that he had not lost his sight by the heat and glare of the sun.  In all these kingdoms the sovereign power resides in the royal family, without ever departing from it, and the heirs of the family follow each other in regular succession.  In like manner, there are families of learned men, of physicians, and of all the artificers concerned in the various arts; and none of these are ever mixed with the family of a different profession.  The several states of the Indies are not subject to one king, but each province has its own; though the Balhara is considered in the Indies as king of kings.  The Chinese are fond of gaming and all manner of diversions; but the Indians condemn them, and have no pleasure in such employments.  They drink no wine, neither do they use vinegar, because it is made from wine; although this abstinence does not proceed from any religious duty:  but they allege that a king given to wine is not worthy of being a king; for how should a drunkard be able to manage the affairs of a kingdom, especially as wars are so frequent between the neighbouring states?  Their wars are not usually undertaken to possess themselves of the dominions of others, and I never heard of any except the people bordering on the pepper country that seized the dominions of their neighbours after victory.  When a prince masters the dominions of a neighbour, he confers the sovereignty upon some person of the royal family of the conquered country, and thus retains it in dependence upon himself, under the conviction that the natives would never submit to be otherwise governed.

When any one of the princes or governors of cities in China is guilty of a crime, he is put to death and eaten; and in general, it may be said that the Chinese eat all those who are put to death.  When the Indians and Chinese are about to marry and the parties are agreed, presents are interchanged, and the marriage ceremony is solemnized amidst the noise of drums and various sorts of instruments.  The presents consist in money, and all the relatives and friends contribute as much as they can afford.  If any man in the Indies runs away with a woman and abuses her, both are put to death; unless it is proved that force has been used against the woman, in which case the man only is punished.  Theft is always punished capitally, both in India and China, whether the theft be considerable or trifling; but more particularly so in the Indies, where, if a thief have stolen even the value of a small piece of money, he is impaled alive.  The Chinese are much addicted to the abominable vice of pederasty, which they even number among the strange acts they perform in honour of their idols.  The Chinese buildings are of wood, with stone and plaster, or bricks and mortar.  The Chinese and Indians are not satisfied with one wife, but both nations marry as many as they please, or can maintain.  Rice is the common food of the Indians, who eat no wheat; but the Chinese use both indifferently.  Circumcision is not practised either by the Chinese