We have mentioned that Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, the Governor-General of Bahar, had been dismissed to his station by his grandfather. As soon as he arrived on the frontiers of his Govern­ment, he thought proper to strike to the left, and to tarry some days in the district of Ticary. The real reason of such a proceed­ing was the dissatisfaction he had concieved at the conduct of Hedáiet-aaly-qhan, my illustrious father; and the pretence he alleged was the propriety of examining by himself those countries in which my father bore an unbounded sway. He was Governor of all that extensive tract of ground, which stretches as far as Chota-nagp8r;* and he commanded also over Seress and Cotumbah, two districts that had been leased out to our family from a great number of years; so that all the Zemindars and great land­holders of those countries were all attached to his person, as having been often befriended and assisted by his influence, and as being sensible of certain connections of long standing, which he had with the most powerful amongst them, but especially with Radja Sunder-sing, who had a personal attachment to him. It became therefore necessary to wean such powerful persons from their affections to him, and to attach them to his own person and Government. But he had also another motive; he wanted to put the finances of all those countries under the management of a Minister he had brought with him for that very purpose; and this was Radja Kyret-chund, whose father, Aalem-chund, had been Divan or Minister to the late Viceroy, Shudjah-qhan. All these views might have been summed up into one, namely, that of get­ting rid of my father’s influence in those distant countries. Such a design could not remain concealed from my father, who imme­diately wrote to the Governor to request leave to repair to his court, that he might enjoy the happiness of standing amongst those that waited upon his person. He was answered by a request of not putting himself to so much unnecessary trouble, as the Governor would soon be at Azim-abad, where he would always be glad of his company. Hedáiet-aaly-qhan, on this answer, per­ceiving that ill offices had been done him, thought proper to remain in town. When, on a sudden, a report spread that the Marhattas were coming to Azim-abad again, and the report was soon confirmed. The Governor who had lost most of his troops in the campaigns of Oressa and Bengal, and who found himself now only at the head of a handful of men, did not think himself in safety in those parts, and he marched away immediately; so that the next day he was already in the neighbourhood of his capital. On this intelligence Hedáiet-aaly-qhan mounted, and with such a retinue as usually attended his person, he went out to meet him. The Governor was then at a spot called Metip8r’s reservoir; he was on horseback; and hearing of his being so near, he stopped and sent his Minister forward to bring up his noble guest with more honour. Hedáiet-aaly-qhan on discovering the Governor, alighted, and having embraced him just as he was on horseback, he continued walking on foot with the Minister. The Governor, on recollecting the two letters that had passed between them, felt some embarrassment, but yet recovering himself at once, he stooped very low from his horse, and embraced him in that posture. Hedáiet-aaly-qhan having tarried some moments to embrace his younger brother, Mehdi-nessar-qhan, who was Pay­master-General, and also to see some other noblemen, his acquaintances, mounted again; and mingling with the Governor’s retinue, he entered the city with the crowd, accompanied him to his palace with the crowd, and went on into his own lodgings with the crowd. A few days after, explanations took place, mutual complaints were exhibited, excuses made, concessions proferred; and at last the Governor, who expected to draw many services from him hereafter, but who wished his resigning of himself the many offices he was invested with, one day took occasion to observe to him “that His Sublime Highness (meaning Aaly-verdy-qhan) had conceived some suspicions against his person, which amounted to so many orders to himself, his nephew. That it was therefore incumbent upon him to comply with the Viceroy’s pleasure, and to surrender his offices for a time, in order to repair to M8rsh8d-abad, where he doubted not but he would soon find means to sooth his resentment, and time to recover his good graces.” He added, “that he reckoned that himself would soon have it in his power to wipe off the stain which malevolence had put upon his friend’s character, in which case a restitution of his offices would of course follow.” Such a speech, although couched in guarded terms, had nothing but very alarming for Hedáiet-aaly-qhan; and that noble­man having now conceived fears for his character and for his honour, declined complying with the request; and being naturally haughty and obstinate, he remained immovable. The Governor confounded at his obstinacy, and at a loss how to manage with such a man, came to my mother’s lodgings; and after many excuses for the liberty he had taken, and many protestations of his sincerity, he repeated the purport of what he had already said to her husband; and he protested that in speaking to him, as he had done, he had only complied with the Viceroy’s positive injunc­tions. A few days after this visit, which produced nothing, Hedáietaaly-qhan,who had refused to resign, thought proper to quit the service; and he obtained leave to repair to the Imperial Court. He spent a few days only in putting his affairs in order; and being now prepared for his journey, he spied a fortunate hour, which happened to be the fifteenth of Redjeb, 1156, and having assembled his troops, with all those that would follow his for­tunes, Hedáiet-aaly-qhan parts with Aaly-verdy-qhan’s
family. he beat the General; and contrary to every rule of decency and subordination, contrary to that respect which every master and lord has a right to expect from those in his service, he traversed the whole length of the city, with drums beating, and colours flying; after which he went to encamp at the reservoir and seat of Rày-Bale-kishen, agent to the Viceroy of Bengal. There he was joined by his younger brother, Mehdi-nessar-qhan, Paymaster-General of the forces, a nobleman for whom the Governor had the highest regard, and whom he conceived to be not only one of his sincerest friends, but also an officer of the highest merit, whose valour and frankness had merited the esteem and applause of the public. But the officer unmindful of the many ties that bound him to the Governor, and of the many benefits which he might expect from that intimacy, resigned his office; and unable to support his brother’s disgrace, he resolved to share his ill fortune. In vain did the Governor refuse to accept his resignation; in vain did he represent to him the consequences of his divesting himself of all employment. In vain did he speak and intreat, and sent others to speak and intreat in his name; the officer continued resolved to follow his brother. At last the Governor went to his lodgings, and said that he came to bring him away by force to his palace. All that availed nothing; the officer quitted the city, and joined his brother. And although there was a report that the Zemindars of Bodj­p8r, bad men to a proverb, through whose lands he was to pass, had dressed an ambuscade, with intention to surprise and stripe him, he took that very road, and set them at defiance; but after having escorted his brother so far, he returned to the city, and took up his residence in his own house, like a private man. Hedáiet-aaly-qhan having set out in the height of the rains, and pursued his journey through a miry country, arrived with much labour at Fáiz-abad, the residence of Ab8l-mans8r-qhan; and the next day he went to pay his respects to that Viceroy. The latter who knew how far he had contributed to that nobleman’s disgrace, thought it incumbent upon him to show him a high regard, and to compliment him with a large pension; but the nobleman who had other views, and who intended that very day to continue his journey, tarried only two or three hours more; and he departed for the Imperial Court, where he arrived after a trouble­some journey, and where we shall leave him at present, reserving the remaining part of his history, as well as that of Ab8r-mans8r-qhan’s, for the subsequent sections of our narrative in which we shall professedly treat of the reign of Mahmed-shah, and Ahmed-shah, as well as of the revolutions that took place in the capital of the Empire. At present it appears proper to bring together under one point of view, and in a single volume, whatever we know of the revolutions of Bengal and Azim-abad, as far down as the year 1194 of the Hedjra; and especially the history of Aaly-verdy-qhan, an illustrious house, which having risen in these very provinces to the summit of power, glory and riches, is now fallen and totally extinct. As soon as we shall have accomplished this task, which we have imposed on ourselves, we shall then with the assistance of the Omnipotent One, who is the rightfull succourer and the rightful bestower of favours, take up again in another section that part of our history of Hindostan, which belongs more particularly to the reigns of Mahmed-shah, of his son, Ahmed-shah, and of his grandson, Aalem-ghir the second; interspersing our narrative with occasional particulars of those illustrious or eminent men, who have figured on the theatres of Shah-djehan-abad, Lahor, and Ilah-abad; and as to the events that have happened in Decan throughout all that period of time, we shall occasionally mention just so much of them as is come to our certain knowledge, reserving it for our two last volumes; and may God grant that we prove as good as our word!