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 Chap. IX.]

SURAJAH DOWLAH, NABOB OF BENGAL.

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table to suppo.se, though his general character was well known to him, mast have been ignorant of his worst villanies, when, in 1753, he jjlaced him on the musnud, and required all the courtiers and officers to recognize him as his suc- cessor. From that time Ali Verdy, without ceasing to hold the reins of govern- ment, threw a large share of Ins authority into the hands of Surajah Dowlah, who of course perverted it to the worst of purposes.

Nuazish Mahomed, as the eldest nephew, naturally thought himself best entitled to the succession, and took no pains to conceal his dissatisfaction. He li;ul for some years, though resident at Moorshedabad, jield the government of Dacca, and from its revenues acquired enormous wealth, which enabled iiim to keep a large body of armed men in his pay. In himself, as he was possessed of very moderate talents, and had nothing warlike in his disposition, he was not dangerous. His two leading ministei-s, however, an uncle and a nephew, the one named Hossein Cooly Khan and tiie other Hossein Addeen, were men of capacity, and it was deemed necessary to remove them. The uncle resided at Moorshedabad with his mjister, the nepliew iit Dacca, where he act,ed as deputy-

.V.D. 17.00.

Dissatisfac- t ion of Niuizish Mahomed at authority possi'siied 'ly .^urajah Oowlah.

Najar Nuttoo Sino's Muook, in:., Dacca.— From Tanorama .if Djwc i

•

governor. Ali W'rdy wished to act warily in the ilismissal of these officers, as he feared that Nuazish, if alarmed by any hasty step, would at once retire to Dacca and assert his independence. Surajali Dowlah had no idea of tempo- rizing, and having no scruples as to the atrocity, determined to rid himself of all fears by taking the nearest road. His hired assassins enteiing Dacc<a, stabbed Monierof

^ Hossein

Hossein Khan in the dead of the night; and a few days after, Hossein Cooly cooiyKhan. Khan was ass<xssinated in open day in the streets of Moorshedabad. Nuazish and his brother Syed Ahmed, who, as they were both aspiring to the nabob- ship, had hitherto acted independently of each other, now saw the necessity of uniting their mterests, and leaguing against Surajah Dowlah, as their common enemy. A civil war was imminent, when they both died suddenly, as has been already told.