of Abdalla, and of the Mahrattas; and as much in dread of their allies, as of their enemies.

In 1760, Allumgire was depofed and murdered by Gazi. His fon, the prefent Emperor, who took the title of Shah Aulum, was then engaged in a fruitlefs attempt to reduce the Bengal provinces. He had fucceffively thrown himself, on the Mahrattas, Nidjib Dowlah, and Sujah Dowlah, for protection and affiftance; but without fuccefs. Mahomed Kuli of Allahabad, however, received him and it was by means of an army furnished by that Chief, and by Bulwantfing, Zemindar of Benares, that he was enabled to enter the Bengal provinces, where he was joined by fome refractory Zemindars of Bahar, and made up altogether a force of about 60,000 men: but notwithstanding his numbers, they were fo ill provided, that he ended his expedition (in 1761) by furrendering himself to the British, who had taken the field as allies to the Nabob of Bengal: and who, having at that time no inducement to connect their fortunes with his, he applied with more fuccefs to Sujah Dowlah, who, in Mahomed Kuli's abfence, had feized on Allahabad.

Abdalla, had vifited Hindooftan no lefs than 6 times during the late reign; and appeared to have much more influence in the empire than Allumgire had. His fixth visit, was in 1759 and 1760; when Delhi was again plundered and almoft depopulated, although during the time of Aurungzebe it was fuppofed to contain two millions of fouls.

The Mahrattas in the midft of thefe confufions and revolutions, daily gathered ftrength. We find them engaged in every scene of politics and warfare from Guzerat to Bengal; and from Lahore to the Carnatic. Poffeffed of fuch extenfive domains and vast armies, they thought of nothing lefs than driving out Abdalla, and reftoring the Hindoo government, throughout the empire. Thus the principal powers of Hindooftan were arranged in two parties; the Hindoos and Mahomedans: for the Jats joined the Mahrattas;

and.

and Sujah Dowlah, with the Rohillas, and other Mahomedan Chiefs of lefs note, joined Abdalla: and a battle enfued in the old scene of warfare, the plains of Carnawl and Panniput. There were faid to be 150,000 Mahomedans, and no less than 200,000 Mahrattas, whofe caufe the Jats deferted, before the battle. This was the most important ftruggle, that had taken place, fince the contests between Aurungzebe's fons, in 1707. Victory declared for Abdalla, after a battle more obftinate and bloody than any that the records of Hindooftan can probably fhew: the carnage of the day, and the number of Mahratta prisoners taken, were almost incredible; and great deeds of valour were performed on both fides. This battle was decifive of the pretenfions of the Mahrattas, to univerfal empire in Hindooftan. They loft the flower of their army, together with their beft Generals and from that period (1761) their power has been fenfibly on the decline.

Abdalla's influence at Delhi, was now unlimited; and he invited Shah Aulum thither (then engaged in Bahar, as abovefaid) promifing to feat him on the throne of his ancestors, He, however, did not venture to truft himself in the hands of Abdalla: who therefore, as his prefence was required in Lahore, where the Seiks were on the point of overpowering his garrifons, fet up Jewan Bucht, the fon of Shah Aulum*, for Emperor, under the tuition and protection of Nidjib Dowlah; from whom he exacted an annual tribute. Thus, in fact, Abdalla became Emperor of Delhi: and if his inclinations had led him to establish himself in Hindoostan, it is probable that he might have began a new dynasty of Emperors, in his own perfon. He meant, probably, at fome future time, to purfue his defigns, whatever they were, either for himfelf or for the heir of the houfe of Timur, to which he had allied himself by a match with one of the Princeffes. His fon and

This is the perfon who visited Mr. Haftings at Lucknow, in 1784. He was about 13 years old at the time of Abdalla's laft vifit to Delhi,

fucceffor, the prefent Timur Shah, married another Princess of the fame line.

After the departure of Abdalla, it appears that all the territory remaining to Nidjib Dowlah, for himself and the young Emperor, was the northern part of the province of Delhi. In the following year, 1762, both the Jats and Mahrattas preffed hard on Nidjib Dowlah, but he either baffled them, or bought them off; and held his ground during his life time: and then tranfmitted his country, which is chiefly fituated between the Ganges and Jumna, to his fon Zabeta Cawn, the prefent poffeffor.

Shah Allum the legal Emperor (whofe fon we have juft feen in the character of his father's reprefentative) was without territory, and without friends, fave only a few Omrahs who were attached to his family; and were, like him, difpoffeffed of their property and ftation. The expulfion of the Nabob of Bengal, Coffim Ally, by the English, in 1763, by drawing Sujah Dowlah into the quarrel, was the means, once more, of bringing the wandering Emperor into notice. But he had more to hope from the fuccefs of the British arms, than thofe of his patron, Sujah Dowlah and the uninterrupted fuccefs that attended them in 1763, 64, and 65, by the dispersion of the armies of Coffim Ally, and of Sujah Dowlah, and by the entire conqueft of Oude and Allahabad; left both the Emperor and Sujah Dowlah, no hopes, but from the moderation of the victors. Lord Clive, who affumed the government of Bengal, in 1765, restored to Sujah, all that had been conquered from him, except the provinces of Corah and Allahabad; which were kept as part of an establishment for the Emperor at the fame time he obtained from the fame Emperor, a grant of the provinces of Bengal, Bahar and Oriffa, together with the northern circars; on condition of paying the Emperor 26 lacks of rupees (260,000l.) per annum, by way of tribute, or quit rent. The Corah provinces were valued at 30 lacks more. Thus was a provifion made for the Emperor; and a good bargain ftruck for the English: for Bengal

and the circars might be estimated at a million and a half net revenue, after the charges of the civil and military establishments, were paid. The Emperor was to refide at the city of Allahabad; and was, in effect, under the protection of the English, to whom die owed all that he poffeffed. A treaty offenfive and defenfive was entered into, with Sujah Dowlah, Nabob of Oude: and his territories being fituated fo as to form a barrier to ours, a competent force stationed within them, ferved to guard both, at the fame time; and it was convenient to the poffeffor of Oude, to pay the expence of it, as if it had been retained for his fervice only...

It was, however, the misfortune of the Emperor, that he could not accommodate his mind to the standard of his circumftances; although these were far more favourable now, than at any other period of his life. But being the lineal defcendant of the house of Timur, he afpired to poffefs the capital city of his ancestors; and, in grafping at this fhadow, he loft the fubftance of what he already poffeffed. For after about 6 years quiet refidence at Allahabad, he put himself into the hands of the Mahrattas, who promifed to feat him on the throne of Delhi: thofe very Mahrattas, who had wrefted the fairest of his provinces from his family; and whofe object was to get poffeffion of the reft: and who intended to use his perfon and name, as one of the means of accomplishing it. A ceffion of the Corah provinces to the Mahrattas, was the immediate confequence of this connexion: and had not the English interpofed, the Mahrattas would have established themfelves in that: important angle of the Dooab, which commands the navigation of the upper part of the river Ganges, and the whole courfe of the Jumna; and which would have brought them almost close to our doors befides the evil of extending their influence and power; and of feeding their hopes of extending them still further. The principle on which the British Government acted, was this they confidered the Corah, &c. provinces, which by right of conquest were originally theirs, as having reverted again to them, when they

were

were alienated from the purposes, for which they had been originally granted to the Emperor; and applied to the purpose of aggrandizing a power, which was inimical to them and to their allies. They therefore took poffeffion of those provinces again, and immediately ceded them to the Nabob of Oude, for a valuable confideration. Indeed, it was a mistake originally, not to restore the poffeffion of them to Sujah Dowlah, in common with the rest of his territories and to fettle a certain ftipend in lieu of them, to the Emperor for they, forming the frontier towards the Mahrattas and Jats, fhould have been placed in hands, that were better able to defend them.

The Mogul, however, went to Delhi; thereby lofing all that he had acquired from the British; and has ever fince been a kind of ftate prifoner: living on the produce of a trifling domain, which he holds by a tenure of sufferance; allowed him partly out of veneration for his ancestors, and partly for the ufe of his name. It must be allowed, that the Princes of Hindooftan, have generally fhewn a due regard to the diftreffes of fallen royalty (when life has been spared) by granting Jaghires, or penfions. Ragobah's, is a cafe in point. The private diftreffes of Shah Allum (it is almost mockery to call him the Great Mogul, or Emperor) were, however, fo preffing, during Mr. Haftings's laft journey to Oude (1784) that his fon Jewan Bucht came to folicit affiftance from the English. Since the peace of 1782, Madajee Sindia, a Mahratta Chief, and the poffeffor of the principal part of Malwa, has taken the lead at Delhi; and has reduced several places fituated within the districts formerly poffeffed by the Fats, Nudjuff Cawn, and the Rajah of Joinagur and it may be concluded that Sindia has in view to extend his conquefts on the fide of Agimere: and to establish for himself, a confiderable ftate, or kingdom.

It might be expected that the Rajpoots of Agimere, &c. would be lefs averfe to receiving a Sovereign of their own religion, than they were to fubmit to the Mahomedan Emperors: and, more