Whilst they were shutting up a breach in the northern parts of the Empire, discontents and broils of a very threatening aspect were rising in the southern ones. We have already men­tioned that Nizam-el-mulk had reluctantly accepted the Govern­ment of Malva. He found the province infested with whole troops of banditties, and its tranquillity disturbed by a number of refractory Zemindars; nor were all these brought to a thorough subjection, without a deal of trouble and perseverance. But the subject which struck out a spark, and silently set on fire all that combustible matter heaped everywhere, was Merhamet-qhan, that Fodjdar and Governor of the fortress of Mandö8, who had been discarded by Hossëin-aaly-qhan for having so far slighted him when he passed close to the walls, as not even to pay him a visit. This neglect cost him his post; and Qhadjem-c8li-qhan, a T8ranian, had been appointed in his stead, but without being able to take possession, as Merhamet-qhan delayed the delivery Troubles in Decan followed by open rebellion. of the fortress under a variety of pretences. He, therefore, wrote to court to complain of the affected delay, from whence he obtained an order to Nizam-el-mulk, Governor-General of the province, to see him righted. The General, who entertained an advantageous opinion of Merhamet-qhan, sent for him, and persuaded him to surrender the fortress quietly; and as he had observed talents with a deal of valour in that officer, he took him in his own service, where he always expressed for his person a sincere regard, seizing every opportunity to employ his abilities. And as in the confu­sions that had prevailed in the province in consequence of the inattention of the court, the fortress of Rat-gur had been seized by a certain refractory Zemindar of the neighbourhood, whom Nizam-el-mulk, now honoured with the title of Fateh-djung, received orders to expel, he dispatched Merhamet-qhan thither at the head of a good body of troops. This service was performed by that officer with his usual vigour and dispatch; and he flattered himself that it would soften the minds of the two brothers in his favour. But they were irreconciliable; and Nizam-el-mulk, to make him some amends, gave him the office of clearing the whole province of the banditties that lurked in it, and of bringing its Zemindars to a thorough submission. This service also was successfully performed by that officer, who took care besides to bring under subjection certain difficult passes, and certain strongholds of the district of Chandiry, which served for a retreat to a number of freebooters.

As soon as Nizam-el-mulk saw everything settled in his Gov­ernment, he turned his attention towards increasing the number of his troops, filling his magazines, exercising his officers and soldiers, and in making continually new acquisitions from the rebellious province of Chandiry.

Such warlike preparatives could not be concealed from Abdollah-qhan, who received daily intelligence from the Imperial intelligencers, and the Crown-officers. But he had a nearer subject of inquietude. He was informed that Mahmed-aamin-qhan now and then made use of the Turkish language,* to enter into a close conversation with the Emperor, and he knew that he held a secret correspondence with Nizam-el-mulk, about whose person people could observe any more troops than he had occasion for, whilst he entertained a still more numerous body with the discon­tented officer, Merhamet-qhan. All these intelligences having given some inquietude to the two brothers, Hossëin-aaly-qhan, the younger, who was Viceroy of Decan, wrote to Nizam-el-mulk, that as both himself and his brother, with a view to put an end to the eternal troubles of Decan, wished to establish their residence in the province of Malva, which was midway betwixt the Decan and the capital, they both hoped that to accommodate them he would take his choice of the four governments of M8ltan, Qhandess, Ecber-abad and Illahabad. This letter chanced to produce the very breach it was intended to prevent. Nizam-el-mulk, already discontented at Dilaver-aaly-qhan’s being encamped upon the limits of his government with an army, and suspicious of his motives in effect­ing a junction with the Gentoo Princes, Radja Bihim-sing and Radja Gudj-sing, whose neighbourhood to a province but very lately quieted, had already excited commotions amongst the Zemindars of his frontier, answered the moderate letter of Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s in a haughty taunting style; and to shew how little he was inclined to conceal his designs, he added with his own hand these two verses of his at the bottom of the letter:—

“I am not such a faithless false man as to swear to you—

But as I am not like you, neither,—I now swear to you—

The two brothers having soon comprehended the meaning of these two verses, sent for his principal Agent at court, and they had a very brisk conversation with him, which ended in threats against his master. And Nizam-el-mulk, having soon received intelligence of it, and knowing at the same time that Mahmed-aamin-qhan was endeavouring to kindle a spark of indignation in the young Emperor’s breast, he concluded that the conservation of his honour, power and life, as well as that of all the Moghul Lords, and of an infinity of persons of distinction, depended on the downfall of the two brothers, whose pride wounded his feelings, and whose enor­mous power and pretensions left no safety for any one, but for their creatures. He was also excessively shocked at the insolent and overbearing behaviour of Ratan-chund, and of Adjet-sing. Full of these ideas, he held a consultation with his most discern­ing friends, and with the best of his Generals; and, on dismiss­ing the assembly, he declared that he was resolved to commit his case to his own fortune, and to display full open the standard of resistance and opposition. His resolution being now taken, he wrote a short letter to the two brothers; and coming out of his palace with Abdol-rahim-qhan, Merhamet-qhan and Rahim-qhan, he put himself at the head of his army, which by comprising both his old troops and his new levies amounted to twelve thousand horse. It was about the middle of the second Djemady,* in the year 1132 of the Hedjrah, which answers to the second of Mahmed-shah’s. He was then about the town of Seronj, where he had been encamped all this while to overawe into submission Nizam-el-mulk revolts openly. a number of refractory districts on that frontier. His purpose being now accomplished, he decamped on a sudden, and marched to the south.

This intelligence arrived at Ecber-abad in a few days, and became public in a moment. The Vezir wrote immediately to Dilaver-aaly-qhan, and to the two Gentoo Princes, to follow Nizam-el-mulk step by step, recommending to them at the same time to omit nothing that could gain to their cause the numerous clans of Afghans settled throughout the Decan; after which their business would be to crush Nizam-el-mulk, before he should have time to make any further progress.

The confusion and disorders in the Empire being of such a nature, as to set ope a bad example, it was very natural that the meanest men should avail themselves of their very distance and obscurity to aspire at an independence.

One Hossëin-qhan, an Afghan Qhoïshky, who was head-man of the town of Cossor, in Pendjab, had these many years taken possession of the best districts about Cossor and Lahor, where he acted as an hereditary Lord of those territories. These troubles commenced, whilst Abdol-semed-qhan, the Viceroy, was occupied against the Syks; and the Afghan had commenced by turning away both the collectors and Crown-officers from his town. After this exertion he assembled troops; and hearing that C8t8b-eddin, an officer of character, was marching against him with a body of Troubles in Pendjab appeared with a great deal of difficulty. horse, he met him half-way, killed that commander, destroyed or dispersed his cavalry, and took possession of his baggage. This victory having raised his character, as well as enlarged his views, he soon found himself at the head of eight or nine thousand horse, with which he established his contributions far and near. So that the Viceroy himself, although with only seven or eight thousand horse about his person, found it worth his while to march against him; and the two armies met at Chäony, about thirty cosses from Lahor. Abdol-semed-qhan gave the command of his centre to Kerim-c8ly-qhan, his Paymaster, and at his right he placed Djany-qhan and Qhoadja-rahmet-ollah, two relations of his, and both men of tried valour, whom he put under the com­mand of Hafyz-aaly-qhan, brother to Qhan-mirza, after having advanced before them a body of a thousand Rohilla Afghans, whom he knew to be personal enemies to the rebel. At his left he placed Aref-qhan, his own Lieutenant, with Aghyr-qhan, and took his own post in their front. On the opposite side Hossëin-qhan placed his own nephew, Mustepha-qhan, in his first line, together with Rahmet-qhan, Behlol-qhan, Sëid-qhan and some other Afghan commanders, all resolute men, all mounted upon elephants, and all men of tried valour. But no sooner had the combat commenced by a fire of musquetry, than Hossëin-qhan having advanced on a full gallop on the enemy’s artillery, which he left behind, pushed on to Kerim-c8ly-qhan, whom he unhorsed at the first onset, making a great slaughter of his men. Con­tinuing his blow, he fell on Aghyr-qhan, whose troops being mostly new levies, could not stand so furious an attack, and fled on all sides. So that Aghyr-qhan remained only with five or six hundred men of old troops, who were all T8ranians or Tartars, armed with bows; and these unwilling to forsake their com­mander, let fly such showers of arrows, as disordered the Afghans, and slackened their ardour. This was no sooner observed by Aghyr-qhan, than he rushed upon the enemy, bringing down a man at each time he shot an arrow, and encouraging his men with both his voice and example, he soon made so much havoc amongst the Afghans, that Mustepha-qhan was slain, with the best part of the three thousand men that had followed him. Hossëin-aaly-qhan without minding this loss, was pushing with ardour to Adbol-semed-qhan himself; and he fell upon him with so much vigour, that the Moghul General was upon the point of being borne down, having none but men wounded or slain round his elephant. At this critical moment arrived Aghyr-qhan, with his body of victo­rious Moghuls, and here again he changed the face of the day. Just at this moment the driver of Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s elephant fell dead from his seat; and one Shah-bohshec, spiritual director to that General, who used always to carry him seated on his right hand, being also killed, that brave rebel himself was struck in the forehead by a musquet-ball shot by Hafyz-aaly-qhan, and fell down likewise; and from this moment a panic seized his troops, and the trappings and cushions of the elephant having taken fire at the same time, the Afghans who had lost almost all their officers, fell off their ranks, and at last fled openly on all sides. This flight having left a full victory to Abdol-semed-qhan, he rewarded his commanders upon the field of battle; and as Aghyr-qhan had so much contributed to the success of the day, he raised his military grade by five hundred horse, added two hundred more to the six hundred he commanded already, and made him a present of an elephant, a poniard and a sabre. The report of this victory having reached the court, the two brothers wrote letters of encomiums to the Viceroy, and added the title of Seïf-ed-dö8lah, or Sword of the Empire, to all those with which he was already decorated.