4lfi 



The Oriental Gleaver.. .No. II !. 



(ID ])lay!iic;-car(ls, Is siii\n;irto tlmt of a 

 spade used in the norti) of Ensilandand 

 Scotland for raisiii«rl "if, failed aflagh- 

 ter s))ade in Scoliand. 'I'lie square- 

 moiUlied spade would not do Mell for 

 the jnirpose, as the strength of a man 

 would not besntlieient to force it on in 

 liard ground tlirough the roots of grass 

 and so near the surface. 



Before I quit (his subject I have to 

 observe, that spade cultivation might 

 be rendered much more easy audcheaper 

 if it were not carried so deep. It goes 

 at leastthree time.sasdeepasthe))longh, 

 now I think twice as deep would l;e 

 quite enough. It does not seem to me 

 to he necessary to go deep merely be- 

 cause the spade is au implement witii 

 wliich it can he done; particularly as 

 going one third less in depth would 

 lessen the labour at least o/ie linlf, for 

 the earth that is far below the surface, 

 besides the greater quantity, requires 

 much m(;re force to turn it over as the 

 spade, which in the act of raising the 

 earth is used as a lever, the fulcrum 

 of which is the surface of the ground 

 at the back of the spade. 



On the whole 1 think a great improve- 

 ment may be made as to the expedition 

 and facility of spade cultivation, if 

 proper attention is paid to the subject. 

 W. P. 



THE ORIENTAL GLEANER. 

 No. III. 

 On the POETS and uterature nf 

 PERSIA, and /heir ^I'ccuimt <:/ alex- 



ANDEK THE GREAT. 



C APT. VANS KENNEDY'S Essay 

 on Persian Literature is one of the 

 most interesting papers, in that pearl 

 of oriental literature, the Proceedings 

 of th(! Literary Society of Bombay. — 

 The intelligent author appears to be 

 mastei- of liis subject, and opens his 

 learned essay, by presenting his readers 

 with a view of the cIVects of the Persian 

 government. The limits of lliis paper 

 do not peiuiit ns to detail the author's 

 judicious observations on this subject, 

 nor would we wish to do so, lest it 

 should prevent the intelligent reader 

 from perusing the original — but bis 

 observations tend to prove, that tlie 

 opinions respecting Persian literature 

 are various. A few extracts from 

 the most celebrated works in (hat lan- 

 guage will enable the general reiuler 

 to form bis own opinion on Ibis subject. 

 In a country where the lives and pro- 

 jMirties of men air. held njerely at (he 

 plrasurc and caprice of the Sultan 



[June I. 



whose will is not restrained, the higher 

 feelings of (be soul can have no exist- 

 ence. That amor patria', therefore, and 

 that desire of fame, which lead to every 

 noble exertion, are unknown in Persia : 

 there, independency of action is held 

 in complete subjection, and the (uily 

 road to wealtli is servile submission. 

 These iiredesfinarians believe, that 

 every thing (hat happens to man has 

 been decreed by immutable fa(e; ac- 

 cordingly every subject submits to his 

 fate witii perfect resi<^nation, as the 

 decree of Allah. It is in Musulman 

 countries only that the highest ollicers 

 of the state are chained, beaten, basti- 

 nadoed, and decajiitaied ; the result of 

 this policy is a deprivation of every 

 noble (|uality that ought to distinguish 

 a i)ublic character; accordingly the 

 ministers, without possessing virtue, 

 are feared, but never respected. 



In private life, the bauef\il influence of 

 bigotry and despotism etpially pi-evail. 

 The knowledge of other countries is 

 contemned, and the Persians think 

 themselves superior to all. They an; 

 taught to read and to Mrite tlieir own 

 language, the simplest rules of Arabic 

 grammar, and (o read the Koran ; more- 

 over tiie Persians, like all Muliamedan 

 nalious, an; deprived of the advantages 

 MJiich flow from an equal and unre- 

 served intercourse with the female sex. 

 That indescribable power which the 

 society of woman possesses to amelio- 

 rate the sterner passions of m.an, ha:5 

 never been experienced by them ; nei- 

 ther has the violence of their passions 

 been subdued by gallantry, or those 

 sentiments of respect to women, which 

 have in Europe survived tlie days of 

 chivalry. The nature of theirgovern- 

 ment also prevents their reposing that 

 confidence in each olhei' which produces 

 and maintains the social affections. 

 The Persian has no moral principle io 

 direct his conduct ; he freely iuilulges 

 in every excess and every passion (hat 

 a depraved mind may suggest. Thus, 

 where virtue is banislied from public 

 and private life, where it is uot re- 

 quired, where the softer feelings are 

 unknown, few can be the noble actions 

 worthy to be recoided by the pen of 

 the historian or the themes of the poet. 

 A detailed account of the Persian 

 historians would be uninteresting io 

 all but such as are acquainted witii the 

 Arabic and Persian languages ; to those 

 who seek after such kuowledge, ample 

 information will Iw found in the Biblio- 

 tln}()ue Orienfale. It is sufficient for 



our 



