displeasure in consequence in the mind of the nabob, was not he removed?— I believe the transaction to have been simply this, that endeavouring to prevail upon the vizier to bestow the employment of minister upon Hussein Reza Khan and Tickait Roy, he had proceeded to such lengths as led lord Teignmouth to conceive that a degree of constraint was exercised upon the free will of the vizier, and lord Teignmouth considering that, in conformity to the practice of lord Cornwallis, it was unfit that any restraint whatever should be exercised on the free will of the vizier, did desire that the vizier should be left entirely to his own option, whether he would, or would not, so continue those persons in the offices which had been bestowed upon them at the instance of Mr. Cherry, and afterwards did remove Mr. Cherry from his office; at the same time lord Teignmouth did express his utmost confidence in the zeal of Mr. Cherry, and, I believe, lamented very much that he was under the necessity of removing that gentleman from his office in order to promote harmony and good humour.

Will you not take upon you to state to the committee that the paper now put into your hands contains a very accurate statement of the receipts and disbursements of the nabob's country for the Fussullee year 1200?-It is impossible for me to say, merely upon a glance at this paper, whether it is, or is not, accurate; but I will state to the house what is my sentiment upon the occasion: In the year 1793, I had occasion to go Calcutta, and I thought it of importance to be able to present to lord Cornwallis an accurate detail of the situation of Oude; I took some pains to inform myself upon the subject, and I think the amount of the revenue, as I then judged it, appeared to be something about two crore and twenty lacs of rupees, or two millions four hundred and fifty thousand pounds; at the same time, it is impossible to say that I was precisely accurate in my estimate, because the vizier's government, viewing inquiries of Europeans into their affairs -with the greatest jealousy, always cautiously concealed what was the real and true state of their receipts and disbursements; I am disposed to think that the estimate was less than the actual revenue

of the country, rather than that I erred in stating it at too high an amount.

Will you have the goodness to look at that paper; will you take upon you to state that it is as accurate a statement of the nabob's receipts and disbursements as could be obtained by any body?— I am inclined to think it may be accurate; I am willing also to suppose it may be accurate as far as any person was likely to obtain information, considering all the circumstances of caution with which the vizier and his officers concealed the actual and precise state of their affairs.

Do you conceive the amount could be very considerable beyond what is therein stated with respect to the statement of the revenues; do you conceive they could exceed that amount by two or three lacs of rupees?-I will not pretend to say it is accurate in such a degree, but I think there is no very material error in it; probably the error may not extend ten per cent. I am the more disposed to think it is accurate, because it is pretty nearly the same as Major Rennel in his work states the revenue of the nabob of Oude to be.

From looking at that paper, will you not take upon you to say that you yourself took a great deal of pains in drawing up that paper ?-I have no hesitation in stating that I did, it is a copy of the very paper I presented to the government, but not with any intention of being presented to this house, or of being used as a public document.

Do you not believe, at the period when there was no intention of presenting that document to the house in 1792, fourteen years ago; I saw that paper written at that period?-Certainly, the honourable gentlemen was extremely in my confidence, that is, in respect of confidence, I mean that the honourable gentleman lived in my house, and that I did not exercise the least reserve in making him and others acquainted with its contents.

You do not conceive there is any breach of confidence in making use of that paper?-I am not prepared to make any charge of that kind against the honourable gentleman, but certainly I should not have thought myself at liberty to make use of any paper under similar circumstances; at the same time, I do not wish to make any charge against the honour

able

able gentlemen for so doing, he has a right to do so.

What year does the Fussullee year 1200 correspond with ?--I cannot precisely say, but the paper having been prepared by me in 1793, I rather believe it was that year of the India revenue which commences about the month of June 1792, and ends about June 1793. I prepared this paper from the best sources of information, but if it be desired to attach to it any thing like official authenticity, to any such credit it is not entitled.

Have the goodness to state from that paper the sums contained in it ?-I think it necessary to state that this was by no means an official paper, but merely private information to lord Cornwallis; I do not conceive I had equal opportunities with lord Teignmouth of knowing the state of the revenues, for he had the official papers, Tuffusul Hussein Khan being protected and raised by lord Teignmouth, would furnish him with accurate information of the revenues of Oude; I apprehend, however, there will not be found any material difference between my statement and lord Teignmouth's, for though I have stated the gross revenue at about 2,450,000l. I have stated that there were seventy-four lacs of rupees, or about 90,000/ which did not come immediately in money into the treasury at Oude, but was employed in the payment of the troops who were stationed in the internal parts of the country, and called the Motaigne troops. Do you mean to state, from as accurate information as you could gain, the revenues of Oude, in 1793, were two crore and twenty-one lacs of rupees?If the question is put to me in that way, I shall not be able to answer it; I prepared that paper from the best information of a private kind I was able to obtain, and I believe then, and I be lieve still more now from other papers I have seen, that whatever error there is in the paper is not very material.

Was not the nabob Asoph ul Dowlah in the habit of expending very large sums in the purchase of all sorts of jewels, clocks, watches, and European articles of every description?-I believe he was.

During the last ten years you were at Lucknow could the amount have fallen

much short of a million sterling?Thereabout I should apprehend.

Have you had an opportunity of comparing this, which you imagine to be a copy of a paper prepared by yourself, with that original paper?-I have had no such opportunity, because I certainly was very much surprized when I saw the paper here just now; but I have no doubt that the copy is an accurate copy of the paper I did submit to lord Cornwallis; at the same time that communication was entirely of a private nature, and I think he could never have regarded it in any other light than as a private communication. I apprehend, if I were to be consulted on each item in that paper,, I should not be able to say much: from any thing I know at present, it is a copy in the hand-writing of the person who made the copy which I presented to lord Cornwallis, and on that ground I have every reason to believe it to be an accurate copy; I cannot pledge myself to authenticate it as an accurate copy; I have no doubt, however, that it is so.

Though you cannot say it is an accurate copy word for word, are these what you believe to have been your opinions at that time as far as you recollect?I have stated the way in which I prepared this paper, it was from private information entirely, at the same time, it is in a very tolerable degree accurate. I have stated also that the vizier's government at that time were extremely careful to conceal from all Europeans the actual state of their affairs, therefore I cannot pledge myself that this paper is accurate in all its items, but I take it to be generally accurate. With respect to its being a true copy, I cannot give positive testimony, but I feel no doubt it is copy, perfectly accurate, of the paper I delivered to lord Cornwallis; I believe the paper to be as correct as it could be made by a person under my circum

stances.

A

In

In double-barrelled guns alone must he not have expended upwards of 150.000l. sterling?-It is impossible to speak accurately, but he threw away a great deal of money in a very foolish manner, and, I believe, the sum mentioned in the way stated.

Were not all his valuables intrusted to daroggahs and servants, some of them very unworthy of trust from their chaLecter?--I cannot speak with any considerable degree of accuracy upon that point; his jewels were in the custody of an eunuch who had been brought up in the family of Saadut Ali Khan, and I apprehend also the greatest part of his treasure was in the same custody; but I remember to have heard it said, that a person of very low condition, a common palanquin bearer, who had been raised into great favour, had been intrusted with some money: how far that was true I cannot say.

Were not the articles exhibited to public view, during the festival of the Mohurrum, of immense value In respect of their cost, certainly, but not in respect of the material; they consisted chi fly of lustres and looking-glasses.

Do you not remember that some of the tarziers were of pure gold and silver? -I believe there was one of gold; but it is a massy sort of thing, as well to be entrusted in the custody of one person as another, for it was not likely to be embezzled.

Do you not remember, in the early part of 1796, going to the Ainah Khana, where there was a gold tarzier exhibited of not less value than 160,000 gold mohrs?--I believe there may have been something of that kind, but I cannot speak with perfect accuracy. It may be desirable the house should know what this tarzier is: it is a sort of temple which is exhibited at the time of the Mohurrum, when the festival of the martyrdom of Hussun and Hossin, sons of Ally, the fourth caliph, is celebrated: to all Mohammedans in India this is a period of deep mourning, and of great ceremony.

gabs were entrusted with the property of every description, would it now have been very easy for the people in charge to have purloined property to a very considerable amount, if they had been so inclined?I should rather apprehend not in respect of any of the articles the honourable gentleman has stated; but I dare say there may have been some intrusted in so loose a way, that dishonest persons might abuse the trust reposed in them; but I believe all those articles were of a massy kind. The tarziers, for instance, and all the other articles, such as clocks made by Cox, and various curiosities of that kind, though they might be very valuable, might have been entrusted to persons without so much investigation into their character, because they were of a kind which could not be embezled like jewels or money, or other things of that kind.

During your stay at Lucknow and in India, did you ever make any enquiry so as to enable you to speak as to the character of Saadut Ali Khan before he came to the Musnud ?-I did not know him personally, nor am I so accurately informed; I knew his character from mere general report, and therefore wish not to offer any thing to the committee on the subject.

Before you quitted Calcutta to embark for England, had you not a good deal of opportunity of ascertaining the public opiDion; the opinion of natives of high rank, with respect to the character of the nabob?-His prospect then of being seated on the throne of Oude was so distant as not to render it much a matter of general conversation; but I never heard any thing discreditable to him; on the contrary, I was rather disposed to believe he was considered to be the most capable of the sons of the late Sujah Dowlah.

Had you frequntly, during your residence at Lucknow, opportunities of seeing the Amah Khana ?-I have seen it.

And

And, though the Mohammedan law makes no difference between the son born of the woman so wedded and other sons, yet a great practical distinction is always made in India. Asoph ul Dowlah succeeded to the Musnud in consequence of the right he derived from his being born of a woman so respectably connected.

Was not the nabob Sujah Dowlah rather inclined to place on the throne Saadut Ali in preference to his eldest son, Asoph ul Dowlah -It was said he was the favourite son, certainly.

Do you not conceive that the nabob's troops, at least a considerable number, were absolutely necessary to insure to him even the semblance of independency ?—I should be disposed to think that a momarch, without troops, is in a bad situation every where, but especially in India: troops were not only necessary to maintain any shadow of authority, but also for the internal purposes of his govern

ment.

Were not a considerable body necessary to be employed in the collections.I apprehend that to be the case throughout the peninsula of India, with the single exception of the company's provinces: even with respect to the company's provinces, I have some doubt whether the revenue could be collected without that

means.

Were not the troops maintained by the nabob perfectly adequate for that purpose, and maintained at an infinitely less expense than the company's troops could possibly be?-They were indispensably necessary for the purpose of collection but as to the comparative point of economy, I cannot speak with the same degree of accuracy; certainly the pay of the battalions was more considerable, but the name and efficacy of the company's regular battalions was so much greater, that a less number was competent to the same duty: which, on the whole, would be the least expensive, may be considered as doubtful.

Could not an equal number of the nabob's troops be maintained at a less expense than an equal number of the company's troops?-No doubt of it: the pay of the nabob's troops never exceeded four or five rupees a month, whereas the company's was seven or eight, besides the expenses of the company's officers.

From your long residence in the country, will you take upon yourself to say that the nabob's troops were not infinitely preferable to British troops for the pur

pose of collections ?-Certainly any military establishment formed under the natives of India is not of the same regular nature as a military establishment of this company; just in the same manner as the mititary forces which may have been employed in our own country five or six hun dred years ago were not of the nature of military establishments such as prevail at present throughout Europe; that occasionally some advantage may have been gotten by troops employed in collection must appear highly probable, but every advantages received by the vizier's troops was very far inferior to the pay and advantages of the company's troops, and thence it is that our military establishment is so much preferred to the service of any of the native princes of India.

Whether for the mere purposes of collection the species of troops maintained by the nabob was not superior to the bat talions of the company?-I believe it to have been the opinion of lord Cornwallis, an opinion which fact universally confirmed, that the employment of our troops in the purposes of collection was universally detrimental to the troops and the officers, and extremely detrimental to the civil officers of the vizier who were employed on the collections. I remember the vizier's late minister, Hyder Beg, in allusion to that system, which had prevailed previous to the treaty of Chunar, in 1781. when battalions under the company's officers were scattered throughout the vizier's dominions, he said the officers of the vizier's government employed in the collections, instead of appearing in the eye of the country as officers of trust and authority, were regarded as little better than prisoners in the camps of the English.

From your long residence in India, you are intimately acquainted with the manners and customs of the people ?I cannot take upon myself to say that I

am.

You know the feeling of the umils towards the nabob, was it not that of respect and great awe ?---Certainly; they looked to their Sovereign with great awe.

From the relative situation of the nabob with the aunils, must not the disbanding of his army without his consent not only totally have destroyed his autho rity, but all his respectability and all his consequence ?-That is rather matter of inference; the committee can judge upon this point just as well as myscit; every body must be conscious that when the

vizier