their infolence, and ended in their feizing on the provinces themfelves.

In 1738, the Nizam, confident of his intereft with a powerful faction at Court, came thither, attended by a large body of armed followers. Dowran, the commander in chief of the army of the empire, was at the head of the Court party; which the Nizam finding too ftrong, to be easily difpoffeffed of their places, he invited Nadir Shah, the ufurper of the Perfian throne, and who was then engaged in the fiege of Candahar, to invade Hindooftan: hoping that he and his faction might get rid of Dowran; or at any rate, that they might profit by the confufion it would occafion. Many thought that the Nizam's views extended to the empire itself. Accordingly, in the following year, Nadir Shah entered Hindooftan, and advanced to the plains of Carnawl, where Dowran had affembled the army, but was foon after killed in a skirmish. So uncertain was the ftate of things, even at this time, that Nadir Shah offered to evacuate the empire for fifty lacks of rupees (half a million). But the intrigues of the Nizam and his

party, occafioned the weak Emperor to throw himself on the clemency of the invader; who entered Delhi, and demanded 30 millions fterling, by way of ranfom. Tumults, maflacres, and famine, were the refult: 100,000 of the inhabitants were maffacred, and 62 millions of plunder, were faid to be collected. Nadir married his fon to a grand daughter of Aurungzebe, reftored Mahomed Shah to his throne, and returned to Perfia, after obtaining the ceffion of all the countries fubject to Hindooftan, lying on the west of the Indus.

His departure left the Nizam in poffeffion of the whole remaining power of the empire: and which he facrificed to his own views. in the Deccan, where he established an independant kingdom for himself. The Mahratta invafions of the Carnatic in 1740 and 1741, and particularly the defeat and death of Doaft Ally (Nabob of Arcot) by their arms, called the Nizam home; after delegating his power at Court to his eldeft fon Gazi o'dien,

The

The Nizam, on his arrival, fettled the Carnatic for the prefent, by placing Anwar o'dien, father of the prefent Mahomed Ally, in the government, or Nabobíhip of Arcot; which was then underfood to comprehend nearly the prefent Carnatic.

Bengal became independant of Delhi a little before this time (1738) under Aliverdy Cawn; and not long after, a vast army of Mahrattas, both from Poonah and Berar (for they were now divided into two states) invaded it, under the fanction of the Emperor's name, who being at a lofs to fatisfy their repeated demands, fent them to collect for themselves, the arrears of revenue, fince the defection of Aliverdy. About the fame time the Rohillas, a tribe from the mountains that lie between India and Perfia, erected an independant state on the eaft of the Ganges, and within 80 miles of Delhi. Very strong fymptoms of the univerfal diffolution of the empire, appeared, at this time.

Nadir Shah died in 1747 and in the confufion that followed, Abdalla, one of his Generals, feized on the eastern part of Persia, and on the bordering provinces of India, that were' ceded by Mahomed Shah to Nadir; and these he formed into a kingdom, known at present by that of Candahar; or more familiarly by that of the Abdalli. It comprises nearly the ancient empire of Ghizni.

Mahomed Shah died the fame year, having reigned 29 years: a long period, confidering the fate of his immediate predeceffors, and the state of anarchy that prevailed fo univerfally in Hindooftan.

Ahmed Shah, fon of Mahomed, fucceeded his father. In his reign, which lafted about 6 years, the entire divifion of the remainder of the empire took place: nothing remaining to the houfe of Timur, fave a small territory round Delhi, together with the city itfelf (now no longer a capital) expofed to repeated depredations, maffacres, and famines, by the contests of invaders. The laft army that might be reckoned imperial, was defeated by the Rohillas, in 1749; by which their independency was firmly eftablished in the eaftern

k 2

eaftern part of the province of Delhi. The Jates, or Jats, a Hindoo tribe under Soorage-Mull, eftablished themselves, and founded a ftate in the province of Agra. The Deccan and Bengal we have already feen, ufurped by their Viceroys, the Nizam and Aliverdy: Oude was feized on by Seifdar Jung (father to the late Sujah Dowlah, and grandfather to the reigning Nabob of Oude, Azuph Dowlah): Allahabad by Mahomed Kooli: Malwa was divided between the Poonah Mahrattas, and feveral native Princes, and Zemindars: Agimere reverted of course, to its ancient lords, the Rajpoot Princes: and the Mahrattas, who had of late been making large ftrides towards univerfal plunder, if not to universal empire; poffeffed, in addition to their fhare of Malwa, the greatest part of Guzerat, Berar, and Oriffa; befides their ancient domains in the Deccan and were alternately courted and employed by different parties, and were become the Swifs of India; with this deviation from the custom of the European Swifs, that they ufually paid themselves, instead of being paid by their employers. Abdalla, as has just been faid, having established his new kingdom very early in this reign, entered Lahore and Moultan (or the Panjab) with a view to the conqueft of them. The whole country of Hindoostanproper, was in commotion from one extreme to the other: each party fearing the machinations or attacks of the other; fo that ali regular government was at an end, and villiany was practifed inevery form. Perhaps, in the annals of the world, it has feldomhappened that the bonds of government were fo fuddenly diffolved,. over a portion of country, containing at least 60 millions of inhabitants..

The Nizam died, at a very advanced age*, in 1748, and was fucceeded by his fon Nazirjung, in prejudice to the rights of his eldeft fon, Gazi, Vizier to the nominal Emperor. The contefts that followed foon after, between Nazirjung, and his nephew:

He was 104 years old. He left

fons; Gazi o'dien, Nafirjung, Salabidjung, Nizamally (the prefent foubah of the Deccan, and the only furvivor) and Bazalet Jung. Muz.

I.

Muzzuffer Jung, for the throne of the Deccan; and between the families of Anwar o'dien and Chunda Saheb, for the Nabobship of Arcot, one of its provinces; occafioned the French and Englifly to engage as auxiliaries in the wars that happened in confequence of them. In the first, the French alone interfered: in the latter, both nations; the English efpoufing the caufe of the family of Anwar o'dien. These wars lafted till the year 1754; and ended, after much bloodshed by battle and affaffination, in fixing Mahomed Ally, fecond fon of Anwar o'dien, in the government of Arcot; and Salabidjung, fon of the late Nizam-al-Muluck, in the foubahfhip of the Deccan; the original difputants being either affaffinated or killed in battle. By this refult, the English gained the point of establishing their fecurity and their influence in the Carnatic and the French, in addition to the folid advantage of getting poffeffion of the northern circars *, valued at half a million. sterling, of annual revenue, gained the fplendid but uncertain pri-vilege of influencing the councils of the Nizam, by attending. his perfon with their army, commanded by the celebrated M.. Buffy.

The Mogul empire was now become merely nominal: and the Emperors must in future be regarded as of no political confequence, otherwife than as their names and perfons were made ufe of, by different parties, to forward their own views. That the name and: perfon of the Emperor were of use, as retaining a confiderable degree of veneration among the bulk of the people in Hindoostan and the Deccan, is evident, from the application made at different. times, for grants of territory, forcibly acquired by the grantee, but which required the fanction of the lord paramount, in order to reconcile the tranfaction to the popular, or perhaps, vulgar opinion. Thus every ufurper has endeavoured to fanctify his ufurpation, by either a real or pretended grant from the Emperor: and others, by

The geographical pofition of the circars, and the origin of the application of the term northern, to them, will be found in the latter part of this Introduction..

obtain

obtaining poffeffion of his perfon, have endeavoured to make their acts pass for his. Another remarkable instance of the effect of popular opinion, is, that the coin throughout the whole tract, known by the name of the Mogul empire, is to this day, ftruck in the naine of the nominal Emperor.

In 1753, the Emperor Ahmed was depofed by Gazi*, after having reigned about 6 years. In the preceding year, the Mahrattas had been called in, to affift in reducing the Jats, who were in poffeffion of Agra, and become troublefome neighbours to the Emperor and in the prefent year, the Berar Mahrattas established themselves in Oriffa, by ceffion from Aliverdy, Nabob of Bengal: who was also compelled, for a fhort time, to pay them a tribute for Bengal and Bahar, amounting to one fourth of the clear revenue. This, together with the Mogul's former permiffion to collect the arrears of revenue due to him, is the foundation of their claims on Bengal and Bahar; and which they have never relinquished, although the times may have been unfavourable to their afferting them.

Allumguire II. grandfon of Bahader Shah, was placed on the nominal throne by Gazi, with the concurrence of Nidjib Dowlah, a Rohilla Chief, and commander of the army. Abdalla of Candahar, was at this time in poffeffion of Lahore, and threatened Delhi, In 1756, the Emperor, to get rid of Gazi, invited Abdalla to Delhi; who accordingly came, and laid that unfortunate city under heavy contributions; not even sparing the fepulchrès of the dead: but being baffled in his attempt on Agra (held by the Jats) he proceeded no farther eastward, but returned towards Perfia, in 1758. The Emperor and his family were now reduced to the loweft poffible state of royalty: alternately foliciting the affistance

It is necessary to obferve, that the Gazi o'dien in question, is not the perfon whom we have feen before, in the capacity of Vizier to Mahomed Shah; but his fon. But this is the Gazi, who is fo famous, or rather infamous, for affaffinations and crimes of almost every other kind. The elder Gazi perished in an attempt to recover the poffeffion of the Deccan from his younger brother Salabidjung, in 1752.

of