nt Chorus, with the advantages and inconveniencies attending it, the way is cleared for examining, with more advantage, the three Unities of Action, Place, and Time, which have generally been confidered as effential to the proper conduct of the dramatic fable. These shall be confidered in a future paper. In the mean time, it may be obferved, that, in our own language, the Sampfon Agonistes of Milton, and the Caractacus and Elfrida of Mason, are written in the manner of the ancient Greek tragedy. The latter was performed, a few years ago, at Covent-garden theatre; but although it attracted for fome time, (for antiquity revived, has, in fome cafes, the effect of novelty, and it had the advantage of Dr. Arne's admirable mufic) it has probably taken an everlasting farewell of the theatre. The reader, however, who would wish for all that can be faid in favour of the Chorus, will find every thing, in the letters on the fubject which Mr. Mason has prefixed to his excellent dramatic poem. Au Account of the DOMINIONS, FINANCES, MILITARY FORCES, and CHARACTER of TIPPOO SULTAN: With fuccinct MEMOIRS of his Father, the celebrated HYDER ALLY; and a PLAN of the Iland and Fort of Seringapatam. HE dominions of Tippoo Sul- breadth, it is very unequal: in the regent place, of Myfore, begin on the weft of the ridge of mountains beyond Dalmacherry, Sautgud, and Attore; and extend fouthward to Travancore and Madura; northward to Soonda and Vifiapour, enveloping Adoni, the territory of the late Bazalet Jung, northeastward to Guntoor and Ongole; and weftward to the fea. They comprehend, generally, the provinces of Myfore, Bednore, Coimbettore, Canara, and Dindigul; befide his late father's conquefts to the northward, which are Meritch, or Meritz, Soonda, Chitteldroog, Harponelly, Sanore-Bancapour, Roydroog, Gooty, Condanore, Canoul, and Cuddapah. 'His dominions,' fays major Rennell, in his Memoir of a Map of Hindooftan,' are very extenfive; and although the imperfect ftate of the geography of the western part of the peninfula, does not permit me to mark their northern boundary, yet it is pretty certain that it touches the river Kistnah, on the south fide of the city of Vifiapour; and, therefore, the extent of Tippoo's territory, or kingdom, from the valley of Octampaliam on the fouth, to the Kiftnah on the north (or rather N.N.W.) cannot be less than 550 British miles. In part of the peninfula, the breadth is at least 330 miles; but lefs than 150 in the parallel of Tritchinopoly; and farther fouthward, it ends in a point. Its area has been compared to that of Great Britain, which is taken at 96,400 fquare British miles; and the country of Tippoo is fuppofed to con tain 21 fquare degrees: which, in the parallel of 14°, produce about 97,650 British miles.' Major Rennell fays, that Mr. William Townfhend, of the East India Company's civil fervice, who travelled from Onore to Bednore and Seringapatam, was eleven days in travelling between the two latter places; which, however, cannot be more than 180 or 190 miles afunder; that he represented the whole country he travelled through, as being open and fruitful, and that he did not meet with any mountains between the Gauts and Seringapatam. But earl Cornwallis, in his lait difpatches, reprefents all the parts of the Mysore country which he had feen, in his route from Bangalore to Seringapatam, to be in general dry, and by nature unfruitful; that fuftenance, either for men or animals, can only be raifed upon it by a most perfevering e industry industry in its inhabitants; and that the country adjoining to Seringapatam, is peculiarly rugged and barren. The mountains,' he adds, are immenfe bare rocks, and the lower grounds are fo thin in foil, and fo univerfally and closely covered with large loose stones, that no confiderable produce can be raised from them, by the exertions of any degree of induftry whatever.' Earl Cornwallis and General Abercromby, with their respective armies, penetrated into the Myfore country, by afcending the Gauts*, or Ghauts, a ridge of mountains, which have been termed the Indian Appenines. This famous ridge, which marks with more precifion, perhaps, than any other boundary whatever, the line of fummer and winter, or rather of dry and wet, extends 13 degrees of latitude; that is, from Cape Comorin to Surat (with the exception of one gap, or break, about 16 miles wide, oppofite to Paniamy †) at unequal diftances from the coaft; feldom more than 70 miles, and commonly about 40; and within one short space only, it approaches within fix miles. Although the altitude of these mountains is unknown, it is fufficiently great to prevent the great body of clouds from paffing over them, and, accordingly, the alternate N. E. and S. W. winds (called the monfoons) occafion a rainy season on one fide of the mountains only; that is, on the windward fide. ‡ The capital of Myfore is Seringapatam, which is fituated in an ifland of the river Cauvery, or Caveri. According to Major Rennell, it con tains little worthy of attention. This accurate geographer places it in lat. 12° 31′ 45′′ long. 76° 46′ 45′′. It is 217 British miles distant from Arcot, 74 from Bangalore, 187 from Bednore, 380 from Cape Comorin, 622 from Bombay, 1170 from Calcutta, 290 from Madras, 128 from Tellicherry, 344 from Travancore, 205 from Tritchinopoly, 202 from Vellore, and 405 from Vifiapour. Of the natural and artificial strength of this ifland, fome idea may be formed, from a plan of it, tranfmitted by an officer in the fervice of the Eaft India Company, and annexed to this account. Myfore, a town and fortified post, about 8 miles from Seringapatam, was the ancient capital which gave name to the whole country. Bangalore, which was taken by earl Cornwallis, on the 21st of March 1791, is placed in lat. 13° long. 77° 37' 10." It is in itself,' fays Major Rennell, a place of great political importance, being a fortress of ftrength; and, from fituation, was confidered as the bulwark of the Myfore country toward the Carnatic. It is important also, as being in the centre of the peninfula, and having routes paffing through it in every direction.' The revenue of the fovereign of Myfore has been represented at four crores of rupees, or as many millions fterling. His military establishment (in 1788) was very great; being no lefs than 72,800 regulars, including 740 Europeans under the command of French officers, befide troops in the frontier garrifons, to the amount of 49,000. The remainder of his army '.* Gaut fignifies either a pafs, through mountains, or a landing place on the bank of a river. In the former fenfe, the term has been applied to the Carnatic, which is divided by ridges of mountains, abounding with paffes and defiles. Rennell. + This break appears to border on what D'Anville calls Annamally, or the Elephant Mountains, and is occupied chiefly by a foreft of timber trees, which has the fort of Annamally on the eaft, and Palicaudcherry on the weft. The valley, or opening, extends about 14 miles between the termination of the northern Gauts, and the commencement of the fouthern ones, before it opens finally into the low country on the Malabar coaft. Ships which navigate this coaft during the N. E. monfoon, commonly experience a ftronger gale in the neighbourhood of Paniamy than elfewhere; and this opening feents to be a very fufficient caufe for fuch an effect. Ibid. I See fome farther obfervations on this fubject in Rennell's Memoir, Page 213. confifted confifted of irregulars of various descriptions, amounting to upward of 33,000; fo that the whole force of Tippoo has been reckoned 155,000; of which, near 73,000 are of a clafs much fuperior to any troops that have ever been raised and disciplined by a native prince. * till the enemy, by defolating the country, were compelled to leave it. A few years of peace not only reftored matters to their former ftate, but improved both his revenues and army to a degree beyond probability; and, at the fame time, the diftractions that prevailed among the Mahrattas, enabled him to extend his territories at their expence. Such are the effects of firmnefs, perfeverance, and economy. The father of this formidable Tippoo Sultan was the celebrated Hyder Ally, who was a foldier of fortune, and the son of a person who ferved in quality of killadar, or governor of a small fortrefs, to one of the kings of Myfore. He is faid to have acquired the rudiments of war, in the French camps; and, in the year 1753, he diftinguished himself as their auxiliary, in the plains of Tritchinopoly. About ten years after, being then at the head of the Myfore army, he dethroned his fovereign, and governed the kingdom under the title of regent. Soon after, he extended his dominions on every fide, the Carnatic excepted, until at last he was at the head of a ftate, equal in extent to Great Britain, and producing a grofs revenue of four millions fterling. In 1767, 1768, and 1769, he was engaged in a war with the English, the events of which we have recorded, in our narrations of the important occurrences of that period. In this war, he difplayed great spirit and ability; for making a fudden irruption into the Carnatic, with an army confifting principally of cavalry, he came within feven miles of Madras, and dictated a peace to the government of that place. But, in 1771, Hyder fuftained a total defeat from the Mahratta army, within a few miles of his capital; into which he escaped with great difficulty, with a small remnant of his army, and afterward defied the attacks of his numerous enemies, who poffeffed neither the skill, nor the ordinary requifites, for a fiege. He waited in patience, In 1780, during the late war with France, Hyder Ally made a fecond irruption into the Carnatic at the head of 100,000 troops, both horfe and foot, the very best of their kind that had ever been difciplined by a native of India. His fuccefs in cutting to pieces Colonel Baillie's detachment, and the confequent retreat of the Carnatic army, occafioned the British interefts in that quarter, to be given up for loft, in the opinion of most people in Europe. Happily, however, Mr. Haftings, then governor-general of Bengal, and the late fir Eyre Coote, commander in chief of the forces in India, thought otherwife. This excellent officer foon put a stop to the victorious progrefs of Hyder Ally. With a force, scarcely exceeding 7000 men, he compelled that indefatigable warrior to raise the fiege of feveral fortreffes; and, on the firit of July 1781, he gained a complete victory over his vaft army confifting of 150,000 men. Hyder fuftained fucceffively fix more defeats. That of the 7th of June 1782, was the last in which these two great commanders were deftined to meet each other; nor was either of them present, afterward, at any action of importance. Each died a natural death, within five months of the other; Hyder, to ward the end of 1782, and Coote, in April 1783. Major Rennell has given the following character of Hyder Ally: His In the year 1751, the military ignorance of the Myforeans was fuch, that, in a nocturnal march, they paffed over a plain, with ten thousand lights, as if they had been marching in the proceffion of an Indian wedding. Orme's Military Tranfactions of Indoftan. Q3 military 4 military fuccefs, founded on the improvement of difcipline; attention to merit of every kind; conciliation of the different tribes that ferved under his banners; contempt of ftate and ceremony, except what naturally arose from the dignity of his character; and his confequent economy in perfonal expences (the different habits of which, form the chief distinction of what is called character among ordinary princes) together with his minute attention to matters of finance, and the regular payment of his army; all thefe together, raised Hyder as far above the princes of Hindooftan, as the great qualities of the late Pruffian monarch raised him above the geperality of European princes: and hence, I have ever confidered Hyder as the Frederick of the Eaft. Cruelty was the vice of Hyder; but we are to confider, that Hyder's ideas of mercy were regulated by an Afiatic ftandard; and it is not improbable, that he might rate his own character for moderation and clemency, as far above thofe of Tamerlane, Nadir Shah, and Abdallah, as he rated his difcipline above theirs.' well known. At laft, Tippoo, finding that the Mahrattas, his natural enemies, were at peace with the Englifh, and confequently at liberty to purfue their ancient enmities, and moreover that the French had left him; he condefcended, though reluctantly, to make peace; and matters were reftored, nearly to the condition they were in before the commencement of hoftilities. This peace was figned at Mangalore, in March 1784. The general character of Tippoo, fays major Rennell, is that of a man of high ambition; with great abilities for war and finance; cruel, to an extreme degree; and obftinately attached to his fchemes. He is unquestionably the moft powerful of all the native princes of Hindooftan; but the utter deteftation in which he is held by his own fubjects, renders it improbable that his reign will be long.'-This character was published in 1788. A defcendant of the Hindoo king of Myfore, whom Hyder Ally dethroned, is living, and kept a ftate prifoner at Seringapatam. He is occafionally fhewn to the populace; and the circumftance of his being permitted to live, is a strong proof how much the popular prejudices prevail, in favour of the family of their ancient kings. It was a part of the plan of operations of the fouthern army, under colonel Fullarton, in 1783, to march from Coimbettore to Seringapatam, in order to liberate this prince, and encourage the people of Myfore to throw off their allegiance from Tippoo; and it was the opinion of many confiderate perfons, that it might have fucceeded, if circumstances had per Tippoo Sultan, on the death of his father, appeared determined to profecute the war. It was fuppofed that an attack of his provinces, on the weft of India, would, by giving an immediate entrance into the moft valuable part of his dominions, draw him from the Carnatic; and although there could be but little doubt of its producing this effect, yet that part of the plan, which regarded the retreat, or fecurity of the troops, afterward, does not appear to have been fo well concerted. The deplorable end of this detachment, which was com- mitted the colonel to undertake it. manded by general Matthews, is too THE PILGRIM: A Tale. [From Vancenza, a Novel, in 2 Vol. by Mrs. M. Robinson. } THE HE faint dawn caft her grey day's journey. The marchionefs de mantle over the dreary profpect, Vallorie was filently forrowful, while when they commenced their fecond the young mourners hid their tears beneath |