1 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PUNJAUB. 5?
2 by which he wrung their substance from the
3 landholders. The rabble soldiery placed at his
4 disposal for the defence of the portion of the
5 state committed to his custody and government
6 were continually employed to coerce the zemin-
7 dar, so that, whatever might be the lot of the
8 latter, and of the ryots, or villagers, who tilled
9 the earth, the administrator of the province was
10 seldom without a satisfactory share of its fruits.
11 Many of these men consequently became rich
12 and powerful chiefs, and although, in several
13 instances, sprung from the dregs of the populace,
14 attained a high rank, not only as lairds of exten-
15 sive provinces, but as officers of the state. The
16 late Rajah Dhyan Singh, who was for a long
17 time Runjeet Singh's prime minister and chief
18 conductor of all the negotiations with the British
19 government, was originally but a private dragoon
20 or trooper upon one rupee (two shillings) per
21 diem.
22 The revenue system in force in Runjeet
23 Singh's time continuing to this hour, it may
24 readily be conceived that the transfer of the
25 country from Sikh to British rule will not be
26 unacceptable to the agricultural population, who
27 see that, in the provinces of India, contiguous to
28 the Punjaub, the cultivator enjoys in peace and
29 security a fair proportion of the results of his
30 industry.
31 D 5