The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1896-02-27
Native PRINCES IN INDIA.

+ II
Nearly 700 OF Them -Great stieLiers e.,
Etiquette. and Some Very Rich.
Those East Indian princes with
strange, high-sounding titles who visit
this city from time to time are seldom
or never among the really important
native rulers Of British India ] here
are nearly 700 native states, and 81
these about 200 are Of some Importance,
though the number Of those that cnl
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 in a
London drawing-room where tinsky
nabob was complacently receiving the
homage Of the company, the eastern
prince, recognizing man who had
scant respect for his pretentions at
home, at once dropped his airs
and made 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 at home
by the English, though the British
government accords them sort Of of
fetal respect. The princes are great
sticklers for this official recognition,
and are jealous OF q single extra gun
accorded TO one of their own number
Some princes are saluted by the Brit.
ish with eleven guns, others with thir-
teen, others with nineteen, and fip
Nizam Of Hyderabad, who rules 1850
900 people and has an income of about
$4,000, 600, IS, along with few Others
honored with twenty-one guns. few
OF the princes have one or two extra
guns as special personal distinction
Ali these things must be known by
the army and navy commanders of tho
British army In India. and neglected
native prince is very angry man,
The titles, which sound so strange,
are simple enough when translates
Rajah means king, and maharajah
great king. Some of 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 a deputy governor
Under the MogEl empire there were
viceroys, and under them nabobs, or
nawabs. The title was sometimes con
ferred, without territory, upon dis.
tinguished Mohammedans. NizamI
means regulator, or governor. The Ii
tie Is hereditary in the family of the
native rulers OF Hyderabad. The his.
toric title Nizan III Mulk means merely
regulator Of the state. II goes back
10 l71s. Maharanee is the title of a
maharajah's wife. and rance of ra
iah'a wife. Begun means lady or prip
cess, is the feminine of the title hey.
One native state of India has pros.
pered for some generations under 70.
male rulers. The maharajah OF Ba-
roda bears the title of gaIkwar, vari.
ously spelled; literally mean cowherds
There are. besides, the titles OF INA
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 to
s., 900. and rule from 100000 to
$500. 900 people. Some that are bonored
with eleven guns have only $4,000 OF
$4,000 year. and rule but few thop
sand people. The number of guns Is
not dependent upon a princes income
or number Of subjects.
The court Of anatiye prince is placs
Of tawdry splendor, swarming with
servants. The prime minister of the
prince Is often man Of much political
astuteness, and, curiously enough.
sometimes Of higher caste than his
master, for a prince is not necessarily
man OF very high caste. There are
some curious offices in a native court
For instance, when the maharajah OF
Travancar. man Of enormous income
visited Bombay some years ago, he
brought with him not only his prime
minister, famous as a diplomatist, but
as well two nautch girls, and these
dancers were thought so preclons that
they were the property of the state
The maharaiah took a great house in =
fashionable part Of the city, and used
70 give nautch dances for the amuse.
ment Of his European acquainta -
N Y. SIM.