In 1853 the Minister, Nawab Seraj-ul-Mulk, died; and his nephew, Nawab Salar Jung, who was then only twenty-five years old, was chosen by Nizam Nasir-ud-Daula to succeed him.
Nizam Nasir-ud-Daula was then nearing the close of his reign, and, owing to self-indulgence, he was surrounded by flatterers and plunderers. He had crippled the finances of the State by ceding Berar, Osmanabad, and the Raichur Doab to the English, and had even pawned his jewels, which had been taken by Mr. Dighton to England. The revenue, the administration, the treasury, and the credit of the State were all in a deplorable condition when Nawab Salar Jung I became Minister, but he wrote to Mr. Dighton : — "I shall, nevertheless, do my best, with God's help, to restore order in the affairs of this country, and endeavour to extricate the government from its embarrassments."
He had no personal influence with the Nizam, and in 1853 (the year he became Minister) he wrote to Colonel Low : — "You are aware that Burhan-ud-Din is my medium of communication with the Nizam, and he is the only man who has influence enough with His Highness to persuade him to consent
