Indian Antiquary Vol 54

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1825
THE REVENUES OF BOMBAY
11 Foro in Portuguese signifies a quit-rent payable by tenants to the King or Lord of the Manor. This quit-rent tenure was common in Bassein and its depend
ein and its dependencies during Portuguese rule. Da Cunha rejects the view that Foro is derived from the Latin Foris (out of doors, abroad) and suggests that it is derived rather from Forum, & public place, where public affairs, like the payment of rents or tributes, were transacted.' The words "out rent" in the Statement seem to imply that Foro was in some way connected with Foris (outside). Actually Foro was a quit-rent, which superseded the original obligation on the tenant to furnish military aid to the Sovereign, in return for the possession and enjoyment of the land. The quit-ront under Portuguese rule varied froin 4 to 10 per cent. of the usual rental of the land.
13 Stanck. A corruption of the Portuguese estanque = a license to sell, a monopoly of a branch of trado, etc. Here it signifies the farming-monopoly or the farm of tobacco.
13 Mazagaon or Mazagon.
14 Bravo in Portuguese ='uncultivated', 'wild,' magnificent,' 'excellent.' W. Foster suggests that the phrase means "cocoa-nut trees in full bearing." The duplicate copy of the Statement has buavas, an evident mistake for bravas, Manca in Portuguese='defective,' 'imperfect,' 'incomplete. Palmeiras mancas must mean "palm trees not fully grown."
16 Island of Pattecas, i.e., Butcher's Island. The name is derived from Port. pateca, 'water-melon', and the process of corruption into the modern 'Butcher's can be gathered from Fryer's statement (1673) - “From hence (Elephanta) we sailed to the Putachoes, a garden of melons (Putacho being a melon) were there not wild rats that hinder their growth, and so to Bombaim." It is marked 'Putachoes' in Fryer's map of Bombay. The corruption into 'Butcher's (island)' had taken place by 1724.
16 Vinzora. This is written " Vinzora" in the duplicate copy of the Statement. The meaning of this word is totally obsouro. The word most nearly approaching it in pure Portuguese is vindouro = 'future to come after. But it is more likely to be & corruption of a vernacular term. Could it be vana. joda = profit from pasturage fees ?
17 From the calculations in this statement the fedea appears to have equalled a little more than 12 reis. It was a money of account only-W. FOSTER.
18 Mangas =mangoes. 19 Botica =shop or tavern (Port.).
10 Henry Due. This may mean the island (div, diu) of Underi (Henery), near Khanderi (Kenery) as the mouth of Bombay harbour. But more probably it refers to Hog Island, which is marked Henry Kenry in Fryer's map---W. FOSTER.
31 Texas appears to be a copyist's error for Terras, 'lands'. In the duplicate copy of the Statement, it is written Tezzas.'
19 Muraco is a copyist's error for murdes (see footnoto 3 ante).
33 Conserlas de Terras. The meaning of consertas' is doubtful. It is possibly connected with Portu. guese concerto,' meaning disposition,' disposal,' agreement, contract, covenant' etc. The 's' may be a mistake for 'o'.
4 Ooito. This is perhaps a Portuguese rendering of Marathi koyti, a sickle,' or Kanareee koyta, a bill. hook. It seems to be identical with the cotto or whetting of knives," which appears as an item of Bombay Revenue in a letter of March 27, 1668, from the Company to Surat (B.C.G., II, 58 footnote). The revenue from this item at that date for the whole Island was estimated at 2,000 pardaos. It was probably akin to the toddy-knife tax' imposed on the Bhandaris, called 'aut salami'at a later date. The tax was imposed on all persons like the Kolis, Bhandaris and others, who used a knife in the performance of their recog. nised daily occupation.
35 In the duplicate copy of the Statement bravos is written bravaz. See foot-note 14 ante.
36 10 ba. This means 10 bazaruccos. According to Yule and Burnell (8.V. Budgrook) the bazarucco was a coin of low denomination and of varying value and metal (copper, tin, load and tutenague), formerly current at Goa and elsewhere on the west coast of India, as well as at some other places in the Indian seas. It was adopted from the Portuguese in the earliest English coinago at Bombay. In the earliest Gos coinage (1510) the leal or bazarucco was equal to 2 reis, and 420 reis went to the golden cruzado. The derivation of the word is uncertain.
37 Chito. The meaning of this item is obscure. The Portuguese word chito is the same as escritor anything written,' a noto of hand.' It might possibly be a Portuguese corruption of Marathi chittha, meaning pay-roll, general account of revenue 'etc., or of Kanarese chitthi meaning a roll of lands under cultivation.' It may perhape be asumed to signify miscellaneous rovenue written up in the roll.
26 Matungo is Matunga, about 11 miles south-east of Mahim (Maym).