several striking circumstances which strongly indicated the necessity of
a regular magistracy and a legal judicature, from the total failure of
justice, affecting not only the subjects at large, but even the reigning
family itself,--as also of the causes why no legal magistracy could
exist, and why the princes of the reigning family were not only exposed
to the attacks of assassins, but even to a want of the protection which
might be had from their servants and attendants, who were driven from
their masters for want of that maintenance which the princes, their
masters, could not procure even for themselves. And the circumstances
aforesaid were detailed to him, the said Hastings, by the Resident,
Bristow, in a letter from Lucknow, dated the 29th January, 1784, to the
Governor-General, the said Warren Hastings, and the Council of Bengal,
in the terms following.

"The frequent robberies and murders perpetrated in his Excellency's, the
Vizier's, dominions, have been _too often_ the subject of my
representations to your honorable board. From the total want of police,
hardly a day elapses but I am informed of some tragical event, whereof
the bare recital is shocking to humanity. About two months since, an
attempt was made to assassinate Rajah Ticket Roy, the acting minister's
confidential agent; but he happily escaped unhurt. Nabob Bahadur, _his
Highness's brother_, has not been so fortunate, as will appear from
translations of two of his letters to me, No. 1, which I have the honor
to inclose for your information. Although my feelings are sensibly hurt
and my compassion strongly excited by _the disgraceful and miserable
state of poverty to which his Excellency's brothers are reduced_, yet,
situated as I am, it is not in my power to interfere with effect. My
efforts on a former occasion failed of success, _and my interposition
now would only excite the resentment of the minister towards the unhappy
sufferers, in consequence of their application to me, from whom ALONE,