Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 6.1
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 6.1
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6.1.1
Feroh-syur takes umbrage at the enormous power of the two Seids, who had placed him on the throne — High disputes between the Minister of the Finances and the Vezir — Breach between the Emperor and the two brothers — Depredations and successes of the Marhatta Cando-Behary — The Viceroy (one of the two brothers) undertakes to put an end to them — Secret orders sent from Court against him — The Marhattas avail themselves of these dissensions to establish a double-headed tribute all over the Decan — The younger brother (Viceroy of Decan) disregards every order from Court — Rise of Murad, since styled Yticad-qhan, the favourite and minion of the Emperor's — The latter strongly addicted to unnatural practices — Resolute proposal of three eminent Commanders against the excessive power of the two brothers — Strange answer of the Emperor's — His timidity, irresolution, fickleness — The Viceroy repairs to Court at the head of an army — sets up a pageant of an Emperor — Intimidates Feroh-syur — Affecting story — the Vezir arms — His brother enters the capital like a conqueror — The Vezir takes possession of both the citadel and the palace — The Emperor dethroned — A body of Marhatta horse destroyed within the city by the mob — Several skirmishes in the streets between the Imperialists and the Minister's adherents — Prince Refi-ed-derdjât proclaimed Emperor — terrible message of the Viceroy's to his brother the Vezir — Feroh-syur dragged out of the Imperial Seraglio with enormous indignities, and confined — Manner of his death related in two different ways, by eminent contemporary authors, present — The two brothers take possession of every thing in the palace — The young prince dies — Is succeeded by his younger brother, Refi-ed-döula — And then by Nicu-syur — Roshenaqhter, since Mahmed-shah, is proclaimed by the two brothers — Furious commotions in Cashmir — Nizam-ul-mulk revolts against the two brothers, and by dint of Generalship, gains three great battles against their relations and partisans—Noble action of a Governor of Doolet-abad—A conspiracy is formed at Court against the brothers—The younger brother is assassinated—The elder is defeated in a battle which lasted thirty hours, and is taken prisoner—Mahmed-shah enters in possession of the throne.
6.1.2
Nothing could be wiser than the dying nobleman's advice; but it made but a momentary impression, and the Emperor continued as thoughtless as ever. Eternally obseded by courtiers equally imprudent and ambitious, he used to bestow, on their recommendations, all the subordinate offices and employments of Decan; and so soon as any one was requested, so soon was the patent of it drawn up and bestowed, to the great discontent of Hossein-aaly-qhan, the actual Viceroy, who looked upon all those promotions, as derogatory to his authority, and as even dangerous to his safety. His constant practice was to set aside the promoted with fair words, and sometimes with raillery, and to advance his own creatures to all posts of trust—a conduct that could not fail to occasion endless heart-burnings at Court. Nor was Abdollah-qhan, the other brother, more scrupulous. His Divan, Ratan-chund, proud of his master's unbounded influence, meddled at pleasure with the Imperial registers, without minding the Mutusuddies or Crown-officers and servants, whose province it was to keep those books. Even the Divan of the Qhalissah-office, who is, properly speaking, the Minister of the Finances, or at least the Accomptant-General, was become a mere cypher, or a body without a soul; and every matter of revenue and administration passed through the hands of that Gentoo, who in a few hours time would transact business to the amount of several corors. He leased out all the Crown-lands.
6.1.3
A conduct, so overbearing and so decisive, could not but embarrass both Ettesam-qhan, who had been put at the head of the Qhalissah-office, on Qhandoran's recommendation, and the Rairaian, or chief counsellor, who had the Divanship or inspection general of all the musters; the more so, as these two officers were differently affected—the former inclining to the Emperor's side, and the latter to the Vezir's—an ambiguous conduct which exposed them to the displeasure of both sides, and which at last rendered it expedient for them to give both their resignations of one common accord. So that those two offices were vacant, when Ynaiet-ollah-qhan made his appearance at Court on a sudden. This nobleman who had fallen in disgrace in the first year of the Emperor's reign, had made the pilgrimage of Mecca, from whence he was now returned. As that nobleman had acquired a great character for acuteness and fidelity in the several offices of administration and finance, which he had held under Aoreng-zib's and under Bahadyr-shah's reign, and he passed for an able Minister and an excellent Accomptant, the Emperor could not but be pleased with the arrival of a man of whose talents he wanted to avail himself for the purposes of remedying those disorders occasioned by Emir-djemlah's incapacity; for he was now conscious to himself, how improvident he had been in demolishing the ancient nobility.
6.1.4
He, therefore, cast his eyes upon him as the fittest person he could substitute to Ettesam-qhan in the two offices, which the latter had thrown up, tired of two employments, that exposed him perpetually to insurmountable difficulties, and rendered it impossible to manage two such opposite parties as those of the Emperor and the Vezir's. The Emperor having received his resignation for those two offices, and given him the Government of Cashmir in exchange, immediately appointed Ynaiet-ollah-qhan. This nobleman shewed much backwardness in assuming two offices, which he conceived he never could discharge to his own or to his master's satisfaction, so long as Abdollah-qhan or his Minister should continue to carry every thing with a high hand; nor was this last Minister himself pleased to see appointed a man, whose severity he had more than once experienced in Aoreng-zib's reign. Luckily that this disagreement was put an end to by Yqhlas-qhan, a Gentoo convert of Bahadyr-shah's reign, a wise, learned, ingenious man, who although professionally attached to the two Seids, was too much displeased with the complexion of the times, to accept himself any office. He lived a retired life solely occupied by the Emperor's order in writing the history of his time, under the title of Feroh-syur-nameh, or History of Feroh-syur.
6.1.5
This nobleman having connections with either parties, and enjoying the esteem of both, proposed the following expedient:— That Yna'iet-ollah-qhan should be appointed, under condition that he would never propose any thing to the Emperor without having first consulted Abdollah-qhan. There were two more stipulations. The first, that Ratan-chund should not interfere in Ynaiet-ollah-qhan's province; the second, that Abdollah-qhan himself should be more assiduous in the discharge of his office of Vezir, as the only means to put an end to the clamours of an infinity of men, whose business was at stand, for want of his seal or of his signature. It was agreed that Abdollah-qhan should repair twice a week at least to the castle, where he should sit in state under the Vezirial canopy, ready to hear petitions, and to determine differences. And with this agreement, the Vezir complied for some time; but he was so averse to the Emperor's presence, and on the other hand, he was so addicted to women, and, indeed, to every species of pleasure, that he soon relapsed into his former sloth and neglect, having no time to spare for public business. Whilst this Minister's effeminate conduct left every thing to take its own course, Ynaiet-ollah-qhan was increasing the confusion by an exactness and a severity, of which his discernment ought to have pointed out the inexpediency and danger at present.
6.1.6
Without sufficiently attending to the actual complexion of the times, or to Ratan-chund's boundless influence, he proposed to the Emperor to enforce certain laws relative to the capitation levied on Gentoos; and the Emperor approved of the proposal. On the other hand, as the Court and palace were full of eunuchs, Gentoos, and Cashmirians, who had availed themselves of the inattention of the Vezir's administration to get at exorbitant salaries, to engross the best Djaghirs, and to disappoint or to render very precarious the pretensions of those who aspired to such emoluments on better titles, the Minister of the Finance proposed that part of those exorbitant grants and salaries should be suppressed, and part reduced within proper bounds, or that they should be granted on such terms as were pointed out by the Imperial registers. These two proposals having proved highly disagreeable to Ratan-chund, and to all the pillagers and defaulters, they complained to Abdollah-qhan, to whom likewise they proved unwelcome; and all the guilty joining together in a general combination against the proposer, gave rise to a coolness, which brought on a neglect of the several articles agreed to between the Vezir and the Minister of Finances. Daily bickerings gave rise to daily disgusts, and a breach ensued openly on the following occasion:—
6.1.7
A Gentoo who managed some Crown-lands, was found indebted to the treasury in a large balance, for which he was put under confinement, notwithstanding the repeated applications which Ratan-chund had the front to make on so glaring an occasion; so that the man who was conscious of his guilt, corrupted his guards, and made his escape to Ratan-chund's house, where he was protected. Ynaiet-ollah-qhan having represented the matter to the Emperor, he engaged him to send a detachment of the palace-slaves to fetch the delinquent; but Ratan-chund's people having put themselves upon their defence, matters, from high words and an altercation, were proceeding to an affray, when the Emperor shocked at so much daringness, commanded the Vezir to dismiss his Divan, which the other promised without having ever thought of complying really with the order. But the main subject of dissension, which brought all heart-burnings to a head, and proved that the Emperor had lost all power, was Churamon the Djatt's affair.