Under the native governments, each of the village communities in the Dekhan had a portion of ground attached to it, under the control of the inhabitants. They were paid from different sources, in some from Meras lauds, in others from Gairan or Gutkooli and Inam lands. In the Dekhan and Carnatie table-land, the offices of the headman and accountant, as also those of the minor tnem hers of the municipality, are hereditary ; but in North Koukan and Gujerat, the appointments are by selection. The village system has a deep root among the Mahrattas.
In Kolaba, the village menial, he who watches the gates and preserves the boundary marks, is the chief. The usual members of the village staff are the sonar, kasar, sutar (carpenter), tell, darzi, lobar, kurnhar (potter), chamar, muchi, hajarn (barber), parit (washerman), mbar, and mhang.. The shepherd races are the Ilharwad, Brinjarr, Manger, Gaoli, Gol, Gras, Kurnbnr, and Itahari.
The seafaring and fisher tribes are the Amin, I3hoi, Gabit, Kharwa, Macb'hi, Mangala, and Mogen The chief forest tribes are returned as under: Forest. Males. Females, Total, Chodra, 17 276 17,189 34,465 Dhodia, 26 251 27,025 53,879 Canal's, 4,253 4,159 8,412 12,703 13,520 20,285 But besides there are the Thakur, and Warli.
The aborivineft, returned ainumbering 562,678, arc chiefly in the Panch Mahal district, where they form 30 per cent, of the population ; in the Thar and Parker they are 23 per cent. ; in both Thana and Surat they form 19 per cent.; in esh, 14.6 per cent. ; iu Naaik, 10; and in Hamad, 9 per cent. Of their total number, 561,317 are illiterate, viz. illiterate wales, and 276,810 illiterate females.
Famine, Rainfall.-The rainfall in the Dekhan districts, always scant, at uncertain intervals even fails, and dearths and famines result. About the
year 1801, aggravated by wars, a severe famine occurred, and in 1877 another occurred, owing to another failure in the rains. In the latter year the famine area extended over nine districts in all. Three of these districts - Kandeah, Nasik, and Satara-showed some increase in 1881 on the population return of 1872 ; but the decrease in Ahmailnaggur was 3'48 per cent. ; in Poona, 2.45 per cent. ; in Sholapur, per cent. ; in 13el g,raurn, 8•56 per cent.; in Dharwar, 10.78 per cent.; and in Kabuki, 21•7. The natural growth of the population, had it not been for the famine, should have been about 8 per cent. on the popula tion of 1872.
Actual Decrease.
Ahmadnaggur, . . 778,337 751,228 27,109 Poona, . . . . 921,35:3 500,621 20,732 Sholapur, . . . 719,375 582,487 136,888 13e1gauni, . . . 914,985 864,014 80,971 Dharwar, . . . 989,671 882,907 106,704 Kaladsi, . . . . 816,273 638,493 177,780 -- - 5,169,994 I 4,619,750 550,244 There was time an actual decrease of 550,244 on tilo population of 1871, and a decrease of 963,843 on what the popitlation should have been hail it increrutod as in ordinary times.
The Imuguagex current in this presidency are about forty in number, but the following sixteen cultivated tongues are the vernacular,' of twenty one out of tin twenty-three millions which form the total of the population . 1,071,127 Cleanest or Konkani,40,712 hblhrnlI . , 8,971 lujerati, . . 7,535,100 20,274 emutreso, . . 498,234 Tultl, 195 . . . 2,091,703 Atrium', . • . 2,088 Nig.rwari, . . 192,974 Turkish, . 225