1 ( 108 )
2 15. “What these Police powers must have been, and how capable of
3 abuse, will at once be perceived on a perusal of the list in question. Of
4 the generally vexatious nature of these taxes it has elsewhere been ob-
5 served that an idea may best be formed by the selection of a few
6 specimens :—“ In certain places, and in particular castes, taxes were levied.
7 “on marriage, on taking a concubine, and on incontinency ; ona female
8 “‘of the family attaining puberty; on a child being born, on its being’
9 . “given a name, and on its head being shaved; on the death of a mem-
10 “ber of the household, and on the subsequent purification ceremonies.
11 « Umbrellas, were taxed, and so were individuals who passed a particular
12 “spot in Nuggur without keeping their arms close to their sides. There
13 * was one village whose inhabitants had to pay a tax because their ances- |
14 “tors had failed to find the stray horse of an ancient poligar ; and there
15 “was a caste of Sudras who were mulcted for the privilege of cuttfng off
16 “the first joint of one of their fingers in sacrifice. Fees were levied from
17 “bankrupt Government contractors for permission to beg (it is not stated
18 “‘what classes were likely to bestow alms upon them), and taxes were
19 “demanded from individuals who went to live in new houses, or who
20 “listened to the reading the New Year’s Calendar. , Each of these items -
21 “had its own particular name, under which it was formally entered on
22 “the Records of Government as among the resources of the State,”
23 To this may be added the fact, that the daring climbers, who robbed the
24 nests of the myriads of wild pigeons that built against the perpendicu-
25 lar sides of the vast ravine into which the Gairsuppa River precipitates
26 itself, were made to pay a per-centage on the grain which they thus
27 collected at the daily risk of their necks.
28 16. The systems in force in the four different divisions of ‘Nuggur,
29 Astagram, Bangalore and Chittledroog, were so widely different, that it
30 will be well, though necessarily involving much repetition, to consider
31 each of them separately. That of Nuggur yielding the largest amount,
32 and: being more complex in its arrangements, and mischievous in its
33 results, will be entered upon first.
34 17. Under the Rajah’s administration, the Sayer Department
35 in Nuggur was divided into three Ilakhas or
36 branches :—
37 let. The Cowlidroog Sursayer, including the Chickmoogloor, Cop-
38 p®, Cowlidroog, Holihonoor, Luckwally and Shemooga Talooks and the
39 Cusbah Town of Chennagirry.
40 Nuggur Division.