Revenue Board Consisting of the Whole Council, 4th October-30th December, 1774
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Introductory notes
The early records preserved in the West Bengal State Archive pertains to the administration of the land revenue system by the East India Company. The Company attained the revenue rights of the Province through the Grant of Diwani in 1765. The records in the repositories of the Archive date back to the Select Committee Records in 1768. Between 1769 and 1786 the revenue administration was managed by various intermediate agencies like the Resident at the Durbar, Provincial Council of Revenue, the Calcutta Committee of Revenue. In the early the revenue administration was managed by various intermediary agencies, these committees reflect the early experiments and confusion of the East India Company over revenue collection.
On May 1772, the Court of Directors decided to hand the revenue administration to a board, consisting of the President and four other members, while the title of the supervisor was changed to that of the Collector. The whole council that was constituted, to sit two days in the week, or if necessary more; the members of the council were appointed to act as auditors of accounts, each a week in rotation, The Revenue Board in the Whole Council continued to operate till 1774.
Selection details
On May 1772, the Court of Directors decided to hand the revenue administration to a board, consisting of the President and four other members, while the title of the supervisor was changed to that of the Collector. The whole council that was constituted, to sit two days in the week, or if necessary more; the members of the council were appointed to act as auditors of accounts, each a week in rotation, The Revenue Board in the Whole Council continued to operate till 1774.
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In Consequence of your Order and the Warrant which I had the Honor of [Page 6425] receiving on the 16th last, sentence of death was passed against the prisoner Mahomed Rassel and put into execution this Day between the hour of twelve, and one. I had all the Inhabitants of the Town convened by a [...] according to the custom of the Country and to strike the greater dread upon people of the Prisoners [...]all the Decoits confined here walk two and two in the rear of Guard which conducted the condemned to the place of execution, where he was hanged according to the Sentence. The prisoner begged hard to be allowed a burial But as it is necessary his body should remain a spectacle to the robbers about Boornah, the Fouzdar has placed [...] over the place where he hangs and I wait your Order to know if I may comply with the request of the deceased. We would confess nothing concerning his Robberies or adherents. Permit e to thank you Sir for the [...] of my conduct and Correspondence which you were pleased to signify in a letter from the Military Secretary to me. I shall always strive to [...] a continuance of your good Opinion and hope gap reason="illegible"/> is fails in my Endeavours, the Fouzdar begs I will enclose for the sake of its speedy arrival a request to Continue [...] sometime with him as my being [Page 6426] will be the occasion of his more easily bringing may notorious offender s to the hands of Justice. If you Sir should judge my stay necessary I beg leave to be allowed to build some kind of habitations for myself, two [...] and Sepoys and hope you will not think my request improper when I inform you that there is no place here fit for me to live in. The house I now live in, is a common hut of the Country which affords scarce any defence from Bad Weather of any kind and so low and confined as to contain very little air. I have latter the trouble or rather liberty of mailing an Estimate of the buildings I propose in case my request should meet with you approbation and find they will not exceed the cost of six hundred Rupees and such as to be habitable by any Detachment which may come here a twelve months hence in case the people here do not destroy them/ which is too often the case after the departure of an officer. It is shameful to say that at Mahmoudpour the destruction of a good house and Bungalow which with a very little trouble/that shutting the Doors and keeping out Vagrants /might have been kept in repair for years and answered [Page 6427] purpose for which they were built, but through neglect they are now gone to Ruin. I hope Sir you will excuse my mentioning this fault of the zamindars for it is not only at Mahmoudpour but at [...] Daulat Gaunge, and their places where the Company have been at the Expense of erecting houses that I have beheld the same neglect. I take the liberty of enclosing with this the confession of some of the notorious myself Decoits confined here who have been [...] of frequent robberies, also an Arzee from the Derogah of Adalaut to the Superior Court in Calcutta . I flatter myself sir you will approve of the Prisoner being executed here as it is the principal place of the District and seat of the Fouzdary. The court of Adalaut are now here and will tonight take the Confessions of some other Prisoners which I shall translate and send your as early as possible, I endeavored all in power to gain further information from Mahomed Rassel but could not . It is pretty certain that many of the zamindars were privy to his crimes, there are two or three whose Names I have [...], and if you think proper will send for them [...] to gain acknowledge from them of the most notorious Decoits in their Divisions. I believe the Death of Mahomed [Page 6428] Rassel has made the Country people very happy for at [...] he was leading to execution they cried out that [...] now sleep in Security , a blessing which before his [...] they could not enjoy. I flatter myself Sir that you will have the goodness while [...] here to allow me for four [...](illegible)