History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c41.14

Language: English

v2.c41.14.1

The records of the Honourable East India Company, as far as they are available to the public, show that Śivarām was a very able and energetic officer. We can judge this from the tone of annoyance and petulance in the correspondence of the officers of the East India Company with him. Just before the date on which the published Calendar begins, Nawāb Mīr Ja'afar 'Alī Khān entered into a separate treaty with Rājā Jānujī Bhonsle regarding the payment of *chauth*.¹ The earliest letter on record is a circular issued on the 26th January, 1761, to three Maratha officers named Mukunda Pandit, Sheobhat Sāntrā and one Rāgmānji Jāchak. The last named person cannot be recognised in the mutilated form in which his name has been preserved by the Persian *munshis* employed by the British Government. The correct Marathi form ought to be Raghunāthji Jāchak. In this letter the Governor of the Presidency of Fort William requests these three Maratha officers to order their people not to molest the Company's forces.² On the same date two letters were issued to an agent of the East India Company, named Ghulām Muṣṭafā, directing him to be regular and careful in sending letters to and from Madras.

v2.c41.14.2

From these two and subsequent letters it is evident that the Company stationed agents at Balasore and Katak to forward their correspondence between Calcutta and Madras by the land route.³ The district of Medinipur had been ceded to the East India Company some time before November, 1760, as on the 12th of that month Nawāb Mīr Qāsim 'Alī was directed to order the *Faujdārs* of Medinipur and Chittagong to come to Calcutta immediately.⁴ On the same date another letter was written to the same Nawāb requesting him to send some troops to assist the Company in the expulsion of the Marathas from Medinipur.¹ A letter to Rāgmānjī Jāchak or Raghunāthjī Jāchak offers compliments on the 15th November 1760.² On the same date another letter was written to another agent named Gopalpuri requesting him to forward letters to Madras. Issues of the same date contain another letter to Rājā Nārāyaṇ Deo, perhaps the same as that against whom an application for help was sent to the Marathas by Vira Kiśora Deva I,³ regretting the Company’s inability to supply troops to him. The recently ceded districts were not yet completely conquered, as a letter was received from Nawāb Qāsim ’Alī Khān in which he says that he is determined to punish the Rājās of Burdwan and Medinipur.

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Sulaiman Beg, the *Faujdār* of Hughly, informed the governor that the utmost attention will be paid to troops proceeding to Burdwan and Medinipur.⁴ On the 26th November of the same year two letters were written to one Mīr Wāriṣ ’Alī, evidently the *Faujdār* of Hijli, asking for help to purchase rice for the people of Mr. Dacre.⁵ Misrī Khān was probably the *Faujdār* of Medinipur, as two letters were received from him on the 26th of November stating that as all arrears have been paid to the sepoys at Medinipur, no revenue can be sent from that *chaklah* and that he is prevented from seeing the governor out of fear of highwaymen. A reply was sent to him on the 28th stating that the Company’s troops will be sent soon and requesting him to transact business in the usual manner.¹ A letter was received from Rājā Jugal Kishor in which the latter describes the manner in which Medinipur was formerly plundered.² This interesting document, if recovered in original and published in full, may throw very interesting light on the history of Orissa in 1760. On the 1st of December of the same year Rājā Rāj Nārāyaṇ of Kāśijorā was informed that the Company’s troops will shortly proceed to Medinipur to chastise the disaffected. On the 3rd of the same month Rāgmānji Jāchak was requested to order his people not to molest the Company’s men or intercept any English letters coming from Madras.

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A watch and other things were presented to him.³ The officer in charge of the frontier station of Medinipur was a certain Major White, whom Misri Khān of Medinipur was directed to consult on all points on the 7th of the same month.⁴ A letter was written on the 14th of the same month to one Khūsh-hāl Singh of Balasore requesting him to favour the chief of Medinipur with his attentions. The tone of the letter indicates that this man was a Maratha officer.⁵ Rājā Nārāyaṇ Deo of Parlakimedi was informed on the 18th of the same month that guns cannot be supplied to him until sufficient reason is given for their use. On the same date Misri Khān of Medinipur informed the Governor that the sepoys at that place had been paid but there were some who had not received four months' pay and they were very discontented.¹