ted that he is unable to reduce to subjection
without the aid of British troops."

On the 20th of January, 1831, the Governor-General, Lord William
Bentinck, held a conference with the King of Oude, and told his
Majesty, in presence of his minister, that the state of things in
Oude, and maladministration in all departments, were such as to
warrant and require the authoritative interference of the British
Government for their correction; that he declined to make himself a
party to the nomination of the minister, or to have it understood
that the measure was a joint resolution of the two governments, so
that both should be responsible for its success in effecting
reformation; that the act was his Majesty's own, and the
responsibility must be his; that his Lordship hoped that a better
system would be established by his minister's agency, but if he
failed, and the same abuses and misrule continued, the King must be
prepared to abide the consequences; that the Governor-General
intended to make a strong representation to the authorities in
England on the state of misrule prevailing, and to solicit their
sanction to the adoption of specific measures, even to the length of
assuming the direct administration of the country, if the evils were
not corrected in the interim.

In the letter from Government dated the 25th of August, 1831,
referring to this advice, the Resident is told that by treaty we are
bound to give the aid of troops to quell internal resistance, as well
as to keep off external enemies, but by the same treaty the Oude
Government is bound to establish a good system of administration, and
to conform to our advice in this respect; that, finding it impossible
to procure the establishment of such an improved system, and seeing
that our troops were liable to be made the instruments of violence,
and vindictive and party proceedings, it was determined to withhold
the aid of troops except after investigation into the cause which
might lead to the application for them; that, by recent orders from
the Court of Directors, the Government would be authorised in
withholding them altogether, in the hope that the necessities of the
Oude Government might compel a reform such as we might deem
satisfactory; that matters had not, however, been brought to such an
issue, for the Oude Government having been deprived of the services
of British troops to execute its purposes, has entertained a body
stated at sixty thousand men, cavalry,