Wild beasts are not very numerous in the country, except in the extensive forests towards the south and south-west frontiers, where numbers of elephants, rhi noceros, and tygers e lound. The former sometimes issue from the forests in droves, and overrun the culti vated tracts to a considerable distance. l'he musk-dee: is common in the northern districts, and is usually caught by means of a snare. Monkeys are abundant in many places, particularly in sotne of the sacred groves, where they. are regarded as emblems of the deity, and arc protected with the utmost reverence. The chowri, a species of cow, whose beautiful tail is an article of ex port; and the changra or shawl goat, though both are properly natives of Thibet, arc frequently met with in the Kuchar mountains. The animal known by the name of the Nepaul dog, (properly also a native of Thibet) is a fierce surly creature, about the size of an English hull-dog, and covered with long thick hair ; but they are so celebrated as watch-dogs, that the Chinese army, in their progress through the country, are said to have employed them as sentinels on the picquets around their camp. The feathered tribe are not supposed to be nu merous among the mountains: the most remarkable are the pheasant species, some of tvhich arc extremely beau tiful The ortolan, wild goose, wild duck, and se%eral other birds, common to the countries south of Nepaul, are occasionally seen in the valleys; but they are consi dered as only visitors on thcir passage between Iiin dostan and Thibet. AIany of the rivers swarm with fish ; but the water is so transparent, and the strectms so ra pid, that angling is impracticable ; and they are taken chiefly by means of nets stretched across to intercept the shoals, when the fishermen dive among them even in shallow water, and seize them with their hands or teeth. The cattle of Nepaul arc not much superior to those usually met with in Bengal, and the upper pro vinces; but the herds, which arc fed in some of the less cultivated valleys, are very sleek and plump, and yield the richest and sweetest milk in the morld. he horses chiefly used for riding, arc the Tangun or Tangustan breed, from a mountainous district in l'hibet, a small but strong and spirited animal, most indefatigable in climb ing, and almost infallible in descending the steepest and roughest roads.
The government of Ncpaul, like that of most Asiatic countries, is essentially despotic, but modified by cer tain observances enjoined by immemorial usage, and which the most powerful monarch cannot safely disre gard. The sovereign is partly controlled by a kind of aristocratic body' of chiefs, but not upon any principles favourable to the great mass of the subjects. The prin cipal officers of state arc the Choutra, or the prime mi nister, who is invariably a relative of the rajah, whose office is that of a kind of comptroller-general over all the inferior departments of administration ; the Kajees, four in number, but one of whom only acts, whose busi ness it is to superintend the revenue, and discharge the duties of public treasurer ; the Sirdars, who generally command the armies, arid direct the military arrange ments ; the Khurclars, who arc two in number, and act as secretaries, preparing all thc dispatches of the sove reign, and attending the deliberations of the council ; the Khupperdar, who has the charge of the Rajah's private wardrobe, jewels, and kitchen ; the Khuzanchee, who issues all public disbursements, and directs the public wardrobe. Besides these six officers, who are consider
ed as the principal administrators of government, and therefore named Bhardars, or "bearers of burdens," there are the Ticksali, or superintendant of the mint, who also levies all duties or imports from Thibet ; the Dhurma Udhikar, or chief criminal judge, whose sen tences, however, must be approved by the Rajah, as those of the inferior judges must be by the chief judge ; the Bicharies, feur in number, and usually Brahmins, who are judges of all civil questions, but still with a re servation of the Rajah's approbation ; the Dittha, or su perintendant of police ; the Jaitha Boora, or senior, who is employed on temporary or complimentary embassies ; the Soubalis, or governors of districts and government collectors ; the Omrahs, or commanders of military posts, who are generally of the Rajepoot tribe, indepen dent of the civil governors, and whose troops are raised by themselves among their own kinsmen. The basis of the civil and criminal jurisprudence of Nepaul, as of most other Hindoo states, is the Dhurma Shasta, thc criminal branch of which is said to be administered with considerable integrity ; but the civil department is so defective, that the late regent, lialiadur Shah, is said to have once intended to apply to the East India govern ment for a code of laws.
The Nepaul territories being for the most part par celled out in Jaghires, or grants, the proportion of their produce received into the treasury is by no means con siderable; and the amount of the whole revenue of go vernment is not supposed to exceed 30 lacks of rupees per annum. It arises chiefly from profits on the sale of elephants; duties on exports, and the imports of gold and silver from Thibet ; the mint ; profits on salt-petre, ronper and iron mines ; duties on salt, and the land-tax.
But, as the heaviest charges of government, both civil and military,:are defrayed by jaghircs, or assignments of land, and as the court does not on any occasion affect great splendour, the receipts are considered as fully adequate for the expenditure ; which consists chiefly' in the purchase of jewels, silks, and cottons, fire-arms, mi litary stores, and clothing for the regular troops.
The regular troops consisted, in 1793, of 50 or 60 com panies of unequal strength, but containing on an aver age 140 fire-locks, each commanded by a jubadan, with an utnk terminate number of jemadans and other officers under him. They' arc clothed and disciplined in a very s:ovenly manner ; but are brave, tractable, and capable of enduring gteat hardships. The rajah's guards are distinguished from the other companies only by having more officers, and carrying the war-standard, which ex hibits, on a yellow ground,an embtoidered figure of the monkey god Hunniman. The artillery, for which the face of the country is not al all adapted, is very ineffi cient. The irregular militia, enrolled under the omrahs, are pretty numerous ; and, besides match-locks, are armed with bow s and arrows and hatchet swords.