TAS*.
them occupy more ground ; befides that, every houfe is attended
with a- great garden, a requifite, as moil of the food of
the Indians- is vegetable.
T h e M a h r a t - Sevatjee was founder of the Mabratfa kingdom we fo often
hear mentioned. The name is derived from Mahrat, the province
in which'he firft eftabliihed his independency. . This hero
derived his lineage from the Rajahs of Cbietore, who pretend th at
their deftent is 'Siam.Perm. He took advantage o f the troubles-
which arofein histime in the kingdom of Vifiapour, and again,,
during the wars between AUrengzebe and'his brothers. He extended
his- conquefts from Baglana, near Surat, to- the PortU*-
guefe diitriiSs near Goa; a little beyond the foot o f the Ghauts:.
His capital- was Poonab, an open town, but Ire kept his archives^
at Poorundar, a place-of vaft ftrength,. a fortrefs on the fummit-
of a mountain ; he died in 1680. His fucceflors extended their
Gonquefts, or rather their inroads, .all over Hindooftan; and evens
compelled the great Mogul to pay them, a about, or. tribute, tot
fave his fubjedts from future calamities...
F r o m - time to time they extended: their dominions toavafl i
magnitude,, and divided them into two-empires,, that o f Poonab,,
or the weftern,, and Berar, or the eaftern. The firft is divided;
again among a number o f chieftains, who pay juft' as much,
obedience as they like to a Paijbwab, or head,,whom Mr. Kennel:
jriiily compares to the emperor o f Germany, and the chieftains -
to the princes o f that great body; they often quarrel with him,,
and often among themfelves, and never are united, but by the
apprehenfion of a common danger. Their empires extend from
Guzerat to near the banks of the Ganges,.and foutherly to the
k northern.
T h e ir G o v e r n m
e n t .
northern borders o f the dominions of Pippoo■ Sultan. Their ■
forces confift of two hundred thoufand foot and horfe, and the
fame number in garrifon *. In their inroads they-come in
clouds, and fpread defolation far and wide.
A n e w empire is fpringing out of thefe people; Madajee Sin-
dia, a Jagbiredar o f the Mahratta ftates (of Poonab) or mere
landholder, is now fuccefsfully conquering for himfelf. Since
the year 1783 he has extended his frontiers from Malwa towards
the Jumna, pofleffed himfelf o f the ftrong fortrefs o f Guallior,
and even gives a penfion to the unhappy Mogul Shah Allum,
who fled to him for prote&ion, after having his eyes put out
by a favage Rohilla chieftain, on whom Sindia revenged the
cruelty by putting him to a moft excruciating death. Such
is the funk ftate of the reprefentative of the mighty emperors
of Hindoojlan. Sindia refides at Ougein, in Lat. 23° 14', a little
north of the Nerbudda river..
A b o u t the year 1740 Ram Raj ah± a weak prince, fucceeded
to the throne of the Mahratta empire t. His two minifters
agreed to divide his kingdom ; after which it became feparated
into two, in the manner we have defcribed +. The fame fpecies
o f war was continued,.and’ for. a long time they carried their
plundering excurfions to a great diftance. At one time they
fent forth two armies o f horfemen, confifting o f eighty thoufand
each f . They poured like a deluge, in 1743, over the low countries
weft, of the: Ganges, and exercifed their gothic rage againft
every thing animate, and inanimate; the moft -elegant works
of art fell before their brutal fury. The Engli/b were often in-
* Rennel, cxxviii. t Same, Ixxxii. iv. J Same, Ikxxv.
volved