1 Afpehdijl] death AND CHARACTER OF AHMED SHAUH.
2 m
3 dition. Itt^ipca^of i773,]i»liftCMidaWfbrthe hilbcrf'ToUinthe
4 Atchnkzye country, where the siimmpr is cooler than at Candahar. Here
5 his mnkH y increased, and in the twinning of June 1773* ha died at Muxgfa%
6 in the tittieth year of his age.
7 The ciiaracter of Ahmed Shauh i^pean to have been adfnirably suited to
8 tlMMMioiiiii i*iifeh]Mi»M|Jiced. Hit «irtMiirin and ^KMMB cnilM
9 Imii toprafifc by th« eeuSmitm that mamwA 4ha de«th of Nandir, ad tiw
10 prudonoe and modentioD which ha aoquirad from his dealings viih. hia own
11 nation, were no lew Moanary to govern a warlike and indepandent paople^
12 than the bold and commanding turn of his natural genius.
13 Hi"^ military courage and activity spoken of with admiration, both by
14 his own subjects, and the nations with wlioin he was engaged either in wars
15 or alliances. He seems to have baen aatnnlly dispoaed to naidneM and
16 dffbency ; aad» Uwiigh it b iflapoBKbla to acquife Mvereign poi««r» and*
17 paihapa m Aflia* toaMnHamtt, .wHluNiloriaMa; y«t tha aMMnoiy of iioaa»
18 tern prinoa ia ttained with fewer acts of cruelty and injustice.
19 In his personal character he seems to have been cheerful, aflfable, and
20 good naturpd. He maintained considerable dignity on state occasions ;
21 but at other times his manners were plain and familiar ; and with the Doo-
22 raunees, he kept up the same equal and popular demeanour, wliich was
23 oraal with tidr KhauiM bclbM tfae^ MMOMd tfa^ Hetieatad
24 HooB^ and holy men wHii great respect, both from poliey and indinatkn*
25 Heva* hinncif a divine and an anthor, and was ahvaya ambitiocn of the
26 diavaeler at a saint.
27 His policy townrds the diflTerent p^jrts of his dominions was, to rely prin-
28 cipally on conciliitiixi \s itii the Afghauns and Belo^-hes • with this difference
29 between the nations, that he applied bimseif to the whole people in the first
30 cas^ and only to the chief in die other. His possessions in Toorkistaun he
31 iupt under hQflbroe} hat left the Tartar diicft of the oeuutiy iniraaioiped»
32 and uaed them with nodeiatlon. The Indian yovhicea were kept by fytce
33 alone; and in KhoraaHnin he traited to the aCtadinient of sane chiefs, took
34 hostages from otfaeia» and was rea^ to earty hit araw i^fMMt any wiw
35 turbed his plnti*^.
36 It has befi ii e boeti observed that Ahmed did wisely in choosiiii^ to lay the
37 ioundations oi a. great empire* rather than to complete a small one. Hie
38 tiounlilMindarldi doaainioa extended, atluidaatl^ fiom die west of Kho^
39 MMnnta fliiliind, and fton the Qxua to the pan; ail of whieh wm Mcnrcd
40 Digitized by Google