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and they wear long, thick beards, though they shave the top of the head. The people of the west are stouter than those of the east. The latter have the national features more strongly marked, and have usually dark complexions, although many of them are as fair as Europeans.

Afghan tribes continue in a great measure unmixed, each having its separate territory, and all retaining the patriarchal form of government. Each tribe, or branch of a tribe, has its own immediate ancestor, and constitutes a complete commonwealth in itself. Each subdivision has its chief, who is termed a Speen Zerak, or

The ruins of ancient Ghizni form a striking contrast to the flourishing condition of Candahar. Little now remains of this city to tell of the glories of the mighty Mahmood. The "Palace of Felicity," like other gay visions of human happiness, has passed away; while the gloomy mausoleum which contains his dust holds forth a striking moral to the pride of kings. It is a spacious, but not magnificent building; and, till within a few years, was adorned with the sandal-wood gates of the temple of Somnauth, which the conqueror carried home as trophies from Hindostan. These gates have recently been restored to their original destination by order of the British government. Two lofty minarets, one hundred feet high, yet remain in Ghizni, to mark the spot where stood the celebrated mosque denominated the Celestial Bride; but mounds of rubbish and masses of ruins are all that remain of the splendid baths, the caravanserais, the colleges, and other noble structures that once adorned this capital of the East. The present city stands upon a height, and consists of about fifteen hundred houses, surrounded by stone walls.

Cabul, the present capital of Afghanistan, is finely situated on a spot six thousand feet above the level of the sea. It is not a large, but it is a compactly built and handsome place. The houses are mostly of wood. Being surrounded by gardens and orchards, and watered by fine streams, the beauty and abundance of its flowers are proverbial. Its fruits are in high estimation, and its climate and scenery are unrivalled in the East. One of the most beautiful as well as interesting spots, is the tomb of Sultan Baber. It is situated at the top of an eminence near the city, among beds of anemones and other flowers, commanding a magnificent prospect.

Peshawer stands in a beautiful plain, and contains about one hundred thousand inhabitants. The houses are of brick, generally unburnt, and mostly three stories high. The streets are paved, but narrow. Brooks run through the city, skirted by willow and mulberry trees. The streets and bazaars are crowded with men of all nations and languages, and the shops are filled with all sorts of goods. The whole city presents a picturesque aspect, from the varied appearance and costume of the inhabitants of the surrounding mountains, mingled with the natives of India, Persia, and Tartary.

Although this country is called a kingdom, yet the

Khans, who are sometimes appointed by the king, and at other times chosen by the people. The political constitution of this kingdom exhibits peculiarities which distinguish it from that of almost every other Asiatic monarchy. The governing power, instead of being monopolized by the king or the aristocracy, admits of a large infusion of popular elements. In every ooloos, or tribe, there is a jeerga, or representative assembly, without the consent of which the khan can undertake nothing. The attachment of the tribe is always stronger to the community than to the chief. The tribes sometimes carry on war with each other. Their only vassalage to the king consists in a tribute and a contingent of troops in war; both which are obtained with difficulty. The general revenue is about ten millions of dollars. The king appoints to office, and has the power to make peace or war; but he seldom acts without the concurrence of the lords. The crown is hereditary in the family, but elective as to the person. In the large cities and their neighborhood, the authority of the sovereign is much more extensive; but the rude and desert tracts of the south are abandoned to independent chiefs, or lawless banditti. The prevalence of feuds, and the passion for predatory excur sions, not only nurse a martial spirit among the people, but render a military establishment indispensable. The most regular and efficient part of this force consists of gholaums, a body formed partly of military adventurers, and partly of persons holding lands or grants on a military tenure, in connection with the great towns. They form a well disciplined corps of about thirteen thousand men. The dooraunees are a sort of Highland militia, twelve thousand in number, who fight under the banners of their own chieftains. The contingent of every other tribe amounts to a much greater number; but they are drawn out with great difficulty, unless for local purposes, or with a special prospect of plunder. The weapons in general use are the musket and the sabre.

The established religion among the Afghans is Mahometanism, though toleration prevails to a greater degree even than in Persia. They are all of the Sunnee persuasion. Hindoos, on the payment of a slight tax, are allowed to dwell in the towns, without molestation. Christians are subjected neither to persecution nor reproach for their faith. The Sheah Mahometans are much more the objects of aversion. No provision is made for the priesthood. The mollahs, or religious doctors, are supported solely by individual donation. They form a species of corporate body, called the ulema, and often assert their rights in that turbulent manner which characterizes the nation. They sometimes take up arms, and in the neighborhood of the great cities muster hosts of several thousand men, who, though they cannot match the prowess of the Afghan warriors, are so aided by the superstitious awe of the multitude, as generally to carry their point. In the rural districts their character is more respectable, and by promoting peace, and inculcating the moral duties, they render themselves really useful to this rude people.

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CHAPTER CCXLIV.

Agriculture, Trade, Literature, Manners, Dress, Amusements, &c., of the Afghans. THOUGH a great part of this country is mountainous and barren, there are portions of great fertility on the lower declivities and the high plains. These natural advantages are not neglected by the active and industrious Afghans. Irrigation, as in all warm countries, forms the most important and arduous part of husbandry. Not only are canals dug to lead the water from the rivers into the fields, but the water of wells is often collected into reservoirs, and distributed over the cultivated land. Wheat and barley are the principal grains sown; the former for men, the latter for horses. Fruits and vegetables are produced in such abundance that their cheapness is almost unequalled.

The Afghans have not extended their industry to manufactures, except those of coarse fabric for home consumption. The country, by its situation, is excluded from maritime commerce. A considerable inland trade is carried on with the neighboring countries; this is done by means of caravans, which employ camels when the route will permit; but in the rough mountains of Afghanistan, horses only are used. The Afghans export fruits, assafoetida, madder, and a few furs.

Almost every hamlet has, in its neighborhood, the castle of a khan, an edifice constructed rather for privacy than strength, where the chief has several apartments, lodgings for his family and dependants, storehouses for his property, and stables for his horses. At one of the gates is a lodge, where travellers are entertained, and where the villagers assemble to hear the news and talk with strangers. The khans are generally sober, decent, moderate, and plain men, who treat their inferiors with mildness, and in return are regarded by them with respect and esteem.

The Afghan or Pooshtoo language has an original basis of its own, to which has been added a large proportion of Persian, Zend, and Sanscrit words. The Persian alphabet is used in writing. A taste for knowledge is general throughout the country, though the Afghans have not produced any writers who can rival in fame those of Persia and India. The taste for poetry is general, and a considerable number of the people in the towns practise the public reading of it as a regular employment. The Persian and Arabic languages are studied by scholars. Peshawer enjoys the highest reputation in the country as a seminary of education; but many students resort to Bokhara.

The Afghans are a sober and temperate people, yet by the extreme cheapness of provisions they are enabled to live well. They are remarkably hospitable, and even a poor man, when he can afford to kill a sheep, will invite the neighbors to partake of it. The common food is mutton and vegetables; the drink is buttermilk. At the tables of the rich, pillaus, highly seasoned, and meats variously dressed, are served up on trays in the Persian manner, and ornamented with gold and silver leaf. The Afghan dress presents a striking contrast with the Hindoo attire of light, loose, flying robes, leaving a great part of the body naked. It consists of loose trousers of dark cotton stuff, a large shirt like a wagoner's frock, and a low cap. A cloak of soft gray felt, or tanned sheep-skin, with the wool inside, is thrown over the shoulders. Among the

higher ranks, velvet, fine shawl-cloth, and silk take the place of these coarse textures. Boots are almost universally worn, and no one is allowed to appear at court without them. Jewels are often employed to decorate armor. The female dress consists of jackets and pantaloons of velvet, shawl-cloth, or silk. Strings of Venetian sequins, chains of gold and silver, and earrings are the most esteemed ornaments. Such is the common dress of the two sexes; but it is subject to infinite variety from foreign intercourse or the taste of particular tribes.

The polite and educated Persians reproach their Afghan neighbors with being ignorant, barbarous, and stupid. This is to a great degree the language of national prejudice. Compared with the Persian, the Afghan is deficient in refinement, but the bulk of the people are remarkable for prudence, good sense, and power of observation. Though far less veracious than Europeans in general, and not very scrupulous about deceiving others when their own interest is concerned, they are by no means so indifferent to truth as the natives of Persia and Hindostan. Love of gain and love of independence appear to be their ruling passions.

The females who live in towns are secluded with the customary Mahometan jealousy, but those dwelling in the country enjoy much greater liberty. As the Afghans purchase their wives, a common Asiatic practice, the women, though generally well treated, are regarded in some measure as property. A husband can divorce his wife at pleasure, but the wife can only sue for relief on good grounds. The age of marriage is twenty-four for the men and sixteen for the women; but those who are too poor to buy a wife remain unmarried till forty. In towns, the mode of courtship and marriage does not differ from that of the Persians; but in the country, where the women go unveiled, and there is less restraint upon the intercourse of the young, matches are made as with us, according to the preference of the parties. It is even in the power of an enterprising lover to obtain his mistress without the consent of her parents, by cutting off a lock of her hair, snatching away her veil, or throwing over her a sheet, and proclaiming her his affianced wife. Polygamy is less practised by the Afghans than by other Mahometan nations, probably on account of their poverty. A poor man contents himself with one wife. The rich have as many as four.

Children are educated in the usual Mahometan way. Poor parents send their children to a mollah to learn their prayers and read the Koran. The rich keep priests as private tutors in their houses. In every village and camp there is a schoolmaster, who enjoys his allotted portion of land, and receives a small contribution from his pupils. When those who are designed for the learned professions are sufficiently advanced, they go to some city, generally Peshawer, to study logic, theology, or law.

The condition of women in Afghanistan is nearly the same as in other parts of Asia. The rich, in their seclusion, enjoy all the luxuries suited to their rank in life. The poor employ themselves in household labor and field work. In towns, they go about, as in Persia, covered with a large sheet, commonly white, which envelops their whole form. In the country, they are less hidden by their drapery; but common opinion requires a woman to cover her face when she sees a

man approaching with whom she is not on terms of intimacy.

The Afghans are fond of all sorts of boisterous amusements, particularly those which require a great display of bodily activity. Hunting is practised all over the country, and the people pursue this diversion not only in all the modes common to us, but in others peculiar to themselves. Sometimes a whole neighborhood, assembled, forms a circle, and sweeps together within it all the game belonging to a certain district. In the villages, much delight is taken in the attum, a hearty, noisy dance, consisting of violent movements, in which both sexes join. The Afghans are also fond of cock-fighting, and similar sports with quails and other animals. Grown people amuse themselves with mar

bles, hopping on one foot, and other pastimes, regarded by us as suited only to children. When not in action, they are fond of sitting in conversation, now and then passing round a pipe; but their favorite mode of using tobacco is in snuff, of which they take immoderate quantities. They are very social, and delight in dinner parties. After dinner, they usually smoke, or, forming a circle, tell stories and sing songs, accompa nying them with music upon instruments resembling guitars, fiddles, and hautboys. Their tales, like those of the Arabian Nights, are generally about kings, viziers, genii, and fairies, always ending with a moral. All sit silent while the narrative proceeds, and, at the conclusion, there is a general cry of "Ah! well done!"

CHAPTER CCXLV.

320 B. C. to A. D. 1843.

Ancient Gedrosia The Modern Belooches. BELOOCHISTAN, or the country of the Belooches, is bounded north by Afghanistan, south by the Indian Ocean, east by Hindostan, and west by Persia. The ancients called it Gedrosia, or Gadrosia. At one time it was regarded as constituting a part of the Persian monarchy, and afterwards as a part of Afghanistan. It has, however, recently been ascertained that its dependence on the kings of Cabul is merely nominal; geographers therefore now regard it as a separate country. It is in general a lofty and mountainous region, being traversed by a branch of the Indian Caucasus. The central parts are occupied by extensive deserts of many hundred miles in extent; the northern boundary is also a desert. The rivers are mere torrents, which, in the rainy season, carry great volumes of water to the sea, but at other times mark their course only by dry beds of stones. Little is known respecting the vegetable productions of this country. The tamarind, the date, the mulberry, the teak, plantain, sycamore, and walnut, are found in different parts, according to the climate. Mulberries are dried and ground into meal for bread by the inhabitants, and assafoetida is held in much esteem as food. The soil also produces wheat, barley, rice, cotton, indigo, and tobacco. Horses are raised for exportation to India in the north-west: dromedaries are used in the low country, and camels in the mountains. Beloochistan contains one hundred and fifty thousand square miles; the population is estimated at from two to four millions.

This country is supposed to have been one of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of that Persian potentate who, in the Book of Esther, is described as reigning over the land" from India even unto Ethiopia.' Its ancient history, however, is little better than a blank. No event connected with it is to be found in the ancient writers, except the march of Alexander through this territory on his return from India to Persia. On the frontier he found a very scanty population, and an atmosphere heated to an extraordinary degree: food and water were scarce, and on directing his march toward the sea-shore, he

met with only a few miserable inhabitants, living on fish, and dwelling in huts formed of shells and fishbones. As the army proceeded, their difficulties and sufferings increased. Hills of loose sand rendered travelling almost impossible; the horses and mules perished from fatigue and thirst; and the march could be accomplished only at night, owing to the intense heat of the sun. The loss and suffering sustained by the Macedonians, in crossing the Gedrosian desert, were greater than all which they had endured in the preceding year, since they crossed the Hellespont to invade Asia. After a march of sixty days from the Indus, Alexander at length reached a place called Poora, which is described as the capital of Gedrosia. In the language of that quarter, the word signifies merely a town or city. This place was situated in a pleasant neighborhood, and the wayworn Macedonians were enabled to take some refreshment and rest, after their unparalleled fatigues. Gedrosia was governed by a Persian satrap; and this is all we know of its history in ancient times.

The modern history of Beloochistan is equally barren. The country was traversed by the armies of the khalifs and Mongolian conquerors, and it became nominally a portion of the empire of the Hindoo sovereign Acbar. In the middle of the eighteenth century, it was tributary to Nadir Shah. At a later period, some of the Belooches invaded the neighboring country of Scinde, and established themselves in that quarter; but, in 1843, they were expelled by the British.

We have very little satisfactory information as to the social and political state of the Belooches. The nominal king of the country is the khan of Kelat, a small province in the west, containing a town of the same name, of about twelve thousand inhabitants, and the only one of any magnitude in Beloochistan. Another province, called Lussa, has an hereditary prince of its own; the vassal of the Khan Mekran, the third prov ince, seems to be independent, or distracted by the contests of numerous petty chiefs. The government of the khan is absolute, and he has the power of life and death wherever his authority is acknowledged.

The inhabitants are usually divided into the proper Belooches, and the Brahoes; but the former are in reality composed of numerous tribes, distinct from each other. The Brahoes may be described as the Tartars

of Beloochistan, wandering about the country, as the seasons vary, from pasture to pasture, and in winter huddling together under tents of felt or goat's hair. Civilization, such as it is, among these people, diminishes according to the distance from Hindostan. In the extreme west, the people are freebooters by profession, and scour the country at the rate of seventy and eighty miles a day. The love of highway robbery seems to be a national taste. Beside the native tribes, there are many Hindoos in Beloochistan, who manage the monetary concerns of the people.

Hospitality, courage, sensuality, polygamy-all things good and bad that distinguish mankind in the lower stages of civilization- are to be found among the Belooches. They pass most of their time in smoking tobacco and hemp, and chewing opium. Their principal amusement, in addition to warlike exercises, is gaming. They are fond of bardic songs, and it is the profession of one of the tribes to scream forth the genealogies of their entertainers to the discordant music of the tom-tom, cymbal, or a rude guitar. The

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men wear cotton jackets and loose trousers, with a scarf. or shawl round the waist. In winter, a sort of capote, of felt or coarse cloth, is added. The women shroud themselves in drapery, as among the Afghans. They are the drudges of the men, but have a certain influence in the counsels of their masters.

Some customs among the Belooches would seem to indicate that they are of Jewish origin, and this opinion is confirmed by their personal appearance; but they reject this as a reproach, and assume to be of Arab extraction. In religion they are Mahometans of the Sunnee sect. Industry is in a very low state among them. They spin the hair of goats and camels into ropes, and weave it into coarse fabrics. The wool of their sheep they manufacture into garments, coloring them with madder and other native dyes. A few matchlocks and other arms are made at Khelat. The Belooches have some trade by exchanging butter, hides, wool, drugs, fruits, &c., for rice, spices, British and Indian manufactures and slaves from Muscat.

CHAPTER CCXLVI. Geographical Description. THIS extensive and celebrated country is bounded on the north by the empire of China; on the east by Burmah, Assam, and the Bay of Bengal; on the south by the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Arabian Sea, Beloochistan, and Afghanistan. It is about eighteen hundred miles in length from north to south, and fifteen hundred at its greatest width. Its extent is one million four hundred thousand square miles, and it contains one hundred and forty millions of people, or one hundred to a square mile. The Himmaleh Mountains, which extend along its northern border, dividing it from Thibet and Tartary, are the loftiest in the world. One of its peaks, Chamulare, is the highest point on the globe, reaching twenty-nine 0 thousand feet-almost six milesin perpendicular elevation. These mountains rise in successive stages from the champaign country, forming several parallel ridges-their tops covered with everlasting snow. Along the western shore

of Hindostan, there is a range of mountains called Western Ghauts, which reach an elevation of ten thousand feet: on the opposite coast is a range less elevated, called the Eastern Ghauts.

The principal river of India is the Ganges; it rises

in the Himmaleh Mountains, and, after winding eight hundred miles among these chains, issues into the open country. Flowing thirteen hundred miles through