289 



To the preceding characters, I must, in the same spirit of truth 

 and candour, add the eminent names of Lord Pigot, Lord Ma- 

 cartney, the second Lord Clive, Lord William Bentinck, and their 

 successors in the respective governments of India; who will be 

 recorded in history as bright examples of British virtue, cooperat- 

 ing with the supreme administration in conducting the Asiatic 

 empire; which, commencing with a few Banians and factors in 

 a mercantile warehouse, now extends over an immense territory, 

 (exclusive of our latest oriental conquests) inhabited by upwards 

 of sixty millions of people ! 



Under the general name of Hindostan, throughout these 

 volumes, I have included the whole peninsula of India, agreeably 

 to the geographical boundaries in the A yeen Akbery. Several mo- 

 dern writers comprise it within a smaller compass, including only 

 the provinces north of the Deccan, extending to the frontier 

 mountains. As I did not thus understand it during m} T residence 

 in India, I have not since adopted it. The best standard for this 

 subject, seems to be the country thus distinguished by Abul 

 Fazeel. " Hindostan is washed by the ocean on the east, the 

 west, and the south; to the eastward lies Malacca, together with 

 Sumatra, the Moluccas, and many other islands. On the north 

 are high mountains, part of which forms the boundary of Hindos- 

 tan, on that quarter; the rest belong to Turan and Iran. Beyond 

 these mountains, as far as Chinese-Tartary, are. several fertile terri- 

 tories; particularly Cachemeer, the two Thibets, and Kushtwar. 

 The north side of Hindostan is plentifully supplied with rivers; 

 so that it may be said to have water on all quarters, 



" The whole extent of this vast empire is unequalled for the 



vol. iv. 2 p 



