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When recovered, they were armed and drilled, and ordered to Mysore, nine miles from the capital, but for what purpose we never could learn. Their danghters were many of them beautiful girls, and Tippoo was determined to have them for his seraglio; but this they refused; and Mysore was invested by his orders, and the four battalions were disarmed and brought prisoners to Seringapatam. This being done, the officers tied their hands behind them. The chambers, or sandal-makers, were then sent for, and their noses, ears, and upper lips, were cut off; they were then mounted on asses, their faces towards the tail, and led through Patam, with a wretch before them proclaiming their crime. One fell from his beast, and expired on the spot through loss of blood. Such a mangled and bloody scene excited the compassion of numbers, and our hearts were ready to burst at the inhuman sight. It was reported that Tippoo relented in this case, and I rather think it true, as he never gave any further orders respecting their women. The twenty-six that survived were sent to his different arsenals, where, after the lapse of a few years, I saw several of them lingering out a most miserable existence.—pp. 102 to 105.

The Bramins, suspected of being wealthy, were particularly the objects of Tippoo’s inquisitorial tyranny; and one method of extorting money from them, and his other subjects, was as follows, with which we must conclude our quotations and remarks:—





Author of Waverley, whoever he may be, has given a decided bias to the public taste, in favour of works of fiction; in consequence, such books are now constantly issuing from the press, and perhaps at no time has so much talent been employed merely for the purpose of amusing the public, as at present: formerly, a novel writer held about the same rank in the circle of literature, that a sonnetteer does in the suite of the muses; the consequence was, few men of genius would, as they conceived, demean themselves by writing novels. The “great unknown,” as he has been called, proved to the world, that a man of genius might not only combine instruction with amusement; but also acquire to himself fresh laurels, by entering upon this department of literature. The works of fiction which seem to have principally engaged the public attention, are what may be called historical legends; and it is no wonder, since the legends of their own country have been so well received by the British public, that authors should be found to write and translate, and booksellers to publish, those of other countries.

The “Popular Tales” is not the first work of this nature which is of German origin; in the beginning of the preceding year, a book made its appearance, entitled “German Popular Stories;” it consisted merely of the nursery stories of Germany, and was rather curious than entertaining: its chief aim seemed to be, to shew the antiquity of many of our nursery tales, and their evident Saxon and German origin. The present work has higher pretensions to notice in a literary point of view; the tales are longer, the plots more complex, more interest is excited, and the ideas and language are better adapted to “children of a larger growth.” Whoever takes up these volumes, must take them up merely as a work of amusement, and give the full rein to his imagination; there is not any appearance of probability in them; a supernatural or diabolical agency is the main spring in almost the whole of them; but the