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 Chap. 1.

PROGRESS OF TilE MAHRATTA POWER.

395

BooRHANRWR — From Elliott's Views in the East.

liiul the legal right to it, and called upon them to exhibit their respecti^'« claims. Saho, indignant at the very suggestion of a doubt on such a subject, disdained to give any explanation, and sent Bajee Rao at the head of a nmnerous army to compensate himself by plmider for the more regular revenue which was withheld. Nizam -ul- Moolk had prepared for this result, and along with Samba, who had now openly joined him, advanced to the relief of Boorhanpoor, which was threatened by Bajee. Tlie first effect of this advance was to send the Mahrattfis into Gujerat. After a short time spent in pillaging it, they again suddenly made

their appearance in the Deccan, and ultimately reduced Nizam -ul-Moolk to such straits, that ho was glad to buy them oft' by humiliating concessions. His experience of the kind of enemy he had to deal with, left him little inclination to provoke a renewal of the contest; and though he did, on more than one occasion, endeavour to weaken their power by sowing dissensions among them, he came at last to a thorough understanding with Bajee, and entered into a formal agreement, by which he undertook to protect Bajee's interests in the Deccan, while the latter was ravaging Malwah and extending hi.s

authority over other ' "^= portions of the Mogul

dominions.

Bajee Rao easily found a pretext for this invasion. The gi'ant of chout in Gujerat had been revokeil, and Sir- buland Khan, who had consented t<t it, wa.s recalled from the gov- ernment to make way for a successor in Abhi Sing, Rajah of Joodpoor. The Mogul court, in making thi.s appointment in iixvour of a rajah who, to other infamies, had recently added that of murdering his father Ajit Sing, was influenced chiefly by the expectation that his ovm

A.D. 1724.

Joodpoor —From Toild's .Viiii:ils of Raj.isth.in

Subjugation of Gujerat by Bajei- Rao.