1 560 CONSPIRACY OF FEIZOOLAH KHAUN. [Appendix.
2 witiiioine privil^ei, «f * iifttiiM which tendMl to lepante liMn fran tfaa
3 rest of the people.
4 This policy succeeded moderately well in maintaining internal tranquillity- :
5 the provinces immediateiy under the King rcunained qaietf and, tbougii there
6 were tomn cauMfinaa during this reign, and two tdbeHioot of pfctendeiv tn
7 the thrane^ llwjr w«fe Cfther ditcomed faj the King's vigilme^ «r drfbtod
8 faj Un fbU tnatmy and his wdl i^poiiited guwds ( but tlie nnbte ptwincet
9 gndnally withdrew themselves from the control of the court : the govenl
10 ment lost its reputation and influence abroad ; and the states wliich had been
11 obliged to preserve tiieir own territories by submission to Ahmed Shauh, now
12 began to meditate schemes for aggrandiziiig themselves at the expence of the
13 Douraunees.
14 Hie decfty was oot severely feh in Tbnoor Shaufa's time ; but its oeai>
15 meiieement WW even tiiea observable^ and it .has advanced bjr lapid alfidai
16 under the reigns of his siiooesBors.
17 The flrHt remarkable event of Timoor*s reign was the rebdUai of lus rda*
18 tiou Abdoolkhaulik Khaun, which probably happened in 1774-5. AbdooU
19 khauliV: sncrepfled in assembling a force ol" Dooraunees and Ghiljies superior
20 in numbers to tiiose the King luui embodied} the latter, however, were dis-
21 ciplined troops under experienced leaders, and would probably hsnre bean
22 victoiiocH^ even if a detemuned reatstanoe had been oflbred* but two Mdtj
23 who were supposed to have raised their dans for Abdoolkkantik, earned tbssa
24 straight to the Kingi and an unexpected turn of this kind is generally decip
25 nve in a Dooraunee civil war. Abdoolkhaulik was defeated, taken, and
26 blinded, and the tranquillity of the Dooraunee couTitry was soon restored.
27 From this till 1781, though there were Insurrections (>t'\ariou« extent and
28 conaequcuce lu Bulkli, Khorassaun, See&taun, aud Caahmeer, yet there is but
29 one wbick requires particular nolioB.
30 It took place in the year 1779, and .was undettahen bj the Sshebaadda of
31 Chumkunee, a dervise of great sanctily* fixr tiio purpoae of murdering
32 Timoor Shauh and placing his brother FriD<^ Seconder on the»throne. The
33 instrument he employed was Fcizoollah Khalm, a chief of the Khulleds,
34 who entered on this conspiracy as the means of revenging his private
35 wrongs.
36 ThsB man <^tained the King's permission to levy troops for an attack 00 '
37 Ae FOqanb^ and abon assembled a ooosidefabla Munberof Afghaan% diU^
38 of the Kfaybor tribes. Wbea bis plot was ripe ftrenevtioo^ he aiaNMhii
39 Digitized by Google