war, ALA’UDDIN MAHOMED, the reigning Prince of the Assassins (mentioned by Polo as Alaodin), was murdered at the instigation of his son Ruknuddin Khurshah, who succeeded to the authority.  A year later (November, 1256) Ruknuddin surrendered to Hulaku. [Bretschneider (Med.  Res. II. p. 109) says that Alamut was taken by Hulaku, 20th December, 1256.—­H.  C.] The fortresses given up, all well furnished with provisions and artillery engines, were 100 in number.  Two of them, however, Lembeser and Girdkuh, refused to surrender.  The former fell after a year; the latter is stated to have held out for twenty years—­ actually, as it would seem, about fourteen, or till December, 1270.  Ruknuddin was well treated by Hulaku, and despatched to the Court of the Kaan.  The accounts of his death differ, but that most commonly alleged, according to Rashiduddin, is that Mangku Kaan was irritated at hearing of his approach, asking why his post-horses should be fagged to no purpose, and sent executioners to put Ruknuddin to death on the road.  Alamut had been surrendered without any substantial resistance.  Some survivors of the sect got hold of it again in 1275-1276, and held out for a time.  The dominion was extinguished, but the sect remained, though scattered indeed and obscure.  A very strange case that came before Sir Joseph Arnould in the High Court at Bombay in 1866 threw much new light on the survival of the Ismailis.

Some centuries ago a Dai or Missionary of the Ismailis, named Sadruddin, made converts from the Hindu trading classes in Upper Sind.  Under the name of Khojas the sect multiplied considerably in Sind, Kach’h, and Guzerat, whence they spread to Bombay and to Zanzibar.  Their numbers in Western India are now probably not less than 50,000 to 60,000.  Their doctrine, or at least the books which they revere, appear to embrace a strange jumble of Hindu notions with Mahomedan practices and Shiah mysticism, but the main characteristic endures of deep reverence, if not worship, of the person of their hereditary Imam.  To his presence, when he resided in Persia, numbers of pilgrims used to betake themselves, and large remittances of what we may call Ismail’s Pence were made to him.  Abul Hassan, the last Imam but one of admitted lineal descent from the later Shaikhs of Alamut, and claiming (as they did) descent from the Imam Ismail and his great ancestor ’Ali Abu Talib, had considerable estates at Mehelati, between Kum and Hamadan, and at one time held the Government of Kerman.  His son and successor, Shah Khalilullah, was killed in a brawl at Yezd in 1818.  Fatteh ’Ali Shah, fearing Ismailite vengeance, caused the homicide to be severely punished, and conferred gifts and honours on the young Imam, Agha Khan, including the hand of one of his own daughters.  In 1840 Agha Khan, who had raised a revolt at Kerman, had to escape from Persia.  He took refuge in Sind, and eventually rendered good service both to General Nott at Kandahar and to Sir C. Napier in Sind, for which he receives a pension from our Government.