Page:The Marquess Cornwallis and the Consolidation of British Rule.djvu/132

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LORD CORNWALLIS

lands the property of persons in arrears, whose balances had been wholly or partially liquidated.'

Local enquiries revealed the existence of serious disputes between pattídárs, or sharers in the same village, as to their respective portions and between different families claiming the same villages. As a rule the village Zamíndárs, either in actual occupancy or known to have been in possession at any time since the acquisition of the Province in 1775, were readmitted to Settlement; and while the Resident and his Assistants had power to fix the revenue payable, this ruling was to be no bar to the prosecution of any claim to a recovery of the proprietary right in the Civil Courts of the Province. In other words, the English revenue officer fixed the amount of revenue for each estate or village, and took an engagement from one out of two or more contending claimants before him. The amount of revenue could only be varied on appeal by the Resident or the Revenue Board.

A dissatisfied claimant for the Settlement was left to his new remedy before the civil tribunal; and if successful there, would succeed to his estate or village, burdened with the payment of the revenue already fixed. This amount the Civil Court had no power to vary. Divers other provisions with regard to certain Parganás or hundreds were included in the Regulation which is the land charter of the Province. They have reference to the services