“The city of Mutra is celebrated as the birth-“place of Krishna. The Hindoos are not all agreed “as to the rank which he holds among the holy “personages. Some respect him as a prophet “only, while others deify him.

“Before the battle of Tahnesur, Raja Kuns, “having heard from his astrologers that Krishna “would put him to death, sought in all directions “to seize him, but he concealed himself, and lived “for eleven years in the house of Nunda, a cow-“keeper, and at last obtained an opportunity of “putting Raja Kuns to death, and of placing “Oogur Sein, the father of Kuns, on the throne, “retaining the management of the government in “his own hands. At length, he caused his subjects “to pay him divine honours, and obtained many “proselytes. It is said, he devoted thirty-two “years of his life to mirth and gaiety, in the city “of Mutra, and the tales related of him are as “marvellous as preposterous.

“The neighbouring rajas, jealous of his power, “resolved to attack him. Among these, Jara-“sundha, the Raja of Bahar, marched with a large “force from Patna, for that purpose; while on the “west, Kal-Yevun, * a Mlecha† * sovereign, al-“though not of the Hindoo persuasion, marched “into India to reduce his power. This prince is “supposed to be of Arabian extraction. Krishna, “unable to resist the forces of these powers, was “compelled to retreat, and reached Dwarka on “the sea-coast (situated 100 coss‡ * from the pre-“sent city of Ahmudabad), where he was be-“sieged for a period of seventy-eight years, unable “to force his way through his enemies, and at length “he died at the age of one hundred and twenty-“five; while some assert that he is still living in “concealment.” But to return to our history: after the battle of Koorooket, and the death of Dooryodhun, the five Pandoos reigned 36 years, and then abdicated their throne, which put an end to the dynasty.

From Raja Kooroo to the death of Pundoo was a period of	76	years.
To that of Dooryodhun Kooroo	13	ditto.
To that of Yoodishteer, commonly called Dhurma, Raja Pandoo	36	ditto.
Total	125	years.

Some years after the abdication of the Pandoos, a great grandson of Arjoon Pandoo sat upon the throne, and among other pursuits of literature, being desirous that a history of his family should be written, a person named Vias undertook the work, and compiled the Mahabharut, which is said to mean the great battle; but upon enquiry, I do not find that the word Bharut signifies battle, and I should therefore suppose, that the letter A has been added, and that the Maha-Bhurt signifies the history of the family of Bhurt, the founder of the dynasty of Koowur and Pandoo. Vias also wrote commentaries on the four Vedas, viz. Roog Veda, Yejoor Veda, Athurwun Veda, Siam Veda: the three former works are on philosophy and theology, while the latter (the only one now extant) is a history, and is called Mahabharut, of which 24,000 slogs out of 100,000 are occupied in relat­ing the history of the wars of the Pandoos. The Hindoos, like the Chinese and Tartars, deny the flood of Noah.*

Some of the Hindoos assert, that the tribes of Brahmin and Kshetry existed from time imme­morial, but that the Rajpoots are a modern tribe, only known since the beginning of the Kulyoog. The same is related of many other different tribes. The Rajpoots attained power since the death of Raja Vikramajeet, from whom is derived the present Hindoo era, being something more than 1600 years. The origin of the Rajpoots is thus related. The rajas, not satisfied with their married wives, had frequently children by their female slaves, who, although not legitimate successors to the throne, were styled Rajpoots, or the children of the rajas, and the children of Raja Sooruj, whose history we shall now relate, were the first to whom the name of rajpoot was given. The population of India, like that of other parts of the globe, arose from the descendants of Noah. After the flood, Noah's three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, began to cultivate the fields for their own subsistence and that of their children.

The first king of whose history we have any information was Krishna; he is not the Krishna of Mutra. This Prince was elected by the voice of the people of Behar; and the first city built in India was the city of Oude. Krishna's prime mi­nister was Bahmun, a native of Bengal. The King, being of gigantic stature, could procure no horse to carry him; he directed, therefore, an elephant to be tamed, on which he used to ride. The plough and reap-rook are ascribed to the in­vention of Bahmun, who it is said also formed the first alphabet. Having lived 400 years, the King died. He was contemporary with Tahmorasp of Persia. He left thirty-seven sons, of whom Mahraja, his eldest, sat on the throne after him. Mahraja en­couraged literature and manufactures; and during his reign his country became populous, and the in­habitants wealthy. Mahraja divided the people of India into tribes. To the brahmins were allotted the business of letters and the conduct of the affairs of the state; to another tribe, farming; and to a third, manufactures; thus these occupations have de­scended from father to son. He called the tribes after the chiefs of each; such as Rahtore, Chow-han, Powar, and Beis, &c. Mahraja always main­tained a friendly intercourse with the kings of Persia; but Dongur Sein, one of his nephews, having left his court, took protection with Furee-doon, King of Persia, who detached his son Koor-shasp with a force to attack Punjab, in order to compel Mahraja to yield some part of his territory to his nephew. The war lasted ten years, when Mahraja was at length reduced to cede a part of his kingdom to Dongur Sein. In the latter part of his reign the zemindars of Shewala * and Carnatic attacked and drove Shiva Ray, his lieutenant, from the Deccan. Mahraja, having sent his eldest son with a large force to reinstate Shiva Ray, and to punish the rebels, the Prince was defeated and slain. Shiva Ray again sought refuge at the court of Mahraja, who was more grieved at the defeat of his army than at the loss of his son; for the princes of the islands of Acheen, and Malacca, and Pegu, and of the Malabar coast, had never before dared to rebel. At this time, also, an attack on the north-west frontier threatened his empire; and being compelled to send his lieute­nant, Malchund of Malwa, to defend the Punjab, he was unprepared at present to carry on the war with the Deccanies. Malchund, unable to stand the brunt of the Persian forces, ceded the Punjab to them in perpetuity, besides making presents of elephants, &c. Some authors, however, relate that Fureedoon even possessed the Punjab; and that the descendants of Koorshasp, down to the celebrated Roostoom, held it in subjection, toge­ther with Kabul, Tibhet, Sind, and Nemrooz. On his return Malchund (from whom the country of Malwa derives its name), having marched against the zemindars of the Deccan, who fled at the approach of his army, reinstated Shiva Ray in his government. On this occasion he is said to have built the celebrated fort of Gualiar. The science of music, also, was introduced into Hindoostan by Malchund, who brought it during this expedition from the country of Tullinga. Malchund, long after, resided at Gualiar, and the descendants of the Tullingy musicians spread from that place over the north of India. * Mahraja, after a reign of seven hundred years, died, leaving his eldest son, Kesoo Ray, to succeed him.

Kesoo Ray, having ascended the throne, de­tached his brothers in command of armies to make conquests, while he himself, taking the route of Kalpy, entered Gondwana, and marched as far south as Shewala Dweep; * levying tribute on all the rajas through whose country he passed. On his return, however, being attacked by these same rajas, and unable to oppose them successfully, he made overtures for peace, and was permitted to re­turn to his capital without molestation. On his arrival, he despatched an ambassador to the King of Persia, begging his assistance. Munoo Chehr sent Sam, the son of Nureeman, with an army, to support him; and Kesoo Ray having met him with his own troops at Jalundur in the Punjab, pro­ceeded to the Deccan. The rajas, intimidated by the Persian troops, acknowledged allegiance to Kesoo Ray, who having accompanied the Persians as far as the Punjab on their return to Eeran, marched back to Oude, where he reigned for a period of two hundred and twenty years, and was succeeded by his son Munere Ray. The town of Munere is one of the monuments of this prince's reign, which he passed in the encouragement of literature, and in the promotion of the happiness of his subjects. He was, however, guilty of ingratitude towards Persia, in spite of the obligations his father owed to that empire. On the death of Munoo Chehr in Eeran, Afrasiab Toork, King of Tooran, invaded that kingdom; and Munere Ray also having invaded Punjab, seized it for himself from the officers of Zal, the son of Sam, making Jalundur his capital. At the same time, Munere Ray sent an envoy to Afrasiab, acknowledging fealty to him. After this the Punjab remained in possession of the kings of India till the reign of Keikobad, who having deputed Roostoom, the son of Zal, to re­conquer that province, Munere Ray was defeated, and not only expelled from the Punjab, but seeking protection among the hills of J'harkund, and Gond-wara, he died there after a reign of five hundred and thirty-seven years.