throughout its whole extent: meaning literally, the higher, or upper Gauts *. In the peninfula, it is applied in contradiftinction to Payen-Gaut, or the lower Gauts: but in the Deccan, it appears to be used only as a proper name, and not as a correlative: we having never heard of the Deccan, Payen-Gaut.

Nor is it lefs difficult to afcertain the fum of the revenue of this ftate, than to particularize the extent of the districts, from whence it is collected. The most intelligent and best informed perfons that I have confulted on the occafion, will not venture to give an opinion on it. One perfon (a native of India) has ftated the revenue at 12 crores of rupees, or 12 millions fterling: and the net receipts, Jaghires deducted, at five crores. The fame account makes the military establishment in the field, to be 200,000 troops, foot and horfe; befides an equal number in garrifon. Another account of the revenue, by an European gentleman, reckons 7 crores for the net revenue. If the provinces poffeffed by this ftate, were to be rated in the fame proportion as in the time of Aurungzebe, the net revenue would be about 8 crores of rupees, or 8 millions fterling.

Sindia is unquestionably the moft powerful Jaghiredar within this state; and ought to be regarded as a fovereign Prince. Since the Mahratta Peace (1783) he has extended his frontier from Malwa towards the Jumna; fwallowing up moft of the petty ftates that heretofore exifted there: and in particular, that of Gohud, including the celebrated fortress of Gwalior (fee page 157 of the Memoir). He has alfo carried his arms northward to Delhi, and into the provinces of Mewat and Jyenagur; reducing many fortreffes, and a confiderable tract of country, which were heretofore fucceffively poffeffed by the Jats, and Nudjuff Cawn. In fine, he poffefies the perfon of the nominal Great Mogul, and all that can

Gaut, or Ghaut, fignifies either a pafs through mountains, or a landing-place on the bank of a river. In the former fenfe, the term has been applied to the Carnatic, which is divided by ridges of mountains, abounding with paffes and defiles.

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be accomplished by virtue of his name. It would appear that Sindia's plans embrace too great a variety of objects at one and the fame time for, not long ago, his troops were compelled to retire from Bundelcund, in which they poffeffed moft of the open country, the fruits of a very recent conqueft. He feems bent on ex-1 tending his conquefts on the north and weft: but time alone can discover whether he will fucceed in establishing a permanent empire, on that fide. The revenue of his paternal, or original dominions, in Malwa, &c. has been eftimated at one crore of rupees per annum. It is difficult to ascertain what the value of his new acquifitions are, in their present ftate: for thofe portions of Agra, Delhi, &c. which he holds, having been fo long fubject to the depredations of contending armies, little benefit can be derived from them, at prefent*. Gohud, one of thefe acquifitions, is eftimated at 20 or 30 lacks per annum. Holkar is fuppofed to poffefs 80 lacks per annum, in his fhare of Malwa. Sindia's capital city is Ougein, near the ancient city of Mundu, the capital of the Chilligi Kings of Malwa and Holkar's capital is Indore, fituated about 30 miles on the weft of Ougein.

The Berar or Nagpour Rajah, Moodajee Boonflah (or Bonfola) poffeffes the principal part of Berar, together with the province of Oriffa +. The remainder of Berat is held by the Nizam, or Soubah of the Deccan, who pays a chout, or fourth part of its clear revenues to Moodajee. On the weft and fouth, the Berar dominions border on, or are intermixed with, thofe of the Nizam: on the N W and north, are the provinces of Bopal, Gurry-Mundella, &c. tributaries of Poonah; together with the territories of Adjid Sing. On the east, the Nagpour territories thrust themfelves between the British poffeffions in Bengal, and thofe in the northern circars, fo

Thefe territories have formerly yielded 3 or 4 crores per annum : but they are now in a ftate of defolation, which it is impofiible to form any idea of, without having actually beheld them. A. [This note is by a gentleman, who has been on the fpot.) See alfo pag lxxvii. + Oriffa, is nominally one of the British provinces, but we have obferved in another place," that only a very small part of it, is fubject to the Bengal government.

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as to occupy near 180 miles of the country adjacent to the fea; and, of course, to break the continuity of their poffeffions on the fea coaft. Moodajees dominions are very extenfive, being in length from east to weft 550 British miles, and in fome places 200 from north to fouth. He does not poffefs all this in full fovereignty;. for Ruttunpour and Sumbulpour are little more than tributary,. and are governed by his brother Bembajee. We know lefs of the interior parts of Berar, than of most other countries in Hindoostan ; but, by what we do know, it does not appear to be either populous or rich. (See Memoir page 144.) Nagpour is the prefent capital, and the refidence of Moodajee; and it is fituated about midway between Bengal and Bombay.

Cattack, or Cuttack, the capital of Oriffa, is a post of consequence on the river Mahanuddy, as it lies in the only road between Bengal and the northern circars; and the poffeffion of this city and its dependencies, gives the Berar Rajah more confequence in the eyes of the Bengal government, than even his extenfive domain, and centrical pofition in Hindoostan.

Moodajee has been recognised (page lxxxviii) as a defcendant of the original founder of the Mahratta empire, Sevajee. The fum of his revenue, is variously stated. Some have reckoned his part of Berar, at 84 lacks of rupees, per annum; and Cattack at 24: while others have allowed only 60, for his whole revenue. If we take it at the highest calculation, 108 lacks, he ought not to be confidered in a formidable light, by the British power. But placing the actual sum of his income out of the question, his dominions are too widely extended, in proportion to their value, to form a powerful state. Cattack is no less than 480 miles, from the capital Nagpour. It has been well obferved, that the ordinary caufe of jealoufy between neighbouring states, is done away, in the cafe of Bengal and Berar, by the nature of that part of the Berar dominions, which borders on Bengal; it being generally, woody and uninhabited: so that the virtual

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boundaries of both countries are removed to a diftance from each other.

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These are the principal of the countries reduced into the form of governments, by the Mahratta Chiefs: but fo habituated are they to rapine and plunder, that few of the neighbouring states, but have, at one period or other, felt and acknowledged their power. Bengal and Bahar were, for a short time, fubjected to a regular tribute and the Carnatic, Myfore, the Nizam's provinces, the Dooab, Bundelcund, and the fouthern parts of Delhi, have been frequently over-run. Their predatory excursions sometimes carried them 1200 miles from their capital. But the lofs of the battle of Panniput in 1761, induced a degree of caution in their military enterprizes: and from that period, their power appears to have been on the decline. Shut out of Bengal, Oude, and the Carnatic, by the British arms, and out of Myfore by Hyder's, their field of action has been much circumfcribed; and the late war with the British power, discovered their weakness to all Hindooftan.

I am not fufficiently informed on the subject, to be able to particularize all the different provinces, or districts, that are tributary to the Mahratta states. Some have been already mentioned; and among others, the Rajpoot principalities of the Soubah of Agimere: and. which, from their former importance and weight, in the internal politics of the Mogul empire, deserve particular notice.

In the early part of the prefent century, thefe ftates, collectively, appeared fo formidable to the fucceffor of Aurungzebe, that he was constrained to leave them in quiet poffeffion of their independency; during the fedition of the Seiks, in Lahore (See page Ixiv). Vast have been the changes fince that time for what the difciplined armies of Aurungzebe and his fons, could not accomplish, has been effected by the Mahratta freebooters: fo much easier is it to ruin a country, than to make a conquest of it. The history of the decline of the Rajpoot principalities, is foreign to the present work: it is fufficient to obferve, that they are reduced to their prefent low ftate,.

merely by the depredations of Mahratta detachments; which being compofed of light horfe, and accustomed to divide into innumerable small parties; they by their rapid and defultory movements, at once fpread defolation, and elude the attacks of the inhabitants. This must be understood to relate only to the open parts of Rajpootana: the mountainous parts being yet free from their incurfions.

RAJPOOTANA was divided into three great principalities, under the names of Oudipour, Joodpour, and Ambeer, (or Amere) now better known by that of Joinagur, or Jyenagur. Oudipour was also named Meywar, or Midwar; and Joodpour, Marwar.. In Acbar's divifion of the empire, these principalities were claffed as belonging to the foubah of Agimere, which is fometimes called Marwar. It is not an eafy tafk, by means of the geographical matter extant, to affign the precife limits and dimenfions of thefe principalities; which occupy the space between the western confines of Agra, and the NE part of Guzerat; and between the fandy defert (or Registan) and Malwa: that is an extent of 330 British miles from NE to SW; and 200 broad, in the wideft part. Their relative fituations, and comparative dimenfions, may be seen in the map; where Jyenagur or Jyepour, will be found to lie to the northeaft; Oudipour to the SW; and Joodpour to the N W, bordering, angularly, on the other two. Pere Wendell's MS. account of these ftates, from whence I have extracted many of the above particulars, states the revenues of Oudipour at 10 lacks of rupees, Marwar at 40, and Jyenagur at 40, per annum, in the year 1779 *. The two former are very mountainous, with a fandy foil, in the valleys: the latter is the moft fertile, and was, about the middle of this century, in a high ftate of improvement, under the government of the celebrated Rajah Jyefing, or Jeffing; who founded the new capital of Jyepour, which has had the effect (not unusual in Hindoostán)

* The whole revenue of the foubah of Agimere, in the time of Acbar, appears to have been only about 75 lacks. Aurangzebe is faid to have doubled the land-tax on the Rajpoots and Agimere is accordingly stated in Mr. Frafer's account, at 163 lacks of rupees.