374 
INTERESTING WORK ON THE ISLE OF FRANCE. 
subject having already occupied the attention 
of Government and the diplomatic agents, for 
these last thirty years, and the fullest details, 
in consequence, having been furnished. 
From all the experience I have had, in eigh- 
teen years’ residence in Persia, I am perfectly 
persuaded that, if the government of that 
country were sincerely to aid a Russian army, 
there is no obstacle to its advancing as far 
as Herat or the Afghan dominions. In fact 
this space has been passed many times dur- 
ing that period, by larger bodies of men than 
the army oiight to be composed of ; under 
the circumstances above mentioned, it is sup- 
posed that Persia will be in alliance with, and 
aiding, Russia. All the troops it would be 
advisable to have as her contingent, ought to, 
and might, be collected in the province of 
Khorasan. To reach this, the best and short- 
est route, for the heavy part of the force, is 
from Astrabad up the Goorgan, and, through 
the country of the Khorasan Kurds, to Me- 
shed. The next point to be gained is Herat, 
which will not be a very difficult task. As 
far as this place the population is favourable, 
being old subjects of Persia. From this they 
must fight their way to the Indus, for it can- 
not be supposed that any thing they can offer 
will induce the Afghans to part with their 
western provinces, the possession of which 
alone can be a supposed inducement for Persia 
to enter heartily into such a war. The enter- 
prise is practicable, but difficult ; armies have 
passed three times by this route in the lasthun- 
dred years. Persia is not, at the present mo- 
ment, in a condition for any power to put con- 
fidence in her political relations. Though the 
present king has certainly gained the throne 
with less difficulty, and in a shorter period, 
than could have been expected, he cannot 
be said to be firmly established, and in the 
event of any reverse, the people generally, 
who are far from being attached to the Kadgar 
dynasty, would probably revolt. He has be- 
sides killed Mirza Abul Kassim, his able 
prime minister, to whom he chiefly owed his 
success, who, with all his faults, and they 
were both numerous and great, was, without 
doubt, the ablest man in his court or in that 
of his father. The Azerdbijan troops, by 
their conduct in the civil war, and in Khorasan, 
have shewn of what excellent materials the 
Persian soldier is really made, and that the 
trouble taken by the English in their organi- 
zation, has not been thrown away. If they 
failed in the war with Russia, it was from no 
fault of theirs, but what I’esults from all irre- 
gular government, when no fixed system of 
war or policy can be depended on.” 
Such is Col. Monteith’s opinion on this 
important question : we now proceed to no- 
tice that of Capt. Head’s. 
(To be continued.) 
Art. III. — Cursory notes on the Isle of 
France, made in 1827 with a map of 
the Island: by E. Stirling, Esq.» 
Member of the Asiatic Society, J833. 
Calcutta. Thacker & Co. 8yo. pp. 50- 
(Continued from page 321.^ 
Mr. Stirling proceeds to give some inter- 
esting and important remarks on the popula- 
tion of the Isle of France. In a colony of such 
small dimensions, the population consisted 
principally of slaves, many of whom had, 
however, been emancipated by grateful mas- 
ters. In 1776, Abb^ Raynal estimated the 
population, the military force inclusive, as 
follows: — whites, 6,386 — free negroes, 1,199, 
and slaves, 25,154, or total, 32,739. In 
1799, Baron Grant estimated the population 
at 10,000 whites and mulattoes, and 55,000 
slaves, from which it is to be inferred that 
they had doubled in the twenty- three years 
preceding. A third estimate was made by the 
author of the Voyages des Orientals, who 
found, in the year 1818, that the inhabitants 
amounted to 80,000 slaves, and 15,000 
whites. Our author found the following 
calculation correct at the period of his 
enquiries. 
1. 500 Houses, Planters, at per house 
7 individuals 3,500 
2. CO ,, Merchants, Agents, &c . 
&c. at 6 ditto, .... 360 
3. 350 „ Shop-keeiers, retail 
dealeis, 1,550 
4. 50 ,, Artificers, Mechanics, 
at 5, 250 
5. 100 ,, Dancing-masters, play. 
ers, music masters, 
and instructors of 
all kinds, at per 
house 4, 
400 
6. 100 
,, Carpenters and indivi- 
duals employed at 
the Haibour, at 5, 
,, Mulattoes employed in 
various ways, beside 
500 
7. 500 
tlie above, atC, .... 
3,000 
8. 1,000 
,, Free Negroes, at3, .. 
3,000 
9. 160 
,. Malabars and Indians, 
at, 5 
, The Police, Govern- 
750 
10, 350 
ment Establishment, 
and otficeis ; the Ju- 
dicial Courts and 
the Servants of Go- 
vernment at 5, .. 1,750 
Temporary Sojourners, 800 
