The death of such a Commander as Mahmed-taky-qhan could not but greatly affect his master, who, however, behaved with firmness on the occasion. He sent orders to Sheh-háibet-ollah, to make a stand in the plains of Sò8ty, and he dispatched thither a number of forces capable to face with effect a victorious enemy. This detachment was composed of six or seven thousand horse, under the command of Assed-ollah-qhan, Fodjdar of Nar­hoot-semáy, to which he added seven or eight regiments of Talingas, commanded by Marcar the Armenian, and by Somro the European, who had besides sixteen pieces of cannon, well mounted and well served. To these he joined a body of rocket-men, under the command of Mir-nassur, after having cautioned them all against dissensions and jealousies; his orders being to attack the enemy in the plain of Sò8ty, and to fight in concert. An order was also dispatched to Shir-aaly-qhan, Fodjdar of P8raniah, to assemble his forces and to cross the Ganga, in order to join the army at Sò8ty. This Shir-aaly-qhan, from being one of the meanest of Faqhr-eddin-husséin-qhan’s dependants, had been raised by Mir-cassem-qhan to high dignities; so that he came to command in the same place where had commanded Séyd ahmed-qhan, and his own master, Faqhr-eddin-husséin-qhan. Shir-aaly-qhan, on receiving the order, crossed the Ganga, and soon joined Assed-ollah-qhan; and these two Generals, by hastening their march, arrived at Sò8ty time enough to face the English. The two armies, as soon as they came in sight of each other, (and this happened on the 21st of Muharrem) proceeded directly to an engagement. Marcar the Armenian, and Somro the European, ranged their troops in lines upon the highway. Assed-ollah-qhan took his post on their right, with seven or eight thousand horse, and ten or twelve thousand foot; and at the left, Shir-aaly-qhan took his station, with two or three thousand of his men, on the opposite side, the English, who did not amount to more than three thousand men, ranged themselves in great order; and the engagement commenced immediately. But as the dis­tance was such, that only the cannon on both sides could do any execution, the English kept advancing foot after foot with a measured pace; so that Assed-ollah-qhan, who pretended to much bravery and personal prowess, advanced likewise with his troops to about half a mile. At this very time the English were gaining a superiority over Marcar’s and Somro’s troops; so that on his being arrived so near, he proposed to come to hand-blows with the English; and all his officers being of the same opinion, Mir-beder-eddin-qhan, one of them, who commanded only a body of eighty horse, displayed his standard, and parted com­pany with the main. I now part with you, said he, at the head of my little troop, but it is only to shew the way; and, rest assured, that the moment I hear you raise your war-cry,* and see you put your horse to a gallop, I will overtake, and then pass you. Only remember, that between putting your cavalry on a gallop, and falling pell-mell amongst the enemy, there must be no pause at all; and then, when we shall come to hand-blows, we shall behave as becomes brave men, and shall submit to whatever is to be our lot. After saying so much, he parted with the main, and stood upon the watch; when, on hear­ing the cry of Allah Ecber everywhere, and seeing that large body of horse in motion, he exhorted his men to follow him; and spurring his horse towards the enemy, he advanced on a full gallop. Meanwhile, Mir-nasser with the rocket-men had marched up to the English, whom he engaged so warmly, that the English Talingas opposed to Mir-bedr-eddin-qhan, to the number of about one battalion, fell into disorder, and retreated as far as the river side, where numbers threw themselves and perished, the water being somewhere above their armpits, and somewhere up to their necks. But in this charge, Mir-bedr-eddin had lost most of his men; and he had no more now than thirteen of them Battle of Sò8ty, much disputed. remaining, when a ball of a cannon threw his horse headlong on the ground, whilst another overthrew his brother. This was the time for Assed-ollah-qhan to appear; but, those that had followed that General, having seen numbers of their companions killed, and numbers wounded, had now lost courage on beholding so much carnage, and so many horses sprawling on the ground; and would not move any more, but paused at some distance from Mir-bedr-eddin. The latter, who had found his course stopped by a wall and a ditch, called out with all his might, and made many signs to Assed-ollah-qhan, to turn the Talingas with some infantry, and to cut their retreat; but he spoke to deaf men. Assed-ollah-qhan, intimidated by his loss, did not move at all; and the English officers, availing themselves of that pause, soon formed again, disengaged their artillery, and pre­sented again a regular front to the enemy. On the other hand, Mir-nasser, who with his rocket-men had so closely engaged the English as to make them lose ground, finding that no one would come to his assistance, was thinking of a retreat; but even that being now unattainable, his men continued engaging the enemy, like people that held each other by the throat. The English, hard pressed, received from Major Adams orders to fix to the muzzles of their muskets certain iron spikes, like those of a spear; and this being done, the English, by applying their muskets to their breasts, presented a wall of spikes, which no enemy could pretend to pass, in order to come to hand-blows with them. This particular I had from several creditable persons of both nations, that were in the engagement, and present at the particular spot; and I have since heard it from Colonel Goddard, who was either a Captain or a Lieutenant at that engagement; and who affirmed likewise, that at Sò8ty the English had been fairly done for, had the enemy kept them in play a few days more in that sultry plain.* Mir-nasser, unable to push upon that row of pikes so as to approach nearer, was making, but in vain, signs with the hand and voice all the while, without being able to descry any one moving to his assistance. At last he despaired of victory; and, at this very moment, the English officers that had Marcar and Somro in front, seeing that those two Com­manders were retreating, and leaving the field on that side clear of the enemy, detached three or four companies of Talingas to the assistance of that part of their army which was in distress; and those were no sooner re-inforced so unexpectedly, than they fell with fresh courage on the small unsupported number of those that had hitherto pressed so hard upon them. On the appearance of this re-inforcement, Mir-bedr-eddin quitted the engagement, and retreated leisurely; but Mir-nasser, who had the imprudence to stay with his little troop, had soon reason to repent of his temerity. He was soon fired at by the fresh detachment, and left his life in the field of braves. By this time Marcar the Armenian, and Somro the European, had already quitted the field of battle, to their eternal shame and infamy, and were retreating along the highway. They were soon followed by Assed-ollah-qhan, who soon lost himself in that field of dishonour and disgrace. Some others that yet stood their ground, finding themselves abandoned by their main, quitted the field of battle by troops; and the zephyr of success and victory blowing gently on the flagging standards of the English, unfurled their folds, and put them in the full possession of victory. The victors had the generosity to take up the wounded, and to make them over to those that could take care of them; and here I cannot help mentioning a singular fact which I have heard several times from Colonel Goddard, an officer who was only Lieutenant or Captain in that battle, and cuts now so great a figure at the head of the English forces in Decan: He used to say, that amongst the wounded spread in the field, and then taken up by the English, he had seen a man of Mir-cassem’s troops, who had received such a stroke of a sabre, as had cleft his skull in two pieces, so that the brains were set open. The man was half dead, nor were any hopes entertained of his remaining alive many hours more; nevertheless, as he was still breathing, the Doctor bound his head with his turband, and sent him to a place of shelter with the other wounded. Three days after, as God­dard was taking a survey of the wounded, about whom the Doctor was actually busy, he was astonished to see that the man whom he had seen before, was now sitting upon his hams, holding an hocca* of clay with both his hands, and smoking with a deal of composure; he seemed quite recovered of his wound, but, what is singular, had lost his sight entirely. Such was that miracle of Providence, and such that token of Divine dispensations! The enemy, dispersed and disheartened, made haste to the little stream of 8d8a-nala, where Mir-cassem had fortified a strong post against such emergencies as these, and here they stopped; and, after recovering from their fright, they joined those that were on duty in that post, and prepared for a vigorous defence.

The news of this ill success filled Mir-cassem’s breast with anxiety, and dismay, and doubts. He had already, on Mahmed-taky-qhan’s death, taken measures for sending his family, seraglio, and treasures, to the fortress of Rhotas. He now dis­missed a vast number of women, which he kept for show only, and in conformity to the custom of the Indian Princes; and these being not for his use, and serving only to encumber his motions, were all set at liberty, with full permission to dispose of them­selves; but his own consort, who was Mir-djaafer-qhan’s daughter, together with his favourite ladies, and his treasures and effects, were sent by land and by water to that fortress, under the care of Mir-suléiman-qhan, his steward, of Radja-Nobet-ráy, his favourite, and of some other trusty persons. It was in this state of emigration that some alteration was perceived in the minds and behaviour of his undutiful servants, and ungrateful dependants; although such was the dread entertained still of their master’s exactitude and severity, that none had yet dared to betray any impudence in their actions, or trouble the accustomed order, or transgress the usual defences. Intelligence coming at this time of the defeat at Sò8ty, his situation became more difficult than ever; and he resolved to avail himself of the stand that would be made at 8d8a-nala, to retreat from the castle of Monghyr, and to march towards Azim-abad. The 8d8a is a little deep river that comes from the hills of Radj-mahal on the south, and empties itself in the Ganga in a small plain covered with thorns and brambles. Its banks are steep, lofty, and so beset as to afford no passage anywhere but with extreme difficulty, if at all; and it was upon that little river that Mir-cassem had ordered a bridge of brick and stone-work to be raised some months before. He had seen and admired the natural strength of that part, and had ordered a deep ditch to be dug beyond the little river, and a strong rampart or intrenchment to be raised behind it, so as that the ditch and rampart might extend from the foot of the hills down to the Ganga, leaving between them and the little river, a sufficient plain for encamping troops. The ditch was deep, had a wooden bridge over it, and joined a lake and morass which coming from the foot of the hills, encompassed a great part of the intrenchment, and greatly contributed to its defence in front; so that the only passage betwixt Monghyr and Radj-mahal lay over that ditch and through that intrenchment, which was fortified with a number of towers, that gave it the appearance of a castle. Nor was it possible to go to the right, unless indeed by mounting or descending the Ganga in boats; and this was impracticable, when there were troops to oppose such an attempt; nor indeed to the left, unless by wading through an impassable morass, or by climbing over the hills. It was in conse­quence of such considerations as these that Mir-cassem had beforehand ordered that spot to be carefully fortified, considering it as fully capable to stop an enemy. He now put a strong body of troops in those intrenchments; and to encourage them the more, he informed them that he would march to their support. He then fixed a favourable day for his setting out; and quitting the castle of Mongher, he sent his spare tents forwards, encamped in the neighbourhood, and gave orders for assembling troops; but as he was conversant in astrology, he had taken care to find out the favourable moment for commencing his march. After these precautions he set out on the twenty-fourth of Muharrem, A. D. 1763. in the year 1177, of the Messenger’s flight; it was in the night­time, which he always deemed favourable to his affairs. But by this time a sanguinary disposition had made its appearance in his character, which had received additional strength from Gur­ghin-qhan’s insinuations, and also from a review of the state of his own affairs. And as his mind had been soured by the alter­ation which he now observed amongst the Grandees of his Court; and the conjuncture required that he should dispose of his prisoners of State, who were in great numbers; he resolved to put all those unfortunate men to death; especially as he had already a variety of suspicions on their account, and they had filled his mind with tormenting anxieties; they were too numerous to be kept under command, and too dangerous to be dismissed. A list of their names I never saw, but I know several of them. Of that number were Ram-naráin, heretofore Deputy-Governor of Azim-abad, as well as Radja Radj-bull8b, who had himself enjoyed that office, after having been a long time before Divan and Prime Minister to Nevazish-mohammed-qhan, and in the sequel, to Miren, son to Mir-djaafer-qhan. This unfortunate man had all his sons with him. Some others of those prisoners were the Ráy-ráyan Umid-ráy, with his son, the Zemindars of Ticary, Radja Fateh-sing and Radja B8niad-sing, and also Sheh-abdollan, the same who had been heretofore confined at P8raniah. There were numbers of other persons of distinction and characters, all which were dispatched to the regions of non-existence. I have heard it said that Ram-naráin had been drowned in the Ganga, with a bag of sand fastened to his neck; and probably the others also were dismissed out of this world in the like manner.* All this while the unfortunate English prisoners continued to be guarded with the utmost care; and although Gurghin-qhan was in haste to get rid of them also, his advice for that single time was not listened to by Mir-cassem, who conceived that some advantage might accrue to his affairs from keeping them alive. It was at this setting out from Monghyr that his troops, in consequence of that infamous disposition so natural to Hindians, (who never fail to become insolent and unruly upon any change of affairs) commenced shewing themselves disobedient and refractory. With this temper of theirs he thought proper to put up, as his affairs required much dissimulation, and much for­bearance; and in this disposition of mind he arrived at Champa-nugur, where he tarried a few days, to review the troops destined for the defence of the post of 8d8a-nala, which he now strengthened in such a manner that he expected it would bar the passage of the English exactly like a wall.