(५६) मल्हारराव महाराज गायकवाड यांचा खरा इतिहास. आतां महाराजांची दादाभाई यांजवर बरीच भक्ति बसली, आणि खरोखर तो सद्गृहस्थ महाराजांच्या पूर्ण विश्वासास पात्र होता. . दादाभाई यानी मुंबई येथील व्हाइसराय साहेब यांचे दरबार खलास झाल्यानंतर त्यांचे नांवे आणि स्टेट सेक्रेटरी साहेब यांचे नांवे असे दोन खलिते महाराजांस तयार करून दिले. त्या खलित्यांत शंभर वर्षांपासून बडोद्याच्या राजांनी इंग्रज सरकारच्या दरबारांत व आपल्या स्वताच्या दरबारांत राणी साहेब यांचे प्रतिनिधी यांच्या उजवे बाजूस बसण्याच्या मरातब्याचा उपभोग घेतला होता त्याचे तपशिलवार दाखले दाखवून व गायकवाड सरकारचा व इंग्रज सरकारचा स्नेहसंबंध कसा अकृत्रिम चाललेला आहे याबद्दल मोठमोठ्या इंग्लिश अधिकाऱ्यांची वचनें प्रमाणास देऊन त्या मर्तब्यास बडोद्याचे राजे सर्वोपरी पात्र आहेत असे प्रतिपादन केले होतें. सारांश हे राजकीय लेख फार उत्तम रीतीने तयार केले होते, आणि ते महाराज यांस पसंत झाले. हे लेख फार महत्वाचे समजून त्यांपैकी एक *खलिता टिपेत लिहिला आहे. TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THOMAS GEORGE BARING, BARON NORTH BROOK, G.M.S.I., VICEROY AND GOVER- NOR.GENERAL OF INDIA. YOUR EXCELLENCY, I am grieved to find from a yad, No. 2547, of 30th October last from the Resi- dency to the effect that your Lordship has been deeply grieved, learning that I have not considered fairly the subject of according due honours to the Representative of Her Majesty, the Governor of the Bombay Presidency. I have no doubt, however, that your Lordship will give your kind consideration to the following represen- tation. Calcutta. I should first concisely lay before your Lordship the character of the relations subsisting during nearly a century. I confine myself however to the last fifty-two years as directly bearing on the present question of my seat in my Durbar, as before that period no public Durbars had trken place to receive any Governor as Representa- tive of the British Government. It was at the time of the Peshwa war that the relations of this State with the British became most cordial and perfect. Lient. Colonel Wallace in his Book* sums up this cir- cumstance in the following words:- “ The Guicowar Government aided in the Pin- dharee War by a large contingent of cavalry sent into Malwa, and placed all its resources so cordially and unreservedly at the disposal of the British Government in the war with the Peshawa as to call forth repeated expressions of its satisfaction, " ( page 226 ). All italies are mine. This cordiality and unreservedness, shown at a time of great financial embarrassment, continued ever after, and so loyally, that even when certain differences arose subsequently on the question of the “ Bahadarees, ” and the British Government were displeased with the conduct of the then ruler, the feeling of friend- ship and regard for the Guicowar Family and State was such, that the very proclama- tion itself, by Sir John Malcolm, to sequester certain Pergunas, contained the follow- ing expressions:–“ The British Government, notwithstanding the conduct of his Highness Syajee Rao, has too great a regard for the family of the Guicowar, and the ties of friendship which have so long bound the two States, to contemplate the perma- nent alienation of one Beegha of its dominions" (Wallace's Book, page 384). In the course of these differences, the Court of Directors, in the same spirit of regard and firm friendship, sent instructions as expressed by Lord Clare “ to try and [ For ward. The Guicowar and his Relations with itish Government. "
