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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 13, p. 97.

ADMINISTRATION 97 invested with the powers of a Deputy-Collector for this purpose, and by the suhdivisional officer of Giridih; appeals from their decisions are heard by the Deputy-Commissioner or the judicial Commissioner of Chota Nagpur. Criminal cases are tried by the Deputy-Commissioner, the subdivisional officer of Giridih, and the above-mentioned Deputy and Sub-Deputy Magistrates, and by the Munsif of Chatra, who has been invested with second-class powers. The Deputy-Commissioner possesses special powers under section 34 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Judicial Commissioner of Chota Nagpur disposes of appeals from magistrates of the first class and holds sessions at Hazaribagh for the trial of cases committed to his court. Hazaribagh is the least criminal District in Chota Nagpur, and crime is com- paratively light. In 1835, the first year for which statistics are available, 86 separate estates paid a land revenue of Rs.49,ooo. The number of estates increased to 244 in 1870-1, but after that date a number of the smaller estates were amalgamated with others and the total fell in 1903-4 to 157, with a demand of 1•33 lakhs. Of these estates, 72 are perma- nently settled, 82 are temporarily settled, and 3 are held direct by Government. In Hazaribagh District the eldest son takes the entire estate, and provides for the other members of the family by assigning them smaller holdings as maintenance grants. There is thus no tendency to the excessive subdivision of estates which is found in Bihar. Besides these maintenance grants, jdgzrs to ghdtwdls, priests, servants, and others are common. The only unusual form of jdgir is one known as putra- putrddah, which remains in the family of the grantee until the death of the last direct. male heir, after which it reverts to the parent estate. The incidence of revenue is very low, being R. 0-1-4 per cultivated acre, or only 8 per cent. of the rental, which is Rs. 1-2-6 per cultivated acre. The highest rates are realized from rice lands, which are divided into three main classes: gaird, the rich alluvial lands between the ridges; singd, the land higher up the slopes ; and bdd, the highest land on which rice can be grown. The rates, which are lowest in the central plateau and highest in the Sakri valley, vary for gaird land from Rs. 3-Io-8 to Rs. 5-5-4 per acre (average Rs. 4-5-4) ; for singd land, from Rs. 2-1o-8 to Rs. 4 (average Rs. 3-10-8) ; and for bad land, from Rs. 1-1o-8 to Rs. 3-10-8 (average, Rs. 2-2-8). Other lands are classified as bdri or gharbdH, the well-manured land situated close to the village ; bdhirbdri, fairly good land situated farther from the home- stead; third, land set apart for growing paddy seedlings ; tdnr, barren land on the tops of the ridges ; and tarri or rich land on the banks or in the beds of rivers. For these the ryot usually renders predial services in lieu of rent. VOL. X111. H