BUDRÛZ ZUMÂN KHÂN;

The KÂZY of NUGR;

The DEWÂN of ditto.

The DEWÂN and BUKHSHY of EHSHÂM at SERINGAPATAM;

The ditto and ditto, at FYZE HI­SÂR, (GOOTY);

The ditto and ditto, at the Presence.

The BUKHSHY of ditto, at BAN­GALORE;

NUBBY SHÂH, Son-in-law to AATÂ-ÛLLAH-SHAH;

BÛDHUN SHÂH, son of AWKIL SHÂH;

The KÂZY of SERINGAPATAM;

The DEWÂN and BUKHSHY of EHSHÂM at ZUFERÂBÂD, (GUR­RAMCOONDA);

The KILAADÂR of NUGR;

The KILAADÂR of SUMRPUTN BULHÂRY);

The ditto of SERINGAPATAM;

The DEWÂN, and DOWLUT KHÂN, the KILAADÂR, of FURRÛKH-YÂB HISÂR (CHITTLEDOORG);

The KILAADÂR of FYZE HISÂR (GOOTY);

The BUKHSHIES of the two JYSHE KUCHURRIES;

The BUKHSHIES of the five BÂR­GEER KUCHURRIES;

BÛRHÂNÛDDEEN;

MIRZÂ HYDER HÛSAIN;

DILEER DIL KHÂN;

The FOUJDÂR and BUKHSHY of EHSHÂM at CALICUT;

SYED AHMED SAHEB;

The KÂZY of BANGALORE;

IN the time of the seal [or last] of the Prophets (with whom be the blessing and peace of God) the divine commands were promulged. Since then, owing to the decline of the true faith under the succeeding princes, they have ceased to be promulged: we, therefore, with the help of Almighty God, now issue the aforesaid commands; and, accordingly, the above mentioned commands are enclosed, herewith, under our seal and signature, to serve as a guide to the true faith.

You are, in the best [possible] manner to explain the same to all the people of Islâm, to the Kâzy,* and to the other superiors of your Kuchurry [or department], considering the communication thereof to the ignorant as one of the most incumbent and obligatory duties of religion: for such is the recompence of holy war.*

You must cause numerous copies of the commands herewith sent to be made, and must distribute the same among the people of the faith, the Kâzies and others belonging to your department, to the end that they may obtain the utmost publicity.

Nothing can be worse written than the original of this miserable circular. Though short, it is, perhaps, as perplexed a production as any that ever proceeded from the pen of the Sultan, who, most probably, dictated every word of it. The proclamation to which it refers, and which immediately follows it in my manu­script, is in a better style, and was, no doubt, drawn up by some of the Mahom­medan theologians of his court.

A translation of the proclamation here mentioned, appeared, in the year 1793, in the Appendix to Major Dirom’s judicious and interesting Narrative of Lord Cornwallis’s last Campaign against Tippoo Sultan; and if that publication were not now become very scarce, it would be sufficient, perhaps, to refer the reader to it, for the document in question: it is proper, however, to observe, that the Persian original, from which Colonel Read’s translation was taken, appears to have differed, in some respects, from the copy recorded in the official register. Of the latter the following is a faithful version, for which I am, in a great measure, indebted to the kindness of Mr. Stewart, Persian, Arabic, and Hindostâny Professor at the Honorable the East-India Company’s Oriental College at Hertford. The original abounds so much in quotations from the Koran, and my knowledge of the Arabic is so limited, that, without such assistance, I should have hesitated at submitting a translation of it to the reader.

“WHEREAS, in conformity with the commands of God and the Prophet “[which say],......... ........................... ................

“‘Fight with those who do not believe in God, and in the
“last day; and who do not consider those things as un-
“lawful, which God and his Prophet have prohibited,
“and profess not the true religion; and [fight] with those,
“unto whom the scriptures have been given, until they pay
“tribute by right of subjection, and be reduced low.’*

....“it is our constant object and sincere intention, that those worthless and “stiff-necked infidels, who have turned aside their heads from obedience to the “true believers, and openly raised the standards of infidelity, should be chastised “by the hands of the faithful, and made either to acknowledge the true religion, “or to pay tribute: particularly at this time, when, owing to the imbecility of “the princes of Hind, that insolent race having conceived the futile opinion, that “the true believers are become weak, mean, and contemptible; and not satisfied “even with this, but, preparing for war, have over-run and laid waste the “territories of the Moslems, and extended the hand of violence and injustice on “the property and honour of the faithful.

“[Wherefore] we, trusting to the divine power and aid, and supported by “our holy religion [according to the passage].............................

“‘Oh true believers, shall I show you a merchandize, which
“will deliver you from a painful torment [hereafter]?
“Believe in God and his Apostle, and defend God’s true
“religion with your substance and in your persons. This
“[will be] better for you, if you knew it. He will forgive
“you your sins, and introduce you into gardens, through
“which rivers flow, and agreeable habitations in places of
“perpetual abode. This [will be] great felicity; and [ye
“shall obtain] other things which you desire, [namely]
“assistance from God and a speedy victory.’*

....“having come to the resolution of prosecuting a holy war [against them], “deem it expedient [agreeably to the text]................................

“‘Command them to do that which is lawful [proper], and
“prohibit their doing that which is unlawful; and observe
“the ordinances of God.’

....“to make known what is the pure Mahommedan law, to all and every class “of Musulmans, both far and near, and thereby to extract the cotton of negli­gence from the ears of their understanding: and more especially those persons “who, unmindful of the meaning of the sacred text,......................

“‘Do not obey the unbelievers and hypocrites, for certainly
“God is omniscient and all-wise.’

....“have yielded obedience to the infidels, and engaged in the service of those “miserable tribes. It is therefore written to all those who reside in the dominions “of the infidels,......................................................

“‘They seek to deceive God and those who do believe; but
“they deceive themselves only, and are not sensible thereof.
“There is an infirmity in their hearts. May God increase
“their infirmity! They shall suffer a grievous punishment,
“because they have been guilty of falsehood.’*

...“and to whose situation the [above] verse may be justly applied, that con­sidering it to be their indispensable duty to quit the territories of the unbelievers, “they should repair, with confident hearts and assured minds, to these parts, “where, by the Divine blessing, they shall be still better provided for than they “are at present, and their lives, honor, and property, remain under the protec­tion of God: while such as are without the means of subsistence there, shall “have a suitable allowance made to them here.

“We have accordingly issued premptory orders throughout our dominions to “this effect: ‘Receive into your protection all persons seeking refuge [in our “territories] and report to the Presence the particulars of their situation, in “order that, if it please God the Aider, due provision may be made for them.’

“Whosoever shall refuse to give ear to these words, or shall contravene their “promulgation, shall be considered as destitute of [every particle of] honor [or “zeal], as a stranger to [or no participator in] the bliss derived from [a steady] faith, “and as deserving to be banished from the presence of God, to be excluded from “the circle of the faithful, and to be accounted as one of the accursed infidels.

“‘If you place your foot in the path of the law and of religion, Hafiz, “In reward for your zeal, the Chief of Nujuf [Ali] will become your Protector.

“Let them not say of any thing [or on any occasion] I will
“do so; but, if it please God [it shall be done]. Grace be
“to him who follows this direction.*

Although it is probable, that the immediate object of the Sultan, in the foregoing proclamation, or manifesto, was to seduce from their allegiance, and draw over to his standard, the Musulman subjects of the two powers, with whom he was, at this time, at open war, yet there can be but little doubt that the English, together with their dependants and tributaries, were also in his contemplation on the occasion. It is true, that the latter are not expressly named: neither are the Mahrattahs nor the Nizâm. Indeed, with regard to the Nizâm, he could not have been distinctly referred to without an apparent absurdity, since he was a Mahommedan as well as Tippoo; who, nevertheless, certainly regarded him in the light of an infidel, because he had, more than once, associated with infidels against the cause of Islâm, that is to say, in opposition to him (Tippoo). The argument, therefore, was addressed generally to all Musulmans, in whatever manner subject to the enemies, direct or indirect, of the true faith. There was no danger of its not being properly applied and understood by those for whom it was intended: no Musulman is ever at a loss to comprehend the drift of such appeals. At the same time, if any exception had been taken to it by the English, the vague and general terms in which it is expressed would have enabled him to maintain, with sufficient plausibility, that he had only in view such Musulmans as were living under the authority of those with whom he was actually at war.

There is one passage in the foregoing production, which appears to point more particularly than any other to the English. It is that wherein he complains, not, as in Major Dirom’s translation, of ravages committed in his peculiar territories, but (according to my copy of this paper) of the injuries and losses which the Musulmans in general had sustained at the hands of the infidels; alluding distantly (as on other occasions he has done more openly) to our establishment in Bengal, the Carnatic, and other Mahommedan states of India. On the whole, it must be allowed, that the extensive views of aggrandizement, entertained at this time by the Sultan, are abundantly developed by this curious document.