201 



as musk, appear on every side. Attar concludes the description 

 of this princely banquet with the following appeal to his reader. 

 " All that can charm the ear, the pleasures of wine, the season of 

 youth, full-blown roses, and the minstrels' songs, — wine and a 

 purling stream, — soft moon-beams — the melody of the nightingale, 

 and the clear light of torches, the faces of nymphs lovely as hou- 

 ries, and the fragrant breath of early morn, — when all these are 

 combined, what more canst thou desire V 



I mentioned the taste of the Moguls and Persians at Cambay 

 for poetry and the belles-lettres during an evening entertainment. 

 The day following I was introduced to a brahmin, with whom I 

 was agreeably surprised and very much delighted. He was inti- 

 mate with Sir Charles Malet, and had profited by his acquaint- 

 ance : he understood English, and having access to his friend's 

 library, he read our books with great facility, and particularly 

 studied a voluminous dictionary of arts and sciences, from whence 

 he had acquired a fund of useful knowledge and a liberality of 

 sentiment uncommon in his caste. He was fond of drawing, and 

 had acquired a skill and judgment in that amusement beyond any 

 native I ever met with; he presented me, on a further acquaint- 

 ance, with fifty portraits of persons well known at Cambay and the 

 adjacent country, high and low, of different tribes and religions, in 

 their various costume and distinct character of countenance, toge- 

 ther with drawings taken from the life of the most celebrated 

 yogees, senassees, and other religious pilgrims, who frequented the 

 Hindoo temples at Cambay. 



I never met with a similar instance among the natives of India, 

 nor with any one approaching it. Mr. Hunter, in a journey from 



VOL. III. 2 1) 



