Indian Antiquary Vol 47

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 284

268
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[NOVEMBER, 1918
Petros Arratoon, usually known as Coja (Khwâja) Petrus (Petrose) was an important Armenian merchant, whose brother Grigor Arratoon (Gorgîn Khân) was a general of Mir Kâsim. 17 He had resided in Calcutta since 1748 and had rendered valuable service to the English at the time of its capture and in the negotiations following its recapture. He seems to have accompanied Watts and Omichund to Murshidâbâd, as he is mentioned in a letter of the 18th February, immediately after their arrival, 18 and subsequent lettters show him to have been employed as an emissary by both Watts and the Nawâb. On the 24th April 1757, Mîr Ja'fir, 19 Suraju'ddaula's Bakhshi or Paymaster General, who had previously agreed to countenance Yâr Lutf Khân's pretensions but had since been approached by the Seths as a more suitable candidate, sent for Petros 20 and desired him to tell Watts that he could secure the adhesion of the Nawâb's chief officers in support of his own claims if these were put forward. "This scheme," Watts considered, "more feasible than the other " 21 and he urged its adoption by Clive, who readily acquiesced, since he was doubtful of the wisdom of setting up so comparatively unimportant a man as Yâr Lutf Khân, while Mîr Ja'fir, brotherin-law of the late Nawab Governor, Alivardi Khân, was a personage of weight and influence.
C
This change of candidates placed Omichund in an awkward position, for he could not hope to have any ascendancy over Mîr Ja'fir, the Seths' nominee, and he therefore seems to have determined to get what he could out of the Nawab and at the same time to revenge himself on both the Seths and the British for overriding his support of Yâr Lutf Khân. Ranjit Râi, the Seths' broker, was pressing the Nawab for the payment to his clients of a sum agreed on by the Treaty of the 9th February, and Omichund seized the opportunity to suggest that if negotiations were conducted solely through him, the Nawab might evade this and other obligations. Surâju'ddaula accordingly flouted Ranjît Râi and ordered a large sum of money to be paid to Omichund in consideration of his advice. Such conduct naturally roused the anger of the Seths, who not only declined to be associated with Omichund but used all their influence to set Mir Ja'fir against him.
Watts, however, showed no distrust of Omichund until the 14th May. On that day,22 in reply to a letter of the 8th, in which Clive had suggested that an ample reward should be granted to the agent for his services, Watts strongly opposed a proposition "to give Omichund 5 per cent. on whatever money he may receive on the new contract," and added, "As I by no means think he merits such a favour or has acted so disinterested a part as I once imagined, I have not mentioned the 5 per cent. to him." To support his attitude, Watts gave the details that had recently come to his knowledge of the trick played on Ranjit Râi narrated above, together with other proofs of overreaching duplicity, greed and general untrustworthiness on the part of Omichund.23 Three days later Watts, again wrote to Clive, repeating his distrust and reporting an interview, detrimental to the interests of Mir Ja'fir, that Omichund had had with the Nawâb. In this letter Watts charges his former qoundant with dishonesty, calls him a liar, and winds up with, "I have learnt many particulars relating to Omichund too tedious to mention at present, but they will astonish
17 Son-in-law of Mir Ja'fir and the second Nawab Nazim.
18 Orme MSS., India, vol. IX, p. 2267.
19 Afterwards the first Nawab Nazim of Bengal appointed by the English.
20 Orme MSS., India, vol. IX, p. 2301.
-21 Op. cit., loc. cit.
22 Hill, Bengal in 1756-57, vol II, pp. 380-382.
Op. cit., loc. cit.