waited on him in his camp, and to whom he promised protection, on 'condition of their confenting to pay fuch contributions, as the right of conquest authorized him to exact, and as his army, therefore, expected. The nobles prudently acquiefced in a demand to which they forefaw they would be ultimately compelled to fubmit; and orders were accordingly given to the magiftrates to levy the contribution, by a fcale duly proportioned to the wealth and rank of the inha bitants.* "Whilft the ranfom was collecting, Timur, as was his cuftom, celebrated his victory by a magnificent feftival, which, however, was to be polluted with the blood of the vanquished, and by facrificing, at the altar of an infatiable avarice, thoufands, not only of brave men who defended their families and property from brutal luft, and indif criminate pillage, but of helpless women, whom the power of beauty did not avail to fpare, and even of unoffending children, whom the facred fhield of innocence could not protect. "The Tartar officers employed to receive the affeffment from the magiftrates, not satisfied with the regulated fums which it fell to the lot of a few wealthy inhabitants to pay, declared that they had concealed their property, and violently broke into their houses, in endea vouring to fecure which, the enraged citizens put feveral of the Moguls to death. A ferious tumult confequently arofe, which foon reaching the ears of Timur, he gave orders for a general maffacre; and this conqueror, whom ignorance has denominated a generous hero, beheld, with a rancorous pleafure, the proud metropolis of a great empire facked and plundered, its palaces and temples levelled with the ground, and its streets choaked up with the mangled carcafes of its murdered inhabitants. The vindictive fury of Timur, however, was not yet fpent. The Muffulmans of Delhi were forgiven; but his enmity towards the Hindus, no fubmiffion could disarm, and no atonement could appeafe. Having heard of the famous cavern of Coupéle,+ and of the adoration paid to it by that pious race, he marched thither without delay; and filled the measure of his enormities in Hindustân, by im purpling the hallowed ftream of the Ganges, with the blood of its fuperftitious but peaceful votaries.” "See Dow's Ferifhta, Vol. II. P. 7.” The The rocks of Coupele, which are fituated at the foot of Mount Kimmaleh, in western Thibet, form a cavern worshipped by the Hindus, on account of the Ganges difemboguing itself through it, and because fuperftition has pictured it to their fancy in the fhape of a cow's mouth, which animal, the reader knows, is held facred by them." The fource of the Ganges is on the western fide of the Kentaiffe mountains, in the latitude of 33° north. Two ftreams fpring from the foot of Mount Kentaiffey and take their courfe weftward, inclining confiderably to the north, for above 300 miles, when meeting the ridge of Mount Kimmaleh, they turn to the fouth, in which course they unite their waters, and form what is properly termed the Ganges. Kk z It The Chronicle and its Supplement fill nearly 300 pages, and contain many curious and interesting articles of intelligence; among others, an account of a French Jacobin club at Seringapatam; and many particulars refpecting the fiege and reduction of that capital. These are followed by an extenfive collection of State-papers, and fuch parliamentary proceedings as relate to the affairs of India. The debates at the India House come next, and they contain a pretty ample difcuffion of that most important fubject, the illicit trade which has been carried on between India and Europe, to an enormous extent, to the great prejudice of the Company's interefts, and of the national revenue. In bringing forward this bufinefs, Mr. BoSANQUET appears to us to have acted a most honourable and a most laudable part; and the manner in which the proceedings were ftopped favoured fo much of the exertion of undue influence, and of party fpirit, that it could not fail to incur the indignation of every cool and impartial obferver. The only mode of clearing the parties, implicated in the charge, in the public opinion, was by courting a deep investigation of the whole iniquitous tranfaction; and it was not only the intereft, but the duty of the Company, to purfue fuch investigation. How Mr. LUSHINGTON, after perufing the printed papers, could think of making such a motion as the following, we cannot conceive. "That it does not appear to this Court, that, in any of the papers which have been published refpecting illicit trade, there are any grounds of fufpicion against the houfe of David Scott and Co. and, therefore, it would be incomputible with the juftice of this Court to withhold this declaration of their opinion." We read the papers ourselves with confiderable attention, and we confess that they made on our minds a directly oppofite impreffion to what they seem to have produced on that of Mr. LUSHINGTON. The opinion avowed by one of the Directors, Mr. ELPHINSTONE, was very nearly the fame which we were led to form on the fubject. This, however, is not the place to enter at large into the difcuffion of this question, which is of extreme importance to the country; a future opportunity may, poffibly, occur, for bestowing on it, in the difcharge of our public duty, that time and attention which it fo richly deserves. It then forces a paffage through the ridge of Mount Kimmaleh, and fapping its bafe, rushes through the cavern of Coupele; whence turning to the eastward, it runs through the rugged country of Serinaghur, and opening a paffage through Mount Sewalick, at Hurdwar, it dif charges itself on the plains of Hinduftân."-See Rennell's Memoir of Hindufiân, P. 313.". The The Mifcellaneous Tracts are well felected, and many of them are highly interefting. The notice of books is the leaft interesting part of the volume, as the books noticed are neceffarily few, and generally known. Among the characters, we were furprized to find, a long biographical fketch of Mr. BOYD (extracted from a work lately publifhed) of which a very : fmall portion indeed has any relation to India affairs. It is one continued panegyric, and contains fome of the moft fulfome adulation we ever remember to have read. The editor of the Register, too, goes out of his way for the purpose of affirming that it is completely proved, that Mr. BoYD was the author of Junius's Letter. Against all fuch hafty and unwarranted conclufions we enter our folemn proteft. We earneftly recommend it to the editor to avoid fuch extraneous matter in future. This department of the work, however, is, with the exception we have noticed, very ably executed. Some interesting anecdotes are given refpecting the late tyrant of the Myfore, which are followed by fome very pertinent and just observations on his character and conduct. These we fhall extract for the amusement and inftruction of our readers. "Thefe Anecdotes place the character of TIPPDO SULTAUN in its true light. His abilities have undoubtedly been over-rated. He was neither so wife a Statesman, nor so able a General, as he has been represented, Though he poffeffed a confiderable share of prudence, and was not wanting either in promptitude or judgement, yet was he greatly deficient in that comprehenfion and vigour of mind, which are effential ingredients in the compofition of all true greatnefs. Selfifh, cunning, and rapacious, in government as well as in war, he acted upon narrow principles. "His Revenue Regulations,* which are certainly framed with great ability, and which feem well calculated to enrich both the Prince and people, were fruftrated in their operation by his shifting and shallow policy. As a warrior, he was brave, cautious, and intrepid: but his courage was tinctured with ferocity; and his firmness proceeded from obftinacy, rather than from a juft confidence in his own powers; and he never difplayed any depth of forefight, or spirit of enterprize. As a politician, he fhewed little difcernment, and lefs fagacity; though his understanding was full of artifice, he feldom employed it fuccessfully; and the schemes which he laid to over-reach his enemies, * See the My forean Revenue Regulations, tranflated by Burrish Crifp, Efq. from the Perfian original, under the feal of Tippoo Sultaun, in the poffeffion of Col. John Murray,-See also, a Differtation on the Revenues of Myfore, at once luminous and concise, in an historical and political view of the Deccan, by James Grant, Efq. printed for J. Debrett, 1797." Kk 3 Igenerally generally proved abortive. Cruel in his difpofition, and impetuous in his temper, he was often guilty of enormous acts of tyranny; though, for the most part, his prudence taught him to rule over his own fub. jects with a degree of justice, that rendered them less oppreffed than thofe of any other Mahommedan Prince in India. Tippoo was ambi, tious to furpafs his father in every thing; and he had the vanity to imagine that he was infinitely fuperior to that extraordinary man. But, in truth, he furpaffed him in nothing but the low arts of private treachery and public intrigue.-Hyder was not only endowed with great genius, but with many exalted virtues: he was a confummate ftatefman, an enterprifing warrior, a generous conqueror, a faithful ally, a ftrict obferver of the laws of war, a benevolent fovereign, a Mahommedan free from fuperftition, a steady friend, and an indulgent parent. Tippoo's talents were not much above mediocrity; the qua lities of his heart were greatly below it; in ftate affairs, he was narrow-minded and prejudiced: in the conduct of his army, he never fhewed any mafterly generalfhip; the few victories which he gained, were fullied with the most atrocious cruelties: in his alliances, he was faithful, out of hatred to his enemies, not from any principle of honour or integrity: in war, he difregarded almoft all the rules that are obferved by civilized nations: in the administration of his government, he was lenient only because it fuited his own intereft; in his religion he was a fierce and gloomy bigot; he was unfufceptible of friendship, and deftitute of parental tenderness.--Hyder, without the benefits of education, rofe himself, by the dint of his own abilites, from a private ftation, to the throne of a powerful kingdom. Tippoo, though inftructed from his earliest youth in the art of politics, and left by his father at the head of the best difciplined army that any Indian Prince had ever commanded, loft that kingdom to his pofterity, and facrificed his army, by the groffeft mifmanagement. Hyder had the addrefs to render the affiftance of the French fubfervient to his own purposes. Tippoo allowed himself to be duped by their intrigues, and to be made the mere inftrument of their ambitious projects. "Nor did Tippoo differ lefs from his father in private, than in public life. The father poffeffed the utmost frankness of manners, enlivened with humour and cheerfulness: the fon was proud, diftant, fullen, and auftere. The father defpifed the pageantry of Eastern Courts: the fon maintained the pomp and haughtiness of the moft voluptuous defpotifm. The father was liberal and fincere: the fon was parfimonious and treacherous, In fine, Hyder poffeffed all thofe qualities which feem requifite for the fplendid actions he performed, and, if he had been an European inftead of an Afiatic Prince, would have been confidered as one of the first politicians, as well as one of the greatest heroes, of any age or nation; whereas Tippoo can only be ranked among the defpots of India, as a crafty but impolitic Prince, whofe paffions domineered over his judgement, who was ever ready to gratify his revenge at the expence of his intereft, and who fell a Sacrifice to his own hypocrify."-E. We We cannot difmifs the work before us, without repeating our opinion that this firft volume exhibits a moft favourable fpecimen of the utility of the plan, and the ability of its execution. It reflects great credit on its conductors, and is, in all refpects, entitled to the approbation and patronage of the public. ART. VI. A Narrative of the Expedition to Holland, in the Autumn of the Year 1799. Illustrated with a Map of North Holland, and feven Views of the principal Places occupied by the British Forces. By E. Walth, M. D. 4to. PP. 168. Price One Guinea. Robinsons. 1800. HE author is very humble in his pretenfions; he describes ed, fo as to admit an account of various tranfactions and incidents connected with the fubject, but which could not poffibly altogether fall under the daily obfervance of any fingle perfon." His account of the expedition is preceded by a very brief sketch of the rife, progrefs, and revolutions of the Dutch government, from the first establishment of the republic to the present time. As to the accuracy of his enlarged Journal, it is impoffible for us to fpeak with decifion on fuch a fubject; we can only fay, that it appears to be drawn up with correctnefs, impartiality, and candour. The main incidents are certainly stated with fidelity, and the Appendix contains all the official reports and documents which have been published on the subject, so that the author may be faid to have rendered an acceptable service to the public, by collecting all the information relating to this expedition, and placing it in a compact form. One thing appears evident from the perufal of the Doctor's narrative-that the force employed, however fufficient for the purpose of a coup de main, was wholly inadequate to fubdue the country by a regular and fyftematic plan of operations, without the active fupport of the inhabitants. To the want of fuch support were fuperadded the delay in landing the troops, the late arrival of the reinforcements, the unusual feverity of the weather, which rendered the roads almost impaffable, and the vaft combination. of local impediments which the country opposed to the approach of an hoftile army-all thefe circumftances united to favour the operations of the enemy, and to retard thofe of the allied army. Of the Convention which terminated the expedition we have had frequent occafion, in our political fummaries, to declare our opinion, which every thing contained in this narrative tends to confirm. According to the official accounts Kk 4 |