Maree Rustam, who had been king of Candahar, came to visit me on the 21st of August, and brought a present of wine and fruit, staying about half an hour, and concluded his visit by begging a bottle of wine.  This day Sultan Cusero had his first prospect of long-hoped liberty, being allowed to leave his prison, and to take the air and his pleasure in a banqueting house near mine.  Sultan Churrum had contracted a marriage at Burhanpoor, without waiting for the king’s consent, for which he had fallen under displeasure; and some secret practices of his against the life of his brother had been discovered, on which he was ordered to court in order to clear himself.  By the advice of their father, Etimon Dowlet, Noormahal and Asaph Khan now made proposals of friendship and alliance with Cusero.  This news has diffused universal joy among the people, who now begin to hope that their good prince may recover his full liberty.  The 22d the king feasted Asaph Khan.  The 25th Asaph Khan feasted Noormahal.  It is reported the Prince Cusero is to make a firm alliance, as above stated, and is to take a wife of his father’s choice.  This will produce his entire liberty, and the ruin of our proud oppressor, Churrum.

The 1st of September was the solemnity of the king’s birth-day, when he is publicly weighed, to which I went.  I was conducted into a beautiful garden, in the middle of which was a great square pond or tank, set all round with trees and flowers, and in the middle was a pavilion or pleasure-house, under which hung the scales in which the king was to be weighed.  The scales were of beaten gold, set with many small stones, as rubies and turquoises.  They hung by chains of gold, large and massy, yet strengthened by silken ropes for more security.  The beam and tressels from which it hung were covered with thin plates of gold.  In this place all the nobles of the court attended, sitting round on rich carpets; and waiting the king’s arrival.  He appeared at length, cloathed, or laden rather, with diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other precious vanities, making a great and glorious shew.  His sword, target, and throne were corresponding in riches and splendour.  His head, neck, breast, and arms, above the elbows, and at the wrist, were all decorated with chains of precious stones, and every one of his fingers had two or three rich rings.  His legs were as it were fettered with chains of diamonds, rubies as large as walnuts, and some larger, and such pearls as amazed me.  He got into one of the scales, crouching or sitting on his legs like a woman; and there were put into the other scale, to counterpoise his weight, many bags said to contain silver, which were changed six times, and I understood his weight was 9000 rupees, which are almost equal to a thousand pounds sterling.  After this, he was weighed against gold, jewels, and precious stones, as I was told, for I saw none, as these were all in bags, and might only have been pebbles.  Then against cloth of gold, silk stuffs, cotton goods,