When Jafar Alī Khān ascended* the masnad of the Nizāmat of Bengal, Bihār, and Orissa, he set himself to the conciliation of the army and the nobility, who had joined him in his conspiracy to destroy Sirāju-d-daulah. He appointed his nephew, Khādim Ḥusain Khān,* to the office of Faujdār of Purnīah, and conferred on Rāmnarāin a robe of honour, confirming him in the Deputy-Governorship of the Ṣūbah of Azīmābād (Patna).*

At this time Shāh Ālam* invaded the Ṣūbah of Azīmābād. Raḥīm Khān and Qādirdād Khān, &c., sons of Umar Khān, and Ghulām Shāh and other commanders and generals in the service of Sirāju-d-daulah, whom Jafar Alī Khān had previously from policy shifted to the province of Bihār, now joined the Imperial Army. At Fatūhah, a battle took place between the Imperialists and Rāmnarāin. Rāmnarāin was wounded, and fled to the fort, and the Imperial troops laid siege to the fort. Nawāb Jafar Alī Khān, on getting this news, despatched to Bihār his son, Nawāb Naṣīru-l-Mulk Ṣadīq Alī Khān Shahāmat Jang, surnamed Mīran, with a detachment of English troops. On the banks of the river Adhūah, adjoining Bārh, a battle ensued with the Imperialists. On the side of the Imperialists, Qādirdād Khān and Kāmgār Khān displayed feats of bravery. Muḥammad Amīn Khān was wounded, whilst Rājballab fell back, and both contemplated flight. Qādirdād Khān, with others, by brave onslaughts, attacked the lines of artillery. A heavy gun, which required to be drawn by 400 bullocks, happened to lie in front of these. Those men got entangled amidst the bullocks, and failed to cut through as the bullocks hemmed them on all sides. At this juncture, the ele­phant-driver of Qādirdād Khān was shot by a bullet. Qādirdād Khān spurred on his elephant with his feet, and shot arrows. Nawāb Ṣadīq Alī Khān received a wound, being hit by an arrow. At this moment, a big cannon-ball hit Qādirdād Khān on the left side of the chest, and finished him up. On seeing this mishap, Kāmgār Khān and others reining back their horses fell back to their own lines. The army of Ṣadīq Alī Khān, on ascertaining this, made a fresh onslaught, attacked the Imperialists, and struck up the music of victory. The Imperialists were defeated. Rahīm Khān and Zainu-l-Abidīn Khān, who had made a detour towards the rear of Ṣadīq Alī Khān’s army, on hearing the music of victory, made a flank movement towards the right wing, and attacked it. But owing to the cannonade of the English artillery, they were unable to stand their ground, and were defeated. After defeat, the Imperialists retired towards Bardwān, and Ṣadīq Alī Khān, pursuing them, followed them up to Bardwān viâ Chakaī,* Khautī,* and Bīrbhūm. From this side, Jafar Alī Khān also marched expeditiously to Bardwān, and on the banks of the river* below the town of Bardwān, a battle commenced with a cannon­ade. The Imperialists not being able to hold their own there, marched back to Azīmābād.

Jafar Alī Khān and Ṣadīq Alī Khān now set themselves to con­fiscate the treasures and effects of Nawāb Sirāju-d-daulah and the Begams of Mahābat Jang, &c. Rendering the latter hard up for even a night’s sustenance, they had already sent to Jahāngīrnagar (Dacca), the Begam of Mahābat Jang with her two daughters, one named Āmanah Begam,* mother of Sirāju-d-daulah, and the other named Ghasitī Begam, widow of Shahāmat Jang, together with other ladies of Mahābat Jang’s harem. Jafar Alī Khān and Ṣadīq Alī Khān now sent Bāqir Khān, the General, to Jahāngīrnagar (Dacca) with a corps of one hundred cavalry, and wrote to Jasārat Khān, Faujdar of Jahāngīrnagar, peremptorily directing the latter to capture and make over Ghasitī Begam and Aminah Begam to Bāqir Khān, as soon as the latter arrived. On the arrival of Bāqir Khān at Jahāngīrnagar, Jasārat Khān* was obliged to pass the necessary orders. The Begams were placed on a boat, which was taken out some karoh from Jahāngīr­nagar and there sunk in the river. It is said that when the Begams were taken out to the boat, and became aware of their fate, they repeated their prayers, held the Holy Qorān in their armpits, embraced each other, and then plunged into the river. O, Gracious God, what inhuman barbarity was this! But at length, Ṣadīq Alī Khān also suffered retribution for it in his own life-time.*

At this time a misunderstanding had set in between Ṣadīq Alī Khān and Khādim Husain Khān, on account of levy of revenue and also of other matters. Ṣadīq Alī Khān, resolving to expel and extinguish Khādim Husain Khān, planned an expedition to Purniah. Khādim Husain Khān advancing with his troops from Purniah, entrenched himself at Gandahgolah (Caragola) for fight­ing. Then, all of a sudden, news arrived that the Imperialists had besieged the fort of Azīmābād (Patna), and were fighting with Rāmnarāin. Consequently, Ṣadīq Alī Khān, abandoning his contemplated expedition to Purniah, set out for Azīmābād. Khādim Husain Khān, not considering himself a match for him, set out for the Imperial Capital. From this (i.e., the south­ern) side of the Ganges, the army of Ṣadīq Alī Khān, and from that (i.e., the northern) side of the Ganges, Khādim Husain Khān marched up. And when news of the approach of Ṣadīq Alī Khān spread at Azīmābād, the Imperialists raising the siege of the fort of Patna retired by the highway towards Munīr. Ṣadīq Alī Khān, thus finding himself at leisure, crossed the river, and marched in pursuit of Khādim Husain Khān. Khādim Husain Khān marched forward with the swiftness of lightning and wind, whilst Ṣadīq Alī Khān hotly pursued him from behind, making forced marches. At this juncture, a storm of wind and rain came on and disabled both the horsemen and the horses from action. Khādim Husain Khān reached the bank of a river,* to ford which was difficult, and to cross which without a ferry boat was impossible. The army of Khādim Husain Khān, like the Israelites of old, finding the river in front and the enemy in the rear, despaired of life. Finding all ways of escape cut off, Khādim Husain Khān of necessity flung his treasures and heavy baggages amongst his soldiers, and placing his trust in his God and looking up to the Infallible Artist, looked out for supernatural help. The army of Ṣadīq Alī Khān, having had to march through mud and clay and being drenched through by a heavy shower of rain, were rendered unfit for fighting, and halted that day at a distance of 2 karoh from Khādim Husain Khān. In that the cup of the life of Khādim Husain Khān and his companions was yet not full to the brim, at midnight a lightning fell on Ṣadīq Alī Khān, and killed him and his personal attendant. This mishap occurred in 1173 A.H. Khādim Husain Khān, thus getting providentially rescued from the claws of certain death, marched away with the speed of lightning and wind, and went to the Ṣūbah of Auḍh (Oudh). Rājballab* and other comrades of Ṣadīq Alī Khān rubbed the ashes of sorrow and anguish on their heads, and together with the English army retired to Azīmābād. There they directed their attention towards the Imperial army, includ­ing the Emperor’s Mahratta Contingent, who were encamped at Hilsah, and commenced warfare. The Imperialists were again defeated, and the French General* who was in the company of the Emperor was captured, whilst Rājballab followed up to Bihār. When the Imperialists marched towards Gya-Manpūr and Kām­gār Khān fled to the hills, Rājballab thought of returning. But at this moment, news arrived to the effect that Nawāb Jafar Alī Khān was a prisoner, and that Nawab Qāsim Alī Khān* had acquired the Ṣūbah of Bengal, as will be related hereafter. The period of the Nizāmat of Nawab Mīr Muḥammad Jafar Alī Khān lasted about three years.