468 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



name is a patronymic ; thus Noro- 

 zejee Jumsheedjee, is Norozejee 

 the son of Jumsheedjee. 



The Parsees are the richest indi- 

 viduals on this side of India, and 

 most of the great merchants are 

 partners in British commercial 

 houses. They have generally two 

 or three fine houses, besides those 

 they let to the English ; they keep 

 a number of carriages and horses, 

 which they lend willingly, not only 

 to Europeans, but to their own 

 poor relations, whom they always 

 support. They often give dinners 

 to the English gentlemen, and 

 drink a great deal of wine, parti- 

 cularly Madeira. The Guebre wo- 

 men enjoy more freedom than other 

 oriental females, but they have not 

 yet thought of cultivating their 

 minds. Perhaps this is owing in 

 great measure to the early mar- 

 riages which, in compliance with 

 the Hindoo customs, they contract. 

 By becoming the property of their 

 husbands in their infancy, they 

 never think of acquiring a fur- 

 ther share of their affection, and, 

 with the hope of pleasing, one 

 great incitement to mental im- 

 provement is cut off. 



The Parsees are in general a 

 handsome large people, but they 

 have a more vulgar air than the 

 other natives ; they are extremely 

 active and enterprizing, and are li- 

 beral in their opinions, and less 

 bigotted to their own customs, 

 manners, and dress, than most na- 

 tions. Of their hospitality and 

 charitable dispositions, the follow- 

 ing is an instance. During the fa- 

 mine that desolated India in the 

 yearsl805 and 1806, the Parseemer- 

 chant Ardesee Dadee. fed five thou- 

 sand poor persons for three months 



at his own expense, besides other 

 h'beralities to the starving people. 

 The Parsees are the chief land- 

 holders in Bombay. Almost all 

 the houses and gardens inhabited 

 by the Europeans are their pro- 

 perty ; and Pestengee told me, that 

 he received not less than 15,000/. 

 a-year in rents, and that his bro- 

 ther received nearly as much. 



Character and Religion of 

 the sikhs, an indian nation 



IN THE PeNJAB. 



(From Lieutenant-Colonel Mai' 

 colnis Sketch of the Sikhs.) 



The character of the Sikhs, or 

 rather Singhs, which is the name 

 by which the followers of Guru 

 Govind, who are all devoted to 

 arms, are distinguished, is very 

 marked. They have, in general, 

 the Hindu cast of countenance, 

 somewhat altered by their long 

 beards, and are to the full as ac- 

 tive as the Mahrdtas; and much 

 more robust, from their living 

 fuller, and enjoying a better and 

 colder climate. Their courage is 

 equal, at all times, to that of any 

 natives of India; and when 

 wrought upon by prejudice or re- 

 ligion, is quite desperate. Thej' 

 are all horsemen, and have no 

 infantry in their own country, ex- 

 cept for the defence of their 

 forts and villages, though they ge- 

 nerally serve as infantry in foreign 

 armies. They are bold, and rather 

 rough, in their address ; which 

 appears more to a stranger from 

 their invariably speaking in a loud 

 tone of voice : but this is quite a 

 habit, and is alike used by them 

 to express the sentiments of re- 



