The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c5.59

c5.59

² Manucci, *Storia do Mogor*, ed. Irvine, Vol. II, p. 452. ‘When the soldiery passes through they plunder everything they can lay hands on,—cattle, food supplies, grass, straw, they destroy houses to get firewood, and on the villagers’ heads they load their luggage, and by dint of blows force them to carry it.’ Military discipline was very slack even at Bombay as we can infer from the following passage in a letter dated 5th October, 1669, ‘as to the strictness of discipline we shall goe as farre as wee dare’. Factory Records, Surat, Vol. 88, fol. 147. In a consultation held at Swally on the 17th October, 1670, occurs the following statement: ‘Mr. Streinsham Master having formerly advised us of some irregular actions committed by the seamen that were sent up for the defence of the Company’s house at Suratt they being very prompt to offer violence to the estate of the natives; Wee then to remedy and stopp their proceedings in such an unlawful manner and keep up our wonted credit and reputation thoughtt good to enorder Mr. Master to promise the seamen a gratuity for their encouragement in case they behave themselves decently and soberly, which Mr. Master accordingly did.’ Factory Records, Surat, Vol. III, fol. 96. Things were much worse in Bijapur where the “Naikwadis” did not permit a Governor to enter the fort until he had granted all their unreasonable demands. *See* letter from Carwar dated 20 September 1671. Factory Records, Surat, Vol. 106, fol. 14.