454 
the violence of his father’s rule 
had excited, he retiredto the prin- 
cipal mosque of the city, where 
he gave himself up for several 
months to devotion and mental 
abstraction. No one was allowed 
to approach him during this pe- 
viod, except some of his favourite 
disciples. 
Beggee Jan, when he first as- 
sumed the holy mantle, had 
adopted the tenets of a Sooffee. 
He now openly professed himself 
to be one of those visionary de- 
votees, who, from having their 
souls continually fixed on the con- 
templation of the divine essence, 
expect to attain a state of mental 
beatitude, which leads them to 
despise all the pleasures of this 
world, and, above all, earthly 
power. Consistency required, that 
while he professed this doctrine, 
he should not easily comply with 
the entreaties of the inhabitants 
of Bokharah ; who, wearied with 
the internal troubles caused by 
the ambition of his relations, 
earnestly solicited him to assume 
the government. The populace, 
who were entirely devoted to him, 
assembled daily at the mosque 
where he resided, and attended 
him wherever he went. The first 
instance in which he used the 
great influence and authority that 
he had acquired, was to destroy 
all the drinking and gambling 
houses in Bokharah. These are 
stated to have amounted to several 
thousands ; and we. are assured, 
that so extraordinary was the ve- 
neration for the commands of this 
holy prince, that even those who 
were ruined by this act, aided in 
its accomplishment. 
Some of the brothers of Beg- 
gee Jan had been slain; and the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
danger in which his family were 
placed, from an increasing spirit of 
revolt among their own followers 
led them at last to join in the ge- 
neral request, that he would as- 
sume the government ; but all was 
in vain, till the occurrence of a 
serious commotion in the capital, 
in which about a thousand citizens 
lost their lives, excited his compas- 
sion. Upon this occasion, the no- 
minal king, Abdool Ghazee Khan, 
and all the nobles, assembled ; 
and, having come to the mosque 
where he dwelt, they compelled 
him to attend them to the tomb of 
his father, Ameer Daniel, and at 
that sacred spot he was solemnly 
invoked to support a falling state. 
Apparently overcome by the ur- 
gency of their entreaties, he 
promised to give his counsel and 
aid in the management of public 
affairs ; but we are informed that 
he withheld from active inter- 
ference till Neaz Aly, a chief 
who had rebelled during the reign 
of his father, and seized upon the 
city of Shaher-e-subz, ventured 
to make an inroad upon the ter- 
ritories of Bokharah. This act 
roused his indignation so much. 
that he accepted the title of re- 
gent, and marched, at the head 
of a large army, to attack the in- 
vader; whom he not only forced 
to retreat from the territories of 
Bokharah, but to abandon some 
of those countries of which he 
had for some time been in pos- 
session. Beggee Jan may, from 
this date, be deemed the actual 
ruler of the Usbegs; for though 
he never assumed any title but 
that of a regent, and continued to 
pay a nominal obedience toAb- 
dool Ghazee Khan, he exercised, 
during the remainder of his life, 
