But when, under an imbecile and debauched sovereign, like Ghazee-od Deen, and an unscrupulous minister, creatures and favourites began to share so largely in the revenues of the country, this sort of scrutiny on the part of the Resident and officers commanding troops, employed in aid of the King’s officers, became exceedingly distasteful; and the minister gradually increased the military force of Oude at his disposal, that he might do without it.  During the last few years of Ghazee-od Deen’s reign, the Oude forces of all arms amounted to about sixty thousand men.  During the first few years of his successor’s, Nuseer-od Deen’s, reign, these forces were augmented by the ministers for the sake of the profit and patronage they gave them; and in the year 1837, the forces of all arms, paid from the treasury, amounted to more than sixty thousand men.  A memorandum given to the British Resident by the minister on the 8th of April 1837, showed the men of all descriptions, belonging to the Oude army, to amount to sixty-seven thousand nine hundred and fifty-six.  The artillery, cavalry, and infantry, composing what they call the regular army, amounted to twenty thousand, all badly paid, clothed, armed, accoutred, and disciplined; and for the most part placed under idle, incompetent, and corrupt commanders.  The rest were nujeebs employed in the provinces under local officers of the revenue and police, and obliged to provide their own clothes, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition.  They were altogether without discipline.

Government, on the 26th November, 1824, informs the Resident, “that our troops are to be actively and energetically employed in the Oude territory in cases of real internal commotion and disorder.”  And again on the 22nd of July, 1825; Government condemns the Resident for his disregard of the orders of the 26th of November, 1824, regarding the employment of British troops in Oude, and states, “that it is sincerely disposed to maintain the rights of the King of Oude to the fullest extent, as guaranteed to him by the treaty with his father, on the 20th of November, 1801; but observes, that upon the maturest consideration of articles 3rd, 5th, and 6th of that treaty, and of Lord Wellesley’s memorandum in 1802, of the final results of discussions between him and Saadut Allee, whilst Government admits that, according to article the 3rd of the treaty, we were bound to defend his Majesty’s present territories ’against all foreign and domestic enemies,’ and that, in pursuance of the 4th article, the Company’s troops are to be employed, without expense to his Majesty, not only ’to repel the attack, or menaced attack, of a foreign enemy,’ but also for suppressing rebellion and disorder in his Majesty’s territories; and that, in a strict adherence to the 6th article, the King of Oude is entitled to exercise complete sovereign authority within his own dominions, by a system of administration conducive to the prosperity of his subjects, to be carried into effect by his own officers,