مرفقات لرسالة إلى وزير الدولة لشؤون الهند، رقم ١٧، بتاريخ ٢٢ يناير ١٨٧٥: خلاصات المحتويات من رقم ٣ إلى ٢٦ من وكيل وزير الخارجية الممارس للحكومة في الهند، فورت ويليام [ظ‎‎١‎١‎٩] (٩٠/٣٨)

i n:« TTJMinpss and redressing any iust "•rounds of complaint
between them and U » ^ Sil . d . u . s as » , )() a v J ti0 » lwst two respectable
that migbt cx !? ' u iem the Bur bar to select an equal number, and the
persons as mec ia o\* ' ^ eS tabUsli harmony between the sovereign and
four together shouM ende^vouiw ^^^ ^ to otfui , ^ J d aml
his Nobles. ► n whpn( v Ve r required, and asked the Sirdars if they were
advice in such a lao-le of settlement; adding that it would be
prepeared to ^ ie „ meIlt to withhold their interyention in respect
nooessary tor tne . diuimi vju
necessary -
to those who disagreed
also explained that the object was to refer the matter to the media
tion and arbitrament of a person or persons who enjoyed the confidence of both
mrties ■ that if instead of two members from each side, both concurred in select-
Fn^ one particular individual, that would do equally well.
0 Tlw. Smlars unanimously replied in the affirmative, and in doing so stated
that they had been much gratified to learn that His Excellency the Viceroy
nml Governor-General had been graciously pleased to depute to Baroda a
Gentleman of Colonel Sir Lewis Pelly's position and reputation, and that they
pi, inofipp would be done to them. They then adverted to their
intimate connection with, and claims on, the State of Baroda, urging that their
ancestors with the Gaekwar as their head, had won the country and established
the W-u that their services on various important occasions were rewarded by
or-mts of iaghires, inams, allowances, military service, &c.; that these rights
were hereditary, and inseparably connected with .the Gadee; in fact, that U kml -
interests were identical with those of the State, though they owed allegiance
and were subordinate to His Highness the Gaekwar as their recognized head;
that their relations with the Gaekwar had always been sati ^Uctory, except
for the last few years, when, in the time ot His late Highness Khunde Rao, the
administration of the State, which till then had been in the hands ot the old
and experienced servants of the State, was entrusted to new and inexperienced
favorites; that these persons, with a view to benefit themselves at the expenst
of the old and hereditary Sirdars, endeavoured to prejudice the mind ot the
reisnin 0 ' Prince against them; and the unfortunate result had been that
i a "hires and inams were confiscated, their allowances stopped, even private pro
perty of some of them carried away, and insults heaped upon them ; that the
influence of the said evil advisers did not stop there, but also extended to o lei
departments of the State, and ultimately culminated in the general migso\eru-
ment, which called forth the intervention of the British Government
As regards the debts, it was explained that they were first incurred at a
time when the country was in a disturbed condition, and when conscquen \
their ancestors had, in order to retain their own prestige as militavv coinmaiK -
ants, to engage the services of more men than their limited alun\ anees pei-
raitted; that the debts so contracted, increased by interest, descended trom gene
ration to generation, and were further augmented by the irreguuu m
which their allowances were disbursed by the Durbar.
The Sirdars then referred to the fact that His Highness the Gaekuai had
lately given a seat of honour on a gold cushion to his late Minister an m w )
made Pritinidhi Nana Salieb Khanvelkur, and urged that this uivo \u an
insult to their dignity as first class Sirdars of the State ; that even the heu appa
rent to the Gadee occupied in the Durbar the same carpet as the Sinlai d am
that the present action of the Maharaja was quite unwarranted by preen en
Sir Lewis Pelly observed that questions like this would well come
the arbitrators proposed to be appointed to bring about a cordial iinderstam mg
between His Highness and the Sirdars, and added that he was well aware t hi
the claims of the Sirdars who had assisted the Gaekwar in acquiring his vaj
and performed other important services were deserving of great consideraumr,
for instance, the Nawab of Baroda, whose family, as Sir Lewis Pelly persona y
knew, was entitled to the greatest consideration, but that at the same time
32
Exd.—J. D. G.