bool, slights that conjecture, and in another (Vol. I. page 309) tells us of a genealogist among them, who traced his origin to the Babylonish captivity. They have a great number of Hebrew proper names in their appellatives, and their dialect still retains the genitive sign of the Chaldees and Syrians and other marks of cognate affinity. But there is nothing extraordinary in the name of Khybur, which was a fort at no great distance from Mecca, and regularly deducible from its Arabic primitive. The Mooroojoozuhub is said to be a valuable work, as being scarce and better known in Arabia and Europe than in India; I have not perused it.

4. The wretched indifference, as well as ignorance of the Asiatic Jews of this age, judging from two or three specimens I have seen in India, I very much fear is equal to their bigotted brethren the Moosulmans, and I gather from what you observe of the Jerusalem Rabbins, they are desirous of looking on the Arabian Pretender as one of their own body. No Moosulman writer living under a Moosulman Government would (were the case even so) be daring enough to insinuate, that Moohummud was of Jewish descent, or his name Benjamin, Uhmud Ubool Qasim Moohummud, son of Ubdoollah, son of Ubdool-Moottulib (his mother's name Umeenuh) was of the noble, though idolatrous tribe of Fihr, surnamed Qoorysh, whose genealogy is clearly ascertained. It is possible indeed, that Ubool Qasim may afterwards have assumed the names of Uhmud and Moohummud, (and which is somewhat strengthened by his being so designated in the Qoor-aun) they being terms of remarkable import, and not in use before his era. They are as near as Arabic can well come to the "Desire of all nations," mentioned in Scripture under the epithet of "Hemdath" лon by the Prophet Haggai, which, as we may infer, being frequently repeated by Jews and Christians in his hearing, was willingly adopted by him. But in this you will observe with me, the Arabians have been caught by the sound, and deceived in the meaning (as well he might bring the unread Prophet) implying in Hebrew, "he desired or coveted," and has not even a remote connection with the Arabic jummud, "He praised." Thus you see, "Vox veritatis testis extingui nequit." Yet this man and his followers would on more accounts than one, have found much indulgence with me, had he not denied his Lord, and set himself up in a kind of partnership with his Deity; had he as a mere human lawgiver confined himself strictly to his own repeated declaration of "I am no other than a man like yourselves." But the Uleellahee believers of Persia, what can they have to do with him? They make a Deity of one he made no mention of in his revelations, and in direct opposition to the fundamental articles of his belief, proclaimed five times each day as a matter of perpetual recognition. Soonnees do indeed wrest, what they have heard Christians say of Christ, touching apotheosis, by applying it more or less to their Prophet, pronounced to be such Prophet by their word of God; while the Shee-uhs of Persia, not to be behindhand, apply it to his son-in-law Ulee, without any real authority at all.

5. The "Land of darkness" is an expression not very common here among the Soi-disant Faithful, though the notion is borne out by a passage in their book. They suppose it situated in some region of the world beyond that of Gog and Magog: there the fountain of life is said to be attainable: but is not this likely to have proceeded from the fairy tales of Sulman the Persian, or the romances of the Rabbins, as from any chance of the words used by Isaiah being particularly known to Moohummud? The difference between the Arabic zalmat and the Hebrew naby is greater in signification than sound. But after all, dear sir, is not that the "Land of darkness," where the true word of God is not fully known and appreciated?

6. Soonnees are the orthodox Moosulmans, like the Pharisees, holding Qoor-aun and traditions equally as objects of faith, though of course with greater reverence for the former: the Shee-uhs are seceders from them, as their name implies, adopted from a word in the Qoor-aun expressive of any separation from any aggregate body. The heresy I suppose to have been broached in Persia, not long after the establishment of this religion there. The cause is a jealousy, that the "Prophet's" own family should have met with no higher consideration than they did, being slighted in their succession to the Khalifate, which could hardly be otherwise, Moohummud having previously arranged with his copartners an enterprise to that effect.

7. Your 7th Query I have answered in par. 3.

8. The Book of Daniel besides that we already have, I have never seen. The modern Jews, I am aware, affect to reject that book as not purely prophetic; and why? because of its partial composition in Chaldaic and Hebrew. But we may imagine they have in reality stronger objections than this. Would not they, as well as Moosulmans, gladly accommodate us with more accurate copies than those at present in use? Yes, certainly, if the Septuagint of Ptolemy had not been extant.

9. The 'More Neboochim" of Maimonides in Arabic or Hebrew (whatever it may have been formerly), I may confidently answer, is now unknown to Moosulmans, although explaining the Laws of Moses by natural causes: but the commentators of the Qoor-aun have it not in their power, neither do they desire to deny, that theirs is a code of commands and prohibitions sent down expressly to meet all the exigencies of their religious, political, civil, military, and even private economy of their Prophet, his nation and followers, as is amply explained in the "causes of descents," treatises, on this head, which are many. Metaphysicians and physicians are the only people who seem occasionally gravelled, on points not to be accounted for in their "Divine Law;" and those cautiously restrain their conjectures, while professing Islam, within the bounds of prudence, or invest their lucubrations with such reference in the garb of ambiguity.

10. Your 10th Query is replied to in the 9th par.

11. The books Rawsat Assoofaa contain all that is known of

Moohummud Muhdee, which personage you also may find alluded to in the "body of traditions," so called. He is one of the signs of the last day, and is expected to be the forerunner of Eesa; which Eesa, according to the same learned authority, is to appear in Damascus, to destroy Anti-Christ, to perform ablutions and prayers, like any other good Moosulman, in one of the Mosques, and marry four wives, and have a numerous progeny to atone (we may presume) for his not having done so at his first appearance; or because his followers, or those who call themselves so (the Christians), have not conformed to his first spiritual direction. Moohummud Muhdee has found no place in the Qoor-aun: nor indeed could he, without that book suffering the corruption Jews and Christians are accused of by the writer of it, viz: a palpable interpolation, or a special miracle in the form of prediction, since he appeared as the 12th Imam son of Husunool-Uskuree, about 200 years after Moohummud's decease. This Moohummud Muhdee is to be looked on as a type of his ancestors, and is somewhere in concealment until the time appointed, and is named like his progenitor Moohummud."

12. When Moosulmans say our present copies of the Scriptures are corrupted, they say only what their Qoor-aun inculcates, what Soonnees say of Shee-uhs with reference to the traditions and arguments of each other; we cannot therefore hope other treatment at their hands. The Qoor-aun however applies this stigma in particular to the Jews, with no other object, of course, than the depreciation of both Jewish and Christian doctrines, to operate on the minds of men as a sufficient reason to neglect them. You ask: Is there any answer found to this objection in their commentaries? No, believe me, they are little accustomed to advance any thing to the disparagement of their own faith! for my part, I would meet this frivolous exception by appealing to their own innate experience, in the following proposition: "Is it not clear to the conviction of you, Moosulmans, that your Qoor-aun treats of matters which Jewish and Christian Scriptures (acknowledged therein as sent down from heaven) teach at large as religious doctrines? and can you really bring yourselves to suppose it probable, the book of your religious Faith, i. e. the Qoor-aun Mujeed, upon which depends your hopes of prosperity in this life, and your eternal happiness in the next, 5 or 600 years after its publication in different nations, could be easily corrupted, at the desire of certain of yourselves, at the same time professing their religious belief in it? Can you be ignorant of that sacred awe with which reverential Believers approach the foundations of their national religion, of whatever kind it may be, and wherever found? or of the jealous watch kept by men upon their best and most previous records, in all ages? and if so, does it not concern you nearly, to ascertain whether some change in after times, may not have taken place in the text of your word of God, knowing as you well do, that a fear, lest Moosulmans should fall (as is declared) into similar contradictions with those current among Jews and Christians, was the cause the first Moos

huf or Qoor-aun was compiled by the first Caliph Uboo-Bukr, from unconnected writings left by your Prophet at his death, and produced by his wife Uaishuh: and the last or one now in use, by the 3d Caliph Oothman ibn Uffan, expressly to obviate the erroneous readings in different copies, without any divine revelation to these compilers ensuring its accuracy? you will answer, No, superstition in false religions, and a conscientious dread of Divine indignation in the true, is an all-protecting guardian. Grant then that the Jewish Scriptures were not corrupted by Ezra, nor that it was possible for him to do so, without being brought to shame: a man of such esteem among the Jews, that according to your word of God, the Jews have said of him, that he is the Son of God."

13. For your 13th Query I refer to par. 3. The black and white Jews of Cochin, and others in Malabar, are known to me on the authority of the Rev. Claudius Buchanan. To examine any Hebrew, Chaldaic, or Samaritan writings they may have, would, I conceive, be very gratifying to the London Jewish Missionary Society.

14. The fabulous river, somewhere in the East Indies, called Sambath-yon in rabbinical writings, I have always looked on as a convincing proof of that lamentable degree of ignorance they have arrived at; who amongst them, could write and credit such empty unmeaning tales?

As they delight in the wonderful, I beg to assist them with the Ganges, sometimes at a stand, and sometimes flowing from Gaomookh or the Cow's mouth, at its rise in the hills.

The learned in Hindoostaun are not confined to any particular city or province: Delhi, Lucknow, Calcutta are first in fame. At Delhi, Mouluvee Ubdool Uzez, if still living, is regarded as the "Ne plus ultra" amongst Moosulmans of India; there are many others also in that city; but as to their being liberally minded on religious topics, those who are so, are further advanced than the generality, and must have learned to disregard the injunctions of their Qoor-aun, which declares illiberally enough: "Never entertain a sincere friendship for unbelievers, neither sit with, or listen to, those to whom the Scriptures have been given, lest they cause you to apostatize from your religion.

But notwithstanding all these difficulties, I, (as one has already said before me, "Did my situation correspond with my intentions,") without breach of peace, or trenching on liberty of conscience, without arrogating to myself what others could not equally well effect, could, me thinks, suggest such measures as would go near to neutralize the baneful influence, and expose the fallacy of this and similar pretensions to inspirations of so uncharitable a nature, in any country, and with peculiar advantages in this, from the variety of its sects and religious opinions, above all others; but the means? The pen and paper of rational and temporal reputation, as well for Hindoos as for Moosulmans, in the vernacular tongues, with accurate versions in them of all Scriptures, bearing the denomination of the word of God, the press with its publications of

useful knowledge in the same two colloquial languages of India, on the Socratic system, the hearty co-operation of the established Church clergy, in carefully and diligently reading their form of public prayer, in the places of public worship, one day in each week, for general edification in the same two dialects, i. e. the grammatical Hindoostanee of Delhi, and the pure Hindee, the copious introduction of European arts, improvements and inventions, by help of translations in physic, astronomy, geography, history, chronology, &c. in the same languages, in all the principal cities of this territory, and above all, the acquisition and general use of the English tongue, throughout India to be considered the sure path to preferment under the British Government; for all native schools being founded for the teaching of these three (in preference to Arabic, Persian, or Sanscrit, which should be suffered to fall into disuse amongst natives), with letter-writing and arithmetic, branches of education in greater request by the greater number, with books of all kinds, without exception, accessible to all. I say, with coadjutors such as these, we may safely reckon on the eventual demolition of the strongest holds of bigotry and heathenism, without fear of individual offence, without dread of collective destruction: and such is the paradeigma catholicon I prescribe for all mankind, less happy than ourselves in religious faith. And what, it may be asked, is to be the result of these preparations? The result will be, what few choose to deny, the utter impossibility of our principles being misrepresented, which is, and has been commonly the case; and respect for our own character thereby increased: while the fact generally assented to, by all people, acquainted with the workings of the human heart, is fully confirmed, that where men imbibe principles which openly or secretly incline them to agree in one and the same religion, as to essentials, and that religion is a good one, there is a stronger probability of their being sincere in their faith with each other, in matters of a temporal nature, in the day of adversity.

If you should not have read Sales' English translation of the Qoor-aun, I recommend it to your perusal. In the preliminary dissertation you will see much; together with the works in Hebrew, Arabic, and other languages, which that very profound scholar has consulted; and in your conversations with the learned in India (should you give preference to the Arabic as a medium) you will perhaps sometimes, find it necessary to adopt the style in use here, for you no doubt have observed ere this, that the spoken Arabic of Eerag and Syria differs somewhat from that of the learned in books, both as to pronunciation and style, though should you be conversant in the Rekhutuh or Hindoostanee, that would still better answer your purposes.

You have, dear sir, an ample field before you. Here, there is much to be done. Freedom of speech is not denied; but freedom of the pen is better. Still I would advise no one to undertake religious argument, with either Hindoo or Moosulmans, particularly the latter, who has not given his attention to all the concerns of