bable the progrefs of an Indian army effecting nearly an equal degree of defolation, whether it enters a country on terms of hoftility, or of amity. Timur Shah (the fucceffor of Ahmed Abdalla, late King of Candahar, Korafan, &c. who died about the year 1773) poffeffes in Hindooftan, nothing more than the country of Cashmere and fome inconfiderable districts contiguous to the eastern bank of the Indus, above the city of Attock. We have spoken of the extent of the kingdom of Candahar, in page 112 of the Memoir and it may be proper to add, in this place, that the founder of that kingdom, the abovementioned Ahmed Abdalla, was originally the Prince, or Chief, of an Afghan tribe named Abdal (whence the term Abdalli) and that he was stripped of his country by Nadir Shah, and compelled to join the Persian army in 1739. On the death of Nadir, he suddenly appeared among his former fubjects, and in a fhort time, erected for himself a confiderable kingdom in the eastern part of Perfia: adding to it, most of the Indian provinces ceded by the Mogul to Nadir Shah. It has been afferted, that Abdalla had arifen to a high command in the Perfian army; and that, his department, of course, occafioning a large fum of money to centre with him; he, on the death of Nadir Shah, availed himself of the use of these treasures,, to carry off a part of the army. He eftablished his capital at Cabul near the hither foot of the Indian Caucafus and it appears by the accounts of Mr. Forfter, who traverfed the country of Timur Shah in 1783, that his subjects live under an easy government: that is, for an Afiatic one. nues and military force of Candahar, have not come to my knowledge. The military establishment has been given at 200,000 men. Ahmed Abdalla had regular infantry, cloathed like the British fepoys and, at one time, made use of the British manufactures for that purpose: the trade went by Sindy, and up the Indus and its branches, to Cabul. This trade has long been at an end.. : The reve The province of Sindy, or that lying on both fides of the lower part of the river Indus*, is fubject to a Mahomedan Prince, who is tributary to the King of Candahar; it being among the provinces ceded to Nadir Shah, by Mahomed Shah, in 1739. Although it properly belongs to Hindooftan, it is fo detached from it by the great fandy defert, that it takes no part in its politics. This province is described in page 285, to which the reader is referred. The province of Cutch, on the SE fide of Sindy, as well as the western parts of the peninfula of Guzerat, are governed by Rajahs of their own and do not appear to have undergone much change, by the late revolutions in Hindooftan. Cutch is not only a barren country, but in its nature too ftrong to be eafily attacked. And the western part of Guzerat is mountainous and woody; and inhabited by a wild, hardy, race: and therefore on both accounts, unfavourable to the progrefs of a Mahratta army. The Mahrattas, as has been obferved before, form two diftin&t empires, or states; that of Poonah, or the western: and Berar, the eastern. These states collectively, occupy all the fouthern part of Hindooftan proper; together with a large proportion of the Deccan. Malwa, Oriffa, Candeifh, and Vifiapour; the principal parts of Berar, Guzerat, and Agimere; and a small part of Dowlatabad, Agra, and Allahabad, are comprised within their extensive empire; which extends from fea to fea, across the wideft part of the peninfula; and from the confines of Agra northward, to the Kiftna fouthward; forming a tract of about 1000 British miles long, by 700 wide. The western state is divided among a number of Chiefs or Princes, whofe obedience to the Paifhwah, or Head, is, like that of *The celebrated Sir William Jones very ingeniously remarks, that it is ufual with the "Afiatics to give the fame names to the countries which lie on both fides of any confiderable "river." Thus the province of Sindy is divided by the Indus; Bengal by the Ganges; and Pegu by the Irabatty. Egypt, in like manner, is divided by the Nile. Probably, the facility of accels to either fide, by means of a navigable river and an occafional inundation, fubjected each of the divifions, formed by the course of the river, to the conftant depredations of its oppofite neighbour; till neceffity produced a compromife, which ended in joining them in one community. the the German Princes to the Emperor, merely nominal at any time; and, in fome cafes, an oppofition of interefts begets wars, not only between the members of the empire themfelves, but also between the members and the head. In fact, they are feldom confederated but on occafions that would unite the most discordant ftates; that is, for their mutual defence: for few occafions of foreign conquefts or plunder, are of magnitude enough to induce them to unite their armies. Was I inclined, I want ability, to particularize the poffeffions and fituations of all the Chiefs that compofe this Mahratta state. I fhall therefore attempt only to mention the principal ones, commonly styled Jaghiredars, or holders of Jaghires*: their titles to their poffeffions, being nominally during their life time only; although they have long fince become hereditary. The Paishwah, or nominal head of the western empire, refides at Poonah, which is fituated at the fouth-weft extreme of the empire, and about 100 miles from Bombay. There are three principal Jaghiredars on the north of Poonah; and two on the fouth: the first are, Madajee Sindia, Tuckajee Holkar, and Futty Sing Gwicuar; and the latter, Purferam Bow, and Raftah, who is more commonly styled the Meritch Wallah (or Meritch Man) from his having established his capital at that city †, previous to the conqueft of it, by Hyder Ally. Before I proceed to particularize the Jaghire, means a grant of land from a Sovereign to a subject, revokable at pleasure; but generally, or almoft always, for a life rent. + The exact geographical pofition of this important fortress and city, is not afcertained; but it is with great reafon fuppofed to be the fame with Mirje or Mirdji, of Mandeloe's route, drawn by P. du Val which is fituated near the north bank of the Kistna river, about 70 road miles SW from Vifiapour; and 130 from Poonah. It is alfo, moft unquefionably, the fame place with Merrick; a place of confequence, in Aurungzebe's wars with Sambajee. In the Select Committee's reports, it is named indifferently, Merrick and Meritz. It may be collected from those reports, and from Mr. Orme's hiftorical fragments, that this place is fituated on the north bank of the Kitnah; on the NW of Sanore-Bancapour, and on the SW of Vifiapour; and its distance from the former, ought to be very confiderable; for part of the Circars of Nourgal, Azimabad, and Raibaug, intervene between thofe of Bancapour and Meritz. And this is the cafe with Mirjé on the map, which is about 108 G. miles from Bancapour. There is also a fortrefs of great note in Aurengzebe's, and in Hyder Ally's wars, named Darwar, or Danwar. This appears to be comprehended in the Circar of Bancapour, and about 30 coffes on the SE of Meritz. I have not ventured to place Darwar in the map but both the pofition of it, and of Hubely, make it appear ftill more probable that Mirje is the fame with Meritz, Meritch, or Merrick. different partners or sharers, in the feveral provinces, it will be neceffary to obferve that the Mahratta dominions have in fome places, been portioned out among the different Chiefs, after a method that appears the most confufed and intricate, imaginable. For not only the Purgannahs, or grand divifions of provinces, are divided in fome infiances, among three different powers; but even the revenues of particular villages, are divided in like manner; and in confequence, diftinct officers are appointed, for the purpose of collecting the respective shares *. The province or foubah of Malwa (to which this account particularly applies) one of the moft extenfive, and the most elevated, and highly diverfified in Hindooftan, is divided among the Paishwah, Sindia, and Holkar: as is alfo the fmall foubah of Candeith, adjoining to it, on the fouth; and which contains the fine city of Burhanpour, in the poffeffion of Sindia. The province of Agimere, has only in part been poffeffed by the Mahrattas, and that part is now entirely in Sindia's hands. What is here expreffed, relates only to what may be termed Agimere proper; and not to the whole foubah of that name, according to its geographical definition in the Ayin Acbaree: fince the three great Rajpoot principalities, Oudipour, Joodpour, and Joinagur, as well as Rantampour, are there, included in it. Thefe Rajpoots principalities (of which more will be faid hereafter) have long been held tributary to the Mahrattas; and now, by the afcendancy of Sindia, andby virtue of his local fituation, he converts the whole of the tribute to his own ufe. The largest, as well as the fineft part of Guzerat, is divided between the Paishwah, and Futty Sing Gwicuar (or Gwicker) the latter holds his fhare chiefly, in the northern part of it. The provinces on the fouth of Poonah, are divided between the Paishwah, and the Jaghiredars, Purferam Bow, and Raftah. So little is known in Europe concerning the Geography of this part It is probable that this irregular divifion, arofe from fome accidental circumstances at the time when the conqueft was made; and which cannot now be traced but as it has the appearance of an expedient, calculated to check and reftrain the power of the different Jaghiredars, it is generally fuppofed to be the effect of policy and defign. A. of of the country, that the map of it, is almoft a blank. I am by no means certain where to place the cominon boundary of the Mahratta and Tippoo's countries, in this quarter. Hyder took poffeffion of Meritch (Meritz or Mirje) on the north bank of the Kiftna, in 1778; and, I apprehend, never relinquished it. The Paishwah, or his reprefentatives, poffefs alfo many other districts in the NE, and eaft, parts of Malwa, &c. for the Poonah territories, or those of its Jaghiredars, clofe on the river Jumna, oppofite to Calpy: and also extend along the northern bank of the Nerbudda river, almost to its fource; and encroach deeply on the SW fide of Bundelcund, according to its ancient limits. The districts of Sagur, and Mundella, are fituated in this quarter. Thus it appears, that the territories fubject to Poonah, are feparated, or rather infulated, in an extraordinary manner; and this circumftance alone, muft influence the domeftic as well as the foreign politics of this ftate: fince any confiderable Jaghiredar may eafily withhold the government's fhare of the revenues, and convert it to his own ufe. From what has been faid, it will appear impoffible to difcriminate the poffeflions of the Paifhwah, any more than thofe of his Jaghiredars, on the map. All that can be done, is, to mark the body of each tract of land, in which the Paishwah and the particular Jaghiredars participate. It is understood that the Paifhwah poffeffes a larger share, in the western part of the Deccan, than elfewhere. This tract is naturally very strong, particularly on the weft fide towards the fea, where a ftupendous wall of mountains, called the Gauts, rifes abruptly from the low country, called the Concan (or Cockun) fupporting, in the nature of a terrace, a vaft extent of fertile and populous plains, which are fo much elevated, as to render the air cool and pleafant. (See Memoir, pages 179 and 213.) This elevated tract, is continued not only through the Mahratta territories, but extends through the peninfula, to the fouthern extreme of Myfore; and is named Balla-Gaut, through |