It was at this conjuncture, I chanced to arrive at the English camp at Bankipore, after having been at much pains to obtain by the interposition of the English Chief of Cossim-bazar, permission to quit M8rsh8d-abad; and this happened in the following manner: Some time before Mir-cassem-qhan had hastily quitted Birboh8m, I had returned to M8rsh8d-abad by his leave, where my situation had become very puzzling, as I found it impossible either to get out of that city, or to send, or receive a letter; and meanwhile Major Carnac, as well as Mr. Hay, and the English rulers of Azim-abad, remained in the dark as to what might have become of me. Here it is proper to remember that as Ram-naráin was not sincere towards Mir-cassem-qhan, he wanted to inspire suspicions to the English against him; and as he bore me no good-will neither, he was daily rendering me suspected in that Prince’s mind, either by the suggestions of his own emissaries, or by those of Djagat-seat’s agent; his whole aim being to engage the Navvab to exasperate matters by offering me some ill usage. His brother, Durdj-naráin, at the same time, was acting his part at Azim-abad. Meeting one day Mir-abdollah, my friend, whom he knew to be extremely attached as well as extremely welcome to the English, he whispered into his ear, that his friend, Mir-gh8lam-hosséin-qhan, had been made away with by a dose of poison, by order of the Navvab. This intelligence seemed the more probable as I appeared nowhere, neither at Azim-abad, nor in the Navvab’s camp, who was just arrived; and as no intelligence at all had been received about me, and no one knew where I might be, the intelligence was taken for a certitude. Add to this, that Durdj-naráin had the art to entreat Mir-abdollah to say nothing of the matter, and by all means to conceal his name, that he might come to no harm or that account. But the injunction not satisfying Mir-abdollah the latter imparted the intelligence to my youngest brother, Séyd-aaly-qhan, who, with my consort and family, lived in my house at Azim-abad; and both receiving a shock from this piece of news, the more violent as endeavours were used to smother it, they resolved to inform the English of the whole matter; with the precaution, however, of concealing Durdj-naráin, their author’s name, as he was a Gentoo of consequence, and Mir-abdollah was a retainer of Ram-naráin, his brother. They went, therefore, to the factory,* and informed Major Carnac and Mr. Hay, that they held the intelligence from a person of great credit. As those two gentlemen had a real attachment to Mr. Amyatt, as well as a rooted aversion to Mir-cassem-qhan’s person, on account of his having been promoted by Vansittart, their antagonist, they were perpetually on the watch for finding the Navvab in fault, in order to throw the blame of it on Vansittart’s shoulders. On hearing therefore the intelligence, their displeasure blazed out into a flame like lightning. They swore, “That if it proved true, that Mir-cassem had murdered a friend and an envoy of theirs, he might depend upon their finding means to exact a severe revenge for his death.” Mir-abdollah, frightened by the violence of their resentment, made use of every supplication, to make them proceed with less pre­cipitation and more secrecy; and he proposed that letters should be written to the English Chief of Cossim-bazar, and to me. As he spoke to men of much sense, although angry, the proposal was easily admitted; and they also wrote a letter to me to inform themselves how matters went, and why I tarried so much. The letter recommended to me, in case of necessity, to apply to the Chief of Cossim-bazar, who was then Mr. Istanluc Batson (Mr. Stanlake Batson), if possible, as to my last resource; they also wrote a letter to the same gentleman, in the character and language of the English, and sent both letters by one of my relations. The arrival of that man, with his letters, filled me with joy, and it procured me the only expedient by which I might extricate myself. I waited immediately upon the Chief of Cossim-bazar, and having got from him a boat, a messenger, and a pass, I arrived safe at Azim-abad, where, God be thanked, I saw my friends again, and found myself once more in my house and home. But yet I was not quite easy, being in doubt whether I ought to visit the Navvab or not, as there subsisted everywhere such a strange appearance of double dealing, and discordance, that I could not help wavering in my conduct. My brother in the castle, and in high office with the Emperor; M8rly-dur and Ram-naráin, in appearance my friends, and in fact, my enemies; myself highly obliged to both, and unable to make a proper return; Mir-cassem-qhan in his heart an enemy to Ram-naráin; the Emperor dis­satisfied and uneasy in the castle; the English at variance amongst themselves; Macguire siding with Vansittart and the Navvab; and the Major with Mr. Hay, being closely united with Amyatt, in opposing Vansittart, and also in supporting Ram-naráin against Mir-cassem-qhan: such a confused scene was puzzling. All this while the Radja, sensible of the strong sup­port he would meet with from the Major and Mr. Hay, and their party, dissembled with Mr. Macguire, and paid his protectors an assiduous court, to the great discontent of both the Navvab and Mr. Macguire: and it is for his having entirely neglected these two men, that he saw what he did see, and met with an untimely fate of his own seeking.

As to myself, the poor man, Mir-cassem-qhan disliked me, because I had so many connections with the English; because my younger brother was in such high favour with the Emperor; and because he imagined I had still much intimacy with Ram-naráin, whom he could not bear; he likewise harboured many suspicions against me. And, on the other hand, both Ram-naráin and M8rly-dur, mistrusting in me the very appearance of being Mir-cassem-qhan’s nominal servant, and fearing lest some day I should avail myself of my connections with the English, to dispossess these two men of their Government of Azim-abad, in which I might place my own father, were much inclined to sus­pect that I was always brewing some mischief. Just at this time, the Navvab having for a purpose of his own, repeatedly expressed a desire to see me, I repeatedly excused myself on a pretence of illness; until finding that he persisted in his instances, I repaired to his quarters. That Prince, on seeing me, went to an inner apartment, where, after endeavouring to soothe my mind, and to win my heart, he proposed to me a voyage to Calcutta. “You are,” said he, “in connection with Mr. Amyatt, the great supporter of Ram-naráin. I wish therefore you would go to Calcutta, and manage so as that he might let go his hold of that man and join me, as I want the Council’s consent for my bringing that Governor under controul, and for my becoming his master, as indeed it is proper I should be.” Such an over­ture, after what had passed between us, could not but surprise me, although I was not much displeased with its purport. I was myself for a variety of reasons inclined to quit Azim-abad, and to go to Calcutta; but dreaded the consequences of an alteration in Mir-cassem-qhan’s behaviour, and the many suspicions with which his unsteady turn of mind would not fail to plague me, should I ever concern myself in his affairs; the very meddling with them seemed full of dangers. I answered therefore, that I had no objections to my being employed in his affairs, but feared the unsteadiness of his temper, which made him sometimes alter his mind without a sufficient reason. “For instance,” added I, “what was the poor man’s fault at B8dgam, when after having shewn me the utmost kindness and inclination, you turned about at once on the simple insinuation of Djagat-seat’s agent?” After having said so much, I could not help insinuating, that although accusers might attempt to instil suspicions in the heart of a great man, (for which there was no wondering, since such was their professional line) yet that it behoved a master and benefactor to be more careful, and never to disgrace his servants without having probably ascertained their guilt. The Navvab heard all that, and then made use of the strongest assertions, and the most solemn promises, to engage me to be hencefor­ward easy; he made me promise that I would undertake the voyage, and next day he sent me two thousand rupees for my expenses. The matter being now settled, I took leave of my friends, and set out for M8rsh8d-abad, where I arrived in four days, and where I lodged at the house of a relation of mine. As the Navvab had wrote to T8rab-aaly-qhan, his maternal uncle, Governor of M8rsh8d-abad, to inform him of my going down for a service of his, that Governor assisted me expeditiously, in furnishing me with boats, and every thing else I wanted. So that, after a stay of two or three days at M8rsh8d-abad, I arrived safe at Calcutta, where I went to visit Mr. Amyatt, Mr. Gray, and Captain Knox, whom I frequented assiduously, and from whom I learned from time to time all the news of Azim-abad.

The Emperor was still in that city; but whilst he kept himself ready to set out on his journey to his capital, he waited impatiently for the arrival of Munnir-ed-döulah, whom he had sent as his Ambassador to Ahmed-shah, the Abdally-monarch. But that Prince himself had already been invited over by Nedjib-ed-döulah, by Ahmed-qhan-bangash, and by the other Afghan Princes, as well as by Shudjah-ed-döulah himself; and he had resolved to march into Hindostan, as far as its capital, where he intended to extirpate the Marhatta nation; for he had heard with anguish that those infidels had taken possession of the citadel; confined the young Prince, whom the Ministers of his father, Aalamghir the Second, had set up under the name of Shah-djehan; and pretended to no less than to set up their own Monarch in the young Prince’s stead, and to become the sole masters of all Hindostan. With that view he advanced by long marches; and being arrived in the territory of Shah-djehan-abad, he gave the Marhattas several destructive defeats, and then returned to Candahar, his capital, after a severe campaign in India, which lasted full seven months, exclusive of the time he spent in coming and going. On his departure, he strongly recommended to the Afghan Princes, and to Shudjah-ed-döulah, in particular, to respect their lawful Emperor, and to submit to him. It must be observed that during this whole campaign, Munnir-ed-döulah had been residing in the Court of the Abdally-monarch, from whom he had obtained injunctions, to all the Indian Princes, to obey Shah-aalem as their lawful Monarch. Not content with that, the Abdally-conqueror had at his departure strongly recommended submission to all those Princes whom he had assembled in his presence; and it seems that his recom­mendation had produced a full effect. For as soon as he was gone, Nedjib-ed-döulah established S8ltan Djuvan-baqht in the citadel of Shah-djehan-abad, as Deputy to his father, Shah-aalem; he coined money in the father’s name, and ordered the Qhotbah, or loyal prayer of Friday,* to be pronounced for his pros­perity. Shudjah-ed-döulah did the same on his return to A8d, his capital; from whence he sent sums of that new coin, both in silver and gold, to Shah-aalem, and supplicated his coming, to put himself at the head of his faithful subjects. Suppliques in the same style came at the same time from Ahmed-qhan-bangash, and from Nedjib-ed-döulah, as well as from his Ambassador, Munnir-ed-döulah; all of whom congratulated him upon his accession to the throne of his ancestors. And as these many petitions were in the same style with those of Shudjah-ed-döulah’s, and they came accompanied with sums of money in silver and gold, coined in his name; such a general consent rejoiced the heart of the new Monarch, who now saw how generally he was acknowledged; insomuch that there remained no excuse now, either to the English or to the Navvab, for delaying his departure. The English finding how universally he was expected, took care to make him sign such a treaty as they thought proper, after which they presented him with a sum of money, and some other articles that seemed necessary, and wished him a happy journey. Shah-aalem, after returning his acknowledgments to the Almighty goodness for this flow of success, beat the General, and continued his march towards his capital. This was about the end of Shevval, or the beginning of Zilcaad, in the second year of his accession to the throne, which corresponds to the year A. D.1771-72. 1184 of the Hedjrah. He quitted Azim-abad, and marched towards Shudjah-ed-döulah’s country. But as soon as he had crossed the little river of Keram-nassa, that Prince himself made his appearance, and being admitted to the honour of kissing the columns of the Imperial throne, he presented in token of homage, such an offering in money, precious stuffs, and jewels, as seemed suitable to the occasion; after which he marched to his capital, in company with the Emperor.