47 4 
cumstances do not permit their 
continuing on the spot till all they 
find there:is consumed, they eat 
as much as they can, but the rest 
of the eggs are destroyed. Do 
they meet a large flock of spring- 
bocks, they wound as many as 
possible, although six or eight are 
sufficient to last them several days: 
the rest are left to die, and rot on 
the ground. I have already re- 
lated, that when they. fall upon 
any of the herds or flocks belong- 
ing to the colonists, they will ra- 
ther destroy every one, though they 
cannot possibly carry them away, 
than leave any for the owner. 
CHARACTER OF THE AFGHAUNS, 
( From the Hon. F. Elphinston’s 
account of Caubul.) 
The manners of the Afghauns 
are frank and open. Though 
manly and independent, they are 
entirely free from that affectation 
of military pride and ferocity, 
which is so conspicuous in their 
descendants the Pitans of India. 
When their address is bad, it is 
rustic, but never fierce or inso- 
lent: the Indian Pitans seem to 
have copied the peculiar manners 
of the Eusofzyes, to whom a 
haughty and arrogant carriage is 
natural. About towns, the Af- 
ghauns are in some degree polish- 
ed, and shew respect to superiors, 
but in many parts of the country 
they are plain, and make little 
distinction of ranks; they all, 
however, shew great reverence 
for old age. 
Though the Afghauns have that 
ease of manner which - strikes 
every observer, in comparing the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, I815. 
behaviour of Asiatics with that of 
Europeans, yet it is not uncom- 
mon to find them bashful; a de- 
fect which I have never witnessed 
in any other Asiatic. Except on 
formal occasions, they use a good 
deal of gesture, but it is always 
of a grave kind, such as stretch- 
ing out the arm, and bending for- 
ward the body. They have, per- 
haps, more of this kind of action 
than the Persians, though not 
near so lively a people; but they 
by no means equal the gesticula- 
tion of the Indians. 
They are also free from that 
puerility which is, perhaps, the 
distinguishing characteristic of 
the last-mentioned people. I 
found their conversation and their 
inquiries, though not enlarged, 
always rational, and they did not 
seem much delighted with those 
baubles which generally form the 
most acceptable presents in India. 
The Afghauns are accused by 
the Persians of ignorance and 
barbarism ; stupidity is indeed the 
proverbial reproach of all Khoras- 
saun. They certainly have nei- 
ther the refinement nor the sub- 
tlety of their western neighbours, 
and their want of much inter- 
course with foreign nations, un- 
doubtedly narrows their views, 
and, ‘on some subjects, contracts 
their understandings; but from 
their state of society, in which 
every man is obliged to protect 
his own rights, and where he is, 
at the same time, of some im- 
portance to the community, their 
faculties must be a good deal ex- 
erted and improved ; and accord- 
ingly the bulk of the people are 
remarkable for prudence, good 
sense, and observation. They 
have also a degree of curiosity 
pa 
