Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c51.s6.10

v4.c51.s6.10

The remedy tried by the two Maratha chiefs in Hindustan to secure better revenue, made the disease worse. Mahadji Sindhia constantly changed his diwān in a vain attempt to collect a higher proportion of his dues from the ryots and the feudatories, but this policy only led to a greater desolation of the land and squeezing of the peasantry. It is admitted that his actual collection fell to one-tenth of the standard revenue in many places. [H.P. 607.] Tukoji Holkar followed the cruder method of putting his Brahman diwāns to torture, but even he could not draw blood out of stone. The dishonesty and incapacity of the Maratha civil servants and their masters' lack of far sight in administration and of statesmanship in policy, destroyed all chances of their repeating the financial successes of De Boigne or Perron.