CAB 



18J 



C A c; 





.1 all the science of the times, he had a correct 

 knowledge of the globe : he made ' cardes for the 

 sea," he sketched out tracts of adventure in region, 

 which no mortal had ever seen, and waa the first who 

 noticed the variation of tin- compass. 1 lr publibhed 

 a l.irge map, engraved by Clement Adams, a copy of 

 wliii-'h, containing some writing, wa* hung up in the 

 privy gallery at Whitehall. There is also a work 

 under the title of " Stivi-ftttittnc ncllc parlt: Settc/i- 

 trionale, par Sebastiano Cabota," printed at Venice, 

 . SivH.ikluyt's /'/>//tfr.v, vol. in. London, 1600; 

 Campbell's 7,/ir.v of the Admirals', Lediard's Naval 

 lli^litn/ ; and liio^. Jit-it. (K) 



CABUL, or K \IIOI-L, the capital of the Afghan 

 empire. It lies in cast Long. 68 38', N. Lat. 34- 

 .'JO'. We give the following account of this place from 

 Foster's Tratl&, which describes its situation in 1783. 

 ** Cabul,the residence of Tinmr Shah, and the capital 

 of his dominions, is a walled city of about a mile and a 

 half in circumference, and situated on the eastern side 

 of a range of two united hills, describing generally 

 the figure of a semicircle. The fortification, which 

 is of a simple construction, with scarcely a ditch, and 

 the houses built of rough stones, clay, and unburnt 

 bricks, exhibit a mean appearance, and are ill suited 

 to the grandeur which I expected to see in the capi- 

 tal of a great empire. But the Afghans are a rude 

 unlettered people, and their chiefs have little propen- 

 sity to the refinements of life, which indeed their 

 country is ill qualified to gratify." 



la the centre of the city there are four spacious 

 bazars, or market-places, in a line, which consists of 

 a range of apartments on each side, of two floors ; 

 the lower appropriated to merchants, and that above 

 to private use. The intermediate space between the 

 ranges is covered by an arched roof ; and each ba- 

 zar is separated by au open square, which was sup- 

 plied ,by fountains, but now choked up with filth, 

 or occupied by the meanest order of mechanics. 



* The districts of Cabul," says Foster, " abound 

 in excellent provisions, and its market is arranged in 

 a neater manner, and more like that of an European 

 town, than any I have seen in Asia. The fruits are 

 of a good kind, and in great plenty, as apples, pears, 

 peaches, pomegranates, and a variety of grapes." 



This quarter of Afghanistan, or Cabulistan, pos- 

 sesses but few Indian productions : in return for su- 

 vrar and cotton cloth, it sends iron, leather, and to- 

 bacco. The Tartars of Bochara bring to Cabul the 

 horses of Turkistan, furs, and hides. The Usbec 

 Tartars frequent Cabul in great numbers ; but the 

 Hindoos, who come chiefly from Peshour, contribute 

 more than any other to enrich it, by their superior 

 industry and knowledge of commerce ; and they en- 

 joy under the Afghan government, a liberty and pro- 

 tection, little short of that experienced by the inha- 

 bitants of our Indian possessions. 



The environs of Cabul are chiefly occupied by gar- 

 den grounds, and watered by numerous streams, the 

 largest running through the city, and having a small 

 bridge over it, affords a plentiful supply of water. 



" The Afghans," to use the words of the author 

 already quoted, " are the indigenous possessors of a 

 tract of country which stretches from the mountains 

 of Tartary, to certain parts of the Gulf of Cambay 



3 



and Perbia, ami from the Indit-b to the confines of 

 Persia. The inhabit a B> wide* domain haw 



no writ'L-u character, and speak a language peculiar 

 to themselves. (Sec AFGHANS.) They are a ro- 

 bust and hardy race of meu ; and being generally ad* 

 dieted to a state of predatory warfare, their manner* 

 largely partake of a barbarous insolence, and they 

 avow a fixed contempt for the occupations of civil 

 life. Though in some of our histories of Asia, the 

 natives of Afghanistan are denominated Tartars, I 

 am prompted to say that they bear no resemblance to 

 that people, either in their persons, manners, or lan- 

 guage." The Afghans are now generally allowed 

 to be of Jewibh origin : they indeed call themselves 

 Mahometan Jews ; and some modern writers have, 

 perhaps with too much precipitation, pronounced 

 them to be the remains of the ten tribes, which were 

 carried captive from Samaria, (g) 



C AC ALIA, a genns of plants of the class Syn- 

 genesia, and order Polygamia ^Equalis. See BOTA- 

 NY, p. 296. 



CACAO. See CHOCOLATE. 



CACHAO, CHACO, CHECO, KESIIO, KEBIIO, or 

 BAC.KINH, are the various names which have been 

 given to the capital of the empire of Tunkin. The 

 last of these names, which signifies the City of the 

 North, has been recently given to this metropolis, 

 since the extension of the power of the Emperor of 

 Tunkin, on account of its situation towards the north 

 of his dominions. 



This town, which was formerly the residence of 

 the Tunkinese monarchs, has neither walls nor forti- 

 fications. The streets, which are ill paved, are in 

 general narrow, though some of them are wide and 

 airy. The houses are low and mean, and are built 

 of wood and clay, as the people are not permitted to 

 build them of stone, nor above one story high. The 

 great buildings and the pagodas, arc often made of 

 wood, in order to resist the effects of storms ; but 

 in several of them, the principal walls are built of 

 stones or bricks, and the rest of wood. Hence these 

 edifices, with some appearance of symmetry, are ex- 

 tremely irregular, and represent a shapeless mass of 

 buildings, though amid this disorder they have often 

 a majestic appearance, which indicates the grandeur 

 of their possessor. From the immense quantity of 

 wood in the houses, this town has been subject to 

 frequent conflagrations. In order to prevent this ca- 

 lamity, every family is obliged to keep a cistern of 

 water on the top of the house, and a long pole and 

 bucket for the purpose of throwing the water upon 

 the flame. Every family is likewise furnished with a 

 low brick building like an oven, for the purpose of 

 depositing their valuable property in case of any alarm 

 from fire. 



The principal building in Cachao, is the Chowa, or 

 palace, which stood in the centre of the city, and 

 comprehended immense gardens, and a great number 

 of buildings. It occupied a space of two or three 

 leagues in circumference, and was enclosed with a 

 strong wall, in which there were four gates facing 

 the cardinal points, and bearing their names. Before 

 we can arrive at the interior of the palace, it is ne- 

 cessary to pass through several courts, in one of 

 which are the barracks for the guards, and in the 



