The ilex of the hills has not, however, in its nakedness the majesty of the peepul and banyan of the plains, though neither of them can be said to be "when unadorn'd, adorn'd the most." _January_ 31, 1850 .-- Puchgowa, north-east, twelve miles over a plain of doomuteea soil, a good deal of which is out of tillage at present.
On the road we came through several neat villages, the best of which was occupied exclusively by the families of the Kunojeea Brahmin proprietors, and the few persons of inferior caste who ploughed their lands for them, as they are a shade too high in caste to admit of their holding their own ploughs.

They are, however, very worthy people, and seemed very much pleased at being put so much at their ease in a talk with the great man about their own domestic and rural economy.

They told me, that they did not permit Rajpoots to reside in or have anything to do with their village.
"Why ?" I asked.--"Because, sir, if they once get a footing among us, they are, sooner or later, sure to turn us all out." "How ?"--"They get lands by little and little at lease, soon refuse to pay rent, declare the lands to be their own, collect bad characters for plunder, join the Rajpoots of their own clan in all the villages around in their enterprises, take to the jungles on the first occasion, of a dispute, attack, plunder, and burn the village, murder us and our families, and soon get the estate for themselves, on their own terms from the local authorities, who are wearied out by the loss of revenue arising from their depredations; our safety, sir, depends upon our keeping entirely aloof from them." Under a government so weak, the only men who prosper seem to be these landholders of the military classes who are strong in their union, clan feeling, courage, and ferocity.

The villages here are numerous though not large, and by far the greater part are occupied by Rajpoots of the Nikomee tribe.
The Amil of the Mahomdee district, Krishun Sahae, had come out so far as Para to meet me, and have my camp supplied.

He had earned a good reputation as a native collector of long standing in the Shajehanpore district, under Mr.Buller; but being ambitious to rise more rapidly than he could hope to do, under our settled government, he came to Lucknow with a letter of introduction from Mr.Buller to the Resident, Colonel Richmond, paid his court to the Durbur, got appointed Amil of the Mahomdee district, under the _amanee_ system, paid his nazuranas on his investiture, in October last, and entered upon his charge.