former chief of that place, who had thrown off his allegiance to the empire. Previously to his proceeding on this service, Ali Mahomet had been required to fend Abed-ullah and Fyze-ullah, two of his fons, to Labore,* to be kept as hostages for the good conduct of the father. The Rohilla, who on every occafion displayed the ability and spirit of a foldier, defeated the Sirhend rebel, and reduced to his fubjection Kote Roy, one of the strongest fortreffes in the upper part of India. During the refidence of Ali Mahomet at Sirhend, his party, which had been joined by a body of two or three thousand marauding Afghans, was computed at ten thousand cavalry, and fifteen or twenty thousand infantry of various denominations. The Rohilla did not take any part in the Durany war; but whilft the Moghul and Afghan armies were approaching to action, he quitted the Punjab and retired to Hurdwar, from whence he penetrated in 1747 into Rohilcund, which he rapidly conquered. The two fons of Ali Mahomet, who had been delivered as hoftages for his good conduct, were taken by Ahmed Shah, the Durany, in the fort of Sirhend; where they had been placed by Kummur ud Dein, previously to the reduction of that town by the Afghans. Ali Mahomet could not long have enjoyed the fruits of his last fuccefs; for his death, according to the

*Meer Munnoo, the fon of the Vizier, was at that time the Governor of Labore. The first invafion of the Durany Ahmed Shah.

memoirs

memoirs of that time, happened in the latter end of 1747,* at Owlah.

PERHAPS no foldier that has appeared in India, passed through more active and eventful scenes of life, than Ali Mahomet. He was born, and grew up it may be said, amidst the din of arms. He fell when a boy into the hands of Daoud Khan. An inceffant feries of warfare occupied his manhood, and he died at the period of finally fubduing the territory, which he had before arduously fought for, conquered, and had lost.—This chief bore the reputation of a liberal encourager of agriculture and commerce. was ftrict and rigorous in the exactions which he levied from his fubjects; but as he rarely infringed, he never remitted a stipulated engagement. Owlah, his ufual place of refidence, and the principal town of Rohilcund, he ornamented with numerous public and private edifices, which were constructed and arranged with an order and taste seldom feen in Indian cities.

He

SAUD Ullah Khan, the third font of Ali Mahomet, fucceeded to the fupremacy of the Rohilla Dominion. In obedience to the last counsel of his father, who had recommended Hafiz Rhamut to his young fucceffor, as the most capable of the Rohillas, Saud Ullah appointed that officer his deputy in the management of pub

*Or the beginning of 1748.

+ The two elder were yet kept in confinement by the Durannies. At his father's death, Saud Ullah was about twelve years of age.

lic

lic affairs. During the administration of Saud Ullah, the Patans of Furruckabad, commanded by their chief, Caim Khan Bunghish, invaded Rohilcund. Confident of fuccefs, and presuming on the military reputation which he had acquired, the Patan precipitately quitted the body of his army, and advanced with a party of his principal officers. A detachment of Rohillas in ambuscade fired at Caim Khan as he paffed, and killed him, with fome other perfons of his retinue. The army, on the death of their leader, fled, leaving the baggage and guns behind, which were captured by the Rohillas, and eftimated at a great value. Saud Ullah, faid at that time to be fourteen years of age, had accompanied the army on this expedition.* Sufdar Jung still retaining a strong animosity to the Rohillas, and defirous of improving the occafion of Saud Ullah's minority, formed a junction with Mulhar Row, the chief of a large body of Marhatta cavalry, and penetrated into Rohil cund. The Rohillas, unable to refift fo large a force, took shelter in the skirts of the northern mountains, where they remained, until fome revolutions at court caufed Sufdar Jung to move towards Dehli. He carried with him the ftrength of his own, and the

* The invasion of Caim Khan happened in the latter end of 1749. It appears that Mahomet Khan, the son of Daoud Khan, who had taken refuge at Furruckabad, acCompanied Caim Khan on the expedition, and fell in the action. In the course of the Same year, an officer named Kuttib-ud-Dein, the fon or grand fon of Azmut Ullah Khan, was appointed by the court to the Government of Moradabad, and entered Rohilcund with an army which was encountered and defeated by the Rohillas.

aux

auxiliary army,* ftationing in Rohilcund, a detachment for the purpose of maintaining poffeffions of the districts he had conquered the Rohillas did not long continue in concealment, but collecting their scattered forces, they expelled the remaining troops of Sufdar Jung.

It appears that about the year 1750, the two elder sons of Ali Mahomet, having been enlarged by Admed Shah Dourany, came into Rohilcund, and folicited a portion of the paternal estate. Their claims were submitted to the deliberation of the principal Rohilla officers, among whom Hafiz took the lead, and it was refolved that the territory which had been personally possessed by Ali Mahomet, should be divided amongst his fons.+ Violent disputes foon arose amongst the brothers, in the detail of which, little accuracy is obferved by the writers of the tracts, that have come into my poffeffion : nor would the relation, consisting of perplexed scenes of treachery and intrigue, tend to forward the general plan of this treatise. It will be sufficient to say, that the Rohilla chiefs, aware of the difficulties that affected the late arrangement, and diffatisfied at the conduct of Abed Ullah Khan, the eldest of the bro

It is mentioned, that the Marhattas withdrew from Rohilcund, on receiving a bond of fifty lacks of rupees from the Rohillas; and it should seem, that they made the non-payment of this bond an oftenfible caufe for invading Rohilcund, in the years 1772 and 1773.

+ Ali Mahomet had fix fons, Abed Ullah Khan, Fyze-Ullah Khan, Saud Ullah, Mahomet Yar Khan, Allah Yar Khan, and Martaza Khan.

VOL. I.

P

thers,

thers, united in force, and expelled him with some other branches of the family from Rohilcund. Fyze-Ullah Khan, the second fon of Ali Mahomet, obtained, after the expulfion of Abed Ullah, the districts of Rampour; which his prudent wary conduct has preferved to this day, though he has been involved in a series of domeftic feuds, and was once invested and reduced to extreme distress by a powerful army.* The districts which had been allotted to Abed Ullah, for a fhort time confidered the ruling chief, were now bestowed on Saud Ullah Khan: who again rose to his former fuperiority of station. Hafiz Ahmed, having acquired by his office, military ability, and genius, and his extenfive influence in Rohilcund, gradually diminished, and at length wholly fuperfeded, the authority of Saud Ullah, who affenting to the offer of a pension,† Hafiz was avowedly advanced to the fupreme administration of affairs. The caufe of this revolution is afcribed to the indolent and diffipated genius of Saud Ullah, who, it was represented by the party of Hafiz, would foon waste the resources of the country, and entail a difgrace on the nation. Without fearching into remoter motives, it may be directly imputed to the ambition of Hafiz, who no longer held in remembrance the hand that had raised him to honours, and had committed a fon to his protection ; but rent without a fcruple every bond that confined his fchemes of

*The combined army of English and Shujah-ud-Doulah, in 1774.

It is faid that the other chiefs contributed to this payment, which amounted to eight lacks of rupees per annum.

grandeur.