Administrative System of the Marathas c21.s2.63

c21.s2.63

This certainly betrays a most deplorable state of things. A state that looks towards foreigners for its defence and relies on foreign mercenaries in times of war can hardly be considered a stable one. For the foreign mercenaries, who constituted the majority of the Maratha infantry, both trained and untrained, could be inspired by one motive only, *viz.*, that of self-aggrandisement. It is noteworthy that most of the murderers of the young Peshwa, Narayan Rao belonged to this class. Tone, who had personal knowledge of the Pardesis, gave them the worst possible character. "They are more soldiers of fortune," he wrote, "and serve only for their pay: they migrate from Hindustan to the Deckan for service where they are called Pardesis or strangers : they have no idea of patriotism or love of their country, but would plunder their native village without pang."