Page:Shivaji and His Times.djvu/413

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1672]
MISSION OF LT. USTICK.
393


to be due for satisfaction of our former losses, provided that the commodities were not over-rated, but cheap and good in their kind." (Ibid, 30 November, 1671.) A compromise was, however, made with the Maratha ambassador; the English lent him Rs. 1,500 upon his goods payable at two months' time. Lieut. Ustick was to have set out on his embassy on 15th January, 1672, but was detained at Bombay by a message from Shivaji saying that he was too busy fighting the Mughal generals in Baglana to receive the envoy then. (F. R. Surat, 106, Bombay to Surat, 13 and 20 January, 1672.)

§3. Mission of Lt. Ustick to Shiva fails, 1672.

At last Lieut. Ustick was sent on his mission on 10th March, 1672, and came back on 13th May with failure. "He, after a long and tedious attendance, had half an hour's discourse with him (Shivaji) and his Brahmans to little effect, but at last [Shivaji] proffered 5,000 pagodas towards our losses, and promiseth, if your Honour will please to settle a factory at Rajapur, to show all kindness and civility imaginable to the said factory." (Bombay to Surat, 13 March and 14 May, 1672, F. R. Surat, 106.)

The negotiations broke down on the question of the amount of the indemnity. A Bombay letter to the Company, dated 21st December, 1672, (O. C. 3722) states, "We demanded one hundred thousand Rupees, they offered 20,000, declaring that Shivaji never made more advantage by what was robbed of