officials, and so the King virtually ceased to administer justice himself to his people, or even to witness its administration in his presence. Things drifted from bad to worse; and finally his misrule resulted in the annexation of Oudh by the British, particulars of which are given in Chapter I. of this book. He died, at Calcutta, on the 21st September, 1887, in his 68th year.
It was during Wajid Ali’s reign that the fracas, at Hanuman Gurhi, in Ajodhya, took place. It originated with the Muhammadans, who, under the leadership of a fanatical Maulvi, Ameer Ali by name, attacked the local Hindus for the possession of a sacred piece of ground, but they were repulsed with great loss by the tact of Raja Maun Singh. The King’s troops, sent to quell the disturbance, were also routed by him, which serves to show the condition the Native Government was reduced to.
