This volume first published in 1882 presents a clear and authoritative exposition of the fundamental principles upon which the Taluqdari system of Awadh was based. The principal object has been to narrate the history in the very words, succinct or otherwise, of the various colonial figures and administrators who were the authors of the settlement. The material used by the author has been mostly taken from Parliamentary Blue Books, Official Reports and Returns, and other State Papers.

This book is indispensable for scholars of colonial South Asia, especially the United Provinces, the Indian Mutiny and Land and Revenue Systems in the kingdom of Awadh.