Whilst that mournful tragedy was acting at one part of the Palace, another very different scene was passing on the other. That very day Muhi-el-senna, son to Cam-bash, and grandson to Aoreng-zib, was raised to the throne under the title of Shah-djehan, or “Emperor of the world;” and the Vezir after these executions left the Cashmirian to watch over the new Prince, and marched against Nedjib-ed-dowlah, actually besieged at Sukartal. On his way thither, he learned that a peace had been concluded to the satisfaction of both parties, and being informed at the same time that the Abdali-king was advancing by long marches, he thought proper to secure his person by getting out of his way; and taking shelter in S8r8dj-mull’s county, he resolved to wait there the event of the quarrel between the Abdalies and the Marhattas, and to see what new revolution it might bring about. Anxious about the event, he retired within one of the strongest of S8r8dj-mull’s fortresses.

We have heretofore mentioned that the Abdali-king, after having plundered Delhi, and put every thing to the sword at Mahtra, had marched back in the year 1170, and returned to Cab8l and Candahar, his Capitals, leaving his son, Timur-shah, in the Government of M8ltan and Lahor, with the General Djehan-qhan, for his adviser. The latter sensible of his own inexperience in Government and revenue matters, and convinced how much Adina-beg-qhan must be skilled in those subjects, and of how much local knowledge he must be possessed, resolved to avail him­self of that man’s abilities, and he wrote him several civil letters endeavouring to sooth his mind; at last he sent him the patent as well as the Qhylaat of the province of Do-abah. Adina-beg-qhan, softened by this distinction, soon brought the province to a proper order, and the Prince and General, convinced now of his abilities, invited him over to Lahor, where they intended to avail them­selves of his experience. But this invitation was not relished by the other. He mistrusted their proffers, and had objections to their neighbourhood; so that he retired again towards the mountains. And Djehan-qhan hearing of this desertion, appointed M8rad-qhan to command in the Do-abah, directing B8lend-qhan and Ser-efraz-qhan, two general officers, to support him with a body of troops. Adina-beg-qhan opposed the Syks to this new Troubles in M8ltan & Pendjab. power; a set of men that had already grown numerous and power­ful in the times of the late Mir-mann8, but who had since greatly benefited by the lessons and the protection they had been for a long time receiving from their tutor, Adina-beg-qhan. Incited by his exortations, those Fakirs or Mendicants become soldiers, took up arms, and being joined by a body of Adina-beg-qhan’s troops, they fell upon M8rad-qhan, and gave him a battle, in which B8lend-qhan being slain, and M8rad-qhan, with Ser-efraz-qhan defeated, these two Generals fled to Lahor, and reported their case to Djehan-qhan. After this flight the Syks ruined and desolated the whole Province of the Dö-abah, chiefly at the instigation of Adina-beg-qhan. At this very time there was encamped in the territory of Shah-djehan-abad a large army of Marhattas, under the command of Ragonat-räo, and Shimshir-bahadyr, (two brothers of Baladji-räo) as well as under that of Holcar-malhar, and some other Commanders of character. All these tired of a camp life, and panting for action, waited with impatience for some occasion to signalize themselves; when they received several letters from Adina-beg-qhan, which requested their coming to his assistance. The Marhattas who always wish for action, and are always upon the watch for such opportunities, and always upon the move, marched immediately to Lahor. Meeting by the way Abd8l-semed-qhan, a General appointed by the Abdalies to the command of Ser-hend, they gave him a bloody defeat, and took him prisoner. From thence they advanced so rapidly to Lahor, that in a few days their run­ners met those of Djehan-qhan’s, and had some skirmishes together. It was in Shaaban, 1171 of the Hedjrah. Djehan-qhan observing that the small number of his troops would be over­powered Which enable the Mar­hattas to extend their conquest as far as Lahor. in a compaign by such skirmishers as the Marhattas, thought proper to retreat and to evacuate the country. He took the young Prince Timur-shah with him, and advancing by long and continual marches, he arrived on the banks of the Atuc*, which he immediately crossed, leaving behind those treasures, and that furniture and artillery that had been amassing for ages together. The Marhattas pursued him as far as the river Chulum, and then returned, extending meanwhile their conquests and jurisdiction all over M8ltan, as far as Ghazi-qhan’s valley, and as far as the rivers Chennar and Pehn. But as the rainy season was approach­ing, they appointed Adina-beg-qhan Governor-General of the country, under a yearly tribute of seventy-five lacs, clear of all charges, and then returned towards Shah-djehan-abad. From thence, after a short stay, both Ragonat-räo and Shimshir-baha­dyr marched on towards the Decan; but Djing8 was left in the neighbourhood of Delhi, with orders to subdue the several Radjas of Adjmir. The whole scheme seemed well arranged; but by one of those unexpected dispensations of Providence, Adina-beg-qhan departed his life some months after, at the beginning of the year 1172; when Djingo conferred the Government of Ser-hend on Sadyc-beg-qhan, who had been one of the trustiest men in the deceased Governor’s service, and that of the Döabah on that Governor’s widow, appointing at the same time a Marhatta, called Saba, to the supreme Government of Lahor, which the new Commandant took care to extend by fresh conquests as far as the shores of the great river Atuc. Meanwhile Nedjib-ed-döwla, as well as all the Rohilla Princes, intimidated by these continual progresses of the Marhattas, concluded that their own persons and dominions must one day in the course of things be necessarily swallowed up by that overbearing power which was constantly supported by the Vezir Umad-el-mulk’s influence and intrigues. They therefore, renewed their supplications to the But bring on their backs the ferocious Abdalies, with their victori­ous King. King of the Durrannies, and besought him to march forth to their assistance. That Prince already shocked to see how little cere­mony the Marhattas had made with his son, Timur-shah, and with his Governor, Djehan-qhan, and incensed, besides, at the ingratitude of Umad-el-mulk, and at the prepetual cruelties he exercised everywhere, resolved to comply with the request. Convinced, therefore, that his arrival was ardently expected in Hindostan, he displayed his victorious standards, and turned them towards that country.

That Prince, setting out from Candahar, crossed the river Atuc in the beginning of the year 1173, and his vanguard meet­ing with Saba’s vanguard, an engagement ensued, in which the They are opposed by the Abdali-king. Marhattas being worsted, fled to Lahor. But that General hear­ing that the Abdlies were advancing by long marches, and think­ing his troops an undermatch to such men, he judged it expedient to decamp with his whole force, and to retreat towards Delhi; and his retreat was imitated by both Sadyc-beg-qhan himself, and by Adina-beg-qhan’s widow, who both thought proper to retire to the mountains. The Abdaly-king meanwhile had taken his route by the mountains of Djamb8, where having received a noble present in money from the Radja of that country, he advanced towards Delhi; and this was the sixth expedition he had made in Hindostan. This happened at the very time when Data-sindiah was treating with Nedjib-ed-döwlah and Shudjah-ed-döwlah about a peace; and this was soon concluded. But the two parties could not yet trust each other, and were upon the move on both sides, when news reached the Marhatta camp that the Abdalies, after having sub­dued the country of M8ltan and Lahor, were marching to Delhi At this intelligence Data-sindiah abandoned the negotiation with Shudja-ed-döwlah and that whole confideracy; and turning his thoughts towards the Abdalies, he advanced against them at the head of eighty thousand horse, all old troops. As to Umad-el-mulk who had moved to Data-sindiah’s assistance, he no sooner was informed of the Abdalies coming, than fearful of his being likely to be called to an account for his ingratitude and cruelties, as well as trembling for his own safety, he parted com­pany with Data-sindiah, and took shelter in the hilly country of the Djattas, resolved not to move until the horizon should appear cleared. The Radja shewed him the utmost regard, and assigned his residence in one of the best fortresses of his dominions.

Meanwhile the Abdali was advancing with ardour from Lahor; but observing by the way that the country of Döabah had been so eaten up by the Marhattas in their many expeditions through it, that there remained neither grain nor forage for himself, he altered his route, and crossing the Djum­nah, he marched into the Anterbid country, which we have already mentioned to be that tract of ground spreading betwixt the great rivers of Ganga and Djumnah. And as these two rivers take their sources in the mountains of Camä8, in the north of India, and after having parted company, join again at Ilah-abad; the Anterbid country of course commences at the foot of those mountains, and ends at the confluence of those two rivers. On the King’s crossing the Djumnah to march into the Anterbid, the Afghan Princes, Saad-olla-qhan, Ahmed-qhan-bangash, Nedjib-ed-döwlah, Hafyz-rahmet, and Dondi-qhan, whose dominions lie mostly betwixt those two rivers, joined together, and went in a body to pay their respects to that Monarch. The latter ordered his vanguard to march by another road, and to Battle of Badely, where the Abdali-king slays 70,000 Mar­hattas in one battle. fall upon Data-sindiah’s troops; who thinking he had to deal only with the runners of that army, commenced skirmishing, and went on in that manner, until he was pushed back by the Abdalies as far as the territory of Shah-djehan-abad, where they stopped at Badely, at which place the King having again re-crossed the Djumnah; joined his vanguard, and immediately commanded a general attack. A furious battle commenced. Nothing but slaughter was to be seen; and Data-sindiah soon became sensible that after having often fought for victory, he was now to fight for his life. He drew away his nephew, Djingo, from that scene of destruction, and gave him a small escort, with orders to advance into Decan in all speed, and to inform the Ministry of Satara of the state of things. Meanwhile the engagement becoming so close as to render horses of no use, he alighted with the greatest part of his troops, and fought on foot. The Abdalies continued pressing on all sides; and with their rockets and heavy muskets soon came to pour an intolerable fire upon those thronged multitudes; and as they gave no quarter, the whole of that mighty army of Marhattas, together with their General, Data-sindiah, and every Commander, with­out exception, perished in that bloody battle; and the whole was devoured by the inflamed sabre. This battle was fought at Badely, in the second month, Djemady, of the year 1173; a date which the Poet Mir-gh8lam-aaly, the Belgramite, has ingeniously conserved in these verses of his:

“The Durrani-king having given the whole Marhatta host

For food to his inflamed devouring sabre,

The Poet has thus conserved the chronogram of this date:

The victory became the lot of the illustrious King.”