338 
[No. 4, 
W. Irvine —The Later Mu gh als. 
the Dakhin, and of taking his own leave before returning to that pro¬ 
vince. Overjoyed at the prospect of at last obtaining possession of this 
dreaded rival, Farrukhsivar countermanded his expedition or, as another 
contemporary writer maintains, the hunting expedition had been a mere 
pretext. By this second account, it had been decided that directly the 
Emperor left the palace he should fall upon theNawab, whose suspicions, 
as they thought, would have been lulled by the negociations, and thus 
catching him unawares, he would be easily destroyed. A message was 
sent postponing the audience ; but before it reached him, Husain ‘All 
Khan had been warned by a woman in the harem. In his answer, he 
announced that as the next day had been pronounced exceedingly 
auspicious, he could not put oh the audience, and prayed that the 
hunting excursion might be countermanded instead. His troops re¬ 
mained on the alert all night; and three hours before sunrise, Rajah 
Muhkam Singh occupied the Lahori gate of the palace, where he 
awaited Qutb-ul-mulk. 1 
Section 37.— The Sayyads take Possession of the Palace. 
On the 8th Rabi‘ II, 1131 H., (27th February, 1719), early in the 
morning, Qutb-ul-mulk entered the palace with his own relations and 
dependants, Najm-ud-din ‘All Khan, G-hairat Khan and others, follow¬ 
ed by Rajah Ajit Singh, Maharao Bhim Singh, Hada, and Rajah Gaj 
Singh, Narwari. The imperial artillerymen and the matchlockmen on 
guard were removed from the bastions and battlements, and evacuated 
the palace. Not a single soul was left in attendance on the Emperor, 
except Ptiqad Khan. Zafar Khan and two or three eunuchs. The Waz- 
ir took up his position in the house known as the Peshkhanah of the 
late Ja‘far Khan, 2 which had been lately vacated by Samsam-ud-daulah ; 
while the three Rajahs were sent to occupy the office-rooms of the 
Revenue ( dlwanl ) and of the chamberlain’s ( khansaman) departments. 
The keys of the Privy Council chamber ( Diwdn-i-khas ), of the sleeping 
room, and of the Hall of Justice were sent for; and the doors of the 
palace and the gates of the fort were confided to men trusted by the 
Sayyads ; troops were hidden in the antechambers (jilau-khanah) and the 
palace was guarded on all sides. 3 * * & 
1 Kam Raj, ‘ Ibratnamah , 15b, Kamwar Khan, 190, 191, Mirza Muhammad, 452. 
* Khushhal Cand, 413b, states that Qutb-ul-mulk went to the Haiyat Bagh. 
This is more usually called the Haiyat Bakhsh. It was a garden occupying the 
north-west corner of the Lai Qila'h or palace, (see Carr Stephens, p. 216, plan)' 
The Ja’far Kh an here referred to is, no doubt, the man who died in 1080 H. (1669- 
1670). He was the son-in-law of Asaf Khan, see M-ul-U. I., 151, 531, II., 729. 
& KJiafi Khan, II, 807; Kamwar Khan, 192; Mirza Muljammad, 452. 
