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Rh openly deplored the Treaty of Purandhar, and their Governor-General was quietly waiting for the right moment to set it formally aside.

Meanwhile, affairs in Madras also had been running a strangely tortuous and turbid course. In 1773 the Nawáb of the Karnatic, Muhammad Alí, persuaded the Madras Council, then ruled by Governor Wynch, to join him on various pretexts in attacking and despoiling the tributary Rájá of Tanjore. For this act of disobedience to recent orders from home, the Directors summarily expelled Wynch from their service, and despatched their old servant Lord Pigot to take his place. The new Governor proceeded faithfully to carry out his masters' commands. The imprisoned Rájá was restored to his throne in April, 1776. But Lord Pigot's efforts to deal justly and to reform some crying abuses raised Against him a host of enemies, at the head of whom was Paul Benfield, the fortunate holder of large assignments on the Tanjore revenues in return for moneys lent at enormous interest to the Nawáb himself. Benfield's claims were at first rejected as fraudulent by the Madras Council. But Benfield and other creditors of the Nawáb put such pressure upon the Council that the adverse vote was presently rescinded by a majority of seven to five. Lord Pigot damaged a good case by suspending two of the Councillors and placing his Commander-in-Chief under arrest. Violence begat violence. The Governor himself was seized and thrown into prison by order of his