^58 



Statistical Report on the 



[No. 35, 



times threats, extort alms and food from its members ; they go about 

 showing pictures, toys, &.C., beating tomtoms, recounting the deeds 

 of their ancestors to each caste, and by every means administering to 

 that most prevalent of Indian weaknesses — vanity. They are to be 

 found at births and marriages ; Coolies, Dliers, and Choomars have 

 respectively their mungneewallahs, as they are called. Yet some of 

 these clients are of use or comfort to their patrons — thus the Corre- 

 wars, mungneewallahs of the Dhungurs, assist them in looking 

 after their flocks and make cumlies, and the Byudlewars are priests 

 of the Dhers. 



There are besides the usual number of religious mendicants who 

 beg indiscriminately from all castes ; strange to say there are few or 

 no gossaeens, possibly the country is too poor for them, A few of 

 them, it is true, came up to Warungul on a treasure hunt some years 

 ago, and it is said found wealth, which may be doubted ; they sought 

 for it in the old temples, and did not hesitate to pull up the floors in 

 their search. There are some Byraghees who are held in a certain 

 degree of repute for piety and asceticism ; they are often to be found 

 in the false caves of the granite rock. 



Slaves. — The slavery existing in India, it is well known, is a 

 different thing from the slavery of North America or Brazil, not 

 that the slaves are less bondsmen in the one country than in the 

 other, but the treatment is widely dissimilar. The African is 

 worked like a beast of burthen, the Indian is cared for as a va- 

 luable servant. Slaves are employed in various ways, they cul- 

 tivate the ground, act as a kind of body guard to the wealthier 

 zemindars and are then called kJiitmulgars ; they are even made 

 havildars of villages, and are allowed to possess property. Slaves 

 are commonly purchased during famine times when all castes 

 and classes, save Brahmins, are compelled, for the very existence of 

 themselves and their offspring, to resort to this mode of relief; they 

 are never resold, not even when their masters have, through misfor- 

 tune, been reduced in circumstances. On which occasions their ser- 

 vices are lent to the wealthy who feed and clothe them, but offer no 

 other remuneration to their owner ; male slaves are allowed to con- 

 tract marriages, but the females are not permitted to do so. At the 

 Dussera clothing is dealt out to them, the women get a saree and a 

 chowlce, and the men an angreka^ dotie, doputta, and a pugreCj 

 and on occasions of marriages they may get a dress more. The 



