The third ugly part of his conduct was his continual disregard to the honor of his servants and subjects*, and his inattention and carelessness about the rights of possession and property. Whenever he wanted to enlarge a palace, or to raise His heinous disregard to the honor and property of the subjects. some new building, he made little account of pulling down the houses and habitations of his servants, or his subjects; inso­much that numbers of people, not only lost their grounds and materials, but their very furniture and movables, the whole-of which never failed to be reputed fair booty by those shoals of pioneers who crowded upon them at once without warning, and reduced them in a twinkle to distress and beggary*. Nor did any one, but God himself, listen to the screams and groans of those ejected, forlorn families. But the day of account and retribution was now come. He was informed that he had but few hours to live; so that sending for his mother, consort, and relations, he pronounced his profession of faith*, and asked their pardon, and on a Thursday, being the twenty-second of Zilcaad, in the year 1188 of the Hedjra, he expired, departing from the caravansary of this fragile world, for the regions of eternity.

One would hardly believe that, with such a strange character, he should have been an object of regret; and yet it is beyond doubt that he has been regretted to an incredible degree. Several persons of importance and credit have affirmed that the report of his death filled the whole city of Faiz-abad with sorrow and grief. Muhabbet-qhan (eldest son to Hafyz-rahmet), who certainly could not be partial to him, and to whose merit it is difficult to render sufficient justice, has more than once told me, that although his family had been ruined by Shudjah-ed-dowlah, and himself reduced to the condition in which I then saw him, nevertheless, on seeing his corpse pass by, he could not contain himself, but shed a flood of tears. He added that he cannot compare the general impression of sorrow felt that day by every one, to any thing but to what is sometimes observed in the last days of the ten first ones of the Muharrem*, when it is not possible to observe in a numerous assembly one single face that is not unaffected with grief. He protested that the whole city of Faiz-abad was in that predicament, no face being to be met with but was bathed in tears; insomuch that he doubted much whether a single person could be found that day, that had not wept abundantly. It was then remembered that, about a year before his death, a tumour had arisen at his back or about his shoulders, and as both his father and maternal grandfather had died of such a distemper, it was feared lest the tumour at the back might turn out to be of a cancerous nature; and he vowed to send five lacs of rupees to the holy places; a vow which he performed to the full*, after having fully recovered his health. But as he was himself predestined to die of that distemper, hereditary in his family, he at last perished himself by a cancer. His body having been washed, purified, and wrapped up in a winding-sheet, according to the rites customary in Hindostan, it was taken up by Mirza-aaly-qhan and Salar-djung, brothers to his consort, who, together with the principal Grandees of the Court, and Officers of the army, and the most eminent men of the city, carried it by turns upon their shoulders, all the while preceded and followed by an immense retinue of his horses, elephants, and his whole household, and by crowds of people that had been attached to his person. Whilst the convoy was yet on its march towards G8lab-bagh*, where the body was to be entombed, his virtuous son, Mirza-amany, that man whom people are pleased to call Assef-ed-döwlah*, anxious to sit upon the paternal throne, and fearful lest so many Grandees and officers, who were as fully apprised of his incapacity and unworthiness as he was sensible of it himself, should pretend to choose a successor to his father from his other children—Mirza-amani, I say—without any respect to decency, and without any regard to the plainest dictates of common sense in so awful a ceremony, sent trusty persons through the middle of the proces­sion, with orders to bring his two uncles back by all means, and even by force. The two brothers excused themselves upon the impropriety of quitting the procession before its arrival at G8lab-bagh, and on the offence which such a conduct would give to the Mussulman people in general. But meanwhile other messengers coming up with precise orders to bring them by force, the two Lords pronounced a short apology and went away. Some others, who had not been sent for, but who guessed at the sentiments of the deceased’s successor, went back of them­selves to secure by such a conduct some part of his good will and favour. Assef-ed-döwlah, after a short consultation with them, sent for Colonel Cleiss, and another Englishman of con­sideration, who had been in great esteem with Shudjah-ed-döwlah, and he told them, “that a delay would be improper; that the decrees of Providence had been fulfilled, and that they had nothing else to do but to place him upon the throne of his father.” The two Commanders thought so much precipitation improper, and excused themselves upon their waiting for orders. The other insisted, intreated, and spoke much upon that subject; and at last he promised a great sum of money, should they Is installed in the throne by two English Officers. comply with his request immediately. The two Commanders, having talked sometime amongst themselves, agreed at last that this man was the deceased’s eldest son, born of a woman of equal rank to his own, and to whom of course the succession belonged by the rules of hereditary right. “After all,” added they, “what harm will that do to us? On the contrary it will do us good.” They immediately sent for a turbant, rolled it upon his head, and calling for the principal men, actually attending the procession, they commanded them to offer their nuzurs, and to make their bows of acknowldgment. The military music had likewise orders to strike up. The sound of this being heard by the other part of the retinue, which actually attended the procession, gave that multitude at once, as well as every one of the men of distinction that still remained, an insight into the successor’s turn of mind. Quitting therefore the convoy, they returned to the Palace. As soon as they were arri ed, and the Court appeared numerous and frequent, this virtuous son, who doubtless had been this longwhile panting for such days as these, took his seat upon the Mesned of Sovereignty, and received the homages of the whole assembly; and all this was done with so indecent a precipitation, that the music at the Palace was play­ing in token of rejoicing, whilst the people of no note and character that had remained with the body, were performing the funeral rites over it, and the rejoicings were heard sounding whilst it was actually committing to the earth. The new Prince now being universally acknowledged, brought forwards his ancient steward and friend, appointed him his Deputy all over his dominions, raised him to the grade of seven thousand horse, gave him a military music and the insignia of the Mahi, or fish, and decorated him with the title of Moqhtar-ed-döwlah, or “The Omnipotent of the State.” This was no other than Mir-M8rteza-qhan, brother to Mir-M8rtézévi-qhan. But Iredj-qhan and Sidy-beshir, with some other friends and councilors of Shudjah-ed-döwlah’s, observing how the wind blew, thought proper to provide for their own safety. Iredj-qhan, under pre­tence of obtaining the patents of confirmation from the Emperor, and of strengthening the treaty of amity and union that had been concluded with Nedjef-qhan, obtained leave to repair to Shah-djehan-abad, and thought himself very lucky to escape from the new Prince’s grasp. In a few days more, the latter, under pretence that he could not agree with his mother and grandmother, quitted the city of Fäiz-abad, and with his whole Court and army he marched to Lucknow. After coming out of the city, he sent his mother a message requesting his father’s treasures. For Shudjah-ed-döwlah, who on his making peace with the English in their camp, had been so zealously assisted by his consort, had from that time conceived so high an opinion of her fidelity, that he used to entrust to her custody every saving he could bring up. Some four messages passed at that time between the son and the mother. At last the latter consented to pay a sum of fifty lacs of rupees, in lieu of all the treasures entrusted to her custody by the deceased Prince, and the son in appear­ance satisfied, gave her under his hand a general release, as having received the whole amount of his father’s estate.

As soon as he had received the money, he made no more any scruple of exposing shamelessly all the ugliness of his whole character, He was a slave to effeminate affections, and had long ago selected and applied to his use a certain number of the most brawny Talingas or Sipahees, who served him accord­ing to his inclinations, and followed him everywhere by day as well as by night, as if they had been his shade. All these were now brought forward upon the stage of the world, complimented with sounding titles and large pensions, raised to grades of honor and to the command of whole Brigades, decorated with rich presents and fringed Palekies, and introduced to Court as men of character, and importance. Amongst this species of men was a Paleky-carrier, or chair-man, of his own, who had particularly hitted his fancy. He was now brought forward likewise, and distinguished by the title of Radja-mahera, or Prince chair-man. Another received the Government of Besvara, and he there drummed himself as well as his master all over the country. In short, it was observed that all his favourites and all those that approached him, were taken from amongst the vilest of man kind. It is with such a Court that he proceeded to Lucknow, where having tarried sometime, he advanced to Atava, which is Anterbid, and the last place of his dominions towards the west, and where he remained encamped a longwhile. At this place he sent for his brother, Mirza-saadet-aaly and for Sidy-beshir, who both obeyed the summons. The latter was lulled asleep by every demonstration of regard and favour, until the new Prince’s emissaries had gained An attempt to seize Sidy-beshir. over to his side all the troops that were under the man’s command. These being secured, a secret order was given to some officers to arrest Sidy-beshir and to bring him to the presence. The latter had received intelligence of the order, and Heroical behaviour of Mir-bahadyr-aaly. was astonished at his being aimed at; but whilst he was deliberat­ing with himself, the troops sent for him were descried from afar. He had with him at that moment one Mir-bahadyr-aaly, a Sëyd of Barr, who was these many years attached to him, and owed to his favour his fortune and his very existence. This man turning to Sidy-beshir bid him get upon his own horse, and fly immediately. “So long as I am alive,” said he, “I will keep them busy after me. Meanwhile be mounted, and without loss of time, fly for your life to the ferry boat on the Djum­nah, which is but at a small distance. Cross over at once, and then you shall be in Nedjef-qhan’s country, and of course in a place of safety. And you, added he, speaking to some friends then present, you owe as well as myself your very for­tune to this man. See him safe on the other side of the water, and approve yourselves worthy of the favours you have received. Get away. I shall keep these people at bay for full half an hour.” Sidy-beshir mounted and fled; meanwhile Mir-bahadyr-aaly advanced out of the wall of the tent, and engaged the enemies; sabre in hand. He fought with so much resolution and bodily vigour, that for a full half hour no one could approach the door to get in and seize on Sidy-beshir. At last, Who gets himself hacked to pieces in order to save his benefactor. after having performed feats of prowess that did him an infinite honor, he was overborne by numbers, covered with wounds, and stretched on the ground. But meanwhile Beshir had already reached the Djumnah on a full gallop, and finding boats at hand, he got in one of them, and arrived safe in Nedjef-qhan’s country. Whilst he was crossing over to the other side, Bahadyr-aaly, who had cheerfully drank up the cup of martyrdom, was cross­ing over with a luminous face to the regions of eternity, where he was immediately admitted to the enjoyment of the parterres of Paradise. The soldiers straddling over that hero’s body, got within the tent, and searched for Beshir, but Beshir was not to be found; they found every thing, save the ram of the black flock. After this glorious expedition, Assef-ed-döwlah took from his younger brother the administration of the Rohilcund, a country assigned to that young Prince as his share of the paternal estate, and he bestowed it on S8ret-sing, a Hindoo, who had been appointed Divan of the revenue of that tract, by Shudjah-ed-dowlah himself. In all these transactions M8qhtar-ed-dowlah acted with so unbounded a sway, that Assef-ed-dowlah seemed reduced to a mere cypher. He obtained for Sëyd-mahmed-qhan, his eldest brother, the title of Actydar-ed-dowlah, M8qhtar-ed-dowlah,
Minister of State. or “The Powerful of the State,” and bestowed upon him the Government of A8d. His second brother, Muäzzez-qhan, was decorated with the title of Muäzzez-ed-dowlah, or “The Honoured of the State,” and also complimented him with the Government of Ilah-abad. To these titles he added a household of elephants, horses, furniture, and jewels, with every thing else suitable to their present high stations. In the same manner, he raised every one of his relations, kinsmen, or friends, to offices and to affluence, both in a degree too much above their merits, and at the same time he depressed and neglected every one of those who had been attached to Shudjah-ed-dowlah, or had of late attached themselves to the son. In short, his power and omnipotence rose to such a pitch, that there was not one man throughout the whole State, that dared dispute his will or oppose his pleasure.