It is well known that, from the commencement of his good fortune to his death, Hydur was very fearful of treachery; and, if any ambassa­dor came to him from a foreign State, he took every precaution for his own security. For instance— when the late Nawaub Syud Futteh Alí Khan, and Alí Nowaz Khan, who were sent by Wala Jah with a message to Hydur, first arrived, they were placed in a Hindu temple, the same which he had converted into a fort, while contend­ing with the Raja of Mysore; and, as it was on the bank of the river, the Nawaub Syud Futteh Khan, from the dampness of the air, was seized with an old complaint, a difficulty of breathing. Of necessity, Hydur was compelled then to send for them to the fort, where he gave them the house of Khundi Rao; but he stationed fifty Hurkaras, (spies), at the gate of their house, that every thing that was said or done might be reported to him daily.

But, leaving alone cases of this kind, his old ser­vants, and the people of the towns in his territory, dared not speak a word to each other in the street. If they were mixed in a crowd, or friendly to each other, the spies seized, and dragged them off to the Durbar, (hall of audience), that they might be punished. In like manner, no one dared to speak privately with another in his assemblies,* for fear of his displeasure.

Whoever entered his dominions, had no longer any power or controul over himself; nor had he liberty to return as he came, until he received a pass or permit from Hydur’s Government. By his power mankind were held in fear and trem­bling; and, from his severity, God’s creatures, day and night, were thrown into apprehension and terror. Cutting off the nose and ears of any per­son in his territories, was the commonest thing imaginable; and the killing a man there, was thought no more of than the treading on an ant. No per­son of respectability ever left his house with an expectation to return safe to it.

If any one arrived in that country, (Mysore), who, from seeing the oppression there exercised, or from other impediments, did not ask for ser­vice, he was seized and examined, and was then forced to accept service, or was turned out of the town. If Hydur gave charge of a district on the faith* of any one, he had no power to take a farthing from the revenue beyond his own allowance. But if he took any, and it was found out, the money was demanded, and, if paid, well; but if it were not, he was seized and tied with ropes, like a horse, before and behind, and, having been stripped naked, an order was given to flog him with a whip, and a number of Jowal Doze,* beat him cruelly over the back and loins, after which salt was thrown upon his wounds. If he complained, he was beaten on the mouth with a shoe; and if he cried, red pepper, dried and pounded, was thrown in his eyes; and he was tortured in this way every day for a month, if he did not agree to pay the money. Besides this, every two or three days, iron spits or rods were made red hot, and he was burned or branded all over with them.* This was in addition to imprison­ment, starvation, and chains. As soon, however, as the delinquent had paid the money, Hydur’s rage was softened, and he presented him with shawls, and golden chains, and again offered the same office to the poor man who had just escaped from death. But, if he refused to take it, the fire of Hydur’s wrath was rekindled. His cruelty, how­ever, was still greater, when exerted in extorting money from the Hindoos.

The author of the above character says that, for six weeks after Hydur was dead, no one in camp, except a very few of his chief officers* knew of his decease. They had heard, indeed, that he was dangerously ill, but no more was known until Tip­poo arrived in the camp; the duty in all the depart­ments being carried on with the same regularity as before.

A statement of the number of troops in the service of Hydur Alí Khan, the chief of Seringaputtun, some few years since, added to a memoir of Hydur, by Mirza Ikbal, for Mr. Richard Johnson of Madras.

Hydur Alí’s stable horse	5,000
Bede or Pindara horse	4,500
Sillahdárs or men enlisted with their horses and arms.	7,000
Workmen, as masons, bricklayers, &c.	14,000
Bár, or regular infantry	20,000
Attending the Presence or body guard	4,000
Garrisons, and detachments in differ­ent parts of the country: exceed­ing	100,000
Africans from Habsh and Zung Bar	1,400
Hurkaras, runners, spies	1,700
Pioneers	1,000
Servants of the household, tent Lascars, Chobedárs, &c.	700
Blacksmiths and carpenters in the arsenals at Chundur Nuggur, Seringaputtun, Bangalore, &c.	3,200
	162,500