My forgiven father, also, having hired the seat of Radja Baht-mul, who had been Divan of the Imperial Qhalissah, went into the city. On the eighteenth of the same month, Shah-nevaz-qhan, son to Zekeriah-qhan, but who was commonly known by the name of Mirza-pahlory, under which he had acquired some character for bravery and military abilities, was in the evening admitted to the honour of paying his bows to the Emperor. A month after, but in the same year, Abed-aaly-qhan, second son to Mir-djemlah, was promoted to the office of Supreme Sadr, and honoured with a Qhylaat; and four days after Bend-aaly-qhan, son to Ghaïret-qhan the Husseinian, who bore the same title as his maternal-grandfather, namely that of Shir-ef-ken*, having been introduced by Emir-qhan, with whom he had come to Court, was graciously received, and presented with a Qhylaat of five pieces. About this time, it being a cool night of the thirteenth Shevval, the nuptials of the Imperial Prince, Ahmed-mirza, with a lady descended from Mehabet-qhan, were celebrated with a deal of magnificence. This same year, 1156, being a Friday, the twenty-fourth of Zilcaadah, a Comet, with a tail half a yard in length, made its appearance, and shone for two-and-twenty days together, beginning with the dusk of the evening, and continuing as late as midnight; it remained motionless betwixt the end of Pisces and the beginning of Aries. At the end of that time, it seemed to move between the two signs towards the south-west; but then its tail assumed a pike’s length, from the fifteenth of the next month of Zilhidja, and the Comet itself became of the bigness and brightness of Vesper, always increasing in magnitude and brilliancy, and inclining towards the east, when it disappeared on the last day of that same month. On the fourth of that month Sheh-saad-ollah, Divan of the musters, departed his life, as did, the next day, Mehr-perver, consort to Bahadyr-shah, and grandmother to Mahmed-shah; and they were both, according to their requests, buried close to Choodja-Cootoob-eddin’s monument. This same day the Viceroyalty of Gudjrat was conferred on Fahr-ed-döwlah, brother to Roshen-ed-döwlah.

This was an indifferent choice, but it became necessary; for that Kingdom having, as we have said in the former volumes. been severed from the Imperial jurisdiction, and transferred to the Marhattas, who held it these many years with a strong grasp, no one chose to accept such a charge. But as the new Viceroy bore a character for valour, Mahmed-yar-qhan, whom we have mentioned to have quitted Abool-mansoor-qhan’s service, attached himself to him, and engaged him to turn his views towards that dangerous country. The story of that officer is singular enough:—Tired with the laborious life he was obliged to lead in the camp of so active a man as Nadyr-shah, and fearing likewise his animadversion upon some other subjects, he had fled to Hindostan, where he had remained concealed, during that Monarch’s sojourn: After his departure, he attached himself to Saadet-qhan, his countryman, who knew him for a man of great courage, and carried him to Feïz-abad, where he soon had an opportunity to signalise his abilities. A report spread at that time at Benares, where that General was with his army, that a great treasure of money was approaching from Bengal under a double escort of Marhattas, commanded by a Marhatta General, and of Hindostanies, commanded by an officer sent by Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, Viceroy of Azim-abad. This convoy was sent by Aaly-verdy-qhan of Bengal, to Baladji-rao, the Marhatta Generalissimo, and was then on its way to the Marhatta Camp. It was this treasure which Mahmed-yar-qhan undertook to carry off. Setting out with about two thousand Moghul horse, he made so much haste to overtake it, that on his arrival at Saherseram, he found himself with only seventy horse. With this handful of men he fell upon the enemy, killed some, threw the whole in disorder, and his troops follow­ing apace, he had already beaten the enemy before the whole of his force could arrive. He had killed numbers of them, made some prisoners, dispersed the rest, and seized the treasure, with which he returned to Benares*. A service of that importance, instead of promoting his interest, ruined him in Saadet-qhan’s mind. The Viceroy took umbrage at so much daringness, and a coolness took place between them; and the Officer, having parted from him in disgust, had now taken service with Fahr-ed-döwlah. The man, full of resentment, expected to be able to debauch the Moghul troops in Abool-mansoor-qhan’s service, and to bring into his possession, by some means or other, his artillery also; after which, he doubted not, but under Fahr-ed-döwlah’s name, he would drive the Marhattas from Gudjrat. Full of this scheme, he fell to work, and intrigued with the Moghuls. But those people, who had fled from the laborious life they had led in Nadyr-shah’s camp, and now enjoyed some rest in Abool-masoor-qhan’s service, did not choose to listen to a man whom they knew to be of a choleric restless temper, that would engage in endless expeditions, and allow them not a moment of rest; and they refused his offers flatly, and none stayed with him but some hundreds of men who had been his companions, and who having personal obligations to him, went over to his camp; and it was with these few men he undertook to carry Fahr-ed-döwlah to Gudjrat. He departed accordingly; but his numbers were so small, that all his efforts proved abortive; nor did he gain Fahr-ed-döwlah’s heart, who was a man of courage, but of little understanding. The man, not pleased, retired to live in a corner, but being sick of a still life that did not agree with his temper, he returned to Nadyr-shah’s camp; and although he had every thing to fear from that Monarch’s resentment, he presented himself before him with an undaunted countenance. That Prince, on casting his eyes upon him, recollected him at once, and said, “Since you fled from my resentment, why have you come back?” —“Because,” answered the man, “rather than to live amongst cowards, it is better to be killed by a brave man, like you; and now I bring you my head.” Nadyr-shah, pleased with his answer, gave him his pardon, and sent him upon a command in Pars*, or in Herat. After Mahmed-yar-qhan’s departure, Fahr-ed-döwlah was beaten by the Marhattas, and became their prisoner; nor was it until after a deal of trouble and many suffer­ings, that he found his way again to Shah-djehan-abad, where he retired to his house.

At the end of this year, on the seventh of Zilhidja, there fell such violent rains, and these were mixed with so much hail, and so much lightning and thunder, that people were confounded and amazed. The lightning fell in the Citadel, did a deal of damage in the public Audience Hall, killed two horses and two men, and stunned several others. On the 25th of the same month the Emperor was pleased to honour Sheh-saad-ollah’s son with a Qhy­laat of mourning; and as by that death the office of Divan of the musters became vacant, the Monarch bestowed it on Abdol-medjid-qhan, the Cashmirian, who on that very day took posses­sion of his office, by sitting in the cacherry or tribunal, and signing some papers. This year, being the one thousand one hundred and fifty seventh of the Hedjrah, the Nöu-rooz, or New-Year’s Day fell on the sixth of Sefer*. This year also Nizam-el-mulk having besieged the Fortress of Paleconda, in the territory of Háiderabad, recovered that stronghold from the hands of Mucarbe-qhan, the Decanian. A great change happened this same year at Court. As the Emperor was dissatisfied with the Tooranian Lords, at the head of whom were the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan, and Nizam-el-mulk; and Saad-eddin-qhan, as well as his son, Hafiz-eddin-qhan, were known to be attached to them, the latter was dismissed from the command of the Imperial Artillery, an office of the utmost importance, and which gives a disposal of the Emperor’s person and family; and at the same time the office of Mirateshy, or Grandmaster of the household, was, on Emir-qhan’s recommendation, bestowed on Abool-mansoor-qhan; the Emperor at the same time passing a compliment upon the many services he had rendered the State, and expressing his hopes of his continuing to be equally vigilant and faithful. On this promo­tion Abool-mansoor-qhan ordered the insignia of his office, such as the axes and other articles, to be brought into his presence; and having issued some orders relative to his charge, he took from that day his residence in the Citadel. The next day he obtained, for my forgiven father, the Fodjdary of Sekendera, at a small distance from the Capital, and he introduced him to the Emperor. On my father’s paying his obeisance, he was honoured with a Qhylaat which he put on immediately; and it was at the same time that myself, the poor man, was, with my younger brother, Naky-aaly-qhan, honoured with Military grades and the title of Qhan. We both remained some months at Court, in our father’s service, after which we applied to Abool-mansoor-qhan for leave to return to Azim-abad, a city where our family was established these many years, and where I had my glorious mother, my aunt, my uncle, and my brothers; a city where we had contracted connec­tions and friendship, both with Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, Viceroy of the province, and with his uncle, Aaly-verdy-qhan. That General not only obtained our demand, but he dismissed us with every mark of honour and kindness, decorating both brothers with a Qhylaat and a Serpitch, and sending by our means his prayers to the Nazem of Azim-abad*, and some curious presents to the Viceroy of Bengal. We arrived at Azim-abad, the first of Zil­caadah of that same year, with all our retinue without meeting any accident by the way. At the end of this same year Aya-mull, Prime Minister of the late Maharadja* Asiri-sing-seväi, having had the honour to be presented to the Emperor, received a Qhylaat of five pieces; and on the fifteenth of the same month of the second Djemady, the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan, who had been out of the city, and had got into a tent for the purpose of condol­ing with that Prince on his father the late Maharadja’s death, and also for bringing him with more honour to Court, paid him a short visit; and on the evening of that same day, he received a respectful one from the Gentoo Prince. In the month of Redjeb, of that same year, Homäi8n-baqht, brother to the late Emperor Feroh-syur, and son to Azim ush-shan, departed his life, and he was buried close to Qhoodjah-Cootoob-eddin’s monument. On the twenty-seventh of Shaaban the Fodjdary of G8aliar was taken from Qhyzyr-qhan, and bestowed on Emir-qhan; as was the Government of Cashmir, on Abool-mansoor-qhan, after it was taken from Assed-yar-qhan, a simple man, on whom it had been bestowed by Emir-qhan’s recommendation. This Governor now lost his appointment on some bad offices which were rendered him by the same Emir-qhan, and he was denied access to the Emperor’s presence. At the same time both Emir-qhan and Abool-mansoor-qhan were honoured by the Emperor with each a rich belt. The latter, who was attached by his office to the Emperor’s person, sent Nessar-mahmed-qhan, a relation of his, to take possession of that Government; and he gave him a strong body of both Hindostany and Moghul troops, with instructions to bring the refractory people of that country under some order. This nobleman being arrived in his Government, found means, by dint of promises and by a faint agreement, to engage one Baber-ollah, a man of consequence in that country, but equally powerful and refractory, to come to see him; but as soon as he had him in his power, he got him seized and confined. The new Governor after this manœuvre, spent some time in enjoying the pleasures afforded by that terrestrial Paradise, and then returned to Shah-djehan-abad, after having placed, as Deputy-Governor, a relation of Abool-mansoor-qhan’s, called Efrasiab-qhan. On the seventeenth of the Ramazan of that same year, Azim-ollah-qhan, who had been this longwhile kept confined in the Citadel of Shah-djehan-abad, was released from his confinement by death; and he went to join his relations and those that resembled him in character; the next morning, his body having been brought to his house in the city, where the Vezir Cammer-eddin-qhan, who was his near relation, had repaired, according to custom; the throng that accompanied that Minister proved so very great, that the floor of the house, which happened to have a Tah-qhana*, and possibly was that moment under some secret influence, gave way, and the body, the Vezir, and all his people fell into the apartment underneath, but, however without receiving any great hurt. The Vezir having escaped that danger, ordered the body to be buried close to the monument of Shah-nizam-eddin. At the end of this same year, about the last day of Zilcaadah, there happened to be an unauspicious conjunction in the sign of Libra. It made its appearance again in the month of Sefer of the year 1158, and having appeared for the third time in Virgo, about the end of the second of Reby, it disappeared entirely. The last month of this same year, Sooltan Eaz-eddin, son to Muëzz-eddin-Djehandar-shah, departed his life.