The palace and grounds provided for the deposed King of Oude by the British Government extend one mile on the river’s bank in Calcutta, with a width of about one-eighth of a mile There is the main palace nearly in the centre, with smaller palaces elsewhere; there is a long line of magnificent stables; here are a hundred or more small houses along the street side, occupied by the king’s retainers, numbering 400 in all; there are fountains and pagodas and other fanciful structures on the grounds inside; there is a large pigeon-house for the flock of more than a thousand of these birds, which are trained to fly in one direction and another as their keeper waves his flag; there are walks, lawns and gardens artistically laid out, with a wonderful show of ornamental trees, growing fruit and beautiful flowers. The snake pagoda is a curiosity. Every variety of poisonous reptiles, hundreds of them, are seen through glass crawling and coiling themselves throughout every section of this curious structure which heathen taste and ingenuity devised. The king is granted an allowance of $120,000 a year by the British Government. He spends all that, and had run so deeply in debt a year ago that the Government came to the relief of its prisoner, granting him several thousand pounds to liquidate his liabilities, at the same time warning his deposed majesty that he must in future try to get along with his allowance of $356 a day for the maintenance of his regal establishment. The ex-king is considerably advanced in years, is said to be discontented with his lot, is soured in temper, and so far as he dares to do exhibits the deep hatred he cherishes towards Europeans and white people generally.
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, New York, NY, February 12, 1876
