He had returned to his fort with all his family on my passing, and it contained but few soldiers, with a vast number of women and children.  He saw that it would be of no use to resist, and surrendered his fort and person to Captain Bunbury, who sent him a prisoner to Lucknow, under charge of two Companies, commanded by Captain Hearsey.  He is under trial, but he has so many influential friends about the Court, with whom he has shared his plunder, that his ultimate punishment is doubtful.  Captain Bunbury was praised for his skill and gallantry, and was honoured with a title by the king.

December 3, 1849.—­Kinalee, ten miles over a plain, highly cultivated and well studded with groves, but we could see neither town, village, nor hamlet on the road.  A poor Brahmin, Gunga Sing, came along the road with me, to seek redress for injuries sustained.  His grandfather was in the service of our Government, and killed under Lord Lake, at the first siege of Bhurtpore in 1804.  With the little he left, the family had set up as agricultural capitalists in the village of Poorwa Pundit, on the estate of Kulunder Buksh, of Bhitwal.  Here they prospered.  The estate was, as a matter of favour to Kulunder Buksh, transferred from the jurisdiction of the contractor to that of the Hozoor Tehseel.* Kulunder Buksh either could not, or would not, pay the Government demand; and he employed two of his relatives, Godree and Hoseyn Buksh, to plunder in the estate and the neighbourhood, to reduce Government to his own terms.  These two persons, with two hundred armed men, attacked the village in the night; and, after plundering the house of this Brahmin, Gunga Sing, they seized his wife, who was then pregnant, and made her point out a hidden treasure of one hundred and seven gold mohurs, and two hundred and seventy-seven rupees.  She had been wounded in several places before she did this, and when she could point out no more, one of the two brothers cut her down with his sword, and killed her.  In all the Brahmin lost two thousand seven hundred and fifty-five rupees’ worth of property; and, on the ground of his grandfather having been killed in the Honourable Company’s service, has been ever since urging the Resident to interpose with the Oude government in his behalf.

[* The term “Hozoor Tehseel” signifies the collections of the revenue made by the governor himself whether of a district or a kingdom.  The estates of all landholders who pay their land-revenues direct to the governor, or to the deputy employed under him to receive such revenues and manage such estates, are said to be in the “Hozoor Tehseel.”  The local authorities of the districts on which such estates are situated have nothing whatever to do with them.]

The estate of Bhitwal has been retransferred to the jurisdiction of the Amil of Byswara, who has restored it to Kulunder Buksh; and his two relatives, Godree and Hoseyn Buksh, are thriving on the booty acquired, and are in high favour with the local authorities.  I have requested that measures may be adopted to punish them for the robbery and the cruel murder of the poor woman; but have little hope that they will be so. No government in India is now more weak for purposes of good than that of Oude.