William Sleeman - A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I II

[Transcriber's note: The author's spelling of the names of places and people vary considerably, even within a single paragraph. The spelling of place names in the text varies from that shown on the map. The author's spelling is reproduced as in the printed text.]

My object in writing this DIARY OF A TOUR THROUGH OUDE was to prepare, for submission to the Government of India, as fair and full a picture of the real state of the country, condition, and feeling of the people of all classes, and character of the Government under which they at present live, as the opportunities which the tour afforded me might enable me to draw.

The DIARY must, for the present, be considered as an official document, which may be perused, but cannot be published, wholly or in part, without the sanction of Government previously obtained.*

Lucknow, 1852.

* This permission was accorded by the Honourable Court of Directors in December last.

[Transcriber's note: Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by W. H. Sleeman 2nd Ed. 1915, p.xxxvi notes that the date of the permission was not December 1851, but December 1852.]

Departure from LucknowGholam HazrutAttack on the late Prime Minister, Ameen-od-DowlaA similar attack on the sons of a former Prime Minister, Agar MeerGunga Sing and Kulunder BukshGorbuksh Sing, of BhitoleeGonda Bahraetch districtRughbur SingPrethee Put, of PaskaKing of Oude and King of the FairiesSurafraz mahal

BahraetchShrine of Syud SalarKing of the Fairies and the FiddlersManagement of Bahraetch district for forty-three yearsMurder of Amur Sing, by Hakeem MehndeeNefarious transfer of khalsa lands to Tallookdars, by local officersRajah Dursun SingHis aggression on the Nepaul TerritoryConsequencesIntelligence DepartmentHow formed, managed, and abusedRughbur Sing's management of Gonda and Bahraetch for 1846-47Its fiscal effectsA gang-robber caught and hung by Brahmin villagersMurder of Syampooree GosaenRamdut PandeeFairies and FiddlersRamdut Pandee, the Bankerthe Rajahs of Toolseepoor and BulrampoorMurder of Mr. Ravenscroft, of the Bengal Civil Service, at Bhinga, in 1823.

Legendary tale of breach of FaithKulhuns tribe of RajpootsMurder of the Banker, Ramdut Pandee, by the Nazim of BahraetchRecrossing the Ghagra riverSultanpoor district, State of Commandants of troops become sureties for the payment of land revenueEstate of Muneearpoor and the Lady SoguraMurder of Hurpaul Sing, Gurgbunsee, of KupragowFamily of Rajahs Bukhtawar and Dursun SingTheir bynama LandsLaw of PrimogenitureIts object and effectRajah Ghalib JungGood effects of protection to TenantryDisputes about BoundariesOur army a safety-valve for OudeRapid decay of Landed Aristocracy in our TerritoriesLocal ties in groves, wells, &c.

Recross the Goomtee riverSultanpoor CantonmentsNumber of persons begging redress of wrongs, and difficulty of obtaining it in OudeApathy of the SovereignIncompetence and unfitness of his OfficersSultanpoor, healthy and well suited for TroopsChandour, twelve miles distant, no less solands of their weaker neighbours absorbed by the family of Rajah Dursun Sing, by fraud, violence, and collusion; but greatly improvedDifficulty attending attempt to restore old ProprietorsSame absorptions have been going on in all parts of Oudeand the same difficulty to be everywhere encounteredSoils in the district, mutteear, doomutteea, bhoor, oosurRisk at which lands are tilled under Landlords opposed to their GovernmentClimate of Oude more invigorating than that of MalwaCaptain Magness's RegimentRepair of artillery gunsSupply of grain to its bullocksCivil establishment of the NazimWolvesDread of killing them among HindoosChildren preserved by them in their dens, and nurtured.

Salone districtRajah Lal Hunmunt Sing of DharoopoorSoil of OudeRelative fertility of the mutteear and doomutteeaEither may become oosur, or barren, from neglect, and is reclaimed, when it does so, with difficultyShah Puna Ata, a holy man in charge of an eleemosynary endowment at SaloneEffects of his cursesInvasion of British BoundaryMilitary Force with the NazimState and character of this ForceRae Bareilly in the Byswara districtBandha, or MisletoeRana Benee Madhoo, of ShunkerpoorLaw of PrimogenitureTitle of Rana contested between Benee Madhoo and Rogonath SingBridge and avenue at Rae BareillyEligible place for cantonment and civil establishmentsState of the ArtillerySobha Sing's regimentForaging SystemPeasantry follow the fortunes of their refractory LandlordsNo provision for the king's soldiers, disabled in action, or for the families of those who are killedOur sipahees, a privileged class, very troublesome in the Byswara and Banoda districtsGoorbukshgungeMan destroyed by an ElephantDanger to which keepers of such animals are exposedBys Rajpoots composed of two great families, Sybunsies and NyhassasTheir continual contests for landed possessionsFutteh BahaderRogonath SingMahibollah the robber and estate of BallaNotion that Tillockchundee Bys Rajpoots never suffer from the bite of a snakeInfanticidePaucity of comfortable dwelling-housesThe causeAgricultural capitalistsOrnaments and apparel of the females of the Bys clanLate Nazim Hamid AlleeHis father-in-law Fuzl AlleeFirst loan from Oude to our GovernmentNative gentlemen with independent incomes cannot reside in the countryCrowd the city, and tend to alienate the Court from the people.

Nawabgunge, midway between Cawnpoor and LucknowOosur soils how producedVisit from the prime ministerRambuksh, of DhodeeakheraHunmunt Sing, of DharoopoorAgricultural capitalistsSipahees and native offices of our armyTheir furlough, and petitionsRequirements of Oude to secure good government. The King's reserved treasuryCharity distributed through the Mojtahid, or chief justiceInfanticideLoan of elephants, horses, and draft bullocks by Oude to Lord Lake in 1804Clothing for the troopsThe Akbery regimentIts clothing, &c.,Trespasses of a great man's camp in OudeRussoolabad and Sufeepoor districtsBuksh Allee, the domeBudreenath, the contractor for SufeepoorMeeangungeDivision of the Oude Territory in 1801, in equal shares between Oude and the British GovernmentsAlmas Allee KhanHis good governmentThe passes of OudeThieves by hereditary profession, and village watchmenRapacity of the King's troopsTotal absence of all sympathy between the governing and governedMeasures necessary to render the Oude troops efficient and less mischievous to the peopleSheikh Hushmut Allee, of Sundeela.

This distinguished officer, whose career in India extended over a period of forty years, and whose services were highly appreciated by three Governors-GeneralViscount Hardinge, the Earl of Ellenborough, and the Marquess of Dalhousieevinced by their appointing him to the most difficult and delicate dutieswas the son of Philip and Mary Sleeman, and was born at Stratton, Cornwall, 8th August, 1788. In early years he evinced a predilection for the military profession; and at the age of twenty-one (October, 1809), through the good offices of the late Lord De Dunstanville, he was appointed an Infantry Cadet in the Bengal army. Thither he proceeded as soon as possible, and was promoted successively to the rank of Ensign, 23rd September, 1810; Lieutenant, 16th December, 1814; Brevet-Captain, 24th April, 1824; Captain, 23rd September, 1826; Major, 1st February, 1837; Lieutenant-Colonel, 26th May, 1843; Colonel, 24th November, 1853; and obtained the rank of Major-General 28th November, 1854.