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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 20, p. 239.

ED UCATION 239 above is included the mohtarfa, which consists of a tax on houses and trades. Terraced houses are assessed at R. z per annum, tiled houses at 8 annas, thatched houses at 4 annas, and huts at 6 pies. Shops. and bazars are charged at the rate of Rs. 3, Rs. z, R. r, and 8 annas, according to their importance. Silk looms pay R. 1 each, other looms 12 annas, and oil-mills Rs. 2 per annum. Tolls are levied in Pudukkottai town and at eight other gates. The proceeds amount to Rs. 30,ooo. A revenue of about RS. 20,000 is derived from market fees, cart-stand fees, and rent of public buildings. There is no stamp law in the State. Court fees are levied in cash. The Public Works department is under the control of an Engineer, aided by two Assistant Engineers and a subordinate staff. The care of the State buildings and the maintenance and construction of irrigation works form the principal part of its business. The military force now maintained consists Of 22 officers, 9o privates (of whom 6 are gunners), and 16 troopers, who are known as the Raja's body-guard and are under the immediate control of an officer called the commandant. The strength of the police force is one chief inspector, 5 inspectors, 28 head constables, and 229 constables. There are 23 police stations. As has already been mentioned, the force is in charge of the District Superintendent of Trichinopoly. The annual cost of the _department is Rs. 35,000. The seven prisons include the Central jail at Pudukkottai town and six subsidiary jails. The convicts in the former are employed in making wicker baskets, ropes, cloths, bell-metal vessels, and net bags, in garden- ing, and in pressing gingelly oil. They are also employed in the con servancy of the town. The value of the labour done both within and without the jail by them in 1903-4 was Rs. 2,2oo. There were 50 con- victs in jail at the end of 1903-4 (8 of whom were life-convicts) and 15 under-trial prisoners, besides 5 civil prisoners, all of whom were lunatics. The cellular system is not in force, but arrangements have been made: to introduce it. The cost of the department is about Rs. 7,000. According to the Census of 1991 Pudukkottai, if it had been a British District, would have taken the fifth place among the twenty-two Districts of the Madras Presidency as regards the education of its male population, but would have Education. ranked last as regards the education of its girls, the actual percen- tages of the literate of each sex to the total population of that sex being 15.6 and 0-4 respectively. At the end of 1903-4, there were 35 State, 146 aided, and 96 unaided educational institutions. Of these, 255 were primary, 13 secondary, and 6 special schools. Altogether, 8,397 boys and 846 girls were under instruction. Pudukkottai town possesses a second-grade college, teaching up to the F.A. examination,