20 SOCIAL SCIENTIST middle-class people who stand between the zamindars and the cultivators have built up the social and economic structure of Bengal.357 There was no doubt that ^one of the social results of sub-infeudation has been the impetus to the increase of a middle class in a country possessing little or no manufacturing industry."8 It was quite clear that the zamindars and other tenure-holders were greatly benefited by this system. The revenue assessment fixed permanently in 1793 was about Rs 286 lakhs. But the growth of population, the extension of cultivation with the reclamation of wasteland., the increase in the value of agricultural produce on account of the improvement in the means of communication and the opening of new markets and the fall in purchasing power of money, greatly increased the rent roll of the zamindars from Rs 318 lakhs in 1791 to Rs 1472 lakhs in 1904. On the other hand land revenue rose during this period from Rs 286 lakhs to Rs 323 lakhs only.9 Moneylenders and Professionals Join in The gross income of the landlords had increased so much that it allured the prosperous lawyers, merchants and other professionals, who had savings to invest, to purchase zamindari estates. A good number of these landholders left the management of the estates in the hands of their agents. They purchased zamindaris partly to secure a higher profit and partly to acquire special honour and social prestige attached to it. Thus, most of the savings of the community were diverted to ^the purchase of landed rights.9518 But the Permanent Settlement failed to encourage the zamindars to undertake the improvement of land, promote agriculture and ameliorate the economic conditions of the ryots. Besides, taking advantage of the poverty of the people, moneylending became the most important factor in rural economy. The zamindars, merchants and rich people took part in moneylending business. The successful mahajan (moneylender) speculated in lands. The main feature of rural economy was that the moneylending interests were mixed up with landed interests. This close link between zamindaris and moneylending interests made the land system much more complex, the entire brunt of which was shouldered by the ryots.11 A new middle class emerged out of this complex land system and this particular class played a vital part in the foundation of modern Bengal. The main concern of the government during the period 1793-1859 was to safeguard their revenue. The ryots were left to ^the mercy of the zimindars." This was clearly revealed in all the legislation passed until the Rent Act of 1859.12 Though economically this period (1793-1859) ^commenced disastrously for the zamindars" yet gradually a feeling of security developed due to the regulations made in favour of the zamindars. As ^large areas of jungle and wasteland were brought under cultivation, the zamindars'margin of profit increased." By the