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That the brahmins themselves, with all their professions of 

 mildness, benevolence, and sanctity, can be guilty of deliberate 

 revenge and murder, is evident not only from Ragobah's conduct 

 on the massacre of his nephew Narrain Row, as particularly men- 

 tioned in the Mahratta history, but still more so from the follow- 

 ing account of the Telinga brahmins at Poonah, communicated 

 to me by Sir Charles Malet, as a most extraordinary event, which 

 happened during his embassy at the Mahratta court, in 1791- 



On the 29th of August, thirty-four men of the caste of Telinga 

 brahmins having been confined in a chokey, or close room, by the 

 officers of the cutvval, the head magistrate of the police at Poonah, 

 twenty-one were taken out dead the next morning, and the re- 

 maining thirteen were with difficulty restored to life. In the 

 evening the popular clamour became violent against the cutwal, 

 who was a gour brahmin, named Gaunseram, a native of Aurun- 

 gabad, and whose office, in a city where the most rigorous police 

 is established, necessarily rendered him an obnoxious character. 

 The peshwa improperly yielding to the furious mob, delivered up 

 the cutwal, who was tied backward on an elephant, and in that 

 manner conveyed to a prison without the town, amidst the scoffs 

 and insults of the populace, while guards were sent to seize his 

 family, dependants, and property. The day following the clamour 

 grew more violent, being encouraged by many persons desirous 

 of mortifying the ruling minister, through the ignominy of the 

 cutwal, his dependant. The unhappy man was tied backward on 

 a camel, and in that disgraceful manner reconducted into the city, 

 amidst the reproaches of the people: here he was made to alight, 

 and his head having been publicly shaved, he was again placed in 



