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When Choonda-bund is adopted, equal divisions are first made according to the number of wives, and then each division is portioned out to the number of sons which each may have. So that one son may obtain as much as half a dozen born of another wife. All the sons establish distinct chiefships, and are entirely independent of each other; for the Sikhs consider it wrong, and out of the question," that one brother should have authority over another. Therefore most of the chiefships would ere this have dwindled into mere Zimeendaries, had not their incessant wars, added to their debaucheries, generally reduced the heirs to one or two. And, if more existed, contentions destroyed some of them, or intrigues prevented the enjoyment of their rights.

The same divisions take place in the shares of horsemen; so that one share is often divided into five or six portions. If there are no sons or grandsons, the widow or widows succeed. The chiefs have generally from three to even five or six wives. But, if the husband regularly adopted an heir, who is held in all respects equal to a son, in this case the widows obtain provisions only. As widows are not allowed to adopt, and succession is not admitted in the female line, the chiefship would, in former times, have been a matter of contention among the neighbouring powers, or would have fallen to the principal chief, if it had been one of the subordinate states. In like manner the component shares of the inferior estates fall to the head, in failure of acknowledged heirs. Indeed a great part of the country between the Jumna and the Sutlug may ere long pass into other hands, from failure of heirs; such is the debauchery of the present chiefs, several of whom have only one son, and others none. The number of widows now in possession shews the fatal effects of the licentious lives of the men, who drink to excess. Some take an ardent spirit prepared by themselves with rose-water, spices, and other ingredients, according to their tastes. Others take bung, and opium: and their soldiers are said to be plentifully supplied with these stimulants, when on any service. By these they are wound up to a pitch of wild blind fury, looking solely to

[Feb.

the attainment of some prize or spoil; beyond which their comprehension seems unable to extend itself.

With respect to the military spirit and bravery of the Sikhs, we must not judge from their conduct during the Goorkah campaign. It required all the moral courage of British soldiers to overcome the chilling influence of the dreary mountain chain, and to sustain vigorous warfare in a scene so disheartening. Among themselves they are certainly not deficient in courage, and often throw away their lives in wanton contentions, though they know that the matter might immediately be settled by reference. The principal occasions of disputes among themselves are, respecting the boundaries of villages, acts of violence, thefts committed by the subjects of one on those of another, claims of inheritance, also respecting provisions for the females of the deceased. There is not yet so much moral and civil knowledge among them, as mutually to respect rights and property. They have all risen and supported themselves by the sword; and, before they came under the protection of the British Government, power constituted right. The introduction of order, and of attention to property and equity, required all the ability of the agent selected for that duty, Sir David Ochterlony; whose accurate and prompt judgment, combined with conciliatory conduct, brought them to a better sense and estimation of observances necessary to the maintenance of internal tranquillity.

The Sikh women, in consequence of their husbands' dissipation and inattention to business, obtain considerable sway, and assume great authority in the management of affairs. They are said to be often faithless to their husbands, and certainly require restraint when widows. This occasions every chief to demand, as a point of honour, authority over his female relatives, and even over his mother, as a check upon their conduct. Hence arises great animosity; and the mother and the son are generally at enmity after the decease of the father, either on account of the transfer of her power to the son's wife, or because he does not allow her sufficient provision, or because he restrains her in her pleasures. The women very rarely drink any kind of spirits, but

1831.]

are generally addicted to opium; the effect of which, combined with a milk diet, they consider salutary after the age of forty. So much do they suppose that milk counteracts the baneful effects of opium, that a woman has been reported as intending to destroy herself, who took the latter only. And that the use of both together is not injurious, seems to be proved by the many instances of longevity among the women.

The women's upper deputtah (or dress) is of muslin, or of coarser materials, according to their condition. Their petticoat is of chintz or satin; and both of all colours. The upper wrapper of the men is much like the Scotch plaids. They seldom wear any clothing under it; they tie it round their waists and across their bodies, rolled in all ways, to be out of the way, as occasion may require, for action or for warmth.

It should be stated that, as the Sikhs possess the country as conquerors, they all live as soldiers; and none of the nation act as artizans or labourers

in any way they make those whom they subdue work for them. Add to this brief account of the protected Sikh States between the Jumna and the Sutlug rivers, over which the British Government assumed authority in 1809-10, that all beyond or to the north-west of the Sutlug is independent, and now governed by Maha Rajah Rungeet Sing, a Sikh chieftain, whose enterprising and warlike spirit gained him the ascendancy to the Indus. He has also taken Cashmere and other States on the mountain frontier, greatly extending his dominions also to the south. Indeed he is now the greatest potentate in Hindostan ; and has shown himself wise enough not to oppose the British Government, or to interfere where he had not a good chance of success, or where it might otherwise have been impolitic. His army consists of from sixty to eighty thousand men; more than two-thirds of which are horsemen. He has five regiments of infantry, armed, dressed, and trained in the European Sepoy style. A considerable body of his cavalry is also dressed in British cloth, about three thousand, who act as his body-guard; and their horses are caparisoned with the same, as also all his elephants and camels carrying

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swivel-guns, or mounted to convey dispatches. He has a great force of artillery of all descriptions: this army consists principally of those whom he has subdued; whose chief, if able and worthy to lead them, he generally employs, or else requires him to furnish an effective officer. On such conditions he allows most of those whom he has conquered to continue on their possessions, calling them to his standard as occasion may require.

MR. URBAN,

Mere, Jan. 30. THE last number of the Gentleman's Magazine contains a letter, dated at Paris, from your correspondent "W. S. B." on the subject of Celtic Civilization. I find much information about the Celts and Celtiberians of Spain, in the "Histoire Générale de l'Espagne," by Depping, Paris, 1814.

It will be recollected that there were anciently two distinct races of men in Spain-the Celts and Iberians; and that the Celtiberians were a mixture of these two. But whether the Celts of Gaul were descended from those of Spain, or the reverse, is a problem which has never been decidedly solved. The Celtic Academy of Paris argue strongly for the former hypothesis, and Masden, a Spaniard, with others, as forcibly for the latter.

That the Basque, or Vascuence, was the language of the ancient Celts of Spain, and that it was widely spread in the Peninsula, cannot be doubted, since we do not find the traces of any other distinct language there; and it is that which has given names to many cities, rivers, &c. all over the land; as may be seen in the "Alfabeto de la lengua primitiva," by Erro y Aspiroz, and in Depping's "Histoire de l'Espagne," &c.

With regard to the civilization of the Spanish Celts, I think it would be found, by a cool and unbiassed investigation, that it was much above that of the "Indians of America" which "W. S. B." alludes to, and considerably below that of the Romans.

Strabo says (lib. 3.) that the Turdetains of Andalusia passed for the most learned among the Spaniards; that they knew grammar, had annals of six thousand years, and poems and laws in verse. Now, putting aside

soft Roman.

Among the curious monuments of Spain, was once a rocking-stone in the port of Mongia; it was of enormous size, cut in the form of a ship, with masts and sails; and placed on a rock that rose out of the water. A great number of oxen (says Molina, a Spanish writer that has described it) could not derange this heavy mass; and yet a push of the hand would make it rock as easily as a bit of wood swimming on the water. If this could be proved to be of Celtic origin, it would show that they had considerable knowledge of navigation; but in examining subjects connected with the civilization of the ancient Spaniards, it is difficult to decide what is originally Spanish, and what was borrowed from the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.

It may be questioned whether the ancient inhabitants of Celtic Spain, Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, were families of the same nation. The Highlanders and Irish are we know; and so were the Gauls and Britons. But the Basque language is very unlike the Welch, and that very different from the Gaëlic. The patronymics of those languages are examples of it; the patronymic of the Gaelic is mac; Adam, mac Adam; of the Welch ap as Howel, ap Howel: and of the Basque, ez (adopted in Spanish), as Sancho, Sanchez.

as

I cannot conclude, without observing, that I think M. de Fortia (quoted by your correspondent), a little too loud a praiser of old times, when he lays down his hypothesis of universal falling off from civilization, and states that the ancient languages were superior to one another according to their early or late origin; and that they are all superior to our modern jargons. If by jargons he means French, English, and a few other corrupted dialects, the observation may have some truth in it; but High Dutch

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is not a jargon, and Russian is not a jargon; because these languages are self-enriched and consistent, and their derivative words can be analysed into simple etymons of their own. Yours, &c. W. BARNES.

Mr. URBAN,

I KNOW you will not be displeased to insert the following verses, written in a truly national spirit, at the time of the universally tyrannising domination under Bonaparte, Great Britain alone excepted from it. They were composed by the late Rev. WALTER BIRCH, Rector of Stanway, Essex; and spoken at The Enconia at Oxford, by Mr. Smith, Demy of Magdalen College, on Friday, July 6, 1810. H. B.

Genius, or Muse! or, if thy sacred claim Be some yet loftier, some diviner name; Felt in the solemn, soul-eunobling hour, When Plato reason'd in th' Athenian bower; Felt in the Pythian and Olympian fane, The vaulted roof re-echoing Pindar's strain; Thou, in all climes, where Freedom stands enshrin'd,

And wakes to mightiest energies the mind,
In the calm classic shade art wont to dwell;
And hallowest oft the Student's nightly cell
With hovering gleam of orient splendour,
shed

Full on the Poet's, on the Sage's head;
As in these twilight groves,and cloisters hoar,
Thy pure empyreal radiance dawn'd of yore,
On Hooker's brows in lambent glory shone,
Or beam'd angelic grace on Addison.

Sure, now, as in her best and brightest

hours,

Thou sit'st exulting on Oxonia's towers; Sure, o'er the much-lov'd scene thy guardian eye

Glows, as of old, with sacred ectasy;
And hails the rising years, whilst all around
Peals of applause to Grenville's name re-
sound,

away,

And many a voice, and many a votive lay, With happiest presage greet this festal day. Fly hence, Despondence! fly, ye Fears, [day!" That darkly whisper, "Clos'd is England's Still to these fanes, devote to virtuous truth, Lo! croud, in mingling tribes, the British youth; [lore; Drink the deep draught of ancient Freedom's Her living form, Britannia's boast, adore; Muse on high thoughts, and give the flame to roll

That fir'd a Falkland's or a Windham's soul; Pale Panic, and his boding cry, disdain; Sweep the loud strings, and pour a nobler

strain.