This joyful piece of news seemed to usher another still more agreeable to the Imperial family. On a Thursday, being the twenty-ninth of the forbidden month of Moharrem,* of the year 1134 of the Hedjrah, a daughter was born to the Emperor; and on the nineteenth of the victorious month of Sefur, the daughter of the late Emperor Feroh-syur was espoused by that Prince, and the marriage celebrated with all the pomp and magnificence, which the dignity of the Empire required.* The contract was read, and the religious rites performed, under the influence of the sign of Leo; and the ceremony having been continued for some time with the entertainments, bonfires, music, and dances, customary in Hindostan on these occasions, the solemnity ended by the Princess becoming the reigning Empress, and the perfumed bride of the Imperial bed.

Meanwhile Nizam-el-mulk was approaching, and that Vice­roy after having put in order the affairs of Decan, corrected the abuses, and chastised the turbulent of the Carnatick, had turned his views towards the capital of the Empire, where he arrived, and where on a Thursday, the eleventh of the second Rebi, he had the honour to pay his obeysance to the Imperial presence; and on the fifth of the first Djemadi, being a Sunday of the same year, a little before the sun’s declining from the meridian, he was promoted to the Vezirship, and received, according to custom, the investiture of that high dignity, by being presented with a Qhylaat of four pieces,* and the Imperial casket and scrutoire. On the next Sunday, being the third of the month Djemady the second, of the same year, the Nö8-r8z* or New-year’s day was celebrated at court with the usual ceremonies; and the Emperor’s title which had been hitherto that of the Master of Success, was now changed into that of the Father of Victory, and the Succourer of Religion. On the sixth of Redjeb, in the same year, the Qhalissa office was committed to Radja Gudjer-mull, and a few days after, the Divanship of the musters was bestowed on Sheh-saad-ollah. Meanwhile Nizam-el-mulk, who was a man of much gravity, of a reserved behaviour, and also very fond of power, undertook, first of all, to bring into order the most important affairs of the Empire, and then to pass from thence to other matters of a more private nature. He was advising the Emperor to assume in public an air of gravity and seriousness, to correct his morals, adapt his behaviour to his situation, re­press his servants, divide his time into stated hours for each business, and to appoint a time for rendering justice (an important duty of Princes, and without which they could not expect to satisfy Heaven); in one word, to discharge worthily the duties incumbent on command and sovereignty. All these admonitions were listened to by the Emperor, but not relished That Prince was yet in the fervour of youth and the pride of dominion, and had a disposition of mind wholly addicted to a life of pleasures, amusements, and merriment. Nor were these repre­sentations more pleasing to most of the Grandees of the court, and especially to Qhandö8ran, who could not bear to see at court such a man as Nizam-el-mulk, by whom he would be infallibly eclipsed. The Vezir, therefore, was always looked upon with an evil eye, and spoken to with peevish expressions; and one day, Haïder-c8ly-qhan instigated by the courtiers and the principal eunuchs, went so far as to forget himself in his presence. That nobleman, who was himself a man of courage and ambition, and very fond of power, had amassed such sums of money from his Djaghirs and from his Government of G8djerat, as well as by the confiscation of part of Abdol-ghaf8r’s estate, (an eminent Bohra* merchant, whose wealth was famous all over the world) that his riches were reckoned by corors; and he became so proud and so aspiring as to entertain thoughts of raising himself as high as had done the late Hossëin-aaly-qhan; a project which, he thought, ought to be set out with by demolishing Nizam-el-mulk. This project of his was much encouraged and supported both by the Emperor himself, and by the other Grandees, who whilst they wished to get rid of Nizam-el-mulk’s gravity by the means of Haïder-c8ly-qhan’s proud temper, were likewise desirous of tearing the latter out of his Government of G8djerat, and of putting an end to his intended expedition, by setting him at variance with a man of so undoubted a superiority as Nizam-el-mulk; and, on the other hand, this Minister who was fond of money, and trusting to his own power, did not seem to decline the task, and at last he undertook the expedition.

In the next year which was the 1135th of the Hedjra, an event happened in the Emperor’s family which could not but afflict his mind. On a Tuesday, the first of Moharrem, at about day-break, Maleka-zemani, the reigning Empress, was brought to bed of a mole of a female appearance; on the fifteenth of the same month, Nizam-el-mulk received in a Qhylaat the investiture of the Government of G8djerat, on Haïder-c8ly-qhan’s dismission; and on a Thursday, being the second of Sefur of the same year, a little after the sun’s declining from the meridian, that Minister set out on his intended expedition.

It appears that B8rhan-el-mulk-saadet-qhan,* besides the Government of Ecber-abad which he enjoyed, had had the Government of A8d conferred upon him, although the latter was in the hands of Radja Gurd-hur-bahadyr, who was transferred to the Government of Malva. Saadet-qhan pleased to revisit his ancient government, had left in his stead at Ecber-abad a man of abilities, called Rày-nil-cunt-nagur. This Deputy, who soon had a difference with a neighbouring Zeminder, having gone out one day upon his elephant to take an airing, was shot dead by a Djatt, who had been instigated by the Zemindar, and who taking his seat in a lofty tree, levelled leisurely his piece at Nil-cunt in the middle of his numerous retinue, and having accomplished his purpose, found time to make his escape. Saadet-qhan, informed of this, resolved to defer his revenge until he had taken possession of those two provinces, and established his govern­ment; but Qhandö8ran,* availing himself of the opportunity, procured that place to Radja Ajdet-sing-seväi; so that there remained nothing to Saadet-qhan, but his new acquisition of A8d.

Adjet-sing, on being appointed, received orders to march against Churamon the Djatt, a powerful Zemindar of the province; and he accordingly besieged his fortress of T8n, resolved to turn him out of his zemindary; and having gained over to his party Budun-sing, nephew to Churamon, he laid close siege to the fortress, and obstined himself so much before its wall, that Mohcum-sing, son to Churamon, took in full assembly the liberty to reproach his father with the miseries the besieged endured. He likewise forgot so far the respect due to a father, as to make use of improper expressions. The father listening to his tenderness for an only son, forbore to chastise him as he deserved; but giving way at the same time to his discontent, he with a thoughtlessness inherent to the Gentoo constitution, took poison and died. The young man, incapable to govern his possessions, and overcome by Adjet-sing’s superior power and genius, was prevailed upon to surrender; upon which, the Radja appointed Budun-sing to govern the zemindary, got this appointment confirmed by the court, and recommended to him to recall his dispersed subjects, and to make the country flourish and prosper as it did formerly. Budun-sing armed with so much support, found means to gain over to his side most of Mohcum-sing’s dependants; and the latter thinking him­self secure, fled from the fortress, which was immediately taken possession of, and Budun-sing made his residence in it. About this time Radja Gurd-hur-bahadyr having marched to Malva, the government conferred upon him, soon put that province in excellent order.

We have left Nizam-el-mulk going to take possession of his new Government of G8djerat; and he was actually marching thither with a good army and ạ good artillery, when, to facilitate matters, he contrived the expedient of debauching some of the troops of The Emperor, to rid him­self of Nizam-el-mulk, gives him the Gov­ernment of G8djerat. Haïder-c8ly-qhan’s, whose army consisted chiefly of T8ranian Moghuls, and of Péni, Ghazni and Bani Afghans; and as he had himself a number of officers and whole bodies of those same tribes, he pitched upon the most intelligent amongst them, and sent them under a variety of pretences in Haïder-c8ly-qhan’s camp, where they gained to his interest most of those that were of the same nation. In consequence of this management, several Commanders of note, such as Shudjaat-qhan, Mehr-aly-qhan, and Rustem-aly-qhan, G8djeraties, with Selabet-qhan, and Zeber-dest-qhan, Banies, and Ased-qhan, Ghazni, and many other Commanders both Iranian and T8ranian,* quitted Haïder-c8ly-qhan’s camp and dispersed. This General thunderstruck by so general a desertion, fell into a melancholy that preyed on his body, and disordered his mind; and getting himself into a covered chair,* he with a number of friends that followed his fortunes, and availed them­selves likewise of carriages, took the road to the capital. Nizam-el-mulk being thus left in possession of the field and country, marched up to G8djerat, the capital, took possession of it as well as of the whole country, and after having firmly established his government in it, he committed it to the care of Hamed-qhan, his maternal uncle, who went by the name of the Royal Prince Djungly; and himself departing the country soon after marched southward to revisit his governments* of Decan, and his capital, Aoreng-abad. Meanwhile Haïder-c8ly-qhan with what friends and treasures he had in his camp, having marched to the capital, arrived there, and for some days remained unnoticed.