1 ‘
2 . MUHAMMAD SHAH. 219
3 cipitately recrossed the Atak, without making any further effort to effect the
4 object of his invasion. ; :
5 The watchful Sikhs harassed the king’s rear, and, the Panjab having been
6 thus recovered for the Moghals, Mir Mannd, the son of the late wazir, was,
7 for his conspicuous gallantry in the field, appointed governor of Multan and
8 Lahore by the imperial government at Delhi, under the title of Moin-ul-
9 NMulk.
10 The emperor had a sincere attachment for his wazir, Kamr-ud-din Khan,
11 on whose counsel he chiefly relied, and in whom he reposed the most implicit
12 confidence. When the news of the wazir’s death reached the emperor, he
13 wept bitterly, and, retiring to his chamber, passed the whole night in a
14 state of restlessness. Next morning, as he mounted the throne as usual, the
15 Omerahs of state came to condole with him on the death of the wazir, and
16 began to speak highly in praise of the deceased, in order to flatter the
17 emperor, whose grief was thus renewed. He exclaimed: “Cruel fate! thus
18 to break the staff of my old age. Where now shall I find so faithful a
19 servant ?”* He was thus afflicted when he breathed his last, on the morning
20 of 14th April 1748, in the thirty-first year of his reign.
21 Muhammad Shah, in his youth, was of a robust make and possessed good
22 ‘intellect. He was fond of hunting, and of the sport now known as “ Polo,”
23 but had a tendency to heart disease. In the latter part of his life, the
24 constant use of opium, together with other excesses, shattered and debilitated
25 his whole frame.
26 At the time Muhammad Shah died, the heir-apparent, Prince Ahmad,
27 was with his army at Sirhind, Malika Zamani, one of the emperor's widows,
28 who was the daughter of Farrukhseer, in order to prevent commotions,
29 enjoined Ghazi-ud-din Khan and other Omerahs to keep the event secret
30 until the return of the prince. The corpse was put into a long wooden
31 packing case for European clocks, and, having been wrapped in a sheet pro-
32 cured from the steward, on the pretence that it was required for the dinner
33 table, was temporarily buried in Hayat Baksh’s garden.t The emperor
34 left one son, Mirza Sultan Ahmad, and one daughter, Hazrat Begum. Prince
35 *Dewiin Amar Nath, author of Zdrekh-i-Khdlsd, a MS, work lent to me by his son Dewan
36 Ram Nath, notices the death of Nawéb Kamr-ud-din Khan in the following interesting passage,
37 which I take from his excellent work :—
38 Wyedd nsf watt tye Po ols urilbys aKisley whe wih wed] ps5 aba
39 ist 5d
40 Bs wld iro - d2dyf ds Jd be DI lLooiy2 53 8} - Oy 3 vle sdals
41 et | List
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43 gor A> yt OT whey ye Mets? (Soke eae yl OME yd ot Mita Ls
44 et 2) 9S yal ~ Wa ae gon Ry £25 > itye ue el ra) Sats
45 “ Naw&b Kamr-ud-din Khan was struck by a cannon ball while engaved i :
46 dered his life to the Almighty. The era of his death is obtained fon ke words iia he
47 aN castle state Fe a mus agin pe Deen anol * ©The moon of the world has sct;’
48 ! Nawa amr-ud-din Khan. e King Muh: isi li.
49 gence, repeated the following verse extempore = By noo poe when He Reord thieiny
50 6 = :
51 ince whom I had no rest is no more ; he who was cheered on beholding me has
52 +The corpse of Muhammad Shah having been subsequently disinterred from the garden of
53 Haydt Baksh, was buried in state in the precincts of the izé -di i
54 Alinad- Gn sais th fhrouoe D mausoleum of Nizém-ud-din. Prince
55 Sri Satguru J agjit Sing
56 The Sikhs harass his
57 rear,
58 Mir Manni appoint-
59 ed governor of the
60 Panjib under the title
61 of Mofn-ul-Mulk,
62 The emperor’s grief
63 on the loss of his
64 wazir,
65 Death of the emperor
66 Muhammad Shah, 1748.
67 His person and
68 character,
69 His issue,
70 TTT BEIBraRy® Ste of Hazrat pardons Aettety@ gmail.com