at least, at one hundred of these battles.

"The mode of education prescribed for boys in England is admirably adapted to render them honourable, courageous, and capable of enduring hardships. They are, at an early age, sent from their parents' house to a public school, where they are frequently obliged to contend with boys of a more advanced age than themselves, not only in a competition for prizes in learning, but often in defending themselves against superior strength. In this situation they remain for five or six years; during which period they must preserve a character, untainted by dishonour, and unblemished by cowardice.

"The education of girls tends to render them accomplished, rather than to endue them with philosophy: they are instructed to sing, to dance, to play on musical instruments, and to be witty and agreeable in company. The children of both sexes are taught to reverence their parents, and to esteem their brothers, sisters, and other near relations. Perhaps nothing conduces more to the success in this respect, than the single marriages of the Christians, where, the progeny being all of the same stock, no room is left for the contentions and litigations which too often disturb the felicity of a Mohammedan family, perhaps the offspring of a dozen mo

thers. The parents also endeavour, by an impartiality of conduct, to preserve harmony amongst the chil dren; and if they have a preference for any one of them, they strive to conceal it as much as possible. If the children are guilty of a fault, they do not severely beat or abuse them, but either send them to bed, or confine them to their rooms; they also frequently reason with them, and excite them to good be. haviour, more by hope than by fear. Owing to this mode of treatment, I have often seen an English child of five years old possess more wisdom than an Asiatic of fifteen. Even the play-things of children in Europe are made to convey lessons of instruction; and the alphabet is learned by infants, who suppose they are only playing with cards.

"As far as I was able to judge, there are not so many dissensions or quarrels among relations in Eng land, as with us; the cause of which is probably owing to a certain degree of distance and respect that is always observed between the nearest connections; so that if the head of a family has it in his power to confer any favour on the other branches of it, they receive it with gratitude. Not so in Hindoostan, where the whole family depend upon their chief, and consider it his duty to provide for them, or to share his for tune with them; and if he does not, they are discontented and abusive."

purity of its air, and the excellence of its water. Its neighbourhood produces all the fruits and grains of the other parts of India; but there

are

are some groves of mango-trees on the island which bear fruit of a very superior quality.

"The city in which all the Eng. lish reside is situated within the fort, the houses of which are three or four stories high, and built of brick and mortar, with painted doors and windows; but they have all sloped roofs, covered with tiles, in the European fashion; and there is not a house in the town to be compared with the worst of those at Chouringhy (part of Calcutta). The inhabitants are chiefly English, Parsees, Indian Portuguese, and Hindoos.

"The Parsees are descended from the ancient Guebres, or worshippers of fire. About eleven hundred years ago, many of them fied from Persia, on account of the excessive zeal and oppressions of the Mussulmans, and settled at Surat, Bombay, and other places on this coast. They are now so much increased in numbers, that most of the artificers and servants at Bombay are of that sect. Several of these are respectable merchants; and a few are possessed of very great wealth. They all understand, besides their own language, English, and Hindoostany; but few of them can converse in the Persian of the present day.

"As they never intermarry or cohabit with any other tribe or people, they are all very similar in features and colour, and are supposed not to have altered, in the smallest degree, since their ancestors first emigrated.

"Many of the English philosophers contend, that distance from, or proximity to the sun, does not at all affect the human colour; and quote, in support of this argument, the two instances, of the Parsees at Bombay, and the Armenians at Julfa (suburbs of Ispahan), who,

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in the course of many centuries, have not in any degree changed their colour: but if this axiom i true, I cannot comprehend why Europeans should be fair, Ethiopians black, and Indians of swarthy complexions.

"The Parsees affirm, that they possess altars, and some of their sacred fire, both of which were brought from Fersia eight hundred years ago. They worship two Deities; one, the principle of all good, whom they call Yezdan; the other, the principle of evil, named Aherman: but as the human mind is always governed more by fear than by gratitude, the Parsees are much more assiduous in their devotions to the latter, than to the former Deity.

"They are exceedingly jealous of the reputation of their women; and if they even suspect a female of impropriety, they secretly make away with her. They are not however possessed of a spark of liberality or gentility: none of them ever came to visit me during my residence at Bombay, much less to invite me to their houses. This possibly may have proceeded from an idea. that my rank was so supe rior to theirs, I would have refus d their invitations.

"The only Parsee I was ever acquainted with, who possessed a liberal education, was Moola Firoz, whom I met at the house of a friend. He was a sensible and wellinformed man, who had travelled into Persia, and had there studied mathematics, astronomy, and the sciences of Zoroaster. He spoke Persian very fluently, but I did not think much of his poetry in that language.

"Two miles to the north of the fort there is another town, entirely inhabited by the natives of India,

in which is an excellent bazar, from which the market of the fort is supplied. In the vicinity are a number of gardens and orchards, belonging to various persons of opulence in the island; also several groves of cocoa trees, which are planted so very thick, that there is scarcely any circulation of air between them.

"The lower classes of people at Bombay are the worst looking of any I have seen in India: they are of a small stature, very black, and nothing but skin and bone. Some of the Parsee women are, indeed, large, fat, and fair; but they have very coarse features, and bold disgusting manners. I had often heard that the inhabitants of Surat, which is only a few days' journey north of Bombay, were remarkably handsome, but I cannot believe it: the idea has, I suppose, originated from the fair complexions of the Parsees; but, in my opinion, the women of Bengal have much more life and vivacity about them, and are in every respect preferable.

"Between the town and the fort there is an extensive plain, which is always covered with a fine verdure, and is kept for exercising the troops, and for the inhabitants to enjoy the fresh air. From the western side of this plain is an extensive prospect of the sea; and on the eastern side there is a very delightful view of the woods and mountains of the Con

can.

"The fort of Bombay is stronger and larger than that of Calcutta: it is defended on one side by the sea, and encompassed on the three others by a deep and wide ditch, which is filled from the sea. The ramparts and bastions are all constructed like those of Calcutta; but all round the interior of the rampart there is a brick wall, to prevent the carth from

being washed away by the rains. There are several gates, the entrances to which are defended by draw. bridges and portcullisses. This fort was originally constructed by the European Portuguese, when they possessed very extensive power in India; and was given to one of the Kings of England, as the marriage portion of a Princess of Portugal: since that period it has been in the possession of the English, who have much strengthened and improved it.

"The most respectable and worthy of the Mahommedans who resided at Bombay, during my visit to that place, were, first, Abd al Lutief Khan, a gentleman descended from a very ancient Persian family, and distinguished amongst the learned as the author of the Tonfit al Aalum (the Rarity of the World). From him I received the most solid proofs of friendship and kindness, and was his guest during a great part of the time.

"Secondly, Aga Hussen, the nephew of Hajy Kheleel, the unfortu nate Persian Ambassador (who was killed during the affray between the Persians of his suite, and the Sepoys of his guard of honour). He was a sensible and genteel young man, and had not quite recovered from the effects of five or six wounds which he received in the contest; but was waiting at Bombay, in expectation of being appointed Ambassador in the room of his deceased uncle, and, in consequence, received a liberal pecuniary allowance from the Company. He lived in a handsome style, and frequently invited me to his parties. He asked me a number of questions respecting Europe, and was particularly anxious to learn the history of the Freemasons. A short time before I quitted Bombay, he received intelligence that Aga Abd.

al Nubby,

al Nubby, the Bussora merchant, was appointed to fill the station of his uncle, which very much mortified him, and he was obliged to return to Persia.

"Thirdly, Mirza Mehdy Khan: he was by birth a Persian, and came to seek his fortune in India. He first visited the court of the Nizam at Hyderabad: he then came to Lucknow, where, by the interest of Mr. R. J. . . . n, he obtained an. ap-pointment; but being of an expensive turn of mind, he got into difficulties, out of some of which I extricated him. He afterwards went to Benaras, where he was noticed

by Mr. D....n; and when that gentleman was appointed Governor of Bombay, he followed him to that place. As Mr. D.... had a very high opinion of his abilities, he sent him, as the East-India Company's Agent, to Abu Sheher in Persia. But this appointment not meeting with the concurrence of the Gover nor-General, he was recalled, and rewarded with a pension of eight hundred rupees per month.-There were, besides these, several respectable and opulent Mohammedan merchants, but none of them persons of consequence."

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the

pure origin, the whites would occupy the second place, considering them only in the relation of number. They are divided into whites born in Europe, and descendants of Europeans born in the Spanish colonies of America, or in the Asiatic islands. The former bear the name of Chapetones or Gachupines, and the second that of Criollos. The natives of the Canary islands, who go under the general denomination of Isleños (islanders), and who are the gerans of the plantations, are considered as Europeans. The Spanish laws allow the same rights to all whites; but those who have the execution of the laws endeavour to destroy an equality which shocks the European pride. The government, suspicious of the Creoles, bestows the great places exclusively on the natives of Old Spain. For some years back

of the most trifling employments in the administration of the customs and the tobacco revenue. At an epoch when every thing tended to ah uniform relaxation in the springs of the state, the system of venality made an alarming progress. For the most part it was by no means a suspicious and distrustful policy, it was pecuniary interest alone, which bestowed all employments on Europeans. The result has been a jealousy and perpetual hatred between the Chapetons and the Creoles. The most miserable European, without education, and without intellectual cultivation, thinks himself superior to the whites born in the new continent. He knows that. protected by his countrymen, and favoured by chances common enough in a country where fortunes are as rapidly acquired as they are lost, he may one day reach places, to which

the