Riyaz al-salatin 114.1.4

114.1.4

them up to the confines of Baksār and Jagadīshpur, and after pillaging those places returned to Azimabad, halted at the residence of Ramnarain, and set himself to the work of administration of the affairs of that place. When Qasim Ali Khan demanded from the English duties on their trade-goods, the latter refused to pay the same, and carried on their trade duty-free. Nawab Qasim Ali Khan remitted thereupon the duties leviable from all the traders of Bengal and Behar, and declared that so long as he failed to levy duties from the rich, he would hold back his hand from doing so, in the case of the poor. Owing to this cause, and owing to some other matters, a misunderstanding set in between him and the English chiefs. The Nawab now hatched plans for exterminating them. At length, he formed the resolution of putting them all to the sword on one day. In pursuance of this plan, he sent despatches to his Deputies and Faujdars in Bengal to the effect that on a certain fixed date everywhere, they should by means of treachery or violence massacre all the English residents. And after personally giving peremptory injunctions to the Generals of his army to kill and capture and pillage and plunder the English, he returned to Monghyr. And when on the day fixed, the army of Qasim Ali Khan prepared to discharge their commissioned task, a battle ensued with the English army.