The Nizam - His History And Relations With The British Government - Vol I

THE NIZAM ms HISTORY DELATIONS WITH TTIK JJIUTISIF GOVERNMENT BY HENRY GEOKGE BRICGS SKCRKTARV, IIOMBAY MUNICIPALITY IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. 1. LONDON 13ERNAKD QUABITOU, 15 PECCADILLY 1861 The Iliiht uf TrttHshition in rwrtv Entcwb at ftiutioncrs T1TESV. VOLUMES AKE DEDICATED TO THK llIfiHT HOXOlTiAliliK SIU CHAKLES WOOD, BART., M. P. HI It M V llSTlS IMll. VCirAK Slcai TUJ O srAiK i H fNlHl IN AD. MIRATIUN 01 HIS NOBLE ENDEAVOURS TO IMlKOVE THE CONDITION OF THE IEOLLE OF THAT COUNTRV ENTRUSTED TO HIS CI1ARUE 1J T11K BRITISH NATION PREFACE. THE Quarterly Review of July 1858 made the European world familiar with the fact that THE NIZAM is the greatest Mahoinmedan power in India. Yet any infor mation of this power is not only fragmentary, but is scat tered through Avorks many of which are questionable for accuracy in various respects, if not utterly unreliable from the prejudiced channel of communication. Mount Stuart Elphiiistones India, and Grant Duffs History of the Mah rattax, are about the most liberal, certainly the very best authorities but these largely repeat, or represent accu rately, what had previously been published, with, of course, not a little additional information. I submit this work only as a compilation. Of the three continuous accounts that I have seen of THE NIZAM, the first, by Sir Henry Eussell, has appeared, in portions, in different publications, and principally in Hamiltons Gazet teer the second is a precis, prepared for some case before the Government of India, in the Bengal Secretariat, which was almost bodily reproduced, in Calcutta, by Bushtons Gazetteer, in 1841 and the third is a resume, got tip by the late Colonel Duncan A. Malcolm, while Assistant TillPREFACE. Resident at Hyderabad, This last manuscript was pur chased at Baroda by a Parsee, at the sale of the Colonels effects, on his death as Resident at the Gaikwars Court. The first portion of this manuscript proved to be Grant DufFs narrative in another form, with some uncomplimen tary observations upon the great Nizam-ool-Moolk, in which the Mahratta historian does not indulge but the second portion, as comprising the subsequent history reaching to Colonel Malcolms own times, is invaluable, not only for the ability with which the work has been performed, but the patience and care that must have been necessarily bestowed in obtaining and arranging the ma terials. Colonel Malcolm also wrote, in 1844, an account of the Hyderabad Contingent, which was largely ab sorbed in an article on the subject that appeared in the Calcutta Review of March 1849. I need scarcely do more than notice a trifling memoir of Nizam Alee which ap peared in Calcutta about the year 1803, under the joint auspices of Colonels William Kirkpatrick and John Mal colm, from the pen of one Holliiigbcry, who was probably some time previously in the Residents office at Hyderabad. I think it merely necessary to mention the foregoing, since my own collection of works on India and upon Oriental subjects, is second only to that of the Asiatic Society in Western India. For much of the matters re lating to individuals I have to thank friends, in different parts of India, familiar with them. I would now entreat of those interested in the welfare of India to notice specially, that when the British Govern ment was in debt to the Nizam, we took not only our time PREFACE. IX to repay him, but when we did repay him we allowed himno interest upon that debt. All this time his alliance was our salvation. He went in with us against common enemies Mysoreans and Mahrattas...