国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

of the government were great. And as he knew [beforehand] that later on a dispute
would arise [on account of the raising of the taxes], he assembled the nobility of
La-dvags and [other] people of high rank, the wardens of the He-mi and Lce-bde
[monasteries], the Kardārs and others, and told them what was going to happen.
The country people agreed together, and were ready to pay four annas in addition to
each four or five rupees [of their taxes]. In addition to this they wrote a letter, and
everything was in good order. In the year 1939 (1882 A.D.) several influential and
several ordinary people held a council under Nand-Rām, the prime minister of Slel
(Leh), and the prime minister of Ba-sgo. As they did not agree with the wazir
(Jonsen), they went to Kha-chul (Kashmir) to put up a petition. The great protector
of the earth said half in fun that they [should pay] two annas [only] in addition to each
rupee. They saying, 'We shall not even accept that (turn to that)!', the government
became angry, and the wazir himself even, Nayib Deru-Mal, Munśi Don-chod, Biśin-
Dās, and other munśis, numbering thirty [in all] were sent to survey the country. The
ground was surveyed in such a manner as had never been seen before. At first turrets
(seals) were erected along the frontier. Then square turrets [were erected] between the
countries (provinces?), and the various villages were divided by turrets [from one
another]. Inside these the lands good and bad, according to the existing plans,
the fertile valleys (water-valleys), the water canals, the willow groves, the
lucerne fields, [in short] in those places of which plans, etc., existed from the times of the
[Ladakhi kings], were marked off by little turrets of blue pise with flags of al-wan
attached. The ground between the turrets was measured (divided); the names of the
peasant, of the ground, and a number was written, and a ticket, to be produced on
demand, was given. The peasant who held it was frightened on his [own] ground, and
for the future a law was introduced for punishing wrongs. The taxes were fixed in
accordance with the excellence of the harvest. In the year 1941 (1884 A.D.), by order of
the Lord of La-dvags, the seven[fold] Mahārādza Rāmbīr-Siṅ. Dewan 'A-nat-Rām,
whose paternal home was at 'Amritsar, a man well acquainted with Persian and English,
was instructed to make a law-book like the Kanun. The taxes weighed heavily [on
the country]; while formerly for sixty-one villages with the monasteries they were
26,942 Rs. 3 As. 2 Paisā, together with wheat 2,510 maunds 29 ser and 2 pao, butter
282 maunds 14 ser and 2 pao, 'wood of roots' 4,395 rdo-sraṅ and 25 bati; 'wood of
Tar' 837 rdo-saṅ and 54 ser, at that time for those same sixty-one villages the taxes
were fixed at 44,340 Rs. 5 As. 2 Paisā, barley to the value of 1,633 Rs. 1 A., 173 Rs. 1 A.
as taxes on mills, 319 Rs. 5 As. 2 Paisā as taxes on food, and the equivalent
of 312 Rs. 6 As. in provisions; total, 46,778 Rs. 3 As. [in cash], wheat 2,639 maunds
3 ser and 3 pao, butter 275 maunds 25 ser, 'wood of roots' 4,240 sraṅ 5 bati, 'wood
of Tar' 985 sraṅ and 29 batis. In the year 1942 (1885 A.D.) the English reigned for a
time (in between). As bad omens of the destruction of the flower of the life of the
Sri-Mahārādza the fields in the whole country [suffered from] rust and cold winds; the
sky and the earth became red. On the fourth day of the eighth month of the wood-hen
year (1883), [or] on the 29th day of the month Bād-run of the year 1942 (1885 A.D.),