of Hindostan. With the early Hindoo records, many of which we believe to be of high antiquity, Europeans are at present but very imperfectly acquainted: we are not, however, sanguine in the expectation, that our increasing knowledge of the Sanscrit will throw any considerable light on the primitive history of India: the few Sanscrit records, which have hitherto been examined, present us with a blended mass of mythology, poetry, history and law, from which without the aid of contemporary documents it seems scarcely possible to elicit a clear and consistent series of events, It appears, however, that from the earliest times the wealth of Hindostan invited the avarice of its North-western neighbours The Persian hero Rustum is supposed to have flourished about 1100 years before the Christian era; and the whole empire of India is, said to have fallen under. his yoke: he established a new dynasty; and succeeding princes for many ages acknowledged the paramount authority of Persia. Phoor or Porus, taking advantage of the distress of that country during its invasion by Alexander the Great, withheld the customary tribute: but the Arsacidae renewed the claim, which with casual interruption seems to have been admitted, till the time when the Persian monarchy was overthrown by the Caliphs about the middle of the seventh century. But the power of the Caliphs in those parts was of short continuance: towards the conclusion of the ninth century, they were compelled to acknowledge the independence of Ismael Samani, an adventurer from beyond the Oxus, who founded the dynasty of the Samanides in the province of Chorasan, and reigned in. Bochara over Candahar, Cabul, and the mountainous regions between India and Persia, inhabited by the Afghans or Patans. Or this warlike and ferocious tribe the history and the fortunes are remarkable: by some they are supposed to be of Jewish origin, the descendants. of king Saul: about the year 961 a dispute having urisen respecting the succession to the Samanian dominions, Abistagi the governor of Chorasan, to avoid the resentment of the successful candidate, whose interest he had opposed, retired to Ghize the capital of Zabulistan; and ingratiating himself with the Afghans, who were then its masters, he founded the Ghizean empire, which from small beginnings, through the bravery of the Afghans afterwards gave law to India: their dynasty was not finally subverted till within these five hundred years; and their daring enterprises at a much later period make a figure in oriental history..

Our author commences his work with an account of the early Mohammedan conquerors of India, of the family of the Samanides. Under a succession of these princes we read of frequent incursions into the North-western provinces of Hindostan, prompted rather by the desire of plunder and a hatred of Hindoo

idolatry,

idolatry, than by any view to permanent dominion. These princes, however, transferred the seat of government to Lahore where it continued, till their power was obliged to yield to the fortunes of the house of Ghor. Mohammed Ghory, the founder of the new dynasty, traced his origin through thirty two generations to a progenitor, who was converted to Mohammedanism by Ali the son-in-law of the Prophet. After various conflicts with confederated Rajas, in which he was usually successful, and having penetrated as far as to Benares, where he destroyed the idols and the temples of that celebrated seat of Hindoo learning, he withdrew to Ghizne, leaving the government of India to his viceroy Cuttub. This person was originally a slave from Turkistan; and having been sold into the family of a nobleman, by whom he was educated, his great abilities recommended him to the Sultan Mohammed Ghory: under him he performed signal achievenents; and being adopted by the Sultan he succeeeded him in the uncontroled possession of the Indian provinces; and making Delhi is capital, may be regarded as the first Mohammedan Emperor of Hindostan. He died A.D. 1210; and it was in his reign that Bengal first became subject to the Mohammedan

arms.

Bengal, according to Ferishta, had from a period antecedent to the Christian era, been an independent and flourishing kingdom subject to a series of native princes or Rajas. The last of these Luckmunyah resided at Nuddeah; when Bukhtyar Khulijy, who commanded a military force under the viceroy Cuttub, marched to Nuddeah, and availing himself of a stratagem to gain admission into the city, he gave up the inhabitants to pillage and slaughter. The Raja with difficulty made his escape, and fleeing to Jagernaut with a view of devoting himself to religion, he died A.D. 1204, within the precincts of the Temple. With Luckmunyah terminated the independence of Bengal under native Hindoo princes. Bukhtyar, having completely subjugated the country, established his government at Gour or Lucknouti, which according to Major Rennell had been the

Christian era: and in the Pital of Bengal 700 years before the

spirit of intolerance he destroyed the Hindoo temples, and erected mosques and caravansaries amidst their ruins. The site of Gour is still traced in an extent of twelve miles upon the banks of the Ganges; and à set of engravings exhibiting monuments of its ancient grandeur may be expected, as we are informed by our Author, from the Tearned Dr. Wilkins of the India House.

Having thus deduced the origin of the Mohammedan power in Bengal, it is not our intention to follow Major Stewart through all the intrigues, battles and assassinations, by which a succession of ambitious adventurers for the most part raised themselves to

the

the government: nor shall we recite the attempts made by many of them to shake off the authority of the court of Delhi. It was not till A.D. 1340, when a weak prince happened to be seated on the Imperial throne, that Bengal became an independant kingdom under Fakher Addeen. He was, however, put to death by a competitor for the throne after a reign of two years and a half; and his successful rival within a still shorter period terminated his career by assassination. The assassin, whose name was Ilyas, succeeded to the throne; and his subjects forgot in his subsequent deportment the crime by which he rose to power. Usurpation, indeed, seems never to have fixed any stigma on the usurper: violence and treachery were the ordinary methods of attaining to empire. Under princes thus elevated to the supreme authority, many of whom appear to have governed with justice and humanity, Bengal remained an independent state, till A.D. 1598. During a great part of this long interval the Emperors of Hindostan enjoyed but the shadow of their former importance: the invasion by Tamerlane was succeeded by a period of weakness and distraction; and even the great Baber, who A.D. 1526 transferred the Empire from the Afghans to the Moghuls, was too much occupied in different quarters to meditate an attack upon Bengal. Homayon his son did, indeed, ́ penetrate to Gour, having expelled the reigning prince Shere Shah; but after remaining there a few months, he was obliged to withdraw, after formally ceding the sovereignty of Bengal and Behar to Shere: who, however, by an act of treachery massacred the Moghuls, while the Emperor and a few of his friends escaped only by swimming their horses across the Ganges. Shere having afterwards assembled 50,000 men defeated the Emperor in the neighbourhood of Cammouge, and thus again transferred the empire from the Moghuls to the Afghans. Homayon appears to have been one of those princes, who falling upon turbulent times are destined to be the victims of revolutions: he was mild in his deportment and amiable for his virtues; he was distinguished by his knowledge and accomplishments; and his piety (which may be excused in a false religion) bordered upon superstition: his personal valour was conspicuons in many great, achievements; but his scruples about making the most of victory by acts of perfidy and revenge, gave his opponents the advantage. He was, perhaps, the mildest of the princes of the house of Timour; of whom clemency was the prevailing characteristic. But his fall was not followed by his destruction: for the present, however, we must attend to Shere Shah: as this person was of a singular character, we shall collect a few particulars respecting him from Ferishta, as translated by Dow.

Shere

Shere, whose original name was Ferid, was an Afghan, who. early in life enlisted as a cominon soldier in the service of the governor of Joanpore. His father Hussein held the districts of Sehsaram and Tondah in jaghire, for which he was to mamtain 500 horse: but having little affection for his wife, the mother of Ferid, he neglected her offspring in favour of Soliman, who was his son by a concubine. It was this neglect which occasioned Ferid to flee to Joanpore: there he soon discovered great talents for literature, especially for history and poetry, and was liberally supported by the governor. After three or four years had elapsed, Hussein came to Joanpore, and the father and the son were reconciled: Hussein determined to remain there; and Ferid was sent home to take charge of the estate; and in the discharge of this trust he manifested uncommon genius and resolution. But the mother of Soliman was determined, if possible, to get rid of Ferid and to advance her son. Ferid, there fore, perceiving the injury doue to his father's feelings, in order to restore domestic peace voluntarily resigned his trust to Soliman, and engaged in the service of one of the nobles of the Emperor Ibrahim, the predecessor of Baber. From Ibrahim after encountering great difficulties Ferid on the death of his father obtained a grant of the jaghire,, and Soliman was ejected: he did not, however, enjoy it long; but was in turn compelled to abandon it, through the interference of a powerful patron of his brother Soliman. After various adventures and escapes, which we have not room to enumerate, he was once more restored to his estate, and entered into the service of the Emperor Baber; the following anecdote is related of his interview with that celebrated person.

"After Shere had staid some time in the Moghul camp, and observed their manners and policy, he one day told a friend, that he thought it would be an easy matter to drive those foreigners out of Hindoostan. His friend asked him what reason he had to think so? Shere replied, "that the Emperor himself, though a man of great parts, was but very little acquainted with the policy of Hindoostan; and that the minister, who held the reins of government, would be too much biassed in favour of his own interest, to mind · that of the public. That therefore, if the Afghans, who were now at enmity among themselves, could be brought to mutual concord, the work was completed; and should fortune ever favour him, he imagined himself equal to the task, however difficult it might at present appear.” His friend burst out into a loud laugh, and began to ridicule this vain opinion. Shere, a few days after, had, at the Emperor's table, some solid dishes set before him, and only a spoon to eat with. He called for a knife, but the servants had orders not to supply him with one. Shere, not to lose,his dinner, drew his

dagger

the government nor shall we recite the attempts made by many of them to shake off the authority of the court of Delhi. It was not till A.D. 1340, when a weak prince happened to be seated on the Imperial throne, that Bengal became an independant kingdom under Fakher Addeen. He was, however, put to death by a competitor for the throne after a reign of two years and a half; and his successful rival within a still shorter period terminated his career by assassination. The assassin, whose name was Ilyas, succeeded to the throne; and his subjects forgot in his subsequent deportment the crime by which he rose to power. Usurpation, indeed, seems never to have fixed any stigma on the usurper: violence and treachery were the ordinary methods of attaining to empire. Under princes thus elevated to the supreme authority, many of whom appear to have governed with justice and humanity, Bengal remained an independent state. till A.D. 1598. During a great part of this long interval the Emperors of Hindostan enjoyed but the shadow of their former importance: the invasion by Tamerlane was succeeded by a period of weakness and distraction; and even the great Baber, who A.D. 1526 transferred the Empire from the Afghans to the Moghuls, was too much occupied in different quarters to meditate an attack upon Bengal. Homayon his son did, indeed, penetrate to Gour, having expelled the reigning prince Shere Shah; but after remaining there a few months, he was obliged to withdraw, after formally ceding the sovereignty of Bengal and Behar to Shere: who, however, by an act of treachery massacred the Moghuls, while the Emperor and a few of his friends escaped only by swimming their horses across the Ganges. Shere having afterwards assembled 50,000 men defeated the Emperor in the neighbourhood of Cammouge, and thus again transferred the empire from the Moghuls to the Afghans. Homayon appears to have been one of those princes, who falling upon turbulent times are destined to be the victims of revolutions: he was mild in his deportment and amiable for his virtues; he was distinguished by his knowledge and accomplishments; and his piety (which may be excused in a false religion) bordered upon superstition: his personal valour was conspicuons in many great, achievements; but his scruples about making the most of victory by acts of perfidy and revenge, gave his opponents the advantage. He was, perhaps, the mildest of the princes of the house of Timour; of whom clemency was the prevailing characteristic. But his fall was not followed by his destruction: for the present, however, we must attend to Shere Shah: as this person was of a singular character, we shall collect a few particulars respecting kun from Ferishta, as translated by Dow.

Shere,