ng Court favourites, or they could not retain their places a week,
nor could their President retain his. Such are the reporters of the
circumstances in all the cases on which the sovereign and his
ministers have to pass orders every day in Oude. Some of those who
derive part of their incomes from this source are "persons behind the
throne, who are greater than the throne itself." The mother of the
heir-apparent gets twelve thousand rupees a-year from it.

But their exactions are not confined to government officers of all
grades and denominations; they are extended to contractors of all
kinds and denominations, to him who contracts for the supply of the
public cattle with grain, as well as to him who contracts for the
revenue and undivided government of whole provinces; and, indeed, to
every person who has anything to do under, or anything to apprehend
from, government and its officers and favourites; and, in such a
country, who has not? The European magistrate of one of our
neighbouring districts one day, before the Oude Frontier Police was
raised, entered the Oude territory at the head of his police in
pursuit of some robbers, who had found an asylum in one of the King's
villages. In the attempt to secure them some lives were lost; and,
apprehensive of the consequences, he sent for the official news-
writer, and _gratified_ him in the usual way. No report of the
circumstances was made to the Oude Durbar; and neither the King, the
Resident, nor the British Government ever heard anything about it. Of
the practical working of the system, many illustrations will be found
in this Diary.

The Akbar, or Intelligence Department, had been farmed out for some
years, at the rate of between one and two lacs of rupees a-year,
when, at the recommendation of the Resident, the King expressed his
willingness to abolish the farm, and intrust the superintendence to
_men of character and ability_, to be paid by Government. This
resolution was communicated to Government by the Resident on the 24th
of April, 1839; and on the 6th of May the Resident was instructed to
communicate to his Majesty the satisfaction which the Governor-
General derived on hearing that he had consented to abolish this
farm, which had produced _so large a revenue to the state_. This was
considered by the Resident to be a great boon obtained for the people
of Oude, as the farmers of the department consented to pay a large
revenue, only on condition that they should