In that same year, Azim-ollah-qhan, tired of living private in his house, eloped from it, and for the second time quitted the city, with an intention to go to Lahor. He was that same day pursued by the sons of the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan and Haïder-cooly-qhan, at the head of the Regiment, called of Cabool, and of some other troops, amongst which was the body of two thousand horse belonging to the Artillery. Azim-ollah-qhan, sensible of his being pursued, made so much haste, that in eight days he arrived at Lahor, where Zekeriah-qhan, who was allied to him, (the two Noblemen having married the two sisters,) received him in his palace, and made him a present of elephants and horses, and of every thing else requisite to appear like a nobleman of his high rank. Meanwhile, those that pursued him, coming to the gates, the Governor received them with respect, gave them an entertainment, and, after having put to them many questions about their ulterior orders, he delivered his brother-in-law into their hands, and dismissed them, satisfied with the reception they had met with. The two officers having marched without stopping, carried their prisoner to Shah-djehan-abad, where he was, by an Imperial order, confined in the Citadel. In this same year, on the last day of the month of Shawal, there happened, in the sign of Virgo, a conjunction of the Planets, of bad omen*. On the seventeenth of Zilcaadah, the Emperor set out of the city on a hunting party, and encamped in a garden con­tiguous to the town of Louly; but a few days after he was seized by an Esquinancy and a palpitation of the heart, which was soon followed by a pain in the side, and by a swelling that disturbed the animal excretions, and impeded the admission of liquids as well as solids. He was immediately requested to lose some blood, and to suffer an application of some leeches. But this not affording the desired relief, he returned in a few days to the Citadel, where, after some repose, he found himself better. The Nöu-r8z, or New Year’s Day, fell this year on the twenty-fourth of Moharrem, of 1156. On a Tuesday, being the seventh of the first Djemady, of the same year, Saad-eddin-qhan, Mir-ateshy, as well as Steward of the Imperial Household, after having made his obeisance to the presence, went home, and, about midnight, he found himself ill of a pain in the bowels, of which he expired before day-break. His son, having, a few days after, made his appearance before the Emperor, received a Qhylaat of mourning, with the confirmation of his father’s two offices; to which was added a fringed Paleky, and an augmentation of his Military grade; so that he was now Commander of five thousand horse, and Grandmaster of the Imperial Palace, as well as Steward of the Household. In this same year, an Imperial order, backed by notes in the Emperor’s hand, was severally dispatched to Emir-qhan, Viceroy of Ilah-abad; to Abool-mansoor-qhan, Governor of Aood; to Zekeriah-qhan, Viceroy of Lahor, and Mol­tan; to Radja Baht-sing, Rathor; and to Radja Dehiradj-djehi-sing, as well as to several other persons of distinction, request­ing their immediate attendance at Court. Nizam-el-mulk like­wise received a similar order; but that Viceroy excused himself upon his great age, and the debility of body inseparable from it. The truth is, that being at the head of six Soobahdaries, or Viceroyalties, he thought himself strong enough to decline going to Court; he had besides resolved on conquering the kingdom of Carnatic, had already besieged and taken the fortress of Tir-china-pally*, and received Arcat at composition. As to Radja Dehiradj-djehising-sevai, he died the seventh of Shaaban, which was about the time of the Hindoo Festival of the Dessara, when three Ranies or Princesses, his consorts, with three of his concubines, and some of his dancing-women, thought proper to follow him into the other world, and burned themselves together with his body, on his funeral pile, which in the Indian language is termed to become Satti*. We have said, that several Viceroys had been ordered to Court. Abool-mansoor-qhan, on receiving the Imperial command, referred himself for his com­pliance to Emir-qhan, his neighbour, of Ilah-abad, with whom he was closely connected, and to whom he acknowledged himself beholden for his promotion. That keen-sighted nobleman, think­ing that bringing a General of that character to Court would redound to his own honor and advantage, exhorted him to comply with the Imperial mandate, and, on the other hand, Abool-mansoor-qhan having conceived that his affairs would receive some benefit by making a stay at Court, resolved to make the voyage; and he tarried sometime to complete his preparations. Radja Nevol-ráy was ordered to act in his absence as his Deputy. This was a man whom he had raised from a common trooper in his service, to the highest dignities at his Court, and whose abilities and zeal were so agreeable to him, that he had lately made him his Paymaster-General. After making his mind easy on that subject, and spending some more time with his several Governors and Deputies, he fixed a day for his departure, as he had given his word to Emir-qhan that he would be in the Capital, a few days only after him. The latter put his affairs in order, and left for his Deputy, Syëd Mahmed-qhan, an Iranian, renowned for an heroical bravery, which had greatly raised his character, when he commanded at Corrah. After that he set out on his journey, and on the twenty-ninth of Ramazan, he arrived on the strand of the Djumna, over against the venerable Citadel of the Imperial city. There he was met, two days after, by the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan, who on that day, which happened to be the festival ending the fast, came out of the city, took him on his own elephant, and carried him to his palace. On that same evening, Emir-qhan went to Court, and had the honor to pay his obeisance, and to kiss the columns of the Imperial throne.

As to Abool-mansoor-qhan, on the day destined for his departure, he heard that Sëyd Hedaïet-aaly-qhan, my father, (in whose company I had the honor to be, being then a very young man) was coming to Feïz-abad-Aood; upon which he sent Semi-beg-qhan, his introductor, to receive him at some distance from the city. My father having embraced Semi-beg-qhan, came with him to Feïz-abad, where he paid his respects to Abool-mansoor-qhan; but as that Viceroy was going to mount, and waited only for the favourable moment, the visit was an abridged one; and my illustrious father landed at Semi-beg-qhan’s house. In about an hour after, Abdol-rahim-qhan, Astrologer to the Viceroy, having seen the sun in his astrolabe, sent word that this was the favourable moment; and the Governor mounting immediately, went and took his quarters in his Pish-khana, or set of spare tents, that had been pitched for him in a camp at a short distance from the City of Feïz-abad. There he stopped a few days, and then set out for the Capital, carrying with him, not only the best part of his troops, but also his whole family. Being arrived at a particular spot upon the Ganga, between Cannodje and Mekenpoor, famous for the Monument of Sha-Medar, he stopped four days there, both to pay his respects to that venerable spot, and to throw a bridge over the river, with the boats which he always carried with him over land. The bridge being ready, he first dismissed his Deputy, Radja Nevol-räy, and then bestowed the Fodjdary of Qhaïr-abad on my father, to which he added this compliment: “You are already fatigued by a long voyage, and I therefore leave you to take some repose; but should you not agree with Raja Nevol-räy, then you shall come to me again at the Capital.” This attention was flattering; but my father, not pleased with his being put under the orders of a Deputy, desired to follow him to Court. Being in the territory of Djan-Siter, on the day ending the fast of the Ramazan, that General stopped one day to fulfil the rites of that festival, which consists in march­ing armed in proceesion to some distance in the fields, and in assisting at the Qhootbah*, for which purpose he ordered a number of tents to be pitched at some distance from his camp; after this he marched on, and arrived in the territory of Shah-djehan-abad. There he was met by his own Agent at Court, Radja Latchimi-naráin, and by Séyd-nessar-mohammed-qhan, the Shir-djung, a Lord of the Court, who was son to Syadet-qhan, brother to the late Saadet-qhan, and of course nearly related to Abool-mansoor-qhan. This spot was at three days’ journey from the capital; and thither he proceeded in all haste. But being arrived on the bank of the Djumnah, he thought it incumbent upon him to make his appearance with some pomp and magnificence. Leaving, therefore, his baggage behind, he marched on in great order, being then within sight of the Citadel. He had with him about ten thousand men of Cavalry, all well mounted, and well armed; the Hindostanies upon horses of value of their own country; the Moghuls, of whom his army mostly con­sisted, upon Persian horses; all stout and vigorous, all armed to advantage, all dressed in scarlet, and cutting an appearance equally pompous and formidable. This body was interspersed with a number of elephants, carrying Ambaris covered with beaten gold. The General was preceded by the elephants richly caparisoned, which carried superb ensigns, and marched slowly, surrounded by his troops. Luckily for him it had rained the whole night, and the morning proved fair and cool, when he made his appearance before the building, called the Octagonal Tower; which being richly gilt, shone in emulation of the then rising sun. The Emperor was there, although not visible. The General, on approaching the tower, alighted from his elephant, and, according to custom, made a profound bow, and stood awhile in a respectful posture. The Monarch answered his bow by sending him one of the roses then before him, with some fruit which was presented by an eunuch of the presence. The Viceroy mounted again and returned to his camp, leaving the Emperor much pleased with the show and the warlike appearance of his troops. All this was yet on the other side of the Djumna. The eleventh of Shevval having been pointed out to the General as the favour­able moment, he early crossed the river, on a bridge which the Emperor had ordered to be thrown over for him, and encamped on a spot on the other side, where he had pitched his camp, and where the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan had also ordered a number of tents to be pitched for his own retinue, and a magnificent one for himself; that Minister intending to meet the Viceroy, and to bring him to Court. Sometime after the Vezir made his appear­ance, and having ordered a number of the Viceroy’s people who had filled the tents, to withdraw, and to sit without on their Zin-poshes*, he filled the largest with his own people, and took his place in it. After tarrying some moments, he came out, with a small number of persons of distinction, and advanced towards a large tent, with a very large enclosure, that embraced a spacious yard. On the Vezir’s making his appearance at the gate of the enclosure, the General, who was only attended by a small number of men of distinction, amongst whom was my father, got up from his Mesned, and advanced out to meet him; and the Minister being already in the middle of the yard, they embraced each other, as is the custom in India, and took together their seats on one and the same Mesned. After half an hour’s conversation, Paan and several kinds of Aturs* were brought in and accepted; and on the Vezir’s getting up, he was presented with a number of qhoans or trays*, some covered with curious and costly stuffs, and some with jewels set and unset. After which he departed, and at that very moment he received another present of elephants and horses. And as it had been agreed, that the Minister should precede him to Court, and that the General should follow close, the Vezir was yet within sight, when the General mounted, and, with a deal of pomp and magnificence, he arrived at the gate of the Imperial Palace, where in the evening he had the honour to be presented, and to make his three bows. From thence he repaired to Dara-shecooh’s Palace, which had been given by the Emperor to the General’s uncle and father-in-law, the famous Saadet-qhan. His army, which was considerable, continued pouring into the city the whole night, and a mighty city it must have been, indeed, where several such Princes, as Abool-mansoor-qhan, Emir-qhan, Zeke­riah-qhan, and Nizam-el-mulk, could enter with their numerous armies, and as numerous attendants, without occasioning, in the houses and streets, the least appearance of throng or confusion. The citizens, who had business with those Princes, were obliged to inquire where they had landed; but the common people knew nothing of either their being come in, or of their being gone out.