1885.] 
the Sultans of Kashmir. 
109 
signed his children into hands he thought worthy of the charge. He 
appointed Yusuf Khan, the son of Bahrain Khan, who was in prison and 
Fath Khan son of Yd am Khan who was in Jasroth their guardians and 
Muhammad Khan his successor. Sayyid Hasan outwardly concurred. 
The Sultan shortly after died. The historian adds “ the duration of 
his reign is not known.” One MS. I have consulted says he died in 
897 A. H. Prinsep puts in it 891 A. H. His silver coins are dated 
876 A. H. on the obverse in figures. According to Farishtah this is one 
year before the death of Zain-ul-’Abidin. The histories I am inclined 
regard as mistaken. The reverses of the coins adhere to the 842 in words 
of Zain-ul-’Abidin’s coins. Hence it was all the more necessary to put 
the real date of the king somewhere on the coin. They therefore placed 
it in figures on the obverse along with the name . See figs. 3 and 4, PI. I. 
Muhammad Shah, 1st time .—Muhammad Shah was but 7 years of 
age when his father died. Sayyid Hasan was the chief agent in securing 
the throne for his grandson. Regencies have always been prolific in 
disturbances even in countries where there is a settled law. We shall 
not be surprised therefore to find that, in Kashmir, where there was no 
law of succession, the disturbances were many and frequent. 
When the treasury was opened to the young king, and the wealth 
of the state and its resources were exhibited to him, he is said to have 
laid hold of a bow rather than on the gold and silver. From this the 
Kashmiris augured that he would prove a brave and warlike ruler. 
But the Sayyids were at that time all-powerful in council. Ho one 
Could approach the king. At that time the Rajah of Jammu was a 
refugee in Kashmir, from the tyranny of Tatar Khan Lodi the governor 
of the Panjab. The Kashmiris getting the Rajah to help them murdered 
Sayyid Hasan, and thirty of his slaves, and then crossing the Jhelum des¬ 
troyed the bridge. Meanwile Sayyid Muhammad, uncle of the king, took 
care of him. Another Sayyid murdered the son of Bahrain Khan in prison 
because a section of the community desired to raise him to the throne. 
The upshot of things was that the Sayyids and the popular party came to 
blows. Tbe city became a prey to both parties. Jahangir Makar! of 
Lauharkot was invited to assist against the Sayyids. His son Daud 
Khan Makar! was sent. But in an engagement with the Sayyids he was 
slain, together with numbers of his friends. Pyramids were made of 
the heads of the slain. The next day the battle was renewed on the 
bridge, which, breaking in the middle of the battle caused great loss on 
both sides. At this juncture the Sayyids asked Tatar Khan Lodi to assist 
them. He sent a large army, but when it arrived at Bhimber it was 
destroyed. The cause of the Sayyids became desperate. The popular 
party began to look up and take heart. The city was plundered by the 
