1850.] Eastern districts of the Saubah of Hydrabad. 209 



edpucheese, played with cowries and a spotted rug, bearing some 

 resemblance to backgammon, inasmuch as it combines chance with 

 skill, is a great favourite. A game something like draughts, called 

 by the Hindoos, pulijoosum, and by the Mahomedans, mogul pa- 

 tan, is much played by the lower castes. Then there are cards, 

 the Dushantur of the Hindoos, and the Chungaranee of the Ma- 

 homedans, and a game called the Vycoontapalee which is somewhat 

 similar to the royal game of goose. There is much gambling 

 among the lower castes, especially among bearers who, often, with- 

 out troubling themselves with such tedious ways of acquiring each 

 other's property as gaming presents, take tothe more compendious 

 method of heads and tails, casting up for this purpose cowries 

 or rupees. Wrestling is not common among the Telinghees, but 

 fencing with blunt swords is a favourite pastime. The small blue 

 hawk of the country is trained to strike the smaller birds, then 

 there are fighting rams, and cocks, and quails, pigeons and night- 

 ingales are likewise taught to fight for the amusement of their 

 owners. There are also the usual tumblers, and thimble riggers, 

 and courtezans whose songs little as they please our western taste, 

 are listened to with admiration and ecstasy by the Indian. 



Administration of Revenue. 



The ordinary divisions of a country for revenue and civil pur» 

 poses generally are Sircars, Pergunnahs, and Talooks, but these 

 are by no means universal. In the Eamgheer Sircar, pergunnahs 

 are unknown, the country being there divided into Tuppahs. In 

 the Maiduck Sircar and western parts of Elgundel we meet with 

 TurrufFs, and Puttees, as subdivisions of Talooks, and, in some 

 parts of "Warungul, with Summets, of much the same import as Tur- 

 rufs. A division is also found there called Moottah, arbitrarily 

 made by the Zemindars for their convenience, but not acknowledg- 

 ed by Government, another unacknowledged arrangement which 

 also temporarily divides a district, is the Girdmahue, where, on a 

 G-overnment kowl, of nine years, Zemindars exchange villages eve- 

 ry second or third year. 



The process by which revenue is collected in the Nizam's coun- 

 try may be stated as follows. 



An individual of some consideration, and who is at least pre- 

 sumed to be wealthy, goes to the minister, and offers his services 



