In the City of Gold and Silver by Kenizé Mourad, Anne Mathai in collaboration with Marie-Louise Naville Page B

Company; they have always been its most devoted allies and have never hesitated to help in difficult times. He will not stoop so low as to specify the amounts, but everyone knows the enormous sums lent and never reclaimed. To say nothing of the cost of maintaining an army imposed by the Company, the numerous constructions required to house the resident, his retinue and his administration, as well as the multiple and incessant expenditures necessary to ensure the comfort of his increasingly intrusive guests.
    In a dramatic gesture, the king even tears off his turban, the symbol of his sovereignty, and cries out in a heart-rending voice:
    â€œI no longer have any power, how could my humble person conclude a treaty with the all-powerful Company?”
    For hours, the phlegmatic resident reiterates that he is only obeying orders, and if the king does not sign his abdication, in addition to the kingdom, he will forfeit all the advantages conceded to him. He has, however, underestimated the monarch, who, to his great surprise, obstinately refuses to give in, indifferent to both promises and threats.
    â€œI will appeal to the governor general in Calcutta. I will even go all the way to London to demand justice from Queen Victoria!”
    Infuriated by what he, as a true English gentleman, considers a disgraceful pantomime, Sir James Outram finally terminates the meeting:
    â€œYour Majesty has three days to decide. If on February 7th at midday, he has not signed, the East India Company will take permanent and exclusive control of the state and Your Majesty will be divested of all his privileges.”
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    On February 7th, 1856, the annexation of the state of Awadh is officially proclaimed, and in Calcutta, the Governor General Lord Dalhousie notes complacently:
    â€œToday, our most gracious queen has five million subjects and one million three hundred thousand pounds of revenue more than she had yesterday.”
    In Lucknow, however, events do not unfold as well as expected. Convinced that the population, having been exploited and tyrannised by an irresponsible and corrupt government, would enthusiastically welcome the new administration, the British are taken aback by the Lucknawis’ passive resistance. While awaiting the outcome of his visits to Calcutta and London, the king has directed his subjects to obey the new authorities, so there are no demonstrations, but petitions circulate, demanding that
Jan-e-Alam
, “the beloved of the world,” remain sovereign.
    Sir James has no use for these protests that he claims are inspired by the Court. He cannot, however, ignore the army and the administration’s refusal to join his government. Disregarding an offer of very high salaries, the senior civil servants and the military personnel of the recently dissolved royal army avoid the colonel, who intends to incorporate them into the Company’s rank. To his great displeasure, neither the promises of fabulous pay, nor the offer to recruit both young and old, are successful in convincing the soldiers. At the risk of being declared rebels, some officers bluntly declare: “Enough of your proposals! The men have eaten their king’s salt 35 for decades, they cannot serve his enemies now!”
    *
    As for Wajid Ali Shah, realising that to demand justice from the governor general, the Company’s representative, would be a waste of time, he has decided to go all the way to England to plead his cause before the queen and parliament. He intends to present the proof of his constant efforts since his accession to follow the orders imposed by successive residents, and to explain how, while urging him to enact reforms, they systematically deprived him of any means of initiating or discharging them. Some of his former ministers would be able to testify to this. In addition, there are reams of documents proving his statements and the bad faith of the Company’s officials. Queen Victoria can only recognise his