This Djano-dji, after the defeat of the Afghans by the Viceroy, had been obliged to quit the neighbourhood of Azim-abad, and with a loss of forces and character, to endeavour to fall upon M8rsh8d-abad itself, in the Viceroy’s absence. But having received by the way the news of his mother’s decease, he abandoned his resolution, and leaving Mir-habib with an army of Afghans and Marhattahs, with which he was to find his way towards Midnip8r, and to establish himself there, he quitted the field, and with only an escort, he repaired to Náigp8r; from whence Rhago-dji, his father, sent his younger son, Bimba-dji, with a strong body of Marhattah horse to join Mir-habib. Meanwhile the Viceroy, as we have already said, having performed his vows a secnd time, and returned thanks to the Author of all benefits for so signal a success, was continuing his journey to M8rsh8d-abad, in which city he remained to repose himself of the fatigues of his expedition, and to afford some release to the wearied inhabitants of his dominions; who in return never failed to be profuse in expressions of gratitude for the attention and benignity of his Government. And now the country commenced enjoying some tranquillity; nor was anything to be feared, but from the restlessness of Mir-habib’s, and the ravages of his Marhattahs. The Viceroy, who had taken upon himself the task of ridding his country of such ravagers, took early occasion to display his victorious standards, resolved to make an end of those freebooters. It was in the first days of the second Reby in the year 1162. With that view he encamped some days at Catwa to assemble his troops. He had beforehand sent Bahadyr-aaly-qhan, Commander of his light artillery to Bardevan, with a body of eight thousand horse and foot, and an order to remain encamped there, to the end that should Mir-habib attempt, according to his custom, to ruin and ravage a country he could not conquer, he might find his passage barred up by a respectable force. In a little time the troops being assembled, formed a numerous army, and marched to Bardevan. On his drawing near, Bahadyr-aaly-qhan drew up his troops, and marched back a little to join him, and to pay him his respects; and after a few days he was ordered to proceed with his detachment towards Midnip8r; but his troops, gunners, musqueteers and horsemen, after marching a little way, stopped short, and refused to move forward, unless they were paid their arrears; and the foremost of the mutineers was his own Brigade. The Viceroy to appease their clamours, sent two of the Lords of his Court, Mirza-hekimbeg, and Gholam-aaly-qhan; and these noblemen did everything in their power to bring those people to a sense of their duty; but all to no purpose. The next day the Viceroy came up, and immediately repaired to that Commander’s quarters, with intention to extinguish the fire of sedition by pour­ing upon the flames the water of persuasion and promises; and he concluded that by paying down part of their demands, and giving them for the balances assignations upon his own Deputy at the city, the money might be provided for before they should have time to dispatch their agent to receive it. But such pro­posals availed nothing; and they continued obstinate in their demand of being paid the whole immediately. It was observed that one Mir-afzyl-aaly, an officer of cavalry in Bahadyr-aaly-qhan’s Brigade, was so far from endeavouring to put out the flames, that he did everything to afford them fresh fuel. The Viceroy incensed at so much insolence, conceived that, rather than to put up with such a flagitious behaviour, it would be better to put his trust in God Almighty, the Succourer of the afflicted; and with one word he broke that whole detachment, resolved to have nothing to do with such soldiers; after which he advanced to the enemy.

This little incident happened to prove the ruin of that thought­less man, the discarded Fodjdar of P8rania. On receiving an exaggerated account of this affair, he thoughtlessly imagined that all was over with the Viceroy, whose power was at an end; and immediately he conceived the design of availing himself of the opportunity to effect his escape. Listenting to some favourites as light-headed as himself, he quitted the city without taking leave; and without giving notice of his design, he crossed the Ganga, and repaired to his troops, which he had left encamped on the Maha-nedda; and there putting himself at their head, he marched towards P8raniah; but Sáyd-ahmed-qhan coming to hear of this unexpected proceeding, soon quitted that city; and putting himself at the head of his troops he advanced to oppose him, and marched two or three stages with that view. On this intel­ligence Faqhr-eddin felt his courage damped; that flash of reso­lution vanished in a moment, and it was succeeded by as much trepidation. Coming at once to his senses, he sent a respectful letter to Sáyd-ahmed-qhan, to deprecate his resentment, and to request his leave to pass by his army in order to depart the country. He was answered, “That to grant such a permission was not in his power, as it depended on the Viceroy, his uncle; but that, in his opinion, it would be better for him to return to the place from which he had lately come.” That senseless faint-hearted man on this single intimation, marched back, and stopped at Malda, where we shall leave him at present, to return to Aaly-verdy-qhan.

As soon as he had broke that whole detachment of muti­neers, he put his trust in the Divine assistance; and continuing his march without being intimidated by so great a diminution of his force, as left him without a single piece of cannon, he arrived at Midnip8r. This arrival gave umbrage to Mir-habib, who had cantoned himself there. Little pleased with such a neighbour­hood, he set his barracks on fire, saw the whole consumed, and then retreated with his army. The Viceroy on seeing this, passed the river Cosséy without entering Midnip8r, and he encamped on the other side, after sending spies everywhere to take information. In a little time intelligence was brought that the Marhattahs were encamped in a woody tract of ground, on the other side of Midnip8r; upon which he immediately ordered Mir-cazem-qhan and Dost-mahmed-qhan with some other Com­manders to pursue the enemy, and to draw some blood from their veins. These marched the whole night, and arriving before day-break, they fell upon the Marhattahs, sabre in hand; and an engagement ensued, in which valorous actions were performed on both sides, until at last the Marhattahs gave way, and retired towards Catec with much loss and shame, always flying and always followed by the Viceroy, who tired of so hot a pursuit stopped at Balisser-bender, and encamped in that spot. There he learned that Mir-habib and Mana-dji with their Marhattahs and Afghans, not thinking themselves a match for the Bengal army, had fled farther, retiring into the woody mountainous tracts of the Oressa. The Viceroy continuing to advance, went beyond the river that goes by Badrac and Hadjip8r, where he encamped at a place called Bara, which is at about eighteen cosses distance from the city of Catec. There he received letters and deputies from Séyd-n8r, and Serendaz-qhan, and from the Gentoo Deshemdas, three officers of Infantry who commanded the garrison of Bara-bhati, a fortress close to that city. The purport was “That they were his humble servants, ready to execute any orders he would send them; and that whenever his victorious ensigns should emit their glorious beams over the walls of that fortress, the gates of it would be immediately set open; and his humble servants would make haste to kiss the sublime threshold of his tent, as they carried on their hands, and on their eyes, the trappings of fidelity and submission.” The Viceroy intent on pursuing Mir-habib did not pay much attention to such an overture. He was following him incessantly; and he arrived at last in an uninhabited plain of difficult broken ground, where the baggage having not been able to keep pace with the troops, victuals and provisions became scarce and dear. The country was so woody, and the trees so close and so tall, that the vanguard, which had marched some cosses before, was lost, and no intelligence could be had of it for three days together; nor, on the other hand, could the troops that composed it, learn themselves where their main might be. The Viceroy concerned at such an incertitude, ordered all the kettle-drums and trumpets to go out of camp at some distance, and to make as much noise as they could. The expe­dient succeeded; and the troops that had been thought lost, being guided by the sound, rejoined their main; so that this arrival was celebrated at camp by the whole army, as a festival. I am not unaware that this entrance of Aaly-verdy-qhan’s in the woods, and his losing his vanguard there, as well as his making use of so strange an expedient to extricate his troops, looks pretty singular and fabulous; but as it is pretty well attested, and I hold this fact from numbers of persons that were in that army, I have not thought myself at liberty to pass it over.

It being certain now that no footsteps could be traced of either Mir-habib’s Afghans or of Mana-dij’s Marhattahs, the army marched back; and the Viceroy leaving a body of troops to guard the valley that gives entrance into the woods, put himself at the head of the rest, which did not amount to more than two thousand horse, and marched back with intention to surprise the city of Catec, as well as the fortress of Bara-bhaty. He marched the whole night; and the following day at about noon he crossed the Maha-nedda, which flows by that place, and suddenly displayed the standards of surprise and terror before its walls. But as he had marched by this time full sixteen hours, it happened that out of two thousand horse with which he had set out, no more than three hundred persons could be brought together, when the walls were discovered; and these were so overcome with weariness and fatigue, that so far from being able to fight, not one of them could so much as move a limb; and it must be confessed that this was a strange conduct indeed, and an egregious imprudence in a General so experienced and so wise. For had the garrison at that moment sent out a detachment to fall upon those men half dead with fatigue, he would have infallibly lost in that single day the fruit of so many years’ toil, and of so many victories and dangers; his people would have been knocked down, and himself would have shared their fate, and forfeited his character for ever. But such was his good fortune, and such the prevalence of his destiny, that the garrison, although very numerous, had lost their wits; and thinking they were surrounded by a mighty army, they proposed to surrender. By this time the sun being in its meridian blazed with such intolerable fury, that people dropped down on all sides, not one tent being arrived; so that the plain became as burning as that of the Day of Judgment. In the afternoon two principal officers of the garrison, to wit, Séyd-n8r and Derhem-dass, came out of the gates, paid their respects, were dismissed with honour, and then came back with promises to bring Sér-endaz-qhan the next morning at day-break, by which time they were to leave their gates open, and to surrender the fortress. But as the words of the two Deputies were not altogether to be trusted, he gave order to his guards to put them to the sword, should they fail to fulfil their promise; and he appointed Seradj-ed-döula to see the order punctually executed. Accordingly he took his post behind a small tent that was just arrived for his grandfather; and with a number of guards he waited the dawn of that day, which was to be the last of those two unfortunate men. At day-break the two officers made him a profound bow; and then going in, they paid their respects to the Viceroy, who entertained them with kindness. A moment after, appeared Ser-endaz-qhan him­self* with some more officers of the garrison, and he alighted from his horse; but hardly had he alighted, than Seradj-ed-döula gave the signal to fall upon him. The man seeing that his life was aimed at on all sides, resolved to sell it as dear as possible; and without losing his presence of mind, he drew his sabre, and fought manfully, all the while endeavouring to make his way to the Viceroy himself. Fate opposed his resolution; and the man having lost a hand, was assaulted by numbers at a time, and fell headlong. Whilst this was transacting without, the two officers within were struck with surprise and horror; but they were secured by the by-standers, and delivered over to the custody of Kishver-qhan, a merciless, relentless Afghan, who spared them no hardships, and took care to turn his tent into a loathsome prison. The garrison hearing how their officers had been used, refused to comply with the agreement; and shutting up their gates, they put themselves upon their defence. The Viceroy who did not think it prudent to lose his time at the foot of a dead wall, appointed a number of officers to besiege the place; and he marched up to Catec, the Capital of the province. These were Mir-djaafer-qhan, and Fakyr-allah-beg-qhan, and Radja D8l8bram, with some others who had just arrived from pursuing the enemy. The siege lasted fifteen days, at the end of which, the besiegers, thinking they could resist no more, supplicated Mir-djaafer-qhan and Radja The fortress surrenders. D8l8bram to mediate some terms for them; and these having obtained that no injury should be done to them either in their persons or fortunes, the gates were opened, and the besieged went in a body to the quarters of those two officers. The Viceroy who had the curiosity to visit the fortress, marched in with his guards; nor will the reader be displeased with a short description of either that place or the city.