284
Natural
•<5ü|Äip
: TÎSSV'
Extent and
DÎYiiïons.
Britifti Po£-
ieffions.
H .1 N D O ;S T A Nv
ftreams in;. the north of 'England,- andubthp* -calcareous ;coqatries.
Adam’s bridge is alfo a noted fable > of the Bramins^ for in their ftrong
imaginations and weak judgments, every thing affirmes a fabulous. tinge.
It is ;a .kind of 'fand bank, with fome ifles ftretchiug from a promontory
to the oppofite ifle of Ceylon: but the name of Rama has been exchanged
by the Mahometans for that' of Adam, 1
, C I I A P T E R IL
G a n g e t i c H i n d o s t a n , o r t h e C o u n t r i e s o n .t h e G a n g e s ;
Extent and Divi/ionsl—BritiJh P^0om.—Revepue.—G ^m^ ni.—^rmjr.
—Navy.— Cities and Towns.— Surrounding States.— B'ootAn. — Nipal.—
I SiRINAGUH.:
THIS grand divifion of Hindoffan extends from; the eaftern* botmt-
daries of Bengal To the country of Sirhind, a length of About a
thoufand B. miles. The greateft breadth, front theflfoSflfes * o f®e
Chumbul to the mountains of Sewalik, may be about four hundred and
fifty B. miles j arid the leaft, on the weft of the province of Bengal,
about two hundred and thirty. It comprifes the provinces of Bengal',-
Bahar, Allahabad, Oude, Agra ; with part of Delhi and Agimere, and
of Malwain the fputh j moft of them equal in celebrity to any ih Him-
doftan, and the chofen feats of the power of the Monguls, as well as of
mighty kingdoms even in claflical times*
Bengal, Bahar, with Benares, and fome other diftribisto the weft,
forming the chief bafis and centre of Englifh power in this country, it is
proper firft to confider them apart, and then proceed to fome account of
the other provinces« The Britifh fettlements here extend about five hun-
1 dred
CHAP.!' If. COUNTRIES ON THE GANGES.
dred and fifty' miles, inleögth by three, hundred in breadth, in t-hemfelves Brit«
a' powerful kingdom. The native population is coinputed at tenor
eleven- millions/öf black fubje&s jtl&öffüfiWfe of the Engli-fh, whofe':number
feemariOt'a'rittentktie^dSff'.r^^ttSi'T; "William Jones," from the- abttfa'l
enumeration of brie" pfOvin ce, ■ concluded .that/'nót Iels than thirty'mil-'
lidnsvof iHinHop©cfol cöntainfed in all the Britiffr poffeflions in Hin- j
dofhan. jlBut Major Rerinelf eifimates the éntirè: population':in! the. time
of-Autungzebat fixty millions 1' and it fetms ririreaforiablfe‘to’thirikthat
repeatedi wars have increafedAthe^popdlaticëi^ 'rit that ©he half is lubje£l -
to the Britiïh fcöptre..'- 1
The revenueJ (of ttftefè'Britrffi prOvirices rS: cordputedf at 4',‘2iX'6f)d6óI. ReVeml
f t e d é n g J jü t b e 1 fe x -p é r ie e ' o f ‘ e o l f e S t fo r i ; ' ’t r i i f i f a T y ^ a n d e l f u ‘ ' c h a r g é s , ' Stci
2',jj4e,''daó3.j iHbythat*The’ élêÈtr ^eVéri’ü è ^ ’1 ^ They^re'HVeU
fitpate'd in refpedt to 'feciitïty.froSt foreign invafion: 'werè'bHtai|^ in
j 76^1 under circuntftarieeS rather Favourable, as' the’charge of’ufurp-'
afion ipïght have, boem retorted again ft any adverfary: and'fined They
wer^j in our poffeffiony they !,havë" êrijfoyfëd mèfe tranquillity than any
part of Hindoftan has knowh ftncethefeigri èf Aufurigriêbt *•'
- The government -óf BetVgal1,:,and(iMfeIdfe' dependencies, WasE'rft'vhftëa GovenJ
in a Governor, General and a Supïeihé'CóiipciF, -corififtirig '!o? a' prefr-
dqnb ^ndïleverijPQUtrifellors^; but in 1773 tbefe were reftrided' to-four,
with .Warren Haftfogs ;the GovernpU GerfisraJ* who werè * to- dtfedt .all
affairs, civil anu military, in, the kingdoms of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa j
t;o contropl 'the inferior 'gOvernmentshqf',Madras''ori 'ïhe Ei, arid
Bombay on ^he- W.,> with &eRc$®len in the ifland of Sumatra/ Thé
Court^Judicatvn-g^pónfifts of ^7chief jriftice: and three) 'Other, judges^
with civih.cjiminal,maval, and e ^ c l'^ ftic d ^ til’di^eiwnsï^'Hjndóri»,
méjgQVprip^d bytbelfi Ojvyn la$y®$ hrit Ttïl^cfohè' vy^ffrèdThal: m:öh.©0 ; Stót
the othier, Britifti. podg/Tignsythe abominable [influence of thef;Brarriih&
were extinguiflied, and thefe fanatics themfelve9,dpgrad^d to the caff pf
Pariars i or gather that the* cafts were totally abolilhedji as the .moft
ftipeking pbftacle ,tp all the heft' feelings
that ever -was impofed by crafty fupérftitibri ilpbri ‘cörifumriiatè/^gnb-
'• *»• Rennell, cxisr. * flëanant, »
ïanpe: