But before we go on with that great man’s history, it is proper we should enter upon some events that have happened either in the capital of the Empire or in its environs; after which we shall resume our account of Aaly-verdy-qhan and the affairs of Bengal.

We have already mentioned that Yad-ghar-qhan the Cashmirian had been sent from Court to the Marhatta camp to commence a negociation with Badjräo by the mediation of Radja Djehi-sing-seväi, and that these two envoys had been entrusted with the patents of the Governments of both Malva and G8djerat for that Marhatta General. As this extraordinary step and this condescen­sion on the Emperor’s part did not produce the effect expected, and as it was so far from extinguishing the flames of the Marhatta ambition, that it seemed to have added fuel to that nation’s pre­sumption, to have inspired them with higher and higher notions of themselves, and to have excited new encroachments and fresh insolencies on their part, it was resolved to have recourse to force. On the seventh of Zilcaadah of the year 1149 of the Hedjra, about six hours after sunrise, the Lord of Lords Qhandö8ran departed on an expedition for chastising those freebooters. That General on receiving his leave was honoured with a belt, and that Minister with a view to acknowledge this mark of distinction, set out immediately, without so much as going home. He marched out of the city and encamped at Talpat, which is nine cosses from Shah-djehan-abad. On the twentieth of the same month, the Supreme Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan was equally honoured with a belt, and set out likewise on the same expedition; and to change his station,* he went and encamped at Char-bagh.* On that same day Qhandö8ran, at the head of his own troops, and of those numerous bodies of Imperial cavalry that had been put under his command, to the amount of about forty thousand horse, marched forward with a numerous train of artillery, and all the necessaries for a campaign, and he encamped in the territory of Ecber-abad. There he was joined by several eminent Radjas with their troops, and his forces now became so numerous, that his army covered the An expedi­tion against the Marhattas by both Qhandö8ran and the Vezir. plains, and struck the eyes with admiration and terror. It was expected he would advance directly upon the enemy; instead of that, he who had set out to fight the Marhattas, contented himself with loitering his time at about forty cosses from the capital. Most of his troops, divided betwixt fear and hope, like men in suspense betwixt life and death, were anxiously waiting for what might happen. Nor did the Vezir Camer-eddin qhan behave with more earnestness. This Minister had set out at the head of a numerous body of Moghuls and Hindostanees, attached to his person, and in his own pay; and he had joined them to a whole army of T8ranin Moghuls, all ancient servants of the Emperor, and all in such high estimation, that the whole province of Serhind had been assigned to them for their pay. With such a numerous army he had marched towards Adjmir, with intention to make and end of the Marhattas. He had with him every necessary for a campaign, and an infinity of volunteers, who fought for opportunities to signalise themselves and to acquire promotion. The pomp and eclat of his march are hardly to be described; but after marching a little on the frontiers of that province, he stopped short to wait for the arrival of the Marhattas. Such was the cant expression. Here he was joined by Mahmed-qhan-bangash, who having quitted Feroh-abad, his residence, (a town which was built and named in honour of Feroh-syur, his protector) was come with a good body of troops, and he waited also for the arrival of the Marhattas. But not one of those illustrious warriors, and not one of those famous Generals had resolution enough to advance himself on those devoted freebooters, to give them a thorough defeat, and to acquire a character in the Empire by chastising them properly for their repeated insolencies. Qhandö8ran without moving from his place, was perpetually contriving schemes, the purport of which he com­municated to Djehi-sing; and the latter after having added what further occurred to his mind, transmitted the whole to the Vezir. As to Radja Abi-sing-rhator, instead of repairing to camp, he retired to his capital, where he addicted himself to a course of intoxication, which he kept up by the use of opium. He slept the The Imperial Generals prove defective both in courage and in talents. whole day, and spent the whole night in asking what was to be done; but yet he knew so well his own backwardness that when­ever he was sent for by Qhandö8ran, he used to exculpate himself by alleging the necessity of defending his own hereditary domin­ions, and by bringing forwards some such futile excuses. On the other hand, Camer-eddin-qhan, the Vezir, sometimes out of him­self, and sometimes intent only on conserving his army, spent his time in consulting with his friends, and with the T8ranians, his countrymen. But his suspense continued, and he kept his eyes fixed on the succour which he expected from Nizam-el-mulk. The latter, who had quitted the court, exceedingly disgusted with the Emperor and with his favourite, Qhandö8ran, paid but little atten­tion to the troubles that were ruining Hindostan. He even wished to see the Ministers as well as all the Grandees humbled to the dust, by any means whatever. On the other hand, the Emperor had conceived too strong suspicions against him, and was too much obseded by Qhandö8ran, to resolve on an application to him; he had even so bad an opinion of all the T8ranian Grandees of his court, that he made it a point to abstain from consulting any of them. Meanwhile, whole days and nights passed in con­sultations and incertitude, and no decisive part was taken; and indeed, no principle of life and action could be communicated by those impotent Lords, and those Monsubdars and dignitaries so fertile in excuses, who swarmed in the capital as well as in camp, and most of whom were men of no capacity at all. As to those amongst them, that were capable of thinking, they did not dare to open any advice that might clash with Qhandö8ran’s opinion, and the Emperor himself, whose favourite he was, and on whose mind he had acquired an unbounded influence followed by an absolute power over the whole Empire, was unwilling to listen to anything that might give him umbrage. That Prince used to write both to Qhandö8ran, on one hand, and to Camer-eddin-qhan, on the other, whatever came into his mind; and these two did not fail to excuse themselves by far-fetched reasons, and out-of-the-way considerations. Letters and consultations were perpetually passing and repassing between the Emperor and Qhandö8ran, and as an open communication was maintained betwixt the city and camp, it came at last to be the general wish of the Court, that an agreement should take place with the Marhattas. Qhandö8ran himself, now fully sensible, that to give a complete defeat to those freebooters was more than he could perform, and much beyond his courage, thought it best to leave both peace and war in a pro­found obscurity, and to envelope them both in a cloud of delicate policy that left every thing in suspense. Such a management he thought to be a shrewd stroke of politics, but meanwhile to extri­cate himself from his difficulties, he set out on his return to the capital. Things were in this woeful state, when by one of those strokes of Providence, and by an unexpected piece of good fortune, news came that the Marhattas had been chastised by Saadet-qhan in the manner they deserved, and this intelligence tranquillised the minds of the whole Court.

This exertion was more unexpected, as Saadet-qhan had no other Government than that of A8d, and no other office or command than that of the Pikeman of the presence. In number of troops and in plenty of money he was reputed inferior to most of the Grandees of the Empire, and moreover his Government being on the north of the Ganga, he seemed to have no concern at all with those that were on the south of that mighty river, and still less, with the Marhattas themselves. But he was likewise a man of Sadet-qhan alone is suc­cessful against the Marhattas. great personal courage, full of a sense of honour, jealous of the glory of the Empire, always intent on some high undertaking, and fond of military glory and renown. Shocked to see the pusillani­mous behaviour of men at the head of such numerous armies, and fired with indignation at the incessant encroachments and end­less insolencies of the Marhattas, he resolved to avenge the honour of the Empire, and to take that task upon himself, as a particular business of his own. Full of those high notions, he reviewed his troops, (and these were always kept in readiness) augmented their number, furnished them with such ammunition and such a quantity of provisions as he thought necessary, and joining to them a train of artillery, he quitted A8d, his capital, taking with him his nephew and son-in-law, Ab8l-mans8r-qhan, and he marched at the head of his army, firmly resolved to fight the Marhattas. With this view, he crossed the Ganga, and wanted likewise to cross the Djumna, in order to give assistance to Radja Behdäor, a friend and a dependant of his. This Radja being besieged in his fortress by an army of Marhattas, had applied to Saadet-qhan for assistance. The latter answered him by this short note:—Be sure not to be dismayed, and be sure not to give them one farthing; for look, I will be with you instantly. After writing so much, he set out. But as the Radjas of Bundelcund had joined the Marhattas, and both were intent in watching the fords of the Djumna, such a passage was become difficult, and not to be performed in haste; and meanwhile the Radja, his friend, had received a great defeat, and was reduced to the last extremity. At the same time, Malräo, who was one of the greatest Generals of Badjiräo’s army, having found means to cross the Djumna, and to turn Saadet-qhan’s rear, without his suspecting anything of the matter, had fallen at once upon the province of Atäya, and was actually burning and sacking every thing from the gates of that city to the seat of Moty-bagh, which is close to Ecber-abad; wherever he passed he left nothing but slaughter, desolation and ashes. From thence he turned towards the towns of Saad-abad and Djelàïr, and was going to serve them in the same manner, when Saadet-qhan, on the 22nd of Zilcaadah, of the year 1149, suddenly appeared in the Marhatta’s rear like a storm that threatens destruction from afar, and finding the free­booters dispersed, he fell so vigorously upon them, that he never ceased killing and slaughtering until he had chased them beyond Ytimad-abad, which was at four cosses distance from the field of battle. Heaps of dead were to be seen everywhere, and the road, for eight miles together, was strewed with corpses. Three Generals of character were taken prisoners, and Malräo himself being severely wounded, thought himself happy to make his escape with a few followers. The main of the runaways, having thrown away their booty fled towards the Djumna, and having in their hurry and consternation, mistaken one place for another, they plunged in to a part of the river that had no ford, where disappear­ing in the eddies of annihilation they perished in shoals. Malräo with the few that kept pace with him, found with infinite pains his way to Badjiräo’s camp, to whom he presented himself in the most dismal condition, for this Generalissimo of the Marhatta Empire was then encamped at Cöutélé, a little town inhabited by Sëids, close to Gwaliar. Whilst that wretched was flying, Saadet-qhan was pursuing incessantly at the rate of ten cosses a day and more, until he reached the town of Deholp8r-bari, which is at eighteen cosses from Ecber-abad, and on this side of the river Chunbul, where he had heard that Badjiräo was encamped with the main army, and where he intended to attack and serve that Generalissimo in the same manner, he had served Malräo, so soon as he should have done with the remains of the runaways. He wished by such a double victory to recover the sullied honour of the Hindostanies; but finding after a fruitless pursuit that not one man of that accursed race was to be discovered, he returned to his own camp, where he gave two days’ rest to his troops. At the end of that time, he published that every trooper should keep himself ready to march with four days’ provisions and water, and that if anyone should be found in his tent after the hour of departure, his horse would be hamstrung,* and himself carried in derision round the camp. Meanwhile he ordered a number of ox-skins and other leathern vessels to be filled with water, and a vast quantity of cakes to be baked, to the end that the troops might not want for either victuals or water, in the intended pursuit. Some light artillery he loaded upon elephants, and a quantity of wall-pieces and swivels upon camels; and having dis­tributed his water and provisions upon his mules, camels, and other beasts of burthen, he published that he was resolved to pursue the enemy beyond the Chunbul, and that he would be the first at the head of his troops to throw himself into the water, and the foremost to give his men an example of courage and perseverance. Whilst he was setting out on this expedition which had now engrossed his affection, letters came from Qhandö8ran. That Minister had heard of Saadet-qhan’s bravery and decisive conduct, and stung to the quick by a success that reflected so much dis­honour upon himself, he wanted either to join that General and share in the honour of the expedition, or by withholding him from it, to make him a sharer in his own inaction and disgrace. With these ideas he wrote him several letters, in which “under the most sacred oaths, he assured him that he was setting out to join him, and recommended his waiting a little until he might proceed with him on the destruction of those freebooters, but by all means advised him to avoid all precipitation.” Saadet-qhan, who had just mounted his horse, found himself stopped short by these letters of the Minister’s, and greatly at a loss how to act. Nevertheless, he thought proper to suspend his march, and three or four days after, he was joined by Qhandö8ran who, on the His ardour damped by the Vezir and Qhandö8ran’s jealousy. approach of the Marhattas, had been ordered by the Emperor to join Saadet-qhan with several other Lords and Commanders. All this while the Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan was encamped at thirty cosses from the capital, on the high road of Adjmir; and Mahmed-qhan-bangash, with his body of troops, was also on that side, wait­ing the arrival of the enemy. On the junction of Qhandö8ran with Saadet-qhan, six or seven days were spent in visits and entertainments, and this delay having been perceived by the Mar­hattas, they availed themselves of it to recover breath from Saadet-qhan’s pursuit; and turning suddenly his rear, they marched The Mar­hattas avail themselves of this suspense to turn the rear of the Imperial army and plunder the suburbs of the Capital. straight to the capital, which they rightly supposed to be empty of troops. This they did with so much rapidity, that on the eighth of that Zilhidj of that same year, they were at Toghl8c-p8r, under the command of Badjiräo, Generalissimo of that nation. As that town was filled with an immense multitude of Mussulmen and Hindoos from the city, who had flocked thither both on a principle of devotion, and on parties of pleasure, they were all leisurely plundered. An immense booty was made here, and the Mar­hattas having passed the night near Qhadja C8t8b-eddin’s Monu­ment, the next day, which was Arefat* day, they plundered the street inhabited by the jewellers, and sacked and burned all the shops of that town. About noon they proceeded farther, and sacked the town of Palem, from whence the shoals of runaways and wounded flying into the city, filled it with dreadful accounts of what they had seen and felt; and the citizens, without further inquiry, lost both their courage and senses, filled the city with a general uproar, and the whole soon became one continued scene of dismay and confusion. The Emperor, hearing of this sudden approach of the enemies, ordered the few Lords and troops that were about his person, to sally forth and to repell the Marhattas. On his order, Emir-qhan, Radja Bahqt-mul, and Mir-hassen-qhan-gocal-tash, with Munevver-qhan, brother to Zaafer-qhan, and Abdol-Maab8d-qhan, and the Hindoo Shï8-sing, Colonel of the corps called Amberies, with many other Commanders, sallied forth, and advancing out of the city to an advantageous post near the Cazis-sera and the Laal-catra, they extended their ranks, and presented battle to the enemy. Mir-hassen-qhan and Shï8-sing, who had more courage than either experience or prudence, advanced farther, although Emir-qhan who was endowed with both, repeatedly sent them word to stop, and to observe that to fight the Marhattas at this particular time, so as to part from their main, was a step utterly improper. He thought it better that they should keep together with the others. But this advice made no effect on those two imprudent men; they would not hear it, and continued advancing. The Marhattas at first appeared at a dis­tance by one or a few at a time, until they had drawn them farther and farther into the plain, and then they all at once fell upon them, and with their short spears and long swords commenced such a terrible execution as threw the whole into the utmost dis­may. A man wounded found means to escape, and running up to Emir-qhan, he had the boldness to reproach him with backward­ness and neglect. “What are you doing here,” said he, “whilst a Sëyd and an Imam is cutting down?”. Emir-qhan who was a man fertile in bon-mots, and of such a turn of mind that for any thing in the world he would have not missed an opportunity of giving way to his vein for raillery, heard the message with a smile, and even at such a moment he had the sang froid to answer: “Friend, we are perfectly satisfied with twelve Imams; if some one has a mind to be a thirteenth and chooses to be cut down, we have no objections to it.”* As the people of Hindostan have not that skill* in the art of fighting on horseback, which characterises the Marhattas, most of them were slain, and their leader, Mir-hassen-qhan, with the few that remained with him, made his retreat, wounded, and hardly alive; and the runaways despoiled of their arms and horses, crept back every one to his house. Emir-qhan and the other Commanders, after having tarried at their post the whole day, on the dusk of the evening returned to their tents. Meanwhile the plundering and sacking of Toghl8c-p8r, and the danger which threatened Shah-djehan-abad, having been rumoured abroad, the Lords at the head of the armies in the environs of the capital, knowing that the Emperor was left alone, and that the Marhattas had suddenly disappeared, hastened to Court with the rapidity of so many couriers. The Vezir Camer-eddin-qhan who was the nearest of all, being only at thirty cosses, arrived the first, and having had on the ninth of Zilhidj a skirmish with the Marhattas, he, on the next day, which was the day of the sacrifice, encamped in the suburbs of the capital, at which sight the Marhattas retired a little farther. Saadet-qhan on his side, quitted Ecber-abad where he was, and having measured sixty-five cosses in two days,* he arrived on the evening of the second day at Talpat which is close to the city. Qhandö8ran who had set out with him, arrived some time after, and the third day Mahmed-qhan-bangash joined them. As the Marhattas had already felt the weight of the blows dealt out by Saadet-qhan, and they had plentifully drank of the water* that flowed from his sabre, they did not like to see him again, and in such numerous company, and being besides heavily loaded with booty, they wheeled round and retreated, burning, and sacking, and utterly destroying in their retreat the towns of Rivari and Bat8di; after which, they marched on to Malva and G8djerat, their new conquests, ruining and destroying every thing in their journey, but without tarrying anywhere. The result of all those troubles and movements was The Emperor with his whole council consents to pay a tribute to the Marhat­tas. that the Emperor observing that of so many Generals and Lords, not one but Saadet-qhan had thought of attacking the Marhattas or of pursuing them, and that they had all of them availed them­selves of some excuse to remain where they were, without mov­ing a foot, he fell into a state of despondence, and concluded with his whole council that it would be expedient to put an end to all his anxiety by paying them a chöut or tribute.