1 2^ OPPRESSION.
2 *
3 to' teeompany die Court to the n«Kt grat town, where tlie^«re d»»
4 dhng^ • The vtifloen raflfer moit fay thk jregiihtimi, as they am
5 not ft&A by the in»k; but «re considered as 8<nnraDts«ixf the King,
6 and only entitled to their ps^. This |wy u not issued regularly, and
7 thepeofde aiegtseniiy given a sum of money when they are dismissed
8 in lieii of all payments. I do not knoir whether the mim fixed by
9 the Court is an equitable compensadon ft>r the labour imposed ; but,
10 the amount which reaches the artifii^r, after passing through the
11 hands of the courtiers, and of the head of the trade, is very inade-
12 quate to the expence and inconvenience he has been exposed to.
13 The other shopkeepers Tnav, perhaps, receive inadequate pi ici s for
14 their goods ; hut, from the nature of" their transactions, the payments
15 made to them cannot be so arbitrary as those to the artificers. This
16 .inconvenience tall^ on a small number of the towns people, as the
17 regular oordoo liazaur is only intended to supply the royal household.
18 There are many other shops which accompany the camp, to supply
19 (lie Sii dars and the soldiers ; and, tio great is the distinction between
20 thij, clasis and those attached to the household, that the latter endea-
21 vour to avoid the duty hy bribes to the persons whose business it is
22 to pvoTide them r whUe the others go voluntarily, and consider the
23 ^ploymentnsTery profitah^ 'No oidinaiy towna are obliged to
24 snpply ooedoo banauta ( and tUa oppfeaaion fidb only on'tle citiea of
25 Heraut) Candahar, Caubul, and Pesbawer. It can acaioely happen
26 to either oftener than once a year, or bist longer than three weeka
27 or a month j but the shopkeepers ore always liable to suflhr while the
28 Kmg is in their town, by being obliged to fiuniah aitidea to bia
29 pnnrejora at their own price. In troubled times, oontributiona are
30 levied on towns to 8iq;»ply' the armies of the oompetitom^ Thqrare
31 generally levied in artkies of oonaumptioii, but compositioiis in money
32 are also received,
33 Perhapa the greatest oppression the townamen suffer, arises from
34 the strictness of the police. It has been mentioned, that a branch of
35 this department is in the hands of the clergy, and that it watches over
36 jfap miniiti*t breach of the rules of fdigion and nioi|Jity« Xheooo^
37 Digrtized by Google