But there is another circumstance to be noted, which (though I do not wish to push it in argument to its utmost extent) may, perhaps, account for the paucity of these appeals, and show, at the same time, that this was a considerable advantage of which British subjects in India were thus deprived; and this circumstance is, that the Company's Courts, and (I may say) the Company's Government, have never been remarkably fond of the appeal to the Supreme Courts. And this feeling they have manifested not only as to cases in which the appeal applied to themselves, but as to cases, also, in which they were not engaged. The impression on my mind when I left India, and the impression which still remains on it, was and is, that the Supreme Government in India, from the complicated and artificial frame upon which its action is necessarily regulated, and the somewhat lax system on which the law is occasionally administered in its vast and wide-spread dominions, was not very willing to encourage appeals that must have brought questions of that administration of the law in the interior and the remoter provinces before it. And here I must observe, that there is no man in all the wide extent of her Majesty's dominions who is more deeply sensible of the benefits which the East-India Company's Government have conferred on India, or who is more ready, and always has been, gratefully to acknowledge these benefits, than I am. But (very naturally, I think) the whole body of the civil service of India-administering, as I have said, that system which, imperfect as it is, is yet necessary to enable them to carry on the business of their Government, and the management of their affairs-have felt some dislike, perhaps some disgust and some reluctance, to have that administration subjected to the scrutiny of lawyers, such as those of the Supreme Court, accustomed to a more rigid course of proceeding, habituated to a stricter practice, and dealing with, if I may so speak, a purer and more perfect system of jurisprudence. I take it that these are the true reasons why not more appeals have been prosecuted from the country Courts to the Supreme Court of Calcutta.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

May 9.

A COMPANY'S CIVIL SERVANT.

THISTLE DOWN.

I'VE come from the clime where the snow lies white,
On the mountain-tops of the moon ;

I've wandered far in my airy flight,

In the van of the soft monsoon.

The wild wood broad, and the jungle land,
On my track I have threaded through;
Been lost in the desert's drifting sand,
And sprinkled with Moslem dew.

I've clung to the gore of the tiger's claw,
And the cobra's fang of death;

I've wing'd through the vault of the panther's jaw,
And danced in the lion's breath.

I've skimmed the top of the whelming wave,
When the drowning crew shriek'd loud;
And when they had sunk to their watery grave,
I've clung to the topmast shroud.

I've mounted in mists to the clouds on high,
By the dark giddy whirlwind driven;
And, wrapt in the hem of a restless sky,
Have gaz'd at the wonders of heaven.
The infant typhoon I have musing eyed,
And the bow by the sunshine dress'd;
The bolt of flame on the anvil plied,

And launch'd to the distant west.
The demon of war I've met fearlessly,
And Want, in his ghastly form :
And oft have I travelled in company
With spirits of plague and storm.
Calcutta.

OOMANOONDA.

SCENES IN CUTCH.

WHEN Steam-communication shall be fully established between England and India, there can be little doubt that many tourists, to whom the whole of Europe cannot present the slightest novelty, will direct their steps to places in the East long neglected by the scientific and picturesque traveller. There are, however, so many objects of beauty and interest already sufficiently known, to attract the steps of pilgrims to their shrines, in parts of India very easily accessible, that in all probability a long time will elapse before the more remote scenes of this remarkable country will be visited and explored. So far from the complaint being true, that there is no terra incognita existing upon the globe-no place on earth which has not been penetrated by literary knightserrant, with note-books in their hands, we may justly complain of the scantiness of the information regarding scenes of the highest interest. Much is still to be done in the Bengal provinces; many curious races of people remaining to be described; but still less is known concerning extensive districts in that of Bombay. In the neighbourhood of Cutch, especially, tracts of the wildest desolation lead into districts distinguished for their beauty; temples, and tombs, and remains of palaces, lonely, yet still bright, rising amid lakes of pearl, spreading themselves between woods and hills for ever verdant, and forming paradises of such beauty, that man's neglect seems unaccountable: now traversing howling wildernesses tenanted by savage beasts, the free range of the indomitable wild ass, and again emerging into cultivated places, and meeting chivalric groups of men and horses, armed at all points in glittering mail.

Amid numerous curious and imperfectly known places, the Runn, as it is called, or salt morass, which skirts the western frontier of Gujerat, communicating with the Gulf of Cutch, and forming the northern boundary of that province, is well worthy of a visit. During different seasons of the year, the external aspect of this extraordinary tract varies very considerably. At the period of the rainy reason, it forms one vast expanse of water, and being flooded by the sea, becomes impassable. According to the latest surveys, the length of the Runn is estimated at two hundred miles; its breadth varies in different parts, being at the widest about thirty-five miles, but extending in different directions, and forming various belts: the whole is said to cover a space exceeding seven thousand square miles. During the process of evaporation, after the subsiding of the rains, the Runn, in some places, is covered with extensive sheets of water, only a few inches deep, while in others it continues to be an impassable swamp; dry and sterile banks of sand spread themselves along plains covered with an incrustation of salt, while here and there islands produce scanty pasturage for animals delighting in vegetation impregnated with saline particles. Again, immense wastes occur, entirely destitute of herbage of every kind, intersected with quicksands and pools of water; and here may be seen the stranded bodies of fish, left by the retiring of the waters, and forming the prey of multitudes of birds, the only living tenants of the scene. In some places, the salt-beds look as if they had been formed by a recent fall of snow; in others, it lies in large lumps upon the ground, the only trace of vegetation being found in dwarfish shrubs struggling into a stunted existence, and nourished by the rain-water falling in their vicinity. When thoroughly dried up, the Runn is described to be perfectly unlike every other known tract of earth. "It has been," observes Capt. Burnes, "denominated a marsh by geographers, which has given rise to many erroneous impressions regarding it.

It has none of the characteristics of one: it is not covered or saturated with water but at certain periods; it has neither weeds nor grass in its bed, which, instead of being slimy, is hard, dry, and sandy, of such consistence as never to become clayey, unless from long continuance of water on an individual spot; nor is it otherwise fenny or swampy."

An officer employed in surveying this wild and desolate tract, states that its limits are so strongly defined, as to resemble those between a gravel walk and the green and verdant lawn which it skirts. You step at once from a soil teeming with vegetation, upon the bare and sterile earth. At some seasons of the year, that singular phenomenon, the mirage, produces illusions which might easily induce the belief that the traveller had entered enchanted ground; phantom shapes, bearing the semblance of troops, palaces, fortresses, and ships, appear and disappear before the astonished eye. Sometimes a tower-crowned citadel rises to the view, surrounded by groves of trees, and approached in several directions by groups of armed men. Amazed at a sight so unexpected, the traveller, advancing, finds the whole to be indeed "the baseless fabric of a vision," which, on vanishing, "leaves not a wreck behind." The officer employed upon the earliest survey of this very interesting tract, entering upon it without any previous acquaintance with the optical illusions which render it a sort of faëry land, was for a time completely bewildered by the strange enchantments with which he was surrounded. At that period, the adjacent countries were in a very unsettled state, and as he marched on a little in advance of his party, through a desert which he believed to be untenanted, he was surprised to see, through a thin silvery mist, the figures of three persons apparently advancing from an opposite direction. He paused, awaiting the coming up of a brother officer, who was not a little astonished by the appearance of three strangers, and agreed that it was altogether a suspicious circumstance. Presently, their numbers increased; armed battalions were seen in the distance-sometimes in compact bodies, at others filing off in different directions; their keeping aloof, yet still hovering around, strengthening the belief that they meditated some hostile movement. The surveying party now deemed it expedient to put themselves upon their guard, and to keep close together in case of an attack. Presently, the towers and bastions of a fortress rose upon their view; in some measure accounting for the presence of the armed men, who might be supposed to form its garrison: still it was perplexing, as they had not been taught to expect any thing of the kind until they had reached the opposite province of Cutch. One of the gentlemen exclaimed to the other, “Surely, there were two towers; now I see but one." 'Certainly, there were two," replied the friend, "I took the bearing of both." When, lo! the whole was gone; concealed, they imagined, by the thickening mist. Presently, another fortress reared its bastions and ramparts full in view, and on advancing, it also disappeared; while, in lieu of forest trees, they came upon nothing but dwindled shrubs. Afterwards, the whole phantasmagoria was explained, as far as science has hitherto developed the causes of these remarkable deceptions. When first the Runn becomes passable, the party crossing throw up small clods of earth, for the purpose of indicating the path to others; and it was these insignificant mounds, magnified, reflected, and refracted, in the peculiar state of the atmosphere which characterizes this part of the world, which assumed the appearance of men, while the tamarisk bushes started up into forest trees. The first castle was nothing more than the exaggerated reflection of a mound a little larger than the rest; the second was, if possible, of more singular origin, being the eflection of a fortress existing, far beyond the reach of the eye, in Cutch,

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hul upon

but brought by a series of mirrors, constructed of vapour, to this ough tract, where it appeared to rise, its towers being reflected upon a sheet water below; the dry sands of this region taking the appearance of extensive lakes.

The wild ass, which delights in the salt vegetation found upon the banks of the Runn, is sometimes seen in herds of sixty or seventy; it is rather larger than the common species, but under the magic influence of an atmosphere of so deceptive a nature, it occasionally expands into gigantic proportions, a herd of wild asses appearing as large as elephants. These rangers of the desert are very handsome creatures, having particularly beautiful eyes, and well-shaped ears finely set upon the head; they are distinguished by a dark stripe running down the back, and are of a dun colour, gradually fading into white beneath the body. The flesh is reckoned good eating, and though such food is abhorred by the Rajpoot inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who will eat the wild hog, it is freely partaken of by the lower classes of Mohamedans of Cutch, with whom the hog in any shape is an abomination. The wild ass is so fleet of foot, as to defy pursuit. When captured, it is taken in pitfalls constructed for the purpose, and if full, or even half-grown, can never be domesticated. The very young ones are not only easily tameable, but show an extraordinary degree of attachment to those who are kind to them. An anecdote is told of one that followed its mistress constantly into the garden to be fed with plantains, putting its head in her hand, and never ceasing to remind her of its predilection for the dainty, until she complied with its wishes. Another, accustomed to follow its master and mistress in their ride, on their entering a ferry boat, took immediately to the water and swam after them. Retaining, however, the free spirit imbibed in the desert, these animals cannot be induced to render themselves useful, either as beasts of burthen or of draught; they scorn the saddle, and it was with great difficulty that one could be prevailed upon to bear a light burthen of heel-ropes placed upon its back. Whether if breeding in a domesticated state, the descendants would be found more manageable, remains to be proved; at least, no account has yet been given of the results of any experiment of the kind.

The moisture of the soil on one part of the Runn is so productive of insect life, that the musquitoes almost form an atmosphere. Dr. Burnes assures us that it is with difficulty that a horse can be forced through them, although they do not sting, there being no possibility of breathing without swallowing numbers. The natives of a tract of country called Bunnee, elevated a little from the Runn, and sufficiently productive for pasturage, but incapable of bearing grain, are obliged to quit their habitations, and take refuge in Cutch, during the monsoon, in consequence of the plague of flies occasioned by the great humidity which prevails. Dr. Burnes observed that these insects were most numerous where the soil was muddy and encrusted with salt.

The province of Cutch is famous for a breed of horses, very singular in their appearance, having a sort of dip in the back, which looks as if a part of the body had been cut away. Kalhawar, in its neighbourhood, and the more distant provinces of Candahar, furnish splendid chargers, much in request with the richer classes of natives, who delight in exhibiting themselves upon showy steeds. Previously to the campaign in 1816, the countries bordering upon the Runn were in great disorder and confusion, owing to the cabals and rebellions of the petty chieftains, and the misrule of the princes of Cutch. Accustomed from time immemorial to a lawless life, the feudal lords of the soil, whenever they found themselves strong enough to take the field, disturbed the peace of the

It has neity; and at length the Rao, the title given to the sovereign of the counway, becoming embroiled with the British Government, an expedition was sent out against him, and the account given of this campaign in a MS. journal, kept by an officer attached to the army, contains many interesting particulars concerning Bhooj, the modern capital of Cutch, and other remarkable places.

The British troops, having made themselves masters of the field, took up a position to the north-west of Bhooj, a treaty having been concluded between the contending powers, in which it was stipulated, on the part of the conquerors, that they should kill no beef. Hostilities, therefore, ceased in that quarter, although other chieftains still remained unsubdued. Upon the occasion of the visit of the Rao to the British camp, a very interesting scene took place. The whole force was paraded, with the right towards Bhooj, and the left on the centre of the European lines, awaiting the approach of the native potentate, who came attended by a strong body of Arab and Indian infantry, and a thousand horse, the latter force being composed of Jharejah chieftains, and their respective vassals, together with the Mohamedan chieftains who were formerly allies of the great Futteh Mohamed, a minister who gained a very distinguished reputation in the scene of his stormy career. The concourse of people, and the rather disorderly line of march, retarded the progress of the great man, who employed three hours in moving four or five miles. The steadiness and discipline of the British troops were advantageously displayed in contrast to the tumultuous approach of the Rao's irregular troops. Standing immovable as the rocks around them, with their arms glittering in the sun, and the whole compact body seeming to be animated by one soul, their appearance was extremely imposing to men accustomed to inextricable confusion in their ranks, The people were duly impressed with a spectacle of so novel a nature, and the chieftains, chafing under the mortification of defeat, were soothed and consoled in beholding the invincible nature of the power to which they had succumbed.

The British agent, attended by the staff, had, according to the custom of the East, gone out in the direction of the town to meet the visitants, and the retinues uniting, proceeded to the appointed place. The Rao himself was mounted upon an elephant, and amid the barbaric pomp with which he was surrounded, one object was particularly conspicuous. A warrior, armed with sword and shield, towering high above the rest, advanced with majestic strides in front of the royal elephant. On a nearer approach, this apparent giant was discovered to be a man of the ordinary size, mounted upon enormous stilts, which raised him at least eight feet from the ground. The ease with which he moved in perfect independence of support from others, or from his own hands, with which he brandished his sword and shield, was quite marvellous, and gave reason to believe that his stilts must have been strapped up as high as the knees, and it seemed almost unaccountable that he could have endured these ligatures, and the exertion of walking, during several hours, and over several miles. Numerous other striking figures appeared amid the cavalcade, clad in steel from the head to the feet, armed at all points, and mounted upon splendid horses, trapped and caparisoned, and provided with defensive armour. The tukti-ruwan was brought out to increase the splendour of the procession. Mohamedan potentates, in order to show some especial mark of favour to those who may have served them, present the party with some vehicle exclusively in their gift. The tukti-ruwan, a canopied litter, carried upon the shoulders of a vast multitude of bearers, forms a sort of moveable throne, which at Delhi can only be used in conveying the emperor himself. The one exhibited