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mutations have taken place in every country, where the conquerors have been numerous enough to effect it: the Saxon language was at the fame period fuffering from the Norman conquest, what the Sanferit did from the Ghiznian. Mahomed Gori alfo carried his arms to the fouth of the river Jumna, and took the fortress of Gwalior; which then gave name to a kingdom, that has fince compofed nearly the foubah of Agra: he alfo reduced the eaftern part of Agimere.

The death of this Emperor, in 1205, occafioned a new division of the Ghiznian empire, the Persian part remaining to Eldoze, and the Indian part to Cuttub, who founded the Patan or Afghan dynasty in Hindoostan. The Afghans originally inhabited the mountainous tract lying between India and Perfia, or the ancient Paropamifus. Before the elevation of Cuttub, to the throne, he had carried his arms, under Mahomed Gori, into Agimere and Guzerat. Lahore was his capital, originally: but the neceffity of fixing the imperial refidence, nearer to the centre of the new conquefts, occafioned him to remove to Delhi. It may be observed of the capitals of states, in general, that fuch as are neither emporiums of trade, nor meant as citadels in the last resort, are (as it were) attracted towards the quarter, from whence hoftility is either intended, or expected.

The Emperor Altumfh, who fucceeded to the Patan throne, in 1210, completed the conqueft of the greatest part of Hindooftan proper. He appears to be the firft Mahomedan that made a conqueft of Bengal; the government of which was from this time bestowed on one of the reigning Emperor's fons. It was during this reign (1221) that Gengiz Cawn, among his extensive conquests (perhaps the most so, of any conqueror in history) accomplished that of the empire of Ghizni; putting an end to the dynasty of Charasm, which then occupied that throne: and driving before him, the unfortunate Gelali, fon of the reigning Emperor; who swam the Indus to avoid his fury. Gengiz, however, left Hindoostan undisturbed. 6

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About A. D. 1242, the Moguls, or Munguls, fucceffors of Gengiz, who poffeffed, or rather over-run, the countries on the north-west of Hindooftan, made feveral irruptions into it: and Turmechirin Khan, is reported by Sherefeddin (the historian of Timur) to have carried his arms into the Dooab; but without making any establishment. Ferishta takes no notice of the progrefs of this defultory conqueror, but only defcribes the inroads of the Moguls into the Panjab; which now frequently happened: although it was not till more than 150 years afterwards, that, under Timur, or Tamerlane, they penetrated to the centre of India. Ferishta describes alfo an irruption of Moguls into Bengal, by way of Chitta and Thibet, in 1244.

I have before obferved, that the provinces of Hindooftan were held rather as tributary kingdoms, than as provinces of the fame empire and that they feldom failed to revolt, when a favourable opportunity offered. In 1265, Malwa regained its entire independance from the crown of Delhi; having gradually fhaken off the yoke, laid on it by Cuttub, in 1205 and the Rajpoots were on every occafion, notwithstanding their comparative vicinity. to the capital, afferting their independency likewife. Of the ftate of the internal government of Hindooftan, a judgment may be formed, by the punishment inflicted on the Mewatti, or the Banditti tribe, which inhabit the hilly tract, within 80 miles of Delhi. In 1265, 100,000 of these wretches, were put to the fword; and a line of forts was conftructed, along the foot of their hills. Rebellions, maffacres, and barbarous conquefts, make up the hiftory. of this fair country, which to an ordinary obferver, feems deftined to be the paradife of the world: the immediate effect of the mad: ambition of conquering more than can be governed by one man :) the whole empire being portioned out to rapacious Governors, who domineering over the governed, until their fpirits were fufficiently. debased; were at last able to persuade them, that their common intereft lay in taking up arms, to render thefe Governors indepen

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dant: and indeed, had it brought them nearer to the point of having a regular, permanent, government, this might be true: but, in fact, it only fubjected them to a new conqueror; or to the punishment of rebellion from the former one. It would appear as if the warm climates, and more especially the open countries, fituated within them, were deftined to be the feats of defpotism: for that the climate creating few wants, and the foil being productive without any great exertion; the inhabitants of it do not poffefs those energies, that in a cooler climate prompt mankind to investigate their natural rights, and to affert them. This, however, is a point that I fhall not venture to decide on; although I believe it is a fact not to be difputed, that throughout the known parts of the world, defpotifm prevails moft in the warm climates. The Patan, Mogul, and Tartarian conquerors, in Hindooftan and China, however hardy at first, have in a course of ages, funk into the fame state of effeminacy with their fubjects: and, in their turn, have, with them, received a new mafter. Let those who are in the habit of complaining of the feverity of northern climates, reflect, that whatever physical evils it may produce, it matures the great qualities of the mind; and renders its inhabitants pre-eminent among their fpecies: while a flowery poet, or a more flowery hiftorian, is the most eminent production of the tropical regions.

While the Kings of Delhi were profecuting their conquefts in the eaft and fouth of Hindooftan, the provinces on the weft of the Indus, were, of course, neglected; although not avowedly relinquifhed.. It might have been expected, that fo excellent a barrier as the upper part of the Indus, and the deferts beyond. Agimere, would have induced an Emperor of Hindoostan, to give up, of choice, all the provinces that lay on the weft of this frontier: and the neglect of fo prudent a conduct, occafioned the peace of the empire to be often difturbed; and ended in their being forcibly taken away at laft, by the Moguls: who, not contented with their new acquisitions on the weft of the Indus, croffed that river and invaded

invaded the Panjab: and fo formidable did they appear to Ferose II. that fome tribes of them were permitted to fettle in that country (A. D. 1292.) The reader will not forget the fimilar conduct of the Roman Emperor Valens, with refpect to the Goths, who were permitted to crofs the Danube, and fettle in Thrace: and the fimilitude is the more striking, in that the Hindooftan empire was afterwards conquered by the affiftance of the defcendants of thofe Moguls. This Ferofe II. was of the tribe of Chilligi or Killigi (from Killige, near the mountains of Gaur) but is, nevertheless, included in the Patan dynasty: the name Patan, or Pitan, being applied rather in a loose manner, to all the tribes bordering on the common frontiers of India, Perfia, and the province of Balk: that is, the ancient province of Paropamifus.

In 1293 this Emperor gave into the fcheme of attacking the DECCAN; which, at this period, must be understood to mean the country lying generally to the fouth of the Nerbudda and Mahanada. (or Cattack) rivers: a tract nearly equal in extent to what he already poffeffed in Hindooflan; and which extended from the fhores of the Indus, to the mouth of the Ganges; and from the northern mountains, to Cattack, Sirong, and Agimere: the greatest part of Malwa, with Guzerat, and Sindi, being then independant.: The riches of the King of Deogire (now Dowlatabad) one of the principalities or states of the Deccan, gave birth to this project; and the projector was Alla, Governor of Gurrah, which nearly bordered on the devoted country. The covetoufnefs of the Empe-. ror made him embrace a propofal, which eventually involved in it, his own ruin; for Alla afterwards depofed him, by means of that very plunder.

Alla's first expedition was attended with the capture of Deogire (or Deogur) and with it, an incredible quantity of treasure and jewels with which, having increafed his army, he depofed and murdered the Emperor. We cannot help acknowledging the juftice of this punishment; when we recollect the motives, on which h the

the expedition to the Deccan, was undertaken: and that moreover, the Emperor had been bribed by Alla, with part of the plunder, taken in a former predatory expedition to Bilfah.

When Alla (who was the firft of the name) had poffeffion of the throne, in 1295, he began his plan of conqueft, by the reduction of Guzerat; which, while it continued independant, was, by its local fituation, a strong obstacle to his defigns on the Deccan. Next, he reduced Rantampour, and Cheitore, two of the strongest holds of the Rajpoots, in Agimere. This was the first time that Cheitore had fallen to the Mahomedans. In 1303, he also reduced Warangole, the capital of Tellingana, another principality of the Deccan; and comprehending nearly the present country of Golconda. This, as well as Cheitore, was a city and fortress of vast extent, and population. But in the midst of these conquests, and probably the effect of them, the watchful and restless Moguls, from the oppofite quarter, penetrated even to Delhi; and plundered the fuburbs of it.

In the following year, the remainder of Malwa, was conquered: and in 1306, the conqueft of the Deccan was resumed, under Cafoor, the General of Alla; who proceeded to the Deogur country, by the route of Baglana, which he reduced in his way; and which Ferishta * calls the country of the Mahrattas. Cafoor not only carried his arms into Deogur (Dowlatabad) and from thence into Tellingana, but into the Carnatic likewife, in 1310. By the Carnatic, is here meant the peninfula in general, lying on the fouth of the Kistna river. It is not known, how far he penetrated, fouthward, but he was directed by Alla, to reduce MABER, which we understand to comprehend the fouthern part of the peninfula. His expedition appears to be rather predatory, than otherwife; agreeable to the genius of his master, Alla." The quantity of treasure

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*. It is to be regretted that Col. Dow, did not give a literal translation of Ferifhta, as a text; and add his own matter, or explanations, in the form of notes. We fhould then have been able to diftinguifh the one from the other.

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