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pompous language of the old warrior, who entitled me a Moghul officer of the Vizier's, going to join the army then forming against the Sicques, procured a hofpitable reception; nor did he fail to reap the advantage of our borrowed character.

On the 12th, at Najebabad-eleven coffes. Najeb-ud-Dow lah, who built this town, faw that its fituation would facilitate the commerce of Kashmire, which having been diverted from its former channel of Lahore and Dehli, by the inroads of the Sicques, Mahrattas, and Afghans, took a course through the mountains at the head of the Punjab, and was introduced into the Rohilla country through the Lall Dong pafs. This inducement, with the defire of establishing a mart for the Hindoos of the adjacent mountains, probably influenced the choice of this spot; which otherwise is not favorable for the fite of a capital town, being low, and furrounded with swampy grounds. About a year after the death of this chief, the fort of Najeb Ghur, which is contiguous to the town, was attacked by the Mahrattas, who had compelled Shah Alum, the reigning emperor, to accompany their army. The garrison made a good defence, and would not, it is faid, have furrendered, had Zabitah Khan, the fon of Najeb-ud-Dowlah, then lying in the neighbourhood with a refpectable force, moved to its affistance. But without offering to face the enemy, or throw any relief into the fort, he croffed the Ganges, and fought fhelter in Ghous Ghur.

The chief who has been already mentioned in the Rohilla tract.

Since that period, or rather fince the death of its founder, Najebabad has fallen from its former importance, and feems now chiefly upheld by the languishing trade of Kashmire.

A SMALL karavanferah, the only one in the place, being occupied, I thought myself fortunate in getting admittance into a cook's fhop, where kabaubs * and ftewed beef were dressed in savoury taste, and all the news-mongers, idlers, politicians, and difbanded foldiers, of the quarter, refort. Whilst I was eating my mefs, a boy came in and asked, if any travellers were going to Jumbo or Kashmire, as the kafilah † would depart on the next day. On enquiring particularly into the state of this intelligence, I learned, that about one hundred mules, laden with raw filk, and cotton cloths, and ordinary callicoes, for the Jumbo ‡ market, had already moved to the skirts of the town. Having been furnished with a letter to a banker at Najeb Ghur, who has the general charge of dispatching kafilahs, I was introduced by him to the merchants, who received me without hesitation. When interrogated on the score of my business, I defcribed myself as a Turk, going to Kashmire to purchase fhauls. The Turkish language being in these parts wholly unknown, and as traders of various nations often carry into Kashmire bills, or fpecie only, my story

* Meat minced and dressed in the manner of what culinary language calls, forcedmeat balls; but kabaub, in a general fenfe, is any roafted food.

+ Karavan. Kafilah is the term peculiar to India and Perfia.

A town fituate about 200 miles to the S. E. of Kashmire.

obtained

obtained a general credit. After a mature confideration of the perfonal qualities of my fervant, which, poor fellow, had been much impaired by time and adverse fortune, they were condemned as altogether unfit for the fervice that lay before us; and one of the paffengers ill-naturedly obferved, that a man should have all his eyes about him who attempted to penetrate into Kashmire. To fill up this vacancy, (for dreading the difficulties of the journey, he himself expreffed a reluctance to proceed), I had the good fortune to obtain a Kashmirian, who was at all points qualified for my purpose. He had travelled through a great part of India and Afghanistan, and I foon discovered, that together with an infinite refource in every embarrassment, he poffeffed a fund of curious history, which he did not fail to embellish with a large share of humour and vanity. But I will fum up his eulogy, and at once tell you that he was, take him for all in all, one of the best fervants I had ever known; and could I have acquired the art of qualifying a rather too redundant share of acidity and warmth of disposition, he would have proved a treasure to me. Being well versed in all the scheme of an Indian journey, he made the necessary preparations, and took on him every trouble; fo I could now freely indulge my pleasures, which centred chiefly in hearing and telling stories, and smoaking my pipe.

On the 14th, at Ramnaghur-nine coffes. This village is in ruins, but having a large well of water, it is usually made the first northern halting place from Vajzibabad.

On

On the 15th, at Lall Dong-eight coffes. The ftation where Fyze-ullah, as has been noticed, took poft after the Rohilla battle.- Lall Dong is the northern limit of this fide of the Vizier's territory, which is feparated from Siringnaghur by a rivulet, A detention at this place for the adjustment of fome kafilah accounts, gives me an opportunity of drawing a sketch of the surrounding objects, and the œconomy of a karavan,

THE Country from Najeb Ghur to this frontier is chiefly a wafte, over-run with low wood, and is ill fupplied with water, there being none in the space from Ramnaghur to the neighbourhood of Lall Dong. The inhabitants fay, that in the time of Najeb-ud-Dowlah, the land now overgrown with wood, was a cultivated plain; but fuch is the precarious state of the native territories of Hindoftan, from the inert difpofition which, with little deviation, pervades the body of the people, that its welfare must largely depend on the ability and executive talents of one man ; and a fucceffion of able rulers, being a rare event in the hiftory of nations, we are not to wonder at the ruinous ftate into which many of the most valuable provinces of Hindoftan have fallen. But on the other hand, the efforts of an active prince, are ever followed by rapid fuccefs. Habitations are at a moderate expence speedily erected, and the implements of agriculture are of fo fin ple and eafy a conftruction, that most husbandmen, with a very small help of an artificer, can make their own machines.

THE greatest extent of plain, and that was limited, lying on VOL. I.

B b

the

the north fide of the rivulet, the kafilah encamped on the Siringnaghur quarter, where we were all feen bufily engaged in preparing for the enfuing journey of three days, which lay through a forest. The weather during the day, growing now extremely hot, it was. neceffary to provide fome covering in fubftitute of a tent. I therefore made a purchase of a large black kummul, or blanket, which being flantingly extended over a flight bamboo frame, compofed of a ridge pole upheld by two fupporters, and faftened below by fmall pins, formed a commodious and portable lodging. My baggage, correfponding with the ftrength of my horfe, was compofed of a thin mattrafs, a quilt, a canvas portmanteau, containing a few shifts of linen, which fupplied alfo the place of a pillow, and the aforementioned kummul. These neceffaries, with an oil bag carried by the Kashmirian, afforded a fufficient accommodation; nor fhould any perfon travelling in my manner, have more equipage. A larger will raise unfavorable conjectures, and fubject him to fre quent investigation, delay, and taxes.

ON the 22d, the kafilah moved, and penetrating fix coffes, through the mountains, by a north-west course, halted for the benefit of its water, near a small stream. In this day's journey, I had many occafions of seeing that our mules* were strong and fure-footed. It was wonderful to obferve the ease and dexterity with which thefe animals, heavily laden, clambered up fteep and

* They are brought into the northern parts of India, from Afghanistan.

rugged

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