1839] 



and Statistical of the Ceded Districts. 



127 



mates and reports of the tahsildars, and compares them with the sepa- 

 rate detailed accounts kept by the curnums, or accountants of each vil- 

 lage, and the viva voce statements of the rayets themselves touching 

 the lands they 'hold. From their accounts a minute statement of the 

 quantity and value of ground occupied by each cultivator, the num- 

 ber of his family, cattle, &c. the sums paid by him to government for 

 several years past, is prepared by the people of the kutcherry, on 

 "which the collector's final settlement is eventually based. The col- 

 lector again checks these estimates by enquiry from the rayets them- 

 selves, to each of whom he finally gives in open kutcherry a puttah, 

 containing a short abstract of the rayets holding and demand upon 

 him for the year. These leases are renewed annually, but the rayet 

 cannot be ejected from the land so long as he continues to pay the go- 

 vernment dues. 



The revenue is collected from the rayets by the village potails, cur- 

 nums and the regular village servants under their authority, and deliver- 

 ed into the treasury of the tahsildars of their taluks, by whom it is re- 

 mitted to the general treasury of the district. Receipts are regularly 

 passed between the different parties, not only expressing the total of 

 the amount delivered over, but specifying minutely the different coins 

 in which the sums have been severally paid. The average amount paid 

 by rayets upon lands held direct from government, amounts in the Bel- 

 lary districts, to about 23 rupees 14 annas, and in the Cuddapah collector- 

 ate to about 15 rupees 9 annas per annum. The average of total revenue 

 annually paid by each inhabitant in the former district, is about 2 

 rupees 8 annas, in the latter 2 rupees. 



The other sources of revenue are the land customs, the moturpha, 

 which includes taxes on shops, trades, &c, the abkari, duties on intoxi- 

 cating liquors and drugs, the stamps, and a few small farms. 



Regarding the amount of revenue derived by the Bijanugger princes 

 from the Ceded Districts,nothing satisfactory is known. It was valued in 

 the deed of cession in 1800 at 1,651,545 star pagodas, but Sir T. Munro 

 was of opinion that the revenue had been decidedly and purposely over- 

 rated inTippoo's schedule of 1792, in consequence of his deeming it cer- 

 tain thatmost part of the territory would be shared by the British go- 

 vernment and the Nizam. The first settlements were therefore fixed 

 much lower than the former estimates — that for 1 801 amounted to 

 1,102,000 pagodas, exclusive of village servants ; the next year it was 

 calculated at between twelve and thirteen lacs : in 1817 it amounted to 

 1,740,304 star pagodas— in 1836-7 to 5,362,738 Company's rupees,and in 

 1837-8 to 5,517,700 Company's rupees. The disbursements amounted 



