The remainder of Sleeman’s official life, from January, 1849, was spent in Oudh, and was chiefly devoted to ceaseless and hopeless endeavours to reform the King’s administration and relieve the sufferings of his grievously oppressed subjects.  On the 1st of December, 1849, the Resident began his memorable three months’ tour through Oudh, so vividly described in the special work devoted to the purpose.  The awful revelations of the Journey through the Kingdom of Oude largely influenced the Court of Directors and the Imperial Government in forming their decision to annex the kingdom, although that decision was directly opposed to the advice of Sleeman, who consistently advocated reform of the administration, while deprecating annexation.  His views are stated with absolute precision in a letter written in 1854 or 1855, and published in The Times in November, 1857: 

We have no right to annex or confiscate Oude; but we have a right, under the treaty of 1837, to take the management of it, but not to appropriate its revenues to ourselves.  We can do this with honour to our Government and benefit to the people.  To confiscate would be dishonest and dishonourable.  To annex would be to give the people a government almost as bad as their own, if we put our screw upon them (Journey, ed. 1858, vol. i, Intro., p. xxi).

The earnest efforts of the Resident to suppress crime and improve the administration of Oudh aroused the bitter resentment of a corrupt court and exposed his life to constant danger.  Three deliberate attempts to assassinate him at Lucknow are recorded.

The first, in December, 1851, is described in detail in a letter of Sleeman’s dated the 16th of that month, and less fully by General Hervey, in Some Records of Crime, vol. ii, p. 479.  The Resident’s life was saved by a gallant orderly named Tikaram, who was badly wounded.  Inquiry proved that the crime was instigated by the King’s moonshee.

The second attempt, on October 9, 1853, is fully narrated in an official letter to the Government of India (Bibliography, No. 15).  Its failure may be reasonably ascribed to a special interposition of Providence.  The Resident during all the years he had lived at Lucknow had been in the habit of sleeping in an upper chamber approached by a separate private staircase guarded by two sentries.  On the night mentioned the sentries were drugged and two men stole up the stairs.  They slashed at the bed with their swords, but found it empty, because on that one occasion General Sleeman had slept in another room.

The third attempt was not carried as far, and the exact date is not ascertainable, but the incident is well remembered by the family and occurred between 1853 and 1856.  One day the Resident was crossing his study when, for some reason or another, he looked behind a curtain screening a recess.  He then saw a man standing there with a large knife in his hand.  General Sleeman, who was unarmed, challenged the man as being a Thug.  He at once admitted that he was such, and under the spell of a master-spirit allowed himself to be disarmed without resistance.  He had been employed at the Residency for some time, unsuspected.