THE GREAT MOGOL
 

4i59
 

return for the Province of Bengal, and the manifest absence of
a nought, in the sum assigned for Kashmir.' I would venture,
however, to point out that Bernier distinctly states (Item 12.)
that the revenue from Bengal is included in that for 'Jag¬
annat,' which I hold to be Orissa. Rs. 72,70,000 is certainly a
comparatively small sum for the combined revenues, one of the
Provinces, Bengal, being, according to Bernier's own showing
(pp. 437-446) the richest in all the Indies ; but it should be
borne in mind, that in his time Bengal had revolted, under
Prince Shujah (see pp. 80 and 92), and it is not likely that
the Emperor derived a large revenue from that Province
during the period of rebellion. Bernier, however, does not
tell us anything of the source from which he derived his figures,
nor the exact period to which they refer, but as Mr. Thomas
says ' they bear the stamp of a certain degree of authenticity,
and allowing for deficiencies, they fairly fit in with the prior
and subsequent returns.' It would be quite beyond the scope
of the present publication to even attempt to deal tentatively
with such an important subject as the revenues of Hindostan
under the Moguls, but I believe that the following table, com¬
piled from Mr. Thomas's masterly work, imay be of consider¬
able interest to many. It would be quite possible to explain
the variations approximately, as due to the changing bound¬
aries of the Empire at various periods, or to the agricultural
advance or retrogression of the several Provinces, the result of
famines or other causes. The etfect of the residence of the
Court upon the material prosperity of the favoured locality,
as pointed out by Mr. Thomas, might also be learnt by an ex¬
haustive analysis of the Provincial totals—the latter a factor
of prosperity or otherwise, which Bernier with his keen insight
has not failed to notice, as maybe learnt from pp. 220, 271,
381 and 384 of this volume.
The Gross Provincial Revenues of the Mogul Empire

AT various periods.
 

A.D. 1648.
Shah-Jaliau.
 

22,00,00,000
U)
 

A.D. 1654.
Aurang¬
zeb.
 

(2)
 

? Some year

between

1656-1667,

Bernier's

return.
 

Date uncer¬
tain, but
held to be
between
1667-1691.
Official re¬
turns.
 

35^64,14,308
(4)
 

A.D. 1697.
Aurang¬
zeb.
 

38,62,46,802
(5)
 

A.D, 1707.
Aurang¬
zeb.
 

30,17,56,859