issue his own edicts and warrants, in defiance of
the resistance of the Nabob, in the manner by him described
in the letters aforesaid,—in a letter of
6th December, 1781, that is to say: “Finding
the Nabob wavering in his determination about the
resumption of the jaghires, I this day, in presence
of and with the minister’s concurrence, ordered
the necessary purwannahs to be written to the several
aumils for that purpose; and it was my firm resolution
to have dispatched them this evening, with proper
people to see them punctually and implicitly carried
into execution; but before they were all transcribed,
I received a message from the Nabob, who had been
informed by the minister of the resolution I had taken,
entreating that I would withhold the purwannahs until
to-morrow morning, when he would attend me, and afford
me satisfaction on this point. As the loss of
a few hours in the dispatch of the purwannahs appeared
of little moment, and as it is possible the Nabob,
seeing that the business will at all events be
done, may make it an act of his own, I have consented
to indulge him in his request; but, be the remit of
our interview whatever it may, nothing shall prevent
the orders being issued to-morrow, either by him or
myself, with the concurrence of the ministers.
Your pleasure respecting the Begums I have learnt
from Sir Elijah, and the measure heretofore proposed
will soon follow the resumption of the jaghires.
From both, or indeed from the former alone, I have
no doubt of the complete liquidation of the Company’s
balance.” And also in another letter, of
the 7th December, 1781: “I had the honor
to address you yesterday, informing you of the steps
I had taken in regard to the resumption of the
jaghires. This morning the Vizier came to me
according to his agreement, but seemingly without any
intention or desire to yield me satisfaction on the
subject under discussion; for, after a great deal
of conversation, consisting on his part of trifling
evasion and puerile excuses for withholding his assent
to the measure, though at the same time professing
the most implicit submission to your wishes, I found
myself without any other resource than the one of
employing that exclusive authority with which I consider
your instructions to vest me: I therefore declared
to the Nabob, in presence of the minister and Mr.
Johnson, who I desired might bear witness of the conversation,
that I construed his rejection of the measure proposed
as a breach of his solemn promise to you, and an unwillingness
to yield that assistance which was evidently in his
power towards liquidating his heavy accumulating debt
to the Company, and that I must in consequence
determine, in my own justification, to issue immediately
the purwannahs, which had only been withheld in
the sanguine hope that he would be prevailed upon
to make that his own act which nothing but the
most urgent necessity could force me to make mine.
He left me without any reply, but afterwards sent