portant work which our knowledge of Hindû literature has yet discovered and produced.* Nor was he inattentive, at the same period, to the lighter, but not less interesting, parts of Indian learning; and in his translation of the Sacôntala of Calidas he has given the world a pleasing representation of the ancient manners and customs of Hindûstan, written by one of the most celebrated Hindû poets, who flourished at the polished court of Avanti.† character; to the last of these we have already adverted, and his writings have been reviewed at considerable length in the 1st and 2nd volumes of the Register. But there are still some particu lars in the account of his opinions to which the attention of our readers has not yet been called, and which the candour and fidelity of ha biographer have enabled us to esplain.-It appears that Sir Williamn Jones, at one period of his life. was inclined to doubt the truth of the christian revelation, but that a closer examination of the scriptures had removed his doubts, and brought his mind to entire conviction. In proof of this change, Lord Teignmouth cites many passages in his works, and several prayers which he composed on particular occasions, the last of which certainly affords the most unequivocal evidence of his belief in christianity: but the sentence which he wrote on the leaf of his bible, and which has been so much talked of, and so widely circulated, as a testimonial of his religious faith, amounts to nothing more than an admiration of the composition of the scriptures, and does not convey any distinct or positive opinion as to their divine origin. "I have," says he, As he proceeded in his researches, new fields of inquiry opened to his view; and he began to entertain thoughts of visiting China, and studying Chinese literature, before he should return to England. But the bad state of Lady Jones's health, and the necessity of her returning to her native country for its recovery, set bounds to his prospects. She left him in 1793, and he resolved to follow her, as soon as he should have completed the Digest, which he had made an engagement with government to perform. But unhappily for the advancement of oriental learning, and the promotion of general knowledge, his delicate constitution was unable much longer to withstand the impairing effects of a too constant application to sedentary pursuits, and the enervating" carefully and regularly perused influence of the climate. In April, 1794, he was attacked with a violent inflammation in the liver, of which he died, on the 27th of that month, after a confinement of seven days. Lord Teignmouth concludes these interesting memoirs with a general survey of Sir William Jones's writings, and a delineation of his "these holy scriptures, and am of "opinion that the volume, in"dependently of its divine origin " contains more sublimity, purer "morality, more important his tory, and finer strains of exoquence, than can be collected "from all other books in whatever language they may have "been written." His belief in the * See in Asiatic Register, vol. 1st, our Review of this work. Avanti, or Ujjeini, the capital of Vicramaditya, was situated within a m of the modern city of Ujein, the capital of Dowlut Rao Scindeah. on doctrines of the scriptures rests more explicit evidence than what this sentence exhibits; and Lord Teignmouth assures us, that his practical piety extended to private devotion. The political principles of Sir William Jones are well known, and are distinctly and strongly expressed in the extracts from his private letters, which have been cited. But respecting the revolution in France, which great event produced so wide a difference amongst the most illustrious of his political friends, his opinions have not been. communicated to the public, nor even generally understood. The only allusion to that event, in his correspondence, is in the following passage of a letter to Lord Teignmouth, written in 1793. "Of European politics," he says, "I think as little as possible, not "because they do not interest my "heart, but because they give "me too much pain. I have good "will towards men, and wish "peace on earth; but I see chiefly, "under the sun, the two classes of men whom Solomon describes, "the oppressor and the oppressed. "I have no fear in England of open despotism, nor of anar"chy." 66 The light in which he viewed the political state of Europe, and the course of policy pursued in England in 1793, may be discerned in this passage: but his biographer expressly states, that" of the "French revolution, in its com"mencement, he entertained a "favourable opinion, and in common with many wise and good men, wished success to the "struggles of that nation for the "establishment of a free constitu❝tion; but he saw, with unspeak"able disgust, the atrocious enor◄ "mities of which those struggles "were productive." We can add, from our own knowledge, that he totally disapproved of the coalition and war against France, on the ground of policy, as well as of justice. So that he steadily and uniformly cherished those "grand swelling sentiments of liberty” which animated his juvenile years, and maintained that attachment to those master principles in the civil government and policy of nations, which study and reflexion had deeply implanted in his mind. We have thus endeavoured to give a review of this interesting and elegant performance, proportioned not only to its own intrinsic merits, but to the great character which it is designed to delineate. Of that character, and of the various rare endowments with which it was adorned, we have spoken in the free spirit of impartial criticism; and where some of those endowments appeared to us to be too highly rated, we have ventured to shew them in their true light, and to bring them to their just level. The extent and variety of sir William Jones's acquirements have no parallel in the history of literature, and afford the most indubitable evidence of the greatness of his capacity. But neither his public productions, nor his private correspondence, exhibit any deep reach of thought, any originality of conception, any novelty of illustration, or any striking beauties of sentiment or diction. Sound sense, just, sometimes acute, observation, a luminous display of his subject, an unaffected and happy use of his various learning, and great perspicuity and elegance of language, constitute the general character and praise of his writings. Perhaps if he had been less ambitious of uni*I 2 versal versal knowledge, and had strove to concentrate, rather than to extend, the extraordinary powers of his mind, he might have acquired the fame of a profound, original, and vigorous writer. The private and public virtues of sir William Jones, even the ardent partiality of friendship could not too highly praise. His filial and conjugal affection, his disinterestedness, his benevolence, his passion for literature and science, and his generous love of public freedom and justice, have been represented in appropriate colours: and lord Teignmouth justly merits the applause of the public, for having given a faithful and pleasing picture of a life, devoted to the acquisition and improvement of human knowledge, and shortened by the strenuous and virtuous exercise of splendid talents. MILITARY MEMOIRS of MR. GEORGE THOMAS: interspersed with geographical and statistical accounts of JYPOOR, JUDPOOR, and OODIPOOR, by geographers, denominated "RAJPOOTANAH; the SEIKS of PUNJAB, the terriory of BEYKANEER, and the country adjoining the great desert westward of HURRIANAH. Compiled and abridged from Mr. Thomas's original documents, by CAPT. FRANKLIN, of the Bengal establishment, member of the ASIATIC SOCIETY, author of a Tour to Persia, and of the History of SHAH ALLUM. Printed at Calcutta, 1803. their armies. And in the course of the last thirty years, several persons from France, England, and other nations of Europe, have acquired distinction in the service of the native states of Hindustan. Amongst these persons, Mr. George Thomas rendered himself justly pre-eminent, not so much from the actual superiority of his talent for military enterprise, as from the singular effect of its operation in enabling him to form and maintain, for some years, a dominion of his own, in the midst of jealous, powerful, and warlike nations, who incessantly sought his destruction. The copious abstract of these memoirs which we have given in another department of this Register, sufficiently indicates our opinion of the interest they are calculated to excite. Accounts of adventurers who rise into notice by extraordinary exertions of talents or courage, naturally attract the attention and engage the sympathy of the public. To such adventurers Hindustan has, in all ages, presented an alluring field; and, since the affairs of that important region have become so intimately connected with those of Europe, it has been rendered more peculiarly inviting to men of an To collect materials for a narenterprising and ambitious spirit. rative of those daring actions, by The princes of India, whom that which a common seaman, from an connection had not subjugated or English ship of war, raised himself reduced to dependence, adopted the to the rank of an independent policy of engaging European ad-chieftain in the heart of Hindustan, venturers to discipline and conduct * See Characters, &c. p. 1. was an useful as well as an interesting undertaking; and captain Franklin is intitled to the thanks of the public for having performed it. But the manner in which he has arranged his materials would have been more agrecable to his readers, if he had not so frequently interrupted his narrative with geographical and statistical information, much of which, though not absolutely extraneous from his subject, is not necessary to its illustration; and the whole of which would have appeared to greater advantage in the Appendix. Some part, however, of that information, is mixed with accounts of different tribes of people in northern Hindustun, and merits attention from its novelty; though it is too slight and unsatisfactory to be of much utility in an historical or political view. We shall submit to our readers a brief abstract of its most prominent particulars. In chapter 7, of this book, captain Franklin introduces an account of Jypoor. The dominions of the rajah of Jypoor are 100 miles from north to south, and 50 from east to west the eastern boundary is about 100 miles west from Agra. The eastern and southern parts of this country produce good copper, and wheat, cotton, and tobacco. The country is chiefly supplied with water from the wells, but the mountainous districts are watered by numerous streams. Our author gives an account of the rajpoots of Jypoor; but their character presents no material difference to that of the rajpoots of the other parts of Rajpootana, which is already known to the public. One practice amongst them, which we have often heard, but of which, on general grounds, we have always doubted the existence, is mentioned by captain Franklin, on the authority of Mr. Thomas. "From motives of curiosity," says Mr. Thomas, "I was induced to demand their reason for allowing the horrid practice of putting to death their new-born females-the reply in general was, it is our custom: but when I remarked it was a bad plea for committing the crime of murder, they urged the possibility of their daughters meeting with bad husbands, who might hereafter bring disgrace and dishonour on their posterity, or that the infants themselves might, at some future period, commit actions unworthy of the name of rajpoots." Thomas represented to them, that by an adherence to this practice their race would be extinct in a hundred years; 'and, from reasoning with them on the subject," says he, "I had the satisfaction to obtain promises from several respectable families, that they would discontinue the practice." Yet the general benevolence of their disposition is so repugnant to this barbarous and unnatural custom, that we cannot help still doubting the fact. This benevolence is exemplified in the mild exercise of their authority over the jauts, who are the cultivators of the soil, and is attested by Mr. Thomas, as well as by every account which we have ever seen of them. The territory of Jypoor is capable of yielding an annual land revenue of 120 lacs of rupees, but the amount paid to the rajah's treasury seldom exceeds 60 lacs. The respective chieftains hold their lands in jaiedad, for the purpose of supplying troops to the rajah in times of emergency. This military system impoverishes th country country, and consequently weakens instead of strengthening, the means of its protection. Chapter 9 contains a description of the country of Beykaneer. This province is bounded on the north by the country of the Batties, on the west by the desert, on the south by Judpoor, and on the east by Hurrianah. It is 240 miles from north to south, and from 100 to a 160 from east to west. The country is elevated, the soil a light brown dry sand, which absorbs rain as soon as it falls. This has rendered the construction of wells necessary for watering the cultivated land. These wells are made of brick, and in general from one to two hundred feet in depth; but some of them are near three hundred feet. For domestic use, each family has a cistern for the reception of rain water, as the want of water often compels the inhabitants, by whole families, to migrate to a more favourable soil. Hence the inhabitants of Beykaneer are obliged, in a great measure, to depend on their neighbours for the necessaries of life, as the produce of their own fields scarcely recompences the labour of the peasant. The city of Beykaneer is well built, spacious, and surrounded by a wall. The rajah resides in a fort, about a mile from the town. This fort is encompassed by a broad and deep ditch, and is otherwise strongly defended in the Indian style. The inhabitants are Rajepoots of the Rhatore tribe. They are governed by a rajah, whose revenue amounts to about three lacs of rupees; but he used, occasionally, to realize double that sum, by laying imposts on the merchants who passed through his dominions on their route from Tatta on the Indus, to Surat: this rapacious exaction has, however, defeated its own purpose, by turning this ancient branch of inland trade into another channel; and the caravans now proceed through Judpoor, leaving Beykaneer on the left. The military force of this rajah consists of 8000 men, of which two-fifths are cavalry, and the remainder infantry and artillery. He has retained in his service several Europeans. His principal enemies are the Battees, with whom he is almost continually at war. Adjoining the province of Beykeneer is the district called Lackee Jungle, celebrated for the fertility of its pasture lands, and for the excellence of its horses. The price of these horses runs from 201. to 1201. sterling. Their breed, originally good, was improved by the Persian horses, introduced into the district during the successive invasions of Nadir Shah, and the Abdallis. Chapter 10.-The dominions of Oodipoor are about 140 miles from north to south, and 100 from east to west. They are bounded on the north by Ajmere, on the west by Judpoor, and on the south and east by the extensive province of Malwa. The lands in Oodipoor are chiefly possessed by chiefs, who hold them in jaiedad, under the sovereignty of Scindeah and Holkar, the Mahratta princes. Oodipoor yields an annual revenue of one million sterling: it formerly produced a larger sum; but the pernicious government of the Mahrattas has, of late years, laid waste many of the finest districts in the country, by continual exactions and depredations. However, it still yields abundance of sugar-cane, indigo, tobacco, wheat, rice, and barley: it is full of excellent timber; and is said to contain iron *13 mines. |