38 William Irvine —The Later Muahals. [Extra No. 
Section 6.—Nekusiyar Makes Overtures. 
Letters in tlie name of Nekusiyar came to the two Sayyads and 
other high-placed nobles, such as Muhammad Amin Khan, offering 
terms, if they would accept him as emperor. The letters said : “ What 
“ new-born child is this that has been placed on the throne of Hindu- 
“ stan ? Never before has anyone thought, or even dreamt, of passing 
“ over an elder for a younger heir. As for the seizure, imprisonment, 
“ and death of Muhammad Farrukhsivar. those events had been decreed 
“ by the Eternal. Let them (i.e., the Sayyads) wrapping the head 
“ of shame in the skirt of humbleness, make due submission. No 
“ revenge will be taken, but all their rank and dignities will be main- 
“ tained as before. ” Qntb-ul-mulk, always ready to take the easiest 
way out of a difficulty, proposed to make terms with Nekusiyar and 
bring him to Dihli. Husain ‘All Khan, on the other hand, looking on 
the Agrah revolt as a sort of personal insult, would hear of no compro¬ 
mise. For a long time Qutb-ul-mulk was not satisfied, and even after 
his brother had moved out to Barahpulah, visited him there several 
times with the object of persuading him to accept Nekusiyar’s pro¬ 
posal. 1 
Qutb-ul-mulk argued that they had no quarrel with the prince, 
why should they meet him with force ? Why not seat him on the 
throne ? Even if he should try to form a party among the nobles, he, 
Qutb-ul-mulk, saw no one from whom any danger need be anticipated. 
Husain ‘ Ali Khan could not be moved from his own ideas. “ If A grab 
“ were a fort of steel set in an encircling ocean, he would with one blow 
“from his finger strike it down, so that beyond a little mud and dust, 
“no sign of it should be left on earth.” Who were these “crows,” 
these few wretches, who had dared to interfere with their designs 1 
All haste must be made to suppress the outbreak by force. 2 
Section 7.—The Sayyads’ Conduct towards RafI‘-ud-darajat. 
During the few months that he was Emperor, Rafi‘-ud-darajat was 
completely in the power of the two Sayyads. Until this time, the em¬ 
perors, however much they might leave state affairs in the hands of a 
minister or favourite, retained complete control over tbeir own palace 
and person, and no man could be prevented from access to them. Ulti¬ 
mate power resided in their hands, and they could at any time transfer 
authority from one minister to another. In this reign all this was 
1 Mohammad Qasim, Lahori, 270. 
2 Mhd. Qasim, Lahori, 272, 273, Anonymous History, B. M. Oriental MS, No. 
1747. 
