THE MEEr's style OF LmNG. 119 



nerally so hermetically sealed that nothing can 

 be known of it ; but I derived a good deal 

 of information from Mrs Gholaum, the Euro- 

 pean woman before mentioned, who had 

 access to all the Meer's ladies and his daugh- 

 ters, and speaks highly of their kindness to 

 herself and childi'en, as far as their means 

 permitted. The mother of the elder princes 

 and tlieir sisters was, however, but scantily 

 provided for, considering the handsome in- 

 come allowed to tlie mother of the younger 

 princes ; but the style of living and economy 

 of the whole was exceedingly primitive, and 

 maintained at trifling cost, as, though their 

 retainers were numerous, they were paid 

 principally in kind. 



Meer Ali Moorad's bungalow at Dejee is 

 a very handsome house, somewhat on the 

 plan of the old residence at Khyrpoor, but 

 on a larger scale. The bungalow has been 

 built for some years, but is still in good 

 repair, if I except a few broken panes in 

 the windows. The principal apartment is a 

 very fine room in the form of a cross, GO 

 feet by 50, the walls thirty feet high, and of 

 great thickness, with fourteen smaller apart- 



