Riyaz al-salatin 119: SECTION II.— DESCRIPTIVE OF THE DOMINATION OF THE ENGLISH CHRISTIANS OVER THE DOMINIONS OF BENGAL, AND THE DAKHIN, &c.
The Riyazu-s-salatin (Abdus Salam) 119
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SECTION II.— DESCRIPTIVE OF THE DOMINATION OF THE ENGLISH CHRISTIANS OVER THE DOMINIONS OF BENGAL, AND THE DAKHIN, &c.
119.1
Be it known to the minds of enlightened researchers, that from the date that the ships of Jalalu-d-din Muhammad Akbar Padshah were captured at the hands of the Portuguese Christians, the sending of ships to the ports of Arabia and Ajam was totally suspended, inasmuch as the Emperor viewed the acceptance of passes from the Portuguese to be derogatory, whilst to send the ships without such passes was attended with danger to the lives of passengers, and with peril to their property. But the Emperor's Umara, like Nawab Abdu-r-Rahim Khan Khan-i- Khanan &c, taking passes from the Portuguese Christians, sent out ships to the ports. And for some time the state of things continued in this wise. When Emperor Nuru-d-din Muhammad Jahangir ascended the throne of Dehli, he permitted the English Christians, who, in their articles of faith, totally differ from the Christian Portuguese and the Christian French, &c, and who thirst for the latter's blood, and are in hostility with the latter, to settle down in the tract of Surat, which pertained to the Province of Gujrat. This was the first place amongst the Indian sea-ports, where the English Christians settled down. Before this, the English Christians used to bring their trading ships to the ports of India, and after sale of their cargoes used to sail back to their own country.
119.2
After they settled down at Surat, the trading factories of the English Christians, like those of the Christian Portuguese and the French, &c., gradually sprang up at different centres both in the Dakhin and in Bengal, and they paid customs-duties like others. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, the English rendered loyal services to the Emperor, and were, therefore, granted an Imperial Farman, permitting them to erect trading factories in the Imperial dominions generally, and in Bengal especially, and also remitting customs-duties on the ships of the English Company, in consideration of an annual payment by the latter of three thousand rupees, as has already been mentioned in connection with the foundation of Calcutta. From that time, the English acquired much prestige in Bengal. In the year 1162 A.H., Nawab Muzaffar Jang, maternal grandson of Nizamu-l-Mulk Asaf Jah, at the instigation of Husain Dost alias Chand, who was one of the leading men of Arkat (Arcot), allied himself with the Christian French, and attacked Anwaru-d-din Khan Shahamat Jang Gopamani, who was Nazim of Arkat from the time of Nawab Nizamu-l-Mulk Asaf Jah, in order to wrest the province of Arkat. A great battle was fought, and Nawab Shahamat Jang, on the battle-field, displaying bravery and heroism, was killed.
119.3
Nawab Nizamu-d-daulah, second son of Nawab Asaf Jah, who, on the death of his father, had succeeded to the masnad of the Viceroyalty of the Dakhin, on hearing of the hostility of his maternal nephew, with a force of seventy thousand cavalry and one hundred thousand infantry, set out to chastise Muzaffar Jang. Arriving at the port of Bulcharl (Pondichery) on the 26th Rabiu-l-awal 1163 A.H., Nizamu-d-daulah fought a battle, in which he triumphed, whilst Muzaffar Jang was captured. Nizamu-d-daulah spent the rainy season at Arkat. The Christians of Bulcharl (Pondichery) conspired with Himmat Khan and other Afghan generals of Karnatik, who were servants of Nizamu-d-daulah, and deceiving them by holding out temptations of lands and treasures, blinded their sense of obligations. Those traitors tied up the waist of mutiny and treachery, and conspiring with the Christians of Bulchari (Pondichery), on the night of the sixteenth Muharram, 1174 A.H., delivered a night-attack, and killed Nawab Nizamu-d-daulah. After the fall of Nawab Nizamu-d-daulah, the Afghans and the Christians (the French) placed Nawab Muzaffar Jang on the masnad. Muzaffar Jang proceeded to Bulchari (Pondichery) with a contingent of the Afghans, and taking a large number of Christian French in his service made them his confidants. In the same year, taking a large force consisting of Afghans and Christians, he set out for Haidarabad, and crossing the confines of Arkat came to the Afghan tract.
119.4
From the vicissitude of fortune, hostility broke out between Muzaffar Jang and the Afghans, and it led to a fight. On the 17th Rabiu-l-awal of the aforesaid year, both sides arranged themselves in battle-array. On one side were arrayed Muzaffar Jang and the Christian French, and on the other the Afghans. Himmat Khan and other Afghan Generals, meeting with their deserts for disloyalty, were killed, whilst Muzaffar Jang from an arrow-shot which pierced the pupil of his eye was also killed. After this, the Christian French entered the service of Amiru-l-Mumalik Salabat Jang, third son of Asaf Jah, received as jagirs Sikakul and Rajbandari, &c., and acquired so much influence, that their orders became current in the Dakhin. No Musalman ruler had before this taken into employ the Christian French, though from a long period they used to frequent the ports of the Dakhin. It was Muzaffar Jang who taking the Christian French into his service, introduced them into the Moslem dominions.
119.5
When the Christian French acquired so much influence, the Christian English, who thirsted for the blood of the French, also cherished ambition to meddle with the Imperial dominions, acquired possession of some tracts in the Dakhin, brought the fort of Surat into their own possession, and established fortified factories in Bengal. In that the French slaying Nawab Anwaru-d-din Khan Gopamaui, the Subahdar of Arkat, and nominally installing another person at its head, had become dominant in the Dakhin, Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, son of Nawab Anwaru-d-din Khan, entered into an alliance with the English Chiefs. The latter advancing to the assistance of Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan spared no measure to help him, and exerted themselves strenuously to exterminate the French. In 1174 A.H., the English besieged the fort of Phulchari (Pondichery), and wresting it from the hands of the French rased it, whilst Sikakol, Rajbandari, and other Jagirs were unexpectedly abandoned by the French. Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, with the support of the English, succeeded his father on the throne of the Viceroyalty of Arkat (Arcot), under the surname of Walajah Amiru-l-Hind Muhammad Ali Khan Mansur Jang, subordinated himself to the English Chiefs, and passed his life in ease and pleasure. Now the province of Arkat (Arcot), like Bengal, is under the domination of the English Chiefs.
119.6
And as has been related before, when Nawab Siraju-d-daulah, Nazim of Bengal, owing to his inexperience, flung the stone into the hornet's nest, he suffered of necessity the sting. And Nawab Jafar Ali Khan, treating the English as his confidants and colleagues in the Nizamat of Bengal, suffered them to acquire control over administrative affairs. Inasmuch as complete disintegration had overtaken the Moslem Empire of Delhi, in every Subah the Provincial Governors acquiring authority grew into semi-independent Feudatories. Now, since a period of thirty years, the Provinces of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa have come into the possession and authority of the English Chiefs. An English Chief, styled the Governor-General, coming from England, resides in Calcutta, and selecting Deputies for the collection of the revenue and for administration of civil and criminal justice, and for trading business, sends them out to every place. And establishing the Khalisah Kachari (the Court of Crown-lands) in Calcutta, the English Governor settles on his own behalf the assessment of the revenue of each Zila (District). And the Deputies and the Ziladars (District Officers) collecting revenues, remit them to Calcutta.
119.7
In the year 1178 A.H., when the English became victorious over Nawab Vaziru-l-Mulk Shujau-d-daulah, Nazim of the Subah of Audh and Ilahabad (Allahabad), a treaty was entered into, and the English left to the Nawab Vazir his country. From that time, they have acquired influence over that Subah also, and seizing the district of Banaras have separated it from that Subah. And their soldiers quartering themselves in the dominions of the Nawab-Vazir, as the latter's servants, exercise influence over all affairs. Heaven knows what would be the eventual upshot of this state of things. Similarly, in the Dakhin, the English have got in the fort of Madras an old factory and a large army. They have also acquired possession of the Province of Arkat. They hold, as jaglrs under Nizam Ali Khan, the towns of Ganjam, Barampur, Ichapur, Sikakul, Ishaqpatan, the fort of Qasim kotah, Rajbandar, Ilor (Ellore), Machlibandar (Masulipatam), Bajwarah, and the fort of Kondbali, &c, and the Zamindars of those places appearing before them pay in revenue. And whenever Nizam Ali Khan needs auxiliaries, they furnish him with strong contingents, and outwardly do not disobey his orders.
119.8
But the English Christians are embellished with the ornaments of wisdom and tact, and adorned with the garments of considerateness and courtesy. They are matchless in the firmness of their resolutions, in the perfectness of their alertness, in the organisation of battles, and in the arrangement of feasts. They are also unrivalled in their laws for the administration of justice, for the safety of their subjects, for extermination of tyranny, and for protection of the weak. Their adherence to their promises is so great that even if they risk their lives, they do not deviate from their words, nor do they admit liars to their society. They are liberal, faithful, forbearing, and honourable. They have not learnt the letters of deceit, nor have they read the book of crookedness. And notwithstanding their difference in creed, they do not interfere with the faith, laws, and religion of Musalmans. All wranglings between Christianity and Islam, after all, lead to the same place : The dream (of empire) is one and the same, only its interpretations vary.