1896. ] W. Irvine— Later Mughals (1707-1803). 179 
ful, the whole of Hindustan would be at their feet, and above them 
none but the emperor. Finally she exclaimed, ‘If you adhere to 
Jahandar Shah, you will have to answer before the Great Judge for 
disavowing your mother’s claim upon you.’ At these words Husain 
‘Ali Khan took up the women’s veils and replaced them on their heads 
swearing a binding oath that he would espouse the prince’s cause. The 
next night Farrukhsiyar presented himself at the Khan’s house, saying 
that he had come either to be seized and sent to Jahandar Shah, or to 
enter into an agreement for the recovery of the throne. The Sayyad 
bound himself finally to fight on Farrukhsiyar’s behalf. He wrote at 
once to his elder brother, ‘Abdu-llah Khan, at Allahabad, inviting him 
to joi the same side, and Farrukhsiyar addressed a farman to him 
making many promises, and authorising him to expend the Bengal 
treasure, then at Allahabad, on the enlistment of troops, It is quite 
clear that at this time, or soon afterwards, the two chief places in the 
empire, those of chief minister and of first noble (Amiru-l-uwmara) were 
formally promised to the two brothers as their reward in case of success.! 
10. ‘AspuLLAH KHAN, ON BEING SUPERSEDED AT ALLAHABAD, GIVES 
IN HIS ADHESION TO FARRUKHSIYAR. 
At first ‘Abdu-llah Khan’s intention was to submit to Jahindar 
Shah, the de facto emperor, to whom he sent letters professing his 
loyalty and offering his services. Three months before the death of 
Bahadur Shah, he had gone out towards Jaunpur to restore order. In 
this he was not successful and the pay of his soldiers fell into arrears. 
The men raised a disturbance, and ‘Abdu-llah Khan’s only anxiety was to © 
escape from them and take shelter within the fort of Allahabad. 
He promised publicly that as soon as he reached the city, all the 
collections then in the hands of his agents should be made over to the 
troops. On the return march, word came of Bahadur Shah’s death.® 
A few days before his arrival at Allahabad, Shuja‘u-d-din Khan, 
son-in-law of Murshid Quli Khan, diwan of Bengal, had reached that 
place with one kror of rupees (about £ 1,000,000),? the annual remit- 
tance from that province to the imperial treasury. Hearing of the late 
emperor's death, the envoy halted at Allahabad in some perplexity. 
‘Abdu-llah Khan, at his second interview with Shuja‘u-d-din Khan, 
1 Warid, 1366; Khafi Khan, II, 708, 710, 711. As to Ruhtas, see Kamwar 
Khan, entry of 22nd Zi-l-hajj 1123 H. (30th Jan. 1712.) 
2 Warid, 138 ., 139 a. 
8 Khafi Khan, II, 715, puts the sum at 28 lakhs of rupees (£ 280,000). Shuja‘a- 
d-daulah, Shuja‘a-d-din Mhd. Khan, died as Sabahdar of Bengal or the. 17th 
Muharram 1152 H. (25th April, 1739), aged nearly 80 years (2-i-Mhdz). 
