it is evident that fome time hence they will be worfe than now. You therefore, who lay claim to rectitude in whatever relates to government, should feek, invite, feize, hold, and keep with care, men truly fuch in name as well as conduct. LETTER. Beloved fon! You must have learnt from the letters of your vakeel, and the reprefentations of your collectors of intelligence, the particulars of the misfortunes we met with in our march to Kehlina; in which the condition of the faithful could not be feen without emotion, nor the diftreffes of the troops be endured without affliction. Thank God, however, its difficulties, replete with mifery, are at an end, and that we are at laft returned fafe. Such misfortunes as these they call the effect of the enormous iniquity of mankind; and the particular actions of the fovereign, no doubt, operate to the advantage or detriment of the people. This alludes to the fupinenefs and neglect of this worthless wretch ourself. LETTER. The Shereef of Mecca the magnificent, who has heard of the great wealth of Hindustan, fends an ambaffador every year to draw his fhare of gain from it; but as the fums which we give are intended for the worthy and deferving, and not for him, it behooves us to know that they alone receive them, and that the hand of this ufurper of right does not reach to them. At all events, however, if thefe gifts are made with a fincere heart, and are approved and acceptable to the prophet, they will be conveyed to thofe they are intended for; but if they proceed from hypocrify, it is better they should not. "This and that is from thy maker, and thefe folks are made, happy." Shew mercy unto me, Lord God, and to all true believers! LETTER. Innaiyet Ullah Khan has reprefented, through Mahommed Akhlas, to us, that the eldest fon of the empire is involved in debt, and that the pay of his troops is increafed. How indeed can it be otherwife when fuch pofts and allowances are given to people without examining their merits, and fuch benefits and favours bestowed upon them unfeasonably and out of place. He has the Koran by heart, and is a learned commentator on it: can he not call to mind the meaning of the paffage, "they spend, out of mere profufenefs," and does he never, even inadvertently, read the explication of it? With open eyes and ears, and fo much knowledge, I am atonifhed at the blindness which God has caft upon him. His dewan too is a perfon unknown, and by nation a Cafhmerian. Let him take this into confideration, and appoint a fit perfon to the office. There is Aflem Khan by the way is not a bad man for it; he may afk Innaiyet Ullah Khan if he is. LETTER. The fakier who was with us laft night, has no fhare of learning, and feems upon the whole a barren faint. His piety too, very likely, is only hypocrify. Many of his words and actions, one of which was his refufal of a gratuity, were also contrary to law. For as the fovereign in the first place is the trustee of the public property, whatever he may pleafe to give a perfon is lawful to be received by him. And in cafe he fhould appropriate to him. felf, by the advice and confent of his fpiritual and temporal affociates in the government, the revenues of *G 2 certain certain villages for his own private expenditure, and bestow them in gratuities upon any one, they are likewife lawful to be received: particularly, how can they be deeined prohibited to a destitute der veifh? Enquire his motives for this extraordinary conduct, and if he gives any that are reasonable and fatisfactory, let us be made acquainted with them, that, though a flave to our prejudices, we may affent to their propriety. And in cafe he should not be able to do this, let him be treated as heretics are, who cut out fuperftitions for them. Sultan Mahmood Ghuznive (may MIRZA ABU TALEB KHAN. MIRZA ABU TALEB KHAN, the author of the following curious article, is a native of Lucknow, in the province of Oude, in Hindustan. He was born of respectable Mahommedan parents, and he follows the religion of his family. He was early dif tinguished, in his native place, for his abilities, and his love of knowledge. Having travelled into Bengal, he was noticed by Mahmud Rizza Khan, who appointed him an aumil, or collector of the revenues. The duties of this station, and the fedulous attention which he paid to them, enabled him to acquire a very perfect knowledge both of the principles and practice of the revenue fyftem of Hindustan. On his leav ing the fervice of Rizza Khan, he returned to Lucknow ; when Afoph-ud-Dowlah, the Nabob of Oude, having heard of his fuperior qualifications for the office of aumil, gave him the collection of the most populous and valuable district in his dominions. In that district he refided for many years; and, by the good fenfe, knowledge, liberality, and strict probity with which he exercised the functions of his office, he made the ryots, or husbandmen, from whom he collected the revenues, the most orderly, peaceful, and happy in Hindustan. So high, indeed, was his sense of honour, and his fpirit of benevolence, that he refused to receive the emoluments appertaining to his office, but requested permiffion to distribute them amongst fuch of the poorer fort of ryots, as were difabled, by age or infirmities, from following their ufual labours. Such conduct was not likely to make him a favourite with the courtiers at Lucknow: but the Nabob himself, fenfible, in this inftance at least, of fuch extraordinary merit, gave him an aumildarry of confiderable extent and value. This diftinction ferved to heighten the jealousy and to raise the envy of the other aumils, who industriously propagated malicious reports against him, and infinuated that he was facrificing the interefts of his mafter to thofe of the English. This infinuation had an appearance of probability, from the intimacy which fubfifted between Abu Taleb and the English gentlemen who refided at Lucknow : but, piqued at his conduct being fufpected, he threw up his employment, and confequently his aumildarry. Some years afterward he came to Calcutta; and handfome offers of employment were made him by the English government, of which, at first, he refufed to accept. But, at the request of Marquis Cornwallis, * An Aumildarry is a portion of land given by the prince to an amildar, or collector of revenues as a reward for his fervices, Cornwallis, he agreed to go to Hydrabad in the capacity of agent for the English government; which station, however, he never filled, it having been found adviseable to transfer the appointment to an English officer. In the year 1799 he was induced to come to England, from his general curiofity for knowledge, as well as a strong defire to see a country, of which he had heard so much, and in which he was fure of meeting an hofpitable reception from feveral gentlemen whom he had formerly known at Lucknow. He took his passage in an Indiaman; and after having paffed a couple of months at the Cape of Good Hope, on his way, he landed at Cork in Ireland: he then proceeded to Dublin; and from thence, by the ufual route, to London. He has refided here ever fince; and has been introduced at court, and received into the best company, where he met with that attention and respect to which his excellent character and fingular merit fo well entitled him. Before he came to England, he paid fome attention to our language; and he has now acquired a fufficient knowledge of it, to read it to his own fatisfaction, and make himself understood in conversation. He left England a few weeks ago, for Paris, where he proposes to pass a short time, and then to go through Vienna to Conftantinople, and from thence, by way of Egypt, to Mecca, in order to visit the Câaba. From Mecca, he will probably proceed across the deferts into Perfia; and from thence, through Cabulestan, Cashmir, and the Panjáb, to Delhi and Lucknow. During his refidence in this country, he composed a poem in the Perfian language, descriptive of London, the adjacent country, the perfons, habits, manners, and public amusements of the English. His "Vindication of the Liberties of the Afratie Women," he wrote in Perfic; and the following is a literal tranflation of his manufcript. Our readers will perufe with intereft the information which it contains, refpecting the domeftic economy of the Muffulmans of Hindustan, and the peculiar privileges and customs of their women: and our still limited acquaintance with these customs, notwithstanding all the inquiries that have been made, and all that has been written about the natives of India, should teach us to be indulgent to the imperfect and curious notions formed of our habits and customs by an Hindustanée, to whom, from their striking contrast to his own, they must appear fo fingular and unaccountable. VINDICATION of the LIBERTIES of the ASIATIC WOMEN. By MIRZA ABU TALEB KHAN. ONE day, in a certain company, the converfation turned upon LiBERTY, in respect of which the ENGLISH Confider their own cuftoms the most perfect in the world. An English Lady, addreffing herself to me, obferved, that the women of Afia have no liberty at all, but live like flaves, without honour and authority, in the houses of their hufbands; and fhe cenfured the men for their unkindnefs, and the women, alfo, for fubmitting to be fo undervalued. However much I attempted, by various ways, to undeceive her, (and in truth, faid I, the cafe is exactly the reverfe, it is the European women who do not poffefs fo much power,) yet it did not bring conviction to her mind. She however began to waver in her own opinion, and falling into doubt, requested of me to write fomething on the fubject, the purport of which the might comprehend at one view, and be enabled to diftinguish the truth from falfehood. Since the fame wrong opinion is deeply root. ed in the minds of all other Europeans, and has been frequently before this held forth, I confidered it neceffary to write a few lines *GS con.. concerning the privileges of the female fex, as eftablished both by law and cuftom, in Afia and in Europe, omitting whatever was common to both, and noticing what is principally peculiar to each, in the manner of comparison, that the diftinction may be the more eafily made, and the real ftate of the cafe become evident to thofe capable of difcernment. It must be firft laid down as a general maxim, that, in focial order, refpect to the rules of equity and politeness, and forbearance from injury, is a neceffary condition; for, otherwife, the liberty of one would, be deftructive of the liberty of another thus, if a perfon be at liberty to do with his own houfe what may endanger the fafety of his neighbour's, this must be in direct oppofition to the liberty of that neighbour; or, if in order to free himfelf from the inconveniences of the hot weather, he should vifit his friends in his dreffing gown or nightfhirt, although it would be eafe and liberty to him, yet it would be fowing the feeds of ill-breeding: there. fore the obfervance of these rules is effential. Those things which make the liberty of the Afiatic women appear lefs than that of the Europeans, are, in my opinion, fix. The first is, "the little intercourfe with men, and concealment from view," agreeably to law and their own habits; and this is the chief of these fix; for it has been the caufe of thofe falfe notions enter. tained by the European women, that the inclination of the Afiatic women leads them to walk out in the streets and market-places, but that their hufbands keep them shut up, and fet guards over the door. It may be here obferved, that the advantages of this little intercourse, which prevents all the evils arifing from the admittance of Atrangers, and affords fo much time for work and ufeful employments, are so very manifeft, that they need not be enlarged upon; and befides, the prac tice, in London, of keeping the doors of the houses fhut, and the contemptible condition of the Dutch at the Cape, are fufficient proofs. Notwithstanding this, the custom of the intercourfe of the fexes is allowed in England, and it is owing both to the force of virtue and good manners generally to be found in the English, and to the apprehenfion of other greater inconveniencies, the chief of which are four, as here mentioned, and whofe ef fects are not felt in Afia. One of thefe is, the high price of things, and the fmall number of fervants and rooms; for were there a feparate house, and table, and equipage for the wife, the expence would be too great to be borne; and therefore of neceffity both hufband and wife eat their food, with their guests, in one place, fleep together in the fame chamber, and cannot avoid being always in each other's company contrary to the cuftom in Afia, where, by reafon of the cheapnefs of work, the women have fe parate apartments for themselves, and have not to make their time and convenience fuit that of their husbands; and when their particular friends are with them, they do not defire their husband': company for feveral days, but fend his victuals to him in the murdannah, (or male apartments;) and, in like manner, when the husband wifhes to be undifturbed, he eats and fleeps in the murdannah. A fecond caufe is "the coldnefs of this climate, which requires exercife and walking, and the huf band to fleep in the fame bed with his A third caufe is "the people here being all of one kind;" for, in this kingdom, placed in a corner of the globe where there is no coming and going of foreigners, the intercourfe of the fexes is not attended with the confequences of a cor. ruption of manners, as in Afia, where people of various nations dwell in the fame city; and to allow the women fuch a liberty there, where there is fuch danger of corrup tion, would be an encroachment up. on the liberty of the men, which (as fhewn in the beginning) is contrary to juftice; and that a corruption of manners must enfue, where various kinds of people mix together, is too evident to require demon. ftration. Before the Muffulmans entered Hindustan, the women did not conceal themselves from view; and even yet, in all the Hindu vil. lages, it is not customary: and it is well known how inviolable the Hindus preferve their own cuftom, and how obftinately they are at tached to them; but now fo rigidly do the women in the great towns obferve this practice of concealment from view, that the bride does not even shew herself to her father-inlaw, and the fifter comes but feldom into the prefence of her brother. A fourth caufe is "the neceffity which the European women have to acquire experience in the affairs of the world, and in learn ing various arts, on account of the duty that belongs to them, to take part in their husband's bufinefs," which experience could not be obtained by keeping in concealment; whereas the duties of the Afiatic women, confifting only in having the cuftody of the husband's property, and bringing up the children, they have no occafion for fuch experience, or for laying afide their own custom of concealment. What has been juft faid was to fhew that the Afiatic women have no necef. fity to expofe their perfons; but it muft alfo be obferved, that they have many reafons for preferring privacy. One is, the love of lei fure, and repofe from the fatigue of motion: a fecond is, the defire of preferving their honour, by not mixing with the vulgar, nor fuffering the infults of the low and rude, who are always paffing along the streets; a feeling in common with the wives of European noblemen, who, to preferve their dignity, are never feen walking in the ftreets; and alfo with ladies in private life, who when walking out at night, and even in the day, are always attended by a male friend or fervant to protect them. The notions which the European women have, that the women of Afia never fee a man's face but their husband's, and are debarred from all amusement and fociety, proceed entirely from mif. information: They can keep company with their husband and father's male relations, and with old neighbours and domeftics; and at meals there are always many men and women of this description prefent; and they can go in their palankeens to the houfes of their relations, and of ladies of their own rank, even although the husbands are unacquainted; and alfo to walk in gardens after ftrangers are excluded; and they. can fend for muficians and dancers to entertain them at their own houfes; and they have many other modes of amufement befides thefe mentioned. |