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HYDERABAD, 21st February, 1891.
I MUST begin this letter with a paragraph about the parade at Golconda I referred to in my last but one letter—for thereby hangs a tale. The latest accession to the file of favourites and henchmen of the party in power seems to be the Nawab Major Afsur Jung. The Nawab is admitted on all hands to have a great deal of influence with His Highness the Nizam. Whether this influence is to be used in the interests of his newly-found masters, we shall not have to wait long, I am sure, to know. In the meanwhile it will be interesting to study the masters' ways to pleasure the Nawab Major. To make him feel elevated —as well, no doubt, as to spite Colonel Nevill who, since the evil day he saw reason not to return a visit paid him by a lady and a gentleman moving in the highest circles here has been anything but a persona grata-orders were issued sometime ago for a general parade of the Regular Troops and Golconda brigade at Golconda under his command. Two or three days before the day fixed for the parade Colonel Nevill who had been on a tour of inspection happened to come into the head-quarters, and learning of the orders wrote to the Government apprising it of his arrival and pointing out to it that being a superior officer he should have the chief command at the parade. This official communication elicited from the Private Secretary to H. E. the Minister a confidential letter, directing Colonel Nevill to keep at home on the parade day, to fall in the Minister's staff, to finish his touring, or to go to Hanumkonda with two other officers and choose a site for jail. The Colonel's feelings could easily be imagined. He reported the matter to the Resident, but failing to get him to interfere he had the whole case laid, I am informed, before His Highness with the result that His Highness-as usual with him whenever a case of injustice is brought to his notice-issued an order countermanding the orders for a parade and administered the Minister a "wigging" richly deserved.
As far as Colonel Nevill is concerned, this is not the first time that he suffers an indignity at the hands of the politicals.
