INDIA. 



35 



HM*TT. hi* MO*. It ha* been thought that, u ndi-r this appre- 

 ~*Y"* bension, he made a partition of it before his death ; 

 but thi* statement or conjecture is not accurate ; for in 

 two letter*, which are extant, written by him to two 

 of hJ4 ions, a few days before hi* death, be does Ml 

 even allude to any intention of dividing the empire. In 

 these letter*, however, he expresses, in doubtful terra* 

 his apprehensions of civil wan. He left behind him 

 four son* ; Manxiim, afterwards emperor umUr the ti- 

 tle of Babauder Sbah ; Azira, and Kauro Buksh, who 

 severally contested the empire with their elder brother ; 

 and Acber, who, thirty years before, had been enga- 

 ged in rebellion, and fled into Persia. Scarcely was 

 Aurengsebe dead, when a civil war broke out between 

 the paitixan* of Mauzum and Acini. The former ap- 

 proached from Cabul, and the Utter from the Decan, 

 and disputed the pasnawon of the empire. Their re- 

 pccti re armies consisted of abotit 3OO, (MX) men. Near 

 Agra a battle was fought, in which Asim was slain, 

 and hi* brother was confirmed in bis kingdom ; for 

 Kaorn Bulub was not more succesB/ul in his attempts 

 than A>im. He reigned ncarlr five yew*. He seems 

 to have been a prince of coanderabJe talents, and who 

 P' d K rKlt attention to business; but his efforts to keep 

 the empire up to that high pitch of greatness, and to 

 consolidation 



"..:< . 



that firm state of 



and strength to which 



Aurmgsebe bed raised it, were utterly fruitless. In 

 (act, the lon 



(act, the long absence of his father in 'the Decan hod 

 given risen to many disorders, and town the seed* of 

 much dicoirtOPt and sedition near the seat of empire. 

 Bahauder Shah very wisely quitted the econe of h fa- 

 ther's mistaken ambition, a* soon ae be hod *ueedod 

 in entailing the rebellion of bit brother Kaum Bukah, 

 which had been raised in that district. The Rajpoot 

 pnnce* of Ajmeer, who bad taken advantage of Au- 

 >be*nee in the Decan, next colled tor hi* at- 





In? 



to another quarter. A short 



Hleath, the Seiks. particular sect of 



!H : ,rr .\nr.-:, k,-- 

 *< t < )i rr! ' *' I 



Uu, who had fatabliehed th'smnive* along the foot of 

 , during the reign ofSheh Jetton, 

 ooro Covind. Thi* 



i,v Goon. 



- 



(: . '. j : , J - 



which took place in II in- 

 In, 



atrengtb . and laid waate the "country 

 : ,:_: J?_ 



Dsathrf 



JHlr t 

 A. D. I Tit 



in 



t uetr saooor woe taken 

 cr thi. the emperor took* up hi* 

 Lahore, tor the purpose of keeping the Seik. hi 

 he died, after short illnes*. in the year 

 171ft 



A war for the sueteesion rnMiuMiiiJ immediatrly 

 among hi. four MM. The second took poases.ion of 

 the imperial treasure* ; but he wa* opposed by hi* three 

 brothers, who agreed to divide the empire among them. 

 A battle wa* fought, in which the second son wa. kill- 

 Hut on this IUCCSM, only the yoonjrrit ion w*. 

 toady to carry hito execution the agreement to divide 

 the empire ; and a* the other two brother* refused to 

 coinode with him. another war commenced, which end- 

 ed in the death of the yeungceC Only the oldest and 

 third brut bars now remained ; and a. the oldest wa* 

 supported by OB Onuah in high trust, a man of great 



talents and intrigue, he at last succeeded in gaining HUtor- 

 poosession of the throne, after a third battle, in which *~ P "V~*' 

 his brother was slain. 



The low and disgusting vices of Jehaunder, who wms 

 now emperor, together with the pride of the Ororah, 

 who had raised him to the throne, soon proved his de- 

 struction. The two brother Seids Abdoola Khan, and 

 Ali Khan, originally soldiers of fortune, had raised 

 themselves to governments in the eastern provinces, 

 during the troubled times that succeeded the death of 

 Aurengxefae. These two chiefs resolved to place Fe- 

 inklhoro, grandson of Bahauder Shah, and of course great Ferokther* 

 grandson of Aurengzebe, on the Mogul throne ; and ha- 

 ving raised a Urge army, they attacked and defeated ,!<- 

 haunder near Agra, in the year 1712. The emperor was Jehaunder 

 killed in this battle, and for some time the capital was killed. 

 deluged with the blood of his nobles. In order to se- 

 cure the throne to Ferokshere, all who might aspire to 

 it were branded with hot irons, and afterwards impri- 

 soned. In the following year the Seiks again appeared A. D. ITU. 

 in arm*; and in 1716, they had become so formidable, 

 that the emperor marched against them at the head of 

 bis grand army. But the particulars, or precise issue 

 of the campaign, are not known. 



The two chieftains who had raised the emperor to 

 the throne, thinking themselves slighted on account of 

 hi* favourite*, imprisoned him, after a reign of six 

 yean, in 1717. and placed one of the royal family, 

 whom they ril>o**d from confinement, in hi* stead ; 

 him they deposed aad murdered, and also his brother. 

 Thus in the space of eleven year* from the death of 

 Aurengxebe, five prince* of hi* line who had mounted 

 the throne, and six other* who had been competitor* 

 for it, had been disposed of. The Seids had the dispo- 

 sal of the scot of government, and nominally of the em- 

 pire at Urge ; but an incurable anarchy had been in- 

 troduced into all the province*, the governors of which 

 weiestiuugly diepoeea not onlytocoinridc with the Seids 

 in their want of allegiance to the head of the empire, 

 but even to dispute the power of the Seids themselves. 



In the year I73O, Mahomed Shah, grandson of Ba- Malion 

 bander Shah, who since the accession of Jh.under Slid) sinh, 

 hod boon in confinement, wa* placed on the throm- by A. i). i:t<>. 

 the Seid*. Hi* first enterprise wa* against the Seid. 

 themnlve*. Warned by the fate of Ini prrdece**or, 

 be wo* convinced, that till they were reduced to the 

 rank of subject*, he could not be emperor. A* noon, 

 therefore, a. he had cautiously and ^raiitially strength- 

 ened hi* own infiuenoi end power, hr began to reduce 

 their*. But they had been too long the virtual ruler* 

 of the empire to rabmit quietly ; and having numerous otablhb** 

 friend* and partuun*, they openly rebelled against hinwtli n 

 their sovereign. A bottle ensued, in which they were "* Uuonv. 

 defeated, end their defeat wa* followed by the empe- 

 ror's acquiring hi* full and legitimate power. 



But, in consequence of the agitated and disturbed y lztm> 

 state of the empire, the distant part* of it, especially vimoy'ui 

 those which had been added to it recently, loosed their the Dean, 

 allegiance and ilependance ; particularly the Decan, of 

 . Nizam ul Moolk wa* viceroy. 1 hi* man having 

 been affronted by the Seid* while they were in power, 

 resolved to avenge himself upon the emperor. He ac- 

 cordingly remained almost constantly at the seat of his 

 government ; and hi* measures while there created great 

 suspicion and alarm. I n order, if possible, either to tempt 

 him from his plans, or to get him into his power, the 

 emperor invited him to court, and offered him the situa- 

 tion of viner. But lie was too enlightened and cau- 

 tious, or too ambitious to accept of this offer. As, how- 



