The inhabitants of this country have been highly ex tolled for their hospitality and generosity ; and such is their disposition in these respects, that no opportunity is omitted of performing kind offices to strangers, and every peasant keeps a portion of his cottage, however small, for the reception of a guest. "1 happened once to be in Sogd," says Ehn Haukal, an Arabian traveller, " and there 1 saw a certain palace, or great building, the doors of which were fastened back with nails against the walls. I asked the reason of this, and they inform ed me that it was a hundred years and more since these doors were shut ; all that time they had continued open day and night ; strangers might arrive there at the most unseasonable hours, and in any numbers, for the master of the house had provided every thing necessary, both for the men and for their beasts ; and he appeared with a delighted and joyful countenance when the guests tarried awhile ;—and you cannot see any town or stage, or even desert, in Maweralnahr, without a convenient inn or stage-house for the accommodation of travellers, with every thing necessary." This flattering descrip tion, however, does not at all correspond with the ac counts which we have of its present state ; and we are afraid that it must be confined to an early part of its history, while one sovereign possessed the sole domi nion of the country, and before the liberality of its in habitants was extinguished, and their industry practised by the oppression of their conquerors. The NIahome tan Tartars who possess Bucharia, have little to distin guish them from the most savage tribes. War and plunder are their chief employments, and slavery is practised among them in all its horrors. Expeditions are often undertaken for the sole purpose of procuring slaves, which they either keep in their service, or sell to their neighbours; and this commerce is carried to such a lengthat they will frequently rob one another of their childr to sell them, or even dispose of their own. If they are weary of their wives, they sell them, without ceremony, to the highest bidder, and do the same with their daughters, particularly if they are tiful. In short, they are indolent, pet fioious, and cruel.
The climate of Great Bucharia is excellent, and pre ferable to any in the same latitude ; the heats of summer being tempered by the breezes from the mountains with which it is surrounded, and whose lofty tops are con tinually covered with snow. The soil is equally favour able, and capable of producing every species of grain and fruits in the richest abundance. According to Ebn Haukal, the districts of Bucharia and Sogd constitute the most delightful country in the world ; and from the Kohenchz, or ancient castle of the city of Buchara, such a scene of luxuriant anti beautiful verdure presents a scii on every side, that the spectator would imagine that the green of the earth was united to the azure of the heavens. "The walls and buildings and cultivated plains of Bucharia," says the same Arabian, "extending above thirteen farsang by twelve, and the Sogd for eight days journey, is all delightful country, affording fine prospects, and full of gardens, and orchards, and vil lages, corn-fields, and villas, and running streams, re servoirs and fountains, both on the right hand and on the left. You pass from corn-fields into rich meadows. and pasturelands, and the fruits of Sogd are the finest in the world." Nature has refused nothing to this fine country, that can render it a most agreeable place of residence. The vallies are exceedingly fertile in all kinds of fruits and herbs ; the rivers are abundantly stocked with excellent fish ; and wood, which is in general such a scarce article throughout Great Ta•tary, is here as common as in most other countries. " In one word," says Bentick,
" it is the richest soil in all Northern Asia; but few of its advantages can be appreciated by its Tartarian inha bitants, whose idleness is so excessive, that they would rather undertake a pillaging excursion into the territo ries of their neighbours, than bestow a moderate portion of their labour on the cultivation of those gifts which nature has so liberally conferred upon their own. In some parts, however, rice and other grains are culti vated to a considerable extent, but agriculture in gene ral is here very imperfectly understood. From this circumstance, very little corn is produced in Bucharia. The most fertile parts of the country being always in pasture, upon which they rear an immense quantity of sheep and horses; and, according to Pallas, 10,000 horses, and 60,000 sheep, from this country, are annu ally sold at Orenburg, in Russia. Most of the moun tains of Bucharia abound with the richest mines. Those of Badakshan, in the province of Balk, produce balay rubies, lapis lazuli, amianthis, and the precious metals ; those of Fergana, vitriol, iron, copper, quick-silver, gold, and turkois. The inhabitants, however, have nei ther perseverance nor industry sufficient to profit by them, but content themselves with gathering the grains of gold and the precious stones which have been washed down by the torrents from the mountains when the snow melts in the beginning of summer.
Commerce is chiefly confined to the Buchars, who have always been considered as a trading people. They carry on a considerable traffic with China, Russia, Ti bet, the Calmucks, and Mongales; and their caravans travel through the whole continent of Asia. Commerce, however, is very much shackled by the tyranny of the khans and their officers; and what is still more detri mental to it, their caravans are continually exposed to the attacks of the wandering Tartars. But notwithstand ing these impediments, they find their way to most of the capitals of the neighbouring kingdoms. They have several establishments in the southern provinces of Rus sia, with which they maintain a constant communication, and not only Mulish theni wan their own products, out also nith the merchandize of the eastern countries with which they trade. They send thither gold and silver, chiefly in Persian coins and Indian rupees; gold dust, precious stones, lapis lazuli, cotton stuffs, half silks, nitre, sat-ammoniac, rhubarb, and great droves of sheep anti horses ; for which they receive in return, cloth, leather, hat dware, beads, indigo, cochineal, and form ture tor their horses. To Pekin they carry large come Hans of a beautiful red colour, rough diamonds and other kinds of jewels, also gold dust and musk; which they excbange for fox and beaver skins, sable and other furs, damasks, cotton, and European cloths. They buy also tea, tobacco, and great quantities of earthen ware. The towns of Bucharia arc also frequented by the merchants of Russia, Persia, India, and the northern provinces of China; but the merchandize which they bring there is very inconsiderable, and they sometimes even remain two years before it is disposed of. Persian coins are curicnt in this country, and the highest piece of money that is struck in Buellaria, is the tango, equal nearly to a crown of our money. It is of very fine silver, round, having the name of the khan on the one side, and on the reverse the name of ihe country, with the year of the hegira. The other coins are small brass pieces of different values.