764 P ESH 
branches with pendants Teemed to project from the crown; 
but the whole was To complicated, and To dazzling, that 
it was difficult to underftand, and impoffible to delcribe. 
The throne was covered with a cloth adorned with pearls, 
on which lay a fvvord and a fmall mace, fet with jewels. 
The room was open all round. The centre was fupported 
by four high pillars, in the midft of which was a marble 
fountain. The floor was covered with the richeft carpets ; 
and round the edges were flips of filk, embroidered with 
gold, for the khans to ftand on. The view from the 
hall was beautiful. Immediately below was an extenfive 
garden, full of cyprefles and other trees, and beyond was 
a plain of the richeft verdure: here and there were pieces 
of water and Alining ftrearns; and the whole was bounded 
by mountains, fome dark, and others covered with fnow. 
When I left the king, I was re-condudted to the kilhik 
khauneh, where all the gentlemen of the million received 
rich drelies of honour. 
“ Our prefents for the king were carried into the palace 
while we were in the kifnik khauneh. Nothing could 
exceed the meannefs and rapacity of the officers, who re¬ 
ceived charge of them. They kept the camels on which 
fome of them were fent, and even feized four riding- 
camels, which had entered the palace by miftake. They 
ftripped the elephant-drivers of their livery ; and gravely ' 
infilled, that two Englilh fervants, who were fent to put 
up the luftres, were part of the prefent.” 
Until the prefentation to the king was over, none of 
the gentlemen of the million went out; but after that 
time they rode freely through the country. Pelhawer 
Hands in the midft of a circular plain about thirty-five 
miles in diameter. In March, the diftant mountains 
were covered with fnow, the plain with the brighteft ver¬ 
dure, and the climate was delicious. The trees were 
enough in leaf to give grace and richnefs to the profpedl; 
and a fortnight completed the new foliage, which ex¬ 
ceeds in brilliancy that of Hindooftan. “Many ftrearns 
ran through the plain : their banks were fringed with 
willows and tamarilks. The orchards fcattered over the 
country, contained a profufion of plum, peach, apple, 
pear, quince, and pomegranate, trees, which afforded a 
greater difplay of blofl'om than I ever before witneffed ; 
and the uncultivated parts of the land were covered with 
a thick elaftic fod, that perhaps never was equalled but in 
England. The greater part of the plain was highly cul¬ 
tivated, and irrigated by many water-courfes and canals. 
Never was a fpot of the fame extent better peopled. From 
one height, Lieut. Macartney took the bearings of thirty- 
two villages, all within a circuit of four miles. The vil¬ 
lages were generally large, and remarkably clean and 
neat, and almoft all fet off with trees. There were little 
bridges of mafonry over the ftrearns, each of which had 
two fmall towers for ornament at each end. The greater 
part of the trees on the plain were mulberries, or other 
fruit-trees. Except a few pidlurefque groupes of dates, 
the only tall trees were the Ficus religiofa and the tama- 
rilk, which laft grows here to the height of thirty or forty 
feet. Its leaves being like thole of the cyprefs, and very 
thick, the groves compofed of it are extremely dark and 
gloomy. The town of Pelhawer itfelf Hands on an un¬ 
even furface. It is upwards of five miles round ; and 
contains about 100,000 inhabitants. The houfes are 
built of brick (generally unburnt), in wooden frames : 
they are commonly three ftories high, and the lower 
ftory is generally occupied by (hops. The ftreets are 
narrow, as might be expedted where no wheeled-carriages 
are ufed: they are paved; but, the pavement Hoping down 
to the kennel, which is in the middle, they are llippery, 
and inconvenient. Two or three brooks run through 
different parts of the town ; and, even there, are Ikirted 
with willows and mulberry-trees. There are many 
mofques in the town ; but none of them, or of the other 
public buildings, deferve notice, except the balla hifl'aur 
and the fine caravanfera. The balla hiffaur is a caftle of 
no ftrength, on a hill, north of the town : it contains 
A W E R. 
fome fine halls, commands a romantic profpedt, and is 
adorned with fome very pleating and fpacious gardens ; 
but, as it is only the occasional refidence of the king, it is 
now much negledted. On the north it prefents a com¬ 
manding afpedt ; but a view of it from the fide neareft the 
town dilclofes llrong figns of weaknefs and decay. Some 
of the palaces of the great are fplendid ; but few of the 
nobility have houfes here. 
“The inhabitants of Pelhawer are of Indian origin, 
but fpeak Pulhtoo as well as Hindkee. There are, how¬ 
ever, many other inhabitants of all nations; and the con- 
courfe is increafed during the king’s vifits to Pelhawer. 
We had many opportunities of obferving this affemblage 
in returning from our morning rides; and its effedl was 
heightened by the ftillnefs and folitude of the ftreets, at 
the early hour at which we ufed to fet out. A little be¬ 
fore funrife, people began to affemble at the mofques to 
their morning devotions. After the hour of prayer, fome 
few appeared fweeping the ftreets before their doors, and 
fome great men were to be feen going to their early at¬ 
tendance at court. They were always on horfeback, pre¬ 
ceded by from ten to twelve fervants on foot,who walked 
pretty fall, but in perfedt order and filence : nothing was 
heard but the found of their feet. But, when we re¬ 
turned, the ftreets were crowded with men of all nations 
and languages, in every variety of drefs and appearance.' 
The Ihops were all open. Dried fruits, and nuts, bread, 
meat, boots, Ihoes, faddlery, bales of cloth, hardware, 
ready-made clothes, and polleens, books, &c. were either 
difplayed in tiers in front of the Ihops, or hung up on 
hooks from the roof. Amongft the handfomeft Ihops 
were the fruiterers, (where apples, melons, plums, and 
even oranges, though thefe are rare at Pelhawer, were 
mixed in piles with lome of the Indian fruits ;) and the 
cook-fnops, where every thing was ferved in earthen 
dilhes, painted and glazed, fo as to look like china. In 
the ftreets were people crying greens, curds, Sec. and men, 
carrying water in leathern bags at their backs, and an¬ 
nouncing their commodity by beating on a brazen cup, 
in which they give a draught to a palfenger for a trifling 
piece of money. With thefe were mixed people of the 
town in white turbans, fome in large white or dark blue 
frocks, and others in Iheep-lkin cloaks; Perfians, and 
Afghans, in brown woollen tunics, or flowing mantles, 
and caps of black Iheep-lkin or coloured filk ; Khyberees, 
with the ftraw fandals, and the wild drefs and air, of their 
mountains; Hindoos, uniting the peculiar features and 
manners of their own nation to the long beard and the 
drefs of the country ; and Hazarehs, not more remark¬ 
able for their conical caps of Ikin, with the wool appear¬ 
ing like a fringe round the edge, and for their broad 
faces and little eyes, than for their want of the beard, 
which is the ornament of every other face in the city. 
Among thefe might be difeovered a few women with long 
white veils that reached their feet, and fome of the king’s 
retinue, in the grotefque caps, and fantaftic habits, which 
mark the clafs to which each belongs. Sometimes, when 
the king was going out, the ftreets were choaked with 
liorfe and foot, and dromedaries bearing fwivels, and 
large waving red and green flags; and, at all times, 
loaded dromedaries, or heavy Baftrian camels, covered 
with ffiaggy hair, made their way flowly through -the 
ftreets ; and mules, faftened together in circles of eight 
or ten, were feen oft’ the road, going round and round to 
cool them after their labour, while their keepers were 
indulging at an eating-houfe, or enjoying a fmoke of a 
hired culleeaun in the llreet. Amidlt all this throng we 
generally palled without any notice, except a falam from 
a palfenger, accompanied by a bow, with the hands crofted 
in front; or an application from a beggar, who would call 
out for relief, admoniffi us that life was Ihort, and the be¬ 
nefit of charity immortal, or remind us that what was 
little to us was a great deal to him.” 
During the Hay of the embaffy at Pelhawer, an alarming 
rebellion againll the king of Caubul was undertaken by 
Utah 
