usage (»'..prescriptive claim, has left „no room, for that difference of. opinion/
concerning proprietary,,right, which .exerGisedjithe ingenuity of the highest
authorities Jin the latter.1.... In .Bengal, .‘before, the, introduction of the permanent
« reyenue.. settlement, , there,ypere. usages, institutions,- and. established
modes of .proceeding .with regard to landed estates, thafrendered it doubtful
in which ofthe.three parties more immediately interested,-the proprieta$$right
should finally and lawfully; be settled* ,- The claim of . the Ryot to retain-tihe
land which - be ■cultivated,. ;S,o long as he paid the stipulated contribution,
seemed to raise-jus character above; that of. an .ordinary tenant rempveable
at pleasure, ,oj,;at the.,conclusion of a^stipulated term. The .situatiorvof
the Zemindar, as the actual receiver .of; .the- ;rents,, standing between . the
sovereign and the.i .cultivator, although .merely- for the purpose,’of paying
them over with certain deductions, to the sovereign, and hfs frequently 4raris^
mitting, the offipe with its emolumentsto his children, although held^Qnly.
during pleasure, gave his character spare affinity . to that of; an,,European
landholder. ; And lastly, the Sovereign himself, .who ultimately-receiyedsthe
"rents, and regulated them«-at his pleasure, and removed, both Zemindar >and
Ryot, itu case of negligence«.or disobedience, was arrayed,.with ,the »most
essential attributes of proprietary right, or at least, .exercised a 'pow,er rthat
could j ender any opposite claims nugatory., Thus, the;Ryotjpthg; Zemindar,
and the, sovereign, ■ had each his pretensions to, .the character , of landholder.
After much cautious inquiry and deliberate discussion-.qn, the part of our
Indian government, the claims of-,the, Zemindars,-.rather{perhaps froin,con-
sideratiqnsmf. policy.than a clear conviction, of their. {superior right,1-)rwere
preferred., .In Java, however, except in the cases-ofTla few. alienated.lands
and in the Swnda districts, of which more will .be^said hereafter, np, such
Pretensions are heard ; of,. ■ as those which ^were.v^dvppkte^f oujjth'e"' -part
#fj;the; Zemindars; of; western India; although inqgiries\torascertain the
equitable and ..legitimate rights of. all classes of the people, were known, to
be in progress, and a plan was declar_e_d to be in contemplation, for ,their .permanent
adjustment.« From, eyery inquiry-that was finstituted u n d e rlie
British government, and every fa.ct. that was- presented tqtbe, view.of, its
officers, it-appeared that, in the greatest- partof the. island, in the eastern
and. middle districts, and in short in, those provinces where rent to-any
considerable amount- was attainable, there...existed«no proprietary . right,
between that of .thp .soyereign and that of tbecultivator, that the government
was the only, landholder.
There
<There/are^fa^d§,jjf}pyMd;r^Higlh'contrihuf^hpt-l^g(i;fo/th.fe';'s'tete", some oii.
t p'avsffi od?an.te^ pfherstdf jwhichjthe rent:
refriaihs in’ thf^ Tguds-of hifflimmeflMef ^ b eriqr,: ^bttt^t&e fxnanfeeriin which
individuals, ^ cq a ire j and1 the M ffie n by ^M m fth ek , holcf wchllhtids-. form
jlj,Hsfeti.ons «fandri-^fp^fsi^of^the £>,f t^e^sqYefeigh? u, Ap
^ ^ e ^ H ^ ^ iy ri'le k ^ fe ^ a ytirdlvfAomi^ M iMM^^ f ..pr^dtee'jwhichv he
'exacts, and csftjfej considers p Himself invested .with, ,'"ahj/ahsplut'g^qminian
foyer-j that iShdrejfihje-- burthens^ ceftaitt/ivillage^J pr fegt^^swilnf the salaries
fofV DartiQul!aafeffi.a&rsv. . his*, rilatifes^cip
'■gav^Hritesi'o^ fey fcs*thhp^m'r theib’M ^ ^ t‘-nmyLCular:chantablc;of ieliirious1
infitituMnaa- in/tteeV^ame jnanner.i as, . b e fo re -th e ^ ^ b n ^ r^ tid n jAct in"
thxsscoun.tRV.irt.lie dnteiest ^of particular loansdi||are^xed.. upon the*pfodupe
foyjknecifiovrimp.ospsk>pHer& thfe alienation!, sT^^^bM^'qriginafcrigra^jffiSi
1-§ife#ign nrmmfince'satthfe .demand to 'whSejbj^a was entitled fo, § ||i makbs
uf declaim upoiUthe farmergfpr a shared offth4 feqp^M^el^<hjlt;ord,ers it l<£
'be paid ov ^ ttbJth'os^#hoJn hfi.thus appointsdnshisrplace,-- j>o, far-ras, the' gift
Extends. -With mM-ejgc^ tio n ro f "the ^i/nda.dis&ittsaM already stated, and
‘a.- comparatively .'inconsiderable npoXjtipn*; .'ofyla^i^thus al idnfllffiiffirij jlifldrerFt
mohditipns, the? proprietary rightdp;the-^Pilrin Java^^?|^niversallydn the
governmeOT^yJhetber. eXerfeised^byfhative- princes f or.7bmQglBg@S anti^rity^
andtthat permanent-and^him^ftary ihterestimdtooinecessarj^tQjy^^timve;.
ihent, ■ those;tffli.viduahrightsXjf. property which1 are'OTeate'(|^hylthc.-ia%s 1 and
jhrhtedte'd’'byi»the^o^rumeh’t; areT unknown. 1 With-thefoe;exceptions,y neti
S q r. l ^ ^ t i u s a g e au£hg|ixe^the oldest occupant o f land in Jayajtpfpo'ijsider
theground whichrheJhas^^&jmed'from,waste,"ontheTarm on,which ;hev has
foxfet-led alb hisMfhdustry, as his own, hy such a-tenure as. will..enable him,
"and*■ hisg^uccessors for.ever, .to reap' theffruitsrofiSnis1 labour. . ;.He(can,have
''gaide’d^ndi tilleifteyfeil^tOj a -definitej termtefcqccupancydb.ut frqmEjthe' eapr r-
■cipuS) servant of acaptibiouS'despot,; who himsblffisf not-legally, bound by
<h:is,.engagement, and whqse«successor iSjnot.feven morally bound,,bydti- 1!'
. As*a matter of, convenience, • the|same cultivators may. fcontinue; to oebupy
the* same portion ofriand« M SM 'a n d his children, afterxnis.decease,;may
.inherititheeground which he; cultivated,'.paying the dues to which,he was
-liable.'! The head of a village; whether^ called' Buhul, -Pethig’gi,- 'p^L'dr'ah,
.may^Bes1 continued in the- collection-of; the-; villagerents for’dife,mnd may,
^ e succee'd^dliri. office, by. .his heifs'.the superiorr officer,' bi~ Detndtig, with
whom he accounts, may likewise hold his'situation for; arlong, period, and
. - T '■ transmit