64 HINDOOS TAM. 
teen, out of a hundred, thoufand horfe remained with 
Abdallah Khan, He however was yet undaunted; and 
at day-light charged the imperial army with great vigour. 
A bloody and obftinate conflict enfued, in which the for¬ 
tune of Mohammed Shah prevailed. Abdallah Khan, de¬ 
ferred by all but a few perfonal attendants, difmounted 
from his elephant, and fought bravely on foot; but he 
was overpowered, and taken prifoner, with his brother 
Nudjam ul Dien, and carried before the emperor. Sul¬ 
tan Ibrahim, who had fled from the field, was alfo taken, 
and remanded to confinement. 
Mohammed Shah, after this decifive and important vic¬ 
tory, rewarded the fervices of his nobility and army ac¬ 
cording to their merits, and prepared to march to the ca¬ 
pital, Delhi. On the twenty-fecond he entered the city in 
great pomp, upon an elephant moft fumptuoufly capari¬ 
soned, followed by many others in houfings of embroidery 
and cloth of gold. Several travelling thrones and car¬ 
riages, richly ornamented with precious ftones, gold, and 
enamel, dazzled the eyes of the beholders. The troops 
of the houfehold and thofe of the nobility were all newly 
clothed, and increafed the fplendour of the cavalcade. 
Numbers of beautiful horfes, in furniture let with jewels 
and enamelled, were led in the proceflion, which was 
fplendid beyond all the eye had ever before teen. Money 
was fcattered in profufion to the populace, whofe accla¬ 
mations at the reftoration of the imperial authority reach¬ 
ed the heavens. The emperor arrived in the palace about 
eight o’clock, where his mother, Koodfia Begum, and 
the other princefies, firft made their offerings, waving 
round his head golden bafons filled with jewels, and gold 
and fil.ver coins, which were afterwards distributed to the 
poor. After this ceremony, the nobility and people were 
permitted to prefent their gifts of congratulation. The 
empire now bid fair to enjoy perfect peace, and the hap- 
piefl profpeft appeared of a long and glorious reign to 
Mohammed Shah. 
Shortly after this grand celebration of the rifing pro- 
fperity of Mohammed Shah, died Mohammed Ameen 
Khan, who had enjoyed the office of vizier only twenty 
two days ; nor was he regretted by the people, to whom 
he was oppreflive. Intending to enlarge his palace, he 
had difpoffefled feven hundred families in his neighbour¬ 
hood of their habitations. The immenfe wealth which 
he had acquired from the confifcations and plunder of 
the Syeds and their dependants, was mo,ft diiintereftedly 
given up by the emperor to his heirs; an aft of generofi- 
ty which contradifts the imputation of avarice, too gene¬ 
rally attributed to Mohammmed Shah ; for at this period 
the royal treafury was very low, the late minifters having 
plundered it of vaft fums, and even coined into money 
the golden and fslver rails of the hall of audience. It 
was the general ufage of tlie : princes of the houfe of Ti- 
mour, to feize the eifefts of their deceafed courtiers ; and 
they considered it fufficiently generous to leave a fmall 
part only to the heirs. The important office of vizier was 
now beltowed upon Nizam ul Muluk ; aud, upon his ar¬ 
rival at court, the emperor, in the MufTulman year or 
hegira 1135, of Chrift 1722, confurrimated his nuptials 
with Mallakkeh Zummaneh, daughter of Ferokhfere ; up¬ 
on which occafion he releafed Abdallah Khan, the for¬ 
mer vizier, from iinprifonment. 
Nizam ul Muluk, poffefling the abilities of a great and 
able ftatefman, earnestly advifed the emperor to dedicate 
his time to the adminiftation of public affairs; but Mo¬ 
hammed Shah was become too much the flave of pleafure 
to liften to his advice. Khan Dowran, Kummir ul Dien 
Khan, and other noblemen, favourites of the emperor, 
and jealous of the influence of the new vizier, made it 
their bufinefs to divert the royal mind by diflipated 
amufements ; till at length Nizam ul Muluk, difgufled at 
the voluptuous manners of the court, refigned the exer- 
cife of his office, under pretence of quelling an infurrec- 
tion in Guzerat, and obtained leave to march from Delhi. 
He left the capital after a few months flay, much to the 
fatisfaftion of Mohammed Shah and his favourites, whs 
regarded not the decline of the empire, while they were 
left to the enjoyments of luxury and indolence in the 
harems of their women. From this period the imperial 
authority became only nominal in the Deccan; Nizam ui 
Muluk being in faft the fovereign, though oitenfibly the 
viceroy of Mohammed Shah, who received no tribute, 
but the offerings cuftomary at feitivals and other particu¬ 
lar occafions. 
When Nizam ul Muluk faw no probability of an end 
to the depraved policy of the court, and the weakness 
of its minifters, he excited the Mahrattas to make a ge¬ 
neral war upon Hindooftan; which was continued for 
fome years with various luccefs, but generally to the 
advantage of the Mahrattas, who in confequence be¬ 
came more bold and daring. Arraroo, a zemindar of 
Korah, taking advantage of this weaknefs of the empire, 
had put to death his governor Jaun Niffar Khan, brother 
to the vizier’s wife, and feized his family and treafures ; 
upon which Azim Oollah Khan was lent to chaftife him, 
but the zemindar took refuge in his woods, and eluded 
his purfuer, who, tired out, returned to Delhi, leaving 
his army under the command of Khowauzim Beg Khan. 
Arraroo, emboldened by Azim Oollah Khan’s retreat, 
attacked and flew the deputy} upon which the vizier 
applied for afliftance to Saaudut Khan, foubahdar^of 
Oude, for the reduftion of the rebel. This chief poffefled 
great generality and valour; and, in the .year 1735, he 
marched againit Arraroo, in his way to Delhi. Arraroo 
on his approach refolved to oppofe him; and, having in¬ 
telligence that Saaudut Khan had juft alighted at his 
tent, and that he had on a green veft, and was alfo to 
be known by the whitenels and length of his beard, the 
rebel rallied fuddenly from ambulh with his followers. 
Saaudut Khan remounted his elephant, and drew up his 
army as well as the fuddennefs of the attack would per¬ 
mit. He had however changed his drefs, and wore a 
white veil; fo that Arraroo, miftaking for him Abou 
Terraub Khan, a principal chief, who was habited in 
green, and had a long white beard, levelled his attack at 
him, and, charging clofe to his elephant with lome refo- 
lute followers, wounded him mortally with a fpear. This 
occafioned much dil'order; but Saaudut Khan bravely at¬ 
tacked the rebel in turn, and after a lharp conflift put 
him to death ; upon which the rebels fled- in dil'order. 
Saaudut Khan fent Arraroo’s head to the emperor; but 
the lkin of the body he cauled to be flayed off, and fent 
Huffed' with ftraw to the vizier. But frelh rebellions Hill 
continued to break out; and every year witnefled the 
falling away of different provinces, the governors of which 
thought fit to fet up for themfelves. 
About this time the foubahdary of the province of 
Patna was conferred upon Shujah ul Dowlah, the nabob 
of Bengal, in addition to that government and of the pro¬ 
vince of Orifla. Shujah ul Dowlah was a native of Bur- 
hampour; and, during Aurungzebe’s campaigns in the 
Deccan, he married the daughter of Jaffier Khan, foubah- 
dar of Bengal, and accompanied his father-in-law to that 
province; but, not agreeing with her in difpofition, he 
refided moftly at Cuttac, the capital of Oriffa, -of which 
he was governor. Shujah ul Dowlah was celebrated for 
his clemency, juftice, and all good qualities; and Ben¬ 
gal, which is called tire paradile of regions, truly merit¬ 
ed the appellation during his adminiftration; when per- 
fons of all ranks, living in eafe and fafety, were loud in 
his praifes, and repofed themfelves under the fhade of his 
proiper-ity. 
The Mahrattas, in the year of the hegira 1149, A. D. 
1735, notwithftanding they had been defeated in feveral 
actions, ftill continued their invaflons; and, advancing 
now with a menacing afpeft towards the capital, the emir 
ul omrah, Khan Dowran, was difpatched with*a great ar¬ 
my to the vicinity of Agra; while the vizier, Kummir 
ul Dien Khan, was fent with a powerful force towards 
Agimer,e; but, inftead of acting on the ©ftenfive, they 
wafted 
