and villages of Hindoostan. They are generally octagonal stone platforms, raised four or five feet from the ground, and approached by four flights of steps. Four stone columns over the well's mouth, support cross pieces from which the pulley is suspended. In Bengal no pulley is used at the wells. In the north of India generally the women draw and carry the water. The only men seen at the wells are the bheestees, a peculiar caste whose occupation is to carry water in a goat's skin slung on their back. It is said that the constant pressure of the wet skin against the back, occasions the growth of a parasitic worm in the flesh, which occasionally causes death.

Toward evening I took a drive through the cantonments, which are considered the prettiest in India-there being many nice roads to drive on, shaded by avenues of trees. We drove around the parade-ground, the road about which is called in all stations "the Mall," and is the favourite drive of the officers in the evening. We passed a large number of carriages and buggies-the sáeeses were generally running beside the horses, instead of seating themselves comfortably on the foot-board, as they do in Calcutta. Every station of course has its parade ground, which is always admirably adapted for the purpose, on account of the perfect flatness and barrenness of most of the country in India. In fact almost any part of the country which is not cultivated, would do for a paradeground. In this respect, India is, perhaps, the finest country in the world for military evolutions, and almost every part of it has been the scene of some bloody fight.

I left Allahabad the same evening, and breakfasting the next morning at Futtehpoor, arrived in Cawnpoor by seven, in time for dinner at the hotel. The country through which I passed between Allahabad and Cawnpoor, was, as before, a perfectly dead level, with hardly any trees or vegetation to be seen. There was, however, rather more cultivation about the villages, and I noticed several large fields of maize and other grains. I saw no palm trees between Bĕnares and Cawnpoor.

During the day I passed an unusually large number of bullock trains. These are, as the name implies, trains of bullock

drays. They belong to the various dâk companies, and run the whole length of the Grand Trunk Road. The drays are built after European models, and are much superior to those of the native form. These bullock trains carry heavy goods, and also take native passengers, who are never very particular about speed on a journey, or, for that matter, in anything else.

After arriving at Benares I did not see any cases of elephantiasis—a disgusting disease which is very common in Bengal. It usually attacks one of the limbs, which swells enormously. I have often seen a very pretty girl (" mulier formosa superne ") with a leg as thick as her body. I believe that death finally supervenes, perhaps from mortification of the affected limb.

CHAPTER XVI.

CAWN POOR TO LUCKNOW.

The Station of Cawnpoor-Disorder in Oude-Cawnpoor to Lucknow-ElephantsKaorees-Lucknow-Making Ice-The Weather-The Generosity of the Sovereign Company-My Man Brown-First View of Lucknow-A Moral-The Gate of Rome -The Taza-The Imambara-A fine Coup-d'œil-Situation of Oude-Splendour of the Court-Indian Misgovernment-Indian Gentlemen-Extortion and TorturesLord Canning's Confiscation-Brutal Degradation of the Court-Relations of the East India Company to the King of Oude-Violated Faith.

I REMAINED at Cawnpoor over night, and on the morning of the tenth, started for Lucknow by a branch of the Grand Trunk Road.

Cawnpoor was a large and important station, especially before the annexation of Oude, from which district it is separated by the river Ganges only. Oude was always a difficult kingdom to keep in order. Its population are mostly Rajpoot Hindoos-the governing class were Moosulmans of the sect called Sheeahs, who are considered by the orthodox Mahommedans as no better than infidels. The Rajpoots are a military caste, and when not in actual service, have generally employed themselves in robbing, Thuggee, or some similar occupation. The government of the King at Lucknow had no influence or authority in the rural districts, and was only heard of when there were taxes to be raised-the collection of which generally required the presence of the King's army, and a pitched battle between the tax-payers and tax-gatherers. The warlike Rajpoots held their land by a species of feudal tenure, and in cases of fighting, gathered round their zěmindar, who commonly lived in a fortified village, and seldom yielded to the authority of law without showing good fight. Some of these zemindars had large possessions, many followers, and strongly fortified residences, and were almost independent of the King. When in want of money, they would

organize predatory expeditions against their weaker neighbours, and slay, burn, torture and rob, until they had collected sufficient booty. When the exchequer of the King ran low, he used to send an army to one of these large villages, and demand of the zěmindar either so many rupees or else so many bushels of ears. As the people did not like to part with their ears, and their leader was seldom inclined to shell out on a mere summons what he had gained with the red right hand, the result generally was a resort to arms, which in Oude was the prima as well as the ultima ratio of all disputants. In these conflicts, if the villagers were beaten, they were robbed, murdered, tortured, and frequently had their villages burnt down. If the king's troops had the worst of it, the villagers practised upon them the cruelties to which they them selves would have been subjected had the result been different. All the native states of India are a prey to the worst kind of tyranny, and in none of them is there much security for life or property; but in Oude, affairs were in a far worse state than under any other native government. There was absolutely no law outside of Lucknow; and the country swarmed with gangs of robbers, and professional murderers, who took refuge there from the police of the Company's territories, and emerged on predatory expeditions whenever they could do so safely and profitably. The result of this unsettled condition of the country, was that agriculture, trade, and all settled occupations were interfered with; large districts which were as fertile as any in India were allowed to become jungul, and there was a great and increasing emigration of the labouring and agricultural classes into the Company's territories. It may be imagined that the existence in the midst of their states of such a community, independent of their power, was a continual source of anxiety to the Company's government. The frontier stations were always on the alert, and of these Cawnpoor, as commanding the road to Lucknow, the only good road in the kingdom, was the strongest, and was always kept garrisoned by a large force. After the condition of Oude became such as was not only destructive of its own prosperity, but seriously threatened the peace and security of the

CHAPTER XVI.

CAWN POOR TO LUCKNOW.

The Station of Cawnpoor-Disorder in Oude-Cawnpoor to Lucknow-ElephantsKaorees-Lucknow-Making Ice-The Weather-The Generosity of the Sovereign Company-My Man Brown-First View of Lucknow-A Moral-The Gate of Rome -The Taza-The Imambara-A fine Coup-d'œil-Situation of Oude-Splendour of the Court-Indian Misgovernment-Indian Gentlemen-Extortion and TorturesLord Canning's Confiscation-Brutal Degradation of the Court-Relations of the East India Company to the King of Oude-Violated Faith.

I REMAINED at Cawnpoor over night, and on the morning of the tenth, started for Lucknow by a branch of the Grand Trunk Road.

Cawnpoor was a large and important station, especially before the annexation of Oude, from which district it is separated by the river Ganges only. Oude was always a difficult kingdom to keep in order. Its population are mostly Rajpoot Hindoos-the governing class were Moosulmans of the sect called Sheeahs, who are considered by the orthodox Mahommedans as no better than infidels. The Rajpoots are a military caste, and when not in actual service, have generally employed themselves in robbing, Thuggee, or some similar occupation. The government of the King at Lucknow had no influence or authority in the rural districts, and was only heard of when there were taxes to be raised-the collection of which generally required the presence of the King's army, and a pitched battle between the tax-payers and tax-gatherers. The warlike Rajpoots held their land by a species of feudal tenure, and in cases of fighting, gathered round their zěmindar, who commonly lived in a fortified village, and seldom yielded to the authority of law without showing good fight. Some of these zěmindars had large possessions, many followers, and strongly fortified residences, and were almost in pendent of the King. When in want of money, ther