miserable condition, covered with rags, that he could never suspect me of being an Englishman; and after asking a few questions of my muleteer, without even looking at me, we continued our journey on foot, wading through the snow. April 29.—We slept in the village called Sayd Kalaa, which means the Castle of Sayds, of the family of Mohammed; the inhabitants of this village are Hazarah; they are governed by four Sayd, who are only nominally subject to Doost Mohammed Khan of Cabool. One of the Hazarah gave me his stable to sleep in; but suddenly a Sayd came, and said that a Christian ought to sleep in the open air. If there had been no snow, and if I had not been entirely without clothes, I would immediately have followed his order; but under these circumstances, I made an attempt to mollify the Sayd, who went away without saying one word more on the subject. April 30.-We arrived at Serre Cheshme, 20 miles from the former place. This village belongs to Nawaub Jabr Khan, brother to Doost Mohammed Khan. The same day I arrived at another village belonging to the same man; both villages are inhabited by Tatshik. I sent my servant on to Doost Mohammed Khan at Cabool, announcing my arrival in his territory, and pursued my journey slowly. We passed through the villages Mydaun and Kellaa Kazee, and stopt at Dedona, fifty English miles from SerreCheshme. My muleteer took me into his house; but being afraid that I should not be able to pay him, he determined to keep me, until my servant returned with an answer that my debt should be paid. I prayed to Jesus Christ my Saviour, who never left a prayer of mine unheard, to assist me in my present trouble; when suddenly on the 1st of May my servant appeared, with a horse from Lieutenant Burnes, with clothes from Nawaub Jabr Khan, and a letter from Mr. Burnes, which I subjoin. My dear sir, Cabool, May 1, 1832. I most heartily beg to congratulate you, in the name of myself and fellow traveller (Doctor Gerard), at the success which has attended your arduous and perilous journey through Toorkestaun. We have just arrived at this city from India on our route to that country, under instructions from the Supreme Government of British India, and for purposes which I shall unfold to you when we have the pleasure of meeting. I wrote these few hurried lines to beg you will not think of delaying in the environs of this city, but come at once to Cabool, where you may equip yourself in any manner which you desire; you need not think of your dress, however bad, for although we are only about to enter our difficulties, you will find us without the dress, and without all the comforts of Englishmen. I learn that you are thinking of putting up with the Armenians in Cabool; but I beg to offer you my strongest and most earnest advice, to alight at where we are, the quarters of Nawaub Jabar * Khan, the brother of Doost Mohammed Khan. The Nawaub himself anxiously expects you, and he is a sincere friend to Europeans, and desirous of cultivating their esteem. Every one of our countrymen, who has passed through this country, has shared his hospitality, and the good man himself has quite the character of a Patriarch. The British Government has no intercourse with the Chief himself. I need not say how glad we shall be to have you under the same roof, which shelters ourselves, and with how much pleasure we shall hear you recount the many adventures and dangers, which are incidental to a journey like that which you have performed. Since entering Affghanistaun in the middle of last March, I have been making many enquiries regarding you; but could glean no tidings till my arrival here a few hours ago. I happened to be living with Lord Bentinck, at the time the letters announcing your approach, from yourself and Captain Campbell, were received; but the long lapse of time had dimmed my hopes of meeting you. I grieve to say that my fellow traveller has been for some time past much indisposed; but he joins me in wishing you to loose no time in coming here. Till then believe me, My dear sir, yours most faithfully, I immediately set off for Cabool, which is only three miles distant from Dedona. I need not say, that I met with a very kind reception from Nawaub Jabar Khan, and Dr. Gerard; and Lieutenant Burnes, at the time, professed himself very cordial. Though he did not act a very upright part. In the afternoon the Jews and Armenians called on me. There were formerly 50 families of Jews, and 50 Armenians here, both of them brought here by Ahmed Shah from Meshed, 60 years ago; but as they were no longer allowed to sell brandy, most of them left Cabool. The Jews, ten months ago, went back to Meshed, and the Armenians to Erivaun. There are now only 4 Jewish families and 4 Armenian men, and 19 Armenian ladies. I proclaimed the Gospel to the Jews. May 2.-The two principal Armenians, Simon Macarditch, and Kevork Zohrab David, called on me, and desired me to preach next Sunday in their church in the Persian language, which I did. They informed me, that two Armenians are in the military service of Runjeed Singh, the King of the Seiks, both stationed at Cashmeer. One of them, Vosgan Baghtasar, is from Erivan, and the other, Hakobus Hoannes, from Cabool. May 4.-Lieut. Burnes and myself dined with Doost Mohammed Khan. He entered with Lieut. Burnes into conversation about the state of India, &c. And as he knew that I was a Mullah, he By this paragraph of Mr. Burnes' own letter it is clear that Mr. Burnes, as well as myself, were the guests of Nawaub Jabar Khan, who never permitted either Burnes or myself to spend one single farthing for our victuals. desired one of the Mullahs to converse with me, which I did without an interpreter in the Persian tongue, and not as Burnes tries to make one believe, that I had made use of him as interpreter. Affghaun Mullah. Who was Jesus? Myself. The son of God. A. M. God has no wife. M. There are even among men different kinds of sons: a benevolent man, who brings up an orphan, clothes and feeds him, becomes thus the father of the orphan, and the child becomes his son. We are all in a certain sense the sons of God; for he is our Creator and Preserver. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; for he was born, as your Koran itself states, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and as the Koran beautifully expresses it, 'God said, let it be, and it was.' Jesus is called the Son of God, for the fulness of the Godhead was in him bodily. His spirit of wisdom, and His spirit of Might! We should consider those, who might say that Jesus was the Son of God, like a son from a man and wife, to be an infidel. A. M. To what place did Jesus go? M. He went to heaven. A. M. How is it possible that he should go to heaven with a body? M. How do you wish me to consider you? if as a believer in the Koran, I shall answer from your own book; if I have to consider you as a Kafer, (infidel,) I must take another ground. A. M. God forbid that you should take me as a Kafer, I am a Mussulman. M. Then how could Mohammed go to heaven, which is asserted by your Hadees? A. M. The angel Gabriel carried him there. M. And Jesus was carried there by the power of God; and it is even stated in the Koran, that Jesus went to heaven. A. M. I read the Gospel of Luke and Matthew, when at Candahar. Doost Mohammed Khan sent for one of the slaves of the Kaffer Siyapoosh, in order that I might question him. He was a boy about years of age, of white complexion. I asked him the name of God in their language, and he told me that they call God Imra. 12 May 5.-The Armenians called again on me, and told me that they were in possession of a book written by Meiden Nerses, Patriarch of Ech-Miazin, in which he predicts, that all the Armenians shall collect around Mount Ararat, before the coming of the Lord, in order that they may not see Antichrist. May 6.-I preached in Persian in the Armenian Church. All the women came and fell at my feet, praying that I would assist them to leave Cabool, and go to Jerusalem; they are not oppressed by the Mussulmans, but they have no means of subsistence. CHERAGH KUSH, (LIGHT KILLERS.) At Cabool and the surrounding villages a sect of Ali Ullahe, believers in the divinity of Ali, exists, who are likewise called Che ragh Kush, (Light killers,) because they extinguish the lights on a certain night, and commit abominations. A whole village of Mussulmans near Cabool abjured the Mohammedan creed, and turned to this sect; the neighbouring villages have now begun a crusade against them. INHABITANTS OF CABOOL. Tatshik, Affghauns, Jehaansheer (Persians from Shooshe), Cashmeer people, Hindoos, Mawrulnehree (Bokhara people), Belooj, Arabs (carried there by Nadir Shah*), Jews, Armenians, Kaffre, Siyapoosh (who are brought here as slaves), and Khybaree. The Jehaansheer are Sheah, and therefore friends of the Persian Government; they wrote to Abbas Mirza, inviting him to come to Cabool. MULLAH MOHAMMED ALI BOBE. I met here with Mullah Mohammed Ali Bobe, born at Salegan, near Poona, in the service of the Honourable Company as surveyor. He has been at Japan, China, Siam, Java, Sumatra, Coromandelcoast, Bengal, Tekka, Malabar, Hindoostaun, Punjaub, Himalayamountains, England, Isle of France, and Affghanistaun. He speaks English, Persian, Portuguese, Malayen, Malabar, Gusrate, Marate, and Hindoostanee. HISTORY OF THE AFFGHAUNS. Mullah Khodadad, an Affghaun, called on me, and gave me the following information about the origin and descent of the Affghauns. Affghana was the nephew of Asaph, the son of Berachia, who built the Temple of Solomon. One year and a half after Solomon's death, he was banished from Jerusalem to Damascus, on account of his ill conduct. In the time of Nebuchadnezar, the Jews were driven out from Palestine, and carried to Babylon. The descendants of Affghana, residing at Damascus, being Jews, were also carried to Babylon, from whence they removed, or were removed to the mountain of Ghore in Affghanistaun, their present place of residence; and in the time of Mohammed they turned Mohammedans. This is the oral account I heard from Mullah Khodadad. In order that the public may know every thing concerning the Affghauns, and every one judge for himself, I shall mention all that I have read or heard about them. ACCOUNTS Given in the book called "Majmooa Alansab," Collection of genealogies, written in Persian. Jacob begat Judah; Judah begat Ushruah; Ushruah begat Ukhnuakh; Ukhnuakh begat Falegh; Falegh begat Keis; Keis begat Talut, (King Saul;) Talut begat Irmiah, (Jeremiah;) Irmiah begat * One may observe from this, that the custom of transportation of nations by the conquerors, as in the time of the Jews, has been continued in those countries. Affghana. Keis, one of the descendants of Affghana, the son of Ameer, went in the time of Mohammed to Medinah. Khaleed, the son of Waleed, of the great followers of Mohammed, asked him about the condition and state of his countrymen the Affghauns; and Mohammed himself enquired about the names.* Keis the son of Ameer turned Mohammedan, for which he received by Mohammed the surname of Keis Alrasheed, i. e. the Brave; and Affghauns in general, received the name of Pathan, i. e. Root, after their conversion to Islamism.† The same manuscript, Majmooa Alansab, gives then a second genealogy, from a certain Keis, described as the son of Ais, up to Adam. 1 Keis son of Ais. 4 Ataba son of Naim. 27 Saheb son of Talal. 36 Irmiah s. of Talut (Saul). 47 22 Aleem son of Ishmuel, (either 46 Haroon 18 24 Haroon son of Kamrood. 25 Kamrood son of Abiah. 26 Abiah son of Saheb. Tarukh son of Nahor. * It appears from this account, that the Affghauns had formed at that time an independent Jewish tribe, around the mountain of Ghore; but all the historians of the Mohammedans leave one in many respects in the dark, respecting important points in ancient history. Treveleyan, my friend at Simlah, believes Pathan to be merely an Indian name for the Affghauns; and Elphinstone believes it to be derived from Pushtan, the name, they call themselves; and their language is called Pushtoo. Compare Ruth i. 20. § Hud of the Mohammedans, is the Heber of the Scriptures. |