In the taking of towns, it was his custom, after the plunder of the inhabitants, to allow them to remain in peace. After a short time, however, he was used to assemble the Dullalah, [women who beat the Dohul, (a small drum), at marriages;] and, as they are free to enter all houses, he required them to point out where the handsomest maidens resided. To those houses he sent, and seized the girls, and had them brought to him; and among them those who were remarkable for their bloom and delicacy, elegance of form, length of hair, and complexion, he placed among his own women; and, in general, these women were most in request* by him. They had also salaries, or establishments, and were placed under the Jamautdár of the women, one of his senior wives; as for the rest, he never sent for them again, but either returned them to their parents, or partitioned them amongst his followers. In this way he collected a great number of women, but his old wives were the chiefs of all the new ones.

On the day that was fixed for the Nawaub to visit the Mahl, or women’s apartments, every Chief lady had her division of women, dressed in a differ­ent colour, and standing apart; the red party, the green, the violet, the yellow. Some wore rose-coloured dresses, others orange, the Nafurmani or purple, the spotted, white, gold, sandal, and Moky­yush. On these occasions they sat down near him, but he seldom spoke to them; nor did they speak, except his first wife, the sister of Meer Alí Ruza Khan, the mother of Tippoo. He was always very fond of her, and compelled the rest of his women to to pay their respects to her every morning. Some­times, however, she and Hydur used to quarrel. On these occasions, he bore the violence of the lady’s tongue with great resignation and patience; until, at length, rising up, he would say, “It is from fear of your tongue that I have given up entering the women’s apartments.”

When he came out and sat down in his private room, he was accustomed to tell his friends, such as Ghoolaum Alí Khan, Bahadúr, and Alí Zumán Khan, that Tippoo’s mother had treated him very harshly indeed; that, he had not the courage to answer, or argue with her; that, when she com­plained, he had no choice but to leave the apart­ment; but that still he was fond of her, because she undertook, in her own person, the manage­ment of every thing in his house, and laboured for his welfare; but that she had a long tongue* and a high sounding voice, and that he was afraid to listen to her. However, that she should do as she pleased.

Every time he entered the women’s apartments she was the first person he called; desiring her to come to him. She in reply, would say, “What do you want with me?” But he never entered the Mahl without taking some valuable presents to her.

His eating and sleeping was always outside the Mahl, but every night two or three of the ladies of his family were in attendance on him.

He was very stedfast in his word to his Talook­dárs, (or revenue officers), and merchants; and with these two classes of men he was never known to break his faith.* And this was the mode of his agreements. If any of his revenue agents farmed a district from him, although he strove to raise the amount to be paid as high as possible, yet, if any profit was derived beyond the government money, he never took more than the precise sum stipulated; indeed, many persons have offered him the surplus: but he, in reply, said, “If the amount contracted for with government, had been short, I should have exacted the deficiency; and, therefore, if the farmer gets more, I have no right to interfere between him and his good fortune.” If he confided to any one the charge of a district, God protect him if he took to the value of a blade of grass, besides the dues assigned to him by Hydur! he was sure to be flayed alive. Whenever information arrived, that so much money was due from the farmer of the revenue, he first sent for him and demanded the money, and, if it was not paid, he pre­pared to compel him by oppressive and cruel means, of which an account will be given here­after.

His management with merchants, generally, was so excellent as to be beyond all praise; but more particularly his kindness to horse dealers. He, how­ever, expected, while he extended his favour to them, that they also should conform to his pleasure, and that the horses they brought should not be sold until he had seen them; and if any horse died after it entered his boundaries, and the tail and good evidence of the fact were produced, he paid half the price of the horse. He always saw the horses him­self, and, having seen them, fixed their prices. After four days had elapsed, he sent for the mer­chants, and having paid them separately, for as many horses as he had approved, he presented them with an order for the discharge of the Rah-dari or customs, and told them they must consider themselves his guests the next day, and after that depart. When the morning arrived, he sent them a number of measures of rice, some sheep, butter, and other materials for a feast. The result of his liberality was, that horses were brought to him from all quarters; but, if any horse dealer sold a horse before Hydur saw it, and his Hurkaras became acquainted with the circumstance, he would neither buy any of the horses himself, nor allow any one else to buy them. For this reason, no other person could get a good horse; and, if they bought any of the horses rejected by Hydur, they were generally dear and good for nothing.

As he never gave his servants leave to return to their own countries, they, pining to visit their homes, clothed themselves like religious beggars, and ran away secretly with these horse dealers.

Notwithstanding the great riches which God from his hidden treasures had granted to him, he was at times so avaricious that even the pen is ashamed to write an account of his meanness. Sometimes, however, on the reverse, he became very generous; but, in fact, amassing wealth appeared to him as the renovation of his faculties.* Indeed, many men followed him to the field, and lost their lives there, to whom or to whose children or relations, he never gave a single farthing. He never gave his dancing girls, who every day danced before him, any thing beyond their yearly allowance, except, perhaps, a trifle on very rare occasions. On those days, when before the balcony (of the palace) a lion net was suspended, and a man and a lion were placed in the area, to fight together, if the lion killed the man, nothing was given; but if the man killed the lion, he received the present of a golden chain, or necklace. In general, however, he was so good a marksman with his matchlock, that he did not suffer the lion to kill the man.

During the Dussura of the Hindus, he was com­paratively liberal to his friends, the prize fighters, wrestlers, &c.; but, after all he never gave much. He never allowed any reduction of the allowances of the Hindu temples.

His memory was excellent; to that extent that he would recollect a word for years. Any one whom he had seen twenty years before, in the dress of people of the world, he would recognize, after that period, in the patched garment of a mendicant.* It is related of him, that, one day, he told the Darogha of his stable to bring an old saddle, which had been laid by and neglected for a long time. When it was brought and examined, he said, “there is another saddle missing; it is a Mahratta saddle, with a housing of yellow broad cloth, moth-eaten, and I desired it might be wrapped up in a cloth, and taken care of.” This also, on search was found, and he had given the orders he mentioned eleven years before.

As soon as morning appeared, he sat down on his chair,* and washed his face. During this, all his Hurkaras (spies and messengers) stood about him, on all sides, repeating the news and intelli­gence of the day before. His memory and his hearing were equally wonderful, for he could readily distinguish and comprehend the different voices, and details; this was really astonishing. The people of Mysore would not give credit to what was said of him; but, on trying repeatedly, it was found that they were wrong, and this is the way in which it was proved. When the Hurkaras began repeating their news, whatever did not require inquiry was passed over in silence by Hydur; but, any news which required examina­tion, or was important, after listening to it, he stopped all further talking, and entered seriously into the investigation of its truth.