The province of Bengal was also divided into Fodjdaries; and, by what I can learn, into ten districts that had Fodjdars. It was in the following order: Islam-abad-chatgam, Silhut, Rangpoor, Rangamatty, the Castle of Djelal-gur-poorania, Radj-mahal-acbar-nagar, Radj-shahy, Bardvan, Midnipoor, and Bacshy-bender-hoogly. All those parts had Fodjdars; but Djehanghir-nagar-daca had a Nazem of its own, with all the train of Imperial officers, mentioned above. All these were attached to their duties, and by their good government, the people of God, as well as the nobles, enjoyed tranquillity and comfort; all districts were well governed and quiet; and the people of God, satisfied with the Emperor’s munificence and kindness, were praying for stability to his reign, and length of days to his life. They rehearsed the praises of his clemency and benignity, knew no enemies but his, and no friends, but his friends; nor did they see their own ease and happiness any­where, but in the ease and happiness of their Princes. With their hearts and tongues, and hands and feet*, they were zealously attached to their Monarch, and to any thing that Happy con­dition of the Indians under their native Princes. appertained to him. In consequence of such administrations on one side, and such sentiments on the other, the country was populous and flourishing, beyond imagination; and the inhabitants contented and happy, as well as sincere. They lived with their doors open; for the means of subsistence being easy, and always at hand, the lowest, as well as the highest, contented themselves with being busy only by day; and at night they drank long draughts from out of that cup of ease and pleasure, which was presented them by plenty and safety; and they lived free from cares and anxieties. The intent of command and sovereignty was then no secret at all; it was abroad; and the truth and sincerity of elevation and dignity were public, and exposed to every one’s sight. But the Empire having been declining these sixty years past, the Emperors became negligent, and the Grandees refractory and rebellious; so that every Nazem has set up for independent and for a King. But yet, as none of these thought of departing from those rules and maxims of government by which the Empire had hitherto flourished, their dominions con­tinued to be in good condition, and their subjects lived easy and contented; so that few, very few of them, knew anything of suffer­ings and miseries; and matters remained in that condition, so And latterly under Aaly-verdy-qhan. late as the very time when Aaly-verdy-qhan possessed himself of these three provinces, and chose his residence in the middle of them. As he had a number of relations and friends, and most of these were men of merit and abilities, he promoted them to offices of importance and trust, in which they studied the welfare of the people, entrusted to their care. For this Prince, although naturally valorous, and of an ambitious, warlike turn of mind, joined to his natural keenness and penetration, so much benignity of temper towards his immediate subjects, and so much con­descendence and lenity towards the Zemindars who behaved dutifully, that he seemed like a father living in his family, surrounded by his children and relations. He raised every one of his friends to offices, equal in dignity to that of Fodjdars, with­out, however, suffering them to become negligent or oppressive. Being studious of governing his subjects with every sentiment of benignity, love, and tenderness, very different in that from his predecessor, Ser-efraz-qhan, who suffered himself to be swayed by partialities about religion and rites, he looked upon all his subjects to be creatures of one and the same God, and brothers of one and the same mother; and he used to promote Gentoos and other dissenters, according to their merits, and just on a footing with the Mussulmen themselves. In fact, these people became his Ministers, and his men in office, were promoted to dignities of five thousand horse, and to offices entrusted with affairs of the utmost importance. No wonder then, if, having been made partakers of his fortune and powers, they not only remained quiet and happy, in the palm of that family’s hand, but served it with an exemplary zeal. And such a conduct was founded in reason, as well as in policy; for an Emperor, or whoever may be in his stead, being in fact the shadow of God, he must render himself conformable to his prototype; and as the Almighty chooses to suffer the diversity of clans and religions amongst his creatures and He nourishes with an equal hand, those that obey and those, that disobey or disregard His commands, so it becomes the Princes and Rulers of this world to imitate His goodness in abstaining from such partialities, as would prove an inclination to one side.

In the reign of that family, the sums received from these countries were expended in these countries, and conduced to their very flourishing circumstances. The inhabitants being easy about their own livelihood, were attached to his Government, lived quiet and happy during his long reign, nor did they ever feel any inquietude about their subsistence; no wonder after that; if no disturbances whatever were ever so much as heard of in his time, unless it was in a remote corner of these provinces, where resided some refractory Zemindars. At Azim-abad, for instance, the Bodjpoorias used to commit now and then some disorders; but the rest of these countries enjoyed abundance with a profound tranquillity. Matters lasted on that footing, until Aaly-verdy-qhan came to depart this life, after his three nephews had already departed theirs; and then there came upon the stage of the world such a man as Seradj-ed-döwla, a Prince equally proud and ignorant, whose fate we have seen, and a Mir-djaafer-qhan, a man destitute both of wisdom and common sense, as well as void of all religion, whose administration we have felt; and it was these two men, with their successors, that gave a total overthrow to all those institutes and maxims of justice and Govern­ment, which had rendered these countries so very flourishing.

Under the English Government the principal Zemindars being now their own masters, and the hinges of all business in The Zemin­dars too little restrained, and kept under in the English Gov­ernment. their own lands; and having been so lucky as to curry some favour with their masters; and all this in contrariety to former institutes, which held it as an invariable maxim, to keep them low; these people do now just as they please, and in what man­ner they please; nor do they make any thing of fighting amongst themselves, and killing and slaughtering their subjects; whilst the Fodjdar dares not to quarrel with them, and is even afraid to give them an order, or to revenge the oppressed ones upon those tyrants, or even to reclaim from their hands the property of those travellers whom they have despoiled. Or if at any time the Fodjdar chances to receive any such thing from their hands, he keeps it to himself, as if to verify those verses of Sheh-saady, (upon whom be mercy for ever):

“Once a sheep was by a stout man

Rescued from the jaws and grasp of a wolf;

But at night the man drew his knife and cut the sheep’s throat.

The animal, in expiring, did not fail to utter these words with a groan:

To no purpose didst thou snatch me from the wolf’s grasp,

Since at last thou provest to be a wolf thyself:

It is from such men that the English have received these The Fodj­dary office, or Criminal Court, as it is exercised now, becomes one of the main grievances of the natives. countries; and from them have they obtained all the instructions they want. So that those strangers hearing, for instance, of the Fodjdary office, and how useful and salutary it was in former times, they have set up the like officers everywhere in their dominions, and, in imitation of the ancient Princes of this country, they bestow on them large sums of money, but yet to very little purpose, and to no benefit at all. For the office itself answers no other end in these days, than that of multiply­ing oppression, and of tormenting in private and public the inhabitants of those large towns and famous cities that had served in times of yore for stations to the former Fodjdars; insomuch that whilst the sobs and groans of the oppressed are reaching the very canopy of heaven, those officers go on approv­ing themselves incapable of performing the business expected from them. The Fodjdary of these new Fodjdars is entirely pointed against the principal inhabitants of those large towns and cities, as we have been mentioning; for now it consists only in circumventing and involving unwary people, in every artful accusation and chicanery which they can devise, that they may squeeze from them a few pence; and this they do, without the least anxiety about their being called to an account, having already provided a strong interest with the head of their brotherhood*, and knowing full well, how little the English care about what concerns us, poor natives; and how little Hindostanies can find access to the Governor-General*, or to the men in authority, so as to converse with them, and to make a representation of their grievances. Hence those men go on in their iniquities with the greatest security, tor­menting the people of God, by every artifice and oppression they can contrive. So small a branch of business as this, which in little cities was heretofore so easily performed by a Cutwal, with honour to himself and advantage to the public, is found to afford now employment for a multitude of illustrious Fodjdars, whose names and titles are such, that with the proud tip of their caps they seem to rub the canopy of heaven; whilst by exercising every art of oppression and injustice, they render themselves odious and contemptible in every blind alley, as well as in every frequented market. Nor does it appear that their office, as established by the Governor-General and Committee throughout the Company’s dominions, consists in any thing more than in suppressing the banditti, highwaymen, and thieves; in punishing those that dare betake to that pro­fession; in hindering people from killing or plundering each other, and in providing against theft, fornication, and murder. All this business was easily done in the times of Aaly-verdy-qhan, as well as long before him, by the Cutvals in great cities, and even elsewhere by thousands of little Aamils and little Regissers who performed it better than these pompous Fodjdars of our days did at any time. The difference between those gentlemen, on one hand, and the Cutvals and Regissers of former times, on the other, consists in this, that these last, for fear of accusations and after-reckonings, did not dare to commit any oppressions, or insolences; whereas their successors, proud of their dignities and conections, and sensible of the neglect of the English in these Severe hints against Mahmed-reza-
qhan, and his substitutes. matters, fear no man, and dread no consequence, but launch into every oppression which they can think of, endeavouring espe­cially to circumvent by every species of chicanery, and to render contemptible and of small account, those men of ancient families and high descent, and especially such as have made it a point to keep clear of them; and if at any time complaints find their way to the Governor-General, they are hushed down by the authority and mediation of their head protector; who, for fear of accusa­tions against himself, and of consequent dismission to his people, puts in motion so many resorts, and sacrifices so much money, that the poor injured one is kept asunder from inspection and redress.