IV
The available papers connected with this survey include the
instructions of Government, the circular from the Board of Reve-
nue to the district collectors conveying the instructions and the
prescribed form according to which information had to be com-
piled, the replies of the collectors from all the 21 districts of the
Presidency, the proceedings of the Board of Revenue on the
information received while submitting it to Government, and the
Madras Government’s proceedings on it. These are all
reproduced as Annexure A (i)-(xxx). It would have been useful for
a more thorough analysis, and for better understanding of the
situation if the details from which the collectors compiled their
reports could be found. A reference to the records of a few
districts, preserved in the Tamilnadu State Archives does not,
however, indicate any additional material having survived in
them. If any Taluka records still exist for this period it is quite
possible they may contain more detailed data about particular
villages, towns, colleges and schools.
In addition to the instructions conveyed in the Minute of
the Governor-in-Council, and the text of the letter from
Government to the Board of Revenue (both of which were sent to
the collectors), the prescribed form required from them details of
the number of schools and colleges in the districts, and the
number of male and female scholars in them. The number of
scholars, male as well as female were further to be provided
under the following categories: (i) Brahmin scholars, (ii) Vysee
scholars, (iii) Soodra scholars, (iv) scholars of all other castes
and (v) Mussalman scholars. The numbers under (i) to (iv) were
to be totalled separately. To these were added those under (v),
thus arriving at the total number of Hindoo and Mussalman
scholars, in the district, or some part of it. The category ‘all other
castes’, as mentioned earlier, evidently seems to have implied all
such castes considered somewhat below the Sat-Soodra
category. This included most such groupings which today are
listed among the scheduled castes.
It may be noted from the documents that while a reply was
received from the collector of Canara, he did not send any data
about the number of schools, and colleges, or any estimation of
the number of those who may have been receiving instruction in
the district, through what he termed private education. Apart
from the statement that ‘there are no colleges in Canara’, etc.,