63 » H I N D O. 
try, was Succeeded in the government of Oude by his 
fon-iri-law Suffder Jung 5 Zekariah Khan, was continued 
foubahdar of Lahore ; and Shujah ul Dowlah, nabob of 
Bengal, being dead, was fucceeded'by his fon Allah ul 
Dowlah; who being fhortly after defeated and flain by 
Aliverdi Khan, governor of Patna, the ufurper feized 
the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa, and was con¬ 
firmed in them by the imperial grants, for a large pefti- 
culh or prefent to the prince, and promife of remitting 
the annual revenues to the treafury. Nizam ul Muluk 
returned to the Deccan, which had fallen into great dif- 
order, from the difaffeftion of the provinces during the 
invafion of Nadir Shah, and the general relaxation of the 
government, which followed. 
Mohammed Shah, acquiring prudence from the expe¬ 
rience of pall misfortunes, now determined upon a more 
ftrift adminillration of his affairs throughout the em¬ 
pire ; and with this view he, in the year of the hegira 
1156, A. D. 174-3, l'ummoned to court Ameer Khan 
from Aleabad ; Surfder Jung,, foubahdar of Oude ; Zeka¬ 
riah it-han, nizam of Lahore and Moultan; alfo the ra¬ 
jahs Bukht Sing Rhatoree and Jey Sing. A mandate was 
likewife difpatclygd to Nizam ul Muluk ; but he pleaded 
an excufe from his great age ; though in fact he was at the 
time employed in lecuring the government of the Dec- 
can to his family. Rajah Jey Sing died before he could 
fet out for Delhi; and three of his wives, with many con¬ 
cubines, burned themfelves on his funeral pile. Ameer 
Khan, and Suffder Jung, on their arrival at court, were 
received with every mark of royal favour. This year the 
emperor’s only fon, fultan Ahmed, was married to a 
daughter of the lineal defcendant of Mahabut Khan, an 
aflive omrah in the reign of Jehanguir. The foubahdary 
of Guzerat was bellowed on Fuk'hir ul Dowlah ; but, af¬ 
ter a feeble attempt to recover it from the Malirattas, he 
returned to Delhi in his private capacity. 
The emperor marched in perfon, at the earned: requefl 
of Suffder Jung, to reduce Ali Mohammed Khan, the 
founder of the Rohilla flates, who had, from the negli¬ 
gence of the government, poffeued himfelf of indepen¬ 
dent authority over the diftricts of Kutteer, now called, 
from the refidence of the Rohillas, Rohilcund. He was 
befieged in a fortrefs called Bangur; and, being taken 
prifoner, was committed to the care of the vizier; after 
which the royal army returned to Delhi. Zekariah Khan 
dying in 1745, the foubahdary of Lahore was conferred 
on the vizier, who appointed two Ions of the deceafed 
his deputies. 
Peace had for a year or two fired its benign influence 
over the realms of Hindooftan, when the invafion took 
place of Ahmed Shall Abdallah. He was the fon of a 
chief of the Afghan tribe of Abdal; and was taken pri¬ 
foner in his infancy by Nadir Shah; who, finding him 
poffefTed of courage and ability, promoted him to a con- 
fiderable command in bis army. Upon the aflaffination 
of that monarch, (fee the article Persia,) he had the 
good fortune to poflefs himfelf of a confiderable treafure, 
v/ith which he retired to his native country, and affum- 
ed the honours of royalty over the Afghans of his tribe. 
In the year of the hegira 1161, A. D. 1747, he marched 
againfl the fortrefs of Candahar, which Submitted to his 
arms; and prevailed upon Nafir Khan, the foubahdar of 
Cabid, to acknowledge his authority; permitting .him to 
continue in office, on p'romifing to pay down five lacks 
of rupees. He then advanced againfl Pefhawir, which 
inflantly fubmittihg, he marched agaift the city of La¬ 
hore, which alfo fell into his hands after a Short refif- 
tance. Emboldened by this fuccefs, and the v/eaknefs of 
the empire, Ahmed Shah Abdallah refolved to attempt the 
conqueft of the capital itfelf, and boldly marched from 
Lahore towards the city of Delhi. Mohammed Shah, be¬ 
ing much indifpofed, difpatched his only fon, prince 
Ahmed, againfl the enemy, under the conduct of the 
vizier, Kummir ul Dien Khan, Suffder Jung, foubahdar 
of Oude, Eefuree Sing, rajah of Jcypour, and feveral 
O S T A N. 
other chiefs, with a great army. They advanced Co 
haflily, that the enemy had artfully parted by them, and 
plundered the rich city of Sirhind, where the baggage of 
of the young prince was depofited. Upon intelligence of 
this misfortune, the prince immediately turned back ; 
and, on his arrival near the enemy, he threw up entrench- 
.ments round his camp. The Afghan Abdallah did the 
fame ; and for fome days feveral fkirmifhes took place be¬ 
tween the two armies. At length, Kummir u! Dien 
Khan, the vizier, be’ing killed by a cannon-ball while at 
his devotions in his tent, a panic prevailed in the Mogul 
army, and Eefuree Sing, with his rajahpouts, fled from 
the field. Meer Munnoo, the vizier’s Ion, and 'Suffder 
Jung, however, difdained to fly, and by their vi.*our re- 
ltored order in the camp. The next aay, a magazine of 
rockets taking fire in the enemy’s camp, numbers of the 
troops were wounded by the explofion ; and Ahmed Shah 
Abdallah, either difheartened by this lofs, or l'atisfied by 
the plunder of Sirhind, thought proper to draw off his 
army towards Cabul. Mohammed Shah, being near his 
end, commanded the prince to return to Delhi; but, be¬ 
fore he could reach the capital, the emperor expired, 
aged forty-eight years, in the thirty firfc year of his reign, 
and in the year of the hegira 1161, A. D. 1747. His 
death was concealed for fome days, till the arrival of the 
prince ; who, on his approach, was faluted emperor in ti*e 
garden of Shalimar; from whence he went in royal pomp 
to the great mofque, where the public fervice was read, 
and coins were ftruck, in his name. 
Mohammed Shah was not deflitute either of abilities or 
judgment; but he laboured under an indolence of difpo- 
fition unpardonable in a fovereign; on which account he 
was overruled by his miniflers in all the important quef- 
tionsof theftate, and perfuaded byliis harem againfl expo- 
fing his perfon in the perils of war; hence he was rarely 
the leader of his own army. He was unable to reflore 
the empire from the decline it had fuffered under Fe- 
rokhfere; and,, after the invafion of Nadir Shah, he be¬ 
came difpirited, and gave himfelf up to retirement, and 
the fociety of religious men. He was averfe from op- 
preflion and fhedding of blood, and the people from him 
fuffered no wrong. While he lived, the royal name was 
refpeflable; and by his juflice he fuflained the tottering 
pillars of the Hate from falling into total ruin, though 
he could not repair the unwieldy fabric. 
Ahmed Shah, on his acceflion, offered the vizarut to 
Nizam ul Muluk ; v/ho excufed himfelf from accepting 
it on account of his great age, being in his hundred and 
fourth year; nor did he long furvive this refufal, dying 
about a month afterwards in the vicinity of Burhampour, 
the capital of Candeifh. He had governed the Mogul 
provinces of the Deccan for thirty years, as an indepen¬ 
dent prince, except in name, with great ability and iuc- 
cefs. He left behind him fix fons ; and was fucceeded in 
the Deccan by the fecond, Meer Ahmed Nafir Jung ; the 
eldeft, Ghazee ul Dien, refiding at the court of Delhi, in 
the office of emir ul omrah. The memory of Nizam ul 
Muluk is ftill venerated in Hindooftan, for his wildom, 
policy, generofity, and learning. 
Immediately on the death of the nizam, the vizarut was 
be ft owed on Suffder Jung, who aflumed the whole admi- 
niftrat.ion of the imperial authority; Ahmed Shah,' con¬ 
trary (o the hopes which had been formed of him, giving 
himfelf up to pleafure, and paying no attention to the 
pro'fperity of the government. Suffder Jung’s firil mea- 
fure in office, v/as to attempt the expulfion of the Rohil¬ 
las from his province of Oude. He, for this purpofe, fum- 
moned an army of, Mahrattas to ins afliltance, with which 
he moved from Delhi, and in two months recovered his 
own dominions from the enemy, and obliged the Rohillar 
chief, with his allies, to take flicker in the hills. The 
other Rohillas purchafed their pardon by the payment of 
a large contribution. About this time died Nafir Jung, 
fecond Ion and fucceffor to Nizam ul Muluk in the Dec- 
can, by a confpiracy of his own fervants, anrfted by the 
a French, 
