a province of Asia in the dominions of the Mogul. It is situated at the extremity of Hindoostan, northward of Lahore, and is bounded on the one side by a ridge of the great Caucasus, and on the other by the little Tartarian Thibet and Moultan. The extent of it is not very considerable; but being girt in by a zone of hills, and elevated very considerably above an arid plain, which stretches many miles around it, the scenes which it exhibits are wild and picturesque. Rivers, hills, and valleys, charmingly diversify the landscape. Here, Mr Sullivan informs us, a cascade rushes from a foaming precipice; there a tranquil stream glides placidly along; the tinkling rill, too, sounds amidst the groves; and the feathered choristers sing the song of love, close sheltered in the glade.

At what time Cashmere came under the dominion of the Mogul government, and how long and in what manner it was independent, before it was annexed to the territories of the house of Timur, are points that are beyond our present purpose. Though inconsiderable as to its revenues, it was uniformly held in the highest estimation by the emperors of Hindoostan. Thither they repaired in the plenitude of their greatness, when the affairs of state would admit of their absence; and there they divested themselves of form, and all the oppressive ceremony of state. The royal manner of travelling to Cashmere was grand, though tedious and unwieldy, and showed, in an eminent degree, the splendour and magnificence of an eastern potentate. Auengzebe, we are told, seldom began his march to that country, for a march certainly it was to be called, without an escort of 80,000 or 100,000 fighting men, besides the gentlemen of his household, the attendants of his retinue, and most of his officers of state. These all continued with him during the time he was on the road, which generally was a month; but no sooner was he arrived at the entrance of those aerial regions, than, with a select party of friends, he separated from the rest of his retinue, and with them ascended the defiles which led him to his Eden.

The temperature of the air of Cashmere, elevated as it is so much above the adjoining country, together with the firearms which continually pour from its mountains, enables the husbandman to cultivate with success the soil he appropriates to agriculture; whilst the gardener's labour is amply repaid in the abundant produce of his fruit. In short, nature wears her gayest clothing in this enchanting spot. The rivers supply the inhabitants with almost every species of fish; the hills yield sweet herbage for the cattle; the plains are covered with grain of different denominations; and the woods are stored with variety of game. The Cashmireans, according to our author, seem a race distinct from all others in the east: Their persons are more elegant, and their complexions more delicate and more tinged with red.

On the decadence of the Mogul power in Hindoostan, Cashmere felt some of the ravages of war. It is now however in peace; and the inhabitants are desirous of keeping it so. They are sprightly and ingenious, and have several curious manufactures much valued in India. They are all Mahometans or idolaters. Cashmere is the capital town.