c. are so well known 

 to these Bunniahs, that when any one of them comes to ask them for a 

 loan, they treat him much in the same manner. Any remonstrance the 

 borrower ventures to make respecting the inferiority of the coin, the 

 high rate of interest, the heavy bonus and the rate of exchange, is im- 

 mediately answered by the Bunniah remarking " you can of course 

 please yourself, you came here of your own accord, if you are not con- 

 tented you had better go away, and apply to those that will satisfy you. 

 on easier terms." It is to be recollected that these Bunniahs supply 

 the different inhabitants with clothes, spices, salt, tobacco, &c. besides 

 money, and often seed-grain. They very often keep their accounts ; this 

 places the people unavoidably very much at their mercy, for there is no 

 free market or competition to reduce articles to their proper valuation, 

 and the management of all affairs is so controlled by these Bunniahs/ 

 from the undue influence they possess, that they have established a 



* Dasig, a quarter or district, but occasionally applied to a wild, hilly, and jungly tract 

 of country. 



