In other parts of India I believe the bulk of the people will be with us; but here in Oude, our last annexation, I fear that they will side against us, unless all the great landowners range themselves on our side." "As far as I can see," Bathurst said, "the people are contented with the change.

I don't say what I may call the professional fighting class, the crowd of retainers kept by the great landowners, who were constantly fighting against each other.

Annexation has put a stop to all that, and the towns are crowded with these fighting men, who hate us bitterly; but the peasants, the tillers of the soil, have benefited greatly.

They are no longer exposed to raids by their powerful neighbors, and can cultivate their fields in peace and quiet.

Unfortunately their friendship, such as it is, will not weigh in the slightest degree in the event of a struggle.