--Busora, twelve miles north-west from Sandee,
over a plain of light sandy soil, or bhoor, with some intervals of
oosur. The tillage extends over as much of the surface as it ought in
so light a soil; and the district of Sandee Palee generally is said
to be well cultivated. It has been under the charge of Hafiz
Abdoollah, a very honest and worthy man, for seven years up to his
death, which took place in November last. He is said never to have
broken faith with a landholder; but he was too weak in means to keep
the bad portion under control; and too much occupied in reading or
repeating the _Koran_, which he knew all by heart, as his name
imports. His son Ameer Gholam Allee, a lad of only thirteen years of
age, has been appointed his successor. He promises to be like his
father in honesty and love of the holy book.*
[* He has been since removed, and was in prison as a defaulter, July
1851.]
About half way we passed the village of Bhanapoor, held by zumeendars
of the _Dhaukurree_ Rajpoot clan, who told me, that they gave their
daughters in marriage to the Rykwars, but more to the Sombunsie
Rajpoots, who abound in the district, and hold the greater part of
the lands; that these Sombunsies have absorbed almost all the lands
of the other classes by degrees, and are now seizing upon theirs;
that the Sombunsies give their daughters in marriage only to the
Rathore and Chouhan Rajpoots, few of whom are to be found on the Oude
side of the Ganges; and, in consequence, that they take such as they
preserve to our districts on the other side of that river, but murder
the greater part rather than condescend to marry them to men of the
other Rajpoot clans whom they deem to be of inferior grade, or go to
the expense of uniting them in marriage to clans of higher or equal
grade in Oude.
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