'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎220] (257/562)

[ 220 ]
was put an end to by four of his own generals, who have been fighting for
— i the crown or throne of Perfia ever fince.
The firft competitor, Nauzir Khan, hath already been noticed as refidinw
near to Gombroon. —The fecond, Kerim Khan, is in poffefllon of Ifpahan, and
has an army of thirty thoufand men under his command.—The third is
Hajfein Khan, who pofleflTes the northern parts of the kingdom, and at the
time we were at Gombroon, was faid to be inarching from the provinces near
the Cafpan fea with a great body of forces towards Ifpahan •, and that he
carried with him a prince of the female line of the great Shah Abbas, in
whofe name he founded his pretenfions.—The fourth is Achmet or Hamet
Shah, governor of the Afghan or Pytan country his views were faid to
be confined to the keeping pofleflion of that province only, which borders
on the territories of the Great Mogul. During our ftay at Karec, we re
ceived advice, that Hajfein Khan had obtained a fuperiority over all his rivals;
that his troops were more numerous, and better difciplined than theirs; and
that his carrying with him a prince of the royal blood had confiderably in-
creafed the number of his partifans, and given him at leaft a fhew of better
pretenfions to the crown.
Hamet Khan or Shah, the chief of the Afghans, according to thefe ad
vices, had juft before gained a confiderable, tho' not a decifive victory over
Kerim Khan. We were now alfo given to underftand, that Nauzir Khan, b
the neighbourhood of Gombroon was become of fo little confequence, as not
to be thought worthy of being ranked among the competitors for the crown
of Perfia. So that at this time the four claimants were reduced to-
three.
To the fame gentleman who furnifhed us with the account of the
nations bordering on the Perfian gulph, we were alfo obliged for the
rollowing anecdotes relative to a late maffacre in Batavia, the chief
a:tors ot which furpaffed either Arabs or Perfians, in diffimuladon and-
cruelty.
. •^■ s kinds of grain were fcarce at Ceylon, and as all the fettlements
in India were chiefly fupplied with wheat and rice from Bengal" the
Malabar coaft, it was propofed in the Butch council at Batavia, that a confi-
derable number ot Chinefe fhould be forcibly taken from the ifland of Java,
and tranfported to Ceylon, in order to cultivate the lands, which thereby
would be fure to produce great quantities of grain. This motion met with
violent oppofition, and was almoft unanimoufly rejefted ; feveral alledging
t ut it was tne height of cruelty and injuftice to force the Chinefe, who were
a free people, into llavery ; and fome threw out hints that there ought to be
methods taken to make their affairs better rather than worfe. Elated with what
palled in the council, the Chinefe took great liberties, fpake freely of their real
or
: " :