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

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

In A. D. 1000, he entered Hindooftan: but in the course of eight years, he made no further progress than Moultan. The people of Moultan, who were the Malli, and Catheri (that is, the Kuttry or Rajpoot tribe) of Alexander, must have preferved their ancient spirit, to be able to oppose, for so long a time, such formidable armies, headed by fo furious an enthufiaft. In 1008, we find all the Hindoo Princes, from the weft of the Ganges to the river Nerbudda, united against him, for the common defence of their religion; the extirpation of which, was to Mahmood, an object equal to that of the acquifition of territory, or fubjects. It may be doubted whether the acquifition of fubjects, the rational end of conqueft, ever enters into the minds of barbarous conquerors; fuch as this Mahmood, Tamerlane, or Nadir Shah.. One would rather fuppofe the contrary; or, at least, that they were totally indifferent about it, by their maffacres and exterminations. The confederate Hindoos were defeated: and Mahmood's first effay towards effecting the downfall of their religion,, was the destruction of the famous temple of Nagracut, in the mountains bordering on the Panjab country. His next expedition, being the fixth, was in 1911; when Tannafar, a more celebrated place of Hindoo worship, on the weft of Delhi, experienced, a like fate with Nagracut; and the city of Delhi itself, was taken at the fame time. In 1018, he took Canoge, and also destroyed the temples of Matra, or Matura, (the Methora of Pliny) a city of high antig 2 quity,

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 faftneffes, too ftrong for him.

His twelfth expedition, in 1024, was fatal to the celebrated temple of Sumnaut, in the peninfula of Guzerat, adjoining to the town of Puttan, on the fea coaft; 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 he was compelled to leave in the hands of the enemy: and in croffing the defert, 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 monfter the highest delight. Nothing offends our feelings more, than the progress of deftruction urged by religious zeal: as it allows men to fuppofe themselves agents of the Divinity; thereby removing thofe checks which interfere with the perpetration of ordinary villiany; and thus makes confcience a party, where he was meant to be a judge. Such alfo was Tamerlane: but to the alleviation of the misfortunes. of the Hindoos, the enthusiasm of Mahomedanisin had lost its edge, before the invafion of Nadir Shah. Had this predominated in his favage nature, the whole fcene of his conquefts, muft have remained a folitary defert.

The city of Nehrwalla, the ancient capital of Guzerat, together with that whole peninfula, fell into the hands of Mahmood; who died four years afterwards (1028) poffeffed of the eattern, and by much the largest part of Perfia; as well as, nominally, of all the Indian provinces from the weflern 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 independance, among their rugged moun

tains,

tains, and close vallies; and not only them, but in a great measure, down to the prefent time: being in refpect of Hindooftan, what the country of Switzerland, is to Europe; but much more extenfive, and populous. From Mahmood to Aurungzebe, the Indian conquerors were contented with the nominal fubjection of those hardy tribes among whom, military enthufiafm, grafted on religious principles, is added to ftrength and agility of body; and this race is diffeminated over a tract equal to half the extent of France. It goes under th Founder the the general name of Rajpootana: and is the original country of the Mahrattasale who about 30 years ago, aspired at univerfal empire in Hindoostan.

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The Ghiznian empire, subject to the fame causes of decay, with other unweildy 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 feized on by the family of the Gaurides (fo denominated from Gaur, or Ghor, a province and city, lying beyond the Indian Caucasus) while the provinces contiguous to both fhores of the Indus, remained to Chufero, or Cufroe, who fixed his refidence at Lahore *. And even his pofterity, were in 1184, driven out of their kingdom, by the Gaurides. The Mahomedans, thus become nearer neighbours to the Hindoos, by fixing their refidence at Lahore, extended, as might be expected, their empire eastward; Mahomed Gori, in 1194, perpetrating, inthe city of Benares, the fame fcenes as Mahmood had before done, at Nagracut and Sumnaut. Benares was regarded as the principal university of Braminical learning; and we may conclude that about this period, the Sanfcrit language, which was before the current language of Hindooftan, began to decline in its purity, by the admixture of words from that of the conquerors; until the language of Hindooftan became what it now is: the original Sanfcrit, preserved in their ancient writings, becoming a dead language. Such

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

muta

mutations have taken place in every country, where the conquerors have been numerous enough to effect it: the Saxon language was at the fame period fuffering from the Norman conqueft, what the Sanferit did from the Ghiznian. Mahomed Gori also carried his arms to the fouth of the river Jumna, and took the fortrefs of Gwalior; which then gave name to a kingdom, that has fince compofed nearly the foubah of Agra: he alfo reduced the eastern. part of Agimere.

The death of this Emperor, in 1205, occafioned a new divifion of the Ghiznian empire, the Perfian 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 Perfia, or the ancient Paropamifus. 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 neceffity of fixing the imperial refidence, nearer to the centre of the new conquests, occafioned 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 hoftility is either intended, or expected.

The Emperor Altumfh, who fucceeded to the Patan throne, in 1210, completed the conqueft of the greatest part of Hindoostan proper. He appears to be the first Mahomedan that made a conqueft of Bengal; the government of which was from this time bestowed on one of the reigning Emperor's fons. 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 fwam the Indus to avoid his fury. Gengiz, however, left Hindoostan undisturbed. 6

About

About A. D. 1242, the Moguls, or Munguls, fucceflors of Gengiz, who poffeffed, or rather over-run, the countries on the north-west of Hindooftan, made feveral irruptions into it and Turmechirin 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 progress of this defultory conqueror, but only defcribes 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 fame empire and that they seldom failed to revolt, when a favourable opportunity offered. In 1265, Malwa regained its entire independance from the crown of Delhi; having gradually shaken off the yoke, laid on it by Cuttub, in 1205 and the Rajpoots were on every occafion, notwithstanding their comparative vicinity to the capital, afferting their independency likewife. Of the state of the internal government of Hindooftan, a judgment may be formed, by the punishment inflicted on the Mewatti, or the Banditti tribe, which inhabit the hilly tract, within 30 miles of Delhi. In 1265, 100,000 of these wretches, were put to the sword; and a line of forts was conftructed, along the foot of their hills. Rebellions, maffacres, and barbarous conquests, make up the history of this fair country, which to an ordinary observer, seems destined to be the paradife of the world: the immediate effect of the mad ambition of conquering more than can be governed by one man : the whole empire being portioned out to rapacious Governors, who domineering over the governed, until their spirits were fufficiently debased; were at laft able to perfuade them, that their common interest lay in taking up arms, to render these Governors indepen

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