Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/355

LUC 347 after enquiry, partly by purchase, and partly by grant on their being declared Government property. Claims for shares have been very numerous, and many have beeu decreed; but it is more probable that dispossessed members who had been left out of the khewat have thereby come in, than that the share has actually changed hands by the decree. Sometimes the khewats have been very difficult to make up, as, where the zamindars have recovered a lost village, and no khewat existed during limitation, or where claimants have come forward alleging that the portion of sír they may have held in the Nawabi represented their share, though they did not exercise their right in the management, and it is difficult to say that this is not the case. On the other hand, it has often bappened that a lambardar will come forward to upset a khewat that he himself agreed to at the summary settlement, on the ground that his co-sharers did not hold actual shares with him within the period of limitation. It is needless to observe that this has not been sanctioned. The courts have not disturbed possession where right or a title secured by adverse possession has not been shown. Act XXVI. of 1866 has not operated very heavily in the district, yet some twelve sub-settlements that had been decreed were cancelled under its provisions. Act XIII. of 1866 has been harder. It has been called a blot upon our statute books, and many mortgages have been cruelly fore- closed that the zamindars hoped, in all justice, they would have been allowed to redeem. It has been worse where in some cases they had recovered possession under the summary settlement, but had to restore on the titles secured by their unredeemed deeds. There have been in all 27,139 cases instituted in the settlement courts to determine rights in land. The following table is borrowed from the Registration Report as showing the transfers of landed property in the districts :- Description of deeds. Number of deeds. Amount. Remarks. 1873, 1974, Total. 1878. 1874. Total, Rs. Rs. Rs. 617 547 1,164 6,03,597 5,01,960 11,05,647 Deeds of sale Rs, 100 and up- wards. Ditto of sale less than Rs. 100, Ditto of mortgage of Rs. 100 and upwards. Ditto of mortgage less than Rs. 100. Ditto of gift 1,107 1,017 2,124 44,344 41,162 85,606 2,402 878 3,280 8,92,441 9,15,123 18,07,564 1,137 1,137 58,445 58,446 19) 38 9,650 3,846 12,996 ORD 03 GOD Total 4,145 3,617 7,762 15,50,032 10,20,026 30,60,068