14
HISTORY OF INDIA.
M;ulnui protiidency.
Bombay prosidency.
Distinct periods of ludiau his- tory.
Travancore and Coohin; hut beyoMd tliern it again becomes maritime, and continues north along the coast of Malabar, till it meets the presidency of Bombay, near the di.strict of Uoa. It has a very irregular shape. At first, wiien it commences with the Northern Circars, it is so hemmed in between the Bay of Bengal and the east frontiers of the Nizam's dominions, that it consists only of a comparatively narrow belt. The same thing happens in the west, where it is similarly hemmed in Vjetween the Arabian Gulf and the west frontiers of Mysore. Near the middle, between the mouths of the Krishna and the Pennar, it widens out and stretches so far west between these two native states as to approach the Western Ghauts. Further south, between the city of Madi-as and Palk's Strait, it extends across the whole peninsula, from sea t^j sea. The presidency of Bombay — area 120,065 square mile.s, population 14,109,067 — is, from similar causes, as irregular in shape as the presidency of Ma/lras. Beginning near Goa, it continues northwards in a long and narrow strip, and then widening out, becomes so intermingled with the native states as to make it almost impossible to define its boundaries. Scinde, which has recently been added to it, and forms the three collectorates of Sliikarpoor, Hyderabad, and Kurrachee, is by far its most compact province.
The above sketch of the physical and political geography of India seemed necessary in order to furnish information which some might not possess, and remove the indistinct, if not erroneous impressions which it is difficult to avoid, in endeavouring to form an acquaintance with a country so remote, so vast, and so extraordinary. By exhibiting it on a scale so reduced that the )nind is neither overpowered by the magnitiide, nor perplexed by the variety and singularity of its features, a kind of imity is given to it, and it assumes the appearance of a stage on which great actors are to appear, and wonderful achievements are to be performed. In this way, the history acquires a sim- plicity which it might not otherwise possess, a deeper interest is felt in the narrative, and the important lessons drawn from it become at once more obvious, intelligible, and impressive.
The History of India embraces tliree distinct periods — an ancient, a medieval, and a modern. The ancient period, beginning with the earliest authentic accounts, extends to the establishment of a ^Mahometan dTiasty. The medieval period terminates with the doubling of the Cape of Good Hope, and the consequent discovery of a continuovis oceanic route to the East. The modern period, commencing with the great changes introduced by this dis- covery, is continued down to the present time. The last of these periods, forming the proper subject of the present history, will be treated with a ful- ness proportioned to its intrinsic importance, and the interest it derives from its intimate connection with British history. The other two could not be omitted without leaving the work incomplete, but being only subordinate, will not occupy more than a few preliminary chapters.
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