Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/49

 PAC When Oudh was annexed Rája Mán Singh was found in possession of Mehdona, the family property, with a then paying jama, after deduction of Rs. 66,053 nánkár, of Rs. 1,91,174. He was at that time returned as a defaulter to the extent of Rs. 50,000 of revenue due to the ex-king In consequence he was deprived at the first summary settlement of his entire estate, and sought refuge for a time in Calcutta. This did not, however, prevent his offering protection and convoy to such of the Fyzabad officials as chose to accept it, when they had to fee from Fyzabad, nor did it prevent him from procuring boats for them, and starting them safely on their voyage down the river. The mutiny found the rája a prisoner in our hands, and he was released in order that he might protect our women and children. Of these proceedings the Deputy Commissioner, Captain Reid, at the time thus wrote: "Without Rája Mán Singh's assistance it would have been quite im- possible to get away this large number, and for his good services he well deserves our gratitude. I was always opposed to the plan of imprisoning him. He was the only man who could have saved Fyzabad aided by our treasury, and I believe he would have done it." At a subsequent period the rája was instrumental in saving Mrs. Mili and other Europeans, who certified to his uniform kindness and considera- tion. On these services Sir John Lawrence made the following remarks on the Occasion of his great Lucknow Darbár:- " You have in my estimation a special claim to honour and gratitude, inasmuch at the commencemeut of the mutiny in 1857, you gave refuge to more than fifty English people in your fort at Fyzabad, most of whom were lielpless women and children, and thus, by God's mercy, were instru- mental in saving all their lives." In the earlier days of the mutiny, Mahárája Mán Singh remained is constant communication with Mr. Gubbins, the former Financial Commis- sioner, and Sir Charles Wingfield, who was then at Gorakhpur, and he was an earnest advocate for an advance against Lucknow by the Gogra and Fyzabad route. So long as there was a chance of such a movement being carried out, he never wavered in his allegiance to the British Government, but having previously made it distinctly known that such would of necesa .sity be the result if no such movement was speedily carried out, no sooner did he hear that the scheme of an advance by the Gogra route had been abandoned, than he proceeded to join the rebel cause at Lucknow. During the siege of the Residency, although the Mahárája had com- mand of an important rebel post, he was in frequent communication with the garrison, and there is little question that had his heart been in the rebel cause, he could have made our position even more disagreeable than it was, and colour is given to this belief from the fact, that when Lucknow kell, Man Singh returned to his fort of Sháhganj, where he in turn was 6