"by the height o f the mountains, fo that only light ihowers
fall there; thefe, however, are in abundance fufficient
to feed the thoufands o f cafcades which are precipitated
into the valley from every' part of the ftupendous and romantic
bulwark that encircles it. Amidft the various felicities
of the Cajhmerians, one dreadful evil they are conftantly
fubjea to, namely, earthquakes; but to guard againft their
terrible effeéts, all their houfes are built of wood, o f which
there is no want.
T h e Cajhmerians are efteemed a moil witty race, and much
more intelligent and ingenious than the Hindoos, and as much
addiiled to the fciences and to poetry as the very Per/tans-
They have a language of their own : but their books are written
in the Sbanfcrit tongue, although the charafter be fome-
times Cajhmerian*. They are alfo very induftrious, and excellent
mechanics.. The various articles of their workmanihip
are fent into all parts o f India +. This race is famous for the
finenefs of their features, and their admirable complexions.
They look like Europeans, and have nothing of the Tartarian
flat-nofed face, and fmall eyes, like thofe o f Cafchguer and their
• neighbors o f Thibet. It is certainly quite right, that this
P a r a d i s e , t h e r e g io n o f e t e r n a l S p r i n g , ihould be
peopled with females angelic: they-are uncommonly beautiful.
The courtiers of the time of Bernier were moft felicitous to
obtain for their Zenanas the Cajhmerian fair, in order that they
might have children whiter than the natives of Hindoojian, in
order that they might pafs for the true Mogul-breed, congenerous
with their monarch.
* Ayeen Alberry, ii. 155. t Bernier, p. 93.
The religion o f the Cajhmerians is the fame as that of the
Hindoos; poiflbly the pardonable fuperftition of the inhabitants,
warmed by their romantic fituation, may have multiplied the
places o f yvorlhip of Mahadeo, of Befchan, and o f Brama. Here
is a feet o f religioriifts, free from idolatry, which worihip the
Deity alone. They are remarkably benevolent, and abftain
from the other fex. They mull therefore be continued by
difciples.' As to the Mahometans, they are not numerpus, and
thofe fplit into fedls *.
T he Cajhmerians feem to have had an idea of the deluge,
for, fay they, in the early ages of the world, all Cajhmere, except
the mountains, was covered with water. One Kujhup brought
the Brahmins to inhabit the country as foon as the waters had
fubfided t. Neither were they ignorant o f the hiftory of Noah,
for the Indians fpeak of him under the name of Sattiaviraden,
who, with his wife, was by the god Vichenou, who fent to them
an ark, preferved from deftruition in a general deluge The
firft monarch o f the country was Owgnund, who was eleiled,
fays Abulfazul, 4444 years before his time §.
Here are numbers o f hermits in places nearly inaecefiible.
They are highly venerated, fome being fuppofed to have power
to excite the fury o f the' elements. Bernier, p. 104, found an an-
tient anchoute, who had inhabited the fummit o f the lofty mountain
Pire-penjale ever fince the time o f Jehangire, who was here
in 1618. His religion was unknown. To him was attributed the
power of working miracles. He carried at his pleafure great
* Ayeen, ii. 155. f Same, 178, 179. É Sonnerat, vol. ii. 158. § Ayeen, 179.
1- II thunders,