mmit. The troops are starved, and
almost all the old members of the royal family, who had no Government
paper or guarantees, have been already starved or driven out. Oude
has never before been afflicted by a Sovereign so utterly imbecile
and regardless of his duties and the sufferings of his people; nor
has there ever been a minister so utterly regardless of his own
reputation and that of his master. He bribes with money, power, and
patronage, every one who has access to the King, to sound his praise
in prose or verse; and the King is persuaded that his life and throne
depend upon his abstaining altogether, from interfering in the
conduct of affairs.

When I was in the Governor-Generals camp at Futtehgur, M. H., the son
of S. A. K., came there armed, I knew, with four lacs of rupees. He
was an old acquaintance of E.'s, and he (E.) told me that he had
asked for an interview, and asked me whether he ought to consent to
see him. I told him that, if he did see him, he must make up his mind
to the man's persuading the King that he had given him the greater
part of the money, though the man himself kept all that he did not
give to his moonshee. He refused to see the man; but he has ever
since been with Mr. L. at Allahabad, intriguing with his people to
chouse men out of their ancient possessions; or with the Oude people,
to keep up the _raw_ they have established on the King's mind. The
King, by over-indulgence, has reduced his intellect below the
standard of that of a boy of five years of age. It is painful to talk
to a man with a mind so utterly emasculated.

Our Government would be fully authorized at any time to enforce the
penalty prescribed in your treaty of 1837, and it incurs great odium
and obloquy for not enforcing it. But Lord D. has, no doubt, solid
reasons for not taking such responsibility upon himself at this time.
I do all I can to save the people, and the people are sensible of
what I do, and grateful for it; for the Resident is the only person
they can look up to with any hope. If Government can comply with my
wish to have the King assured that it will not permit Mr. B. to
return and reside at Lucknow again, it will be of great use to me and
to the people, for the hopes held out to him are like a premium
offered for my head, or for my ruin; and one never feels very
comfortable under such offers, at any time or in any country. The
reckless lies which this man gets adventurers at Cawnpore to write
for him,