MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
which is a relief to a person ha- 
bituated to the apathy of the In- 
dians. They always shewed a de- 
sire to be informed about the state 
of countries at a distance from 
their own, and some were very 
anxious to improve themselves by 
acquiring a knowledge of our 
sciences. I gave a short account 
of the Copernican system (which 
was published in Persian by Dr. 
Hunter), toa Moollah who ac- 
companied me to Calcutta, and 
two years after his return I re- 
ceived a list of queries addressed 
to the Newtonianavn English 
(English Newtonians), requiring 
an explication of some parts of 
the system which had embarrassed 
the learned at Peshawer. 
While in Calcutta, I carried a 
great many Afghauns, of all ranks, 
from Moollahs to grooms, to see 
the arsenal, to visit ships, and to 
some other sights which were new 
to them, and it was extremely 
pleasing to see the mterest they 
took in every thing, and the gra- 
tificationthey received. One ofthe 
Moollahs, however, was greatly 
disappointed in not finding the 
wheel used for boring cannon 
turned by steara, as he had read 
in the travels of Meerza Aboo 
Taulib, was the case in England. 
I have often seen natives of India 
at spectacles of the same nature, 
and though they always were po- 
lite enough to express much ad- 
miration, they did it with a calm- 
ness that showed how little they 
were interested, while the ques- 
tions which they sometimes asked, 
were of such a nature as to leave 
no doubt that their only object 
was to keep up conversation. 
All communication with the 
Afghauns is rendered agreeable, 
475 
by the dependance which can be 
placed on what they say. Though 
they are far behind Europeans in 
veracity, and would seldom scru- 
ple to deceive both in statements 
and promises, if their own in- 
terests were to be promoted by 
their dishonesty, yet they have 
not that indifference to truth, and 
that style of habitual and gratuit- 
ous falsehood which astonishes an 
European in natives of India and 
Persia; a man of the first nation 
seems incapable of observing any 
thing accurately, and one of the 
second of describing it truly ; but 
unless some prejudice can be dis- 
covered to mislead the observer, 
or some motive is apparent for 
misrepresenting the truth, one 
may generally rely on the Af- 
ghauns both for correctness and 
fidelity. 
All the Afghauns are remark- 
ably hardy and active. From the 
nature of their country, they are 
exposed to the necessity of en- 
during cold and heat, and accus- 
tomed to the exertion of climbing 
mountains, making long journies 
-on foot and on horseback, and 
swimming broad and rapid tor- 
rents. Nor is this confined to the 
lower orders, or to men in the 
vigour of youth. As there is no 
easier conveyance in the country 
than a horse, all ranks’ acquire 
these habits : so that old Meerzas 
(or secretaries), who seem hardly 
able to sit on horseback, will ride 
at a good pace up and down the 
steepest and roughest passes, or 
along the edge of precipices, 
where one is almost afraid to walk. 
Almost all of them are, however, 
impatient of hot climates ; and, 
when on campaigns in India, the 
approach of summer used to thin 
