The annals of rural Bengal

485 Pages·2016·8.3 MB·English

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A n n a l s of R u r a l B l n o a l
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W. W. H U N T E R , B.A., M.R.A.S.
HiiX. rlil.. ETHNOI. sol
op T1IF. ! ’ l\ N < i AI. LIVI1. SEKVIlh
ShCOXP LDITlOX
NEW Y ORK
L E Y 1’ O E U T A N D HO L I
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V O L U M E I.
THE ETHNICAL FRONTIER OF LOWER BENGAL
WITH THE ANCIENT PRINCIPALITIES OF
BEERBHOOM AND BISHENPORE.
P R E F A C E
r< i tiik
AUTHORISED AM ERICAN EDITION.
Ix the following pages I have endeavoured to delineate the inner
life of those distant Asiatic nations over whom a branch of the
Anglo-Saxon Family has been called to rule. Separated from
us by half a world, their vicissitudes, social necessities, and
religious cravings are nevertheless pregnant with interest to all
who would contemplate the picturesque yet painful stages,
through which lies man’s route from barbarism to civilisation
and assured faith. The grand problems of life are everywhere
the same. It is in the solution of them that races differ.
Rut though the People, not the conquerors, form the subject
of this book, frequent traces have forced themselves to the
surface of that calm valour and patient strength of purpose by
which, while one handful of Englishmen in the last century was
subjugating the furthest East, another was rearing a Western
Republic, greater in all the permanent essentials of greatness than
the Empire of the Caesars or the Moguls.
AV. AY. H.
Oriental Liit., London
DEDICATIO N.
IiKO.-lMIlIl.l. Hol’sK,
4lh March 1S6S.
M y Dear Sir C ecie,
The forthcoming State Tapers on the popularity
and results of British rule in India, furnish a seasonable oppor­
tunity for a work which portrays the state of the country when it
passed under our care. These pages, however, have little to say
touching the governing race. My business is with the people.
To no one could such a volume be more fitly dedicated than
to a statesman who, by the development of municipal institutions,
by popular education, and by an enlightened respect for native
rights, has laboured during more than thirty years to call forth
that new life and national vigour which are now working amone
the rural multitudes of Bengal.
I therefore inscribe it with your name.
I am,
Yours very sincerely,
W. \V. 11 UiYTKR.
To
Sir CKCII. BKADON, K.C.S.I.,
Cirencester.
C H R O N O L O G Y .
1765. The Emperor appoints the Company to the Fiscal
Administration of Bengal.
1765-72. The Company collects the revenues by native agents.
1772-86. The Company’s experimental efforts at rural admi­
nistration by means of English officers.
17S6-90. Lord Cornwallis’ Provisional System.
C O N T E N T S.
C H A P T E R T.
INTRODUCTION.
TAGR
The Absence of Rural History, . . . . . 3
The Materials of Rural History, . . . . . 7
The Functions of Rural History, . . . . 9
The Sources and Scope of this Work, . . . . 1 1
C H A P T E R II.
TIIE STATE OF THE COUNTRY WHEN IT PASSED UNDER
IIRITISH RULE.
The Old System of Government under Native Princes, . . 13
It breaks down, and the Country passes under British Rule. . 15
Permanent Effects of the Great Famine of 1769-70, . . 19
The Crops of 1769, . . . . . .2 0
Distress anticipated, but the Land-Tax raised, . . . 23
The Famine declares itself, . . . . . 24
One-third of the People perish, . . . . - 2 4
The Living feed upon the Dead, . . . . .2 6
The Desolation of Gour, . . . . . . 29
The December Harvest (1770) restores Plenty, . . . 31
But to a silent and deserted Province, . . . . 31
Who was to blame ? . . . . . -3 4
Character and Scale of Relief Measures, . . * 3 6
But such Measures always inadequate, . . . .4 0
The Famine intensified by Interference with Private Enterprise. 43
Orissa isolated in 1S66; Bengal isolated in 1770, . . 45
The normal Effect of Famine in Bengal, . . . 49
The Specifics for Famine, . . . . -5 5
The Ruin of the ancient Aristocracy, 1770, . . * 5''
CONTENTS.
X
I’AG I--
The Relations of Labour and Capital transposed, 1776, . 59
From 1770 to 1789 one-third of Rental lies waste, . . 61
Severe Revenue Measures, . . • • • ^3
The Western Districts made over to Timers and wild Elephants, 64
Rural Industry at a stand, . . • • .6 9
Bengal in the Hands of Banditti, . . . • * 7°
The ‘ Dcbatcable Land,’ . . . . • -7 5
Bccrbhoom in 1789 ; the Warding of the Basses, . • 76
Bishenpore in 1 7S9 ; the Ilill-men burst through the Basses, . 78
The ancient Capital sacked by Banditti, . . • . 8 1
Estimate of Losses caused by their Devastations, . . 83
Results of our first efforts to establish Order, . . .8 4
The Western Frontier obtains Rest: its condition then and now, 85
C H A P T E R 111.
THE ETHNICAL ELEMENTS OF THE LOWIAND POPULATION OF
P.ENGAL.
The Aryans and Aborigines, . . . . .8 8
The Struggle for Life in Ancient India, . . . .8 9
The Aryan Race, . . . . . . .9 0
Its Line of March through Bengal, . . . .9 2
Aryan Civilisation, as portrayed by Mann, a Local System, . 97
A rigid fourfold System of Caste unknown in Lower Bengal, . 100
The Five component Parts of the Population of Bengal, . 107
The primitive Children of the Soil, . . . . 109
The Aryans and Aborigines contrasted ; first, as to Speech, . 112
Second, as to Colour, . . . . . . 1 1 4
Third, as to Food, . . . . . . . 115
Fourth, as to Religious Conceptions, . . . . 115
Fifth, as to their Belief in Immortality, . . . . 117
Aryan Funeral Rites, . . . . . . 1 1 9
The Future Life described, . . . . .121
Whence these Conceptions ? . . . . .122
Aboriginal Funeral Rites, . . . . .124
Influence of the Aborigines on the Aryans ; first, as to Speech. 126
Second, as to Religion ; Dcmon-worship and Human Sacrifices, 127
Siva and the Hindu Village Gods borrowed from Aborigines, 129. 194
Third, Influence of the Aborigines on the Political Destiny and
Character of the 1 ndo-Aryans, . . . . 1 36
The Future of the Indian Races, . . . . 140
CONTEXTS. XI
C H A P TE R I V.
THE ABORIO! V U. II11.1.-MEN' 11F BEERBUOt >M.
The Black Races of Rental, a new Field of Study, . . 141
The Santal Tribes of Western Bcerbhoom, . . . '45
Santal Traditions : the Creation, the Dispersion, etc.. . . '47
Analogies to the Mosaic and Aryan Accounts, . . . 150
The Legend of the Creation rather a Legend of the Flood, . ' 51
Santal Prc-historic Reminiscences, . . . . 15-
Santal Speech, . . . . . . , 156
The present Classification of Languages unscientific, . . 160
The New Lights, . . . . . . . 161
Santali examined by the New Lights: its Inflections, . . 162
Its Place among Languages. . . . . . 165
The Confluence of Languages in Bengal, . . . 167
A Uniform Method for studying non-Aryan Speech, . . 169
Roots common to Aryan and non-Aryan Speech, . . 171
Santali Words in Prakrit, . . . . . .76
Prakrit Words in Santali, . . . . . 178
General Deductions concerning Santal Speech, . . . '79
Santal Religion, . . . . . . . 181
Family and Village Gods, . . . . . 1S2
Tribe Gods, . . . . . . . .84
The Race God, . . . . . . . 186
The Santal Trinity, . . . . . . 187
Identity of the Santal Race God with the Mindu Siva, . . 1S8
The Hindu Family Gods, Village Gods, and Siva, borrowed
from the Aborigines, . . . . . . '94
Connection between the Aboriginal Rites and Buddhism, . '95
Connection between the Aboriginal Rites and Modern Hin­
duism, . . . . . . . . '99
Caste unknown among the Santals ; the Seven Clans, . . 200
The Six Great Ceremonies in a Santal’s Life, . . . 203
Admission into the Family and into the Clan, . . . 203
Admission into the Race, . . . . . . 204
Union of his own Clan with another ; Weddings, . . 205
The Santal faithful to one Wife ; Divorce, . . . 208
Dismission from the Race ; Santal Funeral Rites, . . 208
The Santal’s Conceptions of a Future State, . . . 210
Reunion of the Dead with the Fathers, . . . . 2 10
The Santal as a Cultivator and as a Hunter, . . . 211
Santal Sport, . . . . . . . 213
Santal Agriculture, . . . . . . 214
XII CONTENTS.
PAGE
Sanlal Hospitality and Comtcsy, . . . . .216
Santal Village Government, . . . . .217
Frankness and Easy Decorum of the Santal Women ; their
Dance, . . . . . . .218
The Santal’s Aversion to Strangers, . . . 216-218
The Santals as Depredators, . . . . .219
As Colonists and Day-labourers, . . . . . 220
They migrate Northwards to Rajmahal, . . . . 222
They furnish the Sinews of English Enterprise in Bengal, . 224
Pressure of the Population in the East and the West, . . 226
The Santal Colonists oppressed by Hindu Traders, . . 228
Our Courts fail to give Redress, . . . . . 230
The Santals, in Despair, fly to the Jungle, . . . 232
Hindu Usury develops Slavery, . . . . . 232
English Capital renders Freedom profitable, . . . 234
The Santals grow restless ; Warnings and Portents, . . 236
They collect in Armed Masses, . . . . . 238
They break out in Rebellion, . . . . . 240
Martial Law delayed, . . . . . . 243
Personal Narrative of the Rebellion, . . . . 247
The Rebellion at its Height, . . . . . 250
Martial Law declared ; the Rebellion put down, . . 251
The Wrongs of the Santals redressed, . . . . 252
The Railway abolishes Slavery, . . . . . 255
The Hill-men migrate to the Tea Districts, . . . 256
The Perils of Ignorance, . . . . . . 259
Statistics an indispensable Complement of Civilisation, . 260
CHAPTER V.
THE COMPANY’S FIRST ATTEMPTS AT RURAL ADMINISTRATION—
1765-1790.
Administration by ‘ Black Collectors/ 1765, . . . 261
The Supervisors, 1769-1772, . . . . . 263
Hastings’ Plan ; Period of Experiment and Error, 1772-17S6. . 266
Lord Cornwallis’ Provisional System, 1786-1790, . . 267
Cost and Character of Rural Administration, 178S and 1S64, . 269
The Land-Tax and Excise before 1793, . . . . 271
Ancient Intemperance and present Sobriety of the Bengali, . 275
The Temple-Tax, its History, and how levied, . . . 279
The District Government Bank, . . . . . 287
The Government Bank stops Payment, 1790, . . . 2S9
The Guarding of Treasure, . . . . . 291
COXTENTS. xiii
J A G 1?
State of the Rural Currency, . . . . . 293
Variety of Coins; Inadequacy of the Coinage, . . • -95
The Mussulman System of a Single Circulatintr Medium, .
The ideal Standard of Value, . . . . . 300
The Company’s first Currency Reform, 1766, . . . 301
The Gold Coinage of 1766, its Failure, . . . . 302
Permanent Drain on the Currency of Bengal, . . • 305
Currency Crisis, 1769, . . . . . • 307
Gold Coinage of 1769, its Failure, . . . • 308
History of the Currency, 1769-1789, . . . . 309
Currency Reforms of 1790, . . . . • 313
Currency Crisis of 1790-91, . . . . • 3*7
Final Triumph of the Reforms, 1794, . . . . 321
The Frontier and Fiscal Police before 1792, . . • 323
The Rural Criminal Administration, . . . ■ 338
A Regular Police formed, 1792, . . . . • 33'
The Village Watch, its inherent Defects, . . . • 333
Mussulman Jail Discipline, . . . . • 337
The Rural Civil Courts, 1790 and 1864, . . . • 339
Natural Sources of Excessive Litigation in Bengal, . • 34'
The Character of Civil Justice before 1792, . . • 344
The recognised Functions of the Company, 1765-1792, • 347
CH Al'TE K V I.
THE COMPANY AS A RURAL MAN U FA Cl U R E R.
The District ‘ Investment,’ . . . . . 350
Little Centres of Rural Industry form, . . . . 351
The Commercial Resident as a Labour-cmployer, . . 353
As Magistrate and Judge, . . . . . . 355
As a Private Speculator, . . . . . - 35^
The ‘ Adventurer,’ Mr. Frushard, . . . . . 358
His Misfortunes and Contests with the Collector, . . 360
His ultimate Triumph, . . . . . . 362
‘ Adventurers’ and ‘ Interlopers,’their Legal Status, . . 364
English Enterprise in Rural Bengal, 17S9 and 1S66, . . 365
The Company as a Rural Administrator and Manufacturer,
I765-«7‘;o, . . . . . . . 368