Thank you very much for your letter asking me to send Nand Kumar to see you. Accordingly, he is on his way to see you. Kindly ask him to return here after seeing you as Navab Rasikh Jang Bahdur also wants to see him when he returns.
I received from the Nawab today, Thursday, a parvanah addressed to you; this is enclosed with this letter. I hope you will write to and send us news about your health and well-being.
I have not received any news of your well-being since you left this place to return to your palace. Please do write to me a few words about your well-being so that I may not feel worried about my son's well-being. I am enclosing a separate letter regarding the sum of nazranah owed by Rajah Tilokchand and Kishnchand landlord; this may be recovered by your agents and returned to me. It is necessary that you send a letter to your employees asking them to carry out this order from you. -- Enclosure: Details of sums owed by Rajah Tilokchand Rajah Kishn Chand for the years 1164 to 1166.
I have not received any communication from you since you left here; I hope you are well. I am sending Mi Qudrat Allah Khan Sahib to come and see you. He will be binging papers regarding the court case of his jagir to you. I would be grateful if you could write to Maharajah Sahib and his case could be resolved.
Thank you for your letter informing me about the good news of the arrival of Company ships from England and your victories at Plassey. I am delighted to know that you have now been appointed as the big chief/kalan Sahibi [Governor General] at Calcutta. Many congratulations on this promotion.
Just received the news that you have been appointed as the head of the British Mission at Calcutta. Congratulations and my best wishes for the future. -- Enclosure: [silver-sprinkled]. -- Yad-dasht: Congratulations and [Nazur of] five gold muhr.
I was delighted to know from your letter that the Prince had to abandon the siege of Azimabad and after his defeat he has now fled across the river Son and that you are in hot pursuit. I am thankful to the Almighty for this great victory and pray for His blessings upon you.
An account of the misdeeds of Kirpa Ram Sen, messenger of Mr Martin. -- I, with Kirte Patak, a messenger of M. Sanks had gone to Nathpore to see Bankim Lal the son of Sujit Rae. At that time the manager of the Kothi of M. Sanks was standing near his shop. The aforesaid Partake got hold of him and took him into the kith. Meanwhile, Sen with two Tilinga soldiers and Man Singh a foot soldier, went to the kothi. When the Tilangas and the foot soldier tried to enter the kothi they were stopped by the guard. At this the foot soldier told him that Patak had sent him to ask some questions. The guard went to see Patak and asked him to withdraw the Tilangas from the Kothi. As a result the Tilangas were withdrawn from inside the Kothi and the foot soldier told him that the manager owed fourteen thousand rupees to them which he does not want to return. Patak replied that he had nothing to do with this matter. He told us that we should examine the accounts and take whatever is due; but the foot soldier did not agree to that.
Draft of a letter addressed to Maharajah Ram Narayan Bahadur. -- As there was no seal of the Nawab Sahib on the envelope it is requested that it should be affixed on the back of the parvanah and returned. -- The pargana of Malda and the value of the properties in Basumukh belonging to the jagir of Nawab Samsam al-Daulah Bahadur Mansur Jang, which as cultivated lands, were under the administration of officials and a price on these properties was agreed with the owner of the jagir. The Nawab Wazir has written that they should withdraw the administrators from the jagir of the Nawab and that they should be handed over to Rao Shitab Rae, the Assistant Divan of Bihar Province. The properties in the districts of Balanj?, etc. belonging to the aforesaid Nawab which were...[sic]. -- Enclosure 1: From Lord Clive to Maharajah Ram Narayan. -- Draft of a letter addressed to Maharajah Ram Narayan Bahadur with the seal of the Nawab. -- I had asked the Nawab verbally to finalise the affairs of Rao Shitab Rae Jiv and later on wrote to confirm this request. In reply he wrote that his affairs were already settled. I am not sure if you have managed to have any of the tasks carried by the Nawab. It is surprising that in spite of verbal request and written confirmation you have not carried out any of his instructions; this has surprised all truth loving people. The Nawab has therefore issued a parvana regarding the overdue revenues from the parganas of Bhimpore and Shahjahanpore belonging to the jagir of Navab Samsam al-Daulah Bahadur. Following the instructions given in the parvana the state...[sic].
After taking your leave I reached Benares. Some of your messengers who had come this way to look for Mir Zain al-Abidin had informed that he was staying in Benares so that he could prevent me, Sukha Ram Pandit, from coming and see you. Although I had sent him a message asking him not to travel as the roads were not safe and elephants and horses belonging to Odepuri Gosain who were travelling in this area were taken away from him by Rajah Ajit Singh. However, the aforesaid Mir did not believe this and moved on. Meanwhile, I went to the river bank/Ghat and heard that Rajah Vije Singh of Maulaganj had confiscated all the belongings of Mir and had asked him to pay five thousand rupees if he wanted them back. He, with great difficulty, managed to provide only one thousand rupees and a horse. Later two guards belonging to Rajah Ajit Singh came there and took him into custody. We do not know what happened next and on what terms he was released. From here he is now travelling via Allahabad and will soon come to see you. -- Enclosure: Copy of the above letter.
Diyabarn? Harakara reports that in the districts of Bundelkhand Ram Pandit and Ghanish? Pandit along with one thousand-horse cavalry had gone to see Rajah Ajit Singh at Bandhu and to ask him for one fourth of his wealth. Ajit Singh was preparing himself to defend his wealth but his Diwan, Puran Mall, resolved the matter by agreeing to hand over one fourth of the wealth to the Marhattas and Ram Pandit and Ghanish? Pandit, with this, returned with this wealth. When Lala Babu, one of the brothers of Ajit Singh, who had became independent saw Ganesh Pandit coming he attacked his forces. Rajah Bikrmajit had at that time gone to see Gannet Pundit and Ram Pandit to establish a police post in that district of Marar and to ask money for the protection of this station.. But the Pandit was not prepared to agree to this and preferred to resolve the issue by force. Bikrmajit was engaged in these affairs when Gopal Pandit Marhatta with his ship arrived with one thousand cavalry at Amethi, near??? by crossing the river from Kudhi port at Bankipore. They have brought with them reporters and messengers. One of the reporters has informed me that Madhu Singh, the son of Raghu Singh Khoslah, has gone towards Bengal with three other Sardars and that from there he wants to take a ship to go to Khad.
News reports from His Majesty's camp which were sent by Rajah Sahib in his letter to me are now being forwarded to you. -- The Emperor and the Nawab Wazir along with their nobles and courtiers have assembled near pargana Zaing/Ring? Most of the troublemakers in the provinces of Hissar and Hansi as well as zamindars of the Rajah of Bikaner who had come here have been killed and their country destroyed. The rest who had moved to the country under the control of the emperor are safe. -- The Nawab Wazir's intentions are that as soon as the management of the country was complete he would accompany the emperor on a hunting expedition or on an excursion. -- Prince Ali Gohaur who had run away to the country of Sadat-i Barah [Barah Syeds] is accompanied by a small army of four or five thousands cavalry and foot soldiers. -- News that Ahmad Shah Abdali was dead, and later on people had reported that he was still alive, leaves no doubt that he has gone to Hell. The Governor of the Lahore province appointed by His Majesty had moved to Sialkot and have established his police posts there. His assistant had moved to Multan. None of the followers of Abdali remain in this province now. Nawab Adinah Beg Kham who was appointed Subahdar of Lahore by His Majesty has passed away; his cousin has been appointed in his place. The province is still under His Majesty's control. -- Rajah Madhu Singh, the son of Raja Jai Singh, died of natural causes in Vijenagar. The brother of Raja has now succeeded him. Raghunath Rao and Malhar Rao, after taking their leave from Nawab Wazir, had left for Deccan; they were going there via Rajputana. Meanwhile, the Nawab Wazir had decided to go on an expedition. He wrote to the above-mentioned sirdars to wait for him before moving further. They are now encamped about two hundred karohs from the capital and are waiting for new instructions from the Nawab Wazir. -- Nawab Shuja al-Daulah, the Governor of Oudh, had gone alone for hunting. On his way he came across fourteen Rohila horsemen who were in his employment. They attacked the Nawab who was injured by two arrows but he fought back and killed four of his attackers. Later he killed two more Rohilah horsemen who were with them. Two others were killed by Umraogar Gosain and two more were taken as prisoners by him. The Nawab, though injured, returned alive to his place. No doubt he behaved very bravely in this encounter.
After giving me permission to leave, Murshidzadah asked me to take certain messages to Qadrshinasan [Clive?] but when I reached my destination I fell ill and could not meet him for a few days. Ultimately I gave the shuqqah/envelope and messages to Mirza Abd Allah Khan so that he could pass these messages to him in private. Now I am waiting here for their replies.
I had sent a letter yesterday regarding the property and state of the late Nawab Najm al-Daulah. As there was no responsible person available in the house I, with the agreement of Mr Sanks Haibat Jang, have now installed a guard on the above-mentioned property. This will protect it from pilferage.
I hope you have received my earlier letter informing you about my return to Faizabad. In this letter I had also informed you that I was taking the medicine prescribed by Bankum/Secombe Sahib as well as taking all precautions against the weather, diet, etc. recommended by him but still I am loosing blood through my stools and having a lot of phlegm. I am therefore sending my personal physician Hikmat Husain who knows my condition well to consult with Bankum/Secombe Sahib and then prescribe the appropriate treatment for my condition.
I hope you have read the various letters I have sent you in the past. I am enclosing a letter from His Majesty addressed to you which I received recently; please let me have a reply. A news report regarding Navab Najib al-Daulah Bahadur, Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Sikhs and the Marhattas which I received is also enclosed for your information. Nawab Ahmad Khan Bahadur has also written to His Majesty that the Prince is asking him to come and see you. -- Enlosure 1: [gold cubes] From Maharajah Shitab Rae to Lord Clive. -- I send you news reports of Radhu Nath Rao based on the reports that I receive. The real intentions of Rao Bahadur are to wage war against Maharajah Javahir Singh; that is why the Maharajah has sent Rao Bahadur Singh, son of Thakur Mall, to see Navab Najib al-Daulah. He wants the Navab to join forces with him and the Sikhs against the Marhattas. As the Navab is not well he has not been able to see him as yet. -- Enclosure 2: Akhbar-i Nawab Najib al-Daulah Bahadur. -- Navab Najib al-Daulah has not been well for some days. Rao Bahadur Singh, son of Rajah Thakur Mall, was sent by Jawahir Singh to see the Nawab and to conduct negotiations with him but has not been able to see him because of the Nawab's illness. Jawahir Singh has proposed that if the Nawab agrees he could call the Sikh Sirdars and they could join together to fight against the Marhatts. Meanwhile, the Rohilas are creating a lot of mischief at Shahjahanabad and people are complaining. -- Enclosure 3: News report fom the army of Raghu Nath Rao Marhatta dated the 16th of Rabi al-Avval, San 7. -- The army is stationed at a distance of two karohs from the the village of Kobad. After offering his prayers Raghu Nath went on an elephant to examine the trenches. When he reuturned he went back to his tent and appointed Mahaji Sindhia to safeguard the batteries and in charge of the artillery at Garhi Kohad. The letter-bag brought by the vakil of Javahir Singh was shown to him and a reply was sent. -- Enclosure 4: News report from Shahjahanabad. -- Navab Najib al-Daulah left Shahjahanabad on the 22nd of Rabi al-Avval, San 7, to go to Najib Garh. He has left his younger brother Afzal Khan with a force of seven thousand at Shahjahanabad. He has also left Bahadur Singh, the son of Thakur Mall, who had come to conduct negotiations on behalf of Javahir Singh Jat at Shahjahanabad with Afzal Khan. He has called Rajah Daler Singh so that he could reply to him after consulting his brothers. -- News was received that Ahmad Shah Abdali had left Qandhar on the 23rd of Muharram to go to Kabul. He has reached Peshawar to collect requisitions levied on his enemies. The Sikhs are ready to face him in their territory. Raghu Nath Rao is in Gwaliyar and is waging war in the surrounding countryside -- Enclosure 5: From Shah Alam Badshah to Lord Clive. -- Date received: 9 July, 1766; 8 Muharram, San 7 -- I have issued a firman appointing Maharajah Shitab Rae as our vakil to receive money from the English as payments from the province of Bengal and to transmit it to us. Please consider him as our permanent vakil and send every month all payments from Murshidabad through him. This will please as most. -- Note: As we have appointed him as our permanent vakil we have sent him a seal of his office to be used by him.
I have already sent you details of the sale and purchase of opium in the province of Bihar. The rates of duty charged on opium in the province of Bihar as laid down by the rules and regulation from a long time past are as follows: -- On any transactions made by Muslims the duty is 3 rupees on every hundred rupees worth of goods; for Hindus it is three rupees and twelve annas; for French and Dutch nationals it is five rupees and twelve annas. -- Instead of all these three rates it would be better to have only one rate imposed. -- Enclosure 1: -- Details of duty paid by the Dutch, French and English traders on the sale and purchase of opium in the province of Bihar. -- Enclosure 2: -- Continuation of the above with details of duties paid by the Dutch and French kothis [factories].
As instructed I had come from Azimabad to see your assistant and convey all the news I had heard so far. Now I am informing you of events which took place after those reports. Navab Sahib, along with Muhammad Quli Khan Sahib, is staying in Lucknow; we have to wait and see what happens next. The situation at the capital is that the Nawab Vazir has asked the Marhattas to invade the territory of Najib Khan Rohelah and a battle is raging between the two armies. I have come to know that the Prince is staying at Chatardhar and is allocated a daily allowance of five hundred rupees. I am at present staying at Johnor but soon will be going towards the army of the Nawab near Lucknow. Please let me know if I have your permission to do so.
