the Sultan's troops began to desert him; he then mounted his horse and endeavoured to force into the town through a crowd of fugitives; at this moment a volley from his pursuers wounded him in the left breast, and he soon after received a second wound in the right side; his horse sunk under him, and his turban fell to the ground: he was immediately raised by some of his attendants, and placed on a palankin under the gateway." It was at this time," says our author (p. 89), "proposed to the Sultan by one of his servants, that he should make himself known to the English, from whose general character there could be no doubt he would meet with every attention compatible with his situation, but this he disdainfully refused. After a short interval some European soldiers entered the gateway, and one of them attempting to take off the Sultan's sword-belt, the wounded prince, who still held his sword in the right hand, made a cut at the soldier and wounded him, about the knee; when the latter instantaneously fired his musket and shot him through the temple, which caused immediate death."

The second publication of Major Stewart is so generally known and approved, both in England and on the Continent, that a slight mention of it will here suffice. We allude to the "Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, in Asia, Africa, and Europe, during the years 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803." This work was originally composed by Abu Taleb himself, in the Persian language, and the translation is as literal as the different idioms of two languages would admit. The first English edition appeared in 1810, forming two octavo volumes; the second in 1814, three volumes duodecimo, A French translation, made from the first English edition, was published in 1811 at Paris; but the 21st and 22nd chapters, relating chiefly to Buonaparte, the victories gained by the English, and the politics of Europe, were omitted for obvious reasons. Since the publication of Major Stewart's translation, the Persian text has been printed at Calcutta. It appears that Abu Taleb's only object was to inform and improve his countrymen, by a candid and simple narrative of what he saw, heard, and thought, during his travels-" The remarks of such an observer," (says the ingenious translator, in his dedication to the Marchioness of Hertford,)" on the laws, manners, and customs, of the different countries of Europe-particularly on those of our own-can never be without their interest and importance to an enlightened mind." We will add, that those who were personally ac

quainted with that amiable and intelligent traveller, and their descendants of the rising generation, will derive much pleasure from the frequent mention which he makes, by name, of the numerous individuals, particularly ladies, to whom he was indebted for kindness and acts of hospitality: we are often amused by the naïveté with which he notices minute circumstances rendered familiar to us from habit; and we almost pity the Asiatic stranger, when, describing the hackney coaches of Dublin, (which he visited previously to his arrival in London), he says "In this and all the other cities of Europe, there are so many carriages of different kinds, that I may safely aver, from the day I arrived in Dublin till I quitted Paris, the sound of coach wheels was never out of my ears." (Vol. I. p. 142. 2nd edition.) In the Appendix is given " A vindication of the liberties of Asiatic women" a very interesting tract, composed by Abu Taleb, in consequence of some conversation with an English lady, who had imagined that all wives in the East lived like slaves, without honor or authority. He returned to India, where, having obtained the appointment of Aamil, in a district of Bundlecund, he died in the year 1806. To the first volume is prefixed his portrait, an excellent likeness, engraved from the picture by Northcote.

We now proceed to Major Stewart's third work; entitled "the History of Bengal, from the first Mohammedan invasion until the virtual conquest of that country by the English, A. D. 1757;" a handsome quarto volume of about 570 pages, published in 1813, and illustrated by a very neat and correct map of Bengal, Behar, and part of Orissa. Although our author proves by numerous references, that he had availed himself of all the best European productions, that could yield any authentic information on his subject, yet the original materials from which he has formed a great portion of his work, are no less numerous than rare and valuable; being the Persian Mss. Tajal Muasir; Tabkat Nassiry; Tarikh Alufy; Tabkat Akbery; Tarikh Ferishteh (of which two sections were translated by Colonel Dow, and one by Dr. Jonathan Scott). The Akbar Nameh; Zubdet al Tuarikh; Jehangire Nameh; Shah Jehan Nameh; Aalumgire Nameh; Muasir Aalumgiry; Muntekhub al Lebab; or Tarikh Khafy Khan; Muasir al Omrah at Timouryeh; and the Ryaz Assulateen. From these and other sources our author has derived a multiplicity of curious and interesting anecdotes. It was not, however, within the compass of his plan, to trace the History of Bengal up to the earliest ages; but in his pre

liminary discourse, he allows that the inhabitants of that country" have an equal claim to antiquity and early civilisation, with the other nations of India." That distinguished writer Abul Fazil (in his Ayeen Akbery) has enumerated sixty-one kings of Bengal, who reigned before the Mohammedan invasion; and if twenty or twenty-five years be allowed for each reign previous to that event, (which occurred A. D. 1203-4,) "it will give the Bengalese sufficient claim to antiquity," as Major Stewart observes (Prelim. Disc. p. vi.); indeed according to the ingenious Mr. Wilford, the thirteenth of those sixty-one sovereigns lived about the commencement of the Christian æra. It appears (from p. 4.) that Subuctageen, who reigned at Ghizne, was the first Mohammedan who invaded the frontier provinces of India, in the year of Christ 977. The Hindoo prince who suffered from this attack, was named Jypaal, and possessed a territory extending from Lahore to Lumghan, and from Cashmire to Moultan.

The successors of Subuctageen continued a system of gradual encroachment, until about the year 1204 Mohammed Bukhtyar entered Bengal, and having subdued its Hindoo Sovereign or Raja, named Luchmunyah, established the ancient city of Gour as the capital of his dominions, destroying many idolatrous temples, on the ruins of which he erected, with their materials, mosques, colleges and caravansaries, (p. 45). Our limits will not allow us to extract, for the entertainment of our readers, all that we might wish, from this interesting volume, in which, by a judicious selection of facts, the author has condensed into a small space whatever is worthy of being recorded concerning each monarch or illustrious personage, whilst his admirable arrangement has prevented that confusion which too frequently arises in works of this nature, from the great variety of difficult and strange-looking proper names. A specimen of his manner may be here given from p. 205, describing the character of Jehangire Kooly Khan, who governed Bengal about the year 1607. "In his disposition were blended the opposite qualities of piety and cruelty; he constantly retained in his service a hundred persons who could repeat the Koran by heart, and who, at the end of every repetition, bestowed on him the merit arising from it. He also attended prayers five times daily, and was much employed in religious offices; but as a judge he was inexorable. While engaged in prayers he frequently, by a motion of his hand, gave the signal for flogging,

hanging, or beheading a culprit. He was at all times attended by a hundred trumpeters, who, whenever the villagers disputed with him respecting their rents, used to make so dreadful a noise as terrified the rustics into submission. He was also constantly accompanied by a hundred Cashmirian archers, who could bring down the smallest bird in its flight, and who were ready to pierce with their arrows any person pointed out in the crowd: in short, he was detested by the inhabitants of Behar; but fortunately for those of Bengal he died in little more than a year after he had assumed that government, and before he had time to make them feel the effects of his cruelty."-The history of this country, from the first settlement of Europeans there, until its final subjugation by the English, will particularly interest not only all who may have occasion to visit that province, but those whom business or professional duty may place in any other part of our Eastern empire. We shall conclude this very inadequate notice of the excellent work before us, by quoting Major Stewart's words in "The province of p. vi. of his Preliminary Discourse. Bengal is one of the most valuable acquisitions that was ever made by any nation. It is situated between the 21st and 27th degrees of northern latitude, and between the 86th and 92nd of eastern longitude; being in breadth about 300 and in length 400 miles; its area contains nearly twenty-one degrees square. On the north and east it is defended by impenetrable mountains; and on the south by a line of inhospitable and dangerous sea-coast, containing but one harbour capable of admitting vessels of any size; and even that one guarded by innumerable shoals. Its western frontier, although exposed to invasion, is, in many places so strongly defended by nature, that fewer troops are requisite to protect it, than any other country of similar extent on the continent of Asia. Its numerous navigable rivers, in the possession of a maritime nation, are also so many sources of defence; that should the English ever be driven from all the other parts of India, they may find in Bengal an asylum where no enemy will venture to follow them. Thus secure from a foreign invader, they are equally safe from any insurrection of the natives, whose mildness of disposition and aversion to war are such, that nothing short of the most atrocious cruelty or of religious persecution, could induce them to draw their swords against their present masters." This concise and perspicuous statement from the pen of

so competent a judge as our ingenious author, may serve to tranquillise the apprehensions of those who have doubted the security of our dominion over the important province of Bengal.

To the fourth work of Major Stewart, we shall call the reader's attention in the next number of our Journal, observing only, in this place, that it is entitled " An Introduction to the Anvari Soohyly of Hussein Vaiz Kashify"-published early in the present year, 1821; and we recommend it in the strongest manner to students of the Persian and Arabic languages.