In this sum were
included the confiscations of the estates of some favourites of his
predecessors, Asuf-od Dowlah and Wuzeer Allee, who had grown rich
upon bribery and frauds of all kinds. He never confiscated the
estates of any good and faithful servants, who left lawful heirs to
their property.
He had been freely aided by British troops, according to the
stipulations of the treaty of 1801; but the British Government had
been made sensible, on several occasions, of the difficulty of
fulfilling its engagements with the sovereign with a due regard to
the rights and interests of his subjects. Saadnt Allee Khan was a man
of great general ability, had mixed much in the society of British
officers in different parts of India, had been well trained to habits
of business, understood thoroughly the character, institutions, and
requirements of his people, and, above all, was a sound judge of the
relative merits and capacities of the men from whom he had to select
his officers, and a vigilant supervisor of their actions. This
discernment and discrimination of character, and vigilant
supervision, served him through life; and the men who served him ably
and honestly always felt confident in his protection and support. He
had a thorough knowledge of the rights and duties of his officers and
subjects, and a strong will to secure the one and enforce the other.
To do so he knew that he must, with a strong hand, keep down the
large landed aristocracy, who were then, as they are now, very prone
to grasp at the possessions of their weaker neighbours, either by
force or in collusion with local authorities.
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