rse, to attend the trial as a superintending officer and had the power to confirm or modify the punishment. This show of self-rule continued till 1827 when Paharias were declared amenable to ordinary courts of law, though they even then enjoyed the privilege to settle pretty disputes.
One of the successors of Augustus Cleveland, Mr. J. Sutherland, who in the capacity of Joint Magistrate of Bhagalpur toured the old district of Santhal Pargana in 1818 to enquire into the causes of local unrest and in 1819 suggested to the Fort William, Calcutta, that the hill tracts inhabited by the tribals should be declared the direct property of Government so that they could be looked after better. As a follow up action of the above suggestion, in 1824. John Perty Ward was deputed to demarcate the Government Estate. He was assisted by Captain Tanner, a Survey Officer. This Estate was named as "Damin-i-koh", a Persian term meaning, 'skirts of the hills'. The work was over in 1837 and Mr. Pontet, Deputy Collector was made in-charge of the revenue administration of the Damin area in the same year. The pouring in of Santhals was encouraged for clearing the jungle for the purpose of cultivation. One got the impression that all was well with the administration and that the Santhals were happy. But it was illusive. The internal set-up of the administrative system could not ensure proper justice to the common man and there was a deep underlying discontent among the simple minded but excitable Santhals.
SANTHAL REBALLION (HUL), 1855
Santhals settled in the district migrating from Birbhum, Bankura, Hazaribag and Rohtas between 1790 to 1810. As per William W. Hunter "The Permanent Settlement for the land tax in 1790 resulted in general extension of tillage and the Santhals were hired to rid the lowlands of the wild beasts which, since the great famine of 1769, had everywhere encroached upon the
