may cross the river may be punished, and such energy displayed for this purpose as may render unnecessary the co-operation of the royal forces. In addition the Khán may rest assured of the kindly feelings of the Emperor of Emperors towards him, and may expect everything from his generosity. Written on the

21st of Jumáda-s sání, A.H. 1152.

Entry of Nádir Shah into the territories of Khudá-yár Khán. Of all the frontier-chiefs none equalled Khudá-yár Khán in the extent of their possessions, the number of their soldiers, and the fertility of their resources. When first Nádir Sháh

arrived under the walls of Kandahár, this chieftain formed vain schemes of checking the advance of the victorious army and holding the passes, thus, as if impelled by fatality, making an enemy to himself of a monarch favoured by fortune, whose sword, like the orb of light, had flashed over the world from east to west. Now, that the tidings of the Sháh's advance broke upon his dream of fancied security, he left his son in command of his troops, and himself, with his women and wealth, withdrew into the fortress of Amarkot, a strong place, surrounded on two sides by water and on the other two by sand-hills.

When the Shah's army drew near, the son gave up all idea of fighting, and prepared to do homage to the Emperor on condition that his father should not be required to appear; but these terms were not acceded to, and the foolish youth was kept prisoner. The Shah again moved rapidly forward to lay siege to Amarkot, and the news of this advance shook, as if with the shock of an earthquake, the warlike resolve of Khudá-yár Khán. He immediately sent away his women and his property to the sandy country, but stayed behind himself to make arrangements for the removal of twenty-two lacs of rupees, for which carriage had not been procurable, and determined to follow on the morrow.

But the morrow brought forth unexpected events, for the Sháh, learning that the game might still be secured by a bold cast of the net, pushed forward from Ládgáon, distant from

VOL. VIII.

7

Amarkot thirty farsakhs, on the evening of the 28th of Zí-l kaʼda, and suddenly surrounded the fort about daybreak on the following morning. Immediately the soldiery commenced the work of destruction. Khudá-yár Khán, seeing no path open to escape, came forth with cries for mercy, and did homage; and this course, which he should have before adopted, proved his salvation. The Sháh, mindful of the maxim that there are more joys in forgiving than in punishing, received him with kindness, and forgave his faults. The twenty-two lacs found in the fort and some jewels were seized by the Emperor's officers, and the Sháh returned to Ládgáon, where the camp equipage had been left, and where were discussed the affairs of Khudá-yár Khán, who had accompanied His Majesty since his surrender.

About two hours before the close of day His Majesty received A'azzu-d daula in the royal audience tent. This nobleman was treated with even more than former courtesy, and the Emperor graciously observed that he must have been put to much inconvenience in so long a journey. On the 7th the Nawáb Názim received tokens of the esteem in which he was held by the Sháh. * *

Khudá-yár Khán 'Abbásí, since his submission, had remained in the royal camp. The monarch now, with kingly munificence, raised him from the dust and re-established him in possession of his zamindári, with the title of Sháh Kulí Khán, and the government of the province of Thattá. The conditions of this arrangement were an annual payment of ten lacs of rupees and the furnishing to the Persian monarch of a contingent of two thousand horse under one of the Khán's sons. The Khán, who might have expected a very different treatment as the result of his conduct, was dismissed with the present of a horse to his home on the 15th of Muharram, A.H. 1152 (12th April, 1739 A.D.).

Nádir Sháh, having finally settled the affairs of Hindústán, resolved to set his face towards the country of Khurásán, where frequent disturbances occurred, acting as a thorn in his side.

XCV.

NADIR-NAMA

OF

MIRZA MUHAMMAD MAHDI.

THIS history is the production of Mirza Muhammad Mahdí of Mázandaran, who attended Nádir Sháh as confidential secretary in all his military expeditions. The character of this detailed history is generally eulogistic; but as the author survived his master, and has not omitted to recount the mad actions committed by Nádir Sháh in the latter period of his life, faith may be generally placed in his relation of the events of this period. The Nádir-náma was translated into French by Sir W. Jones at the desire of the King of Denmark, and is therefore well known to European students. Another name which this work bears is Táríkh-i Jahán-kushái, but as that name is generally appropriated to the valuable history of the Mughals by 'Aláu-d dín Malik 'Atá Malik Juwainí (No. IX., Vol. II. p. 384), it will save confusion not to give the title to the Nádir-náma.

The life of Nádir by Mr. Fraser, who availed himself of contemporary records in India, and the works of Jonas Hanway, afford the English reader all the information he can desire on the subject of this tyrant.

SIZE-8vo., 688 pages of 15 lines each.

XCVI.

TAHMASP-NAMA

OF

MISKIN.

THIS is an autobiographical piece giving an interesting account of several occurrences during the downfall of the Empire. It bears very much the same character as the Bayán-i Wáki' of 'Abdu-l Karím. The author is careless about dates, but they can easily be supplied by the light which other historians, European and Asiatic, shed upon the transactions he records. There seems reason to suppose that the author's name was Tahmásp, to which he added the literary name of Miskín. The text, however, is not very plain on this subject. The title of the work may perhaps be derived from the name assumed by Nádir Sháh on his entering the service of Sháh Tahmásp.

SIZE-Large 8vo., 314 pages of 17 lines each.

XCVII.

BAHRU-T TAWARIKH.

THIS unique, but worthless, "Sea of Histories," comprises accounts of the Asiatic monarchies. The volume is an autograph, in the library of the Nawab of Tonk, with many marginal notes, also apparently in the handwriting of the author, containing some additional information on the meagre histories in the text.

As the preface to the first book is not contained within this. volume, we are left in ignorance of the author's name, object and authorities. He was most probably an Indian, as he deals at disproportionate length with the History of India, which, however, is carried down only to the reign of Jahángír. It is evident that the volume is imperfect in this portion, and that all that follows in the book, as at present bound, originally belonged to the first volume, which begins just as the second volume closes, with an imperfect sentence. From his history of the Emperors of Turkey, it appears that the author visited Mecca on a pilgrimage in the year 1160 A.H. (1747 A.D.), which is all that we learn of him in the course of the work. As the second book contains a short preface, which was wanting in the first, the ignorant binder has given it the precedence, and thus transposed the proper

order.

From this preface we learn that the second book was commenced in the year 1099 A.H. (1687-8), a date which might be open to doubt, were it not twice repeated in the preface, in which also several other corresponding dates are given confirmative of this. The work is, nevertheless, carried down beyond the time of Nádir Sháh's invasion of India, and the date of 1154 A.H. (1741 A.D.) is twice distinctly quoted towards the end.