AALY-VERDY-QHAN having rendered himself master of these eastern kingdoms, and taken possession of those riches accu­mulated by Shudjah-qhan and Ser-efraz-qhan, which were reckoned by Corors only, turned his attention towards tranquillising the country, and establishing his own Government. At the same time he received from the presence the titles of Shudjah-el-mulc and Hessam-ed-döulah, i.e. The Valorous of the State, and The Sword of the Empire; was honoured with the brevet of seven thousand horse, and decorated with the insignia of the Mahi; and the Court seemingly with a view to humour his tenderness for his family, bestowed high honours upon every individual of it. For his younger nephew and son-in-law, Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, whom he had left at Azim-abad, as his Lieutenant, and whom he had now rendered absolute in that province, was honoured with the brevet of seven thousand horse, and the titles of Valiant, The Honour of the Empire, and The terrible in War, together with the Mahi, the fringed Paleky, the kettle-drum and the standard. His eldest nephew and son-in-law, Nevazish-mahmed-qhan, whom he had appointed Governor of the province of Djehanghir-nagar-Dacca, with the annexes of Silhat and Islam-abad-chatgam, was now honoured with the office of Divan of Bengal, and decorated with the insignia of the Mahi, and dis­tinguished with the surnames and titles of The Valiant and of Grand dis­tribution of rewards at the Court of M8r­sh8dabad. The Magnificent of the State, always Valorous in War. His middling nephew Sëyd-ahmed-qhan, who so early as the times of Shudjah-qhan and Ser-efraz-qhan, had enjoyed the Fodjdary of Rangpoor, where he had acquired great riches, was decorated with the same rank and dignities as his brothers, with the sur­names and titles of Performer of the Empire, and The Impetu­ous in War; to all which was added a promise of the reversion of the province of Oressa, whenever it might be recovered from M8rsh8d-c8ly-qhan, son-in-law to Shudjah-qhan by a half-sister of Ser-efraz-qhan’s, a nobleman who to the reputation of a man of sense and wit, joined the talents of an ingenious Poet, and gloried as much in the titles of The Enthusiasmed and The Unfet­tered, which he bore as a Poet, as in that of Rostem-djung,* which he had received as a nobleman of rank and a Governor of a great province. Mirza-mehmed, eldest son of Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, he adopted for his son, and he took care to have him bred near his person, after having bestowed upon him the title and surname of Seradj-eddöulah-shah-c8ly-qhan-bahadyr,* with the office of Admiral of Djehanghir-nagar-Dacca, which he had obtained for him from the presence. And as Nevazish-mahmed-qhan, his eldest son-in-law and nephew had no child of his own, he made him adopt Mirza-mehmed’s younger brother, for whom he procured the surname of Badshah-c8ly-qhan, with the title of Ecram-eddöulah.* These two brothers were honoured, each of them, with the rank of seven thousand horse, decorated with the dignities and insignia annexed to so high a degree of elevation, and became high and mighty Lords from their very childhood. Ata-ollah-qhan, younger son-in-law to Hadji Ahmed, a nobleman who on Aaly-verdy-qhan’s being appointed to the Lieutenancy of Azim-abad, had succeeded him in the Fodjdary of Acbar-nagar-Radje-mahl, so early as the times of Shudjah-qhan and Ser-efraz-qhan, was now advanced to the Fodjdary of Bagal-p8r, promoted to a Brigade of three thousand horse and foot, honoured with the degree of seven thousand horse, and decorated with several insignia, as well as the pompous titles and sounding surnames of The Honoured of the Empire, The Immovable in a Day of Battle. Hussëin-c8ly-qhan, Nàib or Deputy to Nevazish-mahmed-qhan, was honoured with the rank of three thousand horse, to which was added the distinction of a standard and a kettle-drum, and the surname of Bahadyr or valiant. Ataa-yar-qhan, half-brother to Aaly-verdy-qhan, and Fakyr-ollah-qhan, as well as N8r-8llah-beg-qhan and Mir-djaafer-qhan, and Mustapha-qhan, with several other persons, whether relations, friends, or officers of conse­quence, were every one of them honoured with distinctions, advanced to dignities and offices, or promoted to commands. Chéin-räy, Agent to the Räy-räyan-Aalem-chund, Divan or Minister to the late Shudjah-qhan, was himself honoured with the title of Räy-räyan, and appointed Divan to Aaly-verdy-qhan, and Radja Djankiram, who was an ancient Divan of his, was appointed Divan of the bodies or musters, and Comptroller of the Registers. It was in contemplation to bestow the rank of three thousand horse, and the title of Bahadyr with the Paymastership-General, on Abdal-aaly-qhan, my uncle, who was also a cousin-german to Aaly-verdy-qhan, in the same manner as they had been enjoyed by that officer’s father, Sëyd-zin-el-aabedin, my maternal grand­father, who was son to Aaly-verdy-qhan’s aunt. But that noble­man, who expected to be promoted on an equal footing with the other nephews of Aaly-verdy-qhan, being displeased at the superi­ority given them, quitted the Court in disgust, and obtained leave to repair to Azim-abad where in fact he returned. Zin-eddin-ahmed qhan, who governed there, thinking himself honoured by his arrival, gave him the Government of Turhut, in addition to to the Collectorship of Bahar and Besoc, which he enjoyed already, desiring him moreover to live at his court as his friend. Abdol-aaly-qhan having absented himself for reasons of his own from the Court of M8rsh8dabad, the office of Paymaster-General which was intended for that nobleman, was bestowed on my aunt’s husband, Nusret-aaly-qhan, and the second Paymastership was bestowed on Fakir-ollah-beg-qhan-bahadyr, who was one of the persons most attached to Aaly-verdy-qhan. This Prince having now disposed of those many offices and honours according to the dictates of his gratitude and wisdom sent the Coror of Rupees and the Pish-kush, or present in money which he had promised to the Emperor. It consisted of money and precious goods, and was accepted by the mediation of Issac-qhan, Minister of State. As to the confiscated property of Ser-efraz-qhan’s, he set apart as much of it as he thought proper for the Emperor’s use; but hearing that M8rid-qhan, the Valiant, a Lord of the second rank in the Emperor’s Court, had been sent from the capital for the double purpose of taking the possession of Ser-efraz-qhan’s estate, and receiving the revenue of Bengal which had been arreared since that Viceroy’s sitting upon the Mesned, he wrote him a respectful letter to request his taking some repose at Azim-abad, as he was himself setting out for Radje-mahl with intention to meet him at Sacry-gally,* where he would not fail to deliver into His Excellency’s hands, both Ser-efraz-qhan’s estate and the balance due on the revenue. As this request was calculated to prevent that nobleman from obtaining entrance into Bengal, Aaly-verdy-qhan in the month of Redjeb, set out for Acber-nagar-Radje-mahl, where after waiting many days he was met by M8rid-qhan to whom he delivered some Lacks of rupees in money, and Seventy Lacks in jewels, with much gold and silver furniture, a quantity of precious stuffs, and a number of elephants and horses; all which having passed for the whole of the confiscation, he put a written account of it in that nobleman’s hands, made him a present every way suitable to his rank and to the occasion, and dismissed him with great honours and many civilities. After which he reviewed his army, being then intent on an expedition against Catec, the capital of the Oressa, a province which he intended to recover from M8rsh8d-c8ly-qhan, its actual owner.

For Aaly-verdy-qhan was now firmly seated in his Govern­ment, he had arranged and settled every branch of the administra­tion; and being now easy on that head, he had prepared an army of victorious troops, and a train of artillery furnished with every­thing requisite for conquests, after having all this time made it his business to obtain a previous knowledge of the talents and turn of mind of his intended adversary. But M8rsh8d-c8ly-qhan who did not think himself a match for such an enemy, sent one Aga-mahmed-taky, of Surat, to probe Aaly-verdy-qhan’s designs, and to manage a treaty with him; and this end was soon obtained, both from a regard to the acquaintance that had once subsisted between the two contractants, and also out of compliment to the envoy’s talent, who behaved with great abilities, and was dismissed with honour and distinction. However, these good beginnings were soon marred by the intrigues of Mirza-bakyr-qhan, a noble­man who drew his pedigree from the Royal race of the Sefis of Iran*, and was now son-in-law to M8rsh8d-c8ly-qhan, whose consort also joined her son-in-law in pointing out to him the rich prize of Bengal (a conquest, indeed, to which he was far from being equal) and the propriety of shewing a becoming resentment against Ser-efraz-qhan’s murderer. These two incensed persons leagued together, found means to manage so well, that the treaty now almost concluded, was put an end to, although M8rsh8d-c8ly-qhan himself had set his heart upon it. Aaly-verdy-qhan being informed of this alteration in his mind, wrote him word that “he had not in his heart any inclination to offer that illustrious Governor any injury or to bring him to any harm; but however, that his staying any longer at Catec would be far from con­ducing to the quiet of either party. He therefore hoped, that His Excellency would find it expedient to withdraw his person, family, and effects, and to repair with them into Hindostan, by taking his journey through M8rsh8dabad, unless indeed he would find it more eligible to go at once from Catec to the neighbouring country of Decan.” Such a message with any other man might have brought on an immediate rupture; but the Viceroy of Catec who dreaded the military talents as well as the superior forces, of his adversary, was inclined to put an end to all his uneasiness by giving up the contest, and he had probably effected his purpose, had not his spirits been raised, and his self-love interested, by the repeated suggestions of his son-in-law, who being high spirited, would not bear such haughty language, and was besides spurred on by the prospect of once commanding in such a country as Bengal. These sentiments of resentment and ambition were strongly supported by the Viceroy’s consort, a high spirited Princess, who joining reproaches to entreaties, was eternally teasing him on the infamy of suffering her brother’s murderer to enjoy quietly both impunity and dominion. This Princess, who was much more respected in the province than her husband himself, proceeded from entreaties to threats, and she talked of no less than of abandoning so tame a husband, and making over her riches, influence, and pretensions, to her son-in-law, together with the province itself, a young man of a temper equally ardent and intriguing, whom she found perfectly fitted by nature for seconding her hatred to Aaly-verdy-qhan. The Vice­roy overcome by the animated instigations of those two persons, altered his mind, and he sent word to his neighbour in Bengal, that he disavowed the preliminaries consented to, against his will, by his Agent; and that the sword only would determine their respective pretensions. The latter fully sensible that nothing was now to be obtained but by war, took his measures accord­ingly. He recommended the Government of Bengal, and the care of the city to both his brother, Hadji Ahmed, and to his Aaly-verdy-qhan marches to the con­quest of the Oressa. nephew, and having reviewed his army, which amounted to ten or twelve thousand picked troops, he spied in the Stars a favour­able moment for quitting the city, and set out for the Oressa.