Nedjib-ed-döwlah’s power, on the contrary, rose to the utmost height. He became absolute in Shah-djehan-abad. He was himself a man of merit, and although an Afghan, (for after all, the Rohillahs are only the best of that race) he was attached to the rules of justice and equity, wished well to every one, and studied the repose and welfare of the people of God. But almost all his followers, or even all of them, were Rohillahs; and after all, the Rohillahs are but the best of a race of men, in whose blood it would be difficult to find one or two single individuals endowed with good nature, and with sentiments of equity. In one word, they were Afghans, and that unbridled soldiery exerted upon the inhabitants of the Capital, most of whom were gentlemen of character or noblemen of ancient race, such vio­lences and such extortions, and they invented such new ways of Very bad one of his countrymen. tormenting them, that nothing like is to be imagined, nor is there mentioning those violences with any decency, or even to any purpose. The sufferers have suffered, and past is what is past. Nor did these abominations cease until Nedjib-ed-döwlah himself fell sick, and thinking the climate of the Capital unfavourable for his distemper, he repaired to Nedjib-gur, where he suffered the pains of a lingering sickness that seemed to have His death. no end. At last he submitted to the inexorable Tyrant from whom there is no release, and died in a bed in which he had languished for years together. He was succeeded by his eldest Is succeeded by his son, Zabeta-qhan, a Prince of good char­acter. son, Zabeta-qhan, the only one amongst them that resembled his father, and seemed to have inherited part of his valuable qualifications. This Prince, for a length of time, bore an absolute sway in Shah-djehan-abad, where he not only gave a general satisfaction by his personal behaviour, but where he applied himself, more than his father had done, in repressing his Rohil­lahs, and in bringing them under some controul. Some malevolent people having found means to excite discontents, and an open revolt amongst his brothers, he beat them all in the field, but took no other revenge than that of assigning lands and a proper revenue to each of them, as if he had been intent only on gaining their affections. At last he had a quarrel with the Marhattas, and we shall see in the sequel the consequences it produced, as soon as we shall have cast a view on Shah-aalem’s person and Court.

We have mentioned that Aaly-goher, since called Shah-aalem, had chosen his residence in Ilah-abad. Naturally low-minded, and of a turn of genius that wanted both acuteness and vigor, he could not live without being governed by some one of his people, and he passed his time in that city, governed by Munnir-ed-döwlah, his Minister, but always profoundly submissive to the pleasure of the English Commanders stationed there. Nevertheless, he of himself became sick of such a submissive inactive life, and being desirous of living in the Palace of Shah-djehan-abad, and of shewing himself with the pomp of an Emperor to the inhabitants of that Capital, he availed himself of Nedjib-ed-döwlah’s death to take his final resolution on that Shah-aalem resolves to repair to the Capital of Hindostan. subject; and he commenced looking out for such persons as might assist and support him, when once in the Capital. Numbers of discontented people in that mighty city repined at the prevalence of the Afghan administration, under which no office was given to any but to a Rohillah, and they were this long while brooding upon their own discontents. All these being happy to hear of a Prince of such a ductile temper, took care to applaud his resolu­tion, and to inform him that the Marhattas were the only people in the world capable of promoting his designs. With this view Sëif-eddin-mahommed-qhan, brother to Akybet-mahm8d-qhan, the Cashmirian, set out for Decan, where he entered into a treaty with the Marhatta rulers, digested into many articles, and con­firmed by reciprocal oaths and protestations. After having succeeded so happily in his negotiation he returned to Ilah-abad, where he presented letters from them, purporting their attach­ment to the Imperial cause, and their readiness to support its interest. Such overtures engaged the Emperor to declare his Opposed by the English, and by his Ministers. resolution publicly, but it was opposed by his Minister, Munnir-ed-döwlah, and then by the English, and lastly by Shudjah-ed-döwlah, who all represented the inconveniencies and dangers to which his design was liable. The Prince was immovable; he said that his final resolution was taken, and that he could live no longer in Ilah-abad. The English, seeing him bent on follow­ing his own inclination, reluctantly gave their consent; but Parts willingly with the dominions of Ilah-abad and C8rrah. Munnir-ed-döwlah refused to follow him. He had already made a private treaty with the English, by taking from them a lease of the revenues of the Provinces of C8rrah and Ilah-abad, and they had rewarded his attachment by presenting him with a Djaghir or appanage of one lac of rupees, which they had assigned upon the product of Mahin-poor, and likewise upon Shah-djehan-poor and Arvel; all dependencies of the Province of Bahar and Azim-abad. That Minister continued in the government of the two Provinces of Ilah-abad and C8rrah, until about one year after this transaction, when the Navvab Djeladet-djung Bahadyr*, the Governor Mr. Hushtin, came to Banares, where he entered into a treaty with Shudjah-ed-döwlah, by which this Prince took upon himself the government of those two prov­inces; and then Munnir-ed-dowlah paid exactly the balances due by him, but falling sick at that very time, he winged his flight towards eternity. His body was brought to Azim-abad, and buried in a Mausoleum, which he had prepared for himself. It was in a corner of Assed-ollah-qhan’s house, a palace which he had purchased, and which had then fallen to the share of Kerim-c8ly-qhan, his eldest son. May God Almighty’s forgive­ness rest upon him!

As to Mirza-nedjef-qhan, he followed the Emperor. Shudjah-ed-dowlah Continues his journey. accompanied him for several days likewise, and omitted nothing that could dissuade him from his design, but in vain. Whilst they were travelling by Feroh-abad, Ahmed-qhan-bangash, Sovereign of that city, whose beneficent turn of mind had engaged him to grant suitable pensions to a number of decayed noble­men and gentlemen of the Capital, deprived of their revenues, and who besides had approved himself the declared protector of the poor and distressed, came to depart this life. He answered his Lord’s call by saying, “I am ready, my Lord*,” and quitting this fragile world, he repaired to the celestial mansions. Shah-aalem, on the very first news of his death, marched close to the walls of Feroh-abad, and in compliance with that shocking custom of the Babrian Princes, by which they become universal heirs to all their officers, he sharpened his teeth, and set them against the movable estate of the deceased Prince. The relations observ­ing how much he seemed bent on getting the whole of it, and that he had encamped at the very gates of Feroh-abad for that very purpose, availed themselves of Shudjah-ed-dowlah’s media­tion, Seizes by the way on a rich estate. and they engaged him to accept from Muzafer-djung, the deceased’s eldest son, a certain sum of money, in lieu of all his pretensions. Shah-aalem having carried his point, and taken up such a booty, continued his journey to the Capital, and dismissed Shudjah-ed-dowlah to his own dominions. The latter shewed every mark of esteem and regard to Muzafer-djung, and sent his own son to condole with him on his father’s death; after which he returned to his own Capital, where he applied himself closely to his own affairs, and where he continued to befriend the sons of Mahmed-qhan-bangash, with as much regard and attention as if they had been committed to his care.

We have said that an application had been made to the Marhattas of Decan on the part of Shah-aalem. Few of them had escaped from the edge of the Abdalie’s sabre, and those that had so much good luck, were rather skulking than living in those distant parts, when their hopes were revived by his embassy. Concluding that, under pretence of assisting Shah-aalem, they would in fact establish their own power and regain the footing they had lost in Hindostan, they prepared forces and set out for the Capital. Whilst they were on their march, Zabeta-qhan thought it high time to provide for his own safety. Sensible of the cordial enmity they had borne to his father, and of course to his whole family, he quitted his own Capital, and repaired to Soharen-p8r-b8riah, and to Nedjib-gur, a country which had been acquired long ago by his father, who had it fortified to his mind. There he took up his residence, strengthened his post, and pre­pared himself for a vigorous defence. By this time the Mar­hattas were arrived about the Capital of the Empire, where they took possession of every District in the environs, without med­dling, however, with the Prince Djuvan-baqht, who was shut up within the walls of the citadel, with the bare name of Sovereign. Arrives in his Capital. Immediately after, they also sent a detachment to sack the country of Zabeta-qhan. The Emperor, meanwhile, being arrived, took up his abode in the Imperial Palace within the citadel. He had been met on the road by Abdol-ahed-qhan, the Cashmirian, son to Abdol-medjid-qhan, a nobleman, who being exceedingly wary, artful, and capable of adapting himself to the complexion of the times, had found means to live upon good terms with every one, and had been greatly considered both by Nedjib-ed-döwlah and by his son, Zabeta-qhan. He was now received with great distinction by Shah-aalem, and soon became a favourite with him, to the great regret of Seïf-eddin-mahmed-qhan, who, having been at all the trouble and expense of the voyage to Decan, and of the whole negotiation with the Marhattas, found now that he had missed his aim, and was totally neglected. Abdol-ahed-qhan, engrossing now the Imperial mind, was soon decorated with the titles of “The Glorious of the State, the Lord of the Age, my Valiant son, the Hero Ever Victorious in War*,” and he became the Prime Minister; whilst the Emperor retired within the Imperial Seraglio, which he had so much longed to see, plunged himself into all kinds of pleasures and delicacies, and remained plunged in them. But Mirza-nedjef-qhan, the hero of his time, being of too active a mind to addict himself to such a life, now com­menced to aspire to the highest dignities and rank, and to con­ceive that nothing was above the reach of his valor. He was incessantly occupied in preparing the necessaries of war, and in assembling as many brave adventurers as he could attach to his own person.