The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-22
FIRST SACK OF DELHI.

FIRST SACK OF DELHI.
| In wretched little tent, which was pitched
near the fortress of Kelat, in the Persian prov
ince OF khorassan, poor woman gave birth
to son, who was named Nadr Kooli, or the
slave of the Almighty, in the year sixteen hun
dred and eighty The child's father earn
cd his livelihood by making sheep-skin coats
for the peasants, and Nsdir was brought up a.
shepherd, until the age of thirteen, when his
father died.
An ass and camel were his only patrimonv.
and he kept his mother by gathering sticks in
the woods, and carrying them to market.
In seventeen hundred and four, a marardinp
band of Toorkmans carried himself and his
mother away into slavery. The latter died
but young Nsdir escaped, after four years of
servltude, and, having stolen a flock of sheen.
lied into the mountains Of Khorassan. and
adopted the life of a robber. His reputation
for daring and bravery soon spread abroad
over the country. In seventeen hundred and
| fourteen, he received the command of a large
force from the Governor of his native province,
with which he repulsed an invasion of the
Toorkmans.
At this time, Persia was groaning u,der the
yoke of the conqueriug Affghans, and the right.
tul Shah was fugitive in the mountains which
Sea.
The intrepid robberchief, therefore. offered
his services to his unfortunate sovereign. and
received the command of his armies. He now
displayed extraordinary ability, and in two
years had conquered the Affghaps in several
hard fought battles, thus completely riddiug
Persla from foreign invasion. Shah Tahmasn
was restored to the throne, with the powerful
Nadir as general of his armies But the ambi.
ton of the robber could never rest satisfied
with the position of subject. In seventeen
hundred and thirty-two he de;hronei the Shah.
and IN seventeen hundred and thirty.six he was
proclaimed sovereign of Persia, by g vast as
semblage of chiefs, on the plains of Mogan.
near the shores of the Caspian.
This extraordinary man was rude and iU:,.
crate, but possessed magical influence ;,ver
the soldiers, and an intuitve instinct, which
seemed to point out to him the exact moment
Tor action. de was six feet high, with round
shoulders, and large, expressive eyes. fixed mn.
der broad expanse of forehead. His voice
VAS laundering, and terrible battle-axe was
b iavorite weapon.
Having defeated the Turks, and put down
every attempt at revolt amongst the res,less
tribes OF the mountains of Persia, Nadir Shah
turned an eye of longing cupidity on the rich
but now almost powerless Indian Empire of
the Great Mogul.
The empire of the Moguls in India, which
had been founded by the brave and learned
baoer-most charming of autobiographers-
had risen TO the height of its splendor during
the reign of Aurungzebe, who died in seven.
teen hundred and seven, and at the time of
NadIr's rise was sunk to the lowest ebb of dec.
radiation. Mohammed Shah, the reigning Greet
Mogul, passed his time in sensual pleasures in
tue palace OF Delhi, while the Mahra:ta tribes
plundered his southern frontier, and the Sikhs
and Rohillss assumed virtual Independence in
the north and west One Of the great omras.
or lords, who enjoyed rhe title of Nizam. DOL
Nook, regulator of the State governed the
important province of the Deccsn; while Dew
ran II han, the chief adviser of the Mogul, ex-
posed his pusillanimous weakness, by bribing
the Mshrattas with large sums, to desist from
their incursions.
The rich and splendid city of Delhi, Lae CEN
tire of al this pitiable weakness. was founded
by the Mogul Shah Jehan, in sixteen hundred
and thirty one, on the west side of the river
Jumna, in the midst of fertile plain The
palace, surrounded by wall thirty feet high.
Ct reddish stone, is built along the banks of the
RIVER, with gardens, planted with orange groves
and apricot trees, surrounding it. The Dewan-
l-khass, or hall of audience, was the chief pride
OF the palace, and an inscription proclaimed,
" If there be an elysum on earth, il is this
this is it!" In its pslmy days, it contained
the famous throne, which stood on six legs Of
massy gold, set with rubies, emeralds, and dia-
monds, while golden peacocks, covered with
precious stones and pearls, formed its CANOPY.
The ceiling of this superb hall consisted of
satin canopies, and the walls were hung with
silken tapestries, embroidered with gold. Here
the Great Mogul, surrounded by omras. in
tn
and Ambassadors. On these state occasions.
he was attired in white satin, covered with gold
embroidery, turban of cloth of gold. sur.
mounted by the figure of a heron, whose feet
were covered with large diamonds, and collar
of enormous pearls.
The other chambers of the palace were no
less magnificent, and the vaults were filed with
countless treasures. The houses of the rich
and luxurious omras beauti6ed the two princi
pal streets of the city, but the houses of the
poorer classes were mean, and matched with
straw.
1t can be no matter for wonder that these
vast treasures were coveted by the victorious
Nadir, and that the great Mogul and his effem.
mate Court should have been suddenly startled,
In the midst of their pleasures, by the news
that Persian army was on the frontier.
The detention of an ambassador gave a pre.
text for invasion. Having captured Candahar.
Nadir invested the city of Cabul, which was
bravely defended by chief named Sheriff.
Khan. But his applications for aid were neg
lected by the Court of Delhi, and, after a
months siege, Cabu was taken by storm, in
June, seventeen hundred and thirty.eight. The
Persian army then advanced through the noun.
famous passes between Csbul and Peshavur.
ard Nsdir succeeded in bribiug the warlike
afghan tribes TO remain neutral. He Tins
conducted his forces in safety through those
dangerous defiles, and captured Pesbawnr
Having surmounted this difficulty, the invader
led his army across the Indus, at Attock. bv
means of iron chains, to which inflated skins
were made fast, and covered with planks. thus
forming bridge of boats.
The Court Of the Mogul was at length thor.
oughly alarmed. vast army of two hundred
Thousand men, under the joint command of
Devran Khan and Nizam.ool Nook, (who hated
each other the most cordially was collected
outside the walls of the capital; and, having
been joined by Mohammed Shah in person,
with q splendid Court, they advanced to the
plan of Kurnaul, about sixty miles north of
Delhi.
Having crossed the Indus, Nadr Shah rested
his army for few days at Lahore, and then
advanced towards the plain of Kurnaul. In