of the multitude at home unless his name happens to be associated with some Imperial measure, in which case he is seldom favourably mentioned. As long as he is engaged in the Government of some Native State, improving its condition, directing its internal economy, and regulating its finances, he is only known to the Indian Government and its servants, and is generally all the better for his obscurity. But from the time that Poonah won the admiration of one of the ablest of our statesmen down to the present moment, the Native States of Hindustan have rarely failed to produce administrators of marked ability. The visit of the Prince of Wales has produced many results which were not foreseen by the most sagacious observers at home or abroad. It is likely to leave an indelible mark on the history of the relations between England and India. Had that tour never been undertaken Sir Salar Jung would, in all probability, have come to England; but a much abler appeared among us in different, and in all likelihood, in less agreeable, circumstances. Eminent as his services have been, and remarkable as his career has been, there are many thousands who ask, ``Who is Sir Salar Jung?'' And there are many thousands who have never heard of this name. It was a revelation to courts, ministers, and all the great men who visit Native States in India with Courts, Ministers, and Armies of their own. We fear that there are some, even among the educated classes, who would be puzzled to give a very definite account of the Deccan, or to describe the territories of the Nizam, and the nature and relations of the State and the ruler with the British Government. Had the Deccan been involved in the troubles of the years, as Oudh was and Indore were, we should, no doubt, have been acquainted with the particulars, but the services which were rendered to the British Government during that eventful period were of the utmost value and magnitude, although they, fortunately, did not need to be written in characters of blood. The Deccan extends over nearly 100,000 square miles, and is peopled by 10,000,000 inhabitants, of whom the vast majority---probably nine in ten---are Hindoos. The soil is generally good and produces cotton in abundance. The chief towns have been discovered, and the great rivers Kistna and Godavery drain the vast plateau which forms the bulk of the land, and open it to the Eastern and Western Oceans. The first Nizam established friendly relations with the English Governor of Fort St.~David in 1747, which were generally maintained in the wars with the French and their allies, and, although for a time the ability and genius of Bussy secured the ascendancy of his counsels and influence at Hyderabad, the troops and resources of the Nizam were placed at our disposal in the campaign against Tippoo in 1791, and in the struggle with the Mahrattas, and the alliance has continued to the present day. In 1853 Sir Salar Jung was

appointed to succeed his uncle, Suraj-ool-Moolk, as Dewan to Nasur-ood-Dowlah, who had just been forced by Lord Dalhousie to assign to the superintendence of the British certain districts to secure the payment of debts alleged to be due under the Treaty by the Contingent which was kept up in accordance with the Treaty of the Dewan. He was only 19 years of age, and the condition of the State was one which might have appalled the boldest and most experienced of statesmen.

There was no money in the Treasury---the system of taxation was wasteful and unproductive. Although the Resident at the Court of Hyderabad had for many years possessed paramount power, they applied their energies to the sole object of securing British interests, and did not interfere in the internal affairs of the State with a view to their improvement. In fact, as long as the enormously expensive Contingent was paid, they cared little for the manner in which the money was raised. Armed bands, miscalled soldiery, carried terror and dismay through the country, and created disturbances and riots in the towns at their pleasure. Hyderabad was a hot-bed of turbulent misrule. Arab mercenaries and Rohillas, ever ready for mischief, paralysed the arm of law and order, blighted trade and commerce, and threatened at any moment to declare themselves masters of the situation. Salar Jung began his work by refusing to draw more than half the salary of his office, and his example was followed by other servants of the State. He put an end to the system of farming the revenues; he discouraged the lawless influence of Arab and Rohilla leaders, and set to work to strengthen the hands of the police, and to obtain some degree of security for property and life.

But while he was engaged in this Herculean task there came upon him a trial, the tension and force of which can never be understood by a European or Christian. He was a Mahomedan, and he served a Mahomedan State. The Mutiny and Rebellion had spread over India, and the Governor of Bombay probably told no more than the truth when he telegraphed to the Resident at Hyderabad, ``If the Nizam goes with us we are lost.'' But the Nizam did not go. Salar Jung, surrounded by armed crowds, who threatened and reviled him, held fast to the British Government. He helped the Resident with a masterly hand, arrested and delivered over to punishment the rioters who attacked the Residency, and inspired the Resident with such a conviction of his ascendancy and fidelity that he ordered the Hyderabad Contingent to join the British forces, with whom it rendered the most signal services. It would be foolish to pretend that in his efforts he had the sympathy of the Mahomedan populace, and the