who aided him in the recovery of it: and in the early part of his exile, he recovered poffeflion of the provinces beyond the Indus.

Acbar was about 14, when his father died, in 1555. The reign. of this Prince has been celebrated by the pen of the famous AbulFazil, in a book called the Acbar-namma, or hiftory of Acbar. The bufinefs of this sketch, being rather to give a fort of chronological table of events, than to aim at a circumftantial hiftory, I fhall not attempt to particularize the great events of this long and busy reign of 51 years: but refer the reader to the history of Hindooftan, by Col. Dow in which, not only a full account of Acbar, but also of his defcendants, down to Aurungzebe, will be found. As in the perfon of Baber, the line of Tamerlane first mounted the throne of Hindooftan: fo in that of Acbar, the grandfon of Baber, it may be faid to be eftablished. The conqueft of their ancestor, about a century and a half before, had no fhare in effecting the prefent settlement. Baber, was in reality the founder of the Mogul dynafty; and from this event, Hindooftan came to be called the Mogul, empire*.

The first years of Acbar's reign were employed in the reduction of the revolted provinces, from Agimere to Bengal; in which the great Byram, who had a share in recovering the empire for Humaioon, was a principal actor. These conquefts were fecured in a manner very different from those, atchieved by former Emperors : that is, by a proper choice of Governors; by wife regulations; by an unlimited toleration in religious matters; and by a proper attention to the propenfities of the people: to all which, a long and vigorous reign, was peculiarly favourable. The Hindoos ftill formed the bulk of the people; even in those provinces, that, from their vicinity to the country of the conquerors, had been the most

Properly speaking, the MOGUL EMPIRE was that, over which Tamerlane and his immediate fucceffors reigned; and in which, India was not inclnded. Custom, however, has transferred the name to the empire held by the defcendants of Tamerlane, in Hindoostan and the Deccan.

6

frequently

frequently over-run: and experience had taught the Mahomedan conquerors, that the paffive religion and temper of the Hindoos, would, if left to themfelves, never disturb the established government. But the DECCAN was a ftumbling block to the Mogul Emperors. In 1585, Acbar refolved on the attack of it, and foon after carried the war into Berar, while another army was reducing Cashmere, in an oppofite corner of the empire. The Deccan appears at this time, to have been divided into the kingdoms or states of Candeifh, Amednagur (or Dowlatabad) Golconda (or Bagnagur) and Viliapour. Berar and the Carnatic, each of which included feveral diftinct governments, are not specified by the hiftorian, as members of the Deccan: by which it would appear that they do not, in strictness, appertain to it. In the popular language of the times, there were reckoned to be four principalities in the Deccan: that is to. fay, the four first mentioned, above. Moft, if not all of thefe, were. at this time governed by. Mahomedan Princes; although we are not in poffeffion of any history of the conquests or revolutions, that transferred them from the Hindoos to. the Maho medans. At the time of Acbar's death, in 1605, no farther progrefs was made in the reduction of the Deccan, and the adjoining countries, than the taking poffeffion of the western part of Berar, Candeifh, Tellingana (a divifion of Golconda) and the northern part of Amednagur; the capital of which, bearing the fame name, was taken in 1601, after a long and bloody fiege, and an unfuc+ cessful attempt to relieve it, by the confederated. Princes, of the Deccan..

f

Acbar was the glory of the houfe of Timur. Hindooftan proper, had never, at any period fince the first Mahomedan conqueft, experienced fo much tranquillity, as during the latter part of his reign: but this tranquillity would hardly be deemed fuch, in any other quarter of the world; and must therefore be understood to mean a ftate, fhort of actual rebellion, or at least, commotion. Prince Danial,, his eldest fon, died juft before him; and Selim,

the next, in right of primogeniture, fucceeded under the title of Jehanguire.

Jehanguire reigned about 22 years. Under him, the conqueft of the Deccan was not loft fight of, though but faintly purfued. War was made on the Rajpoots, and the Rana, or chief Prince, brought to terms. The rebellions of the Emperor's fon, Shah Jehan, embittered the latter part of his reign; and the influence of his mistress Noor Jehan, rendered his councils weak, and conftrained his government. However, the provinces having been held together for near 70 years, the empire had acquired a degree of confolidation; and was not fo liable to be shaken, as it would have been at some former periods, under the operation of fimilar events. It was in this reign, and in the year 1615, that Sir Thomas Roe was fent as the first English Ambassador to the Emperor of Hindooftan. The Portuguese, had by this time, acquired confiderable settlements in Bengal and Guzerat; but only those in Guzerat, where they alfo poffeffed fome extent of territory, attracted the notice of the court: and it is curious to obferve what the author of the Ayin Acbaree fays of them, about the year 1560. Speaking of the lands of Guzerat, he fays, "By the neglect of the King's Governors, several of these districts are in the hands of Europeans." Ferifhta, alfo, fpeaking of the fite of an ancient Hindoo temple, near Diu, fays that it was fituated in the districts, that were subject to the "Idolaters of Europe."

Shah Jehan fucceeded his father in 1627. The conqueft of the Deccan was purfued with more vigour in this reign: and the plunders and devaftations perpetrated there; occafioned most, or all of its Princes, to make fubmiflion, and acknowledge the Emperor, lord paramount. Golconda was in part, actually taken poffeffion of but Vifiapour and the Carnatic, together with the regions of the Gauts, remained in the hands of their ancient poffeffors:

Candahar, a fortrefs fituated on the common boundary of Perfia, and of the Mogul provinces beyond the Indus, was, at this time,

a fub

a fubject of contention, between the two Monarchs of Perfia and Hindooftan. The first ferious quarrel between the Europeans (Portuguese) and Moguls, happened during this reign," 1633: when the Portuguese were expelled from Hoogly, in the Ganges. In 1658, the civil wars commenced between the Emperor and his fons; as well as between the fons themfelves: which ended in the elevation of Aurungzebe, the youngest; after he had depofed his father, and murdered or expelled his three brothers. The account of these transactions may be feen at large, in Bernier and Dow: and is a very curious piece of hiftory. In 1660, Aurengzebe (who took the name or title of Allumgire and was the first of that name) was in peaceable poffeffion of the throne: and from that period, until the year 1678, there prevailed, throughout Hindooftan in general, the moft profound peace that had ever, perhaps, been known: but the remainder of the Deccan, was ftill a defideratum; and Aurungzebe difdained to have any other boundary, on the fouth, than the ocean. Accordingly, the conqueft of the remote part of the Deccan employed a very confiderable part of his leifure during the latter part of his reign: when the whole of that region, together with the peninfula, a few mountainous and inacceffible tracts only excepted, were either entirely subjected, or rendered tributary to the throne of Delhi. What might appear to Aurungzebe to render this ftep of fubduing the Deccan, neceffary, was, the determined fpirit and growing power of Sevagee, the founder of the Mahratta ftate; who, by his conquefts in Vifiapour, appeared almost in the character of a rival to Aurungzebe.

A rebellion of the Patans beyond the Indus, in 1678, called for the prefence of Aurungzebe, there: which was no fooner quelled, than his perfecution of the Hindoos ftirred up the Rajpoot tribes in Agimere. He undertook this war alfo, in perfon: but was hemmed in with his whole army, between the mountains, and the Empress herself, was taken prisoner: fhe was afterwards, however, permitted to escape, as well as the Emperor. This did not dif

courage him from carrying the war into the Rajpoot country again, in 1681 when he took and destroyed Cheitore, the famous capital of the Rana; as well as all the objects of Hindoo worship found there. The fpirits of thefe gallant people, were, however, ftill unfubdued and Aurungzebe was neceffitated to grant them a peace

*.

Sevagee died in 1680, and left his rifing state of Mahrattas, to his fon Sambajee; who was afterwards betrayed into the hands of Aurungzebe, and barbaroufly put to death. Still, however, the mountainous parts of Baglana were unfubdued; and although the kingdom of Vifiapour was reduced in 1686, and Golconda, in the following year; yet he found great difficulty in profecuting his conquests on the weft: as appears by his camp being fixed on the Kiftna river, about 200 miles to the north-eastward of Goa, in 1695: I fay, appears: for we have at prefent, no regular history of any later period, than the 10th year of Aurungzebe: that is, to the year 1670; when Mr. Dow's history finishes: all the events that are subsequent to this date, are from other authorities.

It is faid that Aurungzebe was employed in the Deccan from the year 1678, to the time of his death, and was actually in the field, during the greatest part of the last 15 years of his life. This dereliction of his original empire and capital for nearly 30 years, occafioned various diforders in them: and laid the foundation of many more: among others, the second rebellion of the Rajpoots in Agimere; that of the Patans towards the Indus; and of the Jats, or Jates, in the province of Agra. This was the first time that the Jats appeared, otherwise than as banditti: fince which, they grew

The reader may find in the 49th note to Mr. Orme's Hiftorical Fragments of the Mogul empire, a letter written by Jefwont Sing, Rajah of Joudypour, to Aurungzebe, expoftulating with him on the unjust measures he was purfuing, with refpect to the Hindoos. This letter breathes the most perfect spirit of philanthropy, and of toleration in matters of religion: together with the most determined refolution to oppose the meditated attack on the civil and religious rights of the Hindoos. The elegant translation of this letter was made by Mr. Boughton Roufe.

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