SHIKARPOOK. 1 67 



Kabul, after the term of days, to the 



bearer, the mone}^ to be of the currency of 

 the place. 



In the year of Vikramaditya, &c. 

 On the documents are also certain private 

 marks which effectually prevent forgery and 

 swindling, as such are known only to the drawer 

 and his correspondent. About two-thirds of the 

 inhabitants of Shikarpoor are Hindoos, of very 

 lax tenets, as above stated, and of the remainder 

 one thousand are Afghans, or the descendants of 

 Afghans, and such are perhaps the handsomest 

 and most intelligent people in the East. 



The cold season at Shikarpoor is extremely 

 pleasant, and they have water within thii^teen 

 feet of the surface in all parts of the city, which 

 possesses no public edifice worthy of notice, 

 though the houses of the more opulent Hindoo 

 merchants are large and commodious. 



This city produces hair and cotton carpets, 

 silk loongees, and very superior leather, which 

 latter article has been exported in large quan- 

 tities to the coast of Arabia and the Persian 

 Gulf, since the days of ]\Iarco Polo. Shikarpoor 

 certainly wears an appearance of wealth sui^e- 

 rior to that of any other city in Sindli ; never- 



