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The country of Oudipoor is very productive; it yields fugar-cane, indigo, tobacco, wheat, rice, barley, and in fhort every thing to be found in other parts of India in the greatest abundance.

In Oudipoor are found iron-mines, excellent timber, and in one part of the country is produced fulphur.

The generality of cattle, however, are infes rior in quality to those of the more western countries: horfes only are numerous, and may be procured at a moderate price.

The produce of the neighbouring states being nearly the fame as that of Oudipoor, the trade with them is not confiderable, but a very extensive commerce from all parts of India was formerly carried on through the agency of the Ghoffeins of Nathdora; this of late years, through the oppreffive government of the Mahrattas, has been obstructed in its progrefs, almost to annihilation.

This country is uncommonly strong by nature. The city of Oudipoor, which is fituated

in an amphitheatre of hills, is guarded in the approach by a deep and dangerous defile, which admits of only a fingle carriage paffing at a time. So extenfive is the circuit protected by this pafs, that between four and five hundred villages are contained within its range; but Oudipoor, thus furrounded by hills, is very unhealthy, and peculiarly fo during the season of the periodical rains.

The wells in the neighbourhood of the city, though but a small distance from the furface of the earth, are ftrongly impregnated with the mineral qualities of the water that flows from the neighbouring hills, a principal cause of the infalubrity of this climate.

The internal adminiftration of Oudipoor is extremely fingular, and therefore merits at

tention.

The whole power of the state was formerly vefted in fixteen principal chieftains, who were accustomed to refide at court, with a ftipulated number of followers. Thefe chiefs diftinguished by the name of the fixteen omrahs,

and constantly refiding at the capital, under the immediate eye of the fovereign, this circumstance rendered it impoffible for them to tranfact the business of their respective domains in person. To remedy this inconve nience, thirty-two inferior chiefs were nominated to affift them with their counfels: these were defignated the thirty-two omrahs; and in order to affift the latter, in the ordinary detail of business in the interior districts, fixtyfour inferior officers were appointed, who from their number are alfo called the fixtyfour omrahs. Thefe combined, present a sys tem not very diffimilar to that of the feudal tenures of Europe, prior to the confolidation of the French monarchy, under the emperor Charlemagne, though that prince has been blamed by historians for dividing his kingdom among his children.

In the original defign of this extraordinary constitution, it was intended that a gradation of authority should be established by the

* Consult the History of France, vol. I. p. 59, et seq. Author anonymous.

fmaller number controlling the greater; fo that the thirty-two chiefs were to be fubfervient to the decrees of the council of fixteen, and by a fimilar and progreffive ratio the refolutions of the fixty-four were to be controlled by thofe of the thirty-two.

But, as might reasonably have been expected, the chiefs, by a frequent abufe of power, at length fanctioned the interference of the prince; who by intrigues and fowing diffenfions among them, gradually recovered the exercise of his own authority.

He therefore forbade these high-fpirited nobles to interfere with each others' concerns: and to remedy the inconveniences that government might fuftain from their private feuds, the rajah appointed of his own accord a dewaun, or controller-general; to whom all complaints from the omrahs or the subjects within their respective districts were to be made, and whofe adjudication was to be confidered as final. As the lands throughout Oudipoor had formerly been divided among the omrahs, with a flight variation they have fo

continued to the present day; but the former authority and political confequence enjoyed by thefe omrahs in the administration of the government, have long ceased, and at present Mahratta influence alone prevails in the dominions of Oudipoor.

The policy of the Mahrattas has of late been directed to diftrefs the people of Oudipoor with vexatious fines, rather than to dif poffefs them altogether, as they apprehend, if driven to defperation, the Rajepoots might not only unite in a common cause, but by deferting the level country and taking refuge in the mountains, render their complete fubjection extremely difficult.

The nobility of Oudipoor are rajepoots of the tribe called Sefodia. This tribe among them is esteemed the pureft and most noble; a few are Rahtours. In their perfons the Oudipoor Rajepoots are not fo comely as the neighbouring rahtours, nor are they fo courageous, although they frequently intermarry with that tribe. This diftinction in the raje

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