No empire, after such devastation committed in its capi :al, could soon have recovered its strength ; but with re spect to the Mogul empire, its restoration was absolutely impossible. It was loosened from its foundation ; and there were those on every side of it, who were prepared to hasten its downfall. The departure of Nadir left the Ni zam in possession of the whole remaining power of the em pire; but he preferred an independent kingdom in the De can to the government of a feeble and declining state. About this time, Bengal became independent of Delhi, un der Aliverdy Cawn, (see BENGAL) ; and not long after wards, a vast army of Mahrattas, both from Poonah and Berar, for they were now divided into two states, invaded it, under the pretence that their object was to recover f over it for the emperor. The Mogul empire now became a prey to all the neighbouring states that were sufficiently contigu ous and powerful to attack it. The Rohillas erected an in dependent state on the east of the Ganges, within 80 miles of Delhi.
They were originally an Afghan or Patan race, who emigrated from the province of Cabral about the begin ning of the 18th century. They then consisted of several independent tribes, who acted in concert when necessary, and were remarkable for the hatred which subsisted be tween them and the Mahrattas. About the year 1720, the Afghan chiefs Bisharat and Daood, accompanied by a great number of their countrymen, came into Hindostan in quest of military service. Here they established them selves. Daood was succeeded as their principal leader by Ali Mahomed, under whom, taking advantage of the dis tracted state of Hindostan, they acquired the territory which has been mentioned, to which they gave the name of Rohilcund.
In the years 1740 and 1741, the Mahrattas invaded the Carnatic ; and the intelligence of these invasions hastened the departure of the Nizam from Delhi to the Decan ; for the Carnatic was included in his government, and he was anxious to recover it. Before however he left Delhi, he delegated his power at court to his eldest son. On his arrival in the Carnatic, he succeeded in settling it for the present ; but this part of the Mogul empire was now not only really but nominally rendered independent.
In the year 1747, Nadir Shah died ; and in the confu sion which followed, Abdalla Ahmed Shah, a soldier of for tune, who had been raised to high rank by Nadir, seized on the eastern part of Persia, and on the contiguous pro vinces of India, which had been ceded by Mahomed to Nadir. These lie formed into a kingdom, and united it to Cabral, of which he had also made himself the chief. The provinces thus wrested from the Mogul empire, nearly comprised the ancient empire of Ghazni. In the year of this invasion of India by Ahdallah, Mahomed Shad died, after a reign of 29 years. Though by no means qualified either in talents or habits for the turbulent times in which he lived, he seems to have been a humane and respectable prince.
He was succeeded by his son Ahmed Shah. Before his accession, he had manifested many proofs of spirit and bravery ; but scarcely was lie seated on the throne, when he disappointed his subjects, by giving himself up entirely to dissipation and pleasure. His reign, which lasted about six years, was a scene of confusion, owing to the turbu lence of the nobles, and the incursions of the neighbour ing powers. Before he died, the entire division of the re mainder of the empire took place, nothing remaining to the house of Timur except a small territory round Delhi, together with the city itself ; and this was constantly ex posed to depredations, massacres, and famines, fir the con tests of invaders. The last imperial army was defeated by the Rohillas in the year 1749 ; and the result of this defeat was, the complete establishment of the indepen dency of the Rohillas in the eastern psrt of the province of Delhi. ' The Gauts, a Hindoo tribe, established themselves, and founded a state in the province of Agra. This tribe at tracted notice in Hindostas for the first time about the year 1700. At this period, having migrated from the hanks of the Indus into the lower part of the province of Moultan, they were permitted to settle in several parts of the Dooab of the Ganges and Jumnah. They were then agricultural,
but they soon afterwards became a warlike tribe ; and their subsequent progress was uncommonly rapid. During Aurengzebe's last march towards the Decan, one of their leaders pillaged the, imperial baggage, and, with part of the spoil, erected the fort of Bhurtpoor. Af terwards they erected other forts, from which they made incursions into the neighbouring territories ; and during the civil wars carried on by the sbccessors of Au rengzebe, they found means to secure themselves a large portion of country, and accumulated great wealth.
It may be proper to point out particularly the fate of those provinces, which once constituted the Mogul em pire, at this period. The Decan was usurped by its vice roy the Nizam ; and Bengal by its viceroy Aliverdy Oudc, which at an early, period of the Mahomedan inva sion had been subdued by the invaders, and had remained under different vicissitudes attached to the throne of Delhi, was seized upon by Seifclar Jung, the nephew of Saadet, who had been appointed soubhathr of this province dur ing the reign of Mahomed Shah. Allahabad was seized by Mahomed Iitoli. INIalwah, which had been invaded and overrun by the Mahrattas in the year 1707, was filially separated from the Mogul government about the year 1732, and was divided between the Poonah Mahrattas, and several native princes and Zcmindars ; the Mahrattas also possessed the greatest part of Guzerat, Berar, and Orissa, besides their ancient territories in the Decan. Ajrneer had never become a regular organised possession of the Mogul empire, like Agra and Delhi ; but remained in a kind of half independent state, paying a tribute, and furnishing the imperial armies with a certain number of mercenaries. After Aurengzebe's death in 1707, it. continued for some time under a nominal subjection to the Delhi throne ; but about the year 1748 it assumed total independence, and reverted to its ancient masters the Rajpoot princes. The Seiks also took advantage of the weakness of the Mogul empire, and in 1746 made themselves masters of a considerable part of the Dooab of Ravey and Jallinder. In fact, to use the words of Major Rennell, a The whole country of Hindostan proper was in commotion from one extreme to another, each party fearing the machinations or attacks of the other ; so that all regular government was at an end, and villany was practised in every form. Perhaps in the annals of the world it has seldom happen ed, that the bonds of government were so suddenly dis solved over a portion of country, containing at least 60 millions of inhabitants." In 1748, the Nizam His eldest son still remained at Delhi ; and his second son Nazirjung, taking advan tage of his brother's absence, ascended the throne. At this period, the French and English first appeared in a military character, as auxiliaries of the princes of Hin dostan, in consequence of the wars respecting the sove reignty of the Decan, and for the nabohship of Arcot. In the first, the French only interfered; in the latter, both nations. These wars lasted till the year 1754, and ter minated, after much blood had been spilled both in battle and by assassination, in fixing Mahomed Ali in the go vernment of Arcot ; and Salibidjung, one of the sons of the Nizam, in the government of the Decan. Although the power of the Mogul emperor had long ceased to be of political consequence, yet his name and person were of use, as retaining a considerable degree of veneration among the mass of the people, not only in Hindostan pro per, but also in the Decan; so that application was made to him to sanction and confirm all grants of lands, even in those districts in which he retained no sovereignty, in or der to reconcile the transaction to popular opinion. Even to this day, the coin throughout the whole district, known by the name of the Mogul empire, is struck in the name of the nominal emperor.