Mss Eur F126/83, ff 6-12

Letter regarding the confession of the Jemadar to the attempted poisoning of Colonel Robert Phayre and enclosing a résumé (ff 9v-12) of the corroborative evidence that has come to light following the confession, as well as reporting that the Commissioner of Police (Frank Henry Souter) is proceeding to Bombay with the evidence to seek the opinion of Andrew Scoble, Advocate-General on whether the evidence could be the result of a conspiracy.

The letter goes on to provide a further summary of the general state of affairs in Baroda under the headings Change of Ministry; The Sirdars; the Question of Alienation; Revenue; and Finance, and to conclude that the financial situation is now manageable and that all outstanding questions can be resolved with good administration.

The résumé on the evidence of the attempted poisoning was written by James Bellett Richey, Assistant Resident, and also dated 28 December 1874. The résumé describes the police enquiry into the attempted poisoning, the evidence acquired from witnesses and interviews with those alleged to be involved in conspiracies, and the discovery of the packet containing the poison in a belt belonging to the servant who had placed the poison in Colonel Phayre's glass.

The verso of the last folio of the letter contains a 'statement of arrears of the revenue of all the Mahals from Kartik Sudh 1st Sumvut 1930 to Asso Vud 30th Sumvut 1930' (c.1873-4).