Shivaji and His Times c13.s14.4

c13.s14.4

At the near approach of the Marathas and the consternation and flight among the people all around, Francois Martin, the Governor of Pondicherry, sent (22nd May) a Brahman to Shivaji at Vellore, with a letter appealing to him to protect the French factories in the Karnatak as he had hitherto protected them at Rajapur in his own dominions. This agent had three interviews with Shivaji who demanded French help in his war with Sher Khan, and finally asked what they would give him for leaving them in peace. The French pleaded poverty in consequence of their recent war with the Dutch and stoppage of trade. On 2nd July, Martin sent his Brahman agent again with a fresh appeal for protection written as from M. Baron, the director. Shivaji wished for a European envoy to be sent to him. Sieur Germain (with A. Cattel as interpreter) was accordingly sent to Shivaji's camp on the Kolerun, where they were introduced by Janardan Pant, and returned after three days with a farman of reassurance for Pondicherry. (August.) But the local Maratha officials of Shivaji who visited that city continued to extort money from the people. As Martin wrote, "It was nothing but a continual search for the men whom they believed to be capable of yielding money. The intendants are in concert with the governor (subahdar) of this province. All the ways of extracting money are permitted. The letters that were written to Shivaji had no effect at all." [Martin, tr. by me in Mod. Rev. Feb. 1924.]