The royal author, although evidently endued with wisdom and good sense, was not altogether free from superstition. Being fond of the chase, and possessing his father's famous gun Drustanduz (the true thrower of shot), he often killed with it twenty antelopes of a day, until the following extraordinary circumstance induced him to make a vow of giving up sporting on attaining the age of fifty years.

"One day, being engaged on a hunting party, among a herd of deer or antelopes which we had in view, I perceived one coloured and marked so beautifully, that I singled it out for my own pursuit, strictly forbidding any of my retinue from accompanying me, knowing, indeed, that the animal would be rendered wilder by the appearance of numbers. I discharged my piece, the same Droostandauz, at the creature repeatedly, without perceiving that my shot had any effect. As often as I closed upon the animal it bounded off, as if in entire derision. At last, after a third shot, I had once more approached close to the antelope, when giving a sudden spring, it in an instant disappeared altogether. Either from the sudden spring, or from some cause that I am unable to explain, I fell into a swoon, and remained in a state of total insensi-bility for the space of two hours; until, indeed, impatient at my nonappearance, my son Khoorum hastened to the spot in search of me, and, applying rose-water to my temples, succeeded at last in restoring me to my faculties. I continued, however, in a state of debility and anxiety of mind for nearly a month; and from that day I solemnly vowed that, after attaining the age of fifty years, I would never make use of my gun in the chase."

Another instance of superstitious feeling occurs, (p. 68.) “I had mounted my horse on quitting my father's resting-place, and had not yet proceeded a kòsse on my march, when a man came to meet me, who could not have possessed any knowledge of my person, and I demanded his name. He told me in answer that his name was Mùrad Khaujah. 'Heaven be praised!' said I, my desire shall be attained.' A little farther on, and not far from the tomb of the Emperor Bàber, we met another man, driving before him an ass loaded with fire-wood, and having a burden of thorns on his own back. I asked of him the same information, and he told me, to my great delight, that his name was Dowlet Khaujah, (Sir fortune,) and I expressed to those who were in attendance how encouraging it would be if the third person we met should bear the name of Saadet, (auspicious.) What, then, must have been the surprise, when proceeding a little farther on, on the bank of a rivulet to our right, and observing a little boy who was watching a cow grazing hard by, I ventured to ask him also his name; his answer was, My name is Saadet Khaujah, (Sir Felix.) A clamour of exultation arose among my attendants, and with feelings of equal gratitude and satisfaction, I from that moment determined that, in conformity with these three very auspicious prognostications, all the affairs of my government should be classed under three heads, to be called Eymaun-othalàtha, (the three signs.)"

Hitherto, with the exception of the threatened rebellion of his son, about the time of Akber's death, Jehanguir may be said to have had fortune chained to his car; but his heart was doomed to feel a a pang from the rebellious conduct of his son Khùsrù, A.D. 1606, the more severe because he had forgiven his former attempt, and expected a more grate

ful return. After the rebel's flight was made known to the unhappy father, the Amir ul Omra, who was going in pursuit of the prince, asked with earnestness what he should do if the infatuated youth appealed to the sword; when the King gave this memorable answer: "In the concerns of sovereign power there is neither child nor kin." It is easy to conceive how his heart must have bled in coming to this decision!

After a long pursuit, an engagement between the rebels and the imperial forces took place near Lahour, where the latter were victorious, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers.

Here again our royal author has forebodings of success; although, contrary to the expectations of his ministers, he says, "I call God to witness, that while at Goundwaul, at this perilous crisis, I experienced some strong forebodings that Khùsrù was coming to my presence," and, in fact, he was, on the same evening, brought to his father's presence a prisoner.

Although Jehanguir, throughout this work, rather boasts of his humanity, still, when we reflect upon the cold-blooded assassination of the accomplished Abul Fazl, which he acknowledges, and the destruction of the brave Shir Afghan, the more villanous, because it was for the gratification of his love for Nur Jehan, that devoted chief's wife, we cannot agree with our royal narrator's complacent delineation of his own character, however favourably it may be contrasted with that of other Asiatic despots. No person of real humanity of disposition could dwell, as he does, on the tortures which he orders, however merited the punishment. He says,

"Seated in the pavilion, having directed a number of sharp stakes to be set up in the bed of the Bauvy, I caused the seven hundred traitors who had conspired with Khossrou against my authority to be impaled. alive upon them. Than this there cannot exist a more excruciating punishment, since the wretches exposed frequently linger a long time in the most agonizing torture, before the hand of death relieves them ; and the spectacle of such frightful agonies must, if any thing can, operate as a due example to deter others from similar acts of perfidy and treason towards their benefactors."

From Lahour, after the suppression of this dangerous rebellion, the Emperor returned to Agrah. In mentioning incidentally his pursuing the plan practised by his father Akber, of discharging his gun on the first of every month, and making every soldier in his army follow his example, he dilates on the wonderful invention of the matchlock, and observes, that he has nearly five hundred thousand "matchlock men in his army, either on foot or mounted on camels, independent of the dif ferent garrisons in the numerous fortresses, cities, and other places throughout the empire, which do not fall short of three millions of similarly armed!"

men

Amongst his nobles were many men of great personal strength, whose deeds he records with the admiration due to them. Amongst others, he describes a very wonderful feat in archery, that reminds us of the skill of Arthur, in Anne of Geierstein, Sir Walter Scott's last novel. (Vol. 1, p. 110.)

"Another of the ameirs of my court, distinguished for courage and skill, was Bauker Noodjum Thauni, who had not in the world his equal in the use of the bow. As for instance, of the surprising perfection to

which he had carried his practice, it will be sufficient to relate, that one evening, in my presence, they placed before him a transparent glass bottle, or vessel of some kind or other, a torch or flambeaux being held at some distance behind the vessel; they then made of wax something in the shape of a fly, which they fixed to the side of the bottle, which was of the most delicate fabric: on the top of this piece of wax they set a grain of rice and a pepper-corn. His first arrow struck the peppercorn, his second carried off the grain of rice, and the third struck the diminutive wax figure, without in the slightest degree touching or injuring the glass vessel, which was, as I have before observed, of the very lightest and most delicate material. This was a degree of skill in the bowman's art amazing beyond all amazement; and it might be safely alleged, that such an instance of perfection in the craft has never been exhibited in any age or nation."

His Majesty's account of the jugglers from Bengal is quite incredible, if taken as matters appeared at the moment; such as the first one,— viz. putting seeds of curious trees into the earth, from which they shortly grew to the height of two or three feet, and even produced fruit. We happen to know two gentlemen, upon whose veracity we have the fullest reliance, who saw at Madras, in the lawn before the Government-house, the trick of a mango-stone being put into the ground, which in a very short time became a tree to all appearance, and actually bore a fruit; but they felt convinced it was sleight of hand, although they could not discover the manner in which they were so ingeniously deceived.

The ninth trick, viz. cutting a man into pieces, which they again unite, and produce the man alive and perfect. This is something like the trick played in China before Ibn Batuta.

The twenty-third trick is one of difficult execution. "They produced a chain of fifty cubits in length, and in my presence threw one end of it towards the sky, where it remained as if fastened to something in the air. A dog was then brought forward, and being placed at the lower end of the chain, immediately ran up, and, reaching the other end, immediately disappeared in the air. In the same manner, a hog, a panther, a lion, and a tiger, were alternately sent up the chain, and all equally disappeared at the upper end of the chain. At last they took down the chain and put it into a bag, no one ever discovering in what way the different animals were made to vanish into the air in the mysterious manner above described. This, I may venture to affirm, was beyond measure strange and surprising."

In all, he mentions twenty-eight different tricks, which amused and puzzled him, and the royal reflections upon them are highly curious.

It is a custom in India for every body who approaches a king, or man in power, to lay a present at the feet of the superior. This is even observed between father and son. When Jehanguir returned from Gujerat to Agrah, he ordered his favourite son Sultan Parviz to his presence from Allahabad. The present which he brought on the occasion will be duly appreciated from his father's own words. Four hundred lacs of rupees are equivalent to four millions sterling.

"On the day following, Parveiz came to pay the ceremonial visit of homage, on which occasion the following enumeration will exhibit a tolerable view of the nature of the articles which composed his superb

present to me. Eighty trained elephants of the highest value; two hundred horses of the best breed of Irak, with their caparisons wrought in gold; one thousand camels of the dromedary sort, chosen for their speed; a number of the large white oxen of Gujerat; four hundred trays of gold brocade, velvet, satin, and other pieces of manufacture of the rarest fabric; and twelve trays of jewels, consisting of diamonds, rubies, pearls, and turquoises; altogether, according to the schedule, being equivalent to the magnificent sum of four hundred lacs of rupees. On my part, throwing round his neck a chaplet of pearl of the value of ten lacs of rupees, I raised him at once from the order of ten thousand to that of thirty thousand horse."

We cannot resist giving a trait of generosity of this dutiful son and affectionate brother in the King's own words:

"About a month subsequent to his arrival at Agrah on this occasion, Parveiz surprised me one day, by appearing before me with a napkin fastened round his neck, and, casting himself at my feet, breaking out into the bitterest expressions of sorrow. Something astonished, I demanded with paternal solicitude what it was that he would ask?—what was the cause of this paroxysm of grief?—and what it was that he had to complain of? He replied, that it was beyond his endurance longer to reflect, that himself and his three brothers should be passing their lives in hunting, and in every species of amusement, indulgence, and ease, while one brother, the eldest of all, was condemned, now for the fifteenth year, to drag on a wretched existence in the solitude of a prison: it was not the lot of humanity to be entirely blameless, but in all circumstances clemency was the peculiar and most becoming attribute of kings. His humble prayer, therefore, was, that I would at length grant to this brother my full pardon, release him from his melancholy confinement, and restore him to an exalted place in my royal favour. I found it no easy matter to parry this very urgent supplication; and I therefore demanded if he was prepared to be responsible that the unhappy Khossrou would never again commit himself by the same disloyal and refractory conduct, in which case alone I might perhaps be persuaded to set him once more at large. Parveiz immediately committed to paper a few lines, in the nature of a surety bond, and I accordingly signified my assent to the release of Khossrou."

His pardon was granted in a most magnificent as well as feeling manner; for he not only sent presents of great value to his repentant son, but also signified his pleasure to his great officers and nobles that they might do the same, to enable him to appear at court with the splendour properly belonging to a prince of the blood royal.

"When he approached the audience-chamber, and appeared in sight, at some distance from the throne, he burst into a flood of tears, and repeatedly prostrated himself on the floor, so continued to do until he came close up, when placing his head at my feet, he there remained, without attempting to raise it, for a full hour, although frequently importuned by me to look up. With what face,' he exclaimed, 'can I raise mine eyes to my royal father's countenance? For an offence so heinous as that of which I have been guilty, how can I presume to ask forgiveness?' After shedding a profusion of tears, however, he at last arose, and in some verses expressive of his deep distress, implored my

clemency for the past, and my indulgence for the future. Having so far testified his bitter remorse, he again bowed himself to the earth, and then, in an attitude of the utmost humility, standing before me with his hands across his bosom, he repeated that he could never sufficiently atone or abate his sense of shame for his conduct, though night and day were consumed in endless regret in my presence.'

Such was the meeting between father and son, after the latter had been discarded from the King's presence for a period of fifteen years.

An insurrection of the Hindus about Kinouje induces the King to send Abdullah Khan with a large force to reduce them to obedience, and punish their disaffection. Twenty thousand rebels fell on the field of battle; their fort was then stormed, and ten thousand more were slain, and their heads sent to the King. To deter others from similar acts of rebellion, ten thousand bodies of those who fell were suspended from trees with their heads downwards, on the high roads in the vi cinity; and his Majesty observes with regret, that notwithstanding these frequent and sanguinary executions, the numbers of the turbulent and disaffected do not seem to diminish, although he thinks, that between his father and himself, there is scarcely a province in the empire in which five or six hundred thousand human beings have not fallen victims to this fatal disposition to discontent and turbulence.

Our author proceeds in a flotilla of boats up the Jumna, to the foot of the bills, in his way to Kashmir. His son, Sultan Khoorum, (afterward Shah Jehàn,) got permission to visit Lahour, and at the end of ten days again joined his father's camp at Hassan Abdul. After a great fall of rain, they marched to Katanour, but found the river so swelled, that he ordered the people, as they came up, to remain until the waters had fallen. In spite, however, of these prudent commands, many thoughtless people made the attempt on elephants and on horseback, when the young son of Mirza Rùstum, a great favourite of the King, was drowned. It was found, also, the next morning, that fifty thousand men, and nearly ten thousand elephants, camels, and horses, had perished.

After amusing himself in the "saffron plains" of Kashmir for a month, hunting and shooting, our royal author returned to Lahour, and on his way received intelligence that the natives of Kabul were again beginning to infest the roads, and commit all sorts of enormities upon their fellow-subjects. Muhabet Khan was ordered to proceed with a force to quell insurrection and punish the offenders.

At this place the royal narrative ceases, and it appears doubtful if he ever continued it after this period, which we deeply regret.