MADRAS JOURNAL

OF

LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.

No. 4.-July, 1834.

Continued from page 159.

I.-A Sketch of the History of the Ramoossies residing in the Sattarah Territory and in the Poona and Ahmednuggur districts-By Captain Alexander Mackintosh of the 27th Regt. M. N. I. Commanding Ahmednuggur Local Corps.

CONTINUATION OF CHAP. III.

However strange all this inconsistency may appear, it is easily accounted for. Human nature is much the same every where. The Ramoossy robber having been apprehended, he naturally enough is anxious to escape the consequence of his trial for the crime of which he stands accused; many of these are bold, cunning, and clever, practised in their profession, and well acquainted with the ways of the world; while others of them, of course, are not so gifted, nor so experienced. An unsophisticated character while labouring under the agitation excited by the new and alarming situation in which he is placed, will frequently give a detailed and faithful account of all the proceedings connected with his delinquency. As much time generally, but necessarily, elapses before a prisoner is finally committed and brought to trial in this country, the prisoner ere long learns from some source that his associates in the late affair, who are in confinement, have resolutely denied all knowledge of the business; upon further consideration, the unfortunate man thinks it best, and more becoming, to deny the truth of what he had previously confessed; and he will state that it had been extorted from

On the contrary, if he denied knowing any thing of the matter at first, and he should shortly afterwards hear some of the sepoys, or any other prisoners, talking over the business, and discover or

fancy, he discovers, from the'r conversation, that some of his friends have confessed and are likely to be pardoned, and that he himself was described as one of the most formidable and principal persons of the gang, he is puzzled how to act; for resentment and pride nearly make him determine to continue silent, and brave all danger. However overcoming these feelings, and wishing to extricate himself, if possible, from his difficulty, he entreats that it may be made known that he has something of a very important nature to communicate. Then follow further declarations and recantations. The matter becomes extremely intricate, and the conduct of the prisoner so perplexing, that after trial it becomes a most unsatisfactory and most difficult matter to come to a decision on the point.

The following is said to be the general opinion of the Ramoossies respecting the punishments inflicted by our courts on such criminals as are convicted before them. A Ramoossy is said to care little for a punishment of two years hard labour, especially if he has been fortunate enough in preserving the stolen property for which he is now suffering confinement, as he will enjoy himself after he has been set at liberty. The separation from his wife or mistress, is a source of sorrow; but then they enjoy extremely comfortable quarters, a good and regular supply of food, and have comparatively light and easy work. It is a common observation, that few of the poorer and lower orders are so well off and happy as the Government prisoners. The case is much the same when they are sentenced to five years imprisonment. They console themselves by saying, that, after three years, they will have only two more to remain in Jail-upon the whole thinking lightly of it, unless they happen to be old men-and hoping they will have an opportunity for gratifying their revenge somehow on the persons that gave evidence, or information, against them. They greatly dread fourteen years imprisonment, and the sentence of hard labour for life, to many of them, is worse than a sudden termination of life. The idea of transportation fills them with horror, and is looked upon as a moral death

Although the following anecdote is unconnected with the present subject, I am induced to mention it as it gives some slight insight into the feelings of some of the members of the predatory tribes. The Koley Higgiah Thoukkull lives in one of the small villages in a valley of the Syadry range of Ghauts-some miles north of JooHe had never spoken to an European until he met me, al

nere.

The wife of a Ramoossy lately transported from a village near Poona Las since been married to another kamoossy.

though he had seen four at different times passing through the

country.

This Koley was a man of a bold, active, and restless character. After he had been seized and placed in confinement, I asked him some questions with the view of gaining information that might guide our operations more successfully against the insurgents. He had a wife who, I had been told, was young and rather good looking, with a couple of children; to visit whom, after a considerable absence, he had repaired to his village, which circumstance led to his apprehension. He seemed a rather wild and uncouth sort of being, and as I was desirous of learning from him, what his ideas were with respect to his then situation-and what anticipation he had of the nature and extent of the punishment he was likely have to undergo; he was requested to give some account of himself; he said, he had been induced to join the insurgents in the hope of realizing some money, for he was in debt. His creditors had so teazed him, that he was at a loss how to satisfy them. He had tried farming on a small scale, but was obliged to give it up-for his debt increased-and latterly he had bound himself for a specified time to serve one of his creditors to clear off his score with him. I now told him in a serious manner, that I regretted he had acted so thoughtlessly, as to join the rebels, who had not only been plundering, but had killed and wounded some of our troops; -and added, that I supposed he was indifferent about what would be done to him in consequence-for, that he must care little whether he was hang

There are several classes of Kolies, (or Coolies as the name is written by us in general. The Kolies inhabiting the bills of the Syadry range, from the vicinity of the fort of Trimbuk to Bheema Shunkur, both above and below the Ghauts are cultivators, but at the same time most enterprising and determined robbers. They are of a more pure race than the holies in the Attaveessy, and more to the northward. Those settled around the Poo: undur hills, are of the same class as those found scattered over the Dekhan and employed as the village Koley, (one of the Ballottah institution,) who supplies the inhabitants and travellers with water, &c. The boatmen and fishermen on the coast around Bombay are Kolies, (Solesey,) and many of them are common labourers. I am inclined to think, the common term Cooly applied by the English to a porter and frequently to any person that works for hire,must have originated amongst the first English settlers at Bombay. A passenger coming ashore when a ship arrived from Europe, may have wished to give a box or package in charge to some native (probably a person of caste) near him; this man would naturally call out to a Koley to come and take charge of the gentlemen's box,- or a servant might have said, he would go and fetch a sufficient number of Kolies to transport the baggage to his Master's quarters. Thus the terms would have become familiar and indiscriminately applied to all labourers and porters, and soon spread among our few countrymen in India at the time. The name of this tribe is written Koley by the Natives and by a few English,-although more generally Cooley.

ed or transported or worked for life on the roads. This man really supposed I had the power at the time of awarding either punishment, and that it only remained to forward him to Ahmednuggur to undergo the sentence. Looking at me rather earnestly, he replied, that he would prefer being hanged. He was asked why he preferred death. He answered by saying, that it would relieve him from all other troubles; that his destiny had been shattered, his good luck had forsaken him, and that he was abandoned to misfortune. It was remarked to him, that working all his life time would certainly be preferable to death. He said no; he could not support himself under continual imprisonment and labour. Then why not be transported? he could not endure hearing of transportation; compared to that, death would be a favour. He was asked if he was fond of his wife and children, and he replied with great feeling, that he was, but that there was no use in thinking of them now; I then said that, probably, he would like to see them. He seemed composed, and did not answer for some little time. This might have been misconstrued into indifference, however, there were indications painted on his countenance of a great internal struggle. After a short time, he said, that he did not then wish to see them, in fact, that it would cause them much distress, and do neither of them any good. It was observed to him that if he was only condemned to hard labour for life, he would still have the satisfaction of occasionally seeing his family to whom he was so greatly attached, and hearing now and then of his relations and friends :-he looked now like one more reconciled to his fate, he raised his joined hands to his forehead, and bending himself in a supplicating posture (he was sitting in front of me on the ground in the entrance of the tent,) begged that I would dispose of him in whatever way I liked. This man having rendered considerable service afterwards, a pardon was extended to him, and he is now residing in his village.

Such of the Ramoossies as were guilty of commttting excesses during the former Government of the country, were visited in general with the most cruel and terrible punishments of mutilation and death,-when they were apprehended much pains were seldom, or never taken, to discover who were the most guilty, or if there were any innocent amongst the party. The punishment determined on,

Kala pany, dark water, in allusion to the ocean, is the term used by the natives to express transportation,-those in the interior, picture the place to be an island of a very dreadful description, and full of malevolent beings, and covered with snakes and other vile and dangerous nondescript animals.

used too frequently to be an indiscriminate massacre of the prisoners. In fact, it appears the Ramoossies have always been considered a most incorrigible race, that could not refrain from gratifying their inherent and vicious propensities to plunder; and it likewise seems to have the popular opinion, that Government should once in every fifteen or twenty years, act with a more than usual degree of energetic severity against this devoted tribe, by putting many of them, for the sake of example, indiscriminately to death, under the impression, that it was not only absolutely necessary to check their crimes, but also to lesson their numbers; lest they should ere long become so numerous and powerful as to banish all peace and security from such parts of the country as they resided in.

The most glaringly shameful and discreditable measures and acts of treachery, on the part of the former Government and its agents, used to be practised to wile these lawless and troublesome characters into their power by employing confidential persons to offer them pardon, rewards, and future service--and whatever they may have been claiming, if they would only remain quiet, and not disturb the peace of the country; at the same time exhibiting false grants, deeds, &c., more successfully to delude their intended victims; and concluding the scene with presenting them with honorary dresses, or some mark of the approbation of the ruling authority. They then watched the most favorable opportunity for destroying them.

Human natue is shocked at hearing the account of the treatment these misguided men and their families received at the hands of their unfeeling rulers. Little or no remorse seems to have been experienced in sacrificing human life to the barbarous expediency of diminishing their numbers with the view of either checki: g the outrages they were guilty of, or, if possible, eventually exterminating their race. However, due allowances should be made for the state of society and of civilization among the Hindoos :-under their despotic Governments, dissensions frequently took place, in the families of their princes and nobles which led to rebellions and wars. The functionaries in the distant provinces were indifferent to the orders of their superiors-confusion reigned almost every wherethey were habitually accustomed to arbitrary and summary measures, and became used to the sight of blood, so that for acts of rebellion, robbery, and murder, the Ramoossies, who where execrated, were unhesitatingly butchered; and for crimes of a minor nature they were most cruelly dealt with several of them, some years back,