with Rajpoot or Afghán foes. In 1818 the Ráwa, or ruler of Jaisalmere followed the example of his brother princes, and placed his country under our protection. The capital of the State is one of the healthiest and most beautiful towns in India, built entirely of stone adorned with abundant and tasteful carvings. The ruler of Bikaneer has a salute of 17 guns, while he of Jaisalmere has a salute of 15 guns.

CHAPTER XXV.

FEUDATORY NATIVE STATES.-continued.

JAT AND OTHER MINOR STATES.

Alwar-Kishengarh-Dholpore-Bhurtpore-Tonk-Kotah-KerauleePolitical Relations.

The Ját States.-The other 13 States in this group are comparatively small, from Alwar with an area of 3,024 down to Kishengárh which covers only 724 square miles. Two of them, Dholpore and Bhurtpore, on the left bank of the Chumbul, are Ját States, ruled, that is, by Ját princes. Both are of recent origin. Dholpore was made over early in this century to the Rána of Góhad in exchange for his own district claimed by Scindia, and Bhurtpore was one of the little states which rose in the last century out of the ruins of the Mogul Empire. Runjeet Singh, a descendant of its founder, gave Holkar shelter within the walls of his almost inaccessible capital in 1805, an act which led to the fruitless siege of that stronghold by Lord Lake. After beating back our troops four times with heavy slaughter, the Rajah came to terms and agreed to acknowledge the East India Company as his suzerain. Twenty years later Lord Combermere led another British army against the one stronghold which had successfully braved our arms.

This time Bhurtpore was taken and its rightful Rajah restored to power in the room of the usurping Dúrjan Sál. His son, the present Rajah, enjoys a salute of 17 guns, while 15 are allotted to the Rána of Dholpore, who received a Grand Commandership of the Star of India for his loyal conduct throughout the Mutiny.

Tonk.-Another relic of the Mogul Disruption is the Muhammadan principality of Tonk, founded at the close of the last century by the terrible freebooter Ameer Khán, a Pathán adventurer from Rohilkund, whose marauding bands followed the standard of Jeswant Rao Holkar. The dominions which this soldier of fortune carved out for himself with Holkar's leave were secured to him in 1817 by the Indian Government, on condition of his renouncing all further connection with the Pindárees and reducing the number of his troops. From that time the famous freebooter eschewed his evil ways, became respectable, even devout, and governed his little State of 2,730 square miles as successfully as he had formerly ravaged its Rájpoot neighbours. His son behaved well during the Great Mutiny, but the next Nawáb, who succeeded him in 1864, was deposed in 1868 by Lord Lawrence, the Viceroy, for the part he took in murdering the uncle of one of his Thákures, or Barons. The late Nawab was conveyed as a prisoner at large to Benáres, and his eldest son was placed upon the Guddee, the cushion which in India does duty for a throne. He has a personal salute of 17 guns.

Búndee.-Búndee, with an area of 2,291 square miles, dates from the middle of the 14th century. The first Rao of Búndee was a Chohan Rajpoot, who fled from

Moslem tyranny into Mewár, and afterwards founded the State which his descendants still rule. The Ráos of Búndee alternately served and fought against the Moguls. One of them in 1804 gave timely help to Colonel Monson's shattered and exhausted troops during their retreat before Holkar. His grandson in 1817 zealously aided his English allies in cutting off the retreat of the Pindárees, a service rewarded by the recovery of possessions which Holkar and Scindia had taken from his family. In 1818 Búndee also was formally placed under our protection, and its Máháraos receive a salute of 17 guns.

Kotah.-Kotah, with more than twice the area of Búndee, was an offshoot of the latter, dating only from 1625, when it was bestowed by the Emperor Jahangire on a prince of Búndee, in return for faithful services in the field. In later times Kotah paid tribute to the Mahráttas, until their overthrow paved the way for its acceptance of British suzerainty. In 1857 the Ráo of Kotah made no apparent effort to repress the mutiny of his Contingent, or to save the Political Agent from murder; for which reason four guns were taken from the number of his salute. The full number of seventeen was however restored to his successor some years ago.

Siróhee.-The Ráos of Siróhee, a small State on the borders of Mewár, and Joudhpore, claim the proud distinction of never having owned the suzerainty of any power, until in 1823 one of them agreed to pay tribute to the Indian Government in return for his admission to the benefits of British rule. In 1845 another Ráo ceded Mount Aboo as a sanitarium to

the English on condition that no cows or pigeons were ever killed there. His services during the Mutiny were rewarded by a large reduction of his tribute. Fifteen guns is the number of the Ráo's salute.

Karaulee.-The little State of Karaulee was the first to claim the protection offered in 1817 by the Marquis of Hastings to the princes and people of Rajpootána. In 1852, on the death of its Rajah without a direct heir, Karaulee would have been absorbed into British India by Lord Dalhousie as a lapsed fief. But opinion in this country proved hostile to that great ruler's bold policy, and the right of a feudatory to adopt an heir in certain cases was admitted by the placing of Madan Pál on the vacant Guddee. In return for his services during the Mutiny, the new Rajah obtained a remission of his debt to the Supreme Government, and an increase of his salute from 15 to 17 guns.

Political Relations.-The relations of all these States with the Supreme Government are managed by the Governor-General's Agent from Mount Aboo, where he resides in the hot season, visiting the different States in the cold weather. For this purpose the whole of Rájpootána is divided into seven Agencies, the Mewár, the Jeypore, the Márwár, the Haráotee, and so forth. Each is under an English "Political," who transacts business with the native ministers, and combines in himself the various parts of diplomatist, head magistrate, and minister of State, with large if undefined powers of interference in the internal affairs of his Agency. The Márwár Agent holds a special Court for deciding all disputes between the different States of