Administrative System of the Marathas c21.s2.57

c21.s2.57

It is needless to say that the native Maratha officers or Jagirdars were not so well paid. Mahipat Rao Kavde was granted in the year 1762-63 a Saranjam of Rs. 6,25,000 for maintaining a force of 2,500 Sowars. His salary including all sorts of allowance was fixed at Rs. 25,000 a year while Boyd was appointed thirty-three years later on a salary of Rs. 36,000 a year though the Regiment he commanded was much smaller. Of course the feudal chief generally managed to make more than a legitimate profit by avoiding his legal obligations, but we should not forget that a horseman did as a rule get a better salary than his brother in the infantry. The Portuguese officers in the Peshwa's employ were also more liberally treated. In 1789-90 a Portuguese soldier called "Musa Almel" (?) was appointed to the command of a small unit of twenty-five men and he received a monthly salary of Rs. 155. The Indians serving under him got Rs. 9 only per month, while their native Christian and Portuguese colleagues got Rs. 15 and Rs. 25 respectively.