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** father, tbelate sovereign, expressed his ear- 

 " nest desire that my brother Tuankoo Houssain, 

 ** should succeed him according to custom, as 



well as that I should devote myself* to the priest- 

 " hood, and with that view proceed to Mecca on 

 '* pilgrimage. 1 dare notconseqaently, and posi- 

 *' tively declare that 1 WYY/not, disobey his wish* 

 ** ea, le^t 1 draw dawn a curse from heaven, and 

 " not a blessing. I therefore request you. Rajah 



Japhar, to act as Regent until the returaof my 

 " my brother/' 



A. ». im, Hff . Rajah Japhar Moodah, whose real 

 reasons for wishing to subi^tilute 

 Tuankoo Abdul Rachman for his brother were 

 that there was an existing feud between his fami- 

 ly and that of Tuankoo Houssain, in consequence 

 of which he feared a serious diminution of his au- 

 ihority in the event of that prince s succession, 

 while the weakness and vacillation of Tuankoo 

 Abdul Rachman s character held out to him a 

 prospect of great power, especially as he was his 

 own nephew, exclaimed, in a tone of apparently 

 great surprize. " How can I venture to assume 

 the a^ithority of the Sulthaun, when one of his 

 fions is actually on the spot V* 



He was joined strongly in his remonstrances by 

 the party, who accompanied him, and the weak 

 and wavering Abdul Eachman, whose actions in- 

 variably took the color imparted to them by his 

 advisemofthe hour, felt his good resolves yield to 

 the impulse of the moment, and after a few 

 faint struggles consented to his nomination as 

 Sulthaun. 



This advantage gained, the faction ti'as by no 



