Page:The Aristocracy of Southern India.djvu/47

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H. H. The Nawab of Banganapalli.
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for history, and has a large collection of historical and biographical works both in English and Urdu.

The second Prince, Saiyid Asad AH Khan Bahadur, is a great reader. He has a large collection of standard works, and his taste for English literature has been growing from day to day. His wife, whom he married seven years ago, comes from the well-known family of Nurul-umra Bahadur of Hyderabad. The third Prince, Saiyid Hussain Ali Khan Bahadur is very intelligent and painstaking in the acquirement of knowledge.

The Nawab must be proud of his sons. They are all noble, generous, and gentlemanly, and they pay particular attention to the fact that their household ought to be sober and well-governed. They do not love show, but everything from their dress to their equipage, is simple and nice. Such are their distinguishing traits, and these amiable features leave their impress upon all who come in contact with them.

As soon as the Nawab was installed on the Guddi, he found out, as most essential things to peace and good government, the instilling into public officers an adequate sense of their responsibility, and a diligent enquiry into and an early redress of all grievances and abuses. To establish his reputation as a just and enlightened ruler, the Nawab has had to study carefully the important changes in public opinion, and to found his judgment on public affairs on a minute and elaborate consideration of the arguments for and against. He is sincerely religious-minded and God-fearing, and in matters, great or small, he never allows any prejudices to warp his judgment, and in all circumstances keeps his temper