a tribe of Hottentots inhabiting a district of South Africa, which M. Vaillant places on the confines of the Nimiqua country (See Nimiquas, Suppl.). When our author visited them, the whole tribe was assembled for the election of a chief: and not agreeing among themselves, some blood had been shed, and much more would have been shed, had they not unanimously made choice of him. When he first joined them, the whole horde paid attention to nothing but their quarrel. To see their warmth, one might have supposed that their election was a matter of importance to the whole world, and that the fate of mankind was about to depend on their chief. All spoke at the same time; each endeavoured to drown his neighbour's voice by his own; their eyes sparkled with fury; and amidst this confusion, while they threatened each other in turns, the noise they made became truly dreadful.

Unarmed, and without any precaution, though surrounded by this enraged multitude, our author walked calmly along in the midst of them; and when he reached the kraal, he ordered his tent to be immediately formed; as if he had been surrounded by friends and relations. This appearance, raised suddenly, and as if by magic, before the eyes of the horde, with his rifles, horses, and tent, objects which were all new to them, filled them with admiration. Men, women, and children, motionless, and with their mouths wide open, all stood looking at them with profound silence. Anger, hatred, and every violent passion, seemed by their countenances to be extinguished, and to have given place to more tranquil emotions, to ignorant surprize, and stupid astonishment. Infancy is naturally curious; it is struck with everything it sees; and the savage, in this respect, is only a grown-up child. As these savages seemed to wish that he would permit them to examine more closely whatever excited their admiration, he readily condescended to gratify their desire. They approached, surveyed, and handled every thing. But the principal object of general curiosity was his person. Koraquas. They seemed as if they would never be satisfied with looking at his dress. They pulled off his hat, that they might the better examine his hair and his beard, which were long. They even half unbuttoned his clothes; and surprized to see his skin white, each felt it, as if desirous to ascertain that what they saw was real.

This comedy continued till the evening; and at length, when the moment of sensation arrived, M. Vaillant caused to be hinted to the whole company, that if, two hours after sun rise next morning, they should not agree respecting the choice of a chief, he would immediately leave them. He added, however, that if, on the other hand, they came and presented to him a chief, elected by general consent, he would then load them all with presents, and bestow on him a distinction which would raise him above all his equals, and render the horde one of the most celebrated in the whole country. "But what was my surprize (says he) when I learned the same evening, that on my head the burden of the crown was depoed!" He acquiesced, however; assuring them, that if they would promise to be obedient, he would give them the only chief worthy of ruling them, and of making them happy.

By his interpreters he had learned, that the choice of the majority leaned towards one Haripa, a man about 40 years of age; tall, well made, exceedingly strong, and consequently formed by nature for ruling the feeble multitude. He therefore named Haripa chief; and the people appearing to approve of his choice, he commanded silence, and causing the new monarch to approach, placed on his head, with great solemnity, a Dutch grenadier cap, of which the copperplate on the front was ornamented with the arms of Holland. This symbol, viz., a lion rampant, having in one of his fore-paws seven arrows, and in the other a naked fable, could not fail to please the savages, as it exhibited a representation of the weapons peculiar to them, and of the most formidable animal of their country. They testified their admiration in the most expressive manner; and imagined that, superior to kings, the white man during the night had by magic made this crown, merely to adorn their chief, and to afford them pleasure. Vaillant then affixed to the skin, which formed Haripa's dress, several rows of glass beads; gave him a girdle made of a string of very large ones; ornamented his arms with tin bracelets, and suspended from his neck a small padlock, shaped like a butterfly, the key of which had been lost. Such padlocks, made in the form of animals of every kind, are very common at the Cape. They come from China; and are brought to Africa by the captains of the Company's ships which trade in the Indian seas.

During the ceremony of installation, the whole horde, dumb and motionless through admiration, seemed lost in ecstasy. Haripa himself, though highly gratified, did not dare to make the least movement, and observed a gravity altogether risible. When the inauguration was finished, and he was completely dressed, our author presented him with a mirror, that he might enjoy the satisfaction of surveying his own figure. He then shewed him to the people, who expressed their joy by shouts and applause without end.

"Ye honest hearts (says M. Vaillant), who peruse this account, behold what it cost me to restore peace among..." among a whole tribe, and to prevent them from destroying each other!" From this moment concord was re-established; universal joy prevailed through the horde; and they instantly began their dancing, which continued for three days and three nights without intermission. They killed for this festival several fat sheep, and even two oxen; an extraordinary and truly astonishing magnificence among a people who, when they barter one of their daughters for a cow, think they have made an excellent bargain.

Our author, wishing to purchase some oxen for his wagons, bought them at the price of a nail the ox; and those who had the good fortune to make such an exchange were highly satisfied with their bargain. Nails and small bits of iron were indeed of real value to them, to point the arrows and assegais with which they shot the antelopes that abound in their country, and constitute much of their food. Like other savages, the Koragas were ready to pilfer, and appropriate to their own use whatever they found pleasing, or suited to their purposes. They attempted to carry away some of our author's effects, even before his face; and to prevent their rapacity, he was obliged either to watch over, or to deposit them in some place of safety.

The Koragas are much taller than the Hottentots of the colonies, though they appeared evidently to be descended from the same race, having the same language and customs with their neighbours the Nimiquas (see that article), who are certainly of Hottentot extraction.

As the excessive dryness of the country renders springs very rare, the Koragas would be unable to inhabit it, had they not found the means of remedying this scarcity of water. For this purpose they dig in the earth a kind of cisterns or rather wells, to which they descend gradually by steps; and these people are the only African nation among whom our author ever found the same mark of industry.

As their wells always contain little water, and as none is to be lost, they take care to secure it even from the birds, by closing up the mouth of the hole with stones and the branches of trees; so that, unless one knows the spot, it is impossible to find it. They go down into it every day, to fetch up as much water as may be necessary for the consumption of their people and cattle. They draw it in a kind of vessels made of hollowed wood, and pour it into the skins of buffaloes or giraffes, placed in a concave form on the ground to hold it; but they distribute it with the utmost parsimony, and never draw more than they absolutely have occasion for.

Notwithstanding this strict economy, the wells often become dry; and in that case the horde is obliged to remove to some other place. Among all the western tribes, therefore, there are none who lead so wandering a life as the Koragas: the consequence of which is, that, as they often change their abode, and acquire new neighbours, they must, in some measure, adopt the customs of the nations near which they fix their residence. Some tribes of them grease themselves like the Hottentots; while others tattoo their faces, breast, and arms, after the manner of the Caffres. It is, however, to be remarked, that the same colour is not employed by all the Koragas; each has his own, according as caprice may direct him in his choice, and it generally varies every day; which renders, as one may say, the inhabitants of the same horde strangers to each other, and Krishna gives them a motley appearance, as if they were dressed for a masquerade.

KRISHNA or CRIFNA, is an eastern river of considerable magnitude, which is very little known in Europe. We have the following account of it, and its tributary waters, and the countries through which it flows, in Mr Pennant's View of Hindustan:

"From Gangapatan, on the northern mouth of the Pennar, the land runs due north as far as Mottapilli, when it forms a strong curve toward the east; the point of which is one side of the great river Crifna, in about lat. 15° 43'. Its Delta, which winds round as far as Mahulipatam, is not considerable. This river annually overflows a vast tract of country, like the Indus on the western side of this empire, and like all the other great rivers on this extensive coast. The Crifna rises from the foot of the western Ghauts, and not more than 45 miles from Severndurg, on the western coast. There is another branch to the east, that rises still more northerly. On that side is Sattara, a strong fortress, the capital of the Mahratta state in the time of the rajas of Sivaji's race. It was taken by him in 1673, and found to be the depository of immense treasure; at that time it belonged to the king of Vijapur: it was afterwards used by the Mahrattas as the lodgment of their riches, and also as a retreat for the more defenceless inhabitants of Puna, and other open towns, in time of potent invasions.

"The river continues descending to the east. In latitude 17° is Meritech, a strong fortress, with a Jaghirdar territory, conquered from its owner by Hyder. In lat. 16° 45', a small river discharges itself into the Crifna from the north. It would not be worth mentioning, but that Pannela, a fortress of vast strength, was made by Sumbuji, the profligate son of Sivaji, his residence just before his surprisal in 1689, betrayed by Cablis Khan, the vile instrument of his pleasures, corrupted by Aurengzebe. His extravagant love of women brought on him ruin. Informed by Cablis that a Hindu of rank and great beauty was on the road to be delivered by her parents to her husband, according to the custom of the Hindus, he instantly put himself at the head of a small body of horse to carry off the prize, and ordered Cablis to follow at a distance for his protection, in case of accidents in that hostile time. The traitor had given notice to Aurengzebe of this expedition, who, sending a body of cavalry, surprised Sumbuji just as he had dispersed the nuptial procession.

"Into the north side of the Crifna, in lat. 16° 20', falls the great river Bima, after a course of 350 miles. It rises at the head of the western Ghauts, parallel to Chaul in the Concan, and not above 50 miles from the sea. It descends rapidly towards the south-east. In lat. 17° 40' it receives a small river from the west, on the southern banks of which stands Vijapur, the capital of the famous kingdom of the same name, now possessed by the Mahrattas, but once governed by its own monarchs till conquered by Aurengzebe in 1686. It was of great extent, and reached to the western sea, where it possessed the ports of Dabul, Vingorla, and Carapatam.

"The capital Vijapur is some leagues in circuit, seated in a fine but naked country, well watered. It makes a singular appearance from an adjacent eminence, filled with numbers of small domes, and one of a majestic size." Krishna, fig. It was once a city of great splendour, and filled Kuara with palaces, mosques, mausoleums, and public and private buildings of great magnificence; many of them are fallen to ruin, and give melancholy proofs of its former splendour. I shall not attempt to detail them. The palaces of the kings, and accommodations for their attendants, were within a vast fort, surrounded with a ditch 100 yards wide; the depth appeared to be great, but is now filled with rubbish: within the fort is the citadel. Tavernier says, that the great ditch was filled with crocodiles, by way of garrison, to prevent all access by water. Lieutenant Moor has his doubts about this, imagining that there never was any water in this fossa. That such garrisons have existed I doubt not. I have read in Purchas, that in Pegu the fosses of fortified places were stocked with those tremendous animals, not only to keep out enemies, but to prevent defection. This practice has certainly been of great antiquity in some parts of India: Pliny mentions it as used in a fair city of the Horatas, a people I cannot trace.

"The Crisna, above and below its confluence with the Bima, is fordable; and a few miles below its channel is 600 yards wide, made horrid with the number and rudeness of the variously formed rocks, which are never covered but in the rainy season.

"The Tungbuddra is another vast branch of the Crisna. It falls into it in lat. 16° 25', and originates extremely south, from a doubtful fountain. Towards its lower part it divides into three or four small branches, which rise remote from each other; the most southern is the Curga Nair's country; the most northern from the head of the Ghatas opposite to Onor, and scarcely 20 miles from the sea. What must give this river great celebrity, is its having had on its banks, in lat. 15° 24', the splendid city of Vijanagar. Ferishta says, that it was founded in 1344 by Belaldeo king of the Carnatic, which in those days included the whole peninsula. It was visited by Caesar Frederick a Venetian traveller, in 1565, and found deserted and ruined, having been sacked by four confederated Mahomedan princes two years before, on which its monarch had retired to Penuconda. Frederick says that its circumference was 24 miles. Mr. Rennell has given us a view of its present state from Lieutenant Emitt, who visited it in 1792.

"The ruins of Vijanagar are in the little Sircar of Anagundi, which does not extend above 20 miles around this vast city. It is very singular, that that little Sircar is now possessed by a lineal descendant of Rama Rajah, the last great monarch of Vijanagar, and its attendant nations Cacarina and Malabar, united 700 years before under the rule of Crisna Deva. Tippan wished to reserve this little tract to himself, for the satisfaction of generously restoring to the descendant the small relic of the great empire of his ancestors. He is denied the title of Rajah, instead of which he has the diminutive Raii bestowed on him. This is suitable to his revenues, which do not exceed two lacs of rupees, or 25,000 per annum, with the empty regality of a mint at Anagundi." In the remainder of its course the Crisna offers nothing remarkable.