Proceedings of the Committee of Revenue, 27th September-28th October,1784

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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 1781 the Court of Directors decided to centralise the Committee of Revenue based in Calcutta. The office of the Provincial Councils were abolished on February 9, 1781. The Committee of Revenue was placed in full control aided by a Diwan. Collectors were appointed under the Diwan at various districts. The new Collectors were mere figure-heads, and zamindars were encouraged to pay their revenue direct into the Khalsa or Exchequer at Calcutta. The Committee of Revenue continued to operate till it was replaced by the Board of Revenue in 1786.

Selection details

On 1781 the Court of Directors decided to centralise the Committee of Revenue based in Calcutta. The office of the Provincial Councils were abolished on February 9, 1781. The Committee of Revenue was placed in full control aided by a Diwan. Collectors were appointed under the Diwan at various districts. The new Collectors were mere figure-heads, and zamindars were encouraged to pay their revenue direct into the Khalsa or Exchequer at Calcutta. The Committee of Revenue continued to operate till it was replaced by the Board of Revenue in 1786.

1.

[Page 137]

1.1. Vakeel of Meer Golam Ally zemindar of the 12 anna division and Grervee[sic] Ajaradar of the 4 anna division of Pergunnah Dawoodpoor.

The Rents of Pergunnah Dawoodpoor were settled at the Sudder at Rs 3872 on an actual measurement of the Mahal. This year the whole crop of Grain has been entirely destroyed by the Inundation from the Northern Mountains. Many of the Inhabitants were drowned, and those that escaped, have fled for refuge to the Foot of the Roshunabad Hills. There are only 11 families remaining in the Pergunnah and those from the difficulty of procuring Provisions and the enhanced Price [Page 138] of them are in the greatest distress. Not a Dhirum(?) has been collected since the month Chyte; and the Cultivation of the Pergunnah should be recovered in the ensuing year, not more than half the Hustabood of the present year could be realized, because the Sudder Jumma is regulated by the Mofussil assets and when these assets fail, from whence are the Revenues to arise or how is my Constituent to make good his engagements with Governement. Tho Mr Day be well acquainted with the Calamities yet he demands from me the Completion of my engagements. I therefore request to be allowed a deduction of half the Jumma in Consideration of the above accidents; and that Mr Day may be desired to receive from me a Kistbundee for the Remainder

A Caldecott
[Page 139]

1.2. Agreed we write the Chief of Dacca as follows,

Sir,

Inclosed we transmit you a copy of a Petition from Meer Golam Ally and desire you will inquire into the truth of the facts alleged in it, and report to us your opinion of the amount of the damage he has sustained and of the remission he in your opinion is justly entitled to.

We are & ca

[Page 440]

1.3. Committee’s Resolution on the above accounts with the acting President’s explanation of the Balances. The Committee taking into consideration the above Reports and accounts now record their Remarks and Resolutions as follows. Behar

[Page 441]

Balance being the Total Demand for Sawan 1,32,391,,1,,15

The Committee have since received an account Demands, Receipts and Balances of the Revenue of the Districts under Mr Brooke, reducing the net Balance in the whole year to 18000 Rupees.

That as they will soon take that account into Consideration, it is unnecessary to send ant orders to the Chief of Patna.

Dacca- Balance ----49,112,, Agreed that the Chief be informed that the Committee cannot admit the confinement of the Shaikdar of the 7 annas Division of Daken Savagepoor or any plea for the nonpayment of the Rents. That the Committee therefore expect, he will take measures immediately for realizing this Sawan. With Talook of Aboobulla, the Committee think it necessary to point it out to the particular attention of the Hon'ble Board by remarking that this [Page 442] Balance is dated to arise from the Talook having been put under Sequestration by an aumeen deputed from the adawlut at Bakergunge. That as neither the Chief or Committee in such circumstances have the means of enforcing the payment of the Collections in opposite to the process of the Court they request the interference of the Honble Board by calling upon the judge of the Bakergunge adawlut for an Explanation of the Process issued from his Court the grounds upon which such process been [...] and to inform them by what article of the [...] regulations such Process is authorized The committee further remark that if the aumeen deputed by the Judge has either made the Collections of the Talook himself or has prevented the Collection of the Revenue in consequence of the authority delegated to him, they are of opinion that he should be called upon to make good the demands of the Government. That [Page 443] as to the Plea assigned by the Chief of Dacca for the Balances in general, as being occasioned by the distress the Country now labours under from- Inundation, the Committee believe it to be founded upon fact, although they have not sufficient information before them to enable them to form a judgement of the particular Loss occasioned thereby, That the Chief of Dacca be written to collect and transmit to the Committee as accurate information on this point as possible, and give every encouragement to the zemindars and ryotts to return to the Cultivation of their lands, That whilst he enforces his Sunnaud with lenity upon those zemindars who from Circumstances of distress may be entitled to this indulgence, he be attentive at the same time that this plea be not admitted for withholding the Rents of Government where the distress does not actually exist.

[Page 451]

1.4. Agreed that in consequence of the above Resolutions the following letters be written to different Chiefs and Collectors

Sir,

We have received your Tawjee account for the month of Sawan; as we cannot admit the Confinement of the Shaikdar of the 7 annas division of Ducken Savagepoor as any plea for the now payment of Revenues We desire you will take such measures as you may deem necessary for realizing the amount as soon as possible.

You will likewise collect and transmit to us an accurate information of the loss sustained in the Districts under your Charge from the late Inundation, as you may be able to obtain, and give every encouragement to the Zemindars and Ryotts to return to the Cultivation of their Lands at [Page 452] the same time we think it necessary to caution you in enforcing the Demands of Government, with [...] upon those zemindars who from circumstances of distress may be entitled to this Indulgence, not to admit this Plea for withholding the Rents of Government in any Instance where the Distress does not actually Exist.

We are &ca

This is a selection from the original text

Keywords

cultivator, inundation, ryot, zamindar

Source text

Title: Proceedings of the Committee of Revenue, 27th September-28th October,1784

Original date(s) covered: 1784

Provenance/location: This text was transcribed from manuscripts at the West Bengal State Archives. Original date(s) covered: 1784

Digital edition

Language: English

Selection used:

  • 1 ) pages 137 to 138
  • 2 ) page 139
  • 3 ) pages 440 to 443
  • 4 ) pages 451 to 452

Responsibility:

Texts collected by: Ayesha Mukherjee, Amlan Das Gupta, Azarmi Dukht Safavi

Texts transcribed by: Muhammad Irshad Alam, Bonisha Bhattacharya, Arshdeep Singh Brar, Muhammad Ehteshamuddin, Kahkashan Khalil, Sarbajit Mitra

Texts encoded by: Bonisha Bhattacharya, Shreya Bose, Lucy Corley, Kinshuk Das, Bedbyas Datta, Arshdeep Singh Brar, Sarbajit Mitra, Josh Monk, Reesoom Pal

Encoding checking by: Hannah Petrie, Gary Stringer, Charlotte Tupman

Genre: India > official correspondence > state archives > West Bengal

For more information about the project, contact Dr Ayesha Mukherjee at the University of Exeter.

Acknowledgements