Page:The Aristocracy of Southern India.djvu/48

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The Aristocracy op Southern India.

equable and unruffled. He is a devout believer in the teachings of Mahomed the Prophet, and profoundly learned in the Koran. To understand the truths mentioned in it, he is of opinion, that one needs not a capacious intellect, a disciplined mind or a great store of what the world calls learning, but a heart so humbled by the spirit of God as to receive them as His Testimony in "the love of the truth." Suffice it to say that as an administrator, he exercises a decided influence for good upon his subjects, and that he is held in the highest estimation by people in and around Banganapalli, for his sterling character, impartial justice, and rigid honesty of purpose. All these qualities claim a due recognition at the hands of Government and a Knighthood from the Government of India, all right-thinking people must grant, will prove but a deserved reward. From what has been said of the Nawab, it is evident that he will always retain the confidence of the paramount power, and be the protector of the rights, privileges, and liberties of his subjects, who form the backbone and sinews of his State; and his sincere convictions and sound practical applications of them are of such value that it is impossible to over-estimate their worth. As constancy of conduct and fixity of principle are the characteristics of the Nawab, characteristics which claim their attention by their very rarity, they are sure to impress any student of the history of our times with a feeling of high esteem for the illustrious personage in whom such virtues are united.