He had, moreover, to cope with a
serious rebellion by his son, Ali Jah.
He was willing enough to obtain the guarantee of the English against
aggressions by the Mahrattis, but he hesitated in complying with the
preliminary demand that he should dispense with the French. The
fighting powers of this body rendered them valuable auxiliaries, but
he secretly feared them, and resented their pretensions; which pointed
to the fact that, ere long, instead of being his servants, they might
become his masters. When, therefore, the British government offered
him a subsidiary force of six battalions, and to guarantee him against
any further aggression by the Mahrattis, he accepted the proposal; but
in a half-hearted way, that showed he could not be relied upon for any
efficient assistance in disarming his French auxiliaries.
No time was lost, by the government, in marching the promised force to
Hyderabad. The French, 14,000 strong, refused to disband, and were
joined by the Nizam's household force, which was in the French
interest. The Nizam, terrified at the prospect of a contest, the
success of which was doubtful, abandoned the capital and took refuge
in a fortress, there to await the issue of events; but positively
refused to issue orders to the French to disband.
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