We have already mentioned that Aaly-mahmed-qhan-Rohil­lah had returned with an army to the country of M8rad-abad, &c., and after having taken possession of it, had expelled my father, the Imperial Governor; soon after which he died of a cancer that had spread all over his back. This event was seized upon by Death of Ally-mahmed Rohilla. the Vezir Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, who had been taking this long­while much umbrage at the establishment which those warlike people had made on the frontiers of his Government of A8d. He had already engaged Mahmed-shah on an expedition intended to extirpate them, but which did not produce its full effect, his plan having been counteracted by Camer-eddin-qhan’s management and double-dealing. An opportunity offered now to resume his scheme. He was himself become Vezir, and Director of all the affairs of the Empire. Aaly-mahmed-qhan-Rohillah had just crossed over to the valley of Nothingness, and divisions had arisen in the family of that new founder. With this view he The Vezir foments the troubles which follow. engaged Cäim-qhan, son to Mahmed-qhan-Bangash, to recover that whole country from the hands of Rohillah’s family, sensible that the defeat and ruin of either party would prove of so much gain to himself. Cäim-qhan, who had already cast a wishful eye on the private and public estate of Rohillah’s family, besieged his children in the castle of Budäon, and straitened them so far as to prevent their having any communication with any one without. These were Saad-ollah-qhan, eldest son of Rohillah, a young Prince, who had married Hafiz-rahmet’s daughter, and being reputed his father’s representative, actually sat on his Mesned; but the other was Dondi-qhan’s son-in-law, and both these Chieftains having taken possession of the country in right of their sons-in-law, had in fact kept it for themselves, although the civil government was still in the hands of Saad-ollah-qhan. The latter, who was shut up with his whole family, and that of his father, finding himself reduced to the last extremity, and straitened by an enemy that would not relent, at once took his party. He came out of the castle, and having assembled some troops, he resolved to risk everything in defence of his life and fortune. This happened in the tenth of Zilhidj, in the year 1161. Dividing, therefore, his troops into two parts, he concealed one in the bed of a river which had become dry, and advanced with the other against Cäim-qhan. The battle having already commenced and become very warm, Saad-ollah-qhan, unable to bear the attack of the whole Afghan nation, which fought under Cäim-qhan’s orders, was obliged to retreat, and at last he fled full speed; but still he turned about now and then, and charged his pursuers, till at last he came to the ambuscade. Cäim-qhan, in the full hope of victory, was pursuing with ardour, followed by almost all the Commanders of his army, when at once some thousands of Saad-ollah-qhan’s people, who were concealed in the dry bed, got up, and let fly such a shower of balls and rockets, that Cäim-qhan himseif, with all his Commanders, were killed on the spot, together with a vast number of his soldiers; thus leaving a complete victory to Gaad-ollah-qhan.

Whilst the Afghans were involved in civil wars, the Court seemed busy in promotions and rejoicings. The Nö8-r8z was celebrated on a Friday, the second of the second Reby, and a few days after Mirza-muhsen, elder brother to the Vezir Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, departed this life. About the end of the same year, Aaly-amjed-qhan was honoured with a fringed Paleky; but two months after, as he was at his day-break devotions, and reciting prayers upon his clay of mercy and health*, he suddenly fell down and expired. This appearance of tran­quility at the Capital soon gave way to troubles of a most alarm­ing nature.

We may remember that Mir-mannoo, the late Vezir’s eldest son, had been appointed to the double Government of Lahor and Mooltan by Mahmed-shah himself. To support so great a burthen, he had taken Begari-qhan as his Deputy, and had allowed him an absolute authority. The new Viceroy had just taken possession of that important post, and had found no time yet to prepare either an army, or to take any measures, when at once news came that Ahmed-shah, the Abdaly, was again march­ing to Lahor. Unprepared as Mir-mannoo must have been, he was obliged to present himself against that Monarch; but as neither party had sufficiently prepared themselves for a decisive engagement, the Viceroy thought it better to shake the chain of friendship and accommodation, in the Abdaly’s ears, and to Troubles in M8ltan quashed. smother a fire that had not yet broke out in a flame. The Abdaly who was no better prepared, was glad to hear that the affair took such a turn, and he agreed to retire, on the Viceroy’s promising to him the revenue of four Districts that had always been appointed to defray the pay of the garrison of Cab8l, a condition which Nadyr-shah had likewise stipulated. These were Syal-cot, Aoreng-abad, G8djrat, and Pursurvur; and this condi­tion being accepted, he retired to his own dominions, and left the Vezir at liberty to follow his scheme against the Rohillas.

This Minister no sooner heard of the state of affairs at Moorad-abad, than sensible that he had benefited in every sense by the defeat of one of the two parties, he resolved to avail him­self of it so far as to recover those countries from the hands of the survivors. With this view he came out of the city with the The Vezir marches against the Rohillas. Emperor, on the first day of Zilhidj, and took up his residence in tents. In a few days he arrived at Kevol, where leaving the Emperor behind, he advanced himself to the river Gundj, which is only at twenty cosses from Feroh-abad. This approach intimidated Cäim-qhan’s mother, consort to Mahmed-qhan-Rohilla, who finding herself shut up in the place without any resource, submitted to necessity, and paid in money and effects a contribu­tion to the amount of sixty lacs. After this the Vezir called Saad-ollah-qhan to an account for the elephants, horses, equipage, and artillery, which had belonged to the vanquished, and also for the Nazurana due to the Imperial Treasury, and got from him a large sum, but which did not become public. On hearing of this success, the Emperor returned to his Palace, and a few days after he celebrated the Nö8-r8z, which fell on the 12th of the second Reby of the same year. Meanwhile the Vezir, who had tarried some time about Feroh-abad, was busy in receiving the promised sums, and in taking possession of the country of the Bangash Afghans; but he thought proper to leave untouched the city of Feroh-abad, and the twelve Districts round the same, which had been Bangash’s Altumghah or irrevocable fief ever since Feroh-syur’s reign. He left the whole for the subsistence of Cäim-qhan’s mother and family. Having in this manner recovered in a little time the stipulated sums and effects, he sent for Nevol-ráy, the Deputy he had left at A8d, and put under his care and absolute authority the whole of the conquests he had lately made, after which he returned to the Capital.

This Nevol-ráy, who was originally a Cäet by tribe, and of the lowest officers of Ab8l-mansoor-qhan’s household, had rendered his master so many services, and he had become so very agreeable to him, that he was promoted to high offices, made his Deputy throughout the whole Government, and rose to so much favour, as to be equalled by no one man in the service. This Deputy took up his residence in the city of Cannodje*, the private appanage of his master’s, and only at twenty cosses from Feroh-abad; from whence he spread his officers and collectors all over the country. He also seized most of the brothers of Cäim-qhan, I mean such as were from other mothers, together with some trusty slaves of the family, and sent them all prisoners to the castle of Ilah-abad; at the same time his violences and extortions rose to such an excess, that they became the real cause of the troubles and mighty events that followed. Cäim-qhan’s mother sent word of all this to Ahmed-qhan, her half-brother, an officer of consequence in the Vezir’s service; and she informed him that “the honour of the Afghan nation was gone, as well as that of his father’s; but that if there remained any sense of pride in him, now was the time to produce it, and to approve The Afghans, roused by the message of Cäim-qhan’s mother, raise upon Nevol-ráy. himself a true Afghan.” She likewise sent messages, full of taunts and reproaches, to all the Afghan Chiefs of the neighbour­hood. The Afghans roused by these messages, assembled in troops, and swore every one to each other that they would not part society, until they had destroyed both Nevol-ráy and his power, and recovered their own country. Nevol-ráy, informed of this general revolt, applied to the Vezir for assistance, and meanwhile he came out of Cannodje with the troops he had under his command, and he entrenched himself in expectation of the succours which had been already dispatched. The Vezir having taken his leave of the Emperor, came out of the city, and encamped at the ford of Anbely, on the banks of the Djumnan, where he took up his residence in a seat until he had assembled all his troops. In a few days he dispatched Nassyr-eddin-haïder-qhan, his brother-in-law, together with Mahmed-aaly-qhan, a Commander of character, to Nevol-ráy’s assistance, and two days after, he dispatched likewise Ismäil-beg-qhan, called the slave-boy, a very trusty Commander of his, on the same errand. This was followed by Radja Debi-Dutt, Fodjdar of Kevol. But before these succours could come up, Ahmed-qhan had already appeared with a large body of Afghans before Nevol-ráy’s intrenchment, and that officer who had already quitted the Vezir’s service, and wanted to put the Deputy off his guard, had undertaken to amuse him with a variety of messages about an accommodation. The negotiation was kept on foot, until the tenth of Ramazan, when there appeared at once a great body of Afghan horse in the front of Nevol-ráy’s intrenchment, where was all his artillery; and whilst his attention was taken up with these, a large body of infantry turned his camp, and falling on his rear, penetrated through his intrench­ment, and marched straight to his quarters, where they cut him down. This execution was done so rapidly that Ata-ollah-qhan, one of the best officers of the camp, (whom we have mentioned in Aaly-verdy-qhan’s history, as a nobleman, who had married Rabiah-begum, and of course was son-in-law to Hadji-ahmed,) found just time to fly to Nevol-ráy’s assistance with his troops, and to lay down his head at his feet. He was slain together with a number of brave soldiers and gentlemen, who distinguished themselves on that occasion, and set out in company for the kingdoms of Eternity. They were mostly of the environs of A8d and Lucknow, and especially of Belgram, a town in the neighbourhood of the latter city, and famous for the hereditary bravery of its inhabitants. The artillery, as well as every thing in camp, fell a prey to the Afghans. This intelligence being carried to the Vezir, seemed to affect him much more sensibly than the troubles that were rising in Decan, a part of the Empire which seemed now quite independent.