celebrated diamond mines of Panna* or Purna, together with fome strong fortreffes; among which, Callinger is the principal. It is subject to the depredations of the Mahrattas: and has of late years been attempted by Madajee Sindia; who, however could not make himself master of the principal fortreffes; and in consequence abandoned the open country. The ancient limits of Bundelcund were much more extenfive than the prefent; extending much further towards the Nerbuddah river. Chatterpour, is reckoned the capital.

The territories of Adjidfing are contiguous to Bundelcund, on the weft; to the Mahrattas on the fouth, and fouth-weft; and to the Benares territory on the east. Their whole extent, including fome tributary Zemindars on the fouth-east, may be about equal to Bundelcund: and, like that, subject to the occafional depredations of the Mahrattas. Rewah, or Rooah, is reckoned the capital; and lies on the great road between Benares and Nagpour. We know but little concerning the geography of the remote parts of this tract: nor are the boundaries well defined. The river Soane flows through it, in its course to the Bahar province.

Shah Alum, the nominal Emperor, or Great Mogul, of whom we have fully spoken, in the hiftorical part of this Introduction, i̇s now a mere penfioner in the hands of Madajee Sindia: who, notwithstanding, appoints him a refidence at Delhi.

The Jats, Jates, or Jetes, were a tribe of Hindoos, who long fince the death of Aurungzebe, erected a ftate in the provinces of Agra and Delhi. They at last fixed their capital at the city of Agra; and appear to have poffeffed a tract of country, along both fides of the Jumna river, from the neighbourhood of Gwalior, to that of Delhi; in length about 160 miles, and 50 broad. Col. Dow, in 1770, estimated their revenue (perhaps extravagantly) at 200 lacks of rupees; and their force at 60 or 70,000 men. This

Ptolemy's Panaffa, feems to be meant for Panna.

nation

nation is traced by P. Wendell from the countries lying between the SE confines of Moultan, and Gohud. It is certain that Tamerlane made war on a people called the Getes in his march from Batnir to Semanah. Nudjuff Cawn, about 14 years ago, difpoffeffed the Jats of all their country, fave the very confined territory of Bhartpour. Madajee Sindia, has, in turn, ftripped Nudjuff Cawn's fucceffors of thefe conquefts; which are now fcarcely worth poffeffing, although 20 or 21 years ago, under Soorage Mull, they ranked among the most flourishing provinces of Hindoostan. It will be perceived that the Jats no longer exift, as a nation: all that remains to Runjet Sing, the fon of Soorage Mull, being the fort of Bhartpour or Burratpour, fituated about 45 miles on the weft of Agra, with a small territory of 4 or 5 lacks of rupees. The Rajah of Gohud is of the Jat tribe, but unconnected with Runjet Sing.

The late Nudjuff Cawn, whom we have juft mentioned, is an instance, among others, of the very fudden rife and fall of the modern states of Hindooftan. From the condition of a minor Jaghiredar, and the Commander in Chief of the imperial army, after the return of the prefent Mogul, to Delhi, in 1771; he bccame, in the courfe of 7 or 8 years, the poffeffor of a domain, yielding 150 lacks of rupees annually; and kept up an establishment of 80,000 troops cf all denominations; in which, were included 23 regular battalions of fepoys. His conquefts were on the Jats, the Rajah of Jyenagur, and the Rajah of Macherry (whichlaft had reduced a confiderable part of the Mewat) and in 1774, he became poffeffed of the city of Agra. No veftige of this greatness has remained for feveral years paft. His empire, in a manner, died with him and Madajee Sindia poffeffes most of it, at this time. This brings us to the fubject of MEWAT, which is the hilly and woody tract lying on the SW of Delhi, and on the west of Agra; confining the low country along the western fide of the Jumna river, to a (comparatively) narrow flip, and extending weftwards, about 130 B. miles. In length from north to fouth, it may be 90

miles. This tract is remarkable, in that, although it is situated in the heart of the empire of Hindooftan; that is, within 25 miles of its former capital, Delhi, its inhabitants have ever been characterized as the most favage and brutal: and their chief employment, robbery and plundering. We have mentioned in page xlix, the severities practised on them in the 13th century. At the present time, Mewat is fo famous a nursery for thieves and robbers, that parties of Mewatti are taken into pay by the Chiefs of upper Hindoostan, for the purpose of distreffing the countries which are made the feat of warfare. In Acbar's divifion, this tract made a part of each of the foubahs of Delhi and Agra: but most of it was included in the latter. Mewat contains fome strong fortreffes, on fteep, or inacceffible hills; among which, is Alwar, or Alvar, the citadel of the Macherry Rajah. It has changed mafters very often, during the contests between its native Rajahs (or Kanzadeh) and the Jats, the Rajah of Joinagur, Nudjuff Cawn, and Madajee Sindia; and between these powers, fucceffively. Sindia has made a confiderable progrefs in the reduction of it.

Bordering on the north of Mewat, and approaching with its eaftern limit within 24 miles of Delhi, is a tract 80 or 90 miles in length, and from 30 to 40 broad, named Little Ballogiftan: its ancient Hindoo name was Nardeck. Within the prefent century, and most probably fince the rapid decline of the Mogul empire, this territory was feized on by the Balloges, or Balloches; whofe proper country adjoins to the western bank of the Indus, oppofite to Moultan. Some tribes of them are alfo found in Makran. They are represented as a moft favage and crucl race; and appear to be very proper neighbours for the Mewatti. Their territory is full of ravines, and of course, difficult of access to invaders it has, however, undergone the fate of its neighbours, and been fucceffively tributary to the Rohilla Chief, Nidjib Dowlah; to the Jats, and Nudjuff Cawn. Weftward, it borders on the Seiks.

I

The

The territory poffeffed originally by Nidjib Dowlah, an Afghan Rohilla (whom we have formerly noticed, as guardian to the young Emperor of Abdalla's fetting up, in 1761 *) is, in part, in the poffeffion of his grandfon Golam Cawdir; his fon Zabeta Cawn dying in the end of 1784, or beginning of 1785. This territory occupies the head of the Dooab, or that part which borders on the Sewalick mountains. It compofed chiefly the circar of Sehaurunpour, in Acbar's divifion of the empire; and does not exceed 100 B. miles in length, from eaft to weft, by 75 in breadth. The offginal poffeflions of Nidjib Dowlah comprehended also the country of Sirhind, on the weft of the Jumna river; and also the dif tricts found the city of Delhi: but the Seiks have not only encroached on the west, and poffeffed that shore of the Jumna, but commit depredations in Sehaurunpour, and even to the banks of the Ganges. Sindia having alfo encroached on the fouth, it is highly probable that this tract will not long form a distinct state or principality.

The Seiks may be reckoned the most weftern nation of Hindooftan; for the King of Candahar poffeffes but an inconfiderable extent of territory, on the east of the Indus. Their progrefs as a nation has been flightly mentioned in pages Ixiv and lxvi: and fince the complete downfall of the Mogul empire, they have acquired: very extensive domains. But their power ought not to be estimated, in the exact proportion to the extent of their poffeffions, fince they do not form one entire ftate; but a number of fmall ones, independant of each other, in their internal government, and only connected by a federal union. They have extended their territories. on the south-eaft, that is, into the province of Delhi, very rapidly of late years; and perhaps, the Zemindars of that country may have found it convenient to place themselves under the protection of the Seiks, in order to avoid the more oppreffive government of their

Nidjib Dowlah, who was an elevé of the famous Gazi o'dien Cawn, died in the year 1770.

former.

former masters. Certain it is that the eastern boundary of the Seik's dominions, has been advanced to the banks of the Jumna river, above Delhi; and to the neighbourhood of that city: we have just observed, that the adjoining territory of Sehaurunpour, is fubject to their depredations, if not actually tributary to them: and that they make excurfions to the very fide of the Ganges. On the south, they are bounded by the northern extreme of the sandy defert of Registan, and on the S W their boundary meets that of Sindy, or Tatta, at the city of Behker, or Bhakor, on the Indus. On the west, the Indus is their general boundary, as high up as the city of Attock; near to which begin the territories of the King of Candahar: and their northern boundary is the chain of mountains that lie towards Thibet, and Cashmere. This being the cafe, they will be found to poffefs the whole foubah or province of Lahore, the principal part of Moultan, and the western part of Delhi: the dimenfions of which tract, are about 400 B. miles from N W to SE and from 150 to 200 broad, in general: although in the part between Attock and Behker (that is, along the Indus) the extent cannot be less than 320. Their capital city is Lahore. We know but little concerning the ftate of their government and politics but the former is represented as being mild. In their mode of making war they are unquestionably favage and cruel. Their army consists almost entirely of horse, of which they are said to be able to bring at least 100,000 into the field. It is fortunate that the Oude dominions have the Ganges for a barrier between them and this army of plunderers. Abdalla was accustomed to pass through the country of the Seiks, during his vifits to Delhi, as late as the years 1760 and 1761: and indeed meditated the conquest of it: but it is probable, that with the prefent ftrength of the Seiks, no King of Candahar will again attempt either the one or the other. It was lately reported that the Seiks were in amity with Timur Shah of Candahar, and meant to allow his army a paffage through their territories. This, however, appears highly impro

bable: