enjoy, among a multitude of the official landholders difperfed throughout the Circars, fome of higher pretenfions from birth, but all of inferior territorial confequence. At length, in 1757, a complete furvey and Huftabood, or detailed accounts of the grofs collections of the whole country, infinitely more accurate and ufeful than the famous Doomsday book of England, were formed; Mr. Buffey acquired knowledge of refources entirely beyond his Musulman predeceffors, and greatly exceeding perhaps, the general belief of more modern financiers. But moderation was neceffary under a recent foreign administration. The regular troops to be supported by the revenue were to be employed on distant service; and the great Director-general himself, whofe prefence might frequently be requifite to enforce his decrees, was almoft conftantly obliged to reside at the Nizam's Court, to keep in order and fet in motion that wonderful political machinery, which was at once the bafis of his own grandeur, and made his nation the arbiters of the Decan. The Jummabundy or annual fettlement, therefore, was only doubled in Cicacole and Raje

mundry; and brought fomewhat nearer the Kham-Wofool, or grofs receipts, in the other provinces. Besides which, as a temporary expedient, the Zemindars were bound to maintain the public peace; defray all charges of collection; and keep on foot a Sebundy corps or militia of twelve thousand infantry, which over and above the ordinary fervice of preferving or enforcing the equal divifion of the three yearly crops between government and its tenants, were liable to be called on, for a very fmall daily allowance, to repel any invading foe. All this, however, we believe to have been only the first step towards establishing a more adequate fumma Kaumil, or ftandard revenue, which a profpect of future ftability was to make progreffive, until it attained an equitable medium of rent or taxation, that leaves abundance to the husbandmen, with a fufficient fpur to induftry; that fupplies the exigencies of the state in the neceffary means for a general fyftem of defence, or .diffuses with returning increase, through the channels of commerce or other public disbursements, the enlivening benefits of provincial circulation; and after all, affords

to indifpenfable intermediate agents neither princely fortunes to feed idleness, or pamper ufelefs luxury, nor hoards of wealth to be fecreted in the earth for the purpofes of fuperftition or chicanery, and thus to fet at nought the deadly labour of man for its acquifition; nor enormous defalcations from the indifputable rights of royalty, to purchafe remiffions, privileges, and influence, by corruption; nor to maintain a very formidable military retinue, whofe only virtue is perfonal attachment to the master who pays them, chiefly on alienated lands on the footing of those territorial benefices, which, with equal impropriety or ignorance, are fometimes fuffered to be given away to gain the partial favour of Bramins; until at length the King's conquered domains are rendered of no account, or wholly parcelled out to fupport meditated rebellion, must be again reunited under refractory fubjects, in the form of hereditary independant poffeffions:-No, not any fuch dangerous fuperfluities or embezzlements would probably have been allowed to Zemindars, thofe neceffary fervile links in Eastern defpotism to connect the diftant extremes of Prince and

Reyut. Nothing beyond a fplendid family fubfiftence, with juft fuch an overplus of income as might ferve to fupport official dignity, confequential appearance, perfonal pre-eminence, and gentility. This, we believe, would have been the equitable political refult of Mr. Luffey's fcheme of finance, if he had been allowed to complete it; though the ignorant calumniators of that great man, without attending to the other inexhauftible fources of private wealth which he poffeffed, in commanding the entire minifterial influence of the Nizamut, do not give his difinterestedness all the credit due to the arrangements, for the time, concluded as the annual revenues of the Circars.

Anarchy.

In April 1759, by the conqueft of the fortrefs of Maffulipatam, that great commanding bulwark, the virtual fovereignty of all the maritime provinces, on either fide from the river Gondegama to the Chilca lake, was absolutely and neceffarily trans

ferred from the French to the British Government. The gallant officer, however, under whofe command this new and amazing revolution had been effected, could not conceive the poffibility of maintaining, under the rule of a mercantile eftablishment, territorial acquifitions of fuch vast extent. He contented himfelf, and ftill more fully his employers, in obtaining a formal grant for those diftricts only, which have fince conftituted the immediate dependencies of the conquered capital, from Salabut Jung, the fuppofed rightful ruler of the Decan, fet up by Buffy; and left the viceroy in nominal poffeffion of the remainder, loft in wonder at the generofity and moderation of the English, though utterly incapable, from court diftractions, or the local circumstances of the country itself, thus difmembered from its head, to realife the derelicted boon. In confequence of which, for feven fucceeding years, the completest anarchy, recorded in the Hiftory of Hindoftan, prevailed over all the five greater Northern Circars. The forms, nay, even the remembrance, of civil government feemed to be wholly loft. Lords became vaffals;