An Account of the death of ALY MOHAMMED KHAN, the Rohillah, and of the contentions which ensued between his Sons and the NAWAB KHIM KAAN, Son of MOHAMMED KHAN BUN­GISH.

UPON the death of Kummereddeen Khan, Aly Mohammed Khan, Rohillah, Zemindar and Foujdar of Ownlah and Bungish, was under the necessity of feigning a friendship with Sefder Jung the Vizier, and till his death acted with well disembled humility. His sons, imi­tating his example, connected them­selves with Sefder Jung: but he, sensible that his country could never be secure whilst the Afghans maintained any power in that quarter, resolved to extirpate them, by sowing dissentions between those of Roh and those of Bungish. There are various stories on this subject, but what follows, appears to be most probable and consistent. The Emperor and his |ministers, secretly persuaded Kaim Khan to destroy the sons of Aly Mohammed, by promising him possession of their territory. At the same time, Sefder Jung encouraged the sons of Aly Mohammed to make a vigorous opposition to Kaim Khan, and pretended to give orders to Nevil Roy, the Naib Soohbahdar of Oudh, to march himself with troops to the support of the Rohil­lahs. Accordingly Kaim Khan took the field with a large army against the Rohillahs, resolved to destroy them, whilst the Rohillah Chiefs confiding on the assurances they had received from Sefder Jung, marched out boldly to oppose him, expecting to be soon joined by Nevil Roy. Kaim Khan, seeing the critical situation of affairs, resolved to attack the Rohillahs before they should be strengthened by their junction with Nevil Roy. The Rohillahs, now alarmed at their situation, sued for peace; but Kaim Khan refused to listen to their proposals, and pursued his operations with vigour. The Rohillahs, driven to despair, laid troops in ambush with can­non, and after a short skirmish took to flight. Kaim Khan, inflated with pride by the repeated solicitations for peace, and thinking he had now gained the victory, pursued the enemy carelessly, till he came in front of the ambush, when the concealed artillery was so well served, that he and all his principal officers were killed, and the whole army fled with precipitation to Ferukhabad. Thus the Rohillahs, from their humility, and not having confided on their strength, returned victorious to Ownleh and Bun­gurh. The Emperor and the Vizier, upon receiving intelligence of the death of Kaim Khan, had resolved to send an officer to confiscate his property, when they learnt the mother of the deceased, had agreed to pay the Mahrattahs twenty lacks of rupees, pro­vided they would extirpate the Rohillahs, and send her Saadullah Khan, the son of Aly Mohammed, to be put to death, in retaliation of the blood of her son. As this invasion of the Mahrattahs, would have exposed the territory of Sefder Jung to their devastations, he persuaded the Emperor to march towards Ferukhabad in the month of Moherrem 1163, (or in Dec. 1749,) to prevent the threatened irruption. When they arrived in Sircar Kowl*, it was agreed, that the Emperor with Ghazyeddeen Khan, Intezam ed dowleh, and some others of the Omrahs, should continue there; whilst Sefder Jung, with Abdulmajeed Khan Cash­meery, and Lutfullah Khan Panyputty, Shere Jung, &c. were to proceed to Ferukhabad, in order to confiscate the estate of the late Kaim Khan. But the mother of Kaim Khan, who was a woman of great penetration and prudence, having learnt these resolutions, repaired immediately to the Vizier’s camp, attended only by 300 cavalry. After a long conference she agreed to send the Emperor fifty lacks of rupees, and faith­fully fulfilling her engagement, the Emperor marched back to Shahjehanabad.