pidity and perfeverance. The next emotion will probably be that of difpleafure. The travels of Mr. Forfter are printed in a form not reputable even in the present state of book-felling and book-making. The contents would hardly fuffice for one volume, without the aid of an immeafurable margin, disjunction of paragraphs, &c. &c. Yet the book is divided into two quarto volumes, unadorned and unilluftrated, except by one folitary and jejune map, and the unreasonable indeed, extravagant price of one pound fixteen thillings fixed upon it.

This, however, would not be an intolerable grievance, if the information obtained from thefe volumes were proportionably important or fatisfactory. Mr. Forfter's track is novel in the extreme; and extends confiderably further north than any European traveller has paffed in a direction from east to west. Yet his narrative is very fcanty of matter, and affords very little more than a Tantalus's draught; the ftream indeed is tempting, but we are feldom permitted to drink. We mean, however, to qualify this obfervation; this traveller's journey up the Ganges, and thence from near Gangotri through Jummoos to Cafhmire, contains certainly many curious circumftances. The defcription of the manners of the Siques, their intrufion into the country above the mountains, their troops, their prevailing power, and their politics, are all new, and very interesting. From this part of the first volume we shall make a confiderable extract.

"I find an embarrassment in applying a diftinct term to the form of the Sicque government, which, on the firft view, bears an appearance of aristocracy; but a clofer examination difcovers a large vein of popular power branching through many of its parts. No honorary or titular diftinction is conferred on any member of the state, and the chiefs are treated with a deference that would feem to arife: only from the military charges they may at the inftant be invested with, and from a self-preferving regard to the fubordination necessarily required in conducting an armed body. Though orders are iffued in a Sicque army, and a fpecies of obedience obferved, punishments are rarely inflicted; and the chiefs, who often command parties of not more than fifty men, being numerous, its motions are tumultuous and irregular. An equality of rank is maintained in their civil fociety, which to clafs of men, however wealthy or powerful, is fuffered to break down. At the periods when general councils of the nation were convened, which confifted of the army at large, every member had the privilege of delivering his opinion; and the majority, it is faid, decided on the fubject in debate. The Khalfah Sicques, even of the lowest order, are turbulent people, and poffefs a haughtiness of deportment, which, in the common occurrences of life, peculiarly marks their character. Examples of this difpofition I have myfelf witneffed, and one of them I think merits a diftinct notice. In travelling through the Siringnaghur country, our party was joined by a Sicque horfeman, and being

defirous

defirous of procuring his acquaintance, I ftudioufly offered him the various attentions which men obferve to those they court. But the Sicque received my advances with a fixed referve and difdain, giving me, however, no individual cause of offence; for his deportment to the other paflengers was not lefs contemptuous. His anfwer, when I asked him the name of his chief, was wholly conformable to the observations I had made of his nation. He told me, (in a tone of voice, and with an expreffion of countenance, which feemed to revolt at the idea of fervitude) that he ditdained an earthly fuperior, and acknowledged no other master than his prophet!

The civil and military government of the Sicques, before a common intereft had ceafed to actuate its operations, was conducted by general and limited affemblies, which prefided over the different departments of the ftate. The grand convention, called in their language Goorimatta, was that in which the army met to transact the more important affairs of the nation; as the declaration of war or peace, forming alliances, and detaching parties on the fervice of the year. The amount of the contributions levied on the public account was reported to this affembly, and divided among the chiefs, proportionably to the number of their troops. They were at the fame time obliged to diftribute a certain fhare of this property to their foldiers, who, on any cause of diffatisfaction, made no hesitation in quitting their fervice, and following a more popular leader. Subordinate officers were established for registering the political correfpondence of the ftate, and for providing warlike ftores; and the administration of ecclefiaftical affairs was entrusted to a certain fociety of religeufe, compofed chiefly of the defcendants of their original priefts, but they, did not poffefs any influence in the temporal regulation of the state. Thefe were the principal ordinances enacted by the first chiefs, when the people were united, and a common object governed their public conduct. The dominions of the Sicques, now widely extended, have been fince divided into numerous states, which purfue an independent intereft, without a regard to general policy. The grand affembly is now rarely fummoned, nor have the Sicques, fince the Afghan war, been embarked in any united cause.

"Their military force may be faid to confift effentially of cavalry; for though fome artillery is maintained, it is aukwardly managed, and its ufes ill underflood, and their infantry, held in low eftimation, ufually garrifon the forts, and are employed in the meaner duties of the fervice. A Sicque horfeman is armed with a matchlock and fabre of excellent metal, and his horfe is ftrong and well formed. In this matter I fpeak from a perfonal knowledge, having in the course of my journey feen two of their parties, each of which amounted to about two hundred horfemen. They were clothed in white vests, and their arms were preferved in good order: the accoutrements, confifting of priming horns and ammunition pouches, were chiefly covered with European fcarlet cloth, and ornamented with gold lace. The predilection of the Sicques for the match-lock mufquet, and the constant ufe they make of it, caufes a difference in their manner of attack from that of any other Indian cavalry; a party, from forty to fifty, advance in a quick pace to the diftance of a carabine thot from the

enemy.

enemy, and then, that the fire may be given with the greater cer” tainty, the horfes are drawn up, and their pieces difcharged; when fpeedily retiring about a hundred paces, they load and repeat the fame mode of annoying the enemy. The horfes have been fo expertly trained to the performance of this operation, that, on receiving a ftroke of the hand, they ftop from a full career. But it is not by this mode of combat that the Sicques have become a formidable people. Their fucceffes and conquefts have largely originated from an activity unparalleled by other Indian nations, from their endurance of exceffive fatigue, and a keen refentment of injuries. The perfonal endowments of the Sicques are derived from a temperance of diet, and a forbearance from many of thofe fenfual pleafures which have enervated the Indian Mahometans. A body of their cavalry has been known to make marches of forty or fifty miles, and to continue the exertion for many fucceffive days.

་་

The forces of this nation must be numerous, though I am not poffeffed of any fubftantial document for afcertaining the amount. A Sicque will confidently fay, that his country can furnish three hundred thoufand cavalry; and, to authenticate the affertion, affirms, that every perfon, holding even a fmall groperty, is provided with a horfe, match-lock, and fide-arms. But, in qualification of this account, if we admit that the Sicques when united can bring two hundred thoufand horfe into the field, their force in cavalry is greater than that of any other state in Hindoftan. A paffage, which I extracted from a memoir, written at Dehli in 1777, exhibits a lively picture of this people in their military capacity. The Sicques,' it reprefents, are in general ftrong and well made; accustomed from their infancy to the most laborious life, and hardest fare, they make marches, and undergo fatigues that really appear aftonishing. In their excursions they carry no tents or baggage, except, perhaps, a fmall tent for the principal officer: the reft thelter themselves under blankets, which ferve them alfo in the cold weather to wrap themselves in, and which, on a march, cover their faddles. They have commonly two, fome of them three horses each, of the middle fize, ftrong, active, and mild tempered. The provinces of Lahore and Moultan, noted for a breed of the best horfes in Hindoftan, afford them an ample fupply; and indeed they take the greatest care to encrease it by all means in their power. Though they make merry on the demife of any of their brethren, they mourn for the death of a horfe: thus fhewing their love of an animal fo neceffary to them in their profeffional capacity. The food of the Sicques is of the coarfeft kind, and fuch as the poorelt people in Hindoftan ufe from neceffity. Bread, baked in afkes, and foaked in a mash made of different forts of pulfe, is the beft difh, and fuch as they never indulge in but when at full leifure; otherwife, vetches and tares, haftily. parched, is all they care for. They abhor fmoaking tobacco, for what reafon I cannot difcover; but intoxicate themfelves freely with fpirits of their own country manufacture. A cup of the laft they never fail taking after a fatigue at night. Their, drefs is extremely fcanty: a pair of long blue drawers, and a kind of checkered plaid, a part of M which

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XIII, FEB. 1799.

which is faftened round the waift, and the other thrown over the fhoulder, with a mean turban, form their clothing and equipage. The chiefs are diftinguifked by wearing fome heavy gold bracelets on their wrifts, and fometimes a chain of the fame metal bound round their turbans, and by being mounted on better horfes: otherwise, no diftinction appears amongst them. The chiefs are numerous, fome of whom have the command of ten or twelve thoufand cavalry; but this power is confined to a fmall number, the inferior officers maintaining fror one to two thoufand, and many not more than twenty or thirty horses; a certain quota of which is furnifhed by the chief, the greater part being the individual property of the horsemen." Vol. i. p. 285.

We fhould not omit to remark, that a fact of great importance to geography, has been ascertained by Mr. Forster on the fpot; which is, that Sutluz, the Biah, or Viah, and the Ravee, have their rife not from the fouthern face of the Sewatick and Jummoo mountains, but from the fpace between the two ranges in which Jummoo, or Tahamoo, and, in fome measure, Cashmire itself alfo lies. This fact was not indeed unknown either to Major Rennel or Dr. Vincent, but the conjectures, or rather knowledge of thefe acute and eminent geographers, is confirmed by the journey of Mr. Forfter; and what is yet more extraordinary, the number of the main ftreams is not increased.

The defcription of Calhmire, in the fecond volume, is valuable, because no European traveller has visited these regions fince Bernier. We are authorized to affert, from the increase and prevalence of the Mahometan power in this and other countries, that corruption, treachery, and falfehood, spread with the introduction of the Koran. The detail of Mungo Park, which may foon be expected, ftrongly corroborates the above affertion. With the Moors and profeffors of Mahometanifm he was always in peril, whenever he encountered them; by the honeft negroes he was comforted and protected. Mr. F. has faid much on the fubject of Cafhmire, of which the following description may be acceptable.

"The city, which in the ancient annals of India was known by the name of Siringnaghur, but now by that of the province at large, extends about three miles on each fide of the river Jalum, over which are four or five wooden bridges, and occupies in fome part of its breadth, which is irregular, about two miles. The houses, many of them two and three ftories high, are flightly built of brick and mortar, with a large intermixture of timber. On a ftanding roof of wood is laid a covering of fine earth, which fhelters the building from the great quantity of fnow that falls in the winter feason. This fence communicates an equal warmth in winter, as a refreshing coolnefs in the fummer feafon, when the tops of the houses, which are planted with a variety of flowers, exhibit at a diftance the spacious view of a beautifully checquered parterre. The streets are narrow, and choaked

with the filth of the inhabitants, who are proverbially unclean. No buildings are feen in this city worthy of remark; though the Kafhmirians boaft much of a wooden mofque, called the Jumah Muffid, erected by one of the emperors of Hindostan; but its claim to dif tinction is very moderate.

"The fubahdar, or governor of Kafhmire, refides in a fortress called Shere Ghur, occupying the fouth-east quarter of the city, where moft of his officers and troops are alfo quartered.

"The benefits which this city enjoys of a mild falubrious air, a river flowing through its centre, of many large and commodious houfes, are effentially alloyed by its confined conftruction, and the extreme filthiness of the people. The covered floating baths, which are ranged along the fides of the river, give the only teftimony of conveniency or order; fuch baths are much wanted by the Indian Mahometans, who, from the climate and their religion, are obliged to make frequent ablutions, and, in preventing the expofure of their women on thefe occafions, to adopt laborious precautions.

"The lake of Kashmire, or, in the provincial language, the Dall, long celebrated for its beauties, and the pleasure it affords to the inhabitants of this country, extends from the north-east quarter of the city, in an oval circumference of five or fix miles, and joins the Jalum by a narrow channel, near the fuburbs. On the entrance to the eastward is feen a detached hill, on which fome devout Mahometan has dedicated a temple to the great king Solomon, whose memory in Kashmire is held in profound veneration.

"The legends of the country affert, that Solomon vifited this valley, and finding it covered, except the eminence now mentioned, with a noxious water, which had no outlet, he opened a paffage in the mountains, and gave to Kafhmire its beautiful plains. The Tucht Suliman, the name beftowed by the Mahometans on the hill, forms one fide of a grand portal to the lake, and of the other stands a lower hill, which in the Hinduee is called Hirney Purvet, or the green hill, a name probably adopted from its being covered with gardens and orchards.

"On the fummit of the Hirney Purvet, the Kashmirians have erected a mosque to the honor of Muckdoom Saheb, who is as famous in their tales, as Thomas-a-Becket in those of Canterbury. The men never undertake a business of moment without confulting Muckdoom Saheb; and when a Kashmirian woman wants a hand fome husband or a chopping boy, the addreffes her prayer to the minifters of this faint, who are faid to feldom fail in gratifying her with. The northern view of the lake is terminated at the distance of twelve miles, by a detached range of mountains, which flope from the centre to each angle; and from the bafe, a fpacious plain, preferved in constant verdure by numerous ftreams, extends with an eafy declivity to the margin of the water.

"In the centre of the plain, as it approaches the lake, one of the Dehli emperors, I believe Shah Jehan, conftructed a fpacious garden, called the Shalimar, which is abundantly ftored with fruit-trees and flowering thrubs. Some of the rivulets which interfect the plain, are led into a canal at the back of the garden, and flowing through its centre,

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