The reigning prince was far from absolute, and his younger brothers held portions of the kingdom as appendages, with independent courts, while the near relatives of the family had a voice in all matters of moment. The nobles who had seats in Darbar were known as Mankaris. Some of these were really in the nature of spies upon the Bhonsla prince in the interests of the principle minister, representing the Raja in all departments; the Farnavis was the secretary of the finances, the Warar Pandya was responsible for the land revenue, the Chitnavis was general secretary, and the Munshi secretary for foreign   affairs. The Sikkanavis was keeper of the king’s seal. Such was the affection of the Marathas for the hereditary principle that even these great offices descended in the same families; where the proper incumbent was unfit, the department was managed by a deputy but he received a portion of the emoluments for support. The principle military officers were the Sardaftar or Comptroller of army estates and the Mir Bakhshi or Paymaster-General. The Suhahdals of provinces held military and civil commend within their respective local jurisdictions. These officers were for the most part paid by jagirs or other grants of land on exceptionally favorable terms. During this time the connection of Nagpur with the Bengal Government had been growing firmer, and in 1798 Mr. Colebrook was appointed Resident to the court of Raghuji, but he did  not arrive are Nagpur until March 1799. In May 1801 the British Resident, who had vainly endeavored to enter into a defensive alliance against Sindhia, sinhdrew from Nagpur, and Sindhia and kaghuji united together in the year 1803 to oppose the British Government which had now replaced Baji Rao, the Peshwa, after the treaty of Bassein. This they did in accordance with the wisher and secret direction of Baji Rao himself. General Wellesley soon brought the confederates to battle at Assayed. Rabhuji left the field at the commencement of the battle; Sindhia’s troops bore the brunt of the day and suffered very heavily; but at Argaon, a few weeks after, the Nagpur army under Vyankaji Bhonsla wascompletely worsted. The fort of Gawilgarh soon after fell to the British. Meanwhile from the Bengal side Colonel Harcourt had won the whole of Raghuji’s province of Cuttack. The price of the peace which he now sued for was heavy; nearly one-third of his kingdom was shorn off, comprising East and West Berar, with Balasor and Sambalpur and its dependencies; while lastly the raja was to receive permanently a Resident at his court at Nagpur, and Mr. Mountstuart Elphinstone was appointed to the post. Before this peace Raghuji annual revenue had been nearly one crore of rupees, but after the loss of Cuttack and Berar it fell to about sixty lakhs.