A tax collector or landlord in India under the Mogul empire. The landlord system formed the basis of a system of land-settlement developed in India under British rule. It fell into two distinct groups. In Lower Bengal, the government of Lord Cornwallis fixed the land revenue payable by the zamindars in perpetuity in 1793 in the hope of stabilizing the revenue, providing an incentive for improvement, and creating a class of loyal landlords. The effect was to create a privileged group of large and wealthy landlords. In the North Western Provinces, the government made a settlement during the 1830s, with much smaller landlords for 30-year periods, in the hope of creating a class of small yeoman farmers and retaining a larger revenue for government.