At this juncture Ragoojee sent into Orissa an army of Mahrattahs, commanded by his adopted son, rajah Janoujee*, with Meer Hubeeb, to collect the chowth: in this army were many of the dependents of the late Mustafa Khan. When Janoujee had conquered Orissa, Meer Hubeeb sent an offer of peace to Alyvirdy Khan, upon condition of his paying the chowth. Nowazish Ahmed Khan, Hassan Aly Khan, Juggut Seat, and the Royroyan, were inclined to purchase a peace; but Alyvirdy Khan rejected the proposal with indignation.
Shumsheer Khan, and some other Patans*, of Derbungah, who had been connected with Mustafa Khan, and held a correspondence with the Mahrattahs, demanded their pay, in a mutinous manner, during the war; when Alyvirdy Khan, being suspicious of them, paid them their arrears, and dismissed them. When they returned to Derbungah, they offered their service to Zeineddeen; and, as they were known to be good troops, he readily engaged them.
Shumsheer Khan, and his officers accordingly crossed the Ganges, with three hundred cavalry, under pretence of paying their compliments to Zeineddeen Khan, upon being taken into his employ. They waited upon him at his palace of Chehelsitoon, in Patna; and after paying their respects, seated themselves on each side of him. Shortly after, whilst he was en gaged in familiar conversation, one of the Patans, named Morad Sheer Khan*, seeing him off his guard, ripped up his bowels with a jemdher*, and he expired on the spot. The three hundred Patans who were waiting without, rushed in, and mardered all the servants of Zeineddeen who were present. They treated the Hajee with the vilest indignities, put him to death with tortures, possessed themselves of lacks of treasure, violated the women of his family, and made them prisoners: after which they sacked the city, paying no respect to age, sex, or character. Shumsheer Khan collected together about a thousand cavalry, and marched into Bengal.
Alyvirdy Khan was encamped at Amaneegunge*, engaged against the Mahrattahs, when he received intelligence of the massacre at Patna. Being greatly afflicted at the murder of his brother and nephew, he determined to take instant revenge upon Shumsheer Khan, and the other assassins. But his troops mutinied on account of their pay, and could not be persuaded to march, till Nowazish Ahmed Khan had supplied, from his own funds, sufficient money to discharge their arrears; which is reported to have been eighty lacks of rupees.
Alyvirdy Khan left Nowazish Ahmed Khan at Moorshedabad, and marched himself to Patna. The Mahrattahs hung upon his march, and engaged him in continual skirmishes, till he arrived a little beyond the town of Bar; where he was joined by rajah Soonder Singh, zemindar of Tekaree. The Afghans now charged him in front, and the Mahrattahs in the rear; but his troops fought with desperate valour; and Shumsheer Khan, with most of the other chiefs, being killed by cannon shot, the Afghans took to flight; and, upon their retreat, the Mahrattahs dispersed; setting at liberty the women and family of Zeineddeen Ahmed Khan, and the Hajee.
Alyvirdy Khan, having appointed Surrajed dowleh* to succeed his father Zeineddeen Ahmed Khan, as naib of Bahar, and made rajah Jankeeram his dewan, returned to Moorshedabad, to oppose the Mahrattahs.
Said Ahmed Khan, who from being the eldest surviving son of the Hajee, entertained hopes of succeeding Alyvirdy Khan, was appointed to the government of Purnea.
As the Mahrattahs were still very powerful, Alyvirdy Khan did not make any stay at Moorshedabad, after his return from Bahar; but marched to the relief of Orissa. Syed Nourrullah Khan*, and some Mahrattah chiefs who had shut themselves up in Bharahbatty, by promises of safety, were prevailed upon to surrender; when Alyvirdy Khan had them treacherously put to death.
The provinces having been thus annually invaded by the Mahrattahs for twelve years, without any hopes of preventing their return by hostile measures, Alyvirdy Khan was persuaded to conclude a peace, by agreeing to pay them the chowth of the three soobahs. After a long negociation, the treaty was finally concluded, upon these terms; and Orissa was ceded to the Mahrattahs, in satisfaction of the chowth. Mesaleheddeen Mohammed* Khan was appointed naib on the part of Alyvirdy Khan, to act in conjunction with the Mahrattah officers.
Thus relieved from the cares and anxieties of war, Alyvirdy Khan spent the remainder of his life in hunting, and in travelling about the country. He died of a disorder in his bowels, on the 9th of April, 1756; and was succeeded in the soobahdary by his grandson, Surajeeddowleh; whom he had appointed his successor in his lifetime.
For the information of such of our readers as are not conversant in the Persian language, it may be necessary to observe, that the explanations in the notes are, for the most part, in the singular number.