172 C. R. Wilson — An unrecorded Governor of Bengal. [No. 2i 
From this it would appear that Edward Stephenson at this time 
resided chiefly in the country, perhaps at Borfield Lodge, Essex, and 
only occasionally came to town where he had a house in Queen’s 
Square. Orme has preserved the following “ memorandums of a con¬ 
versation 1 : ” 
“ Memorandums of a conversation with Edward Stephenson, Esq., who went on 
the Embassy to Furruckseer; taken on the same day I visited him 
January 17th, 1765. 
He says that all the Lands in a province in Indostan excepting such as 
are governed by Rajahs, consist either of Colsa lands or Jagueers. 
Jagueers are lands given to the Nabobs, Phousdars, or other Officers of 
the State, by the Crown, to be held only during their administration or 
continuance in favour, of which lands the temporary Lord receives the 
revenues or advantages, on condition that he keeps up the number of horse 
at which his Munsub or title of nobility is rated, and likewise the number 
of foot which are always in one settled proportion attached to the number 
of horse, this Mr. Stephenson believes to be double. So that a Munsub of 
4,000 horse is to maintain besides those 4,000 horse, 8,000 foot, and he 
receives the rents of his Jagueer without deductions or taxes due to the 
Crown. 
The Colsa lands are such as being neither governed by Rajahs, nor 
portioned into Jagueers remain to the Moorish Government to be admi¬ 
nistered by their own officers. All the Colsa lands are under the adminis¬ 
tration of the Du an, who farms them out to Renters for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. 
years, and the rents forthcoming from them are brought by the Duan into 
his account with the Emperor. 
The territories governed by Rajahs are for the most part the same, 
which the ancestors of these Rajahs ruled at the time of conquest. It 
sometimes likewise has happened that Rajahs, who for the convenience of 
the Government, have been removed out of their hereditary lands, have been 
placed in other vacant territories. 
These Rajahs govern according to the ancient institutions of their 
forefathers over the Indians their subjects; but over Mahomedans estab- 
ished in their territory they have not except by particular permission any 
authority of life or corporal punishment, for a Mahomedan always calls 
upon the Koran and the Cadi who is the interpreter of the Koran for this 
[his] Judge. 
The Rajahs pay the stipulated tribute to the Duan. 
The Duan therefore must be an officer of very great power, equal almost 
to the Nabob, His functions are : 
1st. Supreme authority over the Colsah lands in all cases where the 
land is concerned. 
i Orme Collections O. V. 12, pp. 107-109. 
