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Ghoorkhalies under Captain Kinlock, which penetrated as far as Sedowly, an important post at the foot of the Nipal hills; but not being able to proceed further and his troops being sickly, the enterprize was abandoned.

Toward the end of Mr. Hastings's Government the Teshoo Lama of Tibet proceeded to Pekin, and dying soon after his arrival there, Sumhur Lama, his brother, fled from Hassa to the Rajah of Nipal, taking with him a considerable quantity of treasure. By his communications he excited the avarice of the Nipal government, which marched a body of troops towards Lassa. The armies of the latter being beaten, they agreed to pay a tribute of three lacks of rupees. In 1790 the Nipalese, by the advice of Sumhur Lama, sent an army of 18,000 men against Teshoo Loomboo, the residence of another Lama, which plundered that place and all its numerous temples. In their retreat from this place they lost 2000 men by the severity of the weather, great numbers of whom appear to have been frozen to death.

In 1792 the Emperor of China, as grand protector of the Lamas, sent an army of seventy thousand men against the Nipal Rajah, which beat the Nipalese repeatedly, and advanced to Noakote, within twenty-six miles of Catmandoo. The Nipalese were at last obliged to make peace on ignominious terms, consenting to become tributaries to the Emperor of China, and to restore all the plunder they had acquired from the Tibet Lamas. A treaty of commerce was at this time attempted by Lord Cornwallis, and Captain Kirkpatrick sent envoy to Cartmandoo; but the extreme jealousy of the Nipalese frustrated all his endeavours.

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In March 1793, a treaty was entered into by Mr. Duncan, then resident at Benares, on the part of the British government, through the medium of native agents, by which it was stipulated, that two and a half per cent. should be reciprocally taken as duty on the imports from both countries, to be levied on the amount of the invoices stamped at the custom-houses of their respective countries, for which purpose certain stations on the frontiers were selected. It was also agreed that the merchants who had Asiatic Journ.-No. VI.

transported their goods into either country and paid the regulated duty, and not meeting with a sale, wished to carry them to any other country, should pay no further duty, but be permitted to remove them; and it was stipulated that in all cases the merchants should experience a prompt administration of justice, when imposed on or oppressed.

In October 1801, a more detailed political treaty was concluded, by which the friends and enemies of the one state were to have the same relation to the other, and arrangements were made for the adjustment of any dispute respecting boundaries. Prior to this treaty a certain number of elephants had been sent annually by the Nipal Rajah to the Bengal government, on account of the Pergunnah of Muckinacinpoor; but the governor-general, with the view of gratifying the Rajah, and in consideration of the improved friendly connections, agreed to relinquish that tribute. A mutual exchange of felons and criminals was also agreed on, and the Rajah of Nipal engaged to appropriate a district for the support and expenses of Samee Deo, a member of his own family who had taken refuge in the British territories.

In order to carry into effect the different

objects contained in this treaty, and promote the verbal negociations, the governor-general and Nipal Rajah agreed each to depute a confidential person to reside as envoy with the other, who was instructed to abstain from all interference with the interior administration of the country to which he was delegated, or any intercourse with its disaffected subjects.

Since the accession of Rajah Ghur, Ban Judh Bicrama Sah, a boy, who, in 1808, was nine years of age, the councils and entire management of the country have been entrusted to, or rather usurped, by Bheem Singh Tapah. The Tapahs are casias, or cultivators of the land, and formidable from their num bers. They oppose the Chawtras, who prince, whose cognomen is Sah and not are Rajpoots, and uncles to the reigning Shah; though the latter is very generally affected, on account of its royal import.*

For an account of the late war with Nipal, see page 425. For the Convention with Kajee Umr Singh Thappa, or Tapali, see page 96,-Edit. VOL. I. 4 B

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For the Asiatic Journal.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF MOHAMMED.

(From the Arabic Work, entitled, " Deh Mujilis.")

TRADITIONALISTS of grievous tidings, and narrators of heart-breaking events, have handed down to, us that the tenth year of the Hegira,* after the prophet had performed his last pilgrimage, on the day named Urfa, and in the plain surnamed Urfaat, the following sentence was communicated to him from above: "" Now have I completed the work of your religion, and bestowed perfect happiness upon you :" after which, whenever he preached to the people, he mixed with his discourse the tidings of his expected, and welcome dissolution.

At length, upon the 28th of the moon Suffer, of the 11th Hegira, the prophet repaired to the burial ground of Bukea,† and passed a considerable time in prayer for the souls of those whose remains were deposited in the tombs around him : the following day he was seized with a head-ache, in which condition he came forth, and gave directions for the people to be assembled, as he was about to preach to them for the last time. When they were arrived, he ascended to the pulpit, and having concluded a long discourse, he addressed them in these words: "Know, O ye people, my dissolution is at hand; my desire of being united to God overpowers me, and I shall quickly depart from among you: say, then, in what manner have I not performed my prophetic mission for your salvation? For your sakes, and for religion I have fought, whilst you, in return, have smote my teeth, and defiled my face with blood." They acknowledged what he said was true; that he had shown them the right, and taught them to shun the crooked path; beseeching the Almighty to reward him accordingly. The prophet then, in the name of God, solemnly enjoined any whom he might have struck, to arise,

Hegira, the Mohammedan era, or reckoning of time. According to the Mussulman account, it is now in the 1224th year: so that the events here related occurred about 1213 years ago, answering to the Christian era 598.

This place, Bukea, must have been, of course, at or near Medina.

or any that he and take reparation; might have injured in his property, forthwith to receive back whatever was his due; on which a man named Akausha arose and said, "O prophet, since you so earnestly urge this matter, I should be a sinner if I continued silent: know then, that in the expedition to Tebouck, smite your she-camel intending to Kuswah, the whip descended on my shoulders, and was attended with excruciating pain, for which I now expect "May God reward you retaliation.” in both worlds, O Akausha," replied the prophet," for giving me an opportunity of compounding this affair now, and for not having deferred it to the day of judgment: can you inform me with what whip the offence was committed ?” Akausha answered, that it was with the rod Mamshuke, having a thong suspended from the end of it; which the prophet ordered immediately to be brought.*

In obedience to the commands of his master, Soliman repaired to the prophet's house, and knocked at the door of Fatima's apartment, repeating the usual salutation observed toward the prophet's family. Fatima knew the voice, and on being advised of his errand, observed, that as her father was afflicted with a fever, and had not strength to sit his horse, he could have no occasion for such an instrument. On being informed of further particulars she gave a loud shriek, and solemnly adjured Soliman to impress on Akausha's mind, that out of regard to the weak and sickly condition of her father, he ought to be merciful, and spare him.

When Soliman had departed, Fatima sent for her sons, Hussen and Hossain, and acquainted them with what had happened, bidding them repair to the place where their grandfather was, and instead of one stroke which Akausen was about

Great stress is laid by devout Mahommedans, on the humility and meekness testified by their prophet, in this instance, in submitting to retalliation for an involuntary offence; which, in strictness of law, he was not obliged to do.

to inflict on him, to receive each an hundred in his room. But on their informing the prophet of the business on which they were come, he pronounced that they could not grant retaliation for that which he had committed; at the same time desiring Akausha to rise and strike.

Akausha remonstrated, saying, that as his shoulders were bare when he received the blow, the prophet's ought to be submitted to him in the same condition; which the holy man preparing to do, amurmur of mingled rapture and indignation was heard proceeding from the angels of heaven, who beheld the scene. But when Akausha saw the naked shoulders of the prophet, and beheld thereon the seal of his apostolic mission, he sprang forward, and applied his lips to the holy sign, saying, "O prophet! to kiss this mark, and not to obtain retaliation, was the object I sought after; yourself having often pronounced, "Whoever touches the skin of my body, him the fire of hell shall spare.'

The prophet now descended from the pulpit; his indisposition visibly increasing upon him. He, however, desired Ali to leave him, and repose himself; which having done, he returned, and informed his father-in-law that in a dream he had beheld himself clad in complete armour, which on a sudden was torn from his body. The prophet replied, "That armour am I, of whom you are about to be deprived." Fatima came next, and related, that being asleep, she thought she held in her hand a sheet of the holy Koran, which was suddenly ravished from her sight. The prophet replied "That sheet of the Koran am I, who shall quickly be lost to you." Hussen and Hossain also related, that in their dreams they had just beheld a throne moving on the bosom of the wind, under which they walked, with their heads uncovered. The prophet replied, "That throne signifies my coffin under which you will soon walk, in the manner represented to you."

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Ibnabbas informs us, that the Almighty commanded the angel of death, saying, "Repair to my beloved Mohammed; but touch not his immaculate soul without his own acquiescence." Israiel, attended by a host of kindred spirits, in the disguise of an Arabian villager, transported himself in an instant to the pro

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phet's habitation, with the commission of God in his hand. He repeated the cutomary salutation, and begged admittance as having come off a long journey. Fatima was sitting by her father's pillow, when she heard the voice, and desired the stranger to call another time, as the prophet was not at leiA repetition of the request by Isriael was followed by an answer couched in the same terms. The third time, it was demanded in a peremptory tone, which struck the family with terror. The prophet opened his eyes, and demanded the cause of their consternation. Fatima answered, "That an extraordinary kind of stranger, who stood at the door, had thrice demanded admission, and would take no denial." The prophet asked her if she knew not who it was; she answered, "God is wise, I know not." "He," pursued the prophet," is the destroyer of lusts, the annihilator of passions, the maker of widows, and of orphans; an intruder, who opens doors without the assistance of a key, and lays prostrate without the aid of arms. He, my daughter, is the angel of death, and attends for the soul of your father; whose threshold he respects, or he had entered without hesitation, it not being his practice to wait for admission: open the door, that he may come in." "Alas!" exclaimed Fatima, "then the ruin of Medina approaches, for its protector is about to depart!"

The prophet desired her to be comforted, as even angels would behold her grief with concern. With his holy hands, he wiped off the tears which ran down her cheeks; and beseeched the Almighty to endue her with patience and resignation to support his loss; enjoining her, as soon as death should have closed his eyes, to repeat the following sentence: "From God we are, and to God we must return.” Fatima continued to dwell on her approaching loss in the most moving terms, and was interrupted by her father, who again desired that Israiel might be admitted.

The angel of death now appeared, saying," Peace to the prophet! The Almighty has sent you his blessing, and restricted me from touching your soul till I have your own permission." The prophet replied, "It is my request that you refrain from it till Gabriel arrives."

That angel, the messenger of the word of God, meantime had received his commission to repair to Mohammed, and carry to the beloved of the Almighty a turban, made from the texture of the cloth of paradise. Weeping and lamenting he stood before him, and was gently taxed by Mohammed, with having forsaken him in his present awful situation; which the angel excused by alleging he had been employed about his affairs, and now brought the joyful tidings which he himself would wish for, namely, that the violence of the flames of hell had been abated for his passage, the gardens of paradise adorned, and hosts of angels drawn up for the reception of his soul. The prophet acknowledged the goodness

of God; but added, that his mind was oppressed with cares for the future fate of his disciples. Gabriel desired him to be under no concern on that account, as the Almighty would work out the salvation of as many of them as he should desire. The prophet then beckoned Israiel to come forward and execute his commission; which while he was doing, the Lord of the World fixed his eyes on the ceiling, and repeated the name of the Most High; when his hands, which were clasped together, and extended, suddenly dropping on his breast, his soul took its flight to the presence of its Creator. From God we are, and to God we must return.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF FATIMA, THE DAUGHTER OF MOHAMMED.

(From the Same.)

THOUGH traditions differ in regard to the time during which Fatima was absorbed in grief for the loss of her father; yet they agree in this, that it long continued incessant. At the end of about six months, her husband Ali, going one day into her apartment, beheld her employed in kneading dough for bread, mixing up a composition for the children's hair, and making preparation for washing their garments. Ali, astonished at the novelty of the scene, addressed her, " O worthy to be served by men and angels! O sole daughter of the prophet, and last of apostolic women! O mother of the two martyrs! never yet have I beheld your attention engaged by two employments at a time, and now I see it taken up with three. What mystery does this conceal?" The holy Fatima (her eyes bathed in tears) replied, "O prince distinguished in the plain of La Futtah*, and surnamed of the Almighty, the Lion of God! O bud of the garden, and line of Abu Taleb! The happiness of our union draws to a close; the hour of separation

*Alluding to the sentence of "La Futtah illa Ali, la Seyf alli Zulfecar." There is no heroism but Ali's; there is no sword but Zulfeccar;" which the sect of Sheeas allege to have been pronounced by God. Zulfeccar was the name of Ali's sword. Translator.

↑ The father of Mohammed:

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is arrived, and the period of absence is about to commence. Last night, I dreamed I beheld my father, standing on an eminence, and looking round as if in expectation of some one's approach. I called out, Whence are you, O my parent! my heart is afflicted, and my body wasted with anguish on your account." He replied, I am now come for you; the time is arrived, in which you must wean your affections from the flesh, and break the bonds of your earthly habitation; in which you must remove your tents from the straits of the earth to the world of heaven; make haste for I cannot depart without you.' I replied, O my father, this event is my wish, the consummation of which I have constantly sighed for.' Use no delay, then,' he repeated again, for to-morrow night you must accompany your parent.' I here awoke, with my heart entirely absorbed by the desire of the world to come, and am certain, that the close of this day, or to-morrow evening, will be the period of my dissolution; 1 am therefore making bread to day, as grief on my account may render you incapable of doing it to-morrow, and my children in consequence may hunger in vain; I wash their garments now, knowing not who will attend to the wants of my orphans hereafter; and I am preparing to clean their hair at this time,

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ignorant of whom they will have to clean it when I am gone."-Thus, Fatima was anxious to keep their hair from being polluted by common dirt. Had she beheld what afterwards happened, their graceful ringlets defiled with dust, and their enchanting countenances stained with blood, how would she have supported the heartrending sight!*

When Ali had heard her to a conclusion, the tears running down his cheeks, he replied, "O my beloved, hardly yet have I recovered from one wound, when lo! another is inflicted on me; and to the death of your father, is the loss of you now to be added?" Fatima desired him to be comforted under both, and not to leave her, as the moments of her life were numbered, and their next meeting would be in the world of eternity. She put the garments of her children in water, and bedewed their heads with the fondest tears of maternal love: "Would to heaven!" she exclaimed, "I were ignorant of the cruel fate which awaits them: and of the extent to which it will be carried! Go," she continued, " my children, to the burial ground of Bukea, and address your prayers to heaven, in behalf of your mother!"

When they were gone, she extended herself on the bed, and desired Ali to sit down by her; she called for Asmah, the daughter of Awmise, and desired dinner might be ready by the time her sons would return, and served up to them in another apartment, that they might escape the misery of seeing her in her last agonies. Asmah did as she had been directed, and on their return brought up the dinner. The princes, in astonishment, demanded, if ever she had seen them sit down without their mother, and wherefore she supposed they would do it now; Asmah said her mistress being indisposed, they had better not wait for

Hussen and Hossain were both murdered in the year nine of the Hegira; the former being poisoned by his own wife at the instigation of her relations; and the latter assassinated by Shimir. The anniversary of this event is still celebrated by all Mussulmen during the first ten days of the month of Mohurrum; answering to the last of January and the beginning of February of our reckoning. At this season, in the evening, the disciples of Mohammed form in grand procession, accompanied by torches, and preceded by idols, which are sacrificed to the memory of the two martyrs. During the whole ceremony, they beat their breasts and continually repeat the names of Hussen Hossain.

her; but they replied, that without their mother's company no refreshment would be palatable to them, and went strait toward her apartment.

On seeing them approach, Fatima desired Ali to send them away again, to the tomb of her father, that they might humble themselves before God, while she endeavoured to repose herself. When they were gone, she desired Ali to take her head to his bosom, for her life now ebbed fast. Ali replied, he had neither heart nor resolution to behold her in such a situation, or to attend to language so affecting: "O Ali!" she answered," the road which I am going, is a road which all must travel; and the fulness of my grief is such, as must, of necessity, be allowed utterance. Be patient, then, and imbibe the bitter draught of my dissolution." Ali took her to his bosom ; when, in the affliction with which he was overwhelmed, a tear dropped on her cheek: she opened her eyes, and seeing the violence of his grief, observed, that the present was rather a season for testamentary duties, than unavailing sorrow. O first of women" he quickly replied," reveal your will."

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"I have

four requests," continued Fatima: “First, if I have misbehaved myself toward you, or ever given you uneasiness, that you forgive me." He answered, "God forbid! During the time we have lived together, neither in word nor in act have you done aught to give my heart a pang: you have been my perpetual solace, not my sorrow: my comforter in affliction, not the disturber of my repose. In you, I have found the faithful mistress, not the imperious tyrant: possessed of the sweetness and softness of the rose, not the sharpness and annoyance of the thorn." Secondly, let my children," she continued, " be dear to you; forsake not those who possess so tender a place in my heart; withdraw not from their heads your fostering hand; and should the forwardness of youth ever break out in them, let it obtain your forgiveness. Thirdly, let me be conveyed to my grave by night; that as in life, my person has been secluded from the eyes of men, so in death, my bier may be sacred from their view. Fourthly, neglect not to frequent the tomb of her to whom you have been so dear; and whose faithful and affectionate companion you have been. Now,

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