Item CR9/18/4 - Letter from Rajah Shitab Rae to Clive.

I have been working very hard from morning to midnight every day to perform my duties. Because of this I have managed the administration of the province as it should be done. The instalment for the month of Kanar has already been collected and so is the instalment for the month of Katak. By the end of the month all accounts for this year will be settled. Between the 15th of Rabi al-Sani and the end of Jamadi al-Avval I have given six Lac rupees to Mr Middleton to deposit in the Kothi. Whatever amount is collected afterwards will also be deposited there. -- Meanwhile, I am enclosing a letter from Munir al-Daulah Bahadur addressed to you which I had received recently. I was not informed about the subject matter of this letter. -- Enclosure 1: From Shitab Rae to Lord Clive. -- The annual tax levied against Asad Allah Khan is thirty thousand rupees. Maharaj Dhiraj Narayan has paid thirty thousand rupees as land tax for the year 1172 fasli. Another thirty thousand was paid by me as tax paid by the above mentioned Khan. -- -- Enclosue 2: [Large multi coloured flowwers on gold background given between the inner and outer borders]. From Munir al-Daulah to Lord Clive. -- I have not had any communication from you for some days and worry about you health and safety. Kindly let me know as soon as possible that you are well. -- -- Enclosue 3: [Decoated with gold cubes]. From Munir al-Daulah to Lord Clive. -- I had earlier sent you a report on the activities of the wretched and useless Qasim Ali Khan. He, expecting help from the Prince, had assembled a guard to protect him. With the advice and consultation of some of his sirdars he called his men from Farrukhabad to Basolah and Amlah to be near when they were taken into custody by Hafiz al-Mulk Bahadur and they were sent to H.M. In this regard I had received two letters from Hafiz Rahmat Khan; these are enclosed for your information. After receiving instructions from His Majesty these men were set free and not killed. I have written to you about this in my previous letter and hope that you have read it by now. While Hafiz Rahmat Khan is alive Qasim Ali Khan would not have the power or ability to do anything against his wishes because Hafiz Rahmat Khan is a very faithful and devoted servant of H.M. and a great friend and ally of Nawab Shuja al-Daulah Bahadur [Clive]. He is also one of my close friends and a friend and well-wisher of the English. I am writing all this to you so that you are satisfied about him and do not worry on his account. I see trouble brewing in Shahjahanabad and will write to you if anything happens; please do remember my situation also. I have not been able to pay the sahukars, Kahmiri Mall and Bejnath Pandit, the amounts I owe them yet. Their messengers are demanding the sum from me. Kindly write to them not to do so. -- -- Enclosue 4: From Hafiz Rahmat Khan Bahadur to Navab Munir al-Daulah Riza Quli Khan Bahadur Nadirjang. -- -- You may have received my reply to your earlier letter by now. In accordance with your wishes, and following the command of His Majesty, I had sent some of my trusted men to Navab Muhammad Ahmad Khan who had given protection to the pretender[shakhs-i ja'li - Mir Qasim] in his state so as to convince him about the bad consequences of doing so. He replied that the person concerned had gone to Anulah where he wanted to start the flame of rebellion and where local people had assembled to pay their respect to him. Knowing this I tactfully called him here and took him into custody. Please do not worry about him any more and let His Majesty know that I am here to serve him in any way I can. -- Navab Najib al-Daulah has left Shahjahanabad because of his illness and has gone gone to his country. This has left the seat of the Khilafat at the mercy of troublemakers; it is necessary to look after the affairs there. -- -- Enclosue 5: From Hafiz Rahmat Khan Bahadur to Navab Munir al-Daulah Riza Quli Khan Bahadur Nadirjang. -- -- I had earlier sent you news about the imprisonment of the pretender. In order to pursue this matter I have sent my trusted officers in all directions to search for him. At the same time I had sent some of my trusted men to Nawab Ahmad Khan Bahadur. I had instructed them that in case of trouble they should not hesitate to cut his head off. However, with the grace of God and the blessing of His Majesty as well as with great tact and diplomacy they were able to take him into custody. After putting him in shackles he was given into the custody of two of my most trusted officers, Khvajah Muhammad Tarab and Dhukal Singh Hazari, to escort him and to present him before His Majesty. Rae Dalchand and Kanjhidas may have already sent you details of this affair.