DAGOITEE m EXGELSr OR, THE SPOLlATIOiN OF OLi^E, FAITHFULLY RECOUNTED. WITH NOTES AND DOCUMENTARY ILLUSTRATIONS. r.^ LONDON : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. K. TAYLOll / 54, CHANCERY LP' cTiy. ^Pc€>9V^ "^/(e^ ^/L/U^Z-l^ . Cf-n4tytr^4^ -«/ ^^fuMcrfua^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/dacoiteeinexcelsOOIucarich DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS; THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE, CT)e ISast Cntrta ©ompang, WITH NOTES AND DOCUMENTARY ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. R. TAYLOR. 54, CHANCERY LANE. " I WAS PLEASED, HOWEVER, AKD SURPRISED, AFTER ALL WHICH I HAD HEARD OF OUDE, TO FIND THE COUNTRY SO COMPLETELY UNDER THE PLOUGH ; SINCE, WE^E THE Oi^PRKSSiOV 00 GREAT AS IS SOME- TIMES STATED, I CANNOT THINK THAT WE SHOULD WITNESS SO CON- SIDERABLE A POPULAp<)jf,;OV,'f^''WCH;'mpu$if^Y.'' — Bishop Heber. UEMRY MORSE STEPHENS INTRODUCTION. A Petition on behalf of the King and Eoyal Family of Oude, who have been shamefully despoiled of their kingdom and revenues, has been recently presented to both Houses of Parlia- ment, and it is not conceived possible that so glaring an injustice can be perpetrated in the face of Europe as that the inquiry simply sought, as the object of this Petition, can be withheld or suppressed by the interests or persons implicated. When this inquiry is obtained the truth will be known, which has been so carefully and ingeniously concealed from the British people. It will be seen how persistently they have been kept in the dark as to a process of exhausting levies tending to confiscation ; as to the nature of an interference calculated to a nicety to embarrass and obstruct, without assisting a dependent government ; and as to an alliance so insidiously interpreted as to subvert the very dynasty it affected to sustain. It will be seen how falsely a pretended care for a native race can be made the excuse for thwarting their inclinations, while appropriating their substance ; and how, con- sulting our own objects alone, we can enforce a revolution to which they were adverse, and can thrust upon them our rule because we coveted their rupees. It will be seen that while the indignant denunciations of Burke and Sheridan have become a species of lost tradition, we can still parallel the acts of Hastings ; that the A 2 5126S2 IV INTRODUCTION. story of " The Begums of Oude" is not without a sequel ; and that we have not yet outlived the evil days of corporate rapacity and proconsular violence. It will be seen what worse than equivocal deeds may still be committed in the English name, in reliance on our natural indifference to transactions out of our observation, and almost beyond our scrutiny ; and it will be fully seen, when a full investigation is granted, how worthless is that apology contrived in the " Oude Blue Book" by official ambition and private interests, possibly only half-conscious of their con- spiracy, but certainly calculating on the ignorance of English readers. The truth in its full and authentic form has yet to be revealed ; and, as a preliminary to inquiry, it is here proposed to give a compendious history of the spoliation of our faithful and unresisting Ally, designed in contravention of existing treaties, without reasonable cause, with signal ingratitude, in completion of a purpose long cherished, and consummated by an act of violence which is now defended by well-digested calumnies and authoritative slanders. The terms which are here employed may appear strong, but their import has been deliberately and seriously considered, and their proof is forthcoming in a substantial form hereafter; but for the present it is restricted to certain of the points in question. One very considerable point shall be mentioned at once. When the officials of the East India Company were com- piling their reports of the ruin of Oude, in answer to the require- ments which they knew how to interpret, and while they vied with each other in representing its revenues as failing — its army disorganised — its landholders in rebellion — its cultivators im- poverished — in some places its fertile lands relapsing into a desert, and its industrious ryots sold off into slavery ; when they stated that 40,000 ploughs had disappeared from a single district, INTROI>UCTION. V which could not by any possibility have contained them,* and that the districts generally were given up to crime, havoc, and anarchy, by the misrule of a government at once imbecile and corrupt ; — when they thus spread their vague indictment so as to cover the whole land, from the palace precincts to the coverts of the jungle, and substantially described an entire people as brought low and becQming weary by means of the multitude of their oppressions and miseries, — this fiction of official penmanship — this Oriental romance, as it can be otherwise proved to be, could not, to the evident surprise and discomfort of its propagators, be reconciled to one simple and obstinate fact, — that the people of Oude, never- theless, preferred their own country to the contiguous territories of the East India Company. Notwithstanding the alleged induce- ments to emigrate, notwithstanding the obvious facilities to emigrate which existed on three sides of them, this perverse population would not come forth, in any appreciable numbers, to give a colour to the case of the Indian officials.f They preferred the slandered regime of their native princes to the grasping but rose-coloured government of the Company ; and those who had actual experience of both, to the number of some 50,000, employed as Sepoys by the Company, were accustomed to leave their property, wives, and children behind them, to send home any wages they were able to accumulate, and eventually to return themselves when their term of service had expired. Since, how- ever, that the territory of Oude has come under the dominion of the East India Company, 4,000 individuals J have departed from * " Oude Blue Book," p. 8 ; and "Reply to the Charges against the King of Oude," p. 22. Calcutta. t The official bewilderment at this circumstance will be referred to hereafter. " Reply to the Charges against the King of Oude," p. 67. Calcutta. VI INTRODUCTION. Lucknow alone ; it is alleged that provisions have risen, that crime has increased,* that the soldiers of Oude decline our service, and that its inhabitants are indisposed to our assumed sovereignty. The facts which are filtering through the Indian press, as gradually as its dependent position will permit, are answering the charges contained in the "Oude Blue Book;" or, in other words, they obliterate the only excuse of which these fictitious charges were the scaffolding, — that the people were miserable, and required a change of government. When, moreover, we are assured that the British officers, as they entered the country, could hardly believe their eyes at the signs of high cultivation and of general prosperity which they saw around them, we have further evidence to the same effect in conflict with the Annexation pretext. But the fallacious bearings of the " Oude Blue Book " will be examined in some detail in their proper place in this scandalous history. It is now proposed to give a summary statement of our treatment of Oude from the earliest date ; to dispel the calumnious charges which were the foundation of our recent proceedings ; to show that from first to last, in our treatment of this unhappy country, we have been out- raging moral equity ; and in our latest act have violated inter- national law ; and thus, that there are the clearest grounds on behalf of the dispossessed family, either for an Address to Her Majesty, or at least for an inquiry by a Committee of one of the Houses of Parliament. Those who raise the question here are prepared and resolved to pursue it, and are content to abide by the issue of an appeal to the justice of the English People. * " Reply to the Charges against the King of Oude," p. 57. THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. CHAPTER I. SHOWING HOW THE COMPANY MADE ACQUAINTANCE WITH SHOOJAH-OOD- DOWLAH'S rupees, and how QUICKLY THEY IMPROVED THEIR INTI- MACY WITH HIS TREASURES AND TERRITORY. The kingdom of Oude is situated at the root and in the heart of the Indian peninsula.^ Interposed between the Ganges and the Himalayas, it comprises about 24,000 square miles, and contains 5,000,000 inhabitants. Its population is bold and warlike, and furnishes the best con- stituents of our Indian armies. Its fertility is so remark- able among the principalities of this prolific region, that it is commonly spoken of as " the Garden of India ;" and its national revenues have been in fitting proportion to its productiveness. The East India Company, with that dis- cernment which has ever distinguished them, turned its capacities of every description to their profit from an early date. Not only have they drawn their best troops from its peasantry, but they have taken a large portion of * " The kingdom of Oude is bounded on the north and north-east by " Nepaul ; on the east by the British district of Goruckpore ; on the south-east " by the British districts of Azimgurh and Jounpoor ; on the south by the *' British district of Allahabad; on the south-west by the Doab, including *' the British districts of Futtehpoor, Cawnpore, and Furrukhabad ; and on " the north-west by Shahjehanpoor. It hes between N, lat 29° 6'— 25° 34', " and 79° 45' — 83® IV E. long. ; is 270 miles in length, from south-east to " north-west, and 160 in breadth. The area is 23,923 square miles ; popu- " lation, 5,000,000, being 250f to the square mile." — M. M. Musseehood- deen. According to the Post OflSce authorities, Lucknow, the present capital of Oude, is distant from Calcutta 619 miles. It is a fine city, and reminded Reginald Heber of Dresden. Its arcliitectural and other characteristics are fairly described in that apocryphal narrative, " The Private Life of an Eastern " King." 8 :^^t<-t:^s^J ": n^ooi'^E^' in excelsis ; its revenues for professing to defend its princes with this very soldiery. Oude has been simultaneously their re- cruiting ground and military chest, their fiscal tributary and bank of advance. By subsidies, loans, exchanges, and other devices, it is computed that they have drawn from it, since their connection with the province, a sum of not less than fifty millions sterling. Up to the day when they ruthlessly wrung the neck of the royal goose, this was the rate at which it laid them golden eggs. The process by which this was managed is highly in- structive, and its explanation requires an extended historic statement. Before we knew of its existence, Oude was a country of ancient traditions, and the scene of India's earliest romance. In the first great Sanscrit epic, " the **Ramayana,'* it is the residence of a splendid king and an heroic people, and its capital, Ayodhya or Oude, is filled with gorgeous accessories.* Of its authentic history from * The following is the description from "the Ramayana," taken as nearly as possible from Carey's translation : — " The streets and alleys of the city were admirably disposed, and the " principal streets well watered. It was beautified with gardens, fortified " with gates, crowded with charioteers and messengers furnished with arms, *' adorned with banners, filled with dancing girls and dancing men, crowded *' with elephants, horses and chariots, merchants and ambassadors from " various countries. It resembled a mine of jewels, or the residence of Sri. *' The walls were variegated with divers sorts of gems like the divisions of a " chess board, the houses formed one continued row of equal height, resound- " ing with the music of the tabor, the twang of the bow, and the sacred " sound of the Veda, It was perfumed with incense, chaplets of flowers, and " articles for sacrifice, by their odour cheering the heart." ' In this city of well fed happy people no one practised a calling not his own, none were without relations, the men loved their wives, the women were faithful and obedient to their husbands, no one was without earrings, no one went unperfumed, no Brahman was without the constant fire, and no man gave less than a thousand rupees to the Brahmans. This city was guarded by warriors as a mountain den by hons, filled with ^horses from Kamboya and other places, and elephants from the Vinhya and Himalaya mountains, and governed as Indra governs his city, by Dasaratha, chief of the race of Ikshwaku. This king was perfectly skilled in the Vedas and Vedangas, beloved by his people, a great charioteer, and constant in sacrifice. His courtiers were wise, capable of understanding a nod, and constantly devoted to him. Eight OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 9 this date we know very little, but at tlie close of the twelfth century, after the conquest of Canouj by the Mahomme- dans, it was subdued by Kutbuddin Aibuk, Viceroy of India, for Mohummud Ghori, Sultan of Ghuznee. It thenceforward became an integral part of the realm of the sovereigns of Delhi, and on the conquest of the empire by Baber, was easily subjugated. Mr. Macaula}^, in a few clear and discriminative sentences, has traced its fortunes in connection with that empire's dissolution. — " Some of the great viceroys, who held their posts by " virtue of commissions from the Mogul, ruled as many " subjects as the King of France or the Emperor of Ger- " many. Even the deputies of these deputies might well " rank as to extent of territory and amount of revenue " with the Grand Duke of Tuscany or the Elector of " Saxony. ^ ^ ^ ^ Wherever the viceroys of the " Mogul retained authority, they became sovereigns. They " might still acknowledge, in words, the superiority of the " House of Tamerlane, as a Count of Flanders or a Duke " of Burgundy might have acknowledged the superiority " of the most helpless driveller among the later Carlovin- " gians. They might occasionally send to their titular *' sovereign a complimentary present, or solicit from him " a title of honour. In truth, however, they were no '* longer lieutenants, removable at pleasure, but indepen- " dent hereditary princes. In this way originated those " great Mussulman houses which formerly ruled Bengal and " the Carnatic, and those which still" (written in 1840), " though in a state of vassalage, exercise some of the " powers of royalty at Lucknow and Hyderabad." Brahmans are mentioned as chief counsellors, two as chosen priests, and these appear to have been his prime ministers; six others were also in office. " Surrounded by all these counsellors, learned, faitliful, eminent, seeking by " wise counsels the good of the kingdom, Dasaratha shone resplendent as the " sun, irradiating the world." 10 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; It was in the position just described, and for which they were certainly not indebted to the Company of English merchants who built Fort William on sufferance in 1699, that the latter princes, thus originally potential, commenced their fatal relations with the East India Company.* The circumstances under which they were first in- subjoin the following table of the sove- leading dates in the history of the East In A.D. 1601 Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to a company of merchants to trade to the East In- dies. In 1634 this company obtained an imperial firman from the Emperor Shah Jehan to trade with Bengal by sea and to establish a factory. In 1652 permission was granted to the company by the same prince to trade throughout the province of Bengal. In 1686 the company of merchants entertained an armament to main- tain their rights. In 1698 leave was obtained from the Subadar of Bengal to purchase the ground on which Calcutta now stands. In 1699 Fort William was completed. In 1717 the company obtained an imperial confirmation of all their former pri- vileges, and continued to conduct their commercial affairs with success until 1756, when Seraj-ood-Dowlah succeeded his grandfather, Ah Verdi, as Subadar of Bengal, and in conse- quence of Governor Drake having refused to give up a native who had fled with his wealth to Calcutta, he attacked and captured the place. Calcutta was retaken on the 2nd of January, 1757, and Seraj-ood-Dow- lah having marched towards Calcutta to oppose the English, was com- pletely routed by Lord Clive, and the first treaty was concluded be- tween the company of merchants trading to the East Indies and Seraj- ood-Dowlah, Subadar of Bengal. * For the sake of convenience, we reigns of Oude ., side by side with the India Company : — • A.D . 1711. Saadat Khan. iJ 1739. Suffder Jung. ?» 1756. Shoojah-ood-Dowlah. ?? 1775. Asoph-ood-Dowlah. ii 1797. Vizier Alhe. (Spu- rious, and displaced in favour of Saadat AUie.) V 1798. Saadat Alhe. n 1814. Ghazee-ood-deen Hyder. It 1827. Nusseer-ood-deen Hyder. )? 1837. Mohummud Allie Shah. 11 1842. Soorye-a-Jah. Am- jud AUie Shah. n 1847. Wajid AUie Shah. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 11 eluded ill its toils arose out of the Company's dealings with Bengal, from the Subadar of which, in 1698, it had avowedly purchased the ground on which Calcutta now stands, while it had really prepared a fulcrum from which to overturn India. The Company had supported an aspirant to the throne of Bengal, for the consideration which afterwards became so familiar in their various treaties, a large sum of rupees, amounting in this instance to one crore and seventy-seven lacs, when the victory of Clive at Plassey, on the 23rd June, 1757, gave effect to their bargain, by installing their protege and annihilating their antagonist. The protege was removed in 1760, on the plea of incompetency, and a successor set up, who was also deposed, whereupon protege No. 1 was reinstated. The only name among these unfortunate favourites of the Company which is at all material to our present purpose is that of the preferred and rejected No. 2, Cossim Ali, who, after sustaining a series of defeats in contending against his deposition, fled to Shoojah-ood-Dowlah, Nawaub of Oude, and involved him also in the incon- venience of friendly relations with the Company. Shoojah- ood-Dowlah, in the first instance, espoused the cause of Cossim, and marched his army into Behar ; but coming in contact with the forces of the East India Company at Buxar, on the 23rd October, 1764, something less than one hundred years ago, he was there defeated, and was eventually compelled to enter into a treaty for " perpetual *' and universal peace, sincere friendship, and firm union " with the East India Company, which by this means inserted its syphon into his treasury, and unsealed the precious fountain of his coveted rupees. This treaty was concluded on the 16th August, 1765. And, in addition to the payment by the Nawaub of £500,000 for the Com- IS DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; pany's expenses, for which it stipulated, it prepared the Wuzier for a further series of disbursements, as the natural consequence of the "friendship" and "firm union'* to which it tied him. Thus, the second article of the treaty provides for mutual offensive and defensive arrange- ments, and that, " in the case of the English Company*s '''forces being employed by Mis Highness, the extraordinary " expense of the same to he defrayed by him,'' The case was, of course, pretty certain to occur ; while the expense was fated to become " extraordinary " in a very different sense from that professedly contemplated. It was neces- sary, however, to prepare the victim for the ordinary incident of excessive and incessant levies, or to fit the prey for the expectant maw, by a phraseology, which, as it were, lubricated it for its gradual but entire absorption. This was simply the first step ; but the process thu^ begun was never from that moment interrupted, and the syphon then inserted never ceased to flow. By this slender thread the kingdom of Oude was gradually drawn into the meshes of the Company, was taxed and im- poverished, cramped, tethered, and tormented, until it was presumed to be ready for final annexation. The process was singularly stealthy and protracted, for it was not assisted by any imprudence or insincerity on the part of the rulers of Oude. Their good faith was never success- fully impeached, and at this day their good services are admitted by their worst enemies. Not one letter, it is said, among the many hundreds which were intercepted subsequently, contained aught that could raise the slightest suspicion of their fidelity and attachment.^ But, three * On the contrary, a most signal illustration of their good faith was afforded in this way four years later, in 1772, when two emissaries, bearers of a certain letter from His Excellency to Hyder Naik, the father of Tippoo OR, THE SPOLIATION OP OtJDE. IS years after the above treaty was signed, rumours, which were afterwards ascertained by three members of the Council to be without foundation, reached the Indian Govern- ment to the effect that the Nawaub of Oude was levying forces in order to oppose them. A correspondence accord- ingly took place, and explanations were freely given ; but the Company improved the occasion by exacting an ad- ditional engagement, by which the Wuzier was restricted from entertaining a force exceeding 35,000 men. This restriction, which of course rendered him less independent of British assistance, was the second step in the stealthy process, and it followed in three years on the engagement for "sincere friendship and firm union*' with the ally whose power it tended materially to diminish. This re- striction, however, was commended to the Nawaub by the accompanying engagement that, so long as it was observed by himself and his successors, the East India Company would not introduce any addition to its pro- visions. That such apparent securities accompanied Sultan, were seized by the Englisli authorities at Lucknow. On ascertaining the contents of this letter, the Resident was satisfied that it was in answer to one sent to His Excellency from Hyder Xaik, in which that chief had written as follows : — " It surprises me to find that your Excellency, while possessing " so large an army and such ample resources, should submit to the yoke of " the Christians. It would be more advisable for your Excellency to attack " them on your side, while I assail them on mine, and by our united efibrts " destroy them." The intercepted letter contained this answer : — " Fanaticism " in religion is for those who have rehnquished aU interest in worldly affairs ; " but it would be culpable in persons who, hke us, have relative duties to " perform towards thousands professing a totally different religion to our " own, to show a preference for one sect over another. As for that large " army and those ample resources which you have heard that I possess, they " are maintained for the purpose of being employed against the enemies of " the East India Company. Do not, therefore, expect me to use them other- *' wise." The Resident, having thus become aware of the contents of the letter, obtained permission from His Excellency the Nawaub to forward it to the Governor- General of India, in order that His Lordship might also be convinced of the sincerity and truth of His Excellency's friendship. — M. M. Musseehood'deen. 14 BACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; most stages of their intercourse was not, however, as practically delusive as might be supposed ; for such en- gagements would soon be estimated at their correct value, if on the part of the Company they were consistently and invariably broken. That such was the case in this instance we shall have many illustrations, and the first of these we shall come upon in the incident next to be mentioned. The Court of Directors had repeatedly urged upon the Indian Government the importance of acquiring the fortress of Chunar, and had directed that no fit opportunity of obtaining that object should be omitted.'^ Chunar had been retained by the British, under the seventh article of the treaty of 1765, as a guarantee for the payment of the half-million sterling payable by its sixth article ; but when this sum had been paid, there was no longer any pretext for keeping it in their hands, and it was accordingly again given up to the Nawaub. Still the desire of the Company to possess it had not diminished in consequence of their temporary occupation ; but they coveted a permanent retention of the security, in addition to the rupees which they had already pocketed. So a pretext was devised for getting Chunar into their hands, and, simultaneously, for retaining the fort of Allahabad, which, while it was in their occupation, the Emperor of Delhi had made over, in 1771, to the Nawaub of Gude; and the pretext devised was simply " the better to enable the East India Company " to assist His Highness with their forces for the preserva- " tion of his dominions.'* It appears that the Mahrattas were then threatening Gude through Rohilcund ; that is to say, Gude was threatened to the north and west, while Allahabad and Chunar were situated to the south and east. * "Return to House of Lords of Treaties and Engagements between East India Company and Native Powers in Asia, &c," (1853), p. 55. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 15 The reason for appropriating these places as a matter of strategy is not, therefore, as obvious as the diplomatic inducements for their transfer. It is not quite so clear that their surrender served the interests of the Nawaub, as that their occupation promoted the ends of the Com- pany. Nevertheless, by a couple of treaties, both dated the 20th of March, 1772, Chunar was taken and Allahabad was kept ; and thus, during the lifetime of Shoojah-ood- Dowlah, two steps were taken in advance of the treaty of August, 1765; that is to say, his forces were restricted, his forts were appropriated, and he was so far prepared for further exhibitions of the " sincere friendship and firm " union," the complete fruition of which was reserved for his successors. Shoojah-ood-Dowlah accordingly was not at his ease, for the firm union was beginning " to draw " after the manner of an adhesive blister. He therefore sought an interview with Warren Hastings, who had become Governor of Bengal in 1772, and discussed a revision of existing treaties, to which the circumstances of both parties at this time predisposed them. On the one hand, at the period of Hastings' assumption of the Government, the East India Company were in one of those normal crises of their state, in which, having absorbed largely from the substance of India, they had spent all their income, and were struggling with a deficit. The finances of Hastings' government were in an embarrassed state, and to take the history of his acts at this date from Mr. Macaulay, " this embarrassment he " was determined to relieve by some means, fair or foul." The language of the eminent historian so admirably describes the conduct of the Governor at this conjuncture, that we adopt it as an indispensable portion of our own narrative. According to Mr. Macaulay, "the 16 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; " principle whicli directed Hastings' dealings with his " neighbours is fully expressed by the old motto of one of " the great predatory families of Teviotdale, ' Thou shalt " want ere I want.' He seems to have laid it down, as a " fundamental proposition which could not be disputed, " that, when he had not as many lacs of rupees as the " public service required, he was to take them from any- " body who had. One thing, indeed, is to be said in " excuse for him. The pressure applied to him by his " employers at home was such as only the highest virtue " could have withstood — such as left him no choice except " to commit great wrongs, or to resign his high post, and " with that post all his hopes of fortune and distinction. " The Directors, it is true, never enjoined or applauded " any crime. Far from it. Whoever examines their " letters written at that time will find there many just and " humane sentiments, many excellent precepts — in short, " an admirable code of political ethics. But every ex- " hortation is modified or nullified by a demand for money. " ' Govern leniently, and send more money ; * * Practise " strict justice and moderation towards neighbouring " powers, and send more money' — this is in truth the " sum of all the instructions that Hastings ever received " from home. Now these instructions, being interpreted, " mean simply, ' Be the father and oppressor of the " people : be just and unjust, moderate and rapacious.' " The Directors dealt with India as the Church, in the " good old times, dealt with a heretic. They delivered " the victim over to the executioners, with an earnest " request that all possible tenderness might be shown. " We by no means accuse or suspect those who framed " these despatches of hypocrisy. It is probable that, " writing fifteen thousand miles from the place where their OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 17 " orders were to be carried into effect, they never per- " ceived the gross inconsistency of which they were guilty. " But the inconsistency was at once manifest to their " Lieutenant at Calcutta, who, with an empty treasury, *' with an unpaid army, with his own salary often in arrear, *' with deficient crops, with government tenants daily run- " ning away, was called upon to remit home another half- " million without fail. Hastings saw that it was absolutely " necessary for him to disregard either the moral dis- " courses or the pecuniary requisitions of his employers. " Being forced to disobey them in something, he had to " consider what kind of disobedience they would most " readily pardon ; and he correctly judged that the safest " course would be to neglect the sermons and to find the " rupees." Now Shoojah-ood-Dowlah possessed rupees, but he was our firm friend and faithful ally. There was no excuse, therefore, for taking them from him against his will, as Hastings did take from the Nabob of Bengal, at this con- juncture, half the income of «£32 0,000 a year, guaranteed by the Company, and as he also took from the Mogul, on the plea that he was not independent, the districts of Corah and Allahabad, which had been given to him by the treaty of the 16th of August, 1765. With respect to the latter piece of plunder, the sequestered districts, the difficulty remained that they were so situated that they could be of no present use to the Company. They might, however, be of use to Shoojah-ood-Dowlah, who was thereupon induced to purchase them for about half a million sterling, and the stipulations for this purpose were included in a treaty of the 7th of September, 1773, dated at Benares (" Parliamentary Return of Treaties, &c.," p. 57), by which our favoured Ally was also allowed to 18 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; assume the title of Wuzier of the monarchy of Hindos- tan, "just," says Mr. Macaulay, "as, in the last century, " the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburgh, though in- " dependent of the Emperor, and often in arms against " him, were proud to style themselves his ' Grand Cham- *'berlain' and * Grand Marshal.*'* There was much economy, if not foresight, in transferring these districts, with title to boot, to the particular purchaser, seeing that in less than thirty years, by the treaty of 1801, the Com- pany were able to exact from Saadat AUie, a successor of Shoojah-ood-Dowlah, the very provinces which the latter now purchased of them, for 50,000,000 rupees, or £500,000 sterling. It is true that for the present they guaranteed " that, in the same manner, as the province of " Oude and the other dominions of the Vizier are pos- " sessed by him, so shall he possess Corah and Currah and " Allahabad for ever. He shall by no means,** says the emphatic treaty, " and under no pretence, be liable to " any obstructions in the aforesaid countries from the " Company and the English chiefs ; and, exclusive of the " money now stipulated, no mention or requisition shall, " by any means, be made to him for anything else on this " account.*' Requisition, nevertheless, was made to his heirs and successors to surrender the lands which he had bought and paid for. The money's worth followed the money itself, and, like a well-trained pigeon, returned to its former owner, without invalidating the original trans- fer. It has been said, orientally, in a sort of proverb, that, at least, " curses resemble such fowl, inasmuch as they " invariably come home to roost.*' In this instance, the pretended blessings displayed a power of returning themselves, and, by coming home, left the beatified empty. But at this date they were seemingly a reasonable excuse OR, THE SPOLIATION OP OUDE. 19 for a further dip into the treasury of Shoojah-ood-Dowlah ; while they were ingeniously and opportunely conferred as a part of that revision of existing treaties which he himself had solicited. As we said, Shoojah-ood-Dowlah was at this time uncomfortable. He had found a sufficient source of anxiety in the " sincere friendship and firm " union " with which he was honoured. His army was restricted ; his fortresses were occupied ; by every fresh arrangement he was brought more directly under the influence and control of the East India Company. If their forces were not indispensable to his support, at all events it was an inevitable consequence of the alliance that they should be quartered upon him, and that he should pay their " expenses." Foreseeing this, with the resolution of an unhappy man who wishes to take a full measure of his calamity, it was his object to ascertain how much he would have to pay henceforth for services thus obtrusively rendered. Therefore, in the treaty which provided for the cession of Corah and Allahabad, he ob- tained a provision, entitled a security against " disputes," that he should pay for a brigade, at the rate of 2,10,000 Sicca rupees per month,* and that, " exclusive of the * It appears that this was irrespective of the arrangement between Shoojah-ood-Dowlah and the Company for the famous expedition for the subjugation of the Rohillas, which has been so eloquently described by Mr, Macaulay, in his article on Warren Hastings. Before this date, we have seen that Oude was threatened from the direction of Kohilcund by the Mahrattas, and, according to M. M. Musseehood-deen, "after the conclusion of this " treaty, the Nawaub Shoojah-ood-Dowlah required the force in question for " the conquest of the RohiUa country. After the Rohillas had been subdued, " but before the troops received orders to return, ISTawaub Shoojah-ood-Dowlah " died, and the army remained in possession of that principaUty. The Nawaub " had also promised to pay, provided the Rohillas were conquered, a further " sum of fifty lakhs of rupees, besides the pay of the troops. This is more " explicitly set forth in Mr. Hastings' letter to the Nawaub, and the latter 's '.' answer thereto." The following is a translation of the letter addressed to H. E. the Nawaub Shoojah-ood-Dowlah by Warren Hastings, and dated 22nd April, 1773 : — " In reply to your letter, authorising the Honourable EastLidia B 2 20 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS; *' above-mentioned sum, no more should^ on any accounty ** he demanded of him" This treaty, as we stated, was concluded on the 7th of September, 1773, at Benares, and it was followed by a proceeding, on the part of Shoo- jah-ood-Dowlah, by which he provided against its infringe- ment in his lifetime, — that is to say, in the year 1775 he died, and so escaped the further demands of his perti- nacious Allies. " Company to annihilate and extirpate the Rohillas, if they refuse to pay the " agreed sum of forty lakhs of rupees, I beg leave to inform you that in case of " their complying with your request, and placing you in full possession and " entire control of their state, will your Excellency promise to pay the amount *' of fifty lakhs of rupees to the Honourable East India Company, in considera- " tion of tliis service ? As this sum will enable the Company to discharge the " tribute they owe to the King of Delhi, and thus relieve themselves from *' the existing embarrassments upon their finances." The Nawaub writes to Warren Hastings, on the 18th November, 1773, as follows : — " In an inter- " view which took place between us at Benares, it was fixed that I should " pay a sum of fifty lakhs of rupees to the East India Company, and by the *' aid of its troops punish the Rohillas, and expel them from the country." Here, then, is evidence of a special bargain for the particular service, and which was independent of the rate per month to be paid for a Brigade, as stipulated by the treaty. OE, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE, 21 CHAPTER II. SHOWING HOW THE COMPANY RAISED THEIR TERMS TO ASOPH-OOD- DOWLAH, AND HOW VERY HARD HE FOUND THEM — SHOWING THE SUBSIDY SYSTEM IN FULL SWING, TREATY OR NO TREATY, AND HOW AFTER A RESPITE FROM LORD CORNWALLIS THE WUZIER SUCCUMBED TO SIB JOHN SHORE. Shoojah-ood-Dowlah having been finally released from the toils of the East India Company, his son, Asoph- ood-Dowlah, suffered in his stead. The accession of a Prince was just one of those occasions which the Company rarely failed to improve; and it was im- proved on this occasion without the slightest reluctance. Shoojah-ood-Dowlah had gone to his grave with the com- fortable assurance that a brigade of the Company's troops would cost just 2,10,000 rupees per month. The Company, however, speedily initiated his son into their modus operandi, by screwing out of him 50,000 rupees per month more. The improved levy was contrived in this way. Though Shoojah-ood-Dowlah was assured by treaty that, " exdudve of the above-mentioned sum, no more should " on any account he demanded of him,'' a " majority of the " Council " judiciously " considered the treaty concluded " with him to have ceased with his death," and exacted, accordingly, a more expensive treaty from his successor. This treaty was signed on the 21st May, 1775, and its object was stated to be " that universal peace, firm friend- " ship, and perfect union shall for ever be established " between the Nabob Asoph-ood-Dowlah and the " English East India Company." From such excellent 22 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; and praiseworthy motives, the expense of a brigade was raised to the sum mentioned in excess of that agreed upon less than two years previously ; and certain other require- ments, which have yet to be specified, were imposed, and to which it is desirable here to point with continued emphasis. In the first place, this treaty deprived the Wuzier, with- out equivalent, of a considerable portion of his then revenue, for by its fifth article, Benares and the surround- ing tract of country were to be ceded to the friendly Com- pany in perpetuity. " The sacred city," as it has been termed, of the pious Hindoo was at this date the entrep6t of the luxurious commerce of Northern India. Its Rajah, in the disorganisation of the Indian empire, had become independent of the Mogul, but had subsequently been compelled to submit to the authority of the Nawaub of Oude. He had paid tribute to the latter ; and now, by this cession, the tribute was carried directly into the coffers of the Company.* Thus, while the Company were requiring * It is mentioned in the history of Sairool Mootakhurreen that, agreeably to the wish of the Directors, Warren Hastings repeatedly appHed to the Nawaub Shoojah-ood-Dowlah to cede to the Company the whole state of Benares, but that the Nawaub would not consent to this. After his death Mr. Bristow, the Resident of Lucknow, through the intrigues and machina- tions of Mookhtear-ood-Dowlah, the Minister of Asoph-ood-Dowlah, succeeded in having it transferred to the Company. The real state of the case was this : — ^Asoph-ood-Dowlah was apprehensive of his brother being placed, by his father, in the independent possession of the Rohilcund principahty, the government of which he at that time admin- istered. Upon His Excellency applying to the Resident to dispossess his brother of his authority, hedechned doing so ; but no sooner were the coveted dominions surrendered to the Company, than His Excellency's wishes were at once compHed with. The same history states, that Warren Hastings did not consider it con- sistent with justice to cede the province of Benares, disjoined from Oude, to the sovereignty of the East India Company, signifying this his opinion, in writing, to the Home authorities ; but that, as was afterwards the case with Lord Dalhousie, owing to the unanimous concurrence of the memlers of the Council^ this measure ivas persisted in. When, however, it came to be dis- OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 23 increased contributions from their Ally, they curtailed the resources out of which he was to pay them. They burnt their candle at both ends, with consistent indifference, seeing that the cost was, in this instance, defrayed by the tallow-chandler. Nor were these the only particulars in which they improved the occasion of the accession of Asoph-ood-Dowlah to their " firm friendship and perfect " union." On the one hand, they diminished his securities for the retention of the districts of Corah and Allahabad, which they had engaged to his father should be possessed by him " for ever ; " for in the fourth article of the present treaty they engaged to defend his possession of these districts, only " until the pleasure of the Court of Directors " shall be known." And, on the other hand, by the seventh article of the treaty, they made provision for a further payment from the Wuzier, in case he should want further assistance over and above the specified brigade, or in case (as we are warranted by the event in interpreting the cussed in the Council of the Indian Government, there was so much difference of opinion, that the treaty was not ratified ; and hence, in the Treaty Book of 1853, it is entered as " Translation of the Proposed Articles of the Treaty " with the Nawaub Asoph-ood-Dowlah, 1775." The conduct of the Directors, as connected with this treaty, deserve notice. In their letter of the 15th December, 1775, remarking upon the resolution of the Council to disregard the treaties concluded with the late Nawaub of Oude, they say, " Although the death of Shoojah-ood-Dowlah may render it "necessary to make new arrangements with liis successors, we cannot agree " with our Council, that our treaties mth the State of Oude expired with the ' ' death of that ^abob." No sooner, however, were they made acquainted with the new grant of revenue, and the new allowance on account of the troops, than they thus wrote in their letter of the 24th of December, 1776 : — " It is " with singular satisfaction we observe, at any time, the attention paid by our "servants to the great interests of their employers ; and it is with peculiar " pleasure we here signify our entire approbation of the late treaty concluded " with Asoph-ood-Dowlah, successor of Shoojah-ood-Dowlah, by which such "terms are procured as seem to promise us solid and permanent advantages." It is stated by M. M. Musseehood-deen, p. 19, that the province of Benares yielded the Wuzier about 70 lakhs of rupees per annum, and brought into the Company's coffers nearly twenty-five lakhs of rupees net profit. 24 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; provision) they should desire to quarter upon him more troops for their convenience, not for his. Lastly, al- though this treaty, with its increased burdens in respect of tribute, its fresh cessions in respect of territory, its diminished securities to the Wuzier of Oude, and its prospective advantages to the Company, was substituted for that made with Shoojah-ood-Dowlah, the Company of merchants who contrived it were too rigorous accountants to forego any provision of the former treaty to their benefit. A balance was outstanding on the engagements it con- tained, and while these were abrogated for others infinitely less favourable to the present Wuzier, this balance was exacted to the uttermost farthing. The last remnant of lucre was sucked out of the " ceased treaty " before, like an empty orange, it was cast aside ; for by an addendum to the present treaty, bearing date the same day, it was engaged that *' the halance due to the English Company " on account of the countries of Corah and Allahabad, " Rohilcund, and the pay of the troops, according to the " engagement of the late Nabob Soojah-ul-Dowlah, shall be " paid to them as it becomes due, without any dispute." Thus, the spirit of the counting-house was combined with the instincts of imperial ambition, and the Wuzier of Oude, in the hands of diplomatists and huxters, was indifferently victimised by their alternate requirements. As a specimen of the conflicting instructions issued to their servants at this stage, and the relative urgency of which the. latter, according to Mr. Macaulay, found means of interpreting, it must now be mentioned that the Court of Directors cautioned the local Government against impoverishing the Princes of Oude, while at the same time this Government obeyed their instructions in the manner described on finding itself involved in debt and OK, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 25 difficulties. The Directors had affected to doubt the pro- priety of quartering their troops upon the Wuzier by the treaty of 1773 ; but the local Government did their utmost to render permanent a burden which purported on the face of the treaty to be optional and temporary ; and at length the Directors had given a coy sanction to the pro- ceeding, " provided it was done with the free consent of " the Soobah, and by no means without it." How the Directors hesitated, but eventually approved the treaty of 1775, has been mentioned above in a note; and now, in virtue of some remaining scruples, although the latter treaty was approved by them, they still affected misgivings as to the carrying out of its provisions. Thus in the year 1777, a brigade called the Temporary Brigade, and of which the express condition was that the expense should be charged on the Wuzier " for so long a time only as he " should require the corps for his service," was added to the permanent brigade, of which the charge had been lately raised; yet the Directors were still apparently anxious that the burden should not be fastened upon the Nawaub contrary to his will. " If you intend" (say they, addressing the Governor-General and Council) " to exert " your influence, first, to induce the Vizier to acquiesce in " your proposal, and afterwards to compel him to keep " the troops in his pay during your pleasure, your intents " are unjust, and a correspondent conduct would reflect great " dishonour on the Company'' As Sir Peter Teazle says of Joseph, "What noble sentiments ! " How great, then, the pity that they were not carried into practice ! The temporary brigade, notwithstanding these expressions, be- came a fixture ; nor was this even the limit of the expense for English soldiers, whom the unfortunate Wuzier was drawn in to maintain. Several detached corps in the 26 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; Company's service were also placed in his pay, and a great part of his own native troops were put under the command of the Company's officers. In short, his total expenses on account of troops, in respect of subsidies, and their marching and counter-marching within his dominions, had, notwithstanding the Directors' scruples, increased by degrees until they amounted to the sum of one and a half crore of rupees, or ,£1,500,000 sterling. Then his country became so exhausted in consequence, that the unhappy Wuzier could bear it no longer, and *' having repeatedly " and urgently represented that he was unable to support " tlie expenses of the temporary brigade cavalry and English " officers with their battalions, as well as other gentlemen " who are now paid by him under the denomination of " Sebundy, &c.&c., and having made sundry requests to that " and other purposes,"^ in the year 1779 he addressed a letter to the Governor -General in Council, complaining of the continued demands and exactions of the Company, and the oppression and tyranny of their military officers, begging at the same time that the so-called temporary brigade might be recalled. But the temporary burden proved to be like the Old Man of the Sea after he had lifted himself upon the shoulders of the unfortunate Sinbad. In the. first place, Warren Hastings himself made ob- jections to its withdrawal until the Wuzier, having " expressed a particular desire for an interview," he was obliged to consent to a meeting at Chunar on the 11th of September, 1781. Here the Wuzier, representing his utter inability to meet the expense with which he was saddled, and no reasonable grounds appearing for refusing to withdraw the brigade in question, the Governor went * Recital in Agreement of 19tli September, 1781. " Parliamentary Return "of Treaties, &c." p. 60. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 27 SO far as to sign an agreement for its removal on the loth of September following. This agreement will be found in tlie "Parliamentary Return of Treaties," pp. 60, 61, but without the intimation that it was never carried out. Such is the value of the " Introductory and Historical Notices" which accompany these treaties as they are submitted to the House of Lords. In fact, for several years, notwith- standing this express engagement, the extra brigade was still imposed upon the reluctant Wuzier, and its expenses were ruthlessly drawn from his impoverished dominions. The issue will be recounted presently. In the mean- time, it is desirable here to direct attention to the earliest evidence of interference with the government of the Wuzier's territories, and which will be found in an un- dated agreement, apparently contemporary with that just above-mentioned (see " Parliamentary Return of "Treaties, &c.," p. 61). By this agreement, the Wuzier is recommended to reduce his troops, to establish a private and a public purse ; into the former of which he is to receive "no more than a fixed monthly sum " for the expenses of his person and household, while the remainder of the net revenue is to be left in a public treasury, under the management of his public ministers " a7id the inspection of " the Resident.'' Thus, in addition to the appropriation of the Wuzier's revenues, the grasp of the Company descends upon his affairs, and, by the introduction of an inspecting Resident, with the contingencies arising, we are prepared for the final swoop of Andrew Marquis of Dalhousie. For the present, however, it will be found that the money questions between the Wuzier and the Company were sufiicient to occupy the attention of the latter, and to fill the former with reasonable apprehensions of his approaching 28 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; ruin. From the 1st of February, 1774, to tlie end of September, 1783, within a period of little more than nine years (as is admitted in a despatch of the Court of Directors, dated 8th April, 1789), the Company had squeezed out of their Wuzier ally two crores and thirty lakhs of rupees (£2,300,000 sterling), and the Directors allowed that the dominions of the Wuzier were reduced to a deplorable condition in consequence ; in fact, that it was evident so serious a drain upon the treasury of a state must eventually bring about the bankruptcy of their tributary. Even Warren Hastings himself, speaking of the conduct of the Company towards Oude, remarks that "the number, influence, and enormous amount of the '' salaries, pensions, and emoluments of the Company's ^'service, civil and military, in the Viziers service, have " become an intolerable burden upon the revenue and " authority of His Excellency, and exposed us to the envy " and resentment of the whole country, by excluding the " native servants and adherents of the Vizier from the " rewards of their services and attachment." In short, it was evident to the factors themselves that their milch cow was getting low in flesh, and that it must have careful nursing unless they were ready once for all to realise the value of its famished remains. Vixere fortes ante Dalhousie, but they were not quite prepared for such strong measures in those days, and a respite was accordingly prepared for Oude, of which a preliminary was the abolition of the Residency, on the 31st December, 1783.* * It is remarked by M. M. Mtisseeliood-deen as full of significancy, tliat, during the respite wliich tlie state enjoyed from the presence of the Residents at the Court of Lucknow, neither did disturbances of any kind take place, nor was the slightest difficulty experienced in realising the revenue ; but, on the contrary, the country began once more to revive, its resources to recover their elasticity, and the Government to be administered to the perfect satis- OB, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 29 Moreover, it followed that in 1785 Hastings quitted his Indian dominion, and tlie brief interval of milder treat- ment thus accorded to Oude commenced with the acces- sion of Lord Cornwallis in 1786. Among other things, Hastings went home to answer for his treatment of the Begums of this devoted province, and upon which there is not one syllable in the apologetic Blue Book ; so incom- plete and partial are its seeming revelations. After Hastings* departure there was, however, some remission in the exactions as well as the interference of the Company, for the attention of Lord Cornwallis was drawn to the aiFairs of Oude; and he took some efficient measures for its temporary rescue. He declined, it is true, to withdraw the temporary brigade, and suggested that the Wuzier should discharge as much of his own army as should allow for the additional expense attending the continuance of these effective troops. But he granted a very considerable remission of the tribute for their maintenance, and which had been exacted with- out warrant of reason or justice. The annual payments by the Wuzier to the Company required by treaty amoimted to little more than thirty-four lakhs per annum; but in respect of the additional brigade thrust upon him by Hastings, and on other pretexts, these pay- ments had been actually raised to as much as eighty-four lakhs. It was now agreed that they should be reduced faction of all Hia Excellency's subjects. The good effects thus resulting from the abolition of the of&ce of Resident, proves the truth of the Hon. F. J. Shore's observation,— " So extremely difficult is it to discover the " slightest benefit arising from the establishment of Residents at the native " courts, that there is even ground for the supposition that the measure has " been adopted and maintained for the express purpose of promoting mis- ^'' government and confusion in the different principalities^ so as to afford ^^ plausible excuses and opportunity for our taking possession of them."" — " Notes " on Indian Affairs." 30 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; again to fifty lakhs,^ a sum still beyond the stipulations of former treaties, but bearable in comparison with the exac- tions which preceded it, and coupled with the assurance (to he violated hereafter), that from the date of this agree- ment His Excellency should not be charged with any excess on this sum, and no further demands should be made. Lord Cornwallis, moreover, interposed to curtail the clandes- tine pay and presents at that time received by the Com- pany's officials ; and in the minute by which he required that the Directors should be informed of these illegal levies, with a view to their suppression, he also insisted " that " the troop which was raised and officered by order of " Warren Hastings, and called ' Body Guard,' and which " was paid by His Excellency the Vizier, should be abolished, *' as it ought to have teen long ago, it being a very burden- " some expense to His Excellency." At the same time he remarked on the charges of the Private Agent who had replaced the Resident, and which amounted to the annual sum of <£l 12,950 sterling per annum, out of which ^£22,800 was the salary of the happy major who then occupied this lucrative post ; and though his Lordship did not relieve the Wuzier of this expense, * Tliis transaction is thus recorded by Mr. Mill, the historian of British India, vol. v. p. 259 : — "In the pecuniary burthen, however, he (the Marquis) admitted some *' alteration. It appeared that, during the nine preceding years, the Nawaub " had paid to the Company, under different titles, at the rate of eighty-four *' lakhs of rupees per annum ; though, by the treaty of 1775, he had bound '' himself to the annual payment of only 31,20,000 rupees, and by the treaty '' of 1781, to that of 34,20,000 rupees. " It was agreed that fifty lakhs should be the annual payment of the *' Xawaub ; and that this should embrace every possible claim. The Grovernor- " General declared that this was sufl&cient to indemnify the Company for all " the expense which it was necessary for them to incur in consequence of t' their connection with the Vizier. In other words, he declared that, for *' the 7iine preceding years ^ unjustiJiaUe extortion^ to the amount of thirty -four " lakhs per annum, had been practised on that dependent prince,'''' OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 81 with a view, it is presumedj to negotiations for a re-esta- blisliment of the Residency, which had cost the Wuzier but £65,000 per annum, yet with reference to that office, when re-established, he laid down the following wise and considerate programme in his letter in the " Parliamentary " Return of Treaties, &c.," p. 64 :— " A Resident at present remains at your Excellency's " Court, but as it is the intention of the Company and my " firm resolution that no interference shall take place in " the details of the affairs of your Excellency s Government, " strict orders shall be sent to him that he shall neither " interfere himself, nor suffer interference by public or ''private claims of exemptions of duties, or in any other " mode, from any British subject, or person under the " authority of this Government. In short, leaving the " whole management of your country to your Excellency " and your Ministers, I will put a stop to the interference " of others. For several years past the inhabitants of " your Excellency's dominions, from motives of self-interest, " have appealed to this Government, and this has been a " source of injury to your Government ; I am determined " to put a stop to this practice, and to disregard their " applications ; but as the connection between the two " Governments is universally known, strict attention to " justice on your part will add credit and renown to both." In conclusion, he declared it was not his intention to embarrass the Wuzier with any other demands than what were absolutely necessary, and that on the payment of certain arrears due to the Company's troops, the remainder was to be struck out of the account. The effect of his policy towards the Wuzier he describes in general terms, thus : — " We undertake the defence of his country, and in return " he (the Wuzier) engages to defray the real expenses 32 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; " incurred by an engagement of so much value to himself; " and the internal administration of his affairs is left to his " exclusive management."'^ Such was the conclusion to which Lord Cornwallis was movedf by motives honour- able to himself, by a consideration of his fair duty towards a faithful ally, and by his responsibility as a representative of British honour and justice. " Si sic *' omnia " ! the descendants of our Indian statesmen might then recall their lineage and its traditions with pride ; nor would they require garbled Blue Books with gaps and omissions to conceal from futurity the foul deeds of their ancestors. The boons of Lord Cornwallis were conferred, however, only to be withdrawn after his departure by other hands ; but the respite of the devoted province lasted for his time. A commercial treaty was concluded in 1788 between the Company and the Wuzier, in a fair and liberal spirit. The subsidy of fifty lakhs, under these conditions, as Lord Corn- wallis admitted previous to his quitting India, and while admonishing the Wuzier, was paid with regularity. Oude was again prosperous, happy, and solvent. But the en- * Papers relating to the East Indies, printed by order of the House of Commons in 1806, No. 2, pp. 1-14. t There is evidence in the broken report of Sheridan's speech on the Begums to show that a touching remonstrance was made by Asoph-ood-Dowlah (there miscalled Shoojah-ood-Dowlah) to his lordship. " When Lord Corn- " wallis spoke to" the Wuzier, " and recommended Mm to adopt some system " of government that might restore the prosperity of his kingdom, and make " his people happy, the Nabob's answer was strikingly remarkable. That " degraded Prince said to his Lordship, that as long as the demands of the " Enghsh Government upon the revenue of Oude should remain unhmited, he " (the Nabob) could have no interest in establishing any system of economy ; " and whilst the English should continue to interfere in the internal govern- " ment of his country it would be in vain for him to attempt any salutary " reform, for his subjects knew he was only a cipher in his own dominions, " and, therefore, laughed at and despised his authority, and that of his " ministers." OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 83 gagement that no further demands should be made, entered into by Lord Cornwallis with all solemnity, was, as we have already stated above, respected no longer than he himself remained in India. The succeeding Governor- General, Sir John Shore, required "the wretched Vizier " (to use the language of Mr. Mill) to add to his former subsidy the expense of one European and one native regiment of cavalry, provided the annual amount should not exceed five and a half lakhs of rupees. Thus the engagement of Lord Cornwallis was shamefully violated. Again the scale of charges and exactions, which the Wuzier must have regarded as finally fixed, began to mount, and gathering courage from his sense of the injustice, he boldly refused to pay one cowry more. Vain courage! Vain con- fidence in an incontestable promise and declared guaran- tee ! The unsophisticated Wuzier had yet to learn to what lengths "sincere friendship and firm union" would encour- age his disinterested allies. The British authorities sus- pecting, it is said, Maharajah Jhaoo Lall, his minister, to be the cause of his refusal, seized upon that gentleman, and, in despite of all the remonstrances of the Wuzier, detained him, although guiltless of any crime, as a state prisoner in their own territory ; and then, to compel the Wuzier to grant the additional subsidy. Sir John Shore, in March, 1797, proceeded to Lucknow, and "by means of " threats, artifices, &c.," forced him to make the addendum they required. Thus an additional body of troops, con- sisting of two regiments of cavalry, one of European and two of native infantry, was quartered upon the kingdom of Oude at an additional charge of ^Ye lakhs, and fifty thou- sand rupees annually ; and another result was attained, which was probablj^ neither desired nor deprecated ; — C 34 'DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS; Asoph - oocl - Dowlali took his treatment so much, to heart, that he fell ill and refused medicine, exclaiming, " There is no cure for a broken heart ;" and so, a few months subsequently, died, and left the Company, as their custom was, to improve the incident of a fresh succession. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 35 CHAPTER III. SHOWING HOW THE SUBSIDY SYSTEM WAS STEETCHED TO THE UTMOST, AND FINALLY BROKE DO"VVN — ^AND HOW LORD WELLESLEY CONFIS- CATED THE DOAB AS A CONVENIENT EQUIVALENT. In the first instance, after the death of Asoph-ood- Dowlah, the Company recognised the succession of Vizier Allie, his natural son ; but seeing that a better bargain could be made with a brother of the deceased Wuzier, Sir John Shore repaired to Benares, and proposed to the latter, who was named Saadat Allie, to dethrone Vizier Allie, offering the support of the Company on the intel- ligible condition that the subsidy should be largely in- creased, and that their support should be paid for other- wise in money and kind. To this stipulation, bold and barefaced, the aspirant to the princedom " cheerfully con- " sented,'* and, after a preliminary process at Lucknow, termed in the " Parliamentary Return of Treaties" " a full " investigation," and purporting to be an inquiry into the spuriousness of Vizier Allie's birth, that Prince was de- posed, and Saadat Allie was proclaimed in his stead, at Lucknow, on the Slst January, 1798. Then, on -the 21st February, 1798, a treaty of seventeen articles, in its prin- cipal stipulations absolutely stinking of rupees, was signed in pursuance of the previous understanding between Saadat Allie and Sir John Shore. We append in a note'^' the substance of the various * The treaty will be found in the " Pai'hamentary Return of Treaties, &c.," pp. 71-74. — By article 1, the mutual conditions of friendship and unity pre- viously subsisting, and also the former treaties, as far as consistent with the pre- sent, are upheld. By article 2, the annual subsidy liitherto paid by the Nawaub of Oude, amounting to something over fifty-six lakhs of rupees, is now raised 36 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; articles seriatim, and the trail of rupees will be found to run through them with a latitude and profusion which leaves to seventy-six laklis. This sum, by article 3, is to be paid punctually by monthly instalments^ and is to include (by article 6) the pensions of the Begums and Princes at Benares, amounting to a little over two lakhs and a quarter of rupees per annum. The arrears of subsidy due (article 4) are to he immediately discharged. The deposed Nawaub, Vizier Allie, by article 5, is to receive a pension of one lakh and a half of rupees. In article 7 we find the supposed con- sideration for the increased subsidy. The British troops in Oude are never to be less than 10,000 men of all arms ; should it become necessary at any time to augment this number beyond 13,000, the Nawauh is to pay for the excess; should the force ever fall below 8,000, there shall be a proportionate diminution in the amount of subsidy to be paid. Article 8 states that " As " the English Company are not possessed of any fortress in the dominions " of Oude, the ISTawaub Saadat AUie Ivhan, having the fullest reliance on the " friendsliip of the Enghsli Company, agrees to make over to their exclusive '•'■possession the fort of Allahabad^ with all its buildings and appurtenances." Eight lakhs of rupees are to he advanced to the Company for the repairs of the fort of Allahabad, and three lakhs more for a similar purpose with respect to the fortress of Futty Gulir. By article 9, the troops so quartered upon the Nawaub may be removed to such quarters as may be deemed advisable, and the Nawauh is to pay the cost thereof. Next comes the direct cost of the musnud of Oude. In article 11 is an engagement by Saadat Allie to pay the Company tivelve lakhs in consideration of the expenses attending their exer- tions in establishing his right. The next article binds the Nawaub to give satisfactory security to the Company in case of his payments falHng into arrear. The subsequent articles relate to the non-correspondence Avith foreign states without the Company's knowledge, the non-employment of Europeans in Oude without permission, and an enforcement of economy in all branches of the State. To sum up the money value of the whole : — By article 2. — ^For the support of their increased military establishment, partly for protection of their own domin- ions, the Company obtained, in excess of the annual subsidy Rs. 5,677,638 The further sum of „ 1,922,362 Total „ 7,600,000 Article 4. — ^Payment of arrears Article 8. — ^Nabob gives the fort of Allahabad to E. I. Company, and for repairs „ 800,000 For fort Futty Gulu^ . . . . . . . „ 300,000 Article 9. — ^Nabob pays expenses of moving troops . Article 10. — Nabob pays E. I. Company for exertions . „ 1,200,000 Total payment to E. I. Company „ 9,900,000 Besides, by article 5, which shows the further sum of . „ 1,500,000 Total „ 10,050,000 or one million of money obtained by the E. I, Company, and the fort of Allahabad, ' ' OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 37 no doubt as to the motives of one of the parties to the document. The Wuzier is to pay up arrears. The Wuzier is required to give up the fort of Allahabad, and to pay eight lakhs of rupees to put it in repair for the presentees. The Wuzier is to pay three lakhs for repairing fort Futty Guhr. The Wuzier is to pay expenses of moving troops, the number of lakhs being as yet indefinite. The Wuzier is to pay the Company twelve lakhs in consideration of their expenses in establishing his right. The Wuzier is to pay a pension of one lakh and a half to his deposed rival. And lastly, by article 2, the annual subsidy paid by the Wuzier, and which amounted to something over fifty-six lakhs, is now raised to seventy-six lakhs, that is to say, from about £555,000 a year, the subsidy is screwed up to £760,000. In all, a million sterling, and the fort of Alla- habad are obtained in a single year by the East India Com- pany, half of it in violation of the engagements of Lord Cornwallis, and in virtue of the union now growing firmer between themselves and the victim in their coils. A few months later they even attempted to dispossess the latter of the Doab country, and Sir John Shore, then Lord Teignmouth, wrote a letter, dated October 3, 1798, to the Resident at Lucknow, with this object. "If," said he, " we " cannot take it as rulers and sovereigns, we might manage " to take it on a lease, in the same manner as it is held by " Almas AUie Khan, and on his death we will take pos- " session of the whole'' The Resident was also instructed to induce the Nawaub Wuzier to disband his own army, and replace it by the Company's troops.^ All Europeans, * "From the correspondence which passed between the Governor-General of ^' India in Council, and the Court of Directors, fi^om the 17th April, 1798, to "the 15th May, 1799, it is perfectly evident that the Oude Government " was under no apprehensions of any enemy either from without or within, " and therefore did not stand in need of any alliance, either offensive or defen- 38 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; eoccqft the servants of the Company, were, without any dis- tinction whatsoever, to be banished from His Excellency's country, one o])ject of this arbitrary measure obviously being, that the exactions and other acts of injustice of which the local Government and their officers were at this time guilty, might not get wind, and by reaching the ears of the British public, come, like the atrocities of Hastings, under the cognizance of Parliament. By these stringent proceedings we are prepared for that further measure, the treaty of 1801, on which so much turns at this very moment, and w^hich was the alleged basis of Lord Dalhousie's notorious proclamation. But before we refer to its provisions, or even to its prelimina- ries, we must recall the particulars of our treatment of Oude up to this period. Their history may be antiquated ; but their history is material, and may be said even to lie at the root of the question of our moral right to annex this fated province. These treaties and acts, which we recall and gibbet, were the earlier steps in a consistent process, by which the Company has robbed the rulers of Oude of wealth, station, and dominion. Their natural con- sequence was to produce confusion ; and if they failed to produce all the confusion alleged by the latest official depre- dators, to whom was its avoidance owing ? The Company and their servants, up to this date, did their '^ possible' in this behalf. They drained the territory of Oude of every rupee they could wring from it. They played the part of great " sive, with the Indian Government. Such being the state of things, the home " authorities directed the local Government to disband the new troops they " had raised for Oude, as from their being no occasion for their services, they " were only an unnecessary expense to the Government of that country. The "Indian authorities, however, did not think proper to break up the strength " of their Indian army, but at the same time, anxious to exempt the Com- "pany from the expenses occasioned by it, they saddled the Nawaub Vizier " with the latter." — M. M. Miisseeliood-deen. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 39 dacoits on a scale most oppressive to its frugal ryots and industrious cultivators. They plundered the revenues of Wuzier, nobles, and people, on the plea of defending those who were competent to defend themselves against the force of any 7iative adversary, and they appropriated their soldiers and military resources, while they charged them tribute for the bereavement. They took territory as well as revenues, and they curtailed income as they increased expenditure. By the treaty of the 20th March, 1772, they took the fort of Chunar ; by that of the 21st May, 1775, they took the districts of Benares, Guzeepore, Caunpore, &c. They had taken the fort of Futty Guhr in 1787. They took the fort of Allahabad in 1798 ; and they were now preparing to take the Doab, if they could mmiage to get it on a lease — ^if, in short, they could get only a right of entry. At the same time, through the instrumentality of a Resident, they were admonishing, meddling, making, un- making, and degrading, as far as they could, the Princes of Oude into puppets after they had succeeded in converting their dominions into a farm. At this stage they began to remonstrate, and recommend reforms, with the sententious air of benevolent bystanders, as if they, and they alone, w^ere not entirely answerable for the mischief thus caused, and which ever after they persisted in as mis- chievously exaggerating. We are now coming to just such a phase in their con- duct, and of which we shall find plentiful repetitions hereafter, especially in the Oude Blue Book, which is a mass of such pretentious strictures. Lord Mornington (better known as Marquis Wellesley), arrived in Calcutta in the month of May, 1798. In October of the same year he had " under his consideration the best means of securing the " regular payment of the subsidy from Oude, and of reform- 40 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; " ing* the Nawaub's army."'^* " This reform," says Mr. Hale, in his pamphlet on the Oude question, and referring to the Printed Paper, iii. 2, 3, " really meant the disband- " ing of the Nawaub's regular army, except as far as " portions of it might be wanted for purposes of state, or " for the collection of the revenue, and the substitution of ** an increased number of the Company's regiments of in- " fantry and cavalry, to be relieved from time to time, and to " be paid by the Nawaub. The Nawaub Wuzier, however, " in alarm at this proposal, spoke of abdicating. Lord AVel- " lesley on this at once stated the grand object which he *' considered the Company had in view, and this was, ' The " acquisition by the Company of the exclusive authority, " civil and military, over the dominions of Oude.'f With " this view a treaty was ultimately drawn up, the first article " of which involved the virtual abdication of the Naw^aub. " But on this being presented to him, the Nawaub positively " refused to sign any such agreement. The Governor- " General entered into negotiations which extended over " several months, in the course of which he admitted that " * his original object was not merely to secure the sub- " sidiary funds, but to extinguish the Nawaub's military " powder.' "J Some particulars of these negotiations may delay the course of the narrative, but they are so illustrative of the Company's dealings with the Princes of Oude, that it is neither right nor expedient to omit them here. Without al- lowing the Nawaub time to draw up the remonstrance above mentioned, the additional troops had been actually ordered into Oude ; and the ground on which this measure was at- * Papers relating to tlie East Indies, printed by order of the House of Commons, in 1806, y. 3. t Printed Papers tit supra^ 31. t Printed Papers, 213* OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 41 tempted to be justified was tliis : that, as the Company was bound by Lord Teignmouth's treaty to defend the Nawaub's possessions, that treaty must be understood to confer upon them, by implication, the power of augmenting the British forces stationed in Oude entirely at their own 'pleasure, and even in spite of the Nawaub's assent, whenever they should think such a measure necessary to the discharge of their defensive engagements with the Nawaub. It was further contended that the latter was bound to maintain any num- ber of troops which the Company might station in his dominions, because one article of the treaty obliges him so to do whenever any augmentation of his British auxiliary force " should be thought necessary." As soon, therefore, as one division of the troops, destined by the British authorities, in the manner above described, to occupy cer- taiu portions of the Oude dominions, had been stationed there, and the Nawaub had been compelled to become responsible for their pay, and while another body was ordered to hold itself in readiness to march after them, the Nawaub Wuzier Saadat Allie addressed the following memorial to the Governor-General, through the Resident at Lucknow : — Translation of a Memorial, presented on the 11th of January, 1800, to Lieut.-Colonel William Scott, Resident at Lucknow, by H. E. the Nawaub Vizier; for the Governor-General. " The real state of the case is as follows : — " For these eighty and odd years these provinces have been under the most perfect and uncontrolled sway of my ancestors ; and, from the time of my deceased father, treaties of amity have subsisted between the Honourable 4:2 DACOITEE m EXCELSIS; Company and tliis Government, by wliieli the latter Las been mucli strengthened. "During the lifetime of my late brother, affairs between the two States went on as usual ; numerous were the enemies he had to contend with, and frequent were the disturbances and mutinies that took place amongst his soldiery ; nay, they even proceeded to such lengths, that during the late Rohilla war two complete battalions — as your Lordship may have heard — meditated going over to the enemy. Notwithstanding these circum- stances, it never once entered the imagination of the British rulers to introduce the innovations, and carry into effect such arrangements as those now suggested by your Lordship. "Through the favour of the Company, and assisted by their power, I ascended my hereditary musnud ; and it being, in all ages and countries, the ])ractice of powerful and liberal sovereigns to spare neither expense nor trouble in assisting those whom they may have once taken under their protection, I, being solely dependent on the Honour- able Company, and confidently trusting to their magna- nimity and generosity, fully expected that during my government the affairs of the country would shine forth with a splendour beyond that of my predecessors. "The reputation of the Company will last until the day of judgment,'' (We might almost infer from this assurance that Saadat Allie was a wag.) " God forbid that during my time any changes or degrading innovations should, without any cause, take place, or that the ancient servants of the family should, for the crimes and misconduct of a few worthless wretches, be deprived of their subsistence, and being turned on the world, disperse my infamy abroad ; whilst those who remain in my country, becoming my deadly foes, will disseminate enmity and distrust of me amongst those of my servants who may be retained, who will say amongst themselves, 'These people were dismissed yesterday, to-morrow our turn will come,' until at length the whole of my servants will become my inveterate enemies ; from which predica- ment may God defend me. " What affects me above all things is, that by acting OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUBE. 43 thus, tlie credit and honour of tlie Company will suffer, and I myself shall no longer be held in estimation, either abroad or in my own country. It will then be evident to every person, that the Company, no longer putting confi- dence in the sincerity of my friendship, deprived me of the direction of my own army, and spread their troops over my dominions. " Should such an event take place, my authority in these provinces would be annihilated; nor would my orders be attended to on any occasion, whether trifling or of moment ; whilst any extraordinary exertions in pay- ing the subsidy regularly, would become labour thrown away. " Making myself, however, sure that it never can have been your intention, or conformable to your Lordship's wish, to distrust, to degrade me, or to lessen my authority in these dominions, I shall, without ceremony, disclose to your Lordship my unfeigned sentiments and wishes. With the advice of, and in concert with the Company, I consider myself fully capable of carrying into effect every necessary measure of reform, and, through their kindness, I have neither fears nor apprehensions ; reckon- ing it my indispensable duty, above every consideration, to satisfy and obey them, I shall never swerve a hair's breadth from the treaty concluded with them on my ascending the musnud; whilst, from their known good faith and strict adherence to treaties, I am also certain that no breach of the said treaty is intended on their part. " This premised, I must trouble your Lordship v/ith a few remarks upon the treaty above alluded to. " The second article of the aforesaid treaty sets forth that, ' By existing treaties between the States, the Honour- able Company are bound to defend the dominions of the said Nawaub Vizier against all enemies ; and, with a view to enable them to fulfil this engagement, the Company have largely increased their military establishment by new levied regiments, both of infantry and cavalry ; in consi- deration whereof, the aforesaid Nawaub agrees, in addition to the annual subsidy (being Lucknow Sicca rupees, 5,677,638), to pay the further sum of 1,922,362 rupees, 44 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; making altogether tlie sum of seventy-six lakhs of rupees, of the present weight and standard.' " By a reference to this article, it will be evident to your Lordship, that, on my accession to the musnud, the force designed for the defence of these dominions was increased beyond what it had been in any former period, whilst, on my part, I agreed to defray the expense of the said augmentation. But in no part of the said article is it written or hinted, that after the lapse of a certain num- ber of years a further permanent augmentation should take place ; and to deviate in any degree from the said treaty appears to me unnecessary. " The seventh article of the same treaty states, that ' the Governor- General, Sir John Shore, Bart., on the part of the Company agrees, that the English forces maintained in the country of Gude for its defence, shall never consist of less than 10,000 men, including Europeans and natives, cavalry, infantry, and artillery ; and if it should become necessary to augment the troops of the Company in Gude, beyond the number of 13,000 men, including Europeans and natives, cavalry, &c. &c., the Nawaub Vizier above mentioned agrees to pay the actual difference occasioned by the excess above the number ; and, in the same manner, if the troops of the Company in Gude, from any necessity should be less than 8,000 men, including infantry, &c. &c., a deduction shall be made from the annual stipend of seventy-six lakhs, equal to the actual difference of men below the specified number.' " From an inspection of the article we learn that, after the conclusion of the treaty in question, no further aug- mentation is to be made, excepting in case of necessity ; and that the increase is to be proportioned to the emer- gency, and endure but as long as the necessity exists. An ' augmentation ' of the troops without existing necessity, and making me answerable for the expense ' attending the increase,' is inconsistent with the treaty, and seems inexpedient. " By the same article, the increase of the force when necessity requires, and a corresponding deduction from the stipend, when a reduction of the army takes place, are evident. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 45 " Towards tlie latter end of the seventeenth article it is stipulated, ' That all transactions between the two States shall be carried on with the greatest cordiality and harmony ; and that the said Nawaub shall possess full authority over his household affairs, hereditary dominions, his troops, and his subjects/ Should the management of the army be taken from under my direction, I ask where is my authority over my house- hold affairs, hereditaiy dominions, over my troops and my subjects ? " From the above considerations, and from the mag- nanimity of the Sircar of the English Company, I am induced to expect from your Lordship's kindness, that, putting the fullest trust and confidence in my friendship and attachment on every occasion, you, in conformity to the treaty, will leave me in possession of the full authority over my dominions, army, and subjects ; and further, I have to request that you will enjoin Lieut. -Colonel Scott to advise and consult with me, when (with that gentle- man's assistance), God willing, the necessary military arrangements shall speedily be made, and the whole of my troops become henceforth obedient, submissive, and ready for action ; whilst, indebted to your Lordship's kindness, I myself shall continue obedient to your commands, con- sulting your pleasure in all things. " The fame of the Company will, by these means, be diffused over the face of the earth ; and, my reputation increasing, I shall continue to offer up prayers for the prosperity of the Company. " Thus, with the freedom of friendship, I have exposed to your Lordship the secrets and wishes of my heart. The delay that has occurred in answering your letter, was occasioned by my wish to give you in detail the whole of my desires ; your friendship leaves no doubt of your Lordship's compliance with them. (Signed) " Wm. Yule, Assistant. ^' Lucknow^ 12th January, 1800." (A truQ Translation,) 46 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS; To this remonstrance, as reasonably stated as it was justly founded, the following haughty reply was made by the Governor-General, in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Scott, the Resident at Lucknow : — " Sir, Par. 1. " Your letter of the ISth inst., with its several inclosures, has been received by the Right Hon. the Govern or-G ener al . Par. 2. " His Lordship not thinking proper to receive, in its present form, the written ccommunication made to you by the Nawaub Vizier, on the 11th inst., as an answer to His Lordship's letter of the 5th of November last to His Excellency, directs that you lose no time in returning the original of that communication to His Excellency, accompanying the delivery of it with the following obser- vations, in the name of the Governor- General. Par. 3. " The mode adopted in the present instance by His Excellency, of replying to a public letter from the Governor- General, attested by His Lordship's seal and signature, and written on a subject of the most momentous concern to the mutual interests of the Company and of His Excellency, besides indicating a levity unsuitable to the occasion, is highly deficient in the respect due from His Excellency to the first British authority in India. Par. 4. "His Lordship, therefore, decHnes making any remarks on the paper which you have transmitted, and desires that the Nawaub Vizier may be called on to reply to His Lordship's letter of the 5th of November, in the manner prescribed, no less by reason than by established usage. If, in formally answering His Lord- ship's letter. His Excellency should think proper to im- peach the honour and justice of the British Government, in similar terms to those employed in the paper delivered to you on the 11th inst., the Governor-General will then consider how such unfounded calumnies and gross misrepresenta- tions, both of facts and arguments, deserve to be noticed." On the subject of this correspondence it is here ap- propriate to append the remarks of Mr. Mill, in hi§ OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 47 "History of British India," vol. vi. p. 191 : — "A party " to a treaty fulfils all its conditions witli a punctuality, " which, in his place, was altogether unexampled ; a gross " infringement of that treaty, or at least, what appears to " him a gross infringement, is about to be committed on " the other side ; he points out clearly, but in the most " humble language, savouring of abjectness nmch more " than disrespect, the inconsistency which appears to him " to exist between the treaty and the conduct ; this is " represented by the other party as an impeachment of " their honour and justice ; and if no guilt existed before " to form a ground for punishing the party who declines " compliance with their will, a guilt is now contracted " which hardly any punishment can expiate. This, it is " evident, is a course by which no infringement of a treaty " can ever be destitute of a justification. If the party " injured submits without a word, his consent is alleged. " If he complains, he is treated as impeaching the honour " and justice of his superior; a crime of so prodigious a " magnitude, as to set the superior above all obligation to " such a worthless connection." In a further letter, dated the 22nd January, 1801, Lord Wellesley peremptorily required Saadat AUie either to resign his princely authority altogether, and accept an annual stipend, or to cede one-half of his territorial pos- sessions to the Company by way of indemnity for the expenses incurred on account of the two bodies of troops already mentioned. The draft of a treaty to this effect was at the same time forwarded, as well as the necessary instructions to the Resident. The aspect of the case was now this. The Company were no longer content with the annual seventy-six lakhs of rupees guaranteed them in addition to other items by 48 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; the treaty of 1798, but they demanded, and, as will be shortly seen by the first article of the treaty of 1801 they acquired possession of a district having a gross revenue of 13,500,000 rupees, or an annual income of fifty-nine lakhs over and above the subsidy for whicli it was sub- stantially treated as a commutation. The Wuzier at first remonstrated against the demand, urged as usual in violation of an existing treaty, but the Governor-General, without deigning to answer him, addressed a letter dated April 28th, 1801, to the Resident, authorising him, in the event of the Wuzier not consenting to make over the said provinces to the Company, to take forcible possession of the same ; and instructing him, moreover, not to wait for further advice on the subject, but to act upon the present orders of the Governor-General ; in short, instigating him to an act of dacoitee second only to that in which the Marquis of Dalhousie has so recently involved the reputation of General Outram. Some expressions from Lord Wellesley's letter have been already cited, and they are here given with the con- text of that pretence on which Oude was to be despoiled consistently henceforth, and on which much will be said before this statement is concluded. " I am satisfied," says Lord Wellesley, " that no efiectual security can be pro- " vided against the ruin of the province of Oude, until " the exclusive management of the civil and military " government of that country shall be transferred intact " to the Company, under suitable provisions for the main- *' tenance of His Excellency and of his family. No other " remedy can effect any considerable improvement in the " resources of the state, or can ultimately secure its ex- ^' ternal safety and internal peace." It might be asked, if Xio other remedy w^as available to avert \h^ i'uin of OudQ, OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 49 how came it that Lord Wellesley, absolute master as he was of the fate of the country, did not enforce this remedy ? Did he fear the condemnation of English opinion ? Did he hesitate in apprehension of the fate of Hastings ? Or did he shrink from a measure which, on subsequent con- sideration, he himself could not justify, and so leave half the prey to the grasp of future spoilers ? It is impossible to answer these questions satisfactorily, and to determine wherefore, when the real object was so manifest, the pre- text and the victim were permitted to linger for another half century.^ Lord Wellesley, at all events, did not appropriate the entire province, but when his intention to take half the Wuzier*s territory was announced, the latter, apprehending that the end had commenced, exclaimed, " If such be, " indeed, the case, it will not be long ere the remaining " portions of the country will be wrested from me.'* It proved longer than he expected : for those portions were made available to the Company's coffers, as the sequel will prove, notwithstanding they were henceforth to be released from the subsidy. At the same time, it required all the assurances of the Resident and of the Governor's private secretary, the Hon. Henry Wellesley, to induce him to attach any value to the promise that he should have an undisturbed authority over the territory left to him ; and in fact he at first seriously contemplated a voluntary exile from his native land and a pilgrimage to the holy * Great as was the sacrifice required from the N'awaub by this treaty, the wonder is it was not greater, if it be considered that, according to Lord Wellesley 's own letters to Col. Scott, his Lordship's "object being the " acquisition by the Company of the exclusive authority, civil and miHtary, " over the dominions of Oude ; " " nothing should be allowed to impede the " grand object — the sole administration of the civil and military government " of all the territories and dependencies of the state of Oude, together with the ^^ full and entire right and title to the revenues thereof^ 50 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; places of his religion and to foreign climes, leaving his oppressors to act as they might think fit during his absence. " Let me," said he, " speedily be permitted to " depart on my travels and pilgrimage, for I shall consider " it a disgrace so show my face to the people here." But this intention was too hopeless and despairing for adoption, and eventually the Wuzier consented to sign the treaty placed before him, after discussion and expostulation had proved to be vain. Thus an act of tyranny was consummated, and the treaty was procured on which so much stress has been unwarrantably laid. Thus, and by such preliminaries, it was forced upon our reluctant Ally. The Company first poured upon the Wuzier such numbers of troops, they heaped demand upon demand on him so incessantly, that at length his resources became inadequate to their pay- ment ; and then, when he was compelled to make an avowal of such inadequacy, they seized upon that avowal as a ground for demanding a perpetual cession of one half his remaining territory. In short, to put the matter in its true light, they took away half his possessions because they had exhausted his purse, and in token of their " friendship " and union" they made him bound to them — by a halter. The treaty which accomplished these infamous results was signed on the 14th November, 1801, and some account must now be given of its principal provisions. Its first article is that which pays ofi* the mortage with a portion of the estate enormously beyond its value. The districts to be ceded, with their revenues, amounting in gross to one crore and thirty -five lakhs of rupees, in commutation of the subsidy, &c., are scheduled in full ; and if the reader will refer to the map of India published by Mr. Wyld, he will see that these districts are the very Doab coveted by Sir John Shore in 1798, the country which we could not then OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 51 take " as rulers and sovereigns," of which we then desired " a lease " as a transition to permanent ownership, but which we now took without any such preliminary formality. Included in this country, also, will be found the identical districts of Allahabad, Corah, and Currah, which the Company had sold '^ for ever'' to Shoojah-ood-Dowlah in 1773 for half a million sterling. Thus the Nawaub was stripped of his most valued possessions, while, as to the remainder, it will be seen what securities were taken for a further interference with his government and ownership. The rest of the articles are abstracted in a note f" and it will be seen from these that by article 4, a British detach- * By Art. 2. — The subsidy is to cease (guaranteed in 1798), and no calls to be made for any additional troops required at any time to protect the territories of the Nawaub. Art. 3. — The Company to defend the iNawaub's dominions, with the right of stationing troops at will. The Nawaub to retain in his pay four battalions of infantry, one battalion of nujeebs and millvattees, 2,000 horse- men, and golundauz to the number of 300. He is to dismiss the remainder of his troops, excepting such numbers of armed peons as shall be deemed necessary for the purposes of all collections, and a few horsemen and nujeebs to attend the persons of the Aumils. Art. 4. — A British detachment is always to be attached to the person of the Nawaub. Art. 5. — No further demand from any cause whatever is to be made upon the treasury of the NawaUb. Art. 6. — The ceded territories are to be subject to the exclusive control and management of the Company and their oflBicers, the Company guaran- teeing to the Nawaub, his heirs, and successors, the possession of the remain- ing territories, and the exercise of their authority therein. The Nawaub engaging to establish in his reserved dominions such a system of administra- tion, to be carried into effect by his own officers, as shall be conducive to the prosperity of his subjects, and be calculated to secure the lives and property of the inhabitants. The Nawaub will always advise with, and act in con- formity to the counsel of the officers of the Company. Art. 7. — The subsidy payment is only to cease on full possession being obtained by the Company of the ceded districts. Art. 8. — Relates to the formation of a separate commercial treaty, and the navigation of the Ganges. Art. 9. — All the Articles of fotmer treaties for establishing and cementing the union and friendsliip subsisting between the two States, not annulled by this treaty, are to remain in full force, and to continue binding. Art. 10.— This treaty was concluded on the 10th of November, 1808. D 2 5^ DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; ment is always to be attached to his person, and that by article 6, he is expected to " advise with, and act in con- '' formity to the counsel of the officers of the Company.'" The engagements in this article are especially material, as they furnish the plea on which Lord Dalhousie confessedly proceeds, half a century later, to final confiscation, with- out regard to treaties made subsequently, and, as will be seen hereafter, without reason, if this present treaty still subsisted, for wresting^ from it a sanction for his indepen- dent act of violence. This treaty, however, was signed, and the manner in which it was extorted may be collected from the Wuzier's expres- sions on a subsequent occasion. In a memorandum of the result of certain discussions between him and the Governor- General, and which will be found in the " Parliamentary " Return of Treaties, &c.," immediately following the treaty of 1801, the Wuzier says, " I have been induced to cede the " districts for the charges of the troops, merely to gratify " his Lordship, deeming it necessary so to do in conse- " quence of Mr. Wellesley's arrival, resolving to conform *' to his Lordship's commands.'' The memorandum above referred to contains a paper of propositions transmitted by the Nawaub Wuzier for the Governor-General's assent, with the Governor-General's answers to each oi the articles detailed, for the most part in approval of the Wuzier's proposals. The principal object of these proposals was to impart additional strength and stability to the Wuzier's authority, and to prevent the undue interference and meddling of the Residents; and in this respect Lord Wellesley gave some reasonable satisfaction to the Wuzier, and appears to have contemplated and laid down a course of conduct which his successors and their subordinates as usual departed from widely. Thus Lord Wellesley availed OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 53 himself of the opportunity to state the general principles upon which the connection and intercourse between the Wuzier and the Company were henceforth to be regulated ; and delusive enough these principles appear, if we read them by the light of their subsequent infringement. Speaking of the duty of the Resident towards His Ex- cellency, the Governor-General says : — " The Resident " must advise the Nawauh with perfect cordiality, and must " employ every endeavour to coincide with Sis Excellency in a " uniform course of measures, and to unite sincerely with " His Excellency in carrying into effect, exclusively under " His Excellency's authority, and through His Excellency s " officers, those measures which shall be determined upon " in conformity to the counsels of the British Govern- " ment. In cases requiring the aid of the British Govern - " ment, or the assistance of the British troops, they shall " be employed according to the exigency of the occasion. " The Resident must conduct himself towards the " Nawaub Vizier, on all occasions, with the utmost degree " of respect, conciliation, and attention, and must maintain " cordial union and harmony in all transactions, and must *' endeavour toimpart strength and stability to His Excellency s " authority. " The Resident must never proceed to act in the affairs " of the reserved dominions, without previous consultation " with His Excellency or with his ministers, and the Resi- " dent must, in the first instance, observe strict secresy " with regard to the subject of such consultations, until " the measure to be adopted shall be finally determined.'* Compare with these principles, thus emphatically stated, the subsequent conduct of Colonel Sleeman and others, the direct and independent interference with the Oude Government, the refusal to assist the Wuzier with 54 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; counsel, and at the same time to free him from a rigorous constraint, the general tendency being to undermine and destroy, instead of imparting " strength and stability to his ** authority," and these principles will be found to have had as little eifect as the sermons of the Directors when in conflict with their rapacity, or as the Tenth Command- ment itself while there was still an Oude to covet. Mr. Mill, as usual, has discerned the true bearing of these principles in the views of those who came afterwards to interpret them. Referring to the practical result he re- marks that, *' The impatient desire to extinguish the ** mihtary power of the Vizier, exhibits the sort of relation " in which the English Government wishes to stand with " its allies. It exhibits, also, the hasis of hypocrisy, on " which that Government has so much endeavoured to " build itself. The Nawaub was stripped of his dominions ; " yet things were placed in such a form, that it might still " be afiirmed he possessed them.'*^ It is remarkable, on the other hand, that Lord Wellesley himself, though he participated in these views, should nevertheless have intended to allow so much lati- tude to the Wuziers of Oude in the government of their dominions ; and it is a fair inference therefrom, that he was not so much impressed by the statements of their misgovernment as he or others affected to be. It was subsequently declared, in the strongest and most explicit terms, by several of the Company's servants, best acquainted with Indian affairs, in their examination before the House of Commons in 1806, that not in respect to army, judica- ture, or taxation, was the situation of Oude more unfavour- able than that of other native Governments of India, with which it might truly be regarded upon a level. It was * " History of British India," vol. vi. p. 214- OR, THE SPOLIATIOT^ OF OUDE. 55 superior at all events to tlie Government of Bengal, which had come into the hands of the Company, and which the Company had at this time deteriorated, if we may trust the official reports of its own most experienced servants. Thus, we conclude, there was no sufficient ground for meddling with it, and that therefore it remained after the cession of the treaty of 1801, for a season, undisquieted. In fact, there is an interval in its history from this date, and we hear no more of it, except of friendly services from its Wuzier to his covetous allies* until the 11th of July, 1814, when Saadat AUie himself departed this life, and the Company's cleverest servants could despoil him no further. With Saadat Allie the subsidy system, which had been made a means of plundering three successive monarchs, came, as we have seen, to an apparent end. As is shown by the Marquis of Hastings, in a minute of the 3rd of February, 1816, Lord Wellesley had foreseen the diffi- culties in which it would involve us. "The system of " attracting the native sovereigns into subsidiary engage- * Translation of a Letter from the Marquis of Wellesley, late Governor- General^ to the Address of Nawaub Saadat Allie, August 20, 1803. " I feel myself very muclj and highly pleased to hear from Colonel Scott " that your Excellency has kindly offered to supply a number of horses from *' your stable for the Company's troops now marching towards the British " army. This friendly aid which your Excellency has liberally afforded on " this emergent occasion, has been esteemed a new proof of your fidelity and ^'- good feelings toivards the British Government. Colonel Scott's request, on " behalf of the Government to your Excellency for the horses, must be held " as equivalent to his having conveyed my sentiments to your Excellency " before I could express them. Your immediate and kind compliance with "my request respecting the supply of cattle, is an indelible mark of your " courtesy and sincerity towards the Honourable Company^ and has also laid *' a heavy load of obligation upon my shoulders; and what I have written in *' acknowledgment thereof is in the proportion of a thousand to one as to " what ought to have been written. I hope your Excellency wiU beheve me " constantly desirous of hearing tidings of your good health, and that you " will always honour me with letters expressive of the same happy news." 56 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; " merits, the work of a truly able statesman, had its inherent " defects." Accordingly, in the case of Oude, it was sus- pended and set aside for other agencies more insidious and more gradually subversive of the native government. At this point, therefore, we may recapitulate its history to remark the mischief it had already accomplished. By the treaty of Allahabad, in 1765, it bound the Nawaub to defray the extraordinary expense of any military force which we might afford him in the exigency of his affairs. In 1768 this exigency was insured by restricting the number of his own soldiery. In 1773 a brigade was quartered on him at the rate of 2,10,000 Sicca rupees per month. The Company engaged that " no more should on " any account he demanded of him,'' and in 1775 the price of this brigade was raised to his successor 50,000 rupees per month, or from a monthly charge of <£2 6,250 to £32,503. In 1777 an additional brigade, called " temporary," was quartered on him, and became permanent, notwithstanding his protests, and an undertaking on the part of Warren Hastings for its speedy removal. To the additional brigade other items were added, till, in 1786, a subsidy of thirty-four lakhs of rupees required by treaty had been actually raised by high pressure to eighty-four lakhs per annum. This subsidy, in 1787, Lord Cornwallis reduced to fifty lakhs ; but for the fifty lakhs he obtained an engagement by treaty which had hitherto extended only to thirty-four lakhs. Again the sum was finally fixed ; and again, in 1797, it was raised by Sir John Shore five lakhs and a half, or .£55,000 per annum for two more regiments quartered upon the reluctant Wuzier. In 1798 the same performer, taking advantage of the accession of Saadat Allie, hoisted the subsidy at a bound from £555,000 to £760,000 a year; and when, as was natural, this ex- OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 57 orbitant levy fell into arrears, thereupon came Lord Wellesley, who took in exchange for the subsidy the Doab, a country with a revenue of <£ 1,3 5 2, 3 47 sterling. Such, in the briefest possible compass, were our successive claims on the revenues of Oude (and on the population for which we now profess so much solicitude) under the subsidy system as applied through three successive reigns. Such, pensive reader, up to this point, is the sum of this pretty history. 58 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; CHAPTER IV. SHOWING HOW, IN DEFAULT OF OTHER MEANS, THE COMPANY WORKED GHAZEE-OOD-DEEN AS A " MINE OF MUNIFICENCE." GHAZEE-ooD-DEENwas the successor of his father Saadat AUie ; but so much had been squeezed out of his reluctant parent that really there was no hope of a further bargain with himself. He actually escaped the usual incident of the sacrifice of a fertile province or of a hillock of rupees as the price of his accession ; and he entered into covenant with the East India Company without costly ceremonies or a painful initiation. It is true his father had paid for him in advance by a cession of territory ; and his father had obtained a treaty at this excessive price, which, though it has been otherwise interpreted since, afforded him prac- tically the liberty of governing according to his own judg- ment the considerable territory which still remained to him. As he was free from interference, he governed effectually, and instead of a deficit, he left upon his decease a very considerable surplus in his exchequer. This surplus, of course, found its way into the coffers of the Company by agencies which will be duly recounted hereafter. But the other and usual methods of plunder were suspended ; mutual recognitions of existing treaties were executed on the accession of the new sovereign ; and without any apparent refresher in his behalf, it was agreed that they should *' be observed and kept till the end of time,'* Something more even than this was obtained by the OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 59 "Wuzier, in engagements as to how these treaties were to be interpreted. The treaty of 1801 gave a vague sanction to requirements of the Resident, a sanction wdiich was ex- plained away by Lord Wellesley, but which might, never- theless, cause inconvenience hereafter. As if to anticipate and preclude the very use to which it was afterwards turned by Lord Dalhousie, the Wuzier, on the 12th November, 1814, submitted to the Governor- General certain propositions, which, with the respective replies, are worthy of close observation. The propositions in ques- tion are the first and fifth out of seven which the Wuzier made in all, and they will be now given, with the immediate answers and the further promises which they elicited. Prop. 1. Whatever portion of territory was held by my late father, until the hour of his decease, and by your Lordship's placing me on the musnud, has descended as an inheritance to me ; let my power and authority be exercised over it, as in the time of my father, and let not a purgunnah or a village, tlierefore, on any occasion, or by any change, be separated from my rule, but let it be con- firmed to me and to my posterity to the latest generation. The following is the Governor-General's reply : — " I have no other view," he says, " than the placing " the Nawaub Vizier in that relative situation, with regard " to the British Government, which clear and undeniable " justice demands, and which, therefore, must be the wish " of our nation. The effect of my procedure would be, " undoubtedly, to give to His Excellency's Government " character and efliciency in a degree which could not fail " to satisfy all His Excellency's wishes on that head." Prop. 5. If any one of my relations, dependents, servants, or subjects, shall go to your Lordship or to 60 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; Calcutta to complain, any little attention or regard to the subject of his complaint will, be the cause of impairing my dignity and consequence, and will excite others to follow the same course, and be a source of trouble to your Lord- ship. I hope that immediately on their being heard, this answer will be given to them : — That they must go and refer their complaint to their own Sovereign. In the event of their persevering and being urgent, let them be turned away with a sharp reprimand, that this my authority and dignity may be upheld, and the door be shut against evil ; for three degrees of adawlut (courts of judicature) have been established here ; and if, notwithstanding this, a person seeks to go from here, it is a proof that his claim is unjust. Answer. — " I can have no hesitation in promising this in " the fullest manner, with no other reservation than what " may be necessary for the fulfilment of the engagements " of the British Government, in cases where its guarantee " is pledged." The last paragraph but one of the Governor- General's letter, containing the answers to the propositions, and which is dated Camp, Mahonah, 12th of November, 1814, contains, moreover, the following promise : — "The British Government is perfectly disposed to " render the succession to the musnud of Oiide in the " family of the present Nawaub Vizier secure and un- ♦* questionable. If the line of that succession, as defined " by the law, and recognised in principle by the coun- " try, be certified to the Governor-General, the British " Government will have no hesitation to guarantee it.'* Moreover, in a letter addressed to Mr. Baillie, Resident at Lucknow, by J. Adam, Secretary to the Government, and dated Camp, Mahonah, 12th November, 1814, the OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 61 Secretary more distinctly says, T[ 18 : "The reservation by " treaty of a right to interfere with advice or remonstrance " upon any management of affairs within the Nawaub's " reserved dominions, which may injuriously affect the " British interests, clearly implies that, in all other respects, " the administration of the Nawaub is to be free ; but, " indeed, it is evident from the whole tenor of the treaty, " that an uninterrupted exercise of his own authority within " the reserved dominions, was assured to him in order to "justify the very strong step which we took in appro- " priating to ourselves (as an exchange for the subsidy) " so large a portion of his territories. The Nawaub is, con- " sequently, to he treated in all public observances as an inde- " pendent Prince, Essentially he must be subservient to " the British Government ; but in proportion as that point " is secure, personal attentions to him involve no incon- " venience, and on the other hand they cannot but be " productive of advantage." There is a looseness of expression in this last sentence, by which, nevertheless, we merely understand that, as respects "British interests," the consideration reserved above, the Nawaub is to follow the lead of the British Government, and is in this sense to be subservient to it ; but as respects the internal management of his country, where British interests are not affected, there can be no doubt whatever that the preceding sentences denote ex- plicitly his complete independence. He is to be treated " as an independent Prince " in all public observances. The exercise of his authority in his own reserved do- minions is to be " uninterrupted ; " so little excuse is afforded, thus far, for its interruption by a busy Eesident. /To complete this construction of the treaty, if anything ^ was wanting, we have a minute of the Governor- General 62 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; two years later, whicli leaves no doubt what was at tliat date the profession of the Indian Government. " When the heavily reluctant assent of Saadat Allie " was obtained for the cession of a large portion of his " dominion, in commutation of the pecuniary contribu-^ " tions which he was bound to pay for the subsidiary " force, the most distinct assurance was pledged to him by " treaty, for his independent exercise of authority within the " remainder of his territories, ^ ^ The punctual oh- " servance of this contract was imperiously binding on our " honour, our probity, and our interests^ — Minute of the Governor- General, Srd February, 1816, sec. 83. * * " The policy which appeared to me recommended, no " less by our convenience than by our good faith, was to " observe strictly the true and obvious spirit of our engage- " ments with the Sovereign of Oude, by leaving him a free " agent in the internal government of Ms own dominions, " interfering with that advice which to him must be in- " junction, only in cases where the real importance of our " mutual interests required it,'' — Ibid, sec, 86. These statements must be borne in mind in the latter part of this narrative, especially with reference to the con- duct of the Resident, Colonel Sleeman. Thus far they show that there was, for a season, an intention on the part of some in authority to carry out Lord Wellesley's arrange- ment in letter and in spirit, and having deprived the Wuzier of so much of his territory, really to leave him his sovereign rights over the residue. Moreover, Oude was freed from exactions in the form of subsidies by the same hard but definitive bargain ; yet in respect of money, of course, there were other means of relieving its Princes of any tempting superfluity, and these means were resorted to as we now proceed to mention. OR, THE SPOLIATION OP OUDE. 6S Ghazee-ood-Deen became by the death of the Baboo Begum, the lady whom Warren Hastings had maltreated, the heir to all her property, movable and immovable ; but the Company interposed, and took possession of nearly a crore of rupees; and after the accounts were adjusted, returned only a few thousand rupees to the Wuzier, having kept the remainder under the plea that they were her Highness's executors, and entitled to carry her will into effect. The legal rights of the Wuzier were thus overridden, and, subsequent to this " adjustment '* of the accounts of the Begum's property, the balances have been paid into the Company's treasury, and, up to the present time, no further accounts have been given in by the Com- pany's officers ; and although many persons who (as their right was interpreted by the Company) had a life-interest in the said property, are dead, and the annuities have con- sequently fallen in, the principal and interest are still lying in the Company's treasury, and the benefit of the same is appropriated by the Company itself. Applications have, however, been repeatedly made through eviery Resident for the restoration to its legitimate owner of the money so accumulated, but without success ; in fact, without obtain- ing even a reply from the accomplished dacoits in their character of executors. Thus, if subsidies were precluded, successions were open, while in certain particulars, still to be mentioned, there were found to be other ways of mulcting a reluctant Wuzier, and of relieving him from any difficulty as to the investment of his superfluous assets. As was stated above, Saadat Allie had left a con- siderable balance in his treasury at his decease, and the .Company, with that aptitude which they consistently dis- played, in due course touched this balance under the denomination of a loan. The transaction reads very simply 64 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; and quietly in the Blue Book : — " At a conference between " the Earl of Moira (then Governor- General) and the " Wuzier, on the 14th Oct., 1814, his highness oififered one " crore of rupees as a gift to the Company. It was refused " as a gift, but accepted as a loan. The financial pressure, " caused by the protracted prosecution of the Nepaul war, " led the Governor-General to ask the Vizier for another " loan of one crore, which was obtained,'* &c. Now, the official correspondence of the Government at the time shows that not a little negotiation and management were necessary, and not a little pressure was put upon the Wuzier to obtain this apparently facile acquiescence. On December 10, 1814, Mr. C. M. Ricketts, Secretary to Government, writes to Lieut. -Colonel Baillie, Resident at Lucknow, praising his "admirable skill in negotiation," and suggesting its employment in extracting the second crore of rupees which " you mentioned, I think,'' the Nawaub would readily advance, " since his treasury was " full." On January 2, 1815, the same to the same urges Colonel Baillie to " lose no time in commencing his nego- " tiations with the Nawaub for a further supply of cash ; " but Colonel Baillie's reply to this, on January the 10 th, puts a very different aspect on this poetical transaction, and is suggestive of some omissions in the simple narrative of the Oude Blue Book. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "By the way, I Jiave no recollection " of the circumstance of His Excellency's former offer of " a second crore of rupees. Tt was certainly not tnade to " me nor to his Lordship distinctly in my presence. The " Nawaub made a general observation, in the true oriental " style, that his Jan Mai (life and property) were at his " Lordship's command, and an expression to the same effect " was contained in one of the papers of requests which he OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 65 ** recalled. You told me, I also remember, and so did " Swinton and Adam, that at a conference from whicli I " was absent, His Excellency had offered the first crore as " a gift instead of a loan, and as much more as might be •* wanted ; but His Excellency's written offer to me of a " crore was expressed in by no means so liberal terms, " and as the paper is still by me, I insert a translation of " it here : — " * You mentioned yesterday the necessity of a supply " of cash for the extraordinary charges of the Company. " As far as a crore of rupees I shall certainly furnish by " way of loan, but beyond that sum is impossible, and a " voucher for this sum must be given,' " &c. On the 18th February, however, Mr. Ricketts is still pressing Colonel Baillie, " as without another crore Go- " vernment may experience the most serious embarrass- " ment." On the 23rd we find from another letter of Mr. Ricketts* that the Wuzier is offering only an additional fifty lakhs instead of the required crore ; and " in his let- " ter he (the Wuzier) makes us apparently blow hot and " cold in one breath, for he says that we decline the offer of " his troops because the urgency of the case did not require it, " hut that we solicit pecuniary aid because a necessity has " occurred of raising troops ;" in fact, if we understand the Wuzier's difficulty, he conceived that we were reverting to the plan of subsidies under another denomination. Nevertheless, the second crore of rupees was obtained before long, whether by allurements or menaces, or by the spontaneous good-will of the Wuzier, it is vain now to inquire; and the Governor-General expressed his high approbation of the ability and address with which Colonel Baillie had conducted the negotiation to this result. At the same time he was lavish in his thanks to the Nawaub 66 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; for " this liberal aid," which evidenced " his fidelity and " faithfulness towards the British Government," and which fidelity and faithfulness were in the sequel thus re- warded. In the first place, for this second crore of rupees he was induced to accept, by treaty, in the following year, the district of Kyreeghur, which was of very little use to him. As Bishop Heber, in his Journal, vol. ii. p. 81, expresses himself upon this transaction — " The King lent " the British Government all that would have enabled him ** to ease the people of their burdens. Of the two millions " which his father had left, he lent one to Lord Hastings " to carry on the Nepaul War. For this he was to " receive interest, but unfortunately for him he accepted " instead of all payment a grant of fresh territory under " the Himalaya mountains, which is unproductive, being " either a savage wilderness, or occupied by a race of moun- " taineers who pay no taxes without being compelled to do " so, and he had not the means of compelling them." And finally, though this district was conveyed to the Wuzier by a treaty dated in 1816, it was taken from his heirs by Lord Dalhousie, under a proclamation hased on the treaty of 1801. Included in the common spoil of the King's do- minions, though it had been purchased from his British allies out of his ancestor's savings, these same allies having long since spent the million sterling they received as its purchase money, now resume the land they sold in virtue of a treaty made fifteen years before the sale was effected. If they resume the land, they owe the Wuzier a million sterling; if they retain the million sterling, they are bound to relinquish the land. There is no escape from this dilemma, yet no sign of compunction attends the process of this supplementary or episodical robbery of the King of Gude. Where a kingdom is wrested from its rightful OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 67 owner, it is thought, reasonably enough, that a million more or less is likely to escape the notice of the British public, and to remain undetected in the midst of the general con- fusion. We set a mark upon this incident, however, and we now pass on. In default of subsidies, the system of loans was so convenient a form for applying the resources of Oude to the purposes of the Company, that it was pursued on various other occasions besides those which have been already specified. In this very reign of Ghazee-ood-Deen, we hear again and again of crores and lakhs coaxed out of the royal coffers, and received with professions of eternal gratitude, and with the ecstasy of fervour which a shower of rupees inevitably excites in the otherwise arid bosom of a great Indian official. It is appropriate to give here some extracts from the despatches of Lord Amherst in evidence of these emotions, and of the pious pr/iyers in consequence addressed to the Almighty under the unusual sanction of an official envelope. The exhibition will be doubtless new to English readers, and therefore it is com- mended to their most diligent attention. It will be ob- served that the following letters are addressed to the " King *' of Oude," for in 1819, in the season of loans, with the approbation of the British Government, Ghazee-ood-Deen had assumed this title, and had been regally crowned ; and now, as he royally relieves the wants of the Company, the following is the incense which he receives from his devoted debtors : — E 2 68 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; Tbanslation of a Khureeeta (letter to a Prince) from Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India, to H. M. Ghazee-ood-Deen Hyder, King of Oude, dated October Uth, 18S5. After the usual compliments, — " It is now some time since I conveyed to your Ma- jesty, through the Resident, Mr. Mordaunt Ricketts, my cordial thanks for the instance you have given me of your friendship, by advancing, upon certain conditions, by way of loan, the sum of one crore of rupees (£1,000,000 sterling), in case of extreme emergency and need, the Burmese war having cost enormous sums of money. " This your offer has proved of essential service, and at the same time manifests your unfeigned attachment, as well as the interest you take in the welfare of the British Government, from among all the allies of which, I have further to assure you, your Majesty has carried off the golden hall of superiority. " The ever-verdant and blooming garden of our mutual friendship has l)een refreshed and embellished, while the benefits and fruits of our amity, which have existed from days of yore, are impressed upon the heart of every English- man, both here and in Europe, as indelibly as if they had been engraven upon adimant ; nor will lapse of time or change of circumstances efface from the memory of the JBritish nation so irrefragable a proof, so irresistible an argument, of the fraternal sentiments of your Majesty. " I have also to express my entire approbation of the conduct and fullest satisfaction with the efficiency of your Prime Minister, illustrious son and sincere friend, Nawaub Matmood Dowla Mooktear-ool Moolk, lion in the battle- field, commander-in-chief, pillar of the state, for ever devoted to the King of the World, Ghazee-ood-Deen Hyder, Padshah of Oude, and who has exerted himself most efficiently in this matter, gaining thereby my unqualified commendations. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 69 " Now, as the welcome intelligence of a friend's success and prosperity imparts happiness to every other member of the vast circle of amicableness and brotherly union, therefore I, your sincere and steadfast friend, take this opportunity of informing you, and of thereby adding to your pleasure, that lately, by the arrival of news from Burmah, I have been informed that marks of deep repentance and shame are stamped upon the brows of that malignant race, who, finding themselves unable to resist our all-powerful and victorious arms, have at last resolved, with all their heart and soul, to tender the humblest and sincerest apologies, and to consent to accept of peace upon such conditions as are most satis- factory to us. " They have been compelled to come to this determi- nation, their foolish hearts being, at length, convinced that they cannot confront our triumphant army, from whose valour there is no escape, and which chases its enemy before it as a lion does the roe of the wil- derness. " They are now fully sensible that a more protracted resistance would but entail on them misfortune and ruin. " Upon the final and satisfactory conclusion of peace I shall do myself the pleasure of duly notifying that auspicious event to your Majesty. " I beg your Majesty will consider me as always anxious to have information respecting your health and welfare, and desirous that you should write to me from time to time. " I conclude, ivith fervent prayers for your prosperity and the continuance of your dignity and grandeur. (Signed) " Amherst.** Translation of Lord Amherst's Letter, 23rd June,, 1826, to H. M. Ghazee-ood-Deen Hyder. " On hearing that your Majesty, who imparts lustre to the throne and dignity to the State, has with the greatest 70 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; courtesy and kindness lent to the Honourable Company the sum of fifty lakhs of rupees^ Lucknow coin, which the officers of your Majesty's Government have duly delivered into the treasury of the Lucknow Residency^ I was greatly delighted and obliged beyond expression, and herewith express my grateful thanks for the same. May God Almighty keep your Majesty (the mine of munificence) under his eternal protection ! Your Majesty's friendship and fidelity to the British Government have been over and over evinced. Certainly the offering of such liberal aid and help, which the Honourable Company have often and frequently obtained from your Majesty, completely demon- strates the sincerity of your feelings, and has refreshed the garden of friendship and fidelity, and bound this Government under unspeakable obligations. " And to express my delight and satisfaction, I have intimated to that most eminent and highly dignified officer and our representative, Mr. M. Ricketts, to wait upon your Majesty, and acknowledge on my part this new and generous aid. " I hope your Majesty will always consider that I am desirous and anxious for accounts of your health and welfare ; and I trust you will rejoice and honour me by your kind and gracious letters." Translation of a Khurreeta from Lord Amherst, Governor-General of India, to H. M. Ghaazee-ood- Deen, Padsha of Gude, dated 28rd of June, 1826. After the usual compliments, — " I, your sincere well-wisher, having learnt that your Majesty, the ornament of the throne of splendour and exalted dignity, has, out of your great attachment and friendship, lent the sum of fifty lakhs of Lucknow coin (5,000,000 rupees=£500,000 sterling) to the Honourable East India Company, and that your Majesty's servants have accordingly conveyed and deposited the same in perfect safety and security in the Reside^icy treasury, beg to assure OR, THE SPOLIATION OP OUDE. 71 your Majesty of my deep obligation, and to acknowledge that I owe your Majesty a debt of heartfelt thanks and boundless gratitude. " In acknowledgment of this great favour, I have only the power of saying that my prayer is that Almighty God may long 'preserve our mutual alliance, and maintain your Majesty on the throne of your hereditary kingdom. " I, your sincere well-wisher, have directed our trust- worthy Resident, of exalted dignity, Mr. Mordaunt Ricketts, to convey to your Majesty my many, many cordial thanks, and to express, at the same time, the overflowings of my truly grateful heart to your Majesty, whom I pray still to continue to delight me very often with your esteemed correspondence. Wishing your Majesty innumerable days of felicity and never-ceasing prosperity, — I am, (Signed) "Amherst."^ Such was the style in which the Indian Government approached its victim, while its policy was to flatter. The " Mine of Munificence " was thus worked with cautious approaches, and pious ejaculations, and every fresh shaft was opened with official prayer. When the " Mine '* was impoverished the process was different, as we learn from the Proclamation of Lord Dalhousie ; but the result was in either case nearly the same; whether its gold was obtained by easy cradling or by violent crushing, it invariably went to the same consignees. What has become of these loans, both principal and interest, may be a fitting subject for inquiry hereafter. At all events they were created by the economies of a State whose income was in excess of its expenditure, at the time when it was protected from meddling on the part of the Residents. Thus Lieut.- * This letter and the preceding one refer to two distinct loans advanced by Ghazee-ood-Deen to the East India Company. 72 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; Colonel Baillie, of whose address we have already heard, having given offence to the Nawaub of Oude by undue interference in the internal affairs of his government, was removed in consequence by Lord Moira in 1815 ;^ and of a similar tendency for many years was the policy of the Indian Government. In the meantime the devoted pro- vince had rest, and out of its fertile lands and liberal resources our Indian Government was sustained at periods of emergency. The Indian Government was of course destined to benefit in any event ; but so long as it treated Oude liberally, this treatment thus resulted in arrangements to their joint advantage. It may be doubtful whether the Indian Government had at any time lost sight of the intention avowed by Lord Wellesley to appropriate Oude entirely. And it may be doubted for the very reason that from the date of its avowal representations were spread abroad from time to time that Oude was misgoverned, that its people were oppressed, that its revenues and institutions were falling into decay. Such representations were rife in the very reign of Ghazee- ood-Deen, which we are now considering, but they were certainly not insisted on in 1818, as we learn by the following abstract of a letter from Lord Moira, then Marquis of Hastings, to that Nawaub. On the 1st of April (ahsit omen !) the Marquis expresses his cordial thanks for the hospitality and marked attention received by him when on his way from Lucknow to Goruckpore, and also for the abundant and excellent supplies furnished to his camp by His Excellency's officers during his Lordship's progress through His Excellency's dominions. The Marquis also assures the Nawaul of his unqualified appro- lotion and satisfaction at witnessing the high state of cultiva- * Governor- General's Minutes, 31st October, 1816. Oude Papers, p. 963. OE, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 73 tion in which he found the country, as well as at its increased populousness, and at the happiness and comfort of all His Excellency's subjects. Still the reports to the contrary continued. Notwith- standing the evidence furnished by the personal inspection of Lord Hastings; notwithstanding the more tangible evidence which reached the Company in the shape of solid rupees obtained by loan or otherwise, slanderous reports of the ruin of Oude were put in circulation, as it may be fairly conjectured, with the same object which they have since been employed to promote, the seizure of the country by the Company when circumstances favoured its annexa- tion. It happened, however, that during the reign of Ghazee-ood-Deen an impartial and an unimpeachable witness visited his territories. Bishop Heber included them in his Indian Tour of 1824-5 ; and on that occasion he came to the conclusion which w^e have stated on the reverse of our title-page, that the numerous population and the industry which he witnessed were irreconcilable with the reports he had generally heard of the misgovern- raent of the country. His chapters upon Oude, which the reader is invited to turn to, show in other respects the struggle of an honest mind between the evidence which was forced upon him by his own observations and that which he had heard apparently on trustworthy authority. " We had heard much,'* says he, " of the misgoverned and " desolate state of the kingdom of Oude ; " its peasants, it is true, being a martial race, were all armed, but " we "found them peaceable and courteous;'* in the village, " the shops were neat, and the appearance of the people " comfortable and thriving ;" some of the King's elephants were scantily kept by roguish cojamissaries, but " I was " pleased, however, and surprised after all which I had 74 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; " heard of Oude, to find the country so completely under " the plough," &c. Lucknow reminded the traveller of Dresden, and one of its streets of the High-street of Oxford. Notwithstanding the cautions he received against moving freely among its armed population, " we found " invariable civility and good nature, people backing their " carts and elephants to make room for us, and displaying " on the whole a far greater spirit of hospitality and accom- " modation than two foreigners would have met with in '^ London^ The King somewhat impressed him, and suggested a comparison with our James the First. " He " was fond, as I have observed, of study, and in all points of " Oriental philology and philosophy, is really reckoned a " learned man, besides having a strong taste for mechanics " and chemistry." But these, as Heber remarks, tended rather to divert his mind from the duties of his station ; yet " no single act of violence or oppression has ever " been ascribed to him, or supposed to have been perpe- " trated with his knowledge." ^ ^ ^ * "He urges " that *all his difficulties have arisen from his entire con- " fidence in the friendship of the Company. That they " induced him and his ancestors to disband an excellent " army, till they scarce left sentries enough for the palace ; *' and thus they have become unable, without help, to " enforce payment of their ancient revenues. That this " induced him to lend to the British Government all the ** money which would have else enabled him to ease the " people of their burthens, and to meet without incon- " venience whatever loss of income a new assessment may, " for some time, render inevitable. That he never has " refused, and never will refuse, to give the best considera- *' tion in his power to any measures of reform which may OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 75 " be, in a friendly manner, proposed to him ; but he refers " those who represent him as a tyrant, or who speak of " his country as depopulated, to every traveller who has " marched along its principal roads, and has observed the " extent of cultivation through which they are carried/ " ^ * ^ ^ "I can bear witness certainly to the truth of the " King's statement, thatliis territories are really in afar better " state of cultivation than I had expected to find them. " From Lucknow to Sandee, where I am now writing, the *' country is as populous and well cultivated as most of the " Company's provinces. The truth perhaps is, that for " more than a year back, since the aid of British troops " has heen withheld, affairs have been in some respects " growing better." ^ * ^ ^ " I cannot but sus- " pect, therefore, that the misfortunes and anarchy of " Oude are somewhat overrated," &c. ^ ^ ^ * * "^ ■K- ^ ¥r -jf u J asked also if the people thus oppressed " desired, as I had been assured they did, to be placed " under English government ? Captain Lockitt said that " he had heard the same thing ; but on his way this year " to Lucknow, and conversing, as his admirable knowledge *' of Hindoostanee enables him to do, familiarly with the *' suwarrs who accompanied him, and who spoke out, like " all the rest of their countrymen, on the weakness of the " King and the wickedness of the Government, he fairly " put the question to them, when the Jemautdar, joining " his hands, said with great fervency, ' Miserable as we " are, of all miseries keep us from that ! ' " Such are the statements, coupled with accounts of dis- orders in the collection of revenues, and of the mischief resulting from the interference of Residents, which the reader will find in the work of Reginald Heber. He is 76 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; invited to turn to it as an authentic record of the results of Ghazee-ood-Deen's sovereignty, for Heber was in Oude in 1824-5, and in 1827 Ghazee-ood-Deen died, and paid the debt of nature, in addition to his other payments, as the Company's productive " Mine of Munificence.** OK, THE SPOLIATION OF OUBB. 77 CHAPTER V. SHOWING HOW THE COMPANY CONSENTED TO RECEIVE A LOAN FROM NUSSEER-OOD-DEEN, WITH OTHER ADVANTAGES ; ALSO, BY WHAT MEANS AND WITH WHAT OBJECTS THEY EXTRACTED THE TREATY OP 1837 FROM HIS SUCCESSOR. Ghazee-ood-Deen was succeeded by his son Nusseer- ood-Deen Hyder, who, also, was worked in the capacity of a Mine of Munificence, for which his benevolent nature afforded various facilities. Two years after his accession, as we learn from the " Parliamentary Return of Treaties,'* that is, '* in 1829, Government consented to receive as a " special loan the sum of 62,40,000 rupees," the interest of which was to form a provision for certain members of His Majesty's family, and in case of their death without heirs to revert to His Majesty himself. The Government obligingly consented to receive this sum as a loan ; such is the statement which is made to Parliament and the public, but neither Parliament nor the public are informed at the same time that Government never consented to repay it. Nor did they pay the lapsed pensions to His Majesty according to the fifth article of the treaty,^ which was * That there may be no doubt as to the effect of this treaty, dated March 1st, 1829, the following is an abstract of its principal articles : — Art. 1. His Majesty the King of Oude has paid, and the Governor- General in Council, on the part of the East India Company, has received in loan, the sum of Lucknow Sicca rupees, sixty- two lakhs and forty thousand. Art. 2. On the said principal sum, interest at the rate of five per cent, per annum, in quarterly payments, according to the English months, shall be paid from the treasury of the Resident. Art. 3. The tot^l of the yearly interest is three hundred and twelve 78 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; made in this behalf. Although repeated applications were made for it, not one farthing ever found its way into the royal treasury. No reply was ever vouchsafed to these repeated applications, except upon one occasion, when an answer was received from Sir Charles Metcalfe, dated the 10th April, 1834, stating that he had instructed Major John Low, the Resident, who would give full information on the subject to His Majesty. But Major Low gave no information ; still less did the Company give back any rupees. They consented, in short, to retain as a gift, the moneys they had consented to receive as a loan, and in either case their consent was given as easily as the consent of a Robson or a Redpath to a similar series of transactions. On such terms, no doubt, it would not have been difficult to procure their consent to an infinite number of such loans, but Nusseer-ood-Deen showed no disposition to avail him- self of his opportunities, and for the rest of his reign contented himself with the credit of a free-giver, instead of forcing his loans upon gentlemen who simply consented to receive them. Nusseer-ood-Deen was, as we stated, a very benevolent Prince, and accordingly on the 12th December, 1833, over- looking the loan which still remained unpaid, but " seeing," as the Preamble of his Agreement runs, " that deeds of " charity and mercy are by the King of kings, the great thousand rupees. This shall be paid in pension, in four equal instalments, and in the proportions specified, to the following persons during hfe. [Here follows the names and portions.] Art. 4. When any of the above pensioners die, leaving an heir or heirs, at its election the English Government may continue, as before, the pension to the heirs of the deceased, or make over to them the principal sum propor- tionate to the pension in question, according to the rate before mentioned. Art. 6. Should any of the pensioners^ or succeeding her^ her issue, die before His Majesty, without heirs, in such case the lapsed pension will revert to His Majesty. OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 79 " Creator of all things, commanded to be done of all men, *' and that particularly from Kings and Governors who are " distinguished among men, and intrusted by Providence " with wealth and riches, and with ample means whereby " to provide for the protection, necessities, and comforts of " God's people, does an all-seeing Providence look for deeds " of benevolence and charity. ^ * * His Majesty the " King of Oude, remembering the commands of the King " of kings to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to " comfort the afflicted, does, of the treasures which Provi- *' dence has bestowed on him, most freely, and with " unfeigned pleasure determine to endow a charity." To this end he places in the Residency treasury the sum of three lakhs of rupees to be lodged in the four per cent, loan of the British Government, in order that the interest of 12,000 rupees, or 1,000 rupees per month, might, under the superintendence of the Residents or their representa- tives, be distributed to the lame, the maimed, the blind, the helpless aged, the lepers, and those who are destitute, and he further agrees that " it shall not be optional with " the future Rulers of Oude, or with any power whatever, " to resume this money, or to appropriate it to any other " purpose ; on the contrary, it is placed under the guarantee " of the British Government, for the express end that it may " for ever remain to be distributed to the poor, in the name " of his present Majesty, and its denomination shall be the " charity of ' Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder, King of Oude.' " The charity of Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder, was not, how- ever, confined to this particular endowment. During his short reign he granted a monthly allowance of 3,000 rupees to the students of Lucknow College ; he established hospitals for dispensing medicines and food to the sick poor ; and he prohibited, by royal proclamation, the buy- 80 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; ing and selling of human beings, a practice which, though it had substantially ceased in Oude, still obtained in several parts of Hindostan. He made, moreover, such zealous efforts to suppress and exterminate Thugs and Dacoits, and to pro- vide for the protection and security of his subjects, that his reputation on this account was known throughout India. Yet the trumpery imputations on this amiable Prince con- tained in that semi-fictitious narrative of ''The Private " Life of an Eastern King," published in London two or three years ago, are the only particulars concerning him which his astute enemies have encouraged their ingenious libellers to communicate to the British people. This easy and benevolent Prince, whose very virtues as well as his failings have been made weapons to wound his memory, died in 1837; and on his decease another of those scandalous transactions occurred which are usually coinci- dent with the accession of any Prince to the protection of the East India Company. The treaty of 1837, on which so much turns, was thus obtained, and the manner in which it was procured is now to be accounted for. This treaty contains the recital, towards the close of the preamble, given in full below,^ that " the infraction of the sixth article of the treaty * " Whereas by the subsisting alliance between the Honourable the East *' India Company and the Oude States, the British Government is bound to *' defend the Oude territories against foreign and domestic enemies, the " sovereign of Oude engaging to retain in his service only a small specified " number of troops ; and whereas, while the British Government has faith- " fully and scrupulously performed the obligations so imposed on it, the " engagement on the part of the Oude State has been habitually infringed, " there being now in the employment of His Majesty, the I^ing of Oude, a *' large and expensive mihtary force ; and whereas, experience has shown that " the execution of all the provisions of the treaty of 1801 is attended with " serious difficulty, and it is desirable and proper that a modified arrange- " ment, consistent with the principles of that treaty, and conducing to the *' prosperity and advantage of both States, should be introduced ; and OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 81 '* of 1801, and inattention to the first duty of a sovereign on " the part of several successive rulers ofOude,have been con- " tinned and notorious, and have even exposed the British " Government to the reproach of imperfectly fulfilling its " obligations towards the Oude people." It proceeds accord- ingly to supersede the engagement in the above-men- tioned article by an agreement which ^' is to hold good " from generation to generation, to the end of time ;" but before an account is given of the terms of this agreement, and of the manner in which those terms have been subse- quently infringed by the British Government, which is represented in the same preamble as so " faithfully and " scrupulously *' performing its obligations, it is necessary to mention certain circumstances which will sufficiently " whereas, the restrictions as to the amount of military force to be employed by " His Majesty the King of Oude may with propriety be relaxed, on condi- " tion that an adequate portion of the increased force shall be placed under " British discipline and control, so as at once to promote the general interests " of the Indian Empire, and in particular the dignity and safety of the King, " providing at a reduced cost for the efficiency of his national military esta- ^' blishment : and wJiereas^ article 6th of the treaty of 1801 requires that the *' sovereign of Oude always advising with, and acting in conformity to the " counsel of the officers of the Honourable Company, shall estabhsh in his " reserved dominions such a system of administration (to be carried into eflfect *' by his own officers) as shall be conducive to the prosperity of his subjects " and be calculated to secure the lives and property of the inhabitants, but *' provides no remedy for the neglect of that solemn and paramount obliga- " tion ; and whereas the infraction of this essential engagement of the treaty, *' and inattention to the first duty of a sovereign on the part of several suc- " cessive rulers of Oude, have been continued and notorious, and have ever '* exposed the British Government to the reproach of imperfectly fulfilling *' its obhgations towards the Oude people, and it is therefore just and proper *' that the defect alluded to in article 6th of the treaty aforesaid should be *' rectified ; the following provisions have accordingly been arranged and con- *' eluded on the one part by Lieutenant- Colonel John Low, Resident at the *' Court of Lucknow, in the name and on behalf of the Right Honourable *' Lord Auckland, Governor- General of India in Council, and on the other, " by Abool Futteh Moeen-ood-Deen Sultani Zaman ISTowsherewan-i-Audil, *' Mohummud Alii Shah, I^ng of Oude, for himself and his heirs ; and this *' agreement is to hold good from generation to generation, to the end of *' time." 82 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; account for the insertion of the above-mentioned recital, which appears thus to compromise the Oude rulers and the character of their government. Thus it appears that the death of Nusseer-ood-Deen was sudden, but he had long been ailing; and momentous as this event proved, no preparation had been made for it in the councils of the Governor-General. Lieutenant -Colonel John Low, then the Resident at the Court of Lucknow, had neglected to take such precautionary measures as the state of the succession required, for Nusseer-ood-Deen had at one time acknowledged as his sons two youths, whom he had since repudiated, and the Queen Mother had espoused the claims of one of these young men on the decease of Nusseer-ood-Deen, whereas the British authorities had determined to set them aside, and to support the late King's uncle, Nusseer-ood-Dowlah, otherwise Mohummad Allie Shah. The absence of all preparations to meet this anticipated crisis, was the cause of an emeute, and of the tragedy which followed, and of which an account is thus given in a letter, dated Lucknow, July 1, 1837, and which appeared in the " Asiatic Journal " of the same year : — "This morning, a tragic scene occurred here, on " account of the death of the King, in consequence of his " son forcibly taking the sovereignty of the kingdom, in " opposition to the sanction of the British Government, " who selected an uncle of the late King instead of his " son. The British troops were ordered down from can- " tonments to the palace, and the Resident allowed the " Queen Dowager and the young Prince five minutes to " leave the throne, where they were seated, and in " the event of not complying, threatened to raze the " palace to the ground. They did not pay any respect to OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 83 " this instruction, upon vyhich Colonel Low gave orders " for the artillery to open a destructive fire on the palace " and the people. The loss of life on the occasion was '* lamentable, that is, on the part of the young Prince and " Queen Dowager; that on the Company trifling, two " sepoys killed and eight wounded. The struggle ended " in confining the Prince and the Queen, and seating upon " the throne the King's uncle. I was present all the time, " and the plunder made by the Company's sepoys was " immense ; the throne was entirely stripped of its valu- " able gems." It is here stated that the loss of life on the part of the Company's troops was but trifling. On the other hand, the Resident represented that of his opponents to have been between thirty and forty, but it is averred by M. M. Musseehood-deen, as within his own cognisance, that if a proper inquiry had been instituted by the Government, it would be found that the numbers who fell in opposing the Company's troops, would be found to be not less than 500. It may be questioned who was responsible for this san- guinary issue ; but there can be no question, after reading the events which followed, by what means the compro- mising and obnoxious recital was introduced into the treaty of 1837, which was obtained as the crowning result of this struggle, or rather of this sanguinary but one-sided slaughter. In the "Oude Papers," printed in 1838 by order of the House of Commons, will be found a ^* Memorandum " of the events which took place on the night of the 7th, *' and morning of the 8th of July, 1837, at the Palace of " His Majesty the King of Oude." It is dated July 10, and signed J. Low, Resident. F 2 84 , DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; After giving an account of the death of Nusser-ood- Deen Hyder on the night of the 7th of July, the writer proceeds to state — " The Resident, with Doctor Stevenson, after in- " specting the body of his late Majesty, and issuing some " necessary orders, returned to the Residency, leaving '' Captain Patton at the palace to superintend the sealing "up of the royal property ; -•*= ^ * The Resident next " had a short Persian paper written out, to which he pro- " posed to require Nusseer-ood-Dowlah's consent and sig- " nature previous to inviting him to the palace. "All this took some time, and it must have been about " 1 A.M. of the 8th instant, when the Resident directed his *' second assistant, Lieutenant Shakespear, to proceed along " with the Residency Meer Moonshee Iltifaut Hoosain " Khan, Bahadoor, and Moulvee Ghoolam Yahea Khan, " the durbar vakeel, to the house of Nawaub Nusseer- " ood-Dowlah, taking with him the Persian agreement " above mentioned ; these three persons accordingly pro- " ceeded to the said place of residence, and after some *' delay, which was caused by the visit beiog sudden and " unexpected on the part of the Nawaub, they obtained an " audience. Lieutenant Shakespear presented and caused "to be read to the Nawaub the Persian agreement, to " which his signature was requested : the Nawaub " luillhigly, and without any hesitation,"^' when it was read * This averment, however, is contradicted by the author of *' How to Make " and how to Break a Treaty,'' who says, "When this treaty was first proposed " by the Resident, then Colonel Low, to his Majesty, the King wrote a letter, '« in which he stated that although personally wiUing to make every sacrifice for " the E. I. Company he could not sign this treaty because he felt he was " signing away the kingdom from his children. That the terms systematic " oppression, anarchy, and misrule, &c., were so generiil that they would be " difficult to define. To this, Colonel Low repHed that such things were not " likely to happen in His Majesty's reign. The documents will be produced iq OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. '85 " over to him, affixed his seal thereto, and expressed his " perfect acquiescence to the terms therein mentioned." The Deed of Engagement so presented and so signed was as follows : — Translation of a Deed of Engagement executed by Nawaub Nusseer-ood-Dowlah, on the night of the 7th July, 1837. " Lieutenant-Colonel John Low, the Resident, has apprised me, through Lieutenant Shakespear, his second assistant, of the death of Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder, King of Oude. The Resident has also communicated to me the substance of the orders of the Government of India respecting the necessity of new engagements on the (part of the ?) Company's Government with the Oude State ; and I hereby declare, that in the case of my being placed on the throne, I will agree to sign any new treaty that the Governor-General may dictate. (True Translation.) (Signed) " J. Low, Resident." N.B. At the foot of the Persian paper, the present King wrote the words " Cubool wo Munzoor ust " (It is accepted and agreed upon), and affixed the impression of his seal. The engagement recited above, with the circumstances under which it was obtained, will doubtless be thought a sufficient answer to the preamble of the treaty of 1837, as far as the latter testifies to the misgovernment of the Oude Princes. It is to be added, that Lord Auckland, the Gover- nor-General, recoiled from this bold adaptation of an act of " due course, and sliow the repugnance of the poor King and the persuasion « of the Resident. The King knew the Treaty of 1801 did not give power "to the E. I. Government of interference quite as well as the Resident, « and dreaded the result of the new Treaty of 1837." 86 BACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; duress. In his recorded minute on this occasion, while approving the promptitude and decision generally evinced by the Resident throughout this affair, he has expressed doubts as to the propriety of thus summarily requiring the engagement in question. The following passage is from his Lordship's minute, dated 11th July, 1837. " I would not, without further consideration, and on " the very brief notices which we at present possess, venture " to express any final opinion on the important events which " have taken place at Lucknow ; but I am prepared at '' once to approve and sanction the general policy which " Colonel Low has followed ita admitting the claims of *' Nusseer-ood-Dowlah to the throne of Oude •' For any criticism in detail on the measures adopted by '• Colonel Low, we must wait for further accounts ; but I " may now say, that I should imdouhtedly have been letter " pleased if he had not in this moment of exigency accepted " the unconditional engagement of submissiveness which the " new King has signed. This document may be liable to " misconstruction, and it was not ivarr anted by anything " contained in the instructions issued to Colonel Low. The " views of his Government, as but recently expressed to " that officer, are defined and moderate, and from this " circumstance, as well as from the new King's character " and position, there could in any case have been little " doubt of his willingness to adapt his conduct to those " views." At all events, the treaty of 1837 was thus obtained, signed, and ratified. In virtue of the intention stated in its preamble, the treaty of 1801 was in part superseded ; and though that of 1837 was founded on what we have shown to be inconclusive, if not false, recitals, it became to all intents and purposes so binding on all the parties, so OR, THE SPOLIATION OP OUDE. 87 conclusive in its settlement of tlieir future relations, that we must now give an abstract of its principal provisions. Its first article cancels the third article of the treaty of 1801, and His Majesty the King of Oude may now employ such a military establishment as he may deem necessary for the government of his dominions. His Majesty engages, however, to make a suitable reduction of his establishment when it may appear to a British Govern- ment, from its pressure upon the finances of the country or other causes, to be obviously excessive. By the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth articles, the Company show the scope of the relaxation above-mentioned, by casting on the King the obligation to maintain a certain force at his o^vn cost, practically to their liberation from their engagement, which they still, however, nominally recognise, to defend the Oude State against all foreign and domestic enemies.^ By article 2 the King is to or- * The author of a pamphlet, entitled *' Oudh ; or, How to Make and how " to Break a Treaty," thus reasons on this obligation, and the extent to which it bound the Company : — " Articles two, three, four, five, and six have " all more or less reference to certain forces which the King was to raise " and maintain at a cost of sixteen (16) lacs per annum. It never seems to " have entered into the recollection of the E. I. Government's Officers, that " His Majesty after the cessation of the subsidy of 76 lacs per annum, had " given up Cora and Allahabad with a net revenue of one crore and thirty- " five lacs, to meet the expenses of the 10,000 troops of all arms, which the " kind hearted E. I. Government had agreed to maintain for the safety of " the Oudh territories. What had become of this force ? The amount and " terms had been laid down in article seven of 1798, * that if diminished the " subsidy should be lessened,' and when the territorial cession of Allahabad "and Cora, instead of the subsidy of 76 lacs, was made in 1801, there was *' no mention in any article of this treaty that the force should be with- " drawn; on the contrary, article nine of the treaty of 1801 confirms all the " articles of former treaties not annulled by this treaty, and especially "refers to the treaty of 1798, and article nine of the treaty of 1837 is to "the same efiect. How is it, then, that the force of 10,000 men have not *'been kept up in Oudh up to the present date ? How is it that Lord " Dalhousie claims for the E. I. Company in his Proclamation that the "obligations which the treaty of 1801 imposed upon the Hon'ble E. L " Company, have been observed by it for more than half a century 88 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; ganise an augmented military establisliment ; by article 3 tliis establisliment is specified; by article 4 its. cost shall not exceed 1 6 lahhs per annum, — our old friend the subsidy tbus making its appearance again in a disguise so sligbt that we at once identify the culprit ; by article 5 the King is to employ with this force an adequate number of British officers; and by article 6, both Governments are to concur in the employment of this force, but it is to he clearly understood that it is not to be employed in the ordinary collection of revenue, that is to say, it is not to be used for the King of Oude's purposes ; for it is in reality a British army, subsidised and maintained, as formerly, at the King of Oude's expense. Such are the provisions based on the first half of the preamble, to accomplish the object there so ambiguously stated, of "providing at a " reduced cost for the efficiency of his national military " establishment ;" in other words, such is the reduced cost to the Company, and such is the commencement of fresh exactions from the King. But this part of the treaty, which provides directly and undisguisedly for the appro- priation of sixteen lakhs of the royal revenue, is of subor- dinate importance, for it was afterwards disallowed, as the " Parliamentary Return of Treaties" correctly states. More important articles, inasmuch as they remained operative, are those which are based on the second half of the pre- amble, and which go to supplement the deficiencies of the " ' faithfully,* ' constantly,' and ' completely ? ' How have they been *' observed completely ? By the terms of article seven of 1798, which have, " as we have shown, been maintained throughout, a!id never annulled, the " instant a diminution of the fixed number of the force took place, an " adequate diminution should have been made in the payment to the E. I. " Company, and certain and adequate portions of the districts given in lieu " of the subsidy should have been returned to the Oudh Government. ''This was not done; therefore all the terms of the treaties were not *' observed by the E. I. Company." OR, THE SPOLIATION OF OUDE. 89 treaty of 1801. Thus, the treaty of 1801 required that the Sovereign of Oude should advise and act in conformity to the counsel of the officers of the Company ; but as it provided no remedy for the neglect of that solemn and paramount obligation, the articles yet to be mentioned gave a right of temporary entry into the King's dominions, and of superseding his authority until the time that the stream of rupees should flow again in the old direction. The right of entry under these articles was unwelcome to Lord Dalhousie, because it was temporary only ; and accordingly a pretext was found for stronger measures, on the plea, which shall be considered hereafter, that these articles had been set aside ; but so far from this, they were ratified and acted on ; and continued reference, as we shall hereafter see, was made to them as existing and binding, by the Company's servants no less than by the Oude Princes. They are not only, therefore, the most important documents in this case, but they are simply conclusive as to its merits, and, accordingly, they are here given at length : — "Article 7. — In modification of article 6th of the treaty above referred to, it is hereby provided that the King of Oudh will take into his immediate and earnest considera- tion, in concert with the British Resident, the best means of remedying the existing defects in the police and in the judicial and revenue administrations of his dominions, and that if His Majesty should neglect to attend to the advice and counsel of the British Government or its local representative, and if (which God forbid) gross and system- atic oppression, anarchy, and misrule should hereafter at any time prevail within the Oudh dominions, such as seriously to endanger the public tranquillity, the British Government reserves to itself the right of appointing its own officers to the management of whatsoever portions of the Oudh territory, either to a small or to a great extent, in which such misrule as that above alluded to may have 90 DACOITEE IN EXCELSIS ; occurred, for so long a period as it may deem necessary ; the surplus receipts in such a case, after defraying- all charges, to he paid into the King's treasury, and a true and faith- ful account rendered to His Majesty of the receipt and expenditure of the territories so assumed. " Article 8. — And it is hereby further agreed, that in case the Governor-General of India in Council should be compelled to resort to the exercise of the authority vested in him by article 7th of this treaty, he will endeavour as far as possible to maintain (with such improvements as they may admit of ) the native institutions and forms of admi- nistration within the assumed territories, so as to facilitate the restoration of those territories to the Sovereign of Oudh when the proper period for such restoration shall arrive, " Article 9. — All the other provisions and conditions of former treaties between the British Government and the Oudh State, which are not affected by the above conven- tion, are to remain in full force and effect. " The above treaty, consisting of 9 articles, is executed at Lucknow this 11th day of September, in the year of our Lord 1837, corresponding with the 10th day of Jama- dossanee, 1253, Hegira. (Signed) " Auckland. „ "A. Ross. „ " W. MORISON, „ " A. Shakespear. Square Persian Seal of the Gov. Genl. " Ratified by the Governor-General in Council at Fort William in Bengal, this 18th day of September, 1837. (Signed) " W. H. Macnaghten, " Secretary to Government of India.** It is now obvious on the very face of the seventh and eighth articles why Lord Dalhousie and the Company should wish to repudiate them. As respects revenues, the mrpluSy an