27.
course, & that most advantageous both to
the Nawab Wazir himself & to the country,
would be to place all control exclusively
in the hands of the Company. The Wazir,
finding that he was gaining nothing
by his declared intention, accordingly
withdrew it. Wellesley saw that he had
never seriously entertained the idea of
retirement, was incensed at his conduct.
He remained insistent that the
Wazir should properly support the British
army in Oudh, & that he should
either reform or abolish his own rabble.
Still matters moved slowly. At last
Wellesley, seeing that the Wazir had
no intention of complying with his
wishes, became sterner, & in January
1801 gave him the choice of two alternatives,
either to agree to a subsidiary
treaty exactly the same as was in force
in Tanjore, or to forfeit to the Company
the districts of Doab & Rohilkhand in
payment for the additional troops
which would in any case be sent into
Oudh. The forfeiture of these provinces
would mean the complete surrounding
of Oudh by the Company's possession.
The poor Nawab Wazir was very loth to
comply with either of two such unpleas-
EN