Enclosures of letter to Her Majesty's Secretary of State for India, No.11, dated 15 January 1875: Nos. 3 to 45 of Abstract of Contents, from the Officiating Under-Secretary to the Government of India, Fort William [‎68v] (34/100)

Runchod Kutna, Mussul, is recalled and furtbe rexamined:—
A bdoolla always prepares the sherbut in the dispense-khana, where 1 am
engaged in my ordinary work. I remember his preparing it on the morning
of Monday, 9th November. He squeezed it as usual into a small tumbler, which
he then took with him into the dining-room. When Abdoolla has not prepared
it, Faizoo has prepared it. I remember seeing Faizoo on the morning of Monday,
the 9th, about 6-30 come into the dispense-khana. He went from there inlo
the dining-room. When he came into the dispense-khana Abdoolla was present
with me, and saw him come in. I do not know why he went into the dining-
room. We had not begun to clean the silver so early as 6-30 when Faizoo
went into the dining-room, and I am certain that he brought no silver from
there to clean.
This examination having been read over to the witness in Hindoostanee, a
a language which he understands, is acknowledged by him to be correct.
Before me this 14th day of November 1874.
(Sd.) R. P hayre, Col.,
Resident.
Statement by the Revd. J. Taylor, A .M. Missionary, Borsud Kaira District, aged 55.
S ince the middle of 1873 I have been in the habit of visiting Baroda as
a Missionary, and visiting families in the camp, the railway, and the city. On
these occasions I have stayed at the Besidency where natives have been in the
habit ol visiting me in my private room. I know a Mussulman who repre
sented himself to me as " a Deccan Kazee." He mentioned his name, which
I do not remember, but he said he was best known by the above name.
Almost every time that I have visited Baroda he has called upon me at
the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ; he represented himself as having once been in the favor of the
present Gaekwar during his imprisonment at Padra ; that the present Gaekwar
was under great obligatioos to him, but that owing to the fact of his being a
Mussulman, he was disliked by the Brahmin courtiers, who poisoned the mind
of the Gaekwar against him by saying that he had called him a Kafir, and
had spoken disrespectfully of the Hindoo religion; that for a long time he had
never been invited to the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). ; was under a cloud; would leave Baroda at
once, but having got pecuniarily involved on account of the expenses which he
had incurred on the Gaekwar's behalf when he was in prison, he wished to be
reinstated into favor, and thus reimburse himself. He hoped that by my
personal influence either with the Resident or His Highness I might be the
means of enabling him to secure his object.
He never was present at any of my religious services with the natives, and
always avoided religious conversation.
. i ra Pp r t i mate was he in his desire that I should introduce him to the
Resident with a view, as he said, to his restoration to favor with the Gaekwar;
that he lias even come to me at Borshud, and when I was at Bombay last year
was particularly importunate. I always told him that if he had any special
an< ^ w ould draw up a petition, he might either present it directly to
ae Resident, who was always open to receive petitions, or that I might
venture to present it myself. He declined to write a petition, and I always
ec ined to interfere in a general question like that raised without any specific
+i ^ ( f Ct / have asked him why he did not go himself direct; and he replied
nat it was best to use some person to introduce him.
. ^ wen t on for about 15 months; the same story being always told, and
ic same answer being always given. I had no reason to suspect the man. I
therefore made no objection to his comin-
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