Acber, soon after the reduction of these provinces, had a difficulty of a far different kind to struggle with ; for his minister Byram, being offended at his master's endeavours to emancipate himself from his guidance, took up arms against him, under the pretence of a pilgrimage to Mecca. He was, however, soon overcome ; and gratitude for the substantial benefits he had received from him, as well as the natural kindness of Acber's nature, prompted him to grant a full pardon to the rebel. The sovereign invited him with kindness to return to his service ; and when Bytam threw himself at the foot of the throne, he took him by the hand, raised him up, and throwing a robe of state over him, placed him in his former rank at the head of the nobles. " If," said Acber," the lord Byram loves a military life, he shall have the government of Calpe and Chinclore ; if he prefers remaining at court, he shall be loaded with favours ; and should religion prompt him to go on a pilgrimage to Mec ca, he shall be escorted in a manner suitable to his digni ty." Byram preferred the pilgrimage ; and Acber gave him a suitable retinue, and 50,000 rupees to support him. On his journey to Mecca, he was unfortunately murdered, with his guard, by some of the Afghans of the tribe of Loudi.
In the year 1585, he resolved to attack the Decan ; and soon afterwards carried the war into Berar, while another army was reducing Cashmere in another corner of the em pire. The Decan appears at this time to have been di vided into the states of Khandeish, Dowlatabad, Golconda, and Bejapoor. Berer and the Carnatic, each of which in cluded several distinct governments, do not seem at this period to have been included in the Decan. Most, if not all the four states just enumerated, were governed by Ma homedan princes. In his attempts against the Decan, Ac ber was not completely successful; for at the period of his death in the year 1605, no farther progress was made in the reduction of it and the contiguous provinces, than the occu pying the western part of Berar, Khandeish, Tellingana, a division of Golconda, and the northern part of Dowlatabad. The capital of this last province was taken in the year 1601, after a long and bloody siege, and an unsuccessful attempt to relieve it, by the confederate princes of the Decan.
In these wars Acber himself was not engaged. They were carried on by his sons, and the Paten and Hindoo chiefs on the frontiers. In the mean time, the emperor himself, with his minister, the learned Abul Fazel, was employed in regulating the internal management and eco nomy of the kingdom. Inquiries were set on foot, by means of which the revenue, population, produce, religion, arts, and commerce of each individual district were ascertained, as well as its extent and relative position. Most of these important and useful particulars were by Abu] Fazel col lected into a book, called the Ayeen Acbaree, or Institutes of Acber. Hinclostan proper was divided into eleven sou bahs, some of which were in extent equal to large European kingdoms. The soubahs were again divided into circars, and these subdivided into purgunnahs. The names of the original soubahs, as well as of those which were added, have already been given ; and the leading particulars rela tive to the extent, Ste. of each soubah, will be noticed when we treat of the statistics of India. At present, we shall only offer a few remarks taken from Major Rennell, on the boundaries of those souhahs that bordered on the Decan, in order to have a more precise and accurate idea of the con quests of Acber.
" Guzerat extended southward to Damaun, where it touched on the district of Baglana, a division of Amed nagur.
Malwah extended to the south of the Nerbudda river ; and an angle of it touched on Baglana and Khandeish, on the south-west and south, and on Berar on the east. The Nerbudda formed the rest of the southern boundary of Alalwah, and also of Allahabad. The government of Ben gal extended to Cuttack, and along the river Mahanuddy ; but the soubah of Orissa appears not to have been formed at that time.
Of the newly erected soubahs in the Decan, Khandeish, the smallest of them, occupied the space between Malwah on the north, Berar on the east, and Amednagur on the west and south.
Beret. had Allahabad and Malwah on the north ; Khan deish and Amednagur on the west ; Tellingana and Gol conda on the south ; and Orissa on the east, as already stated, only the western parts of Berar were reduced by Acber.
Amednagur, the southmost of Acber's soubahs, had Khandeish and Malwah on the north ; the Gaut or Bala gaut mountains on the west ; Visiapour and Tellingana on the south ; and Berar on the cast. The limits of this sou bah arc not defined in the Aycen Acbaree ; and as Acber had wars in the Decan during almost his whole reign, it may be supposed that its limits were pet petually fluctuat ing.
Tellingana, which in the Ayeen Acharee is called a cir car of Berar, was possessed only in part by Acber. Tel lingana, of which Warangole was the capital, comprehend ed the tract lying between the Krishna and Godavery rivers, and cast of Visiapour, (answering to the modern province of Golconda,) and was probably in more early times an extensive kingdom." After Acber had ascertained, by the enquiries he insti tuted, the condition and the wants of the different p: minces of his vast empire, he applied himself most diligently and wisely to their improvement. Schools were established, in which both the Indian and Arabic languages and sciences were taught. Translations of works both of instruction ar.l taste were made at his express desire,,and under the direction and superintendence of Abul Fazel. Under his mild and equitable government, agriculture flout fished, commerce revived, the arts prospered, and his subjects enjoyed the fruits of their increased industry, free from those apprehensions of insecurity to which they had been so long exposed. Acber participated in the prosperity of his people. His regular annual revenue amounted to near ly 30,000,0001. sterling ; and from sources less regular and permanent, he frequently derived in the course of the year about twenty millions more. His armies were not less re markable for their numerical strength, than their excellent equipment and discipline.They consisted of about 300,000 horse, and an equal number of foot. They were composed principally of detached tribes under independent chiefs ; and, from this circumstance, it required alI the vigilance and vigour to prevent rebellions and insurrections from be ing much more frequent and dangerous than they actually were. Ac her died after a reign of 51 years, in the year A I). 1605. Prince Danial, his eldest son, died just be fore him.