A History of the Mahrattas v1.c24.31

v1.c24.31

The Mahratta army consisted of ten or twelve thousand² horse, and report had swelled their numbers to nearly four times that amount.¹ Aliverdy Khan, although only at the head of three or four thousand cavalry and four thousand infantry, resolved to oppose them; but the Mahrattas attacked him with great success, surrounded his army, carried off most of his baggage, and reduced him to great distress. Many of his men deserted or were killed, the whole of what remained amounted only to three thousand, but with these he determined rather to die than submit to the severe demands which the Mahrattas would have exacted. Although sorely harassed for several days, he fought his way and made good his retreat to Cutwa. In one of the first attacks Meer Hubeeb, who was in the army of Aliverdy Khan, having been made prisoner, joined the Mahrattas, and exerted himself so much as to gain the confidence of Bhaskur Punt. That officer proposed retiring for the rains, which Meer Hubeeb opposed, but as Bhaskur Punt could not at first be persuaded to remain, Meer Hubeeb requested command of a detachment, with which he marched to Moorshedabad, rescued his brother, who resided in the city, plundered the banking-house of Juggut Sett Alumchund of the enormous sum of two millions and a half sterling, overtook Bhaskur Punt, and at length succeeded in convincing him that it was better to remain in Bengal, and that it would be preposterous to quit so rich a harvest as he might expect to reap. Accordingly, he wheeled about, and through the aid of Meer Hubeeb obtained possession of the town of Hooghly by stratagem.² Most of the places from Cutwa to the neighbourhood of Midnapoor fell into his hands, and the swelling of the Hooghly alone prevented the Mahrattas from entering the district of Moorshedabad. Whilst affairs were in this state, an officer from the imperial court arrived on the frontiers of the province of Bengal, to demand the arrears of tribute due by the Nabob. Aliverdy Khan represented his situation, and the impossibility of satisfying these just demands, until he could expel the Mahrattas ; he at the same time earnestly solicited a reinforcement. Aliverdy Khan likewise applied to the Peishwa, and with a view of inducing him to invade Rughoojee Bhonslay’s districts in Berar, dispatched a considerable sum as a subsidy for that purpose : the convoy, however, was cut off by the order or connivance of Sufdur Jung, the Governor of Oude.