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When the progress of colonisation shall have given a new impulse to the diffusion of true knowledge and sound religion, and inspired a sense of stability into Government, these errors, together with the apologies now offered for them, will disappear and be forgotten; and the words Hindoo and Mohammedan, instead of being a rallying cry for nations, will in time become the designations of tolerated, but neglected and declining, superstitions. In pursuing such a course, we shall be animated by the purest motives, and cheered by the visible growth of prosperity and happiness.'

PETITION TO THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT FROM THE NATIVES

OF BOMBAY.

THE reports of the Debates in Parliament on the late presentation of the several Petitions from India, as given in the Daily Papers, render it unnecessary to repeat them here. We take occasion, however, to preserve on record, in this publication, that which has not yet appeared elsewhere, we believe-an authenticated copy of the Petition from Bombay, as well as the Letters which accompanied it on its transmission to this country, and which will speak forcibly for themselves:

No. 1.

'To Sir Charles Forbes, Burt., M. P., London.

'MY DEAR SIR,

'Bombay, April 11th, 1827. 'I HAVE the pleasure to forward to you a petition to the House of Commons, signed in my presence by all the most respectable Natives in Bombay, Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, praying that they may be made eligible to serve on Grand Juries, from which they are excluded by the late Act of Parliament, while other Natives of India, being Christians, are made eligible as Grand Jurors.

'The Petitioners consider (and from your knowledge of their qualifications and respectability, you will, no doubt, agree with them that they are at least equally qualified to serve on Grand Juries with many other Natives of India, who are Christians; and, while they are grateful for the boon conferred on them by the Legislature, in making them eligible to serve on other Juries, they feel their exclusion from Grand Juries as lowering them in the rank of society, and in that general estimation to which their respectability and attainments entitle them.

'I have been requested to forward the petition to you and to Mr. Hume, that you may be certified of its authenticity; and I shall only add, that I hope it will meet with your support, and with the favourable consideration of Parliament.

'I remain, with esteem, my dear Sir, your very faithful servant, JAMES FORBES.'

No. II.

'To Sir Charles Forbes, Bart., and Joseph Hume, Esq., Members of Parliament.

SIRS, WE, the undersigned Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, of the Island of Bombay, beg leave to forward to you the accompanying petition from us to the Honourable the House of Commons, in Parliament assembled, and to request that you will be pleased to present the same to that Honourable House.

In order more effectually to remove all doubt of the genuineness of the signatures to the petition to the Honourable the House of Commons, the signatures have been written in the presence of Mr. James Forbes, of the firm of Messrs. Forbes and Co., of Bombay, who has kindly consented to forward that petition to you, and to certify to you that those signatures were written in his presence. 'We cannot refrain from expressing our applause of the wise policy of the Act of Parliament for rendering the Natives of India eligible to serve on Juries; and in it we perceive the dawn of those institutions, which will cement the union of his Majesty's subjects in the East Indies with his subjects in the United Kingdom. We beg your acceptance of our thanks for the interest manifested by each of you, in the prosperity and happiness of his Majesty's subjects, Natives of the East Indies.

We have the honour to be, Sirs, your most obedient and very humble servants.

(Signed by seventy-five Native Indian names.)

'Bombay, February 28th, 1827.

No. III.

PETITION OF NATIVES IN BOMBAY.

To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom, in Par

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liament assembled.

The petition of the undersigned Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, inhabitants of the Island of Bombay, in the East Indies,

Sheweth,-That by an Act of Parliament, passed in the seventh year of the reign of his present Majesty, entitled "An Act to regulate the appointment of Juries in the East Indies," it is, amongst other things, enacted, that Grand Juries, in all cases, shall consist wholly of persons professing the Christian religion. That, while your Petitioners feel, that, by rendering Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans eligible to all Juries, except Grand Juries, their protection is more secured, and that they are greatly exalted in the ranks of society, and that for such benefits they are under the obligations of gratitude to Parliament; yet your Petitioners most humbly submit, that their exclusion from Grand Juries is an unnecessary degradation of them.

"That formerly the Island of Bombay was a possession of the Crown of Portugal, and at which time there were, and ever since have been, many Portuguese Christians residing in it, who were

born, and have always lived, in India; that, besides those, there are other Christians residing in Bombay, who also were born, and have always lived, in India. That your Petitioners humbly represent that many Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, of the Island of Bombay, are at least equal to those Christians in opulence, intelligence, integrity, estimation in society, and in qualification to serve on Grand Juries. That it is not the intention of your Petitioners to complain of the eligibility of those Christians to serve on Grand Juries on the contrary, they approve of and applaud it; but they humbly submit, that the wise policy that induced Parliament to enact the eligibility of those Christians to serve on Grand Juries, is equally applicable to many Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, his Majesty's subjects, inhabitants of the Island of Bombay.

'Your Petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray that your Honourable House will take this subject into its consideration, and adopt such measures as to its wisdom may seem fit, to enable the principal Hindoos, Parsees, and Mohammedans, subjects of his Majesty, and inhabitants of the Island of Bombay, to serve on Grand Juries in Bombay. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.

'Naurojee Jansitjee, Bomanjee Hormajee, Jehangeer Ardaseer, Dadabhoy Pestonjee, Jehangeer Hierjee, Madowdass Ransordass, Nayandass Herjachoody, Devidass Huywamass, Jugonnath Sunkersett, Dhackjee Dadajee, Wittoba Caunojee, Dharsubhoy Premjee, Canoba Kessowjut,

Moody Sorobjee Vashagandy,

Dossabhoy Jamshedjee,
Rustonjee Ruttonjee,

Hormurjee Bhiccajee,

Cursetjee Monackjee,

Framjee Bomanjee,

Framjee Cowasjee,

Jehangeer Framjee,

Momackjee Dadabhoy,

Tapoojee Horabjee,
Keikhusroo Sorabjee,
Jamsetjee Comurjee,
Dadabhoy Jejeebhoy,
Sadasur Cassinath Chutter,
Rustonjee Cawasjee Patele,
Hormojee Eduljee Camojee,
Muddon Peers Ratonjee,
Kazee Mahomed Ali,
Sheikh Hoossini,

Hajee Ebrahum Jetaiker,

Mohamud Ally Rogay,

Sadovdeen Sheikh Gholam,
Mahomud Ibraheem Nucklea,

'Bombay, February 28th, 1827.'

Mahomud Syed Palolea,

Mabomud Shamsoodeen Kessay,
Mahomed Abdul Abubekr,
Mukhdoom Asheroof Moonshee,
Moolla Mahmood Muckba,
Mohamed Ebram Ghuttay,
Mohamed Syed Purkar,
Shumsoodeen Londay,
Mohamed Madar Purker,
Syed Huson B. S. Ahmed,
Bapa Kewel,

Ameeroodeen Shaikh Bhicon,
Fugeer Khot,

Mohamud Ebraheem Tangakur,
Shaikh Abdulla B. M. Abdoorhimm,
Abdoolrahman S. M.,

Shuhaboodeen Tundn,

Mahomud Enoose Moorghay,
Moolla Ermacal Bin Kureem

Aadkhan,

Futebroodeen Kurnal Kur,

Kumeroodeen Bin Sheik Humed
Khuttub,

Abdaol Gussar Fusate,

Mohammed Ebram Ramrajkur,
Hussein Mohammed Chorgay,
Fakroodeen Shaik Bhickan,
Shaik Mohamed Palhan,
Carmooddeen Coolcurney,
Zeydoodeen Norest,
Mohamed Alli Pawkmoray,
Ruhumoodeen Sulud Fuzloodeen,
Goolam Hoosein Onderker,
Mohamed Syde Grubkur,
Abdel Rehman Natkhanday.'

THE CASTILIAN BANDIT.

THE foaming charger doth cleave the air,
And sorely the rider doth strain ;

For soon shall his visage be dark with despair,
If the speed of his courser prove vain.
He is laden with rare and costly spoils,
But death follows grim in the rear ;

Should the bandit be caught in the huntsmen's toils,
He knows that his last hour is near.

But the courser was swift, the rider was strong,
And the free hills were their dwelling;

Like the glance of the lightning they swept along-
Now the rugged rocks are telling

That they near that wild and mighty domain,
Where the huntsmen should not find them.
The rider look'd down on the far-off plain-
They were lost in the distance behind them.

He curb'd the career of his panting steed,
And he gazed around in his pride,

Then he look'd on the spoil, no worthless meed,
That was slung by his courser's side.
Thou hast served me nobly to-day, I confess,
My beautiful steed and my strong;'

Right proud was the horse of his lord's caress,
And he snorted loudly and long.

The churls are afraid of the mountain path,
O'er which their rich spoil has been borne;
And he whom they curse in their bootless wrath,
Is content to yield them his scorn:

Let the world, which cruelly spurn'd us forth,
Reap the fruit of our lasting hate:
They will bitterly learn what was our worth,
When we courted a nobler fate.'

So he gazed on the high, eternal bills,

And his spirit felt fearless and free,

He loved their steep rocks and he loved their rills,

And he loved in their bosom to be:

For their stronghold was there-'twas the stern robbers'

tower,-

And he loved the dark spirits that dwelt

Their recesses within,-such love hath a power

By the bandit alone to be felt.

L.

RECENT TRAVELS IN GREECE, ASIA MINOR, PALestine, and EGYPT.

[The following is the substance of a Report made to the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, by Count Alexander de la Borde, and read at the sitting of the French Institute, on the 24th April, 1828.]

In requiring from me an account of my travels, you cause me to experience the regret of not having rendered them more worthy of your interest; but, to obtain, at least, your indulgence, I will you know the motives that induced me to undertake them; this will plead as an excuse for me.

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Principally occupied in the education of my son, and wishing most ardently to render him, at a future period, worthy of your esteem, I deemed it necessary to make him follow a new system of education, more extensive, more laborious, but which I conceive to be necessary, in order to harmonise with the enlightened ideas of the present age.

This system, which would employ too much time to develop in this place, consists, in its first part, in joining to classical studies, and to a knowledge of several modern languages, a voyage of application in the most celebrated countries of antiquity, or, in other words, a tour of the Mediterranean: this undertaking does not, as you perceive, exclude discoveries, but it does not form the principal motive. For the purpose of carrying my plans into execution, and, at the same time, rendering our journey more agreeable and less expensive, I endeavoured to procure for my son some young travelling companions who might wish to partake of this kind of study, and I was fortunate enough to meet with such as I could desire one of them is Mr. Becker, the son of the brave General of that name, and himself a staff-officer, filled with talent and zeal; the second, Mr. Hall, a young English gentleman, and, the third, the Duke of Richelieu, who quitted us too soon, in order to repair to Odessa, whither duty called him.

After pursuing our studies for some length of time in Italy, and having made a short stay in the Ionian Islands, we arrived on the classic ground of Greece, which so many motives induced us to visit. But the political condition of the country compelled us to change the order of our route, and commence our Travels in other parts of the Ottoman empire. It is, therefore, from Smyrna, where we arrived on the 15th July, 1826, that the researches which possess any interest

are to be dated.

Asia Minor, as you are aware, is not, even now, well known; yet, what land contains more recollections and interesting monuOriental Herald, Vol. 18.

E

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