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 [‎49v] (98/102)

so, or else he is to go back. This necessarily places many persons, whose cases
are just, to great advantage. If after all these any one is bold enough to go
near the Minister, the latter expresses himself as follows to him:—This is a
very large State, and I have a very pressing hard work before me, as I am
alone, how can I get through your business? Such is the state of affairs. This
puts your petitioners in mind that the Minister being a resident under British
rule wants to act the part of an Englishman in this respect, viz., to show his
love of working in solitude as Europeans do. But it ought to be remembered
that Europeans do hear the petitions of petitioners and do grant them justice,
while this man wants only to imitate the manners of Europeans without giving
satisfaction to any one. In consequence of this, thousands of helpless people,
who have had no redress given them, have been plunged into despair.
Your petitioners, however, beg to submit that the only alternative left them
is to petition Your Excellency; but although they did so several times, no
notice has been taken of ther petitions up to this time. Their case is rendered
the more desperate by the circumstances of the new officials being quite
unacquainted with the business routine of this State, the latter therefore are
unable to help them out of their difficulties. Hence they are afraid to complain
at all. For if they do, the Resident does not arrange their matter; and it
only exposes them to the risk of incurring the displeasure of 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).
officials. People of this State are quite unacquainted with the English rules
and regulations, and the new officials do always say something about these rules
and regulations. It follows therefore that these persons with the dint of their
authority and the force of their intelligence can concoct thousands of schemes
as of a nature to cause injury to the people. For it appears that Mr.
Dadabhai's mission at this Court has been that of simply defending the
late Dewan Nana Saheb and the other officials who are implicated in
aggrieving the people. These people had in consequence of their grievances
applied to the llesident for redress. An inquiry thereupon was ordered to
be instituted into their complaints by the Supreme Government, and Mr. Dada
bhai's advent was for the purpose of helping to save the aforesaid persons
from the consequences of their deeds and to break down the cause of the com
plaints. Sincet Dadabhai has been a Dewan, he has not settled a single case.
He has also contemplated to impose the obnoxious tax of 25 per cent, on the
income of the " Hucdaree" class of people; while he has completed a very
excellent arrangement of securing thousands of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. for himself and his
colleagues. It will be plainly seen from this that he is quite incapable of making
satisfactory arrangements in the State so as to keep the people pleased.
In order to settle differences, and make a satisfactory arrangement, in the
State at present, it is necessary, and your petitioners trust, that Your Excellency
will direct the selection and appointment, to the post of Dewan through the
llesident, of an able and experienced Kamdar, and at the same time one who
is a heriditary servant of the State. He should have the assistance of impartial
and just Kamdars in the administration of the State affairs, and the latter being
respectable residents of this place will hesitate to do anything wrong; their
conduct in reputation being a sufficient " guarantee," and these functionaries
should arrange all differences according to the Resident's wishes—a measure
which will tend to give satisfaction to all the parties concerned, and the clamour
will subside. But if Mr. Dadabhai were by dint of his authority to make any
arragement for the people, as to him seems best, that would never remove the
cause of the dissatisfaction of the people. It will only have the effect of
exhausting their patience day by day, and of annihilating the " Huckdars."
Under such circumstances, your petitioners humbly crave that Your Excel
lency will be pleased to take their case (of " extreme hardships") into your
consideration, and order the Resident to make a speedy arrangement for them.
Your petitioners have enclosed postage stamps for the favor of an answer
from Your Excellency. As your petitioners are now on the " brink of starvation,"
should there be no prospect of a speedy arrangement of their hucks, they
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