of changing the name of the province to that of the capital. P. Wendel represents Jyepour as a place of great wealth and commerce in 1779, being the entrepot of the principal part of the goods, that are brought from every quarter of India. The Rajah built alfo an obfervatory in his capital, and invited Pere Boudier to it, in 1734. It is feared that the confufions that have so long prevailed in this province, must have greatly reduced the wealth and importance of the capital. We have mentioned before, that Sindia receives the tribute of all the three Rajpoot provinces, and converts it to his own ufe: and that he had made fome confiderable conquests in them, particularly in Jyenagur.

It is probable that in early times, the whole Rajpootana constituted one entire kingdom, or empire, under the Rana or Prince of Oudipour, who has in all times, fince we had any knowledge of his history, been confidered as the head of the Rajpoot ftates. A long established custom of homage to a temporal Prince, from those, who do not acknowledge his fuperiority in any other way, feems to prove the existence of real power in the hands of his ancestors. In modern times the Rana of Oudipour seems to have been confidered fomewhat in the fame light as the general of the Amphyctions was in Greece. Cheitore was the ancient capital of the Rana, a place much celebrated for its ftrength, riches, and antiquity, when it was taken and defpoiled by Acbar in 1567: Oudipour is the prefent capital.

The Rajpoots are not confined entirely to the tract abovementioned, or even to the foubah of Agimere: fince fome inferior tribes of them are fettled in Bundelcund, and in Gurry-Mundella! Others, according to Thevenot, are fettled in Moultan; and indeed he reprefents Moultan as the original country of the Kuttries, from whom the Rajpoots fprung. (See page 93 of the Memoir.)

Of the countries of Nagore, Bickaneer, Jaffelmere, and those bordering on the lower part of the courfe of the river Puddar, and on. the fandy defert, we know little at prefent, except that they form.

a number of petty Rajahships; and are understood to be mostly inhabited by Rajpoots.

The Rajpoots are ordinarily divided into two tribes or claffes thofe of RATHORE, and CHOHAN, or SEESODYA. Marwar, or the NW divifion of Agimere, is the proper country of the former; and Meywar, or Oudipour, of the latter. The reader will be pleased to obferve, that Cheitore is alfo fynonimous with Oudipour, or Meywar. The Rathore tribe were originally the most numerous of the two. It has often been afferted, and by the late Col. Dow, among others, that the Mahratta Chiefs had their origin from the Rathore tribe and to countenance this opinion, the etymology of the name Mahratta, has been drawn from RATHORE; prefixing to it, MAHA, or Great. We have feen, however, in page lxxix, that the fact is very different, and refts on the foundation of historic records; the term Mahratta being derived from Marhat, or Marheyt, the name of the province in which Sevajce first established his independency and this etymology appears to be perfectly natural. And by the fame rule, Sevajee must have been of the Seefodya tribe, as drawing his lineage from Oudipour; and not of the Rathore tribe, as erroneously represented.

Of the five northern circars, Cicacole, Rajamundry, Ellore, and Condapilly*, are in the poffeffion of the English; and Guntoor is in the hands of the Nizam. The four first occupy the fea coast from the Chilka lake on the confines of Cattack, to the northern bank of the Kiftna river; forming, comparatively, a long, narrow flip of country, 350 miles long, and from 20 to 75 wide. The nature of the country is fuch, as to be easily defenfible against an Indian enemy, it having a barrier of mountains and extenfive forests on one fide, and the fea on the other; the extremities only being open. Its greatest defect is in point of relative fituation to Bengal

* Thefe circars, or provinces, were originally denominated from their position in refpect to Madras, on which they depend: and the term northern circars has at length been adopted by the English in general.

and

and Madras, it being 350 British miles from the first, and 250 from the latter; fo that the troops deftined to protect it, cannot be reckoned on, for any preffing fervice that may arise at either prefidency. The circars, in point of strictness, appertain partly to Golconda (or the Deccan) and partly to Oriffa; and are held of the Nizam on condition of paying him a ftipulated quit rent. When the French took poffeffion of the five circars, in 1753, they were valued at about 43 lacks of rupees per annum. The English never poffeffed Guntoor, which was estimated at near 7 lacks of the above fum: fo that 36 lacks (360,000l.) fhould be taken for the true value of the English poffeffions in the circars. In 1784, they were reckoned to produce about that fum. It would appear that the Nizam, by retaining Guntoor, has more than an equivalent for the pefhcufh or tribute, which is 5 lacks per annum.

The poffeffions of the Nizam, or Soubah of the Deccan (a younger fon of the famous Nizam al Muluck) comprise the province of Golconda, that is, the ancient province of Tellingana, or Tilling, situated between the lower parts of the courses of the Kistna and Godavery rivers, and the principal part of Dowlatabad; together with the western part of Berar, fubject (as has been faid before) to a tribute of a chout, or fourth part of its net revenue, to the Berar Mahratta. The Nizam has the Paifhwah, or Poonah Mahratta on the weft and north-weft; the Berar Mahratta on the north; the northern circars on the eaft; and the Carnatic, and Hyder Ally on the south. I am not perfectly clear in my idea of his western boundary, which, during his wars with the Mahrattas, was fubject to continual fluctuation: but I understand generally that it extends more than 40 miles beyond the city of Aurungabad, weftwards; and comes within 80 miles of the city of Poonah: and that on the S Wit goes confiderably beyond the river Beemah, and to the borders of Sanore-Bancapour. His capital is Hyderabad, or Bagnagur, fituated on the Mouffi river, near the famous fortrefs of Golconda.

The

The districts of Adoni and Rachore, which were in the hands of Bazalet Jung (brother to the Nizam) during his life time, are now in the hands of the Nizam. The Sourapour, or Sollapour Rajah, on the west of the Beemah river, together with some other Rajahs, are his tributaries.

Probably the Nizam's dominions, including his tributaries and feudatories, are no less than 430 miles in length, from N W to SE, by 300 wide. Till he took poffeffion of the Guntoor circar in 1780, his dominions no where touched on the sea coaft.

The Guntoor circar (called alfo Mortizanagur and Condavir) occupies the space between Condapilly, the fouthmost of our four circars, and the northern part of the Carnatic; extending along the fea coaft of the bay of Bengal more than 30 miles. The poffeffion of this diftrict to the English, would have been extremely eligible, as well for the purpose of shutting out the French nation from the Deccan, as to keep open a communication with the northern circars, and to preserve the continuity of our poffeffions, and those of our allies. Although the maritime parts of this circar are flat and open, yet the interior part of it contains fome very strong fortreffes, and posts. The Nizam took poffeffion of it on the death of his brother Bazalet Jung, and still holds it.

It has not been in my power to obtain, even a tolerably exact account of the fum of the Nizam's revenue; or of his military establishment: the latter, however, is far from being refpectable, on the score of difcipline. The former has been ever varying, and generally diminishing; by reafon of the encroachments of the Poonah Mahrattas, and the Myforcans: it is faid to be reduced fo low as 130 lacks of rupees, annually. But befides this fum of actual revenue, it must be taken into the account, that he has depending on him, many Jaghiredars, who hold their lands on the tenure of military service.

The dominions of Mahomed Ally, Nabob of the Carnatic, and an Ally of the East India Company, commence on the south of

the

the Guntoor circar, and extend along the whole coaft of Coromandel to Cape Comorin. It must be understood that I mean here to include Tanjore, Marawar, Tritchinopoly, Madura, and Tinevelly; all being appendages of the Carnatic. Under this defcription, the Carnatic is not less than 570 British miles in length from north to fouth, but no where more than 120 wide, and commonly no more than 75. Such a long, narrow, tract of country, bordered by an active and powerful enemy, whofe territories are, moreover, of a compact form, and his force more readily collected, muft always be fubject to have its diftant provinces cut off from its affiftance or if it divides its force, for their feparate defence, the fafety of the whole will be endangered.

The Carnatic anciently comprised all that part of the peninsula that lies fouth of the Gondegama and Tungebadra rivers, from the coaft of Coromandel eastward, to the Gaut mountains weftward, and was divided into Balla-Gaut and Payen-Gaut, or the upper and lower Gauts *; the former being the western part, and containing the districts which now compofe the country of Tippoo; and the latter, the eastern part, or the Carnatic according to its préfent definition.

The revenue of the Nabob is ftated at about a million and a half fterling, annum: out of which, he pays a fubfidy of 160,000l. to the East India Company towards the expence of their military establishment. The evils attendant on the improvident conduct of the Nabob, were feverely felt, during the late war, and ought to be cautiously guarded againft, in future.

The British poffeffions in the Carnatic are confined, chiefly, to the tract called the Jaghire, which extends along the coaft, about 108 B. miles, and 47 inland, in the wideft part. Its revenue is reckoned 150,000l. Befides the Jaghire, there are lands dependant on Cuddalore, but the amount is not confiderable.

• See the term Gaut, explained in page cxxviii.

The whole

amount