British possessions in Bengal, and those in the northern circars, so as to occupy near 180 miles of the country adjacent to the sea; and of course, to break the continuity of their possessions on the sea coast. Moodajee's dominions are very extensive, being in length from east to west 550 British miles, and in some places 200 from north to south. He does not pofsefs all this in full sovereignty; for Ruttunpour and Sumbulpour are little more than tributary, and are governed by his brother Bembajee. We know less of the interior parts of Berar, than of most other countries in Hindoostan ; but, by what we do know, it does not appear to be either populous or rich. Nagpour is the present capital, and the residence of Moodajee; and it is situated about midway between Bengal and Bombay.

Cattack, or Cuttack, the capital of Orifsa, is a post of consequence on the river Mahanuddy, as it lies in the only road between Bengal and the northern circars; and the possession of this city and its dependencies, gives the Berar rajah more consequence in the eyes of the Bengal government, than even his extensive domain, and centrical position in Hindoostan.

Moodajee has been recognized (page lxxxviii) as a descendant of the original founder of the Mahratta empire, Sevajee. The sum of his revenue is variously stated. Some have reckoned his part of Berar, at 84 lacks of rupees, per annum; and Cattack at 24: while others have allowed only 60, for his whole revenue. If we take it at the highest calculation, 108 lacks, he ought not to be considered in a formidable light, by the British power. But placing the actual sum of his income out of the question, his dominions are too widely extended, in proportion to their value, to form a powerful state. Cattack is no less then 480 miles from the capital, Nagpour. It has been well observed, that the ordinary cause of jealousy between neighbouring states, is done away, in the case of Bengal and Berar, by the nature of that part of the Berar dominions, which borders on Bengal; it being generally woody and uninhabited; so that the

virtual boundaries of the two countries are removed to a distance from each other.

These are the principal of the countries reduced into the form of governments, by the Mahratta chiefs: but so habituated are they to rapine and plunder, that few of the neighbouring states, but have, at one period or other, felt and acknowledged their power. Bengal and Bahar, were, for a short time, subjected to a regular tribute; and the Carnatic, Mysore, the Nizam's provinces, the Dooab, Bundelcund, and the southern parts of Delhi, have been frequently over-run. Their predatory excursions sometimes carried them 1200 miles from their capital. But the lofs of the battle of Panniput, in 1761, induced a degree of caution in their military enterprizes: and from that period, their power appears to have been on the decline. Shut out of Bengal, Oude, and the Carnatic, by the British arms, and out of Mysore by Hyder's, their field of action has been much circumscribed; and the late war with the British power, discovered their weakness to all Hindoostan.

I am not sufficiently informed on the subject, to be able to particularize all the different provinces, or districts, that are tributary to the Mahratta states. Some have been already mentioned: and among others, the Rajpoot principalities of the soubah of Agimere; and which, from their former importance and weight in the internal politics of the Mogul empire, deserve particular notice.

In the early part of the present century, these states, collectively, appeared so formidable to the successor of Aurungzebe, that he was constrained to leave them in quiet possession of their independency, during the sedition of the Seiks, in Lahore (see page lxiv). Vast have been the changes since that time: for what the disciplined armies of Aurungzebe and his sons could not accomplish, has been effected by the Mahratta freebooters: so much easier is it to ruin a country, than to make a conquest of it. The history of the decline of the Rajpoot principalities, is foreign to the present work: it is sufficient to observe, that they are reduced to their present low state,

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merely by the depredations of Mahratta detachments; which being composed of light horse, and accustomed to divide into innumerable small parties; they by their rapid and desultory movements, at once spread desolation, and elude the attacks of the inhabitants. This must be understood to relate only to the open parts of Rajpootana: the mountainous parts being yet free from their incursions.

RAJPOOTANA was divided into three great principalities, under the names of Oudipour, Joodpour, and Ambeer (or Amere), now better known by that of Joinagur, or Jyenagur. Oudipour was also named Meywar, or Midwar; and Joodpour, Marwar. In Acbar's division of the empire, these principalities were classed as belonging to the 'soubah of Agimere, which is sometimes called Marwar. It is not an easy task, by means of the geographical matter extant, to afsign the precise limits and dimensions of these principalities; which occupy the space between the western confines of Agra, and the NE part of Guzerat; and between the sandy desert (or Registan) and Malwa: that is, an extent of 330 British miles from NE to SW; and 200 broad, in the widest part. Their relative situations, and comparative dimensions, may be seen in the map; where Jyenagur or Jyepour, will be found to lie to the northeast; Oudipour to the SW; and Joodpour to the NW, bordering, angularly, on the other two. Pere Wendell's MS. account of these states, from whence I have extracted many of the above particulars, states the revenues of Oudipour at 10 lacks of rupees, Marwar at 40, and Jyenagur at 40, per annum, in the year 1779.* The two former are very mountainous, with a sandy soil in the valleys: the latter is the most fertile, and was, about the middle of this century, in a high state of improvement, under the government of the celebrated Rajah Jyesing, or Jessing; who founded the new capital of Jyepour, which has had the effect (not unusual in Hindoostan)

The whole revenue of the soubah of Agimere, in the time of Acbar, appears to have been only about 75 lacks. Aurungzebe is said to have doubled the land-tax on the Rajpoots: and Aginere is accordingly stated in Mr. Fraser's account, at 163 lacks of rupecs.

of changing the name of the province to that of the capital. P. Wendell represents Jyepour as a place of great wealth and commerce in 1779, being the entrepot of the principal part of the goods that are brought from every quarter of India. The rajah built an observatory in his capital, and invited Pere Boudier to it, in 1734. It is feared, that the confusions that have so long prevailed in this province, must have greatly reduced the wealth and importance of the capital. We have mentioned before, that Sindia receives the tribute of all the three Rajpoot provinces, and converts it to his own use: and that he had made some considerable conquests in them, particularly in Jyenagur.

It is probable that in early times, the whole Rajpootana constituted one entire kingdom, or empire, under the Rana or Prince of Oudipour, who has in all times, since we had any knowledge of his history, been considered as the head of the Rajpoot states. A long established custom of homage to a temporal prince, from those who do not acknowledge his superiority in any other way, seems to prove the existence of real power in the hands of his ancestors. In modern times the Rana of Oudipour seems to have been considered somewhat in the same light as the general of the Amphyctions was in Greece. Cheitore was the ancient capital of the rana, a place much celebrated for its strength, riches, and antiquity, when it was taken and despoiled by Acbar; in 1567: Oudipour is the present capital.

The Rajpoots are not confined entirely to the tract abovementioned, or even to the soubah of Agimere: since some inferior tribes of them are settled in Bundelcund, and in Gurry-Mundella. Others, according to Thevenot, are settled in Moultan; and indeed, he represents Moultan as the original country of the Kuttries, from whom the Rajpoots sprung (see Index, article Kuttries).

Of the countries of Nagore, Bickaneer, Jafselmere, and those bordering on the lower part of the course of the river Puddar, and on the sandy desert, we know little at present, except that they

form a number of petty rajahships; and are understood to be mostly inhabited by Rajpoots.

The Rajpoots are ordinarily divided into two tribes or classes; those of RATHORE, and CHOHAN, or SEESODYA. Marwar, or the NW division of Agimere, is the proper country of the former; and Meywar, or Oudipour, of the latter. The reader will be pleased to observe, that Cheitore is also synonymous with Oudipour, or Meywar. The Rathore tribe were originally the most numerous of the two. It has often been afserted, and by the late Col. Dow, among others, that the Mahratta chiefs had their origin from the Rathore tribe: and to countenance this opinion, the etymology of the name Mahratta, has been drawn from RATHORE; prefixing to it, MAHA, or Great. We have seen, however, in page lxxix, that the fact is very different, and it rests on the foundation of historic records: the term Mahratta being derived from Marhat, or Marheyt, the name of the province in which Sevajee first established his independency: and this etymology appears to be perfectly natural. And by the same rule, Sevajee must have been of the Seesodya tribe, as drawing his lineage from Oudipour; and not of the Rathore tribe, as erroneously represented.

Of the five northern circars, Cicacole, Rajamundry, Ellore, and Condapilly,* are in the possession of the English; and Guntoor is in the hands of the Nizam. The four first occupy the sea coast from the Chilka lake on the confines of Cattack, to the northern bank of the Kistnah river; forming, comparatively, a long, narrow slip of country, 350 miles long, and from 20 to 75 wide. The nature of the country is such, as to be easily defensible against an Indian enemy, it having a barrier of mountains and extensive forests on one side, and the sea on the other; the extremities only being open. Its greatest defect is in point of relative situation to

* These circars, or provinces, were originally denominated from their position in respect to Madras, on which they depend: and the term northern circars, has at length been adopted by the English in general.