Page:The Aristocracy of Southern India.djvu/16

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The Aristocracy of Southern India.


The Sub-Jaghirdars have no more powers within their own villages than taking measures to prevent the removal of the crops in cases of non-payment of kists, and then seeking the help of the Nawab for serving the defaulters with demand notices. They possess neither civil nor criminal powers. Suits arising within their jaghirs are exclusively triable by the Nawab's Courts, for the maintenance of which the Jaghirdars contribute.

In order to trace the history, from its origin, of the illustrious family to which His Highness the Nawab belongs, it is necessary to go back more than three centuries, to the year 1051 (Hijri) or about 1633 A. D., when Sha Abbas II sat on the throne of Persia, assisted in Government by Saiyid Mahomed Khan Ruzvi, his Minister, who had two sons Saiyid Hussain Ali Khan, and Saiyid Thaher Ali Khan. On the death of this Minister, the Sha, who had been following with interest the progress made by Saijad Thaher Ali Khan the younger son in education and culture, and appreciating his quick intelligence and comprehensive practical genius, conceived the idea of making him his Minister in preference to the elder, as a worthy successor to their father. When Saiyid Hussian Ali Khan, the elder son, heard this news, his rage knew no bounds and with determined spite, he commenced to plot against the life of Thaher Ali. But in all conspiracies where a number of persons have to be let into the secret, there is always the danger of some one of them proving a betrayer. So it was in this case. Somebody who knew the state of affairs informed their mother of the contemplated murder of her younger and better loved son. Thereupon, acting with a quickness of purpose and resolution rare among women, she lost no