After this, from motives of prudence and fore­sight, the Sultán selected ten thousand men from the soldiers in his army, Shaíkhs and Syuds, inhabitants of Seringaputtun, Kolar, Huskote, Dewán Hully, Souba Sura, great Balapoor and Tanjore, and called them his Zumrai Khas, that is his own division or body guard, the sign or object of their incorporation being derived from the sentence, “dur Zumrai Ma Ghumm Nubáshud;”*— that is, “in our company sorrow shall find no entrance;” the letter <Arabic> being the symbol of men of foreign nations <Arabic> to denote Moghuls and Mahrattas; <Arabic> for Nayut; <Arabic> for Brahman; <Arabic> for Afghan; <Arabic> for Sheeah; and <Arabic> for the Ahili Daira, or Mehdivies, these, how­ever, were not included in the Zumra or company. The men of this division of the army now became the most acceptable in the eyes of the Sultán, and all confidence was implicitly placed in them, to that degree indeed, that towards the end of the Sultán’s reign, this (Zoomra Goomra,*) infidel battalion gained complete ascendancy over all the depart­ments of the State, and entered boldly into all the measures of Government,— as an instance of this, one of these men named Mír Nudím an inexperienced man was made Governor of the Fort of Seringaputtun, and although the Sultán placed entire dependence on this worthless body of men, still, they were outwardly obedient only, for in their hearts they were all the devoted servants of the Sáhib Dewán, for that traitor had laid a deep plan, for the ruin of his master’s state and king­dom, and this plan consisted first, in breaking up or ruining the army, and the Kháns and Amírs of rank by the reduction of their pay, and by degrading them from their offices and dignities; after this also, by sycophancy and studying the dis­position or caprices of the Sultán, and by taking the most sacred oaths,— (For God preserve us not a word passed his lips but it was accompanied by solemn oaths on the Korán) he having quieted the suspicions and doubts of the Sultán as to his intentions, he drew to his side all the Huzoorián, (courtiers or servants of the Sultán) so effectually indeed that the Urz Begi (presenter of petitions,) and others among the evil councillors, the running footmen, messengers, servants, and spies, without the Dewán’s permission and sanction, had not the courage to make any report whatever to the Sultán, and the letters regarding the government and revenue which arrived from different countries were opened by the Dewán with his own hands, and read without the knowledge of the Sultán, and the contents being altered or erased, other words dictated by his will and pleasure were substituted, and then the letters were sent to the Sultán; indeed, the dust in that part of the country (the court) did not rise except by his breath. Praise to God, the other Asof Mírán Hussein, was a low fellow and a debauchee, who never followed any path but that of pride and vanity, and who in different districts and towns was carried in his Pálkí on the shoulders of dancing girls as ugly as demons to his Kutcheri or hall of audience,— and sometimes he assembled all the Telinga Kulavunts (dancing or singing women) without veil or gar­ment, and he himself stripping off his clothes joined them naked, and thus shamelessly paraded about among them. It will be evident from this, what kind of order and regulation in the duties of the State could result from a man so debauched and abandoned as he was. The other Mír Asof was a man named Shír Khán Cholori, who was proverbially as stupid and silent as an ox. In the hands of such foolish, incompetent men, the dif­ferent departments of the State were so confounded and ruined, that of the revenue of the kingdom not one eighth part ever arrived at the treasury, and the regulations and orders of the Sultán reached no part of his dominions save the Capital. Not­withstanding all this, the mild and clement Sultán endeavoured to provide for his religious people, and he considered himself fortunate when they received their stipends.

About this time Dhondajee Wágh a devoted ser­vant of the Sultán, (an account of whom is sepa­rately given in the Tuzkirut il Belad, va ul Ahkám, in the tenth Ourung, or Chapter) being a man of great courage and enterprise with three or four hundred well mounted horse (Do uspa), roved about and plun­dered in the territories of the Mahrattas, Nizám Alí Khán and the Mysore. The Sultán, therefore, sent a Kowl Namah, or assurance of safety, to him and allured him by promises of increase of rank to his service. When Dhondajee, therefore, placing con­fidence in the word of the Sultán came with his troops and dependents to the presence, the Sáhib Dewán in his devilry and malice found out some cause of offence against him, and with every arti­fice and pretence sought his ruin, and at length by false charges and suggestions to that end, he so stimulated the Sultán that having sent for him one day under pretence of speaking to him, he was seized at the gate of the Palace, put in irons, imprisoned and circumcised, and the honour of Islamism conferred on him, and his body of horse was then incorporated with the Sultán’s army.* Nevertheless, the favour of the Sultán towards that worthy man still continued to increase, as for instance, he was allowed ten fanams Sultáni a day, which sum amounts to three rupees, and a teacher was appointed to instruct him, (in the Muhammadan customs and religion) but, although after a time, a kutcheri or brigade was named after him, and orders were issued for his release, it was to no purpose, for the Dewán like a scor­pion still continued to strike at him with his venomous sting, making a representation to the Sultán to the following effect— “King of the World, find another man equally insolent, enterprising and brave, as he (Dhondajee), and then let him go. For it is known to all that when he was weak and of no account, he then beat the troops of Hydurabád, Poona, and the servants of the Sultán, and, therefore, after this to make him an officer of high rank in your army and independent, is far from good policy, for with his power and rank it is possible he might raise such a disturbance as the hand of redress might not be able to quell, or remedy,” the opinion of this fool was, there­fore, accepted by the Sultán, and that faithful servant and well-wisher was left in prison. At first he was named Shaíkh Ahmud, but latterly at his own desire he was entitled Mullik Juhán Khán,— but to proceed, the faithless Dewán seeing his power nearly absolute, in all matters followed the dictates of his own will and caprice, as for instance, Gházi Khán, who might be said to con­stitute the strongest support of the Khodádád State, without the commission of any crime, but merely on suspicion of intrigue or collusion with Mushír ul Moolk (of Hydurabád), was ordered to be imprisoned, and was then subjected to very severe treatment.

During the latter part of the Sultán’s reign by the advice of certain infidel or atheistical persons he used or adopted letters from the Korán of the characters of Osmán, may God be pleased with him, which are not read, and which letters from the days of the prophet Adam to the days of the seal of the prophet (Muhammad), no one of the Kings of Arabia, or Persia, had ever dared to use, and which no learned historical, or sacred writer had deemed it proper to employ.*