THE ULWAR TRAGEDY. 237 



near the scene of the murder, fitted the hilt in the assassin's 

 possession, and helped to bring the crime home to him. This 

 outrage took place on the public road in broad daylight, yet 

 no one seems to have interfered. 



The Government of India ordered an investigation by a 

 Special Court, Ahai Singh, the actual assassin, confessed, 

 and got off with penal servitude for life. Major Earn 

 Chunder was sentenced to death, and several natives of 

 position who were proved to be implicated got various terms 

 of imprisonment. A curious feature of the defence was the 

 production by the accused of letters from the late Maharaja 

 assenting to the plot against his Minister's life, and giving 

 the conspirators to understand that they might rely upon 

 his protection. They pleaded that these letters constituted 

 a command from their Sovereign, and that they only obeyed 

 his orders. This contention the Court overruled ; but if the 

 Maharaja had not died in the interim, no doubt he would 

 have been deposed, or put upon his trial. I believe the 

 difficulties in tracing the crime home to the instigators were 

 almost insuperable, and but for Colonel Fraser's energy 

 and knowledge of native character would never have been 

 overcome. 



Wednesday, January ISth. — Early this morning we all 

 drove to the palace stables, and were met by Jey Singh, the 

 present Maharaja, a bright-looking boy about twelve years 

 old. After inspecting the horses, two fighting rams were 



