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CANAL OF ALI MERDAN KHAN.

In the reign of Shah Jehan, Ali Merdan Khan, a nobleman of the court of Perfia, who had revolted from Shah Abafs, entered into the fervice of the Mogul prince, having previously delivered up the important fortress of Candahar, of which he was governor.

This nobleman, being a man of a public fpirit and a pattern of munificence, dug at his own expence a canal from the vicinity of the city of Panniput, near the head of the Dooab, which extended to the fuburbs of Delhi. It comprehended a tract of ninety miles in the extent, by which means the villages in the neighbourhood, and every where within its influence, received a most surprising benefit in the cultivation of their lands.

This noble canal* runs in a direction from north to fouth, and is in general about ten miles diftant from the Jumna, until it joins

It is called by the natives NEHUR BEHEISHT, or "canal of paradise.”

that river nine miles below the city of New Delhi. From this canal, while it exifted, a

revenue was produced to the royal treasury of fourteen lacks of rupees per annum. At pre

up,

and in many

fent it is out of repair, dried places almost destroyed; and in the hands of the Mahrattas, its prefent poffeffors, the cultivation of the adjacent country scarcely yields a lack of rupees.

CHAPTER IV.

Refloration to her authority of the Begum Somroo -account of Sirdhannah-death and character of Appakandarow-capture of Samli→ Mr. Thomas marches to Panniput,

ap

RESUMING our narrative after the foregoing digreffion, it is neceffary to remark that about this time Begum Somroo, whose depofition from authority we have before noticed, ftill remained a prisoner at Sirdhannah, In a manner the most abject and defponding, fhe addreffed Mr. Thomas; fhe ftated her prehenfions of being poifoned, or otherwise put to death; affirmed that her only dependance was on him, implored him to come to her affiftance, and, finally, offered to pay any fum of money the Mahrattas fhould require, on condition they would reinftate her in her Jaghire.

On receipt of these letters, Mr. Thomas, by

an offer of 120,000 rupees, prevailed on Bappoo Scindia to make a movement towards Sirdhannah. Convinced from his former experience, that unless he could gain over a part of the troops under Zaffer Yab Khan to the Begum's intereft, not only his exertions would be fruitless, but that the herself would be expofed to the greatest personal danger, he therefore fet on foot a negotiation for this purpose, in which having fucceeded, he marched and encamped with his whole force at the village of Kathoolee, eight cofs to the northeast of Sirdhannah. Here Mr. Thomas publicly gave out that unless the Begum was reinftated in her authority, thofe who refifted muft expect no mercy; and to give additional weight to this declaration, he apprised them that he was acting under the orders of the Mahratta chiefs.

This intimation was at firft attended with defired effect. Part of the troops belonging to the garrifon inftantly mutinied, confined Zaffer Yab Kkan, and declared for the begum. Mr. Thomas, however, who well knew that no reliance could be placed on the capricious

temper of troops accustomed to frequent mu tinies, loft no time in advancing to Sirdhannah, but before he reached that place, a counter-revolution had already proclaimed the reftoration of Sumroo's fon.

Escorted by only fifty horfe of approved fidelity, Mr. Thomas entered the cantonments, having at the time he fet out directed four hundred of his infantry to follow him with all poffible expedition; the arrival of the latter force was particularly fortunate, as Zaffer Yab Khan, on Mr. Thomas's first appearance, perceiving him flightly attended, thought he had now got him into his power, and inftructed his foldiers to threaten him with instant death; but at that moment the reinforcement abovementioned arriving, and the mutineers thinking the whole Mahratta force was at hand, not only gave over their design, but now became as fubmiffive as they had before been infolent.

Abandoning the caufe of Somroo's fon, they endeavoured, through the Begum's mediation, to deprecate the refentment of the Mahratta commanders: to this the Begum having con

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