406 



HYDERABAD. 



Hyderabad, lerably well watered, but indifferently cultivated and 

 " "V""' thinly inliabited. The cultivators are wretchedly poor, 

 and much oppressed by their Mahommedan superiors, 

 who are subject to little restraint from their nominal 

 Commerce, sovereign. From the same cause, they are almost desti- 

 tute of the benefits of commerce ; and the average im- 

 port of European goods into the whole of the Nizam's 

 dominions, prior to 1809, never exceeded 25,000 per 

 annum. The principal towns in the province are 

 Hyderabad, Golconda, Warangol, Meduck, and Nie- 

 cundah ; and the whole population of the district is 

 .estimated not to exceed two millions and a half. 

 Court and The reigning prince, Mirza Secunda Jah, ascended 

 govern. the throne in 1 803, and has never been more than a 

 ment. few miles from the city of Hyderabad since the com- 



mencement of his reign. His government is absolute- 

 ly despotic in theory ; but, in point of fact, his power 

 is much limited by circumstances. He takes little di- 

 rect interest in the minutiae of the executive, which is 

 managed almost entirely by one or other of his minis- 

 ters, according as their factions prevail, or as they may 

 be able to carry along with them the support of the 

 Company's resident. The influence of the East India 

 Company's government is paramount in the councils of 

 that of their ally, and all great political points are car- 

 ried with considerable facility ; yet, on some late trifling 

 occasions, a lively jealousy has been manifested. While 

 the officer, who had been appointed to conduct the 

 grand trigonometrical survey, was approaching Hyde- 

 rabad, he had fixed small flags on some points for di- 

 recting his observations. This gave rise to repeated 

 complaints ; as if, in taking a few triangles, he had 

 been taking possession of the country. The political 

 intercourse is carried on by means of a resident, who 

 has a superb mansion on the north-east side of the ca- 

 pital across the river. His suite consists of first and 

 second assistants, a surgeon, and the officers of an es- 

 cort of two companies of Bengal native infantry. The 

 present Nizam was entertained at the residency on the 

 occasion of paying him his army's share of the Serin- 

 gapatam prize money, which had been laid out in 

 splendid specimens of English and Chinese manufac- 

 tures. His Highness was a little alarmed on this oc- 

 casion, by the accidental firing of a few thousand rock- 

 ets which happened to lie pointing towards the spec- 

 tators, but by which fortunately no person near him- 

 self was wounded. The entertainment was concluded 

 by laying before him a superbly mounted sabre, which 

 had been sent by Louis XVI. to Tippoo Sultan. 



It is difficult to say what is, and what is not, to be 

 reckoned revenue under so irregular a government. 

 Although a very large proportion of the whole produce 

 of the soil be claimed as its share ; yet so much of this 

 is stopped lor the expences of collection and payment 

 of sebundee, or local troops, and so much is diverted 

 into bye channels, that the sum which finally reaches 

 the treasury is in many cases very small. The pro- 

 duce of the estates granted for military service should 

 be reckoned as part of the revenue, were it not that 

 the service is seldom performed. When lands are not 

 granted to Jaghiredars for specific purposes, the common 

 mode of collection is by Tahood, a farm, in which case 

 any person may make an offer for a lease of a district ; 

 and that person is generally preferred who proposes 

 the largest advance of ready money to the minister. 

 Little inquiry is made into the methods which he may 

 use to reimburse himself ; and he may do nearly as he 



Revenue. 



Mode of 

 collecting. 



pleases, provided he keeps a good understanding at Hyderabad, 

 court. Sometimes, however, complaints are listened '"v^"' 

 to if there exist a hope of squeezing a further sum 

 from the fears of the contractor ; or, if there be a wish 

 to get rid of him to make way for some other who may 

 have offered a sum of ready money, or a larger por- 

 tion of his expected profits. The other mode is by 

 Amaunee, and is seldom resorted to unless when a dis- 

 trict is in such a rebellious state that no person can be 

 found to farm it. Some military chief is then turned 

 into it to collect what he can, and to account to go- 

 vernment for the amount. This, however, is a last re- 

 source, as all Indians, whether mussulmans or Hin- 

 doos, are adepts at making up accounts so as to suit their 

 own interests. 



The army of the Nizam, in consequence of the pro- \,- ri r 



/* iii i r"*i_ i HJlUir ' 



tection afforded by the British troops against the inva-.f orce . 

 sions of the Mahrattas, is now on a very inefficient foot- 

 ing. A list of its great officers and their troops, would 

 be merely an enumeration of persons holding estates 

 and emoluments under a nominal agreement to perform 

 services, which they are scarcely expected to fulfil. 

 This is quite true as far as regards the great military 

 jaheridars and risaldars, or cavalry officers, who hold 

 valuable districts in their immediate possession ; but 

 there are many corps of mutinous and ill-paid infantry, 

 who have hard service in the collection of the revenue, 

 which the oppressive nature of the government, and the 

 consequent bad faith and turbulence of the zemindars 

 render extremely difficult. These troops are distributed 

 to the different collectorships as occasion may require. 

 With the exception of a few corps patronised by the 

 Company's resident, none of them are either regularly 

 paid, or decently equipped ; and many battalions have 

 not one-tenth of their arms in a serviceable state. 



By a supplementary article in the treaty between the p ottt 

 Nizam and the Company's government, it was agreed, 

 that all the forts in the Hyderabad dominions should, 

 in time of a joint war, be open to the British. Of these 

 fortresses, the most important are that of Dowlatabad * 

 and of Golconda. . The former, particularly, the most P 1 

 singular perhaps in the world, is situated on a high co- 

 nical hill, which has its sides' pared away perpendicu- 

 larly in such a manner, that it would now be repre- 

 sented by a whipping-top set upon its head. There is 

 a fortified tower on the plain, through which a passage 

 lies to a tunnel in the bowels of the mountain, afford- 

 ing an ascent to the conical surface above, and opening 

 to the day near the edge of the precipitous side. This 

 upper opening is covered by an iron grating, on which 

 a fire is kept burning when any danger is apprehended. 

 Even after overcoming this obstacle, an enemy would 

 still be required to advance in a path exposed to the 

 whole fire of the fort on the summit. In this fort are 

 lodgments cut in the solid rock for the garrison and 



their provisions. The fort of Golconda, about five . 



i i / IT i i j i_ u Goleoiulrj. 



miles west from Hyderabad, though very strong in 



some places, is, by a strange arrangement, most assail- 

 able on the side which at the same time commands all 

 the others. In a piece of broken ground, on the north- 

 west side of the fort, are situated, in an irregular man- 

 ner, the tombs of the Kootub Shahy kings, which are 

 of such solid masonry, that they would afford bomb- 

 proof lodgment for several battalions, though some of 

 them are within battering-distance of the walls. In 

 the lifetime of the late Nizam ul Moolk, the garrison 

 used to make a great show of watchfulness and jealousy 



* Doulut-abad, " wealth's abode." 



