is any one held responsible for submitting them for
orders. Those only who are in the special confidence of the minister,
or of those about Court, from whom he has something to hope or
something to fear, venture to receive and submit petitions; and they
drive a profitable trade in doing so. A large portion of those
submitted are thrown aside, without any orders at all; a portion have
orders so written as to show that they are never intended to be
carried into effect; a third portion receive orders that are really
intended to be acted upon. But they are taken to one of the
minister's deputies, with whose views or interests some of them may
not square well; and he may detain them for weeks, months, or years,
till the petitioners are worn out with "hope deferred," or utterly
ruined, in vain efforts to purchase the attention they require.
Nothing is more common than for a peremptory order to be passed for
the immediate payment of the arrears of pension due to a stipendiary
member of the royal family, and for the payment to be deferred for
eight, ten, and twelve months, till he or she consents to give from
ten to twenty per cent., according to his or her necessities, to the
deputy, who has to see the order carried out. A sufferer often,
instead of getting his petition smuggled on to the minister in the
mode above described, bribes a news-writer to insert his case in his
report, to be submitted through the head of the department.

At present the head of the intelligence department assumes the same
latitude, in submitting reports for orders to the minister, that his
subordinates in distant districts assume in framing and sending them
to him; that is, he submits only such as may suit his views and
interests to submit! Where grave charges are sent to him against
substantial men, or men high in office, he comes to an understanding
with their representatives in Lucknow, and submits the report to the
minister only as a _derniere resort_, when such representatives
cannot be brought to submit to his terms. If found out, at any time,
and threatened, he has his feed _patrons_ or _patronesses_ "behind
the throne, and greater than the throne itself," to protect him.

The unmeaning orders passed by the minister on reports and petitions
are commonly that _so and so_ is to inquire into the matter
complained of; to see that the offenders are seized and punished;
that the stolen property and usurped lands be restored; that
_razeenamas_, or