48 
William Irvine— The Later Muahals. 
[Extra No. 
Shortly afterwards Mirza As gh ari. brother’s son of Nekusiyar, 1 2 
tried to make his escape from the fort (22nd Ramazan 1131 H., 7th 
August, 1719), with the hope of reaching Rajah Jai Singh at Amber, or 
Chabelah Ram at Allahabad. He intended to come out on the side 
facing the river, but Manohar, Jat, one of the garrison, sent notice to 
Curaman, Jat, who commanded in that direction. From sunset Cura- 
man took up his station near the river at the head of two hundred 
men. When Mirza Asghari. followed by twelve servants, made his 
appearance, he was forthwith seized and detained till the morning. At 
day-break he was taken before Husain ‘Ali Khan, who ordered him to 
be kept a prisoner in the custody of M/uta‘mad Khan. The money 
which he had brought out to bribe Curaman, was made over to that 
chief, together with an elephant. 3 
A plan was now devised to overcome Safi Khan’s reluctance to give 
in, and to iuduce him to abandon the struggle. A letter purporting to 
be from his brother, Islam Khan, then a prisoner at Dihli, was pre¬ 
pared, and on it Qutb-uhmulk impressed the seal of Islam Khan. It 
urged Safi Khan to resist no longer, but make over the fort and the 
pretender to Gfhairat Khan. Safi Khan sent this letter on to Ghairat 
Khan, expressing his willingness to surrender, if he were promised a 
pardon. Ghairat Khan hurried off to Husain ‘Ali Khan and obtained 
from him a written promise of pardon, attested by his seal and signa¬ 
ture. Thereupon Safi Khan came out of the fort and delivered up 
letters which he had received from many of the great nobles, instigat¬ 
ing him to bring forward Nekusiyar as a claimant for the throne. 
Among the rest was one bearing the private seal of Husain ‘Ali Khan 
himself. He was struck with amazement. On enquiring, he found 
that Mitr Sen at the time when he had access to the Nawab’s darhar, 
had prepared it and sent it to Safi Khan. 3 
Section 5.—Surrender of Agrah Fort and of Nekusiyar. 
At length on the 27th Ramazan 1131 H. 4 (12th August, 1719) the 
garrison surrendered. Ghairat Khan was sent in with a force to take 
possession, while Rajah Muhkam Singh and Samandar Khan brought 
1 Kam Raj, ‘ Ibrntndmah , 69b, says it was the other son of Buland Akhtar, viz., 
Fath-ul-mubin, who tried to escape. 
2 Siwanih-i-Khizri, Khafi Kh an II, 836, Kamwar Kh an, 207. 
3 8iwdnih-i-Khizri of Khizr Khan, Panni. 
4 It is the 29th Ramazan in Muhammad Qasim, 289, and so also in the Tabsirat - 
un-nazirin, year 1131 H., p. 129, where is to be found ‘Abd-nl-jalil’s qasidah in 
honour of the occasion. The poet was present on the spot. 
