of emergency the resources of your excellency, not keeping pace with that emergency, some imputation may fall on your excellency, and that until your excellency could be satisfied of the adequacy of the funds, you could not take the responsibility upon yourself. 5. This observation of your excellency comprehends two propositions, which I shall separately reply to; the first part, namely, the difficulty of realizing the collections, might lead to a long dissertation upon the civil administration of your excellency's government; I shall, however, at present satisfy myself with an observation, that not only difficulties are experienced with some of the old aumils, but that very settlement with new aumils is concluded for a diminished jumma. This defalcation of your excellency's revenue is indeed as abundant a cause for alarm as an indisputable proof of errors in some parts of the administration, since, by the blessing of God, your excellency's dominions have been visited with no calamities of seasons, and, through the terror of the English troops, have been free from the ravages of war. It is true that the evils did not commence in your excellency's time, but are the growth of many years; it is equally true that they are not to be remedied in an instant; but if instead of being diminished since your excellency's accession they are increased, I know not how your excellency's servants can acquit themselves of blame; and unless a different system be pursued, not only your excellency may apprehend the failure of resources to discharge the company's kist, and the expences of the new troops, but the English government be impressed with similar fears. The other proposition arising out of your excellency's observation is, that your excellency cannot take upon yourself the responsibility of meeting emergencies; which I conclude means that your excellency cannot provide funds for the additional troops. The letters to your excellency from lord Wellesley, of the 5th November, 1799, and of the 9th February, 1800, so fully establish the right of the company to augment their forces within your excellency's dominions, to whatever extent the British government in India may judge requisite to the permanent security of the common interests, and also the obligation by which your excellency is bound to defray the expence of any force which the British government shall In conformity to your excellency's Answers to the five propositions in a separate paper originally contained in a letter dated the 2nd Jummadee, ul Sannee. The necessity of augmenting the English troops in these dominions having been as clearly proved by a variety of facts as the right of doing so to the extent which the government in India should think proper, for the permanent defence of these dominions against all enemies, is established by the treaty, as well as the obligation of your excellency to defray the expences of them; lord Wellesley, in his letter to your excellency of the 5th November, through every part of it inculcates the necessity of carrying that measure into effect as speedily as possible. His lordship also apprized your excelency in that letter of his determination to make an immediate augmentation, and added, that though he could not imme diately furnish the full number of additi onal troops which are necessary to the effectual security of your excellency'a dominions, yet he was so deeply impressed with the necessity of carrying the measure into effect as speedily as possible, that your excellency might rely on his lordship's making every practicable exertion to complete the proposed force at so early a period of time as should + As plac place your excellency's country beyond the reach of surprize either from foreign or domestic enemies. The plain inference from this infor mation is, that his Lordship, though fully impressed with the necessity of an augmentation to the full extent proposed, sent at first only a part, because a part only was then disposable, and not that the delay in introducing the remainder had any connection with the dismission of your own troops. It was, it is true, supposed that your excellency would be enabled to defray the expence of the additional troops by the dismission of the greatest part of your own, and it was my hope that great progress might have been made in the dismissions before the remainder of the proposed augmentation should arrive in these dominions, and I cannot but add that reductions to a far greater extent than have taken place might long ago have been accomplished had your excellency cordially joined with me in giving execution to the plans proposed. as Answer 2d. The dissatisfaction of the Rassallahs at the orders for the dismission of half the horsemen, and the resistance of some of them to the measure, instead of being brought forward an argument against the dismission of the whole, ought to be considered as an additional motive for it, since it is an additional proof of their insolence and disobedience. The inutility of the horsemen in their present state being universally confessed by the Aumils, the dismission of them cannot, with any reason, be pleaded as an excuse for the fai fure of their collections; on the contrary, as a plan which I submitted to your excellency would furnish them with useful, effective, and obedient men, instead of disaffected, disorderly, and fictitious men, their means of realizing the collections would be proportionally increased. 8. I have not heard of any disturbances in the country in consequence of the dismissions which have hitherto taken place, and I am confident that there is more danger and more mischief to the country to be apprehended from their being continued in your excellency's service than in their dismission. Such of them as have good claims from long and faithful service would, in your excellency's justice and liberality, meet a provision for life, or until otherwise employed; and I must again repeat an observation which I made to your excellency, that in the execution of a general reform it would be becoming your exce lency to consider the situation of your own subjects in preference to foreigners. 4. A paper which I presented to your excellency, with Lord Wellesley's letter of the 5th November, 1799, contained a statement of the precise numbers of the additional force which his lordship judged necessary for the effectual protection of your excellency's dominions, together with the expence of each description of troops. It is not pos sible to foresee whether any exigencies may in times hereafter arise to render a further occasional or permanent force necessary, but if your excellency is desirous of stipulating for the permanent defence of your dominions on certain conditions, in a manner that shall be satisfactory to both parties, I shall be ready to deliberate with your excellency upon such a plan. 5. The pecuniary embarrassment experienced by the former government arose not from the want of resources to defray the necessary expences, but from an early dissipation and want of economy. This dissipation and expence being carried beyond the means of supplying them, and the expences never diminished, though the resources were unequal to them, recourse was had to the ruinous plan of borrowing money at an exorbitant interest, which swallowed up all the revenues. In the enumeration of your excellency's increased expences I do not perfectly comprehend what is meant by present; if it means a small gratuity to your excellency's troops on your accession, it ceased with the occasion, and is not a permanent charge. If her highness the begum's jaghire be increased, it is not augmented to the degree she possessed at the beginning of Asoph ul Dowlah's reign, and besides, provides for many expences which every motive of justice and respect for your ancestors would compel your excellency to discharge. I know not whose salary has been increased since your excellency's accession, but some of the expence which your excellency was bound to by the treaty, is now done away; for instance, the pension to the vizier Ally. True translation. of your correspondence since the commencement of the reform to the vizier's military establishments, my attention has been particularly directed to the declaration made by his excellency in his letter to you of the 29th of Jummadee ul Sanne, relative to a probability of a failure on his excellency's part in providing the necessary funds for the regular payment of the additional troops furnished within the last year for the defence of his excellency's domi nions. 2. If the alarming crisis be now approaching in which his excellency can no longer fulfil his public engagements to the company, this calamity must be imputed principally to his excellency's neglect of my repeated advice and earnest representations. The course of your correspondence manifests that the exertion of his excellency in the reform of his own useless, dangerous, and expensive military establishments, especially of his cavalry, has by no means kept pace with my efforts to place the security of his excellency's person and government beyond the reach of foreign and domestic danger. The augmented charges arising from the additional British force specified in the dispatch to you from the Secretary in the secret department, of the 5th of November, 1799, would have been amply provided for by the amount of the reductions which might have been effected in his excellency's establishment, if his excellency had vigorously and cordially co-operated with me in the salutary and economical measure of disbanding his own undis ciplined, licentious, and disaffected troops. 3. I am perfectly satisfied that every exertion has been employed by you to accelerate the execution of my orders, and that his excellency's systematic counteraction is the sole cause of the delays which have arisen; his excellency having, to my knowledge, used every means within his power to frustrate the progress of a reform which he himself had invited, and which he had declared to be indispensable to the security of his person, and to the prosperity of his dominions. 4. The natural consequences of such a policy on the part of the vizier are now necessarily felt by his excellency; and it is now become the duty of the British government to interpose effectually for the protection of his interests, as well as those of the company, which are menaced with common and speedy destruction by the rapid decline of the general resources of his excellency's dominions. 5. The vizier is already apprized that I have long lamented the various defects of the system by which the affairs of his excellency's government are administered. Conscious of the same defects his excellency has repeatedly expressed a wish to reform them by the assistance of the British government. I have never been indifferent to his excellency's wishes on this subject, or insensible of the urgent necessity of an effectual change in the administration of the affairs of Oude, but circumstances well known to you have hitherto prevented me from executing all the dictates of my duty, with respect to that distressed country, and have compelled me to limit my efforts to a partial reform of his excellency's military establishments, providing for the security of his excellency's dominions and government, to the extent of furnishing an efficient and respectable force for their defence and support, and of commencing a proportionate reduction in his excellency's military establishments. 6. It was always evident that these precautions must prove fruitless if the defects in the civil administration of Oude should be suffered progressively to impair the fundamental resources of the state. The continuance of the present system for a much longer period of time will not only render his excellency unable to discharge the subsidy on account of the additional troops, but will exhaust the resources of the country to such a degree as to preclude the possibility of realizing the former subsidy." 7. The causes of this increasing defalcation of revenue are manifest, and daily acquire new strength. Had the terri tories of Oude been subject to the fre quent or occasional devastations of an enemy, had they been visited by unfavourable seasons, or by other calamities which impair the public prosperity, the rapid decline of the vizier's revenues might be imputed to other causes than a defective administration; but no such calamitous visitations have afflicted the province of Oude; while, in consequence of the protection which it derives from the presence of the British forces, it has been maintained, together with all the company's possessions on this side of India, in the uninterrupted enjoyment of peace. A defective administration of the government is therefore the only cause which can have produced marked a difference between the state of his excellency's dominions, and that of the contiguous territories of the company. While the territories of the company have been advancing progressively during the last ten years in prosperity, population, and opulence, the dominions of the vizier, although enjoy ing equal advantages of tranquillity and security, have rapidly and progressively declined. 8. The operation of these evils has not commenced with the government of Saadut Ali; they necessarily flow from the system of administration which existed at the period of his excellency's accession to the Musnud. But none of these evils have been diminished under his excellency's government; on the contrary, their daily increase and aggravation are notorious, and must be progressive to the utter ruin of the resources of Oude, unless the vicious system of the native administration of the country be immediately abandoned. In place of inveterate and growing abuses must be substituted a wise and benevolent plan of government, calculated to inspire the people with confidence in the security of property, and of life; to encourage industry; to protect the fruits of honest labour; and to establish order and submission to the just authority of the state, on the solid foundations of gratitude for benefits received, and expectation of continual security. 9. The vizier must now be prepared for the active and decided interference of the British government in the affairs of his country; His excellency has repeatedly complained to me, and to the British resident at his court, of the ruinous condition of the internal govern ment of Oude. He has repeatedly and carnestly solicited my direct interference, and has declared such interference to be indispensably necessary for the purpose of effecting a complete reform in his affairs. In the month of November, 1799, his excellency was so convinced of the incurable defects of his government, and of his own utter inability to administer it, that he signified to me, in the most formal manner, his deliberate determination to descend from the Mus enmity, disobedience, and negligence, "he was completely disgusted." This resolution, so deliberately adopted, was suddenly abandoned; but the cause of so sudden a change in his excellency's resolution cannot, unfortunately, be traced to any improvement in the general admimistration of his affairs, to any augmentation of his means of conducting the government, or to the consequent establishment of reciprocal confidence and attachment between his excellency and his people. Could any other fact be alleged to favour such an inference it would be totally precluded by his excellency's recent statement of the condition of his revenues, and by recent and aggra vated symptoms of the most alarming disaffection towards his person and govern ment. 10. His excellency's life has been lately attempted under circumstances of the most formidable description; active and general support has been afforded by his subjects to the imposter who lately assumed the name of Vizier Alli; and the acknowledged temper of his excellency's people, combined with the state of his government, exposes his situation every hour to increased anxiety, embarrassment, and hazard. 11. Having maturely considered these circumstances with the attention and deliberation which the importance of the subject requires, I am satisfied that no effectual security can be provided against the ruin of the province of Oude, until the exclusive management of the civil and military government of that country shall be transferred to the company, under suitable provisions for the maintenance 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 external safety and internal peace. 12. Under this conviction, and with a view to the preservation of the common interests of the company and of the vizier, I have determined to propose to his excellency a new treaty and arrangement similar to that concluded in November, 1799, between the company and his his highness the rajah of Tanjore, and also conformable to the plan of the treaty proposed to his excellency by me, in my letter of the 9th February, 1800, at the period of his excellency's proposed abdication of the government; a copy of the treaty with the rajah of Tanjore is enclosed. I desire that you will frame, from the articles of that treaty, and from the treaty submitted to the vizier in the month of December, 1799, the plan of such an arrangement as, while it shall effectually secure all the political benefits described in the eighth paragraph of this dispatch, shall also consult, as far as may be compatible with that primary object, the inclination and prejudices of the vizier. Having framed such a treaty you will submit it to his excellency, and at the same time you will earnestly exhort him to consider the propositions contained in the new arrangement with calm and dispassionate deliberation. 13. If his excellency should manifest a disposition to adopt the general frame of the proposed arrangement, but should appear desirous of introducing any par ticular modifications into the proposed treaty, you will receive whatever propositions his excellency may offer for that purpose, and you will communicate them to me without delay, adding such observations as may occur to you for my information. 14. On the other hand, if his excellency should unfortunately be persuaded by the interested councils of evil advisers, absolutely to reject the proposed treaty, you will then proceed to inform his excellency, in firm but respectful language, that the funds for the regular payment of the subsidy, to the full extent of the augmented force, must be placed, without a moment of delay, beyond the hazard of failure. 15. For this purpose you will require his excellency to make a cession to the company, in perpetual sovereignty, of such a portion of his territories as shall be fully adequate, in their present impoverished condition, to defray those indispensable charges. This cession must be framed upon the same principle which has formed the basis of the late treaty between his highness the soubadar of the Deccan and the company, by which his highness has ceded to the company, in full sovereignty, a country rated at the annual revenue of sixty-two lacks of ru pees in commutation for a subsidy of about forty lacks of rupees. 16. With respect to the countries to be ceded, it is sufficiently evident that no other portion of the vizier's dominions possesses so many political advantages as would be derived to the company from the possession of the Doab. The cession of that province, including the tribute from Furruck bad, must therefore be required in the first instance. In selecting the other districts which may be necessary (after deducting the charges of collection) to complete the amount of augmented subsidy, it will be advisable to regulate the demand in such a manner as shall place the vizier beyond the reach of foreign connections and foreign dangers. For this purpose the new possessions of the company should be so arranged as to surround whatever territory may remain to his excellency; with this view the country to be acquired in addition to the Doab must be Rohilcund. The cession of these two provinces may be made with less violence to the pride or prejudices of the vizier, inasmuch as they were actually added to the possessions of his family by the British arms. In this respect the arrangement proposed to the vizier is similar to that concluded with the nizam; the greater part of the countries recently ceded to the company by the nizam having been originally acquired from the power of Mysore by the assistance of the company. 17. If the present produce of these two provinces, after deducting the charges of collecting, should be deemed unequal to the amount of subsidy to be defrayed, the deficiency must be sought in the countries bordering on the district of Juanpoor, and for this purpose, either Azim Ghur or Goruckpoor, or both, must be required. 18. Under such an arrangement the territories which would remain to the vizier would probably be sufficiently protected by the position which the company's troops would necessarily occupy for the defence of the ceded countries, and no division of military force would be required for the express purpose of protecting the vizier's territory; the continuance, however, of a regiment of native infantry at Lucknow might be expedient, as a protection to the person of the vizier, and a security for the peace of the city. If at any time the state of his |