BAMIAN.

Bamian, situated in the province of Balk, on the north side of the Hindoo Kho mountains, is a place of great antiquity, and styled the Thebes of the east. At an early period it was regarded as the metropolis of the sect of Buddha, and represented by them as the source of purity and holiness. It is entirely carved out of an insulated mountain, and is said to consist of 12,000 apartments and recesses cut out of the rock. Some of these, from their extraordinary dimensions, appear to have been designed for temples; and some are adorned with niches, carved work, and paintings.

But no curiosities, in Bamian or its vicinity, are more calculated to attract attention, than two colossal statues seen at a great distance, which are at least 50 cubits high. They adhere to the mountain out of which they are cut; and stand erect in a sort of niches. At a little distance is another statue 15 cubits high.

General Aspect of Cabulistan.

"If a man," says Mr. Elphinstone, "could be transported from England to the Afghan country, without passing through the dominions of Turkey, Persia, or Tartary, he would be amazed at the wide and unfrequented deserts, and the mountains, covered with perennial snow. Even in the cultivated part of the country, he would discover a wild assemblage of hills and wastes, unmarked by enclosures, not embellished by trees, and destitute of navigable canals, public roads, and all the great and elaborate productions of human industry and refinement. He would find the towns few, and far distant from each other; and he would look in vain for inns or other conveniences, which a traveller would meet with in the wildest parts of Great-Britain. Yet he would sometimes be delighted with the fertility and populousness of particular plains and valleys, where he would see the productions of Europe, mingled in profusion with those of the torrid zone; and the land laboured with an industry and a judgment no where surpassed. He would see the inhabitants, following their flocks in tents, or assembled in villages, to which the terraced roof and inud-walls give an appearance en

tirely new. He would be struck at first with their high and even harsh features, their sun-burnt countenances, their long beards, their loose garments, and their shaggy mantles of skins. When he entered into the society, he would notice the absence of regular courts of justice, and of every thing like an organized police. He would be surprised at the fluctuation and instability of the civil institutions. He would find it difficult to comprehend how a nation could subsist in such disorder; and would pity those, who were compelled to pass their days in such a scene, and whose minds were trained, by their unhappy situation, to fraud and violence, to rapine, deceit, and revenge. Yet he would scarce fail to admire their martial and lofty spirit, their hospitality, and their bold and simple manners, equally removed from the suppleness of a citizen, and the awkward rusticity of a clown; and he would, probably, before long discover, among so many qualities that excited his disgust, the rudiments of many virtues.

"But an English traveller from India would view them with a more favourable eye. He would be pleased with the cold climate, elevated by the wild and novel scenery, and delighted by meeting many of the productions of his native land. He would first be struck with the thinness of the fixed population, and then with the appearance of the people; not fluttering in white muslins, while half their bodies are naked, but soberly and decently attired in dark coloured woollen clothes; and wrapt up in brown mantles, or in large sheep-skin cloaks. He would admire their strong and active forms, their fair complexions and European features; their industry and enterprise; the hospitality, sobriety, and contempt of pleasure, which appear in all their habits; and, above all, the independence and energy of their character. In India, he would have left a country where every movement originates in the government or its agents, and where the people absolutely go for nothing; and he would find himself among a nation where the controul of the government is scarcely felt, and where every man appears to pursue his own inclinations, undirected and unrestrained. Amidst the stormy independence of this mode of life, he would regret the ease and security in which the state of India, and even the indolence and timidity of its inhabitants, enable most

parts of that country to repose. He would meet with many productions of art and nature that do not exist in India; but, in general, he would find the arts of life less advanced, and many of the luxuries of Hindoostan unknown. "On the whole, his impression of his new acquaintances would be favourable; although he would feel, that without having lost the ruggedness of a barbarous nation, they were tainted with the vices common to all Asiatics. Yet he would reckon them virtuous, compared with the people to whom he had been accustomed; would be inclined to regard them with interest and kindness; and could scarcely deny them a portion of his esteem."

The Afghans.

The Afghans have been supposed to have derived their origin from the Arabs, or Hun or Scythian tribes. Sir William Jones, however, is inclined to think that their descent may be traced to the Israelites. They speak the Pushto or Poosktoo language, which has a near affinity to the Chaldaic. They are a stout, good looking people, and of a swarthy complexion, with features resembling those of the Jews. Their dress consists of a frock of cotton or woollen, a pair of loose trowsers, slippers, a high turban or cap, and a waistband. They allow the hair to grow, and never cut their beards. They are hospitable and brave, but illiterate, fierce, untractable, and seditious. They generally lead a pastoral life. Their army is chiefly composed of well mounted cavalry.

Belooches.

Beloochistan lies on the north side of the Indian ocean, and to the south of Cabulistan, of which it is sometimes considered as forming a part. The face of the country is diversified with mountains, plains, and sandy deserts. The great desert of Beloochistan is 300 miles long, and 200 broad, consisting of waves of sand, extremely difficult to 'be traversed.

The Belooches are a people whose origin is obscure. Their language is Persian; they are divided into a great number of tribes, and their habits are generally pastoral and predatory. They are tall, and have long visages and

high features. They dwell in tents made of black felt or coarse blankets, thatched over a frame of wicker work; and an assemblage of these constitutes a village. Though naturally indolent, they are fearless of danger, and fight with great bravery. In their plundering expeditions, which are often conducted to a great distance, it is their practice to blindfold the captives whom they take, and having put them on camels, to conduct them by rapid marches to the country of the victors. There the men

are shaved, and the hair of the women is cut off, and the roots are destroyed by quicklime, in order to deter them, after they are so disfigured, from revisiting their native soil. In other respects they are said to treat their captives, or slaves, with humanity.

The Belooches are very hospitable, and receive their guests with great cordiality and civility. They spend much of their time in lounging, smoking, and gambling. They are much addicted to the habit of chewing opium and chung; but intoxication from drinking spirituous liquors, or wine, is said to be unknown among them. They practise polygamy; yet their women are treated with attention and respect, and are not so scrupulous about being seen as the strictest Mahometans usually are.

The next considerable race in Beloochistan are the Brahooes, who differ much in their persons from the Belooches, having short, thick bones, round faces, and flat features, and many have the hair and beard brown. They are a very wandering and unsettled people, shifting their abode according to the season. They are a quiet and industrious race, faithful and hospitable, free from the predatory habits of the Belooches, and much superior in their dispositions.

TARTARY OR CENTRAL ASIA.

Tartary is a name vaguely applied to a vast region occupying all the central part of Asia; extending from the Caspian sea to the Pacific ocean, having Siberia on the north, and China, Hindoostan, and Persia, on the south. The most remarkable feature of the country is its great elevation. It consists chiefly of a vast elevated plain,

supported like a table, by the Altai mountains on the north, and by the Himmaleh range on the south and southwest. The country is thinly inhabited, and contains few large towns. Its elevation renders it cold; a large portion of it is barren, destitute both of vegetation and water. To the north of Thibet, and to the east of Bukharia, is the great desert of Cobi or Shamo, which extends from east to west, nearly 2,000 miles, and is generally covered with black sand.

Tartary is distinguished into two great divisions, Independent Tartary, comprising the western part, and Chinese Tartary, lying to the east. Independent Tartary includes some fertile and populous districts; and comprises the countries of Bukharia, Charasm, Turkestan, &c.

SAMARCAND.

Samarcand, a city of Independent Tartary, is situated on the river Sogd, on the borders of an extensive and fertile plain, and in a delightful climate. It is famous for having been the seat of Tamerlane, otherwise called Timur Bec, and the capital of his empire, which was the most extensive and powerful in the world, comprising a great part of Asia. The palace of Tamerlane, and the pomp of his court, are said to have been exceedingly magnificent. During his reign, Samarcand was estimated to contain 150,000 inhabitants; but it afterwards declined. It has carried on a great trade, and been celebrated as a place of Mahometan learning.

BUKHARIA.

Bukharia, the capital of Great Bukharia, is situated on the Sogd, 100 miles W. of Samarcand, and contains about 100,000 inhabitants. The houses are low, and for the most part built of mud; but the numerous mosques and caravansaries are of stone or brick. It has latterly surpassed Samarcand in celebrity, as a place for the study of Mahometan theology and law; the inhabitants are represented as being more civilized than in the neighbouring countries.