singabad, a large town in the province of Khandesh, in the Deccan, is situated on the south bank of the river Nurbudda, in Lat. 22 deg. 40 min. N., Long. 77 deg. 51 min. E. It is a large town, and of considerable importance on account of its position, as it commands the principal fords in this direction. In 1827 a vein of blind coal was discovered here. The town with its dependent district belongs to the British, and may be considered as annexed to the GurraMundla division of Gondwana. HOWAH-KHANEH, literally in Hindostanee, to "eat the air." When a gentleman leaves his house for purposes of exercise or change of air, he is said by his domestics to have gone to eat the air. The term is very expressive, but can only be thoroughly appreciated by those who know, from personal experience, what a substantial repast is obtained by inhaling a cool and pure atmosphere of an evening after the torrid horrors of the day.

HOWDAH, a square enclosure, four feet by four, formed of wood, or cane stretched upon a wooden frame, and provided with a seat slung across for the convenience of the occupant. This machine is placed on the back of an elephant and strapped round the body by means of broad leathern girths and chains. Seated herein, and provided with rifles, ammunition, and a day's provision of biscuits, sandwiches, and a bottle of ale or brandy and water, a European can travel in a single day a distance of forty miles, either in search of tigers, or to reach a station to which he may be summoned by business or pleasure. HUBSHEES, African slaves, many of whom are taken from Zanzibar, and usually form a considerable portion of the establishment in a Mahomedan family in the west of India. HULWAEE, a sweetmeat, composed of candied sugar, butter, and the juice of fruit, boiled to the consistency of a thick jelly, and then baked in small earthen pans. It is the pro

duce of Muscat and the Persian Gulf, and is much consumed in Western India.

The

An

HUMMAUL, a porter, or palankeen bearer, a word in use in the West and South of India. HUMMAUM, a Persian bath. operation of bathing is an elaborate process in Persia and in Turkey, rendered necessary by the filthy habits of the people, who seldom indulge in personal ablutions. Stripping to the skin, the bather is at once deluged with warm water, in an apartment constructed of brick, stone, and marble (or sometimes only of the latter) and heated to a high temperature. Streaming at every pore, he is covered by an attendant with soap, and then rubbed with a hair glove, or the fibres of some root, until every thing that lies upon the surface of the body has been removed. other copious shower of hot water succeeds to this friction-the bather is covered with a warm cotton sheet, and conveyed into an adjoining apartment of a somewhat more moderate temperature. Here he is suffered to dry, and while he waits that result an attendant barber shaves him, or trims and dyes his beard and moustaches, pares his nails, and shampoos (kneads) his body and limbs. This last process is very soothing and agreeable, producing a drowsiness, which often terminates in sleep. In Persian and Turkish hummaums, coffee or sherbet, with the kaleeoun, or chibouk, are often served after the purifying operation has been gone through. HUNZA, the Brahminy duck, a game bird of the Ganges. These ducks fly in couples, have a plaintive cry, and are considered emblems of constancy by the natives. The hunza is the ensign of the Burmese, as was the eagle of the Roman empire. HURDASSES, Hindoo preachers, properly called "sadoos." They chiefly pursue their vocation in the west of India, after the following manner: the hurdass stands with certain col

leagues, and while he chaunts stanzas, verses, odes the various forms of prayer and homily-they perform upon sitars and other instruments. A wreath of flowers is thrown around his neck, a nosegay placed in his turban, and an odoriferous powder (called uben) rubbed on his forehead. A small collection is made for his benefit after the recital.

HURKARUH, Hindostanee. A messenger; formerly, a servant used solely for carrying expresses, or such letters, messages, &c., as were to be sent beyond the circle of ordinary, or daily communication; he was, in fact, what is now commonly called a cossid. The duty of the hurkaruh, as an attendant upon a gentleman in office, &c., is similar to that of the peon, or piada, or running footman. HUSSEIN, and HOSSEIN, the sons

of Alee, who were murdered at Kerbelah by the soldiers of Yezid. Their assassination is mourned to this day by one of the sects of Mahometans. See MOHURRUM. HUZZOOR, literally, "the presence." The seat of government, or of the European authority in a collectorship in India. It is also used in a respectful sense by servants to their masters, and means, his, or your, worship. HUZZOOREE, relating to the presence, or chief station, of European authority. Applied to talookdars, &c., the term indicates, that they pay their revenue immediately to the European officer of government, and not through Zemindars. HYDERABAD, a province of India, bounded on the north by the river Godavery, separating it from Beder and Gondwana; east, the Godavery, and ranges of hills separating it from Gondwana and the Northern Circars; south, the rivers Kistna and Toombudra (dividing it from the Ceded Districts), and part of the Dooab; and west, Beder. It is divided into several small districts, or collectorates for revenue purposes, named after the principal

town of each, but which need not be enumerated, as they are liable to occasional alteration. The rivers are the Godavery, Munjera, Moosa, and Kistna. The Munjera flows northerly into the Godavery, the Moosa, easterly and southerly into the Kistna. The surface of this province is an elevated table-land, hilly, but not mountainous, and generally open. Southward of the city of Hyderabad, the country is much covered with jungle, and thinly peopled. The climate is temperate, and the soil naturally fertile, but it is indifferently cultivated. In former times this province was thickly populated and prosperous, but from being very badly governed, it has long been in a declining state. The productions are wheat, cholum, and other dry grains, and a little opium. The towns are, Maiduk, Warungol, Hyderabad, Neelcoonda, and Kummum-nait. There is a large proportion of Mahomedans in this province, but the Hindoos still form the most numerous class. The religion is Mahomedanism and Hindooism, and the language Teloogoo and Hindostanee.

HYDERABAD, a city in the province of Hyderabad, in India; also styled, in former times, Bag-nuggur, stands on the south side of the river Moosa, in Lat. 17 deg. 15 min. N., Long. 78 deg. 35 min. E. It is a large, but meanly-built town, containing about 200,000 inhabitants, and having been for a long time the capital of a Moosulman government, is now the chief resort of the principal Mahomedan families of the Deccan. It was founded about the year 1585, by Kootb Shah. Three miles to the west of the city of Hyderabad, stands the fortress of Golconda, formerly the capital, first, of a Hindoo, and afterwards of a Mahomedan kingdom. Under the empire of Delhi, this fortress was frequently used as a prison for the Moghul princes. Hyderabad is under the government

of the Nizam, who maintains, besides an army of his own, a British subsidiary force. The military cantonment of Hyderabad is called Secunderabad.

HYDERABAD, a city in India, the modern capital of the whole country of Sind, and formerly the residence of the principal Ameer, stands on the bank of the river Fulalee, a branch of the Indus, in Lat. 25 deg. 22 min. N. It contains about 20,000 inhabitants. The armourers of this place are noted for the excellence of their workmanship, as also are the artificers, who embroider in leather. Hyderabad was the scene of a desperate battle, in which the British troops, under Sir C. Napier, completely routed the Scindian army.

I.

ICHLOGANS, boys brought up at Constantinople to act as pages to the Sultan. They are for the most part the children of Christian captives, carefully instructed in the principles of the Koran.

INAH (or looking-glass), an Indian ornament formed of a ring fitting upon the thumb, and having a small mirror, about the size of a halfpenny, fixed upon it by the centre, so as to accord with the back of the thumb. Each finger is provided with its quota of angooties, or rings, of various sorts and sizes, generally of gold; those of silver being considered mean. The inah should correspond in this particular; but, on account of the quantity of gold required wherein to set the glass, many content themselves with silver mounting.

INDORE, a town in India, in the pro

vince of Malwa, situated in Lat. 22 deg. 42 min. N., Long. 75 deg. 50 min. E. It is the capital of the Holkar Mahrattas, and is a large and populous town, but contains few buildings of any note.

INDRA. In Hindoo mythology this

god is the king of the immortals and the lord of the firmament. He is represented as a white man sitting upon his celestial vahan, the elephant Airavat, produced at the churning of the ocean, and holding in his hand the vajra, or thunderbolt. He is depicted, like Argus, covered with eyes, and is thus called the thousandeyed god.

INDUS, the. A river in India, called by the natives the Sind, and by Mahomedan writers the Hind. It has not yet been ascertained with certainty where this river rises. It enters Hindostan through the mountains of Cashmere, passes along the western side of Lahore, and running to the south through Mooltan and Sind, falls into the Arabian Sea. It is said to be navigable for vessels of 200 tons as far as Lahore. Including its windings, the course of this river is supposed to be not less than 1700 miles in length. INSHALLAH! Persian. "Please God!"

IRAK, the central and principal pro

vince of Persia,

IRAN, the name given by the Persians in

former times to the empire of Persia. ISKANDER, the name by which Alexander the Great is known and celebrated all over the East. ISKARDOH, a mountainous country, divided into valleys of various extent. It is situated towards the point where the Belat Tak and Mus Tak mountains converge and separate the lofty ledges of Thibet, from the plains and valleys of Turkistan: among the natives it is generally known by the name of Beldestan. The tradition is, that Alexander the Great came here on an expedition towards Khatai or Scythia (modern China), and that the Koteli Mustak, or the Mustak mountains, which lie between Yarkand and Khatai, being at that time impassable, on account of the depth and severity of the snow, the Macedonian halted on the present site of the capital, until a road could be cleared for his passage;

when, leaving every part of his superfluous baggage, together with the sick, old, and infirm of his troop, behind, in a fort which he erected while there, he advanced against Khatai. These relics of the army founded a city, which they named Iskandaria or Alexandria, now pronounced Iskardoh. In length, the territory of Iskardoh is estimated to be a journey of eleven days, and its average breadth about nine days' journey. On the east it is bounded by Ladakh, which is a journey of eleven days from the capital; and on the west, by Gilget, a journey of nine days. Yarkand bounds it on the north, at a distance of twelve days' journey, and Cashmere, on the south, a journey of nine days. No correct estimate can be formed of the population of the country. It is said to amount to 300,000 families, which in all probability greatly exceeds the actual number. The people are divided into several different tribes, but they are generally known by the name of Baldi. Among them there is a tribe called Kerah, the members of which are enjoined by their religious laws to follow four ordinances, viz. first, to destroy their female infants; second, not to tell falsehoods; third not to desert their party in the day of battle; fourth, not to slander any one. The natives are described to be of a phlegmatic disposition, likeother Thibetan tribes. Asiatic physiologists maintain the opinion, that the temperament of man is affected by the nature of the animal or vegetable production on which he feeds! and the phlegmatic character of the inhabitants of little Thibet is accordingly ascribed to barley, millet, and fruits, being their chief articles of food. They are a stout, well-made, race of people, with ruddy complexions and good features, but have little hair on their body, and scarcely any beard. It is said, they are deficient in enterprise, and of a treacherous and designing disposition. Barley, wheat, and

flesh are the chief articles of food; rice is not generally used. All those who can afford it are in the habit of drinking tea at their breakfast, and in the course of the day it is usual with them, as with their neighbours of Ladakh, to greet their visitors with a cup of tea. There is little variation in the dress of the people from their neighbours of Ladakh. The wealthy classes generally wear kabas (a kind of coat, with skirted margin all round), and caps, &c.; while the dress of the peasantry consists of jamahs (another kind of coat, formerly much used in India); it resembles the vest worn by the Indian dancing girls, and is made of pattu, which is manufactured both of a coarse and fine quality, from goat's wool. They wear caps of the same stuff. Cotton is not produced here. It is imported from Yarkand to Cashmere, but very few people show a desire to wear cotton clothes. Their houses are mostly made of layers of stones and wood, with flat roofs, and are two or three stories high, with far projecting roofs, somewhat similar to those on the southern face of the Himalaya range. The common religion of the people is Mahomedan, of the Shia sect, and the followers of the Imam Jafar; but towards Gilget, there is a race of people which does not seem to possess any well-defined religious system: some of them are idolators, and worship trees; while others, like the Hindoos, do not eat the flesh of kine, and yet profess to be Mahomedans. Thibetan is the common language of the country, but the people have no books in it. They are beyond the influence of the Lamas, and receive their education, which is exclusively confined to the chiefs and priesthood, in Persian. They have no system of coinage in the shape of rupees, pice, or cowries. The only means of exchange known among them is in small pieces of unwrought gold, which is found in the country, both in mines and in

the beds of rivers. The government of Iskardoh is absolute. The revenue of the state is collected in kind in the following form:-one kharwar of wheat, one of barley, and one of mustard or millet, are levied from each landholder. Some of the zemindars pay their rents in one kharwar of ghee each, instead of the other three articles. A kharwar is about forty seers in weight. ISLAMABAD, a large town in India, in the province of Cashmere. It is situated on the north side of the river Jelum, about 30 miles E. S. E. from Cashmere.

ISPAHAN, or ISFAHAUN, a city of Persia, the largest and finest. There is an expression in every Persian mouth," Isfahaun nisfeh Jehan eu!”— Ispahan is half the world. The city is now nearly in ruins.

ISSAU, Persian, Jesus. The Persians are very fond of discussing the relative merits of Issau and Moussa (Moses).

ISTACKBAL, the ceremonial of sending forth a deputation to receive a great man, on his approach to any place. ISTAMBOUL, the Turkish title for Constantinople.

J.

JAFFNA, or JAFFNAPATAM (Yapanepatnam), lies on the north of the island of Ceylon, in Lat. 9 deg. 47 min. N., and Long. 80 deg. 9 min. E., and is 219 miles distant from Colombo. The fort is built in the form of a pentagon, and contains, besides the barracks, a few good buildings, and a Dutch church, which is made use of by the English. The Pettah is about half a mile to the east of the fort. It contains many large, broad streets, running parallel to each other, and crossed at right angles by smaller ones. The houses

are, in general, large and convenient, and, like the greater part of the houses built by the Dutch in all

parts of the island, of one story, with very wide verandahs. In the Pettah are situated the Cutchery, a church belonging to the Tamul Protestant Christians, called St. John's, and a Wesleyan chapel. At the distance of about a mile and a half, is a large Hindoo temple, grander and more magnificent than any other in the district of Jaffna. It was built several years ago, and is called the Kanda Swamy Temple. JAGGERY, sugar; sugar in its unrefined state; refuse molasses. JAGHIRE, or JAGHEER, from jau, a place, and geruftun, to lay hold of. Literally, the place of taking. An assignment of the government share of the produce of a portion of land to an individual. There were two kinds of Jaghires, one called jay-gir-i-tan, bodily or personal jaghire, being for the support of the person of the grantee; the other, jay-gir-i-sar Jaghire, of the head, or an assignment, particularly of a military nature. Jaghires may be said to be a military tenure. Their origin in India may probably be traced to the following practice of Timour. "He ordered the whole of the revenues of the country to be divided into lots of different amount; and that these lots should be written on a royal assignment, yurleegh. These assignments were brought to the Deewan Khana (exchequer, to be entered, perhaps). Each of the omrahs and mingbaushees (officers of horse, who received sixty times the pay of a trooper), received one of these assignments. If the amount was greater than his own allowance, he was to share it with another; if less, he got another to make up the amount." Timour directed, however, "that no ameer or mingbanshee, should collect more from the subject than the established revenue and taxes; · and for this purpose, and to keep an account of the jumma, and of the payments and shares of the ryots, &c., to every province on which royal assignments were granted, he