Clive left Calcutta en 25 June on his way up country for a new
settlement with Shuja ud daulah and the Emperor* When he reached Agradwip a dayfs journey ahead of Murshidabad he was accorded a grand reception *y Reza Khan , who looked to his comfort in the city and made all arrange* went for his Lordship's further journey* He also engaged Mirza Muha/ratad
x
Kazim Khan as Clive’s chamberlain , but more correctly as his agent in Clive’s camp* Taese personal attention*doubtless had their effect on Clive, but there were other factors predisposing him in Reza Khan’s favour0There is some evidence to suggest that the Khan had helped Clive with a sum of six lakhs of rupees during his stay at Calcuttaf But there were public
t grounds , as well as possible private ones for Clive’s support of the Khan* It was clear that the Khan was likely to be an admirable instrument* He had not grasped at personal power, rather Clive at this point had to prevent Rai Durlabh encroaching upon the Khan’s sphere of authority* Convinced of the Khan’s " honor and moderation", Clive called Sykes to
5
Murshidabad to support him and preserve tranquility. More he seems to have aided Clive to improve upon what Spencer had achieved. On 9 July Clive sent the treaty, embodying the arrangements of 21 June and signed
6
by the Nawab* Only two days later, however, he was writing to the Select Ccjrjnittee to negotiate through Sykes an agreement on those terms , in
7
the fora of a limitation of the Nawab's expenses* No such idea seems to T.Reza Khan to Clive, recdi 19 June 17^5* CFC,I, 2^6%
2*Nandkuiaar appears to have made a last effort to be reinstated in power by an offer of 25 lakhs to Sykes for the President and Council.PP Third
Report, 1773, ? 322.
5*121 ^ T54* 4o Reza Khan’s note, HP, 3 Jan 1771 •
5* " It is with pleasure I can acquaint you that the more I see of Mahomed Reza Cawn the stronger is my conviction of his honor and moderation;... Roy Dullub, however, has already attempted to destroy this ballance of power, and Mahomed Reza Cawn rather approves than resists it." Clive to Select Corj,rittee, 3 July 1765* P-‘>C 7 July 17^5*
6*Clive's letter,9 July.HSC 10 Aug 1765* Clive had added "our business at the yurbar is finished."
t© have been conceived ©r broached by the English beforo, and it seems probable that this was Reza Khan's contribution* The genesis of the new deal is not clear, but Karan Ali tells us that it was after a secret
consultation with the Khan that Clive net the Nawab and teld him that the Khan had conplained of his lavish personal expenditure* Such a complaint would have been natural, for the Khan was under constant pressure te neet the financial obligations of the Nawab's governnent. When the Company had demanded immediate payment of six lakhs on account of the Nawab's debts, Najm ud daulah denied any responsibility, saying that he was unacquainted with the collections of the country and that he did not know if there was
2
any money in the treasury* It was the Khan therefore upon whom the respon sibility fell* He may have wished to curb the Nawab's personal expenditure merely to safeguard his own position - but the* suggestion could not but be attractive to Clive. The Khan had put it in Clive's power to perform a
signal service to the Company* Before Clive left tfurshidabad he had obtained Najm ud daulah's consent to the limitations of his expenses to some fifty lakhs of rupees a year, the balance of the revenues being appropriated to the maintenance of the army, tribute to the emperor, and payment of all outstanding debts* In addition , Reza Khan " feeing 4 disposition extreme
ly timorous" it was agreed that "the payment of the cavalry and sepoys , pass through his hands, though included in the said fifty laaks"*^
Sykes, who was asked by Clivo to nemo to Murshidabad to restore
the balance of power between Reza Khan and Rai Durlabh, reached Kasimbazar on 22 July* His rission was meant to be temporary, but iSt came to be an extended one, particularly as Sykes had to negotiate a new agreement on the lines of Clive's preliminary understanding with the Nawabo The negotiation took a long time , for even though the Nawab could not resist Clive he was not as yielding to Sykes. Clive had privately advised Sykes to reducO the 1* IIN f 154* 20Najni ud daulah to Clive, reeds 9 June 1765* Cl C ,1,2660 3* riven witnout the Diwani this arrangement would have given the control of
Nawab*s purse to the English.The grant of the Diwani further converted the control into a right over the Nawab's revenues.Clive felt so jubilant over this matter that he wrote to the Select Committee on 11 July saying that " We have often lamented that the gentlemen of ^ppencer*s7c©uncil,by precipitating the late treaty had lost the mo3t glorious opportunity that
could ever happen.•.which I have now the pleasure to inform you, are in a fair way of being perfectly removed"(BSC 10 Aug 17^5)•Clive had the satisfaction of having scored his first victory over Spencer*
4* jpid.Clivc also safeguarded the Khan by departing Qaia Beg to Calcutta. The Nawab was not consulted.(Cliv©'sletter 7 10 17**>
m
t Nawab's expenses to. forty lakhs if possible,^but this proved inpossible©On 14 August, Sykes sent to Calcutta the draft of* a new agreement which was to cone into force after the Diwani sanad from the Emperor Shah Alan had keen receivea hy the Company©According to the new agreement the Nawah undertook to " accept the aaount of Sicca Rupees 53»&6,131-9-0 as an
adequate allowance for the support of the Nizaaut which is to lie regularly paid as follows, vizt, the sun of Sicca Rupees 17t78#$54-1-0 for all my household expences, servants &c and the remaining sum of 36,07,277-^-0 for the maintenance of such horse, seapoys, peons, Bergundasses &c as may be thought necessary for ay Sewarry and the support of my dignity only, should such an expence hereafter he found necessary to lie kept up, hut on
2
no account ever to exceed that amount** © In the same document the Nawah decalred that having a perfect "relyance” on ?/uin ud daulah £~Rezi KhanJ7 the Nawah desired that M he may have the disbursing of the ahove sun of Rs 36,07,277-^-0 for the purposes before mentioned” The balance of power had again tilted in favour of Reza Khan© The new arrangement was to take effect after Clive's return from Allahabad where on 12 August, 17&5
Emperor Shah Alam had granted to the Company the Diwani of the provinces of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.^With Clive*5 return Reza Khan was to enter upon the most important phase of his career©
10 Clive to -ykes ,3 Aug 17^5• quoted* Forrest, Olive,11,282©
2© Draft enclosed with Sykes' letter to Select Commix tee <>3SC 7 Sep 1765* 3. ioid©
4© A t Allahabad Clive acted as the representative of the Nawab of Bengal
in concluding peace with 3huja ud daulah© The Diwani was granted to Company on condition of their guaranteeing the payment by the Nawab of Bengal of the annual tribute of twentysix lakhs of rupees and as an altamgha (grant in perpetuity)*”Thus a business of such a magnitude ” commented Ghulam Husain ”..0was done and finished in less time than would have been taken up for the sale of a j&ck-ass, or of a beast of burden, or of a head of cattle” (Seir,III,9)• But even then, it appears
from Ghulam Husain's report, that as usual the formalities were all observed, "the Company's acknowledgement and bond for the same, which are the owner's voucher , were drawn up under their seal, and entered in the Imperial registers”©(ibid)0 We do not know what these obligations were, but Holwell reported to the Fuller Committee in 1767 that in 1732 "the East India Company were told they forfeited their lands by the
I l l )
CHAPTER SIX
BE7-A khan at the zenith op his career, 1765-1767*
1 Before the acquisition of the Diwani, Reza Khan had been merely
politically useful to the Company; after it, he became the chief instrument of their administrative control of the country,3hah Alaa had granted the Diwani sanad on 12 August 1765* when somewhat over a fortnight later Clive returned from Allahabad to lurshidabad he had to take the practical steps needed to implement the agreement which had been concluded, in his absence, by Sykes ^rith the Nawab Najm ud daulaho The measures adopted during his brief stay served to raise Reza Khan to the zenith of his power, for, as Reza Khan put it later, "Lord Clive found it necessary to restore the ancient form of government and set one person at the head of the administra tion of public affairs” « That person was i uhammad Reza r.han.
To Reza Khan, who was to act for the Nawab Najm ud daul&h and so to control the public office of the Kizamat, was transferred charge of the Nizamat finances, fixed at Sicca rupees 36,07*277-3-0, He was also given charge of the annual pension alloted to Jlir Saidu, ; iran's son, Clive, while^ at I'urshidabadf fixed the amount of the pensions and allowances to tne family and dependents of M r Jafar, These were included in the household expenses of Najm ud daulah , but because of his known jealousy towards Iir Saidu, nominated as his successor by Mir Jafar in 1760 in preference to Najm ud
2
daulah , the pension of Mir Saidu was placed in Reza Khan's hands. Since Shah Khanum, mother of l iran and half sister of Alivardi, who had been Kir Saidu*s guardian was now dead, Reza Khan was the natural guardian of the interests of Alivardi*s family. Nevertheless,the charge added to his importance* As the Nawab's deputy, with authority to discharge the public functions of the Nizamat and control over the public funds, and of lir Saidu's pension, the Khan virtually enjoyed a sovereign's dignity. When,
therefore, Clive and the Select Committee told the ijirectors that " the Nabob ^Najm ud daulah^ holds in his hands as he always did, the whole civil _ 1,Reza Khan's note on the past and present state of Bengal as given to
Goring in feh 177^*Nhilip Francis sent this note to Lord North on 23 J ar 1775* Francis I ss. • Kur E 28 f 352,
2,Vide Clive to Rir Saidu's mother,and to Reza Khan 11 Oct 1765(CPC,I,2723-24 AND iir Saidu to Verelst,reeds 10 Feb 1768.(Ci-)C,II,786),