1849.] 



Circar of Waruitgul. 



247 



with a spear, and the murder was speedily accomplislied. To give 

 as legal a colouring to the atrocity as possible his head was fixed on 

 a spear and paraded through the streets of Hunnumcondah. 



Surmoonewar, Boputtee, the chief of the Corewars, a race of sa- 

 vages inhabiting the jungles about Paldiall. To this office were at- 

 tached certain rights exactly similar to black mail over certain dis- 

 tricts estimated at one per cent, on the revenue — but through the 

 misconduct of the Boputtee and his people and the resistance of the 

 Zemindars, have caused these to be forfeited in a great measure. 

 He derives however some revenue from rents, and in a bad year 

 when the Pakhall lake shrinks, he is entitled to crop the dry mar- 

 gins—and it is on such occasions that the Grovernment officers 

 manage to make him pay up his arrears of tribute, but he has a 

 very decided repugnance to fulfil such claims, and evades them in 

 every way he can. Some of the wretched hamlets of his country 

 send in as their contributions speaking mynas, red squirrels, and 

 jungle produce of all kinds. Although looked on as a bad subject 

 his rights are probably more ancient and certainly as well guaran- 

 teed as many of his brother Zemindars of the plains. He afiects 

 caste, and does not eat beef as other Corewars do. 



Besides the claims accorded by government the Zemindars levy 

 on their own account certain puttees of the nature of aids in 

 the feudal times. 



1st, Shadee puttee — On the occasion of a marriage in any of 

 their families, 



2nd. Boordee puttee — for a death, and one for a birth in the 

 family. 



8d. Suffer puttee — for defraying the expenses of a progress 

 through their own domains. These taxes fall exclusively on the 

 cultivators and artisans, they are not raised by a particular assess- 

 ment on each individual, but the village is arbitrarily assessed, and 

 the heads of the village who are exempted from an}; payment have 

 the care of raising it. These are seldom paid with good will, and 

 when exacted by an unpopular Zemindar are hateful. A story cur- 

 rent among them will illustrate this. A vdcked Eajah who ruled 

 over a part of the country and whose capital was at Chandragiri de- 

 vised a puttee of a new kind. The breasts of the women were to 

 be measured, and the measure was to be filled up with coins. The 



