Compiled and arranged from Mr. Thomas's original Docu- THE biographical sketch here offered to the public, exhibits the remarkable circumftance of an individual afcending from the obfcure and humble fituation of a Common Sailor, or at beft of a quarter mafler, to the establishment of a splendia and independent Principality in the heart of India.—The perufal of the volume will not fail to excite confiderable intereft, in all who are acquainted with the local fituation. and relative dignity of the princes and their dependencies, which are here defcribed, but we felect the following reprefentation of a people and a district with which Europeans in general are lefs familiarly acquainted. Thefe are the Seiks, who occupy a portion of the Punjaub, a region comprehended within the five great rivers, the Hydafpes, the Hydraötes, the Acefines, the Hyphasis and the Sutledge. "The Seiks are armed with a fpear, matchlock and feymetar, their method of fighting as defcribed by Mr. Thomas, is fingu lar; after performing the requifite duties of their religion by ablution and prayer, they comb their hair and beards with peculiar care, then mounting their horfes, ride forth towards the enemy, with whom they engage in a continued fkirmish advancing and retreating, until man and horfe become equally fatigued; they then draw off to fome diftance from the enemy, and, meeting with cultivated ground, they permit their horfes to graze on their own accord, while they parch a little gram for themselves, and after fatisfying nature by this frugal repaft, if the enemy be near, they renew the fkirmishing; fhould he have retreated, they provide forage for their cattle, and endeavour to procure a meal for themselves. "Seldom indulging in the comforts of a tent, whilst in the enemy's country, the repaft of a Seik cannot be supposed to be either fumptuous, or elegant. Seated on the ground with a mat fpread before them, a Bramin appointed for the purpose, ferves out a portion of food to each individual, the cakes of flour which they eat during the meal ferving them in the room of dishes and plates. The Seiks are remarkably fond of the flesh of the jungle hog, which they kill in the chafe, this food is allowable by their law. They likewife eat of mutton and fish, but these being deemed unlawful, the Bramins will not partake, leaving those who chufe to tranfgrefs their inftitutes to answer for themfelves. In the city or in the field the Seiks never fmoke tobacco; they are not however averfe to drinking fpirituous liquors, in which they fometimes fometimes indulge to an immoderate excefs: and they likewife freely take opium, Bang, and other intoxicating drugs. In their convivial parties each man is compelled to drink out of his own veffel. "Accustomed from their earliest infancy to a life of hardship and difficulty, the Seiks defpife the comforts of a tent; in lieu of this, each horfeman is furnished with two blankets, one for himself, and the other for his horse. These blankets, which are placed beneath the faddle, with a gram bag and heel ropes, comprize in time of war, the baggage of a Seik. Their cooking uten fils are carried on tattoos. Confidering this mode of life, and the extraordinary rapidity of their movements, it cannot be matter of wonder if they perform marches, which to those who are only accustomed to European warfare, muft appear almost incredible. "The Seiks among other cuftoms fingular in their nature, never fuffer their hair, or beards, to be cut, confequently, when mounted on horfeback, their black flowing locks, and half naked bodies, which are formed in the ftoutest and most athletic mould, the glittering of their arms, and the fize and speed of their horses, render their appearance impofing and formidable, and fuperior to moft of the cavalry in Hindooftan. "In the ufe of their arms, efpecially the matchlock, and fabre, they are uncommonly expert, fome ufe bows and arrows. In addition to the articles of drefs which have been defcribed in recent publications of the times, Mr. Thomas mentions that the arms and wrifts of the Seiks are decorated with bangles of gold filver brafs and iron, according to the circumstances of the wearers, but among the CHIEFS, of the refpective tribes, the horfe furniture, in which they take the greatest pride, (and which with the exception of the inlaying of their fire arms, is their only luxury,) is uncommonly fplendid, for, though a Seik will fcruple to expend the most trifling fum on his food, or clothing, he will fpare no expence in endeavouring to excel his comrades in the furniture of his horfe and in the richness and brightness of his armour, a circumftance, which appears to bear no inconfiderable refemblance to the customs of the ancient Spartans. "Confiderable fimilarity in their general customs may be traced with thofe of the Jauts; though thefe, in fome districts, apparently vary, the difference is not material, and their permitting an interchange of marriages with the Jauts of the Doaab and Harrianah amounts almoft to a conclufive proof of their affinity of origin. "The Seiks allow foreigners of every defcription to join their standard, to fit in their company, and to fhave their beards, but excepting in the inftance of the Fauts, they will not confent to intermarriages, nor will they eat or drink from the hands of an alien, except he be a Bramin, and for this caft they always profefs the highest veneration. Tt3 " If "If indeed some regulations which are in their nature purely military, and which were introduced by their founder NANICK, be excepted, it will be found, that the Seiks are neither more or less than Fauts in their primitive state. "Thus far, fays Mr. Thomas, we have feen the fair fide of the picture; let us now confider the reverse.- -The Seiks 'are falfe, fanguinary and faithlefs, they are addicted to plunder and the acquirement of wealth by any means, however nefarious; in. ftances have occurred of a child's arm being raised against his parent, and of brothers deftroying each other. "Women amongst them are held in little estimation, and though ill treated by their husbands, and prohibited from accompanying them in their wars, these unhappy females nevertheless attend to their domeftic concerns with a diligence and feduloufnefs deferving of a better fate! "Inftances indeed, have not unfrequently occurred, in which they have actually taken up arms to defend their habitations, from the defultory attacks of the enemy, and throughout the conteft, behaved themselves with an intrepidity of fpirit, highly praife worthy. "In the Seik army, the modes of payment are various, but the most common is at the time of harveft, when every foldier receives the amount of his pay in grain and other articles, the produce of the country; to fome is given money in finall fums, and to others lands are allotted for their maintenance. fifths of the horses in the Punjab are the property of the different chieftains, the remainder belong to the peafantry who have become fettlers, Three "A Seik foldier has alfo his portion of the plunder acquired in the course of a campaign: this is fet afide as a reward for his fervices, and in addition to it, he fometimes increases his gains, by fecreting part of the public plunder. "The nature of the Seik government is fingular, and probably had its origin in the unfettled ftate of the tribe, when first establifhed in their poffeffions. Within his own domains each chief is lord paramount. He exerts an exclufive authority over his vaffals, even to the power of life and death, and to increase the population of his districts, he proffers a ready and hofpitable afylum to fugitives from all parts of India. Hence, in the Seik territories, though the government be arbitrary, there exifts much defs caufe for oppreffion, than in many of the neighbouring states, and, hence likewife, the cultivator of the foil being liable to frequent change of mafters, by the numerous revolutions that are perpetually occurring, may be confidered as one of the caufes of the fluctuation of the national force." P. 71. Thefe warlike and powerful people were defeated by Mr. Thomas, the hero of this hiftory, who, after his victory, eftablished established himself as a fovereign prince in the diftrict called Hurrianah, ninety miles to the north weft of Delhi. "Here," fays Mr. T. "I established my capital, rebuilt the walls of the city long fince fallen into decay, and repaired the fortifications. As it had been long deferted, at first I found difficulty in procuring inhabitants, but by degrees and gentle treatment, I felected between five and fix thousand perfons, to whom I allowed every lawful indulgence. "I established a mint, and coined my own rupees, which I made current in my army and country; as from the commencement of my career at Jyjur, I had refolved to establish an independency, I employed workmen and artificers of all kinds, and I now judged that nothing but force of arms could maintain me in my authority, I therefore increased their numbers, caft my own artillery, commenced making mufquets, matchlocks and powder, and in fhort, made the beft preparations for carrying on an offenfive and defenfive war, till at length having gained a capital and country bordering on the Seik territories, I wished to put myself in a capacity, when a favourable opportunity should offer, of attempting the conqueft of the Punjab, and afpired to the honor of establishing the British standard on the banks of the the Attock *." P. 93. Among these native princes, each poffeffing but a limited domain, it is almoft impoffible to remain for any length of time in undisturbed tranquillity: accordingly we find that Mr. Thomas was in a fhort time involved in various and perplexing contests, which finally compelled him to leave * "To carry his plans into effect, and for the fupport of his troops, Mr. Thomas appropriated a part of the revenue arifing from the lands granted by the Mahrattas, and with much judge. ment and difcernment naturally inherent in liberal minds, endea voured to conciliate the affections of his men, by granting pen fions to the widows and children, or nearest relations of thofe foldiers who fell in his fervice. These penfions, amounting to 40,000 rupees per annum, were regularly paid to the respective claimants, a mode which reflects the highest credit on Mr. Thomas's character, but which had long fince been anticipated by the wisdom of the British government in rewarding their veteran Sepoys. The payments were made every fix months, and the nearest relation of the deceased, whether officer or foldier, re. ceived the half pay of his rank. This and the expence of cafting cannon, the fabrication of fmall arms, and purchase of warlike ftores, confumed that part of Mr. Thomas's revenues, which he derived from the districts granted him by the Mahrattas, as detailed in the foregoing schedule." his hard-earned poffeffions, to forego his princely dignity, forfake his capitol, and finally take refuge in the British territories. The detail of his life, from his first entrance into the service of the native princes, to his attainment of fovereign power, with his final decline, is given with much fpirit and vivacity.-The author, Mr. Francklin, has often before gratified us, and we look to him with much expectation for future amufement and information. ART. IV. A Treatife on the Procefs employed by Nature in fuppreffing the Hemorrhage from divided and punctured Arteries; and on the Ufe of the Ligature; concluding with Obfervations on fecondary Hemorrhage: the Whole deduced from an Extenfive feries of Experiments, and illuftrated by Fifteen Plates. By J. F. D. Jones, M. D. Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of London. 8vo. 237 PP. 10s. 6d. Phillips. 1805. THIS HIS treatife has been written to establish a controverted point in furgery, and the author's zeal has tempted him to make many experiments on living animals: which appear to have been conducted with fo much accuracy, and the conclufions are fo faithfully drawn, that we think the queftion is fairly determined. It would, therefore, be cruel for any other phyfiologift to repeat them. A curious hiftorical account is firft given of the various theories, invented by different writers, to explain the process by which nature fometimes ftops the flow of blood froin a wounded artery. Petit, the celebrated French furgeon, imagined that this was effected folely by the blood coagulating. Mr. Morand was not quite fatisfied with this explanation; but contended, that though a coagulum had fome share in arrefting the hemorrhage, that it was chiefly accomplished by "the corrugation or puckering of the artery." Samuel Sharp comes next, who afferts that wounded veffels continue to bleed till "by contracting and withdrawing themselves into the wound, their extremities are fhut up by the coagulated blood." These fenfible writers thus difcovered more and more of the truth; when a croud followed, who inftead of elucidating the fubje&t further, only obfcured it by their misty conjectures. Pouteau declared, that the coagulation of the blood was only a feeble and fubfidiary means of fupprefling an |