INSURRECTION AT BENARES. 
149 
as it afterwards appeared,, the subversion of the Com- 
pany's government. The legality of the claim made 
by the Governor-General was never even disputed by 
the wily Zemeendar ; in fact, he invariably promised 
to fulfil what he admitted to be a just demand, 
but always contrived, after having made the first 
advance of five lacs of rupees, to forfeit his pledges. 
Moreover, the very circumstance of his not protesting 
against the claim was a virtual admission that it was 
a just one, for so cunning a politician would have rea- 
dily availed himself of the chances and delays of ex- 
postulation, and of the position of an aggrieved party, 
rather than have exposed himself, without either law 
or justice on his side, to the hostility of a power with 
whom he was well aware that, in spite of the difficulties 
under which it was then struggling, it was perilous to 
contend. 
The claim made upon Cheit Singh was not only mo- 
derate, but justified by circumstances. He was known 
to be making vast efforts towards securing his own ag- 
grandisement. He was known further to have inhe- 
rited immense wealth from his predecessor, which he 
had considerably increased, and deposited in the two 
strongholds of Bidzee Gur and Lutteefpoor, hill-forts 
held to be impregnable; to this he annually made 
great additions, so that the demand made upon him 
by the government was really not such as to cause 
him the least inconvenience to fulfil. He moreover 
kept up a large military establishment of cavalry, in- 
fantry, and artillery ; he had several strong fortresses, 
besides the two already mentioned, well stored and gar- 
risoned. The ryots, from whom he derived his revenues, 
o 3 
