to Daraie, he quitted his own party, and became a Wahabee. Abduluziz, conceiving this a good opportunity to attack the holy cities, early in January 1803, intrusted Mozeifé with the command of twelve thousand men, who fought several battles with his brother-in-law, and constantly defeated him. In February of the same year he laid siege to Tayif.

Galib, who had here his finest palaces, and most flourishing gardens, hastened to its relief, and defended it for several days, till his nephew Abdullah secretly retired in the night to Mecca, when, conscious of the detestation in which he was held by his subjects, and dreading lest they should place Abdullah in his stead, he abandoned Tayif, having set his palaces on fire. Mozeifé immediately entered, and his followers commenced their usual devastations. Eight hundred males were put to the sword, but the harems were respected. Many houses were burned, and the whole were plundered, but the treasure of the Sheriffe had been conveyed to Mecca with his wives and followers. All the holy tombs were destroyed, and among them that of Abdullah Ebn Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, an edifice celebrated throughout Arabia for its pre-eminent beauty and sanctity. The grave itself, and the stone which covered it, were not disturbed. Mozeifé, as a reward for his treachery, was appointed Governor. Abduluziz had no intention that Mecca, Medina, and their sea ports of Jidda and Yambo, should be held by any descendant of the Prophet as a viceroy under him; he therefore sent his eldest son Suud to command the victorious army at Tayif, which marched so unexpectedly against Mecca, on the 26 April 1803, that the Sheriffe, panicstruck, determined to retire, with all his treasures, to Jidda. He effected this in the night, leaving his brother to make the best terms he could with the enemy. On the following day

Mecca, for the first time since Mahommed entered it in 629, was obliged to submit to a hostile invader, who, however, strictly conformed to the terms of capitulation, and neither plundered nor injured the inhabitants. The religious prejudices of the Wahabee were greatly offended by above eighty splendid tombs, which covered the remains of the descendants of Mahommed, and formed the great ornament of Mecca. These were levelled with the ground, as was also the monument of the venerable and respected wife of the prophet, Kadija. The coffee-houses next felt the desolating zeal of the reformers. The hookahs were piled in a heap, and burned; and the use of tobacco and coffee prohibited under severe penalties. The holy places were plundered of their valuable articles, but the Caaba remained uninjured. The Wahabee have asserted, that the veneration paid to the black stone was idolatrous; and disapproved of the ceremonies practised by the pilgrims at the stone of Abraham, which is placed near the well of Zemzem, and is supposed to have on it the mark of the Patriarch's foot, formed while he stood there to build the Caaba. to this mark the water is poured from the well for the pilgrims to drink.—Suud seems to have justly estimated the benefits which Mecca enjoyed from the annual influx of pilgrims; he therefore acted with moderation, and confirmed the Cadi whom the Grand Seignior had appointed. He also wrote to him the following letter:

SUUD TO SELIM.

In

agreeably to the commands of Mohammed. I desire that, in the ensuing years, you will give orders to the Pachas of Shaum, Syria, Misr, and Egypt, not to come accompanied by the Mahamel, trumpets, and drums, into Mecca and Medina. For why? religion is not profited by these things. Peace be between us, and may the blessing of God be unto you! Dated on the 10th day of Moharem." This answers to our third of May.

On the 11th of May, Suud marched against Jidda; but the delay at Mecca had given time to the Sheriffe to prepare for his reception, by bringing on shore all the cannon from the vessels in the harbour, and planting them on the walls. An attempt was made by the Wahabee to storm the town, but it failed: Suud, however, contrived to cut off all supplies, even of water; in consequence of which, numbers perished by thirst, in the nine days that the blockade continued; and at length the Sheriffe was forced by the inhabitants to offer a sum of money to Suud, on condition of his abandoning the siege. The arrange ments were actually made for the payment of a lac and thirty thousand dollars, when the intelligence arrived of the death of Abduluziz, which induced Suud to return instantly to Daraie, lest any rival should dispute the succession. Jidda was thus saved, and even Mecca fell again under the control of the Sheriffe; but Tayif, the most lovely spot in Arabia, a spot so unlike the surrounding country, that the Arabs believe it to have been a part of Syria, detached and dropped during the general deluge, still remained in the hands of Mozeifé

In 1804, Medina, with its treasure, which had accumulated for ages by the donations of the faithful, became a prey to the Wahabee: and the tomb of the Prophet shared the fate of those

*The richly ornamented covering for the Caaba.

of his descendants. Jidda was again attacked, but without success, as the Sheriffe had received supplies from Egypt. Yambo fell, but was retaken on the sea side. The Pacha of Syria forced his way through the undiscipled troops of Suud, and the usual ceremonies were performed by the Faithful at the holy Caaba, probably for the last time; for the numerous hordes of the Wahabee now cover the Desart with their flying squadrons, and render a passage too dangerous to be attempted.

The Johassen Arabs, who acknowledge the religious supremacy of Suud, have occasionally entered the Red Sea, and should they obey his call, and appear with their powerful naval force before Jidda, resistance would be unavailing, and the descendants of the Prophet would cease to reign in Arabia.

The Imaum of Muscat has perished in battle, and his son is said to be under the controul of a Wahabee guardian. Yemen has no natural means of resisting the vast power of her opponent, and must sink under the imbecility of her government. In the vast peninsula of Arabia, the little state of Aden alone offers any rational means of resistance to the power of the Wahabee, by the wisdom of her sovereign, and the bravery of his little army. Gratitude calls upon the British to prevent his ruin; for to them he has ever been an attached and useful ally. During the expedition to the Red Sea, his port was open to them; and, on General Murray's quitting Perim, the British were, with an unbounded confidence, admitted within his walls. On the appearance of the Johassen fleet in his harbour, in 1804, while a large Surat vessel was lying there, he sent his soldiers on board to protect her from the pirates, and obliged them to put to sea, without receiving any supplies, though they of fered him the half of the plunder they had already made, if he would permit them to remain. These repeated acts of friendship now call for a return,

The Wahabee, conscious of their want of arms and ammunition, and fully convinced of the benefit they would receive from a trade being opened between India and their ports, have made repeated offers to the Bombay government, of granting immunities and exclusive privileges to the British merchants, if they would establish a factory at Loheia ; they would therefore willingly comply with any request in favour of the Sultaun of Aden, as an ally of the British, and would, with little regret, give up an attack on a power, whom they have hitherto found capable of resisting them.

No answer has as yet been given to the applications of the Wahabee; and the Bombay government behold, without concern, a revolution, which is again connecting the disunited Arabs under one supreme master. It is a circumstance well worthy of remark, that this has, for the first time since the death of Ali, occurred at a moment, when the surrounding kingdoms of Asia and Africa are sunk into the same state of imbecility and distraction to which they were reduced un. der the Romans, when the dissolute and lukewarm Christians were obliged to yield to the ardent and zealous followers of Mohammed.

Lowas the power of the Turkish empire is now fallen, I do not expect that the Wahabee will completely prevail against it, unless, by a communication with Europeans, they obtain supplies of arms and ammunition, and, with them, learn a proportion of European discipline. I consider Arabia, however, as lost for ever to the Sultaun; and, consequently, that he has ceased to be the head of the Mussulmaun religion. The order of Mohammed, that his followers should, once in their lives, visit Mecca, can no longer be performed. The sacred city has heard the din of hostile arms, and is

to Mohammed that veneration which he has received for twelve hundred years. His descendants will soon cease to reign; and although the Koran may be revered for a longer period throughout a portion of Asia, the mighty fabric of Islamism must be considered as having passed away, from the moment that Suud entered Mecca on the 27th of April 1803.

Account of the Caves of CARLI and KENNARI, near BARBARY,

(From the same)

October 24.7

}

N order to visit the 1804. caves of CARLI to more advantage, we had the tents pitched at the foot of the hill which contains these interesting antiquities. It is nearly opposite to the fort of Low Ghur, distant about four miles directly across the vale. The chain of hills here runs nearly east and west, but this protrudes from them at right angles. The chief cave fronts due west.

There are also a few in a bluff point at the southern extremity, the entrances to which are visible from the bottom. The whole road was covered with small agates, of which I collected a few. It was a long stage, and I did not reach the ground till eleven. The Killadar of Esapoor paid me a visit, and informed me that he had received orders to shew me the fort of Low Ghur. In the evening, Hurry Punt Bow, deputy to Cundeh Row Rastieh, Ser Soobah of the Cokan, who was on his road to the country below the Gauts, came also to wait on me, and brought presents of fruit, &c. Cundeh Row, being supreme head of Low Ghur, Esapoor, and most other forts in the country, had sent Hurry Funt to represent him, and receive my visit.He was a fine old man with a white

beard,

beard, and smiling countenance. I gave him notice of my intention to be there on the 26th, to breakfast, and desired guides to be sent.

October 25. Breakfast was sent up to the caves, and we went there before the sun became hot. The ascent was steep, but rendered easy by steps which had been cut in the rock.The whole brow of the hill was covered with jungle, which concealed the caves til we came to an open space of about one hundred feet, which had been levelled by the cutting away of the sloping hill, till a perpendicular surface of about 50 feet had been found in the solid rock. Here a line of caverns had been excavated, the principal of which struck me with the greatest astonishment, from its size and the peculiarity of its form. It consisted of a vestibule of an oblong square shape, divided from the temple itself, which was arched, and supported by pillars. The length of the whole is one hundred and twenty-six feet, the breadth forty-six feet. No figures of any deities are to be found within the pagoda, but the walls of the vestibule are covered with carvings in alto-relievo, of elephants, of human figures of both sexes, and of Boodh, who is represented in some places as sitting cross-legged, with his hands in the posture common among the Cingalese; in others he is erect, but in all, he is attended by figures in the act of adoration, and in one place two figures standing on the lotus, are fanning him with chouries, while two others are suspending a rich crown over his head. I think, therefore, that it is beyond dispute that the whole was dedicated to Boodi.The detail of the different ornaments and figures, with drawings of them, I sent to the Bombay Literary Society, in whose works they will appear, it is therefore, unnecessary to repeat them here. The inscriptions are numerous in different parts, and all are in the same unknown character which is

found at the seven pagodas, and is described in the fifth volume of the Asiatic Researches. We copied all that we could discover, and chalked over the letters, for the benefit of any traveller that might come after us.— There may be others concealed under the coat of Chunam, which still covers a great part of the wall; where it is broken off, the marks of the chissel are perfectly visible.

The ribs on the roof are of wood, and are very difficult to be accounted for. They cannot be supposed to be of an equal age with the excavation, yet who would have been at the expense of replacing them? The followers of Boodh no longer worship here: the country is in possession of their great enemies, the Brahmins, and the pagoda itself is considered as haunted by evil spirits, in defiance of the vicinity of the holy goddess Bowannie; so much so, that the native draftsman who drew the cave at Ellora for Sir Charles Mallet, could not be induced to accompany us by any persuasion of Colonel Close, declaring that if he did, the evil spirit would injure him.

Without the vestibule stands a pillar twenty-four feet high and eight feet in diameter, on which is a single line in the unknown characters. On the capital are four lions, much resembling the Chinese. Opposite to it was another pillar, but it was removed about forty years ago, to make room for the insignificant temple of Bowannie, which now occupies its place.

A line of caves extends from about one hundred and fifty yards to the north of the great one. These are all flat-roofed, of a square form, and appear to have been destined for the attendants on the pagoda. In the last is a figure of Boodh, and in another is an inscription. They evidently were never finished.

A veil, at present, is suspended over the relative antiquity of the Boodhists and the Brahmins, which may possibly be hereafter removed; but these

hopes are lessened by the recollection, that all the learning that has yet been found in India, has been in the possession of the Brahmins, who seem to have completely triumphed over their rivals, the Boodhists, who profanely gave precedence to the Royal Cast, above the holy race of the priesthood.

November 23. Early in the morning we departed for the Caves of KENNARI, the most important in the island, [of Selsette,] and formed out of a high knowl, in the middle of the range of hills which divides the island nearly into two equal parts. I soon found, that, limited as I was for time, it would be impossible to investigate the whole of the caves. I therefore gave my chief attention to the great cavern, which resembles the one at Carli, in being oblong, and having a coved roof, though it is inferior to it in size, in elegance of design, and in beauty of execution. It has the same singular building at the upper end, and the vestibule is equally adorned with figures. Its peculiar ornaments are two gigantic figures of Boodh, nearly twenty feet high, each filling one side of the vestibule. They are exactly alike, and are in perfect preservation, in consequence of their having been christened and painted red by the Portuguese, who left them as an appendage to a Christian church, for such this temple of Boodh became under their transforming hands, I have given a view of the front of the temple, and an etching of the gigantic figure of the presiding deity, whose image, in all the unusual attitudes, embellishes several other parts of the vestibule; and one in particular is ornamented with the conical cap worn by the Chinese Fo. The entrance, on which there are several inscriptions in the unknown character, faces the west. It is worthy observation, that these two circumstances, and the coved roof, seem to be peculiar to the temples deicated to Boodh; at least it is so in

the two I have seen, and in the one at Ellora described by Sir Charles Mallet in the Asiatic Researches. In one of the large square caves which adjoin that above described are many figures, and one that is very remarkable, as it shows Vishnou himself in the act of fanning Boodh with the chouries: a superior deity may, however, be supposed to reside in the circular temples, for within them is no image, unless the circular building, called by the natives Dhagope, can be considered as a prodigious lingam. I ought to add, that in the cave of Ellora there does appear a statue annexed to Dhagope, which, from the manner of holding the finger of one hand between the finger and thumb of the other, is probably designed for Boodh.

The innumerable caves which have been formed in every part of the hill, are square, and flat-roofed. I cannot but consider them as meant for the habitations of the attendant Brahmins. A very curious tradition is mentioned by Monsieur Anquetil du Perron, as having been recorded by a Jesuit in a history of the West Indies, printed in Portugal; it is, that the whole of these caves were the work of a Gentoo king, some thousand years ago, to secure his only son from the attempts of another nation to gain him over to their religion. This must probably refer to some disputes between the Brahmins and the Boodhists, and might, if it could be traced, throw some light on the relative antiquity of the two religions. The most perplexing circumstance, that the character used by the latter is now no longer understood, while that of the former is in constant use, makes it difficult to believe that the Brahmins are justified in their claim to superior antiquity. It is a subject, however, on which I cannot presume to give an opinion,

It is not only the numerous caves, that give an idea of what the population of this barren rock must once have been, but the tanks, the terraces, and

the