I. HINDOSTAN PROPER contains eleven provinces. 1st, Lahore. The boundary of this province on the west is the Indus, by which it is separated from Afghanistan ; on the east the river Sutlege, a subsidiary stream of the In dus, divides it from Northern Hindostan ; on the north it is bounded principally by Cashmere ; and on the south by the provinces of Multan, Delhi, and Ajmeer. Its length is about 320, and its breadth about 30 miles. From the 32° to the 34° of north latitude it is mountainous ; from the 32° to *the 30°, its southern limit, it ks flat, constituting what is called the Punjab, a natural division of Hindustan pro per, which we shall afterwards notice. The greatest part of Lahore belongs to the Seiks. The city of Lahore is the capital of the province ; but Amretsir is the capital of the Seik nation. 2. Multan, which lies between the 28° and 31° of north latitude, is bounded by Lahore and Af ghanistan on the north ; by Ajmeer and Sinde on the south ; by Belochistan on the west ; and by Lahore and Aj meer on the east. Its extent is not accurately ascertained. It is possessed by several petty princes, of whom the na bob of Multan is one of the principal ; but they are con tinually exposed to the incursions of the Afghans, Seiks, &c. and are also almost always fighting with one another. Arultan is the capital of this province. Sinde is generally regarded as part of the province of Multan, though it ought with more propriety to be regarded and described as a separate province. Sinde lies on both sides of the In dus. The eastern division, the only one which we are called upon to notice in this article, is bounded by Mul tan and Afghanistan on the north ; Cutch and the sea to the south ; Cutch, the Sandy Desert, and Ajmeer, on the east ; and the Indus on the west. The whole of Sinde is governed by a prince of the Talpoony ; but one of his brothers, though nominally depend ent upon him, exercises all the powers of sovereignty over the districts on the eastern banks of the Indus. 3. Guzerat is bounded on the south chiefly by the sea, and in a small part by the Decan ; on the north by Ajmeer ; on the east by the Gulf of Cambay, and the provinces of Malwah and Khandeish ; and on the west by the Gulf of Cutch, the province of Cutch, and the Sandy Desert. It lies between the 21' and 24° of north latitude. Its length from north to south is about 320 miles ; its breadth varies very much, but on an average it may be 180 miles. Those parts of this province which are the best cultivated, are in the possession of the British, the Paish wah, and the Guicowar. The territories of the first stretch along both sides of the Gulf of Cambay, and comprise the cities of Surat, Baroach, Cambay and Gogo. The sea coast from this gulf to the mouth of the Indus is govern ed by a number of petty princes. The principal places in Guzerat, besides those belonging to the British, are Ah medabad, which belongs to the Paishwah, and Chumpa neer, which belongs to a Mahratta chief called the Guico war, whose dominions lie in this part of the province. Cutch may be considered in connection with Guzerat, which lies to the east of it. On the west it is bounded by Tatta, a district of Sinde ; on the south by the Gulf of Cutch ; and on the north by the Sandy Desert and Sinde. Its length is supposed to be about I 0 miles, and its aver age breadth about 70. It is entirely possessed by a number of tribes, who live by plunder and piracy. 4. Ajmeer is situated nearly in the centre of Hisdostan Proper, between the 25° and 30° of latitude. On the west it is bounded by the province of Sinde ; on the east by Delhi and Agra ; on the north by Multan and Delhi; and on the south by Mal wah and Guzerat. From north to south it extends about 350 miles, and its average breadth is about 220. It is also called Rajpootana. The city of Ajmeer, and the surround ing district, belongs to Scindiah ; the district of Tonk Rarnpoorali to Holkar; and the rest of the province to the Rajah of Joudpoor, and other less powerful rajahs, who are chiefly tributary to the Mahrattas. 5. Delhi, situ ated between the 28th and 3Ist degrees of latitude, is bounded on the north by Lahore, and some dis tricts in northern Ilindostan ; on the south by Agra and Ajmeer ; on the west by Ajmeer and Lahore, and on the east by Oude, and the hills which divide it from northern Hindostan. Its length is about 240 miles, and average breath about 180. The city of Delhi, with a tract of coun try round it, the whole of the province to the east of the Jumnah, and the north-eastern division of it, belong to the British. The south-west districts belong to various rajahs,
all of whom are allies of the British. The Seiks principal ly occupy the tract to north-west of the Jumnah, and south of the Sutlege. The principal towns are, Delhi, Sirhind, Hissar, Sarahungpoor, Ste. 6. Agra, between the 25th and 28th degrees of latitude, is bounded on the north by Delhi; on the south by Malwah ; on the west by Ajmeer ; and on the east by Oude and Allahabad. Its length is 150 miles, and its average breadth 180. Several rajahs, who are al lies of the British, possess the north-western and western districts. The city of Agra, a small district round it, and the country to the east of the Jumnah, belong to the Bri tish ; the rest of the province, with a trifling exception, is possessed by the Mahrattas. The principal towns, besides Agra, are, Bhurtpoor, Deeg, two strong fortresses ; Ca noge, Kalpy, and Nat-war. 7. Malwah, between the 22d and 23d degrees of latitude, is bounded on the north by Ajmeer and Agra ; on the south by Khandeish and Berar; on the east by Allahabad and Gundwana ; and on the west by Ajmeer and Guzerat. Its average breadth is about 150, and length 250 miles. It is occupied almost entirely by Scindiah and his tributary chieftains. Holkar also pos sesses a small portion of this province. The principal towns are, Indore, Mundah, Boopal, Ste. 8. Allahabad, between the 24th and 26th degrees of latitude, is bounded on the west by Malwah and Agra ; on the east by Bahar sand Gundwana ; on the north by Oude and Agra ; and on the south by Gundwana. Its length is about 270 miles, and its breadth averages about 120. Nearly the whole of this province belongs either to the British, or to their ally the nabob of Oude. The principal towns are, Allahabad, Benares, Callinger, Chunar, Ste. 9. Oude, between the 26th and 28th degrees of latitude, is separated, on the north, by a range of hills front Nepaul ; on the south it is bounded by Allababad ; on the east by Bahar ; and on the west by Delhi and Agra. Its length is 250, and its average breadth 100 miles. The whole of this province is either possessed in full sovereignty by the British, or, though still held nominally by the Nabob, entirely under their pro tection and controul. The principal towns are, Lucknow, the capital and residence of the Nabob, Fyzabad, the former capital, Oude, Gooracpoor, &c. 10. Bahar, be tween the 22d and 27th degrees of latitude, is divided, on the north, from Nepaul by a range of high hills ; on the south is bounded by Gundwana; on the east by Bengal; and on the west by Allahabad, Oude, and Gundwana. It is 250 miles long, and 200 broad. According to Mr J. Grant, in his Suhhlement to the Historical and Comparative .4nal!gei the Anabcts if Braga:, &c. published in the Appendix to the Fifth Report from the Select Committee of the House of Commons, there are in this province 26,000 squat e British miles of plain arable land, out of 51,973, the total super licial contents. This plain country is na turally divided, by the Ganges, into two portions, nearly equal ; one of then) stretches 70 miles front that river to the forests of Ncpaul and Morung, at the foot of thc Tibetian mountains ; the other division stretches from thc Ganges southward, to the hills which lie between the lower pkiins and the Balaghaut, or country above the Ghauts. To the south of these two divisions of Bahar, there is a dis trict, almost entirely covered with detached and straggling hills, the area of which comprises 8000 square miles ; and still further to the south, there is a highland district, which, since the age of Ptolemy, has been divided into three bel lads, or cantons. The British possess the eight districts into which the plain country, north and south of the Ganges, is divided ; as well as the greatest part of the highland districts. The principal towns are Patna, Monghir, Buxar, &c. I I. Bengal, between the 21st and 27th degrees of latitude, is bounded on the north by Nepaul and Bootan ; on the south by the Bay of Bengal ; on the east by Assam and Ava ; and on the west by Bahar. i\!idnapoor, a dis trict formerly belonging to the province of Orissa, is now deemed part of Bengal ; and, if this be included, the length of Bengal will be 350 miles, and its average breadth 300. The whole of this province belongs to the British. The principal places in it are, Calcutta, Dacca, i‘loorshedabad, Hooghly, Cossimbazar, &e.