290 NEPAL. enemies of Indian independence. In November 1816, the young Rájá, the successor of his father Ran Bahadur Shah, died of small-pox, at the age of twenty-one years. One of his queens, and one of his concubines, together with five female attendants, burned themselves on the funeral pile along with the corpse. He left one son, three years of age, named Rájendra Bikram Shah, who succeeded quietly to the throne, under the guardianship of the minister Bhim Singh Thappa. From this time the internal history of Nepál presents little that can excite interest. The late Prime Minister, Jang Bahadur, who died in 1877, was well known in England, and received the honours of a Grand Cross of the Bath and a Grand Commandership of the Star of India. He was the nephew of a man who had raised himself to a high position in the administration of affairs. He murdered his uncle at the instigation of the queen: a new ministry was formed, and Jang Bahadur was appointed to the command of the army. Shortly afterwards, the new prenier was assassinated, and the queen, with whom he was a favourite, demanded vengeance. Jang Bahadur undertook the task, and executed it with alacrity. An assembly of chiefs and nobles being convened (1846) within the palace, Jang Bahadur, backed by a small force on which he could depend, s appeared among them, and did the work of massacre. Fourteen of the hostile chiefs fell by the hand of the commander-in-chief. Before the dawn of the succeeding day, Jang Bahadur was invested with the office of Prime Minister. A conspiracy was formed for his destruction ; but Jang seized and beheaded all the adherents of the chief conspirator. The queen was banished with her two younger sons; and, the king having accompanied them, the heir-apparent, Surendra Bikram Shah, was raised to the throne. A feeble attempt was soon afterwards made by the monarch to regain his kingdon, but the energy of Jang Bahadur baffled it, and the king was made prisoner. Jang Bahadur always professed a friendly feeling towards the British; and at the commencement of the Mutiny in 1857, he proved the sincerity of his friendship by reinforcing the British army with a contingent of Gúrkha troops, which did useful service in the recovery of Oudh. As already mentioned, he died in 1877. A dynastic revolution occurred at Khatmandu in November 1885, in which the Prime Minister, Sir Ranodwip Singh, General Jagat Jang, son of the late Sir Jang Bahadur, together with his own son, Yadha Pratáp Jang, were murdered by Bir Shamsher Jang, the head of a rival faction. Bir Shamsher then seized upon the person of the young Mahárajá, and established himself as Prime Minister, which in Nepál carries with it the supreme power. The revolution was effected with complete surprise, and with no further bloodshed than the three niurders just mentioned. Sir Ranodwip Singh and his party had been for some
