182 
H I N D O 
The cities in this divifion frill retained by the native 
princes are, Delhi, the metropolis of Hindooftan, with its 
rich provinces, and beautiful gardens of Shalimar, which 
are faid to have colt a million of money in various embel- 
lifhments. The palace is greatly out of repair ; but ac¬ 
commodates the prefent emperor Akbar Shah, with the 
royal family of the race of Tamerlane ; and in the city 
re fide the principal Mogul families, who have followed the 
fortunes of that dynafty of princes. 
The city of Agra is in the power of the Mahrattas ; but 
Scindia relides in a magnificent palace which he has lately 
erefted at Ougcin, the capital of Malwa. Holkar relides 
ait Indore, thirty miles from Ougein, on the fide of Malwa 
adjoining to Guzerat, where his chief pofleftions are litu- 
ated. Both Holkar and Scindia pretend to be defcended 
from the ancient kings of Malwa. 
Lucknow is the capital of Afoph ill Dowla'n, nabob of 
the celebrated province of Ouae, which the Britilh govern¬ 
ment have alfo taken under their protection, and thus fe- 
cured the nabob as their firm ally. 
Burtpour is the refidence of the rajah or chief of the 
Jauts ; who has approved himfelf a brave and intrepid fol- 
dier. He was the only chief whofe fort or ltrong-hold ge¬ 
neral lord Lake could not reduce ; and therefore he wifely 
acceded to the terms for peace which he himfelf propofed. 
See p. 114, of this article. 
The principal rivers which fertilize thefe four divilions 
of Hindooftan, exclufive of the Ganges, Jumna, ar.d In¬ 
dus, are the Gagra, Soan, Godavery, Hoogly, Bain Gonga, 
Nerbudda, Kiftna, Cavery, and the Five Rivers of the 
Punjab ; with the lakes of Colair, Chilka, Pulicat, and 
Ouller. Subfidiary ftreams are without number, ilfuing in 
almolt every direction from the vail and various mountains 
which either circumfcribe, or prefent a barrier to, this ex- 
tenlive region. Thus every part is fertilized, except the 
great defert of Agimere, on the eaftem fide of the Indus, 
which is near five hundred miles in length,’and from one 
hundred to one hundred and fifty in breadth. 
Amidft this interchange of lake and defert, of fertilizing 
ftreams and lofty mountains, numerous large foreits occur; 
particularly near the mouth of the Ganges, and in the 
wide unexplored regions on the welt of the Circars. Thefe 
foreits furpafs in exuberance of vegetation any idea which 
Europeans can form: prickly creeping plants of prodigi¬ 
ous fize and length extend from tree to tree, and form an 
impenetrable barrier, which many of the native princes 
have endeavoured to imitate, by forming with fuch plants 
a fortification round their palaces and forts. See the arti¬ 
cle Bound Hedge, vol.iii. p. 312. 
A more fertile foil, and a climate better adapted to the 
molt profufe luxuriance of vegetation, than the well-wa¬ 
tered trails in this vaft peninfula, cannot pofiibly be found 
in any part of the known world. Thp liberality with which 
nature has fcattered over this favoured country the choiceft 
of thofe plants that contribute to the fultenance, the con¬ 
venience, and elegance, of human life, is boundlefs, and 
without competition ; double harvefts, two crops of fruit 
from many of the trees, and from moil others a copious 
and regular fupply during the greater part of the year, are 
the great bafis that fupport its fwarming population; while 
its timber of every quality, its herbs of medicinal virtue, 
its numerous and exquifite dying vegetables, and itsc otton 
trees and plants, offer to its inhabitants the materials of 
every enjoyment, for the trouble of 011I7 gathering. 
The molt diftinguilhing feature in their woods and fo- 
refts, is the multitude of lofty trees of the palm kind, 
which rife with a fimple trunk to a confiderable height, 
terminated by a tuft of large leaves, and wholly deftitute 
of branches, except while they are in fruit. The Cocos, 
or cocoa-nut tree, is among the moll pre-eminent; its fruit 
fupplies an agreeable nutriment, and the fibrous covering 
of the nut is manufaflured into themoft elaftic cables that 
are known. The Areca palm is valued over all India for 
its nuts, which are prefented at all ceremonious vifits. The 
Borassus Ilabellifcrmis, or fan-palm, is diftinguilhed for 
O S T A N. 
its broad fan-fhaped leaves, which are ufed for writing*. 
and for thatching ; and from its juice the bell palm toddy 
is made. The Egle marmelos, fo much prized for its de¬ 
licious fruit, valuable wood, and fragrant perfume. The 
Basia butyracia, or butter-tree; the fame as was difco- 
vered by Park in Africa : it affords a plentiful fupply of 
butter, faid to be equal to any produced from the cow. The 
Boswellia ferrata, or tree which produces the true fran- 
kincenfe. The Amo mum rofeum, or India ginger. The 
Arundo bambos, or bamboo, of univerlal ufe in India. The 
Dillenia pentagyna, remarkable for its beauty, and va¬ 
luable for its fruit, of a pure acid, and equal to the White- 
lily in fragrance. The Mangifera, or mango, however, is 
reckoned the moil exquifite of the Indian, fruits, and is 
found in coniiderable abundance, both wild and cultivated, 
through the whole peninfula, though none of this is ever 
feen in England, except the unripe fruit, which is ufed. 
for fpice pickles. Other valuable trees are the Canella 
alba, or white cinnamon; the Anacardium, or cafliew- 
nut, ufed for giving a durable black Rain to cotton ; Gos- 
sypium arboreum, the cotton-tree; Tectona grandis, 
or teek-tree, fo durable for Ihip-building, that it is called 
“ the Indian oak the Feronia elephanta, or wood-apple,, 
highly prized for its cooling fruit, and for the finelt gum 
in the world for mixing paints; the Ficus glomerata, 
cultivated for its luxuriant fruit; the Gyrocarpus jac- 
quini, svhofe ftrong light wood is in great requelt for ca¬ 
tamarans; the Hibiscus ficulneus, abelmofclms, and 
rofa, admired for the profufion of its elegant blolfoms, 
and is of peculiar fragrance; the chaffe and elegant Cy- 
rilla Indica; the Amannia odtandria; and the curi¬ 
ous varieties of Mimosa, or fenfitive plant, equally at- 
traft admiration and regard; the Bignonia auadrilocu- 
laris, or Indian trumpet-flower, is alike admired for its 
great fragrance and beauty ; the Cactus grandirlorus, or 
night-blowing cerufe, and the Jasminum grandifiorum, 
boaft the molt fragrant blolfoms of the whole ealt; the 
former perfuming the night, and the latter Renting the 
day; while the Butea luperba, by the flriking contraff 
of its green leaves, its black fiower-ftalks, and its large 
fcarlet papilionaceous blolfoms, attracts with its oftenta- 
tious charms the notice and admiration of the moft incu¬ 
rious. See the Engravings and defcriptions of all thefe 
beautiful Ihrubs and trees, under their generic names, in 
this Encyclopaedia. 
The cattle or oxen of Hindoofian are numerous, and 
of a large fize, with a bunch on the fhoulders. The flieep 
are covered with hair inllead of wool, except in the molt 
northern parts. Antelopes abound of various beautiful 
kinds, particularly that called the Nilgau ; for the figure 
and defcription of which, lee vol.iii. p. 773. 
The Arabian camel, or that with a Angle bunch, is- 
very frequent in northern Hindooftan : for its figure and 
natural hiftory, fee Camelus, vol. iii. p. 649-652. The ele¬ 
phant has been ever the boaft and the glory of the empe¬ 
rors and rajahs of Flindooftan; but modern iaftics have 
rendered them ufelefs in w'ar: the marquis Cornwallis 
was the laft who tried them : for their docility, lagacity, 
and natural hiftory, with the method of catching and 
taming them, and for a correft Engraving of an elephant 
which was upwards of a hundred years old, fee the arti¬ 
cle Elephas, vol. vi. p. 463, &c. 
Apes and monkeys abound in various regions of Hin¬ 
dooftan ; and the orang outang inhabits the vaft foreits 
on the weft of the Circars. The other animals are wild 
boars, bears, wolves, foxes, jackalls, hyenas, leopards, 
panthers, lynxes, &c. The lion feems to have been al¬ 
ways unknown in Hindooftan ; but the royal tiger of 
Bengal is a far more terrible and dangerous animal 
than 0 the ftouteft lion. Such is their fize and ftrength, 
that they will carry off bullocks ; the height of fome be¬ 
ing five or fix feet, and the feline length in proportion- 
Parties of pleafure, on the iftes at the mouth of the 
Ganges, have often been fatally interrupted by the hid¬ 
den appearance of the tiger, prepared for his fatal Ipnng, 
1 which 
