Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 8.1
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 8.1
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8.1.1
Promotions at Court — Death of the Vezir — The Emperor refuses the reversion of the deceased's immense estate — A Persian adventurer sets up a whimsical new sect — The Carnatec ravaged by waters — Troubles in Gûdjrat, in Adjmir, in Cabûl and in various parts of the Empire — Curious expedient of the Emperor's to render his person more accessible — He takes a consort — Nizam-el-mulk, made Vezir, endeavours to introduce, but in vain, a reform at Court — The Emperor, to rid himself of Nizam-el-mulk's gravity, gives him the Government of Gûdjrat — A girl, called Coûki, become a female Minister, rallies at the Emperor — Effeminacy and disorders at Court — Supineness of the Emperor — A war underhand between the Emperor on one side, and Nizam-el-mulk, his deputy, on the other — The latter defeats Mubariz-qhan, and sends Nuzurs of congratulation to Court, as if the Imperial arms had been victorious — The late Vezir Abdollah-qhan poisoned — Ser-bûlend-qhan, appointed General from court, beats Nizam-el-mulk's troops, and wrests the Gûdjrat out of his hands — The Marhattas severely handled by Nedjmeddin-ally-qhan, Lieutenant to Ser-bûlend-qhan — Immense acquisitions of some favourites resumed — The victorious Ser-bûlend-qhan neglected and superceded — He beats his rival, the Gentoo Prince, and then goes to visit him alone — The Marhattas, excited by Nizam-el-mulk, make conquests in Hindostan — Malva vigorously defended by its Governor — The Marhattas conquer both Gûdjrat and Malva — Gahn-qhan heroically rescues his father, Mahmed-qhan-bangash, from eminent danger — Sedition at Delhi on account of a Hadji murdered by Gentoos — the Marhattas continue their ravages — An infectious stench pervades all Hindostan — A severe frost at Delhi, where the river freezes — Ridiculous expedition against the Marhattas — Terrible rain of thirty hours in Delhi and its neighbourhood — Flagitious enormity of Adjadjû, Zemindar of Corra, who is punished — Introduction to the revolutions of Bengal — Origin and rise of Allyverdi-qhan's family — Reduced to the utmost misery, he hardly finds money to repair to Shudja-qhan's Court in Oressa, where he is employed, and where he approved himself a good officer, a good soldier, and a good financier — Djafer-qhan, Governor of Bengal, thinks of procuring his patent to his own grandson, Ser-Efraz-qhan — But is supplanted by his son-in-law, Shudjah-qhan — Ser-Efraz-qhan submits to his father — Excellent character of Shudjah-qhan — He promotes Alli-verdi's relations to offices in state — Alli-verdi-qhan, appointed Viceroy of Azimabad, adopts his own nephew and grandson, Mirza-mehmed alias Seradj-ed-döula — His excellent conduct in his Government — An expedition against the Marhattas by both the Vezir and Qhandoüran, who prove defective both in courage and in talents — Saadet-qhan, alone, successful against the Marhattas — His ardour damped by the jealousy of the two Imperial Generals — The Marhattas avail themselves of this suspense to turn the rear of the Imperialists, and to plunder the suburbs of the capital — The Emperor with his whole Council consents to pay a tribute to the Marhattas — Seif-qhan, an old partisan of the two brothers, turned out of his Djaghir and slain — Ruin of the town of Djan-sita — Affecting description of it — Tremendous signs in the air by which Heaven signifies its wrath.
8.1.2
A LITTLE after this ceremony Abdol-semed-qhan, Viceroy of Lahor, who had set out early with his son, Zeckariah-qhan, his General and Deputy, Aghyr-qhan, and some other noble personages, but could not arrive in time, was admitted to the honour of paying his obeisance, and distinguished by a dress of honour, a circlet of jewels, a poniard, and several other noble presents. Zeckariah-qhan had his grade raised by a thousand horse, and now his command became of full five thousand. Radja Dejhi-sing, and Radja Gurd-hur, not being arrived in time, were on the commencement of Sefer, admitted to the happiness of kissing the ground of the Imperial presence, and they were tranquillized with a remission of their transgressions and past errors. An order was issued a little after to put in force the capitation-tax upon the Gentoos, but it was remitted on an elegant apology which Djehi-sing made for them. Nizam-el-mulk's petition, congratulating the Emperor on his victory, and wishing him a length of days and prosperous reign, was honoured with a glance of the Imperial eye; as did another supplique from Moorshood-cooly-qhan, Viceroy of Bengal, which was fraught with congratulations on the victory, and a prayer for length of days and dominion ; it announced likewise the arrival of the revenue from that province, with another large sum by way of Nuzur. Honours and dignities were bestowed that day on a number of nobles.
8.1.3
Haider-coly-qhan was decorated with the title of Muez-ed-doulah over and above that of Nassyr-djung, which he had already ; as was Zafer-qhan with that of Roshan-ed-doulah. The superintendence of the bodyguards was conferred on Saadet-qhan ; and Zeckariah-qhan received the Government of Cashmir in lieu of Ynaiet-ollah-qhan, dismissed. But on a Tuesday, being the twenty-second of the first Reby, the Emperor being gone out with a hunting party, an harcara messenger informed him that his Vezir, Mahmed-aamin-qhan, had been seized with so sudden and so excruciating a pain in his bowels, as would deprive him of the honour of holding the Imperial stirrup. The next day his distemper increasing in violence, a total alteration was perceived in that Minister's person ; and his cholic augmenting from moment to moment, rose to such a height that the remedies of physicians and skilful men produced no effect. A terrible vomiting took place, and he threw towards nothingness the garment of his existence ; insomuch that on the twenty-ninth of that same month he departed towards the regions of eternity, after a short lived ministry of three months and twenty-two days. His estate, mightily swollen by his confiscation of Hossein-aaly-qhan's fortune, and the seizure of his baggage, and by several savings and benefits, was so amazingly great as to be reckoned only by corors, and yet it was left entirely to his heirs ;
8.1.4
but by his death the people of God were released from the oppression they were likely to suffer. They say that intending to enlarge his palace, and to enclose more ground within its yard, he with a single command of his had dispossessed seven hundred housekeepers of his neighbourhood, who all quitted their homes and delivered their keys to his officers. Nevertheless, after his death, all these were returned to their owners by Camer-eddin-qhan, his son, who on his being acknowledged his heir, renounced the invidious acquisition, and exchanged it for the applause of mankind and the blessing of God. It is on such an occasion that one may observe of Mahmed-shah, who was generally taxed with tenacity and parsimony, that he does not appear to have really had such a character, since on Mahmed-aamin-qhan's demise, the Imperial treasury was pretty much drained; for the mighty sums drawn from all parts of the Empire by the two brother Seids, having been very much thinned by their immense levies and preparatives, the Emperor had been very little benefited by what remained in their coffers, the whole having been made away by the pillagers of the army and by his own generals. So that the ornaments of gold and silver which decorated the public and private halls of audience, and which in those days of calamity had been torn away and turned into stamped coin, remained unreplaced to that day; and the halls themselves with the other apartments, wanted a thorough repair immediately.
8.1.5
Nevertheless when the list of the deceased Minister's property came to be presented to the Emperor, (and it amounted to several corors, reckoning only the gold, silver, gems and precious stuffs) he paid no attention to it, and ordered the whole to be left to the natural heirs; and yet it was an established custom with all the Emperors of the Babrian family, nay, with all those of the Timurian race, to take possession of the estates and wealth of their deceased Ministers and servants, to the exclusion of the natural heirs, to whom they were pleased to vouchsafe as a favour such a share as they thought they deserved, or it was their pleasure to allow. But, indeed, it was such a custom, and such a law, as no man, no religion, no justice could approve or admit. That a man after having served them his whole life at the expense of his sweat and blood, nay, after having lost his life at their feet and in their cause; after having spent the best of his days, and even the whole of them, in toiling and undergoing every hardship to execute their commands; that such a man should, after his death, have all his labourious savings carried away and confiscated, and should leave his children, consorts, heirs, dependants and friends, engrossed by the thoughts of an approaching distress, and much more solicitous how to subsist the next day, than how to lament his death, is so atrocious an injustice as will revolt the most ignorant mind.
8.1.6
It was observed of Aazem-shah, that with so many precedents before his eyes, he was the first of that race, who totally abandoned that custom, and even expressed a detestation of it. One of his richest Ministers being deceased, a list or estimate was, according to the established custom, presented to him of his estate, which in jewels and money alone amounted to an immense sum. The Emperor seemed shocked at the sight of the paper, turned his head from it with strong marks of emotion, expressed his detestation of both the custom, and the reader, and forbade any one under pain of his indignation from presenting to him such papers and such reports for the future. After having been so much taken up with wars and bloodshed, our attention is diverted at once by some events less shocking, but of as interesting a nature.