Bayan-i waqiʿ 3: Embassy from Nadir Shah to the Emperor.

3

Mahmud 'Ali Beg and Mahmud Karim Beg, who had been sent by Nadir Shah, arrived at Court, and had the honour of kissing the threshold of royalty. They brought with them one hundred elephants, and swords with golden handles, according to the custom of Hindustan, and gilt spears and other golden weapons which were foreign to Persia and not generally used there, as well as a letter full of expressions of friendship, and presented them before the enlightening eye of majesty. They were honoured by the gift of several precious robes of honour.
After a few days, they said that Nadir Shah had sent a verbal message to the effect, that in consequence of his wars in Turan and Daghistan and Rum, and the large army he kept up, and his having remitted three years' revenue to all the population of Iran, his treasury was empty, and if he (Muhammad Shah) would send fifty or sixty lacs as a help to him, it would be an act of great friendship and brotherhood, and he had sent the elephants and the golden articles for the purpose of getting the money. As there was no mention whatever made in the letter about the money, Muhammad Shah cleared the account by his answer, which was this: "When my brother the King of Kings was departing, he said to me, 'Everything that comes written in a letter is right and proper, but verbal messages are never to be depended on.' However, on account of the weakness of my kingdom, and the bad behaviour and evil doings of my rulers and rebellious zamindars, I get no revenues at all from my provinces, and my expenditure exceeds my income. This subject is not mentioned in your letter, and therefore a verbal answer is suited to a verbal message." The China vessels, sandal-wood, aloe-wood, etc., which were written for in the letter, he sent with great care. Although he weighed out the money of his answer with words of circumspection, nevertheless, till the news of Nadir's death arrived, nobles, wazirs, the Emperor himself, and even beggars, were in an anxious state of mind.