The articles of manufacture which have been just men tioned, form the great object of the trade and industry of the Cashmerians. An, even to their children, are em ployed in them. In former periods, when the country enjoyed, in a greater degree than it afterwards did, the advantage of a good government, the province is said to have contained 40,000 shawl looms. At present, they arc not considered to be more than 16,000.
There are still seen here merchants and commercial agents of most of the principal cities of northern India ; also of Tartary, Persia, and Turkey ; but owing to the heavy oppression of the government, and the rapacity of the bordering states, which prey upon the foreign traders, and often plunder whole cargoes, the commerce of Cash mere has fallen, for some time, rather into a declining and languishing state.
Intersected as it is with numerous streams, navigable for small vessels, great advantage and convenicncv might arise to this country, especially in respect to its interior commerce, from the water conveyance ; but in this, as in other instances, the miserable policy of the Afghan government, has been at once at variance with its own interests, and the prosperity and happiness of the people.
Cashmere seems, at one period, to have been subject to the Turkish dominion. This is indicated by the name by which it has been formerly known, that of Turchind, or the India of the Turks. Previously to the Mahome ;an conquest of India, this province was celebrated for the learning of its Bramins, and the magnificent con truction of its The xra of its subjection to the Mahometans anlwa.•i not to be very precisely ascertain ed ; but it is probable that a country containing a valua t,le commerce, and a Ilrusion of natural beauties, would at an early date attract now and incite their conquest. It was governed in long a race of Tartar princes of the Chug or Cliugatay tribe, until the year I '.86, when it was subdued by AcLar, more it is said through the aid of internal treachery, than by the force of his own arms. It remained annexed to the house of Timur for the space of 160 years, after which it was betrayed by the Mogul governor to Ahmed Shah Du Fanny, who formed it into a province of the Afghan em pire. In this situation it is commonly placed under the authority of an individual deputy, commissioned by the sovereign, on the personal character of which individual, of course, a great deal will depend, as to the extent, at any time, both of its freedom and its happiness. The
measure of either of these, at a late period, when the country was visited by European travellers, appears to have been far from being considerable.
The annual public revenue of Cashmere has differed at different periods, influenced no doubt by causes, which during the same times influenced, in one way or another, the general prosperity of the district, and the welfare of its inhabitants. In the time of Aureng-zebe, only about 35,000/. a year were derived from it. During Shah Ivan's reign, the revenue of this province was no more than 25,000/. ; and it was only 20,000/. in the time of Maho med Shah. More recently, a revenue of between 20 and 30 lacks of rupees has been collected from it, of which a tribute of seven lacks is remitted to the trea sury of the reigning prince. Unfortunately, in the case of a country circumstanced as this is in respect to govern ment, the amount of the revenue actually obtained from it at any time, is no adequate criterion of the measure, at the same time, of its prosperity. It appears that the great increase of revenue. which in later periods has been drawn from Cashmere, has been forced from it only by means of the most rigorous and oppressive extortion.
The military force of this district consists of about 3000 horse and foot, chiefly Afghans : the natives of the coun try are systematically excluded from it. From some examples that have been noticed, it would appear that these troops are very poorly, as well as irregularly, found in pay, insomuch as, upon occasions, to have been oblig ed to pick up, as they best could, a scanty subsistence from the spontaneous productions of the country.
The language of Cashmere is, by some writers, con sidered to be peculiar, and of very ancient date : others hold that it is derived from the Sanscrit. It resembles in sound that of the Mahrattas, but with more harshness ; on which account, probably, it is that the inhabitants of this country have been accustomed to compose their songs in the Persic language, or have adopted those of the Persian poets. Notwithstanding the rugged charac ter of their own speech, it is said that a taste for music is universal amongst all classes of the people of this pro vince.