Two days after the battle, being about the middle of Sefer, Aaly-verdy-qhan takes possession of Moorshood-abad. in the year 1153 of the Hedjra, Aaly-verdy-qhan marched slowly and leisurely into the city, but with the utmost pomp and magnificence. On his advancing to the palace, and before his taking his seat on the Mesned, he struck to the right, and went to the apartments where lived the Princess Nefisa-begum, daughter of Djaafer-khan, and mother to the late Ser-efraz-qhan. Stopping at the gate, he assumed a respectful posture, took a moving tone of voice, and having made a profound bow, in which he inclined his body to the ground, he supplicated the Princess’s forgiveness, and sent in the following message: “Whatever was predeter­mined His singular speech to Ser-efraz-qhan’s
mother. in the books of Fate, has come to take place, and the ingratitude of this worthless servant of yours is now registered in the unfading records of history. But I swear, that so long as life shall exist in this blackened face of mine, I shall never swerve from the path of respect, and the duties of the most complete submission. I hope that the vileness and misdeed of this poor humbled and afflicted slave of yours, shall in time be effaced from the mirror of your forgiving mind, and that you shall, at some distant period of time, condescend to accept in extenuation of my crime those demonstrations of perfect sub­mission, and those tokens of dutiful attachment which I am resolved to exhibit.”

After this speech in which he seemed greatly affected, and to which not a word of answer was returned, he continued his route to the Chehel S8t8n or Forty Pillars, a palace built by Shudjah-khan for public ceremonies, as well as for his residence; and being got within the hall of general audience, he took his seat in the Mesned of command, ordered the music to strike up,* and received the Nuzurs of the Crown officers, of the military men, and of the principal citizens of Moorshoodabad, who hastend to pay him that token of acknowledgment. But all this was mere exterior. His person, on account of the black ingratitude he had been guilty of towards his Lord and benefactor’s son, was viewed with sentiments of horror and detestation; nor was all his merit known at that early period. But in time he Admirable character of the new Vice­roy. displayed such a virtuous conduct, and so moral a character, treated the nobility and the Grandees with so much deference and respect, spread so indiscriminately the carpet of condescension and benignity for both stranger and friend, applied himself so earnestly in gaining the hearts of both the powerful and defence­less, exhibited such a quick feeling for the services rendered him by those attached to his person, so much regard for the rights of distant consanguinity or old acquaintance, so much commisera­tion for the poor, and so much attention for the oppressed, with such a turn of mind for forgiveness of personal injuries, in one word, he shewed himself so invaluable a man, that a total alteration took place in every heart, and those who at first could not bear to look on him, became in time so enamoured with his amiable deportment, and so attached to his person, that few instances have been observed in his time or in any other of so zealous an attachment and so much fidelity or love. Upon the whole, although the slaying his Lord and benefactor’s son was unquestionably one of the blackest actions that could be committed, and one of the most abominable events that could happen, yet it cannot be denied that Ser-efraz-qhan had no talents for government, and no capacity for business, and that, had his Government lasted but sometime more, such a train of evils, and such a series of endless confusions would have been the consequence of his incapacity, that disorders without number, and disturbances with­out end, would have arisen insensibly, and would have brought ruin and desolation on these countries and their inhabitants. The Marhattas had already cast their eyes upon these rich provinces. Shortly after, they attacked and invaded them on all sides, and lucky did it prove for the inhabitants of these countries that those merciless freebooters had to deal with such a man as Aaly-verdy-qhan, who by his talents for both war and government, and by the exertions of a keen sabre become indefatigable, as well as by the resources of his policy, found means to repress those ravagers, and at last to expell them entirely out of Bengal, as we shall succinctly mention in a short time in the course of these written leaves. Such exertions were not of a nature to be expected from Ser-efraz-qhan and his Ministers, nor were they men to oppose such a torrent with any effect; whereas his rival, to such a modesty of behaviour, and to so much purity of morals, joined political and military talents, and all the renown and power which victory and success could confer, the whole forming a character, which far from being equalled by any of his contemporaries or any of his successors, would hardly find a comparison in the records of past time. By a felicity peculiar to his government, his three nephews proved men of merit, and such as deserved to have such an uncle. Every one of them, decorated with the military rank of seven thousand horse, and raised to the highest dignities and offices of the State, seemed to have taken him for their pattern, and to have had nothing in view but the welfare of those entrusted to their care. But of every one of these, as well as of Aaly-verdy-khan’s children and family, mention shall be made particularly, whenever the thread of history shall come to reach their time.