This trial which occupied the attention of the public, did
not divert it intirely from the manœuvres of Mahmed-reza-qhan.
This man who has a great deal of hastiness as well as inconstance
in his composition, no sooner observed the prevalence of
General Clavering’s party, than he conceived a desire of joining
Mahmed-reza-qhan
joins the
General’s
party.
him. Such a step was vigorously opposed by Aaly-hibrahim-qhan,
in whose temper, prudence and foresight seem to predominate.
This nobleman used often to say: “Let us go on as
we have hitherto been going. The Governor has certainly
saved your life and honor. Without forgetting such benefits,
Sober and
righteous advice
of Aalyhibrahim-
qhan to him.
and becoming ungrateful of such favours, let us wait and see
what will become of the two parties. If the Governor holds
out, he shall think himself obliged by your firmness of temper,
and the steadiness of your friendship and attachment to him;
and he shall find means enough to promote your welfare in a
manner adequate to your rank; and should the General become
absolute, he will not for that bear you any grudge; for you
have not done him any wrong, nor have you misbehaved to
him; nor have you done any thing to render him your enemy.
It is even probable, that pleased with the steadiness of your
temper, he shall use you in a manner suitable to your rank
and station.” This discourse was unquestionably full of sense;
but it was more than could be digested by the proud mind of
Mahmed-reza-qhan, who is naturally opinionated in his temper;
and who swelled with the remembrance of that degree of power
and authority, which accidents of chance had once thrown into
his hands, looks upon the predictions of provident men as so
many reflections upon his own prudence. Mahmed-reza-qhan
not choosing to pay a regard to the Qhan’s advice, opened a
correspondence with the General, and with his adherents, and
shewed a desire of attaching himself to his party. Such a step
could not but displease the Governor, who however said nothing,
and let him go his ways; meanwhile the General recommended
him to the office of Deputy of Mubarec-ed-döwlah in the Ñizamet,
that is, in the disposal of that Prince’s household; and also to
the general Fodjdary, which in these days means the preservation
of the country from highway-men and house-breakers, and the
power of pronouncing final judgment upon the crimes of house-breaking,
thieving, murder, and fornication. He added to this
a large salary, and prevailed upon the Council to invest him in
those offices by a splendid dress of honor, to which were added
several others for his children and dependants. After so much
success, Mahmed-reza-qhan set out, on the 15th of Ramazan,
1189; and in a few days he arrived at Moorshood-abad, the
second of Shevval, where he applied himself closely to the
business of his office. And as it appears that the inhabitants of
that great city, accustomed to him long ago, shewed themselves
submissive to his authority, he on his side pleased with a return
of good fortune, took care to display broad open the standard
of authority and command. On the tenth of Zilhidj of that
same year, he married his eldest daughter to Mahmed-zeky-qhan,
son to his elder brother, Mahmed-hosséin-qhan; and his
eldest son, Behram-djung, to the eldest daughter of Hadji
Ismáil; the two spouses being both children of Rabia-begum’s
two daughters. But the satisfaction of the two families was
damped by the death of Rabia-begum herself, who was daughter
to Hadji Ahmed, and consort to Ata-ollah-qhan. She departed
this life the 23rd of Djemady, in the year 1189; and by her
death she deprived Mahmed-reza-qhan of the only remaining
stock by which he held to the family of Aaly-verdy-qhan, the
majestuous in war. This Princess, although famous for her
vices and debauches, had likewise many good qualities. Long
ago she had repented of her past life, and in her last sickness,
she had renewed her repentance, had taken witnesses of it, and
in her last moments, she had not ceased, in the presence of a
number of persons, to pronounce the fine words*,
which
Edifying
death of
Rabia-begum,
the last remaining
descendant
of
Aaly-verdy-qhan’s
family.
implied her firm belief in the unity of God, and in the ministry
of the seal of Prophets, both tenets qualified by a real confession
of his successors. She departed her life in full repentance of
her past conduct, and in the full invocation of the Divine forgiveness.
O Lord! should you punish her for her misdeeds, you
have that right; she is your bond-woman, and your culprit.
And should you forgive her, you would not be inconsistent; for
You are the Most Merciful of the merciful*.
It was in the same year that we were frightened in Bengal A violent earthquake. by an earthquake. It was so violent, that nothing equal to it can be remembered these forty or fifty years past. It happened on the 27th of Shevval, in the same year that Mahmed-reza-qhan conferred the Divanship of the Nizamet to Aaly-hibrahim-qhan, who had laid him under such a load of essential services and obligations. At the same time, he sent Lieutenants of his Fodjdary office all over Bengal; for instance, Nezer-baki-beg, of Balqh, was appointed to the Lieutenancy of Azim-abad; a man who comported himself with so much moderation and benignity, as to render his person equally agreeable to the English gentlemen, and to the nobles and people of those parts. He even acquired such a good character, that no complaint was ever preferred against him. So careful was he that no injury and no harm should be offered to the people entrusted to his care. It was remarked on this occasion, that Mahmed-reza-qhan, having this year offered some rudeness to many of Mubarec-ed-döwlah’s favourites, and disobliged that Prince greatly; the latter so far from affording them assistance and protection, did not even forbid such an incroachment upon his own independence. The Deputy dismissed likewise Qhadum-aaly-qhan, a nobleman in many respects resembling his father, Qhadum-hosséin-qhan, and who after the eunuch Aitbar-aaly-qhan’s dismission, had for somewhile acted as absolute Director of Mubarec-ed-döwlah’s household. Mahmed-reza-qhan, who had taken umbrage at his influence, had cavalierly dismissed him from his office, without his master’s having even attempted to utter a single word in his behalf; although there were promises enough and conventions, and much attachment between the master and the Minister. Mahmed-reza-qhan was likewise guilty of some other stresses of authority, which drew upon him a general blame. It must be observed that the times were now become so corrupt, that every man in Mubarec-ed-döwlah’s household was addicted to infidelity and malversation, and had it in custom to reckon as fair booty every rupee which he could embezzle out of his charge. So much liberty could not please Aaly-hibrahim-qhan’s reserve and strictness, who being a stranger to the family, would neither plunder himself, nor suffer any others to plunder. This gave a general offence; and people turned Mahmed-reza-qhan’s mind so effectually, that those infinite obligations which he had so often acknowledged, slipt out of his memory; and at last a breach took place between them. And as originally there was but little resemblance or similarity between their respective tempers, the instigations of envy were sown in a favourable soil, and soon gew up to a great head, so as soon to effect a lasting breach.
| “The candle where the wick smokes yet will easily catch fire again.” |
It was at first a sort of vague insinuations against that honoured Qhan, which being often mentioned amongst his dependants, soon took an air of complaint, and at last degenerated into formal reproaches. Mahmed-reza-qhan was often heard to use these, and the like expressions: “Gentlemen, I have no genius for making verses; nor do I roll my turbant, or wear my clothes as the Hindostanies, that I may pretend to enter into any comparison with them with regard to genius and taste.” All these expressions glanced at Aaly-hibrahim-qhan’s way of living. Indeed it must be acknowledged that this noble person has received the gift of making his turbant, and of wearing his clothes, with a taste and an elegance* peculiar to himself; and in that he has been endowed by nature with a felicity of genius, and an amenity of manners that render him the admiration of the high as well as the low. One of his many talents is the faculty of uttering often extempore verses; and as Mahmed-reza-qhan acknowledges himself destitute of those talents, it follows of course that the equality of temper and the elegance of action and speech, so conspicuous in the Qhan, were taken up as a matter of indirect reproach upon himself. He broke forth at last, and dismissed him from his office. It happened at that time that Banny-begum, third daughter of Rabia-begum, and a woman of a vicious life and shameful inclinations, having in imitation of the great folks of Hindostan, formed into a band, some of her slave girls, joined to a number of other loose women, which she had taken in her pay, she got them instructed in the arts of dancing and singing, and often amused herself with their performances. This woman, who was of a shrewd and intriguing turn of mind, undertook to seduce Aaly-hibrahim-qhan; so that she laid a snare to bring him into disrepute. Under pretence of making him some return for the obligations under which he had laid Mahmed-reza-qhan, her brother-in-law, she adopted him for her brother, and as she was not restrained by those scruples which always have their weight with women accustomed to live veiled and immured; and she had never made any difficulty of shewing herself to most people, unveiled*; she commenced giving entertainments to Aaly-hibrahim-qhan, and appearing always in his presence, and that too unveiled. As there were always in these entertainments some particular favourites of Mahmed-reza-qhan’s, as fully envious of that nobleman’s reputation, as their master himself, every thing was straight reported to him; and matters went no further for a time; when the Princess observing that one of her girls had made an impression on the Qhan’s heart, offered her to him, adding that she was a girl of her’s, and that she made him a present of her person. The other guests, as well as the favourites of that artful woman, who were all of the complot against the Qhan, having observed scruples in him, made it a point to encourage his timidity. “What harm is in that?” said they. “Is not the girl her property? Her mistress transfers it to you. What can be then the cause of so much precaution and so many denials?” It must be observed that in those days Moorshood-abad wore very much the appearance of one of Loth’s towns*; and it is still pretty much the same to-day, few people caring to look at their honour, or at that of others. Nay, the wealthy and powerful having set apart sums of money for these sorts of amours, used to shew the way, and to entrap and seduce the unwary, the poor, and the feeble; and as the proverb says: So is the King, so becomes his people; these amours got into fashion. Doubtless some poor and virtuous people must have preserved vestiges of modesty, and must have resisted the general corruption of manners; but most of the Grandees and rich men, on whom you could cast your eyes, were enslaved by this vice.
| “Every hem on which I could thrust my hand, proved soiled with dirt. |
| Do you see that lofty mountain yonder? Behind it is a desert plain.” |