HIN

716

TUP

priests, but continue to be greatly reverenced by the other casts.The Khatry, or second cast, are tho^e from among whom the so-vereigns are chosen. The Bhyse, or Banians, who constitute thethird cast, have the charge ot commercial allairs ; see Banians,and the Soodera, or fourth cast, the most numerous of all, com-prehend the labourers and artisans. These last are divided intoas many classes as there are followers of different arts ; all thechildren being invariably brought up to the profession of their fa-thers, and it being absolutely unlawful for them ever to alter itafterwards. No Hindoo is allowed to quit the cast in which hewas born upon anv account.

IHNDOOSTAN, HINDUSTAN, or INDOSTAN, a cele-brated and extensive country of Asia , bounded on the N. byGreat and little Thibet; on the S. hy the hither peninsula of In-dia, part of the Indian Sea , and Bay of Bengal; on the W. byPersia; and on the E. by Thibet and the farther peninsula. It issituated between 84° and 102° of Ion. E. and between 21° and 30°of lat. N. being about 1204 miles long, and 069 broad; though insome places much less. This country was in early times distin-guished among the Greeks by the name of India , the mo t pro-bable derivation of which is from the river Indus , though othersderive it from Hind the Persian name. We are assured by Mr.Wilkins, that no such words as Hindoo or Ilindoostan exist in theSanscrit or learned language of the country; in which it is namedBharata, a word totally unknown to Europeans. Towards thenorth, Ilindoostan is very cold and barren ; but tow ards the south,very hot, and fertile in corn, rice, fruits, and other vegetables.The northern provinces are very mountainous and sandy; whilethe southern are for the most part level, and well watered withseveral rivers. The weather and seasons are, in general, very re-gular; the w inds blowing constantly for six months from the N.w ith very little variation. April, May, and the beginning of June,till the rains fall, are so extremely hot, that the reflexion from theground is apt to blister the face; and but for the breeze, or smallgale of wind, which blows every day, there would be no living inthat country for people bred in northern climates; for, exceptingin the rainy season, the coldest day is hotter there at noon, than thehottest day in England. However, very surprising changes ofheat and cold sometimes happen within a few hours; so that a stif-ling hot day is succeeded by a night cold enough to produce a thinice on the water, and that night by a noon as scorching as the pre-ceding. The most remarkable mountains are those on the W.separating it from Persia, called, in general, Soleyman Kay, or themountains of Soleyman, of a vast height as well as breadth, and onlypassable in certain places, through which roads have been madefor the sake of commerce. The mountains on the N. are calledNagrakut, Hima, or Mus Tag, which has an affinity with Imaus,and by other names, which are given also in common to the moun-tains on each side, separating Ilindostan from Thibet . The prin-cipal rivers of Ilindoostan are the Indus, Ganges , and Burram-footer, which see. Ilindoostan is very rich in every kind of pro-ductions, whether fossil, vegetable, or animal. Besides other pre-cious stones, there is a diamond-mine at the town of Soumelpnrin Bengal. Quarries of Theban stone are so plentiful in the Mo-gul’s empire, that there are both mosques and pagods built entirelyot it. Travellers tell us, there are mines of lead, iron, and cop-per, and even silver; but those of the last, if there be any, neednot be opened, for the bullion of all nations is sunk in this empire,which takes nothing else in exchange for its commodities, and pro-hibits the exporting it again. The people till the ground withoxen and foot-ploughs, sow ing in May and the beginning of June,that all may be over before ilie rains, and reaping in Nov. andDec. which with them are the most temperate months in the rear.

I he land is no where inclosed, excepting a little near tow ns andvillages. The grass is never mowed to make hay, but cut off theground, either green or withered, as they have occasion to use it.Wheat, rice, barley, and other grain, grow here in plenty, and arevery good. The country abounds no less in fruits, as pomegra-nates, citrons, grapes, almonds, and cocoa-nuts; plums, phuitunes,mangos, ananas, or pine-apples, lemons, oranges, and many otherkinds of fruit-trees peculiar to the country. But the mo-t valu-able trees are the cotton and mulberry, on account of the wealththey bring the natives from the manufacture of calicoes and silks.They plant abundance of sugar-canes here, as well as tobacco ;Put the latter is not so rich and strong as that of America , as they

know not how to cure and order it. There is great variety ofquadrupeds in this country, both wild and tame ; among theformer are elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, tigers, leopards, wolves,jackals, and the like. This country is also much infested withreptiles and insects; some of a noxious kind, as scorpions, snakes,and rats; but the lizards, which are of a green colour, are nothurtful. Snakes and serpents, we are told, are sometimes em-ployed to dispatch criminals, especially such as have been guilty ofvery atrocious crimes, that kind of death being attended with themost grievous torture. The most troublesome insects in this hotcountry arc flies, inusketoes, and chinches or bugs.

II IN DOW , a territory of Ilindoostan, bounded by Delhi atulAgra on the N'. and E.; and by Asimer on the S. and W.

IIindow, the capital of the above territory. The people boasttheir descent from the original inhabitants of India . Lon. 78. 5.E. Lat. 26. 50. N.

II INGHAM, a market-town of Norfolk , 12 miles S. W. ofNorwich, and 97 N. E. of London . Lon. 1. 4. E. Lat. 52. 43. N,

IHNG-IIOA, a city of China of the first rank, in the provinceof Fo-kien, near the seu-coast, 900 miles S. of Pekin.

HINKAN, a chain of mountains in Chinese Tartary.

HIO, a town of Sweden , in W. Gothland, seateil on the LakeWetter, 145 miles S. W. of Stockholm . Lon. 14. 0. E. Lat. 57.53. N.

HIP, in the materia medica, the fruit of the dog-rose or wildbrier. See Kosa. It contains an acidulous, yet sweetish pulp;with a rough prickly matter inclosing the seeds, from which tiiepulp ought to be carefully separated before it be taken internally.I’lie conserve is the only officinal preparation of this fruit, whichpossesses any medical virtues: it is very pleasant, hut is merelyused by the apothecaries as a vehicle tor other remedies. TheEdinburgh College have omitted it.

Hip, in architecture, the angle formed by tw o parts of the roofwhen it rises outwards. Hips are also those pieces of timber whichare placed at the corners of a roof. They are much longer thanrafters, on acc ount of their oblique position.

HI PPAHCII1A, a celebrated lady born at Maronea in Thrace ,in the time of Alexander the Great , ller attachment to learningand philosophy was so great, that, havhig attended the lecturesof Crates the Cynic, site fell in love with him, and resolved tomarry him, though he was both old and ugly, and though she wascourted by many handsome young men, distinguished by theirrank and riches. Crates himself was prevailed upon by her triends,to try to dissuade Iter from her singular choice, winch lie did bydisplaying his poverty, his cloak, h:s bag, and bis crooked back,but all in vain. At last lie told her, she could not be his wife, un-less she resolved to live as he did. This siie cheerfully agreed to,assumed the habit of the order, and accompanied him every whereto public entertainments, &c. which was not customary with theGrecian ladies. Site wrote several tragedies, “ PhilosophicalHypotheses,” and “ Reasonings and Questions proposed to Tlieo-dorus tVie Athri-t ; but none of lu r works are extant.

HIPPARCHUS, an eminent astronomer , born at Nice inBitliyui.i, who nourished between the 1 :54th and 163d Olympiads.His commentary upon Arotus’s Pha'iionema is still extant. Ro-hault is very much mistaken when lie asserted, that the astrono-mer was not acquainted with the particular motion of the fixed-tars from W. to E. by which their longitude changes. By fore-telling eclipses, he t .ug'.it mankind not to be frightened at them,and that even the god.- were bound by laws. Pliny , who tellsthis, admires him fur making a review of all the stars ; by whichins descendants would be enabled to discover whether they areborn or die, whether they change their places, and whether theyincrease and decrease.

HIl’PIA, in botany, a genus of the polygamia necessaria or-der, and syngenesia class of plants. Receptacle nuked; downnone ; seeds naked, with broad margins; calyx hemispheric, sub-imbricate, corollets of ten rays, obscure, and rather clelt intothree. It lias three species.

H1PPOBOSCA, the Horse-Fly ; in zoology, a genus of in-sects of the order diptera. Beak two-vaived, cylindrical, obtuse,hanging; feet armed with several claws; body hard and ila(.There are five species, distinguished by their wings, &c. Themost remarkable is the II. Equina, the pest of horses and cowsl'Plus insect is broad, flat, shining, and as it were scaly. Its head,

thorax,