required to keep order in their own charges and from whom he received an income of Rs. 8,750 per annum.1[1] These were the ancestors of the present muttadars.
He died in 1835 leaving a daughter and an illegitimate son named Sri Madhuvati Rámbhúpati Dévu, and the former was recognized by the muttadars as heiress to the zamindari. She declined to marry, declaring her intention of following the example of a former zamindarni of the country who had remained unwedded all her life.2[2] Some time afterwards, however, her chastity was suspected, and she and her brother, both of whom were apparently detested, were driven out of the country.
They were maintained by the Government, and in 1840 the estate was placed under the Court of Wards. Grave disturbances followed (a police force was cut up in 1840) 3[3] but by 1845 the more turbulent of the muttadars had been apprehended or driven to flight. The zamindarni surrendered the estate in favour of her illegitimate brother 4[4]; and in 1848, after protracted negotiations, the muttadars agreed to accept this man as mansabdar and to perform their old police duties, on condition that their united quit-rents should not exceed Rs. 1,000 and that the mansabdar should never attempt to exact more from them.
The mansabdar agreed to this, but quickly broke his promise. His confiscations of muttas and oppressions of the people resulted in risings against his authority in 1858 and 1861; and such was the hatred he inspired that when, in 1862, he attempted to go and reside in his property an insurrection arose which had to be put down by a strong force of police. He continued his depredations, however, and by 1879 had succeeded in getting eight muttas into his own enjoyment, had doubled the quit-rent in several others, and was deriving a considerable revenue from taxes on fuel and grazing and other unauthorized cesses.
He succeeded in doing this largely by making it appear, sometimes by disgraceful devices, that all his actions had the sanction of Government; and unfortunately the officers of Government neither adequately realized what was going on in his country nor made sufficient endeavours to protect the muttadars.5[5] They forgot that the agreement of 1848 was made under the authority of Government; and some of the
