aid of milder governments, and less tumultuous times, to flourish in the realms of Hindostan, as well as in Grecian or Italian climes.

Among the sovereigns of Hindoston, the imperial Akber merits particular notice; and, did my limits. permit, gladly should I attempt a theme, on which poets and historians have dwelt with fond delight. Akber succeeded his father Humaioon, the eldest son of Sultaun Baber, in the fourteenth year of his age; and from that early period, during a long reign of fifty years, shone a bright example of wisdom, clemency, and justice. He was supreme monarch over all the provinces of Hindostan, from the Indus to the Ganges; and by his mildness and equanimity diffused happiness throughout his extensive dominions: the Hindoos enjoyed their religious privileges without molestation; no distant governor was suffered to be guilty of the smallest oppression; agriculture and commerce flourished; the elegant arts were cherished, and a princely encouragement was given to literature and science. The Ayen Akbery, or institutes, compiled by Abul Fazel, the secretary and historian of Akber, remain a lasting monument of the justice, prudence, and unwearied assiduity, of this great prince, for the true interest of his subjects. He reigned from 1556 to 1605.

The Mogul empire continued to flourish from the reign of Akber until the death of Aurungzebe, in the beginning of the eighteenth century; soon after that event, the nawabs, or governors of the distant provinces, began to shake off their allegiance to the court of Delhi, and established themselves as independent princes; by which means the power of the emperors

gradually declined, and instead of one Mahomedan despot, a number of inferior sovereigns, styled nabobs, or nawabs, arose in different parts of the empire; so that there is now hardly a place of note in Hindostan, where the followers of the Arabian prophet are not found; being tolerated under the Hindoo rajahs, and protected by all the European governments.

It is unnecessary to discuss the tenets of the Koran, which is the standard of the Mussulmaun faith; its rules for religious and moral conduct, are as much attended to in Hinsdostan, as in other countries professing the same religion.

Mahomed, the only son of Abdallah, a prince of Mecca, was born in that city in the year of Christ 571, and died at Medina in 631. At the age of forty, he publicly assumed the character of a prophet sent by God to establish in its purity the religion of the patriarchs. Being desirous of superseding the missions of the Jewish and Christian law-givers, he admitted their divine origin; but these proving ineffectual to accomplish their intended purpose, the artful Arabian announced himself to be the Paraclete promised by Jesus Christ, and asserted that the Almighty had sent him with more ample powers; and had especially commissioned him to compel those by force, who resisted gentler means, to embrace the doctrines of the Koran, which had been revealed to him from heaven by the angel Gabriel. By his uncommon art and address, and by the temporal power which he had acquired in Arabia, Mahomed not only spread his religion in that country, but throughout Egypt, Syria, and Persia: his posterity were looked upon as holy, and reigned over some of the most considerable kingdoms in Asia.

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About ten years after the commencement of his religious career, some of his more enlightened countrymen, who had known the prophet from his youth, but neither approved of his life or doctrine, resolved to destroy him, and deliver the world from such an impostor: Mahomed, apprized of their design, fled from Mecca to Medina, where the fame of his sanctity procured him a favourable reception. This event, which happened in the six hundred and twenty-second year of the Christian æra, is called the hegirah, or flight; and from this period the Mahomedans compute their time, dating every thing from the first year of the hegirah.

The complexion of the Mahomedans in India, is much the same as that of the Hindoos; a clear olive brown their dress is in many respects similar; especially in the turban, the long white gown, sash, and shoes ; but in addition, the Mussulmauns wear full long drawers, generally of a satin called kincob, with gold and silver flowers; and a catarra, or short dagger, katár in their girdle. The warriors have a broad sword, with spears, lances, and fire-arms; and some of the bravest troops in Hindostan are Mahomedans, from Arabia, Candahar, Scindy, and the provinces bordering on Persia. Their religion permits the use of all animal food, except pork; which, with the secret indulgence of wine and spirits, renders them more robust and hardy than the disciples of Brahma: avarice, indolence, and effeminacy, mark the character of the Hindoo; and if, to the two former, we unite ambition, valour, and jealousy, we shall have a tolerably correct outline of the Mogul.

The Mahomedan women in India enjoy less liberty

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MAHOMEDAN WOMEN.

than the Hindoos; but in complexion, manners, and behaviour, are not unlike them. They adorn themselves with a variety of jewels, worn over a close gown of muslin, with long sleeves and a short waist; silk or satin drawers reach to the ancles, and a transparent veil covers the head. The education of these women, like that of the Hindoos, is very confined; the men do not seem to wish them to be rational companions, and purposely keep them in a state of ignorance. I 7 believe music is prohibited by the Koran; but the Mahomedans have dancing girls among them; and hire vocal and instrumental music at weddings, and other entertainments where a mixed company is invited.

The Moguls, Persians, Arabians, and the generality of the Asiatics, believe in genii, angels, and supernatural agents of various denominations and degrees of existence; their histories, tales, and romances abound with such imagery. Some are the friends and guardians of the human race: others, called the evil genii, are in a constant state of war with the benevolent spirits. On this account, talismans, amulets, and charms, esteemed for their latent virtues and mysterious powers, are worn by the inhabitants of India; who believe that such cabalistical preparations are effectual against witchcraft, fascination, and all the operations of the malevolent genii: they serve also as guards and protectors of hidden treasures, which are frequently buried under the earth, to conceal them from the avarice of Asiatic despots.

The Greeks and Romans were not exempt from these prejudices, nor is it long since they have subsided in England. Acts of parliament on this subject,

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were passed so late as the reign of James the First. In the age of chivalry, enchantment and divination prevailed throughout Europe; and in the oath administered by the constable to the combatants in a duel, are these expressions; "Ye shall swear that ye shall have no stone of virtue, nor hearbe of virtue; nor charm, nor experiment, nor none other enchauntment by you; and that ye trust in none other thinge properly, but in God, and your body, and your brave quarrel."

I constantly wear one of these talismanic stones, it having been left to me by an invaluable friend: it consists of a convex oval emerald, as taken from the mine; uncut and unpolished: it is set in plain gold, and shines in native beauty without any extraneous ornament. I pretend not to investigate the antiquity and legendary tales of this ring during the time of its oriental proprietors, which gave it an imaginary value far exceeding its real worth: but the English gentleman who possessed it fifty years ago, fully appreciated those virtues. He had from his early youth been much with the Hindoos; and although a Christian in principle, he believed also in lucky and unlucky days, omens, and spells, so universally accredited by the Hindoos.

This gentleman had often been at Poonah, the capital of the Mahratta empire, and had resided much among the Brahmins. When a member of the council at Bombay, about forty years ago, he was appointed ambassador to the Mahratta government, on an affair of great importance to the East India Company and the English nation: the business was so urgent, that he left Bombay in the middle of the rainy season to ascend