RYOT

In India. A peasant, subject, or tenant of house or land. Wharton. Ryot-tenure. A system of land-tenure, where the government takes the place of landowners and collects the rent by means of tax gatherers. The farming is done by poor peasants, (ryots,) who find the capital, so far as there is any, and also do the work. The system exists in Turkey, Egypt, Persia, and other Eastern countries, and in a modified form in British India. After slavery, it is accounted the worst of all systems, because the government can fix the rent at what.it pleases, and it is difficult to distinguish between rent and taxes.