A History of Assam c21.72

c21.72

The Bar Senapati, or chief of the Matak country, after nominating his second son, known as the Māju Gohāin, to succeed him, died in 1839. The specially favourable arrangements sanctioned by the British Government for the term of his own life only thus came to an end. It was proposed to resume a portion of the tract, the inhabitants of which had asked to be placed under British rule, and, in the remaining portion, to take a fresh count of the population, and to fix the Government share of the revenue according to the scale originally proposed by David Scott. These terms were rejected by the Māju Gohāin; they were then offered to other members of his family, who also refused to accept them, whereupon the British representative, Captain Vetch, assumed direct management of the entire country. This measure was subsequently approved by the Governor-General. Pensions aggregating seven thousand rupees a year, or considerably more than half the total revenue of the estate, were awarded to the late Senapati's family, and several members of it were given appointments under Government.