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Delhi before the Moghal Conquest


and brought up by his uncle, and had enjoyed the special favour of his cousin — favour for which he was not ungrateful. He caused the relatives of those whom his cousin had visited with cruelty, mutilation, or death, to be sought out, gave them compensation, obtained their acquittances, and placed the deeds in the grave, so that Mahomed, when he rises at the last day to proceed to judgment, might be able to show the acquittances to his Maker; in the grave the deeds may be resting to this day.

Firoze Shah had at once to meet invading Moghals, whom he defeated; he then proceeded to Delhi, where he was met by the submissive inhabitants, whom he feasted and entertained on a large scale. He then had, as usual, to consolidate his kingdom, in the course of which work he twice moved into Bengal,and twice into Sind. On his return from his first Bengal expedition, he commenced, in 1354, his new city of Firozabad. Two years later,he ordered the cutting of the first canal of the many which now water the plains of India, and relieve the inhabitants of fear of famine. He may be called the " Father " of the Irrigation Department, for, alive to the advan-tages to his people of the water, he instituted a revenue system and appointed officials to197