If the importation of grain to the cities and towns fell short of what had been usual, he sent officers into the country, who broke open the hoards of individuals, and compelled them to carry their grain to the public markets. Rice was then commonly sold at Moorsheda­bad, at four maunds for a rupee; and the prices of other provisions were in proportion. He also strictly prohibited the exportation of grain; and the foujdar of Hooghly had express orders to see that no ship, belonging to Europeans or others, was suffered to carry away more than was sufficient for the victualling of the crew, during their intended voyage. Neither were any merchants suffered to have any stores of grain.

He was so punctual in the performance of all tokens of respect towards his sovereign, that he would not sit down in a royal boat; and when, in the rainy season, the Emperor’s nowareh came from Jehangeernagur, for an exhibition, he went out to meet it; and turning his face towards the seat of government, made his obeisance, pre­sented his nuzzir, and kissed the deck of the state boat. Engagements between elephants being prohibited from court, he did not allow them within his jurisdiction; but used to exhibit and be present at those between elephants and tigers, and other animals. He took no delight in hunting. He never indulged himself with spirituous liquors, or any intoxicating drugs: neither did he amuse himself with singers or dancers. He always kept constant to one law­ful wife; and, out of his excess of delicacy, would not suffer any strange women, or eunuchs, to enter the apartments of his seraglio.

He despised all the refinements of luxury, and particularly in dress; and refrained from every thing that is prohibited in the law. No high seasoned dishes were served up to his table; neither frozen sherbets, or creams, but only plainice. During the winter, Khyzir Khan*, the deputy of Nazir Ahmed, used to collect, in the mountains of Rajemahl, a sufficient stock of ice for the rest of the year; and the whole was done at the expence of the zemindars of that district. In the mangoe season, there was stationed at Rajemahl a darogha*, who used to keep a regular account of the choicest mangoe trees in Maldah*, Kutwalee*, and Husseinpoor*, and his guards were placed over them, to see that no one purloined the fruit, and that it was regularly sent to Moorshedabad. The zemin­dars furnished every thing that was required for these purposes, and they durst not cut down a mangoe tree, nor touch any of the fruit, that the darogha had appropriated to the use of the nazim’s table.

He possessed very extensive learning; and paid great respect to men who were eminent for their piety or erudition. He wrote with great elegance, and was a remarkable fine penman. His skill in arithmetic enabled him to scrutinize all accounts himself. He signed all orders and accounts with red ink. He was a brave soldier, a liberal benefactor, upright and just in all his dealings, the steady protector of the weak; so that, during his government, the meanest peasant was secured from injustice and oppression.

He made no retrenchments in any royal grants, or in those of former Soobahdars, for charitable purposes; but, on the contrary, increased them. No zemindar or aumil could, with impunity, oppress any one. Their vakeels were continually in search of complainants, and whenever they met with any person who had reason to be dissatisfied, they used every endeavour to pacify him: but if it happened that a well-founded complaint reached the ears of Jaffer Khan, the offender was sure to suffer severely. If the officers of justice, out of par­tiality, or respect to rank, neglected to redress the meanest person, upon a representation thereof from the party aggrieved, Jaffer Khan tried the cause himself, and in his decisions shewed neither favour nor affection to any one, the rich and the poor bearing equal value in his sight*.

In the beginning of the government of Jaffer Khan, the cutwal* of Hooghly forcibly took away a young girl from the house of her father, a Moghul; and Ahsenullah*, the foujdar of that place, suffering the offence to pass unnoticed, the father carried his complaint before Jaf­fer Khan. He commanded, that the offender should be stoned to death, conformably to the ordinance of the Koran; and notwithstanding all the entreaties of Ahsenullah, who was a great favourite, the sentence was actually executed.

In his judicial proceedings he was guided by the decisions of Cazy Mohammed Sheref*, who had been appointed to the office by Alum­geer, and was universally eminent for his integrity, learning, and wisdom. During the reign of Alumgeer, and the nizamut of Jaffer Khan, the office of cazy was not prostituted to sale, and none but men of learning and fair character were permitted to act in that capacity.

A fakeer* having asked charity of Bin­drabund*, a talookdar* of Chunakholly, he was displeased at his manner, and turned him out of the house. The fakeer collected together a number of bricks, with which he erected a wall on Bindrabund’s road, and gave it the name of a mosque, and from it called the people to prayer. Whenever Bindrabund passed that way, he vociferated the ezan*, and so vexed him, that in a rage he threw down some of the bricks, abused the fakeer, and drove him away. The fakeer complained to Jaffer Khan; and Cazy Mohammed Sheref, in an assembly of men learned in the law, sentenced Bindrabund to be put to death. Jaffer Khan was not willing to take away his life, and asked the cazy whether there was not any way of evading the strict letter of the law, to save the poor Hindoo. The cazy answered, “there may be so much delay, as to allow time for his intercessor to be put to death first; but after that, he must abso­lutely be executed.” All the endeavours of Jaffer Khan, in his behalf, were ineffectual; and although Bindrabund was recommended to the Emperor’s mercy by Azeem us Shan, yet it was of no avail; for the cazy killed him with an arrow from his own hand. After the execu­tion, Azeem us Shan complained to Alumgeer, that cazy Mohammed Sheref had killed Bindra­bund in a fit of insanity. But the Emperor wrote with his own hand on the prince’s letter “Cazy Sheref is on the side of God*.” At the death of Alumgeer, cazy Sheref applied for leave to resign, and all the entreaties of Jaffer Khan could not prevail upon him to continue in office.

During the nizamut of Jaffer Khan, all vexa­tious taxes remained abolished. The meeran* of the cazees*, and of the ehtisabs*, had not yet been introduced; neither were any hereditary cazees dispossessed or changed, who were men of good lives, and had passed the examination of the chief cazy.

Jaffer Khan being now far advanced in years, and finding his health decline very fast, gave orders for building his tomb, with a mosque and a kehtareh*: Morad*, the son of Ismael*, ferash*, was the person employed to superin­tend the work. He pitched upon a spot situated in the Khass Talook, on the east side of the city. He pulled down all the neighbouring Hindoo temples, and used the materials for raising the new work; the zemindars, and other Hindoos, would have preserved their temples at any price; but no intreaties or bribes could prevail: not one was left standing in Moorshedabad, or at the distance of four days journey from it. In the remote villages, many of the Hindoos’ houses were threatened with destruction, upon pretence of their being dedicated to religious uses, and they were necessitated to redeem them, by the payment of a sum of money. The servants of Hindoos of all ranks were compelled to work, unless their masters paid for their release. So great was the dread of Morad, that no one dared to complain; his written orders were circulated throughout the country, and implicitly obeyed. By these means, in the course of a year, the buildings were completed; and a gunge* annexed to the kehtareh, to keep the whole in repair.

Jaffer Khan appointed his grandson, Sirafraz Khan, his successor, and sole executor of his last testament: and, after delivering over to him all his treasure and effects, and recommending to his protection the public officers, and the servants of his household, quitted this perish­able world, and entered on futurity. Sirafraz Khan, conformably to the command of his grandfather, deposited his remains under the steps of the mosque. He then confirmed all the officers in their stations, removed all the treasure and effects of the deceased, from the palace to his own house; and exercised the duties of government in the same manner as Jaffer Khan. He advised the Emperor Moham­med Shah of the death of Jaffer Khan; and also wrote on the subject to his father, Shuja eddeen Mahommed Khan.