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apparent for misrepresenting the truth, one may generally rely on the Afghauns both for correctness and fidelity.

All the Afghauns are remarkably hardy and active. From the nature of their country, they are exposed to the necessity of enduring cold and heat, and accustomed to the exertion of climbing mountains, making long journies on foot and on horseback, and swimming broad and rapid torrents. Nor is this confined to the lower orders, or to men in the vigour of youth. As there is no easier conveyance in the country than a horse, all ranks acquire these habits: so that old Meerzas (or secretaries), who seem hardly able to sit on horseback, will ride at a good pace up and down the steepest and roughest passes, or along the edge of precipices, where one is almost afraid to walk. Almost all of them are, however, impatient of hot climates and, when on campaigns in India, the approach of summer used to thin their armies by desertions, even in the vigorous reign of Ahmed Shauh. This is the more surprising, when it is remembered how much of the Afghaun country is in a hot climate.

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They are industrious and laborious, when pursuing any object of business or pleasure. No people are more diligent in husbandry, and many of them are indefatigable in the chace; but when not so excited, they are indolent.

The love of gain seems to be their ruling passion; most of the Dooraunee chiefs prefer hoarding up their great but useless treasures, to the power, reputation, and esteem, which the circumstances of the times would enable them to command by a moderate liberality. The influence of money on the whole nation, is spoken of by those who know them best, as boundless, and it is not denied by themselves.

Their love of independence has already been noticed as influencing their government, it appears in some shape in most of their opinions and transactions. Their highest praise, in speaking of a well governed country, is, that " every man eats the produce of his own field," and nobody has any concern with his neighbour." *

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* Khood meekaurund, khood meekhoorund. Kussbau kussee ghurruz nedaurud.

This love of personal independence is, however, very remote from selfishness. The nature of their society, where power consists in the number of a man's relations, produces a very strong attachment between members of the same family, and there is no Afghaun who would not shew his devotion to his clan, if he saw it engaged in any contest. I must except from what I say of family attachment, the rivalry which the elections of chiefs occasion in the head families, the force of blood is never much felt among kings; and the chiefship of a little tribe is as elevated a station in the eyes of those who contend for it as a crown among great princes. This does not indeed happen among brothers, but it is so remarkable in more distant relations, that Turboor, which literally means a cousin, is now the common word in Pushtoo for a rival. I have already shewn how their clannish spirit diminishes their general patriotism, but they all take a lively interest in the Nung du Pooshtaunch, or honour of the Afghaun name; and they are extremely attached to the country that gave them birth, and to the scenes of their early pleasures. A native of the wild valley of Speiga, north-east of Ghuznee, who was obliged to fly his country for some offence, was once giving me an account of his travels, he concluded by enumerating the countries he had visited, and by comparing them with his own: "I have seen all Persia and India, Georgia, Tartary, and Belochestaun, but I have seen no such place as Speiga in all my travels."

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They are all very proud of their descent; a great part of their histories. is taken up by genealogies: they will hardly acknowledge a man for an Afghaun, who cannot make his proofs by going back six or seven generations; and even in their ordinary conversation, they often stop to enumerate the forefathers of any person who happens to be mentioned. *

✦ I remember a striking instance of this in a Doulutkhail, whom I wished to interrogate about Tuk in Damaun, the chief town of his tribe; he began his answer, "Tuk is "the city of Surwur, the son of Kuttaul Khaun, the son of Seleem Khaun, the son of "Meer Sooltaun Khaun, the son of Shauh Aulum Khaun, the son of Mahommed Ze “maun Khaun, the son of Zuffer Khaun, the son of Khaun Zemaun, who lived in the "reign of Jehaungeer, the offspring of Timour the Lame."

They are all kind to their immediate dependents, of whatever nation or religion, but the case is different with people who are under their authority, without being personally connected with them. The countries which are completely subdued, as Cashmeer and the provinces on the Indus, suffer much from the rapacity of individuals, and if they do not often undergo the extremes of tyranny, it is only because wanton cruelty and insolence are no part of the Afghaun character.

Their independence and pretensions to equality make them view the elevation of their neighbours with jealousy, and communicates a deep tinge of envy to their disposition. The idea that they are neglected and passed over, while their equals are attended to, will lead them to renounce a friendship of long standing, or a party to which they have been zealously attached. Unless, however, they meet with particular wrongs or insults, they are said to be faithful in friendship once formed, and mindful of favours, if not effaced by subsequent slights. I can answer for this peculiarity in their character, that they will do any thing that is wanted of them with much more zeal, if a present is made to them in advance, than if it is withheld in the hope of quickening them by expectancy.

It may be foreseen from their customs, which make private revenge a duty, that they will long retain the remembrance of injuries; but this is true only of such serious injuries as they are bound in honour to retaliate; in affairs of less consequence, they are neither irritable nor implacable.

I know no people in Asia who have fewer vices, or are less voluptuous or debauched; but this is most remarkable in the west the people of towns are acquiring a taste for debauchery, and those in the north-east of the country, are already far from being pure. The Afghauns themselves complain of the corruption of manners, and of the decline of sincerity and good faith, and say that their nation is assimilating to the Persians. Their sentiments and conduct towards that nation, greatly resemble those which we discovered some years ago towards the French. Their national antipathy, and a strong

sense of their own superiority, do not prevent their imitating Persian manners, while they declaim against the practice, as depraving their own. They are fully sensible of the advantage which Persia has over them at present, from the comparative union and vigour of her councils, and they regard the increase of her power with some degree of apprehension, which is diminished by their inattention to the future, and by their confidence in themselves. To sum up the character of the Afghauns in a few words; their vices are revenge, envy, avarice, rapacity, and obstinacy; on the other hand, they are fond of liberty, faithful to their friends, kind to their dependants, hospitable, bravė, hardy, frugal, laborious, and prudent; and they are less disposed than the nations in their neighbourhood to falsehood, intrigue, and deceit.

CHAP. VIII.

OF THE INHABITANTS OF TOWNS.

I

HAVE hitherto confined myself to those points of character or manners which apply to the whole, or nearly the whole, of the Afghaun nation. I shall now proceed to describe the peculiarities of the different classes of which it is composed. Enough has been said, for the present, of the difference between the eastern and western Afghauns; some particular orders of men have also been incidentally described; and the pastoral and agricultural classes will be spoken of in great detail hereafter. The first description of people whom I have now to examine, are, therefore, the inhabitants of towns; and here one is struck with the circumstance, that the greater part of this branch of the population is not composed of Afghauns. It may seem strange to a person in Europe, that the towns should not be inhabited by the masters of the country, yet such was the case in England after the Norman invasion, and such it still is in Uzbek, Tartary, and in some measure in Persia; and probably the reason has in all cases been the same; the ruling nation has thought it degrading to pursue the trades which assemble men in towns, and none have resided there but great men and their retainers, who are drawn thither by the court; accordingly, the only Afghauns who reside in towns, are great men and their followers, soldiers, Moollahs, a few who follow commerce (a pursuit not despised among this people), and some of the poorest of the nation, who work as labourers. No Afghaun ever keeps a shop, or exercises any handicraft trade. The greater part of the people employed in these occupations, are Taujiks, a nation who are intermixed with the Afghauns in great numbers, throughout all the western part

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