ch things could be
brought together before me; yet, on stretching out the hand, the canvass
on which all this was represented might be touched." But all the wonders
of the pictorial art, "which the Europeans have brought to unheard of
perfection," fade before the amazement of the khan, on being informed that
it was possible for him to have a transcript of his countenance taken,
without the use of pencil or brush, by the mere agency of the sun's rays;
and even after having verified the truth of this apparently incredible
statement by actual experiment in his own person, he still seems to have
entertained considerable misgivings as to the legitimacy of the
process--"How it was effected was indeed incomprehensible! Here is an art,
which, if it be not magic, it is difficult to conceive what else it can
be!"

The spring was now advancing; "and one day," says the Khan, "not being
Sunday, I was surprised to observe all the shops shut, and the courts of
justice, as well as the merchants' and public offices, all closed. On
enquiry, I was told this was a great day, being the day on which the Jews
crucified the Lord Aysa, (Jesus,) and that a general fast is, on this day,
observed in Europe, when the people abstain from flesh, eating only fish,
and a particular kind of bread marked with a cross. This custom is,
however, now confined to the ancient sect of Christians called Catholics
for the real English never _observe fasts of any kind on any occasion
whatever_; they eat, nevertheless, both the crossed bread and the fish.
This fast is to the Europeans what the _Mohurrum_[10] is to us; only here
no particular signs of sorrow are to be seen on account of the death of
Aysa;--all eat, drink, and enjoy themselves on this day as much as any
other; or, from what I saw, I should say they rather indulged themselves a
little more than usual. Another remarkable thing is, that this fast does
not always happen at the same date, being regulated by the appearance of
the moon; while, in every thing else, the English reckon by the solar
year."

[10] The ten days' lamentation for the martyred imams, Hassan and
Hussein, the grandsons of the Prophet, who were murdered by the
Ommiyades. Some notice of this ceremonial is given at the
beginning of his narrative by the Khan, who attended it just
before he sailed from Calcutta.

We shall offer no comment, as we fear we can offer no contradiction, on
the Khan's account of the singular