Page:The Lucknow album 1874 by Darogha Ubbas Alli.djvu/64

 the agent, joined the rebel cause and took rank as Grand Vazeer or Prime Minister in the Rebel Durbar ; in this position he dispossessed the trustees and assumed sole control over the whole trust. The rebel government running short of funds, the whole of the gold and silver plate was taken from the Imambara, by order of Prince Birjeesh Kudr, the son of the rebel, Begum Huzrut Mahal, was sent to the mint and coined into money to pay the rebel troops. The trustees, according to their account, were coerced into giving up their seals, under the threat of murdering the son of the elder trustee, the Government securities were taken, and the sinews of war enhanced, by selling some of them to bankers at the rate of 20 per cent, of their actual value. The remainder of the securities fell into the possession of the rebel Begum and are probably in her possession still. The old trustees were deposed and in their place, the present trustees Nawab Mohsun-ood-dowlah Bahadoor, K. C. S. I., and Nawab Moom-taz-ood-dowlah Bahadoor, were appointed, and in place of Shurf-ood-dowlah, Moonshee Ramprashad was appointed as agent. Government granted duplicates of the missing securities, and now the trust seems to be managed on a very grand and extravagant scale, none the worse for its misfor- tunes.

Returning from Hossain-abad, on the right is the " chowk" or great Bazar : it extends from north to south for about a mile and is entered, at both ends, by an arched gateway. The north gate is called the " Gol Durwaza," the south is known as the " Akbari Durwaza." The latter is said to have been in existence when the Emperor Akbar, of Delhi passed through Lucknow, and on his return, after subduing Nepal, he ordered the arch to be repaired and gave it his name. The chowk is a busy street, but so narrow that a carriage cannot turn in it, hence, none are allowed to enter, but elephants may be seen passing at all hours of the day.