f fifteen or twenty of
wheat, gram, &c. The pucka-beega, two thousand seven hundred and
fifty-six square yards, requires one maund of seed of forty seers, of
eighty rupees of the King's and Company's coinage the seer.* The
country, as usual, studded with trees, single, and in clusters and
groves, intermingled with bamboos, which are, however, for the most
part, of the smaller or hill kind.

[* The pucka-beega in Oude is about the same as that which prevails
over our North-Western Provinces, two thousand seven hundred and
fifty-six and a quarter square yards, or something more than one-half
of our English statute acre, which is four thousand eight hundred and
forty square yards. This pucka-beega takes of seed-wheat one maund,
or eighty pounds; and yields on an average, under good tillage, eight
returns of the seed, or eight maunds, or six hundred and forty
pounds, which, at one rupee the maund, yields eight rupees, or
sixteen shillings. The stock required in Oude in irrigated lands is
about twenty rupees the pucka-beega. The rent on an average two
rupees. In England an acre, on an average, requires two and three-
quarter bushels of seed wheat, or one hundred and seventy-six pounds,
or two maunds and sixteen seers, and yields twenty-four bushels, or
one thousand five hundred and thirty-six pounds. This at forty
shillings the quarter (512 lbs.) would yield six pounds sterling. The
stock required in England is estimated at ten pounds Sterling per
acre, or ten times the annual rent. It is difficult to estimate the
rate of rent on land in England, since the reputed owner is said to
be "only the ninth and last recipient of rent."]

On reaching camp, I met, for the first time, the great landholder,
Nawab Allee, of Mahmoodabad. In appearance, he is a quiet gentlemanly
man, of middle age and stature. He keeps his lands in the finest
possible state of tillage, however objectionable the means by which
he acquires them. His family have held the estates of Mahmoodabad and
Belehree for many generations as zumeendars, or proprietors; but they
have augmented them greatly, absorbing into them the estates of their
weaker neighbours.*

[* Akram Allee and Muzhur Allee inherited the estate in two
divisions. Akram Allee got Mahmoodabad, and had two sons, Surufraz
Allee, who died without issue, before his father; and Mosahib Allee,
who succeeded to the estate, but died without issue. Muzhur Allee got
the estate of Belehree, and had two son