Page:History of India Vol 8.djvu/226

186 trolled depositaries of irresistible force. This universal demoralization necessarily affected the revenues and exasperated the disputes between the Company and Mir Jafir by increasing the financial embarrassments of both parties; especially as the Nawab showed very little zeal in providing money for the troops upon whom rested the Company's whole power of overruling him, and arrears were accumulating dangerously.

At last the president and council determined to put an end to these dissensions by removing the Nawab. An understanding was arranged with Mir Kasim, the Diwan, or chief finance minister, whereby he undertook to provide the necessary funds as a condition of his elevation to the rulership in the place of Mir Jafir, who was dispossessed by a bloodless revolution. But as the new Nawab had gained his elevation by outbidding his predecessor, this rack-renting revolution only made matters infinitely worse. Mir Kasim 's performances fell far short of his promises; the quarrels grew fiercer, and nothing was done to remedy the disorganization that was wrecking the administration and emptying the treasuries. The land revenue continued to decrease; commercial intercourse with upper India was checked by the insecurity of traffic; while the English Company was using their political ascendency not only to insist upon its privileged monopoly of the export trade to Europe, but also to enforce an utterly unjust and extravagant claim for special exemption from all duties upon the internal commerce of Bengal. In the assertion of this pretension, the Company's servants, native as