^OKAUFQRfc S A S~" ""^ r- ^\\E UNIVERS//, H^ A N HISTORICAL RELATION OF THE ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AND FINAL DISSOLUTION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHERN PROVINCES HINDOSTAN. Compiled from a PERSIAN MANUSCRIPT and other ORIGINAL PAPERS, By CHARLES jHAMILTON, Efq. An Officer in the Service of the Honourable EAST-INDIA COMPANY on the BENGAL ESTABLISHMENT. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: Printed for J. DEBRETT, removed to No. 179, oppofite Burlington Houfe, Piccadilly. M.DCC.LXXXVIII. ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL. >- oc I PREFACE. JL HE following concife hiftory of a c^ People, who, for fome time, made no in- > confiderable figure in Hindoftan, after a ^9 S delay of many years, is at length pre- fented to the world, at a period when the paffions and interefls of men being no lon- ger concerned in any of the events of which it treats, it may poffibly meet with a more impartial and indulgent reception, than it might otherwife have been fuppofed entitled to. o; co o o But, as fome particulars contained in it have been the fubject of much acrimoni- A 2 ous , 3573412 IV PREFACE. ous difcuffion, both in England and in India, it may not be improper that the writer fhould previoufly ftate the circum- ftances which, by pofleffing him or" the ma- terials, firft led him at all to think of fucii a competition, as this may ferve to con- vince the candid reader, that, in venturing to obtrude this iittie produ&ion upon hrs attention, he is not actuated by any fmifter views, nor by that fpirit of party, which, unhappily, but too much prevails, even in matters where it ought leaft to be met with, and where it is moft prejudicial to the advancement of truth and knowledge; and, in doing this, he will endeavour to (hun, as much as poffible, unneceffary egotifm, although it muft unavoidaly com- pel him to touch upon fubje&s which would otherwife be altogether foreign and improper. Soon PREFACE. V Soon after the author's firft appointment into the India Company's fervice (about fifteen years ago) he applied himfelf, with fome afliduity, to the fludy of the oriental languages, particularly of that grand medium of all correfponderice and negotiation in India, the Perfian; about / three years after, he had the honour to be called upon by the officer then command- ing that portion of the Bengal army which was on the field {ration, (who is now in England) for his affiftance in that particular department, for which he had by this time qualified himfelf, to wit, Iranjlat'wn and country correfpondence : Here, as a new field of inveftigation and inquiry was opened to him, in the probability that he might, in the courfe of his duty, have the management of political bufinefs fre- quently committed to his charge, he was anxious to acquire fuch a degree of know- A 3 ledge VI PREFACE. ledge of the hiftory and connections of the neighbouring ftates, as might enable him to execute matters of that kind in a man- ner worthy of fo important a truft. It was, at the fame time, his fortune to meet with a perfon of fome confequence, who was an Afgan, then acting on the part of the Rohilla Chief Fyzoola Khan, in a confidential capacity ; and from this perfon he procured, (among a number of other valuable papers,) ji Perfian manu- fcript, containing a compleat relation or the whole Rohilla ftory, from the firfb foundation of their power, to the battle of Cutterah, fought between the Rohillas and the Allied army of the Company's and Vifier's troops, on the 23d of April, 1774, which, by the defeat of the former, put an end at once to their government and indepen dance. Pregnant PREFACE. Vli Pregnant as this appeared to be with many fingularly ftriking and interefting events, the then recent tranfa&ions had, moreover, rendered it an object of parti- cular curiofity, and thefe coniiderations alone were fufficient to induce the writer to employ his firft leifure hours in arrang- ing and turning it into Englifh : this de- termination he forthwith proceeded to ex- ecute, and, about ten years ago translated the following narrative, in a form and fub- flance little different from that in which, with becoming diffidence, he now fubmits it to the public eye. With refpecl to the motives which in- duced the writer fo long to withhold this compilation, before he would hazard to commit it to the judgement of the world, he will not offer to encroach upon the pa- tience of his readers, by mentioning the A 4 common- Viii PREFACE. common-place topics fo often tifed by many before him, fuch as, that " the " work was originally written with no " other view than merely the amufement " of a few friends," and fo forth ; decla- rations, which are commonly as infuffi- cient to cover the vanity of an author, as to impofe upon the penetration of others : In truth, he always regarded the mat- ter contained in this little tract as by no means unworthy of being made known ; but yet, in a point of fuch moment, he wimed not to act with a ramnefs of which he might afterwards have fufficient occa- fion to repent : nor was he, indeed, lefs deterred by an apprehenfion that, were it to come forth at a period when the contefl of oppofite factions, refpecling the affairs of India, had agitated men's minds to an uncommon degree of animofity, or whilfl the decifion of the Legiflature upon the mo ft PREFACE. IX moil interefting part of its fubjeft was yet pending, it might have been regarded as a frivolous FARRAGO, vamped up mere- ly to ferve the purpofe of the hour ; and, as fuch, have drawn upon its author fuf- picions, which, he trufts, cannot, with any iupport of probability, be imputed to him at prefent. The particular reafons which were, for fo conliderable a period, obftruftive to his wifhes and intentions have at length ceafed to exift : Thofe events of the following ftory in which the Engli/h were any way concerned have been fully canvafled before the higheft human tribunal ; and a judge- ment from which there lies no appeal feems to have been already palled upon it. Neither are the different parties who were principally interefted in its difcuflion now any longer in a fituation to excite the hopes X PREFACE. hopes of partizans, or the apprehenfions of opponents ; fo that the writer of this little trad prefumes he may fland fairly ac- quitted of any undue bias in the production of it. Bnt, whilft folemnly difavowing any intereft whatsoever in the views either of parties or of individuals in this publication, yet will he venture to confefs that he is not altogether indifferent in the motives which have led him to it*! Concerned for the honour of his country, and anxious for the reputation of a fervice in which he has fpent the flower of his life, he would willingly, if poflible, remove even in a {ingle inftance, fome part of that horrid odium which has of late years, for whaV- ever purpofe, been fo feduloufly excited againft thofe devoted men who, at the ex- pence of all the moil comfortable enjoy- ments PREFACE. XI ments of exigence, are rendering the pub- lic no unimportant nor unmeritorious (though certainly very tbanklefs) fer vices in India. Here, perhaps, the writer might be tempted to enlarge fomewhat beyond the bounds which the confined nature of his fubjecl: prefcribes to him, were it not that, in fuch a difcuffion it would be fcarcely poffible to avoid animadverfions which, in the eyes otfome, would bear the conftrucYion of finifter defign or of per- fonal invecYive, rather than of the fober inveftigation of truth. Much abflracied reafoning, indeed, might be advanced on the abfurd improbability of the very grofs and univerfal depravity, which has been declared to contaminate the minds of our countrymen in that department of the 'empire, where they have been depicted, not *11 PREFACE. not in the characters of men, but of fa- vages more fell than the tygers of the re- gion in which they refide. But, in a cafe of general prepofieffions, derived, in many infhnces, from fourceswhich ought always to deferve to be regarded as of the higheft authority, it is neceflary that time mould Ite allowed for the force of immediate in- teYefts to be weakened, and the virulence of contending parties to fubiide, ere it can be fuppofed that the admonitions of fober, unimpaffioned reafon mould have any operation in their cure. He will, therefore, only touch upon this matter at a diftance, and merely fo far as re- fpe&s thofe operations of the Englifli which form a part of the fubjeft of this narrative. Of all the events which have been made ttfe of for the purpofes of crimination againft PREFACE. Xlii againft the fervants of the Eaft-India Com- pany, none have made a greater figure, either in the national proceedings, or in the perifhable publications of the day, than the Rohilla War, and various efforts have been made to paint both the conduct and the confequences of it in the moft horrible colours. When, in the perufal of hiflory, we read of whole nations being extirpated by the Goths, or rooted out by the Vandals, we pi&ure to ourfelves a country invaded by a band of fierce and favage conquerors, who purfue the haplefs inhabitants with indi- criminate maflacre, carry off the few they fpare from the fvvord into perpetual captivi- ty, and proceed in their deftructive career, until the whole territory exhibits nothing but a dreary, filent waftel Similar PREFACE. Similar to this is the opinion which, (from the force and extent of the expref- iions that have been applied to it) have been, by many, conceived of the conqueft of Rohilcund. God forbid that Britijh troops mould ever be employed in acts of fuch deteflable atrocity ! With refpec~l to thofe in par- ticular who effected that revolution, it may with confidence be affirmed, that, however high their fenfe of fubordination, however ready at all times to obey the moQ perilous 'orders of their fuperiors, had fuch a fcrvice been allotted to them, they would have turned from it with abhorrence ! To confute afperfions fo cruelly injurious to thefe gallant men is, it mufl be owned, one, and that not the leafr, of the author's aims; an aim which, when guided by truth, PREFACE. XV truth* he conceives to be neither blameable nor dishonourable. He means not, how- ever, to call in the aid of argument for this purpofe : the faffs follow, and will fpeak for themfelves : neither is it his bufmefs or his intention to enter into any diicuffion of the principles upon which this celebrated expedition was undertaken, as this point muft be referred to a judge- ment to be formed upon the fame grounds: if they were wrong, nothing he could here advance would fuffice to juftify them ; if right, it is not in his power to arraign them. Having premifed thus much with refpect to the circumftances which originally led to this compilation, and the motives for the prefent production of it, it may not be improper to fubjoin a few obfervations ppon the work itfelf. The XVI PREFACE. The difficulty of collefting materials capable of forming a regular, connected, and authentic detail of events in the northern parts of Hindoftan within the laft century, mufl be well known to all who have ever made fuch an inquiry the object of their purfuit : the univerfal de- cline of learning in the empire within that period, has affected hi/lory in particular; in the few crude productions of this kind which are to be found, , the dates of the moft important events are generally mif- placed, and often entirely omitted ; and it frequently happens that no two authors, in the relation of the moft momentous and interefting facts, exactly coincide in the pointi of place and circumftance : the writer is therefore fenfible that his work muft contain fome anachronifms, and per* haps, in a few places, deviations from the relations of others ; the former of thefe PREFACE. Xvii thefe he has as much as poffible ftudied to avoid or rectify ; and with refpedl: to the latter, none that he has been able to difco- ver appear of any manner of moment ; indeed, he has been the lefs felicitous upon this head, as he depends much upon the authority of the perfon under whofe in- fpedlion (as he has before intimated) the Perfian manufcript, which forms the chief ground of the work, was drawn up ; whofe knowledge of the fubjedl: muft be natu- rally fuppofed to be accurate and extenfive, as he was a Robilla, a confidential fervant of one of their ,chiefs, and had himfelf been perfonally engaged in many of the events related in it. The narrative is preceded by a fhort view of the alual flate of the diftri&s of Hindoftan, fubjeft to the MurTulman go- vernments, as they {rood at theperiodofthe B important XVlil PREFACE. important revolutions which have been effected by the unparallelled iuccefs of the Englifh : this fketch will, probably, be regarded as very flight and imperfect, con- fidering the magnitude of the fubject ; the writer, however, is encouraged to offer it, not only as it may tend in general to the illuftration of what follows, but alfo as it may ferve to obviate certain mifcon- ceptions which have been, with vaft la- bour and ingenuity, raifed^in the minds of the public, and to evince with what pecu- liar eafe political revolutions may be brought about in thofe countries, without inducing any of the dreadful confequences which have been folemnly pronounced (in a place and from an authority too high to be here mentioned) as the conftant and neceflary refult of them. An appendix is alfo given, containing copies PREFACE. XIX copies of fuch original papers as may ferve the more fully to exhibit the leading circumftances of the firft rupture between our Ally the Vizier Suja-al Dowlah, and the Rohillas, as well as of the treaties of peace which put a period to the calamities thofe countries, both from their natural and political (ituation, had for many years been fubject to. In the original draft of the work, it was termed a T'ranflation ; both as it was, in fact, in a great meafure literally fo, (from the manufcript, as already mention- ed) and alfo, becaufe the writer thought he could thus beft cover its blemimes and imperfections : but, as in fome parts of it (thofe, in particular, which treat of fuch proceedings of the Englim government as were any way connected with it) he has neceffarily had recourfe to other fources of B 2 infor- XX PREFACE. information, fo he has thought it mofl fuitable to drop that appellation, and to fend it forth under the title of what it really is, a Hi/lory or Hlflorkal Relation, where all the incidents are combined in their natural connexion with and depcn- dance upon each other. After having faid fo much, it would be unpardonable to trefpafs farther upon the patience of the reader ; yet may the writer be permitted to add that, if in this little publication he mould appear to have at- tempted beyond his ftrength, if in ad- dition to the feveral defects he is confcious it contains, the fuperior penetration of others mould chance to difcover fHll more, he neverthelefs hopes that every reafonable allowance will be made for him ; the mag- nitude and importance of a laborious un- dertaking, in which he^ is at prefent enga- ged PREFACE. XXI ged, has afforded him but little leifure for revifal and correction) and none for the fludy of harmony of language, or elegance of ftyle, were he even difpofed to imagine that his efforts in this refpedl could be at- tended with fuccefs ; to excel, therefore, has not been fo much his aim as to inform ; and it is to be prefumed that, in the eye of the candid and the judicious, fome little credit will be given to the intention, even though he mould be fo unfortunate as in any manner to fail in the execution of it. Some paffages in the following narrative mud be interefling to every Englifh reader, and, however fhort its period or confined the fcene of its tranfactions, yet it may perhaps be found, by fuch as are defirous of drawing their conclusions from plain faff, rather than from vague aj/ertion, not B 3 to XXli PREFACE. to be altogether deftitute of ufeful and en- tertaining matter ; neither can the hiftory of a government which underwent the whole progreffive feries of rife, independance, and <#^0/ff//0#, within the little fpace of Shirty-Jive years, be held unworthy the at- tention of thofe who, abftra&ed from any narrow interefts or partialities, may be de- firous of deriving amufement and inftruc- tion, from a review of the unprofitable toils and tranfitory viciffitudes of Human Life. A SHORT A SHORT VIEW OF THE STATE OF THE PROVINCES of H I N D O S T A N, SUBJECT TO THE MUSSULMAN GOVERNMENTS; WITH RESPECT TO THE Relative Situation of their INHABITANTS. order to give a more clear and difHnc"t conception of this fubjecl:, it may be ne- ceffary to premife, by taking a curfory retrofpect to the circumftances, which, through a variety of revolutions effected in the courfe of many centuries, have led to 'the modern and very fingular ftate of thofe diftri&s which are termed the Muf- fulman Provinces in India. B 4 In 2 A SHORT VIEW, &C. In a country of fuch vaft extent as H/;;- dojlan^ famous from the eat lied nges for the richnefs of its productions, the falu- brity of its climate, and the fertility of its foil, it is to be fuppofed that there are re- fidents of all completions, and of every re* ligious perfuaflon : There are, however, only two defcriptions to be confidered as forming the grand charaderiftic diftinc- tions under which the inhabitants, in ge- neral, may be arranged ; the Hindoos and the MuJJulmans , or Mahommedans : Of thefe, the former are the Aborigines, and the lat- ter the defendants of the profelytes from the Hindoo religion, or of thofe Arabs, Perfians, and Tartars, who, in the courfe of the Lift eight hundred years, have fpread themfelves over the face of this extenfive region. The hiflories of the Hindoos trace back the annals of an independant fyftematic form of government and legiflation over the greatefl: part of this immenfe fpace to a period far beyond the date of European chronologyj A SHORT VIEW, &C. 3 chronology, and pourtray a people flourifh- ing in all the fuperiority of civilized life, at a time when \ve luppofe the reft of man- kind to have been funk (with very few ex- ceptions) into the mofl abject barbarifm. Brave, active, poliftied, and induftrious, the Hindoos, in their original ftate, appear to have been no wife defficient in the qua- lities neceflary to the defence of their wide- ly-extended territories, againft the incur- fions of the various wild and favage na- tions by whom they were furrounded ; and, if we are to credit their accounts, and the more unqueftionable teftimony of the remains of antiquity which are every were to be found, they enjoyed, for many ages, under a mild and fimple form of govern- ment, founded on a religion whole very eflence feems to be benevolence and an ab- horrence of blood, a degree of happinefs, the extent and duration of which is not to be equalled in the hiftory of any other por- tion of the human race. Had no events taken place calculated to A SHORT VIEW, &C. to effect important revolutions as well in the manners of a great part of mankind as in the fate of many empires ; had the barbarous hords around this happy region never been actuated by any more forcible impulfe than fuch as the hopes of plunder might infpire ; it is probable that feveral centuries might have been added to the felicity and independence of the Hindoos : time, however, and the concurrence of circumftances, have wrought a great change both in the political iituation and perfonal character of this people, in many of the richelt and mofl extenfive provinces of their ancient dominion. The Jmpoftor of Mecca had eftablimed, as one of the primary principles of his doctrine, the merit of extending it, either by perfuafion or the fword, to all parts of the earth. This injunction his followers Ib fteadily adhered to, and fo earneftly purfued, that in Ids than three centuries after its firft propagation, a large part of Europe, Alia, and Africa, was feen to cm- brace A SHORT VIEW, &C. 5 brace or fubmit to " the law of the pro- " phet ;" and, among the reft, the nor- thern provinces of Hindoftan, which had fo long flourifhed in tranquil fecurity, were at length overwhelmed by armies of fierce and hardy adventurers, whofe only im- provements had been in the fcience of de- fr.ruc~t.ion, who added the fury of fanaticifm to the ravages of war, and whom a firm belief in the rewards which, they were taught to expect, awaited all who mould be fo fortunate as to die in the promulga- tion of the 'faith , infpired with an energy which nothing could refift. Here, however, the great end of all their conquefts met with obftacles fuch as were no where elfe oppofed to it ; and in India alone, the MuflTulman fword, although it could over- throw governments and fubjugate king- doms, was incapable of gaining or of forcing profelytes in any proportion to the numbers who were fubdued : Multitudes were facrificed by the favage hand of reli- gious perfecution, and whole countries were deluged in blood, in the vain hope that, 6 ASHORTVIEW, &C. that, by the deftru&ion of a part, the re- mainder might be perfuaded or terrified into the profeffion of Mahommedanifm : the nature of the Hindoo religion held forth invincible obftacles to their views : original in its nature, and abfolute in its decrees, its precepts induce a total feclufion from the reft of mankind ; and this feclufive principle extends not only to the whole of the Hindoos, with refpect to the reft of the world, but alfo to every cajl or clafs of thofe with refpecl to every other caft : it neither admits converts from other fyf- tems, nor allows of the fmalleft even tem- porary deviation from its own ; infomuch that, if a Hindoo be difcovered to have ever eaten or drank, or to have aflbciated in thefe ac~cs with others, contrary to the rules prefcribed to him. by his religion (whether .voluntarily, or by compulfion) he **' for- feits his CAST," that is to fay, he be- comes utterly banifhed from fociety, is confidered by his friends and relations as dead, and is thenceforth profcribed as an alien, with whom no communication can A SHORT VIEW, &C. 7 legally be heir! : hence every tie which can lay hold upon the heart of man, every en- joyment which conftitutes his chief delight, are the pledges of a Hindoo's perfeverance in the faith of his anceflors. The Muf- fulman Princes and Generals who firft fuc- ceeded in their attacks upon Hindoftan foon perceived the futility of thofe fan- guinary efforts, which might extirpate, but could feldom convert, a people whom neither terror nor intreaty could tempt to defert a fyftem upon their adherence to which their whole happinefs was thus made to depend : they therefore determined to relinquish the impraclicable ideas with which they had, at firfr, entered upon their career ; and from that period to the prefent time an univerfal toleration feems (with few exceptions) to have been the marking chara&eriftick of the MufTulman rules throughout India. All the countries of Hindoftan, from the Indus to the Ganges, were in courfe of time fubdued by the Muflulman arms ; they 8 A SHORT VIEW, &C. they afterwards extended their conquefts to the eaftward and fouthward ; all the ter- ritories on each fide of the laft-mentioned river (as far as the Cummow mountains) Bahar Bengal, the Decan and the Car- natick, fucceffively fell under the Ma- hommedans, who fettled in the countries they had thus acquired, governing them (for the moft part) in the name and under the authority of the Emperor at Delhi, who was recognized as Lord Paramount over the whole : Many other provinces which never were actually fubdued, were fufFered to retain their ancient laws and form of Government, under their own hereditary chiefs, or Rajahs, thefe acknow- ledging fealty to the Mu flu 1m an court at Delhi, and paying tribute to its officers : Some few, fecured by their infignicance, or their inacceffible fituation, {till conti- nued to retain their former independance. Thus the Emperors of Hindoftan held dominion, at one period, over a vaft Mo- narchy, confuting of diftricts, provinces, and A SHORT VIEW, &C. 9 and kingdoms, of two different defcrip- tions : The firft, thofe which, having heen conquered by the MufTulmans, were more immediately and completely under fubje&ion ; being protected and held in obedience by Muffulman armies ; having Courts of Juftice eftablifhed in them upon the fame principles as in Perfia and other Mahommedan countries, in which all caufes were judged and decided by the ftandard of Muflulman jurifprudence ; and governed by Royal deputies or Nawabs^ whofe occasional appointments took place at Delhi : The fecond, thofe, which never having been completely fubjugated, ftill retained their ancient laws and ufages, and were governed by Rajahs, fucceeding each other, in general, according to lineal defcent ; but, liable to ejeclment upon any failure, either in the payment of their fti- pulatcd tribute, or the furnifhing of mi- litary aid when required, holding their lands, in fact, by a fort of feudal vajjalage. A fyftem fo unwieldy from its extent, and 10 A SHORT VIEW, &C. and compofed offuch heterogeneous parts, could not long be preferved entire ; and ac- cordingly, the hiftory of Hindoftan, for the laft five hundred years, exhibits little elfe than a continued feries of rebellions andin- furreclions, and reiterated efforts on the part of the fupreme government to quell them. The vigorous adminiftration of a long line of able princes held it, indeed, for fome time, undiminiihed ; but a few weak reigns undid the work of ages ; and during the decline of the houfe of Timour, within the laft century, this immenfe fabrick fell rapidly to ruin : Province after province feceded from their obedience, and the ex- tent of the imperial authority was gradu- ally circumfcribed, until at length there remained to the defendants of that illuf- trions family nothing more than a wretch- ed remnant of territory immediately around the capital, and a ftill univerlally acknow- ledged title to royalty exprefled by ineffi- cient declarations of fubjeftion and attach- ment, which, like the ruins of fonxe {lately pile, A SHORT VIEW, &C. 1 1 pile, ferves only to point out the fplendor it was once poffefled of. In the difmemberment of this unwieldy empire, little alteration was made in the interior government or policy of each parti- cular province :-^-the Neivabs neglected to remit their revenues to the royal treafury, and the Rajahs witheld their tribute, or re- nounced their obedience, the countries of each remaining, refpe&ively, under the fame laws, and fubjet to the fame modes of public adminiftration as before; except- ing only that every chief, as he threw off his allegiance, (in faff if not in terms,") in- flead of depending any longer upon the appointment of the Court, aflumed to himfelf the right of eftabliming the fuc- ceffion to the dominion of his territory in. his own family : each fucceflbr endeavour- ing, however, to give oftenfible validity to his claim, by procuring Firmans or com- miffions from the Emperor, to whom all {till continued to acknowledge fealty, and C to 12 A SHORT VIEW, &C. to allow the barren privilege of beftowing nominal honours and marks of diftinctioii. Thus, the empire of Hindoftan became, and has from that period confifted of, a number of kingdoms, provinces, and di- ftricts, totally independent of each other, or of any fupreme head, and of two diftinft defcriptions or denominations, Hindoo and MuJJulwan. Of the former of thefe we forbear to ipeak, as this view is meant to be confined folely to thofe provinces wnich, on the ge- neral defection, remained, as before, under the dominion of the Muflulmans ; and this, although it particularly points at the territories ufurped by the Rohilla Afgans, may neverthlefs be considered as equally applying to all other provinces of the fame clafs. The Hindoos in thefe diftricls, although they have loft much of their priftine pu- rity and fimplicityof manneis, do yet ftill retain A S H O R T V I E W, &C. IJ retain the flrongcft marks of an original character. Their climate, their food, and the delicate conformation of their bodies concur to render them foft and effeminate; and the fingular eafe with which the earth yields all her productions contributes to cherim the natural indolence of their difpofitions.- They are brave, but their courage requires an impulfe to fpur them on to action, which feldom offers where all the rewards of military exertion are mo- nopolized by others : they are naturally avaricious ; but the total infecurity of property, whilftat the mercy of unprinci- pled and rapacious tyrants, in general, either confiderably checks this paffion by difcouraging its end, or prevents its affum- ing any other mape than that of apparent penury, covering the moft fecret and moft fordid accumulation : hence, they are little delirous of improving their fituation or increafmg their pofieffions by any of the bolder or more dangerous purfuits of am- bition : that abafement of mind which is the neceflary confequence of a long ftate C 2 Of 14 A SHORT VIEW, &C* of flavifh {"abjection, feems wholly to have Juppreffed the energy of fpirit neceflary ta the undertaking of great and daring ac- tions ; and whilft the inhabitants of thofe Hindoo ftates which, in the courfe of va- rious revolutions, have preferved or reco- vered their original independence, are en- terprifingand active, thefe, although acute nnd ingenious, are yet frigid and inert. Thefe imperfections do not prevent them, however, from being as induftrious as the nature of the arts they purfue or the foil they cultivate renders neeeffary, at the fame time that they make them the more eafily governed ; and they are accordingly uniformly fubmiflive and obedient. From this it will appear that their in- clinations and imbecilities lead them in general to prefer and purfue the quieter and more peaceable occupations of life; and, excepting the caft of Kyettries, who are foldiers by birth OF by the precepts of their religion, and who hire themfclves as mercenaries, indifferently, to any power under A SHORT VIEW, &C. 15 under which they can procure employment, they are almoft all either manufacturers, or tillers of the ground. The few among them who acquire wealth, finding in ft- crecy their only fecurity againft extortion, never have their property fo fituated as would give them any intereft in the fate of the country they inhabit ; and, with refpect to the remainder, if they be in- dulged in the unmolefted exercife of their religious ceremonies, and the current pro- vifion of a flender maintenance for their families, they little care under what go- vernment they live, or by matters of what complection they may be ruled : one fet of conquerors isdriven out by another, andtheir. affumed rights again ufurped by a third ; whilft the Hindoos, whofe country is the object, and from whofe labour and inge- nuity that object derives its value, behold the conteft with an indifference of which thofe who have never had an opportunity of being acquainted with the utter apathy of their difpofitions can form no idea : the victors, whoever they may be, find the C 3 fame 1 6 A SHORT VIEW, &C. fame intereft in cherifhing and protecting thofe innocent and ufefulfubje llinifter at Delhi in the abfence of the prefent Emperor. ZabitaKhan, his Son. Kaeera Jung, Chief of the Bflngifh tribe of Afgans, poflefled of Ferrochabad. Ahmed Khan Bungifh, Brother and Succeflbr to Kaee MuzziScr Jung, Son and Succeflbr to Ahmed Khan Bungifh. &C. A RELATION A RELATION OF THE Origin, Progrefs, and DiiTblution; OF THE Government of the ROHILLA AFGANS, HE Afgan Tartars whofe numerous tribes (under the general denomination of PATANS) occupy all the mountainous coun- try which forms the North- weftern boun- dary of Hindoflan, had for a long feries of time held the greateft part of this immenfe dominion in fubje&ion, aud furnimed 3, race of monarchs who filled the imperial throne at Delhi upwards of three centu- ries, until the fubjugation of the northern D INDIA, 28 HIS TO R Y OF THE INDIA, and the overthrow of the Patan go- .vernment, by the arms of Timur Beg, About one hundred and forty years after that event, the ufurpation of Mahummed Fereed-Shere-Shah, who in the nine hun- dred and fiftieth year of the Higera fuc- ceeded in his rebellion againft the Empe- ror Humaioon, and drove that monarch in- to exile, having occafioned a violent dif- traction throughout all the countries in the neighbourhood of the capital, many of the inhabitants forfook thofe diftriifts, and fled to the more diftant provinces, hoping in the remotenefs of their fituations to find a fecurity from the extortions of the ufurper. Shere Shah was himfelf an Afgan or Pa- ian ; and it was at this period that num- bers of Afgans, expecting in him and his fuccefibrs to fee another Dynafty of the Patans eftablimed upon the throne of Delhi, battened from all parts toenlift un- der the ftandard of the new emperor. As ROHILLA AFGANS. 29 As thofe who fled from the tyrannical exactions of the ufurper and his creatures chiefly confifted of fuch as had ferved in. the great offices of the ftate, or as collectors of diftricts and principal landholders under the former government, to fome of thefe new comers he prefented grants of the evacuated eftates and employments ; many he raifed to ports of the higheft power and diftincYion, and to all he gave every poffi- ble encouragement to fettle in that part of Hindoftan ; and hence, on the death of Shere, when Humaioon recovered the em- pire by the defeat of Secunder, the nephew and fucceflbr of his former competitor, the Afgans formed a powerful body in thofe As the infurredYionsand rebellions which have at all times diflurbed the tranquillity of the Mogul government, prefented the moft ample field of advancement and di- ftincYion to thefe bold and hardy foldiers of fortune, after the foregoing event, every adventurer who could collect a band D 2 of 30 HISTORY OF THE of lawlefs freebooters, ufed to repair to Delhi to offe rhis fervices to the king ; and, as the appointment of Grangers, deftitute of any dangerous interefts or connexions, was the mod elligible policy in the government of the more diftant provinces, thefe offers were generally excepted ; this wife precau- tion, however, which for a time certainly contributed to fupport the authority of the Mogul princes, and to preferve their empire entire, tended, in its unavoidable confequences, to precipitate their down* fal ; as the influence, credit, and numbers of thefe adventurers and their defcendants at length increafed to fuch a degree, as fi- nally enabled them, in the general difmem- berment of this unwieldy monarchy, to fecure to themfelves the independent pof- feffion of many of its richeft provinces. Of the various petty independencies which thus grew out of the ruins of the Mogul monarchy, one of the laft (though not the moft inconfiderable either in power or extent) was eftablifhed in the country I of ROHILLA AFGANS. 3! of Ktittaher, in latter times better known by the name of Rohilcund. This territory is fituated to the eaftward of the Ganges, between the province of Owde, and the firft range of northern hills commonly called the Cummou Moun- tains ; as its fhape is nearly that of an ir- regular triangle, embraced on two of its iides by the Ganges and the 1 aft- mentioned boundary, it would not be eafy to give, in general terms, any accurate idea of its di- menfions ; its mean length, however, is aboyt one hundred and eighty, and its greateft breadth about ninety miles, from which dimenfion it gradually decreafes un- til it terminates in its moft northern point at Hirdewar, where the Ganges flows through the before- mentioned range. From a concurrence of happy circumflan- ces, (as it lies in a temperate climate, and is watered by feveral fine rivers) the country is, in general, rich and fertile, and con- tains many cities of confiderable note, the D 3 chief 32 HISTORY OF THE chief of which are Owlah, Barilla, Mo- radabad, and Rampore. All thefe, previ- ous to the usurpations of the Rohillas, had been the capitals of royal Foivjcdarrys (or lieutenancies) and the two former have fmce, at different times, reflectively be- come the feat of government, during the fhort period of Rohilla independence. Among other Afgans who, from the caufes already related, came to feek their fortunes in the lower countries, in the io84th year of theHigtra, (A. C. 1673) two brothers named Shah Aulum and Huflein Khan, having forfaken their na- tive mountains, fettled in Kuttaher, where they procured fome fmall employments under the officers of the Mogul goverment ; but nothing farther is related of them worthy of note. Huflein had three fons ; Doondy Khan, NiamutKhan, and Sillaubet Khan ; thefirfl: of whom will make a confpicuous figure in the fequel. The elder brother, (Shah Au- lum) ROHJLLA AFGANS. 33 lum) had two fons, the firft named Daood Khan, and the fecond Rahmut Khan. The latter of thefe not bearing any im- portant part in the enfuingfcene of a&ion for feveral years, it is needlefs to obferve j more of him at prefent than that his firfl outfet in life was in a mercantile capacity, fuitable to the obfcurity of his origin ; and that he continued to trade between Lahore and Delhi, until he was called forth to fill more elevated and important ftations. Daood chofe a military life ; and after the manner of other Afgan adventurers, collet ing together fome followers, offered himfelf and was admitted as a volunteer into an army fent by the vizier to oppole the incurfions of the Mahrattas, who about this period had acquired a confiderable de- gree of power, and were become not a little formidable to the Mogul government, lay- ing wafte the country between Narwa and Gowalior, and extending their depredations D 4 towards 34 HISTORY OF THE towards the banks of the Jumna. On this expedition Daood diftinguiflied him- felf by his bravery ; and being on aparticular occafion, detached from the main army, had the addrefs to furprize and cut off a party of the enemy, bringing in with him fome elephants and other fpoils, Asa reward for this fervice, Daood, on the return of the royal forces, obtained a grant of a little diftrit in the territory of Budavon, which forms a part of Rohil- cund ; but, a retired life ill fuiting with his active and enterprifing fpirit, he pre- fently recruited his little force, confifting of the fir ft followers of his fortune, with a considerable body of his countrymen, and with thefe rendered many fervjces to the neighbouring Rajahs and Zimeendars, who were happy to procure hisfupportin their frequent difputes with each other, which jn thofe countries are generally decided by force. The fame of this bold partizan foon reached ROHILLA AFGANS. 35 reached the ears of the Rajah of Cummou (or Kummdoori) who invited D&ood into his fervice, and in a little time after gave him the command of all his forces ; in this fituation Daood performed many fervices of confiderable advantage to his mafter ; not meeting however with thofe rewards to which he thought his me- rits and fervices entitled him, he was pre- paring to leave the Rajah's employ in dif- guft ; but in attempting to effect this he was leized ; and the Rajah cruelly ordered his feet to be cut off, and the (inews of his legs to be forcibly drawn out from the flumps ; an operation which foon caufed the parts to mortify, and occaiioned his death. Daood left two fons ; Mahummed, and Allee Mahummed* : of the former of D 5 thefe * Some accounts have faid that Allee Mahummed was not ihefon of Daood, but by birth a Hindoo, and adopted by him : this however is not only an incon- gruity (as a Hindoo is feldom nor ever known to be adopted by a MufTulrnan,) but is moreover altogether unfupported 36 HISTORY OF THE thcfe nothing remarkable is recorded ; but it was to the afpiring abilities and in- trepid perfeverance of the latter, (co-ope- rating with the turbulence of the times) that the Afgans owed the foundation of their independance in Rohilcund. Daood had always indulged a ftrong par- tiality in favour of his younger fon Alice Mahummed, and had him early Jnftrucled in every military exercife, and in all other accomplishments which might enable him to make an eminent and iuccefsful figure in the execution of that plan of feparate and uncontrolled independence which the increafing imbecility of the Imperial autho- rity had taught him to hope might fome time or other, with the aMiftance of his countrymen, be effected in Rohilcund. vmfupported in the original Perfian manufcript, where he is pofitively mentioned as Daood's fecond fon. Of the other fon (Mahummed) the MS. takes no far- ther notice whatfoever, except merely mentioning his name, as above. When ROHILLA AFGANS. 37 When Daood firfl conceived his defign of quitting the Rajah of Cummou's fervice, he took care previoufly to tranfmit the principal part of his property, under the charge of his favourite fon, to Budavon ; fo that, upon his death, Allee Mahummed found himfelf at once poileffed of confider- able wealth, and fupported by a numerous train of his father's adherents, to whom his gallant and munificent fpirit had much endeared him, and whofe defperate cir- eumftances and experienced bravery ren- dered them the fitted inftruments for the profecution of his ambitious views. With thefe he entered into the fervice of Azmut-OolahKhan, aperfonof rank, who had been appointed from the court of Delhi Fowjdar * of Moradabad : here he * A Fowjdar implies, in its literal meaning, a com- mander of troops ; and is an officer appointed to aft as governor or lieutenant of a diftric~r, undera commiffion from the king, which empowers him to levy troops and make war, &c, as occafion may require. foon 38 HISTORY OF THE foon ingratiated himfelf with Azmut- Oolah, foas to procure, through his means, a renewal of the grant which had been beftowed on his father, and alfo to obtain the collection of a coaliderable purgunna on the part of the Emperor, together with a Jeydad, or confignment of fome villages, which he artfully procured for the fup- port of his followers. Azmut Oolah being fhortly after recalled to court, Allee Mahummed feized the op- portunity which this interval afforded him, whilft there was no royal deputy at hand who might control his motions or coun- teract his defigns, to raife a ftrong force, and eftablifh himfelf in the pofleffion of thofe lands, the charge of which he had obtained through the favour of Azmut- bolah : and as thefe parts of India have at all times (warmed with multitudes of vagrants (chiefly Afgans) who wander over the country in fearch of employment, and are ready to enlift under any ftandard that may be raifed, or to fight in any caufe that ROHILLA AFGANS. 39 that may offer, fo he foon increafed the number of his followers (which, at the time of his father's death had not exceeded three hundred in all) to fuch a degree *, that when a fucceflbr to Azmut-Oolah was appointed from Delhi, the Afgan found himfelf in a condition to make his own terms, and even to engage him (by fome valuable prefents) fo much in his favour as to procure, through his means, a commif- fion from the Court, authorizing him to retain the charge of the lands already men- tioned ; and alfo the gift of a fmall Jageer in addition thereto, for the fupport of his dignity. Alice Mahummed thus raifed to fome degree of rank and confequence, neglected * It may, perhaps, appear ftirpifing that an ob- fcure individual /hould be able to collect or fupport a formidable force with fuch facility: it is to be con- fidered, however, that in an Indian army the compa- rative number of thofe who receive regular pay is very fmall : the horfe and accoutrements of every trooper are his own property, and he often engages with no other view \.\\zn plunder. no 4O HISTORY OF THE no means in his power to ftrengthen his intereft and enlarged his connections, and the circumftances of the times afforded him ample fcope for accomplishing thefe views by methods the moft eafy and ob- vious. The Court of Delhi being, at this time, torn to pieces by the ftruggles of con- tending nobles, had left much of its power and influence ; fo that Allee Mahummed, confcious of his itrength, mewed little attention to the imperial mandates, and delayed or avoided, on various frivolous pretexts, any payment of revenue into the royal treafury, employing the income of his lands in raifing troops, purchafmg ar- tillery and military (lores, and, above all, in fecuring the friendship of many of the principal perfonages in the prefence, by a judicious and well-timed liberality ; neither was he remiis in cultivating the attachment of the lower orders by the fame practices as enabled him to fucceed with their fu- periors ; and he now only waited an op- portunity to throw off the mafk and open-- ly ailert his independance, as moil of the governors R O II I L L A A F G A N S. 4! governors in the more diftant provinces had already done. Such a one prefently prefented itfelf, although perhaps fome- what prematurely. Omdat al Moolk, who was at this period Meer Buchfty or Pavmayfter-General of the Empire, and poffeiTed a coniiderable fhare of influence at court, held the dif- tricls of Owlah and Minnownah in Jageer from the King. Thefe diftricts bordered clofe upon the lands in the polfeffion of Allee Mahummed ; and the paymafter had difpatched a favourite confidential fervant to collecl: the rents : whether this perfon had received any particular inflruclions with regard to the Afgan is not certainly known ; but, very foon after his arrival, he gave occafion for a quarrel, by endea- vouring to fequefter the rents of fome vil- lages to which Allee Mahurnmed laid claim, but which the deputy inhfled lay within the bounds of his Matter's Jageer. An encroachment of this nature the high-fpi- rited Afgan would by no means fubmit to ; and 42 HISTORY OF ?HE and after various difputes, and ineffectual negotiations, the deputy reiblved to at- tempt executing his deligns by force ; and, as his power was fupported by the name and countenance of the royal authority, he vainly flattered himfelf that no troops would venture to oppofe him : the event fhewed, however, how much he was mi- taken in his conjecture, as, in an engage* ment that enfued he himfelf was (lain, and his troops totally routed. In this exploit AJlee Mahummed ftrengthened himfelf with all the {lores and numerous artillery of the enemy : but this was not the only advantage he derived from it ; the boldnefs of his actions and munificence of his difpofition had already acquired him fome degree of credit with his countrymen, when the fame of this victory raifed his character fo high among them, that multitudes of Afgans imme- diately came from every part of the coun- try to offer their fervices ; and as he attach- ed them ftrongly to his intereft by making o over ROHILL.A AFGANS. 43 f>Ver to them almoft the whole of the re- venues of his diftri&s, thofe vagrants foon became enthufiafts in his caufe, and were ready to fnpport hiln in any attempt, how- ever defperate. Nor was Allee Mahummed deflitute of a powerful friend at court, to raife his character, and extenuate his oppofition to the imperial authority : in truth, fo mife- rably was the Mogul government funk at this time into the bafeft venality and cor* ruption, that Rebellion itfelf could with eafe bribe advocates to plead its caufe j and where this means failed, the fame effect was frequently produced in the outrageous animofuies of unprincipled and factious ambition* The high office of the ffzaret was, at this period, held byKummir-ad-deen Khan, a nobleman of the firft character for integ- rity and abilities: It is probable, how- ever, that the rectitude of his principles was not altogether proof of againft the E fedu&ions 44 HISTORY OF THE deductions of immediate intereft ; as Alice* Mahummed, from the firft rife of his for- tune, had paid court to him with unremit- ted affiduity, in the way we have already mentioned ; and it is certain that the Vi- zier fupported him on every occafion, where decency and a regard for reputation would admit of his fo doing, in the fequel : Neither was he, in the prefent inftauce, unaffected by thofe other motives we have mentioned above ; as a mutual enmity, originating in the jealoufy of court in- trigue, had long fubfifted between him and the before-mentioned Omdat-al-Moolk. Alice Mahummed, after his victory over the deputy of Omdat-al-Moolk, as already related, feized the latter's Jagheer, and con- verted the revenues ariling from it to his own ufe : the paymafter-general, already incenfed at the death of his fervant, when he found that his eflate was thus appro- priated, made loud complaints of the ini- quity of fuch violent and flagitious procee- dings : but the Vizier, not reflecting how foon his own intereft s might luffer by the encroach- ROHILLA AFGANS. 45 encroachments of fuch a daring ufurper, and happy in fupporting any one in oppo- fition to his rival, exerted the whole of his weight and authority at court in behalf o^ the Afgan Zimeendar, reprefenting his breach with the deputy as anting folely from the rafhnefs and rapacity of the latter, who, inftead of attempting to effect the purpofes for which he had been fent, had endeavoured to rob Alice Mahummed of all his treafure and effects, with a view to enrich himfelf with the fpoil. The rafh- nefs of the deputy's proceedings certainly afforded fome colour of juftice to this plea ; and although thefe arguments had been weaker, yet they would have fufficed to turn the fcale in Alice Mahummed's fa- vour, when fupported by the credit and influence of the Minifler. Another incident took place, fhortly after this, which ferved to give Allee Ma- hummed a reputation for loyalty, fuch as his real defigns but little entitled him to, and to confirm and increafe the intereftlie E 2 had 46 HISTORY OF THE had already laid the foundation of :.t court. In the prcfent diirracted fkte of the em- pire, every petty Zimeendar dared to rife in rebellion againfl the government. There was a fettlement of Seyds of the tribe of Barrah, which had been eftablifli- ed fome years before in the neighbourhood of Anopfoter (a town oppoiite to Rohil. cund, on the weftern bank of the Ganges) where their leader or chiefj Scyd-ad-deen, a man of a troublefome and turbulent dif- pofition, had been admitted as a renter ; and at length, in a confidence of his own flrength and the imbecility of the govern- ment, excited his followers to raiie an in- furrection, and to murder all the Emperor's officers who were acting in that quarter, or to expel them from their diftricl : iii the fupprefTion of this difturbance Alice Mahummed (from whatever motive) emi- nently diftinguilhed himfelf, joining the Emperor's forces, and entirely routing the ROHILLA AFGAN8. 4/ the infurgents in an engagement in which their ring leader was killed. It was generally fuppofed thaf Allee Mahummed had been induced to engage thus warmly in the royal caufe, at the in- ftigation of the Vizier ; and in gratitude for the countenance and favour he had lately (hewn him ; however that might be, Kummir-ad-Deen did not fail to reprefent the gallantry and loyalty of his conduct on the late occafion In the moft favourable light to the Emperor, who, as a reward, conferred upon the Afgan the dignity of an Ameer, with the title of a Naivab, ac- companied by a KheJaat, or honorary drefs ; at the fame time iffuing a Firman, or royal warrant, confirming him in the Jands which he had fo furreptitioufly pofr fefled himfelf of, and inverting him \vitl> other honours and ranks of diflin&ion. This fudden and extraordinary elevation of a man who had, on more than one oc- pafion, manifefled adifpofltion by no means E 3 confiften$ confident with the imperial intereft, was as impolitick and fhort lighted in the court as it was fortunate for Allee Mahum- med, whofe fame and confequence were en- hanced by it in a prodigious degree : but, in the moment when his fortune feemed to be ripening, he was again engaged in a bufine r s on which he rifqued all his interefl and fupport at Delhi. Rajah Hir-Nund, a Hindoo of fome eminence, was appointed by the Vizier to the "Fowjdarrey of Moradabad. AS the Vizier, however friendly his dif- pofition might be, was well aware of the neceflity of curbing and keeping within bounds the afpiring fpirit of the Afgan chief, the new Fowjdar had particular inftruftions to look narrowly into the conduft of Allee Mahummed, whole views had already begun to extend in confequence of his late acceffion of rank : He was alfo directed to make requifition of the proportion due to government from the rents JL O H I L L A A F G A N S. 49 rents of theAfgan'slands, which were com- prehended within the jurifdiclion of the Moradabad Fowjdarrey ; and, toenable him to do fb with effect, he was accompanied by a confiderable body of horfe, and a refpectable train of artillery. Hir-Nund, on his arrival at his govern- ment, intimated his deiire of an interview with Allee Mahummed ; this, however, (although an indifpenfable mark of duty and attention to the royal commiffionj the latter declined : the Rajah, foon after, made a formal demand of the royal quit- rents, to which Allee Mahummed replied only by a repetition of fubterfuges and delays ; and at the fame time began to collect his numerous followers, and to put himfelf in aperture of defence. The Rajah appears to have been fomewhat vio- lent and precipitate : in fact, the recent honours beftowed upon the Afgan had ex- cited the envy of many ; and there were not wanting thofe who would endeavour, in hopes of effecting his ruin, to ftimulate E 4 the 50 HISTORY OF THE the Fowjedar to adapt an abfolute and over- bearing mode of conduct, tending to pro- voke rather than to intimidate : At length prefumption on the one hand and difguft upon the other urged both parties to a&ion : the Fowjdar made lome move- ments with his troops which feemed to indicate a defign of feizing on a number of fmall forts within the country of Allee Ma- hummed ; but, if he had any fuch inten- tions, they were fruftrated by the valour and addreis of his adverfary, who attacked the army of Hir Nund ofte morning by furprife, and gave them a total overthrow, feizing on all their treafure, artillery, and camp equipage ; and the body of the un- fortunate Rajah was found, after the en- gagement, in his tent, {tabbed in feveral places ; fo that it was ftrongly lufpected he had perifhed by fome collufive treachery. Allee Mahummed immediately made a reprefentation of the nature of this rupture to the Vizier, and endeavoured to difcharge himfelf of any blame in the tran fail ion, as i having ROHILLAAFGANS. 5! having been in fome meafure compelled to exert his means of defence in the manner he had done by the headflrong violence of Hir-Nund. The Vizier, however, was by no means pleafed with the bufinefs, in which he had been confiderably injured in his own property, as the greateft part of the arr tillery and {lores belonged to him ; and he alfo refented the death of the Rajah, who was an old confidential fervant, and his particular favourite. He therefore dif- patched his fon, MeerMunnoo, with aconr iiderabls force, to demand fatislaction for the injury which the imperial authority had fuftained in the difcomfiture of the Fowjdar. The remainder of this tran faction is in* volved in fome obfcurity. We (hall not* however, hazard any conjectures, but mall fimply adhere, in our relation of it, to the account as it {lands in the original. Meer Munno proceeded with his troops to Secuiiderabad, and from thence to the banks 53 HISTORY OF THE banks of theGangcs oppofite toDaranagurr, at which place the river is fordable in the dry feafon, but by a long winding paflage, infomuch that it would be very difficult for any army to cro> over there in that manner if oppofed by an enemy ; here he faw the Afgan chief encamped on the oppofite more, \vith a force fo much fuperior to his own, that he did not judge it prudent to attempt thepaflage. In this fituation the armies lay in fight of each other for fome time, 'till at length the two commanders came to a proper underftanding, and a negociation took place, in the courfe of which Allee Mahummed found means not only to make his peace, but alfo greatly to reinforce his intereft with the Vizier by beftowing a daughter in marriage upon one of the fons of that minifter with a conjiderable dowry ; and (probably in confequence of this po- litick meafure) procured a grant of the lands formerly occupied by Hir-Nund, which he henceforth included within the circle of his pofleffions, and out of which he engaged to pay a flipulated annual quh> rent ROHJLLA AFGANS. 53 rent into the royal treafury. As Allee Mahummed, and the greateft part of the followers by whofe affiftance he had been enabled to rife, were of the tribe of Afgans denominated Rohees, or RohJllas^ (fo termed from Rob, which in the Patau dialect fignifies a mountainous country?) it was about this period that the diftrift of JCuttaher began to be diftinguifhed by the name of Rohilcund*, although this terra \vas not applied to it in any publick inftru- ments or other authentick records until fome years after. Allee Mahummed having thus laid the foundation of independence in Rohilcund, refolved to ufe the prefent interval of tranquillity, not only to eftablifh himfelf hi his new acquifitions, but to revenge the death of his father Daood, by attacking the Rajah of Kummaoon. The diftricl: of Kummdoon (or Cummow) f jfngtic< The flacc or rcjidence of the Robillas" lies 54 HISTORY OF THE lies along the back of thofe hills which derive their name from it, and which form the northern boundary of the low country to the eaftvvard of the Ganges. It does not appear that it ever had been before fuhdued by the Muflulmans, al- though the Rajah paid a fmall tribute and acknowledged fealty to the Mogul govern- ment. Preparatory to this expedition, Alice Mahummed fettled the interior po- licy of his country, and put his finances under proper regulations. He then ad- vanced towards the hills yyith a body of fifteen thoufand veteran Afgans. He was joined in the beginning of his march by a multitude of predatory vagabonds, who abound in every part of Hindoftan, and are ready to join in any excurfion merely with a view to (hare in the plunder ; but they receive no pay, and are of no ufe in action. As Allee M ahum rued was fen- fible of the difficulties he would have to ftruggle with in the courfe of his under- taking, efpecially with refpecl to provi- fions, he determined to throw off the in- cumbrancc ROHILLA AFGAXS. 55 cumbrance of thofe ufelefs banditti, and accordingly publifhed a proclamation de- claring u that any (hanger or other per- " fon not enrolled, who mould be found " within the camp after a certain day, " (hould be punifhed with death." The rigorous execution of this menace in a few inftances foon drove away all fuperfluous mouths, and eventually contributed not a little to the fuccefs of the expedition. Allee Mahummsd now proceeded to Co- fipore, a fortrefs on the borders of the northern Forefts which fringe the fkirts of the Cummow hills to the depth of fe- veral miles ; here he collected a large flock of provifions, and alfo carriages for as much grain and other neceflaries as would ferve his little army for two months. - Thefe meafures, indifpenfably requi- fite to the ultimate fuccefs of the Afgans, neceflarily occafioned fome delay ; fa that the Rajah was fufficiently aware of the Rohilla chiefs intentions, and prepared for his reception by fortifying all the ghautts or pafles over the mountains which led 56 HISTORY OP THE led into his country. Alice Mahummed had, fome time before, employed his fcouts to explore the woody region which (as above obferved) runs along the foot of the Cummow hills, in hopes of being able to avoid the Rajah by purfuing an unex- pected route. Some of thefe meflengers returned with an account of their having difcovered a practicable paflage by which (although their defcription of it was by no means encouraging) it was determined to advance. The Afgans, accordingly, boldly penetrated at once through the forefts, and after a march of eighteen days, during which they fuffered incredible hard- Ihips and fatigues, at length gained the upper country, and arrived at Chumndwtee t (a village in Kummaoon) which was the firft inhabited place they had feen for fome time pad. The troops of Alice Mahum- med here found themlelves reduced to aft under every difadvantage, as they had no provifions but what they brought upon their backs, and had been obliged to aban- don their artillery, and alfo to leave all their ROHILLA AFGANS. 57 their horfes and other cattle behind, thefe being unable to furmount the fteeps; the fuccefs of this bold attempt, however, fo terrified the Rajah, that he never offered to oppofe the Afgan troops, but fled his dominion, and took refuge in the neigh- bouring country of Sirnagur. Alice Ma- hummed thus making himfelf matter of the territory without refinance, foon over- ran it, and acquired a prodigious booty ; and having rented the whole diftricl: of Kummdoon to the Rajah of Sirnagurr for three lacks per annum, he returned with his plunder toOwlah. The fortunate refult of this expedition, and the riches which Alice Mahummed and his followers had acquired by it, would not a little have contributed to the exten- fion and confirmation of his power in Rohilcund ; but foon after his arrival at Owlah, he found himfelf once more in- volved in a quarrel with the court, out of which he did not extricate himfelf with his ufual fuccefs. i Some 58 HlSTOItY OF THE Some of the Afgan chief's Rohilla re- tainers had a difpute with the fervants of Sefdar Jung, Subadar of Ovvde, who had been fent by their mafter to cut Saal* timbers j which abound in the forefls at the back of Kuttaher : this produced a fray, in which ieveral were killed on both fides ; and the gumaihte (or agent) who commanded Sefdar Jung's people, was obliged to fly, leaving behind him all his effects, which, according to their ufual cuftom, were feized as lawful fpoil by the Rohillas, The agent repaired immediately td Owde, and laid a complaint before the: Subadar, who, incenfed at the treatment his fervant had met with, and considering his own honour concerned to refent it, repaired immediately to Dtlhi, and repre- feuted to the fovereign (Mahummed Shah) * The Saal is a very beautiful tree, growing per- feclly ftrait, to the height of 60 or 70 feet ; of cori- Jiderabje ufe in building, &c the ROHILLA AFGANS. 59 the injurious infult he had fuftained in fuch ftrong colours, that an order was im- mediately difpatched to Allee Mahummed, directing him to recover and reftore all the Gumafhte's effects ; with ftridt injunctions to deliver up fuch of the Rohillas as had been concerned in the before-mentioned difturbance. To this requifition Allee Mahummed returned an anfwer filled with expreffions of the moft fubmiflive obedience, but, at the fame time intimating " that he " would never fuffer the Gumamtes of *' any man to come into his country with- *' out his confent ; that he could not but " approve of what his people had done ; " and that he would neither reftore the " effe&s nor deliver up the plunderers, " who had received, in the infolence of " the Subadar's people, a provocation " which fufficiently juftified their pro- ceedings.'* This incautious reply, which amounted F to * 60 HISTORY OF THE to an explicit declaration of avowed rebel- lion, at length roufed the court from the fupine lethargy into which it had been lo long lulled, with refpect to the deiigns of Alice Mahummed ; and the Emperor hav- ing at prefent no other object of greater moment to occupy ,his attention, relolved, if poifible, to root out* the Afgan free- booters, and expel them entirely from Kuttaher. Sefdar Jung, who hoped by the difgrace and overthrow of Alice Ala- hummed to add Rohilcund to the extenfive dominion he already held, ^vliich from its relative iituation would render the whole of his polieflions jperfelly compact and eafily defenfible, was induced by every motive of intereft, as well as of revenge, to enter warmly into this determination, * The term, in the original is iftecfal, the cafual interpretation of which (upon another occafion) into " extirpate" has given rife to great and unfounded clamour : the true meaning is here exhibited, both in the tranjlation of it, and in the circumftance to which it applies. and HO HILL A AFGANS. 6l and to fupport and urge it to the Emperor by every argument in his power. He re- prefented the notorious turbulence and ra- pacity of the Afgans, and the contuma- cious demeanour of Allee Mahummed, which had been fufficiently difplayed, not only in his withholding the revenues of the country with the charge of which he had been entrufted, but alfo in his lately undertaking a predatory expedition againft the Rajah of Kummdoon without pretext or authority ; and the difgrace to the impe- rial honour, in fufFering a contemptible tribe of fifteen or twenty thoufand lawlefs adventurers to exercife abfolute fvvay over a territory of fuch value and extent' as Kuttdher, under the immediate eye of the court, and almoft, as it were, within fight of the royal refidence. The Subadar alfo endeavoured to engage the Vizier, Kum* mir-ad-deen, to take a decifive part in the meafures he propofed ; but that Minifter, frpm a jealoufy of the growing influence of Sefdar Jung, although the circumftances of the times obliged him to exhibit an ap- F 2 pearance 6l HISTORY OF THE pearance of coinciding with him, yet en- deavoured in fecret to thwart and counter- act his views ; this underhand oppofition on the part of the Vizier, however, was not fufficient to fcoth the Shah's refent- ment, or to prevent theprofecution of his deiign. Although the treafury was, at this pe- riod, very low, yet, by the affiftance of Sef- dar Jung and fomc other nobles who hoped to lhare in the fruits of Alice Ma- hummed* s ruin, the Empetor was enabled to levy a conliderable army, at the head of which he marched towards Rohilcund in the month Ribbee-a!-Sanee, A. H. 1154.* Alice Mahummed does not feem to have acled on this occafion with his ufual promptitude and capacity : whether he might hope, by not attempting any refift- ance, to have the affair made up through the mterpofition of the Vizier ; whether he expected that the violent feuds among * A. C. 1743, the ROHILLA AFGANS. 63 the king's minifters might operate to his advantage, or was doubtful of the fidelity of his own people ; whatever was his mo- tive, he never attempted to face the royal forces; theycrofied the Ganges at Ran- gout without oppofition ; and proclamations were forthwith iffued throughout the neighbouring country orFerin|**protec~tion and reward to all fuch as (hould defert Al- lee Mahummed, and threatened his retain- ers with the fevereft punimments. Sefdar Jung feconded the force of thefe edicts by a variety of underhand practices, of which his long experience in the fchool of crooked politics had rendered him a very complete mafter ; and, by means of numerous emif- faries, fpread terror and difaffecYion throughout the troops of Alice Mahum- med ; fo that he found himfelf in a fhort time almoft entirely deferted ; and to avoid immediate deftruftion, was under the ne- ceffity of taking refuge, with a few follow- ers who ftill remained faithful to him, iri the fort of Bang&r, which was immedi- ately inverted and clofely befieged by the F 3 royal 64 HISTORY OF THE royal army. Here, when feemingly on the brink of inevitable ruin, his affairs were fuddenly retrieved by the mediation of the Vizier and fome other Amras, who, inoppo- lition to the Subadar of Owde (whom they all feared and detefted) joined in prevail- ing upon Mahummed Shah to be reconciled to the Afgan chief. He was accordingly permitted to approach the prefence and make his peace, on condition of relincjuim- ing his country and attending the King to Delhi. In confequence of this compro- mife, Allee Mahummed ajid his garrifoa furrendered and were honourably treated, notwithftanding the remonftrances of Sefr dar Jung, who infifled on the expediency of making an example of the contumacious Afgan. But the Emperor's lenity was not the only difappointment the Subadar expe- rienced on the prefent occailon, as he fail- ed in his defign of getting charge ofKuttd- her, which, to his ufpeakable mortification, was entrufted to the government of Feridr ad-deen Khan, the fon of Azmut-Ooo- lih, formerly Fowjdar of Moradabad. Allee ROHILLA AFGANS. 65 Alice Mahummed, on his attending the Emperor to Delhi, left his family and mod valuable effects at Buda von, on the borders of his late pofleffions, where he hoped he might, fome time or other, be able to re- inflate himfelf. Sefdar Jung, provoked at the unprofit- able event of the late expedition, and ap- prehenfive that fome future coincidence of circumftances, by reftoring Allee Mahum- med to his lands, might fubvert the hopes he {till entertained of adding that traft to the province of Oude, omitted no means by which he might effect the Afgan's ruin ; and fuch fvvay did he bear in the councils of the King, that Allee Mahummed found it expedient to fecrete himfelf on one occafion, in order to avoid the effects of his malice, In warding off the blows aimed at him by the infiduous and implacable Subadar, Allee Mahummed found himfelf much affifted by fome of the principal nobles who F 4 had 66 HISTORY OF THE had before interceded for him at Bangur, not more perhaps out of regard to him than from hatred to his enemy ; and (as it was deemed proper to keep him for fome time in 3 kind of honourable reftraint) the Vizier gave him apartments in hispalace, in which he remained confined as a fort of Jlate prlfoner for feveral months. In the mean time, in order to avoid any difturh- ances which might be excited in favour of the Afgan chief, a Firman was iffued, prohibiting Rohillas, and all other Patans, of every defcription, who had formerly ated under Allee Mahummed from crof- fing the Ganges, or entering Delhi, under any pretence whatfoever. Theonly ftep, however,which could have effectually broken the Afgan confederacy, had been neglected. When Allee Mahum- med furrendered, no precautions were taken for the e^pulfion of his friends and retain- ers from Kuttaher^ (as had been intend- ed,) hence they frill continued to hold a local confequence and flrength ; and fliortly HO HILL A AFGANS. 67 fhortly after the Emperor's return to Delhi, a confiderable number of them collected at Sumbull (a city in the northern Rohilcund) and becoming impatient of the abfence of their popular and fuccefsful chief, and perhaps afhamed of their late pufillanimous defertion of him, refolved to make an ef- fort to releafe him from his prefent con- finement, and fet him again at their head. For this purpofe upwards of four thoufand of them, by the connivance of fome Af- gan commanders in the royal forces, elud- ing the vigilance of the guards at the fords, crofled the Ganges, and paffing over the Dodb * province in feparate parties under different difguifes, affembled at a garden or villa in the fuburbs of Delhi, from whence they iflued in a body to the royal palace, and there, with much clamour, t infifted on the enlargement of Alice Mar. hummed. There was at this time but a * This, (as the name fignifies) is the country ly- ing between two rizvrs, the Ganges and the Jumna ; Delhi is fituated upon the latter, very 63 HISTORY OF THE very fmall force in Delhi ; a confiderable part of thofe lately levied had been already difbanded ; fome had been left under the command of Ferid-ad-dcen, to fecure the tranquillity of the countries beyond the Ganges ; and the remainder had, a little time before, marched under Meer Mun- BOO, towards Lahore*, as there was an apprehenfion of the empire being at- tacked from that quarter : thus fituated, the court was not a little ftartled at this unexpected and alarming infurrecYion ; and their ignorance of its origin, and extent in- creafed the terror and perplexity of the King and his minifters. There were, how- ever, among the latter, fome Afgan Amras* who were in fecret not much difpleafed at this fedition, and they determined to make ufe of it as an argument for the immediate releafe of Allee Mahummed, whofe enter- prifing abilities they conceived might con- tribute to the aggrandizement of their par- ty : they therefore urged the neceflity of taking fome flep in his favour, in order to avert the gathering florin ; becaufe, being exceedingly * Page 29. ROHILLA AFGANS. 69 exceedingly popular with his countrymen, there was reafon to apprehend that the pre- fent tumult might extend to a general in- furredion of all the Patdns in the northern provinces, which, in. the imhecile condi- tion the ftate was then reduced to, might be attended with the moft ferious confe- quences. The unhappy neceffity of prefent cir- cumftances gave fuch weight to thefe ar- guments as at length induced the minifters to yield to the turbulent clamours of Alice Mahummed's adherents ; and the Vizier found himfelf conftrained reluctantly to give way to the tide of general opinion ; for, though from family connection, and other coniiderations, he was much the Af- gan's friend, yet he by no means confidered him a perfon fit to be entrufted at any di- ftance from the immediate eye of govern- ment. It would have been dangerous, in the prefent crifis, to fuffer Alice Mahummed to 70 HISTORY OF THE to return to his former pofleffions ; the colle&ion of the country of Sirhind was therefore beftowed upon him, where, being at a diftance from his original connections, it was prefumed he would remain more amenable to the authority of the court : Allee Mahummed accordingly proceeded to that place, leaving two of his children with the Vizier as hoftages for his fidelity. Allee Mahummed had, at this period, fix ions, Abdoola Khan, Fyzoola Khan, Sydoola Khan, Mahumme/i Yar Khan, Allah Yar Khan, and Murtooza Khan ; of thefe, the frft and fecond were the pledges delivered as above. It was fhortly after the appointment of Allee Mahummed to Sirhind that the fa- mous Ahmed Shah Abdallee invaded Hin- doftan. * No notice has been taken, in its proper place, of .the iiivafion of Nadir Shah, as that event did not, at the time, bear any * A. H. 1155, A. C. 1744. direct ROHILLA AFGANS. ? I direct relation to the hiftory of the Afgans ; but as its deftru&ive confequences to the Mogul power contributed not a little to the facility of forming the Rohilla, and many other independent eftablimments which foon after fprung up in different parts of India, and, though not in its immediate operation, yet in its fubfequent effects, materially tended to alter the general fy- ftem, it may here be neceflary to take a fhort retrofpect, as aproper introduction to what follows. 1 Nadir Shah, after fubjugating all the provinces of Perfia, and fpreading his ravages over the region which formed the ancient empire of Ghizni, advanced into Candahar, from whence he was in- duced, by the factions which weakened and diftradted the Mogul government, to proceed towards Delhi ; and to this flep he was, moreover, invited by fome mal- content Amras in India, who expected in the ruin of their monarch, and the over- throw of the ftate, to find opportunities for the 72 HISTORY OF T rt E the gratification of their own flagitious ambition. It was not probable that a weak and ef- feminate prince, aided (or rather governea) by a council compofed (the Vizier only excepted) of men of the moft abandoned principles, each of whom was folely occu- pied in the care of his own little interefts, without the fmalleft attention to or regard for thepublick good, mould be able to con- duct an army fo as to make an effectual Hand agauift the incurfion df troops who had been bred up in war, and were long accuftomed to victory : after an action in which, however, it appears that the Mo- guls behaved in a manner not altogether unworthy of their ancient character, fome of the principal commanders in Mahum- med Shah's army, perceiving that the ir- regular efforts of perfonal bravery would, in the end, prove no match for the un- daunted firmnefs of Nadir's difciplined ve- terans, began to defpair ; whilft thofe traitors who had invited the Perfian to invade their country, and among whom were ROHILLA AFGANS. 73 were fome of the chief fervants of the Em- peror, fecretly commenced feparate nego- ciations with the enemy; and intelli- gence of this being conveyed io Mahum- med Shah, the unhappy prince, tottering on the brink of ruin in the midfl: of his irrefolute officers and perfidious rmnifters, was advifed by his Vizier to throw him- felf upon the mercy and generofity of his adverfary. He accordingly furrendered, and was treated with refpecl ; and the Perfian forces proceeded towards Delhi, which city Nadir Shah entered upon the ninth of March, A. D. 1739. The particulars which followed have been minutely related by others : it is therefore fufficient to obferve that having, by the feizure of the royal treafury and regalia, by contributions, taxes, and pillages, col- lected to the enormous value offevenfjy mil- lionsjlerling) Nadir Shah returned towards Perfia, marking his route with horror and devaluation. Not very long after, he was aflaflinated ; upon which event, a number of 74 HISTORY OF THE of rivals immediately ftarted up to difpute the fucceflion to his extenfive conquefts, and, as is always the cafe on fuch occa* fions, that empire which he had formed with fo much rifque and labour, and fuch deftruction to the human race, fell to pieces, and became divided into a number of independent fovereignties. Among other adventurers who raifed themfelves to royalty upon this occafion was Ahmed Khan, furnamed Abdallee. Ahmed Khan was an Afgan, a native of Herat, of the tribe of Afgans denomi- nated D&ran Abdul* whofe anceftors had held a confiderable dominion in the moun- tains which feparate Hindoftan from Per- fia: the fortunes of his family being ruined, and his country overrun by the arms of Nadir Shah, he was conftrained to enter into the fervice of the Perfian ; and although at firfr. entertained in a very low capacity, was gradually advanced by that difcerning prince, on aceount of his abili- ties ROHILLA AFGANS. 75 ties and merit, until he attained the poft of treafurer, on the lad expedition to Hin- doftan. Ahmed Khan, taking advantage of the univerfal confufion which fucceeded the murder of the tyrant, found means to carry off a great part of his wealth* with the care of which he was entrusted by the nature of his employment, into fo me flrong recefles in the hills near Ghorebund in Zabuliftan, which had been the refidence of his anceftors. Here he was joined by fuch of his tribe as had ferved in Nadir Shah's army, and having collected together a body of thirty thoufand Dttrdnnees (as the Afgans of this region are commonly called) iffued forth into the neighbouring country, which being at prefent without any acknowledged head, was eafily fub- jecled to his authority ; infomuch that, in the courfe of two or three years, he laid the foundation of a new and powerful mo- narchy, afluming the title of Ahmed-Shah Abddllee, G Ah,med 76 HISTORY OF THK Ahmed Abdallee, having perfectly efta- blifhed himfelf in his new acquiiitions, began to turn his thoughts towards Hin- doftan, where the increafmg imbecility of the empire gave him hopes of a fuccefs fimilar to that which had attended the ex- pedition of his late mailer : and with this view he marched eaftward, c roiled the Attack, and advanced through the country of Punjab, a fhort time before Allee Ma- hummed was appointed to Sirhind, as already related. As Ahmed's army con- lifted of not lefs than iixty thoufand well- appointed cavalry, when his intentions became known, the Sultan and his Amras, as well as all the inhabitants of Delhi and the furrounding country, who even yet feverely felt the cruelties of Nadir Shah, were overwhelmed with terror and dejec- tion. -The fameintrigues however, which, on the incurfion of Nadir Shah, had been ib defiruUve to the public caufe, did not at prelent exift; and the Vizier found him- ielf at liberty to employ his integrity and i vigour ROHILLAAFGANS. 77 vigour, unimpeded by the counter-plots which had then obftru&ed their operation. Meer Munnoo (the Vizier's fon) was ordered to advance towards Lahore*, with fuch forces as were then at Delhi, to Watch Ahmed Shah's motions and re- tard his progrefs : the farther prepara- tions for defence were likely to have re- ceived a confiderable check from the infur- rection of the Afgans in favour of Alice Mahummed ; but that bufinefs being fet- tled, and accounts daily arriving of the nearer approach of the Abdallee, the Vizier collected what remaining troops he could mutter from Rohilcund and other parts ; and being farther reinforced by a confide- rable body of horfc under Sefdar Jung, pro- ceeded to join his fon, and oppofe the in- vader. The Vizier advanced to Sirhind, where he found Meer-Munnoo, who had not thought it prudent to venture farther on account of the great fuperiority of * p. 68. G 2 the 78 HISTORY OF THE the Durannees ; the united troops, hav- ing lodged all their heavy artillery and fu- perfluous baggage in this place, purfued rheir route, and had proceeded three days march from thence, when they came with- in fight of the enemy at a place called Minoivra. Here the adverfe armies, as if unwilling to bring matters to any fudden decilion, ftrongly intrenched themfelves, and began their operations again ft each other by a diftant cannonade, which was continued for many days, at intervals, without any material lofs crti either fide.--- At length, it unfortunately happened that the Vizier was killed one evening by a random (hot, ill his tent,:---His body was wrapped up in fhawls by the attendants, and it was determined, in a council of the chief commanders, which was immediately convened upon this unhappy accident, to keep his death a profound fecret, and to attack the enemy the very next morning, before a knowledge of this event mould have disheartened the foldiers, who were known to place their chief dependance on the ROH1LLA AFGANS. 79 the approved valour and abilities of the Vizier. Accordingly, a general adlion en- fued next day, in which, after various fuc- cefs, the troops of Ahmed Abdallee were at length repulfed, with the lofs of a confi- derable part of their artillery, and driven feveral miles from the field of battle. Ahmed, a few days after, once more tried his fortune againft the Mogul forces, and was again defeated ; but this able foldier, far from being difmayed by thefe failures, at the very point when his fortune feemed to be mod defperate, fuddenly turned the rear of the imperial army, and with a cho- fen body of cavalry puming to the eafl> ward, nothing was heard of him for two days, and it was univerfally imagined that he had gone off towards Candahar, when he feemed to fpring up out of the earth be- fore Sirhind, which immediately furren- dered to him. Having levied a hafty con- tribution in that place, and plundered the neighbouring country, he retired as ra- pidly as he had advanced, and paffing \vithin four miles of the Mogul army in G 3 the 8o HISTORY OF THE the night, proceeded towards the Punjab, carrying with him Fyzoola Khan and Ab- doola Khan, the two fons of Allee Ma- hummed whom the Rohilla had left as hoftages of his fidelity, on his appointment to Sirhind, as before mentioned. Thefe young men had accompanied the Vizier thus far, on his march to oppofe Ahmed Abdallee; and had been ordered to remain at Sirhind, by which means they fell into the invader's hands, who confidered them as the mod valuable part of his acquifition in this defultory incurfion ; as, by his power over them, he would be able to fe- cure the neutrality of Allee Mahummed (whofe abilities and enterprifing difpofition he was well acquainted with) and even to render him fubfervient to his future views upon Hiiidoftan. The command of the Mogul army, which ftill remained to the weflvvard as a check upon Ahmed Abdallee, devolved upon the gallant Meer Munnoo, fon of the HOHILLA A F G A N S. Si the deceafed Vizier, who had fignally di- fKnguifhed himfelf in the late actions. The old Sultan, Mahummed Shah, never recovered the (hock which he fuf- tained in the death of his favourite, the faithful Kummir-ad-deen ; he died fhort- ly after, and was fucceeded in the imperial dignity by his fon Ahmed, who appointed Sefdar Jung, the Subadar of Ovvde, to the high office of the Fizaret. Confidering all circumftances, the re- pulfe of the Abdallee was certainly an event which could fcarcely have been ex- peded, and ferved, for the moment, to keep alive the dying embers of the royal power. But, whilft fome remains of the empire were thus preferved in one quarter, many of its provinces were alienated in another. It has already been obferved that Allee Mahummed ftill entertained hopes of being able, fome time or other, to recover the D 4 Jagheers 82 HISTORY OF THE Jagheers and other tenures which he had pofleffed in Rohilcund. On his arrival at Sirhind, he immediately began to call together his fcattered banditti, whom he gratified with whatever he could glean from the country which had in fo weak a manner been entrufted to his charge ; and in confequence of his lavifh profufenefs to his followers, could make no remittances of revenue to Delhi ; he was, however, deterred from undertaking any thing openly, for the prefent, by the tircumftance of Meer Munnoo being for fome time encamped near Sirhind with the advanced divifion of the royal forces. When he heard that the Vizier was about to march from Delhi with the remainder, of the Mogul army, in order to form a junction with Munnoo, he withdrew to Gungapore, a town about fixteen miles diftant from Sirhind, under pretence of collecting the rents of that Purgunna, but in reality to avoid an interview with the niinifter, and to evade any demands which might R O H I L L A A F G A N S. 83 might be made of him in the prefent exi- gency :--- and, as foon as he underftood that the Vizier had patted Sirhind, he pro- ceeded immediately to the Ganges, and crof- fing that river at Biceghaut, marched direct- ly into the heart of Rohilcund ; and being there joined by the greatefr. part of his old retainers, prefently poiTefled himfelf of all the countries which had formerly been in his hands, as well as the Jagheers of Kum- mir-ad-deen, Sefdar Jung, and others, comprehending almofl the whole of Kut- taher. As a great part of the royal forces had been withdrawn from thefe provinces to reinforce the main army under the Vizier, the few who were left never attempted any oppofition to Alice Mahummed. Some of the commanders he bought over to his Jnterefi ; others he drove away ; and the circumftances of the time preventing the poffibility of any meafures being taken to remedy his defection, he was left at full liberty to purfue every ftep which might be 84 HISTORY OF THE be neceffary for his eftablifhmcnt. He, by contributions and other means, railed confiderable fums, which he employed in levying troops, providing artillery-flores, building fome forts and repairing others ; and made fo rapid a progrefs in his fchemes, that when the government at Delhi was reftored to tranquillity, he found himfelf able to make his own terms with the new Vizier ; and in confequence of a private bargain with the minifter, obtained from the Emperor, foon after his acceffion, grants of all thofe territories he had lately fei zed, including the Jagheer of Moradabad, be- longing to Kummir-ad-deen, but which had been vacated by his death, that of the Nizam confifting of the diftrict of Barelli, that of Sefdar Jung confiding of Dam- poor and Sheerkootch, together with other eftates of many principal Amras ; fo that in fad!:, (if the grants of an impotent prince could be faid to beftow any additional title) Alice Mahummed procured, as a fubject pf the Mogul government, a full and legal authority R OH ILL A AFGANS. 85 Authority over the whole of Kuttaher*. Nothing can afford fo ftrong an inftance of the deplorable imbecility to which the court of Delhi was at this period reduced, and of the corruption or infatuation which reigned in its councils, than this conduct towards a man whofe whole life had exhi- bited a continual feries of refiftance, and contempt of the imperial authority. We have juft feen an effort made to repel a formidable foreign foe, attended with fuc- cefs ; whilft, from a want of interior po- litical {lamina, every Zimeendar raifed the ftandard of rebellion with fuccefs, every lawlefs ruffian committed his enormities without fear of punimment, and every fpe- cies of rapine and devaftation were perpe- trated without reftraint ! but to return. Alice Mahummed finding himfelf at length permanently fixed in what had fo long been the object of his wifhes, began immediately to fettle the interior police of r * A. H. 1157 A, D. 1746, the 86 HISTORY OF THE the territory under proper regulations ; and, that he might not be incommoded by the incurfions of the petty Rajahs, who held tracts along the foot of the Cummow hills, he rooted out all thofe from whom he had any apprehenfions, and drove them to the other fide of the Ganges, without any regard to their prior right in thofe lands, which had been the feats of their anceftors for many centuries. This was a mode of acting diametrically pppofite to what had ever been obferved by the Ma- hommedan fettlers in Hindoftan ; the Ro- hilla chief, however, did not flop here ; but conducted himfelf towards all the Hin- doos of any rank or confequence in Rohil- cund (the only name by which Kuttaher was after this diftinguifhed) with a cruel and unjuflifiable feveriry. He deprived fuch as were Zimeendars of their lands, and the public officers of their employ- ments, and filled the places thus vacated with his creatures ; fo that in the fpace of a few months the country was put com- pletely under a Patan government. This decided ROHILLA AFGANS. 87 decided mode of proceeding, although harfli and tyrannical, yet was certainly the only means of fecuring Allee Mahummed in that abfolute independence at which he aimed, as it formed a combination apparent- ly too flrongtobe fhakenor deranged by any meafures the court of Delhi might in fu- ture adopt for the recovery of its domi- nion, leaving the revenue of every diftricl: at his fole difpoial, and opening to him the moft fecret fources of intelligence ;---and accordingly we do not find that, during the remainder of his life, any attempt was made to difturb or fubvert the defpotic au- thority of the Afgans in Rohilcund. Had the life of Allee Mahummed been prolonged, it is certain that he would have raifed this country to a high degree of hap- pinefs and profperity ; as, being altogether unmolefted by other interference, he em- ployed his whole time in making various wife and falutary regulations, placing his army on a refpeftable footing, and cor- recting and arranging the different depart- ments 88 HISTORY OF THE meats of government with a Ikill which diftinguifhed his character as much for his policy and prudence in the exercife of power, as his preceding actions, for the perfeverance and enterprize by which that power was acquired. But the time foon arrived, when Allee Mahummed, in common with other fuc- cefsful heroes, was to prove and experience the idle vanity of all the purfuits of ambi- tion. He had for fome years been fubjecl: to pe* riodical returns of deafnefs, but without any material injury to his health in other refpefts ; this diforder, about fourteen months after his reinftatement in Rohil- cund, returned upon him with uncommon violence, infomuch that it is faid he could not hear the report of a cannon ; he was at the fame time feized with a dropfy which baffled the fkill of the phyficians ; and finding that this laft difeafeincreafed upon him, and that his diflblution approached, he ROHILLA AFGANS. $9 he was anxious to put affairs on fuch a footing as would fecure the inheritance of his territories to his children. As all his fons were {till under age, Al- lee Mahummed was fufficiently aware that the transfer of the government into any one hand until their maturity would be likely to defeat his intention ; but he hoped by a judicious partition of the whole power among a number of the principal individuals for that period, to create a coun- terpoife of interefts in the community, which might eventually operate in favour of his heirs. He therefore called together all the chief perfons of the Rohilla party ; and it is on this occafion that the firft mention is made of Rahmut Khan and Doondy Khan, as bearing any part in the tranfac- tions in Rohilcund : the former of thefe was the uncle and the latter the coafin of Alice Mahummed : they had heretofore moved in a very humble fphere ; but their * See Page 5. relation, pO HISTORY OF THE relation, upon his final eftablifhment in that quarter, had beflowed upon them the charge of fome of his moft important di- ftrifts in the territories of Barellee, and Biffoolee. He now conftituted the former of thefe Hafiz> or chief Guardian of his children during their minority ; he like- \vife joined Doondy Khan in the guar- dian (hip appointing him commandant of the troops. He in their prefence ex- ecuted a will, in which he dire&ed that, until the return of his two eldeft fons, Fyzoola Khan and Abdoola Khan, (who had been carried off by Ahmed Abdallec to Candahar) the fupreme government Ihould, under the direction and control of the guardians, be veiled in his third fon, Sydoola Khan ; and he received from the guardians the moft folemn promifes and aflurances of their inviolable attachment to all his children, which they ratified by oath upon the Koran. Thefe men were, of courfe, to be neceflarily entrufted with a principal fhare in the executive autho- rity ; but as a check on the dangerous in- fluence ROHILLA AFGANS. pi fiuence with which they would hereby be- come vetted, he united with them his kinf- men, Niamut Khan and Sillabut Khan, in. the general adminiftration of affairs. He alfo created two principal officers of ftate ; Futte Khan, one of his moft favourite retainers, who had invariably adhered to his interefts in every change of his for- tune, he nominated to the poft of Khanfa- man, or fie ward ; and Serdar Khan to that of Buxy, or paymafter, to act immediately under the regents. To all thefe Allee Mahummed gave the government of dif- ferent diftri&s, which they refpe&ively fwore to hold in truft for his children. The whole were, upon every emergency, to confult together for the good of the ge- neral ftate ; and, in cafe of neceflity, each was to lead his proportion offerees into the field, and to pay a quota into the grand treafury under the Buxy for the difburfe- ment of contingencies. Allee Mahum- med's lafl care, previous to his deceafe, was to difcharge, with a fcrupulous exaftneis, all the arrears due to his troops ; he alfo H diftributed 92 HISTORY OF THE diflributed an advance among them to the amount of twenty-five lacks of rupees, taking an acknowledgement from every individual, by which each iolemnly bound himfelf to {land by and adhere to the caufe of his family ; and thefe acknowledge- ments were lodged in the ^o/hek-Kbane, or chancery, under the care of Futte Khan, khanfaman. Alice Mahummed did not long furvive the new arrangement of the Rohilla go- vernment ; and the circumstances of his death were not lefs remarkable than the whole tenor of his life. On the morning of his deceafe, he was carried into the Durbar, where were aflembled all the principal per- fons with whom he entrufted the manage- ment of his territories. Here he publicly declared the particulars of his will, in which he had fettled the different divifions of the country upon his fons, according to a diftribution therein mentioned ; and in- treating their protection of his children, he expired ROHILLA AFGANS. 93 expired amidft the united murmurs of for- row and applaufe, on the 4th of the fecond Jemmad, in the i i6oth year of the Higera*, after acquiring a great and lafting reputa- tion among his countrymen. Alice Mahummed, at his death, left fix fons, whofs names have been already men- tionedf ; the two eldeft of thefe were {till with Ahmed Abdallee at Candahar J ; the remaining four, to wit, Sydoola Khan, Mahummed- Yar Khan, Allah-Yar Khan, and Murtooza Khan, being yet infants, were committed for the prefent to the charge of Futte Khan, khanfaman, and the guardians provided an adequate eftab- limment for their fupport. The death of Allee Mahummed opened the way for feveral attempts to overfet the Afgan interefts in Rohilcund, and to drive them from their ufurped poffeflions. * A.D. 1749. -f Page 70. \ Page 80. H 2 With 94 HISTORY OF THE With this intention, Kuttub-acl-deen, the grandfon of Azmut Oolah, repaired to Delhi, and with eafe obtained a Firman for the fucceffion to the Fowjdarrey of Mo- radabad. But the power of the court was now reduced fo low, that it could not afford any affiftance to its fervants to enforce the royal mandates : orders were every day iffued which never were obeyed, and di- ftridls granted which could never be fub- -dued. Kuttub-ad-deen fatally experienced the truth of this obfervation : marching into Rohilcund under the, fanction of the royal commiffion, but with a force by no means equal to fuch an undertaking, he was met at Dampoor by the Rohilla troops" under Doondy Khan, who entirely defeat- ed him, and put all his followers to the fword. Scarcely was this difturbance quelled, before another more formidable enemy ap- peared to contend with. Some years previous to the events we have been ROHILLA AFGANS. 95 been relating, the Afgans of the Bungifh tribe had made a fettlement at Ferrocha- bad, which from the fubfequent imbecility and increasing weaknefs of the court, had fince been (like many other parts of the empire) creeled into a fort of independent principality ; paying only a nominal tri- bute, and acknowledging the authority of the Mogul government, but without ex- hibiting any real proofs of dependancc upon it. Keem JungBungim was, at the period here treated of, chief of that tribe, and was ftiled " Nabob of Ferrochabad" He entertained the fame hopes which had deluded Kuttub-ad-deen, of profiting by the death of Allee Mahummed, concluding that the A fgan chiefs in Rohilcund, being deprived of their ufual firm fupport by this event, would eafily yield to the firft im- preflion he fhould attempt to make in that quarter. He accordingly prepared a nume- rous army, and a formidable train of artil- lery ; and eroding the Ganges on a bridge of boats at Futty-Ghur, proceeded up the erftern bank of that river, on pretence of H 3 feeking p HISTORY OF THE feeking fatisfa&ion for fome encroach- ments which had been made upon him by the Rohillas, and fome affronts his people had received from them in the fmall por- tion of his territory which lay on that fide of the river. The chiefs in Rohilcund, when they were certified of Kaeem Jung's intention, were at firft {truck with terror and difmay ; as they were well acquainted witlV his power and bravery, and their government had not yet attained a fufficient degree of firmnefs to enable it to withftand fuch a fhock without manifeft danger. The two eldeft fons of Alice Mahummed were more- over abfent ; and the third, in whom the oftenfible authority of the {rate was vefted, was as yet a child, whofe prefence could infpire but little {lability in their councils, or valour in the field. The guardians therefore fent ambalTadors to Kaeem Jung, in the moft fuppliant terms, to deprecate his refcntment, and offering to furrender to him the yvhole territory they were pof- feffed ROHILLA AFGANS. 97 fefled of to the weflward of the Ganges ; they likewife reprefented to him the ill policy of the Afgan powers quarrelling with and difabling each other, at a time when their force mould rather be combined to refift the machinations of their common enemies. All this reafoning, however, had no effecT: upon Kaeem Jung, who was deter- mined to aim at nothing lefs than the total iubjugation of Rohilcund ; and the fumif- five profeffions of the chiefs indicating a great degree of confufion and alarm, in- duced him the more obflinately to perfifh The Rohillas were therefore obliged to pro- vide againft the worft. The guardians and other minifters af- fembled their forces, and fet young Sy- doola Khan at their head, in hopes that his prefence, by reminding the foldiers of their former fuccefs under his father, might t>e regarded by them as a propitious cir- H 4 cuftance, 98 HISTORY OF THE cumftance, and be attended with fome good effect. Kieem Jung advanced to Owde, anc} from thence attempted, by directing his route to the eaftward, to penetrate into the heart of Rohilcund. Shortly after, the adverfe armies met upon the plains of Dowrey, about fourteen miles from Owlah, where a bloody engager ment enfued, in which, after a variety of fuccefs, Kaeem Jung being {Jain by a match- lock (hot, his troops at length gave way, and were totally routed. The Rohillas after this victory feized on all the pofleffions of Kiieem Jung, to the eaftward of the Ganges. Sefdar Jung, who had by this time ac- quired an unbounded authority at Delhi, reigning over the Emperor himfelf as well as the Amras of the court with an abfolute fway, was much pleafed at this breach be- tween ROHILLA AFOANS. 99 tween the Afgaii powers, whofe growing influence in the northern provinces was greatly dreaded by him ; and had indeed * been no inconfiderable check upon his am- bitious defigr.s ; nor was the confequent defeat and death of Kaeem Jung lefs agree- able to him, as that chief had often treated the orders of the fupreme government, and the Emperor's requifitions of fupplies for the fervice of the ftate, with the moft con- temptuous indifference and neglect ; and thefe events afforded an opportunity for recovering the dominion of Fcrrochabad, and feizing on the treafureand effects of the deceafed as a punimment for his contuma- cy. With this defign the Vizier marched from Delhi at the head of a confiderable force, and inverted Ferrochabad. Kaeem Jung's family having been left at Ferrochabad without any protection, were in no condition to oppofe Sefdar Jungj" and endeavoured to make their peace, by furrendering to him their whole property; -but he, in ordsr to prevent any future at- tempt IOO HISTORY OF THE tempts to revenge this extortion in behalf of the Emperor, feized Kaeem Jung's mo- ther, and fome others of his relations, and fent them to the fort of Allehabad ; determining to hold them as hoftages for the future demeanour of their party. In the mean time, Ahmed Khan Bun- gim, the brother of Kaeem Jung, after the battle of Dowrey, collected the remains of the defeated troops at Maw. Here he was joined by his brother's wife, who had contrived to effect her efcape from Ferroch- *t abad, and brought with her fome money and jewels, and a few faithful followers. Thefe propitious events ferved to fupport the declining fpirit of the Ferrochabad Afgans ; and numbers of them flocked in every day from all parts of the country to the flandard of Ahmed. This foon ena- bled him to proceed to action ; and he pre- fently marched to Ferrochabad, drove the troops of Sefdar Jung out of that city, and put to death all thole who had been any way ROHILLA A F G A N S. IOI way inflrumental in the misfortunes of his family. Rajah Newel Ray, who was a favourite retainer of Sefdar, and a&ed as his deputy in the province of Oude, immediately marched with a great army from that place To attempt the recovery of Ferrochabad. Ahmed Khan Bungim had by this time fo much ftrengthened himfelf, that he took the refolution of marching out to meet the deputy, who had pafled over the Ganges at Kinnoge, about thirty miles below Fer- rochabad, and was already fome way ad- vanced on his route towards that city. Their forces engaged upon the banks of the Calli-Nudee (a fmall river which runs in- to the Ganges) and after an obflinate con- fli&, the Rajah being at length (lain, his troops fled on every quarter. Ahmed Khan purfued them for feveral cofs from the field of battle with terrible (laughter ; and fol- lowing his blow, he crofled the Ganges on the bridge of boats which Newel Ray had conftructed IOZ HISTORY OF THE conftrudted upon that river at Kinnoge, and marching directly to Oude, feized on all the treafure and effects of Sefdar Jung. The Vizier, incenfed at this overthrow, moft bafely and cruelly caufed all the indi- viduals of the Bungim family, whom he had imprifoned, to be put death ; and taking forty pieces of the royal artillery from Del- hi, marched in perfon with what force he could mufter againft Ahmed, who imme- diately returned from Oude toward the Ganges, and paffing over on the bridge of boats before mentioned, difpofed a part of his troops fo as effectually to cover the ter- ritory of Ferrochabad, and with the re- mainder prepared directly to meet and en- gage the royal forces* This boldnefs in- timidating the cowardly Vizier ; and after fome ikirmimes, in which Ahmed Khan was generally fuccefsful, the contending parties at length met on a large plain near the village of Pattiaree, within twelve miles of Ferrochabad, where enfued one of the fierceft engagements recorded in the flruggles ROHILLA AFGANS. 103 ftruggles of the declining empire. At finft, the action, from the fuperiority of forces (particularly artillery) feemed 'ra- ther to incline in favour of the royal army ; but during .the hotteft part of the engage- ment there fuddenly arofe a fand-Jlorm^ (common in thofe parts of India) which blew with violence directly in the faces of the Moguls ; and the Afgans, improving this advantage, rumed on in the bofom of a thick cloud of duft, and charged their enemies withirrefiftible impetuofity. The Vizier's troops being blinded by the fand, could neither judge of the number, nor di- ftinguim the attack of their aflailants ; their panick was increafed by the whirl- wind and darknefs which furrounded them, and in a few minutes they gave way and fled with the utmoft precipitation. All the Vizier's artillery was taken, and his in- fantry cut off to a man. He himfelf ef- caped with difficulty, and two days after arrived at Delhi in a tranfport of rage and defpair. He now refolved, at all events, utterly to extirpate the Afgans, and to i riik 104 HISTORY OF THE rifle the exigence of his own power, and of the ruinous remains of the empire, to effecl his purpofe, by calling in the aid of the Hindoo powers, whole alliance was fcarcely lefs deflructive than their enmity. In purfuance of this refolution, he drew the whole of the money out of the royal treafury ; and rinding this to be inefficient, laid Delhi and the neighbouring country under a heavy contribution. He next en- tered into a treaty with the Mahratta chiefs, Apa-Jee and Mulhar-Row, pro* curing their alliance by giving them a large fum in advance, and bonds to a confidera- ble amount, in confequence of which they joined him with a body of fifty thoufand horfe. By fimilar means he procured the affiftance of Sooraj Mull with a number of Jats. With thefe united forces the Vizier ad- vanced once more towards Ferrochabad. ROHILLA AFOANS. 105 but finding himfelf unable to contend, alone, with fo po we rful a con federacy , he applied to the Rohilla chiefs for affiftance, reprefent- ing this as a common caufe, in which the whole of the Afgan powers mould feel themfelves equally concerned. Thefe chiefs, however, were much averfe to in- volving themfelves in a quarrel, from the moft favourable iffue of which they could derive no eflential benefit, and in cafe of defeat had every think to fear ; they would not, therefore, pay any attention to this reprefentation ; upon which Ahmed Khan fent his mother, who was a woman of great art, and poflefled of a mafculine underftanding, to endeavour to negotiate an alliance with the Rohillas, and to fettle all matters of difpute that had arifen be- tween them and Kaeem Tun*;. J O The Begum accordingly repaired to Kut- taher, and applied feverally to the chiefs, but to no purpofe ; they declared " that ** they had no objection to compromife " every difpute with the Bungifh family ; " but, X06 HISTORY O# THE " but, that they could by no means think " of involving themfelves in a new quar- " rel with the united forces of the Empe- " ror, the Jats, and the Mahrattas, the 44 event of which mutt, in forne refpefts, " be prejudicial to them, and might prove " totally runious to their interefts." As a laft refource, the old Begum waited on Sydoola Khan, and ufmg every artful infi- nuation that could flatter his vanity or in- flame his ambition, at length perfuaded him to take a part in Ahmed's quarrel with the Vizier, notwithstanding the jftrong re- monftrances of the guardians and other ancient chiefs : he accordingly prepared to join Ahmed, accompanied only by Fut- tee Khan and his troops, as Hafiz Rahmut and Doondee Khan fo entirely difapproved of this ram proceeding, that they pofuively refufed to take any part in it. The Rohillas do not appear, on this oc- cafion, to have acled with much fyftema* tick prudence. By permitting a fart of their forces to join Ahmed Khan they drew upon HO HILL A AFGANS. 107 upon themfelves the refentment of a power which, if fuccefsful in the firft in- ftance, they would not be able to with- ftand ; or, by fuflfering a narrow and felfim policy to outweigh every more re- mote confideration, they, in the wilful facrifice of a natural ally, laid the founda- tion of their own misfortunes. Whilft thefe tran factions took place in Rohilcund, Ahmed Khan, in the mean time, finding himfelf utterly unable to at- tempt any oppolition againftthe prodigious force of the Vizier, evacuated Ferrocha- bad, and croffing the Ganges at Futty Ghur, deflroyed the boats upon that river for many miles, and joined Sydoola Khan at Amraopore. The whole Afgan force, when united, did not much exceed fifteen thoufand men. Sefdar Jung, when he arrived at Fer- rochabad, finding that place defolate, im- mediately difpatched a body of Mahratta I horfe HISTORY OF THE horfe to feize the boats at Ramgaut, about feventy miles higher up the river. It would appear that the allied army of theAfganswas not properly difpofed, or that the commanders were not iufficiently active in defending the paflages of the ri- ver, which Sefdar Jung, in a few days, crofled at the above place, with little oppo- fition. This ijeceilarily obliged the Af- gans, who had before advanced to the fouth- ward, to fall haftily back in order to co- yer Rohilcund. Sefdar Jung halted for Ibme days at Affidpore, Hear the fords, and from thence wrote to Sydopla Khaii and Futtee Khan, requiring them imme- diately to forfake the Bungifh chief, and repair to the royal ftandard. He alfo dif- patched Firmans in the name of the Empe- ror, to the other Rohilla chiefs, demand- ing the Mogul government's proportion of the revenues forthelaft three years, which they had never rendered any account of. The guardians now felt the fatal effects of ROHILLA AFGANS. of that equivocal and indeciuve mode of conduct which they had adopted, in fuf- fering one of their body to engage in this difpute. They found themfelves involved, and they mud either take an active part, and openly rebel againft the acknowledged authority of their fovereign, or fubmit to fuch terms as might be impofed upon them. It may readily be conceived that they adopted the former alternative : in* ftead, therefore, of returning any direct anfwer to the aforefaid demand, they pro- pofed to join the other confederate Afgans with their forces, in order to oppofe the Vizier ; but before this junction could be effected, Sefdar Jung, aware of their' in- tentions, marched directly to attack Ahmed Khan and his allies, who fell back at his approach, wiming to avoid an action until they mould be reinforced ; but the impe- rial forces flill continuing to prefs upon them, a battle enfued in the neighbour- hood of Iflamnagurr, fourteen miles from Biflbolee, in which the Afgans, from the I irrefiftable 110 HISTORY OF THE irrefiftable fuperiority of the enemy, were foon totally routed and difperfed. An univerfal panick immediately fpread among all the Afgans throughout the Ro- hilla territories. Theguardians carried off Alice Mahummed's children to Owlah, and finding no fafety there, fled with their families and treafure to a ftrong poft in the Cummow hills, a fhort diftance above Loll- dong. Here they intrenched themfelves, and rendered their lunation impregnable againft any fudden attack ; which they were allowed abundant leifure to accomplim by the uaccountable dilatorinefs of their ene- mies, who, in (lead of profecuting their blow with vigour, halted near the field of battle feveral days, and afterwards ad- vanced towards the hills by very eafy marches. At length, when the impe- rial troops arrived before the pofl which the Rohillas occupied, Sefdarjung, judge- ing it extremely hazardous to attempt an attack, refolved to form a fort of blockade, in hopes of reducing them by famine ; and when ft OH ILL A AFGANS. IH xvhen his heavy artillery arrived (which had been delayed in their approach by the thicknefs of the woods and the badnefs of the roads) he commenced a cannonade againft the Rohilla works, but with little erFed. The Afgans, during thefe operations j made many Tallies , and fome with confi- derable fuccefs : they alfo found means to be fupplied with provifions from the hills in their rear fufficient to fubfift them for fome months ;-~but they became lickiy from the unhealthfulnefs of the place in which they were pent up, and muft foon have been reduced, had not the intrigues of the court, and the obftructions Sefdac Jung met with in his own army, contri- buted to their deliverance. Whilft the Viiier was profecuting his operations againft the Rohillas, advices were received from Delhi that Ahmed Ab- dallee, having repulfed the royal forces^ was marching againft that place with a large army ; determined, as was fuppofed, to depofe Ahmed Shah, andeftablifh himfelf I 3 upon 112 HISTORY OF THE upon the imperial throne. The Emperor, at the fame time, wrote to the Vizier with his own hand, requiring him in the moft preffing terms to return directly to court ; and he moreover found hi mfelf greatly em- barraffed by the clamours of his allies, the Juts and Mahrattas, who were already weary of the tedious fervice in which he had engaged them, and which was fo ill fuited to their ideas and habits of warfare ; a fevere ficknefs, alfo, began to rage in his camp. In the perplexity occa- iioned by all thefe untoward circumflances, Sefdar Jung found himfelf, unwillingly, conftrained to accede to the offer propofed to him by the Rohillas ; and he agreed to grant them apeace, on the (lender foundation of their delivering him bonds to the amount of fifty lacks of rupees, tobedifchargedoutof the enfuing collections of the country ; with a promife of paying every year in fu- ture, a ptijbku/b, or quit-rent, of five lacks to the Emperor, of whom they folemnly profefled to hold their territories in fealty. The bo'ids, the obligations of which the Rohillas ROHILLA AFGANS. Rohillas had not the moft diftant idea of ever fulfilling, were delivered by Sefdar Jung to the Mahratta commander, Mulhar Row, as a fecurity for a part of the fubfidy {till remaining due to him* ; and, on the before-mentioned terms, the Afgans were reinstated in all their former pofleffions, and affairs in Rohilcund once more bore the appearance of tranquillity -f. The circumftance which had fo fudden- ly recalled the Vizier to Delhi, proved to be only a falfe alarm. Ahmed Abdallee had pafled the Je- naub J, and laid the country to the eaft- * It may not here be improper to remark that this event, however remotely, may be confidered as the ori- gin of all the fubfequent revolutions in Rohilcund ; being the foundation of the Mahratta claims in that quarter. f- A. H. 1164. A. C. 1753. \ One of the five rivers which, watering the terri- tory of Punjab, fall into the Indus in the province of I 4 ward 114 HISTORY OF THE ward of that river under contribution ; but it does not appear that he had any farther intentions at that time; as, on the approach of a part of the Mo- gul army under Meer Munnoo, he again retreated towards Candahar, without of- fering to come to action. This defultory expedition, however, afforded an opportu- nity to fomeof the Afgan Amras at court, who favoured the caufe of the Rohillas, and hated the Vizier, to impede the opera- tions of the latter, by greatly exaggerating the danger of the empire from the incur- fions of the Abdallees ; and the Emperor, as we have feen, weakly entered into the views of thefe nobles, in prefling him to return. Thus was loft the only opportu- nity that perhaps (hould ever occur, of to- tally fubverting the power of the rebellious Afgans, and reducing thefe provinces to complete fubjeclion. It was on this incurfion that Ahmed Ab- dallee, in order to attach the Rohillas to his intereft, releafed Abdoola Khan and Fyzoola ROHILLA AFGANS. 1 15 Fyzoola Khan, the fons of Alice Mahum- med, and loading them with prefents, per- mitted them to depart for Lahore, where they were met by fome Rohilla command- ers, who conduced them to Kuttdher. The Abdallee, at the fame time, wrote let- ters to Hafiz Rahmut and the other chiefs, (Irongly recommending a ftricl: attention to the will of Allee Mahummed, and requir- ing them to receive and acknowledge thefe young men and their brothers as his proper heirs, and to eftablifh them forthwith in their inheritance. On the approach of the brothers, they were met at Banghaut upon the Ganges, by the guardians, who received them with every poflible mark of diftin&ion and re- fpecl, and accompanied them to Oulah, where their four younger brothers at this period refided. Here the fons of Allee Mahummed lived together a mort time with great cor- diality and fatis faction ; but fome trifling difputes Il6 HISTORY OF THE difputes arifing from fo many of them refiding in the fame place, where each was attended by a numerous train of dependants, whofe frequent fquabbles gave occafion for continual altercation, it was judged expe- dient by the guardians to feparate them ; and, in a general council of the chiefs held upon the occafion, it was determined to effect this by inverting them with their in- heritance. Even in this firft execution of their truft, however, the guardiafls deviated con- iiderably from the will of Allee Mahum- med : inftead of putting his fons into pof- feffion of the refpeftive portions of in- heritance therein fpecified, an equal parti- tion was made of all his acquifitions and ufurpations into three parts, each valued at thirteen lacks annual produce, which were allotted to the three eldefl brothers refpecl:- ively ; and the three youngeft were feve- rally provided for as coheirs with the* others. By this arrangement, Abdoola Khan and ROHILLA AFGANS. I ij and Murtooza Khan got Owlah, and the countries to the northward ; Fyzoola Khan and Mahummed Yar, Barellee ; and Sy- doolaKhan and Allah-Yar Khan, Morada- bad ; and a treaty of perpetual friendship and alliance being executed by the brothers, Sydoola Khan proceeded to take pofleffion of his government at Moradabad, and Ab- doola Khan and Fyzoola Khan remained at Owlah. But, however anxious the guardians might appear to eftablim and fecure thein- terefts of their wards by the above parti- tion, it is certain they by no means de- figned that it mould be a lofting one. If the brothers continued upon terms of mutual amity and good understanding with each other, as they mult foon arrive at matu- rity, the confequence and power of the guardians and other minifters throughout the country would ceafe of courfe. Under this appreheniion, and actuated by an ambi- tion which overlooks every obftacle, and : overleaps every bound of honour and virtue, they Il8 HISTORY OF THE they determined to adopt fuch meafures as mud effectually overfet the intentions of Alice Mahummed, and leave the manage- ment of the government at all times en- tirely in their own power. To obtain this end, nothing appeared fb well calculated as fowing the feeds of dHfenfion and diftruft among the family of Alice Madummed: as foon, therefore, as Fyzoola Khan and his brother were fettled at Owlah, the creatures and emiflaries placed about them by the guardians begun, by the moft art- ful infinuations, to excite a difagreement and jealoufy between them, refpecling the claims of fome of their followers : this, at firfl, occafioned only fome fmall bicker- ings, but thefe foon broke out into an open quarrel. A riot enfued, one morning, among their domefticks ; it had originated in fome very trifling circumftances : but each of the brothers warmly efpoufing the caufe of bis own fervants, and the minds of alt being. ROHIT. LA AFGANS. 319 being already fufficiently inflamed by the underhand practices of thofe employed for that purpofe, the difturbance foon became general. Both parties flew to arms, and every thing bore the appearance of the moft alarming infurreSion. In the midft of this confuiion, a number of Rohillas found an opportunity to gratify their cuf- tomary avidity for pillage, by plundering the bazars of Owlah. At length, night, and the interference of Hafiz Rahmut and Doondee Khan, helped to quell the uproar. The guardians had now a fpecious pre- text for carrying the preface to their pro- jected fcheme into execution ; and foon after, accufing Abdoola Khan and his ad- herents of having been the firft aggreflbrs in the foregoing affray, they fentenced him to be deprived of his fhare in the go- vernment, and baniflied him to the other fide of the Ganges : thither he was voluntarily accompanied by his brothers, Allah Yar and Mahummed Yar. This vio- lent meafure, however, excited fuch uni- verfal difguft among the numerous retai- 3 ners 1 2O HISTORY OF THE ners to Alice Mahummed's family, that the guardians foon found themfelves conftrain- ed to make fome alteration in their plan ; therefore, after having previoufly iuper- 1 the feniority of Abdoola Khan by in- vading his brother Sydoola Khan with the ollenfible infignia of authority, they thought proper to recal the former, and fettled upon him the diftri&s of Sehfwan, Oojanee and Shiddad-Naggurr, producing between four and five lacks annual revenue, and to the fecond of the above places he fhortly after retired, determining altogether to feclude himfelf from any farther con- cern in publick affairs. At the fame time, under pretence of the youth and in- experience of Fyzoola Khan, the guardi- ans took out of his hands the management of thofe countries which had fallen to his lot in the general partition, and fettled upon him a fmall diftrict of five lacks, in- cluding the Purgunnas of Rampore, Shaw- bad and Chatcheet ; and Fyzoola Khan foon after repaired to the city of Rampore, which place has from that period been his principal refidence. Having ROHILLA AFGANS. 121 Having thus removed the chief obftacles to their views, the guardians proceeded, without farther referve, to the completion- of them, and made the real partition of the Rohilla dominion among themfelves, which they had intended from the time of Allee Mahummecl's death. By this new fettlement, Hafiz Rahmut got the diftricts of Barellee and Peeleabete; Moradabad fell to the mare of Doondy Khan, together with the country extend- ing from thence to the city of Biffoolee ; and the diftrifts of Owlah, Budavon, Owfte, Koot and Ah rat were equally di- vided between Sirdar Khan, the Buxy, and Futtee Khan, the Khanfaman ; an acquifi- tion which was fufficient to detach them from the interefts of the heirs of their for- mer mafter. As no territory was fettled upon Sydoola Khan, whom the guardians, to ferve their own purpofes, ftilj continued to fupport in the {hition to which they had raifed him, a provision was made for him by a pension of eight lacks per annum, of which. 122 HISTORY OF THE which two were furnimed by the Khanfa- man, three by Hafiz Rahmut, and three by Doondee Khan. No attention what- ever was paid to three younger fons of Al- lee Mahummed in this adjuftment, and they were left either to ftarve, or refpec- tively to depend upon their brothers, ac- cording to the firft fettlement. *' Thus*' (to ufe the emphatick expreflions of the Rohilla hiftorian) " giving their honour " to the winds, and fufFering the tide of " avarice and ambition to fweep away the *' dying injunctions of their benefaclor in- " to the ocean of oblivion, the guardians " iniquitoufly deprived the children of *' Alice Mahummed of their birthright, * and feized the reins of authority with * the hand of ingratitude !" But this revolution*, although it changed tjie pro- perty, did not make any material alteration in theftate with refpeft to its conftitutional arrangement, and the publick bufmefs con- * A. H. 1165 A. D. 1754. tinued ROHILLA AFGANS. 123 tinued to be carried on in the fame train as formerly. Sydoola Khan, who was a young man of high fpirit, being exceedingly incenfed at the iniquitous proceedings of Hafiz Rahmut, and his colleagues, retired from, Ovvlah in difguft. Murtooza Khan, from the fame motive, went off to Secundera- bad, where he foon after died : and his brother, Allah Yar, was about this 'time feized with a confumption, which in a few weeks proved fatal to him. We have here related all the principal domeilick tranfacYions of the Rohillas, un- til the ultimate fettlement of their internal fyftem: but they had not, in the mean time, remained idle fpeftators of the con- tending itruggles of the various newly-efta- blimed powers around them; and feveral incidents occurred, during the period we have been treating of, which, in their eveqts greatly tended to the increafe of their po- K litical J24 HISTORY OF THE litical w^ght and influence, as well as to the extenfiorrof their dominion. Sefdar Jung, not very long after the fruitlefs event of his laft expedition againft the Rohillas, having murdered Juneid Khan, the favourite of the Emperor, Ah- med Shah, and committed many other enormities, was, by that monarch deprived of the Vi%aret) and degraded from his rank ; in confequence of which he rebelled againft his fovereign, and even befieged him in his capital : but he was fruftrated in all his efforts, by the fuperior bravery and abilities of Ghazee-ad-deen Khan, who commanded in Delhi under the Em- peror ; and being compelled to relinquish this undertaking, retired to Owde, where he fhortly after died, and was fucceeded in his dominion by his fon, Suja-al-Dowlah, who, however, did not obtain any royal deed) by which he might oftenfibly fix his claim to the fucceffion, until fome time af- ter. This prince, who, whatever defeifts of character he might labour under, was an ROHILLA AFGANS. I2f an artful and able politician, forefeeing the approaching diftrefles of the empire, totally withdrew himfelf for a time from all con- nections with the court, and wifely gave his whole attention to the regulation of the interior oeconomy of his government, and the provifion of fuch means of defence as might fecure him from the effeft of any change which mould happen to take place in the Mogul adminiftration, Soon after the deceafe of Sefdar Jung, Ghazee-ad-deen, who now poflefled the whole power at court, having reafon to ap*- prehend that Ahmed Shah, who equally dreaded and hated him, had formed a plan for his deftru&ion, depofed the unfortunate Emperor, and deprived him of his fight ; and releafmg from confinement the prince Yaaz-ad-deen, who (with many others of the royal family) had pafled the greateft part of his life within the walls of aprifon, fet him upon the throne, under the title of " Allumgeer the Second." K 1 Suja- 126 HISTORY OF THE Suja-al-Dowlah had ever dreaded the abilities and growing power of Ghazee-ad- deen, whofe principles he knew to be as flagitious as his ambition was unbounded. This laft bold meafure had left all the re- maining force and riches of the empire at that minifter's difpofal ; and he had lately made fome overtures to an alliance with Ahmed Khan Bungim (who on the capi- tulation of the Rohillas to Sefdar Jung had been fufFered to return to Ferrochabad, and to re-eftablifh himfelf there) by flat- tering him with a promife of appointing him to the office of Meer Buxy, or pay- matter of the empire, evidently with a view to procure his affiftance in a plan which Ghazee-ad-deen had at this time formed for the conquefl of Oude, as a fief of the Mogul empire, the grant of which had ceafed on the death of the former Subadar. Suja-al-Dowlah was not a little difcon* certed upon the difcovery of the minifter's defigns ; and as he was willing to embrace every poffible means of ftrengthening him- felf ROHILLA AFGANS. felf agaiaft the approaching danger, he difpatched ambafladors with confiderable prefents to the Rohilla chiefs, and wrote a letter to young Sydoola Khan, (whofe elder brothers had not, as yet, been libera- ted by Ahmed Adallee) requeuing his friendship, and reprefenting how much the common interefl of all independent ftates was concerned in withftanding the prefent intentions of the minifter. The chiefs, on the receipt of the Suba* dar of Oude's letters, did not long delibe- rate on what part they Ihould ah They well knew that, in the event of the fubju- gation of Suja-al-Dowlah, their own over- throw would be a certain confequence ; as they had already incurred the penalties of difobedience and breach of faith by neg- lecting to fulfil any one of the articles of their late capitulation; and, in cafe of being attacked by Ghazee-ad-deen, had no- thing to hope for from the factions at court, which had formerly impeded the operations of Sefdar Jung. They therefore returned a K 3 favourable 128 HISTORY OF THE favourable anfwer, and, within a few weeks, entered into a formal treaty of alli- ance with Suja-al-Dowlah ; each party mutually engaging to fupport the other againft all enemies. Mean time, Ghazee-ad-deen having ef- fected his treaty with Ahmed Khan Bun- gim, arrived at Ferrochabad with a conli- derable army ; and was there joined by that chief with a body of twenty thoufand Pa- tans. From hence, lie marched to Mindy- Ghaut, and conftrucYmg a bridge of boats upon the Ganges, advanced to Goojer-poor, on the eaftern fide of the river, and dif- patched a meflage to Suja-al-Dowlah, de- manding in the^ Emperor's name, the im- mediate ceffiori of the country ; and re- quiring him forthwith to deliver up the treafure and jewels of his deceafed father, forfeited by his difobedience and rebellion. To this peremptory meflage the Nabob re- turned an evafive anfwer, and opened a ne- gociation with Ghazee-ad-deen, merely with a view to create delay : he had, in the 129 the interim, repeatedly difpatched exprefles to the Rohillas, informing them of the imminent danger in which he flood. At length, the chiefs collecting the whole of their forces, proceeded to his relief. As the Rohilla army amounted to up- wards of thirty thoufand men, Ghazee-ad- deen judged it prudent to endeavour to draw them off from their connection with the Subadar ; and for this purpofe he caufed a Firman, under the royal feal, to be directed to Sydoola Khan, " requiring the affiftance " of the Afgans againft the rebellious fon " of the traitor, Sefdar Jung." The Ro- hillas, however, underftood their own in- tereft too well to join in the views of the minifter, as they were fully aware of the depth of his policy and the boldnefs and extent of his defigns. and knew that the inevitable confequence of Suja-al Dow- lah's defeat muft be their own extirpation from their affumed dominion in Kuttaher. They therefore adhered firmly to the caufe of their ally, infilled on the royal K 4 forces IJO HISTORY OF THE forces immediately evacuating his territo* ries, and took poft in fuch a fituation that Ghazee-ad-deen could not have attempted to advance without rifking an engagement ; and apprehending that his army would by no means be an equal match for the united forces of his opponents, the miuilter agreed to compromife the bulinefs with Suja-al- Dowlah for the fmall fum of five lacks of rupees, and an obligation to pay to the Emperor an annual tribute to the fame amount in future *, and the cafh being paid, and the proper bonds executed by the Na- bob, and guaranteed by the counter-figna- ture of Sydoola Khan in the name of the Rohilla ftates, the royal forces returned to- wards Delhi ; and the Rohillas marched back to their own country. It was about this period that Ahmed Ab- dallee releafed the two eldefl fons of Alice Mahummed, as before mentioned. The northern provinces of Hindoftan had already fufered much from the inteftine broilc EwHILLA AFGAtfS. broils of their rulers, when a new and more deftrudive convullion took place, which foon reduced many of them to a ftate of general defolation. Soon after the Rohillas had returned from Oude, the Mfihrattas^ encouraged by the debility of the court, and the prefent dif- cprdant ftate of all the Muffulman powers, invaded the Dodb with a confiderable army, and fpread their ravages over the whole country between the Ganges and the Jum- na, until they reached the territories of Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, of whom it may be here neceflary to give fome account. This extraordinary man was an Afgan of the Kummer-Khail tribe, who had, in his early youth, come from the mountains of Candahar, to feek his fortune under his un- cle, Bifliaret Khan. With him he followed the ftandard of Alice Mahummed, and the uncle dying, fucceeded to his command un- der that adventurer. Alice Mahummed, en his final eftablifhment in Rohilcund, ^. , , had 132 HISTORY OF THE had rewarded his fcrvices with a grant of a fmall diftrift which forms the northern part of that province. After Alice Mahummed's death, Nijeeb- al-Dowlah ftill remained firmly attached to the interefts of the Rohillas ; and in their laft war with Sefdar Jung, when they took refuge in the hills, he remarka- bly fignalized himfelf in their defence; and on feveral occafions, by his valour and good conduct, greatly retarded the ap- proaches of the enemy ; in confequence of which, when affairs were fettled, he had fome additions made to his diftricts ; and Doondy Khan beftowed upon him his eldeft daughter in marriage. Thus ftrengthened and connected, he was joined by a multi- tude of Afgan freebooters, and by their means pofiefled himfelf of all that valua- ble tract of country ftretching weftward from the Ganges to the diftrict of Siharen- pore, along the foot of the hills, and fouth- ward almoft to the gates of Delhi ; and as, ia ,..HTLLA AFOAJTS, in the prefent diftraftions of the empire, there were no immediate claimants to dif- putt- his right, he foon eftablimed himfelf in this quarter. From hence he repaired to court, where all ranks and orders of fo- ciety Teemed to be confounded, and every individual, however infamous, was at li- berty to raife himfelf to diftinftion by the force of his abilities, or the power of his arm. Here he conducted himfelf with fuch addrefs as foon ingratiated him with fome. of the leading men, and Ghazee-ad- deen, confcious of his inability to difpofefs him of the country he had feized, and in hopes of rendering him fubfervient to his future views, obtained for him from Ah- med Shah a royal grant of all thofe terri- tories : thus he foon grew into great con- fequence, and afterwards became a power- ful fupporter of the Rohilla interefts. On the approach of the Mahrattas, as already related, Nijeeb-al-Dowlah col- lefted HISTORY OF THE lected his forces together, in order to op- pofe thefe powerful invaders ; but, after fome fkirmimes, finding he was unable to withftand them in the open field, he threw hrmfelf, with the greatefl part of his forces, into fome ftrong entrenchments at Sookcr-'fdll upon the weftern bank of the Ganges, and wrote to his friends at Kuttaher for affiflance ; in confequence of which the chiefs immediately difpatched Buxy Sirdar Khan with lus forces to Ni- jeeb-al-Dowlah's aid, and wrote to Suja- al-Dowlah, requiring of him, in the prefent exigency, a return of thofe good offices which they had rendered him fome months ago; in conformity to which, the Suba- d&r collected together fome of his troops, and advanced by rapid marches towards the fcene of action. In the mean time, a body of Mahrattas crofled the Ganges at a ford near Hlrdewar^ and laid wafte all the portion of Nijeeb-al* Dowlah's country which was fituated to the eaftward of that river; continually eluding, ROHILLA AFGANS. 135 eluding, by the rapidity of their movements, every attempt of the Rohillas to bring them to a&ion ; but on the approach of Suja-al- Dovvlah, they thought it moft advifeable to retreat. On the junction of the Subadar of Owde with the Afgans, the whole prepared to pafs the Ganges and attack the Mahrat- tas in the Doab ; but, on receiving intelli- gence of this defign, the latter raifed the blockade by which they had hitherto con- fined Nijeeb-al-Dowlah within his in- trench ments, and having plundered all the open country, retired towards Agra. The Rohillas ftill remained in the field ; but Suja-al-Dowlah, on the Mahrattas going off, returned to Oude. It was at this period that Ahmed AbdaU lee directed his attention a fecond time to- wards Hindoftan. He had long been checked in his defigns upon this fide by Meer Munnoo, who with great ralour and good conduft protected for a time the fhattered remains of the em- pire 136 HISTORY OP THE pire towards the Punjab. Unfortunately, this gallant general was killed by an acci- dent : and the royal army were fo difpirited by this event, and fell into fuch diforder from the want of a proper leader, that Ahmed Abdallee with eafe eftablifhed him- felf in all the province of Lahore, took that city with little oppofition, and obliged the Mogul forces to fall back to Sirhind. It would be difficult to paint a more dif- trefsful fcene than what the court at Del- hi at this time exhibited. Allumgeer If. the wretched reprefentative of the houfeof Timur, found himfelf furrounded by the factions of contending nobles, who, utterly devoid of every fentiment of loyalty and at- tachment, fupported him in the nominal aflumptions of regal dignity, merely with a view to render him lubfervient to their fchemes of ambition ; and were ready at any time to take him off by the bowl or the dagger, when it (hould fuit their pur* pofe. Soon ROHILLA AFGANS. 137 Soon after the death of Meer Munnoo, this unhappy prince privately invited Ah- med Abdallee to Delhi, and befought his prote&ion againft his own fervants. The Candahar prince had reafons fufficient to induce him to comply readily with this requeft. He therefore marched from Lahore with an army of feventy thoufand Durances ; and whilft upon his march, he wrote to the fons of Alice Ma- hummed (whom he had lately fet free) and to the other Rohilla chiefs, requiring their affiftance in fettling the affairs of the empire ; and promifing them fuch rewards as, by their means in forwarding his mea- fures, he might be enabled to beftow upon them. He wrote to the fame effecl: to Ni- jeeb-al-Dowlah ; that chief, however, was conftrained from political motives to dif- femble, as he held a high office under Ghazee-ad-deen ; and the minifter having refolved to march again ft the Durdnees, Nijeeb-al-Dowlah joined him, for the pre- fent, with his troops ; butfecretly pledged himfelf 138 HISTORY OF THE himfelf to the King (whofe fole defire wa* to overthrow Ghazee-ad-deen) that he would go ever to Ahmed Abdallee on the very firft opportunity ; and he even gave that prince private intimation of his defign. The chiefs in Rohilcund took a more open and decided part in favour of Ahmed Ab* dallee. On the receipt of his letters, Fy- zoola Khan, with two of his brothers, pro- ceeded to Sirhind, where they found the Candahur prince ; and giving him many valuable prefents, affured him of the inva- riable attachment of the Rohillas to his interefts, From Sirhind Ahmed Abdallee advanced towards Delhi. Ghazee-ad-deen attempt- ed to retard his progrefs and was pfe* paring to give him battle, when he found himfelf fuddeiily deferted by Nijeeb-al* Dowlah and his forces, which confti- tuted a chief part of his army. The mini- fter foon perceived the fnare into which hs had fallen ; but his abilities enabled him to ward off the ruin intended by it : with a decifiye R OH ILL A AFGANS. 139 a deciiive promptitude, and a confidence in the honour of his enemy, which are fel- dom feen in that part of the world, he de- livered himfelf up to the Abdallee, and foon found means to allay the refentment and conciliate the favour of that prince ; mean while, the Abdallee marched unmo- lefted to Delhi, which city he entered on the eleventh day of September, 1 757. He had here an interview with the Em- peror, of whom he demanded a fubfidy to defray the expence of this expedition, which heprofefled to have been undertaken entirely at his infHgation. The weak mo- narch gave him authority under his feal to levy a contribution upon this account, to the amount of a crore of rupees, on Delhi and the adjacent country ; and this exaction being inforced with exceeding feverity, fome difturbances arofe in the courfe of it, the coniequence of which was a dreadful maiTacre and general pillage of the milera- ble inhabitants ; and the unhappy Allum- geer faw the refult of the defperate ftep he L had 140 HISTORY OF THE had pursued, in. the deftruclion of his capi- tal, and the overthrow of the lafl remnant of the Mogul greatnefs. It were painful to dwell upon fuch hor- rid fcenes : fuffice it to fay that, after hav- ing permitted his foldiers for fifty-fix days to commit at pleafure every lavvlefs out- rage, Ahmed Abdallee reinftated Ghazee- ad-deen in his office, delivered the Empe- ror back into the power of that minifter, who was now become his implacable ene- my, and marched fouth^vard againft the ydts, who had of late creeled a powerful eftablimment in the countries about Agra. On this expedition, Ahmed Abdallee \vasaccompanied by Hafiz Rahmut with a large body of Rohillas. Agra was ftill held in the Emperor's name. Fazil Khan, the governor, fhut his gates, and refufed the Candahar prince admittance, upon which he beiieged it in form ; but the inhabitants, warned by the i recent ROIIJLLA AFGANS. 141 recent fate of Delhi, fo well feconded the bravery of their governor, that Ahmed Abdallee, after lying before the place for fix weeks, found it advifeable to raife the liege. He next attacked the Jats, and having taken many of their flrong holds, (which he put into the pofTeffron of the Rohilla chiefs,) and plundered all the open country round Agra, on the approach of the rainy feafon, he retired into canton- ments at Anapfheer, in June, 1/58. During his flay at this place, Ahmed Abdallee, into whole hands the preceding events had thrown the whole power of the ftate, took upon him, under pretence of regulating the affairs of the Mogul govern- ment, to give away provinces and depofe or fet up rulers at pleafure : and as the Rohillas had fo entirely coincided in all his meafures, he divided among them the di- ftricls which he had lately overrun in the Dodb: to Nijeeb-al-Dowlah he allotted the Jagheer ofSecundna; toFyzoolaKhan, Shikohabad ; and to Sydoola Khan, Jella- L 2 fer 142 HISTORY OF THE fer and Fyrozeabad : and upon ITafiz Rah- mut and Doondy Khan he heftowed the government of Etdwa, comprehending all the territory between Agra and Kulpee. It is to be obferved, however, that the greateft part of this diftribution was, for the prefent at leaft, merely nominal ; the Rohillas being as yet in no condition to avail th-emfelveS of it to any great extent. On the breaking up of the rains, Ah- med Abdallee proceeded to Delhi, and in- tended to have fpent a few weeks in the neighbourhood of that place ; but having received, about this time, fome difagreeable intelligence from his own country, he let offfuddenly for that quarter. The unfortunate Emperor was now en- tirely in the power of his implacable mini- fter : Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, in whom alone he could place any confidence, was bulled in fecuring the diftricts which had been put in his poffeflion by Ahmed Abdallee ; and Ghazee-ad'deen, no longer feeling any check ROHILLA AFGANS. 143 chick from the Candahar prince, behaved with the utmoft cruelty to Allumgeer Slfah, confined him within certain apart- ments of his palace, made ufe of his name as an authority for the commnTion of every enormity, and even endeavoured to fecure the perion of the prince, Alice Gohar *, \vho with difficulty efcaped from him. At length the unhappy Allumgeer found an opportunity to write to Ahmed Abdal- lee an account of his fituation, and once more applied to him for relief, to which the Candahar prince returned a favourable reply, promising to fettle his own affairs, and proceed to Delhi with all poffible ex- pedition, and threatening Ghazee-ad-deen with the fevereft puniihment. By fome mifmanagement this letter fell into the minifter's hands, and he, in revenge of the Emperor's appeal to the Abdallee, had him affaffinated. As the prince, Allee Gohar, who was the next heir to the throne, had fled from L 3 the * The prefent Emperor- 144 HISTORY OF THE the machinations of the minifter, and at the period of his father's murder, was wan- dering through the country, and applying to different princes for protection and relief, the empire was for fome time without any acknowledged head, and the reign of the houfe of Timur feemed to be 311 end. The Mahrattas had retired to their own country, as before related, and were pre- vented from undertaking any thing to the northward again, during the ftay of Ah- med Abdallee; and it was at this junc- ture that they were induced, from the de- ranged pofture of affairs, and the univerfnl anarchy which feemed to prevail in every department of the Mogul ftate, to attempt overturning the Mahommedan, and cfta> bliming the ancient Hindoo government. With this view, Bala Row, the Peifli- wa, levied an immenfe army, the com- mand of which he deflgned for his bro- ther, Ragonet Row ; but a difpute arif- ing between them concerning the provifioii of ROHILLA AFGANS. 145 of the neceflary fupplies, Ragonet Row refufed to undertake the management of the expedition, which was, of eonfequence, committed to Mahdo Sidda Sheo, com- monly called the Bhao, the Ton of Chim- na Jee Apa. As the Peifhwa abfolutely re- fufed to part with any mofiey for the fup- port of the army to be employed in this undertaking, declaring " thataMahrattaar- *' my ought always to be able to fubfift itfelf " by plunder," Sidda Sheo firft turned his arms againft the Nizam, who being totally unprepared for any contention with fuch a prodigious force, was obliged to pay him down a considerable fum, and to render up, by treaty, the countries of Burhan-pore and Malava. Sidda Sheo immediately laid thefe countries under contribution, and then marched northward, fuppofing that the Muflulman powers, from their intefline diviiions, would become an caiy prey to fo great a force *. L 4 The * The particulars of the Mahratta tranfa&ions at Pelhi and elfewhere, previous to the battle of Paneyv put, 146 HISTORY OF THE The time which had been neceffarily oc- cupied in the foregoing preparations, gave the Mahommedans full opportunity for taking the neceflary meafures to avert the danger which threatened " the faith" ; and they, for a time, forgot their mutual ani- mofkies, and zealoufly united in this com- mon caufe. Ahmed Abclallee, in purfuance of his promiie to the Emperor Allumgeer, had returned to Gungapore, near Sirhind, where he was joined by Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, and his friends the Rohiila chiefs, with a large body of Afgans ; and he was foon after re- inforced by the arrival of Suja-al-Dovv- lah arid Ahm.ed Khan Bungifh. The circumstances of this junction, and the fubfequent defeat of the Mahrattas, are already well known. The Mahrattas, put, although flightly touched upon by the Rohiila hiflorian, are here omitted, as irrelevant to our princi- pal object. contrary ROHILLA AFGANS. 147 contrary to their ufual rule of conduct in the field, inftead of carrying on the cam- paign in that predatory kind of war, to which their numerous bodies of horfe are beft adapted, fuffered themfelves to be drawn into a fituation, from whence they could not by any means be extricated with- out coming to a decifive engagement. Af- ter fome difputes among their chiefs con- cerning their future operations, they in- trenched themfelves in the neighbourhood of Paneyput-Kurnall. This was the very point at which Ahmed Abdallee (who acted as generaliffimo of the united army of the Muffulmans) had aimed.- The Hindoos were furrounded by the Muffulman armies on every fide : their fupplies were all cut off, and their foraging parties deftroyed ; fo that they were foon reduced to the ut- moft diftrefs. To add to their perplexity, they were deferted by Sooraj Mull, who had ftrongly difapproved of their intrench- ing, and forefeeing the probable confe- quence, with an infidelity which feems to to be a marking characleriflick of all the Indian 14 HISTORY OF THE Indian powers, opened a iecret negotiation with Ahmed Abdallee ; and, by the con- trivance of theMufiulman commander, an attack being; directed againft adiftant quar- ter of the Mahratta camp, in the midft of a very dark night, the above chief found an opportunity, whilit the attention of his allies was engaged by this manoeuvre, to quit his lines unperceived ; and paffing through the Mahommedan army, went off towards Agra, with many thou lands of the Jats, whom the Mahrattas had perfuaded or compelled to join them. The attack of the Muflulmans having fully anfwered the only purpofe intended by it, Ahmed Abdallee fent orders to the affailants to return into their own lines. The neccfiary confe- quence of this order was a retreat, which the Hindoos attributing to a wrong mo- tive, they were filled with fuch a confi- dence in their own proweis as determined them (independent of the prefcnt di- flrefs of their fituation) to march out of their intrenchments the next day, and at- tack their enemies. This brought on the battle XOHILLA AFGANS. 149 battle of Paneyput, one of the moft bloody engagements which has occurred in modern times. The plain on which this ation was fought had been celebrated among the Hindoos for fome fignal victories gained upon it by their anceftors over the barba- rians of the north ; and the flake to be now contended for was of theutmoft magnitude to both fides, including in it nothing lefs than the ultimate fate of two rival powers, and the decided fuperiority or the eventual extirpation of theMuffuImans in Hindoftan. The idea of this being fortunate ground, and the prefumption infpired by the fup- pofed repulfe of their enemies the prece- ding night, filled the Hindoos, on the pre- fent occafion, with an enthufiafm approach- ing to madnefs. They rufhed out of theic intrcnchments without any regular order, and where rcpulfed by the Mahommedans with prodigious lofs. The defection of fhe Juts was not yet certainly known among 150 HISTORY OF THE among them, when a large column of horfe, led by the Rohilla commanders, poured down upon them under cover of" a cloud of dull:, and forming on the ground which the Jats had occupied, ieparatcd the Mahratta army into two parts ; whilft a body of fix thoufand Durannees, who had been detached by Ahmed Abdallee as fbon as he difcovered their intention to en- gage, having made a rapid circuit of fome miles, appeared in the rear of their right wing. This decided the fate of the day. The Mahratta right wing being nearly fur- rounded, was entirely cnt to pieces ; and their left, after many defperare efforts, having loft feveral of their principal lead- ers, at length gave way, and a total route cnfued. The Muifulmanspurfued them up- wards of iixty miles, and in a mort time totally deftroyed that army which but a few days before had been fo numerous and formidable. It is computed that the lofs of the Hindoos upon this occafion amounted to not lels than one hundred thoufand men, among whom were their general Sidda Sheo ROHILLA AFGANS. 151 She6 3 and VifwafsRovv, the Peifliwa's elded fon ; together with the whole of their trea- fure, artillery, and baggage *. Ahmed Abdallee, fhortly after this vic- tory, returned to Delhi, where he placed the prince Jewan Bukht, the eldeft fon of the heir apparent, Alice Gohar, upon the throne, committing the guardianship and fuperintendencs of the government under the young prince, until the return of his * As the Rohilla text is the only authority we have consulted in our relation of this acHon, it is not un- likely that it may contain many inaccuracies. One thing muft be remarked, which is, the total omiflion, in it, of the eminent part which Snja-al-Dowlah bore in this memorable event. It was certainly natural for the national pride of a Rohilla to afcribe to his own countrymen more than their due portion of me* rit, and perhaps, to detract from that of Suja-al- Dowlah, whom a perfon of this tribe cannot be fup- pofed inclined to reprefent in any favourable point of view. It is, however, but juftice to obferve, that all ttber accounts concur in the circumftance of Suja-al- Dowlah having, by his bravery and aHvity, rendered the fortune of the day dec! five. father, father, into the hands of Nijeeb-al-Dow- lah, whom he raifed to the office of prime minifter, and the dignity of Ameer -al- Am- rah. The infamous Ghazee-ad-deen, ap- prehenfive of being called to account by the Abdallee for the murder of the Empe- ror Allumgeer, had fome time before with- drawn himfelf from all political concerns, and retired to the Ddcan. After fettling affairs at Delhi in the beft manner that the circumftances of the time would admit, the Candahar prince returned towards his own country. The partition of the countries in the Dodb, which Ahmed Abdallee had made the year before, among the Afgnn chiefs, could not fail of exciting a war between thofe powers and the Jats, who had been the former poffeflbrs : but as Nijeeb-al- Dowlah was chiefly concerned in it, and had now all the wealth or force which re- mained from the ruins of the empire, at his command, the Rohillas, with his af- fiftance, reprefled all their attempts to re- cover ROHILLA AFGANS. 153 cover their countries, and eflablifhed them- felves with every appearance of perman- ent fecurity as well here as in their origi- nal poffeffions in Kuttaher; whilft Suja-al- Dowlah omitted no means to improve his power and confirm his independence in the province of Oude. Jn this difpofition of things, the jarring interests of Suja-al-Dowlah, the Rohillas, and other Mullulman chiefs in thefe pro- vinces, who had totally thrown off all farther dependence upon the Mogul go- vernment, (which, in fact, at this time, . ceafed to exift) and now held their domi- nions in their own right by the tenure of the fword, might have continued to be pretty well balanced, perhaps, for fome years ; but, in the mean time, a power fprung up equally formidable and unex- pected ; the fuperior influence of which foon wrought a great change in the general political fyftem. The Englifli, having furmounted incre- dible 154 HISTORY OF THE dible hardships and difficulties in Bengal, had been led, from motives of immediate felf-pre- fervation, to takefuch fleps as ended in the acquilition of the complete and uncon- trolled dominion of that and all the neigh- bouring dependent provinces. The parti- culars which led to fo important a revolu- tion are foreign to this narrative : fuffice it to fay, that on their breach with the Na- bob Meer Coilim Alice Khan, the Britifh commanders defeated and purfued him out of Behar, conftraining him to feek refuge in the neighbouring province of Oude. Suja-al-Do\vlah was not a little alarmed at the rapid progrefs and unexampled fuccefs of thefe new neighbours. At the moment, however, when their good for- tune feemed to have operated deciiively in their favour, he learned that a dreadful mutiny had broke out in the Engliih army, and that a general defertion threatened its annihilation, whilft he knew that their lately-acquired dominion was {till involved in the confufion and derangement incident to recent conquefL Ever watchful, as he was. ROHILLA AFGANS. 155 \vas, to feize any occafion that might offer for his own aggrandizement, and the en- largement of his dominion, he conceived the prefent a happy opportunity at once to relieve his fears and gratify his ambition, by pofleffing himfelf of the Bengal pro- vinces. Thefe fentiments, added to the influence and treafure of the expelled Na- bob, determined him, without even a fhadow of provocation, to make head againft the Englifhn He accordingly col- lected all the forces he could mutter, and with a fhort-fighted and heedlefs temerity marched towards Patna, on pretence of acting under the orders of the prince Alice Gohar (who had fome time before thrown himfelf on his protection) and refloring Coffim Allee Khan to the Mufnudof Ben* gal. In this expedition he was joined by a confiderable body of Rohillas under Enait Khan, the fon of Hafiz Rahmut.^Being repulfed in the fkirmifh of Pitchee-Peharey, and afterwards totally defeated at Buxar, he fled to Fyzabad, and hearing of the march of a detachment of Englifh troops towards M Lucknow 156 HISTORY OF THE Lucknow, he took refuge in RohilcuncL He was hofpitably received and entertained at Barellee by Doondee Khan. Here he made many attempts to procure the aiTift- ance of theRohilla chiefs againft the Eng- lifh ; but they, terrified by the recent fate of Coffim Alice Khan, and Suja-al-Dow- lah's ill fuccefs, would not venture to take any part in his favour : he at laft, however, prevailed on Hafiz Rahmut to join him with a body of three thoufand Afgans, and being farther reinforced by a fmall army of Mahrattas under Mulhar Row, was encou- raged to try his fortune once more in the field againft the Englifh. He advanced into the Dodb, and made fome attempts againft the troops under General Carnac, and was again defeated. Hopelefs of fuc- cefs, and deferted by a great part of his troops, Suja-al-Dowlah at length deter- mined to throw himfelf upon the genero- fity of his enemies, and foon after came into the Britiih general's camp. Thefe occurrences led to the celebrated " treaty of Mehabdd" By this treaty Suja-al-Dow- i lah ROHILLA AFGANS. 157 lah was reinstated in his original dominion of Oude, and every other right he enjoyed previous to the war, except the dominion of the provinces of Korah and Allehabad, which form the foutherh part of the Dodb* Thefe diftricts had been prefented by Ah- med Abdallee (in his general partition of theDaab among the Afgan chiefs) to Sy- doola Khan, who, being fenfible of his in- ability to fubdue or hold them, as they lay at a confiderable diftance from Rohilcund, made them over to Suja-al-Dowlah, and that prince had feized the forts of Kurra and Allehabad, and fome other ftrong holds in thefe territories, but had not yet been able to eftablifli himfelf in perfect pofleffion of the country, when his unprovoked war with the Englifh drew his attention from every other object. The prince Allee Go- har, whom we have fo often mentioned, on the defeat of Suja-al-Dowlah at Buxar, had thrown himfelf 'upon the protection of the conquerors, and as fucceffor to his father, Allumgeer, had aflumed the title of Emperor, under the name of Shah Au- M 2 lum. {58 HISTORY Of THE !um. This prince was a party in the be- fore-mentioned treaty. The Englifh, by the fuccefs of their arms, had already ob- tained full and entire pofleffion of the pro- vince of Bengal, and its dependencies : it was-, however, deemed necefiary (from, what poffible motive of reafon or policy we cannot take upon U3 to judge) to ob- tain an ojlenjible claim to the tenure of them, on the prefent occafion, by procur- ing from an impotent monarch, who was himfelf a fugitive and a dependant on the Englifh for the very crown and title which he had aflumed, a com million to the Company of the Dewannee of the Ben - gal provinces ; and the Emperor had, in return, an annual pen/ion or tribute* fet- tled upon him, to be paid out of the Ben- gal revenues, and was guaranteed in the * The writer is not informed by what appellation this was fpecified in the treaty of Allehabad. It is deno- minated in the MS. Salleeana Nizzcraua, which may be rendered, " Annual gratuity," a general appellation which does not imply po/itive right* poffeflion ROHILLA A F CANS. 159 poileffion of the provinces of Korah and Allehabad, whre he refided for fome time after. Although thefe tranfa&ions were not immediately connected with the hiftory of the Rohillas, yet, as they in their confe- quences led to events of the moft material importance with refpecl: to that tribe, it was neceffary to take fome particular no- tice of them here. Itisalfo proper to remark that about the period of which we have been treating, the new Emperor advanced Suja-al-Dowlah to the office of the Vi%a- ref 9 an appointment, however, which the prefent ftate of the fovereign rendered merely nominal. On Suja-al-Dowlah furrendering him- felf to the Englifh, Hafiz Rahmut and his followers returned to Rohilcund, and thither we (hall now accompany them. Abdoola Khan being exceedingly difguf- ted at the iniquitous condudl of his guar- M 3 dians, l6o HISTORY OF THE dians, had retired to Oojanee, (as before obferved)* and there, putting on the habit of a Dirvet/bi or Fakeer, employed him- felf in diftributing the whole of the in- come arifing from the lands allotted for his fupport, in alms to the poor; and, in conformity to the practice of the order of which he profefled himfelf a member, af- fected to cherifh fnakes and other noxious animals, by one of which he was bit in the arm, and almoft inftantly expired, in Auguft, 1761. About three years after that event, Sydoola Khar*, during the ab- fence of Hafiz Rahmut, was feized with a confumption, and died in 1764 ; and only two of Allee Mahummed's children now remained alive ; viz. Fyzoola Khan and Mahummed-Yar Khan. Thefe are the only events of note which occurred in Rohilcund during the fpace of feven years ; to wit, from the battle of Paneyput to the fecond incurfion of the Page i 20. Mahrattas R OH I I, LA AFGANS. l6l Mahrattas into the Doab. During this interval they had no enemies to interrupt their tranquillity from without ; and, al- though the injuftice of the guardians gave rile to frequent jealoufies and difputes, yet the vigorous adminiftration of the chiefs who had ufurped the government, pre- ferved the country in a tolerable degree of internal harmony ; but we have no docu- ments from which we might enter into a more minute defcription of the domeftick management or political intrigues which occupied their attention within this period; as all that the Rohilla narrator remarks upon it is " The Afgan Sirdars^ being freed * e from the vexatious interruptions of the " marauders of the Deccan" (the Mahrat- tas) " by their chaftifement at Paneyput, " and allaying the ferments of the difcor- *' dant and the factious by the wifdom of " their aufpicious councils, pafled feven " years in harmony and eafe." The Mahrattas had fuffered fo very fe- yerely by their defeat at Paneyput, that M 4 fome l6z HISTORY OF THE fome years patted away before they would venture to do any thing of confequence again in the northern provinces. At length, having refolved to deprive the Afgans of thofe countries, which, by the favour of Ahmed Abdallee, they held in the Doab, Mahdo Jee Sindea, (the fucceflbr of Mal- har Row) Toke JeeHolcar, and other chiefs, crofTed the Jumna with a confiderable body of troops, in the year 1769. Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, who continued to manage affairs at Delhi in the ablence of the Kiug, as nominal minifter, on hearing this intelligence, and finding that the Mahrattas were in great force, made a me- rit of neceffity, and joined thefe marau- ders in their depredations againft thejdts; and at the fame time a negociation was opened through his mediation between the Afgan chiefs and Mahratta commanders, refpecling the furrender of thofe diftricls in the Doab to which the latter laid claim. Doondee Khan, who had never much con- cerned himfelf in the care of thefe diftricts, was ROHILLA AFGANS. 163 was willing to come to an amicable com promife with the Mahrattas ; and, in a council of the chiefs which was held on the occafion, faid, " I have no ability to " meet the chiefs of the fouth in the " doubtful ftrife of war : if they will, " from a defire of peace and amity, per- < l mit me to retain the di{lric~t of Shikko- " habad alone, I (hall acknowledge their *' kindnefs ; but if not, I fhall lift my " hands from thefe pofleffions altogether." Hafiz Rahmut, who was prefent, and whofe pofleffions in the Doab were valuable and productive, with a charac- teriftick boldnefs, laying his hand upon his fcymitar, replied, " Whilfl I " live, I (hall hope ; nor will J fuffer * an ill-timed and groundlefs defpon- *' dence to deprive me of thofe favours " which, with the help of God, I re- *' ceived from the illuftrious Abdallee!" On the council breaking up, Doondee Khan went off to his own diftricl:, and Hafiz Rahmut and his party proceeded to take luch fleps as mewed them determined to 1 6.J. HISTORY OF THE to oppofe the views of the Mahrattas with all their might. For this purpoie they en- tered into a treaty with Ahmed Khan Bungifh, promifing, in lieu of his fupport, to cede to him iome of thoie lands which lay contigious to the Ferrochabad govern- ment. To the firft overtures made on this bufmefs to Ahmed Khan they received a favourable anfvver ; and relying upon the aid which they mould derive from this al- liance, a confiderable body of the Rohillas maiching dow T n to Sandee, crofled the Ganges at Futty Ghurr. Hafrz Rahmut, however, had not deliberated on this oc- cafion with his ufual ibrefight and fagacity. Ahmed Khan Bungim, whofe country lay open to the inroads of the Mahrattas, was fearful of expofing himfelf to their indignation ; and, notwithstanding his re- ply to the requifitions of the Rohillas, delayed, on a variety of pretexts, to take any decided part againft them ; and many of the Rohillas themfelves being little in- terefted concerning the retention of terri- tories, from which the immediate poffef- fors ROHILLA AFGANS. I 65 fors alone reaped any advantage, became diffatisfied and mutinous ; fo that, after fome months trifling and fruitlefs opera- tion, Hafiz found himfelf obliged to give up the fort of Etdwa, and the furround- ing country, to the Mahrattas, and retired beyond the Ganges. Perhaps their lofs of territory in the Doab, l>y circumfcribing their line of de- fence, might have added to the real ftrength of the Rohillas, inflead of di- miniming it : but the Afgan interests, mortly after this, fuffered an irreparable blow in the death of Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, who, from the period of his fucceeding Ghazee-ad-deen in the office of prime mi- nifter, had continued for the remainder of his life to fupport the laft wretched frag- ment of the fallen empire at Delhi, with a firmnefs which would in happier times have infured him the approbation and ap- plaufe of mankind; and although, in this Inll fcene of it, the urgency of prefent necedity conftrained him to take a part with l66 HISTORY OF THE with their opponents, yet, as well from natural relation as from political connec- tion, he had always been warmly attached to the Afgan party. He left a fon named Zabita Khan, who fucceeded his father in the pofieflion of his territories in the northern part of Rohilcund and the Dodb, The Rohilla confederacy like wife fuf- fered much at this time by the death of JDoondee Khan, who had, along with Hafiz Rahmut, been appointed by Allee Mahummed joint guardian to his children. His character flood high among thofe of his tribe, for generofity of fpirit, and galr lantry in war infomuch, that they aflert, that the acquifitton of Rohilla indepen^ dence inKuttaher may, in a great meafure, be afcrjbed to the popularity of his man- ners and the prudence of his councils. Having attained the age of feventy years, he died in Biflbolee of an apoplexy. He left three fons, Mahboola Khan, Fittahoola Khan, and Azeemoola Khan, who divided the diftridts of Moradabad and Biflbolee (which ROHILLA AFGANS. 1 6 (which had fallen to the lot of their father in the ufurpation of the territory by the guardians) among themfelves. Not long after this Ahmed Khan Bungim died at Ferrochabad, leaving the inheritance of his pofleflions to his ion MuzzirFer Jung. The expulfion of the Rohillas from the Doab, and the utter extinction of the Muflulman confequence at Delhi, in the death of Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, removed every obftruction to the execution of thofe fchemes which the Mahrattas had at this time planned for extending their dominion and confirming their power in the capital of the empire. They accordingly took pofleffion of Delhi, and wrote to the Em- peror Shah Aulum, who then reiided under the protection of the Englim at Alleha- bad, holding forth to him the moft flatter- ing propofals of reinftating him in the ancient feat of government, and reftoring him to the dignity of his anceftors, -if he would forfake his prefent friends, and a {Tn me l68 HISTORY OF THE aflume the reins of imperial authority at Delhi. The fituation of this prince at Alle- habad, as a penfioner of the Englifh, owing not only his prefent nominal dignity, hut perhaps even his exiftence to their pro. lection and fupport, however mortifying it might be to his pride, yet was certainly preferable to any advantage he could expect to derive from throwing himfelf upon the Mahrattas, who being the hereditary ene- mies of his family and religion, could not be fuppofed to feel any attachment to his perfon ; and in fad, only wanted to make him the tool of their own defigns. He was fenfible that his relinquiming the protection of the Englifh muft neceflarily be attended with the lofs of his annual .ftipend, which was drawn from the re- venues of the Bengal Provinces ; as the llate of circulation of fpecie in the em- pire was not now by any means the fame as it had been, whilft the court and the capital flourished in the vigour of the Mogul ROHII, LA AFGAN 169 Mogul Government. In former times, when the lower provinces ufed to yield a regular tribute to the Emperors (which they have not done for above half a cen- tury pad) the greateft part of it was re- mitted by bills upon Delhi and Lahore, for the payment of which fufficient funds were there lupplied in the fale and con- fumption of the rich manufactures of Ben- gal ; in fact, if it had not been fo, no tribute could ever have been remitted ; and when the depredations of Nadir Shah, and a variety of other circumftances, contri- buted, by impcverifhing the court, to flop the vent for thefe commodities in this quarter, the iloppage of the tribute was a neceflary and inevitable confequence, in- dependent of any actual defection on the part of the Nabobs of Bengal ; as it was ut- terly impoflible that the fame, or indeed any considerable fum, could ever be continued to be tranfmitted in ca/b, from a country of which gold and filver form no part of the natural products. All thefe circumftances Shah Aulum muft have been well aware of, 170 HISTORY OF THE of, and knew that the Englifh could not, in common prudence, continue to tranf- mit to him, whilft at fo great a diftance, large fums in fpecie (the only mode of re- mittance now remaining,) which muft be at once a fatal drain to the countries from whence they were taken, and an amftance to the Mahrattas, whole views were avowedly inimical to all their allies. He was how- ever induced, by the fuggeftions of a childifh vanity, and the idle hope of re- froring the Mogul empire to its former luftre, to leave Korah (a city in the neigh- bourhood of Allehabad, where he then re- fided) and, contrary to the advice of all his real friends and well-wimers, proceed- ed to Delhi in the year 1770. On his arrival at the capital, the Mah- rattas enthroned him with the ufual ceremo- nies, (which, in fuch circumftances, could only be termed a mockery of royalty,) and caufed him to iffue fuchjirmans and grants as belt coincided with their views : and the Shah, as a reward for their pre- tended ROHILLA AFGANS. tended fidelity to his caufe, made over to them, by a formal inftrument, the provinces of Korah and Allehab&d, and alfo every territory to the eafl of Delhi without ex- ception ; thus giving them an uiireftrained commiffion to extend their ravages into all the countries on each fide of the Ganges. In order to underfland the defigns and fubfequent operations of the Mahrattas, it may be neceflary here to obferve that the river Ganges, which forms the natural boundary of Rohilcund to the weft, is fordable only within the compafs of that territory, and no where lower down, fo that the province of Oude, which lies to the fouthward, is invulnerable to thofe ma- rauders, excepting through the former country, as their numerous bodies of horfe have no fure means of advance and retreat but by the mallows of the Ganges during the dry feafon ; their defultory method of carrying on war not fuiting with the con- ftruclion of bridges, and other tedious and cxpenfive military works, (fuch as might N give 1^2 HISTORY OF THE give them a command of the paflage of unfordahle rivers,) nor their mode of fight- ing calculated for the defence of them. On taking a- view of the extenfive theatre of aftion which now lay before them, the Mahratta commanders perceived that, as the diftricls of Korah and Allehabad were in fome meafure defended by a con- fiderable body of Britifh troops lying in that neighbourhood, their moft advifeable plan of operation would be to direcl their iirft attacks againil the territories of the Rohillas, fo as through them to find an inroad to the dominions of Suja-al-Dowlah, where their principal views were direc- ted. Under colour, therefore, of the grants which they had procured or exacted from the Emperor, when the feafon for a&ion arrived, the Mahrattas took the field *, * Dec. 1771. and '73 and firft turned their arms againft Zabita Khan, who held the poffeffions bequeathed to him by his father, in the fame inde- pendent manner as the other Afgan chiefs* Zabita Khan, little prepared for fuch an attack, threw himfelf with what forces he could mufter into the intrenchments which had formerly been conftrufted by Nijeeb-al-Dowlah z.tSooker-'Tall'* ; the ene- my, however, being provided with fome heavy artillery, prefled fo clofely upon him, that he was foon conftrained to eva- cuate his lines, and to make a precipitate retreat over the Ganges, under cover of the night. The Mahrattas, two days after, paffed that river by the ford at Corrimbofs- gaut, in purfuit of him ; and followed him fo clofely that he fled towards the hills above Lolldong in the utmoft confter- nation, leaving his family and valuable effects at the fort of Pattergurr or Nijeeb- abad, the capital of his territory beyond the Ganges, which the enemy prefently r * Page 134. N 2 attacked 1 74 HISTORY OF THE attacked and carried without difficulty. Here they feized Zabita Khan's mother, his ^ives, two brothers, and four of his chil- dren, and fent them off to their camp on the weft of the Ganges : they alfo plun- dered this city, and all the furrounding towns and villages, with their ufual avidity ; and with a favage ferocity, directed per- haps by religious prejudices more than by a wanton fpirit of defolation, deftroyed moft of the mofques and other publick buildings, and in particular defaced the monument of Nijeeb-al-Dowlah, a piece of remarkably curious and coftly work- manfhip. The Rohilla chiefs, who appear on this occafion to have been totally unprepared for refinance, were {truck with terror at the unexpefled progrefs of the Mahrattas ; and following the example of Zabita Khan, retired with their families and treafures into the forefts of Gungapore, where they ftrongly intrenched themfelves ; and con- tinued (hut up in that manner near four months: in the mean time, the Mahrattas ranged ROHILLA AFGANS. 175 ranged at pleafure throughout the whole country, plundering, burning and deftroy- ing ail before them. At length Suja-al-Dowlah, alarmed by the danger which threatened his domi- nions, advanced with forne Englifh bat- tallions under the command of Brigadier General Sir Robert Barker, (then com- mander in chief of the Bengal army,) to Shawbad on the borders of his territories ; and from hence Captain Harper (a gen- tleman who for fome time commanded a corps in the province of Oude, and whofe knowledge of the politicks of thefe coun- tries, was remarkably accurate and exten- five) was deputed to the Rohilla chiefs, in order to open with them a negotiation with refpecl: to fuch meafures as might tend to the effectual expulfion of the Mah- rattas from their territories. Hafiz Rah- mut, on this gentleman's approach, ven- tured out of his intrenchments, and pro- ceeded with him to the camp of Suja-al- Dowlah, with whom he had an interview N 3 on Ij6 HISTORY OF THE on the banks of the Ramgunga. The par- ticulars of the conference are not related ; but the event of it was a treaty * of mutual defence and co-operation between the Ro- hillas and the Subad&r of Oude, and ati engagement by Hafiz-Rahmut, on the part of the former (expreflly comprehending in the obligation of it all the Sirdars of Rohilcund) to pay to Suja-al-Dowlah the fum of forty lacks of rupees, for his af- fiance in repelling the common enemy, and restoring the feveral chiefs to their pofleffions, in whatever, manner this might be effected ; and of which ten lacks were to be payable immediately, and the remainder by inftallments -j- ; and there was a particular claufe in this agreement, that if the Mahrattas mould, on account of the latenefs of the feafon , retire tor * See Appendix, No. i. ^C See Appendix, No. 2. | This negotiation took place in June 1772. The rains generally commence in thefe northern countries, in the latter end of that month, or the beginning of July, arid end in October; but the great rivers are ijot fordable until December. the ROHILLA AFGANS. 177 the prefent, the force and meaning of it were to extend, in every refpeft, to the year enfuing. This treaty, and agree- ment, in order to give them greater vali- dity and effect in the minds of the con- tracting parties, were executed and fworn to in the prefence of the Britifh comman- der in chief, and counterfigned by him. " It is here neceflary to remark," fays the Rohilla hiftorian, *' that nothing ex- " cept a weaknefs of judgement from his *' advanced age, or a decree of unerring " providence hanging over him for his " injuftice to the children of his friend, " could ever have led Hafiz Rahmut to " enter into this rafli and impolitick treaty, *' by which he threw the Afgans upon " the protection of aliens, and with his " own hand ratified the inilrument of his " future ruin.*' The feafon being fo far advanced, no- thing of material confequence occurred after this tranfa&ion. The Mahrattas re- N 4 tired j;8 HISTORY OF THE tired unmolefted to Delhi, and the Ro? hillas returned to their refpe&ive homes, which, efpecially in the northern diftricts, prefented them with fcenes of the mod deplorable defolation. Suja-al Dowlah re- turned to Fyzabad, leaving a few troops cantoned at Sandee for the remainder of the feafon. Soon after the retreat of the Mahrattas, Buxy Sirdar Khan, having contracted a fever in the Gungapore woods, died at a very advanced age ; and the following cha- racter of him (literally taken from the original) may not, perhaps, be unaccept- able to our readers : " For ninety for- * c tunate years Sirdar Khan lived in this " vale of wretchednefs and forrow : he " was an holy and religious perfon : " from the day of mature diicernment to the laft afpiration of mortal exiflence, he was daily feen in the congregations of the mofques, and in the aflemblies " of the pious: he was a man jufl in his fentiments, and upright in his deal- ings; iV-li l-llii>_ll I. J j AUM til^llillJL lil iJ It fcOHILLA AFGANS. 179 <{ ings : he was not, like others of his * c tribe, a violator of the ties of friend- " fhip, or an oppreffor of the helplefs ; '* and excepting the due returns of the <{ revenue, he took not from the indigent " labourer, or the ufeful tiller of the " ground, a {ingle exaction. He retained greateft part of them was in the middle of the river, when the Britifh army came in fight, upon which they fuddenly returned, and marched up the weftern bank, towards Ramghaut, (where Beyfa Jee was en- camped with part of the Mahratta army and all their artillery and heavy baggage) whilft the Britifh and Vizier's troops con- tinued their route along the oppofite more, until they arrived at Affidpore, within fight of Beyfa Jee's encampment. Here the Mahrattas commenced a cannonade againft the Englifh ; but this was foon anfwered by the latter with fuch effect as prefently filenced their artillery, and obliged their whole army to change their ground with fome precipitation. A The conduct of Hafiz Rahmut and the other Rohilla chiefs, during thefe tranf- a6tions, had exhibited great duplicity ; in fomuch that the Britifh general was not without apprehennon of fome collufion be- tween them and the Mahrattas ; and thefe fufpicions were increafed by their fo long O 2 delaying HISTORY OF THE delaying to join him with their forces. The truth was, that Hafiz Rahmut, un- willing, however able he might be, to take vpon himfelf the entire fulfilment of the engagement which he had entered into with Suja-al-Dowlah the preceding year, \vas deiirous, if he could not altogether evade it, at all events to bear as little as poiTible of the burden ; and he had al- ready applied to the other chiefs, endea- vouring to convince them of the neceility of their affifting him in the difcharge of the obligation which had teen agreed to by him for their common benefit. His re- monftrances, however, were attended with no effeft : tome declared that he had no right to bind them to fuch a condition, whilfl the majority ridiculed the idea of any treaty whatever being held obligatory upon the contracting parties, where it could either be infringed with benefit, or broken with- out danger. Many, indeed, were not al- together without a fufpicion that if Hafiz Rahmut fhould obtain their fubfidies in this behalf, he would convert the money to ROHILLA AFGANS. 1 9 I to his own ufe, and frill endeavour to break his contraft with the Vizier, fo that they would remain as liable to be involved in a quarrel with that power on this ac- count as ever ; and they unanimoufly ad- vifed Hafiz Rahmut, in cafe he mould be again prefied by the Vizier on this fubjedt, to protract the final adjustment of it on va- rious pretences, to amufe him with delu- five hopes, and to truft to future events to extricate him, without expence, from his obligation. Hafiz did, in efFect, adopt this fail plan, which was much more con- fonant to his own ideas of political ma- nagement than any other ; and determined, in cafe the Mahrattas mould attempt a fe- cond irruption into Rohilcund, to avoid foliating the aid of his former protectors, an interview with whom would inevitably lead to demands which he was now re- folved not to comply with ; nor was he without hopes of being able (for he had now complete warning of the enemy's de- figns) to defend the paffages of the Ganges with the Rohilla forces alone. It was with O 3 this HISTORY OF THE this view that, on the approach of the Mahrattas towards Ramghaut, he detachecj the Buxy to guard the fords as already mentioned ; and had that officer done his duty, it is prohable that Hafiz might not have been diiappointed in his expectations, and that the Mahrattas might have met \vith an effe&ual check, without any im- mediate neceffity of calling upon the Vi- xier for his affittance. The mifmanage- ment or treachery of the Buxy, however, opening a way for the invaders, fuggefted another idea to him, by which he might at once avoid their violence, and fecure himfelf againft any difagreeable confe r quences from his non-compliance with the Viziers demands. This was no lefs than to enter into a confederacy with the Mah- rattas themfelves ! by which they were to obtain, under certain reftriclions, a per- manent fettlement in the country, on en- gaging to defend the Rohillas againft " all " their enemies ;" and he actually em- ployed emiflaries privately to negotiate this defperate propofal with the Mahratta com- manders : - ROHILLA AFGANS. 193 manders: but all his fchemes were fruf- trated by the rapid and unwifhed-for ad- vance of the allied army, and Hafiz Rah- mut found himfelf, by his own crooked and temporizing policy, entangled in a la- byrinth of perplexity and diftrefs. Yet, even at this time, when the enemy, not- withflanding his fecret overtures to them, were plundering and laying wafte all the more defencelefs parts of the country, he endeavoured to procraftinate his junction with Suja-al-Dowlah as long as poffible : at length, finding that the allies had al- ready advanced into the heart of the Ro- hilla territories, and underftanding that they were fully aware of his treacherous proceedings, and had even refolved to at- tack him, mould he confirm the fufpicions his conduct had excited by any longer de- lay, he collected his forces, and joined Suja-al-Dowlah the next day after the can- nonade between the Englim and Beyfa Jee *. Some days after that event, as the * Page 189. O 4 194 HISTORY OF THE Mahratta army was now divided, part of it being ftill at Sumbull in Rohilcund un- der Toko Jee, and the remainder under Beyfa Jee, to the weftward of the Ganges, it was determined to attack them in both quarters at the fame time. With this view the Britifli troops forded the river at Ramghaut, whilft Suja-al-Dowlah and Hafiz Rahmut prepared to advance with their united forces againft Toko Jee. Beyfa Jee, when he heard of the approach of the brigade, decamped in the utmoft hurry and confulion, and went off to the diftance of forty miles in a fingle march. From fome fufpictons which Suja-al-Dow- lah ftill entertained of Hafiz Rahmut, the other part of the concerted operation was not executed by him ; but the Englifh, recroffing the Ganges the next day after the flight of Beyfa Jee, proceeded towards Sumbull; upon which Toko Jee retreated to Poof, a town upon the Ganges, about fifty miles above Ramghaut, and crofled the river at that place on a bridge of boats, which he afterwards deftroyed. The Mahratta. R OH ILL A AFCANS. 195 Mahratta army made fome movements which indicated an intention of again crof- fing into Rohilcund at Corrimbofsghaut, a considerable diflance higher up the river ; but the brigade, advancingby rapid marches to that place, prevented them, whilft the Vizier with his troops guarded all the fords at Ramghaut and the neighbourhood ; and as the hot feafon approached, and the Ganges began to be fwelled by the melting of the fnows on the northern mountains, they were conftrained for the prefent to relinquim all thoughts of renewing their depredations to the eaflward, and retired to Etfiwa. The Rohilla country being thus entirely freed from the Mahrattas, Suja-al-Dowlah began to prefs Hafiz Rahmut upon the forty lacks, due by his engagement, of which he (the Vizier) had agreed to make over a moiety to the Engliih (over and above the ftipulated monthly fubfidy) as a confederation for their affiftance ; and he was fupported in his requifitioa by the Britifh 196 HISTORY OF THE Britifh commander in chief, who having affifted at the original negotiation, and given the treaty the fanction of his coun- ter-fignature, had a right to infill: on the punctual obfervance of it. They could not, however, get any thing more from Hafiz than general profeflions, and ac- nowledgments of the juftice of the debt, with excufes of the inability of the Rohil- las todiicharge it, or any part of it, at pre- fent, owing to the defolated ftate of their territories. The Vizier would willingly have taken occafion, from hence, to ap- propriate the country of Hafiz Rahmut in lieu of the debt ; a ftep in which he would certainly have been fully juflified by the Rohillas' treacherous breach of faith in this as well as in other particulars ; and he held forth fome very advantageous offers about this time to the Britim government (through the commander in chief) for their affiftance in the profecution of a de- fign he had formed to this purpofe : but as the Mahrattas were {till in great force in the Dodb, and might probably endea- vour ROHILLA AFGANS. 197 vour to poffefs themfelves of the provin- ces of Korah and Allehabad (which were the original objects of protection) whilft Suja-al-Dowlah and his allies fhould be en- gaged in this bufinefs, it was judged pru- dent to decline entering upon it ; and it was thought at any rate mofl expedient, both in juftice and in policy, * to give the Rohillas full time, that they might have a fair opportunity to fulfil their obligations before any meafures mould be adopted to compel them. In the mean time, as the feafon was al- ready very far advanced, and the country was reftored to perfect tranquillity, the Briti'fti and Vizier's troops returned into the province of Owde, and the former were ftationed in cantonments at Sultan- pore upon the Gumty (a river which runs * Perhaps a want of money and deficiency of po- litical fyftem were more cogent reafons than any other for relinquishing this undertaking at the prefent pe- riod. through 58 HISTORY OF THE through the province of Ovvde, wafliing Lucknow in its courfe) to ferve as a check upon the future deilgtis of the Mahrattas. What farther views thefe marauders might have entertained is not pofuively known; but, happily for the peace of thole provinces, which had for five years groaned under their wafteful depredations, the \vhole were about this period fuddenly called off by the troubles at Poona, where Ragonet Row had put to death the Peifhwa, his nephew, fuccoeded him in his office, and had been afterwards dcpofed by the faction of Sindhea and other chiefs ; fo that the affairs of their government were thrown into the utmoft confufion, and their country threatened with a civil war ; which rendered the prefence of Toko Jee Holcar and his army abfolutely necefiary at Poona, in order to give a decided weight in favour of the new adminiftration. They accordingly called in all their detach- ments, and withdrawing the whole of their forces from the Doab, excepting a I fmall ROHILLA AFGANS. 199 fmall body which was Rationed at Etawa, went off to their own dominions, without leaving any eftabliihment to retain poflef- fion or colleft the revenues of the diftrids they had lately overrun in the northern part of that territory. Ahmed Khan Buxy (who had furrendered to Toko Jee Holcar at Ramghaut) * was at this period releafed by the Mahratta commander, who prefented him with an elephant and palen- kin, and difmiffed him with fuch tokens of cordiality and refpedt as raifed a fufpi- cion (perhaps not ill founded) of fome col- lufive management in the affair of Ram- ghaut, where the Buxy had exhibited fuch a glaring deficiency in the profecution of thofe meafures which were necefTary for the repulfc of the enemy. In facl, the charafteriftick treachery of the Rohillas, and their continually endea- vouring to circumvent or overturn each other, was ruinous to the caufe on every * Page 1 86. 200 HISTORY OF THE occadon which required exertion and u- nanimity, and feemed to increafe with the increafe of their misfortunes, fo as at once to excite the refentment of their allies, and render them incapable of oppoling its ef- fecls. This fpirit, fo detrimental to their welfare, and fo ruinous to them in its ultimate confequences, appears in every anecdote refpedting the internal adminiftra- tion of their government ; and a mofk finking inftance of it was at this time ma- nifefted, in the treatment of Sydoola Khan's Begum, and of Mahummed-Yar Khan, the fourth fon of Allee Mahum- med, and now, excepting Fyzoola-Khan, the only furvivor. It has already been obferved that the guardians, on making a final partition of the province of Kuttahcr among themfelves, in detriment to thofe who, although they poflefled no legal title, were neverthelefs, as the children of Alice Mahummed, the natural heirs to his ufur- pations, had provided for the fubfiftence of Sydoola Khan, by a penfion *, for the * Page 121. payment ROHILLA AFGANS. 2OI payment of which funds were eftablimed by each of the four principal chiefs grant- ing affignments (to the amount fpecified in the agreement) upon that portion of the territory which fell to his (hare in the aforefaid general partition. Thefe affign- ments were made over to the Buxy, who was authorized, from the nature of his of- fice, to collect the money and apply it to the intended purpofe. On the deceafe of Sydoola Khan, a pen- fion of three lacks of rupees per annum was continued, in like manner, to the Begum his widow : this, however, was very irregularly paid ; and the late incur- fions of the Mahrattas having defolated Rohilcund in many places, furnifhed a pretext for withholding it altogether. On the Mahrattas withdrawing into their own country, the Begum, mortly after the Buxy's releafe, feized the opportunity of the chiefs being ftill together in the field, to lay before them a reprefentation of her claims, and the diilrefs under which fhe 202 HISTORY OF THE me laboured, and intreated the difcharge of the arrears due upon her penfion : at the fame time Mahummed-Yar Khan made loud complaints of the injurious and cruel negleft he fuftained, and of the mi- fery to which he was reduced from the total want of a maintenance. Hafiz Rah- mut, on their applying to him, with his ufual duplicity referred them to the Buxy, as the perfon who was refponfible for the liquidation of all publick demands : the Buxy, however, denied in the ftrongeft terms his obligation to continue the pay- ment of the Begum's penfion, unlefs he mould be enabled to do fo by the feveral chiefs granting frem alignments upon thofe parts of their country which, not having furfered from the late invafions, were now in a productive flate : the ions and co-heirs of Doondy Khan, on being foliated in this behalf, at once rejected the appeal, declaring their father's agreement to contribute to the fupport of Allee Ma- hummed* s family in no wife binding upon them At length, after much fruitlefs negotiation, ROHILLA AFGANS. 203 negotiation, Hafiz, in order to put an end to the matter for the prefent, privately fent a meflage by a confidential fervant to the Buxy, advifing him to give written obligations to the Begum and to Mahum- med-Yar Khar, as well for the arrears due to the former, as for the payment of a re- gular annuity to the latter; adding " that when the Rohilla army mould be " difbanded, and the people feparated to " their feveral places of abode, he could " then, without danger of any popular " infurreclion in favour of the parties, " confult his own convenience with re- " fpecl to the fulfilment of them:" This inlidious advice the Buxy ftrictly conform- ed to, and prevailed upon Mahummed-Yar and the Begum to accept thofe frail tefti- monials of their rights ; but never after- wards paid them a (ingle rupee ; and even wrefted from the former a fmall farm, pro- ducing about feven thoufand rupees per annum, which had been fettled upon him by Buxy Sirdar Khan. P Soon 204 -HISTORY- OF THE Soon after the Mahrattas had evacuated Rohilcund, Futteh-Khan Khanfaman was feized with a palfy in his left fide, of which he died in a few weeks. He left fix ions, of whom the two eldefr, Ahmed Khan and Azeem Khan, fhared his territory be- tween them, the diftrifts of Owlah and its dependances falling to the former, and thofe of Budavon and Owfle to the latter. Scarcely were the fons of Futteli Khan inflated in their inheritance, when, ac- cording to the ufual mode of proceeding among the Rohillas, each endeavoured to iubvert the other, and tc* eftablifh him- felf in fole pofleffion of his father's lands and eftatcs. In this Ahmed Khan, who was by much the abler politician, fucceedcd. This feud between the brothers firft broke out in confequence of an effort, on the part of Azeem Khan, to retain in his own hands tiie whole of the elephants, artillery, and camp equipage, of his father, which were Rationed at Ovvfte at the period of his deceafe Upon this being compro- miied through the mediation of Haflz Rahmut, fcOHILLA AFGANS. Rahmut, who compelled Azeem Khan to deliver up a moiety of the artillery and ftores to Ahmed Khan, the latter affected to treat his brother with the utmoil con- fidence and cordiality ; and having by this means thrown him off his guard, fuddenly marched to Owfte with a few refolute followers, and there feizing on all the treafures and effects which had been left in that place by the deceafed, acquired, by this manoeuvre, fuch a decided fuperiority, as conftrained Azeem Khan to relinquifli the whole of his inheritance, and to fly for fafety to Peeleabete, where Hafiz Rahmut gave him protection, but could not, or would not, procure him any redrefs ; and even acceded to Ahmed Khan fucCeeding his father in the office of Khanfaman. The death of Futteh Khan left Hafiz Rahmut the only remaining perfon, of thefe into whofe hands Alice Mahummed had committed the management of the Ro- hilla government for his children, and hi him the oftenfible power of the ftate now P 2 became 206 HISTORY OF THE became verted, as Fyzoola Khan and his brother had never been admitted to any efficient participation of it. Hafiz Rah- mut, notwithstanding his very advanced age, flill perhaps pofTeffed ipirit and abi- lities fufficient to have enabled him to bear with fuccefs the great weight thus thrown upon his fhoulders, had any tolerable de- gree of harmony fubfiiled among the other leading members of the community ; but that unanimity which alone could render them formidable now no longer prevailed among them ; the authority of Hafiz, as " chief guardian of the ftate," was flight- ed by fome, and openly renounced by others ; they regarded the fuperiority he aflumed with envy ; and the manner of his attaining that pre-eminence had rendered him particularly obnoxious to the fons of Allee Mahummed and their party ; fo that he found himfelf tottering on the pinnacle of anufurped authority, without the fup- port of a Tingle friend in whom he could venture to confide. In ROHILLA AFGANS. 207 111 addition to a total defeft in mutual alliance and general co-operation, many other crrcumftances concurred to weaken the power of the Afgan independances in the northern provinces at this period. Zabita Khan had been drawn off from their interest, as already related ; and the death of Ahmed Khan Bunplm left the princi- pality of Ferrochabad in the hands of his fon Muzziffer Jung, a weak and ignorant young man, who, fo far from being able to add force or liability to any union which might have been entered into by them foi % their general defence, had it not in his power to fupport himfelf ; and was con- frrained, the year before, to have recourfe to Suja-al- Dowlah for his aid to protect his city from the attempts of a petty detachment of Mahrattas: add to this, thatinRohilcund, the feeds of contention, which had been fown in the original formation of the go- vernment, had long fmce fprung up : a mutual jealoufy and avowed animoiity, which had effectually eftranged the diffe- rent leaders from each other, induced every P 3 man 2O8 HISTORY OF THE man, in the prefent unfettled ftate of affairs, to afpire at a feparate independence utterly inconfiftent with their political confe- quence as a collective body ; and the total relaxation or fufpenfion of the penal laws, attendant upon fuch a ftate of anarchy, could not fail of producing the moft mif- chievous effects, among a people naturally of a rler-ce and untoward temper, an4 poffefled of a difpoiition fo addicted tp violence and rapine, as would at any time have required the fevereft exertions of jufr tice to reftrain j t w ithin bounds. The Hindoo farmers, and other original inha- bitants of the country, groaned under the \vorfl fpecies of military vaflalage ; whilft the upftart Muffulman defpots who held them in fubje):ion, were, by their perpe- tual feuds, difahled, as we have feen, from affording them the fmalleft protection a- gainft armies of barbarous marauders, who .every year fpread their devaftations among them, almofl without refinance. The haughty and turbulent fpirit of the Afgans could not long fubmit to that flrid con- R OH ILL A AFGANS. 2Op troul which was necefiary to preferve any tolerable degree of regularity or fubor- dination in a government compofed of fo many independent members : confe- quently orders were no longer heard or obeyed ; the adminiftration of juftice, the collection of revenue, and the inter- courie of commerce, were all at a ftand ; the roads were infefted with bands of armed ruffians ; and every enormity had grown to fuch a height as was not likely to yield to any remedy which, in the pre- fent (late of things, could poffibly be ap- plied. Such was the ftate of the Afgan powers in thefe countries a few months before the commencement of the celebrated " Rohilla War." Suja-al-Dowlah had, in his correfpon- dence with the Englifli government, re- peatedly exprefled an earned defire to have an interview with Mr. Haftings, then go- vernor of Bengal; and many points of P 4 the 210 HISTORY OF THE the utmofl confequence having occurred in the courfe of his intimate connec- tion with the Britifh, the adjuftment of which could not any way be fo well effected as by. a perfonal- conference, the council at Calcutta were of opinion, that a meeting between their Prefident and the Vizier at this feafon would be pro- ductive of great benefit to the affairs of the Company : Mr. Haftings was accordingly provided by them with efpecial powers of negotiation, and arrived at Benares in the month of Auguft, A. D. 1773. It may be recollected that Suja-al-Dow- lah, at the clofe of the laft campaign a- gainft the Mahrattas, in confequence of Hafrz Rahmut's apparent treachery, and breach of his engagements, had conceived an idea of ieizing upon the Rohilla coun- try, and had even made propofals to the Britifh commander in chief for the affifl- ance of the Englifh troops in the imme- diate execution of this defign. His pro- pofals were, at that time, for many pru- dential and political reafons, rejected : thefc RO HILL A AFGAN 211 thefe reafons, however, now no longer exifted : the Mahrattas, whofe prefence had formed the grand obftacle to the un- dertaking, had gone off, and were now folely occupied in fettling the internal diflenfions of their own country ; and many months had pafled, within which the Rohillas, if fo difpofed, could with eafe have difcharged the ftipulated fubfidy ib juftly due to the Vizier and his Allies, for having twice cleared their country of an enemy ; but, inilead of fo doing, they had anfwered to the repeated importunities of the Vizier on this tubjec~t, by a reite- ration of fubterfuges, delays, and excufes, which plainly indicated an intention on their part of never difcharging the obli- gation. In confequence of this {rate of things, the Vizier, in his conference with Mr. Hillings at Benares, propofed that the Britifh government mould affift him with a brigade of the Company's forces, to enable him to effect the cjriipletefubjuga- tioa 212 HISTORY OF THE tion of Rohtlcund ; and agreed to pay a monthly fubfidy of two lacks and ten thoufand rupees, for the fubfiftence of thefe troops, and to prefent the Company with a gratuity of forty lacks of rupees, on the final performance of this fervice; and the plan of the expedition was projected, and, \vith the ultimate approbation of the coun- cil in Calcutta, -determined to be under- taken as foon as the feafon fit for acYion ihould commence, in the event of the Rohillas not ditch arging their obligations in the interim. Almofl: immediately after, however, the Vizier, on a review of the iieceffary fteps preparatory to this impor- tant undertaking, began to be apprehen- five that the period which he had fixed for its commencement, would fcarcely allow him time to fettle a variety of concerns, the previous adjuflment of which was indifpenfably requifite to its ultimate fuc- cefs, and which his eagernefs for the attainment of his grand object had caufed him to neglect or overlook at the time of his propofing it ; neither was he without fears, ROHILLA AFGANS. fears that, if he mould meet with any unex- pected difficulty in the profecution of thofe preparatory meafures, he might, by that circumftance, be rendered incapable of ful- filling his agreement with refpec"b to the promifed fubfidy, in addition to the many pecuniary obligations which he already lay under to the Company. He therefore fuddenly refcinded his propofals refpe&ing the fubjugation of Rohilcund, exprefling his wifh that this matter {hould (without being abfolutely relinquifhed) remain in fufpence, the ultimate execution of it to depend upon the fortunate coincidence of future occurrences. Soon after, Mr. Haftings,havingadjufled the publick bufinefs with the Vizier, (the particulars of which are foreign to our fubjedl) returned to Calcutta, and the Vi- zier to Fyzabad; from whence thclatter pro- ceeded without delay to the profecution of thofe meafures by the fuccefs of which his refolution with refpeft to the Ro- hilcund HISTORY OP THE hilcund expedition was to be eventually de- termined. His firfl objecl: was the fecurity of the diftrids of Korah and Allehabad, and the eftablifhment of fuch a line of defence on their northern frontier, from the Jumna to the Ganges, as would fecure him in the undifturbed pofleffion of them. Thefe countries had been guaranteed to the impo- tent Emperor, Shah Aulum, by the treaty of Allehabad *, but were abandoned, and virtually relinquished by him on his pro- ceeding to Delhi T where he (hortly after made them over, by a grant, to the Mah- rattas J, who would certainly have ob- tained a permanent fettlement in them, which from their fituation, mull have been highly dangerous, if not utterly dc- flrud~live, to thefafety and independence of all the eaftern provinces, had not their fchemes been moft fortunately fruftrated by the timely and decifive interference of * Page 158. f Page 170. J Page 171. the ROHILLA AFGANS. 215 the Englim ; and they were confirmed to Suja-al-Dowiah in the late conference at Benares. - The Mahrattas, although they had been compelled, by the prefent deranged fitua- tion of their affairs at home, to relinquish a great part of their pofleffions in the Do- db, (as has been already obferved) had yet left fome fmall garrifons in the diftrift of Etawa, which makes the northern boundary of the Korah province ; and, as their eftablifhment here might enable them to give him great difhirbance at fome fu- ture period, the Vizier judged it prudent to begin by ejecting them. He accordingly crofled the Ganges at Mow, and marching over the Dodb *, laid feige to the fort of Etawa. The Mahratta who commanded in that fortrefs, after a fmall refift- ance, merely to fave appearances, was pre- vailed upon to make a capitulation, by which the Mahrattas in this and other T**" 1773* places 2l6 HISTORY OF THE places of the Doab, were permitted to re- tire unmolefled beyond the Jumna, and Suja-al-Dowlah had the good fortune to J tJ poflefs himfelf of the whole of thefe di- flridts without any farther oppofition ; fo that his dominion between the rivers now extended from Allehabad near to Agra upon the Jumna, and to Kinnoge upon the Gan- ges. This great and unexpected fuccefs, by removing every obftacle of any moment, determined the Vizier to adhere to the ex- ecution of his original deiign ; and he forthwith wrote to the Council at Cal- cutta, conveying formal propofals, in the terms already mentioned, which, after due deliberation, were acceded to, nearly on the lame conditions as had been ipecified in the interview at Benares *. The Rohilla expedition being now irre- vocably determined on, as it was yet early in the feafon -|-, the Vizier refolvcd to * Page 2 1 2. -- f* Dec. 1773. fmooth ROHILLA AFGANS. 2 1 ~ fmooth or remove every remaining obftacle to his views, which, as his main object had been already attained with To much facility, he concluded he might eafily effect, before his allies mould be in readineis to take the field. Having taken proper precautions for the fecurity of his own acquifitions in theDoab, by placing Jlumih*, fupported by confiderable bodies of troops, throughout the country, he proceeded to Ferrochabad, Notice has already been taken of the wretched fituation to which that flate had been reduced by the death of Ahmed Khan Bungifli, and the imbecility of his fucceffor, whom Suja-al-Dowlah now eafi- ly found means to cajole with affurances of his fiiendfhip and iupport, and finally to draw him into fuch engagements as left his country, property, and perfon at the fble difpofal of the Vizier, who foon found himfelf as entirely pofleffed of Ferrocha* bad as of any part of his own original do- minions. From hence he ient for Zabita Khan, who, having been releafed from his * Angice " Superinteudants, or colk&ors of re- venue." engagements 2l8 HISTORY OF THE engagements with the Mahrattas, by their precipitate retreat from the Dodb, had re- tired to Nijeebabad, Teeming inclined once more to join the fortunes of his country- men ; but Suja-al-Dowlah, by his profef- iions, not only detached him from their mterefts, but even perfuaded him to join in the intended undertaking againft them. At the fame time, the Vizier, appre- heniive, perhaps, of iome moleftation from NudjifFKhan, who had lately rifen to a considerable degree of power, and, after the retreat of the Mahrattas, managed the Emperor's affairs at Delhi, endeavoured to fecure his intertft by making him privy to his defign ; and, it is faid, even went fo far as to hold forth fome indirect promifes of making over to his Majefty a (hare of whatever he mould conquer ; in confe- quence of which the minifter entered with zeal into his deilgns, and agreed to join the Vizier with a ielecT: body of troops as foon as the campaign mould commence. Every thing being now ripe for aclion, Sujn- RotfiLLA AF'GANS. 219 Suja-ai-Dowlah direct his general, Litafet Alee Khan, to march up the Ganges from Ferrochabad, and to con ft nidi a bridge of boats over the river at Ramghaut, by which he meant to enter at once into the heart of the Rohilla country ; but whilft: Litafet was collecting materials for this purpofe, the Vizier, by the advice of forne Englifh officers, abandoned that defign, and determined to enter the Rohilla fron- tiers from his own dominions on the other iide of the Ganges ; as from thence the ar- my would be able to draw the moil certain and regular fupplies, and the operations of the Englim forces were, by the terms of the treaty, confined to the e-aftwardvi that river. He accordingly returned to Mow, (where a bridge had been already laid) and croffing the river, advanced up the eaiiern bank, and encamped at Shawbad, on the Rohilla frontiers. From hence he deputed a Vakeel to Hafiz Rahmut, with a copy of his engagement*, and with orders to make * App. No. Land II. a formal 2 it> HISTORY OF THE a formal demand of immediate payment, otl pain of the confequences. In the mean time, the fecond bri- gade of the Company's forces took the iield in the beginning of the year 1774, under the command of Colonel A. Cham- pion, and advanced by eafy marches to join the Vizier, according to agreement. When Litafet began to collect materials for conftrudYmg a bridge at Ramghaut, the Rohillas became fenfible of tjie approaching ftorm ; their appreheniions were confirm- ed by the ftibfequent march of the Englifli troops ; and, on the receipt of the afore- iaid meflage from the Vizier, Hafiz Rah- rnut amufed the Vakeel with hopes of fuc- cels in his deputation ; and, in the mean time, applied to the feveral chiefs, defiring them either to enable him forthwith to dii- charge this demand, or to join him in the fit-Id : -they had already refolved on the latter alternative. The Vakeel, after Ibiiic delay, was feat back to his matter with an evalive ROHILLA AFGANS. 221 evafive anfwer, and Hafiz Rahmut pro- ceeded from Peeleabete to Owlah, where he fet up his ftandard, and fent notices throughout the country, requiring the Ro- hillas to repair thither. Here he was foon joined by Fyzoola Khan and others ; and as no remedy now appeared except open refinance, Hafiz attempted to infpire into the feveral leaders a refolution to act with unanimity and firmnefs in fupport of the common caufe : but all his efforts were rendered void by that fpirit of jealoufy and faction already mentioned, which contri- buted to deftroy them much more effectu- ally than the fword of the enemy. Hafiz firil applied to Ahmed Khan Khanfaman, and Ahmed Khan Buxy, for money for the purpoie of raifing troops and making the neceflary preparations; as thefe chiefs were, by their offices, inverted with the management of all receipts and diiburfements that might at any time be jieceffary for the defence of the general flate. He at ^the fame time offered them bonds 222 HISTORY OF THE bonds of indemnification, engaging either to hold himfelf perfonally retponfible, or to give alignments upon his country for fuch turns as they might advance from their own finances for the public fervice on the prefent occafion. Notwithstanding thefe aflurances, however, they did not entertain fuch an opinion of Hafrz as would induce them to place any depen- dance upon his promiies, and having pre- vioufly entered into a private league to fup- port each other, abfolutely refufed to ad- vance any money, declaring " they would " oppofe with force whoever fhould offer ** to compel them." The Buxy, how- ever, was perfuaded, by fome of the more wife and difcreet among his friends, to adopt a more liberal mode of conduct, at leaft in appearance; and advanced two lacks of rupees for tuncaws, or affignments, upon the territory of Budavon, which were given to him by the Khanfaman as a fecurity ; u perhaps'* (fays the Rohilla narrator) " neither the perfualions of his *' countrymen, nor his own conviction of " the ROHILLA AFGANS. 223 " the approaching danger, would have " fufficed to induce theBuxy to this exer- " tion ; but, from the period of the quar- Cl rel between the brothers" (Ahmed Khan and Azeem Khan) " he had regarded the *' diftrift of Budavon with a greedy eye, " and an afTignment, which would give " him a future hold upon it, offered fuch '* a temptation as he could not refift." (Here we fee, in the midft of immediate apprehenfion and diftrefs, and at a period of impending calamity, an involution of fub- tile treachery, which is feldom outmone in the crooked mazes of political refinement in ufe among the moft poll/bed nations ; but to return ) Several other chiefs threw fmall fums into the grand treafury upon the prefent exigency ; but this mode of fupply was not generally adopted, and af- ter all, the fum collected was very infuffi- cient to defray the neceffary charges. In fact, fo low were their finances reduced by their dominions for the two preceding years having been the feat of war, that few of the Rohilla chiefs had it in their power 224 HISTORY OF THE power to contribute largely : the only perfons among them whofe ci re um fiances, enabled them to do fo were Hafiz Rahmut, the Khanfaman, (enriched by the plunder of his brother) and Fyzoola Khan, (who had long held the districts of Rampore, from which, although not exceeding in value Jive lacks per annum, he had faved confiderably, befides what he acquired by fucceeding to the inheritance of the per- fonal property of his father) and neither of thele were willing to put too much to a riik on the prefent occafion.* Many other leading men, inftead of coming boldly for- ward on this threatening emergency, ieemed either abandoned to inactive def- pondency, or withheld from exertion bv iuipicious doubts of their fellows, each conceiving the other to be ready to betray him ; and Suja-al-Dowlah, well aware of their prefent temper, employed a multi- tude of emiflaries among them, who, by working upon the hopes of iome, and the fears of others, increafed their mutual jea- loufy and diftrufl. Neither the Buxy nor the ROHILLA AFGANS. 225 the Khanfaman joined the Rohilla army till fume time after its formation ; the Vi- zier having entered into a negotiation with them, and, partly by threats, partly by promifes, prevailed on them (whatever ap- pearance prudence might render neceflaryj to remain eflentially neuter in the enfuing difpure ; and they were themfelves luffici- ently difpofed, in the prefent fit nation of things, rather toforfake than to ajjift their countrymen ; as they knew that if the Afgans fhould make an effectual refinance and repel the invaders, Hafiz would amply revenge himfelf upon them for their late oppofition to him. Mahboola Khan and Fittee Oolah Khan (the fons of Doondy Khan) neglected to appear in the field, or to affift in any meafures of general co-ope- ration until feveral days after the enemy had entered into the country, as they had alfo privately received a meflage from Suja- al-Dowlah, who lent them a Koran, (a fa- cred pledge of mutual faith among Muflul- mans) with afiurances of his protection, provided they mould not join Hafiz Rah- Q 4 mut 226 HISTORY OF THE mut on the prefent occafion ; and to this they returned a favourable reply ; but, with a fraudulent inconfiftency, perfectly in character, they proceeded to Owlah at the head of a confiderable force within four days after ! Perhaps, indeed, thefe intrigues of Su- ja-al-Dowlah (vvhofe character was well known) would have availed but little in fhaking the fidelity of any qf the chiefs, had not they been ftrengthened in their operation by the general dread of Hafiz Rahmut. To inveftigate the caufes of this fenti- xncnt, which on the prefent occafion was attended with fuch fatal effects to the inte- reft of the Rohilla confederacy in general, and of Hafiz Rahmut in particular, it is neceflary to take a (hort retrofpecl: to fome incidents which could not have been related in their proper place without an unfeafona- ble interruption to the narrative. ROHILLA AFGANS* 227 On the death of Futte Khan Khanfaman, Hafiz Rahmut took advantage of the quar- rel between his heirs to feize on fome of the lands and effects of that officer, and even refufed to pay to his fon and fucceflbr Ahmed Khan an old debt of two lacks of rupees, which he had owed to the Khan- faman for fome years pafl .He had, moreover, exacted at another time the fum of two lacks of rupees from the new Buxy, on pretence of defraying the expences of Alice Mahummed's youngeft fon, Ma- hummed-Yar Khan, and applied the money fb extorted to his own ufe ; and, after the death of Doondee Khan, he had made frequent requifitions of his fons Mahboola, and Fittee Oolah, under the fame pre- tence. In fhort, from the time that the death of his colleagues had thrown the principal power into his own hands, Hafiz Rahmut had fo often made an intemperate life of the oftenfible authority with which, as " chief guardian of the ftate," he was vefted, (and which he had been able to fupport only by fuperiority of military force 223 HISTORY OF THE force and territorial refburcesj that, how- ever reflected for his abilities and bra- very, and revered for the apparent fanctity of his manners, he was almoft univerfally dreaded and difliked ; and as he was aware of this difpotition in his countrymen, the intrigues he continually kept on foot, to lupport his influence, had confiderably widened the breaches before exifting a- rnong the members of a naturally turbu- lent and dittracted ftate: even Fyzoola Khan, from whom alone he could expect effectual iupport, was not. witiiout fufpi- cions that Hafiz had at this period pro- jected a plan to raife up a dangerous rival againft him in the perfon of his brother Mahummed-Yar, and looked to the time when his own property might fall a facri- iice to the crooked politicks and infatiable avarice of his wily guardian. " To fum " up all," fays the Rohilla narrator, " a " fufprifing degree of animohty and dif- 4t cord had long lince arifen in Rohilcund, *' and each pcribn was employed in (nay, 44 was earneilly bent upon) the eradication " of HOHILLA AFGANS. 229 <*' of his neighbour ; and in order to effect " the deftruclion and overthrow of his " own immediate kindred and conneo " tions, was ready to enter into league " with foreigners and {hangers : the event " was what might be expected, what ft indeed foon appeared in the courfe of " the fucceeding occurrences." In fuch circumflances, it is not furpriiing that, even at this awful moment, when a foreign enemy was about to overwhelm them, the chiefs were fo dubious of each other that no general fyftem of defence was adopted, nor any orders executed with the promp- titude and alacrity neceflary in fo critical a juncture. Such was the ruinous fituation of affairs in the Rohilla camp, when the combined armies of Suja-al-Dowlah and his Britifh allies entered their country on the I2th day of April, 17-4*. On * As the writer has been defirous (for very ob- vious reafons) to adhere clofely to the account given by ^t jf 230 H IS TORY OF THE On the allied army crofting the river Gurra, (which interfectsthe fouthern boun- dary of Rohilcund near Shavvbad) feveral Zimeendars, and fome governors of dif- trits upon the borders, came in to the Vi- zier and threw themfelves upon his mer- cy ; and were permitted to remain unmo- lefted in their habitations : but, as it was judged imprudent to leave any melter to thofe, who by their behaviour appeared to he inimicably inclined, and who, as the army advanced, might, by returning to their habitations, be tht means of inter- rupting the free communication with the Vizier's country, and cutting off the fup- plies, his troops burned and deftroyed the villages of fuch as had refufed to fubmit, or had abandoned them on his approach. Fyzoola hy the Rolila, in his relation of the fubfequent tranfa&ions, he hopes that this motive will be con- fideredas a fufficicnt apology for any inaccuracies that may nppeaf in it; he has blended the b'nglljh account with it, as far as is confident with his adherence to llie other. ROHILLA AFGANS. 23 I Fyzoola Khan now became fo fenfible of the inability of the Rohilla forces to refill: the power which was brought againft them, that he repeatedly applied to Haft/. Rahmut, intreating him, if poffible, to come to an accommodation with the Vizier, and offering himielf to undertake the payment of his demands, by exerting his interefl with the other chiefs, and per- fuading them to contribute to the dif- charge of them ; but Hafiz, with a wil- ful perverfenefs which feemed to urge him to his fate, declined accepting of any of thofe overtures, and determined, at all events, to try his fortune in the field. On the 1 7th of April, Hafiz, who af- fnmed the chief command of the Rohilla army, marched with his whole force, con- fiding of about twenty-four thousand horfe and foot, four thoufand rocket men, and fixty pieces of cannon and amuzettes, and the next day took poft near the village of Cutterah, on the banks of the Bogga, his 222 HISTORY OF TH^ +J is rear and one of his flanks being cover- ed by that river. Colonel Champion, who was comman- der in chief of the Britim and Vizier's forces, advanced on the 2Oth to Shahjehan- pore, and on the two fucceeding days made ibme feints, as if he intended to take a circuit and advance into the interior part of the country, without coming to ac- tion ; the apprehenfion of which would conftrain the Rohillas to relinquifh the ad- vantages of the judicious pofition they had chofen. Hafr Rahmut, who had for two days expected to fee the enemy, and kept his troops under arms for feveral hours each morning to be in readinefs for their re- ception, confiderably relaxed his vigilance when he found that, inftead of coming directly upon him, they were employed in meafures which indicated an intention of turning his rear, and thereby cutting off his communication with Owlah and Barellee. R 6 H I L L A AFGANS, 23% Barellee, from whence alone the Rohillas could draw the fupplies neceflary to their fubliflence. Alarmed at this idea, he made ibme change in his portion, with an in- tention of retreating to the lafl of thefe towns, (hould circumftances render this meafure neceflary. On the 22d, the Britifh commander, finding that his manoeuvres had produced their intended effect, made the neceflary preparation for action, and marching the next morning at two o'clock, without beat of drum, threw his baggage and followers into a finall fort which had been deferted by the enemy, and came within view of the Rohtlla camp a little after fun-rife. Nothing could exceed the aftonifhment of Hafiz Rahmut, when he underftood that the whole army of the enemy were drawn upin battle array, within cannon mot of his encampment, after having beat in the out-pofted guards, who were the firft mef- iengers of the alarm. He directly mount- HISTORY OF THE ed his elephant in order to go forth and reconnoitre their pofition, whilft in the mean time the Rohillas were thrown into a general confufion by the near and unex- pected approach of their adverfaries. Hafiz Rahmut, when he rode out, had neglected to order the Nekkdreh (or alarm drum) to beat, fo that a confiderable time elapfed before any line was formed, or the artillery prepared for action, and no ge- neral plan of operations having been fet- tled, nor any orders received, every leader acted as he thought proper. About four thoufand of their infantry, feeing things in fuch diforder, retired, panick {truck, from the field; and when Hafiz returned' to the camp, he found a great part of the troops ready to follow their example ; his, prefence, however, reftored them to fome degree of order, and infpired them with a refolution to make one brave effort for the prefervation of their independence. Hafiz took his poft in the centre of the Afgan army, which was directly oppofed to ROHILLA AFGANS. 235 to the Britifh troops : Fyzoola and Muf- takeem Khan, with fome of the other principal chiefs, led on that divifion of their forces oppofite to the corps of Litafet and the Vizier's fepoys ; and they were at this inftant joined by Mahboola Khan and his brother Fittee Oolah, who had left Biffeeolee with their followers the pre- ceding day. The aUon confided principally of a cannonade, which was fupported above two hours with great fpirit on both fides, at firft at the diftance of a thoufand yards, which, as the armies gradually advanced towards each other, was afterwards reduced to five hundred : the powder of the Ro- hillas being of a very bad quality, mofl of their fhot fell fhort ; and their rockets, although thrown in prodigious quantities, did but little execution ; whilft a conti- nual fhower of balls fell upon their centre from the Englifh artillery, and made dreadful havock in their unwieldy co- lumns. Many attempts were made by R Muftakeem HISTORY OF TH E Muftakeem Khan and others to lead the cavalry to the charge, and to force the enemy's flanks, but without effect. At length, Hafiz, feeing the ipirit of the ibldiers begin to droop under the fuperior fire of the Englifh, defcended from the elephant which he had hitherto rode, and mounted an ordinary horfe, to convince his followers that he had no intention of efcaping, but was determined to conquer or die. Very foon after this, he, on whom every thing depended, fell. The center feeing the fate of their general, imme- di^tely began to give way; and in a few minutes the whole broke, and fled with precipitation, leaving their camp (which was ftill flanding) with all their baggage and artillery to the victors. Immediately on the Rohillas giving way, fome bodies of the Vizier's cavalry were detached in pur&iit ; and the flying troops, in order to fave themfelves from total de- ft ruction, all feparated, and went off to different RO HILL A AFGANS. 237 different places, fo that in a few hours the Rohilla army no longer exifted. The lofs fuftained by the Vizier and his Allies in this deciiive action was incon- fiderable ; but that of the Afgans was not lefs than two thoufand killed and woun- ded ; and their whole fyitem fuffered an irreparable blow in the death of their gal- lant leader. Thus fell Hafiz Rahmut, who (not* withftanding his low original) whether we confider him as a foldier or a ftatefman, was certainly entitled to fome degree of refpedt. As the director of a factious and diffracted government, he by the fupe- riority of his talents and addrefs kept to- gether its feveral parts much longer, cer- tainly, than could have been expected, confidering the nature of the people with whom he had to deal, and the unfortu- nate events under which they laboured. His perfonal bravery and firmnefs in the hour of danger would have enabled the R 2 Rohilias 2^8 HISTORY OF THE Rohillas to fupport themfelves with fuc- cefs againft all their foreign enemies, and to have protected their dominion from the many calamities in which it had been in- volved for fome years paft, had he been properly fupported by his colleagues ; and it was this fpirit that determined him, on the failure of every other refource, to prefer an honourable death to an inglorious fubmiffion. But, however praifeworthy his conduct in thefe fituations may appear, the circumftances of his rife to power, as well as the ufe he often made of that power when acquired, mufl detract greatly from his merit ! and it remains to be regretted that fuch happy endow- ments mould have been blended with the i mofl mifchievous of all vices, and that a grafting and unprincipled ambition mould have induced him to betray the truft of his friend, and ufurp the inheritance of his wards, in a manner which tarnifhes all his great qualities and throws a per- petual flur on his memory; nor was the fate he met with lefs deferred than it has been, ROlilLLA AFGANS. 239 been, by numbers, pitied and lamented* : but, to return. Fyzoola Khan and bis brother Mahum- med-Yar, who had both exerted them- * It is here neceflary to remark that, (among a multitude of fimilar errors) this perfon has been con- founded with Hafii) the famous poet of Shiraz, who flouriflied above four hundred years ago. It is much to be lamented that the warmth and eagernefs of po- litical refentments, (however laudable their motives) fhould fometimes ftimulate the moil eminent characters^ by haftily adopting all circumftances which can tend to aggravate imputed guilt, and putting them together without a fufficient inquiry into the foundation of them, to fully the pure and fimple beauty of Truth, which needs not the turgid inflation of unfounded rhapfody to fupport it : -" Hafiz Rahmut, the mofl (C eminent of their chiefs, as famous throughout the ce eajl for the elegance of his literature and the fpirit of " his poetical compactions (by which hefupportcd the name '* of Hafiz) as for his courage, was invaded *," &c. &c. Hafiz was neither a poet nor a man of letters* His original name was Rahmut Khan : The title of Hafiz (anglice, the proteflor) he afterwards af- iumed, as being expreffive of his rank and office. * Parliamentary Regifter, No. LXXVI. page 405. R 3 felves HISTORY OF THE felves with much gallantry in the fore- going action, when they heard that Hafiz was killed, ufed every effort to keep their troops together. Fyzoola had attempted to make a charge upon Litafet's corps ; in this, however, he failed ; and the Afgans faw the Britifh line advancing upon them in fuch excellent order that, dreading the effefts of their mufquetry, neither the up- braidings nor intreaties of their leaders could induce them to ftand ; and they rode off the field at full gallop, hurrying them along with them. Fyzoola Khan, feeing the army totally difperfed, fled in defpair to Rampore ; and taking from thence his family and valuable effects, retired, by the route of Patterghurr, to the ftrong pafs in the Cummow hills above Lolldong, which had twice before ferved as a place of re- fuge to his countrymen ; and here he was daily joined by numbers who preferred the ilcfperate chance of this la ft refource to fubmidion to the enemy on any terms. Nothing could exceed the terror and confufion ROHILLA AFGANS. 24! confufion of the Argans throughout Ro- hilcund, on learning the dilaftrous iffue of a battle which at once annihilated their power and decided the fate of their do- minion ; and the news was quickly fpread abroad with all the exaggerations which commonly accompany the relation of any general and unexpected calamity. Neither were their fears confined to the progrefs of the victorious army. Wherever the defeat of the Rohillas became known, the Hin- doo Zimeendars (each of whom is poffef- fed of a ftrong hold attaching to the chief village of his diftric!:) fhut their forts, and refuting their late mafters fuccour or pro- tection, plundered, without diftinction^ all whom they found flying towards the hills ; fo that numbers of the Afgans, who would otherwife have joined their countrymen at Lolldong, returned to their homes, and there quietly waited the event. Many more, indeed, were encouraged to this by the generous and temperate con- <3ul of the Britifh troops, whofe chnrac- teriftick virtues were not more difplaycd R 4 by 242 HISTORY OF THE by their gallantry in the late engagement, than by their humanity after it. In the dole of the a&ion, whilft yet flufhed with recent victory, they advanced by di- vitions, and marched through the Ro- hilla camp with all the difciplined cool- nefs and regularity of a review; not a man offering to leave his poft, or to feize on any part of the fpoil which was fcatter- ed over the plain around them : and on the fame evening all the wounded Ro- hillas^who appeared to be in a curable (late were taken into the Englim hofpital, and attended with the fame care as their own people ; and thefe circumftances un- doubtedly contributed not only to the re- putation of the conquerors, but to the fa- cility of their fubfequent fuccefs. On the final flight of the Afgans, Ma- li urn med-Yiir Khan, attended by theBuxy and the Khanfaman, went off to Ovvlah, where they arrived the fame afternoon, and fpent the night in all the confufion of diftracled councils and unavailing lamenta- tions. ROHILLA AFGANS. 243 tions. In the morning, the two minifies having collected together their families and treafures, proceeded to the hills by the way of Biflbolee and Moradabad, and joined Fyzoola Khan, (who, on the death of Hanz affumed the chief command) at Lolldong. Mahummed-Yar Khan accom- panied the minifters to BiflToolee, and from thence went with a few attendants through Sumbull to Fyrozabad, where he found Mahummed Allee Khan, a perfon of in- fluence and experience, and an old retainer of his father's. To him he declared his intentions of proceeding to Lolldong to join his brother, but was diffuaded from this defign by the arguments of Mahum- med Allee, who affured him " that he *' could not poffibly pafs through the " country in fafety, as the Zimeendars ROHILLAAFGANS. 259 " cefs, and hinting at the expefted fulfilment " of his engagements " Thefe expectations on the part of the Emperor, whatever their foundation might be, would have given the Vizier little concern ; but advices were at this time received that the Mahrat- tas had fettled their political difputes (all their internal commotions having fubfided in confequence of the expulfion of Rago- net Row) and were again ready to carry their arms to the northward. This left fufficient room to forefee that the Em- peror might renew his connections with them ; and as Suja-al-Dowlah, whether the alledged compaft had ever been really executed or not, was now determined againft acceding to his demands, it was to be apprehended that he would make ufe of the Mahrattas to enforce them ; and the Vizier was aware that if he delayed pro- ceeding againfl the remaining part of the Rohilla forces until the dry weather, as the Ganges, on the falling of the waters, became fordable in many parts below the poft then occupied by the Afgans, he muft, by 260 HISTORY OF THE by advancing, have left thefe paflages con- iiderably in his rear, which would have given his enemies opportunities to make in- curfions, and lay wafte his dominions du- ring his abfence on fo remote a fervice. Thefe confiderations made the Vizier ex- ceedingly anxious to bring the fubjugation of Rohilcund toafpeedy and decifive ifiue. Accordingly, at his repeated folicitatiou and intreaty, the army again took the field, evacuating their cantonments at Biflboleeon the 3Oth day of July, about the middle of the rainy feafon. There were, on the route to Lolldong, many pods, the defence of which by the Rohillas, might have greatly retarded the progrefs of the allied troops at fuch a fea- ibn ; but they were fo much difpirited by the total defeat they had fuflained in the field, and fuch diftra&ions prevailed in their councils after that event, that none of them had attempted to occupy any of thefe favourable fituations, but, abandoning the plain country altogether, had retired to their ROHILLA AFGANS. 261 their intrenchments in the hills ; the army, therefore, proceeded entirely unmolefted, and took poffeflion of the town of Nijeebabad, and the fort of Pattergurr, (fituated about twenty miles from Lolldong) without re- fiftance. The army encamped for fome clays in the neighbourhood of this place ; and a negotiation was here opened between the Vizier and Fyzoola Khan, but without any effect ; the Rohilla chief demanding fuch terms of capitulation as were regarded by the Vizier to be very extravagant and inadmiffible, confidering the ftate to which he was reduced. On the 28th of Auguft the allied army made a forward movement to Mohunpore, a village near Byceghaut on the Ganges, which brought them with- in lefs than fifteen miles from the enemy ; and from hence was formed a chain of polls, fo dhlributed as totally to intercept any fupplies of proviiions from being car- ried into the Rohilla intrenchments. This meafure decided the fate which had been fo long impending, and was now about to oveUhrow the laft remains of the Rohilla power. 262 HISTORY OF THE power. The fupplies which the Afgans drew from the hills in their rear were far from being fufficient for their fupport, as their number amounted to upwards of forty thoufand ; and to add to their diftrefs, a peftilential diforder (owing to the want of room and the unhealthinefs of their fituation) broke out among them, and carried off many every day. But, not- withftanding the diftrefs in which they were involved, Fyzoola Khan frill conti- nued to hold out with determined firmnefs and refolution (fuch as could have been lit- tle expected from the general tenor of his character) hoping, by his perfeverance, fo far to delay the hTue of the war, that fome favourable circumftances might fall out in the interim, which would con {train the Vi- zier to come to an accommodation upon terms more honourable than thofe of ablolute and unconditional fubmifiion. Near a month was fpent in treating on a variety of proportions advanced by the Rohilla Vakeels as the ba- fis of a treaty of adjuftment. The general fcope of thefe was, that Fyzoola Khan fhould ROHILLA AFGANS. 263 fhould pay the Vizier a large fum in hand, and rent of him either the whole or a fart of Rohilcund, at a proportionable rate, taking upon himfelf the difburfement of all expences. The Vizier, however, con- ceived that thefe offers were by no means adequate to the magnitude of the object ; and, moreover, many reafons of found po- licy occurred to prevent his fufFering the Afgans to re-eftablifli themfelves with any confiderable degree of flrength in that country, a circumftance which would, in facl, have been utterly fubverfive of one of the leading principles upon which the war had been undertaken. Yet, as he was ex- tremely defirous to come to a fpeedy con- clufion, he propofed to grant to Fyzoola Khan a jagheer of fifteen lacks a year in the Doab, on condition of his delivering up one half of his trealure and efFe&s. This offer was certainly very equitable, and would have fecured the Rohilla chief in much more than he had ever before pofTefled : he was advifed, however, by the Buxy and theKhanfaman, to rejeft this advantageous propofal, 264 HISTORY OF THE propofal; upon which it was judged nece fary to take fuch meafures as would reduce him to a more fpeedy determination ; and accordingly, the main body of the Vizier's and Englim troops advanced from Mohun- pore, and penetrating through the woods, took poft at the foot of the Cummow hills, within two miles of the Afgan intrench- ments, throwing up fome redoubts and other works, (in fight of the advanced poft of the Rohillas) fuch as indicated an inten- tion of aflaulting them in their lines. Still, however, the Rohillas continued to hold out with an obftinacy that feemed toincreaf in proportion to the mifery which over- whelmed them. The Buxy and Khanfa- man, and fome other chiefs, who were par- ticularly apprehenfive of having offended, the Vizier by the duplicity of their con- duel, were refolved, at all hazards, not to yield, except on fuch terms as might fe- cure them againft the effects of his refent- ment ; whilft he, on the other hand, irri- tated at what he interpreted into a contu- macious rejection of his proffered grace, now R OH ILL A AFGANS. 265 now determined to compel them to furren- der themfelves and their effects to his fole uncontrollable difpofal. But, whatever obftruclions the appre* henfions or animoiities of the belligerent parties might throw in the way of an ami- cable adjuftment, things were now coming to a crilis The Rohillas were reduced to the utmofl diftrefs ; fo that they could not poffibly hold out many days longer ; and muft either have run the defperate chance of throwing themfelves upon the Vizier's mercy, or endeavoured to make their efcapc over the hills by the pafles and defiles which lead into the territories of Sirna- gur and Kummdoon. The Vizier was not without apprehenfions of their making fuch an attempt, which, however deftruc- tive it might be to them, would at any rate deprive him of his expected fpoil ; and, in order to prevent it, he entertained fome idea of {terming their intrenchments, a meafure, which in the prefent weak ftate of the Afgans, mull have been attended with 266 HISTORY OF THE with immediate fuccefs. Happily, the prudence of Fyzoola Khan, and the reli- ance he placed upon the mediating protec- tion of the Englim, led him, at length, to preclude the neceflity of fuch a fanguinary ftep. No more than four days provifions now remained in his camp ; even the horfes and camels had heen all confumed ; the nature of the country in his rear, in- terfefted by deep ravines, and covered with impenetrable forefls, rendered a retreat impracticable, or, at leaft, likely to be at- tended with circumftances more fatally d(N flructive than even the fword of the ene- my ; and he conceived that he had frill a refource in the friendly interposition of the Britifh commander in chief. He therefore fent a meflhge to Colonel Champion, tefli- fying his defire to come to him, in order that he might perfonally, through his means, effect an honourable accommoda- tion with the Vizier. Upon the receipt of this meffage, two Englifh officers were de- puted to conduct the Rohilla chief into the Britifh camp, whither he accompanied them on . ROHJLLA A F G A N S. 267 on the fecond day of October ; and, on the feventhof the fame month, the treaties of peace were agreed upon and finally con- cluded *. By this agreement, Fyzoola Khan had guarranteed to him the pofleffion of the diflricls of Rampore and its dependencies, yielding an annual revenue of more than fourteen lacks of rupees. In this was in- cluded the tract of territory which had formerly been allotted to him, in confor- mity to the will of his father Allee Ma- hummed, in the firfl general partition made by the guardians. Such of the Af- gans, found in arms, as were not immedi- ately attached to Fyzoola Khan, (amount- ing to about twenty thoufand) together with a very few of their mofl obnoxious leaders, were, by particular flipulation, ordered to the weflward of the Ganges ; and marching out of their lines, crofted that river under the conduct of Ahmed * Append. No. III. an/IV. T Khan 268 HISTORY OF THE Khan Buxy, and other chiefs. Thefe were the only inhabitants of Rohilcund who were expelled from the country in confe- quence of the war : the other Rohillas were permitted forthwith to quit their lines and to retire unmolefted to their re- fpective places of abode. Although no ilipulation was exprefled in the treaty for the delivery of any part of the Rohilla property, yet, in confequence of a verbal agreement, and in confideration of the fa- vourable terms which were granted him, Fyzoola Khan paid to the Vizier one half of the treafure in his hands at the period of his furrender, amounting to about fif- teen lacks of rupees *. Fyzoola * The number of Robillas banifhed to the weftward of the Ganges by the treaty of Lolldong, amounted (according to the moft authentick accounts) to feveru teen or eighteen thousand men, (with their families) none being included in the fpirit of the treaty, except- ing fucb as were aftually found in arms. The Hindoo in- habitants, confiding of about feve* hundred thoufand, were no otherwife affe&ed by it than experiencing a cbangt HOHILLA AFGANS. 269 Fvzoola Khan, at his laft interview with the Vizier, requefted permiffion to carry his brother Mahummed-Yar Khan with him to Rampore, which was immediately granted ; the Vizier at the fame time pro* mifing, as foon as the new arrangements in Kuttaher ftiould be properly adjufted, to fettle on him a Jeyedad for his future fup- port. This bufinefs being finimed, the Rohilla chief retired within a few days after to Rampore (the capital of the diftrils fe change of mafters, to which, in the courfeof the precede ing revolutions, they had been frequently accuftomed. Having now brought the celebrated Rohilla war to a clofe, it may not be unamufing to offer to the peru- fai of the reader a fummary of it, as delivered in another place. " The whole nation, with inconfiderable ex- " ceptions, was flaughtered or banifhed. ^The coun- " try was laid wafle with fire and fword ; and that " land, diftinguiftied above mofl others by the chear- " ful face of paternal government and protefled labour, ' the chofen feat of cultivation and plenty, is now *' throughout a dreary defert, covered with rufhes and " briars, and jungles full of wild beafts ! ! ! *. * Parliamentary Regifter, 1781, No. LXXXVI. page 219. T 2 cured 270 HISTORY OP THE cured to him by the treaty) defigning to make it the place of his future refidence. - Pie carried with him five thoufand Rohilla foldiers, whom he was allowed by the treaty to retain in his fervice. The Eng- lifh troops commenced their march down the country at the fame time ; but, at the requeft of the Vizier, they halted for fome weeks at Ramghaut, in order to be a check upon the neighbouring powers, in cafe of their making any attempts upon thefe pro- vinces before they fhould. be reflored to permanent tranquillity. A chief part of the Vizier's troops were difperfed over the different diftri&s of Ro- hilcund to fecure the new conquefts ; whilfl two of his generals, Himmet Bebadur and Amrao Gheer, were detached over the Gan- ges to Ferrochabad, where the weak and unhappy reprefentative of the Bungim fa- mily, who had already given up his inde- pendence, agreed to pay an annual tribute to Suja-al-Dowlah and his fucceflbrs, and not to keep any force of his own, but to truft ROHILLA AFGANS. 271 trufl the protection of his territory, and the collection of his revenues to the troops and Aumils of the Nabob of Owde. Suja-al-Dowlah accompanied the army on their return as far as Bifeghaut, from whence he proceeded to Biffoolee, and from thence to Fyzabad, where he died fhortly after, in confequence of a diforder with which he had been long afflifted ; and was fucceeded by his eldeft fon Mirza Amanee, under the title of Afuph-al-Dow- lab. This event, which only twelve months before might have excited the moft violent commotions, was not now attended with the fmallell obftruction or diforder. Suja- ai-Dowlah, confcious of his approaching end, had made a difpofition of his forces, as well for the fecurity of his old dominions, as for that of his late acquifitions ; and had taken every neceflary precaution for the prefervation of the publick tranquillity, with that good judgement and found po- T 3 licy HISTORY OF THE licy which marked his character. But no- thing, perhaps, more effectually contribut- ed to thefe ends than the fubjugation of Rohilcund. Had not that expedition taken place, Hafiz Rahmut and the other Afgan chiefs, who were eager to feize on all oppor- tunities for their aggrandizement, would not have failed to blow into a flame that fpirit of tumult and iedition which, in eaftern governments, conftantly attends the fuc- ceffion of ah inexperienced young man, in hopes of gaining fomething amidit the ge- neral confufion. -In Suja-al-Dowlah's court exifted a number of p'arties of oppo- fite interefts and inclinations ; one faction in particular Was fufpedted to be devoted to his fecond foil, whom the Rohilla leaders, either for percuniary reward, or the ceffion of a fmall portion of territory, would have readily agreed to aflifl in the deftruclion of his elder brother ; and the undiflurbed fa- cility with which Afuph-al-Dowlah at- tained his inheritance may be regarded as the firft good effect of the fubjugation of the Afgan power. Fyzoola RQHILLA AFGANS. 273 Fyzoola Khan, on his arrival at Ram- pore, fettled upon his brother Mahummed Yar an annuity of fifty thouiand rupees ; but the latter did not long enjoy the fruits of his brother's generofity, as he had been for fo me time paft afflicted with the {tone, of which diforder he died in December, Fyzoola Khan, now the only remaining fon of Alice Mahummed, was certainly a confiderable gainer by the terms of the peace with Suja-al-Dowlah ; as he thereby fecured to himfelf the actual pofleflion of as much territory as he could ever have held under the Rohiila government ac- cording to his father's will, and more than double in value and extent, of what he had been fuffered to enjoy under the adminiflra- tion of his guardians : nor can he be in the lead apprehenfive that his rights, ex* prefled in the treaty, (hould be liable to infringement at any future period, whilft he continues to conduct himfelf with pro- priety, as the whole was, in the moft Ib- T 4 lemu 274 HISTORY OF THE lemn manner, ratified in the name of the Eaft-India Company, by the Britifh com- mander in chief*. The countries ceded to Fyzoola Khan by the late convention in- clude the diftricls of Hazrit-Naggur, Mo- radabad, Shawbad and Rampore, the moft fertile traft in Rohilcund, being an extent of not lefs than feventy miles in length and thirty in breadth, the annual value of which has been already mentioned. For the protection of this territory he is per- mitted to keep up fuch a force as (with the occafional affirtance of the Englifli) will af- ford him an ample defence againft invafion ; and the tranquil mode of life he has adopted will prevent him from being hafti- ly engaged in any difputes with his neigh- bours. He with a laudable and unprece- dented generofity fettled annuities upon * The reader will be pleafed to carry in his mind that this account was -wrote above ten years ago.- Since that period, Fyzoola Khan, doubtful of the va- lidity of the firft guarrantee, has procured a new one, under the diredl authority of the Bengal government. the ROHILLA AFGANS. 275 the families of fuch chiefs as had been kil- led or died in the courfe of the preceding fervice ; and provided in a fimilar manner for all his principal adherents. He alfo warmly interefted himfelf in behalf of the families of Hafiz Rahmut and Doondee Khan, (who were confined at Allehabad *) and at length, affifted by the importuni- ties of Sydoola Khan's Begum, with the Nabob, and the mediation of Mr. Briftow, the Britim relidentin Oude, procured their releafe, together with that of all the other Rohilla prifoners, on paying a fmall ran- fom. The family of Hafiz Rahmut, on their releafe, proceeded to Lucknow, where they took up their refidence under the pro- tection of the Begum, who had interefted herfelf in obtaining their freedom ; and the houfe of Sefdar Jung (the Vizier's un- cle) was, at her inftance, given up for their accommodation. * See page 252. Mahboola 276 HISTORY OF THE Mahboola, and the other defceudants of Doondee Khan, remained fome time at Lucknow, and were afterwards permitted to proceed to Kuttaher, where they now live. * Zabita Khan, who is poflefled of an ac- tive and enterprizing genius, although he loft that portion of his country which lay to the eaftward of the Ganges, (which fell to Suja-al-Dowlah with the reft of RohiU cund) yet ftill retains his claim to the poffeflions of his father between that river and the Jumna. He made up a confidera- ble body of troops out of that part of the Rohilla army which had been ordered acrofs the Ganges agreeably to the convention of Lolldong ; and with thefe, fome S/cs, and other adventurers, he has for fome yearspaft made himfelf of confiderable confequence in that quarter. He has at different times endeavoured to make little predatory expe- * Here the Rohilla narrator fini/hes his ftory. ditions ROHILLA AFGANS. 277 ditions into Rohilcund at the feafon when the Ganges is fordable in thofe parts ; but his force is not fufficiently powerful either in number or quality to render him any way formidable to his fouthern neigh- bours *. Of the other chiefs it is needlefs to fay any thing particularly. Totally deprived of that felf-created confequence which they had for a few years affumed, they have funk back into their original infignificance. Many of them have left the country, to feek employment and plunder in other parts ; and the few who remain poflefs neither the means nor, perhaps, the incli- * Since this account was written, Zabita Khan, in confequence of the death of Nudjuff Khan, acquired a confiderable lead in affairs at Delhi, which he would ftill have retained, had not the Mahrattas again inter- fered in that quarter. He died very lately, and has been fucceeded by his fon Goolam Kadir Khan, under the title of Nijeeb al-Dowlah-Hofhe-Yar Jung. nation, 278 HISTORY OF THE nation, to awaken the jealoufy of govern- ment by exciting difturbances. The country of Rohilcund, after having, for fome years paft, exhibited nothing but a fcene of repeated devaluation, was at length reftored to permanent tranquillity. The Hindoo farmers, who had been ufed, on every return of the dry feafon, to fee their dwellings deftroyed and their lands laid wafte by bands of foreign depreda- tors, againft whom their factious and tur- bulent mailers had not the power to defend them, have fince enjoyed their poflerlions in fecurity and repofe ; as, except the tri- fling and momentary incurfions of Zabita Khan and the S/cs above remarked, thefe provinces have been preferved in the mod: perfect peace during the laft twelve years : a happinefs which it may be with truth af* firmed they had not for half a century bcr fore experienced. Evident marks of the turbulence of for- mer times are ftili to be feen : thefe, how- ever ROHILLA AFGANS. 279 ever, appeared in the towns and cities of Kuttdber, long before the revolution which gave that country to our ally ; nor can this be deemed furprizing, if we confider the flate of this territory, continually fubjec- ted, as it was, either to the diftra&ion of intefline broils, or the devaluation of fo- reign invafion. The exertions of Allee Mahummed, the ftruggles of the Fowje- dars, and the efforts of Sefdar Jung in iupport of the Imperial authority, (which reduced the Rohillas expreisly to the fame ftate in which they flood at the period of the Lolldong convention) together with the incurfions of the Mahrattas in later times, all contributed to produce this ef- fed. Some part of this apparent decay, indeed, muft be attributed to the fudden and total overthrow of two opulent and power- ful families *, the circulation of whofe wealth gave * Thofe of Hafiz Rahmut and Doondee Khan. The reader will readily perceive that thefe obfervations are of a date confiderably later than the preceding part of the 280 HISTORY OF THE gave life to the cities they inhabited, and whofe oftentatious magnificence appeared in the ere&ion of baths, mofques and pa- .laces, which are now falling to ruin. With refpeft to the bulk of the inhabi- tants, it is probable they have been but little effected by the various revolutions their country has experienced Thecaufeof thishasbeen already in part explained; * nei- ther fhould we be too hafty in forming difad* vantageous comparative conclu lions, from a reflection on the evils which may appear to attend their prefent ftate, evils which are to be attributed to a defective adminiftra- tion, capable of correction and amend- ment, and not to any con fequences neceffa* rlly refuiting from the laft of thefe revolu- tions :- and, in fat, if this territory has been negligently or opprefiively governed the work, which s however, it would be highly impro- per to bring to a clofe without a few curfory remarks, not only on the immediate* but alfo, on the prefent more remote effefts, of the tranfa&ions here recorded. * In the Introductory View^ fince ROHILLA AFGANS. 281 fmce its reduction, (as it moft certainly has been at times, and in various degrees) it is not probable that it was much better governed, whilft under the uncertain rule of many contending matters, with that rule often miffing from one to another : and if we add to this the circumftance of the country being, during its firfl admini- ftration, involved in a ftate of almoft per- petual hoftility, we cannot fuppofe that a revolution which put a period to thefe ca- lamitous difturbances can have deduced from the felicity of the inhabitants ! Strong ideas, indeed, have been conceived (and propagated with the moft hyperboli- cal exaggeration) of the fuperior happi- nefs of the natives of Kuttdher under their former Lords, from parallels drawn between the prefent ftate of the other parts of this country, and that of the particular portion of it under the immediate administration of Fyzoola Khan. But before we pro- ceed to form a determinate judgement upon grounds which are certainly calculated to miflead the fuperficial obferver, it may be proper 282 HISTORY OF THE proper to enter into a more difcriminating invefligation of the particular contingen- cies in which this difference originates. Not to remark the very fuperior flate of cultivation and population which prevails in the principality of Rampore would be an injuftice to its proprietor : it muft, however, be at the fame time acknow- ledged, that as much of this fupcriority is owing to a happy concurrence of favoura- ble circumftances, as to any perfonal exer- tion on the part of its ruler, ; and is fuch, in fact, as no exertion whatever could have effected independent of them. The diftrict of Rampore, it is true, owes its actual profperity to the induftry and ability of Fyzoola Khan ; not, in- deed, to thefe qualities, wholly, as the means, but to them wholly, in the applica- tion of the advantages which he derived from adventitious caufes. Firfr, his fi- tuation ; his territory being defended ou one fide by the Ganges, as well as the inter- iacent KOHILLA AFGANS. 283 jacent country of Rohilcund (as the above river is about thirty-five miles diftant from his weftern frontier) and the vveaknefs of liis neighbours lying beyond it ; on the other fide and behind, by woods and moun- tains ; and on the fouth, by the protec- tion of the Britifh, virtually faving him from the certain definition which .mufl have been his lot, had not the prefumption more than the exertion of this fafeguard prevented any attempts to effect it. Secondly, the natural advantages which a fmall dominion enjoys over a large (excluilve of the peculiar compa&nefs and defenlibility of his) in admitting the fuperintendency of its firft magiftrate, without any delegation of official autho- rity, as well in the general management as in the complete controul of its detail, both of government, revenue, and ex pence.- Thirdly, in a multitude of little ftreams which fall from the furrounding moun- tains, and fill with every diflblution of the fnovvs above, yielding, with the aid of. ar- il tificiaj . ^ 284 HISTORY OF THE tificial dams, a conltant and unfailing fup- i i i ' ply of moiilure to the neighbouring grounds, in feafons of univerfal drought, as in the years 1781. 2, and 3, when all the upper regions of Hindoftan were burnt up by the failure of three fucceffive rainy feafons ; and the cultivation of Rampore was maintained equal to that which it pof- fefied with the natural influence of the climate. And laftly, in the fuperior population, and confequent cultivation and wealth it derived from the acceflion of fub- jels, within the three before- mentioned years, from the circumjacent country, (which was not ib happily circumftanced in the above eflential points) as it is natural for men to fly from famine, and its inevi- table confcqnence, opprejfion, to a mild and equal government, and abundance ; and, in the fame proportion as the territory of Fyzoola KharigY7/;Wby this circumftance, that of the Vizier lojl in its population, and confequently in its cultivation and reixnue. Many circumflances have heretofore concurred ROHILLA A F CANS. 285 concurred to prevent or interrupt the ope- ration of the interference of the Britifh government in the correction and amend- ment of thofe particular grievances under which the inhabitants of thefe diftricls la- bour. The accumulated diftrefles of an univerfal war ; the immediate and urgent wants of a government flruggling under imminent dangers and almoft infuperable difficulties ; and above ail, the perpetual flruggles of parties, either in India or in England, in their effects weakening its in- fluence, circumfcribing its authority, and embarraffing all its meafures, have hither- to united to render abortive any efforts which might have been made for this pur- pofe. That means might be adopted, in its prefent flate of uninterrupted tran- quillity, to reform the abufes which have heretofore prevented the inhabitants of Kuttdh'er from enjoying the fulleft advan- tages of a iituation happier, in fome re- fpets, than it perhaps ever was in .before, cannot be doubted ; nor is there any reafou to deipair, in the prefent (late of the Bri- ll 2 tifh 286 HISTORY OF THE tifh goverment in India, of thefe means being fpeedily and effectually exerted. Thus have we traced the progrefs of thefe Afgans in the northern provinces, from their firft rife under the gallantry and good conduct of Alice Mahummed, through a variety of fortune, to the final diflblu- tion of their power in Rohilcund by the transfer of the dominion of that diftrift to Suja-al-Dowlah and his fucceflbrs. Various and fevere are the ftriftures which have been patted upon the latter part of thofe t ran factions, and the preju- dice of ignorance and violence of party, aided by the ftrong aflertions of popular declamation, have u nited to make it the fubjecl: of general odium : but by a refer- ence to the faffs recited in the foregoing narrative, a more accurate and, i is to be prefumed, a fairer judgement may be formed of it. But, to enter fully into all the reflections which RO HILL A AFGANS. 287 which occur upon this fubjcdt would carry the compiler far beyond his original inten- tion, which was only to give an impartial and, as far as lay in his power, an accurate relation of facts ; and if the perufal of thefe fhall tend to eradicate a {ingle prejudice, or remove a {ingle error, with refpect to the judgement which has hitherto been too generally pafled upon the latter part of thofe tranfaclions, in which the honour and intereft of Great Britain are fo materi- ally and intimately concerned, and the de- cifion upon which involves every thing that can be dear to the feelings and the charac- ters of the actors in it, he fhall think him- felf fully recompcnfed for the trouble he has taken. U 3 APPEN- APPENDIX. ( N. I. ) .TRANSLATION of a Treaty entered into between the Vizier of the Empire Suja-al- Dowlah, and the Rohilla Sirdars, recipro- cally interchanged. AGREEMENT Firfl, frlendfhip is eftabllflied " between us; and Hafiz Rahmut and all the other " Rohillas, great and fmall, have agreed and deter- " mined with the Vizier of the Empire, Suja-al-Dow- " lah, that we adhere to the fubftance of this writing, " and never deviate from this agreement ; that we " efteem his friends as our friends, and his enemies as " our enemies; and that we and our heirs, during our " lives, {hall adhere nr,ly to this our oath and " agreement; that we {hall be united and joined to- ll 4 " gether 2pO APPENDIX. u gather for the protection of the country of the Vi- " zier of the Empire, and of our own country; and " if any enemy (which God forbid !) fhould make an " attempt againft us and the Vizier, we the Rohilla " Sirdars and the Vizier of the Empire fhall ufe *' our joint endeavours to oppofe him. We, all the " Rohilla Sirdars, /hall alfo join and unite in any <* meafure that may be determined by the Vizier of " the Empire for the benefit of the Nabob Mahum- " med Zabita Khan. We, both parties, fwear by ** the Almighty, his Prophet, and the facred Koran, ' that we will firmly adhere to this foltmn agree- " ment, nor ever deviate from this our treaty. " This Treaty, confirmed by oath, and fealed in " the prefenceof General Sir Robert Barker, written " on the nth of the month Ribbee-al-Sanee, in the " 1 1 86th year of the Higera, and in the year of Chrift 1772." N. II. APPENDIX. 891 . II. TRANSLATION of a Treaty entered into by Hafiz Rahmut Khan (on the part of the Rohilla Sirdars) with the Nabob Suja-al- Dowlah, Vizier of the Empire. "THE Vizier of the Empire, Suja-al-Dowlah, " mall eftablim the*Rohillas in their different poflef- " fions, obliging the Mahrattas to retire, either by " peace or war ; this to depend on the pleafure of the Vizier. " If at any time, without either peace or war, the " Mahrattas, on account of the rains, mall crofs [the " Ganges] and retire, and after the rainy feafon they " mould again enter the country of the Rohillas, their " expulfion is the bufinefs of the Vizier. " The Rohilla Sirdars, in confequence of the above, " do agree to pay to the Vizier Suja-al-Dowlahy"er/y " lacks (if rupees^ in the following manner. <* As the Mahrattas are now in the country of the " Rohilla Sirdars, the Vizier of the Empire mail ad- w vance from Shawbad as far as may be neceflary to " enable 292 APPENDIX. * enable the families of the Rohillas to leave the " jvngles and return to their habitations. Ten lacks " of rupees in fpecie, in part of the above fum, fhall then be paid ; and the remaining thirty lacks in " three years from the beginning of the year 1180 FuffiHee. * This agreement fealed in the prefence of General Sir Robert Barker," &c. &c. APPENDIX, 293 ( N. III. ) TRANSLATION of a Treaty under the fcal ' of the Nabob Suja-al-Dowlah, Vizier-al-M u maleck-Behadur, and Colonel Alexander Champion, commander in chief of the Com- pany's forces on the expedition againft Rohil- cund, executed in camp near Lolldoag on the i zth of the month Rujib, in the uSSth year of the Higera (the yth of October, 1774. " PEACE being' concluded between us and the ** Nabob Fyzoola Khan Behadur, I have agreed to (t give him the country of Rampore and its depen- " dencies, producing together the yearly fum of ** fourteen lacks and feventy-five thoufand rupees ; '*' and I have furthermore ftipulated that Fyzoola " Khan may retain in his fervicean armed force con- " fifting of five thoufand men, and not a fmgle man '* more. I therefore give this written engagement, '" that I will, at all times, and upon all occafions, " fupport the honour and character of the faid Fy- **- zoola Khan, and will promote his intereft and ad- " vantage 294 APPENDIX. * vantage to the utmofl of my power, upon the cc following conditions. That Fyzoola Khan {hall not " enter into connexion with any perfon but myfelf ; u and that he (hall hojd no correspondence with any 5 ^.