

pf 



P uiwpuu 

 A IX liiJ 



Ingul 



<t-aKjr in 

 -. ptnoo 

 cl'Btlxr. 



His dc.v.h. 

 A.D. 1530, 



nd charac- 

 ter. 



' 



OUT. U- 



nobility of Agra. His residence wa at Cabul, whence 

 he undertook hi first expedition across the Indus, in 

 .jr l.'i ! ?. But it wa not till six years afterwards 

 that' he took possession of Lahore, and the next year 

 he m.irched to Delhi. Before he reached that city, 

 Ibrahim met him with a large army, and a fierce bat- 

 tle ctiMitil on the plain of Panniput. In this battle, 

 16,000 Patans, with Ibrahim himself, were killed. 

 Thus nn end was put to the dynasty of Loudi. Baber, 

 in consequence of this victory, proceeded first to Delhi, 

 and afterwards to Agra ; both these cities opened their 

 gates to him, and he was proclaimed Emperor of Hin- 

 doatan, in the year 1525. It is said that he crossed 

 the Indus the last time with only 10,000 chosen horse, 

 the enemy's generals, .by their revolts, furnishing him 

 with the rest of his army. The provinces which he 

 gained were those of Multan, Lahore, Delhi, Agra, 

 Ajmeer, and Oudc : for, as we have already remarked, 

 the empire of Delhi was no longer the same that flou- 

 rished under Balin. The province of Bengal was com- 

 pletely separated. The rich countries of the Decan were 

 the seat of another empire. Guzerat did not even no- 

 minally acknowledge the sovereigns of Delhi, and the 

 mountain tribes of Ptttan were independent, or at least 

 troublesome and restless subjects. 



The reign of Baber, even in those districts which he 

 gained, was by no means free from anxiety and disas- 

 ter. He was frequently harassed by insurrections, and 

 at one period his fortune seemed so desperate, that his 

 nobles advised him to return to Cabul. To this, how- 

 ever, he would by no moans agree ; and by his moder- 

 ation and firmness, united to a considerable degree of 

 tilcnts and activity of mind, he overcame all obstacles, 

 and placed his kingdom in a state of comparative tran- 

 quillity. He died in the year 1530. His character 

 may be thoroughly understood, both from the account 

 given of him by Ferishta, ami by the memoirs of his 

 life, written by himself; and the historian does not ap- 

 pear to have drawn it in too flattering colours in the fol- 

 lowing terms: " He so often pardoned ingratitude and 

 treason, that he seemed to make it a principle and rule 

 of his life to return good for evil ; he thus disarmed 

 vice, and made the wicked the worshippers of his vir- 

 tue. He was of the sect of the Haunafies, in whose 

 tenets and doctrines he was perfectly versed ; but he 

 yielded more to the evidence of reason than to the mar- 

 vellous legends of superstitious antiquity. He was not, 

 however, forgetful of that rational worship which is due 

 to the Great Creator, nor a despiser of those laws and 

 ceremonies which are founded on sound policy. He 

 excelled in poetry and music, and he wrote his own 

 commentaries in the Mogul language with such ele- 

 gance and propriety, that they are universally admired." 

 The historian adds, that he was fond of pleasure, 

 though moderate in its enjoyment ; and that he was 

 equally celebrated for his clemency, courage, and jus- 

 tice. As an instance of the latter, he relates, that a 

 <-araran from China having been buried in the snow in 

 crossing the mountains, he caused the merchandize to 

 )e collected, and sent notice to China of what had hap- 

 pened, in order that the owners might claim their pro- 

 perty ; and he restored it to them, refusing to be reim- 

 bursed even the expences he had incurred. 



His eldest son, Houmaioun, who had been the com- 

 panion of his victories, and the partaker of his fame, 

 succeeded him ; but the short reign of Baber had not 

 allowed time enough to compose the distractions that 

 prevailed, or to exterminate the seeds of rebellion. Af- 

 ter having subjugated the valuable provinces of Gu- 

 5 



INDIA. 



zerat and Malwa on the west, and those of Bengal and History. 

 Bahar on the east, the viceroys of which, as it has been ** ""Y"^ 

 stated, had declared themselves independent of the su- 

 preme government, he found himself compelled to ab- 

 stain from future conquest, and to turn his whole at- 

 tention to his domestic concerns. The Patans were en- 

 couraged to disturb the tranquillity of his kingdom by 

 his own brothers, to whom he had generously offered 

 to give up one half of the empire. This they refused ; 

 and after 12 years of civil war, and encountering every 

 species of distress and difficulty, Houmaioun was obli- 

 ged to flee for refuge and protection, first towards the 

 Indus, and the Rajpoot princes of Ajmeer, and after- 

 wards to the court of Shah Tamash, King of Persia. 



In the mean time Shere, an Afghan chief, ascended Shere is- 

 the throne of Delhi ; and one of the brothers of the ex- ccnds tlle 

 iled emperor possessed-the provinces to the west of the ' 

 Indus. Shere was a man of extraordinary talents, and 

 a brave and skilful warrior. He built caravansaries for 

 every sect at every stage, from Bengal to the Indus, a 

 distance of 3000 miles ; and planted fruit trees along 

 the road, for the accommodation of the passengers. He 

 was the first who established horse-ports in India, for 

 the purposes of government and commerce. In his 

 reign such was the vigilance of the police, that travel- 

 lers rested and slept with their goods in the highways 

 with perfect security. These are proofs of the good qua- 

 lities which he possessed, and exercised for the improve- 

 ment and benefit of his country ; but, on the other 

 hand, he was cruel, vindictive, and treacherous. He Killed, 

 was killed by the bursting of a shell at the siege of Chei- A-1Jl 

 tore, alter a reign of five years, A. D. 1515. 



His eldest son Adil succeeded him; but this prince 

 was so totally unfit, and so little willing to govern, that, 

 before he was crowned, he resigned his title to Selim 

 his brother. So very unsettled was the state of Hin- unsettled 

 dostan at this period, that no fewer than five sovereigns state of 

 appeared on its throne in the course of nine years. In Hindosta. 

 effect there could not exist in the minds of the people 

 any idea of regular and fixed government ; for there 

 had been scarcely twelve years in succession during two 

 centuries, that did not furnish some example of success- 

 ful rebellion. This induced a strong party in Hindos- jf fmm ; 

 tan to invite Houmaioun back. Secunder, the nephew olm reCJ J. 

 of Shere, who had assumed the imperial title, and reign- led. 

 ed at Agra, made great preparations to resist the inva- 

 sion ; but Houmaioun, having been assisted by the king 

 of Persia, and by the troops of several Tartar and Mo- 

 gul tribes, was too powerful for him. The battle of Battle of 

 Serhind, which was fought in the year 1554, was deci- Serhjnd. 

 give of the fate of Delhi, and destroyed for ever the Pa- A.D. 1554. 

 tan power. Houmaioun, however, did not long enjoy 

 his crown ; for, in consequence of an accident, he died 

 the year subsequent to his victory. He was celebrated 

 for the mildness and benevolence of his disposition, and 

 not less for his great personal bravery. 



He was succeeded by his son Acber, who had been Acber. 

 born when he was an exile among the princes of Aj- 

 meer. Acber was about 14 years of age when his fa- 

 ther died. The reign of this sovereign is the most pros- 

 perous and brilliant in the history of the Mahomedan 

 empire of India. Even at the commencement -of his 

 reign, he conducted himself with a prudence and dig- 

 nity rarely found united in so young a person, especi- 

 ally in the difficult circumstances in which he was pla- 

 ced. He had been left by his father under the special His excel- 



uidance of Byram Khan, who was appointed minister j' 

 during his minority, and who was a man of great abili- 

 ties, but of a boundless ambition and an imperious tern- 



