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The poffeflions of the Nizam, or foubah of the Deccan (the defcendant of the famous Nizam al Muluck) comprize the province of Golconda, and the eastern part of Dowlatabad; that is, the ancient province of Tellingana, or Tilling, fituated between the lower parts of the courses of the Kiftna and Godavery rivers. The Nizam has the Paithwah, or the Poonah Mahratta on the weft; the Berar Mahratta on the north; the northern circars on the caft; and the Carnatic, Bazalet Jung, and Hyder Ally on the fouth. I am not perfectly clear in my idea of his western boundary, which, during his wars with the Mahrattas, was fubject to continual fluctuation: but I understand generally that the river Beemah and the Vifiapour mountains form his present boundary, from the Kiftna, weftwards to within 130 miles of Poonah; from which point it falls back to the banks of the Godavery river, below Aurungabad and that the Godavery itself forms nearly his northern boundary. His capital is Hyderabad, or Bagnagur, fituated on the Mouffi river, near the famous fortrefs of Golconda.

The districts of Adoni and Rachore are in the hands of Bazalet Jung (brother to the Nizam) but are held of the Nizam. The Sourapour, or Sollapour Rajah, on the west of the Beemah river, together with fome other Rajahs, are his tributaries.

Probably the Nizam's own proper domains, exclufive of his tributaries and feudatories, are not in extent more than 280 miles in length, by 160 wide. Till he took poffeffion of the Guntoor circar in 1780, his dominions no where touched on the sea coast.

The Guntoor* circar occupies the space between Condapilly, the southmost of our four circars, and the northern part of the Carnatic; extending along the fea coaft of the bay of Bengal near fifty miles. The poffeffion of this district to the English, would have been extremely eligible, as well for the purpose of shutting out the French nation from the Deccan, as to keep open

• Called alfo Mortizanagur and Condavir.

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a communication with the northern circars, and to preferve the continuity of our poffeffions, and those of our allies.

The dominions of the Nabob of Arcot, or the Carnatic, commence on the south of the Guntoor circar, and extend along the whole coaft of Coromandel to Cape Comorin. It must be understood that I mean here to include Tanjore, Marrawar, Tritchinopoly, Madura, and Tinevelly; all being appendages of the Carnatic. Under this description, the Carnatic is not less than 570 British miles in length from north to fouth, but no where more than 110 wide, and commonly no more than 80. Such a long narrow tract of country, bordered by an active and powerful enemy, must always be subject either to have its diftant provinces cut off from its affiftance, or, by dividing its force for their feparate defence, endanger the fafety of the whole,

The British poffeffions in the Carnatic are confined to the tract called the Jaghire, which does not extend much more than forty miles round Madras.

The dominions of Hyder Ally, who formerly shared the Carnatic with the Nabob of Arcot, and now contests the remainder, begin on the west of the ridge of mountains beyond Dalmacherry, Sautgud, and Attore; and extend fouthward to Travancore and Madura; northward to Soonda and Vifiapour, (inveloping Adoni, the territory of Bazalet Jung) northeastward to Guntoor and Ongole; and weftward to the fea. They comprehend, generally, the provinces of Myfore, Bednore, Coïmbettore, Canaree, and Dindigul; befides his late conquefts to the northward, which are Chit. teldroog, Harponelly, Sanore-Bancapour, Roydroog, Gutti, Condanore, Canoul, and Cuddapah,

Hyder's prefent territory exceeds very confiderably, both in extent and revenue, that of his rival the Nabob of Arcot; but probably it will, for a long time, require a Prince of Hyder's talents, to prevent a state, compofed of fuch difcordant parts, from falling to pieces. It appears not improbable, that, on Hyder's death, the

divifion

divifion of the peninsula will undergo a confiderable change; in which cafe, the Mahrattas may become nearer neighbours to us, than they are at prefent.

The dimenfions of Hyder's territories are at least 400 British miles in length from north to fouth, and in breadth from 290 to 130; he having by much the largest share of the peninfula.

If an Englishman cafts his eye over the map, and compares the extent of the dominions of the Mahrattas and of Hyder Ally collectively, with those of Great Britain and her allies, his pride will hardly fuffer, on the refult of the comparison. Without entering into the abstract question concerning the propriety or neceffity of the war, or the probable confequences of it, we must at least allow, that the exertions, which have been made towards the support of it, have been astonishing. One army fent from the banks of the Ganges across the continent, to counteract the defigns of the French in the Deccan, and another to restore our drooping affairs in the Carnatic, are wonderful efforts; and will live in hiftory, when the effects of them may ceafe to be felt.

MEMOIR

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MEMOIR of a MAP of HINDOOSTAN, &C.

great an extent of country is contained in this map, and the

quality of the materials is fo various in different parts, that it became neceffary, in order to prevent confufion, to divide the account of its construction into separate fections, agreeable to the natural divifion of the country; and, in fome measure, to the nature of the materials. It is accordingly divided into fix sections : The firft contains the fea coafts and iflands.

The second, the furveyed tract on the fide of Bengal; or that occupied by the Ganges and its principal branches, as far weft as the city of Agra.

The third, the tract occupied by the Indus and its branches.

The fourth contains the tract between the Kiftna river and the countries traverfed by the Ganges and Indus; that is to fay, the middle parts of India.

The fifth contains the peninsula fouth of the Kiftna: and

The fixth, the countries fituated between Hindooftan and China; namely, Thibet, Bootan, Affam, Pegu, Aracan, Ava, and part of Siam.

But, before I proceed to the particulars of the construction of the map, it will be neceffary to explain the itinerary measure adopted in places where no furveys have been taken. The usual measure of this kind in Hindooftan is the cofs, or crores, commonly eftimated at two British statute miles. I have not been able to get the true length of the cofs, as fixed by Acbar and other Emperors; and, even if I had, it would be of no use in the prefent enquiry, as all my Hindooftanny itineraries and tables are in computed coffes.

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I fhall bring into one view fuch accounts of estimated distances in coffes, as I have the means of comparing with known distances, in order to determine the proportion between the cofs and a part of a great circle on the globe.

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Taking the medium of the whole, a cofs in horizontal distance will be nearly a Geographical mile and a half. But if we reject the distance between Burhampour, Sirong, and Agra, which seems to be out of the ordinary rule (as Tavernier himself remarks that the coffes there, are much longer than any where else) the medium will be 1,43, or just 42 coffes to a degree of a great circle. This is the refult of the comparison of the estimated cofs with menfuration but it must be obferved that most of the examples quoted here, are from the northern parts of the empire; and that it appeared on the conftruction of the Deccan, that no more than 1,4

could

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