P £ S H A W E R, 
765 
fliah Mahmud; and the king’s minifter, Akram Khan, 
who was known to be on good terms with the Englifh, 
was Angularly unfuccefsful againlt the enemy. Before 
the firft alarm created by the bad news was over, a Hindoo 
letter-carrier was feized in one of the pafl'es on the way to 
Caubul; and a report was fpread, that he was charged 
with a treacherous correfpondence between the Englifh 
and the rebels. This ftory was accompanied by a rumour, 
that the king of Caubul meant to give up to plunder the 
quarters and property of the embafly. The whole town 
was confequently in a ferment; people were running up 
and down in all direftions, getting their arms in order, 
and lighting their matches; and a great mob angrily af- 
fembled at the gates of the caravanfera. The gentlemen 
of the embafly continued to fit quietly in the hall, and 
to receive company : but Capt. Pitman filently doubled 
the guards, and took other meafures of defence. At 
length, the king’s minifter made a vifit to the ambaflador, 
■which put an end to any fufpicions of difloyalty : the 
crowd difperfed; and the Englifh, after having been 
threatened with maflacre, became the hope of the nation. 
Meanwhile, the ftrength of the rebels continuing to in- 
creafe, and alfo the poverty of the king’s exchequer, he 
was advifed to hoift the royal ftandard, to quit Pefhawer, 
which was indefenfible, and to march for Caubul. This 
determination, being taken, neceflarily interrupted the 
negotiation, and decided the embafly to return. An ap¬ 
plication was made by the king of Caubul in his necefiity 
to the Britifh for a loan of money: but the ambaflador 
thought that his powers did not extend to the making of 
fuch advances. Perhaps there would have been more 
liatefinanfhip and magnanimity hi granting them ; fince, 
at an expenfe which would not have doubled the coft of 
the embafly,the throneof Caubul would thus probably have 
been fecured to a friendly fovereign, who would have in¬ 
demnified the government of Calcutta by the ceflion of 
feme frontier-province. Even if the money had been 
expended in vain, it would have fecured ceflions of claim, 
which future opportunities might have changed into va¬ 
luable rights. 
On the 14th of June the embafly began its retreat by 
another road, through Chumkuny, along’ the Caubul 
river to Acora, and thence to Attock, a fort near the 
junflion of the Caubul and the Indus. Many perfons 
were feen crofling the river, or floating down the ftream, 
feated aftride on the inflated hides of oxen; a contrivance 
■which was ufed in thefe countries, as Arrian obferves, in 
the time of Alexander. Above Attock, are rapids which 
interfere with navigation ; and to the eaft of Attock the 
region aflumes a Hindoo charadler. The embafly pafled 
the Hydafpes at Jellalpoor in detachments between the 
zzd and 26th of July ; and the reft of the journey back to 
Delhi was performed without any remarkable occurrence. 
“The prefent kingdom of Caubul,” fays Mr. Elphin- 
ftone, “ extends from the weft of Heraut in longitude 62, 
to the eaftern boundary of Cafhmeer in longitude 77 E. 
and from the mouth of the Indus in latitude 24, to the 
Oxus in latitude 37 N. The whole fpace included be¬ 
tween thofe lines of latitude and longitude, does not be- 
longto the king of Caubul; and itisgenerally underftood, 
that of thofe which may be confidered as annexed to his 
crown, many pay him but a nominal obedience. This 
kingdom is bounded on the eaft by Hindooftan, in which 
it however comprehends Cafhmeer, and the countries on 
the left bank of the Indus. On the fouth it may be faid 
to have the Perfian Gulf; and, on the weft, a defert ex¬ 
tends along the whole of the frontiers. Its northern 
frontier is formed by the mountains of the eaftern Cau- 
cafus, which are, however, included within the weftern 
part of the boundary there formed by the Oxus. Ac¬ 
cording to the nomenclature of our lateft maps, it com¬ 
prehends Afghaniftan and Segiftan, with part of Cho- 
rafan and of Makran ; Balk, with Tokareltau and Kilan ; 
Kuttore, Caubul, Candahar, Sindy, and Cafhmeer ; to¬ 
gether with a portion of Lahore, and the greater part of 
Moultan. The whole population of the kingdom cannot 
be under fourteen millions. This was the number fixed 
by one of the gentlemen of the million, on a calculation 
of the extent and comparative population of the different 
provinces. All extenfive deferts were excluded ; no 
greater rate of population than a hundred to the fquare 
mile was allowed to any large trad! except Cafhmeer, and 
fometimes (as in the whole country of the Hazaurehs) 
only eight fouls were allowed to the fquare mile. The 
different nations who inhabit the kingdom of Caubul 
were fuppofed to contribute to the population in the fol¬ 
lowing proportions : 
Afghans . 
Beloches . . . . . . , 
Tartars of all defcriptions . . 
Perfians (including Taujiks) 
Indians (Cafhmeerees, Juts, &c.) 
Mifcellaneous tribes . . . 
4,300,000 
1,000,000 
1,200,000 
1,500,000 
5,700,000 
300,000 
14,000,000 
If a man could be tranfported from England to the 
Afghan country, without palling through the dominions 
of Turkey, Perlia, or Tartnry, he would be amazed at the 
wide and unfrequented deferts, and the mountains 
covered with perennial fnow. Even in the cultivated 
part of the country, he would difcover a wild aflemblage 
of hills and waftes, unmarked by enclofures, not embel- 
lifhed by trees, and deftitute of navigable canals, public 
roads, and all the great and elaborate produftions of 
human indultry and refinement. He would find the 
towns few, and far diftant from each other; and he w'ould 
look in vain for inns or other conveniences, which a tra¬ 
veller would meet with in the wildelt parts of Great Bri¬ 
tain. Yet he would fometimes be delighted with the 
fertility and popuioufnefs of particular plains and valleys, 
where he would fee the produdlions of Europe mingled 
in profufion with thofe of the torrid zone; and the land, 
laboured with an induftry and a judgment no where 
furpafled. He would fee the inhabitants following their 
flocks in tents, or aflembled in villages, to which the 
terraced roofs and mud-walls give an appearance en¬ 
tirely new. He would be ftruck at firft with their high 
and even harfh features, their fun-burnt countenances, 
their long beards, their loofe garments, and their fliaggy 
mantles of Ikins. When he entered into fociety, he 
would notice the abfence of regular courts of j ultice, and 
of every thing like an organized police. He would be 
furprifed at the fluftuation and inftability of the civil in- 
ftitutions. He would find it difficult to comprehend how 
a nation could fubfift in fuch diforder; and would pity 
thofe, who were compelled to pafs their days in fuch a 
fcene, and whofe minds were trained, by their unhappy 
fituation, to fraud and violence, to rapine, deceit, and 
revenge. Yet he would fcarcely fail to admire their 
martial and lofty fpirit, their hofpitality, and their bold 
and Ample manners, equally removed from the fupplenefs 
of a citizen, and the awkward rufticity of a clown ; and 
he would, probably, before long difcover, among fo many 
qualities that excited his difguft, the rudiments of many 
virtues. Clanfliip is eftablilhed among them, as in molt 
paftoral nations ; but a high independent fpirit animates 
the chiefs of families. Mr. Elpinftone obferves; “ To an 
old man of the tribe of Meeankhail, I was urging the 
fuperiority of a quiet life under a powerful monarch, to 
the difcord, the alarms, the bloodftied, attending the 
prefent independence. The old man replied with great 
warmth; We are content with difcord, we are content 
with alarms, we are content with bloodftied; but we will 
never be content with a mafter.” 
The origin of the name of Afghan, now fo generally 
applied to this nation, is entirely uncertain; but is, pro¬ 
bably, modern. It is known to the Afghans themfelves 
only through the medium of the Perfian language. Then- 
own 
