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 [‎49r] (97/102)

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your petitioners being regarded as entitled to a participation of the wuttuns,
lands, and salaries were assigned to them in Guzerat for their maintenance or
service. In this way your petitioners, who were foreigners, were retained here
as permanent residents of his country. They came into possession of lands by
virtue of mortgage, &c., and these acquired lands, as well as their wuttun ones,
were continued to them uninterruptedly, and they also enjoyed the rights and
privileges till the time of the late Khunderao Maharaj. Afterwards taxes in
the shape of Inam Committee, &c., were demanded from your petitioners, and
the same were taken by the Wuhiwutdars from some of them by force, which
induced your petitioners to go to Baroda to make a representation to the
Hoozoor (Sirkar) on doing which the new imposts were discontinued.
In the year of Sumbut 1927, on the accession of Ilis Highness Mulharao
Maharaj and on the installation of the late Gopal Rao Myral as Dewan, the
Inam Committee tax was abolished. Afterwards Nana Saheb Khanwilkur,
brother-in-law of His Highness, became Dewan, and he ordered the " Inam
Committee," together with the other new taxes to be reimposed. In conse
quence of these orders the Wuhiwutdars compelled your petitioners to pay the
same. Whereupon your petitioners made a representation of their case several
times to the Sirkar, but to no purpose. Feeling helpless at this your petitioners
were compelled to petition the Resident at Baroda lor redress, and your peti-
titioners' master, the Jemadars, also laid most of your petitioners' grievances
before the Baroda Commission. Afterwards your petitioners submitted their
petitions both to Your Excellency's Government and the Calcutta Government.
A copy of the petition to the letter is herewith appended for your information.
Notwithstanding this they could not get any redress.
Afterwards the Karkhana of the Paga was entrusted by the Sirkar to the
descendant of the late Ha mid Jemadar by name Sha Mahomed Mirza bin
Radhunmya on his being confirmed in the same; and although he managed it,
he did not get the full nemnook from the Sirkar for several years, which was
the cause of your petitioners not getting their pay in full. This put them to
much distress. It was aggravated by the Wuhiwutdars preventing your peti
tioners from reaping the crops of their fields; and Mohsuls were imposed
on your petitioners. This necessitated your petitioners to make an application
to the Dewan, Mr. Dadabhai Nowrojee, who paid no attention to it, nor did
he pass any endorsement on the petition. Disappointed at this, your petitioners
had recourse to the Resident for redress ; a copy ot this application has been
herewith annexed, a perusal of which will convince \ our Excellency of the
extent of the oppression under which they are groaning by reason of Mohsuls, &c.
It is now nearly seven or eight months since, Mr. Dadabhai Nowrojee has
been here, and that he has been exercising the functions of the " defacto
Dewan" since about a month and half or two; Mr. Dadabhai has entrusted
the charge of the Revenue and Criminal Departments, with their executive
functions, to the new " Mundullee" (men) of his own selection, and has made a
good "bundobust" (arrangement) for himself and them (by way of nemnook).
Although he is repeatedly told by the Resident for giving redress to the ryots of
the Baroda State, so as to stop their complaints, he does not do so, as he and the
new authorities whom he has invested with power are quite unacquainted with
the system of the Gaekwar Government. Nor can he. For it has been
customary with the Minister hitherto to hear petitions openly at their own
houses, or in the Kutchery, His Highness' Palace, and decide the cases in the
presence of the petitioners, which tended to give immediate redress to them.
In the present instance the petitioners cannot have personal access to any ot
the officials, the place where they sit being in a very secluded locality. 1 urther
they have to report to the sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. near the entrance to give notice of their
coming to the authorities; and they are only called up, if it suits their
pleasure, to do so. Generally it happens that they have to go back without
getting a hearing. In the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). also, if the case of any petitioner happens
to be called out, the petitioner is only called in, if it suits their pleasure to do;