1 TAxaaa:
2 Sli
3 religion, and along wit li it a portion oi their manners and language.
4 Aighaimistauii was attacked at the same time ; but the success of the
5 invaders is known to have been less complete. They succeeded in
6 conquering the plains ; but the mountains held out, and repelled the
7 approaches <^ Mahommedanism for near three centuries. Tlie three
8 Gountriefl under diecuasioii formed parts of the Persian empire, and
9 a« koguagea ui libe trfuhitMitg were probably all derived from the
10 ndent Poimii itock.' When- ihoie' inbiiliitaute'ireBe ■ subdued and
11 oonverted by the Arabs, tfaej formed the modeni Fenian, by a idix-
12 ture of their 'former language .with thet of their ead^'it
13 is piobeble, tiiat is time:^ tmro. netioiis were .blooded into obib^
14 who were the enoMtOBB of Ifie present Tetgiks. Ttut focts which' tfe
15 leoocdedof A%biunisleunt suit well with thi^ supposition ; 'for in. th»
16 next etoomitB which we heve of thet ooontiyiiAer the' Arab hmi^ioar'
17 we find the Taijiks m posscisbn of the pbins, and the -A%hinuii»'
18 (whom we haffe every reason to eqntider ae the Aboa^piies), m Ihe
19 mountahis. Tlie A%hamiB hare sin^'desbended and eon«]nefed ihe
20 plains* and- hffife redoced the Taigika into E state of cntiie ^^ependi^
21 ancy, except in one or two strong ooontries, where Uiese hufe wpe
22 fwshlad to maint.atn a certain degree of independence. The same
23 miztoae of Persauia and Arabs fonned' the Taujiks of Toorkistaun;
24 who retained possession of that oountry till the invasion of the Tar-^
25 tatS) when thoiw of the plains were mnquered and reduced to their
26 present state of vassalage while the T^ika in the hills maintahied
27 their mdependeooe,- and fonned the aeparate states .of Budukshamir
28 Derwauz,&c
29 The Taujiks are every where remarkable for their use of fixed habi*-
30 tations, and their disposition to agriculture, and other settled employ-
31 ments. Thev still retain some share of the land in the west of
32 Afghaunistaun, of which tliey appear once to have been wle pro-
33 pri(^for<i ; hut the most of them have lost theii jirojierty, iO^d.liveaa
34 tenants ur scrvajits in luisbandry under A%liaun masters.
35 Tlieir property is stiii iial)k' to be encroached on by the powerful
36 men of the tribe in the lands ol which they live, though their danger