On my remarking to the King’s wakeel that these ruffians had all high-sounding names, he said, “They are really all men of high lineage; and men of that class, who become ruffians, are always sure to be of the worst description.”  “As horses of the best blood, when they do become vicious, are the most incorrigible, I suppose?” “Nothing can be more true, sir,” rejoined the wakeel.  An account of the attack made by the above-named ruffians on the minister, may be here given as both interesting and instructive, or at least as illustrative of the state of society and government in Oude.

At five in the morning of the 8th of April 1847, the minister, Ameen-od Dowlah, left his house in a buggy to visit the King.  Of his armed attendants he had only three or four with him.  He had not gone far when four armed assassins placed themselves in front of his buggy and ordered him to stop.  One of them, Tuffuzzul Hoseyn, seized the horse; by the bridle, and told the minister, that he must give him the arrears of pay due before he could go on.  The other three, Fuzl Allee, Allee Mahomed, and Hyder Khan, came up and stood on the right side of the buggy.  One of the minister’s servants, named Hollas, tried to prevent their coming near, but was fired upon by Allee Mahomed.  He missed him, but Fuzl Allee discharged his blunderbuss at him, and he fell; but in falling, he wounded Hyder Khan slightly with his sword.  Hyder Khan then threw away his fire-arms and sprang into the buggy with his naked dagger in his right hand and the minister in his left.  The minister seized him round the waist, forced him back out of the buggy on the left, and fell upon him.  Tuffuzzul Hoseyn then quitted his hold of the horse and rushed to his comrade’s assistance, but the minister still holding Hyder Khan in his right hand, seized Tuffuzzul Hoseyn with his left.  Syud Aman Allee, another personal servant of the minister, was cut down by Fuzl Allee, in attempting to aid his master, and a third personal servant, Shah Meer, was severely wounded by Allee Mahomed, and stood at a distance of twenty paces, calling for help.  Fuzl Allee now made two cuts with his sword on the right shoulder and arm of the minister, below the elbow, and he quitted his hold on the two assassins and fell.  The four assassins now grasped their victim, and told him that they would do him no farther harm if no rescue were attempted.  As they saw the rest of the minister’s armed attendants and a crowd approach, Fuzl Allee and Hyder Khan, with their blunderbusses loaded and cocked, stood one at each end of an open space of about sixty yards, and threatened to shoot the first man who should venture to approach nearer.  The crowd and attendants of the minister were kept back, and no one ventured to enter this space, in the centre of which the minister lay, grasped by Tuffuzzul Hoseyn and Allee Mahomed, who held their naked daggers at his breast.  The minister called out to his attendants and the crowd to keep back.  He was then allowed