The Sun.
London, England, 1807-09-04 00:00:00

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to the original.soureek,ol jaormation on Ibis sub;-
jeti, even the t cry, hook under his review, though
defiztitive, furni,hes snifiyient evidence, Of the truth-
and acctukcy of this general'descriptinu of AbrtArig-,
zebe's system of policy.: -
" Atirungzebe," says Mr., Orate, " held his go-;
vernment under hislather, and even at that, timel
his capiteious mind had :fletermined to aunex all the;
.Inpmiquercti countries of the peninsula to bis ern- ,
.
ptre.h.- . . . .
..

" Again. " The year i66e opened with new
war, conduaed :by Aurungzebe, in person,
.which
k id, its torec.il an important measure of his gO-
vermnent." * " Iu order to palliate to• his
Mohammedan Subjects the crimes by w hide hilted
becoMe their Spvereign, he determined to enforce
'the conversioo efitheHindus „throughout . tho Em-
pire, by the severest penalties, and even threatened
;:the sword.—A,few petty Rajahs - were. allared by
!better appointthetits to conversion ; bat the people
clung to their pagodas; and soinepreaeliers'Were put
tci death, which increased. the spirit of martyrdom.
An old woinart led a multitude'in arms, .Whom' Au-
rnngzbe 'defeated in person. The ieligious vexa'-
tion continued. Labeur left the field, and industry
the hiont ; until the dedrease of the 'revenues drew
representatiens from the Governors o(the PrOtinces ;
which induced Aurudgzebe to substitute a capitation
tax; as thetalanco:Of the account between the two
religions. It was laid with' heavy disproportion' on
the lower orders of the• Hindus, which compose the •
.multitude; insomuch; that the produce would'have
amounted to half the ancient revenue ; never: .
tlieless, • bartered their faith for the exemption,. and
thomfandS•perishel under the oppressionl."' To an
independent Hindu Pruice it was proposed,, as an
alternative to the capitation tax, " that he shoukl no
longer strike coin with his own name, but with
Anrungt et-T's;, that the Hinde-templesihould be de-
Mot iskd, br converted into Mohammedan moequei ;
tha 2nistiee 'should be ridnii niitered according to the
kora ; but, that if these tt;rida -Were' r'etb,ied, his
whole people should' be sehj eti to the general
tatiOn.lif the I lind.us; ." •
"' Other authorities, which trocirinort folly de=
velope the merciless policy of Anningzebe,
be sited in confirmation of the tnnlt of these'ex7 •
traets ; but the t,eneral accuracy of Mr.-Orate, as
far as his intbi-ination goes, is u, ; 'and
the n.-:ider, however-imaidaintegr'With
tory, will theretioe be 'able to jtitige,'; Wheitier thee
policy hare described; b&ers, as: the Reviewei: al-
ledges no little iituilatity tix 'the system of the
British Governmenf.'ll4'.' main' pnrpase whiff
syswn, even •t ltdviecVer -himself states to be 'the
attainment of an asalidant influence" anaoagst !tie
Princes of Hindle-tail, by dipluniatic dexterity,'
and by pacific k ictories.' ••
" 'it must, however; in fairness. be eeknowlektged;'•
that the Reviewer totally disapproves Ot"-ibe
Government having an a,cendaney amongst' the.'
States of Hindustan : and he strongly condeMnsthat
diiixteroos diplomacy "by which it was obtained.n--
Ste+ -policy, he conceives; coladi:7'lin 'charreebe
right; whilst many plans Might been opted
,that would 'only hare incurred some 'risk of beieg.
wrong.' Of' the nature of those plans'he giveS.ito
girt of intimation ; but- from 'the general observe~
tiOns with' which he concludes his strictures, it is
perfeetly plain; that, whatever plans of policy may
they are all founded on'pberiniicl:liellg'coniiv hlts
congenial to
octhose of his•grand scheme
for the colonization of India, and the conversion 'of
the 'HinduC
" fnipressed, as he appears to be, with the notion,
that our Indian Empire' .can never be. sate; nor its
nittive'subjeas-prosperbus and- happy, until that
scheme shall have • been established, it is quite
natural in him to deny, that a system of pcilicy.. which
rests on, principles diametrically opposite his'
Own, can by any possibility-be right. Heiviwi-thittki,
it wise and just to supplant the natives in the O HI
vatiou'of their own soil, and in the exercise of their
ancient religion, Can; of course, see nothing right its
aouystein whicle;through the commanding influence,
Of a' paramoonl ifroteaing .potvet, •secures to them,
the- tufdisttabed possession of that sol,l; and •the free
enjoyment 'Of 'that religion, both frorn the rapacious.
turbulent, domination Of 'Asiatic userpers, - and the
interested 'misguided 'Schemes -of. European re-
formers.' Put plain
.men will be apt to- colisidcr; Thai
the, systern which- proteollie property, laWs, ease;
toms, add religion of thgnatives, is, at least, as well
adapted " to inspire them with the will to befriend.
us a," as that which seeks to 'deprive them of these,
sacred_ inheritances. Even those princes for= whom-
much"of the' sympathy Of-the Reviewer is excited ;
but whom be nevertheless informs us " have been.
distinguished byit policy little_better thanbarbarouvi
whose concerns of war and peace havebeen managed
by vie orious atisassins,'cousununate traitors, and el-
perienced. robbers ; bydiplomatists,leSS skillful.atmak-
ing than at breaking,treaties ; and-by Generals whew
slagged. were more 'formidable than their swords Ii;
even those princes, valuable as their friendship may
be in his estimation, are not very likely to be " in-
spired with the will tobefriend us," at the Sight -of
English,colonists cultivating the "neighbouring pro.!
yitweo, and- of English 'clergymen; 'endeavouring • to
subvert their immemorial- WOrship. Net would
Stich a sight be very happily-Caleulated tq subdue, in
the tributaries of the British GOvernment; that
little occasional petulance and -fretfulness 'under
their leaclittotringsilf,".or (as a less indulgent and
more accurate observer 'of their COndudt would tall

* Onne's Historical Fragments of the Mogul Empire, 3,0.
Edition, 1782,p. 4.
t Historical FragtrAnis, p. zee. Ibid p. 104.

. . . .
. .
. i 'Edinburgh Review, No. 111, p. 4,11. " The best Polley
is to provide oUriettres .with friends 'against the hour of
literat.ll-2, 08 • To" inspire many 'with tho will to befriend
us, is an infinitely :more promising specylatiots, as to an un-
vitiated caste ; it is a much morisagreeabla task than to take
tram all the power of doing us harm l"—or, he might have
added, than to deprive all of the sources which,constitute
their atreugthstid iNfllillasils

Edinburgh Review,
.Nn,. p. 396. —The Reviewer givqs
this general cloracter ot the I),riuces who reigned in.Hinaus.
tan during the time of the wars in the Cari,,itie that is.
Wove wars which, with:sumo intervals'in peace, lasted from
1744 to 1733, At the.pctiod when the linrish tioveroment
in India gicippted, that tine of policy ut its foreign relations,
which he severely condemns, for a wa t cat tendentes and
'indulgence," several of those Vriiices were alive; ana he may
rest satisfied, ilut theitninediate descendants whd no x re $7ll
iu 1-inalusta:l, if they do slot pt.nosess all the power do it bast
station, uniinpaired,,,those Cllllliallt polities of their fathers,
which tic Ims so faithfully pouttra.) et!,
It Eclat:m:4ll Review, Numbei:tg, p. 404. • , •