d Allee's wife got. He was
persuaded by Gholam Allee, his deputy, and others, that he might
aspire to be prime minister at Lucknow if he took a few districts in
farm, to establish his character and influence. In the farm of these
districts he has sunk his own fortune and that of his wife, and is
still held to be a defaulter to the amount of some eighteen lacs, and
is now in gaol. This balance he will wipe off in time in the usual
manner: he will beg and borrow to pay a small sum to the Treasury,
and four times the amount in gratuities to the minister, and other
persons, male and female, of influence at Court. The rest will be
struck off as irrecoverable, and he will be released. He was a man
respected at Delhi, as well on account of his good character as on
that of his wealth; but he is here only pitied as an ambitious fool.

The wakeel, on the part of the King, with the Resident, has been
uniting his efforts to those of Hoseyn Buksh,* the present Nazim of
Salone, to prevail upon Rajah Hunmunt Sing, the tallookdar of
Dharoopoor, to consent to pay an addition of ten or fifteen thousand
rupees to the present demand of one hundred and sixteen thousand
rupees a-year for his estate. He sturdily refused, under the
assurance of the good offices of Rajah Bukhtawar Sing, who has
hitherto supported him. Among other things urged by him to account
for his inability to pay is the obligation he is under to liquidate,
by annual instalments, a balance due to Bukhtawar Sing; himself, when
he held the contract of the district many years ago. Bukhtawar Sing
acknowledges the receipt of the instalments, and declares that they
are justly due; but these payments are, in reality, nothing more than
gratuities, paid for his continued good offices with the minister and
Dewan.

[* Hoseyn Buksh was killed in March following, by the followers of a
female landholder, whom he was trying to coerce into payment. He was
killed by a cannon shot through the chest, while engaged in the siege
of Shahmow, held by Golab Kour, the widow of Rajah Dirguj Sing, who
had succeeded to the estate, and would not or could not pay her
revenue.

A few days before, Hoseyn Buksh attached the crops of another
tallookdar, Seodut Sing, of Dhunawan, who would pay no revenue. A
body of the King's cavalry was sent to guard the crops, but the
tallookdar drove them off, and killed one and wounded another. Hoseyn
Buksh then sent a regiment, the Futtehaesh, a corps of his own
Se