Gauts. And on the fide of Oude, the province of Gohud, and other diftricts, together with the celebrated fortrefs of Gwalior, were reduced; and the war carried into the heart of Malwa. But the expences of a fuccefsful war, may be too grievous to be borne: and as a war with Hyder Ally had broke out in 1780, and ftill continued, it was justly esteemed a most defirable advantage to effect a peace with the Mahrattas; after detaching Sindia, the principal member of that state, from the confederacy. This peace was negociated in 1782 and 1783, by Mr. David Anderfon; whofe fervices on that memorable occafion, claim, as is faid in another place, the united thanks of Great Britain and Hindooftan. All the acquifitions made during the war, were given up, fave Salfette, and the small islands fituated within the gulf formed by Bombay, Salfette, and the continent. The government at Poonah, during the minority, was fhared among a junto of Ministers: and it is probable that so long a minority, may yet make fome effential changes in the conftitution of a state, so accustomed to revolutions in the fuperior departments of its government. The prefent Paifhwah, by name Madarow (fon of Narain Row, as beforementioned) was born in 1774. The eastern Mahratta State, or that of Berar, under Ragojee, kept itself more free from foreign quarrels, than the other: but had its share of inteftine wars. For Ragojee, dying, after a long reign, left four fons, Janojee, Sabajee, Modajee, and Bembajee.. The first fucceeded his father: but dying childlefs, in 1772, a civil war commenced between Sabajee and Modajee: the former of whom fell, in 1774; and the latter ftill holds the government of Berar, &c. and Bembajee adminifters thofe of Ruttunpour and Sumbulpour, under him: though, I believe, with lefs reftraint from his fuperior, than is ordinarily impofed on Governors of provinces. Ragojee, the father of the present Rajah of Berar, being a defcendant of Sevajee, the original founder of the Mahratta ftate, the present Rajah is therefore by defcent, the lawful Sovereign of the the whole Mahratta ftate; the Poonah branch being extinct*: but it appears that he wifely prefers the peaceable poffeffion of his own territories, to risking the lofs of them, where the object is no more than the nominal government of an empire, which even manifefts symptoms of speedy diffolution. It is not likely that either of the Mahratta ftates will foon become formidable to the other powers of Hindooftan. The eastern state has not resources for it: and as for the western, it cannot well happen there, until fome one of its Chiefs has gained such an ascendancy over the rest, as to re-unite that divided power, to which the late confusions in their government, gave birth. It requires fome length of time to reduce a feudal government to a simple monarchical one: and till then, the western Mahratta ftate cannot be formidable, to the British power, at least. If Sindia proceeds with his conquefts to the north and weft, and establishes a new empire in Malwa, &c. this Mahratta ftate (the western) must be extinguished; and fuch a new empire would, perhaps, prove more formidable to Oude, and to the British interefts, in confequence, than any power we have beheld fince the first establishment of the British influence in India. * Some believe that a Rajah of Sevajee's line is ftill living; fhut up in the fortrefs of Sattarah. It is certain that the new Paishwahs go thither, to receive the inveftiture of their office; as they were accustomed to do, in former times: whether fuch a Rajah be in existence, or otherwise, is of no importance to the state, as matters are now constituted. CON CONQUESTS of EUROPEAN POWERS, fince the downfall of the MOGUL EMPIRE. : AMONG the new powers that arofe on the downfall of the Mogul empire, we must not forget to mention the French and English. As for the Portuguese, their power had past its meridian, before this period: besides, their views being (apparently) confined altogether to traffick, they wifely made choice of infular fituations; fuch as Goa, Bombay, Salfette, Diu, &c.; and never appear to have poffeffed any very confiderable extent of territory, although they kept on foot a large army of Europeans. The Dutch fyftem was nearly the fame: and their profperity, in a great measure, grew out of the misfortunes of the Portuguese; who having fallen under the dominion of Spain, became obnoxious as well to the jealousy of rivalship, as to the revenge of the Hollanders. The French power was but of fhort duration, but remarkably brilliant. It was a bright meteor, that dazzled at first, but which foon burnt itself out, and left their East India Company in utter darkness. It commenced during the government of M. Dupleix at Pondicherry, in 1749. The French having affifted a Soubah of the Deccan in mounting the throne, attended his future fteps with an army, and established an influence in his councils, that promifed to be permanent: but which vanished very early, by the mere breath of Court intrigue: for while M. Buffy, at the head of the French army, was at Sanore, in the western quarter of the peninfula (in 1756) a quarrel with the Minifter of the Soubah, effected the dismission of the French. They were then compelled to retreat through an enemy's country for near 300 miles, until they reached Hydra Hydrabad; where they fortified themselves, and waited for a reinforcement from Mafulipatam, their nearest fettlement; which was upwards of 200 miles from Hydrabad. Great ability was difcovered by M. Buffy, on this memorable occafion: an account of which, as well as of M. Buffy's warfare and negociations in general, will be found at large, in Mr. Orme's invaluable hiftory of the military tranfactions of the British nation, in Hindooftan. At Hydrabad, the quarrel was compromised: and the following year (1757) and part of the next, was spent by M. Buffy, in reducing the refractory Rajahs, or Zemindars, in the northern circars; and in affifting the Soubah in the execution of his own plans. But in the midst of these transactions, he was fuddenly recalled into the Carnatic, by M. Lally; who determined to collect the whole force of the French, within that quarter: fo that the Soubah was left at full liberty to accede to the proposals of the English. Lally was also justly accufed of being jealous of the fame of M. Buffy. The circars, the fruits of M. Buffy's wars and negociations in the Deccan (and which had been obtained in 1753) yet remained to the French: but Colonel Clive, who was at this time Governor of Bengal, with that promptitude and decifion which so strongly marked his character, feized on them, with a force from Bengal, in 1759; although they were defended by a much fuperior one: and the French were deprived of refources to carry on the war in the Carnatic. So that Lally failed to accomplish the purposes for which the French intereft in the Deccan had been relinquished; namely, that of expelling the English from the Carnatic: for, on the contrary, the French not only loft all their poffeffions in that quarter, but in every other part of India. Thus, their political exiftence may be faid be faid to begin, in 1749 and to end in 1761, by the capture of their principal fettlement, Pondicherry. They appear to have been the first European power, that trained the natives of India to regular difci pline*; as well as the first who set the example of acquiring territorial poffeffions, of any great extent, in India: in which thay have been fo fuccessfully followed by the English. THE expedition of the British troops into Tanjore, in 1749, was the first warfare in which they were engaged, against the forces of an Indian Prince: and it proved unfuccefsful, as to its main object; which was, the restoration of a depofed King, or rather Rajah, of Tanjore, who had applied for affiflance to the Governor of Fort St. David. The price of this affiftance, was to be the fort and territory of Devicottah; fituated at the mouth of the Coleroon, or principal branch of the Tanjore river and this fort, notwithstanding their want of fuccefs in the caufe of the depofed Rajah, the Company's troops, aided by the fleet under Admiral Bofcawen, took poffeffion of, after a short fiege. In the following year they were called on, by the circumstances of the times, to take part in the difputed fucceffion to the Nabobship of Arcot, in oppofition to the French: who (as has been before obferved) had taken the lead, both in the affairs of the Carnatic, and of the Deccan. We have alfo obferved, that Nizam-al-Muluck, Soubah of the Deccan, had placed Anwar o'dien in the Nabobship of Arcot, (in 1743): and that the death of the fame Nizam, in 1748, had occafioned a confiderable change in the politics of the Deccan; in which the French engaged fo deeply. Chunda Saib was the person whom the French wished to raise to the government of Arcot and the expulfion of the family of Anwar o'dien, was a neceffary ftep towards it. Thefe contefts, which had been carried on with great credit to the British arms, were put an end to, by the interference of the two Eaft India : I am far from being well informed concerning the early hiftory of the Portuguese in India but by a paffage in Mr. Orme's Hiftorical Fragments, page 175, it would appear that they had not, in 1683, trained the natives to regular difcipline. He fays, The Viceroy of "Goa took the field (againft Sambajee) with 1200 Europeans, and 25,000 natives of his ovan territory." From the confined limits of the Portuguese territories, we may conclude that thefe were the ordinary inhabitants only. Companies, |