Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c29.s2.4

v2.c29.s2.4

Madho Singh, realizing that he could not succeed by arms against the Marathas and faced with the new danger of Jawahir Singh’s hostility backed by all the European-drilled troops and Sikh mercenaries that the Jat king’s enormous wealth supplied, very wisely set himself to conciliate the Marathas as his only protectors. He made friends with Holkar, most probably by bribing Holkar’s diwan, and agreed to make a reasonable settlement of his long-standing arrears of tribute through Malhar’s friendly mediation. As the Peshwa’s agent wrote in September 1765, “At Malhar’s instance we are treating the Jaipur Rajah with every tenderness and consideration, but Mahadji Sindhia has been dunning him for the arrears . . . This Court moves very slowly and protracts business.” However, before the end of that year he paid the current instalment of five lakhs, and proposed to issue orders on bankers for the balance. [SPD. xxix. 99, 107, 108, 102.]