ness of the fixed population, and then with the appearance of the people; not fluttering in white muslins, while half their bodies are naked, but soberly and decently attired in dark-coloured woollen clothes; and wrapped up in brown mantles or in large sheep-skin cloaks. He would admire their strong and active forms, their fair complexions, and European features; their industry and enterprise; the hospitality, sobriety, and contempt of pleasure, which appear in all their habits; and, above all, the independence and energy of their character. In India, he would have left a country where every movement originates in the government or its agents, and where the people absolutely go for nothing; and he would find himself among a nation, where the control of government is scarcely felt, and where every man appears to pursue his own inclinations, undirected and unrestrained. Amidst the stormy independence of this mode of life, he would regret the ease and security in which the state of India, and even the indolence and timidity of its inhabitants, enable most parts of that country to repose. He would meet with many productions of art and nature that do not exist in India; but, in general, he would find the arts of life less advanced, and many of the luxuries of Hindostan unknown. On the whole, his impression of his new acquaintances would be favourable; although he would feel that, without having lost the ruggedness of a barbarous nation, they were tainted with the vices common to all Asiatics. Yet he would reckon them virtuous, compared with the people to whom he had been accustomed; would be inclined to regard them with interest and kindness; and could scarcely deny them a portion of his

esteem.

"Such would be the impressions made on an European and an Indian traveller, by their ordinary intercourse with the Afghans. When they began to investigate their political constitution, both would be alike perplexed with its apparent inconsistences and contradictions, and with the union which it exhibits of turbulent independence and gross oppression. But the former would, perhaps, be the most struck with the despotic pretensions of the general government; and the latter with the democratic licence, which prevails in the government of the tribes."-p. 149.

It would be impossible for us to cite instances in which the various ingredients stated, in the preceding extract, as constituting the compound character of the Afghans, are exemplified; we shall, however, endeavour to illustrate two of their most prominent features-their hospitality, and their predatory habits. Through the former of these qualities, a man without money might travel through the whole country without ever being exposed to want-through the other, he would scarcely fail of being robbed, if he had any thing to lose, by the very Afghan who had fed him, as soon as he had quitted his protection.

"The most remarkable is a custom peculiar to this people, and called Nonpawantee (from two Pushtoo words, meaning "I come in.") A person, who has a favour to ask, goes to the house or tent of the man on whom it depends, and refuses to sit on his carpet, or partake of his hospitality, till he shall grant the boon required. The honour of the party thus soli

cited will incur a stain, if he does not grant the favour asked of him; and, so far is the practice carried, that a man over-matched by his enemies will sometimes go nunnawantee to the house of another man, and entreat him to take up his quarrel; which the other is obliged to do, unless he is utterly unable to interfere with effect, or unless some circumstance render his interference obviously improper.

"A still stronger appeal is made, when a woman sends her veil to an Afghan, and implores his assistance for herself or her family. It was by this expedient that Tirnour Shah's queen prevailed on Sirapaz Khan (the father of the present grand vizier) to afford his assistance in the elevation of Shah Zeman to the throne; an event chiefly brought about by his influence.

"This last custom is not connected with the laws of hospitality; but it is those laws alone which protect every individual who has entered the house of an Afghan. A man's bitterest enemy is safe, while he is under his roof; and a stranger who has come into an Afghan's house or tent, is under the protection of the master, as long as he stays in the village. From this principle arises the obligation of protecting and defending a fugitive, whatever may be his crime; and hence the frequency of elopements with women from one Oalooss to another, and of the refuge found by murderers in a similar flight.

"The protection which the rights of hospitality confer, does not extend beyond the lands of the village, or, at most, of the tribe; and there are undoubted testimonies of Afghans, of predatory tribes entertaining a traveller, and dismissing him with presents, and yet robbing him when they met him again, after he was out of their protection.

"It seems astonishing to a European, that the reciprocal good offices, which must pass between the host and the guest, should not soon form a connection sufficiently strong to prevent their injuring each other after the rights of hospitality have ceased; and, in fact, there is no point in the Afghan character which it is more difficult to get a clear idea, than the mixture of sympathy and indifference, of generosity and rapacity, which is observable in their conduct to strangers. In part of the country, where the government is weak, they seem to think it a matter of course to rob a stranger, while in all other respects they treat him with kindness and civility. So much more do they attend to granting favours than to respecting rights, that the same Afghan who would plunder a stranger of his cloak, if he had one, would give him a cloak if he had none. If these inconsistences only appeared in their own country, their behaviour might be owing to their natural love of gain; and their point of honour, with respect to guests. But, how are we to explain the same conduct, when their meeting in a foreign country gives the stranger no claims to their hospitality? All the authentic accounts I have of the treatment of stran gers by Afghans, either in their own country or elsewhere, gives an impression of philanthropy and politeness, when there was no temptation to depart from these principles. But, when there was any inducement to plunder the stranger, and even sometimes when much was to be gained by deceiving him, there was no great appearance of justice and good faith."

p. 226.

After touching upon various other topics which constitute the manners, customs, and character of the Afghans, Mr. Elphinstone closes his observations on this last head

with the following paragraph, and with it we shall conclude our account, as far, at least, as relates to that people.

“I know no people in Asia who have fewer vices, or are less voluptu ous or debauched; but this is most remarkable in the west: the people in towns are acquiring a taste for debauchery; and those in the north-east of the country are far from being pure. The Afghans themselves com plain of the corruption of manners, and of the decline of sincerity and good faith, and say that their nation is assimulating to the Persians. Their sentiments and conduct towards that nation greatly resemble those which we discovered some years ago towards the French. Their natural antipathy, and a strong sense of their own superiority, do not prevent their imitating Persian mamers, while they declaim against the practice, as depraving their own. They are fully sensible of the advantage which Persia has over them at present, from the comparative union and vigour of her councils; and they regard the increase of her power with some degree of apprehension, which is diminished by their inattention to the future, and by their confidence in themselves. To sum up the character of the Afghans in a few words; their vices are revenge, envy, avarice, rapacity, and obstinacy; on the other hand, they are fond of liberty, faithful to their friends, kind to their dependents, hospitable, brave, hardy, frugal, laborious, and prudent; and they are less disposed than the nation, in their neighbourhood to falsehood, intrigue, and deceit.”—p. 252.

Our fair readers will excuse us for extracting a few more sen tences relative to the manufacture of an article of dress, which is held in great repute by most of them-we allude to the shawls of Cashmere, or, as it is here called, Cashmeer. This account was drawn up by Mr. Strachey, (the secretary to the mission,) who made many enquiries on the subject, and even had some shawls manufactured by pioneers. belonging to the embassy, under his own immediate inspection.

"A shop may be occupied with one shawl, provided it be a remarkably fine one, above a year, while other shops make six or eight in the course of that period. Of the best and most worked kinds, not so much as a quarter of an inch is completed in a day, by three people, which is the usual number employed at most of the shops. Shawls containing much work are made in separate pieces at different shops; and it may be observed, that it very rarely happens that the pieces, when completed, correspond in size.

"The shops consist of a frame-work, at which the persons employed sit on a bench: their number is from two to four. On plain shawls, two people alone are employed, and a long narrow, but heavy, shuttle is used; those, of which the pattern is variegated, are worked with wooden needles, there being a separate needle for the thread of each colour; for the latter, no shuttle is required. The operation of their manufacture is, of course, slow, proportionate to the quantity of work which their patterns may require.

"The Oostand, or head-workman, superintends while his journeymen are employed near him, immediately under his directions. If they have any new pattern in hand, or one with which they are not familiar, he describes to them the figures, colours, and threads which they are to use, while he keeps before him the pattern on which they happen to be employed, drawn upon paper.

During the operation of making, the rough side of the shawl is uppermost on the frame, notwithstanding which the Oostand never mistakes the regularity of the most figured patterns.

"The wages of the Oostand (the employer furnishing materials) are from six to eight pice per day; of the common workmen, from one to four pice (a pice in Cashmeer may be about three half-pence.)

"The wool of which the shawls are made is imported from Tibet and Tartary, in which countries alone the goat which produces it is said to thrive. That which is brought from Rodauk is reckoned the best. Its price in Cashmeer is from ten to twenty rupees for a turruk (which is supposed to be about twelve pounds): the whitest sort is the dearest.

"It would, perhaps, be difficult to determine with accuracy the number of shawls manufactured annually; supposing, however, that five of all kinds are, on an average, made at each shop or loom in the course of a year, the number would be eighty thousand, which is probably not far from the truth."-p. 508, note.

It is now only necessary for us to add, in justice to Mr. Elphinstone, whose work affords so much information on subjects on which so little was before known, that we consider it highly creditable to his talents and his research. The style is, in general, manly and perspicuous, and well adapted to the purposes for which it is employed; but some of the words are rendered strange in their appearance by a needless departure from what may be considered as the es tablished standard of oriental orthography. Mr. E. bas uniformly substituted au for the a, pronounced as in call; by this means the termination tan (country) is changed into taun, khan (prince) into khaun, and shah into shaus. Some other words are also still more disguised by a change in spelling them. Cashgar is written Kaushkaur; Badaksban is transformed into Budukhshaun; and we may be permitted to observe, that the people who have lately excited such dread in one nation, and such interest in others, we mean the Cossacks, would not be easily recognized under the appellation of Kuzzuks.

151

ART. V.-The Lay of the Laureate. Carmen Nuptiale. By ROBERT SOUTHEY, Esq. Poet-Laureate, &c. &c. London. 1816.

THERE are few writers of the present age who possess equal genius and equal learning with Mr. Southey; and there is none who has laboured so assiduously to persuade the world that he wants the first, and thoroughly to convince it that he has outrageously perverted the latter.

One of the articles of Mr. Southey's creed appears to be, a belief in a kind of poetical perfectibility;-and, although he conceives himself to have been, since the commencement of his literary career, advancing towards a state of perfection, yet we believe that few, even of his warmest admirers, will be disposed to yield themselves converts to his opinion. To us, indeed, the very reverse of that opinion seems to approach nearer to the truth-and, if we mistake not, there is more of genuine poetry in JOAN OF ARC, (though an unfortunate subject for an Epic,) than in any of his subsequent productions. There is much splendid poetry in THE LAST OF THE GOTHS; though, upon the whole, we should no more think of comparing it in effect to the nobler and more animated poetry in MADOC, than we should of comparing the picture of the Battle of Waterloo to the Cartoon of Pisa. The other things which he has published since he has been honoured with the laurel, are utterly unworthy of his name: the PILGRIMAGE TO WATERLOO is exceedingly monotonous, unpoetical, and fatiguing, and his ODES are absolutely intolerable. The melancholy fate of his CARMEN TRIUMPHALE is well known; and the present performance, we are afraid, deserves a doom equally severe.

The proem sets out with a profession of the author's thankfulness, that, instead of waiting, like other poets, to receive his laurels from posterity, he has already been crowned with them, by one whom he evidently considers as much better qualified to bestow them; and he then goes on, in pure kindness, to oblige us with a recapitulation of all the songs which the wreath and its giver have inspired. These strains, he tells us," beseemed him well." He is sadly at a loss, however, to conceive what he is to say about the nuptials.... but he most luckily recals to mind the EPITHALA