Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c8.s5.21

v1.c8.s5.21

In 1743 he had levied a war tax of Rs. 2,000 from each of the three European nations trading in his dominions, but it was a mere drop in the ocean of his need. Early in July 1744 he made "a very extraordinary demand" on the English chief of the Qāsimbāzār factory, "setting forth that the English carried on the trade of the whole world; (they formerly) used to have but four or five ships, but now brought 40 or 50 sails, which belonged not to the Company; that for five years he had done them daily service, but they had him not in remembrance, (and now) that he was engaged in defending the country against the Marāthas, instead of assisting (him) they had supplied the enemy with powder and ball. He therefore ordered them to refrain (from) doing any business at any place, unless (they) supplied him with two months' pay for his troops, amounting to about three millions of Rupees." Three days afterwards (10th July) the Nawāb set peons on the European merchants at Murshidābād and issued orders to all parts of the country to stop trading by the Europeans.