By this time Aaly-verdy-qhan, who had got intelligence of the whole matter, was arrived with his army close to his two Generals, against whom he was highly incensed. Mir-djaafer-qhan immediately went to pay his respects, and was sharply reprimanded for his behaviour against the Marhattas, and for his precipitate retreat; after which he was dismissed to his quar­ters. But the General took so much offence at the bitter expres­sions made use of on that occasion, that he abstained from going to Court. As to Aata-ollah-qhan, the Viceroy thought better to gain his heart; and by way of complimenting him upon his suc­cess, he went to make him a visit, intending also to do him honour, by so unusual a condescendence, and to raise the man’s character. And it was there that Mir-aaly-ashgar-kobra had an opportunity of paying his respects to the Viceroy for the first time. Here it was observed of Ata-ollah-qhan, that he received this visit in an extraordinary manner, that did not become those relations of servant and Lord which subsisted between himself and his master; so that the Viceroy after some conversation got up and retired, highly displeased at what he had seen; but still resolved to stifle his resentment. On his return home, he received a petition from Ata-ollah-qhan, requesting that Mir-aaly-ashgar-kobra might be admitted into the service of His Highness at the head of a thousand horse, that should serve in Ata-olla-qhan’s brigade. The Viceroy, without betraying what he thought of the man, contented himself with writing at the bottom of the paper these words: “Do you take him in your own pay, if you will; but I cannot afford to add any more to your brigade.” Mir-kobra informed of this answer, took it ill, and wanted to quit the army directly; and this discontent affecting his patron, the latter took occasion to observe to the Viceroy, that should the Lord Sëyd come to quit the army, he should be necessitated to quit it himself. He was answered: That shall be just as you please. Ata-ollah-qhan, to whom Mir-kobra had promised as by a revelation from above, the possession of Bengal; and who had been so simple as to take that promise by way of bond, under the inspired impostor’s handwriting, and also so senseless as to believe it equally authentic with any revelation in the world; no sooner heard those words, than he quitted the army without giving himself one moment of delay; he took Mir-kobra with him, and retired to his house of M8rsh8d-abad. At this very time one of Mir-djaafer-qhan’s kinsmen having departed this life, the Viceroy conceived the scheme of regaining that General’s affection, by paying him a visit, under pretence of joining in the ṛitual prayers, that were to be pronounced over the deceased. The General elated at finding himself at the head of six or seven thousand horse, and at being decorated with some of the insignia customary to importance and grandeur, forgot himself so far, as to omit the usual demonstrations of respect: such as advanc­ing a great way out of the tent to receive the Prince at his alighting; bowing to him in a proper manner; addressing him in a respectful strain; and besides that, he was guilty of some attitude and expressions unbecoming an inferior. Aaly-verdy-qhan who had already become sensible by the General’s behaviour, of the levity and sillyness of his character, returned home; and under The conspiracy discovered and punished. pretence of auditing the account of his Government of Hedjly, he sent for Sudjan-sing, deputy to Mir-djaafer-qhan in that district, a man whose secrecy was of all necessity to that General. Mir-djaafer-qhan answered: “That there was no sending for Sudjan-sing unless the Viceroy sent also for his (Mir-djaafer-qhan’s) head; and the order remained uncomplied with. The Viceroy shocked at an answer so extravagant, ordered Sëyd-mahmed, one of his Yessàols or Mace-bearers*, to take some men with himself, and to bring Sudjan-sing by force. The Mace-bearer, who was a man of a peevish, violent temper, no sooner received the order, than he went to Mir-djaafer-qhan’s, and after having spoke roughly to him, he laid hold of Sudjan-sing by the hand, and brought him to his master. The latter for reasons of policy, bestowed the Fodjdary of Hedjly on Sudjan-sing himself, for the present, and the Paymaster’s office, on N8r-ollah-beg-qhan; and after having mulcted the General in those two lucrative employments, he also broke the Brigade which the latter commanded. An order of the new Paymaster’s office came out importing that whoever wanted to be inlisted, might enter into Seradj-ed-döulah’s Brigade, or get himself inscribed in the corps immediately paid by the Viceroy’s military chest. On the publication of this order, the troops of Mir-djaafer-qhan’s Brigade quitted him to a very few men; and that General finding himself alone on a sudden, thought proper to abate much of his high notions of himself. The fumes of pride that had shot up into his brain, and had obscured his understanding, subsided at once; and confounded as well as humbled, and even ashamed to shew his face, he quitted the army, and repaired to M8rsh8d-abad, where he threw himself into the arms of Nevazish-mahmed-qhan, for protection. It was at this very time, I, the poor man, arrived from Patna; and as I went often to this Prince’s palace, I had a full opportunity of learning all the above particulars.

But to return to the affairs of war, as soon as Aaly-verdy-qhan heard that Djano-dji was come into his neighbourhood with a numerous army of Marhattas and Afghans, he made haste to encounter them; and after a short march, he gave them battle, when the valorous of his army falling on the troops of Decan, with arrows thirsting after Marhatta blood, and with muskets vomiting fire and flames, made them drink plentifully of the wine of destruction, that flowed in torrents from their inflamed sabres; and having in this manner intoxicated vast numbers of them, they sent them to hell by shoals. Djano-dji, equally confounded and The Marhat­tas defeated a fourth time. overborne by the heavy blows of the Bengal troops, and now greatly crestfallen, resolved at last to recover his character, by quitting the enemy, and rushing upon the city of M8rsh8d-abad, which he expected to plunder in part at least; but he was so closely pursued, that he found no opportunity to accomplish his design. Obliged, therefore, to abandon his scheme with loss and shame, he took to the road of Midnip8r, always followed by the Bengal army, which he had no stomach to fight, and which did not allow him time to take breath. The Viceroy finding that the rainy season was at hand, returned to his capital, after having sent repeated orders to his son-in-law, Nevazish-mahmed-qhan, to banish Mir-kobra out of his dominions. That nobleman out of regard to Ata-ollah-qhan, had stayed the execution of the order; but the Viceroy being now near the city, wrote a sharp note to his deputy, informing him that he was now sending Rahem-qhan to see the man out of M8rsh8d-abad, or to bring him out of it by force, if the order should have failed of punctual execution. Ata-ollah-qhan hearing of the order, and of the character of the per­son dispatched to see it executed, sent for Mir-kobra; and after making him many presents, and giving a large sum of money for his charges, he expressed his regret and sorrow in a most extraordinary manner, and advised him to depart; but what looks singular, is that the impostor even in such an awful moment, had the impudence to put in his hand a paper under his seal and hand, by which he promised, as by a particular revelation from Heaven, that in two years’ time, he would be raised to the sovereignty of Bengal; after which he set out for his own country, very much humbled by the success of his journey. On his being arrived about Azim-abad, the Governor who had reasons to be dissatisfied with his conduct, sent him word that, as he had in his way to Bengal taken his route by the outskirts of the city, he must take the like circuit to return to his country. Unluckily for him, the lake which occupies all the western ground about that city, over­flows all the environs in the rainy season; so that there remains no other road but through the markets and streets of Azim-abad itself. The man thunderstruck by that message, fell into the whirlpool of amazement and confusion; and he was at a loss what to do with himself; when Mehdy-nessar-qhan, taking pity of his situation, obtained that he should have leave to take his journey through the city. But his miseries were not over yet. Arrived at the river Sohon, he found Pahluvan-sing, the Zemindar, who with the Governor’s consent, had come on purpose to stripe him. The man humbled to the dust by the wretchedness of his situation, applied again to Mehdy-nessar-qhan; and by his inter­cession, and that of Hadji-ahmed and Abdol-aaly-qhan, he obtained an order to the Zemindar to let him pass with safety, and to furnish him with boats to cross the river. Moreover those two noble persons having asked leave of the Governor, sent jointly some of their troopers to see him safe out of the frontiers of the province.