aged members of the royal family were subjected to the lowest indignities to amuse a set of dancers, and were robbed of their property, and forced to flee to the Company's territories, to secure their lives.

This state of things may be thought to be unendurable, and in fact could never have lasted had it not been for the support which the Company afforded to the king. The throne of Oude was created by them. They had recognized the independence of a revolted vassal of the Emperor of Delhi, and had established him as the first King of Oude. The treaty by which this was effected, provided that that king should govern well and faithfully, and promised protection and support of the Company. From the time that the arrangement was entered into, it became a ceaseless source of anxiety and trouble. The Company's power had to be constantly exerted to support the authority of the king, and prevent usurpations. The court was utterly corrupt; the king was entirely without authority; the feudal lords were unrestrained in their lawless excesses; the country was becoming a nest of bandits and murderers from all parts of India; the soil, the most fertile in the valley of the Ganges, was relapsing into jungul; the wretched villagers were sinking into mere beasts of burden, and fled each year, in great numbers, into the Company's territories.

Again and again the English resident remonstrated with the king and called upon him to observe the stipulations of his treaties, which required him to govern with some show of justice, and maintain at least the appearance of order. The remonstrances met with no attention from the miserable imbecile, lost in the beastly pleasures of his zěnana. Company could no longer continue their protection without making themselves accomplices of all these wrongs. They could not withdraw their support and leave the king independent, for that would have thrown the kingdom into worse confusion than ever. The king had no authority or respect, and would not have remained upon the throne a day. The strongest of the zěmindars would have usurped the royal power, and the whole country would have been plunged into

a state of anarchy, the conclusion of which could not have been foreseen. In fact, such a usurpation was liable to occur at any moment, and might have given the Company the greatest trouble in the restoration of peace.

The disorganization of society had thus been complete. The government was a malignant and incurable cancer, eating out the very life of the body politic. Extirpation was the only remedy. The ravages of the disease threatened to extend to the English possessions. In their own interest, in the interest of their subjects, finally in the interest of humanity and civilization, only one course was possible and that was bravely taken by Lord Dalhousie in the annexation of the kingdom. After the deposition of the king, he removed to Calcutta, where he was allowed a pension of £150,000 sterling a year, which was to be continued to his descendants.

The deposition of the king, as Captain Hayes' informed me, was not received with any great satisfaction by the inhabitants of the city, who had profited largely by the presence of the court, and into whose coffers had flowed much of the wealth extorted from the country-people. Even the ryuts did not find their position materially bettered at first, as the revenue

*This course has been condemned as a violation of plighted faith. Without stopping to discuss the ethical question whether this was not one of the cases that constantly arise in politics, where a permanent engagement in writing may and ought to be set aside, from a total change in circumstances; it is here sufficient to state that by the treaty of 1837, the Company had a right to assume the administration of the country. This, it is plain, would amount practically to the course actually taken, and would be an equal infringement of the theoretical rights of the King.

The question whether the annexation of Oude was not a political blunder, is evidently quite distinct from the above. It may be contended that the great land-holders above described were too powerful a class for their resentment to be dared with impunity-that, however much they deserved punishment, it was unwise to attempt to inflict it. Such arguments may be used with great force, particularly since the rebellion in Oude. But whether the question be decided in one way or the other, the decision will not affect the justice or injustice of the act, and will not compromise the wisdom of the Company's policy, since, as is well known, the annexation of Oude was a measure entirely dictated by the English ministry, as almost all the aggressive acts of the Indian government have ever been.

administration had to be temporarily continued in the hands of the old native agents, who found their facilities for extortion increased by the restoration of the supremacy of law. The real benefits of the change would only be felt when the whole administration system had been altered and conformed to the admirable arrangements in force in the North-Western Provinces and the Punjab-measures which required time to introduce and perfect.

I noticed in Captain Hayes' house, that the ceilings were formed of canvass, painted in the Italian style. In Bengal the rooms are open to the roof. These canvass ceilings are common all over the North-Western Provinces, and were introduced by the Italian architects and artists, who were at one time attracted to these Indian courts, and whose influence is very often perceptible in the architecture of the buildings, and their decorations.

12*

CHAPTER XVII.

LUCKNOW.-CONCLUDED.

A Morning Surprise-Salám-Native Polish-Hindoo Manners-Parade-Red CoatCharacter of Sepoys-An Army of Priests and Kings-Caste misunderstood-Pariahs-India Conquered for the English, by Natives-Bullock Artillery-"Hathee pur Howdah" or Elephant Riding-Rich Dresses-Chokeedárs-Fukheers-A Coat of Paint-Royal Palace-Vanity-The Social Evil-A Modern Sodom-Defence of the Lucknow Residency-The Massacre of Cawnpoor.

AFTER dinner I returned to the dak-bungalow, and next morning again repaired by invitation to Captain Hayes', to accompany him to a review. As all parades take place before the heat of the sun becomes oppressive, I was obliged to get up very early, and after driving the two miles from the dakbungalow, arrived by five o'clock. I found the Captain not yet dressed. His house was shut up. On opening the door, I discovered ten or twelve servants asleep on the parlour floor, having chosen that resting place on account of the warmth of the house and the softness of the carpet. The noise I made in entering awoke them, and they all got up and salámed. The salám consists in opening the hands and placing them so that the little fingers touch, and both hands form one flat surface; then bowing and touching the hands to the earth and the forehead. This is the most respectful form and is employed by servants and inferiors. In it, the upper part of the body is bent as far as possible. There are less respectful varieties of the same salute, made by not bending the body so much, or lowering the joined hands so far. The lowest form of all is a simple inclination of the head, and touching the forehead three or four times with one hand. The salutation by salám was introduced by the Moosulmans, though it is now also practised by the Hindoos.

When used by one Mahommedan to another, the gesture de

scribed above is accompanied by the words "Salám Alékoom," to which the reply is, " Alékoom Salám." The Hindoo salutation, which is given only to a Hindoo, is Ram-Ram. Hindoos are, commonly, much less polite than Moosulmans. The former never salute any one whom they do not knowthe latter salute all whom they have reason to believe superiors. The manly independence of Hindoo manners is, how- 1 ever, scarcely found in the north of India, where the Mahom- . medan influence has been very powerful. As a general rule, the manners of a native are cringing and slavish to his superiors-coarse and brutal to his inferiors. In addressing a superior, every deferential circumlocution is employed. The verb is never used in the second person, but always in the third, with the title "Sahib "-"lord;" "Gureeb Purwar"— "provider for the poor;" "Khodawund "—" representative of God;" "Huzoor "-" your worship;" "Sahib Bahadur ”— "warrior Lord;" "Bahadur Shah "—" warrior king," or some such term used as the subject. On the other hand, the native? speaks of himself as "bunda," "your slave," or by some title of humility. Mrs. Colin Mackenzie relates that one morning her husband was travelling by palkee, and saw some others behind on the road. He put his head out of the door and asked one of his bearers how many other palkees there were. The reply was, "There are two, three, or even four, if such be your Lordship's pleasure." Another story is told of one of the Lieutenant Governors of Agra, who took much interest in native schools. One day he was examining a remarkably clever protégé before some friends. After several other questions, he asked the boy, "what makes the earth go round. the sun ?" and was told, "the earth revolves by the favour of your Highness." The servants of Europeans, as is the universal custom of all natives, never wear their shoes in the house. When addressed by their master, they stand with the arms folded, and when speaking, join the hands in the attitude of prayer-a position well suited to the slavish style of their speech. When a native has a particular favour to ask, he kneels down on the ground, and puts his head under your feet. When they are flogged, they never think of resisting,