Burnes, Alexander: Travels into Bokhara: containing the narrative of a voyage on the Indus from the sea to Lahore, ... and an account of a journey from India to Cabool, Tartary and Persia ; performed by order of the supreme government of India, in the years 1831, 32, and 33 (Band 2) (London, 1835)

CHAP. v. CHIEF OF CABOOL. 117

We occupied a small but neat apartment, which had
no other furniture than the carpet. The convers-
ation of the evening was varied, and embraced so
many topics, that I find it difficult to detail. them ;
such was the knowledge, intelligence, and curiosity
that the chief displayed. He was anxious to know
the state of Europe, the number of kings, the
terms on which they lived with one another; and,
since itappeared that their territories were adjacent,
how they existed without destroying each other.
I named the different nations, sketched out their
relative power, and informed him that our advance-
ment in civilisation did no more exempt us from
war and quarrels than his own country; that we
viewed each other's acts with jealousy, and endea-
voured to maintain a balance of power, to prevent
one king from overturning another. Of this, how-
ever, there were, I added, various instances in
European history; and the chief himself had heard
of Napoleon. He next requested me to inform
him of the revenues of England ; how they were
collected; how the laws were enacted; and what
were the productions of the soil. He perfectly
comprehended our constitution after a brief ex-
planation ; and said that there was nothing wonder-
ful in our universal success, since the only revenue
which we drew from the people was to defray the
debts and expenses of the state. " Your wealth,
then," added he, "must come from India." I
assured him that the revenues of that country were
spent in it; that the sole benefits derived from its
possession consisted in its being an outlet to our
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