MAHARASHTRA AS A LINGUISTIC PROVINCE 117
granted to Nima, and when he goes about to buy any land he may be acquainted with that small incumbrance thereon.
“The 4th article is indeed a privilege but no more than Girdhar, the Moody and some others have, which does not in the least exempt them from the hands of the law or justice, but does only ask that justice be done respectfully, which he need not doubt of, and for matter of differences among themselves there is already his Honour’s patent authorising them to decide such things.
“As to the 5th, the great anchorage of a rupee per ton is wholly taken off. There remains only a small one of a rupee for every 100 tons, which is so inconsiderable a matter that we do not believe we will stick at it. If he does, it will amount but to a small matter being only for his own vessels that the Company may easily allow it.
“The 6th if we rightly apprehend it, is no more than what all people enjoy, who are so far from paying custom at exportation of their own goods that they pay none for what goods they buy. But if he intends his goods must pay no custom at landing nor none at exportation of what he cannot sell, it will be so great a loss to the Company, they having farmed out the customs for two years, that the benefit of his settling here, will, we believe, not countervail it, till it comes into the Company’s hands again.
“As to the 7th, our law is such that if a person be indebted to several men, whosoever gets a judgment first in Court will be paid his full debt, but no man can be aggrieved at that, nor can any creditor have any pretence to what is once paid, and when judgment is given it is already paid in law, so that he is no longer proprietor of it. But when a person is indebted to two men and the first sues him and upon that the second comes in and sues him too, with what justice can we pay all the debtor’s estate to the second creditor. Only of this he may be assured that all justice shall be done him with speed according to our law and the party forced to pay the full debt, if able, and lie in prison for the rest till he pleases to release him, which we suppose may well content him.
“As to the 8th, in case of war all persons of quality have liberty to repair to the castle and secure their money and other things of value. Nor that I suppose he intends to fill up the castle with gurf (coarse) goods ; but for money, jewels household stuff, cloth goods of value, that take up small room, he may bring what he pleases and may have a warehouse apart allotted for himself and family.
“The 9th and 10th we may join together, they being only to fill up the number. They are plain optics to show the nature of those they live under which, when they have experimented our Government, themselves will laugh at us, enjoying more freedom than the very articles demand, for