ld
be alive. As both he and Ajoodia Pershad have been many years dead, I
commit no breach of confidence in now telling the story. The picture
purporting to be that of the Nana having been published in 1857, it
rightly forms a reminiscence of the Mutiny, although much of the
following tale occurred several years earlier; but to make the history
of the picture complete, the facts which led to it must be noticed.

There are but few Europeans now in India who remember the scandal
connected with the trial of Ajoodia Pershad, the commissariat
contractor, for payment for the supplies and carriage of the army
throughout the second Sikh war. When it came to a final settlement of
his accounts with the Commissariat Department, Ajoodia Pershad claimed
three and a half _crores_ of rupees (equal to three and a half millions
sterling), in excess of what the auditor would pass as justly due to
him; and the Commissariat Department, backed by the Government of India,
not only repudiated the claim, but put Ajoodia Pershad on his trial for
falsification of accounts and attempting to defraud the Government.
There being no high courts in those days, nor trial by jury, corrupt or
otherwise, for natives in the Upper Provinces, an order of the
Governor-General in Council was passed for the trial of Ajoodia Pershad
by special commission, with the judge-advocate-general as prosecutor.
The trial was ordered to be held at Meerut, and the commission
assembled there, commencing its sittings in the Artillery mess-house
during the cold weather of 1851-52. There were no barristers or pleaders
in India in those days--at least in the Mofussil, and but few in the
presidency towns; but Ajoodia Pershad, being a very wealthy man, sent an
agent to England, and engaged the services of Mr. John Lang,
barrister-at-law, to come out and defend him. John Lang left England in
May, 1851, and came out round the Cape in one of Green's celebrated
liners, the _Nile_, and he reached Meerut about December, when the trial
commenced.

Everything went swimmingly with the prosecution till Mr. Lang began his
cross-examination of the witnesses, he having reserved his privilege
till he heard the whole case for the prosecution. Directly the
cross-examination commenced, the weakness of the Government case became
apparent. I need not now recall how the commissary-general, the deputy
commissary-general, and their assistants were made to contradict each
other, and to contradict thems