i. 273.
1535.—“Item, from the three praguanas, viz., Anzor, Cairena, Panchenaa 133,260 fedeas.”—S.
Botelho, Tombo, 139.
[1614.—“I wrote him to stay in the Pregonas near Agra.”—Foster, Letters, ii.
106.]
[1617.—“For that Muckshud had also newly answered he had mist his prigany.”—Sir T. Roe, Hak.
Soc. ii. 415.]
1753.—“Masulipatnam … est capitale de ce qu’on appelle dans l’Inde un Sercar (see SIRCAR),
qui comprend plusieurs Perganés, ou districts particuliers.”—D’Anville, 132.
1812.—“A certain number of
villages with a society thus organised, formed a pergunnah.”—Fifth Report, 16. PERGUNNAHS, THE TWENTY-FOUR, n.p. The official name of the District immediately adjoining and
inclosing, though not administratively including, Calcutta. The name is one of a character very ancient
in India and the East. It was the original ‘Zemindary of Calcutta’ granted to the English Company by
a ‘Subadar’s Perwana’ in 1757–58. This grant was subsequently confirmed by the Great Mogul as an
unconditional and rent-free jagheer (q.v.). The quotation from Sir Richard Phillips’ Million of Facts,
illustrates the development of ‘facts’ out of the moral consciousness. The book contains many of equal
value. An approximate parallel to this statement would be that London is divided into Seven Dials.
1765.—“The lands of the twenty-four Purgunnahs, ceded to the Company by the treaty of 1757, which
subsequently became Colonel Clive’s jagghier, were rated on the King’s books at 2 lac and 22,000
rupees.”—Holwell, Hist. Events, 2nd ed., p. 217.
1812.—“The number of convicts confined at the six
stations of this division (independent of Zillah Twenty-four pergunnahs, is about 4,000. Of them probably
nine-tenths are dacoits.”—Fifth Report, 559.
c. 1831.—“Bengal is divided in 24 Pergunnahs, each with
its judge and magistrate, registrar, &c.”—Sir R. Phillips, Million of Facts, stereot. ed. 1843, 927. 1 
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