Administrative System of the Marathas c2.5

c2.5

The work, I know, has its limitations. It is an account of the Maratha Government and its evolution, without a strict chronological treatment. A serious student will here, I hope, find ample indication as to where to turn for more information. It may be objected that the Hindu political philosophers quoted in Book III were mere theorists and probably they did not describe the institutions, laws and regulations actually prevalent in their times. But my aim has been to indicate the origin of the Maratha institutions, and the real character of the Hindu works on polity do not concern me at all. If they dealt with theories alone, the Maratha institutions illustrate quite well how many of these theories were put into practice. There will be found repetitions, but my excuse is the convenience of the reader, and as the subject is somewhat technical, I thought it better not to tax his memory with unfamiliar terms to an excessive degree. Lastly, a comparison with English institutions has been found necessary. The Marathas have suffered in the estimation of modern students, because their institutions have been judged by the standard of modern times and that is why I have thought it necessary to compare their laws and regulations with those of contemporary Europe. England has been specially selected for the simple reason that we are best familiar with her history, past and present, not because I have any bias against her. It may be that I have my unconscious bias for my own country, and unconscious prejudice against the rest; but I have always tried not to indulge in any such feeling.