373 



possible, to avoid prolixity. But if a writer on foreign countries 

 were to suppress every thing which could not be brought to the 

 standard of reason, and to withhold local anecdotes, apparently 

 trifling, which often very strongly mark the national and indivi- 

 dual character, his narrative would be comparatively dull, and want 

 that zest which distinguishes the traveller from the sedentary com- 

 poser: at the same time it must be allowed, that after a long series 

 of years, the traveller who wrote from first impressions, and com- 

 mitted to paper all that then engaged his attention, will find it 

 necessary to expunge many incidents which at the time were in- 

 teresting to himself, though at a subsequent period they might not 

 be deemed so by general readers. 



Few persons have had more experience of the Indian cha- 

 racter than Lord Teignmouth. Being elected President of the 

 Asiatic Society, after the much-lamented death of Sir William 

 Jones, he thus addresses them in his first paper: " Ma??, and Na- 

 ture were proposed, by our late President, as the comprehensive 

 objects of our researches; and although I by no means think 

 that advantage should be taken of this extensive proposition, to 

 record every trivial peculiarity of practice, habit, or thinking 

 which characterizes the natives of India, many singularities will 

 be found amongst them which are equally calculated to gratify 

 curiosity, and to attract the notice of the philosopher and politi- 

 cian. Of all studies, that of the human mind is of the greatest im- 

 portance; and, whether we trace it in its perfection or debase- 

 ment, we learn to avoid error, or obtain models for improvement, 

 and examples for imitation. In pursuing customs and habits to 

 the principles from which they are derived, we ascertain ,by the 



