Administrative System of the Marathas c11.s3.t1.7

c11.s3.t1.7

Public officers in the 17th century whether Asiatic or European were not overscrupulous. But good kings, as a rule, exercised a strict control over them. Shivaji in particular was served by a very efficient intelligence department. It is an old practice in India to employ spies to watch over the conduct of government servants.³³ The work of District and Provincial officers was supervised by the Pant Amatya and the Pant Sachiv. Ranade tells us that "The district accounts had to be sent to these officers, and were there collated together, and irregularities detected and punished. These officers had power to depute men on their establishments to supervise the working of the district officers."³⁴ Shivaji, moreover, was very keen about the success of his government and wanted that his administration should compare favourably with that of his Muhammadan neighbours.³⁵ But all his cares and sound regulations were fruitless indeed if his revenue officers really worked as arbitrarily as Fryer says they did. "They are neither for Public Good or Common Honesty, but their own private Interest only: They refuse no Base Offices for their own Commodity, inviting Merchants to come and trade among them, and then rob them, or else turmoil them on account of Customs; always in a Corner getting more for themselves than their Master, yet openly must seem mighty zealous for their Master's Dues: So that Trade is unlikely to settle where he hath anything to do; notwithstanding his Country lies all along on the Sea-shore, and no Goods can be transported without his Permission; unless they go a great way about, as we are forced to do."