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Mahanada; but the foubah of Oriffa appears not to have been formed at that time.

Of the newly erected foubahs in the Deccan, * Candeish the smallest of them, occupies the space between Malwa on the north, Berar on the eaft, and Amednagur on the weft and fouth.

Berar, according to the prefent definition, has Allahabad and Malwa on the north; Candeifh and Amednagur on the weft; Tillingana and Golconda on the fouth; and Oriffa on the east. I apprehend that only the western parts of Berar were reduced by Acbar.

Amednagur, the fouthmost of Acbar's foubahs, had Candeish and Malwa on the north; the Gatte, or Balagat mountains on the weft; Bejapour (or Vifiapour) and Tellingana on the south; and Berar on the eaft. The limits of this foubah are not defined in the Ayeneh Acbaree; and as Acbar had wars in the Deccan during almost his whole reign, it may be supposed that its limits were perpetually fluctuating.

Tellingana, which in the Ayeneh Acbaree is called a circar of Berar, was probably poffeffed only in part by Acbar. The ancient Tellingana, of which Warangole ‡ was the capital, comprehended most of the tract lying between the Kiftna and Godavery rivers, known now by the name of Golconda.

Thus we have a standard for the geographical division of Hindooftan proper, in the time of Acbar; but for the Deccan in general, no authority on record has ever come to my knowledge. It appears that Acbar reduced the western fide of the peninsula as far down as the 18th degree of north latitude §: and under his fucceffors, the whole peninsula, a few mountainous and inacceffible tracts

* Named by Acbar, DANDEISH, in honor of Prince Danial; but at prefent it bears its old

name.

The capital of this foubah being originally established at the city of Amednagur, it gave name to the whole province, but the name of the fortrefs of Dowlatabad has in turn fuperfeded. it. In like manner the name of Tellingana has now given way to that of Golconda. Called Arinkill by Ferifhta.

All the latitudes mentioned in this work being north of the equator; and all the longitudes eaft of the meridian of Greenwich; 1 fhall in future mention only the terms latitude and longitude, leaving the fpecies of each to be understood.

only

only excepted, was either entirely subjected, or rendered tributary to the throne of Delhi, and formed into one government under the name of the DECCAN; which name, in its most extenfive fignifica tion, includes the whole peninfula fouth of Hindooftan proper. However, in its proper and limited fenfe, I apprehend it means only the countries fituated between Hindooftan proper, the Carnatic, and Oriffa; that is, the provinces of Candeifh, Amednagur, Vifiapour, Golconda, and the western part of Berar.

The Carnatic anciently comprized all that part of the peninfula that lies fouth of the Gondegama * and Tongebroda rivers, from the coaft of Coromandel eastward, to the Gaut mountains weftward, and was divided into Balla Gaut and Payen Gaut, or the great and little Gauts +; the former being the western part, and containing the districts of Bednore, Myfore, Coïmbetour, &c. now the country of Hyder Ally: and the latter, the eastern part, or the Carnatic according to its present definition; in which Ongole, Cudapah, Arcot, Tritchinopoly, Madura, Tanjore, Tinevelly, and Marawar are included.

Having given this very general idea of the original divifion of India, I shall next endeavour to convey an idea of the prefent divifion of it, as far as refpects the principal ftates, or the powers that have appeared on the political theatre fince the establishment of the British influence.

The British nation poffefs, in full fovereignty, the whole foubah of Bengal, and the greatest part of Bahar; I say the greatest part, because I believe that there may be fome purgunnahs on the south-west of little Nagpour, that were formerly claffed as belonging to Bahar, but are now in the poffeffion of the Mahrattas. In Oriffa, we poffefs only the diftricts of Midnapour, the rest being entirely in the hands of the Mahrattas and their tri

• Called alfo Gilligama. + Gaut, or Ghaut, fignifies either a pass through mountains, or a landing place on the bank of a river. In the former fenfe, the term has been applied to the Carnatic, which is divided by ridges of mountains, abounding with paffes and defiles.

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butaries.

butaries. The British poffeffions contain about 150,000 square British miles of land, which is about 18,000 more than is contained in Great Britain and Ireland: and about ten millions of inhabitants.

The natural fituation of Bengal is fingularly happy with respect to fecurity from the attacks of foreign enemies. On the north and east it has no warlike neighbours; and has, moreover, a formidable barrier of mountains, rivers, or extenfive waftes, towards those quarters, should fuch an enemy ftart up. On the fouth is a feacoaft, guarded by fhallows and impenetrable woods, and with only one port (and even that of difficult access) in an extent of three hundred miles. It is on the west only that any enemy is to be apprehended, and even there the natural barrier is ftrong; and with its population and resources, aided by the ufual proportion of British troops, Bengal might bid defiance to all that part of Hindoostan, which might find itfelf inclined to become its enemy. Even in cafe of invafions, the country beyond the Ganges would be exempt from the ravages of war, and furnish fupplies for the general defence. But, with the whole revenue in our poffeffion, the feat of war will probably be left to our own choice.

The Nabob of Oude (fucceffor to Sujah Dowlah) poffeffed the whole foubah of that name, and the north-weft part of Allahabad; to which, of late years, have been added the eastern parts of Delhi and Agra, till that time poffeffed by a tribe of Afghan Rohillas, and by the Jats. The Zemindary of Benares, which includes alfo the circars of Gazypour and Chunar, constituted a part of the dominions of Oude until the year 1774, when its tribute or quit rent of twenty-four lacks was transferred to the English. This Zemindary, which was lately in the hands of Cheet Sing, occupies the principal part of the space between Bahar and Oude, so that only a small part of the territory of the latter, touches Bahar on the north-west.

· The

The dominions of Oude lie on both fides of the Ganges, occupying (with the exception of Fizula Cawn's district of Rampour) all the flat country between that river and the northern mountains, as well as the principal part of that fertile tract lying between the Ganges and Jumna, known by the name of Dooab, to within forty miles of the city of Delhi. In fhort, the British nation, with their allies and tributaries, occupy the whole navigable course of the Ganges, from its entry on the plains, to the fea; which, by its winding course, is more than 1350 British miles.

The dimenfions of Oude and its dependencies may be reckoned 360 British miles in length from east to west, and in breadth from 150 to 180. The capital is Fyzabad on the river Gogra, and very near to the ancient city of Audiah or Oude.

On the fouth-weft fide of the Jumna, and contiguous to the governments of Oude, Benares, and the Mahrattas, is Bundela, or Bundelcund, lately subject to Rajah Hindooput, but now divided amongst his descendants. It is a hilly tract of more than 100 miles fquare, and contains the famous diamond mines of Panna, and fome strong fortreffes, amongst which Callinger is the principal.

The territories of Adjid Sing are contiguous to Bundelcund on the weft; to the Berar Mahrattas on the fouth, and to Benares on the east. It is nearly of the fame extent as Bundelcund; and, like that, fubject to the occafional depredations of the Mahrattas.

The territories of the Rajahs of Ghod and Bahdoriah, also adjoin to the new dominions of Oude on the fouth of the Jumna river, oppofite Etayah. The former has the Mahrattas on the south, Jeynagur on the west, and Nudjuff Cawn's districts on the north. territory is fmall; but within it is fituated the famous fortrefs of Gwalior, taken from the Mahrattas by the British forces in 1781.

His

Dooab or Doabah fignifies a tract of land formed by the approximation and junction of two rivers: that formed by the Ganges and Jumna rivers is called by way of eminence THE DOOAB,

Conti

Contiguous to the western bank of the Ganges, and furrounded by the dominions of Oude, is a small district belonging to the Pattan Rohillas, of which Furruckabad is the capital. It is little more than thirty miles in extent.

Fizula Cawn, a Rohilla Chief, poffeffes the small district of Rampour lying at the foot of the mountains beyond the Ganges. He is in effect tributary to Oude, by furnishing his quota towards an establishment for the common defence.

The country of Zabeda Cawn, fucceffor to Nijib Dowla, an Afghan Rohilla, adjoins to the western bank of the Ganges, and to the northern mountains; and extends as far to the weft as Sirhind, and fouthward to Delhi; being about 180 miles long from east to west, and near half as wide. He has the Seiks on his weftern frontier; and, till of late years, the Jats on the south.

Shah Allum, the nominal emperor of Hindoostan, poffeffes the city of Delhi, and a small territory round it, which is all that is left remaining to the House of Timur *. Nudjuff Cawn has, in like manner, the city of Agra; but neither of these are of any. weight in the politics of Hindooftan.

The Jats, till within these few years, poffeffed the principal part of the foubah of Agra, and for some time fixed their capital at the city of that name; but they are now difpoffeffed of the Dooab, as well as most of the open country contiguous to the western bank of the Jumna, and have fallen back to the mountainous country beyond Mewat. I apprehend that the people named Getes, on whom Timur made war in his march from Batnir to Sammana, were a part of the Jats +.

The Seiks are the westernmoft nation of Hindooftan: their territories begin at Sirhind, and extend weftward to the Indus, the whole course of which from Attock to Sindy, with the low coun

The House of Timur, or Tamerlane, reigned over Hindooftan, with little interruption, more than 350 years.

St. Croix's Life of Timur.

tries

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