A RUN THROUGH KATHIAWAR. 237 



ledge of Arabic, a language to which few of his caste 

 ever pay any attention." 



The Dewan of Junaghar, when I visited Kathiawar, 

 was also an exceedingly courteous, dignified, and 

 intelligent gentleman. This was the Azum Gokulji 

 Sumpatram, also a Xagar Brahman. At this time 

 he was absent at Rajkot, in attendance on the young 

 prince, the Xawab's son and heir; but I met him at 

 LYijkot, and had before made very friendly acquaint- 

 ance with him. His disposition was .very kind and 

 pleasing, his knowledge great, his piety unaffected ; 

 and, in the course of much intercourse with him 

 relating to business affairs, in which there was some 

 temptation to depart from strict rectitude, I never 

 saw in h;:u the least shadow of guile, or anything 

 which would be deemed unworthy of the highest 

 cla>> of English gentlemen. Even those who found 

 most fault Avith the state of Junaghar had nothing 

 to say against his personal character; but they 

 alleged that he was only nominally Dewan, and was 

 put forward in that position in order to give respecta- 

 bility to an administration that otherwise would not 

 bear looking into. In a certain sense this was no 

 doubt true. Gokulji saw evils existing around him 

 Avhich he was powerless to remedy, as Runcharji had 

 been before him, and every man in high position is 

 similarly placed in all parts of the world ; but I do 

 not believe, and have not the least reason to believe, 

 that his dewanship was a nominal one, or that he 



