A LITTLE after this ceremony Abdol-semed-qhan, Viceroy of
Lahor, who had set out early with his son, Zeckariah-qhan, his
General and Deputy, Aghyr-qhan, and some other noble personages,
but could not arrive in time, was admitted to the honour of
paying his obeisance, and distinguished by a dress of honour, a
circlet of jewels, a poniard, and several other noble presents.
Zeckariah-qhan had his grade raised by a thousand horse, and now
his command became of full five thousand. Radja Dejhi-sing, and
Radja Gurd-hur, not being arrived in time, were on the commencement
of Sefer, admitted to the happiness of kissing the ground of
the Imperial presence, and they were tranquillized with a remission
of their transgressions and past errors. An order was issued a
little after to put in force the capitation-tax upon the Gentoos,
but it was remitted on an elegant apology which Djehi-sing made
for them. Nizam-el-mulk’s petition, congratulating the Emperor
on his victory, and wishing him a length of days and prosperous
Promotions
at Court.
reign, was honoured with a glance of the Imperial eye; as did
another supplique from Moorshood-cooly-qhan, Viceroy of Bengal,
which was fraught with congratulations on the victory, and a
prayer for length of days and dominion; it announced likewise
the arrival of the revenue from that province, with another large
sum by way of Nuzur. Honours and dignities were bestowed that
day on a number of nobles. Haïder-c8ly-qhan was decorated
with the title of*
Muëz-ed-dö8lah over and above that of
Nassyr-djung, which he had already; as was Zafer-qhan with that
of Roshan-ed-dö8lah. The superintendence of the bodyguards
was conferred on Saadet-qhan; and Zeckariah-qhan received the
Government of Cashmir in lieu of Ynaïet-ollah-qhan, dismissed.
But on a Tuesday, being the twenty-second of the first Reby, the
Emperor being gone out with a hunting party, an harcara messenger
informed him that his Vezir, Mahmed-aamin-qhan, had
been seized with so sudden and so excruciating a pain in his
bowels, as would deprive him of the honour of holding the Imperial
stirrup. The next day his distemper increasing in violence, a
total alteration was perceived in that Minister’s person; and his
cholic augmenting from moment to moment, rose to such a height
that the remedies of physicians and skilful men produced no
effect. A terrible vomiting took place, and he threw towards
nothingness the garment of his existence; insomuch that on the
twenty-ninth of that same month he departed towards the regions
of eternity, after a short lived ministry of three months and twenty-two
days. His estate, mightily swollen by his confiscation of
Hossëin-aaly-qhan’s fortune, and the seizure of his baggage, and
by several savings and benefits, was so amazingly great as to be
reckoned only by corors, and yet it was left entirely to his heirs;
but by his death the people of God were released from the oppression
they were likely to suffer. They say that intending to enlarge
his palace, and to enclose more ground within its yard, he with
a single command of his had dispossessed seven hundred housekeepers
of his neighbournood,*
who all quitted their homes
and delivered their keys to his officers. Nevertheless, after his
death, all these were returned to their owners by Camer-eddin-qhan,
The Vezir
Mahmed-aamin-qhan
dies.
his son, who on his being acknowledged his heir, renounced
the invidious acquisition, and exchanged it for the applause of
mankind and the blessing of God. It is on such an occasion that
one may observe of Mahmed-shah, who was generally taxed with
tenacity and parsimony, that he does not appear to have really
had such a character, since on Mahmed-aamin-qhan’s demise,
the Imperial treasury was pretty much drained; for the mighty
sums drawn from all parts of the Empire by the two brother Sëids,
having been very much thinned by their immense levies and preparatives,
the Emperor had been very little benefited by what
remained in their coffers, the whole having been made away by
the pillagers of the army and by his own generals. So that the
ornaments of gold and silver which decorated the public and private
halls of audience, and which in those days of calamity had been
torn away and turned into stamped coin, remained unreplaced to
that day; and the halls themselves with the other apartments,
wanted a thorough repair immediately. Nevertheless when the list
The Emperor
refuses to
accept the
reversion of
his estate.
of the deceased Minister’s property came to be presented to the
Emperor, (and it amounted to several corors, reckoning only the
gold, silver, gems and precious stuffs) he paid no attention to
it, and ordered the whole to be left to the natural heirs; and yet
it was an established custom with all the Emperors of the Babrian
family, nay, with all those of the Timurian race,*
to take
possession of the estates and wealth of their deceased Ministers
and servants, to the exclusion of the natural heirs, to whom they
were pleased to vouchsafe as a favour such a share as they thought
they deserved, or it was their pleasure to allow. But, indeed, it
was such a custom, and such a law, as no man, no religion, no
justice could approve or admit. That a man after having served
them his whole life at the expense of his sweat and blood, nay,
after having lost his life at their feet and in their cause; after
having spent the best of his days, and even the whole of them,
in toiling and undergoing every hardship to execute their commands;
that such a man should, after his death, have all his
labourious savings carried away and confiscated, and should leave
his children, consorts, heirs, dependants and friends, engrossed
by the thoughts of an approaching distress, and much more
solicitous how to subsist the next day, than how to lament his
death, is so atrocious an injustice as will revolt the most ignorant
mind. It was observed of Aazem-shah, that with so many precedents
before his eyes, he was the first of that race, who totally
abandoned that custom, and even expressed a detestation of it.
One of his richest Ministers being deceased, a list or estimate
was, according to the established custom, presented to him of his
estate, which in jewels and money alone amounted to an immense
sum. The Emperor seemed shocked at the sight of the paper,
turned his head from it with strong marks of emotion, expressed
his detestation of both the custom, and the reader, and forbade
any one under pain of his indignation from presenting to him such
papers and such reports for the future. After having been so
much taken up with wars and bloodshed, our attention is diverted
at once by some events less shocking, but of as interesting a
nature.
One Mir-mahmed-hossëin, a native of the holy city of Mesh-hed in Iran,* who, for ought I know to the contrary, may have possibly been, as he pretended, a descendant of one of those Sëids called there Ruzuvies, (on whom be peace!) hearing of the extreme generosity and unbounded munificence which Umdet-el-mulk-emir-qhan, Governor of Cab8l, used to exercise towards his countrymen, the Iranians, (generosity spoken of to this day with admiration and wonder) quitted his native city, in hopes of A Persian adventurer sets up a new whimsical sect. preferment, and a more liberal way of life, and came to Cab8l. As he was learned in the Arabic, and in philosophy, as well as some other branches of knowledge; his merit came soon to be spoken of; insomuch that the son of Emir-qhan’s moonshy or secretary, having wished to benefit by his instructions, very naturally gave him some celebrity, and thus the instructor’s name came often to be mentioned with encomiums in Emir-qhan’s presence, who thereby became desirous of seeing such a man, and mentioned his name to Sahab-dji, his consort, daughter of the late Aly-merdan-qhan.* The reason of which mention was this:—Sahab-dji had no children of her own; and to console herself of such a privation, she had adopted the daughter of a Sëid who had long been in her husband’s service, which girl she educated with a deal of care and solicitude. Her views were to marry her to some virtuous gentleman of her own country of Iran, whenever any such should happen to come from thence, and it was agreed between herself and her husband, that whenever either of the two should discover any such man, notice of the discovery should be imparted to the other. Sahab-dji desired her husband to examine himself the matter; and that nobleman having sent several times for the man, and weighed his worth in the scales of keen penetration, he conceived such an affection for his person, that he mentioned his name with encomiums to his consort. Sahab-dji pleased with this report, ordered preparatives to be made immediately for the wedding, and in a few days she bestowed her daughter on that shrewd man, who by this event was introduced into Emir-qhan’s family, made acquaintances with the principal men of his court, and got together some money, and even obtained an office. For in a few years after, the superintendence of the perfumery office for the Imperial household was sent him from court on Emir-qhan’s recommendation; and he on his side made friends of several of Emir-qhan’s children born from ladies different to Sahab-dji. His ambition being equal to his artificial turn of mind, he came at last to be considered as an extraordinary personage, on whose sanctity and miracles many persons settled their belief. Hady-aaly-qhan, eldest son of Emir-qhan, with some others, was of the number, and he even seemed the most attached to him. Emir-qhan dying about this time, was received in the arms of divine mercy, and his consorts and family repaired to court; but Mir-mahmed-hossëin, attached by his office to the city of Cab8l, remained there, and after a certain time he prepared a quantity of essence of roses of Pishaver,* as well as much rose-water and other perfumes for the Emperor’s use, and that of the principal Lords and Grandees of the court. With such a provision he set out for the capital, in hopes of making himself known to the Emperor, and pushing his fortune at court. Having confirmed himself in his resolution, he set out from Cab8l, and arrived at Lahor, where he learned that the Emperor Aoreng-zib was no more. His hopes of preferment on that side being blasted by that unexpected intelligence, he sold his perfumery in that very city at a high price, and having thereby acquired so large a sum of money as sixty or seventy thousand rupees, he thought it sufficient for the remainder of his life; and putting on a fakir’s garb, and a gṛave sanctified air, he conceived the design of setting up a new religion of his own; and first of all he associated to his mission that very secretary’s son mentioned above, in whom he had discovered much ingenuity and many talents. He observed to him: “That should they join their talents together to contrive a new sect, the consequences of such an undertaking would prove of manifold benefit to themselves. That it would be necessary, first of all, to invent a new language, which might strike by its singularity, and also enable them to receive revelations from above, and messages from heaven in a new set of expressions. That by raising their characters in that manner they would come to be accounted beings of a middling nature and dignity between the Prophets and the Pontiffs sent in times of yore from heaven. That revelations standing as proofs of their mission, they might henceforward raise themselves to so many honours, and to so much credit and power as would prove beyond conception. And that once they had gained the admiration of the multitude, and the staring of the vulgar, and had brought the mob always to throng about their persons, the learned ones and the people of higher nations would in time come to be swayed by the multitude’s belief at last, and would believe themselves, and would be coming in crowds after them; in which case their credit and influence over both, and over both the high and low, would know no bounds.”