J. Beames —Notes on the History of Orissa. 
257 
1883.] 
paiks to keep order. The Baja and his family were seized and taken to 
Balasore where they were suitably lodged in a house prepared for them, 
and guarded by barkandazes. Ivanika was brought under the management 
of Mr. Ker (Secretary to Commissioners 27-2-05 McCarthy to Commis¬ 
sioners 3-3-05.) 
In this year also the question was raised of the expediency of remov¬ 
ing the Calcutta Road into British Territory. It previously passed 
through the Moharbhanj and Nilgiri States, and the Rajas of those places 
under pretence of securing the safety of travellers, were in the habit of 
levying heavy and vexatious tolls at certain ghats or passes on the road. 
As they demurred about relinquishing this source of revenue, the road was 
removed and carried through Rajghat and Bastah to Balasore. The old 
road was very soon deserted by travellers as the new route through British 
Territory was found to be much safer and cheaper. 
Major Morgan was allowed a salary of 500 Rs. a month for the 
period he had been in charge of Balasore (Accountant 30-9-05). The Amils 
who were in charge of Balasore, Soroh and Bhadrakh appear still to have 
been very troublesome ; the correspondence of 1801 and 1805 is full of 
complaints of their remissness and refusal to obey orders. 
Having completed his settlement Mr. Ker on the 29th August 1805 
made over charge of his office to Mr. G. Webb who was appointed Collec¬ 
tor of all Orissa, or as they persisted in calling it, the zillah of Cuttack. 
From this date down to 1815 there was no resident British officer in Bala¬ 
sore, or in fact anywhere north of the Mahanadi, and as the Collector 
lived at Puri in the extreme south of the province, his hold over the zamin- 
dars of the north could have been little more than nominal. 
It is perhaps to the relaxation of control for many years in Bala¬ 
sore that we may attribute that special characteristic of the inhabitants of 
the district which leads them to carry on their affairs without any reference 
whatever to the law or to the officials of the Government. They never 
take the trouble to enquire what the law is on any point, but if a question 
arises, settle it in any way that may seem best to them. To the same 
cause may be ascribed the excessive prevalence of the practice of levying 
illegal cesses, the existence of many kinds of singular and pernicious cus¬ 
toms, and the general muddle of conflicting interests observable in connec¬ 
tion with landed property. 
As the early years of our rule in Orissa were fertile in changes, 
and worked a complete revolution in the position of the classes connected 
with the land, it would have been interesting to trace the progress of our 
laws and rules and their effect upon the province. I am, however, pre¬ 
cluded from doing this by the fact that from 1806 to 1828 there was no 
[The abrupt conclusion of the foregoing article is due to the most unfortunate loss 
of the concluding pages of Mr. Beames’ Manuscript while it was passing through the 
press. This mischance is the more to be regretted, as the lost MS. was the only copy 
in the author’s possession ; which precludes any restoration of the concluding portion. 
Fortunately the lost portion was very small; and the article is practically complete, and 
contains everything of interest and value.— Ed.] 
