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 streams 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 those of Joudpore, for which Mr. Thomas imagines three caufes may be afcribed:firft, 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 respect; 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 robuft 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 fpirit, and do not think poverty any dishonour: on the contrary they will often affert in converfation, that provided a perfon fhall 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 prefervation of female honour holds with them a fuperior ftation; scandal uttered against the wife or daughter of a Rajpoot is never forgiven, and death alone can expiate the offence.

This high fenfe of honour has, however, rendered them of all other people most circumfpect in conversation, and they are careful of giving offence; fhould a Rajpoot fufpect a perfon inclined to flight him, he will not only forego every profpect of advantage to be derived from the ufual 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 feverity 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 customs of this extraordinary people, have long fince convinced Mr. Tho mas that a perfon of upright manners cannot affociate with a better companion than a Rajpoot.

In their marriages they pay the stricteft attention to caft, and will never unite themfelves 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 ftriking inftance of national pertinacity.

A plurality of wives, though allowed by their inftitutions, 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 those antient feuds which have fo long subsisted among families.

During their infancy and childhood, the Rajpoot women being kept in a conftant state of concealment, when once married are feldom feen but by the very nearest in blood among their own relations. This cuftom is fo rooted among them, that a lady would confider herfelf as difhonoured by any expofure of her per: fon to public view.

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This feclufion of females in fouthern Afia, has been erroneously fuppofed by many perfons to be a hardship on the fex; but, in Mr. Tho mas'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 feries of the kindest 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 personal 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 most

parts of Europe, the fituation of the Rajpoot "females may be, perhaps, benefited by the comparison."

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