This agreement which seemed to put an end to all broils and pretensions, gave birth to an infinity of bickerings and troubles, which always ended in some blood. Under the government of Nizam-el-mulk, which lasted no more than one year and some months,* the Chö8t which had been hitherto levied by mutual agreement, ended in battle and blood. He chastised the Marhattas once, and took from them a vast number of mares, and two or three elephants, which last he sent to the Emperor under the care of Mirza-beg. But this Viceroy, who was a man of vigour, having been succeeded by Hossëin-aaly-khan, whose attention was wholly engrossed by his misintelligence with the court, the times proved so unfavourable, that no agreement could take place for two years together, and no effectual opposition could be made to the Mar­hattas. His attention was perpetually diverted to the machina­tions of an insidious court, who by perpetually exciting the Sah8-radja to his ruin, and by encouraging the Radjas and Governors of those distant parts in their refractory disposition, effectually marred every measure which he could devise. Unsupported by his master, whose designs he had every reason to dread, and solicitous to strengthen himself against his personal enemies, he thought it best to turn his attention wholly to that side, by coming to an agreement with the Marhattas on the following condi­tions: —“That over and above what had been agreed to under Da8d-qhan-peni’s administration, as to their due, they should be entitled to their Des-mucki or tenth, upon all the revenues of the six and-a-half of the provinces of Decan; and that the Marhatta Generals, Djesvent and Chimna-ba, should reside at Aorengabad, at the head of a good body of veteran troops, near the Viceroy’s person, as deputies from the Sah8-radja, in whose The Marhat­tas establish a double-headed tribute all over Decan. name they might collect their Chö8t from the Djaghir-holders, as well as their Des-mucki or tenth-handful from the rayots or common husbandmen.”

In consequence of this definitive treaty, an end was put to the disputes, quarrels, pillages and massacres that had this long while so far desolated so great part of Decan as to be reputed customary, and matters of course; and the minds of the inhabitants commenced to enjoy the thoughts of traquillity. But hencefor­ward, the talk of Collector of the Revenue or of requestor, Gov­ernor or renter, became troublesome, complicated, and pregnant with endless heart-burnings, all these men being now obliged to deal with three distinct governments—the Collector of the Imperial Revenue, the Collector of the Chö8t, and the Collector of the Des-mucki. Hossëin-aaly-khan after exchanging the ratifica­tions of this treaty, and admitting the Marhattas in all the cities of his immense government, sent notice of it to the Emperor, with a petition in which he supplicated His Majesty’s approval, and his letters of Jussion to command its execution to every one. The Emperor instigated by those nearest his person, disapproved the whole treaty, as highly derogatory to the honour of the Empire, as introductory of whole bands of freebooters within the Imperial territories, and as favouring strongly that spirit of independence with which its author was so much infected. At the same time he appointed Djan-nessar-khan to be the Viceroy’s Lieutenant in the province of Qhandess, an ancient nobleman, who bore a high character both for valour and prudence, and who derived a new kind of illustration from his having once exchanged turbants with the old Abdollah-khan alias Mia-khan, father to the two Sëids. The Emperor on dismissing him presented him with a sumptuous dress of honour, an elephant, and a serpitch or a piece of jewel-work for the forehead. This was in public. In a private audience, he charged him with some admonitions for Hossëin-aaly-khan, in hopes that as that ancient nobleman was reputed an uncle to that Viceroy, and in fact was held as such by him, and treated therefore with the utmost respect and condescendence, he might by the weight of his authority prevail on his nephew to behave with more submission to the Emperor. This happened in the sixth year of his reign, which answers to the 1130 of the Hedjrah. He at the same time appointed Mahmed-aamin-khan to the Viceroyalty of Malva, on the frontiers of which he was to receive his patent with letters of recall for Radja Djehi-sing-sevaï. But the general report was that he had set out upon a very different errand, and that there was at the bottom quite another scheme; and it is this rumour which engaged Djan-nessar-khan to stop on the borders of the Nerbedda, the first boundary of Decan, with hardly any thing more than his usual retinue, being too prudent to risk rendering his person suspicious or odious, by appearing with a body of troops on the frontiers of a province to which he had indeed been appointed, but where it was doubtful whether he would find admittance. On the other hand, Mahmed-aamin-khan, after having advanced to Serondj, the first great town of Malva, stopped short to take some rest; and instantly a report spread Rumours in Decan. throughout Decan, that he was marching to Aorengabad at the head of fifty thousand horse, and that his vanguard of eight thousand horse, and more, had pushed forwards under Djan-nessar-khan. This piece of intelligence having been circulated in that great city by the novelists with which all capitals swarm, at last impressed the Viceroy himself with apprehensions. All these doubts, however, vanished on letters coming from Djan-nessar-khan himself, where he requested a small number of troops to escort him through certain narrow and difficult passages, where a freebooter of the name of Sinta was robbing and pillaging on his own private account, without any dependence on the Radja-sah8, Djan-nessar-khan appointed Governor of Qhandess. his master. The escort was sent, and it brought Djan-nesser-khan, who immediately waited on the Viceroy. The latter who knew that the Qhandess was his northern frontier against an invasion from the side of the Court, did not choose to put such a country in the disposal of a man of the Emperor’s recommenda­tion; but as, on the other hand, he professed himself a high regard for his person, he made it a point to pay him every kind of honour, and to welcome his arrival with several very rich presents. Three other persons of importance arriving at this very time from court with letters-patent for two great offices in Decan, served only to shew how the Viceroy mistrusted the Emperor’s designs, and how little account he made of orders sent from the capital. These were Zya-eddin-khan, who was a Persian-born and a Sheriff of Qhorassan,* who on the death of Dianet-khan, nephew to Emanet-khan, had been appointed to the office of Divan, or Con­troller of the Finances in Decan; the two others were Djelal-eddin-khan, appointed Divan of B8rhanp8r, and Faïz-ollah-khan, designed Paymaster of the forces in those parts. Zya-eddin-khan, who was furnished with a letter of recommendation from the Vezir Abdollah-qhan, was admitted to take possession of that great charge, where he had the prudence always to act in con­formity with the Viceroy’s pleasure, and to keep him easy and satisfied. Djelal-eddin-khan received for a while the superintendence of the Barar, instead of that of Qhandess, to which the Viceroy had objections; and as to the designed Paymaster of the forces, the Viceroy did not even vouchsafe to return him the salute. These pieces of intelligence having soon found their way to court, raised the Emperor’s grief and resentment to a pitch, but without, however, occasioning any change in his manner of living, or engaging him to conceal from the public sight the infamous vices to which he was now found to be strongly addicted. It was on the following occasion:—One Mahmed-morad, a Cash­mirian, The Emperor strongly addicted to unnatural prac­tices. at all times reprobated for his vicious life, but now uni­versally held in abomination for the unnatural practices to which he seemed so prone, was by a countryman of his presented to Sahabe-nisvan,* the Empress-mother, and by her to the Emperor, her son, who gave him a private audience. The man said that he had thought of a variety of expedients to seize Abdollah-khan’s person, and to demolish his brother, without it being necessary to recur to open force, or to any violent exertion. This advice was immediately embraced by the Emperor, who being too faint-hearted to betake himself to any vigorous measures, was glad to hear of any expedient to circumvent his enemies; and he increased his affection for his adviser in proportion to the importance of his advice. He changed his name into that of Yticad-khan or the trustworthy Lord; and as he was himself so strongly addicted to unnatural practices, he was overjoyed to find so able a partner, who henceforward became his bosom-friend, and to whom he consigned his mind as he had already consigned his body.