Page:The Musnud of Murshidabad (1704 - 1904).djvu/31

 India Company in 1765, Murshidabad still continued to be the capital of independent Bengal. In 1793, the semblance of native power was gone, and the Nawab Nazim of Bengal lost the last shadow of authority when he was disrobed of the purple he wore. The impenetrable character of his killah was done away with and his sovereign rights, recognized by treaties, began to wane. The office of Nawab Nazim, however, continued as a position of rank and dignity akin to that of a ruler. Though devoid of royal power, he was surrounded by all the external emblems of royalty. He had attached to his court a British Resident and his public movements were proclaimed by salvoes of artillery. In 1880, however, with Feredoon Jah's abdication and retirement from the responsibilities of his office, the Nawab Nazimship became dead. The future representatives of the house of Meer Jaffer, the greatest ally of Great Britain, were accorded the statutary position, rank, dignity, rights and priveleges of the Premier Noble of the three provinces of Bengal, Behar and Orissa. With the reinstatement of Meer Jaffer, there have been sixteen ascensions on the throne of Murshidabad since its foundation in 1704; and in 1904, the Masnad of his ancestors is worthily occupied by the Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad and Amir-ul-Omrah, than whom there has never been a greater Nawab and the history of whose predecessors, commencing with Murshed Kuli Khan, is succintly told in the following pages.