*

Description of Mahmood. — Gold mine discovered during his reign in Seestan. — Mahmood deputes an embassy to Ameer Nooh, King of Bokhara, to receive an acknowledgment of his claim to the succession. — The King of Bokhara refuses to con­firm Khorassan to him, but confers it on Ameer Toozun Beg. — Mahmood marches to oppose Toozun Beg. — He retreats to join the King of Bokhara, who takes the field. — The King of Bokhara is seized by his own officers, and put to death. — His son Abdool Mullik raised to the throne. — Elik Khan, ruler of Kashghar, invades Bokhara, slays the young king, and seizes on the government. — Mahmood sends an embassy to Elik Khan, and receives his daughter in marriage. — Mahmood makes war with the Hindoos. — Defeats Jeipal, Raja of Punjab. — Second expedition to India. — Lays siege to Bhatna, and takes it after much resistance. — Elik Khan invades Khorassan in the absence of Mahmood in India. — Mahmood defeats Elik Khan, who never again appears in the field. — The army of Mahmood nearly lost in the snow. — Third ex­pedition to India. — Mahmood opposed, on the confines of Pishawur, by Anundpal, the son and successor of Jeipal. — The Hindoos defeated with great slaughter. — Mahmood takes Nagrakote, and returns to Ghizny. — Fourth expedition to India. — Battle of Tahneswur. — Mahmood deputes his ge­nerals to take Joorjistan. — Procures the entire cession of Khorassan from the Caliph Alkadir Billa of Bagdad. — Fifth expedition to India. — Nindoona in Punjab taken. — Kashmeer invaded. — Sixth expedition to India. — Lokote be­sieged. — Mahmood's army nearly perishes on its return to Ghizny. — Marches against Khwaruzm. — The whole of Transoxania, including Orkund, is added to the Ghiznian empire. — Seventh expedition to India. — The Raja of Kun-owj submits to pay tribute. — Mahmood takes Merut, Ma-havun, and Mutra. — Eighth expedition into India. — Punjab invaded. — Lokote and Lahore taken. — An officer left in Punjab to govern the country. — Ninth expedition to India. — Kalunjur besieged. — The Raja Nunda Ray agrees to pay tribute, and peace is concluded. — On his return to Ghizny, Mahmood marches into Transoxania, and settles that country. Tenth expedition to India. — Mahmood proceeds to Guzerat, and reduces Somnat. — Description of the temple. — Mahmood returns to Ghizny. — His army nearly perishes for want of water on its march. — Expedition against the Juts, near Mooltan. — Their fleet attacked and destroyed, by the fleet of Mahmood, on the Indus. — The Suljook Tartars invade Transoxania, and the provinces on the Caspian. — Mahmood unable from debility to oppose them. — His health declines. — His death. — Character. — Description of his court. — His munificence to learned men.

WE are told by historians, that Mahmood was endowed with all the qualities of a great prince, and reflected lustre upon the faith: while others inform us, that in his disposition the vice of avarice held supreme sway. It appears to me, how­ever, that he has been unjustly censured in this respect. It is true, he was insatiable in acquiring wealth; but it was expended in the prosecution of his distant and splendid conquests. We have the testimony of the Futteh-ool-Bulad, and the travels of Aboo-Nusr-Muscaty, and of the famous Abool-Fuzeel, that no king had ever more learned men at his court, maintained a finer army, or displayed more magnificence than Mahmood. All these ob­jects could not have been obtained without great expense; so that, when he is accused of avarice, some few particular acts of his life must be alluded to, which ought by no means to affect his general character. In two instances this passion was cer­tainly very conspicuous. First, in his conduct to Ferdowsy; and, secondly, in his exactions from his subjects, in the latter part of his reign.

Mahmood, who, it is stated, was deficient in per­sonal beauty, said one day (observing himself in a glass), “The sight of a king should brighten the eyes of the beholders; but nature has been so unkind to me, that my appearance is positively forbidding.” His Vizier replied, “It is not one in ten thousand of a king's subjects who are blessed with a sight of him; but your Majesty's virtues are diffused over all.” But to proceed with our history. Mahmood was the eldest son of Subooktugeen. His mother was the daughter of a person of good family in Za-bulistan; for which reason she is termed Zabuly. He was born on the night of the ninth Mohurrum, in the year 357 of the Hijra, (15th Decem­ber, 967,) — and Minhaj-oos-Siraj Joorjany states, that his birth took place on the same day of the year as that of the Prophet. Subooktugeen being asleep at the time of his birth, dreamed that he beheld a green tree springing forth from the fire-place of his house, which threw its shadow over the face of the earth, screening with its boughs, from the storms of heaven, the whole animal creation. This, indeed, was verified by the justice of Mahmood; for it has been metaphorically stated, that in his reign the wolf and the lamb drank together at the same brook. In the first month of his reign, a vein of gold, resembling a tree, of three cubits in depth, was discovered in a mine in Seestan, which yielded pure gold till the reign of Musaood, when it was lost in consequence of an earthquake.

Mahmood, having ejected his brother, hastened to Bulkh, from whence he sent an ambassador to Abool Munsoor, King of Bokhara, to whom the family of Ghizny still continued to own allegiance, complaining of the indignity which had been offered him by the nomination of Ameer Toozun Beg to the government of Khorassan, a country so long in possession of his father. Mahmood received for answer, that he was already in possession of the territories of Bulkh, Toormooz, and Hirat, * and that it was expedient to divide the favours of Bok-hara among all its officers. He was, moreover, informed that Toozun Beg had been a faithful and good servant, an insinuation which implied a reflec­tion on the family of Ghizny for having rendered itself independent in the governments it held of the royal house of Samany.

Mahmood, not discouraged by this answer, sent Abool-Hussun Jumvy with rich presents to the court of Bokhara, and a letter couched in the fol­lowing terms: — that “he hoped no such indignity “would be imposed on him as to drive him to the “necessity of throwing off that allegiance he had “hitherto paid to the imperial house of Samany.” The Emperor, instead of replying to the letter of Mahmood, contrived to gain over his ambassador to his own service, and appointed him to the office of Vizier. Mahmood accordingly marched to recover Nyshapoor from Toozun Beg, who, advised of his intention, abandoned the city, and sending intelli­gence of his situation to the Emperor Ameer Mun-soor, that prince himself marched to oppose Mah-mood, and in the rashness of inexperienced youth hastened towards Khorassan, without halting, till he reached Surukhsh. Mahmood, though he well knew that the Emperor was in no condition to op­pose him, was induced, out of respect towards the imperial standards of Samany, to evacuate Nysha-por, and to fall back on Moorghab. Ameer Toozun Beg, in the mean time, treacherously engaged in a conspiracy with Fâïk in the camp of Ameer Mun-soor, and seizing that prince, put out his eyes, and raised Abdool-Mullik, the younger brother of Mun-soor (then a boy), to the throne. Apprehensive, how­ever, of the resentment of Mahmood, the conspira­tors hastened to Murv, * whither they were pursued by Mahmood. Finding themselves hard pressed, they halted and gave battle, but were defeated. Fâïk carried off the young king, and fled to Bok-hara; Toozun Beg also escaped, but was not heard of, till he began to collect his scattered troops. Fâïk, in the mean time, fell sick, and soon after died. Elik Khan, ruler of Kashghar, seizing the oppor­tunity afforded by these dissensions, marched from Kashghar * to Bokhara, and slaying Abool Mullik, annihilated his whole race. Thus the house of Samany, which had continued to reign in Bokhara for a period of one hundred and twenty-eight years, became extinct.

Mahmood, at this juncture, employed himself in settling the government of the provinces of Bulkh and Khorassan, which he regulated in such a manner, that his fame reached the Caliph of Bagdad, Alkadir-Billa of the house of Abass; who sent him a rich honorary dress (such as he had never before bestowed on any king), and dignified Mahmood with the titles of Ameen-ool-Millut, and

Zeekad, A. H. 390.
Oct. A. D. 1000.

Yemeen-ood-Dowlut.† * In the end of the month Zeekad, in the year 390, Mahmood proceeded from Bulkh to Hirat, and thence to Seestan, where having defeated Khuluf the son of Ahmed, the governor of that province, he returned to Ghizny. About the same time, also, he marched in the direction of India‡, * took many forts and provinces, in which having established his own governors, he returned to his capital. Having overcome all op­position to his government, he devoted himself for some time to the improvement of his country and to the organisation of courts of civil and criminal justice. He also deemed it politic to acknowledge the new ruler of Bokhara, and accordingly deputed Aboo-Tyub Soheil, Bin Sooliman, Salooky, with mag­nificent presents, to form an alliance * with Elik Khan, and to congratulate him on his late acquisition of the territory of Bokhara. On the arrival of the ambassador in Toorkistan, he was met by deputa­tions at all the principal towns (for many of the Toorks at this time had become Mahomedans), and being graciously received at Orkund by Elik Khan, the envoy remained there till the accomplishment of the objects of his journey.