1850.] Eastern Districts of the Soubah of Hij dr abaci. 213 



In the Pergurmali of Anantaghirri, in the Kummum Sircar, where 

 it borders on the Masulipatam collectorate, some sixteen or eigh- 

 teen years ago, there was a Zemindar, a Yeimah Deshmookh, 

 who, on openly setting the Government at defiance, was stripped 

 of his possessions, which was given to a relation of his own, — this 

 relation he caused to be murdered, and after leading a lawless life 

 for some years, during which time he made predatory incursions 

 into the Company's territory, and beat off a party of the contin- 

 gent, who were sent in pursuit of him ; this rebel, robber, and mur- 

 derer by means of a bribe to Chundoo Lall, made his peace with 

 the G-overnment at Hydrabad, received back all his possessions and 

 rights, and died a few years ago in full enjoyment of them. After 

 such examples as these, it is not to be wondered at, that the re- 

 sumption of lands by the Government should be rare, and that 

 such fatal gifts should be little sought for or coveted, trouble and 

 perplexity with loss of revenue being the bitter fruits Government 

 gather, while almost certain destruction awaits the intruder. 



There is yet another functionary with whom the Government 

 Officer in collecting the revenue comes in contact, called Talooq- 

 dar, not of course to be confounded with the great man who re- 

 mains at Hydrabad — of the same designation — the position and du- 

 ties of these Talooqdars are not very well defined, they are met 

 with chiefly in the Kummummett Sircar, and were probably plac- 

 ed in the room of refractory Zemindars removed for their misdeeds 

 at some period when the Government was stronger than it now is. 

 The Zemindars still claim their rights on the Talooqdar's villages — 

 but cannot displace them without the concurrence of Government, 

 or levy puttees xm their ryots, without their consent — the Talooq- 

 dars on the other hand are not allowed to grant written agree- 

 ments as to leases, &c. of any kind without the permission of the 

 JSTaib, or one of his subordinates, but they can compel their villa- 

 gers to furnish them with wood and beegarries, in their journeys. 

 The office of Dorwa was explained in my former report, all the 

 better castes may be Talooqdars and Dorwas, Brahmins, Telmahs, 

 Kummawars, &c. Some villages in Kummum have a Cutwall, a 

 Mahomedan, at their head, whose office is similar to the Havildars. 

 He is removeable at pleasure. The village system, the allowances 

 to the Baruh Balowteh, and the different cowls on which land is 

 rented to the ryots, have been mentioned in my first report. There 



