In the now divided territories of Bheer Singh Deo, the rajahs, who have established themselves upon the ruins of his once somewhat important domi nions, can, from their own fortresses and castles, espy others alike the work of the one grand lord of the soil, though now tenanted by, it may be, a hostile chief. From the walls of Jhansi, a fortress and town situated on the summit of a rocky eminence, the castles of Dutteah and of Oorcha are to be seen. Jhansi is the capital of one of the little states which rose out of the ruins of Bheer Singh's dynasty; it is surrounded by a high wall of solid masonry, strengthened by many towers and bastions, which, if not very effective against an assailing army, afford an idea of security to inexperienced eyes, and perhaps appear to be more capable of defence than the less elevated batteries of modern citadels. The fortress, which is of considerable extent, and of an oblong figure, encloses a large area of ground, comprehending the citadel, a huge round tower on the highest elevation, various buildings of different degrees of importance, and the town, both the interior and exterior, being planted with very fine timber. There is a handsome serai, and some other edifices of importance in the suburbs, which are well wooded with magnificent tamarind and other trees, and which also contain long ranges of mud huts, the abodes of the Chumars, one of those wretched tribes of outcasts, against whom the prejudice is so strong, that they are not permitted to breathe within the walls of a place inhabited by people of purer descent. The present rajah of Jhansi is a young man, or at least still in the prime of life, deriving a revenue from his territories amounting to about sixteen lacs: he is active in his government, the town being prosperous and well regulated, and he affects a greater degree of splendour in his appearance and suwarree, or equipage, than many of the neighbouring potentates, who, conscious of poverty, make little or no attempt to conceal it. Jhansi owes a considerable portion of its prosperity to its manufactures, which consist of carpets and iron; the latter is chiefly wrought into weapons, and the former bear a strong resemblance to those of Turkey, both in the pattern and quality. They are much sought after in India, and are only to be found here, and at Mirzapore, a large and flourishing town, on the banks of the Ganges, in the same province, the whole of Bundelkhund being comprized within the limits of Allahabad.

Although the Boondelas have not had the same frequent opportunities of associating with Europeans, as those natives who live more in their track,—a solitary traveller now and then passing through the district, the occasional visit of a commander-in-chief, and a state interview with the political agent, comprizing the chief part of their intercourse,-perhaps, in no part of the Company's territories is there more attempt at imitating English customs. Many of the chieftains have acquired some proficiency in the language of their Christian rulers; but their knowledge is superficial, and serves at present only to render them ridiculous in the eyes of their European visitants, who survey with contempt the childish tastes and frivolous pursuits of these half-Anglicised Indians. In many parts of Hindostan, we meet with natives who surprise us by the degree of information which they have obtained respecting the laws, institutions, politics, and literature of Europe; and we are led to entertain the most sanguine hopes that these well-directed researches will lead to the improvement of the social and moral condition of the people of India, an improvement which every philanthropic mind must so earnestly desire. In Bundelkhund, on the contrary, it is grievous to perceive how much more easily follies and vices are acquired, than either knowledge or virtue; we find the native character deteriorated by its intercourse with Europeans, from whom Asiat.Journ.N.S. VOL.21.No.83 2 G

the chieftains have only learned to drink deeply, and to indulge in a ruinous taste for a new method of gambling,-that upon the turf. Their literature is confined to a few trashy scrap-books, and their acquaintance with the fine arts, to the trumpery exported to the Indian market; they know nothing solid, nothing that can be useful, either to themselves or to their dependants, and are objects of contempt to those who have taught them to add drunkenness to the list of their debaucheries, and who take advantage of their ignorance of all that belongs to the turf, to out-jockey them upon every occasion. In spite of its barbarism, there is something respectable in the patriarchal manner in which many of the chieftains of Bundelkhund are to be seen, sitting down in the midst of their dependants, in their ancient castles, and greeting their guests after the old Hindoostanee fashion: bestirring themselves to make a suitable appearance whenever a great man shall pass that way, mustering spears, matchlocks, and every kind of obsolete weapon, and turning out retainers of every description, from the man at arms, clothed from head to foot in chain-mail, to the ragged servitor, who, with a coarse cloth wrapped about his limbs, has snatched up the first bamboo that came to hand, in order to increase the crowd and the noise, which are considered to be so essential to Indian splendour.

The chieftains of Bundelkhund are principally followers of Brihm, bearing the Hindoo title of " rajah ;" the Mahommedans, however, have acquired some possessions amongst them, the nuwab of Banda being the most remarkable person of this class. Banda is the modern capital of Bundelkhund, and has been raised to its present prosperous condition by the British, who have made it a station for a small number of troops; it has become an emporium for the trade of the surrounding country, and exports considerable quantities of cotton, which is esteemed of better quality than the products of other places. The nuwab, who possesses a house at Cawnpore, which he visits occasionally, and where he continues to lose considerable sums of money, affects a good deal of the English style of dress, which, when mixed up with that of Hindostan, presents the most barbarous, grotesque, and absurd costume imaginable : trowsers tucked into jockey boots, with the tunic formed into an awkward imitation of a coat, ruin the effect of the most picturesque array. Zoolfikar Ali entertains in the English style, his visits to Cawnpore having enabled him to furnish his house after the European fashion. He is not so scrupulous as many of his Mahommedan brethren, respecting the unclean animal, hams appearing at his table—a compliment which the natives suppose to be almost essential to their Christian guests, even the king of Oude condescending to sit at a board polluted by the presence of pork. Though contrary to the usual custom, he eats freely with his guests of the viands placed before him; but he has the grace to abstain, in public, from wine, taking water with those gentlemen whom he invites to drink a more generous beverage. In general, when Moosulmanee gentlemen sit down to table with English visitors, there are one or two dishes particularly prepared, and they partake of no other. They will offer these dishes to their guests, and seem pleased if they be accepted, but will not themselves taste anything else. On one occasion, the writer, being on a visit at the house of a civilian of rank, was invited to dine at the mansion of a nuwab, at a few miles distance. In order that every thing proper should be provided for the occasion, the head man, or khansamah, belonging to the judge, was requested to officiate. The dinner proved, of course, such a one as a native, priding himself upon his acquaintance with gastronomical science, and having carte blanche for the expense, would put upon the table, which literally groaned under the weight of the feast. It may be supposed that a very incon

siderable portion was consumed. The season happened to be one in which provisions would keep, with care, and during the two following days, observant eyes might detect the fragments (if such they might be called) served up anew at the table of the judge. This gentleman being a bachelor, and satisfied to see a good and abundant dinner placed before him, never looking into the minutiæ, was not aware that all the roasts were re-roasted for the occasion, and that all the fricassees, &c. had figured before, some miles distant from the scene of their present début. There can be no doubt that the bazaar-accounts suffered no diminution that week, so that altogether the nuwab's dinner must have put a considerable sum into the khansamah's pocket. The dishes being all excellent, the writer, who derived much amusement from encountering these old friends with a new face, did not make the discovery known; and if others entertained any suspicion of the fact, they were equally discreet, the master of the house evidently never dreaming of such an appropriation.

Natives, however remote they may be from European communities, are sufficiently aware of the mode of living pursued by casual guests of the Christian persuasion, to provide animal food, and fermented liquors in great abundance. Dinner services of China have likewise found their way to the houses of nearly every prince or great person in authority; but when the acquaintance is limited to general notions upon the subject, knives and forks are not always forth. coming, and in many instances there have been lamentable defalcations in the article of glasses. The natives have a dexterous method of drinking out of a bottle, which European ingenuity cannot reach-the liquid is chucked, as it were, into the mouth, without permitting the vessel to come in contact with the lips. This proves an impossible achievement to those who have been accustomed to a different mode; and Europeans also find themselves dreadfully at a loss without those useful implements, a knife and fork, which a native handles with considerable difficulty. Latterly, however, these distressing dilemmas have been prevented by the servants, who attend at the chairs of their European masters, proceeding to the scene of action, camp-fashion, that is, with a wine-glass or two, and a couple of knives, forks, and spoons, snugly tucked into their cummurbunds.

A march of a very few miles is always sufficient to bring the traveller in Bundelkhund to some interesting building; hill-fortresses abound every where, and of them the most celebrated is that of Callinjer. One great peculiarity of the ground, in this district, consists in its frequently rising in abrupt and isolated masses, perfectly precipitous to the summit, where it spreads into table-land, forming an immense platform, and capable of being very strongly defended. In fact, Callinjer may be said to have bidden defiance even to European arms; it resisted the most determined assaults, and capitulated at last, in consequence of a successful negociation carried on between the contending parties. The rock, on which this singular and very striking fortress stands, rises boldly from the plain, being separated from the neighbouring ranges of hills by rocky vallies, thickly wooded. The base has been scarped all round; the luxuriant vegetation has clothed it with foliage until about fifty feet from the summit, at which point the rock becomes bare, and as smooth and precipitous as a wall, being scarcely distinguishable from the bastions which surround it. These battlements are said to be six miles in circumference, and their height 950 feet above the plain. The only approach to the gates of the fortress is by winding, stair-like road, cut into easy steps, which is practicable both for elephants and horses; carriages, however, must be conveyed upon the heads of men, and as there is a drive of at least three miles upon the sum

mit, young officers have frequently sent up their buggies in this way, for the purpose of enjoying it. The table-land of Callinjer is plentifully supplied with water, not only from several tanks, but also a well, which is said to be unfathomable. There is another hill-fortress about twenty miles distant, named Ajeetghur, which, though inferior both in height and circumference, the tableland on the summit being only a mile in length, by about 800 feet in breadth, resisted successfully the armies, headed by native princes, which were brought against it, and surrendered at last, after a desperate conflict, to British skill and prowess.

In consequence of the peculiar nature of the country, and the intrepid character of the inhabitants,―for the Boondelas, with all their faults, are brave,— the district never could be thoroughly subjected, either by the Moghuls or the Mahrattas. Had there been more unanimity amongst the chieftains, and a better system of discipline, it might have maintained its independence to this day. The history of Callinjer alone would occupy a volume, being distinguished, both in ancient and modern times, for the desperate manner in which it has resisted the attempts made to subdue it. Treachery has, however, in more than one instance, occasioned its fall; and to this circumstance alone is attributed the success of Shere Shah, who drove Humaioon into exile, and seating himself upon the throne of Delhi, nearly accomplished his intention of re-establishing the empire of the Patans. The bursting of a gun at Callinjer ended his career, and the Moghul dynasty was re-instated. There is scarcely a spot throughout Bundelkhund, which has not been the scene of some desperate conflict, and in which the Hindoos, assuming the yellow, have come forth with a determination to perish rather than yield to their adversaries. At Ajeetghur, a tragedy of this nature, evincing the unconquerable spirit of the vanquished, was enacted so late as 1809. An old man, the relative of the chieftain, who had been at length compelled to surrender, was deputed to conduct the inmates of the zenana to their new abode. The women, easily influenced by the indignant representations of their adviser, consented to die rather than submit to the will of the conqueror, and share the humiliation of their lord, who was a prisoner. Yielding their throats willingly to the knife, not a shriek or groan betrayed to the people, on the outside of the house, the fearful tragedy which was acting within; and when at length the door was forced, the corses of the slayer and the slain alone remained to tell the tale; for the old man had killed himself, after putting all the women and children to death.

The Boondelas do not carry any marks of these heroic qualities in their countenances, being considered to be rather a stunted and ill-favoured race, when compared to the other inhabitants of the Upper Provinces, who, with the exception of the Mahrattas, offer some of the finest specimens of the human animal, to be found in the whole peninsula, or, perhaps, any other part of the world.

THE WELLESLEY OFFICIAL PAPERS.*

THE administration of Lord Wellesley, during the eventful period which intervened between 1798 and 1805, forms, perhaps, the most conspicuous and important part of the history of British India. The ascendancy which the French had acquired in that country, towards the close of Sir John Shore's administration; the strong and mischievous impulse which revolutionary principles gave to the political intrigues of the French; the alliance formed between them and one of the most powerful native states in the peninsula, whose sovereign was peculiarly exasperated against us, with the view of expelling the English from India, and the Mahratta war, with the days of Laswaree and Assye, cannot be looked back upon, at the present moment, without a conviction that British interests must have been placed in fearful jeopardy, and that nothing less than a master-mind could have overcome the dangers which threatened them, and extracted from them the means of cementing and consolidating our dominion.

A part of our Indian history so important, it is essential should be well and thoroughly appreciated; because the administration of Lord Wellesley was regulated by a systematic policy, which left, as it were, its impress upon the political arrangements and relations which arose out of it. It so happens, however, that no part of the recent history of British India is so ill-understood. The very erroneous and partial views of the career and policy of the Marquess, given in a work which is read because there is no other history of India, have contributed to confirm misapprehensions, which were, in the first instance, produced by the magnitude of the successful results of his measures. "Lord Wellesley," says Mr. Mill, 66 was regarded as a very expensive and ambitious ruler, and the greater part of his administration had been a scene of war and conquest:" as if extensive hostile combinations, promoted and assisted by an inveterate European rival, could be defeated without war, and as if war could be carried on without expense. The public have since had ample opportunity of estimating the comparative advantages of the warlike and the pacific principles; the result, we believe, has been to place in a more just point of view the genius and discernment of Lord Wellesley.

The peculiar mode in which our empire in the East is administered, however anomalous, is productive of this advantage, that the measures of its rulers admit of being reviewed at a subsequent date, with all the motives which suggested them, owing to the necessity of discussing them so largely upon paper, in minutes and despatches. Hence, we are furnished with the best materials for history,-materials which spare the historian many a laborious investigation.

The official papers of the Marquess Wellesley are allowed (notwithstanding the severe criticism they have undergone in the work to which we have alluded,) to be admirable compositions,―remarkable, generally speaking, at once for the soundness of their principles and for the intuitive sagacity with

• The Despatches, Minutes and Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley, K.G., during his Administration in India. Edited by MR. MONTGOMERY MARTIN. Vol. I. and 11. Murray. Allen and Co.