65 
H I N D O 
wafted their time in idle negotiations for peace, while 
the enemy plundered the country around them. Saaudut 
Khan, foubahdar of Oude, was much more anxious to ac¬ 
quire fame, by expelling the Malirattas and redeeming the 
difgrace of the empire. He marched from his capital, at¬ 
tended by l)is fon-in-law Suffder Jung, in purfuit of the 
Mahratta chief Row Mulhar, who had crofted the Jumna, 
and wafted the country from Etawa to Mootec Baug, clofe 
to the city of Agra. At length, Saaudut Khan, coming 
upon him by forced marches, defeated him with great daugh¬ 
ter. Three principal officers were taken prifoners, and 
Mulhar with great difficulty efcaped. The fugitives, in 
their panic miftaking the paifage of the river Jumna, which 
they had forded, were drowned in great numbers; many 
were taken prifoners, and a few gained the oppoftte fhsre. 
Mulhar with a few followers reached the camp of Bajee- 
row, another Mahratta chief, near Gwalior. Saaudut 
Khan, therefore, ill'ued orders for each of his foldiers to 
prepare four days’ provifions, and leave his baggage in 
the camp, intending to purfue the enemy to their own 
province, and redeem the faded honour of Hindooftan ; 
but he received pofttive orders from the emir ul omrah 
to halt till he could join him with his forces ; fo jealous 
v/as he left any laurels ftiould be won but by liimfelf. 
.This .gave time to the Mahratta chiefs, Mulhar and Bajee- 
row, to recover from the late defeat ; and the latter re- 
folved to march towards Delhi, at that time almoft delti- 
tute of troops for its defence. So rapid was his progrefs, 
that he burned part of the fuburbs of the capital, before 
any intelligence of his movement had gained the city. The 
emperor and inhabitants were thrown into the utmoft con- 
fternation. They were not relieved till after three days, by 
the arrival of Saaudut Khan, and the armies of the vi¬ 
zier and emir ul omrah. The enemy then retreated into 
Malwa, but were not purfued; and the minilters, to the 
difgrace and irreparable lofs of the empire, perfuaded 
Mohammed Shah to purchafe a temporary peace, by con- 
fenting. to the cnoute, or payment of a fourth part of the 
revenues to the Mahrattas. Thus lhamefuily was the 
welfare and permanence of the ftate compounded for with 
its enemies ; while the difpirited emperor, loft in the foft 
dalliances of his harem, never once took the field to check 
thefe gigantic ftrides of the Mahratta chiefs. Nizam ul 
Muluk, who had been again brought over to the empe¬ 
ror’s intereft by a royal confirmation of his viceroyalty in 
the Deccan, attempted to recover the province of Malwa 
from the Mahrattas; but, after marching and defeating 
Bajeerow, he was obliged haftily to return for the defence 
of Delhi, againft the Perfian invader Nadir Shah, who 
was advancing rapidly towards it. 
■ It was the emperor’s misfortune, that Khan Dowran, 
the emir ul omrah, pofiefied unbounded influence over 
his mind ; fo that this minifter direfted all things as he 
thought proper, however impolitic or unadvifeable; an 
inftance of which was ftrikingly manifefted in the com- 
promife with the Mahrattas. With the fame imprudence, 
he neglefted furnifliing the fupplies of money to the fou¬ 
bahdar 9f Cabul, for keeping up the ftations in the ftrong 
holds and pafles on the confines of the empire in that 
province; to which caufe may be attributed the invafion 
of Nadir Shah, who would never, in all probability, have 
attempted his expedition, had he not heard of the de- 
fencelefs ftate of the frontier. The oftenfible caufe of the 
Perfian monarch’s difpleafure againft Mohammed Shah, 
was the protection which the rebellious Afghans had re¬ 
ceived in Hindooftan, after their defeat by his arms when 
regent of Perfia; though he had lent an.ambaflador to 
Delhi, requefting the emperor that they might not find 
an afylum in his dominions. Nadir Shah, o.n his accef- 
fion to the throne of Perfia, fent alfo another ambafla- 
dcr; but no credence was given to him, nor the 'minifter 
permitted to return to his court. During the fiege of 
Candahar, Nadir difpatched a nobleman of rank, named 
Mohammed Khan, to the court of Delhi, to repeat his 
requeft concerning the fugitive Afghans, and to exprefs 
Vol.X. No. 641. 
O S T A N. 
his furprife at the negleft fhown to his embaffies by the 
emperor of the Moguls. Mohammed Shah and his mi- 
nifters were at a lofs what anfwer to return; and delayed 
the difmiflion of the ambafiador, in hopes that he might 
fail in the conqueft of Candahar, and be/ obliged to re¬ 
treat into Perfia, when they would avoid the difgrace of 
acknowledging a ufurper as equal in rank with the fo- 
vereign of Hindooftan. Thefe repeated flights, and the 
efcape from his vengeance which the Afghans had found 
in the provinces of Hindooftan, determined Nadir Shah, 
upon tlie fall of Candahar, to invade the empire. Ac¬ 
cordingly, after that event, he marched to Cabul, which 
he took with little oppofition, and remained in the vici¬ 
nity aepr feven months ; during which time his troops 
were employed in exterminating his enemies the Afghans. 
It is probable be would not have advanced farther, had 
not a plenipotentiary, and feveral horfemen, whom he had 
fent from Cabul to Delhi, been murdered on their route 
by the inhabitants of Jellalabad. Upon intelligence of 
this fliameful aft of violence cxercifed upon the facred 
charafter of his ambaftador, he inftantly marched againft 
that city, flaughtered the people, and purfued his route 
to Pefhawir, where Nafir Khan, the foubahdar of Cabul, 
refided ; to whom he fent-a meffage, fignifying that he 
fltould arrive on a'certain day, when, if not oupofed, lie 
would fpare the country, and receive him into favour. 
Nafir Khan, however, prepared for refinance, and was 
defeated, and taken prifoner; but after a few days’ im- 
pril'onment, was reinftated in his government on the part 
of the Perfian monarch. From Pefhawir, Nadir proceed¬ 
ed to Lahore, the foubahdar of which, Zekariah Khan, 
after'fome little oppofition in the field, took refuge in the 
capital, which he Ihortly after furrendered, and was in¬ 
verted with the command of it by the conqueror; who, 
leaving forrte of-his troops to enfure his fidelity, marched 
towards-Delhi. 
Mohammed Shah and his profligate minifters had long 
pretended to defpife the arms of the victorious Nadir, aria 
to diihelieve the daily accounts received of his approach. 
He at length, however, took the field; but in the force 
of two months marched only four days’ journey from 
Delhi to the plain of Kama!; and here the fate of the 
devoted empire was decided. The imperial army en¬ 
camped on the banks of the canal of Alimerdan Khan, 
which fupplied the city of Delhi with water. Entrench¬ 
ments were thrown up, and a numerous artillery, linked 
together with chains, was planted'round the camp. Na¬ 
dir Shah, after taking Lahore, fent frequent meftages to 
tlie Mogul camp, defiring the difmiflion of his ambafla- 
dors, but was not obeyed; for what reafon was never 
known. The emir ul omrah placed great hopes in the 
valour of the Rajahpouts ; but neither Jey Sing, nor any 
of the great- rajahs, obeyed the fummons to the royal 
ftandard ; fending idle excufes for their delay in their fe¬ 
veral diftricts. Great dread and confufion prevailed in 
the camp ; and fo bad was the intelligence of the ap¬ 
proach of the invaders, that it was not known how far 
Nadir had advanced, till fome wounded fugitives, from a 
foraging party, proclaimed to the affrighted Moguls the 
certainty of the Perfians being within a few miles of their 
entrenchments. A general apprehenfion of alarm took 
place: and the emperor waited with the utmoft anxiety 
for the arrival of Saaudut Khan; the foubahdar of Oude, 
upon wiiofe conduft and valour he had placed all his 
hopes of delivery. At length he arrived; and, being 
brought into the imperial prefence, he was received with 
the higheft diftinftion, and commanded to encamp near 
the divifion of the emir ul omrah.- 
Saaudut Khan had but juft left the emperor, and re¬ 
paired to his ground, when word was brought him that 
the Perfians had attacked his baggage, and were commit¬ 
ting great daughter ; upon which he immediately re¬ 
mounted his elephant, and fending intelligence of this 
event to the emir ul omrah, with a requeft of aftiftance, 
haftened againft the enemy. The emir ul omrah commu- 
S nicated 
