Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c9.s1.2

v1.c9.s1.2

At the end of this November, Raghunāth Jayārām, a Marātha agent at Murshidābād, demanded the *chauth* for Bihār in the name of the Peshwā,—that for Bengal having been promised to Raghuji by Shāhu. The Nawāb replied, "The Emperor too has sent me a *farmān* about the *chauth* for Bengal, stating that the *chauth* has been assigned to the Peshwā and that his money should be sent to the imperial Court. I am writing to the Peshwā making my own representation [on the points in dispute.] Patna is mine, Bengal too is mine. I ought to act treating both provinces as one. The *chauth* for the two is inseparable." The Marātha envoy objected, saying, "How can the Peshwā's *chauth* and Raghuji's be considered as one and an indivisible thing? The latter is your enemy; entering your realm he has plundered and destroyed ten times the amount of the *chauth*. The Peshwā, on the other hand, has been entirely your friend. He gave you armed help in the past, and since then he has been exerting himself to settle your affairs. He has done his work; you now do yours and regulate your realm. If you fully pay up the subsidy for Bihār, then there will be no delay in despatching your affairs." Alivardi closed the discussion by saying that all his trust was in the Peshwā, and that the business would be done after the Peshwā had considered the representation he was writing to him about the position of his Government. He evaded making any definite promise of payment. [S. P. D., xx. 29 and 49.]