That article now engrossed all his thoughts; and he proposed to every one of his favourites and servants to assist him with a certain sum of money, according to their respective abilities. In this design he wrote to his mother, to his consort, to the brothers Shudjah-ed-döulah applies to every one of his relations for some money, and is refused by even his own mother. of that consort, and to every one of his relations and friends, requesting their assistance, and informing them that his release from his present engagements depended intirely upon the recep­tion and payment of the stipulated money. This was the mes­sage he sent in general; but the letters themselves were couched in such terms, as gave some intimation of the particular sum which he hoped from every one; and in reality, it was no more than what every one of them could spare with a deal of ease. But if this was his expectation, he found himself much mistaken. His very best servants proved much fonder of their money, than of their master’s concerns; and every one listening only to the dictates of avarice, proffered only one-half, or one-third, or one-fourth of what was so reasonably expected; nor were the many letters received on that occasion, penned in any other strain, whether from his mother, from his brother-in-law, or from his slaves: those men that had made their fortunes in his house, and were most indebted to him for their well-being. But this was not the case with his consort. That Princess, not only sent him without hesitation whatever money or jewels, gold or silver furniture were in her possession, but she added to that offering whatever else she could obtain from the ladies of the Seraglio, without sparing the very ring of her nose with its pearls.* Not that she was not strongly dissuaded by her people from so much self-denial, but she would answer their remonstrances by these very words: “That whatever she was possessed of, was of use to her only so long as Shudjah-ed-döulah was safe; and that if he should cease to be so, all those jewels and all those pre­cious things would also cease to be of use to herself; nor did she wish to use them on any other condition.” It was only a woman that spoke so; but her sentiments would have done honour to any man upon earth. And may so much generosity, and so much gratitude; may so respectful a remembrance of society, of table, and bed be ever rewarded with the blessing of Heaven! Doubtless it is of such noble-minded woman, that the poet thought, when he said:

“A pious, obedient and dutiful woman,

Will make a King of a poor man.”

Shudjah-ed-döulah after such an experiment of his consort’s attachment, conceived so high an opinion of her fidelity, that he made it a practice to commit to her care whatever money came to his hand in presents, or could be spared from necessary expenses.

“What man must he be, that should prove inferior to a woman?

In short, the Vezir after having paid down such a sum as was in his power, ballanced his account with the English Com­manders, by pawning in their hands an immense sum in jewels of high value, which were valued apart one by one; a delicate business in which he was much assisted by Shytab-ráy. After this he sent for his consort and family from Hafyz-rahmet’s country; and having given the fortress of Chennar in exchange for that of Ilah-abad, which had been assigned for the Emperor’s residence, and placed with that Prince a person of consequence to execute in his absence the office of Vezir, and another to per­form the duty of Mir-ateshy* (which two offices were hereditary in his family), he departed, and took the shortest road to Faiz-abad, a city that had been finished by himself, but com­menced by his maternal ancestor, Saadet-qhan. And although he travelled with expedition, nevertheless he availed himself of his journey throughout that whole tract to put the country under a proper management; and there we shall leave him, until we resume his history by bringing it as far down as the reign of our present Emperor, Shah-aalem; then with God’s blessing, we shall close our narrative of Mir-cassem’s adventures, in the cursory account which we are to give of the Emperors, Sovereigns, and eminent men who have appeared in Hindostan within that period. These matters we reserve for our subsequent volume; and this shall be over and above what we shall have to say of Bengal and Bahar, and of the boundaries which the new conquerors have given to those two provinces. At present our intention is to restrain ourselves to such events only as concern more particularly the English government in those parts; and we shall attempt to give an idea of the revenue, regulations, and of the institutions which they have established themselves; or which having been introduced by the Viceroys or rulers of their own appointing, have since passed into a custom and become a law.