As to myself, if I did not make a fortune under his administration, it must be attributed either to my bad conduct, or to my bad luck. After having already spent a long time in Azim-abad, in great distress and difficulties, I was once apostrophised by Doctor Fullarton in these words: “My Lord Qhan, why do not you go to Monghyr, to try your fortune?” “Because,” said I, “I am not satisfied with Mir-cassem-qhan’s sincerity.” “And should he please to injure you here,” replied he, “who can protect you? Better for you then to go at once to him. Possibly, on seeing you, he shall give you some employment. As for us, Mr. Ellis has informed you, that we dare not meddle in any thing, or protect any one, especially such a one as you, who are reputed the Navvab’s servant, and whose case, on that account, admits not of your being protected openly.” These few words struck me. Finding that what the Doctor said was founded on truth, I set out for Monghyr, and paid a visit to the Navvab. This Prince received me, not only with kindness and distinction, but he spoke to me with as much familiarity as if I had been one of his intimates or favourites. At the second visit, he seemed not so much as to know any thing of me. I was so confounded at his coldness, and so nettled at this reception, that I pronounced for my protection the fine words;* and for a month together, I recited that prayer, which begins with these words, and has been put in verse by Sheh-mahmed-aaly-hazin (whom God may place amongst the highest of his elect!) My reading ended about the third of the month Zilhidje, the forbidden.* The intent was, that God Almighty should be pleased to protect me from the Navvab’s ill-will, and to procure me some benefit from his power. And a strange and admirable effect did the prayer produce! I was in the nightly assembly on the first day of Muharrem; the Navvab, of his own motion, called me, made me sit close to himself, spoke a great deal to me, and continued keeping up the conversation, until the assembly broke up late at night. The second day, being again in the assembly, as usual, I took care to choose my seat at a great distance from him, sensible, that his demonstrations of kindness were not to be trusted, and that his favour itself had no stability. But he soon found me out; and sending for me, he made me sit so near his person, that I touched his clothes. Not satisfied with that, he added these words: “I desire you to sit down every night close to me in this manner. And pray, why did you not tell me of your circumstances and distress?” I answered, that His Sublime Highness knew them very well. “How should I?” replied he. “I have not the science infuse.” I shall inform your Highness, answered I. He rejoined, “when?” After the ten days of mourning shall be over. “Pray,” said he, “what wordly business is ever at a stand during these sacred days, that your own should be on that account suspended?” I replied, that there was no speaking about one’s private affairs in so much company; and that it was not customary to address people of his rank on business, in these days. “Is that the etiquette?” said he. “Then come to-morrow, with your paper, at day-break.” At day-break then I was ready with my paper in my hand; it was in general terms. On reading it, he presented me with a sum of five thousand rupees, in free gift; ordered that all the arrears of my salary should be paid to the last of the present month; commanded that, henceforward, I should be paid every month without fail, and desired me to see him every second day. He, at the same time, permitted my middle brother, Ghalib-aaly-qhan, to visit him once a week; and my youngest brother, Séyd-aaly-qhan, once in a fortnight; but as soon as the young man was gone, he directed the Superintendent of his hall of audience, to deny him admittance, under some plausible pretence or other. The reason was, that he had seen him very familiar with the English; and that he suspected, that as he was quite young, and incapable to make any distinction of times, and place, he might be prevailed upon to serve them as their spy; whereas, he looked upon me to be a man of discretion and experience; a man capable of concealing his secrets, (should any of them come to my knowledge) and of rendering a service upon an emergency; else, in other respects, he did not doubt at all of my being another such a man as that brother of mine. Insomuch, that although I had found such an opening in his mind, yet, to continue long to live upon good terms with him, was rendered extremely difficult, by my known connections with the English, and by the continual alarms which they occasioned in his mind. But, indeed, no man was secure in his service. Nuzur-aaly-qhan, son to Gholam-hosséin-qhan, and Superintendent of the hall of audience to the late Aaly-verdy-qhan, had been to this day (God knows by what good luck, and for what intent) continued in the same office, as Daroga to Mir-cassem-qhan’s Divan-qhana, that is, as Introductor-general. But now, that office was given to another; and it proved to be to one Sheh-abdollah, who had been lately in Djagat-seat’s service, but had formerly served Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan himself, as writing-master, whose business should be to correct the hand of Séyd-aaly-qhan, my younger brother, to whom that Prince intended to give his daughter in marriage. This man was promoted to that office at Gurghin-qhan’s recommendation; and Nuzur-aaly-qhan, not only lost his office, but was sent into confinement, to make him refund those sums of money which his father had amassed in his time under former Princes. A few days before this dismission, T8rab-aaly-qhan, maternal uncle to the Navvab, had been dismissed from his office of Deputy Governor of M8rsh8d-abad; and his post was given to Séyd-mahmed-qhan, a man born in Bagdad, and who was a relation to Mir-cassem-qhan, by his being a brother to his grandfather, Imtiaz-qhan. Asker-aaly-qhan, son to the forgiven Séif-ollah-qhan, once Viceroy of Tatta, was promoted to the command of the Radj-shahi, a rich district in the province of Bengal. As to T8rab-aaly-qhan, he repaired to Monghyr, where he lived in his nephew’s court.

It was whilst these changes were taking place at Court, that the Navvab was planning an expedition against the Zemindar of Betia. The command of it was given to Bahadyr-aaly-qhan, son to Mirza-davar-c8li-beg, who had been for a long time Grand­master of Artillery to Aaly-verdy-qhan, and now enjoyed a small part of that office under Mir-cassem-qhan. He had with him several Commanders with their corps, together with some pieces of cannon in the English fashion, and some regiments of Talingas, disciplined by Gurghin-qhan. His orders were to take the fortress of that name, and to chastise the Zemindar of that country, who had proved unruly. It was at this time also, that several titles of houour were sent by the Emperor to Mir-cas­sem-qhan, on his solicitation; however, although he pretended not only to an equality with Shudjah-ed-döulah, but even to a superiority over this last, who was a powerful Prince, so as to bear the title of Vezir of the Emperor of India, and the sur­name of Assef-djah,* yet, he could obtain from the throne, no more than the titles of Eshref, and Aaly, which signify most noble and most high, with the grade of seven thousand horse. All these dignities and titles were received in the beginning of the year 1176; and from henceforward, the title of Navvab Aaly-djah becoming the style of the Court, Mir-cassem-qhan ceased to be designed by any other appellation.

A little after this inauguration, the world saw with surprise, one of those strange events, for which there is no accounting, but by supposing a destiny that brings them to pass infallibly. Sheh-abdollah, the very man lately promoted to the office of Superintendent of the hall of audience, having got into the Nav­vab’s private closet, infermed him that Mahmed-aaly, with Bereket-aaly, and Fer-had-aaly, his nephews, “who were principal Commanders in the army, and owed their promotion to His Highness, had entered into a secret agreement with Gurghin-qhan, which had been confirmed by the most tremendous oaths on the both sides. That as His Highness very well knew how high was that General’s influence over the civil, as well as the military, department, he, his devoted servant, had thought it incumbent upon his zeal to give that information, to put it in his power to provide for it properly.” The Navvab, amazed at such a piece of information, and unwilling to give it an implicit belief, waited till the evening, the time when Gurghin-qhan used to come and to make his bow; and he then imparted the information to him in a low tone of voice, putting several questions at the same time. Gurghin-qhan, who could not deny what he had done, took at once the part of acknowledging the charge, and moreover, of boasting of it. “I have done all that,” added he, in a higher tone of voice, “and we have bound our­selves to each other by the most solemn oaths. But for what? For your own preservation, and that of your power; and who­ever has poisoned that transaction in your mind, is an enemy to you, and a secret traitor, who is endeavouring to undermine the power, to which God has raised you.” As the informer had been a length of time in Djagat-seat’s service, that is, of a man whose family was strongly suspected of disaffection, it was easily conjectured that he had been only made a tool of; and that the intent of the information secretly conveyed, under the mask of zeal, was no other than to render Gurghin-qhan, and the principal Commanders suspected, so as to bring them under some disgrace that might occasion a disaffection throughout the troops, and render the army fit for being worked upon by emis­saries. At any rate, however, Gurghin-qhan’s favour and influ­ence had not taken so slight a root, as to be affected by the information and the malevolence of such a man as Sheh-abdollah. This diturbance seemed to introduce another, which occasioned the disgrace of a young man of Pendjab, who was reputed the best archer, and the stoutest man throughout the whole army. His name was Rahim-ollah-qhan-péni. It is supposed that he had got acquainted with one of the principal women in Bengal, who put it in his power to purchase a fine horse, for no less a sum than three thousand rupees. Not that he was really in love with her; for, in fact, he was passionately fond of Shukur-ollah-qhan, alias Aga-baba, son posthumous of Ser-efraz-qhan, a young man now under confinement at Djehanghir-nugur, and who, I know not for what reason, was extremely suspected by Mir-cassem-qhan, to whom he now and then sent petitions, requesting a release from his confinement. The man’s servant used, together with these peti­tions, to bring letters to the Navvab’s principal Ministers. Rahim-ollah-qhan, meeting the above servant in his way, carried him home, and gave him a lodging. The Navvab, hearing of these matters, ordered the archer to be brought to the presence; but as this archer lodged with Abdol-ress8l-qhan, a famous officer, brother to the illustrious Dost-mahmed-qhan, this summons dis­turbed the whole family; and Abdol-ghani-qhan, the eldest son of that officer, exhorted his father, as well as his three brothers, to undertake Rahim-qhan’s protection. He was himself a young man in high repute for prowess and sentiments of honour; but the family, intimidated by the Navvab’s power, refused to take any concern in the affair; so that the other undertook to protect his friend alone. His father and brothers threw themselves at his feet, and represented that, “such a step would be the cause of the ruin of every one of them, as well as of their whole family.” The young man persisted. They represented to him, that “the times of Aaly-verdy-qhan were no more; when, upon shewing tokens of repentance, hopes of pardon were often at hand, and intercessors always found admittance. But that now times were greatly altered; and that his obstinacy would ruin his father and brothers, with all the women and all the children of the family.” The young man yielded to these last representations; so that the men sent from the Navvab, carried Rahim-ollah-qhan away, and confined him in a room in the outer apartments; but, the rumour of this confinement being spread abroad, the young Abdol-ghani took poison and perished. Whilst the Navvab was intent on this affair, his attention was diverted to another object; and this was Chintamon-dass. He was originally a writer of Bodjp8r, his native country, and a man whom Mir-cassem-qhan had promoted to the superintendence of the finances of that district, on account of the ingenuity and talents he had discovered in him. It was found, by intercepted letters under his hand, that he was in correspondence with the refractory Zemindars, refuged at Ghazipoor. The man was seized, and brought to the presence. It happened to be whilst I was myself making my bow to the Navvab, who was sitting in the hall of public audience, surrounded by crowds of people, to whom he was distributing justice. After sitting as usual, half an hour, I got up, made another bow, and went away; but I was hardly out of the gate when a mace-bearer ran after me, and brought me back to the Navvab, who requested me to be seated again. As the Navvab was busy in hearing suits, and pronouncing upon differents, I was not much pleased with my sitting. The audi­ence being over, the several officers that had attended in their stations, were going to retire, when they were ordered to be seated again; the mace-bearers and the yesaöls,* who were mostly Moghuls and strangers, being all standing in their places. The Navvab then ordered the prisoners to be brought in. The first that appeared was Rahim-ollah-qhan. The Navvab, with a severe look and a firm tone of voice, asked him how, after all the cautions he had given him, and all the injunctions he had intimated to him, he came to be still guilty of the same fault? “If you have no farther commerce with that woman,” added he, “whence comes it that you can afford to purchase a horse of three thousand rupees, you that have no more than a hundred and fifty rupees per month?” The other, confounded by the suddenness of the question, gave a variety of reasons, not worth hearing. The Navvab, more incensed at his prevarications and denials, continued: “Why did you take in your lodgings, and keep there for some time, the servant of Shukur-ollah-qhan, whom you know to be my enemy, and in confinement?” The other, still more confounded, gave some absurd answers, and descended to supplications and prayers. The Navvab listened, but said not a word. A moment after, he ordered his nose to be cut off, and himself to be put upon an ass, and carried in that condition all over the town; after which, he was to be banished beyond the Keremnassa. Chintamun-dass came next. His sentence was to be made fast to an elephant’s foot, and carried round, until death should ensue. The man objected that the letters were forged. “And yet,” answered the Navvab, “they are in your hand-writing, and under your seal; and people that have no enmity to you, and are unconcerned, and know very well your hand, have affirmed the same, after a thorough examination.” The man brought many excuses, but they were rejected; and he underwent his sentence according to its tenor. These two sentences being executed, he ordered the three brothers, Bereket-aaly, and Mahmed-aaly, and Ferhad-aaly, to be brought, and he spoke to them with a great deal of vehe­mence and displeasure. “You had not a rag on your backs,” said he, “when you first came into my service, and now, by my bounty, you are riding upon elephants, are called mighty Com­manders, and have a thousand horse under your orders. And, as to Gurghin-qhan, is it not I that have made him what he is? Was he not a seller of cloth by the yard? With what intent then did you enter into a treaty with him, and did you seal it with the most solemn oaths?” Here the Navvab paused. The men, having beforehand received their lesson from Gurghin-qhan, answered, with a great deal of intrepidity, “That what His Highness their master, said, was exactly the truth, and that it was a fact; but that they, his servants, had not uttered a lie; neither had they swerved from the path of attachment and zeal; and that if they had, and it could be proved, they had no objections to any punition that might be inflicted upon them.” The Navvab, having repeated his accusation three times, three times received the same answer, or to the same purport. Sheh-abdollah being present, was then ordered to draw near; and the Navvab said to him, “Sheh, it is now your part to bring forward what proofs you have mentioned to me, against them, that I may inflict upon them a condign punishment; but should you fail in bringing forth your proofs, you must expect to be punished yourself; for you know, that in such a case, it follows naturally, that you intended to sow dissensions amongst my Commanders, and to disperse my army by my own hands.” The Sheh, who knew that this whole matter had been talked over between the Navvab and Gurghin-qhan, the last night, and that the conference had ended in a renewal and confirmation of the ancient promises and stipulations that subsisted between those two personages, became sensible that it would be in vain now to call on his witnesses, although all of them present, as none of them, after such a coalition, would choose to give his evidence. Spying, therefore, the hand of fate, which was taking an aim at his existence, and observing what turn the matter had taken, he submitted to his destiny, and without uttering a word, he bowed his head. Three times did the Navvab put the same question to him, and repeat the same observation; and three times did the man repeat his bow, without so much as moving the lips. It was now past noon, and the lictors, the apparitors, and the mace-bearers, and all the officers of the Court of Justice were all attending, every one in his place; and I had nearly lost my senses, being unable to comprehend why I had been called back in so awful an assembly. Alas! said I, within myself, it is because I am also to be accused of treason. I was in deep medi­tation upon my own fate, when good luck would it, that the Nav­vab got up, and marched towards the women’s apartment; on seeing which, I hastened forwards, and standing at the gate of the secret apartments, I made a profound bow. “You must come along with me,” said the Navvab. It was then only I con­cluded that I had been sent for upon some other matter than trea­son. On getting, therefore, into the inner closet, I found that the subject was some bad renown which Mr. Macguire had acquired, by selling to the Navvab a quantity of salt: a transac­tion which had nothing blamable in itself, but which, however, made a strange noise in the world. The Navvab wanted to inquire how that ill-renown had gone forth. To that end, he gave me a swift boat of his own, with which I executed my commis­sion in seven days, returning to Monghyr within the week. Sheh-abdollah, in my absence, was sent prisoner to P8raneah, where, on the beginning of the war with the English, he was put to death by Mir-cassem-qhan’s order.