'History of the Province of Gohud' [‎11r] (21/72)

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great embarrassment, and preventing him carrying on opera
tions elsewhere. Scindiah, therefore, hoped that the British
Government wonld aid him in subduing the Rana and getting
possession of the Fortress of G-walior, by force of arms or by
inducing the Rana to make it over to Scindiah, in which case
he would give the Rana, in exchange for Gwalior, a district
of three or four lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , or any other compensation
the Government might dictate. Scindiah did not doubt that
the Rana would submit to whatever the Governor-General
might prescribe; but if the Rana refused, Scindiah hoped we
would aid him by giving two or three battalions who might,
in concert with his own troops, prosecute the war against
the Rana, leaving him (Scindiah) at liberty to carry on his
operations elsewhere. In consequence of these overtures,
the Resident thought it requisite " to answer the messenger
seriously, for the information of Scindiah, that when he com
menced hostilities against the Rana, and accused the Rana
of perfidy towards the British Government, he, the Resident,
had, acting under the order of the Governor-General, de
clared that he could not interfere in their disputes. If it
were asserted that the Rana had forfeited this guarantee by
failing to aid Colonel Muir's force, and by entering into a
separate negotiation with Scindiah to the detriment of
British interests, the Rana might justly reply, that the re
quired aid had been furnished by him to the British Govern
ment to the extent of four battalions of infantry and 1200
cavalry, as reported by Colonel Muir to the Governor-
General on the 24th September 1781; that the negotia
tions complained of had been entered into by him under
the direct authority of Colonel Muir; that he had en
tered into no direct engagement himself to our prejudice,
and that whatever he had done
from the Mahrattas, had been previous to Colonel Mnir's
Treaty, and being known to Col. Muir at the time when that
Treaty was concluded, was therefore virtually forgiven, and
could not invalidate any of the stipulations contained in