. The Indian empire: history, topography, geology, climate, population, chief cities and provinces; tributary and protected states; military power and resources; religion, education, crime; land tenures; staple products; government, finance, and commerce . erson emaciated by indigence and infirmity, hiscountenance disfigured by the loss of his eyes, and bearing marks of extreme old age andsettled melancholy.^ The incidents connected with the loss of sight by Shah Alum, areboth interesting aud extraordinary. This prince, from the time of the death of hisgeneral, Nujeef Khan, in 1782, had been c
. The Indian empire: history, topography, geology, climate, population, chief cities and provinces; tributary and protected states; military power and resources; religion, education, crime; land tenures; staple products; government, finance, and commerce . erson emaciated by indigence and infirmity, hiscountenance disfigured by the loss of his eyes, and bearing marks of extreme old age andsettled melancholy.^ The incidents connected with the loss of sight by Shah Alum, areboth interesting aud extraordinary. This prince, from the time of the death of hisgeneral, Nujeef Khan, in 1782, had been compelled to submit to the will of his neighbours—the Mahratta and Pi,ohilla chiefs, as they respectively gained the ascendency, andassumed the post of vicegerent of the Mogul empire. In 1785, Sindia, the Mahratta,became paramount; but having engaged in war with Pertab Sing, of Jeypoor, advantagewas taken of his absence by Gholam Kadir Khan (the son of Zabila Khan, the llohilla), toobtain possession of Delhi. This he accomplished in 1788, through the treachery of thenazir, or chief eunuch, to whom the managemeut of the imperial establishment wasentrusted. The inmates of the palace were tieated by the usurper with a degree of • See p. 08. 1=J PtI. THE INDIAN EMPIRE ILLUSTRATED. 129 malicious barbarity -which it is hardly possible to conceive any human being could evincetowards his unoffending fellow-creatures, unless actually possessed by an evil spirit. Aftercruelties of all descriptions had been practised, to extort from the members and retainersof the imperial family every article of value which still remained in their possession,Gholam Kadir resolved to withhold from them even the bare necessaries of life, so thatseveral ladies perished of hunger; and others, maddened by suffering, committedsuicide. The royal cliildren were compelled to perform the most humiliating offices ; andwhen Shah Alum indignantly remonstrated against the atrocities he was compelledto witness, the
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