lency to lieutenant-colonel Scott for all farther particulars.

A true Copy.
(Signed) N. B. EDMONSTONE,
Secretary to Government.

(Copy.)

To N. B. Edmonstone, Esq. &c. &c. &c.

My dear Sir, I have been favoured with your letter of the 15th instant; and in reply to it have the satisfaction to acquaint lord Wellesley that the measure of disbanding the Hindostanee regiment has not occasioned, nor do I foresee that it can occasion, any embarrassment or injury to the interests committed to my charge.

The vizier is apprized of the numbers and description of the additional troop which his lordship has judged necessary for the permanent defence of these dominions, as also of the monthly and annual expence. The additional troops are four regiments of native cavalry, six regiments of native infantry, and a battalion of artillery. His excellency has been furnished with a statement of the sum of money which the territorial cession is to cover, amounting to a crore and thirty lacks of rupees; and though he is aware that a portion of the additional troops is not yet arrived in his country, as I acquainted his lordship in the unofficial letter which I did myself the honour to address to his lordship on the 14th instant, yet he has not yet hinted a claim for a reservation of territory on that ac

count.

seem directed to individuals, and in their meaning to amount to nothing less than a license, under his lordship's sanction, to seize upon the property of the nobles of his court; on pretexts of peculation to confine or banish their persons; and to deprive all those who are supported by his country of the means of subsistence. In my proposed letter to his lordship I had declared that it was not possible for me to ascribe any other motives for his excellency's perseverance in the desire of having the paper transmitted, than an anxiety, dictated by avarice, resentment, and a tyrannical spirit, to have the property of his subjects at his mercy, or to clog his consent to the territorial cession with stipulations that must render that consent fallacious and nugatory. The dispatch of the letter has been deferred by a visit from molavy Suddun, deputed by the vizier to confer with me on the several articles of the paper. I gave the molavy my opinion upon them as above stated, and, indeed, as I had formerly represented to the vizier himself. His excellency promises to re-consider them, but as in the two concluding days of the Mohurrum no business is transacted, it will be three days at soonest before I shall be able to make a communication to his lordship on the subject.

I am, dear sir,
Yours, &c. &c. &c.
W. SCOTT,
Resident, Lucknow.

(Signed) Lucknow, 22d May, 1801.

To his excellency the most noble the mar

quis Wellesley K. P. &c. &c. &c. My Lord,-Since I did myself the honour of addressing your lordship, on the 14th instant, several conversations have taken place between the vizier and me, and between me and molavy Suddun, on the subject of his excellency's paper of requests.

of the paper, as a kind of preliminary engagement, the substance of some of the articles of it, and the desire that your lordship should confirm them by your seal and signature, oppose very serious impediments.

3. That your lordship may judge of the difficulties which arise out of the

perse

persevering importunities of his excellency to obtain satisfaction on certain points, I do myself the honour of transmitting to your lordship copy and translation of the paper in the form it was last delivered to me, after the article mentioned in my address of the 14th instant had been withdrawn; and as the explanations afforded to me in the course of my conversations have laid open the aim and tendency of some of the articles which appeared involved in obscurity, I shall take the liberty of offering a few reflections on the most embarrassing points.

4. His excellency was told, on my first receipt of this paper, that the present negotiation, being confined to the - single and specific object of a territorial cession, in commutation of the subsidy, the introduction of subjects in no shape connected with that object could answer no other purpose than that of embarrassing; the same language might with propriety have been persevered in, were it not that it seemed to preclude all further progress in the negotiation, as it would probably have induced his excellency to revert to his original declaration of complete submission to whatever measures your lordship might be pleased to enforce, but without any participation of consent or assistance on his part.

5. Upon this consideration I thought it advisable to exert my utmost endeavours to convince his excellency's judgment that the transmission of the paper was useless, inexpedient, and imprudent; and to offer to him such security for the permanency and conclusiveness of the arrangement, and for the exercise of his independent authority in the dominions which would remain to him, as ought to have been satisfactory, and probably would have been abundantly so, did not the requests apply to particular cases and individuals, instead of the general affairs of government.

6. To effect the just object, I stated to his excellency that many of the articles were of such exceptionable tendency, that they must not only impress upon your lordship's mind the most unfavour able suspicions of his intentions, but would inevitably create the most serious alarins amongst his principal subjects, and ultimately impel them to acts of desperation. To the last part of the foregoing observation his excellency replied, that the knowledge of his possess ing the powers which he solicited would

be the best security for the obedience of his subjects. I represented to his excellency, that it would be wholly inconsistent with your lordship's cha racter and sense of justice to sanction the license which seemed aimed at, of seiz ing upon the property of the nobles of his court, of confining and banishing their persons, and of depriving all those who were supported at the expence of the state of the means of subsistence, and that consequently it was out of the limits of possibility to expect your lordship's signature to the paper.

7. For the accomplishment of the second object I represented to his excellency, that a single article, which I intended to insert in the treaty, would answer every useful purpose of the accumulated stipulations proposed by him for the permanency of the arrangement, and would be calculated to afford his excellency security against future demands on account of the company's defensive engagements with his excellency's government; and that although the authority which he now possessed over his household affairs, subjects, and dominions, was ample for the preservation of his just rights, for the enforcement of his orders amongst his subjects and dependents, and for the punishment of the disobedient, yet to afford him still further satisfaction on this head, the authority should be confirmed in the treaty now preparing.

8. I accordingly presented to his excellency, several days ago, the translation of two articles, which I purposed inserting in the treaty, copies of which I herewith do myself the honour of enclosing. His excellency expressed his full approbation and satisfaction of the proposed articles, but they did not embrace in detail the objects which he has so much at heart, and on which I shall now offer some reflections.

9. The first article which relates to the debts of the state is embarrassing, in as much as it avows in spirit, and almost in words, a determination not to discharge any part of them, and requires your lordship's direct confirmation of that resolve. Although the British government has not yet interfered, nor called upon the vizier to discharge the debts of the state, yet your lordship's sense of the obligation which his excellency owes to justice and common honesty, to make some arrangement for the liquidation of those debts, is so

strongly

strongly manifested by the proposition, under certain conditions of taking that burthen upon the company, that his excellency looks with certainty to the demand being at a future period pressed upon him by the influence and authority of the company's government; under this impression silence is not satisfactory, and nothing less will prove so than a direct assurance from your lordship, that the company's government, not having been parties in the incurring of the debts, nor made themselves responsible for the payment of them, will not interfere in the settlement of them.

10. The second article may be regarded as resting on your lordship's consideration of the financial circumstances of this state; the words, however, at the close of it appeared so exceptionable that I demanded an explanation, and received both from the vizier and molavy Suddun the following interpretation:-The disturbances raised by vizier Alli did not originate in his excellency's dominions; had his advice been followed, vizier Alli would not, in the first instance, have been left at liberty, and had his subsequent information and cautions been heeded, a more vigilant watch would have been established on the actions of that assassin. The views of vizier Alli, I stated, were directed particularly against his excellency's life and empire; and, consequently, as no person would be more interested in defeating these views, so no one could be more fairly charged with the expences attending the operations.

11. The fourth article has been pressed with more than ordinary earnestness; but it was not until yesterday, in a conversation with the molavy, Suddun, that the precise drift of it was acknowledged, though I always suspected that it applied to the property of the Begum. The molavy avowed the object to be such as I had suspected; and to support the justice of the claim, in opposition to what I had advanced relative to the Mahomedan laws of inheritance and division of property, affirmed, that it was well known that the Begum possessed vast treasures, which had been deposited in her custody by Sujah ul Dowlah. The extraordinary and persevering solicitude with which this article is urged may be accounted for by the supposed magnitude of the treasures, so capable of gratifying his excellency's passion of avarice; but I cannot ayoid suspecting

that the Begum, or her dependents, have not been sufficiently careful in preserving the secret of her highness, having some time ago proposed to constitute and appoint the company her heirs. In discussing this article I took occasion to contrast it with the first, and asked the vizier by what rule of equity the payment of the debts due by the state could be separated from the receipt of what was due to it.

12. The fifth article, although an attempt made to cover its direct aim by the introduction of futurity, applies, I believe, to the past, and particularly to the confusion which prevailed in the private treasury, jewel office, and wardrobe, on the demise of Asoph ul Dowlah, and during the short reign of vizier Alli. Suspicions are entertained that much valuable property was secreted and carried away by the persons in charge; I desired that the persons suspected might be pointed out; and deprecated, in the plainest language, the design of involving every person about the court in vexatious accusations of this nature.

13. The power demanded by the seventh article is a right of government, and the engagement of the company to protect his excellency against all enemies is a pledge for the exercise of it; consequently, the particular mention of punishing persons who shall disturb the peace of the country, although qualified by the words, on such crimes being proved," is wholly unnecessary, unless it aims, by anticipation, at some particular persons who are supposed to be under the protection of the English government.

14. Upon the eighth article, and several others which relate to the conclusiveness of the territorial cession, I shall not trouble your lordship with any remarks.

15. Upon the eleventh article I purpose hereafter addressing your lordship at some length it comprehends two points, a commercial arrangement, ascertaining the amount of duties on exports, and imports, and an exemption of duties on certain articles of supplies for the consumption of the troops, now enjoyed, not by treaty, but by agreement.

16. The thirteenth article is one of the most suspicious complexion, and the execution of it under the sanction of your lordship's government would be most distressing in its operation and consequences, and highly injurious to the British influence in Oude, as well as to their reputation for justice and disinterestedness.

It

It is artfully worded, and may seem chiefly to allude to dismissions in the army, but it in fact embraces all the brothers of the vizier, the Begum, and reputed children of the late nawaub, the public servants of government, especially Hussein Reza Khan, and all persons holding jaghires or enjoying pensions. Whilst I cannot boast that these salaries and pensions are now discharged with regularity, yet hopes are entertained that the more punctual payment of them may be ultimately enforced by the influence of the company's government.

17. Whether the intentions expressed in the last article of visiting the shrines of holy men be serious, or introduced only to insinuate his excellency's dissatisfaction, I thought it afforded a favourable opportunity of again bringing forward the desire, long ago avowed by his excellency, of retiring from the cares of state, and accordingly represented to his excellency, that the immediate relinquishment of the government, and the nomination of a successor, under the terms of the first proposition, would enable his excellency to carry his design of visiting holy places into execution whenever he should think proper, without any embarrasments, in regard to the selection and appointment of a person to administer the affairs of his country during his absence. His excellency, however, unequivocally declared his intention of resuming the reins of government on his return, and entreated that I would drop the subject of the first proposition.

18. Molavy Suddun having been deputed by the vizier, yesterday afternoon, to confer with me on the several articles of the paper, carried it away for his excellency's further consideration; and, though I stated to him that I should regard his excellency's perseverance in the in the desire for transmitting the paper to your lordship as amounting to a premeditated design of clogging his consent to the territorial cession with stipulations which render that consent fallacious and nugatory, the molavy did not afford me much hope that his excellency would withdraw some of the articles which I received in so exceptionable a light.

19. Perhaps, my lord, after the concession which I offered to make the vizier by the two articles of the treaty, the last of which however only confirms to him the authority he possesses by the present treaty, and even that authority

somewhat qualified, it may be thought that the substance being given the contention is now for a shadow; and it may be further thought, that if some mode of giving satisfaction to his excellency, on certain of the points, and under certain modifications, could be adopted, less exceptionable than the one so wholly inadmissible which he has proposed, it might be advisable to embrace it rather than run the hazard of being ultimately compelled to resort to extremities for securing what may be obtained by the preferable medium of negotiation.

I have the honour to be, &c.
True copy.
(Signed) N. B. EDMONSTONE,
Secretary to government.

(Signed) W.SCOTT,

Lucknow, 23d May, 1801.

Certain articles to be submitted to the consideration of his excellency the marquis Wellesley, to which I trust his lordship, by affixing his seal and signatude, will afford me satisfaction_regarding the stability of the points therein mentioned.

Article 1st. The payment of the debts of my predecessor, Asoph ul Dowlah, is not stipulated for in the existing treaty; I am moreover unable to liquidate the debts contracted in the late reign; but this is an affair which will be adjusted between the state and the creditors of the late nawaub, and regarding which the company are in no shape responsible, the treaty being silent on this subject.

2nd.-The sum of seventeen lacks of rupees has frequently in conversation been specified as the amount of the extraordi nary expence incurred by the army taking the field to oppose Zemaun Shah, and suppress the disturbance created by vizier Ally; although I formerly stated my inability to pay this sum, yet, to testify submission, I am ready by every means in my power to pay such portion of the above sum as shall appear to be justly chargeable to me.

3rd-Whereas the increase of expence on account of additional troops having been deemed expedient on the sole ground of preserving my dominions against the ravages of Zemaun Shah and others; and considering that I have consented to bear this expence for all times to come, whilst the company, in consideration of this increase of force have bound them

selves