The female slaves are sometimes taught to sing for their ladies’ amusement, and amongst the many Hindoostanie airs there are some that would please even the most scientific ear; although, perhaps, they are as old as the country in which they were invented, since here there are neither composers of modern music, nor competitors for fame to bring the amusement to a science.  Prejudice will be a continual barrier to improvement in music with the natives of India; the most homely of their national airs are preferred at the present day to the finest composition of modern Europe.

My promised postscript is a translation from the Persian, extracted from ‘The Hyaatool Kaaloob’.  The author is detailing the manner of living habitual to Mahumud and his family, and gives the following anecdotes ‘hudeeth’ [19] (to be relied on), which occurred at the season of Rumzaun; the writer says:—­

’It is well known that they (Mahumud’s family) were poor in worldly wealth; that they set no other value on temporal riches (which occasionally passed through their hands) but as loans from the great Giver of all good, to be by them distributed amongst the poor, and this was done faithfully; they kept not in their hands the gifts due to the necessitous.  The members of Mahumud’s family invariably lived on the most simple diet, even when they could have commanded luxuries.

’At one season of Rumzaun,—­it was in the lifetime of Mahumud,—­Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons, Hasan and Hosein, had fasted two days and nights, not having, at that period, the means of procuring the smallest quantity of food to break their fast with.  Habitually and from, principle, they disguised from the world or their friends all such temporal trials as it seemed good in the wisdom of Divine Providence to place in their chequered path; preferring under any circumstances of need, to fix their sole trust in the mercy and goodness of God for relief, rather than by seeking aid from their fellow-creatures lessening their dependence on Him.

’On the evening above mentioned, Mahumud went to the cottage of Fatima, and said, “Daughter, I am come to open my fast with thee.”—­“In the name of the most merciful God, be it so,” was the reply of Fatima; yet secretly she sorrowed, that the poverty of her house must now be exposed to her beloved father.

’Fatima spread the dustha-khawn[20] (a large square of calico) on the floor of the room near her father, placed empty plates before him, then retired to her station for prayers; spreading her mat in the direction of Kaabah, she prostrated herself to the earth before God in the humblest attitude, imploring His merciful aid, in this her moment of trial.  Fatima’s fervent prayer was scarcely finished, when a savoury smell of food attracted her attention; raising her head from the earth, her anxious eye was greeted with the view of a large bowl or basin filled with sulleed[21] (the Arabian food of that period).  Fatima again bowed down her head, and poured out in humble strains that gratitude to God with which her heart overflowed.  Then rising from her devotions, she took up the savoury food and hurried with it to her father’s presence, and summoned her husband and the children to partake of this joyous meal, without even hinting her thoughts that it was the gift of Heaven.