every advantage, and the Mahomedan princes anxious to regain their power and expel the infidel from the land. But, as is often the case, because the rebellion was so soon terminated, men looked not beyond; and he who by his bravery saved the settlement of Benares, and arrested a conspiracy that might have spread like wildfire and jeopardised the whole of our Indian possessions, only received (in the absence of Lord Wellesley at Madras), a cold letter of thanks from the Council at Calcutta. But to this day, among the natives, the affair of Benares, and the disappointment of the Mahomedan princes, is still fresh in remembrance; and when the natives would show the effects of bravery, and that, however great the odds, none should despair, they relate how Davis Sahib and his spear kept at bay 200 armed men, with a prince at their head.

And having now brought this history to a conclusion, it only remains to give a brief sketch of the career of the brave man who played so conspicuous a part in it.

Mr. Davis went out to India as an engineer officer in the Company's service, but with the privilege, occasionally granted in those days, of leaving the army if he wished it, and becoming a civilian. The first station he went to was Madras; and here he became aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief, and went with him to Calcutta, where, soon after his arrival, he

was appointed, from his known talents for surveying, to accompany Mr. Turner in his embassy to Thibet. During this expedition he made a large collection of excellent plans and coloured drawings, the latter of which are still valuable, not only as accurate representations of that country, its temples and buildings, but as beautiful works of art.

On his return to Calcutta, thinking that the civil service afforded more prospect of advancement, he left the army, and obtained the appointment of collector of Burdwan; and while in this situation he married Henrietta, daughter of Mr. Boileau, of Dublin, whose ancestor-of the ancient family of the Barons de Castelnau, in Languedoc-had left his native country at the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and settled in Ireland. He had not been long at Burdwan before he was removed to Benares, to act in the position of judge and chief magistrate over that district. And being an excellent linguist and astronomer, he no sooner took up his residence in the holy city of the Hindoos than he became acquainted with the Brahmins of the highest caste; and particularly with one who gave him much valuable information respecting both the ancient religion and astronomy of the Hindoos. This Brahmin was afterwards proved by undoubted testimony to have been actively engaged in Vizier Ali's rebellion, and was brought up for judgment before Mr. Davis. The

judge, seeing his old friend, could not contain his emotion, and the tears fell from his eyes as he heard the proud Brahmin express his readiness to die, but entreat that he might not be degraded, or anything done to him unworthy of his high caste and station.

Shortly after this he was summoned to Calcutta, to carry into execution some plans connected with the public revenue; and when he had accomplished these, he left for England, having formed an intimate friendship with the three most distinguished men connected with India during his residence there-Warren Hastings, Sir W. Jones, and the Marquis Wellesley. The latter of these showed in what high esteem he held his memory, by the autograph inscription-already given at p. 75-written in a copy of his Dispatches, which he presented to the widow of his friend.

Soon after his arrival in England he entered into the direction of the East India Company; and being requested by a Committee of the House of Commons to draw up a report upon the state of the revenues of India, he wrote that very able treatise known as The Fifth Report. But the labour of finishing this in a perfect state, within a limited period, accelerated a disease already latent in his constitution; for not long afterwards he was taken ill, and gradually growing weaker under the effects of a painful disorder, he died the 16th day of June, 1819, at his house at Croydon, in the 59th of his age.

year

APPENDIX.

A. BENARES.

'THE city of Benares is so holy that several Hindoo Rajahs have habitations there, in which their vakeels (ministers or agents) reside, and perform for them the requisite sacrifices and ablutions. The land is extremely valuable, and lawsuits respecting it most frequent.

'The mosque, with its minarets, was built by Aurungzebe to mortify the Hindoos. Not only is it placed on the highest point of land, and most conspicuous from being close to the river, but the foundations are laid on a sacred spot where a temple before stood, which was destroyed to make room for it. This edifice violated the holy city, and proudly overlooked all the temples, and, what was perhaps more galling, all the terraces of the houses where the females were accustomed to enjoy the cool of the morning and evening.'-Lord Valentia, vol. i. p. 105.

B.

'In the progress of this revolution many circumstances occurred to create doubt and anxiety. The failure of the post, the interception of my letters, any irresolution on the part of Saadut Ali, or accident in the course of his journey to Khanpoor, might have involved me in serious embarrassments. As it was, I had a difficult task to amuse all parties, so as to prevent the discovery of my plans. The confidence which I was obliged to place in many was in no instance violated; and the declaration of my intention to place Saadut Ali on the musnud, after his arrival at Khanpoor, was a surprise to all who were not in my confidence. But, above all, I owe unbounded gratitude to Providence, which enabled me to accomplish so great a revolution without the loss of lives, and contrary to the expectations of almost all who knew my plans. Assassination, contempt of the Engglish, and the power of Vizier Ali to resist them, were the common topics of conversation amongst the desperate crew who attended the confidential hours of Vizier Ali. It was a surprise to all that they did not succeed in instigating him to some act of desperation, with a view to avail themselves of the confusion to plunder the town. The Vakeel of Ambagee, a Mahratta chieftain, who arrived at Lucnow on the