History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.52

v2.c44.52

and *Jama'-Wasil-Bāqī*. The Bengali subordinates now profited, because soon it became impossible for the Oriyā land-holders to pay the demanded revenue from their deserted villages. In all cases the Bengali subordinates possessed more accurate information about the quality of the soil, the value of the produce and the quantity of arable land of different kinds and classes lying waste than his British masters. Therefore they speculated in landed property exclusively with the help and aid of their friends in Bengal. Hundreds of old Oriyā noblemen were ruined and their ancient heritage passed into the hands of Bengali zamindars. The new assessment was on paper only, the amount was never realised and arrears accumulated rapidly. To crown all, the Bengalis in Orissa persuaded the dishonest Britisher of the day to sell defaulting estates by auction in Calcutta. For some years after 1806 the zamindaris of many old families of Orissa were sold for a mere song in Calcutta and on this gross injustice and grave inhumanity flourished "Nob Kissens" and "Ganga Govinds" of the early 19th century. Many Oriyā zamindars were frightened by the alterations in the revenue demanded by the British Government and many of them left heriditary possessions to be managed *Khās*. In O'Malley's words, "many left their estates to be held by the Collector, who in his turn either managed them through *tahsildars*, who embezzled as much as they could, or farmed them out to speculators, who rack-rented the ryots. A large portion of the revenue assessed could not be collected, the hardships of our revenue system were aggravated by repeated droughts, and the amount realized fell to 65 per cent. of the demand.”¹ The hopeless incompetence and dishonesty of early British administrative officers in Orissa, combined with the rapacity and cruelty of their Bengali subordinates, precipitated the great crisis of 1817.