Munnoo's fuccefs, appears to have been largely promoted by the interference of his minifter Khorah Mul, who being himself a Sicque, naturally became a trufty advocate of the fect; and who, it is faid, completed his afcendancy over the Mahometan, by a confiderable donation. But the distracted state of Ahmed Shah's Afghan and Perfian dominion, which urgently called on a perfonal administration, afforded the Sicques the most favourable occafions of accomplishing the conquest of the Punjab; and it is probable, that, had the Afghan prince been enabled to prolong his campaigns in Hindoftan, the Sicques would not, during his life, have attained any extenfive degree of national confequence.

I FIND an embarrassment in applying a distinct term to the form of the Sicque government, which, on the first view, bears an appearance of ariftocracy; but a clofer examination discovers a large vein of popular power branching through many of its parts. No honorary or titular distinction is conferred on any member * of the state, and the chiefs are treated with a deference that would feem to arise only from the military charges they may at the instant be invested with, and from a felf-preserving regard to the fubordination neceffarily required in conducting an armed body. Though orders are issued in a Sicque army, and a species of obedience obferved, punishments are rarely inflicted; and the chiefs, who

*The pofterity of the ten priests are occafionally denominated purgadabs, that is, defcendants of a faint, or prophet.

often

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 no 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 loweft 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 myself witneffed, and one of them I think merits a diftinct notice. In travelling through the Siringuaghur country, our party was joined by a Sicque horfeman, and being defirous of procuring his acquain tance, I ftudiously offered him the various attentions which men obferve to those they court. But the Sicque received my advances with a fixed reserve and disdain, giving me, however, no individual caufe of offence; for his deportment to the other paffengers was not lefs contemptuous. His anfwer, when I afked 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 expression of countenance, which feemed to revolt at the idea of fervitude) that he difdained an earthly fuperiour, and acknowledged no other master than his prophet!

THE civil and military government of the Sicques, before à

common

common interest had ceased to actuate its operations, was conducted by general and limited affemblies, which prefided over the different departments of the state. The grand convention, called in their language Goorimotta, was that in which the army met to tranfact the more important affairs of the nation; as the declaration of war or peace, forming alliances, and detaching parties on the service of the year. The amount of the contributions levied on the public account was reported to this assembly, and divided among the chiefs, proportionably to the number of their troops. They were at the fame time obliged to distribute a certain share 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 regiftering the political correfpondence of the state, 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 priests, but they did not poffefs any influence in the temporal regulation of the state. These 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 ftates, which purfue an independent intereft, without a regard to general policy. The grand assembly 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 confist effentially of cavalry; for though fome artillery is maintained, it is auxwardly managed, and its ufes ill understood; and their infantry, held in low estimation, usually garrison the forts, and are employed in the meaner duties of the fervice. A Sicque horseman is armed with a matchlock and fabre of excellent metal, and his horse is strong and well formed. In this matter I fpeak from a personal 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 scarlet cloth, and ornamented with gold lace. The predilection of the Sicques for the match-lock mufquet, and the constant use 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 distance of a carabine fhot from the enemy, and then, that the fire may be given with the greater certainty, the horses 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 horses have been fo expertly trained to the performance of this operation, that on receiving a stroke of

* A long calico gown, having a close body and fleeves, with a white skirt.

the

the hand, they stop 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 resentment of injuries. The perfonal endowments of the Sicques are derived from a temperance of diet, and a forbearance from many of thofe fenfual pleasures 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 thousand cavalry, and, to authenticate the affertion, affirms that every perfon, holding even a fmall property, is provided with a horse, match-lock, and fide-arms. But in qualification of this account, if we admit that the Sicques when united can bring two hundred thousand horse 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.

* I believe it was written by Colonel Folier.

VOL. I.

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