Storia do Mogor 354.8
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 354.8
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354.8.1
In addition to this he (A'zam Tãrã) is also the most esteemed for being the son of Xenevescam's (Shãh Nawaz Khan's) daughter, and is therefore of Persian [royal] blood. These reasons will, however, prevail nothing, but all will be as God pleases. Prince Shãh 'Alam has already reached the age of sixty-six years. He does not look after his soldiers, who suffer much from want, nor does he attend to other important affairs. His time is occupied in wine-drinking and lascivious practices quite in excess of all reason. [162] The large sum of money sent by the prince of Maisur as a present to his Majesty had been taken to a fortress called Sirpi, situated in the vicinity of that prince's territory. This money was recovered by the prince of Maisur, and the fortress taken, in the following manner. When this prince saw that the king had retreated, and that his affairs were in a bad state, he made use of the opportunity and bribed the soldiers who garrisoned the place. This was done very easily, since they were dying of hunger and had received no pay. They delivered up the fortress on April 18 [? 1706].
354.8.2
In spite of all these losses, the mind of Aurangzeb remains intent on these operations, and in spite of his recognising that his strength produces no result, he still relies on his astuteness. He brought out of prison the son of Sambhã Jī, of whom I have spoken (II. 246), and made him over to the general Zu,lfiqãr Khãn. Then he wrote letters to several Mahrattah officers, inviting them to appear and take service under their legitimate prince, to whom liberty had been granted. He promised to give them for their maintenance the tenth part of the revenues from the Dakhin province and its territories. These men replied to the king's letters that they had already a prince, Shivã Ji, son of Rãm Rãj, whom they had acknowledged [163] as their legitimate lord and ruler. They had pledged themselves to obey him, and were dependent upon his orders. On no terms would they recognise the released prisoner. As for the promised tenth, they would excuse his Majesty from troubling, since they meant to collect it by their own armed force.
354.8.3
After the officers had sent this sort of answer to his Majesty, Shivã Ji and his army crossed the river Narbadã and invaded Hindustan, and also reached as far as the province of Hrixa (Orissah), situated in Bengal. There can be no doubt that they would have gone still farther and plundered the cities of Dhãkah, Rãjmahal, et cetera, if the Prince Almiragi, a Hindu, had not used his army to close the passes through the forests and mountains, which it was impossible for them to avoid on their way. They were therefore obliged to turn and march back to avoid being all killed in the forests. In spite of their having been unable to sack Dhãkah, they came back with much booty, and found no one to contest with them on their line of retreat. This is the third time that the Mahrattahs have been in that direction. In the month of February (? 1705), a body of forty thousand horsemen, detached by the said Shivã Ji, plundered anew the province of Surat, penetrating as far as the city of Barrochi (Broach) [164], situated in the province of Gujarat. From this city there came forth to repulse this great army no more than six thousand horsemen under the command of two officers, one called Nagar 'Ali Khãn and the other Coja Amit (Khwãjah Hamid). They were cut to pieces, being unable to stand against such a multitude of enemies. These two officers lost their sons, who were made prisoners along with themselves, and they were carried off. For their ransom Shivã Jī demanded eight lakhs of rupees.
354.8.4
In 1705, in the month of February, there was a terrifying occurrence in the province of Gujarat. In the district of Goga (Gogo) there was such a trembling of the earth that the ground opened for a length of five leagues; in some places the fissure was from ten to twenty cubits wide, and even as much as thirty cubits. The governor of the country sent men to take measurements of the depth, and they brought back the report that at a depth of fifty cubits they did not reach the bottom of the cavity. After a few days of these terrible quakings of the earth there came on a rain of blood in drops of considerable size, the earth becoming red and the reservoirs full of it. At the same time there appeared a comet, which was visible for fifteen days. The Brahmans and astrologers found herein an occasion for talk, and they declared that these signs were [165] demonstrations of Aurangzeb's [approaching] death and of devastation in many places in the empire, together with the loss of the port of Surat.
354.8.5
Since we are upon the subject of the earthquake in Gujarat, I will record the one which happened three years ago in the city of Batavia. The earth was so terribly shaken in the city that a great number of the houses fell, and many people died in the ruins, both natives of the country and foreign traders. The earthquake lasted continuously for a month, forcing the governor and all the inhabitants to leave the town, and go out into the open country to live in tents. At the time there were many Hindu traders from this place (Madras) in Batavia, and many suffered the misfortune of being crushed under the sad ruins of the city. These events caused much weeping in their families here (Madras). It is impossible sufficiently to express the sufferings endured by the poor inhabitants who were obliged to live in the open fields. Means to satisfy thirst were wanting, the rivers having lost all their sweet water, and the little water that remained tasting of nothing but sulphur. All the fish died. Nor could the inhabitants make use of the ponds, since they, too, had the same unpleasant flavour. However, with great labour and expenditure, they did their best to restore the damage, until at last the earthquakes ceased.
354.8.6
Three years ago Aurangzeb sent a subordinate officer named Riza Khān, a Pathān by race, to take over charge of the government at Ramguir (Rāmgir) from Mamudu Kam (? Muhamdi Khān). The latter objected to his supersession by Riza Khān, and disobeyed the king's order. Thereupon the other man recruited some soldiers and seized Muhammad Khãn, and took possession of his property. Then, when once in possession of the government, he (Riza Khan) rebelled against Aurangzeb, and at the present moment, at the head of fifteen thousand horse and thirty thousand foot, he makes expeditions to sack and ravage the Mogul territories. He exacts from one district after another the tributes that they pay to the King. Thus last year he collected a large sum of money from the province of Gulkandah, and devastated it right up to the port of Machhlipatanam. In this way he goes on pillaging and making himself powerful, after the example of Shivã Ji. In the month of March in the above-named year of 1705 another army of Shivã Ji took the great fortress of Pelconda (Penukonda), the key of both the Karnãtiks, and formerly the capital of the Narsingh emperors [167]. Dã,ud Khãn was at the time with his army near the sea-coast, collecting money from the European nations. But, hearing the above news, he abandoned his claims, and withdrew his army to the territories of his government. He feared that Shivã Ji might obtain possession of one or other of his strong places.
354.8.7
The Dutch ships which had gone to Surat stopped there up to the month of March in the year 1706, and no ship was allowed by them to leave or enter the port. Finally, in the above month, they set sail, taking with them a ship coming from Mecca and carrying a very valuable cargo. The Mahrattahs took measures several times to disturb the Portuguese living in the direction of Goa. The last time they troubled them was in February of the said year [1706], when they sacked and plundered Salsette; nor would they have stopped there had not the Viceroy, Gaetano de Mello, taken the field in person and chased them away, with some casualties on both sides. Prince A'zam Tãrã met his father, Aurangzeb, at the city of Aurangãbãd. His Majesty made a display to him of great affection, and gave him many signs of a special love. He said to him that, since his age forbad his continuing longer the war against [168] the infidels, it had become his son's business to take vengeance and destroy them now that he had become lord of the whole Dakhin, of the kingdoms of Bíjãpur, Gulkandah, and all their dependent territories. He (Aurangzeb) intended to go away and seek repose, and then be buried in the mausoleum of the emperor Humãyun. The prince replied to the proposal by requiring from his Majesty a month's time to come to a decision whether he ought to accept this charge.