A History of the Mahrattas v1.c9.120

v1.c9.120

the districts in Berar. Though almost constantly engaged in war, this great man found leisure to cultivate the arts of peace, and to forward those arrangements in finance which have left his name in every village of his country far more venerated as a ruler than renowned as a general. He abolished revenue farming, and committed the management to Bramin agents under Mahomedan superintendence; he restored such parts of the village establishment as had fallen into decay; and he revived a mode of assessing the fields, by collecting a moderate proportion of the actual produce in kind, which, after the experience of several seasons, was commuted for a payment in money settled annually according to the cultivation.¹ By such means his districts soon became thriving and populous; and although his expenditure was great, his finances were abundant.