h, you would have saved yourself all
this annoyance and mortification. It has arisen from an overweening
confidence in your personal influence over his Majesty; the fact is,
I believe that no European gentleman ever has had or ever will have
any personal influence over him, and I very much doubt whether any
real native gentleman will ever have any. He never has felt any
pleasure in their society, and I fear never will. He has hitherto
felt easy only in the society of such persons as those with whom he
now exclusively associates, and to hope that he will ever feel easy
with persons of a better class is vain. I am perfectly satisfied, in
spite of the oath he has taken in the name of his God, and on the
head of his minister, that he made to you the promise you mention;
and I am no less satisfied that the minister wished for the removal
of the singers, provided it should be effected through us without his
appearing to his master to move in the matter, and that he wished
their removal solely with a view to acquire for himself the authority
they had possessed. You should not have any more audiences with the
King without previous reference to me; nothing is likely to occur to
require it.

Yours sincerely,
(Signed) W. H. SLEEMAN.

To Captain Bird,
&c. &c.

__________________________

Camp, Fyzabad, 18th December, 1819.

My Dear Bird,

I send you the letter which you wish to refer to. As you quote my
first letter, pray let me see it. I kept no copy, but have a distinct
recollection of what I intended to say in it regarding this affair of
the singers. It shall be sent back to you. The term "indiscreet" had
reference only to your second visit, and demand from the King of the
fulfilment of his promise. I had no fault whatever to find with your
first visit. The term "private" must have had reference, not to the
promise or to the person to whom it was made, but to the offence with
which the singers stood charged. It was an affront offered to the
King's understanding that he took affront at, and whether he had made
a promise to resent it as such to me, or to you could make no
difference. If he did not fulfil it, we should pity this further
instance of his weakness, but could have no right to insist upon his
doing so. Even had the offence been an interference in public
affairs, and breach of the King's engagements, I shoul