مرفقات رسالة إلى وزير الدولة لشؤون الهند، رقم ٢١٣، بتاريخ ٢٧ نوفمبر ١٨٧٤: خلاصة المحتويات من رقم ٣ إلى ٣١، من إدارة الخارجية، فورت ويليام [و‎‎١‎٩] (١٠٢/٣٧)

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4. I desire to bring to the prominent notice of Government that the
Sirdars, Siliedars, &c., are overwhelmed with debts which have been accumulat
ing for the last century, and for which the Durbar is in a great measure respon
sible ; and that instead of paying their arrears the Durbar has ordered the
Bankers not only to refrain from making any advances to them, but to file suits
against them, consequently being without the means of obtaining either credit
or their just arrears of pay, they and their families and followers are thrown
into circumstances of absolute want, from which I am satisfied the Gaekwar
will never relieve them, unless under the pressure of authoritative advice
from us.
5. Added to all this, the Durbar in its final state nent before the Commis
sion on this class of cases has alluded to the " necessity of a reduction in num
bers of this as well as other departments of the State service, consequently on
a probable decrease of the revenue from the proposed revision and lowering of
the land assesment."
6. Moreover, notwithstanding the present state of debt and arrears in
which the whole mass is at present involved, a circular was issued on the 7th
instant by the Maharaja to the effect that in order to reduce State expenditure
from the current year onwards, no less than 25 per cent, will be deducted from
the pay and allowances of Pagadars, Siliedars, Seebun^y, and other Karkhanedars,
subordinate to the Native Commander-in-Chief (Senaputtee).
7. Thus from the two preceding paragraphs it is seen that reduction
in the number of Sirdars, Siliedars, &c., in the first instance, and an exces
sive reduction of pay in the next, have been carefully provided for by the Dur
bar, without any just or equitable provision whatever having as yet been made for
either their debts, their-mrrears, or just grievances on loss of service.
8. I would respectfully submit that instead of the unreasonable reduc
tions contemplated by the Durjbar being primarily carried out as apparently
intended, the grave questions of their debts, their arrears, their just grivances,
and their claims to compensation, gratuity, or pension, as the case may be,
should first be considered and settled agreeably to the terms set forth in my
yad to the Durbar, No. 1502C7, dated 12th August 1874).
9. Agreeably to the orders of Government, 1 have nearly every day for
the last seven weeks carried on negotiations with Mr. Dadabhai about Sirdars'
cases in addition to other work, and their agents attend at my Office daily in con
nection therewith. Mr. Dadabhai himself appears willing enough to settle some
of them, but the Maharaja, though professing to acquiesce in his proposals, has
not as yet allowed an actual payment to be made. In fact, I regret to say
that His Highness is still surrounded by certain bad characters, who support
him in his revengeful feelings towards this class.
10. When writing to Government about the Contingent in my letter No.
246-843, dated 10th August last, I in the last paragraph particularly referred
to the Military classes and copied in full my final statement regarding them, dated
1st January 1874, in order to call to remembrance the increasing danger of
allowing such a large number of troops to fall into arrears of pay for so long
a period; and I need scarcely say that the present state of aftairs cannot last
much longer without a breach of the peace taking place, the responsibility
for which will, I submit, rest solely on His Highness the Gaekwar, agreeably
to the terms of His Excellency the V iceroy and Governor-General's khureeta
dat^d 25th July last.
11. I will address you further on this subject as soon as I have fully
considered what to recommend under the circumstances, and in the meantime
do not delay this letter owing to the emergent importance of the question at
issue.