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each face, and two in the northern one; but on the whole it is very contemptible as a fortification. From each gate Bazars lead to the "Char Soobh," or market-place, in the centre of the town, which are spacious and well lined with shops; the principal one extends from the south gate to the Gunje Bazar, or cattle market, in front of the citadel, and is covered in with a vaulted roof of the whole length. These streets and the Char Soobh are so filled with the crowd of people on Thursday (the Bazar day), as to be almost impassable. On either side as you go along are large spacious Suraes, where the merchants have their Kothees, or factories; the city is well supplied with water, every Suraé having a Houz, or cistern, independent of the public ones ou either side the Bazar streets. The meanest building in appearance, is the residence of the prince, of which you see no more than a common gate-way, over which is a wretched building, and in front an open square, with galleries in the centre, for the Nukurah Khana, or kettle-drums.

The Musjidé Jooma, or Friday's Mosque, was once a grand building, comprising an area eight hundred yards square, but this is fast going to decay. The private buildings in Heerat, are by no means in this state, for no city has less ground unoccupied, and none, for its extent, can boast of a greater population. Heerat and its suburbs are computed to contain above one hundred thousand inhabitants, of whom ten thou sand are Ufghans, the rest are Moghuls, a few Jews, and six hundred Hindoos The Hindoos

are here highly respected, and
alone possess capital.
The go-
vernment is sensible of their va-

lue, and they have in consequence
much influence. They live in the
best Suraés, and have gardens
outside, but do not venture to
bring their families with them to
this city.

Heerat is a city of more trade than perhaps any other in Asia under a native government; it is called by distinction the Bunder, or port, and is the emporitim between Kabool, Kandahar, Hindoostan, Kashmeer, and Persia, Bagdad, &c From the four former it receives shawls, indigo, sugar, chintz, muslin, bafta, kincob, hides, and leather, which are exported to Mushid, Yezd, Tehraun, Bagdad, and Kirman; receiving in return, dollars, tea, sugar-candy, china ware, broadcloth, chintz, silk, copper, pepper, and all kinds of spices, dates. shawls, numuds, and carpets. The hides which are imported from Hindoostan return a profit of one hundred per cent. nett; indeed the whole trade is uncommonly advantageous to any one possessing capital. The currency here is that of Muhmood Shahee rupees, but accounts are kept in Kureem Khanee, at one hundred and wenty-five per hundred Muhmood Shahees.

The staples of Heerat are silk, saffron, and assafoetida, which are exported to Hindoostan; the silk cloths are not equal to the manufacture of Persia. The gardens are full of mulberry trees reared solely for the sake of the silkworm, and all the plains and hills round Heerat, particularly to the westward, produce assafoetida. It

grows

grows to the height of two or three feet, the stem two inches in diameter, and the head, when ripe, is yellow and resembles a cauliflower; the Hindoos and the Belooches are fond of it, they eat it by roasting the stem in the ashes, and stewing the head of it like other greens. It still, however, preserves its foetid taste and smell.

The gardens of Heerat are extensive, the Oordooé Bagh, belonging to the Prince and Baghé Shahee, planted by Tymoor Shah (this being his favourite seat,) are the only public ones, and now only attended to for their annual produce, which is sold in the Bazar. Leading to the latter is an avenue one mile in length, between fir trees; and adjoining are four minarets of a mosque that was intended for the tomb of the Imam Moosa Allee Reza, who, however, was disappointed of his visit to Heerat by dying at Mushid.

The villages in the neighbourhood of Heerat are numerous, and nothing can exceed the ferti lity of this valley; wheat and barley are most abundant, and fruit of all kinds amazingly cheap. When I was at Heerat, the horses were all at Bagh, up a place one stage over the mountains, for the benefit of the fine grass procurable there. They are generally half bred, but the merchants from Bokhara bring Toorkumanee horses, that sell in proportion to their height. The most celebrated breeder in this country is Booniad Beg of the tribe of Huzaree; he resides in the mountains towards Mushid, and has large herds of horses and mares: his

colts are highly prized, and are often sold for from one to four thousand rupees (1251. to 5001.) each. The tolls at Heerat are two rupees on every camel load going out of the city, and one anna, or sixteenth of a rupee on every twenty rupees' worth of merchandize sold in it. This is levied from the purchaser by the Suraédar, or tax-gatherer, who farms the tolls from government. Although the toll on camels appears so very trivial, it is avoided by every means to a large extent, of which I had an opportunity of knowing two or three instances. The revenues are estimated at four and a half lacs of rupees, and are levied on the Suraes, shops and gardens; a part is taken in kind, or grain and cattle; and from the total amount the prince pays fifty thousand rupees annually to the King of

Persia.

The government of Heerat is in the hands of the Shahzadah Hadjee Fejroozoodeen Khan, third son of the late Tymoor Shah, and full brother to the present Muhmood Shah. He is about fifty years of age, appears to take little active participation in public affairs, but leaves every thing to Hadjee Aga Khan, his minister. In the present distracted state of Khorasan, he endeavours to remain neutral, without incur ring the displeasure of either of the contending parties. The prince has two wives, the one a Moghul lady, the other a daughter of Shakoor Khan Douranee, by each of whom he has two sons. Kasim Khan, the eldest, is a good looking young man, about twentytwo years of age. The reins of government

government being in the hands of a Moghul excites a great degree of jealousy in the minds of the Uffghans, but the prince gives the former a decided preference over his own tribe, as he finds that the rapacious exactions of the former from the subject, are more enforced to enrich his coffers, than they could possibly be through his countrymen, who being accustomed to free and independent tenure of the land, are not so likely to assist in that system of plunder for which the Moghuls are proverbial.

The police of Heerat is strict, not so much for the sake of morality, as for the fines which come in to government; and no one can appear in the streets after dark. This city is, of all others in Khorasan, celebrated for cheats, who allure the unsuspect ing stranger into their houses to partake of an entertainment, and then lay him by the heels on a false charge of seduction of their female relatives, and breach of hospitality, for which the accused person may think himself fortunate to escape with a mulct of five hundred rupees. On these occasions they previously inform themselves of the state and condition of the person, and levy accordingly; half of this fine goes to the informer as a reward for his ingenuity, and the other half to the minister and government.

An Account of the Seychelle Islands and Bank, and Admiralty Islands.

As very little is generally known relative to the Seychelle Islands,

and as their interest and importance to England is considerably increased by the Treaty of Peace of 1814, we have great satisfaction in subjoining an accurate account of them, taken on a survey in the year 1811, by a most intelligent and enterprizing officer of His Majesty's Navy:

This archipelago derives its name from Monsieur Moreau de Seychelle, a principal officer of the French East-India Company at the time of its discovery, and consists of about a dozen small islands, and as many more islets and rocks, scattered upon a large coral and sand bank, extending S. E. and N. W. full seventy leagues; its breadth various, being broadest to the N. W., where it may be about thirty leagues; and thence gradually diminishing to the S. E., where it does not exceed as many miles. There are soundings and anchorage on almost every part of it, the former very irregular, but, generally speaking, between twelve and forty fathoms, except on the eastern edge, in the parallel of the middle of Mahé, where there is only seven and a half, and on the western limit, in the latitude of Silhauet, where there is only three fathoms and a half; at least, less than that has not yet been discovered. There are scarcely any dangers on it that do not show themselves.

The harbour of Mahé is very good, and no sea nor wind can hurt you, when in the entrance ; to the inner harbour it is narrow, and you must warp or tow in, should you not have a leading wind.

Three

Three only of the islands are inhabited, Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue.

Mahé, named after Monsieur Mahé de la Bourdonnais, is the largest, most populous, and of course best cultivated of the whole; it is sixteen or seventeen

miles in length, and generally

- about four broad. It has two good harbours; that of Mahé on the N. E. side of the island, where is the principal, indeed, the only village, and the residence of the commandant; and another on the S. W. side, both perfectly secure. Its population amounts to about 2,648 persons.

Praslin (from the minister of that name), is the next island, in size and population, to that of Mahé; and it has an excellent harbour on its north side, sheltered by the Isle Curieuse. The population of this island amounts to 261 persons.

La Digue, so called from a ship of that name, has only seventy-one inhabitants.

These three islands are high and rocky, and, generally speaking, poor, steril, and barren, save only where a small valley or sheltered glen may have secured the soil from being washed down its steep declivities, by the heavy rains, in the wet season.

There are about six decked vessels belonging to the inhabitants of these islands; the largest about eighty, and the smallest about twenty tons; by means of which they exchange their productions with the inhabitants of the Isles of France and Bourbon, and trade to Madagascar and the Mozambique coast, and occasionally to either coast of India.

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Cultivation.-Acres in provisions, 2,432; ditto in cotton, 2,720; ditto in sugar canes, 220; total, 5,372.-Feet in coffee, 4,000; ditto in cloves, 3,000; total, 7,000.

Cattle, &c.-Horned cattle, 300; sheep, 200; goats, 150; hogs, 800; total, 1,450. Besides turkeys, geese, ducks, fowls, pigeons, vegetables and fruit in great abundance.

You may purchase stock at the following prices:-four fowls a Spanish dollar; two ducks a Spanish dollar; eight turkeys for twelve dollars; a sheep for four to six dollars. Good beef was killed and sold, ten pounds, for one Spanish dollar.

These islands do not appear fit for the cultivation of any article of export but cotton, and but for very little of that. There is not an acre of level ground upon the whole island, and hardly any soil; it is all mountainous, full of rocks and trees, and the heavy rains wash down the mountains the principal part of the mould.

The annual produce of cotton

upon

upon Mahé and Praslin at present is about 350 to 400 bales, each bale weighing about 300 pounds, and the islands are not capable of producing more than twenty per cent. above this, nor are they capable of producing any thing else as a matter of commerce. The inhabitants have begun to plant coffee, and will have sufficient for their own consumption in twelve or eighteen months; there it must rest, as it never can be an article of exportation. Cloves and cinnamon thrive here uncommonly well, and, were there are any soil to plant them in, would

turn to account.

There are no kitchen vegetables here of any kind, unless you so call the sweet potatoes of Mameck, or some bad Frenchbeans. There is no reason for this, but the negligence of the inhabitants, and the little intercourse they have with the world, which renders them extremely indifferent about most comforts of this kind.

Fruit does not appear to be plentiful or good; pine apples, plantains, and bad mangoes seem to be the principal; there are a few grapes and a few melons: this must be owing to the extreme indolence of the inhabitants.

There is some very good wood for furniture and different purposes, such as have building, Sheathing for ships, and shipbeams, all of which would be at a very moderate price, but for the difficulty of transporting it out amongst the rocks to the water side.

Turtle are all large, in general about five to six hundred weight;

the price of these is five dollars each, smaller ones three each, but there is no demand for them; were they wanted in quantity, you would have occasion to give them some days notice to catch them.

The inhabitants say, that they used to have very fine land-turtles, in great abundance, but that they are nearly all consumed, and only now and then can be got, two or three at a time.

Oysters are here in abundance, and the inhabitants say they are very wholesome, but they are too small to take the trouble to eat them; they are picked off small trees within the flood mark; there are likewise sea-crabs here, very large, but not very good.

Tortoise-shell, there is a few pounds to be picked up occasionally, but not sufficient to consider it as an article of commerce.

These islands have been inhabited about forty years, and the oldest inhabitant says, that he does not remember a gale of wind: it is a phenomenon unknown to them; they therefore afford security, at a particular season of the year, to vessels that might be otherwise exposed to the destructive hurricanes off the Isles of France and Bourbon.

Cuts and even gun-shot wounds heal uncommonly well here, and the climate, though necessarily hot, from its proximity to the equator, may be reckoned very healthy.

The inhabitants have very few wants, and are in general very poor; they have no money, and the little traffic they have is carrying on in cotton, at so many pounds to the dollar; conse

quently,

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