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buchanan’s journey through

tion, and defalcation of revenue. The friends, or wealthy corruptors of the amildars,were excused from taking a large fliare of the goods ; while the remainder was forcedupon poor wretches, whofe whole means, when torn from them, were inadequate tothe eftimated value of the goods ; and the outftanding balances on this account werealways large.

The three fides of the fquare, formerly ufed as warehoufes, are now occupied by thefive younger ions of Tippoo, who have not yet been removed to Vellore . They arewell looking boys, and are permitted to ride and exercife themfelves in the fquare,when they are defirous fo to do : they are alfo allowed to view the parade, and to hearthe bands of mufic belonging to the troops in garrifon.

The apartment moil; commonly ufed by Tippoo was a large lofty frail, open infront after the MuiTuhnan faihion, and on the other three fides, entirely fliut up fromventilation. In this he was wont to fit, and write much ; for he was a wonderfulprojector, and was conftantly forming new fyftems for the management,of his domi-nions, which, however, he wanted perfeveranee to carry into execution. That he con-ceived himfelf to be afting for the good of his fubjecls I have no doubt ; and hecertainly believed himfelf endowed with great qualities for the management ef civilaffairs ; as he was at the pains of writing a book on the fubject, for the inffruction ofall fucceeding Princes : his talents in this line, however, were certainly very deficient.He paid no attention to the religious prejudices of the greater part of his fubjedts ; butevery where wantonly deltroyed their temples, and gloried in having forced manythoufands of them to adopt the Muflulman faith. He never continued long on thefame plan ; fo that his government was a conftant fucceffion of new arrangements.Although his averfion to Europeans did not prevent him from imitating many of theirarts ; yet this does not appear to have proceeded from his being fenfible of theirvalue, or from a defire to improve his country ; it feems merely to have been donewith a view of fhowing his fubjects, that, if he chofe,. he was capable of doing what-ever Europeans could perform : for although he made broad-cloth, paper formed onwires like the European kind, watches, and cutlery, yet the proceffes for making thewhole were kept lccret. A French artift had prepared an engine, driven by water,for boring cannon ; but fo little fenfible was the Sultan of its value, that he orderedthe water wheel to be removed, and employed bullocks to work the machinery. Oneof his favourite maxims of policy was, to overthrow every thing that had been done inthe Raja’s government ; and in carrying this into practice, he frequently deltroyedworks of great public utility, fuch as refervoirs, and canals for watering the ground.Although an active Prince, he in a great meafure fecluded himfelf from his fubje&s(one of the greatest evils that can happen in an abfolute monarchy); and his chiefconfidant, Meer Saduc, was a monlter of avarice and cruelty. The people univerfallyaccufed Tippoo of bigotry, and vain glory ; but they attribute molt of their miferiesto the influence of his minilter. The Brahmans, who managed the whole of therevenue department, were fo avaricious, fo corrupt, and had Ihown fuch ingratitudeto Hyder, that Tippoo would have entirely difplaced them, if he could have donewithoiy; their fervices; but that was impoifible; for no other perfons in the countryhad any knowledge of bufinefs. Inftead of checking them by a conftant infpedftioninto their condudt, by exemplary punilhment when detefted in peculation, and byallowing them handfome falaries to raile them above temptation, he appointedMuffulmanafophs, or lord lieutenants, to fuperintend large divifions of the country; and thisgreatly increafed the evil; for thefe men, intirely funk in indolence, voluptuoufnefs,and ignorance, confident of favour from the bigotry of their Sovereign,, and -defth ute

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