w weary even of Golkonda, with all
its fairyland castles and bright gardens. Some buildings of
Hyderabad, mere remnants of the past glory, are still known to
renown. Mir-Abu-Talib, the keeper of the Royal Treasury, states that
Mohamed-Kuli-Shah spent the fabulous sum of L 2,800,000 sterling on the
embellishment of the town, at the beginning of his reign; though the
labor of the workmen did not cost him anything at all. Save these few
memorials of greatness, the town looks like a heap of rubbish nowadays.
But all tourists are unanimous on one point, namely, that the British
Residency of Hyderabad still deserves its title of the Versailles of
India.

The title the British Residency bears, and everything it may contain at
the present time, are mere trifles compared with the past. I remember
reading a chapter of the History of Hyderabad, by an English author,
which contained something to the following effect: Whilst the Resident
entertained the gentlemen, his wife was similarly employed receiving the
ladies a few yards off, in a separate palace, which was as sumptuous,
and bore the name of Rang-Mahal. Both palaces were built by Colonel
Kirkpatrick, the late minister at the Nizam's court. Having married a
native princess, he constructed this charming abode for her personal
use. Its garden is surrounded by a high wall, as is customary in the
Orient, and the centre of the garden is adorned with a large marble
fountain, covered with scenes from the Ramayana, and mosaics, Pavilions,
galleries and terraces--everything in this garden is loaded with
adornments of the most costly Oriental style, that is to say, with
abundance of inlaid designs, paintings, gilding, ivory and marble. The
great attraction of Mrs. Kirkpatrick's receptions were the nautches,
magnificently dressed, thanks to the generosity of the Resident. Some
of them wore a cargo of jewels worth L 30,000, and literally shone from
head to foot with diamonds and other precious stones.

The glorious times of the East India Company are beyond recall, and
no Residents, and even no native princes, could now afford to be so
"generous." India, this "most precious diamond of the British crown," is
utterly exhausted, like a pile of gold in the hands of an alchemist, who
thriftlessly spent it in the hope of finding the philosopher's stone.
Besides ruining themselves and the country, the Anglo-Indians commit the
greatest blunders, at least in two points of their present Government