I2O Indigo in tJie Azamgarh District. 



factories erected by Mr. Crommelin and others, and 

 Mr. J. H. Stonehouse who held the Dobrighat concern, 

 were the chief independent Europeans in the district. 

 They traded largely in sugar and other native pro- 

 duce in addition to indigo, and Mr. Hunter was also 

 in possession of a good deal of landed property 

 He died at Nizamabad in 1845, and his large indigo 

 concern was broken up. Mr. Stonehouse also had 

 been unfortunate in business, and had to relinquish 

 most of his factories, but he continued to reside in 

 the district, holding a small factory, which he built at 

 Rajapatti in Pergunnah Nizamabad, till 1857. At the 

 time of the mutinies there were at least nine con- 

 cerns, whose headquarters were in the district. The 

 chief of them was the Dobrighat concern held by 

 Mr. E. F. Venables. Previous to the mutinies, and 

 for some years after them, the production of indigo 

 remained chiefly in European and Eurasian hands. 

 The only native who seems to have held factories 

 before the mutinies was Basu Darzi, who, having 

 been originally Mr. Hunter's tailor, and afterwards 

 his chief manager, had acquired a good deal of 

 money, and on Mr. Hunter's death, purchased six of 

 the factories. About 12 or 15 years ago natives 

 began to take an interest in the trade, and the com- 

 paratively high prices of 1862 and the following 

 years brought about among them a rage for factory 



