1 MUDOUD KHAUN. SBT
2 erimei nd oonoplions of the court would wea^ down those of all
3 die fleet of the population. As fiu- as mj opportunities of clbmimF-
4 tion went, I muit own I found the Dooraunee Sirdars sincere and.
5 direct^ and had every reason to believe them high minded* and as
6 honourable at least as any other nobility in Asia ; bat tlie rest of the
7 people about the government were very generally mean, false, and
8 rapacious. Even the Sirdars-, when in power, matle money by the
9 most disgraceful extortion ; nunib* i s of them had deserted from one
10 party to another, with shameless perfidy j and none, ho\M \ l r nttacHcd
11 to the causL' in which he was ent]^a«;ed, was at all inclineti lo make
12 pecuniai V sacririces to promote its interest. Much jealousy and dij*-
13 cord also prevailed among the most powerful Sirdars, imd in;iiiy open
14 or secret acta of enmity were put in practice by them against each
15 other; but on the whole, their character was greatly superior to that
16 of the other classes about the King. Every day furnished some ext
17 ample of the bold intrigues, open falsehoods, and daring forgeries of
18 the Peruana ; and no experience in India could prepare a foreigner
19 for inqpodenoe and beggarly importunkf of oMMt of tiie liywer
20 dBoen of the state. Even this genenl foct, however, was not witkt-
21 Mit esceptuMlfl ; and if the beat of tlie eourtiera were not quite ^
22 cnipt from the Tusea imputed to dieir order» tliei^ were aome mm of
23 deeent cbaneter even among the Feniaas*
24 Die dumcter of the A^^bunm chieft wiU be in a greit measure
25 mftUed in die historical sketch annexed to diia aooount, and in
26 variioaspaita of mjjouiitdl} hut an aecoont of thoae wiio were at tii9
27 oomt of Shauh Shi^au» when I was there, may serve to give a general
28 idea of tlieb dispoaition and manners. The chief was Ahiam Khauiw
29 of whom enough has aheady been said.
30 The next man was Muddud Khaun, the chief of the Iskhanki^fei{»
31 yAkoae grand&ther distinguished hims^f greatly in the Persian warSf
32 and is said to hare wounded Naudir Shauh in battle ; his fiUher was
33 one of the greatest and most warlike of the Dooraunee Sirdars, and
34 Muddiid JOiann himself was possessed of great weahh^ and was eso