'A Journey from Bengal to England, through the Northern part of India, Kashmire, Afghanistan, and Persia, and into Russia, by the Caspian-Sea. By George Forster. In the Civil Service of the Honourable the East-India Company in Two Volumes. Vol. II.' [‎83] (96/314)

FORSTER’S TRAVELS. 8j
juft prince, died in the year 1773, in the vicinity of the new city of
Kandahar,* which he had defigned to be the capital of Afghaniftan.
This prince was fucceeded by his fon Timur, who keeps his court in
the city of Kabul; to preferve the foreign poffeflions of his father,
he made in the firft part of his reign, fome defultory expeditions
into India ; but on the iffue of an unfuccefsful campaign with the
Sicques, he was compelled to relinquifh the whole of the Punjab
territory. At this day he retains, on the eaft fide of the Indus,
the principality of Kafhmire, the diftrift of Attock, with fome
fcattered divifions of Moultan, including the city and the territory
of Scind. Yet Timur Shah derives but few real advantages from
his Indian domain. Scind at the period of my journey, was in a
degree difmembered from his empire ; no revenue had been remit
ted to Kabul for the fpace of two years, or any meafure adopted
to enforce obedience. And the governor of Moultan, confiding
on his remote diftance from the empire and the inaftive difpofition,
of the prince, Ihews only that attention to the orders of govern-
ment, which is moft accordant with his purpofes. From this out
line you will perceive, that the Afghan dominion in India, does
not ftand on a flourifhing ground; that under the aufpices of
Timur, few marks of its extenfion are evinced; or that it im
parts any leading influence in the affairs of Hindoftan.
* Nadir Shah deftroyed the old fortrefs of Kandahar, which flood on the top of a
high rocky hill, and founded on a contiguous plain, a city entitled Nadirabad j it was
completed by Ahmed Shah 5 and is now only known by the name of Kandahar.
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■k 2 Rumours