CHARACTERS. 
an absolute and undisputed au- 
thority over his nation. No 
prince was ever more unani- 
mously chosen to fill the seat of 
power ; and his first care, after 
he assumed the government, was 
to shew his gratitude to those by 
whom he had been elevated, by 
the establishment of some salu- 
tary regulations for the admi- 
nistration of justice, the collec- 
tion of revenue, and the payment 
of the army. 
Thepolicy of Beggee Jan made 
him studiously reject all those 
claims to respect and obedience 
which he had inherited from his 
father, the Ameer Daniel; who 
had not only been, for a short 
period, the ruler of the Usbegs, 
but was the chief of a powerful 
tribe. His artful son knew too 
well the jealousies and the re- 
sentment with which such claims 
were associated, to desire that 
they should appear in any shape 
as the foundation of his autho- 
rity; therefore, in framing re- 
‘gulations for the management of 
public affairs, he gave to every in- 
stitution a shape suited to his own 
character ; and he desired always 
to be considered as a religious 
recluse, that had been compelled 
by his countrymen to exercise 
regal power; but who was re- 
solved, as far as the discharge of 
his duties would permit him, to 
maintain amid ali the tempta- 
tions with which he was sur- 
rounded, the same life of rigid 
austerity and self-denial, as he 
should have passed if he had never 
been called from a cell to a throne. 
The splendid court at which the 
nobles of Bokharah had been ac- 
customed to attend, was abo- 
455 
lished ; and in its place he esta- 
‘ blished what may be termed a hall 
of justice, at which he sat as pre- 
sident, aided by forty moollahs, 
or learned men.- All who had 
complaints to make came to this 
hall; but the prosecutor was never 
allowed to speak unless the accus- 
ed was present. No person, how- 
ever high his rank, dared to re- 
fuse a summons to attend this 
court. A slave could cite his 
master before it. Beggee Jan, we 
are informed, listened with great 
patience to the statement of both 
parties ; and, in all cases not cri- 
minal, he sent them away, with 
an advice to come to an amicable 
adjustment of their difference. 
If they did so, the cause ter- 
minated ; if not, he took notes, at 
their re-appearance, of the evi- 
dence produced ; and these were 
given, with his opinion to the 
moolahs, who were directed to 
prepare a fetwah, or decision, ac- 
cording to the holy law. The 
parties, even after this proceed- 
ing, had a week allowed them 
to accommodate their dispute ; 
but if that period elapsed without 
their having done so, the sen- 
tence was passed, and became 
irrevocable. 
[Sir. J. Malcolm adds many more 
particulars respecting this extra- 
ordinary personage ; but we shall 
only copy the relation of a visit 
to him by an envoy of Mameish 
Khan, chief of Chinnaran, at the 
time when Beggee Jan invaded 
Khorassan. ] 
Mameish Khan, it appears from 
this memoir, was in correspond- 
ence with Ishin Nukeeb, a noble 
of high rank among the Usbegs, 
and a great favourite of their 
