The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1896-02-06
Z
NATIVE PRINCES IN INDIA.

Nearly TOO OF Them-Grcat sti.sIers tos
Etiquette, and Some Very s.h
Those East Indian princes With
strange. high-sounding titles wlloaisit
this city from time to time arr seldom
or never among the really important
native rulers Of British India There
are nearly 700 native states. and OF
these about 200 airs of some imp iriance,
though the number of those that cut
any considerable figure in the politics
of British India Is much smaller, aud
Of those that have large powers smaller
still, II may be recalled how. when
Col. Newcome suddenly appeared III a
London drawing-room where aus!sg
nabob was complacently receiving the
homage of the company, the eastern
prince, recognizing man who had
scant respect for his pretantions Ut
home, ut sonce dropped his airs
and made q very humble bow to the
old soldier 1t is SO with native In
dian princes of the smaller sort still.
They are not greatly regarded ut home
by the English, though the british
government accoris them sort OF of
fetal respect. The princes are great
sticklers for this official recognition,
and are jealous OF single extra gun
accorded TO one OF their own number.
ish with eleven guns. others with thir-
teen, others with nineteen, and th
Nizam of Hyderab bad who rules ll,a0..
900 people and has an income Of about
$50. DOC, 900, is, along with few Others,
honored with tive .y-one guns few
Of the princes have one or two extra
guns as special personal distinction
All these things must be KIN own by
the army and navy commanders of tue
British army in India, and q neglected
native prince is very angry man.
| The titles, which sound so strange,
are simple enough when translated
Rajah means king, and maharajah
great king. Some os the more impor.
liant princes bear this latter title,
There are plenty of rajahs with little
territory, less income, and no power,
/ Nawab is another form Of nabob, and
the word means . deputy governor
Under the Mogul empire there were
| viceroys, and under them nabobs, or
nawabs. The title was sometimes con.
ferred, without territory, upon dis.
| tinguished Mohammedans. Nizam
means regulator, or governor. The ii
tie is hereditary in the family Of the
native rulers of Hydcrabad. The his
tnric title Nizam ul Mulk means merely
regulator OF the state. II goes back
10 I7ls Maharanee is the title of g
maharajah's wife. and rance Of IA,
jah's wife. Begun means lady or prin
cess, is the feminine of the title hey.
One native state Of India has pros
pered for some generations under fe-
male rulers The maharajah of Ba-
roda bears the title OF galtwar, vari
ously spelled; literally mean cowherd.
There are. besides, the titles Of una
harso, rao, mir, maharawal, and Others.
None other Of the native princes ap
proaches in wealth and power the
nizam Of Hyderabad, though several Of
them have incomes OF from $500. 900 10
%, 0eO, 900. and rule from 2,0oo, 900 10
/ a.suJfOVs ptOpte. soAhc su@k akN hoh1EGA
with eleven guns have only $4,000 on
SO, 900 q year. and rule but few thou
sand people. The number Of guns ID
not dependent upon q princes income
or number OF subjects.
4 The court OF native prince Is a placs
of tawdry splendor. swarIning with
servants. The prime minister Of the
prince Is often man Of much political
astuteness. and. euriously enough
sometimes Of higher caste than hi,
master, for prince is not necessarily
. man Of very high caste. There are
some curious Offices In = native court
For instance, when the maharajah o.
Trayancar. q man Of enormous income
visited Bombay some years ago, h.
brought with him not only his prim,
minister. famous rs diplomatist, but
as we'll two nautch girls, and thcx,
dancers were thought so precious tha
they were the property Of the state
The maharsjsh took q great house in |
fashionable part of the city, and uset
70 give nautch dances for the amuse
ment Of his European acquaintsnces. -
n. Y. Sun.