and was often visited by his sovereign.’ 
    (Ibid., i. 320 f.).  Lord Valentia more than once speaks highly of him
    (Travels, i. 136, 241).  He also notes that the Nawab was
    anxiously watching for his death, because, being a slave, under
    Muhammadan law his estates reverted to the Crown.—­See N.B.E.  Baillie,
    Digest of Moohummudan Law (1875), 367 f.

[12] Afrin Khan, ‘lord of praise’, Mr. Irwin informs me, is
    mentioned in the Tarikh Farahbakhsh (tr.  W. Hoey, 129) as
    engaged in negotiations when Nawab Asaf-ud-daula, at the
    instigation of Warren Hastings and Haidar Beg, was attempting to
    extort money from the Nawab Begam.

LETTER IV

Mahurrum concluded.—­Night of Mayndhie.—­Emaum-baarah of the King of Oude.—­Procession to Shaah Nudghiff.—­Last day of Mahurrum.—­Chattahs.  —­Musical instruments.—­Zeal of the Native gentlemen.—­Funeral obsequies over the Tazia at Kraabaallah.—­Sentiments of devout Mussulmauns.—­The fast followed by acts of charity.—­Remarks on the observance of Mahurrum.

The public display on the seventh Mahurrum is by torch-light, and called the night of Mayndhie,[1] intending to represent the marriage ceremony for Cossum, who, it will be remembered, in the sketch of the events of Kraabaallah, was married to his cousin Sakeena Koobraah, the favourite daughter of Hosein, on the morning of the celebrated battle.

This night presents to the public all the outward and showy parade which marks the Mayndhie procession of a real wedding ceremony, of which I propose speaking further in another place.  This display at Mahurrum is attended with considerable expense; consequently, the very rich only observe the out-door formalities to be exhibited on this occasion; yet all classes, according to their means, remember the event, and celebrate it at home.

The Mayndhie procession of one great personage, in Native cities, is directed—­by previous arrangement—­to the Emaum-baarah of a superior.  I was present, on one occasion, when the Mayndhie of the Prime Minister of Oude was sent to the King’s Emaum-baarah, called Shaah Nudghiff,[2]—­from the mausoleum of Ali, of which it is an exact representation, on a small scale.

It is situated near the banks of the river Goomtie,[3] some distance from the palace at Lucknow; the entrance to the outer court, or quadrangle, is by a handsome gateway of brickwork plastered and polished, resembling marble.  On each side of the gateway, and carried up the two sides, in a line with the building, are distinct apartments, designed for the abode of the distressed and houseless poor; the back of these apartments forms a substantial wall or enclosure.  The Shaah Nudghiff faces the gateway, and appears to be a square building, on a broad base of flights of steps, with a cupola roof; the interior is paved with black and white marble tesselated, the walls and dome neatly ornamented with plaster and gold in relief, the beading, cornices, &c. of gold, to correspond on a stone-colour ground.  The cupola and cornices on the outside are richly ornamented with plaster designs, relieved with gold; on the summit of the dome is placed a crown, of pure silver, gilt, of an immense size.