English
" Sultan Karimu-d-din, assuming tho gravity of princely rank, did not respond; but Farukh-sir walking I was at Haghli in 1887, I saw at §hahganj ad old dilapidated rnosouo which was said to have boon erected by Prince Azimuph-Shnn. 1 This is another saint of Bardwan, the details of whose career aro unknown to me. * Thero is nothing to wonder at in this, for one finds tho same invidions distinction in a more accentuated form was observed by another European Christian community in tho 16th and 17th centuries. 44 Moslems wero to pn> duty on all Merchandise. Portuguese wore to be exompt." (See Hunter's Ilietory of British India, Vol. I, p. 145). 8 Maulana Rum is the renowned Mystic or Sufi Persian poet. Hie numu was Maulana Jallaln-d-din. He was horn at Balkh in GOl A.II., and died in 672 A.II. Ho was a great saint. Ilis Afasnai* is n storehonso of spirit* ual treasures, and has well been described thus:— i&bi c fch* c>y °—*** tfjb* Lsy^° Selflessness was tho keynote to his teachings, which further inculcated the cultivation of a constant sense of Divino presonco in all human actions. For instance, ho says I^U sZrZS aJJi aJJi # a)J| aJUi alj| Again:— )S :> LS —y-t • 1*/ jfv iJj| dUI * Tho word used is “ tamghli." " In every Kingdom, Government taxes tho property of the subject over and above the lnnd-rcvouuo, and this thoy call Tnwyha” (Soo Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. II, p. 57). 246 up barefooted, stood respectfully and after offering salutations communicated his father’s message. The saint., being pleased with the courteous behaviour of Farukh-sir, took the latter by the hand, and said: “ Sit down, you are Emperor of Hindustan," end he offered prayer for Farukh-sir. The arrow of the saint’s prayer reached the butt of Divine acceptance. As a result of courteous behaviour on the part of Farukh-sir, what the sire desired was bestowed on the son. When the saint arrived to meet‘Azimu- sh-Shan, the latter advanced, and making apologies besought the saint’s prayer for the attainment of the object which His Highness had in view. The saint said : “What you seek, I have already bestowed on Farukh-sir, and now the discharged arrow cannot be recalled.” Offering the Prince benedictions, the saint returned to his own closet. In short, being satisfied with the administrative methods and arrangements introduced in respect of the affairs of the tracts of the Ch'iklah of Bardwan, Hugli, Hijli, and Midnipur, &c., the Prince set out on Imperial war-vessels, constructed by Shah Shuja, towards Jahangirnagar (Dacca). After arrival at Dacca, he set himself to organise the administration of that tract. When information about certain improper acts of the Prince like prac¬ tices of Sauda-i-ghas and Sauda-i-'Am, and the wearing of saffron- coloured red clothes at the time of the Holt, which is the Nauros or New Year of the Hindus, through the medium of messages of news-writers and historiographers, reached Emperor Aurangzeb, the latter was annoyed. 1 The Emperor wrote thereon to the Prince as follows: “A Saffron-coloured helmet on thy head, a red garment ou thy shoulder, thy venerable age verging on forty-six years; hurrah on thy beard and moustache !” In regaid to Souda-x-Kba? the Emperor wrote the following across the news-letter, and putting his own signature returned it: “ What propriety is there in 1 Aorangzeb’s pen was ns much dreaded as his sword. As a writer of caustic and terse letters full of withering sarcasms, few Persian writers surpass Aurangzeb. He was in the habit of constantly writing D.-O. letters to his officers, in order to keep them straight. The reader who wishes to have a taste of Aurangzeb’s caustic sarcasm, might torn to the original Persian as I am afraid I have not been able to convey its full relish in this English dressing. I quote the original Persiun :— . JA} ^ -Vj 1 rvf tw - cro uir 1 - 247 calling public oppression Sauda-i-Khos , aud who* connection 1ms Sauda x -i Kb ft? with Sauda-i-'Am ? Those who purchase—sell ; We neither purchase nor sell.” And by way of censure, to serve as a deterrent, the Emperor reduced the Prince’s man?ab by 500. The meanings of Sauda-i'Kknf and Sauda-i- l Am are as follows : “All the goods which arrived on board the mercantile ships at the port of Chafgaon (Chittagong), &c., were bought up ou behalf of the Prince,* and were styled Sauda-i-Kfras ; afterwards those very goods were re-sold to the merchants of this country, when they were called Sauda-i- 1 Am . When the news-letter containing the Emperor’s signature came to be perused by the Prince, the latter abandoned the afore¬ said trade. The Emperor Anrangzeb appointed Mirza Hadi to the office of Diwan of the Province of Bengal, after bestowing on him the title of Kar Talab Khan. The Mirza was a saga¬ cious man, and an officer of honesty aud integrity. He had already held the office of Diwan of the §Qbah of Orissa. In several Mahals pertaining to Orissa he had effected retrenchments in expenditure, and had thus become prominent amongst the Imperial officials. He was held matchless in probity and rectitude of purpose. Rendering eminent services, in periods of siege and war, he had got into the good graces of Emperor Aurangzeb. At that period, the reins of the administration of Financial and Revenue affairs, the power over the assessment and collection of revenue, and payments into and disbursements from the Imperial Treasury lay in the hands of the Diwan of the Subah. The Na¬ zim had jurisdiction over the Procedure and Administration of Political affairs, such as the repression and chastisement of the refractory and the disobedient, and the extirpation of rebels and tyrants. Except with regard to the Jagirs attached to the Nizamat and personal Man^abs and presents, the Nazim had no power to 1 The reader might note that there is a ptm here on the word ' samla,' whioh in Persian meana both • trade ’ and ' madness.’ “ Azimu-sh-Shan was lazy and covetous. He was ready to concedo any- t mg for a sufficient bribe.” In July 1698, for the sum of Rs. 16,000, tbo nglish were permitted by the Prince to purchase from the existing holdere !T l g t °f T tin , 8 fche threo viUa eB of Calcutta, Sutanati, and Gobiudpnr. (See Wilson s Armais, Vol. I, p. 150). 248 meddle with the Imperial revenue. Both the Nazim andtheDiwan were guided iu the administration of the affairs of the Subah by a Procedure Code 1 that was issued year after year by the Emperor, and they were not permitted to deviate from, or infringe, them by a hair-breadth. Kar Talab Khan, being appointed by Emperor to be Dlwan of the Subah of Bengal, arrived at Jahangimagar (Dacca). After waiting on the Prince, he devoted himself to the administration of the fiscal affairs. And the remittances into, and disbursements from, the Treasury being in charge of the above- mentioned Khan, the Prince’s control over the income and expendi¬ ture ceased. The abovementioned Khan, finding that the country was without thorns, and fertile and rich, commenced re-assessment, and deputed sagacious and thrifty Collectors to every Parganuh and Qhaklah and Sarkar. And after assessing accurately the Imperial revenue and sair taxes, he remitted one Kror of rupees to the Emperor, aud prepared a complete Revenue-roll of the Khalsah mahals (crown lands) and of the Jagirs. In former times, owing to the badness of the climate of Bengal, the higher officers did not care to seek for service in this Province, as they fancied it not ouly fatal to human lives, but as actual haunts of demons. Therefore, the Chief Imperial Diwans, by way of inducement, con¬ ferred numerous Jagirs in Bengal on the Bengal Mangadars. In consequence of this policy, very few Khalsah malmls were left in Bengal, so that the revenue of the mahals of this Subah did not suffice to meet either the pay of the soldiers under ‘he Princr, or that of the naqdi troops. Therefore, their pay had to bo provided for from revenues of other Subuhs. 1 ie “ Khan submitted a scheme to the Emperor suggesting allotment o Sds in Orissa on account of Jagirs to the Bengal Man S abdars ; > 1 The Procedure Code or Manual, containing net rnlea and regulations on irrssrra: provincial Administrators, whether ^ , Ama ‘ L Baiaoai (Vol. I, deviate from tl.e set rules contains in ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ £hnh, the pp. 384 385) states that .n the t ' , "° °' 18 llclt tl , al even on Kcclosiastical matte..,, no reference m ^^^^higheroaiccrs under the Mu.hu, H-P—- 249 mid this scheme met with the Emperor’s approval. Tito KliiLit 1 thereon resumed all Jagirs in Bengal, together with their sair revenues, save and except such as pertained to the Nizamat and the Diwani, 8 and allotted in lieu thereof Jagirs to the Benjal mansabdars in Orissa, the soil whereof was comparatively worse, poorer, more sterile, and less fertile. By this ingenious stroke of policy, the Khan effected a big surplus in the Bengal revenue to the credit of the Emperor, and squeezed out the profits from the Bengal Zamindars and Jugirdars. And by minute attention to details, lie effected considerable retrenchments under the several Heads of the Public Expenditure. Year after year, he enhanced the Bevenue-asseasments of the Subah, and thus became the re¬ cipient of Imperial favours. When the Priuce (‘Azirnu-sh-Shan) found his coutrol over the Bengal reveuuo diminished, he was con¬ stantly in a bad humour. Besides, the rewards which the Khan received for his good services from the Emperor weighed as thorns of envy on the heart of the Prince, and kindled the fire of his jealousy. The Priuce sohemed to kill the Khan, but failed in his aim. The Prince won over to his side the Commander of Naqdi troops the term, however, was also used in the times of Sher S^ah.