Report On The Land Revenue Settlement Of The Muzaffargarh District Of The Punjab

· 1882 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

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2to direct their own. affairs to an extent for which they were

3hardly fitted. No doubt the main reason of the inability

4of tho villages to combine for corporate action lay in their

5constitution, in which the strong link of bi'otherhood, which

6is so characteristic of all communities in the Punjab, except

7in the south-western corner, was entirely wanting.

87. According to the returns of the recent settlement

9the area cultivated by tenants amounts to 1(>9,000 acres, or

10to more than one- third of the total area under cultivation.

11On 97,000 acres rents in kind alone are paid, the rates being

12one -half in the case of 18,000 acu-es, one- third in the case of

134.'i,000 acres, and one-fourth in tlie case *of 30,000 acres.

14Tenants who have brought land under cultivation by clearing

15jungle (mundhimar and butimar) have, it is stated, usually

16been recorded as possessing occupancy rights, but no details

17are furnished by the Settlement (Jliicer, Mr. O’Brien notes,

18however, that land is so abundant that the occupancy status

19has no attraction for tenants, and that they prefer not to be

20tied down to their holdings in any way.

218. A good description of tho people, their superstitions

22and amusements is given by the Settlement Officer in Chap-

23ters III. and IV. of the lleport, and the account of the agricul-

24ture of the district in Chapter V. is an excellent one.

25Wheat is grown on more than half the area under crops and

26forms tho staple food of the people. According to the analysis

27of the various specimens of Punjab wheat which were for-

28wartled to England for examination, the wheat of Muzaffar-

29garh is among the best of the Province. Cotton occupies 8

30I)er cent, of the cropped area, and indigo, jowar and peas

31about 6 per cent. each. The Lieutenant-Governor would

32be glad if the Director of Settlements and Revenue Itecords

33would take into consideration Mr. O’Brien’s remarks on page

3477, regarding the slovenly preparation of indigo, with a view

35to deciding whether it is not possible that some improve-

36ment should be effected in the method of manufacture.

379. Immediately after annexation a summary settlement

38was carried out by Captain Hollings in the north which was

39then attached to the Lciah District, and in the south by Mr.

40Wedderburn, Lieutenant Farrington and Lieutenant James.

41Tho fact that the cesses taken by the Sikhs had been levied

42at varying rates according to the incidence of the revenue

43was not recognised at that time, and their indiscriminate