او

Myfore and that the Mahrattas fhould not poffefs, Oude, or Rohilcund.

I believe there are many who think that the British, might have extended their poffeffions in Hindoostan, ad libitum: however, one of the greatest of our Indian ftatefmen, Lord Clive, thought that the Bengal provinces and the circars, together with a moderate tract of land round Madras *, and the island of Salfette, near Bombay; were fully equal to the measure of good policy, and to our powers of keeping poffeffion. Nor have his fucceffors, acted other wife; for our wars fince his time have not been wars of conqueft for ourselves; though, erroneously reprefented as fuch. The late war in India may convince fuch perfons, as require conviction on the subject, that conquests made either on Tippoo, or the Mahrat→ tas, could not be preserved with fuch an army as the revenues of the conquered tracts would fupport. We got poffeffion of Bengal and the circars, under circumftances particularly favourable: fuch as may never occur again.

The Bengal provinces which have been in our actual possession near 23 years, (that is, from the year 1765, to the prefent time) have, during that whole period, enjoyed a greater fhare of tranquillity, than any other part of India; or indeed, than those provinces had ever experienced, fince the days of Aurungzebe. During the above period of 23 years, no foreign enemy has made any incurfion into any part of them, nor has any rebellion happened in

any

of the provinces (the very inconfiderable one of the Zemindar of Jungleterry, in 1774, excepted +)... Previous to the establishment of our influence, invasions were frequent, particularly by the Mahrattas: and one province or other was ever in rebellion; owing to a want

That is, the Carnatic being already the property of another. No one can doubt but that it would be more for our advantage to have the largest part of the Carnatic in our own hands, than in thofe of Mahomed Ally; although the whole revenue of it fhould be laid out in its defence. But the Carnatic is our weak fide, in more refpects than one.

The province of Benares, in which a Rebellion happened in 1781, is diftinct from the Bengal provinces. It was ceded to the British, as has been obferved above, in 1775.1

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of energy in the ruling power; an ill paid, and mutinous army; or an excess of delegated power. Those who know what miferies are brought on a country by its being the feat of war, will know how to appreciate the value of such a bleffing, as that of having the horrors of war removed to a distance from our habitations. There are, doubtless, evils that are infeparable from the condition of a tributary state, where the fupreme ruling power, refides at the diftance of half the circumference of the globe: but these are I hope, amply ballanced by the advantages of military protection: and it is a fact not to be controverted, that the Bengal provinces have a better government, and are in a better ftate, as to agriculture and manufactures, than any other of the Afiatic countries, China alone excepted. But this state is doubtless very fufceptible of improvement, even under a defpotic government: though it unfortunately happens that the grand object for which the Bengal provinces are held, militates against the ease and happiness of their inhabitants : for there can be no inducement to increase a national income for the purpose of finally enriching another nation.

The ftate into which Hindooftan has fallen fince the downfall of the Mogul empire, is materially different from what it was before it was united under the Mahomedan conquerors. It was then parcelled out into feveral moderate kingdoms, which appear to have preserved a degree of balance among themselves: but now, Hindooftan and the Deccan may be faid to confift of fix principal ftates, which hold as tributaries, or feudatories, all the inferior ones; of which there are many. The reader will not be at a lofs to know that the two Mahratta ftates, the Nizam, Tippoo, the Seiks, and the British, are those I mean: for whatever verbal diftinctions may be made, a compulfive alliance is at least a dependant; if not in fact, a tributary fituation.

I have ran over the events of the late war in India, with a brevity which may probably be deemed cenfurable, confidering their importance and variety. But I reflected that the accounts of those

events

events are in every body's hands; and that every day produces fome fresh matter, illustrative of them. The hiftory of events that have happened, and that have also been recorded, in our own times, may be referred to, by the aid of memory; their connexion or dependency traced; and their chronology ascertained; but it was neceffary to bring the events of a remoter period more within the view of the reader; the public records of those times being less copious, as the scenes recorded, were lefs interesting to public curiofity.

.......

GEOGRA

GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISION of HINDOOSTAN, into PROVINCES or STATES,

TH

HE following account is divided into two parts: the first of which, contains the provincial divifion of the empire, under the Moguls, fo far as the particulars have come to my knowledge; the other contains the present divifion of it, into independant states, of very unequal extent and power. It will not be expected that the revenues or military force, of thofe ftates, fhould be, in general, well ascertained; or that the exact relation in which many of the inferior provinces ftand, to the more powerful ones in their neighbourhood, should be correctly known: fince the knowledge requifite for fuch a detail, can only be collected from perfons who have had opportunities either of making the proper enquiries on the fpot, or of confulting fuch documents, as have received the fanction of authority. In fome inftances, it has been found impoffible to refort to authorities of this kind; as there are large tracts within this widely extended country, which no European of character (as far as I have heard) has vifited, of late years. To this may be added, that the changes are so frequent, that the progrefs of enquiry and information would scarcely keep pace with them, throughout the whole region.

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ACBAR'S

ACBAR'S DIVISION of HINDOOSTA N.

r

'I SHALL not attempt to trace the various fluctuations of boundary that took place in this empire, fince the era of the Mahomedan conquests, according as the feat of government was removed from Ghizni to Lahore, to Delhi, or to Agra, as fuited the politics of the times. It is fufficient for my purpose that I have already impreffed on the mind of the reader, an idea that the provinces of Hindooftan proper have seldom continued under one head, during a period of twenty fucceffive years, from the earliest history, down to the reign of Acbar in the 16th century and that Malwa, Agimere, Guzerat, Bengal, &c. were, in turn independent, and that. fometimes the empire of Delhi was confined within the proper limits of the province of that name,

During the long reign of Acbar in the 16th century, the internal regulation of the empire was much attended to. Enquiries were fet on foot, by which the revenue, population, produce, religion, arts, and commerce of each individual district, were afcertained, as well as its extent and relative pofition. Many of thefe interefting and useful particulars, were, by Abul Fazil, collected into a book called the *AYIN ACBAREE, or INSTITUTES of ACBAR which, to this day, forms an authentic register of these matters, Acbar began by dividing HINDOOSTAN PROPER into eleven foubahs + or provinces, fome of which were in extent equal to large.

and

*It is with pleasure I inform the reader, that an English translation of the whole AYIN ACBAREE has been made, and published in Bengal, by Mr. Gladwin; and was begun under the patronage of Mr. Haftings; to whofe munificence, and attention to useful literature, the world will be indebted for the means of accefs to a most valuable repofitory of intelligence refpecting the former ftate of Hindooftan.

An account of the contents of the Ayin Acbaree, will be found at the end of Mr. Frafer's hiftory of Nadir Shah.Catalogue of Oriental MSS. page 12.

+ It is probable that Acbar might have changed the boundaries of fome of the old foubahs by adding or taking away certain circars, by way of rendering each province more compact, and the provincial capital more centrical to the feveral parts of it.