down his furrowed cheeks, and snowy beard, an aged Brahmin stepped forward, and presented the worthy governor, who was about to leave them, with a paper, written in the Persian language, of which the following is a compressed translation; being divested of many high-flown compliments, and strained metaphors, which, though very well intended, seemed, as well as the general contents of the paper, too flattering to please the person to whom it was addressed, and his modesty would not permit them to be translated..

"Mighty Alla! In thy favour thou "bestowest greatness upon whom thou art pleased. By thee, the people of every "nation were created; and by thee, are or"dained, all the kings and rulers of the earth.

66

Amongst the cities of the east, is a place "named Sookiabead, or Dhuboy; the inha"bitants whereof, were happy under the

government of Mr. Fs. His disposition "towards them was perfectly mild and just; "he was a protecting shield to all ranks of “men, whether they were rich or poor, that

sought it from him; he endeavoured to “maintain their freedom unimpaired; and all

"who sought redress for their grievances, "from him obtained justice without fee, and "without price. All that were under his

protection were overjoyed; and reposed on "the bed of ease. When he superintended "the garden, all the gardeners attended in "their proper duty, and all the trees of the "garden flourished. When he took the poor "by the hand, he made them great; and "and when he sate on the throne of justice,

his dealings were so equal, that under his in"fluence, the tyger and the kid might drink "water from the same fountain. Often has "he redeemed the playful kid, from the

jaws of the cruel tyger; and under his go "vernment, the rich dared not to oppress the poor; for, in his sight, the great and the poor were equal. In this place we have "neither seen nor heard of such an excel

"lent government, as that of the English has

66

proved to us. If so good a master leaves us, every subject will be as a disconsolate widow, every one will weep, as for a fa"ther, and mourn as for the death of a

"Oh Almighty Alla! in thy infinite mercy "continue him unto us!".

I have presented my readers with a translation of this curious paper, as nearly literal as possible, in order that they might form some idea of the mode, in which people in power, are addressed by the inhabitants of the eastern nations, and, having that object in view, I shall also give them a specimen of the correspondence between the petty governors, or small monarchs, of the country, upon any important occasion.

The beautiful and fertile plains, which surround the city of Dhuboy, are subject to the ravages of a set of banditti, who have their abode amongst the neighbouring mountains; and sometimes sweep, like a cloud of ravenous wolves, over all that exquisite country.

These mountaineers, who are called Gracias, claim the honour of being the Aboriginees of the country, and confidently assert, that many ages ago, their forefathers were driven from their inheritance, by the ancestors of the modern Hindoos, and were, in consequence, obliged to take refuge in the holes and ca

verns of mountains, where their posterity has since formed a distinct nation, and built towns and cities.

Whether their claims are just, or unjust, I know not; but, at present, they are certainlyconsidered in the light of public robbers, and, in consequence are feared by nations less powerful than themselves; and justly feared, for they are lawless, cruel, unrelenting, and vindictive.

Notwithstanding they are well acquainted with the opinion of the surrounding nations respecting them, they do not forget to make` their pretensions to the honour of being the original possessors of the country, and urge it as a pretext to pour down their flying squadrons, upon all the defenceless villages in the neighbourhood of Dhuboy, to make their heavy demands of contribution, upon all the farmers and cultivators of land; and if these are not instantly complied with, the savage troops scruple not to commit the greatest barbarities, coming by night to burn the houses, drive off the cattle, lay waste the growing harvest, and murder men, women, and children,

During the Mogul, and Hindoo governments of Dhuboy, these ferocious barbarians, kept clouds of armed horsemen, in constant readiness to sweep down from their almost inaccessible mountains, and scour all the surrounding country, to the dread and terror of the whole nation; and as the Mogul and Hindoo chiefs, always kept a force yet more powerful, in order to protect their subjects from the cruelties of this merciless banditti, many bloody battles were perpetually occuring.

But the English were no sooner put in possession of the city and province of Dhuboy, than the governor, or collector, sent a deputation to the Gracian court, inviting their chiefs, or princes, (for that is the title they give themselves) to a conference in the Cutcheree or revenue court of Dhuboy, in order that their claims might be properly investigated.

This deputation was also authorised to pro pose a reasonable allowance, of the produce of every harvest, that should be paid upon the annual settlement of accounts with the cultivators, provided they would remain in peaceable possession of their native mountains, and cease to disturb their neighbours. But on the