THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 17 



The native Indians are zealoufly attached to their 

 religious tenets, their laws, and antient cuftoms ; in- 

 genious, tractable, inoffenfive and fubmiffive to a 

 degree unknown in Europe ; dark in their com- 

 plexions, efpecially towards the fouth; feeble in their 

 perfons, conititutionally and religiouQy temperate, 

 living chiefly upon rice, vegetables, and water. 



Indoftan is not only one of the largeft empires of 

 the world, but its produce is the mod valuable ; be- 

 ing the greateft repofitory of diamonds hitherto dif- 

 covered; befides its fpices, drugs, colours, filk, cot- 

 ton, faltpetre of the bed quality, faftron, coffee, fu- 

 gar, and rice. Its manufactures in filks, embroidery, 

 and cottons, have long been the admiration of Eu- 

 rope, and particularly of England, where the third of 

 revenue permits the importation of thefe foreign 

 manufactures, though now equalled, if not exceeded, 

 in beauty, by thole at home* 



Between the years 1751 and 1760 a train of events, 

 more fortunate than honourable, put the Englilh 

 Eaft India Company in poffeffion of thofe provinces 

 which have hitherto been confidered as the garden of 

 Indoftan, viz. Bengal, Bahar, and part of OrifTa ; 

 the whole, collectively, equal in dimenfions to the 

 kingdom of France, abounding in manufacturing 

 cities, inhabited by ten millions of people, and pro- 

 ducing, a revenue of 3,500,000!. annually. The 

 fertile province of Benares, otherwife Gazipour, ad- 

 joining to Bengal on the north, and producing a re- 

 venue of 260,000!. was in 1774 annexed to th 

 Company's polfeflions in that quarter. The provin- 

 ces of Bengal and Benares lie on both fides of the 

 Ganges, and are every where watered by its tributary 

 dreams, which are navigable for veflels of 200 tons, 

 and connected by canals of fufficient depth for all 

 the purpofes of extenfive inland navigation. The 

 rompany alfo poflefs a didrict of 40 miles round 



B Madrafs 3 



