1904.] 
W. Irvine —The Later Mughals. 
323 
The farman carried by Ikhlas 3£han, after acknowledging the 
receipt of Husain ‘All Kljan’s report of his coming to Court with the 
son of Prince Akbar and reciting his promise to Rajah Sahu, the 
Mahrattah ruler, (first) that the youth should not be killed, (secondly) 
that the Rajah’s mother and brother should be released, goes on to 
state that the conditions asked for were accepted. For such an impor¬ 
tant business it was right for him to come, and His Majesty yearned to 
see him. At the same time, public affairs in the Dakhin were not in a 
position to admit of his absence, and the Mahrattas would seize the 
opportunity to give trouble. He ought, therefore, to return to his own 
government. All necessary instructions had been given to Ikhlas 
IQian who would impart them orally ; and the prisoner should be made 
over to him on a signed and valid receipt. As for Rajah Sahu’s 
requests, they would be granted in whatever way Husain ‘All Khan 
chose to lay them before the throne. 
In his reply, Husain ‘Ali Khan admitted that to come to Court 
without orders was opposed to rule, but he required to represent in per¬ 
son certain matters pertaining to the Dakhin, and there was also the 
prisoner, with whose custody ther£ was no one he could trust. He 
alleged that he had left a trustworthy deputy in the Dakhin. When^ 
on reaching Malwah, Ikhlas Khan had delivered to him the farman, he 
had at once made ready to return. But the officers of the Mahrattah 
rajah, who were in his company at the head of a large force, swore 
that unless he remained, they could never secure the release of the 
Rajah’s mother and brother. Now, if they were to suspect him of 
treachery, the consequences might be dreadful. Moreover, he was 
overcome by his longing to see His Majesty once more, he had come a 
long way, the remaining distance was short; he had therefore decided 
to push on, make over the prisoner, discuss certain matters of the Dak¬ 
hin, and then return at once to his own government. On these pretexts 
he disregarded the order to retrace his steps. 1 
Section 32.— Progress of Events at DihlT. 
By the middle of Muharram 1131 H. (7th December, 1718) Qutb- 
ul-mulk had been absent from Court for two or three months. In that 
month the Emperor passed several times close to his house on the way 
to and from Firuz Shah’s Lath, z towards which he had gone to hunt, 
but on no occasion had Qutb-ul-mulk come out to the door to make his 
0 
1 Shiu Das, 20, 21b. 
2 There were two pillars at Dihli known as Ldth-i-Firuz Slidh. The first was 
bronght by river from a place 90 hos to the north, and put up in Kotilah Firuz Shah 
