ere had been frequent examples,
set up Panglima Maharaja in the room of the abdicated king (by the title,
say the Annals, of Juhar al-alum, in December 1723). About seven days
after his elevation he was seized with a convulsive disorder in his neck
and died. A nephew of Jemal al-alum, named Undei Tebang, was then placed
upon the throne, but notwithstanding his having bribed the chiefs of the
Three districts with thirty katties of gold, they permitted him to enjoy
his dignity only a few days, and then deposed him. (The same authority
states that he was set up by the chiefs of the Four mukims, and removed
through the influence of Muda Seti.)

1724. 1735.

The person whom they next combined to raise to the throne was Maharaja
Lela (before mentioned as the king's substitute). It was his good fortune
to govern the country in tranquillity for the space of nearly twelve
years, during which period the city of Achin recovered its population.
(According to the Annals he began to reign in February 1724, by the title
of Ala ed-din Ahmed shah Juhan, and died in June 1735.) It happened that
the same day on which the event of his death took place Jemal al-alum
again made his appearance, and advanced to a mosque near the city. His
friends advised him to lose no time in possessing himself of the castle,
but for trifling reasons that mark the weakness of his character he
resolved to defer the measure till the succeeding day; and the
opportunity, as might be expected, was lost. The deceased king left five
sons, the eldest of whom, named Po-chat-au (or Po-wak, according to
another manuscript) exhorted his brothers to unite with him in the
determination of resisting a person whose pretensions were entirely
inconsistent with their security. They accordingly sent to demand
assistance of Perbawang-shah, chief of the district of the Twenty-five
mukims, which lies the nearest to that quarter. He arrived before
morning, embraced the five princes, confirmed them in their resolution,
and authorised the eldest to assume the government (which he did, say the
Annals, by the title of Ala ed-din Juhan-shah in September 1735.) But to
this measure the concurrence of the other chiefs was wanting. At daybreak
the guns of the castle began to play upon the mosque, and, some of the
shot penetrating its walls, the pusillanimous Jemal al-alum, being
alarmed at the danger, judged it advisable to retreat from thence and to
set up his standard in another quarter,