Enclosures of Letter to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for India, No.213, dated 27 November 1874: Nos. 3 to 31 of Abstract of Contents, from Foreign Department, Fort William [‎27r] (53/102)

upon which Your Highness may do me the honor to consult me, I shall,
according to my instructions, freely communicate with you orally and give
you such help as I can; final written advice will be offered in each instance
after it lias been approved of by His Excellency the Governor of Bombay
in Council.
No. 247-844, dated Baroda, llth August 1874.
From—Resident at Baroda,
To—Secretary to the Government of Bombay From c. 1668-1858, the East India Company’s administration in the city of Bombay [Mumbai] and western India. From 1858-1947, a subdivision of the British Raj. It was responsible for British relations with the Gulf and Red Sea regions. .
I n continuation of my letter No. 244-840, dated yesterday, I have thc
honor to report that the Maharaja has been consulting me through his
Karbharees (and a few days back personally also) about the retention in office
ot Mr. Dadabhai and his party. His Highness lias long wanted to part from
Mr. Dadabhai himself, but he fears, as I before reported to Government, his
home influence, and that he will give bim a bad name. Mr. Dadabhai, I am
reliably informed, went so far a day or two ago as to draw up an agreement
of 25 articles to the effect that the Maharaja was to make over the Raj to him
and his party, in order to effect the reforms specified in His Excellency the
Viceroy and Governor-General's khureeta An important letter usually sent in an elaborate textile pouch, dispatched as part of the royal or diplomatic correspondence of rulers and elites. of 25th ultimo. This the Maha
raja King was dissuaded by the old Karbharees from doing, but owing to the
impression made by Mr. Dadabhai and his followers as to the weight
of responsibility which the khureeta An important letter usually sent in an elaborate textile pouch, dispatched as part of the royal or diplomatic correspondence of rulers and elites. throws on His Highness, he is nearly
distracted by indecision notwithstanding the assurances of help which I
have given. AVhen consulted I gave my decided opinion that Mr. Dadabhai
and his party had not the knowledge, ability, experiences, or weight of
character sufficient to carry out the reforms needed in every department of
the State; that none of the people from the Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. downwards had the least
confidence in them; and that judging from the fair trial which Mr. Dadabhai
has had for the last nine months, and Mr. Kazee Shahabudin for five, together
with the results of that trial, I saw no hope of the requisite work being done
by them. That 1 doubted if men of ability and character from British districts
would serve under Mr. Dadabhai; and that as regards His Highness' signing
an agreement to make over his Kiasut to any one whatever except the British
Government, I looked upon the very proposal on Mr. Dadabhai's part as an
offence against the sovereignty of the paramount power; and that if such a
matter w r ere to come officially before me, I should take most serious notice of it.
As might naturally be supposed Mr. Dadabhai and his friends are indignant
at my having expressed such an opinion regarding them, but at the present
crisis I felt bound in duty to say honestly w^hat I believed to be true, and leave
it for the Maharaja to accept or not as might please bim.
Several factions are now trying to make capital out of His Highness. The
notorious Damodur Punt has brought a man named Bam Bhow, said to have
been Karbharee of a small State in Upper India, and he hopes to have him
appointed Dewan.
I told His Highness that rather than work should suffer for want of a
Dew r an, I would lend him my Native Assistant Mr. Munibhai to be joint
karbharee with Ilao Saheb Baboobhai, who is really doing the Dew^n's work at
present; so that in the event of Mr. Dadabhai going, w hich I hear he threatens
to do, unless the Maharaja signs the abovementioned agreement, the duties of
the Dew r an W'Ould be temporarily provided for more efficiently than they have
yet been during the present reign.
Knowing the difficult character of the work that has to be done, inde
pendently of the amount of it, I feel sure that unless I can persuade His