An interesting arrangement, quite reminiscent of present times in view of the ongoing debate around protection of cows. From a consultation of the Bombay Council meeting held on 30^th  Sept. 1720 –

“The late scarcity of provisions necessitating us to take some cows from the Jentue (Hindu natives) inhabitants to supply the fleet, of which they making complaints to the President and offering to pay four rupees a head per annum rather than have their cattle killed, being assured we can have a sufficient supply from the Sciddees country, and that this will be an annual emolument to the Rt. Honourable Company – Ordered that the Secretary prepare a proclamation forbidding all persons to kill any cows belonging to the Jentues, and directing the heads of each caste to collect four rupees p. head p. annum on all cattle belonging to them, and pay the same to the Collector of the Revenues.”

Hindus offered to pay four rupees a head per annum rather than have their cattle killed

Revenue from this agreed tax was expected to be so large, that it played an important role in the Council’s decision to halve the quit-rent (lease rent) on properties within the Fort. In continuation of the above consultation the Council added –

“A petition was presented to the Board by the principal inhabitants, setting forth that the quit-rent is a heavy tax on them and desiring to be relieved from the same, and it appearing to us that there is reason for said complaint, in consideration thereof and the tax agreed to be laid down on the Jentue cattle (which will be more than the whole quit-rent amounts to), resolved that from and after Michaelmas Day the quit-rent shall be reduced to one-half; and several of the inhabitants to avoid paying said quit-rent having built without the Town Wall – Ordered that all houses within cannon shot of the Town Wall pay the same quit-rent in proportion as those built within, which will in some measure make amends for what we have reduced the others to.”

Relief to the wealthy within the Fort, at the cost of not-so-wealthy out-side the Fort

It is another matter that while it provided substantial relief to the wealthy within the Fort, it introduced the quit-rent for not-so-wealthy, who had moved out-side the Fort.

Half a century later, in 1772, a decision was taken to devise a scheme to push the natives out of the Fort, as it had become very congested and Europeans could not find enough land for constructing their dwellings or business establishments within the Fort. A consultation of 25^th February 1772 notes –

“Read a petition from Raghunath Ballajee, Purvoe and owner of a house situated in Church Street, representing that he had nearly compleated rebuilding the same when the Committee of Surveys put a stop thereto, and requesting permission to compleat it, on which the Committee acquaints the Board that they put a stop thereto only till they could examine whether there were any orders against the black proprietors rebuilding their houses in that street, but they find there are none; it is therefore agreed that he be permitted to compleat his house.”

Present proprietors be prohibited from repairing their properties, which will induce them to sell to Europeans

However, the Council then set-out to push-out the natives. It went on to record –  

“But  there is great want of ground within the town walls for Europeans to build, and the Church Street being a very proper place for that purpose, resolved that the present proprietors be positively prohibited repairing them in future, which we hope will be a means of inducing them to sell to Europeans on reasonable terms.”

Interestingly, and astoundingly, by this time natives were being referred to as ‘black’ instead of as jentues or moors etc. as earlier. It appears that this abominable label was even more common while describing the segregated troops.