476 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
their armies by desertions, even 
in the vigorous reign of Ahmed 
Shauh. This is the more surpris- 
ing, when it is remembered how 
much of the Afghaun country is in 
a hot cl'mate. 
They are industrious and labo- 
rious, when pursuing any object 
of business or pleasure. No peo- 
ple are more diligentinhusbandry, 
and many of them are indefati- 
gable in the chace ; but when not 
so excited, they are indolent. 
The love of gain seems to be 
their ruling passion ; most of the 
Dooraunee chiefs prefer hoarding 
up their great but useless trea- 
sures, to the power, reputation, 
and esteem, which the circum- 
stances of the times would enable 
them to command by a moderate 
liberality. The influence of money 
on the whole nation, is spoken of 
by those who knew them best, as 
boundless, and it is not denied by 
themselves. 
Their love of independence has 
already beennoticedas influencing 
their government ; it appears in 
some shape in most of their opi- 
nions and transactions. Their 
highest praise, in speaking of: a 
well-governed country, is, that 
“‘ every man eats the produce of 
his own field,” and that « no- 
body has any concern with his 
neighbour.” 
This love of personal indepen- 
dence is, however, very remote 
from selfishness. The nature of 
their society, where power con- 
sists in the number of a man’s re- 
lations, produces a very strong at- 
tachment between members of the 
same family, and there is no 
Afghaun who would not shew his 
devotion to his clan, if he saw it 
engaged in any contest. I must 
except from what I say of family 
attachment, the rivalry which the 
election of chiefs occasion inthe 
heads of families: the force of blood 
is never much felt among kings ; 
and the chiefship of a little tribe 
is as elevated a station in the eyes 
of those who contend for it as a 
crown among great princes. This 
does not indeed happen among 
brothers, but it is so remarkable 
in more distant relations, that 
Turboor, which literally means a 
cousin, is now the common word 
in Pushtoo for arival. I have al- 
ready shewn how their clannish 
spirit diminishes their general 
patriotism, but they all take a 
lively interest in the Nung du 
Pooshtauneh, or honour of the 
Afghaun name ; and they are ex- 
tremely attached to the country 
that gave them birth, and to the 
scenes of their early pleasures. A 
native of the wild valley of Speiga, 
north-east of Ghuznee, who was 
obliged to fly his country for some 
offence, was once giving me an ac- 
count of his travels: he concluded 
by enumerating the countries he 
-had visited, and by comparing 
them with his own: ‘I have seen 
all Persia and India, Georgia, 
Tartary, and Belochestaun, but I 
have seen no such place as Speiga 
in all my travels.” 
They are all very proud of their 
descent ; a great part of their his- 
tories is taken up by genealogies: 
they will hardly acknowledge a 
man for an Afghaun, who cannot 
make his proofs by going back six 
or seven generations; and even in 
their ordinary conversation, they 
often stop to enumerate the fore- 
fathers of any person who happens: 
to be mentioned. 
They are all kind to their im- 
