THE STATION 145 



pared with these, they are in amount insignificant 

 They consist merely of letters and tabulated statements. 

 They are bound up in large volumes, and, except to 

 anyone desirous of statistical information, are the very 

 driest of reading. The earlier records, those of the 

 years that followed the commencement of our rule, 

 were, on the contrary, often extremely interesting. 

 They were full of incident, and described occurrences 

 that threw so much light on the then condition of the 

 country and mode of life and habits of the English 

 of that long-past time. Unfortunately, except in a very 

 (ew districts, these early records were all destroyed in 

 the Mutiny. 



Among the records that escaped were those of a 

 district where, not very long ago, I was stationed. 

 It was one of the eastern districts, the part of these 

 provinces where our rule had been earliest established. 

 The records extended far back into the last century. 

 Looking over them one day, I came, to my surprise, 

 on a paper drawn up by no less a person than Warren 

 Hastings. It was a printed narrative of his proceedings 

 towards the then Raja of Benares — proceedings which 

 were afterwards made one of the charges against him 

 on the occasion of his state trial. I was aware from 

 the histories that some such proceedings had occurred, 

 but I knew nothing of their details. I commenced to 

 read the narrative from mere curiosity ; but I soon 

 grew deeply interested. What had been a mere bare 

 historical statement now rose before me with all the life, 

 colour, and movement of a chapter of romance. 



The narrative which so much interested me may 

 L 



