244 J. Beames —Notes on the History of northern Orissa. [No. 3, 
and he it is who is alluded to in the Proceedings of 25th February 1760 
as “ Shubuts having entered this Province with a party of Marathas and 
commenced hostilities against us.” The people of Balasore have no dis¬ 
tinctly historical facts to relate of this period ; all they know is, that bands 
of “ Bargis,” as the Maratba horse were called, were always wandering 
about the country, fighting and plundering under pretext of collecting 
revenue. The zamindars and khandaits were turbulent and refractory, 
and it is astonishing how little influence the Marathas seem to have had 
over them. 
In 1761 we hear of the troops of “ Shah Bhut” coalescing with 
the Rajas of Birbhum and Bardwan, and subsequently returning to 
Balasore by way of Midnapore. It appears from Proceedings of Septem¬ 
ber 17, 1761 that Sheo Bhat considered himself entitled to take posses¬ 
sion of Midnapore, and to ravage Bengal whenever he did not get his 
chauth, and the English therefore resolve on that date to “ set on foot 
an expedition against Cuttack,” the Nawab to pay the cost by an assign¬ 
ment on the revenues of Jellasore and Cuttack. The omission of all men¬ 
tion of Balasore shews that it had still no importance in the Revenue De¬ 
partment. The old division into the Sirkars of Jellasore, Bhadrakh, and 
Cuttack was evidently still in force. Sheo Bhat had at this time forcibly 
annexed the chauth of Midnapore to that of Cuttack and was deaf to the 
Nawab’s remonstrances. Mr. Johnstone the Company’s Resident at Mid¬ 
napore was beseiged in “ Midnapore house” 14 days by Sheo Bhat at 
the head of a large force, and made a gallant defence. This roused the 
Calcutta Committee and they suggested to the Nawab that the war 
should be carried into the enemies’ country by an expedition to Cuttack, 
which would have the effect of securing to him “ the total ancient 
possessions of the Soobahs of Bengal” and be “ a considerable addition to 
his revenues and a firm barrier against future incursions of the Marathas.” 
They wrote at the same time to the Bombay Committee urging them to 
make a simultaneous attack on the Marathas from their side. 
Nothing, however, came of this, owing to the Nawab’s unwilling¬ 
ness to act. In 1763 there is a letter from the Governor at Balasore to 
one “ Moonshee Gholam Mustapha” directing him to warn Sheo Bhat 
that in case of his continuing to oppress the ryots “ the army that is just 
arrived from Madras ” would be sent against him, and the town of 
Cuttack taken from him. In 1764 Sheo Bhat was turned out, and 
Bhawani Pandit appointed in his place. On the 5th October the latter 
writes a threatening letter stating that the former Nawab’s negociations 
concerning the chauth were never brought to an issue without the ap¬ 
proach of an army. Unfortunately the extracts in Mr. Long’s book are ar¬ 
ranged chronologically, so that we never get the full thread of any one series 
