1844.] Political Events in the Carnatic,from 1564 to 1687. 581 



of arms. That siege being protracted for 10 years by treachery, by the 



cabals and intrigues of the nobles and even of the princes, at last fell 



in 1700;* but in these views, the Moguls were disappointed. Rama 



escaped previous to the surrender, and the whole resources of the 96 



Marhatta tribes were soon rallied around him, and Gingee was found 



to be so extremely unwholesome, that some years afterwards their 



armies cantoned on the plains of Arcot, which led to the establishment 



of that capital of the lower provinces in 17l6.| 



4. In consulting undubitable memoirs of these times, we are struck 



Deplorable state of with surprise at the extraordinary number of horse 

 the Deckan and Car- . 



natic at this period. kept up by the several powers, and are astonished at 



this day, how the country could support them. The Mahomedan writers 

 complain, that this war was protracted, and the country ruined by the 

 Imperialists not keeping up an adequate force; and in proof of this, state, 

 that at this long period of protracted warfare, " the Cavalry kept up by 

 the Moguls amounted only to 34,000, while the late governments of Bee- 

 japoor and Golconda are stated to have constantly kept up the amazing 

 number of 200,000 horse." This perhaps may be explained by recollect- 

 ing, that the Marhattas had now not only got possession of a considerable 

 part of the late territory and Ahmednuggur, and those tracts particularly 

 of Baglana, &c. where horses are reared ; but of the sea-ports of Dabool, 

 Overrun by the &c. as far South as Honore and Batcull, (and even 

 gu ^s # a " from Goa, J) where horses were imported from Persia 



and Arabia ; whence they were enabled to overrun the Carnatic with 

 such vast swarms of marauding cavalry, that the writers of the time 

 describe them as swarming like ants or locusts.§ " The establishment 

 of a fleet by Seevajee, seems to have particularly pointed to this re- 

 source, and though it is not mentioned in any account of these times, 

 it is not likely he would overlook the advantage of the trade already 

 carried on by the Arabs in horses from time immemorial. From no 



* Madras Records. 



t The 96 Madras tribes are enumerated in the Marhatta Memoirs, Vol. I, p.— 



X For notice of the trade in horses from Arabia and Persia to India, see Caesar 

 Frederick's Account of Beejanagur and Batcull, Honore and Goa, in Churchill's Col- 

 lections. 



§ See Scott, Vol.11, p. 107. 



