The
family consists of all the members who remain united to the parent
stock, including the widows and orphans of the sons or brothers who
were so up to the time of their death.[23]
The old 'chobdar', or silver-stick bearer, who came with us from the
Raja, gets fifteen rupees a month, and his ancestors have served the
Raja for several generations. The Diwan, who has charge of the
treasury, receives only one thousand rupees a year, and the Bakshi,
or paymaster of the army, who seems at present to rule the state as
the prime favourite, the same. These latter are at present the only
two great officers of state; and, though they are, no doubt,
realizing handsome incomes by indirect means, they dare not make any
display, lest signs of wealth might induce the Raja or his successors
to treat them as their predecessors in office were treated for some
time past.[24] The Jagirdars, or feudal chiefs, as I have before
stated, are almost all of the same family or class as the Raja, and
they spend all the revenues of their estates in the maintenance of
military retainers, upon whose courage and fidelity they can
generally rely.
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