96 THE AGRARIAN SYSTEM OF MOSLEM INDIA

action, to put the bulk of his Service on cash salaries, and
take the northern provinces under direct administration.
The decision was welcomed, or possibly inspired, by Raja
Todar Mal, but it was opposed by his superior officer, Muzaffar
Khan, and action was delayed until the next year, when the
latter officer had fallen out of favour. In the 19th year, a
large staff of collectors was appointed (iii. 117), and posted
to circles formed for the purpose; the working of this large
administrative enterprise will be examined in the next
section, and for the present it must suffice to say that, so
far as our information goes, it was carried on for five years,
and then abandoned. Direct management extended to
what may be called the old provinces, Multan and Lahore,
Delhi and Agra, Awadh and Allahabad, and also to Ajmer
and Malwa; but there is no reason to suppose that it was
applied to the territories of, at least, the more important
Chiefs, and it is probable that the two last-named provinces,
where such Chiefs abounded, were not very greatly affected.
I have found in the chronicles only three references to
the existence of Assignments during the period in question
in the regions taken under direct adminstration. Two of
these,2 Chunar and Ranthambhor, were administrative
charges with an Assignment attached, and cannot be regarded
 as indicating a general departure from the principle
of direct administration; the third is a reference to certain
Rajputs who had been settled, apparently for political
reasons, on Assignments in the Punjab, which they retained
until the 23rd year, and it also may fairly be regarded as a
special case, so that we may infer that, from the 1gth to the
24th year, Assignments were not made in this tract in the
ordinary course, and consequently there was no need for a
Valuation.
In the latter vear a new Valuation was drawn up, based
on the facts of recent experience. According to my reading
of the obscure passages? in the authorities, an average was

1 It is convenient, but not strictly correct, to speak of provinces at this
period. The organisation of the Empire in provinces dates only from the
24th regnal year (Akbarnama, iii. 282).
2 Akbarnama, iii. 158, for Chunar, iii. 210, for Ranthambhor, iii. 248, for
the Punjab.
3 The passages are discussed in Appendix E.