"حياة ومراسلات اللواء السير جون مالكوم، قائد فرسان وسام الطُهر، المبعوث السابق إلى بلاد فارس وحاكم بومباي؛ من رسائل ومذكرات غير منشورة. في مجلّدين. المجلد II." [‎١‎٦‎٢] (٦٥٤/١٧٩)

THE CIRCUIT OF THE EESIDENCIES.
sufficiently modified by improvements to be rendered a tolerably
convenient European residence. You may conceive my surprise
to approach a palace, for such the present mansion of the British
Resident of Hyderabad may be well termed. It is only surpassed
in splendor and magnitude by the Government House at Cal
cutta. That at Madras cannot be compared to it. You enter
through a lofty and fine arched gate, and approach through a
garden laid out more in the Oriental than European style. The
body of the house has much the appearance of the Government
House at Calcutta, but on a smaller scale. It contains the public
rooms, and you may judge of their size and splendor when I
state that the dining-room is sixty feet long and forty broad, and
that the dining-room up-stairs is sixty feet long, forty broad,
and upwards of twenty feet high. This room, with two ad
joining ones that are connected with it by arched doors, form a
most splendid suite of apartments. You may judge of the style
in which it is furnished when I tell you that the chairs and
couches are all covered with crimson velvet with massive gilt arms
and backs; that it is lighted by twenty-four girandoles and five
lustres; and that the central one, which was made by Blade, and is
considered the finest ever seen, cost 9507. in England. Such is
the centre part of this fine building. The wings, which are
removed by a terrace of about forty yards, consist each of an
ante-room, a sitting-room, a bedroom, and closet. They are
upon the same elevation as the dining -room, and are connected
by separate stairs with offices below. These wings (one of which
I occupy) are excellent houses. The sitting-room is thirty-six
feet by twenty-four, and the others are in proportion. They are
furnished in a plain way, and are quite to my taste. The palace
I have described was built and furnished by the Nizam, and is
kept up by him, as is much of the other parts of the state of the
Resident.
" On the 25th, I paid a visit to the Nizam. On the 26th, I
visited the English cantonment, which is five miles from the
Residency. On the 27th, I dined with Mooneer -ool-Moolk. ¥ The
entertainment was very splendid. I was gratified at meeting my
old friend Chandah (Maleekha), the celebrated dancing-girh 1
had received several trays of fruit from this lady ; she had also sent
* Mooneer-ool-Moolk was nominally the Prime Minister.