250 An Account of the Tribe of Mhadeo Kolies. [Apim* 



few maunds of ghee, rice or some other grain may have been tendered 

 in part payment, and accepted at the Bunniah's price. In fact the ac* 

 count becomes so extremely intricate that it would require a person of 

 considerable talent and experience in such matters to comprehend it. 

 What is an ignorant and unlettered Koly to do in such case ! Although 

 many of these people are very simple and ignorant, they are not by any 

 means indifferent to the difficulties they are likely to be plunged into 

 in consequence of their dealings with Bunniahs. Not unfrequently a 

 poor man who is very anxious to come to a settlement with his cre- 

 ditor, is desirous of having his account previously examined, by hear- 

 ing all the different items of which it is composed read over, and the 

 calculations of interest explained. He will signify, to the Bunniah 

 that he intends to wait on him on such a day for the purpose and that 

 he will bring the Patell or some intelligent friend with him, that he 

 may be better able to understand how much he is in debt. The 

 Bunniah contrives to defeat this plan, by probably saying, that he will 

 be too much occupied, on such a day or that he is going from home, 

 but that if he will come alone some other day that he will explain his 

 account fully and satisfactorily to him. 



My anxiety to expose the iniquitous system of dealing that exists 

 between the Kolies and their creditors, induces me to add a few lines 

 more to what I have already attempted to explain on this subject 

 When i was in the Rajoor hills in April 1829, a very poor Koly came 

 repeatedly to me, urging me to listen to a complaint he had to make* 

 for that the Bunniah of Mootkell, a village in the Rajoop district, had 

 ruined him* At length I received his petition, and forwarded it to the 

 proper authority, intimating to him at the same time that I had not 

 authority to interfere in such matters. The substance of the petition 

 was this : " the Mootkell Bunniah claims ninety seers of ghee from me, 

 although it is only five years since I settled my account with him, at 

 which period I was five seers of ghee in his debt, but by various 

 ways he has raised his claim in five years to ninety seers." Now these 

 five seers would sell for two rupees when ghee was dear ; so that a debt 

 of two rupees by charging an exhorbitant interest, payable one day in 

 money or ghee, and another day in rice or khoorachny, amounted to 

 thirty five rupees in five years. Unfortunately this wretched man'a 

 case was not a singular one. 



History of the Kolies.— -We cannot expect to glean much authentic 

 information of an historical description from an ignorant and unlettered 

 people like the Kolies. The few traditions they possess relative to 

 their first settlement in their present locations, and ofsubsequent events 

 until within the last century, appear to be involved in much obscurity 

 and confusion. However, there is reason to believe that Uiey have oc- 



