70 H I N D O 
hammed Shah, fearful, of reading longer in the ruined 
capital, offered the daughter of that emperor to Shah Ab- 
•dallah, and petitioned for an afylum for thfemfelves in his 
dominions. Re accepted the princefs m marriage, and 
complied with the requeft of the fultanas, who accompa’- 
nied him to Ca ldahar. His fan, T.imour Shah, who was 
married at the fame time to a daughter of Aulumgeer, 
was left with a confiderable force to protect Lahore.. 
During thel’e calamities in Delhi, the Deccan was alfo 
difordered by revolutions. M. Dupleix, the French ge¬ 
neral, who had obtained the foie influence in the court 
of the niz^m Sullabut Jung, was governed in his turn by 
the advice of Ryder Jung, a native nobleman, who led 
him as he pleafed. M. Dupleix continued to conduct the 
affairs of the Deccan, till, by the intrigues of Nizam Ali, 
brother to Sullabut Jung, his counfellor Ryder Jung being 
. affaffmated, and the Englifh, who had patronifed Moham¬ 
med Ali Khan in the province of Arcot, growing power¬ 
ful, he was obliged to return into the French territories 
to the afiiftance of his countrymen. Nizam Ali, being 
now without a rival, depofed his brother, and affumed the 
government; but his power was much curtailed by the 
Mahrattas, who obliged him to refign to them a great part 
of his territories, and pay a tribute for the remainder. 
Upon the retreat of Ahmed Shah Abdallah to Canda- 
har, Ghazee ul Dien, the fuperfeded emir ul omrah, hav¬ 
ing prevailed on the nabob of Ferokhabad, Ahmed Khan 
Bungufh, to join him with his troops, and called to his 
afiiftance an army of Mahrattas under RagonautRow and 
Hoikar, marched immediately to Dell|i. The emperor, 
and Nujeeb ul Dowlah, the new emir ul omrah, having 
no army of any conlequence, were obliged to fubmit to 
the enemy. But Nujeeb ul Dowlah, by bribing the Mah¬ 
rattas, obtained leave to retire to his government; while 
the wretched emperor was again left in the power of 
Ghazee ul Dien, who now polfeffed uncontrouled autho¬ 
rity over him. His jealoufy, however, was alarmed by the 
emperor’s elded fon, Ali Gohur, who had obtained from 
his father a jaghire in the vicinity of the capital, and was 
employed in raifing contributions from it, at the head of 
a fmall body of troops. The vizier obliged the emperor 
to recall the prince, who returned to Delhi; but no arti¬ 
fices could prevail upon him to enter the citadel, where 
he knew he fhould be made a prifoner. Ghazee, enraged 
.at his refinance, furrounded his palace; when the prince, 
by a gallant effort, cut his way with a very few brave fol¬ 
lowers, through the troops, and made his efcape to Nu¬ 
jeeb ail Dowlah, who protected him for eight months ; at 
the expiration of which he marched to try his fortune in 
Bengal, the nabob of which province, Surajah ul Dowlah, 
had been depofed by the affiftance of the Englifh, and 
Meer Jaffier let up in his room. 
. Ghazee ul Dien, difappointed in his views on the heir 
to the empire, refolved to execute vengeance on Nujeeb. 
ul Dowlah, his' protector; and for this purpofe called in 
an army of Mahrattas, under the chiefs Junko, 'and Dut- 
tah Scindia; who invaded his country, which he defended 
againlt them for fame months, being aliifted by the .nabob 
or 6ude, and the Ro.hillas ; when the Mahrattas were fud- 
denly called away to oppole the Afghans, who were again 
advancing under Shah Abdallah. Ghazee ul Dien Khan, 
dreading the refdntment of that prince for the indignities 
(liown to_Aul.umgeer, and the removal of Nujeeb ul Dow¬ 
lah from the poll of emir ul omrah conferred upon him 
by Abdallah, affaffmated the unhappy Aulumgeer; and, 
leaving Delhi in poft'effion of the Mahrattas, retired to one 
of the fortrefles of Sooruuje Mul, chief of the Jauts, who 
gave him protection. Mohee ul Sunnut, fon of Kaum ’ 
Bukh(h, and grandlon or Aurungzebe, was now feated on 
the throne, by the title of Shah Jehan, and diluted empe¬ 
ror, in prejudice of the rightful heir, Ali Gohur. 
During thefe events, the Mahratta power had extended 
itfelf in almoR every province of Hindooltan; when Nu¬ 
jeeb ul Dowlah, the Rohillas, and Sujah ul Dowlah, 
O S-T A N. 
united their forces, to nrevent, if poff.ble, the total over- 
th-ow of the Mohammedan empire. The Hindoo princes 
alfo were equally oppreffed by the Mahrattas y who, though 
of the fame faith, only left a bare maintenance to'thofe 
whom they conquered. Both M 1 .: (Tillmans and Hindoos 
therefore joined in petitions to Ahmed Shah Abdallah, 
that he would come and affume the throne of Deihi, in 
which they p-omifed to (import him. Abdallah, rejoicing 
at the invitation, advanced without delay towa ds the 
Indian metropolis. He was foon joined by the chiefs 
Nujeeb ul Dowlah, Saadoollah Khan, Hafiz Rhamut, and 
Doondee Khan. The Mahrattas were encamped near 
Delhi; and Shah Abdallah marched to give them battle. 
For fome days, jkirmifhing only took place between de¬ 
tached parties. At length, the Mahratta chief Duttah 
Scindia, diftrefled for provifions, having firft fent off his 
nephew Junko to the Deccan, determined to hazard a 
battle. With his whole army dil’mounted, he drew up in 
front of his camp, daring the enemy to come to aftion. 
The challenge was accepted, and a bloody engagement 
took place, in. which, at daft, Duttah and the greateft part 
of his troaps were cut to pieces. Shah Abdallah, imme¬ 
diately after the victory, haftened in purfuit of Junko, and 
foon reached Narnoul. Here he received intelligence that 
Hoikar, the Mahratta chief in the Jeypour country, had 
marched to Soorauje Mul, chief of the Jauts, whom he 
endeavoured to prevail upon to join him; but he alleged 
in his excufe for not complying, that he could not fpare 
troops from his garrifons. Hoikar upon this moved with 
his own troops to Secundra, twenty cofs to the eaftward 
of Delhi, where the Rohilla chiefs had collected ftores for 
Abdallah’s army, hoping to diftrefs him by leizing them; 
but the Rohillas had taken the precaution to move the 
grain acrofs the Ganges. Abdallah, upon this intelli¬ 
gence, detached Puflund Khan with a body of cavalry 
againft Hoikar. In the fpace of twenty-four hours he 
marched with fifteen thouland horfe from Narnoul to 
Delhi, the diftance of feventy cofs, or one hundred and 
forty miles; and only remained a (ingle day at that city 
for refrefhment, crofted the Jumna the night following, 
and about dawn arrived at Secundra, where Hoikar was 
encamped. The Mahratta chief was completely furpriled, 
and had fcarcely time to make his efcape quite naked, 
with about three hundred followers. The reft of his troops 
were either killed or taken prifoners, and a great plunder 
fell into the hands of the viftors. Shah Abdallah then 
moved from Narnoul to Delhi; and at the approach of 
the rainy feafon crofted the Jumna to canton at Secundra, 
for the convenience of being fupplied with provifions. 
When the intelligence of Duttah Scindia’s defeat and 
death, and the overthrow of Hoikar, reached the Mah¬ 
rattas in the Deccan, Suddaftieo Row, commonly called 
Show, with an army of artillery and fepoys difeiplined in 
the European method, and an innumerable hoft of cavalry, 
marched to regain their credit in Hindooftan. Upon the 
arrival of this army near Agra, Soorauje Mul, the Jaut 
rajah, was prevailed upon by Muihar and Hoikar, who 
had taken refuge with him, to viiit the B/iow; and 
at Muttra, Ghazee ul Dien Khan, the murderer of Au¬ 
lumgeer, joined them. Suddafiie.o Bhovv, as the rapidity 
and depth of the Jumna would not permit him to crols 
and attack Shah Abdallah, marched to Delhi, which he 
entered, in the Muftulman year 1173, A.D. 1759, and im- 
mediately commenced 'an, aftiiuit upon the palace. One 
attack was made at the. lion baftion, and another at the 
Delhi gate. At length the Mahrattas lucceeded in (torrn- 
ing the place; when Suddaftieo Bliow entered the palace 
and broke down the ceiling of the grand hall of audience, 
which was of filver, and melted.it for coin. The gold and 
filver plate at the tombs and fepulchres of the emperors 
he alfo feized ; and was guilty of every plunder exprefiive 
of a bafe and grovelling mind. He placed Shah jehan 
Bukht, fon of Ali Gohur, on the throne, and appointed 
Sujah ul Dowlah his vizier, in hopes that this meafure 
4 would 
