This is a book which no student of Indian history can afford to neglect. It introduces the readers to some of the most important and most interesting of the races and tribes of India. It traces the origin and development of the native states, and of the protected state system. And, it illustrates in a lucid style the causes which led to the extension of British influence and control. First published in 1823, the book is partly a history and partly an official report. Its official nature provides an authenticity of information that is hard to get in historical accounts of detached historians whose access to official records and files is limited. It was written by a man peculiarly qualified for such a task both by reason of his wide experience of the oriental affairs and his intimate knowledge of the region of Central India and its people. He served in the area as an extremely successful soldier, a diplomat and an administrator. From the time of the beginning of the second Maratha war (1803) to the defeat of Holkar at his hands (1817) at the battle of Mehidpur and the signing of the treaty at Mandsor (1818) he won one laurel after another. And this adds great value to his memoirs. The present volume presents the historical portion of the book in an abridged form, and the entire material organised and edited to facilitate its study by students of colleges and schools, by Christopher Harrison Payne (1848-1925), a distinguished administrator of the Bhopal State and a historian of note.
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