326 Hamilton's account of the east indies.

but none durft obey him. And Neur Mahaal, who had given her brother Aurengzebprivate informations of her father’s defigns all the time of the rupture, advertifed himof the old man’s defign in that affair, and cautioned him to take care of what meat anddrink he took, and to fend an army into Bengal, to reduce Sultan Sujah, who was in-vited by the old King, to come with his army to Agra . Aurengzeb durft not leavethat country where his father was well beloved, for fear of a revolution in his affairs,but fent an army under the command of a trufty general called Emirjemal Chaun,who, in three years time, chafed Sultan Sujah out of the dominions of Bengal, and ChaJehan then dying, brought a ferene peace throughout the whole empire. Aurengzebremembering his filter's fervices, made her governefs of the palace, and retained heralways near his perfon, and would eat nothing but what came from her hand.

Being now fettled in peace, he invited his holy brethren the Fakires , who are verynumerous in India, to come to Agra , and receive a new fuit of clothes, as a teftimonyof his kindnefs for them. Great numbers came on the invitation, and he pitched tentsin many places round the city to entertain them, and he proclaimed, that on a certainday the diftribution Ihould be made, and appointed officers in every tent to deliver thenew clothes, but to retain the old rags in their rooms, which ftratagem brought manymillions into his treafury, for thofe pretended faints having good ftore of diamonds andgold fewed up in their rags, were forced to leave all behind them. He then bent histhoughts on enlarging his dominions, and quarrelled with the King of Orixa near Ben-gal, and with the King of Vifapore near Decan, and, in ten years, he annexed their do-minions to his own large empire. And fo I leave him to take his pleafure till the year1707 ; that he died in his tent near Agra , and lies buried in a fmall tomb of feven feetlong and three high, on the fide of an high-way that leads to that city.

He was a prince every way qualified for governing. None ever underftood politicksbetter than he. The balance of diftributive juftice he held in an exafl; equilibrium.-He was brave and cunning in war, and merciful and magnanimous in peace, temperatein his diet and recreations, and modeft and grave in his apparel, courteous in his be-haviour to his fubjects, and affable in his difcourfe. He encouraged virtue, and dif-countenanced vice, and he ftudied the laws of humanity and obl’erved them as well asthofe of religion, for in that part he inclined to fuperftition. He had five fons, butthree only made any figure. The eldeft was Dara, or vulgarly Kazan Tarah, the fecondShaw Allom, the third Furuckfier, the fourth Eckbar, and the fifth Shaw Hazander.The three firft contended for the crown after their father’s death, but Shaw Allomcarried it.

From Surat to Damaan, a town belonging to the crown of Portugal , and at twenty-two leagues diftance, are fevei'al rivers and villages, under the fuperintendency ofSurat . Dumbafs is the firft, but of fmall confequence, either in trade or manufactory.Nunfaree is the fecond, that has a good manufactory of cotton cloth, both coarfe andfine. Gundavee is next, where good quantities of teak timber are cut, and exported,being of excellent ufe in building of houfes or fhips. Seragoung is a river of no other■confequence but limiting the Mogul’s dominions on the lea fide, as well as the Portu-gueze territories. It is diftant from Damaan about four miles.

Chap. XVT