1844.] the Kumaon and Rohilcund Turaee. 909 



The murder of Monoruth Joshee, the agent of the Kumaon govern- 

 ment at Roodurpoor, by Nundram of Casheepoor, an event previously 

 glanced at, combined with the treacherous murder of Jyekishen Joshee 

 by Mohun Sing, as narrated in the above extract, placed the whole 

 power over the Bhabur tract at the disposal of Nundram and his 

 family, and he took the best steps for securing his position, making 

 terms with the Nawab Vuzeer, then Asoph-ud- Dowlah, and by becom- 

 ing Ijaradar of the territory under that ruler. After two or three 

 weak and ineffectual struggles in the field with the Ghoorkas, 

 Mahender Sing and his brother Lall Sing were finally obliged to 

 abandon the hills, and settled at Kilpoory in the Terrai, under the 

 protection of the Nawab Vuzeer, obtaining thereby a guarantee for 

 the retention, by the family, on some doubtful kind of tenure of some 

 portion of the tract, over which their ancestors of the Kumaon Raj had 

 ruled, and which as far as any actual Jagheer was concerned, was subse- 

 quently exchanged for the grant of Chachheit, which is situated in a more 

 Southerly direcetion. Between 1791 and 1802, when the cession of Ro- 

 hilcund to the British government took place, the Ghoorkas were too 

 much occupied within the hills to bestow much attention to the old low- 

 land territories of Kumaon ; but they obtained for sometime possession 

 of Kilpoory, and they were afterwards driven out by the forces under 

 Ata Beg and Sunbhonath sent from Bareilly, aid having been implored 

 by Mahender Sing and Lall Sing who had been forced to fly to Luhnow,* 

 and the danger on its northern frontier in Rohilcund having become a 

 source of deep anxiety to the Oudh durbar. Casheepoor then became the 

 principal residence of the exiled family ; but Roodurpoor was also often 

 visited, and from their statements, it would appear, at that time to have 

 been a flourishing place. Pertaub Sing, indeed, informs me, that even 

 until so late a period as 1815, when the march of the British troops to 



Almorah to Rohilla rule, whereas this was not exactly the case ; as Mohun Sing employ- 

 ed mercenary Rohilla troops who occupied at times the capital, so also did Lall Sing, 

 and so did Hurruckdeo, and afterwards the British ; but in all these visitations the 

 Brahmins governed both Almorah and the province, and the Rohillas never even had 

 a mosque for their prayers. Hurruckdeo's rescue of Almorah was thus, after all, not 

 so very great an act of patriotism, as the report would appear to make it. 



* Hurruckdeo about this time (1797 A.D.)was in attendance on Mr. Cherry at Luk- 

 now and Benares, and endeavoured to interest the British authorities in favour of the 

 Hill Rajahs against the Goorkas. 



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