took the English envoy by the hand and showed him where he should sit, which was on the left hand near one of his side pillows, and then asked him his business. But in spite of the kindness of his manners, Shivaji did nothing to settle the dispute and on the 6th dismissed Niccolls saying "he would send on an answer to the President by one of his own people named Bhimaji Pandit, a day or two after me." So Niccolls returned to Bombay (17th June) without achieving anything. (Niccolls' diary in O. C. 3187.)

Soon afterwards Bhimaji arrived at Bombay (21st) and after some discussions left with Narayan Shenvi (the interpreter of the English) to represent matters to his master. Late in September the two returned to Bombay with the following letter (0. C. 3952)

From Shivaji Raja to the Hon'ble Ger..ld dungier, Governor of Bombay: "I received your Honour's letter by Bhimaji Pandit and Narayan Shenvi, who manifested the good correspondence that your Honour doth use with me; likewise they treated with me about the business of Rajapur which I have answered and do send them again to treat with your Honour, my desire being only to keep the same correspondence which your Honour doth with me. I shall not say more but desire that there may be no difference in our friendship, for I am very well acquainted of your Honour's prudence. I sent your Honour a present, which I desire you to accept of."

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A Committee of the Bombay Council was appointed to meet on 1st October and receive Shivaji's objections to the Company's demands. On 3rd October the Maratha envoy offered 7,000 pagodas, which was refused. Later he increased it to 10,025 pagodas, to be allowed in custom duties, etc. (0. C. 3758; F. R. Surat, Vol. 106, Bombay to Surat, 29 September 1673).

Surat agreed with Bombay (10 July 1673) "to accept so small a sum as eight to ten thousand pagodas, which is not the quarter part the damage the nation sustained in Rajapur;" of this amount 8,000 pagodas were to be paid in money or goods and the balance in the form of exemption from all custom duties at the

port of Rajapur for five or at least three years. (F. R. Surat, Vol. 3.)

The evasions of Shivaji thoroughly disgusted the English merchants. As the Surat Council records (F. R. Surat, Vol. 3, 19 July 1673), "Seeing there is no probability of security from such a heathen, who while we are in treaty with him for satisfaction for our losses at Rajapur, gives orders for the robbing our factory at Hubli, we can think of no better way to recover the Hon'ble Company and nation's right than by taking what vessels belong to his ports." A little earlier, on 24th May, they had concluded, "It is absolutely necessary to break with him, but not at this time when we have war with the Dutch." But by 1st October an amicable settlement was in sight, "Shivaji holds a fair understanding with us and we with him, the old difference of [about] Rajapur being in a manner concluded upon honourable terms, to our advantage and reputation." (0. C. 3779.) The hopes of the English ran high; on 23rd October Bombay writes to Surat (0. 0. 3870), "We are near a conclusion with our neighbour Shivaji for the old wrongs of Rajapur....The new controversy touching Hubli we have reserved for another time, ... so that if Shivaji attempts Surat you may be somewhat the safer, though we advise you not to trust him, yet we daresay if he hath a kindness for any nation it is for the English, and we believe he will not disturb any house where the English flag is."

But the treaty though fully agreed on between Shivaji's envoy and the English in the third week of October was not signed and confirmed by Shivaji himself for more than two months afterwards, as he was absent on a long campaign (0. C. 3910, Bombay to Co., 13 December 1673).

VI.

The English, therefore, decided to send a formal embassy to Shivaji to conclude this business, especially as his grand coronation was to take place in June 1674. Mr. Henry Oxinden was chosen for the mission, and Narayan Shenvi was sent to Raigarh (arriving there on 24 March), "to prepare business against Mr.

Henry Oxinden's arrival to him." (F. R. Surat, Vol. 3, Surat Consult., 16 April 1674).

Oxinden's account of his mission to Shivaji, from 13th May to 16th June, is well known to students of Bombay history, having been summarised in Fryer's Travels and also in the Bombay Gazetteer, (1st Ed.) Vol. XI, pages 366-368. I have the full text of his Letters and Memorial or Narrative before me, covering 16 foolscap folio pages and giving valuable details about Shivaji's coronation, the course of the negotiations, and the final agreement.

Shiva held out for some time on the question of restoring to their owners the ships of the English or of the inhabitants of Bombay wrecked on his coast, but on 11th June Naraji Pandit sent word to Oxinden that " the Raja had granted all our demands and articles, except our money passing current in his country. On the 12th all the ministers (ashta pradhan) signed the treaty, which was formally delivered to Oxinden at Narayan Pandit's house. (F. R. Surat, Vol. 88.)

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In November Shivaji's request for being sold 50 great ordnance from 40 to 60 cwt. weight and 2 great brass guns, was politely declined by the English as "so public an action as that must needs provoke this king" [Aurangzib]. (Surat to Bombay, 13 November 1674).

VII,

In the terms of the above agreement, the English factory at Rajapur was reopened in 1675, with some difficulty, as the following letter from the Rajapur factors to Surat, dated 6th February 1675, shows :

"It was thought fit to send the broker with the President's letter to Annaji Pandit and the Subahdar, giving them notice of our arrval. Mr. Ward being earnest for our old house, Annaji told him that he should not have it, and that he did not care whether we stayed here or no; if we did not, his master would save 1,000 pagodas by it; and further will have it [that] the house was allowed for in that sum granted us by his master towards satisfaction for our losses. He is not only one of Shivaji's great favourites but Governor in Chief of all Konkan,

so that we cannot settle in any place but it is under his jurisdiction" (F.R Surat, 88).

In March next the factors of Rajapur had an audience with Shivaji of which a detailed and very interesting report has been preserved (Rajapur letter, 20 April 1675. F. R. Surat, 88)

:

22nd [March] about midday, horse and foot and about 150 near approach, we went He ordered his palankin

"The Rajah came on the accompanied with abundance of palankins. So soon as we heard of his out of our tent and very near met him. to stand still, called us very near him, seemed very glad to sec us and much pleased [that] we came to meet him, and said the sun being hot he would not keep us now, but in the evening he would send for us.

[23rd March ?] The Raja came. He stopped his palankin and called us to him. When we were pretty near him we made a stop, but he beckoned with his hand till I was up close with him. He diverted himself a little by taking in his hand the locks of my periwig and asked us several questions; at length asked us how we liked Rajapur and said he was informed we were not well pleased there, but bid us not be in the least dissatisfied for what [had] passed. He would order things for the future to our full satisfaction, and that we might be sure that ...no reasonable request we should make to him would he deny

us. ......

I was

The next morning [25th March] we were sent for again in the Rajah's name. We were admitted into his presence. placed so near him on his right hand that I could touch him. With him we continued about two hours, which was most part spent in answering many of his questions. At length we presented him our paper of desires [previously "translated into the country language "], which after had been read to him with a little pause, seriously looking on us, [he] said that it was all granted us. He would give us a tarman for all". But the siege of Phonda which Shivaji began immediately afterwards, delayed the granting of such a furman.

VIII.

In September 1675 Mr. Samuel Austen went to Raigarh on an embassy from Bombay to demand satisfaction for the damage done to the Company's factory at Dharamgaon in Khandesh. This Shivaji refused to pay, saying that the factory was looted by "vagabonds and scouts without order or the knowledge of his general". He, however," after a strict debate" gave his qawl (assurance of safety) to all the English factories "to prevent like injuries." (0. C. 4106.)

But the Rajapur damages long continued unpaid. On 19th July 1676 Surat wrote to Bombay suggesting that a "discreet and sober" Englishman with Giridhar-das should be sent to dun the Rajah for the money, as Narayan Shenvi was dilatory.

On 11th October rews was received from Narayan Shenvi at the Maratha Court, that Shivaji was willing to satisfy his debt to the Company in "vairats or batty," and the Council agreed to accept them if no better terms could be secured. Six days later the Surat Council in disgust ordered the Rajapur factory to be withdrawn, since," so long as that pirate and universal robber [Shivaji] lives, that hath no regard to friend nor foe, God nor man, there can be no security in any trade in his country." This was only a threat to Shivaji's ministers, and the factory was dissolved only in 1681.

Early in 1677 the patience of the English seemed to have been exhausted. Surat wrote to Bombay on 26 January 1677, "If Shivaji still continues to baffle you, we desire you to seize and make prize of some of his vessels belonging to Dabhul, Chaul or Kalian or any other of his ports, letting the men have their liberty and taking care that none of the goods be embezzled or made away, for this will be the only way to make him rightly understand himself." (F. R. Surat, 89.) The threat, however, was not carried out. The people of Bombay were entirely dependent on Shivaji's territory on the mainland for their fuel, timber, fresh provisions and cattle, and he could also have effectually stopped the passage of their export merchandise