This was opposed by the military in the murdered Minister’s pay, who refused both to give them admittance*, or to suffer the body to be buried, unless their arrears were first paid or insured. Not content with that, they shut up the gates, and would suffer no one to return home amongst those numerous noblemen that had come to console the family, and to purify and take up the body*. In consequence of this, Haddy-aaly-qhan, elder brother to the deceased, and Superintendent of the Elephant office, as well as Abdol-medjid-qhan, Divan of the Imperial Qhalissah, were shut up within, together with a multitude of persons of high distinction, amongst whom were Naamet-ollah-qhan, and Bairam-qhan, and many other noble­men of high pedigree, and of great rank. The Emperor, incensed at the opposition made by the soldiery, ordered the Minister’s effects to be taken possession of, without minding the pretensions of his troops or of his guards; and in case of resistance, he commanded that they should be put to the sword. But the Imperial soldiers themselves, sensible that it might be some day or other their own turn, refused to fall upon people that asked only for their due; and both parties being now come to a pause, Abool-mansoor-qhan, interposed. He sent two persons of distinction to take in his name upon themselves the arrears due to the troops, and to render the last duties to the body of his murdered friend. By this time four days had been spent in messages and negotiations; the body was become offensive; and the ungrateful servants, together with the ungrateful Emperor, being obstinately bent in carrying their point, matters came at last to this settlement, that the body should be dismissed out of the house, and the deceased’s effects sold publicly to as much amount as would discharge the sums due to his troops. These having kept as hostages both Sidy-Bilal*, and Mezid-qhan-Bahadyr, the two persons of distinc­tion, that had been sent by Abool-mansoor-qhan, then only the body of that unjustly murdered Minister was suffered to come out. He was entombed in the Monument of Qhalil-ollah-qhan, his grandfather, close to Rooh-ollah-qhan’s Sera,—may the God of infinite mercy have bestowed upon him a place amongst his pious ancestors! After the burial, the deceased’s effects were put up to sale, and his troops and dependants received their arrears from the amount; the Emperor having taken for himself some of the deceased’s jewels and all his arms, the latter of which he so greatly admired as to pay ten or twelve lacs for them, which was more than their value, these two articles produced fifty or sixty lacs, and had cost a great deal more. It was only after the sale that the noblemen, who had come only to condole with the family, and who had been involved in its misfortunes so far as to remain besieged and confined for full eight days, found means at last to escape to their homes. Abdol-medjid-qhan, a Minister of State, was of that number; but Haddy-aaly-qhan, the deceased’s elder brother, with some other persons related to the family, could not obtain their release, even after the troops had been paid off, but by presenting the servants and dependants of the deceased, with full two years’ pay as a gratuity. As to the house, and the patrimonial lands, together with the appendages of the murdered Minister, they were presented by the Qhalif of the age*, that is, by the Emperor himself, to his own daughter; and that Princess made them over to Mahmed-issac-qhan’s care. Let us now pass to some matters less melancholy.

This year the Nö8-r8z fell on the ninth of the first Reby, in 1160 of the Hedjrah; and this same year Yahïa-qhan, who on Abdol-medjid-qhan’s dismission had been promoted to the Divan­ship of the Qhalissah-office, departed his life. The third day after his demise being elapsed, the Emperor sent for his six sons, and one of his grandsons, and presented each of them with a Qhylaat of mourning; after which, of his own motion, he promoted the eldest son, who appeared the most capable, to the office of Moonshy or Secretary of State, held by his father. A few days after, the office of the Qhalissah was bestowed on Mahmed-issac-qhan, who was installed in it with a Serpah of six pieces, and that Minister in a few days after took his seat in his cuchery or tribunal, where he signed some papers as a mark of possession. On the middle of Shaaban, Agher-qhan, the Turk, Commandant of the Corz-bearers, dying*, his son, Chaghyr-qhan* received, at one and the same time, a Qhylaat of mourning, and his father’s office. This year likewise ushered in an event quite unexpected. Nassyr-qhan, the famous Viceroy of Cabool, who had fled from the grasp of Ahmed-shah-abdali, came suddenly to Shah-djehan-abad, where he was honoured with a Qhylaat of six piecs, a sabre, and an elephant. This was in hopes that, as Nadyr-shah was no more, he might, by his connections with the Afghans of those parts, bring Cabool again under the dominions of Hindostan.

The year following, being the one thousand one hundred and sixty-first, was remarkable by two considerable events, which changed intirely the face of the Empire. The one was the the demise of Mahmed-shah, who may be considered as the last Death of Mahmed-shah. Emperor of the House of Babr; the other, the irruption of Ahmed-shah-abdali, the King of the Doorannies into Hindostan. As that Prince’s invasion took place in the beginning of this year, and the battles which he gave, as well as the troubles and com­motions History of Ahmed-shah-abdali, the founder of the new Mon­archy of the Doorannies. which he caused, together with his return home, and the accession of Prince Ahmed to the throne of Hindostan, have taken up so much space of time, as to extend down to the first Djemady, we have thought proper to bring all those events into one point of view.

This Ahmed-shah-abdali was originally one of the principal Chiefs of that tribe of Afghans, settled in the province of Herat, under the name of Abdalies*. His tribes having revolted against that conqueror of his age, the formidable Nadyr-shah, he fell prisoner in his hands, and was for some time one of the slaves of the presence; when that Prince chancing to take notice of him, promoted him to a post of Yesäol*, and in a little time raised him to the command of a thousand men; and here it must be observed that although Nadyr-shah was one of the principal of those Turkish tribes settled in Iran, yet he had so effectually incurred the hatred of his tribe, and of the whole Turkish race*, that being thoroughly sensible of its consequences, he had made it a point to attach to his person the several tribes of Afghans and Tooranians, or Usbeghs, which he had vanquished, conquered, and subdued. His army was mostly composed of those two nations. From them he drew most of his officers and Generals; and he gave them so much influence and authority, that they seemed intirely to engross his attention and favour; the Afghans especially, to whom he seemed to trust still more than to the Turks of Tooran; and he raised them so high, that on his being killed, most of the principal Afghan Commanders aspired to a Sovereign power, and for a long term of years commanded as so many Kings, in most of the provinces of Iran. The most powerful of them was Azad-qhan, who was at the head of thirty thousand horse; a man who had raised such a flame in Iran, as nothing could extinguish but the waves that plentifully flowed from Kerim-qhan-zendi’s sabre*, another adventurer like himself, who vanquished him in battle, took him prisoner, and then made him one of his Generals. Ahmed-abdali was such another Com­mander; but he had the wisdom to avail himself of the counsels and support of Taky-qhan, Governor of Cabool, a man whom Nadyr-shah had castrated, and whom he nevertheless feared. This Ahmed-abdali, in the confusion that ensued after Nadyr-shah’s death, fled from camp, and meeting in his flight a convoy of treasure which was going to the army, under the charge of Tahmasp-djelaïr, he fell upon the escort, seized the money, and made use of it to attract so many Afghans to his service, that in a short time he became a potent Prince, who struck money, and was prayed for publicly in the mosques. He made seven jour­neys or expeditions in Hindostan, all which shall be successively mentioned in these sheets. The first was at the end of the year 1150, being then in Nadyr-shah’s victorious army, with which he likewise returned to Iran, the next year. As he had been bred by that Prince, much regard was always paid him; and the next year he obtained leave to go home, and see his friends. On his return to the army, he resolved to go in pilgrimage to the monu­ment, guarded by hosts of Angels, the venerable Mausoleum of the Pontiff of men and spirits, Sooltan-abool-hassen-aaly, son to Moosa-reza, (on whom be grace and endless praise!)*. After having performed his devotions at that sacred shrine, he was going away, when he observed a Religieuse, setting up close to the head of the Miraculous tomb, a bit of cloth upon two sticks, as if it were a tent for small children. Ahmed could not help pausing awhile, to ask him what he was playing about? The man, looking steadfastly in his face, answered: “Art thou Ahmed-abdaly?” “I am,” said the other. “This tent,” replied the Fakyr, “is Nadyr-shah’s Imperial tent; whenever it comes to fall, thou shalt become a King.” Ahmed, surprised at such a prediction, left one of his attendants at the Fakyr’s, with orders to attend to the motion of the tent, and to take down the day and hour whenever it should fall; and he continued his journey to camp. He was hardly arrived, when Nadyr-shah was killed; and Ahmed, assembling those of his own Clan, fled with them, and arrived at Mesh-hed, where his first care was to visit the holy monument, and the man stationed at the tent. The latter, looking at his paper, mentioned the day and hour, when it had tumbled down of itself. Ahmed, overjoyed at this intelligence, compared the dates, acknowledged the veracity of the prediction, and from that moment he commenced to aspire to a throne. He joined to his own body of troops, as many Abdalis as he could persuade, and being now at the head of a considerable force, he engaged Taky-qhan to join his party. This Governor nick-named Capon, who was a man of consequence, that had rendered great services to Nadyr-shah, by whose order he had been castrated, was then in that country, and by his counsels he proved of great service to Ahmed. The latter now put upon his turbant the Djica or Aigrette of Sovereignty, and hearing that the tribute of Cabool and Mooltan was on its way to camp, under the guard of Mir-mahmed-säyd and Noor-mahmed-qhan-Leti, two officers of character, he fell upon the escort, took the treasure, and engaged the two officers to join his party. Being thus reinforced by a good body of troops, and in possession of so much money, he marched against an Afghan who commanded in Candahar, and having killed him in battle, he took that fortress. From thence he engaged, by dint of intreaties, Shah-sabur, the Religious of the tent, to come into his camp and to follow his fortunes. This Saint-Patience (for such is the import of his name) was a grand­son of the famous master Helal, the farrier of Cabool, who had likewise turned Fakyr, and was greatly revered by the Toora­nians*. Ahmed-abdaly, after seizing the above treasure, offered the Government of Cabool to Nassyr-qhan, who had commanded there ever since Nadyr-shah had confirmed him in that post; but it was on condition that, on his arrival at that fortress, he could send to camp immediately the sum of five lacs. The condition being accepted, the Governor received his Qhy­laat, and he repaired to his post, where he assembled the prin­cipal inhabitants, to whom he exposed the Shah’s demand. As that city is mostly inhabited by Afghans, a nation whose characteristic qualification is faithlessness and deceit, they all declared that it was impossible to raise any money amongst them. The Governor observed that, if they did not pay the money, they would be called to an account, as well as himself, and what then do you intend to do, added he;—“We shall fight,” answered the assembly. Nassyr-qhan having expressed many doubts on this resolution of theirs, they all joined in confirming their engagement by the most sacred oaths and the most solemn execrations. On which the Governor sent back the Doorrani’s guards, which had come back with him from camp. Ahmed being informed of all this, ran to besiege the place, when the inhabitants, forgetting their late engagements, retired every one to their houses; and Nassyr-qhan, not thinking it safe to tarry in the place, retired to Peshavor, after having fortified some strong passes; whilst the Caboolians, joining Ahmed, informed him of the manner of penetrating to that place. The Abdaly, on this intelligence, hastened to Peshavor, and Nassyr-qhan, seeing his danger, said farewell to his family and prepared himself for a vigorous defence.