**Sultan Shujah, with his family, consisting of "three sons, daughters, and their mother, em"barked at Dacca. On their arrival at Racan,

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they were treated with much civility, and pro"vided with such necessaries, requisite for their subsistence, as the country afforded, "in the name of the King. Some months pass away, the season of the favourable winds also approaches, but no mention is made of the ves"sel, though the Sultan required it, on no other terms than the payment of the hire, for he, yet, wanted not rupees of gold and silver, or gems. He had, indeed, too great a plenty of them, his wealth being, in all appearance, the

cause of his ruin, or at least, contributing "much to it. This prince might long enough "have solicited for a ship; all was in vain ; he "effected nothing.-On the contrary, the King "began to shew great coldness, and to com

plain of his not coming to see him. I know "not whether Sultan Shujah thought it un"worthy of himself, and too great a condescen"sion to visit this King; or rather, whether "he feared, that being in the power of their "chief, his person might be seized on, for the

purpose of plundering his treasure, and that " he himself might be delivered into the hands "of Amir Kumla, who had offered, in the

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name of Aurungzebe, large sums of money,

"with other considerable advantages, for ob"taining the possession of this unfortunate “ family.

"WHATEVER might have been the cause, "Sultan Shujah did not go thither, but sent his "eldest son; who, on approaching the dwelling of the King, began to display his libera

lity to the people, by throwing amongst "them a considerable quantity of rupees of "gold and silver, and when he came before "the King, he presented him with rich em"broideries, and rare pieces of goldsmith's "work, set with precious stones of great value; "excusing at the same time, on account of some illness, his father, in whose name he had now to entreat, that the ship, which had been

promised, might be held in readiness. But, "all that the Prince had done, had not advan"ced his business; on the contrary, this King, "in the course of five or six days after, made a "demand of one of the daughters of Sultan

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Shujah, in marriage, in which the father re

solving never to acquiesce, the King became highly offended.

"Sultan Shujah seeing the season for sailing "had passed away, and perceiving the situation "in which he was then placed was a desperate one, determined on pursuing equally despe"rate measures, and undertook the performance

ઃઃ

"of an action, which may afford a great example of the efforts of despair. Although "this King of Racan, in his religion, is a Pagan, "there are many Mahometans, mixed with the people, who have either chosen to retire "amongst them, or have been enslaved by the Portuguese before mentioned, in their expeditions to the neighbouring coasts. Sultan Shujah secretly gained these men, whom he joined with two or three hundred of his

own people, the remainder of those who fol"lowed him from Bengal; and with this force "he resolved to surprize the house of the King,

put his family to the sword, and make him"self sovereign of the country. This bold "attempt, which resembled more the enterprise "of a desperado, than that of a prudent man,

yet, had, from the intelligence I collected "from many Mussulmen, Portuguese, and "Hollanders, who were then on the spot, a "certain feasibility in it. But the day before "the blow was to be given, a discovery was "made of the design, which altogether ruined "the affairs of Sultan Shujah, and involved in "it the destruction of his family. For, after "this failure, having no further hope of retrie"ving his fortune, he endeavoured to escape "into Pegu; a purpose, in a manner impossi"ble to be effected, by reason of the vast

1

refresh themselves; it not being the usage of their sect to prepare victuals on the water.

24th.-I saw the village of Jungypore on the eastern shore, where the Company have established a factory, for the manufacture of raw silk. This day our course was about twenty miles.

25th.-Entered the main branch of the Ganges: here the river affords a spacious view, which is terminated, at the extremity of a long reach, by a vista of the hills above Rajah Mhal, extending, in a regular chain, to the north-west. The Ganges, which at Sooty,* is full four miles across, was that day roughly agitated by a strong wind, which heaving the waters into a short breaking wave, gave it the appearance of an arm of the sea. The riches of Bengal, with a large portion of the conveniency of its inhabitants, are, in an essential degree, derived from this river, which, with its numerous branches flowing through and intersecting an extensive space of country, transports speedily, and at at a moderate expence, the various product of districts, towns, and villages, to places, where they are immediately consumed, or collected for the supply of more distant marts. The Ganges also affords a grand aid to the En

A village near the head of the Cassimbazar river.

glish, in all military operations within their own territory whilst their armies on the Coromandel and Malabar Coasts, are, from a want of provisions and ammunition, craniped and impeded in their motions; and are frequently, for the obtainment of these supplies, compelled to retreat, on the moment of reaping the full fruits of victory. But, the Bengal armaments are furnished, from their store boats, with every equipment; and the Europeans enjoy, in their camps, even the luxuries of life.

In the evening, arrived at Rajah Mhal, a former residence of some of the Bengal subahdars. Ali Verdy Khan, in the beginning of his administration, which commenced in 1742, removed the seat of Government from this place to Mooreshedabad. I could not learn the cause of this preference; although not deficient in enquiry. The natives of India, are not much addicted to curious investigation, and are generally inattentive to the history of their own country. It would seem that their chief happiness is centered, in enjoying the present hour, which absorbs every retrospect of the past, and care of the future. Their pleasures are even indolent and languid, and partake of the mild in fluence of their climate, and the easy produce of a fertile soil. Ali Verdy Khan probably removed his capital to Moorshedabad, that he might keep