The eastern, north-eastern, fouthern and fouth-western parts of Jypore produce wheat, cotton, tobacco, and in general whatever is common to other parts of India; to which may be added, excellent cattle, and abundance of good copper.

The country in general is watered from the wells: the northern and north-western districts being fandy are not fo well fupplied with this neceffary article as the midland parts; but in that part of Jypore which is mountainous, the ftreams that iffue from thence are of the higheft advantage to the cultivation of the foil.

The Rajpoots of Jypore are not esteemed fo brave as thofe of Joudpore, for which Mr. Thomas imagines three causes may be ascribed :first, the encroachments of the prince on the feudal fyftem, which obtained formerly in this country, and which has contributed to render the people abject and flavish; fecond, that their armies are commanded by people whom they neither love, fear, or refpect; and thirdly, the difference of climate, which is particularly ob

fervable in a comparison with the stature and perfonal comeliness of the Rhatores with those of Jypore, the inhabitants of the former being by far more robust in their make.

No Rajpoot engages in trade, or any mechanical occupation whatsoever: they are all, without exception, either foldiers or husband

men.

They are of a high and unconquerable spirit, and do not think poverty any difhonour: on the contrary they will often affert in converfation, that provided a person shall conduct himfelf with propriety towards his neighbours, he, whether poffeffed of riches or not, is, in all refpects, to be confidered as a man of perfect ho

nour,

Among other customs peculiar to the Rajpoots the preservation of female honour holds with them a superior station; scandal uttered against the wife or daughter of a Rajpoot is never forgiven, and death alone can expiate the offence.

This high sense of honour has, however, rendered them of all other people most circumspect in conversation, and they are careful of giving offence; should a Rajpoot suspect a person inclined to flight him, he will not only forego every profpect of advantage to be derived from the usual mode of reconciliation, by the mutual exertion of common friends, but will even make a circuitous route to avoid paffing by the habitation of his antagonist. This severity of manners may appear to strangers, at a first view, to be prohibitory; but a long refidence in the country, and intimate acquaintance with the manners and cuftoms of this extraordinary people, have long fince convinced Mr. Thomas that a person of upright manners cannot affociate with a better companion than a Rajpoot.

In their marriages they pay the strictest attention to caft, and will never unite themselves with people of inferior condition; this is fo unavoidably neceffary, that were a man to enter into an alliance with a family of ignoble blood, the children of fuch marriage would in confequence be deprived of their right of inhe

ritance; a striking instance of national pertinacity.

A plurality of wives, though allowed by their institutions, excepting among the higher order of Rajpoots, is feldom practifed; and even in that inftance it is more owing to motives of policy than inclination, and arifes chiefly from a defire of extinguishing thofe antient feuds which have so long fubfifted among families.

During their infancy and childhood, the Rajpoot women being kept in a constant state of concealment, when once married are feldom feen but by the very neareft in blood among their own relations. This cuftom is fo.rooted among them, that a lady would confider herself as dishonoured by any exposure of her fon to public view.

per

This feclufion of females in fouthern Afia, has been erroneously fuppofed by many persons to be a hardship on the fex; but, in Mr. Thomas's opinion, it is understood in a sense rather too general; in every other respect, the Rajpoot character yields to no nation in Afia, or perhaps

in the world, in maintaining the ties of relationship and confanguinity, by a series of the kindeft actions towards each other.

They are dutiful fons, kind husbands, and affectionate brothers.

The men, it is true, are in the highest degree jealous of their honour, but the exempting their women from perfonal labour, in employing them though fecreted from the reft of the world, in fuperintending the education of their children, and other domeftic avocations, cannot furely with justice be confidered as a hardship. "And "if we look," fays Mr. Thomas, “at the con"dition of the inferior fort. of women in moft parts of Europe, the fituation of the Rajpoot "females may be, perhaps, benefited by the comparifon."

66

C

One cuftom, and one alone, obtains among this infatuated people, at which nature must ever revolt, and humanity fhudder: it is the practice of putting to death their new-born females. In other refpects tender and affectionate towards their offspring, it was a matter of extreme furprize to Mr. Thomas that in this