formed any establishment in Hindoostan: but that the whole country was perfectly HINDOO, at the time of Mahmood's conquest. It must be observed, that I do not clafs the country of Cabul, or any of the provinces on the west of the Indus, as belonging to Hindoostan proper.

Before Mahmood began his first expedition into India, which was only three years after his accession, he extended his empire northward, by reducing Bucharia; from whose king, his ancestor had revolted, as has been observed above.

In A. D. 1000, he entered Hindoostan: but in the course of eight years, he made no further progrefs than Moultan. The people of Moultan, who were the Malli, and Catheri (that is, the Kuttry or Rajpoot tribe) of Alexander, must have preserved their ancient spirit, to be able to oppose, for so long a time, such formidable armies, headed by so furious an enthusiast. In 1008, we find all the Hindoo princes, from the west of the Ganges to the river Nerbuddah, united against him, for the common defence of their religion; the extirpation of which, was to Mahmood, an object equal to that of the acquisition of territory, or subjects. It may be doubted whether the acquisition of subjects, the rational end of conquest, ever enters into the minds of barbarous conquerors; such as this Mahmood, Tamerlane, or Nadir Shah. One would rather suppose the contrary; or, at least, that they were totally indifferent about it, by their massacres and exterminations. The confederate Hindoos were defeated: and Mahmood's first essay towards effecting the downfall of their religion, was the destruction of the famous temple of Nagorkote, in the mountains bordering on the Panjab country. His next expedition, being the sixth, was in 1011; when Tannasar, a more celebrated place of Hindoo worship, on the west of Delhi, experienced a like fate with Nagorkote; and the city of Delhi itself, was taken at the same time. In 1018, he took Canoge, and also destroyed the temples of Matra, or Matura (the Methora of Pliny), a city of high anti

quity, and no lefs an object of religious veneration, near Agra. After this, turning his arms against the Rajpoots of Agimere, he found either them, or their country, which is full of mountains and fastnefses, too strong for him.

His twelfth expedition, in 1024, was fatal to the celebrated temple of Sumnaut, in the peninsula of Guzerat, adjoining to the town of Puttan, on the sea coast; and not far from the island of Diu, now in the hands of the Portuguese. His route was by Moultan and Agimere, the citadel of which last, he was compelled to leave in the hands of the enemy: and in crossing the desert, between it and Moultan, he hazarded the lofs of his army, for want of water. The destruction of Hindoo temples, with their priests and votaries, appears to have afforded this monster the highest delight. Nothing offends our feelings more, than the progress of destruction urged by religious zeal: as it allows men to suppose themselves agents of the Divinity; thereby removing those checks which interfere with the perpetration of ordinary villainy; and thus makes conscience a party, where she was meant to be a judge. Such also was Tamerlane: but to the alleviation of the misfortunes of the Hindoos, the enthusiasm of Mahomedanism had lost its edge, before the invasion of Nadir Shah. Had this predominated in his savage nature, the whole scene of his conquests must have remained a solitary desert.

The city of Nehrwalla, the ancient capital of Guzerat, together with that whole peninsula, fell into the hands of Mahmood; who died four years afterwards (1028) pofsefsed of the eastern, and by much the largest part of Persia; as well as, nominally, of all the Indian provinces from the western part of the Ganges, to the peninsula of Guzerat; and from the Indus, to the mountains of Agimere: but the Panjab was the only part of it, that was subjected to regular government, under the Mahomedans; as being in the vicinity of the Ghiznian empire. As for the Rajpoots of Agimere, they still preserved their independence, among their rugged moun

tains, and close vallies; and not only then, but in a great measure, down to the present time: being in respect of Hindoostan, what the country of Switzerland, is to Europe; but much more extensive, and populous. From Mahmood to Aurungzebe, the Indian conquerors were contented with the nominal subjection of those hardy tribes: among whom, military enthusiasm, grafted on religious principles, is added to strength and agility of body; and this race is disseminated over a tract equal to half the extent of France. It goes under the general name of Rajpootana: and is the original country of the founder of the Mahratta state; whose rulers, about 30 years ago, aspired at universal empire in Hindoostan.

The Ghiznian empire, subject to the same causes of decay, with other unwieldy states of rapid growth, was in 1158, forcibly divided: the western and largest part, and which still retained the ancient name of the empire, being seized on by the family of the Gaurides (so denominated from Gaur, or Ghor, a province and city, lying beyond the Indian Caucasus) while the provinces contiguous to both shores of the Indus, remained to Chusero, or Cusroe, who fixed his residence at Lahore.* And even his posterity were, in 1184, driven out of their kingdom, by the Gaurides. The Mahomedans, thus become nearer neighbours to the Hindoos, by fixing their residence at Lahore, extended, as might be expected, their empire eastward; Mahomed Gori, in 1194, perpetrating, in the city of Benares, the same scenes as Mahmood had before done at Nagorkote and Sumnaut. Benares was regarded as the principal university of Braminical learning; and we may conclude that about this period, the Sanscrit language, which was before the current language of Hindoostan, began to decline in its purity, by the admixture of words from that of the conquerors; until the language of Hindoostan became what it now is: the original Sanscrit, preserved in their ancient writings, becoming a dead language. Such

For the dates of the reigns of the emperors of Hindoostan, the reader is referred to a Chronological Table, at the end of the Introduction.

mutations have taken place in every country, where the conquerors have been numerous enough to effect it: the Saxon language was at the same period suffering from the Norman conquest, what the Sanscrit did from the Ghiznian. Mahomed Gori also carried his arms to the south of the river Jumnah, and took the fortress of Gwalior; which then gave name to a kingdom, that has since composed nearly the soubah of Agra: he also reduced the eastern part of Agimere.

The death of this emperor, in 1205, occasioned a new division of the Ghiznian empire, the Persian part remaining to Eldoze, and the Indian part to Cuttub, who founded the Patan or Afghan dynasty in Hindoostan. The Afghans originally inhabited the mountainous tract lying between India and Persia, or the ancient Paropamisus. Before the elevation of Cuttub to the throne, he had carried his arms, under Mahomed Gori, into Agimere and Guzerat. Lahore was his capital, originally; but the necessity of fixing the imperial residence, nearer to the centre of the new conquests, occasioned him to remove to Delhi. It may be observed of the capitals of states, in general, that such as are neither emporiums of trade, nor meant as citadels in the last resort, are (as it were) attracted towards the quarter, from whence hostility is either intended, or expected.

The Emperor Altumsh, who succeeded to the Patan throne, in 1210, completed the conquest of the greatest part of Hindoostan proper. He appears to have been the first Mahomedan that made a conquest of Bengal; the government of which was from this time bestowed on one of the reigning emperor's sons. It was during this reign (1221) that Gengiz Cawn, among his extensive conquests (perhaps the most so, of any conqueror in history) accomplished that of the empire of Ghizni; putting an end to the dynasty of Charasm, which then occupied that throne: and driving before him, the unfortunate Gelali, son of the reigning emperor; who swam the Indus to avoid his fury. Gengiz, however, left Hindoostan undisturbed.

About A. D. 1243, the Moguls, or Munguls, succefsors of Gengiz, who possessed, or rather over-run the countries on the north-west of Hindoostan, made several irruptions into it: and Turmeshirin Khan is reported, by Sherefeddin (the historian of Timur), to have carried his arms into the Dooab; but without making any establishment. Ferishta takes no notice of the progrefs of this desultory conqueror, but only describes the inroads of the Moguls into the Panjab; which now frequently happened: although it was not till more than 150 years afterwards, that, under Timur, or Tamerlane, they penetrated to the centre of India. Ferishta describes also an irruption of Moguls into Bengal, by way of Chitta and Thibet, in 1244.

I have before observed, that the provinces of Hindoostan were held rather as tributary kingdoms, than as provinces of the same empire: and that they seldom failed to revolt when a favourable opportunity offered. In 1265, Malwa regained its entire independence of the crown of Delhi; having gradually shaken off the yoke, laid on it by Cuttub in 1205: and the Rajpoots were on every occasion, notwithstanding their comparative vicinity to the capital, afserting their independency, likewise. Of the state of the internal government of Hindoostan, a judgment may be formed, by the punishment inflicted on the Mewatti, or the Banditti tribe, which inhabit the hilly tract, within 25 miles of Delhi. In 1265, 100,000 of these wretches were put to the sword: and a line of forts was constructed along the foot of their hills. Rebellions, mafsacres, and barbarous conquests, make up the history of this fair country (which, to an ordinary observer, seems destined to be the paradise of the world) the immediate effect of the mad ambition of conquering more than can be governed by one man: for the whole empire being portioned out to rapacious governors, who domineering over the governed, until their spirits were sufficiently debased, were at last able to persuade them, that their common interest lay in taking up arms, to render these governors inde