(9) Mirzá Khusró Beg.*

Mirzá Khusró Beg was born in 1790 A.D. at Tiflis, the capital city of Georgia, which province was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1797, on the murder of Muham­mad Sháh, the King of Persia, after a war that lasted for about five years. Mirzá Khusró Beg’s father Alkandar Khan was killed in this war, and he himself, then a boy of 7 years, was captured, along with his elder brother, by some Persian troopers and taken to the Persian camp, where his elder brother died after three days from a severe attack of fever. Hájí Muhammad Ibráhím Khán, the Commander-in-Chief of the Persian army, happening to see the sorrowing boy among the captives, and learning the cause of his sorrow, felt so much for him that he brought him to his house and began to treat him kindly and to bring him up like one of his own children. In this way Mirzá Khusró Beg spent some years at Tehrán, and then, on the death of his master, he came, with some of his relations, to Shíráz, where he got some education in a school. Untortunately his new master was imprisoned on some suspicion, under the orders of King Fateh Ali Sháh, the successor of Muhammad Shah, and Mirzá Khusró Beg was left without proper protection. About the same time Mulla Muhammad Ismáil, an envoy of the Amírs of Sind, coming to Shíráz, Mirzá Khusró Beg was entrusted to him, and he brought the young Mirzá to Haidarábád (Sind) in 1805, when he was only 15 years old. Mír Karam Alí Khán, the then ruler of Sind, took him under his patronage, and as he had no issue, he treated the young Mirzá as an adopted son. Mirzá Khusró Beg soon rose to be a confidential and influential couctier, and the keeper of the royal seal, like a prime minister. He con­tinued in this position till the death of Mír Karam Alí Khán in 1827, after which he retired from political life and state service. Mír Murád Alí Khán, the successor of Mír Karam Alí Khán, as well as the succeeding Mírs, treated the Mirzá with marked respect, and in the days of the latter he was occasionally deputed as an ambassador to treat with the British officers. After the battle of Mianí the Mirzá was taken prisoner along with the Mírs, but subsequently the latter were taken away to Bombay, and the Mirzá was left behind to look after the harems of the Mírs, especially those of the late Mír Karam Alí Khán. At first Mirzá Khusró Beg lived in the fort of Haidarábád, like the Mírs. Later on he wanted to settle outside near the tomb of his late master, Mír Karam Alí Khán, but he was induced to leave off the idea and the walled enclosure was subsequently utilised as sadar jail by the British Government. After the British conquest Mirzá Khusró Beg with the harems of the Mírs removed from the Fort to Tando Sáindád, opposite Tando Muham­mad Khán on the Gúní, where shortly after a dreadful fire broke out accidentally destroying valuable property. Then they removed to Tandó Mahmúd on the Phulelí and then, after about four years, to Tandó Thóró, about 2 miles from Haidarábád, where he continued to live up to his death in 1860 at the age of 70.* He was buried in the vicinity of the tombs of the Mírs. He was a noble-minded, generous-hearted, truth-loving and well educated noble­man, keeping up his self-respect and honour, even after the British conquest. During his last lingering illness he was constantly visited by Sir Bartle Frere, the then Commissioner in Sind, Major Goldsmid. Colonel Lambert, Colonel Tyrwhitt and other European officers. He never entered Government service after his master Mír Karam Alí Khan’s death and would not receive any jágír even. A small jágír was subsequently given to his eldest son, then 7 years old, by H. H. Mír Núr Muhammad Khán, for his pocket money. Mirzá Khusró Beg had four sons, the eldest being Mirza Ali Muhammad Beg, who, in 1859, entered Government service, being appointed an Extra Assistant Collector. He got the title of “Khán Bahádur” as a mark of distinction. He died on 22nd January 1887 at the age of 53, after a bright career of 28 years service. His son Mirzá Kalbalí Beg is still in Government service, being a first grade Mukhtiarkar.*