876 Geographical Notice of the Valley of Jullalabad, [No. 155. 



he describes the water to be good, and the air delightful,) to Behar ; 

 thence to Jullalabad, where he remained only 31 days; his sirdars 

 meanwhile having captured Kooner and Bajore, he proceeded via 

 Chara to Peshawur, where Nasir Khan, the governor, submitted with- 

 out making any defence. 



To enumerate all the important events which have taken place in 

 this district since that period would take up too much space. I will 

 only briefly allude to a few of them. 



On the 10th of Sept. 1801, Shooja-ool-Moolk marched from Pesha- 



A. D. 1801. wur to attack Cabul. At Heshkan he found Mahmood's 

 force, consisting of three thousand men, drawn up, the Soorkhrood be- 

 ing in their front. Elphinstone thus describes the battle. "Shooja 

 had at this time at least 10,000 men, but they were Burdooranees, and 

 though accustomed to the battles of their clans, they were strangers to 

 discipline and to regular warfare. Shooja's armies were at first victo- 

 rious, but his Burdooranee troops eager to profit by the confusion, 

 quitted their lines as soon as they thought the victory decided and 

 began to plunder the royal treasures, which Shooja had imprudently 

 brought into the field. Futteh Khan seized this opportunity and 

 charging at the head of his Baurikzyes completed the confusion in 

 Shooja's army. The battle was now decided, and Shooja escaped 

 with some difficulty to the Khyber." 



In the year A. D. 1809, June 29th, Shah Shooja sustained another 

 defeat at Neemla when opposed to Mahmood Shah and his Minister 

 Futteh Khan. Akram Khan, Shah Shooja's Prime Minister, was slain 

 in this battle, Shah Shooja fled over the mountains South of the 

 Khybur Pass to Hisaruk. 



On Zuman Shah's defeat near Sirceasp, he fled to the Jullalabad 

 valley, and stopped at Mollah Ashik's fort, which is on the Chipreeal 

 rivulet, about 14 miles from the town of Jullalabad, near the Soofaid 

 Koh ; " the Moollah received them hospitably, but took means to 

 prevent their escape, and sent off a messenger to Mahmood Shah. 

 Shah Zuman during- his confinement, secured the Koh-i-Noor with 

 some other jewels in the wait of his apartment, which were afterwards 

 found on Shooja's accession." (Elphinstone) The poor monarch was 

 blinded on his road to Cabul, by piercing his eyes with a lancet. 



On Shaji Shooja being restored to his throne, the first step he took 



