DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25988#0346
322 Life of Mountstuart Elphinstone. ch. x.
if he had said, ccI understand the Persians to practise the
following institutions.” If you think he is so positive, you
must take all the disadvantage of his authority against you;
for your idea that he alludes to the religion of Persia in times
previous to his own is not borne out by the text. I understand
him to say that the Persians worship the sun and moon, earth,
fire, water, the winds, a.nd Urania—the six first from ancient
times, and the last from more recent. But whatever Herodotus
may have said, he was very likely to be wrong on such a subject.
I think it is Dr. Feyer who says of the religion of this country
that the Grentiles worship Mars, Apollo, and the Devil, and he
hacl as good opportunities of knowing the Hindoo religion as
Heroclotus hacl of knowing that of the Persians. . . .
c I give you all these verbal criticisms to show you that I
have been industrious, though they are of little consequence in
themselves. By-the-bye, you say Peshawur contains 10,000
inhabitants. It ought to be 100,000. It woulcl be an improve-
ment if you would give some account of every history you
quote, to show the claim it has to credit. You have sometimes
omitted to state your authorities; for instance, for the limits of
the empire of Nousheerwan. There are a few cases in which I
think you have too readily followed particular authorities.
c The description of the Tartars—the whole nation wander-
ing ancl fighting from one end of Tartary to t.he other—
seems fanciful, and unlike the present state of things. The
harangue put into the mouth of Agha Mobarik (page 58G) is
not probable. The Mussulmans have not the notion of the
sanctity of the claims of primogeniture, nor the enthusiastic
loyalty that would dictate such a speech ; and if they had, they
do not take notes of their speeches so as to give a tolerable
appearance of authenticit.y to that you have published. I
fancy you have got the harangue from Kousinski. By-the-bye,
it is strange how you ancl I cliffer about. that author. I forget
the grounds of my opinion, but it was very decided. Are you
certain that Hanway took his history from Kousinski ? If he
dich he must have great.ly altered it from his own knowledge
and judgment.
if he had said, ccI understand the Persians to practise the
following institutions.” If you think he is so positive, you
must take all the disadvantage of his authority against you;
for your idea that he alludes to the religion of Persia in times
previous to his own is not borne out by the text. I understand
him to say that the Persians worship the sun and moon, earth,
fire, water, the winds, a.nd Urania—the six first from ancient
times, and the last from more recent. But whatever Herodotus
may have said, he was very likely to be wrong on such a subject.
I think it is Dr. Feyer who says of the religion of this country
that the Grentiles worship Mars, Apollo, and the Devil, and he
hacl as good opportunities of knowing the Hindoo religion as
Heroclotus hacl of knowing that of the Persians. . . .
c I give you all these verbal criticisms to show you that I
have been industrious, though they are of little consequence in
themselves. By-the-bye, you say Peshawur contains 10,000
inhabitants. It ought to be 100,000. It woulcl be an improve-
ment if you would give some account of every history you
quote, to show the claim it has to credit. You have sometimes
omitted to state your authorities; for instance, for the limits of
the empire of Nousheerwan. There are a few cases in which I
think you have too readily followed particular authorities.
c The description of the Tartars—the whole nation wander-
ing ancl fighting from one end of Tartary to t.he other—
seems fanciful, and unlike the present state of things. The
harangue put into the mouth of Agha Mobarik (page 58G) is
not probable. The Mussulmans have not the notion of the
sanctity of the claims of primogeniture, nor the enthusiastic
loyalty that would dictate such a speech ; and if they had, they
do not take notes of their speeches so as to give a tolerable
appearance of authenticit.y to that you have published. I
fancy you have got the harangue from Kousinski. By-the-bye,
it is strange how you ancl I cliffer about. that author. I forget
the grounds of my opinion, but it was very decided. Are you
certain that Hanway took his history from Kousinski ? If he
dich he must have great.ly altered it from his own knowledge
and judgment.