History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c41.81

Language: English

v2.c41.81.1

Certain other letters digested in the calendar throw interesting sidelight on the condition of Orissa in 1761. On the 10th of October a letter was written to the Rājā of "Parsautam" (Purushottam or Puri) informing him of the loss of one of the Company's ships in his zamindari and that one Englishman with 100 men and 2 women reached the shore and were now in the *chāklā* of Makhdum. The Rājā's manager was not permitting them to depart, this was very improper and the Rājā should direct his *Diwān* to do so immediately. On the same date another letter to the same effect was addressed to Śivarām with a request to supply them with necessaries and send them to Calcutta with a passport (*dastak*).¹ On the 18th of the same month a letter was written to Śivarām informing him that Dayārām who came with Mr. John Bristow to take possession of Pataspur and other Maratha *parganahs* and then to wait on Mr. Burdett, the chief of Medinipur, might be sent to receive the money due. This amount was apparently the reparation due on British ravages in Orissa. On the next day another letter was addressed to Raḥamat Khān, the *Faujdār* of Balasore, informing him that Dayārām and Husain Beg came with John Bristow to Calcutta as *wakils* from Śivarām and that the Maratha claims had been settled with him. On the 20th of the same month a letter was written to Ghulām Muṣṭafa, *Ḍāk Munshi*, that money had been provided to get the crew of the lost ship and send them to Calcutta.

v2.c41.81.2

On the same date another letter was written to *Ḍāk Munshi* Abdus-Ṣubhān, the brother of Ghulām Muṣṭafa and to Śivarām. A second letter to Ghulām Muṣṭafa states that the Governor has been informed that the ship-wrecked men have been taken to Katak.² On the 25th of January, 1762, a letter written to Sivarām states that Mr. John Bristow was dead and expresses satisfaction at the appointment of Daryā Khān as the the *Faujdār* of Balasore. In another letter of the same date the Dāk Munshī Ghulām Muṣṭafā Khān is directed to maintain friendly relations with Daryā Khān.¹ Daryā Khān wrote to the Governor after his arrival at Balasore to send an English factor to Balasore and wrote for a dastak for Bakshi Rāo Mūdī, servant of Rājah Jānujī who had come to Calcutta and wanted to proceed to Murshidabad. On the 22nd of February the Governor wrote to Daryā Khān stating that it was needless to station an English factor at Balasore but that a dastak would be given to Bakhshi Rāo and that he would be despatched in a sloop.² On the 2nd of March Śivarām wrote expecting that some arrangement would be made with his agent Dayārām. To this a reply was sent on the 4th stating that a reply had been sent through Ghulām Muṣṭafā Munshī.

v2.c41.81.3

Another letter to the same purport was written three days later.³ In a letter written to Nawāb Mīr Qāsim 'Alī on the 11th of the some month the Governor of the English East India Company informed the Nawāb that he had written to Rāja Jānujī to settle the question of chauth with the Nawāb⁴ One Purushottama Chaudhuri wrote to the Governor informing him of his appointment as Chaudhurī of Orissa. In reply the Governor informed him that he had no concern with Orissa but the chāklā of Medinipur was separate and in possession of the Company and that Rāja Rāj Nārāyaṇ of Kāśijoṛa had been appointed Chaudhurī of the English possession.⁵ On the 2nd of May of the same year we find that Bhāskar Paṇḍit had been appointed Faujdār of Balasore in the place of Rahmat Khān. Nothing further is heard of Daryā Khān. Bhāskar Pandit sent Ḥayāt Khān and Dayārām to the Governor of the English East India Company. The Governor actually expresses friendship towards Śivarām in this letter.¹ A letter written to Śivarām on the 15th of May discloses the fact that Bhāskar Paṇḍit was his younger brother. On the next day another letter was written to Bhāskar Paṇḍit complaining that one Chaitan Sutuār possessed some papers about the estate of the late Mr. John Bristow but refused to deliver them. The Governor sent one Rāmkānto for them, but as the latter was returning Chaitan lodged a complaint against him and got the latter imprisoned.

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The Governor sent two sepoys with a dastak to bring Rāmkānto back and hoped that the Faujdār would help him by directing his people to release Rāmkānto. One Govind Rāo wrote to the Governor expressing a desire to pay him a visit. The governor wrote to him on the same day sending a dastak.²