Revolutions and Hiftorical Events.

Bamineah Rule.

It was not until the year 1471 of the Chriftian æra, or 876 of the Hejerah, that the Mahommedans of the Decan extended their arms to the Northern Circars.

At this

time Oria, the Rajah of the country of the fame name, feparated from the rest of Oriffa, on the north, by the Chilca lake, having died without iffue, a difpute arofe for the fucceffion between Mungal Rai, the adopted son, and Humner, the cousin of the deceased. The latter had recourse for affiftance to Mahommed Shah Lufkkery, who then ruled over the Bamineah Empire in Beder, and had long wifhed for fuch an opportunity of extending his conquests on that fide of his dominions; in confequence of which, the claimant was not only put in poffeffion of the family eftates, but, through the aid of his great ally, acquired the new conquefts of Condapillee, including all the intervening diftricts to Rajemundry, on condition of becoming tributary for the whole to the Muffulman Empire, 1480.

But the ambitious projects of Mahommed Shah were not accomplished until nine years afterwards, by fubjugating more completely to his authority the districts of Maffulipatam, with the important province of Guntour. These formed part of a principality lately established by Narfingh, who was probably defcended from the conquered Telinga Rajabs of Worangol, and being driven from the family inheritance, took advantage of the distractions which prevailed in the Carnatic, to make himself mafter of the fea coaft of Coromandel from the Kiftna, south to Kanji, or Conjeveram, fixing his chief refidence at Chundergury. As the entire conqueft of this new ftate, afterwards called Narfingha, and fo often confounded by European travellers or hiftorians with Bejenagur, the Capital of the Great Indian Empire of Canara, from which it had been difmembered, entered largely into the political views of the Court of Beder; fo the poffeffion of Guntour in particular, as lying on the fouth fide of the Kifina, and in other refpects, from fituation, juftly confidered the mafter-key of the Carnatic

towards the north, appeared of the greatest relative importance.

Kootub-Shaby Rule.

In the year 1512 the Koctub-Shaby, a fecond dynasty of Decanny Mujulman Kings, difmembered, as Turrefdars, or Governors, by right of power, the eastern divifion of the Bamineab Empire, called Telinga, but in after ages more generally denominated from its capital and principal fortrefs, indifcriminately, the state of Hydrabad, or of Golconda; and in proportion to the limited fway of this new fovereingty, fo the complete reduction of all the tributary dependencies, especially thofe on the fea coaft, which are now the fubject of confideration, became a great object of policy with the ruling administration.

The countries fouth of the Goadaveri to the river Gondegama were entirely fubdued; reduced nearly into their present form of provinces as defcribed, and were in general modelled, almost on the fame principles of interior government, as pre

vailed at the period of the last revolution, when they were annexed to the British dominions in India. But at that time, Wiftna-deo, or Gajeputty, a powerful prince of Orissa, having united under his fceptre all the ancient family domains, from the confines of Bengal to thofe of Telinga on the fouth, no impreffion could be made. on Rajemundry, or the more northerly province, formerly tributary to the Mahommedans, while poffeffed by the defcendants of Oria, until the year 1571, under the reign of Ibrahim Kootub Shah. Then, a new participation of this Indian principality leffened the power of defence, and facilitated the reduction of the Rheddy, or proprietary Chief of the race of Gajeputty, to whofe lot the fouthern divifion, along the banks of the Goadaveri, defcended as an inheritance. The treafon of Vacheroy Muffalee, ancestor to the Zemindar of Peddapore, and renter or manager for the Rheddywars, furthered the ambitious projects of the Sultaun, while it procured for himself the farm of Kimmoor, &c. which ferved as a foundation to more extenfive acquifitions. But the conqueft of Rajemun

dry was still far from being complete. The island of Nagur was wholly inaccessible to Massulman troops: nor could the interior of the province be sufficiently protected from the ravages of the ejected proprietors, who were driven to their unwholefome faftneffes among the hills, but by a standing militia and feudatory force, which, befides the ordinary estimated revenue of the Circar, fubfifted on lands exempted from taxation, or under exactions from inferior fubjects of the state, or plunder taken from neighbouring independant inhabitants, who were poffeffed of greater wealth than courage to defend it. In like manner Cicacole was but imperfectly reduced; and reckoning its firft revenue according to the public records, it was rated at an affeffment greatly fhort of the actual collections made from the people, and of the neceffary military disbursements of a frontier province *.

* About the year 1592, Rajah Mansing, the Emperor Akbar's Delegate in Bengal, having partially subdued the Northern Provinces of Oriffa, included in the lifts of his conquests the southerly dependencies of Kulling, or Cicacole, and Rajemundry; valuing the former, of 27 Mhals, at 239,000 rupees, and the latter, of 16