New History of the Marathas v3.c37.79

v3.c37.79

3. Situation at Poona, the Gardis.—But his position at home soon became too difficult for a raw youth like him to control. His first great trouble arose from his empty treasury. Madhavrao had drained away all his accumulations in paying off his debts. During his illness of some years his usual annual activities for bringing in funds gradually slackened and then came to a standstill. The situation became aggravated by the clamour of the Gardi sepoys, now employed on police duty about the palace and the city, for the accumulated arrears of their pay. The power of these mercenary footguards had become positively dangerous to the Government, and sufficient attention was not paid to it either by the Peshwa or his advisers. According to Bussy's regulations they worked only for their wages and had no personal attachment to the master they served. Their corps were composed mostly of north Indian men, Pathans, Abyssinians, Arabs, Rajputs and Purbias, each drawing Rs. 8 to 15 as monthly pay. Marathas being usually impatient of control, very few of them cared to join the disciplined bodies. Bussy and Ibrahim Khan had gone and there was no outstanding leader now among them, who could restrain these overbearing clamorous men and exact useful work from them. Their total number at this time did not probably exceed 5,000. Muhammad Yusuf, Sumersinh, Kharagsinh are the names of some of their leaders who had entered service some time about 1757. Yusuf was indeed a brave and able soldier, who had earned the late Peshwa's high opinion by capturing the fort of Shira in 1770. These leaders and their subordinates at this time were in charge of the person and the palace of the Peshwa, more or less like the Janisseries of Constantinople. Muhammad Yusuf had been discharged a little while before for some dereliction of duty.