lege of the country language may justify him, in affectedly terming thole, Merhattab ftates, which are currently known under the name of Mahratta or Marhatta states; especially as he returns to the familiar mode of tpelling, in his Appendix.

This is nevertheless an intelligent and well-written tract; and, paffing over thofe parts of the country defcribed, as are obfcure and uninteresting in a general view, we fhall prefent our readers with. the author's account of the local circumstances of the Myfore country, a territory pointed out to our curiofity, by our contefts with its prefent fovereign, and his enterprizing father: including alfo a curfory view of the Mahratta ftates.

⚫ Situated on an elevated plain, difficult of accefs, in great part defart or woody, and ftudded with innumerable hill forts-it is in itfelf no defirable object for conqueft, while it prefents almost infuperable obitacles to the progrefs of an invading army, particularly if compofed of infantry, under the reftraints and luxury of an European camp. At the fame time it poffeffes the means of cheap defence against the affailants, by affording ample fubfiftence for its own hardy troops of cavalry, in the abundance of pasture for the horfes, and coarfe homely produce of peas or Indian corn for the men, who are inured to long and rapid marches. But in the Payengaut it is quite the reverfe. Here a narrow, low, and maritimeTM border of country, 470 miles in length, in itfelf abundantly fertile, is ftill more artificially enriched by the improving arts of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce; and while thefe circumstances may tempt the cupidity of a poor and barbarous warlike nation, the facility of incurfion and depredation, with the certainty of a fecure retreat, render the whole Coromandel coaft an easy prey to the Myforean; who from a vaft chain of fortified pofts, with a rampart of hills, on the long and naked flank of the lower Carnatic, may with his cavalry make an inftantaneous defcent on the latter, in the more important feafons of feedtime or harveft; lay the face of the country entirely wafte, plunder and deftroy its inhabitants, and retire in fafety with his booty, through various paffes of the Gauts, if purfued by our flow marching army of infantry; and thus make war rather a profitable occupation to himself, though deftructive to us, with fcarcely the poffibility of gratifying even a vindictive defire of retaliation.

In fhort, on a fair comparison of the relative value of fuppofed equal revenue collected by the English and Tippoo, the difference of effective furplus, applicable to the extraordinaries of war, appears infinitely in favour of the latter, both for immediate exertion and prolongation of hoftilities, according to the ufual fyftem of either power, in carrying on their respective military operations. But to eftimate with still greater precifion the actual refources of our nearest natural enemy, it feems neceffary to take into confideration the weight and influence of the Merhattah ftates, who are his immediate moft formidable neighbours, and ftanding much in the fame relation of power and enmity towards his dominion, that he is fuppofed to do in refpect to ours; with this difference however, that their native empire being better fecured, though on more barbarous prin

ciples of general policy, than his ufurpation, they are ever more prone to commit their wonted depredations on his territory, efpe. cially when fo weakened by internal or foreign wars as to become an eafy attainable object of their conqueft or plunder.

The form of government under which thefe people live, hath been compared to the federate union of the Germanic body; but I cannot discover the least analogy between them, nor with any other civilized fociety exifting, unless that of the Sieks of Hindoftan be an exception; in as much as the latter authorizes, in common with the former, predatory warfare at all times on its neighbours; and under the denomination of Raaki, extorts a contribution `from them for the fake of peace, very fimilar in manner and injuffice to the chout or fourth of public revenue often forcibly exacted by the Merhattahs. But the grand principle of the political union of thefe, refts on ground wholly diftinct, and peculiar to them felves. As a tribe of aboriginal Hindoos, they profefs the religion of Brama; speak a dialect of the Sanfcrit language, in which they have introduced all the technical terms of Moghul administration; ufe a character of their own in writing, though not very different from fome of the other tribes around them; are divided into four cafts or claffes of people, with their various fubdivifions of profeffional diftinction, found over the rest of Hindoftan; but with this remarkable important difference, that among the Merhattahs, every individual may, and in fact occafionally follows, the life of a foldier. As a nation inhabiting immemorially the country properly denominated Merhat, and comprehending the greater part of the Pefhwa's prefent dominion in the Decan, they were completely fubjugated, and afterwards for many centuries depreffed, firft by the Patans, then by the Moghul conquerors of Delhi. At length towards the end of Alemgeer's reign, they united, rebelled, and under the famous Sewajce, a leader of their own tribe, laid the foundations of that empire, which hath rifen gradually on the ruins of the Mahomedan power, until its late final fubverfion in Hindoftan Proper, through the arms of Scindeah; both by the capture of the cities of Agra and Delhi, with their territorial dependencies, and the confequent captivity of the unfortunate monarch who ruled there, as the last imperial reprefentative of the great Moghul race of Timur.

The whole of the dominion thus newly established is of vast extent, fretching near 1,200 miles along the frontiers of Tippoo and the Nizam in a N. E. direction, from Goa on the Malabar coast,. to Balafore in Oriffa adjoining to Bengal; and from thence northwellerly 1,000 miles more, touching the confines of the British and allied fates, on the borders of the Ganges and Jumna, to the territory of the Sieks at Paniput, rendered famous in 1761 for the last memorable defeat fuftained by the Merhattahs in their ambitious contest for empire with the united declining power of the Mahomedans. From this place, in a foutherly courfe, with great encroachment on the old eastern boundary of the Rajepoot country of Ajmere, it runs about 260 miles to the little Hindoo principality of Kotta, and thence fouth-wellerly 540 miles further to the extreme point of the foubah of Gujerat at Duarke, including the whole of

that

that fertile province; from whence along the fea coafts of Cambay and Malabar to Goa, the distance may be reckoned 800 miles. Thus, the overgrown empire of the Merhattahs may be faid to extend eaft 19 degrees of longitude, near the parallel of 22° north latitude, from the mouths of the Indus to those of the Ganges, and about 13 degrees of latitude north, from the Kitnah to Paniput} comprehending at least an area of 400,000 fquare geographic miles, being confiderably more than a third part of Hindoftan, including the Decan, and equal, perhaps, in dimenfions to all the British and allied ftates in India, with thofe of Golconda and Mysore taken together.'

The extent of Tippoo's dominion is fixed at 80,000 fquare geographical miles, or 92,666 English miles. Its produce is declared to confist merely of the neceffaries of life, and these of the coarsest kind: as to manufactures, if any exift in the country, they are not confiderable enough to be much known abroad. The natural in ference is, that we are not tempted to disturb Tippoo Saib, but im-, pelled to reduce him, as a reftlefs, cruel, ambitious, depredatory neighbour.

Art. 20. A Letter to the Right Hon. Henry Dundas, on the Situation of the East India Company. 410. pp. 15. 2s. Debrett. 1791. This anonymous correfpondent addreffes himself with great freedom to Mr. Dundas, under a previous declaration, that if the Eaft India Company has not relieved itself from a part of its embarraffments in the last four years, the fault is not with them, but with those who have introduced fuch a weight of increased charges as effectually to counteract all advantages to be expected from the poffeffions in India.'

The points of examination are, firft, how far, in the management of their territorial poffeffions abroad, their revenues exceed their disbursements; and, fecondly, to what extent, as traders at home, their profits outbalance their charges. I will endeavour to shew under thefe heads, that is by confidering the Company as mere fovereigns and mere merchants, what the territories are worth without the trade, and what the trade is worth without the territories. These two enquiries will naturally lead to and facilitate the investigation of the third and moft material point, namely, what is that general refult of all the Company's various concerns which appears in the shape of an applicable furplus, and constitutes their real annual profit in Eng

land.'

The refult of the first, is that the territorial poffeffions, without any reference to or connection with trade, have (including all receipts) produced to the Company in the four last years 3,196,554.1 in order to obtain which, they have been obliged to shift from their exchequer abroad, to their counting-houfe at home the fum* of 3.171,401. The event therefore of the four laft years is precifely this:

This is the amount of the debt transferred from India to' England, from 1786-7 to 1789-90, according to the latest advices."

England

England has gained at the expence of India £. 3,196.554
India has gained at the expence of England

3,171,401

Balance in favour of England £• 25,153

So much for the value of the territorial poffeffions, and as the aftonishing profperity you have talked fo much about is plainly not to be found in the Company's fituation as fovereigns unconnected with trade, let us enquire how they ftand as traders unconnected with territory.'

The refult of the fecond, is that the fragments of Indian revenue which the Directors can pick up after your different military and other establishments are fatisfied, will not even bear the carriage to Europe, but crumble and wafte in the paffage: that it is from China alone the Company derives any profit; and that whatever of profperity they enjoy, can only be attributed to the effects of the Commutation Act, or, in other words, to a tax on the people.'

The refult of the third is, That the revenues of India have produced in the last four years a furplus of 3,195,5541.; that fuch part of this furplus as has been fent home in Indian goods, has diminished, instead of increased, by coming through the medium of trade; and that, in the very fame period, during which the Company have received thefe three millions with one hand, they have been obliged to accept bills to the amount of three millions with the other.

That in four years of profound peace, with the affiftance of Parliament, and every public fupport, the Company has only been able to leffen by 150,000l. a debt which at this moment amounts to twenty-four millions ferling.

And, that upon a general review of all their affairs for four years paft, ending the ift of March laft, it appears that, fetting apart 50,000l. per annum for contingencies, and prefuming all future years to be as good as the former, the East India Company cannot pay, as intereit for any loans they may have occafion for, more than 100,000l. per annum.

Under thefe circumftances, I ask you, Mr. Dundas, whether you will venture to propofe to the public to encumber themselves with such a debt as that of the Company, in exchange for fuch an eftate as India appears to be? and whether you are able to point out one poffible refource upon which you can in common honesty recommend it to any man or body of men to advance to the Company, upon their fecurity, any thing like the amount of what you must know to be the expence of the present war in India?

Thefe, Sir, are two questions abfolutely neceffary to be answer ed. The firft, that the widow and orphan may fee what they have to trust to when they give 1651. for 100l. India ftock: and the Second, that the people may be informed, whether, while they are truggling against the approach of one war, they have not been exposed to the burthens of another, without even the concurrence of Parliament.'

The

The remoteness of the scene of action is an infuperable bar to any thing like a clear information of facts; for when tranfactions there are reprefented in fuch various points of view, how are we to diftinguish the warping and colouring of party, when every reporter has his refpective bias? The numerical accounts are too complicated and peculiar, both in circumftances and denominations, to be easily understood, even if the items were admitted by all parties; and the fact is notoriously otherwife. Here, however, the author profeffes to decide on the accounts prefented by the Company to the Houfe of Commons. His name would have given fome fanction to charges, in which few are fufficiently interested to unravel their intricacy: but every article of India concerns is fo much the fubject of difputation, that we are almoft tempted to deem it a country in the other world; it certainly calls for a fufficient share of that kind of faith, which is the fubftance of things defired, and the evidence of things not feen.

NAVAL AFFAIRS.

Art. 21. A Letter to the Earl of Chatham, First Lord Commiffioner of the Admiralty, &c. on the Subject of Naval Promotions, in which is refpectfully fubmitted a Plan for a liberal, equitable, and permanent Naval Establishment. 8vo. pp. 47. 15. Egerton.

1791.

This is a refpe&ful addrefs to the First Lord of the Admiralty, ftating abufes, under former Boards of Admiralty, in the promotion. of Flag Officers; and offering fome hints for regularity in naval promotions through all ranks in the fervice. The propriety of the plan here propofed, is, by this open publication, referred to the judgment, both of the parties who are more immediately interested, and of the public at large.

IRELAND.

Art. 22. A Sketch of the Revenue and Finances of Ireland, and of the appropriated Funds, Loans, and Debt of the Nation, from their Commencement. With Abstracts of the principal Heads of Receipt and Expenditure for fixty Years, and the various Supplies fince the Revolution. The whole illuftrated with Charts. By R. V. Clarendon. 4:0. pp. 202. 10s. 6d. Boards. Lowndes, &c.

1791.

This is an elaborate production, and appears to exhibit a clear and (to us) a fatisfactory view of the finances of Ireland: but we cannot pretend to pass a decided opinion on its accuracy, in refpect of all the documents contained in a work comprehending fo great an extent of political knowlege, difficult of attainment by perlons not officially qualified for fitting in judgment on the fubject. The charts, a recent invention, look like the fections of hilly countries, to fhew the comparative levels of the furface: they have the years marked along the bottoms, to divide them vertically according to time; and up the fides, by the amount of fums raised or expended, to cross them horizontally, like the meridians, and parallels of latitude in Mercator's charts. The lines of information are traced