CASHMERE. 



.089 



commonly twice a day, or oftener, but as well for 

 S ""*"V'' the safety of the animals, as to guard against crisp- 

 ing or hardness in the wool, only at those times in 

 thf morning or in the afternoon when some degree 

 of diminution h.is taken place in the strength of the 

 ttn's rays. It is indeed an estimable and peculiar 

 quality of the Cashmerian wool, that it has no hard 

 coarse part ; a quality the more deserving of notice, 

 as it is not possessed in common with it even by the 

 wool of the Spanish sheep. 



The Cashmerian wool, exclusive of the fleeces of 

 lambs under two years of age, which are set apart 

 for certain inferior purposes, is divided into the 

 arouel, or the wool of the young sheep, and the 

 duaume, which is the name given to that of the old. 

 The first of these kinds is a little shorter than the 

 other ; it is obtained from sheep between the age of 

 three years, when the shearing of what, in the lan- 

 guage of the country, is called the touss, begins, 

 and that of seven or eight. The duaume is longer 

 than the arouel, a little less greasy, weaker, and less 

 silky. These two kinds of wool are each subdivided 

 into two sorts, that of the back and that of the 

 belly. The wool of the belly is used only for the 

 manufacture of a particular stuff, that is consumed 

 in the country and the neighbouring provinces. The 

 finer parts of the wool having been first exposed to 

 the vapour of a slight ley, formed from the ashes of 

 the leaves of the banana tree, or of a clayey barren 

 and white earth, which by the Indians is called ole, 

 then washed with the farina of a small cylindric bean, 

 called moungue, known in botany by the name of 

 mango, and lastly rinsed repeatedly in pure water, 

 are employed, as they are of the one or the other of 

 the descriptions above named, either in the manufac- 

 ture of shawls, or of those pieces of cloth which 

 have retained the name of the country, and which it 

 has been so often attempted, but commonly with 

 such indifferent success, to imitate in Europe. 



The common fine shawls manufactured in Europe 

 are the white ; in the preparation of others the yarn 

 of the wool is previously stained with such colours 

 as may be judged the best suited for sale. These 

 shawls have flowered corners, and a border of great- 

 er or less breadth, according to the price. The bor- 

 der, which usually displays a variety of figures and 

 colours, is attached to the shawls after fabrication, 

 but in so nice a manner that the junction is not dis- 

 cernible. The texture of these shawls resembles 

 that of the shalloon of Europe, to which it has pro- 

 bably communicated the name. They are usually 

 made 3^ ells in length, and half an ell in breadth. 

 The price at the loom of an ordinary shawl is eight 

 rupees; thence in proportion to quality they produce 

 from 15 to 20 ; even 4-0 are sometimes paid for very 

 fine pieces ; and by the introduction of a great deal 

 of flower-work, the value, or rather the price, may 

 be increased even to 100 rupees. The superfine shawls 

 are those that are made of the wool of the camel. 

 This wool, which is more beautiful than that of Vi- 

 gonia, is extremely scarce, being found only on the 

 forehead and around the ears of that animal. It is 

 dear in proportion to its scarceness, so that the shawls 

 formed from this material, besides costing, even at 

 the manufactory, the sum of ten guineas, are at that 



price with difficulty to be procured. Shawls, the 

 weft of which is camel's wool, are dUtinguiihed by . 



the name of cacaclttti ; the white, with the weft of 

 sheep's wool, are called teaumi ; and the rest are 

 known by the appellation of j>csxari. The superior 

 softness and beauty of the shawls of Cashmere, com* 

 paratively even with those formed from similar mate- 

 rials in the neighbouring provinces, is attributed by 

 Bernier to something in the water of the country. 

 They have a very extensive sale over all the Western 

 and Southern Asia ; and, agreeably to the remark 

 of Volney, which seems as if intended to indicate t!ie 

 variety of the circumstances in which they are to be met 

 with, they make a pan of the dress of the Egyptian 

 Mamelukes, and they are worn by English ladies. 

 The Cashmerian pieces of cloth are more than sutv 

 French ells in length, and rather bevond one-half efl 

 in breadth. The price at the manufactories amount* 

 only to the moderate sum of l.ld. These cloths art- 

 far superior to the imitations of them either in Eogr 

 land or in France, and they last much longer ; a su- 

 periority to be attributed no doubt to the better qua- 

 lity of the wool. 



The articles of manufacture which have been just 

 mentioned, form the great object of the trade and 

 industry of the Cashmerians. All, even to their 

 children, are employed in them. In former periods, 

 when the country enjoyed, in a greater degree than 

 it afterwards did, the advantage of a good govern- 

 ment, the province is said to have contained 40,000 I 

 shawl looms. At present, they are not considered 

 to be more than 16,000., 



There are still seen here merchants and commercial 

 agents of most of the principal cities of northern In- 

 dia ; also of Tartary, Persia, and Turkey ; but ow- 

 ing to the heavy oppression of the government, and 

 the rapacity of the bordering states, which prey upon 

 the foreign traders, and often plunder whole cargoes, 

 the commerce of Cashmere has fallen, for some time, 

 rather into a declining and languishing state. 



Intersected as it is with numerous streams, navi- 

 gable for small vessels, great advantage and conve- 

 niency might arise to this country, especially in re- 

 spect to its interior commerce, from the water con- 

 veyance } but in this, as in other instances, the mi- 

 serable policy of the Afghan government, has been at 

 once at variance with its own interests, and the pros- 

 perity and happiness of the people. 



Cashmere seems, at one period, to have been sub- Politics^ 

 ject to the Turkish dominion. This is indicated by 

 the name by which it has been formerly known, that 

 of Turchind, or the India of the Turks. Previous- 

 ly to the Mahometan conquest of India, this province 

 was celebrated for the learning of its Bramins, and 

 the magnificent construction of its temple. The 

 aera of its subjection to the Mahometans appears not 

 to be very precisely ascertained ; but it is probable 

 that a country containing a valuable commerce, and 

 a profusion of natural beauties, would at an early 

 date attract notice, and invite their conquest. It was 

 governed in long succession by a race of Tartar prin- 

 ces of the Chug or Chugatay tribe, until the year 

 1586, when it was subdued by Acbar, more it is said 

 through the aid of internal treachery, than by the 

 force of his own arras. It remained annexed to the 



