H I N D O 
the-harem, at the inftigrvtion- of Mohammed' -Shah. - The 
inhabitants too eafily credited what they wifhed to be 
true. They flew to arms, and maffacred every Periian 
they met in 'the city ; which, during the night, was a 
fctne of confufion and horror. The nobles of Hindoo- 
ftan, inftead of attempting to quell the rage of the peo¬ 
ple, by proclaiming' that Nadir, was'ftiil alive in the pa¬ 
lace, which was garrjloned by his troops, remained inac¬ 
tive ; and at feme of their houfes, the Perfians who lodged 
in them were treacheroufly murdered. Nadir Shah, at 
the commencement of the tumult, fent out fome officers 
to perfuade .the people of their error; but, inftead of be¬ 
ing liftened to, they were flaughtered. -Seeing-it in vain 
to moderate their fury, and not cliufing to hazard his 
troops in the darknefs cf night and the dole ftreets of the 
city, he refolved to let the ftorrh fpend itfelf, and wait for 
morning to take vengeance on its authors. About a thou¬ 
sand Perfians were flain. 
Early in. the morning, Nadir Shah iffued from the pa¬ 
lace, attended by his troops, and took poft at the college 
of Roofhun ul Dowlah, fituated in a principal ftreet. 
From hence he difpatched bands of foldiers, commanding 
them to (laughter, without dikinclion of age or fex, the 
wretched inhabitants of Delhi, in every avenue where 
they might find a murdered Perfian. His orders were 
obeyed with a favage keennefs. The carnage lafted from 
fun-rile till mid-day. About eight thouland Indians, 
Moguls, and Afghans, were maffacred, and their houfes 
plundered, by the Perfians. To add to the horror of the 
Icexe, fires broke out in feveral parts of the city. It is 
impoifible to deferibe the horror and nailery of Delhi dur¬ 
ing this and many following days, when the ftreets ftream- 
ed with human blood, and the bodies of the dead ob- 
ftrufted the paflages. Thefe were at length piled toge¬ 
ther in heaps, without diftinclion of rank or religion, and 
burned in the rubbifli of the ruined houfes., Several no- 
biemen were put tod,eath by Nadir Shah, for being accef- 
fary to the murder of Perfians during, the tumult, and 
among' them a fon-in-law of the vizier, Kummir ul Dien 
Khan. . 
On the fourteenth, Nadir Shah began his feizure of the 
imperial effefts and treafures. Three crores and fifty lacs 
were found in the treafury. A crore.and fifty lacs in plate ; 
fifteen crores in jewels; the celebrated peacock throne, 
valued at one crore; and feveral other thrones of rich 
though fmaller value, with the armoury, eftitnated at ele¬ 
ven, crores, were Prized for his ufe; alfo five Hundred ele¬ 
phants, a great number of Arabian hordes, and the fuperb 
camp-equipage of the emperor. O11 the fifteenth, a treaty 
of peace was drawn up, Populating that the provinces 
eaftward of the Sind ftiould remain to the emperor of Hin- 
dooftan ; and thole weft of it be ceded to the crown of 
Perfia. .Thus, Cabul, Tatta, and part of Moultan, were 
wrefted from the empire. This instrument bears date in 
the Mulfuhnan year or hegira 1151^ A. D. 1739. 
On the feventeenth, Nadir demanded from the vizier 
two crores and twelve lacks of rupees; threatening him 
with inftant death in cafe of concealment. On the eigh¬ 
teenth, a contribution was demanded from the nobles 
and fervants of the. court, bankers, merchants, and arti- 
zans, to the emperor, which was levied with the utmoft 
feverity. On the nineteenth, the collectors began their 
exaftions upon individuals ; and many perl’ons put them- 
felves to death to avoid torture. 
On the twenty-firft, the Perfian artillery, by order of 
Nadir Shah, with twelve thouland men, marched out of 
the city, efcoriing the immenfe plunder of the capital 
to the gardens of Slialimar. On the twenty-fecond. Nadir 
Shah’s equipage, among which were ail the magnificent 
tents taken from the palace, was pitched on the banks of 
the Jumna, before the Lahore gate ; and a thonfand Per¬ 
fians of rank, who had taken up their quarters in the pa¬ 
laces, marched to Shalimar. Centinels were placed at the 
gates of the city, while, a general plunder, or murder, of 
the wretched inhabitants, who were poffeffed of jewels 
O S T A N. 0 ? 
or other property, took place. A type of the laft. day's 
fpoiiation exhibits a feene the moft horrid and affiidling. 
It was, before, a general maliacre; but now, the murder 
of .individuals in cold blood. J-11 every houlc, in every 
chamber, was heard the cry of death. Buffuut Roy, 
agent of the pennons, killed his family and himielf, and 
many others followed his example, in order to avoid 
1'candalous infult and violence from being offered to their 
perl'ons. It was now that an aged dervife approached 
Nadir Shah,' and laid, “ If thou art a god, aft as a god ; 
if thou art a prophet, conduft us in the way of faiva- 
tion ; if thou art a king, render the people happy, and do 
not deftroy them.” To which Nadir replied, “ I am no 
god,' to aft as a god; nor a prophet, to fltow the way of 
lalvatipn ;■ nor a king, to render the people happy ; but S 
am he whom God lends to the nations which lie has de¬ 
termined to yifit with his wrath !” 
On the fifth of April, Nadir Shah’s feals were taken off 
the imperial palace, and thofe of Mohammed Shah affix¬ 
ed in their room; when Nadir refolved to reftore Moham¬ 
med Shah to his throne. The lame day firmauns were 
iffued to ail the nobles and omrails in the different pro¬ 
vinces, with thefe contents: “Between us and our.dear 
brother Mohammed Shah, in confideration of the regard 
and alliance of the two fovereignties, the enpneftions 
of regard and friendftiip have been renewed; L> that we 
may be efteemed as one foul in two bodies. Now our 
dear brother has been replaced on the throne cf this ex- 
tenfive empire, and we are moving to the conqueft of 
other regions, it is incumbent that ye, like your forefa¬ 
thers in former times, walk in the path of fubmiftlon and 
obedience to our dear brother, as they did to former fo- • 
vereigns of the houfe of Tifnour. God forbid it; but, if 
accounts of your rebelling ftiould reach our ears, we will 
blot you out of the pages of the book of creation.” 
On the feventh of April, Nadir fent fome valuable jew¬ 
els and bracelets to Mohammed Shah, with a meflage, 
that his march was fixed for the feventeenth of the 
month; and defiring, that on the morrow lie would vifit 
him, attended by the nobility, with all the infignia of 
royalty, that he might give him fome valuable advice, 
and take his leave. Accordingly, the next morning, be¬ 
ing the eighth of April, Mohammed Shah, with imperial 
pomp, attended by the court, proceeded on a travelling 
throne to the grand hall of audience, at the icc-ps of 
which Nadir Shall received him, and led him to the miif- 
nud ; after which all perfons retired. The two monarch? 
remained in private for near an hour. _ Nizam ul Mu- 
luk and other great lords were then admitted; to whom 
Nadir Shah fpoke nearly an hour, in terms of advice min¬ 
gled with threats. Viands were then diftributed, and 
drefies conferred upon them. Nadir Shah prefented jew¬ 
els for a turban, with a fword fet with diamonds, to Mo¬ 
hammed Shah, who then took leave, and retired in the 
fame order he came. 
On the fourteenth, Nadir Shah founded his retreat 
from Delhi, and proceeded by regular marches into Per¬ 
fia. See the article Persia. It is wonderful, but true, 
that the lower orders of the people of Delhi, at lead the 
debauched, who were by far the moft numerous, regret¬ 
ted the departure of the Perfians ; and to this day, the 
exceffes of their foldiery are topics of humour in the 
looler converfation of all ranks, and form the comic 
parts of the drolls or players. Tke people at that time 
appear to have regarded only perfonal fafety, or peribn- 
al gratification. Mifery was difregarded by thofe who 
efcaped it; and man, centred wholly in himielf, felt net 
for his kind. This felfifhnefs, deftruftive of public and 
of private virtue, was almoft univerial- in 'Kindooftan at 
the invafion of Nadir Shah ; nor have the people be come 
more virtuous fince, conlequentiy not more happy nor 
more independent. 
Upon the retreat of Nadir Shah, the emperor made 
fome changes among the great officers of ftate. Saaudut 
Khan, who had fo infamaufly conipired to ruin his coun¬ 
try, 
