Azeem us Shan viewed with jealousy the con­duct of Kartuleb Khan, but the dread of the Emperor’s displeasure made him disguise his sentiments. He therefore sought to destroy him by some means in which he should not appear to act. For this purpose he engaged one Abdul Wahid* a Rissallahdar,* to make his troop mutiny, on pretence of their pay being with-held from them, and in the tumult to kill the Dewan. The Rissallahdar readily embraced the proposal, and only waited for a fit opportunity to carry it into execution.

Kartuleb Khan was not without suspicion of the Prince’s ill will towards him, and in order to guard against any attempt upon his life, whenever he went abroad, wore armour under his cloaths, and was attended by a number of trusty adherents well armed. One public day, as he was going to pay his compliments to the Nazim, on horse back, and attended as before described, he was encountered on the road by Abdul Wahid and his troop, demanding their pay with great clamour. He was not in the least alarmed by their threats, but proceeded along with them to the Prince, who, he made no doubt, was at the bottom of the plot. He entered the palace where the Prince was sitting, without paying him the usual compliments, but with a resolute air placed himself by his side; and, grasping his dagger, said “I am persuaded that this riot is at your instigation; how­ever, if you offer to deprive me of my life, I am resolved that your own shall pay the price of it; and his Majesty will not be long in revenging my death.”—Azeem us Shan, con­founded by his boldness, and terrified at the apprehension of the Emperor’s resentment, should he suffer the assassination to be perpetrated, thought it most prudent to dissemble; and, after dismissing Abdul Wahid and his troop, with threats of punishment for their audacious mutiny, he protested to Kartuleb Khan, that he was entirely ignorant of the matter, and gave him the strongest assurances of inviolable friendship.

The dewan immediately repaired to the dewan aum*, and summoning together the public officers, ordered that the conduct of the muti­neers should be entered on the public records; and then, giving tunkhas upon the zemindars, for the arrears of their pay, he struck out their names from the rolls of the army.

The dewan did not fail to send a minute account of these procedings to the Emperor, of whose approbation he assured himself. But, apprehensive that the Prince might make farther attempts against his life, he resolved to remove from Jehangeernagur. On this occasion he held a consultation with the canoongoes* and zemindars*, to determine upon the most conve­nient place for the transaction of public business. After some days deliberation, they fixed upon Mukhsoosabad, in the pergunnah of Chu­nakholly*, as the most central situation to the following places. On the north and west quarters it has Akbernagur, and the passes of Sankreegully and Telliagury, the gates of Ben­gal;—on the south and west are Bhirbhoom,* Pacheet,* and Bishenpoor,* with the jungles and mountains of Jharkhund,* the entrance from the Decan and Hindoostan;—on the south and east lie Burdwan and the road to Orissa, Hou­ghly, Hijilee, and the ports frequented by the ships of European, and other foreign merchants, together with Jessore and Bhoosnah*; —on the north, and east, Jehangeernagur, the capital of the Soobah, with the frontier garrisons of Islamabad,* Sylhet, Rangamatty,* Gorahghaur,* Rungpoor,* and Coatch Bahar.*

Kartuleb Khan, without asking permission from the Prince, removed to Mukhsoosabad, with the zemindary aumleh,* the canoongoes, and other dewanny officers of the khalseh. In Koolherriah,* which was then a desolate spot, he built a palace, and the khalseh cutcherry,* for the transaction of all matters relative to the revenues.

His Majesty was at this time in the Dekhan; and when he received from the vakiahnavees * the particulars of the mutiny in Bengal, added to Kartuleb Khan’s representation of the Prince’s conduct in the business, he wrote a very angry letter to the latter, and ordered him to retire to Bahar.

The Prince left his son Furekhseer to act as Naib Soobahdar* at Jehangeernagur, with the assistance of Sirbullend Khan;* and himself, accompanied by Sultan Kureemeddeen, his women, and half his troops, marched to Mongheer.* Here he found in decay a mag­nificent palace of marble and black stone, which was built by Shah Shuja; but as the expence of putting it in repair would have been considerable, and not hoping for any indulgence from the Emperor, he resolved to fix his residence at Patna,* on the banks of the Gan­ges, where he built a fort, and surrounded with a wall a city, to which he gave the name of Azeemabad.*

At the end of the year, Kartuleb Khan, designing to pay his respects to the Emperor, drew out his accounts of the receipts and disbursements of the soobah, with an estimate of contingen­cies. Having completed these statements, he sent them to one of the sudder canoongoes,* Derpnarain,* for his signature. This canoon­goe refused to sign the papers, unless the Dewan would account with him for three lacks of rupees, which he demanded as being due to him for his russoom,* or commission. The Dewan was willing to promise him one lack, to be paid on his return from visiting his Majesty. Derpnarain peremptorily rejected this offer of composition; but Joynarain,* the other sud­der canoongoe, signed the accounts without any stipulations; when the Dewan, regardless of Derpnarain’s obstinate refusal, and Azeem us Shan’s displeasure, set out for the Dekhan, with a considerable peishkush. He, moreover, presented to his Majesty in bills of exchange, the amount of the increase of the revenues, and savings out of the jageers. At the same time he delivered in his accounts of the reve­nues; which exhibited farther proofs of his abilities and integrity.