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JAMES FO

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ORIENTAL MEMOIRS
A NARRATIVE OF .
SEVENTEEN YEARS RESIDENCE IN INDIA.
By JAMES FORBES, Esa. F.R.S.,
r«
SECOND EDITION,
REVISED BY HIS DAUGHTER,
THE COUNTESS DE MONTALEMBERT.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON :
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
pubridjei: in «©cDinarrj to K|t£ J&aje£tp-

1834.

J. B. NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET.

INTRODUCTION.

The Correspondence from which these Memoirs are
compiled, may perhaps strike the reader as being of
a date not very recent: however, we must recollect
that the Indian does not change : that his manners,
customs, institutions, and religion are the same as in
the time of Alexander, is proved from the following
passage taken from this work : —
" Megasthenes, who was sent ambassador by Seleucus
to Sadracottos, King of Practi, whose dominion now
forms the fertile provinces of Bengal, Baher, and
Oude, wrote an account of his embassy, which Arrian
has preserved in his History of India ; and that
narrative, written two thousand years ago, when com
pared with the modern history of the Hindoos, con
vinces us how little change they had undergone
during that long period ; nor have the conquests and
cruelties of their Mahomedan invaders, nor their
commercial intercourse with the Europeans settled
among them, been able to alter the long established
manners and customs so deeply interwoven in their
religious tenets." a 2

IV INTRODUCTION.
It will be observed, that one of the principal objects
of the author throughout these Memoirs, is to explain
and reconcile from the existing manners. and customs
of the East, many passages of Scripture which may
appear obscure or unintelligible to the European who
has never visited those countries, and of which the
modern sophist avails, himself as an excuse for re
jecting the authenticity of the sublime and consolatory
truths contained in the Sacred Volumes.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF THE AUTHOR.
James Forbes, Esq., Member of the Royal and
Antiquarian Societies, and of the Arcadian at Rome,
lineally descended from the Earls of Granard, was born
in London^ on the 19th of May, 1749. Educated at
Hadley, by the Rev. David Garrow, of whom he makes
grateful and honourable mention in these Memoirs,
he became, under his auspices, an excellent classic
scholar, well skilled in ancient and modern history,
and possessed of much general information.
Before the age of sixteen he obtained the appoint
ment of writer to Bombay. With much talent for
drawing, and a great desire to explore foreign climes,
he travelled during a period of nearly twenty years
through different parts of Asia, Africa, and America,
studying the manners and customs of the inhabitants,
and delineating the natural productions of those coun
tries, which, with the accompanying manuscripts, fill
one hundred and fifty folio volumes, containing fifty-
two thousand pages. His residence of four years ex
clusively among the Brahmins in Hindostan, gave him
the opportunity of forming an intimate acquaintance
with the opinions of this singular people.

vi BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
After having filled several important situations in
different parts of India, with equal honour, talent, and
integrity, Mr. Forbes returned to England in 1784, at
the early age of five-and-thirty : before a longer re
sidence in that enervating climate had destroyed a
sound constitution, weakened the powers of an ardent
imagination and highly cultivated mind, or deadened
the enthusiasm and benevolent emotions of strong
feeling. He purchased an estate in the neighbour
hood of London, and in 1787 married Rosee, daughter
of Joseph Gaylard, Esq., by whom he had one daughter,
married to the Count de Montalembert, Peer of France.
In the bosom of his family, and a numerous circle
of friends by whom he was beloved and respected, Mr.
Forbes devoted his leisure hours to literary pursuits.
His piety was most ardent, his charity unbounded, his
philanthropy universal. The susceptibility of feeling
which so particularly characterized him, never pro
duced the slightest alteration in the kindness and gen
tleness of his disposition, or on the warm sympathies
of his nature in his domestic and social relations. On
the contrary, although severe to himself in the dis
charge of every religious and moral duty, he was ever
indulgent to the faults of others, and willing to admit
of their extenuation. He had more of that Christian
charity recommended by St. Peter, which suffereth long
and is kind, and thinketh no evil, and of Sterne's milk
of human kindness, than is generally the allotted portion
of mankind ; in proof of which may be adduced the tes-

OF THE AUTHOR. Vll
timony of the proud Brahmin, the superstitious Hindoo,
and the outcast Chandala, contained in a letter ad
dressed to him by the inhabitants of Dhuboy on leaving
the government of that city.* And not only the
Indian during the twenty years he passed in Asia, but
the European during his after residence in various parts
of England and the Continent, experienced the effects
of his unostentatious beneficence, especially those who
cannot dig, and to beg are ashamed. The fatherless
and the widow were the peculiar objects of his tender
solicitude : indeed all the unhappy : for his heart was
ever open to soothe the sorrows of suffering humanity,
as his purse to relieve its wants. I trust I shall be
excused for dwelling on the portrait of an honoured,
and revered, and beloved parent : its features are rare
as they are beautiful.
In 1796 Mr. Forbes quitted England in company
with a learned and intimate friend, and travelled
through Italy, Switzerland, and Germany : but being
at that period unable to enter France, he with his
wife and daughter, during the short peace of 1803,
embarked for Holland, whence without being aware
of the commencement of hostilities between England
and France, he proceeded to Paris, and arrived in that
capital the day after the unjust and shameful order
had been issued, which constituted all English travel
lers and residents in the French dominions prisoners
* See p. 345, vol. II. of this work.

vm

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR.

of war. He shared the fate of his unfortunate coun
trymen, was sent to Verdun, and remained there until,
at the solicitation of M. Carnot, President of the Na
tional Institute at Paris, and of Sir Joseph Banks,
President of the Royal Society, he obtained his liberty,
and returned to England in June 1804.
Mr. Forbes first appeared as an author by the pub
lication of " Letters in France, written in 1803 and
1804, containing a particular description of the English
at Verdun," two vols. 8vo. He afterwards published
" Reflections on the Character of the Hindoos, and on
the Importance of converting them to Christianity," in
8vo. 1810. His most important work is the Oriental
Memoirs now offered to the public.
In 1816 he accompanied his family to Paris, where
he remained two years. He again quitted England
in June 1819, when he was seized with the fatal ill
ness which terminated his exemplary life : a life which
had been but a preparation for eternity. He died at
Aix la Chapelle, in the arms of his daughter and her
children, in August 1819, at the age of seventy.

THE

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

These Memoirs are founded on a series of letters,
written during a long residence in India. A variety
of new and interesting matter, collected from valuable
and accurate resources, has induced me to alter their
original form, and present them to the world in the
shape of a connected narrative. I consider this ex
planation necessary to account for the epistolary style,
occasional repetitions, and want of connexion, which
will be found to pervade them.
Leaving England before I had attained my six
teenth year, and being while in India deprived of a
choice of books, I lay no claim to literary merit. I
am conscious of numerous defects in a work com
menced at that early age, and continued for eighteen
years in the India Company's service, when duty sta
tioned me at many of their settlements, and curiosity
led me to other places in the western provinces of
Hindostan. The manuscripts from which these volumes are
compiled, and the drawings which illustrate them,
have formed the principal recreation of my life. The
pursuit beguiled the monotony of our India voyages,
cheered a solitary residence at Anjengo and Dhiiboy,

PREFACE.

and softened the long period of absence from my na
tive country : it has since mitigated the rigor of cap
tivity, and alleviated domestic sorrow. Drawing to
me had the same charm as music to the soul of har
mony. In my secluded situation in Guzerat I seemed
to be blest with another sense. My friends in India
were happy to enlarge my collection ; the sportsman
suspended his career after royal game to procure me
a curiosity; the Hindoo often brought a bird or an
insect for delineation, knowing it would then regain
its liberty ; and the Brahmin supplied specimens of
fruit and flowers from his sacred enclosures.
Diffident as I am of this performance, I deem my
self, in some degree, pledged to publish it, in conse
quence of this pledge being the immediate cause of
procuring the liberation of myself and family from
captivity. I also assign as another reason, that some
of my letters at full length, and extracts from others,
have appeared in several late publications, without
being ascribed to their real author.

CONTENTS

THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

The Author embarks as Writer for Bombay — Cape de Verd Islands
— Sails for the Cape of Good Hope — Coast of Brazil — Arrival at
Rio de Janeiro — Humming Birds described — City of St. Sebastian
— Departure from South America — Tristan de Cunha — Table
Land — Storms off the Cape of Good Hope — Dying Dolphin — Ship
on Fire — Sea-scurvy — Funeral Ceremony at Sea — Monotony and
Distress in long Calms — Malabar Coast — Settlement of Cochin —
Calicut — Tellicherry — Mangalore — Goa Harbour and City — Ar
rival at Bombay ........ Page 1

CHAPTER II.
Residence at Bombay — Brief State of that Settlement in 1 766 —
Cocoa-nut Tree — Palmyra — Date and Banian Tree — Gymno-
sophists — Cubbeer — Burr — Anecdote of Monkeys — Areca — Betel,
Mango, and other Fruits of Hindostan — Flowers — Vegetables —
Rice grounds — Rainy Season — Dreadful Famines in India . 1 1

CHAPTER III.
Mus-malabaricus — Musk-rat — Ants — Termites — Lizards — Guana
Serpents — Cobra Minelle — Cobra de Capello — Dancing Snakes —
Fatal effect of the poison of the Hooded Snake— Dr. Russell on
the Indian Serpents — Insects of India— Locusts — Wild Honey —

xii CONTENTS.
Ghee-Birds of Hindostan -The Myneh-Baya, or bottle-nested
Sparrow-Tailor-bird-Bnlbul, or Indian Nightingale— Persian
Ode— Fish at Bombay  26

CHAPTER FW
Inhabitants of Bombay— Origin of the Hindoos— The Brahmins—
The Hindoo Religion— Extracts from the Vedas— Menu's Code
of Laws— Brama, or the Supreme Deity— Devotion of the Hin
doos— Fakeers, or Yogees— Religious Devotee— Life of the
Brahmins— Chandalahs, or Pariars— Dress of the Hindoo Tribes-
Hindoo Women— Education— Early Marriages— Burning the Dead
—Astrology and Augury— Rebekah at the Well— The Palankeen
— Dancing-girls— Ablutions — Hummums — Effects of Opium—
Halcarras .,.....•¦¦ 38

CHAPTER V.
Mahomedan Conquests in Hindostan — Establishment of the Empire
of Ghizni — Invasion of India by Timur-lung — Mogul Empire
formed — Character of Akber — Usurpation of the Nawabs, after
the death of Aurungzebe — Religion of Mahomed — Mahomedan
Women — Genii, Talismans, and Charms — Loss of a precious
Gem — Fire flies — Great Extent of the Mahomedan Religion —
Ishinaelites — Solomon's Trade with India — Traffic of the Ancients
— Extensive Commerce of the Arabians — General Character of the
Mahomedans in Hindostan ....... 65

CHAPTER VI.
Parsees, or Gnebres — Everlasting Fire near Baku, in Persia — Reli
gion of Zoroaster and the ancient Magi — Manners and Customs of
the Parsees .  78

CHAPTER VII. '
Portuguese and their Descendants in India — Romish Missionaries 
— Indian Converts — General Remarks on the Moral and Religious

CONTENTS. Xlll
System of the Hindoos — The Deluge confirmed by the Hindoo
Scriptures — Comparison between the Egyptians and Hindoos —
Further Illustration of the Hindoo Religion ; compared with the
Mosaical Dispensation — Iran in its ancient state — Quotation from
Bishop Watson . . . . . . . . .84

CHAPTER VIII.
Town of Bombay — English Commerce at Bombay — Civil and Mili
tary Establishments — Courts of Justice — Domestic Arrangement
— Moonlight Evenings ....... 94

CHAPTER IX. ^
English Settlement of Fort Victoria — Brahmin Village of Harrasar
— Hot Wells at Dazagon — Voyage thither from Fort Victoria —
Hot Winds — Wild Beasts — Danger from Tigers — Chamelion of
the Concan — Serpents — Excavations in the Mountains — Hindoo
Devotees, Swingers, Jugglers, Combatants, and Vaulters — Marre
— Mahratta Government — Commencement of a Journey to Bombay
— Candhar — Vanjarrahs — Gaut Mountains — Monsoons — Cultiva
tion, Gardens, and Produce of the Concan — Guru, Hindoo High-
priest — Other Religious Castes — Value of Water in India — Ascent
of the Lower Gauts — Mahomedan Patriarch at Ram-Rajah — Hin
doo Victims — Reception at Allah Braug — Colabie — Visit from a
Mahratta Prince — Family of Ragojee Angria — Nymphea Lotos —
Lotophagi — Method of supplying Travellers with Provisions in
Hindostan — Conclusion of the Journey — Comparison between India
and England in their most striking features . .103

CHAPTER X.'
Voyage from Bombay to Surat — Surat Bar — Ancient Trade of India
with Europe — Diamond Mines and Jewels of India — City of
Surat — Gardens — Mode of Watering — Haram — Mogul Women —
Hummums, Champooiug— -Banian Hospital — Manufactures — Trade
of Surat with Europe— Visit of the English Chief to the Nabob —

XIV CONTENTS.
Nabob's Public Procession to the Mosque — Dress of the Mogul
Ladies — Anecdote of a Mogul Widow and an English Gentleman
— Country — Cultivation — Game — Birds — Wild Beasts — A Cheeta
Hunt fully described — Pulparar — Hindoo Devotees — Burning of
Widows — Similar practice among the Ancient Crestonians —
Affecting account of the Immolation of a Hindoo Widow — Minute
Division of the Hindoo Castes — Ablutions of the Hindoos — Travels
of Hindoo Devotees — Death of Calanus — Burning of an Indian
Woman in the army of Eumenes . . . . .145

CHAPTER XI.
Voyage from Bombay to Anjengo — Geographical Division of the Ma
labar Coast — Goa — Monkish Convents — Commerce — Portuguese
Domination — Carwar — Mirzee and Barcelore, the ancient Musiris
and Barace — Fortified Island — Onore — Malabar Frontier — Mangu-
lore — Gigantic Statue at Kurkul— Cannanore— Tellicherry— Car
damom— Dumapatam Island — Coffee Plantations — Ordeal Trials
in Malabar — Mucuars at Tellicherry — Mahie— Sacrifice Rock —
Edible Birds'-nests— Calicut— Vapura— Grand Appearance of the
Gaut Mountains — Cochin — Mattancherry — Jews-town  Porca.
Calliquilone — Quilone — Eddova — Anjengo — Catamaran — Hippo
campus . . . . . . . # 185

CHAPTER XII.
Travencore— Cultivation of Pepper— Cassia Lignea, and Cinnamon-
Oil Plants— Olive Tree— Silk Cotton— Wild Animals— Civet Cat ;
Crocodile and Alligator — Ichneumon — Seal — Birds — Crescent
Snake — Black Amphisboena — Number of Noxious Reptiles —
Termites, or White Ants— Gold Dust in Malabar Rivers— Iron
Mines, Forges, and Smelting-houses— Salt-pans— Molungies or
Salt-boilers of Bengal . . -. . • 218

CHAPTER XIII. -•'
Brahmins of Malabar— Sacred Rivers of India— Veneration for the
Cow— Public Charities— Similarity of the Malabars and Northern

CONTENTS. XV
Hindoos — Extraordinary Purification of the King of Travencore
passing through a Golden Cow — The same Ceremony by Ragonath
Row — Sevajee weighed against Gold— Adventure in Quilone
Forest— Civilization of the Malabars— Physical Effects of the
Torrid Zone — Conduct of a Marawar Heroine — Dominions of the
King of Travencore — Nairs —Manners and Customs — Namburis —
Tivees — Tetees — Moplah Women — Cruelty of the Queen of At-
tinga — Writing on Olas — Malabar Christians— Cheap purchase of
Children — Houses of the Malabars — Implements of Agriculture —
Tribe of Pooleahs — Pariars — Hindoos and Egyptians — Tribe8
mentioned by Herodotus ; their Manners and Customs illustrated
by those of the Malabars — Paramhansa — Hindoo Anthropophagi —
Moplahs, Mahomedan Malabars — Massacre of the English at
Attinga — Interesting Particulars of the St. Thome, or Syrian
Christians  236

CHAPTER XIV.
Excavations at Salsette and Elephanta — Journey from Bombay to
Salsette — Description of the great Temple there — Depredations of
the Tigers — Island of Elephanta — Excavations— Grand Temple —
Hymn to Narayena — Caverns and Temples at Ellora — Wars of the
Kooroos and Pandoos from the Hindoo Legends — Cemetery in the
Desert of Sinai  265

CHAPTER XV.
The Author obtains an Appointment among the Civil Servants
attached to the British Detachment ordered from Bombay, to
assist Ragonath-Row, Peshaw of the Mahrattas, then driven
from his Capital, and at the head of an Army in Guzerat —
Mahratta Empire — Ragohah leaves Poonah, and marches against
the Nizam — Commencement of the Civil War — Ragobah applies
to the Bombay Government for a Detachment of British Troops,
and enters into a Treaty — Embarkation of the English Detachment
to join his Army in Guzerat  286

XVI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVI.
Arrival of the English Troops at Surat— Interview with the Nabob
of Surat — Ragobah's Zenana — Voyage from Surat to Cambay—
Gongwa — Gosaings, their peculiar Character — Tides in the Gulf
of Cambay — Public Visit of the Nabob to Ragobah — Ragobah
removes from the City to a Summer Palace — Public Visit of the
British Commander and his Staff — Ceremony of making presents
in the East — English Detachment encamp at Narranseer, near
Cambay — City of Cambay — Monkeys — Manufacture — Plants —
Fertility of the Country — Wells — Cornelians, Agates, and Cambay
Stones — Character of the Nabob, contrasted with that of Ragobah
— Narrow Policy and Cruelty of Oriental Courts — Etiquette and
Ceremonies — General Effects of Opium— Diversions of the Nabob
and Nobles at Cambay — Literature — Pleasant Situation of the
English Head-quarters at Narranseer — Wild Beasts and Reptiles
— Nabob's Gardens — Heat in the English Camp — Roses and Rose
Water— News of Ragobah's Army marching towards Cambay—
The English Encampment at Narranseer struck ; the Detachment
proceed to Darah  308

CHAPTER XVII.
Account of a Mahratta Army— Arms— Titles— Magnificence of the
Indian Tents— Military Character of the Indians— Rajepoots—
Different Orders of Cavalry— Pindarees— Brahmins— Ragobah's
Encampment— Particulars of a Brahmin Feast— Pleasures and
Amusements in Camp— Conduct of a Family on a march— Dancing-
girls— Number of Cattle— Extraordinary Anecdote of Ragobah's
Elephants— Camels— Mahratta Wealth and State— Hermaphro
dites— Improvement in Mahratta Tactics— Method of besieging a
City — War Rockets  337

CHAPTER XVIII.
March of the Allied Army towards the Enemy— Blessings of Water
—First Engagement— Retreat of the Enemy— Field of Battle-

CONTENTS. XV11
Action at Mahter — Treatment of Spies — Patience of the Hindoos
— Kairah — Guzerat Villages — Action at Hyderabad — March to
the South Parts of Guzerat — History of the Guickwar Family —
Neriad laid under contribution — Bhauts — A dreadful Sacrifice —
Conduct of the Brahmins — March to the Plains of Arras — Omens
— Superstition of the Brahmins and Astrologers — Battle on the
Plains of Arras — Defeat of the Enemy — Encamp at Betassee —
The Allied Army cross the Myhi — Pass of FazalPoor — March to
Baroche— Robbers . .  361

CHAPTER XIX.
Encampment at Baroche — Description of that City — The Nerbudah
— Discontent in Ragobah's Army — March from Baroche towards
Dhuboy — Pass of Bowa-peer — Sudden setting in of the Monsoon
— Rise of the Water — Serpents, Scorpions, and Reptiles in the
Village Huts — Winter Quarters in Dhuboy — Description of that
City — Adjutant Bird — Encampment of Ragobah's Army at Brl-
lapoor — Journey to Bellapoor — Rise of the Dahder — Females in
Ragobah's Zenana — An Intrigue with Esswant Row — Incon
veniences of a Camp in the Rainy Season — Duplicity and Chi
canery of the Indians — Cruelty of Brahmins — Division of Castes
— Mahratta Character — Story of some Palanquin-bearers — Man
gos — Mahratta Tents — Illness of the Writer — Conclusion of the
War — Subsequent Fate of Ragobah  391

CHAPTER XX.
Departure from Bombay to England — Cape Bassos and the Coast of
Africa — Mermaids at Mosambique and Mombaz — Melinda — Cape
St. Sebastian — Storms near the Cape of Good Hope — Whales —
Bay False — Isthmus between Table Bay and Bay False — Dutch
Settlement at Simmons' Harbour —Journey from thence to Cape
town — Table Mountain — Cape-town — Fruits, Flowers, Trees —
Menagerie — Inhabitants of Cape-town — Scarcity of Timber —
Beauty and variety of the Plants — Character of the Dutch
Farmers — Vineyards — Dutch Government of the Colony — Charac
ter of the Hottentots — Boshmen — Wild Animals at the Cape —
Birds in Southern Africa — African Lions — Villas, Gardens, and
vol i. b

XV1U CONTENTS.
Farms near Cape-town— Tent Wine— Flowers and Vegetables-
Myrtle Hedges— Constantia and its Vineyards— Grand Mountain
Scenery near the Cape— Voyage from thence to St. Helena— St
Helena Pigeons— Fortifications— Town— Beauty of the Interior
Vallies— Climate— Inhabitants— Government— Provisions, Fruits
and Vegetables— Birds — Trees and Plants, Indigenous and Exotic
Fish — Sail for England— Coast of Guinea — Crew— Variety of
Fish on the Gold Coast — Cape de Verd Islands— Fogo — Azores —
Sudden Tempest — St. Mary's Island— Arrival at Cork— Departure
from Ireland — Land at Hastings — Arrival at Home . .419
CHAPTER XXI.
The Author's Return to India — Journey from Surat to Baroche —
— Senassees — Wells — Illustrations of Scripture — General Charac
ter of the Indians — Trade of the Ancients with Barygaza, or
Baroche — Modern Cotton Trade at Baroche — Revenues of Baroche
— Pergunna — Animals — Birds — Fruits — Oriental Wines, Sherbets,
Ice — Oils and Perfumes — Tribe of Borahs — Mahomedan Fakeers
— Penances of Indian Devotees — Hindoo Colleges — Jattaras —
Succulterah — Expiation of Sucla-Tirtha — Mahomedan Festivals —
Death of Houssain — English Villa near Baroche — Serpents, Guar
dians of Indian Gardens — Ordeal Trials by Water and Rice —
Singular Anecdote of a Robbery — Provisions at Baroche— Lower
Classes of Society — Court of Adowlet at Baroche — Silver Mosque —
Mausoleum of Baba-Rahan — Comparison between Modern Hindoos
and Mahomedans — Rajpoots — Singular Exile of a Hindoo Family
at Bombay — Anecdotes from Lord Teignmouth . . 460
CHAPTER XXII.
Excursion of a Shooting Party in Turcaseer — Wild Beasts — Monkeys
— Bheels — Serpents — Locusts — Feathered Game of Guzerat —
Anecdote of a Sahras — Baubul, or Acacia — Curious Instinct and
Sagacity in the Baubul Caterpillar — Further Description of the
Baya, or Bottle-nested Sparrow — Instinct of various Animals—
Raje-pipley Hills— Tiger Mountain— Number of wild Animals in
those unfrequented Regions — Various Habits of Tigers — Of
Hyenas and other Beasts of Prey — Rhinoceros— Wild Hogs-
Bears — Anecdote of their dreadful Brutality . . . 497

CONTENTS. XIX

CHAPTER XXIII.

Appointment to Dhuboy — Revenue of the Purgunna — General Di
vision of Hindostan — City of Dhuboy — Inhabitants — Sacred Groves
— Chandode — Zinore — Ranghur — Bhaderpoor — Monkeys— Curious
Anecdote of their Agency — Powaghur — Source of the Nerbudda —
Story of Narmada from the Hindoo Mythology — Uncharitableness
of the Brahmins — Low Estate of the Chandala Caste— Cjaelty^ of
the Jaina_Brahmins — Singular Anecdotes of Religious Hindoos —
Comparison between the Porticos at Dhuboy and Pompeia — Ex
pense of the Dhuboy Fortifications — Gate of Diamonds — Lines on
a celebrated Picture by Guercino — Serpents at Dhuboy — Guardians
to Nero— Story of the Origin and Magnificence of Dhuboy —Its
Destruction by the Mahomedans, and subsequent History — Custom
of giving a new name to Oriental Cities— Dhuboy surrounded by
the Mahratta Army  512

J. B. NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET.

ORIENTAL MEMOIRS.

CHAPTER I.

The Author embarks as a Writer for Bombay — Cape de Verd
Islands — Sails for the Cape of Good Hope — Coast of Brazil —
Arrival at Rio de Janeiro — Humming-birds described— City of
St, Sebastian — Departure from South America — Tristan de
Cunha — Table Land — Storms off the Cape of Good Hope —
Dying Dolphin — Ship on Fire —Sea-scurvy — Funeral Ceremony
at Sea — Monotony and Distress in long Calms — Malabar Coast
— Settlement at Cochin — Calicut — Tellicherry — Mangalore —
Goa Harbour, and City — Arrival at Bombay.
Having obtained the appointment of a writer in the
East India Company's service at Bombay I embarked
with fourteen other passengers for that settlement, in
the month of March 1765, before I had attained my
sixteenth year ; and at that early age I commenced
my descriptive letters, and the drawings which accom
pany them.
After encountering the boisterous seas in the Bay
of Biscay, we entered the warmer latitudes ; and had
a distant view of the islands of Madeira, Palma, and
Ferro : we next saw the peak of Teneriffe, rearing its
majestic head above the clouds, and presenting a grand
and magnificent scene. From thence we steered for
St. Jago, the largest of the Cape de Verd islands, for
VOL. I. B

ST. JAGO.

a supply of water and refreshments ; and, passing by
the Isles of Bona-vista, Sal, and Mayo, whose barren
and rocky shores are seldom visited by strangers, we
arrived at Porto Praya the middle of May: this is
the principal sea-port of St. Jago ; the city where the
governor and bishop reside is situated at some dis
tance inland; but there is so little attraction in the
manners of the Portugueze, and so great a scarcity of
horses, that the passengers do not often go there.
The fortress and principal houses at Porto Praya are
on a rocky eminence near the watering place ; but
below it is a beautiful valley, which we daily visited.
Our youthful party were charmed with its novelty,
and regaled on the plantains, cocoa-nuts, and pine
apples, with which it abounded. The lofty cocoa-
tree, and waving plantain, were enlivened by mon
keys, and a variety of birds ; but the weather being
extremely hot, and the hills barren, we seldom strolled
beyond the limits of the valley.
We remained about a week at St. Jago, and then
sailed for the Cape of Good Hope ; but on discovering
a dangerous leak in the ship, we were obliged to alter
our course, and to proceed immediately to Rio de
Janeiro, a Portugueze settlement on the coast of
Brazil, where we continued from the end of June
until the middle of October ; while the vessel under
went the necessary repairs.
If I was pleased with St. Jago, I had much greater
reason to be delighted with the Brazils : the grandeur
of the mountains, the fertility of the valleys, the mild
ness of the climate, and the general beauty of animal
and vegetable nature, render this part of South Ame
rica very interesting ; while the variety of trees and

TROPICAL BIRDS. 3
plants, the profusion of fruits and flowers, and the
brilliancy of the birds and insects, afforded an ample
scope for my earliest attempts in natural history. One
lovely valley, over which the aqueduct passes which
supplies the city of St. Sebastian with water, was
my favourite place of resort; there the rose and
myrtle mingled their fragrance with the clustering
blossoms of the citron and orange trees, bending at
the same time under the weight of their golden
produce. " For here great Spring
Greens all the year, and fruits and blossoms blush,
In social sweetness, on the self-same bough." Milton.
Thousands of nature's choristers, arrayed in all the
brilliancy of tropical plumage, enlivened these exten
sive orange groves; and the humming-bird, the
smallest and most lovely of the feathered race, buzzed
like the bee, while sipping the nectarious dew from
the blossoms and flowers. Nothing can exceed the
delicacy of these little beauties ; especially of that
which from its minuteness is called the fly-bird ; its
bill and legs are not thicker than a pin ; its head,
tufted with glossy jet, varies with every motion into
shades of green and purple ; the breast is of a bright
flame colour ; every feather, when viewed through a
microscope, appears as if fringed with silver, and
spotted with gold.
The serpents in this part of South America are
large and noxious, but often beautifully coloured ; the
town and country are infested with lizards, scor
pions, centipedes, and troublesome insects of various
b 2

4 RIO DE JANEIRO.
kinds. The wild animals generally keep upon the
mountains, and leave the valleys to the cows, sheep,
and goats, which were introduced into these colonies
by the Portugueze.
St. Sebastian, the capital of Rio de Janeiro, is a
large city, with numerous churches, convents, and
nunneries ; but the manners and customs of the inha
bitants are neither pleasing nor interesting : pride,
poverty, indolence, and superstition, are the prevailing
characteristics of these degenerate Portugueze ; and
seem to have entirely extinguished the noble virtues
of their ancestors : their cruelty to the plantation
negroes, and slaves of every description, is excessive :
humanity shudders at the constant smack of the whip,
and the loud cries for mercy, vainly implored by these
poor wretches, from their tyrannic masters, who seem
to have lost every sense of that divine attribute.
The splendour of the churches, the pompous cere
monies of the Romish worship, the various dresses
of the monks and nuns, and the beauty of the gar
dens at their convents, were all attractive. I could
enlarge on these subjects, as also on the variety of
the animal and vegetable productions, but I shall
merely observe, that the coast abounds with excel
lent fish of different kinds ; a profusion of fruit and
vegetables supplies the public markets, and the nu
merous vessels which are constantly arriving in this
noble harbour; beef, mutton, pork, and different
kinds of poultry, are also plentiful, and at a moderate
price. The native Brazilians are seldom to be seen at
Rio de Janeiro ; the few who yet remain live at a
distance from the Portugueze settlements ; and their

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOFE. 5
manners and customs are little known. Neither could
I obtain much information about the gold and dia
mond mines, for which Brazil is celebrated ; they
are in the interior mountains, far from the capital ;
and the roads are strictly guarded to prevent all com
munication. The jewellers' shops at St. Sebastian
make a grand display of diamonds, topazes, amethysts,
and other precious stones, brought from the mines ;
a great deal of gold dust is found in the beds of
brooks and torrents near the mountains, and eagerly
sought for, especially after heavy rains ; by means of
which a few of the poor African slaves have pur
chased their liberty, and become masters of a little
plantation, where they enjoy the sweets of freedom.
We left Rio de Janeiro on the 12th of October,
for the Cape of Good Hope ; and about the end of the
month saw Tristan de Cunha, a desolate island in the
Atlantic ocean, inhabited only by seals and sea-fowl.
On the 15th of November, we had a distant view of
the Table mountain at the Cape ; the southern boun
dary of Africa, and for many ages the barrier of navi
gators from Europe to India, until Vasco de Gama,
at the conclusion of the fifteenth century, surmounted
every obstacle ; and his approving monarch changed
its name from the Cape of Storms, to that of Good
Hope. In those seas we encountered violent tempests ;
and, for weeks together, passed through such foaming
mountains, as baffle all description ; indeed, it is diffi
cult for a person unaccustomed to such scenes to form
any idea of this immense body of water when agitated
by a storm. In those southern latitudes we saw abund
ance of whales, grampuses, sword-fish, and porpoises ;

SHIP ON FIRE.

with flocks of albatrosses, and other aquatic birds,
usually met with in stormy seas; in the milder cli
mates, the ocean was enlivened by shoals of albicores,
bonitos, dolphins, sharks, and flying-fish; which
amused the passing hour, furnished variety at table,
and afforded me an opportunity of delineating their
different characters : the remora, or sucking fish, which
adheres to the body of the shark ; the azure pilot-fish,
which conducts him to his prey, but is never devoured
himself; and the flying-fish, which by means of its
long fins, wings its way through another element, and
escapes its direful jaws, are all curious and beautiful ;
but the exquisite colouring of a dying dolphin surpasses
every effort of the pencil.
We were not permitted to touch at the Cape, and
therefore bore away for India. Soon after leaving
the coast of Africa, we were awoke at break of day
by the cry of " fire ! " No situation can be more dis
tressing ; every dreadful idea which present danger
suggests, or future misery anticipates, rushes on the
mind ; and most other trials of human fortitude appear
light in the comparison : from conflagration on shore
there is some prospect of escaping ; and we look for
ward with hope to the cessation of the severest tem
pest ; but to be in flames on the boundless ocean, is a
scene fraught with horror ! in momentary expectation
of the powder taking fire, and blowing the vessel to
atoms ; or, of gradually burning to the surface of the
water, and then foundering: a dreadful alternative!
Providentially, we did not continue in suspense ; the
captain and officers acted with a calm intrepidity, and
in an hour the flames were extinguished.
On our second approach to the equator, we met

FUNERAL AT SEA. 7
with calms and contrary currents, which drove us quite
out of our reckoning ; fresh provisions and water be
came scarce, and the men were attacked by the scurvy :
a distemper which was then very incidental to mari
ners in long voyages. It is various in its symptoms
and progress ; but is generally attended with heaviness,
restlessness, swelled limbs, livid spots, and ulcerated
gums : the last stage seems to be a total putrefaction ;
which soon carries off the unhappy sufferer. The
scurvy baffles all the art of medicine ; but if the
patient is taken on shore, to breathe a pure air, and
enjoy the refreshment of fruit and vegetables, he gene
rally recovers. Before we experienced this happy
change, many of the seamen, and more of the recruits
for the army in India, fell a sacrifice to the malady ;
and we were often called upon to attend the awful
ceremony of committing their remains to the deep.
There is something peculiarly solemn and melan
choly in a funeral of this kind, where the body is
consigned to the fathomless abyss : but Faith antici
pates that glorious morn, when the ransomed of the
Redeemer shall hear his voice, and the sea shall give
up her dead !
Except at the funeral ceremony, which was now so
frequently performed, I never had an opportunity of
seeing a ship's company assembled at public worship ;
it is a fine spectacle ; every feeling mind must rejoice
to behold the deck of a large vessel covered with her
crew, in the humble attitude of devotion : surrounded
by the boundless ocean, the foundation of their august
temple ; and the cerulean expanse of heaven, its mag
nificent canopy ! to see them in the midst of this
unstable element, when separated from all their friends,

8 THE MALABAR COAST.
adoring the universal friend and Father of the crea
tion ; who maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh
upon the wings of the wind ; who raiseth the tempest ;
and saith to the raging waves, " Peace ! be still !" I
am sorry to observe, that the solemnity of public wor
ship is a duty too little attended to in these floating
habitations, these worlds of wonder ! Surely, in such
a situation, it must be the highest gratification to offer
the tribute of prayer and praise to the great Jehovah ;
for the sea is his, and He made it!
During the calms under the line the sea was smooth
as glass ; and every floating substance thrown over
board, remaining round the vessel, we were often
obliged, in the cool of the evening, to lower the boats,
and tow her to some distance. We continued six
weeks in these sultry climates, with only now and
then a light air to waft us gently on ; our water also
began to fail : we at last became almost spiritless from
the languor occasioned by the enervating heat, and
the dull uniformity of this part of our voyage.
At length, after being disappointed by many deceit
ful appearances of imaginary shores, and when reduced
to our last cask of water, the man at the mast-head
saw land, and the coast of Malabar was soon discerned
through the telescopes on deck ; the powers of lan
guage fail to express the joy which thrilled in our
hearts at this happy prospect ; those only who have
been in a similar situation can conceive it : favoured
by a gentle breeze, we gradually approached the cocoa-
nut groves, which seemed to rise from the ocean, on the
low sandy shore, near the Dutch settlement of Cochin,
where we anchored in the evening. The ship was soon
surrounded by boats, laden with cattle, poultry, fruit,

SETTLEMENT OF COCHIN. [)
and vegetables : this was indeed a most grateful visit
to us all : but especially to our poor invalids ; who
were immediately brought upon deck to enjoy the
refreshing gales from the land, and partake of our
delicious fare. The town of Cochin is pleasantly
situated near the road, at the entrance of a broad river,
surrounded by the low lands and cocoa-nut trees ; be
yond them are woody hills, and majestic mountains,
forming a noble boundary to the landscape.
We remained only two days at Cochin, and then
sailed for Bombay, aided by the land and sea winds,
which alternately prevail on the Malabar coast, after
the breaking-up of the south-west monsoon : the former
blows fresh during great part of the night, and gradually
declines a few hours after sun-rise ; when the western
breeze sets in from the ocean, and renders the naviga
tion delightful. As the season advances towards the
commencement of the ensuing monsoon, in the months
of April and May, the north-west winds blow strong ;
and the ships sailing to the northward, no longer
assisted by the land breezes, are obliged to stand
further out to sea, to beat up against their powerful
adversaries ; and thus the passenger loses the beauties
we daily enjoyed in this pleasant part of our voyage.
From Cochin we proceeded along a diversified coast
to Calicut ; the celebrated emporium where Vasco de
Gama landed after his perilous voyage round the Cape
of Good Hope, in the first European vessel which ever
navigated the Indian seas : it was then a place of great
importance, now little more than a Malabar fishing-
town, with four European factories. We did not
anchor at Calicut, but arrived the next day at Telli
cherry, a settlement belonging to the English, in a

10 HARBOUR AND CITY OF GOA.
pleasant and healthy situation. From thence, sailing
by a hilly tract of country, we came to Mangalore, then
a principal sea-port of Hyder Ally Khaun ; where,
after procuring water and refreshments, we renewed
our coasting voyage, and passing Onore, Mirjee, and
some other places of little importance, we anchored
in the beautiful harbour of Goa ; a noble basin, sur
rounded by woody hills and fertile valleys, enriched by
plantations of cocoa-nuts, and fields of rice: the
prospect was embellished by numerous churches, con
vents, and villas; whose white aspect was finely
contrasted with the dark mango and tamarind groves
which embosomed them. This noble harbour is de
fended by the fortress of Alguarda : the city of Goa,
founded like imperial Rome on many hills, and
situated a few miles up a navigable river, presents some
lovely scenery. It was the most magnificent of all
the European settlements in India ; and the churches,
monasteries, and other public structures, indicate the
former splendour of the capital of the Portugueze
Asiatic establishments, the seat of the Inquisition, and
the residence of the governor-general, the archbishop,
judges, and other principal officers.
This was the last place we touched at on the
Malabar coast, and after sailing along the moun
tainous shores of the Concan, we anchored in Bombay
harbour, exactly eleven months from the commence
ment of our voyage.

RESIDENCE AT BOMBAY. 11

CHAPTER II.
Residence at Bombay— Brief State of that Settlement in 1766—
Cocoa-Nut Tree— Palmyra — Date and Banian Tree— Gymno-
sophists— Cubbeer — Burr — Anecdote of Monkeys— Areca 
Betel, Mango, and other Fruits of Hindostan — Flowers-
Vegetables— Rice-grounds— Rainy Season— Dreadful Famines
in India.
A residence of eighteen years on the island of
Bombay, and several of its subordinate settlements,
afforded me an opportunity of seeing a great deal of the
western part of Hindostan ; and I occasionally visited
most of the principal places, from Ahmedabad, the
capital of the northern province of Guzerat, to Anjengo,
the most southern factory on the coast of Malabar.
I have already mentioned my arrival at Bombay in
1766; that establishment was then on a smaller scale
than at present ; especially in the military and revenue
departments : the latter was always inadequate to the
expenses ; but the docks, fortifications, magazines,
and storehouses, render it an object of national im
portance, both in a political and commercial point of
view: the harbour is one of the finest in the world,
accessible at all seasons, and affording a safe anchorage
during the most tempestuous monsoons : the mer
chants carry on a trade with all the principal sea-ports
and interior cities of the peninsula of India ; and ex
tend their commerce to the Persian and Arabian
gulphs, the coast of Africa, Malacca, China, and the
eastern islands.
Bombay is situated in the latitude of 18° 50' north,

12 SITUATION OF BOMBAY.
and 73° of east longitude from London : the island
does not exceed twenty miles in circumference : and
being entirely surrounded by the sea, the heat is seldom
oppressive, the climate in general healthy and pleasant,
and the inhabitants are strangers to the hot winds so
troublesome on the continent. The surface of the soil
is very unequal, consisting of rocks, hills, and plains ;
except in one part, where a very considerable tract is
overflowed by the encroachment of the sea, not
withstanding a strong wall which was erected at a great
expense to prevent it.
From being situated only a few miles from the
Mahratta shores, and still nearer the fertile island of
Salsette, the markets are daily supplied from thence
with all the necessaries of life : for so circumscribed,
so rocky, and so unequal is the surface of Bombay
itself, that it only produces a sufficiency of grain in
one year, to supply its population for six weeks. Yet
each spot that will admit of cultivation, and is not oc
cupied by houses, is sown with rice, or planted with
cocoa-nut trees ; which, in extensive woods, lend their
friendly shade to thousands of neat cottages, and form
delightful rides, impervious to a tropical sun.
Of all the gifts which Providence has bestowed on
the oriental world, the cocoa-nut tree most deserves
our notice. In this single production of nature, what
blessings are conveyed to man ! It grows in a stately
column, from thirty to fifty feet in height, crowned by
a verdant capital of waving branches, covered with
long spiral leaves; under this foliage, bunches of
blossoms, clusters of green fruit, and others arrived at
maturity, appear in mingled beauty. The trunk,
though porous, furnishes beams and rafters for our

THE COCOA-NUT TREE. 13
habitations ; and the leaves, when platted together,
make an excellent thatch, common umbrellas, coarse
mats for the floor, and brooms ; while their finest
fibres are woven into very beautiful mats for the
rich. The covering of the young fruit is extremely
curious, resembling a piece of thick cloth, in a conical
form, close and firm as if it came from the loom ; it
expands after the fruit has burst through its inclosure,
and then appears of a coarser texture. The nuts con
tain a delicious milk, and a kernel, sweet as the
almond : this, when dried, affords abundance of oil ;
and when that is expressed, the remains feed cattle and
poultry, and make a good manure. The shell of the
nut furnishes cups, ladles, and other domestic utensils;
while the husk which encloses it is of the utmost im
portance : it is manufactured into ropes, and cordage
of every kind, from the smallest twine to the largest
cable, which are far more durable than those of hemp.
In the Nicobar islands, the natives build their vessels,
make the sails and cordage, supply them with pro
visions and necessaries, and provide a cargo of arrack,
vinegar, oil, jaggree, (a wholesome and nourishing
coarse sugar,) cocoa-nuts, coir, cordage, black paint,
and several inferior articles for foreign markets, en
tirely from this tree. Gibbon, the historian, writing
of the palm tree, adds, that the Asiatics celebrated,
either in verse or prose, the three hundred and sixty
uses to which the trunk, the branches, the leaves, the
juice, and the fruit, were skilfully applied.
Many of the trees are not permitted to bear fruit ;
but the embryo bud, from which the blossoms and
nuts would spring, is tied up, to prevent its expansion ;
and a small incision being then made at the end, there

14 THE BANIAN TREE.
oozes in gentle drops a cool pleasant liquor, called
Tarce, or Toddy; the palm-wine, of the poets. This,
when first drawn, is cooling and salutary ; but when
fermented and distilled, produces an intoxicating spirit.
Thus, a plantation of cocoa-nut trees yields the pro
prietor a considerable profit, and generally forms part
of the government revenue.
The cocoa-nut tree delights in a flat sandy soil, near
the sea, and must be frequently watered ; while the
palmyras, or brab trees, grow on hills and rocky moun
tains. These also abound on our small island, as well
as the date tree ; but the fruit of the latter seldom
attains perfection. These trees are of the same genus,
though differing according to their respective classes ;
they all produce the palm- wine, and are generally in
cluded under the name of palms, or palmetos : their
leaves are used instead of paper, by the natives on the
Malabar coast, and the inhabitants of the Carnatic.
" Stretch'd amid these orchards of the sun,
Where high palmetos lift their grateful shade,
Give me to drain the cocoa's milky bowl,
And from the palm to draw its freshening wine ;
More bounteous far than all the frantic juice
Which Bacchus pours !"
The banian, or burr tree (Ficus Indica, Lin.) is
equally deserving our attention : from being one of
the most curious and beautiful of nature's produc
tions in that genial climate, where she sports with
so much profusion and variety. Each tree is in itself
a grove, and some of them are of an amazing size ;
as they are continually increasing, and, contrary to
most other animal and vegetable productions, seem
to be exempted from decay : for every branch from

THE BANIAN TREE. 15
the main body throws out its own roots, at first in
small tender fibres, several yards from the ground,
which continually grow thicker ; until, by a gradual
descent they reach its surface ; where striking in, they
increase to a large trunk, and become a parent tree,
throwing out new branches from the top. These in
time suspend their roots, and receiving nourishment
from the earth, swell into trunks, and shoot forth
other branches ; thus continuing in a state of pro
gression so long as the first parent of them all supplies
her sustenance.
A banian tree, with many trunks, forms the most
beautiful walks, vistas, and cool recesses, that can be
imagined. The leaves are large, soft, and of a lively
green ; the fruit is a small fig, when ripe of a bright
scarlet ; affording sustenance to monkeys, squirrels,
peacocks, and birds of various kinds, which dwell
among the branches.
The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of this tree ; they
consider its long duration, its out-stretching arms, and
over-shadowing beneficence, as emblems of the Deity,
and almost pay it divine honours. The Brahmins,
who thus " find a fane in every sacred grove," spend
much of their time in religious solitude under the
shade of the banian tree; they plant it near the dewals,
or Hindoo temples, improperly called Pagodas ; and
in those villages where there is no structure for public
worship, they place an image under one of these trees,
and there perform a morning and evening sacrifice.
These are the trees under which a sect of naked
philosophers, called Gymnosophists, assembled in
Arrian's days ; and this historian of ancient Greece gives
us a true picture of the modern Hindoos : " In winter

16 EXTRAORDINARY TREE.
the Gymnosophists enjoy the benefit of the sun's rays
in the open air ; and in summer, when the heat be
comes excessive, they pass their time in cool and moist
places, under large trees ; which, according to the
accounts of Nearchus, cover a circumference of five
acres, and extend their branches so far, that ten thou
sand men may easily find shelter under them."
There are none of this magnitude at Bombay ; but
on the banks of the Nerbudda, I have spent many
delightful days with large parties, on rural excursions,
under a tree supposed by some persons to be that
described by Nearchus, and certainly not at all inferior
to it. High floods have at various times swept away
a considerable part of this extraordinary tree ; but
what still remains is near two thousand feet in cir
cumference, measured round the principal stems ; the
over-hanging branches, not yet struck down, cover a
much larger space ; and under it grow a number of
custard- apple, and other fruit trees. The large trunks
of this single tree amount to three hundred and fifty,
and the smaller ones exceed three thousand: each of
these is constantly sending forth branches and hang
ing roots, to form other trunks, and become the
parents of a future progeny.
This magnificent pavilion affords a shelter to all
travellers, particularly to the religious tribes of Hin
doos ; and is generally filled with a variety of birds,
snakes, and monkeys : the latter have often diverted
me with their antic tricks ; especially in their parental
affection to their young offspring ; by teaching them
to select their food, to exert themselves, in jumping
from bough to bough, and then in taking more ex
tensive leaps from tree to tree ; encouraging them by

DEATH OF A MONKEY. 1/
caresses when timorous, and menacing, and even beat
ing them, when refractory. Knowing by instinct the
malignity of the snakes, they are most vigilant in their
destruction : they seize them when asleep by the neck,
and running to the nearest flat stone, grind down the
head by a strong frictien on the surface, frequently
looking at it, and grinning at their progress. When
convinced that the venomous fangs are destroyed, they
toss the reptile to their young ones to play with, and
seem to rejoice in the destruction of the common
enemy. On a shooting party under this tree, one of my
friends killed a female monkey, and carried it to his
tent ; which was soon surrounded by forty or fifty of
the tribe, who, making a great noise, advanced towards
it in a menacing posture : on presenting his fowling-
piece, they retreated, and appeared irresolute, but one,
which from his age and station in the van, seemed
the head of the troop, stood his ground, chattering and
menacing in a furious manner ; nor could any efforts
less cruel than, firing drive him off: he at length ap
proached the tent door; when finding his threatenings
were of no avail, he began a lamentable moaning, and
by every token of grief and supplication, seemed to beg
the body of the deceased: on this, it was given to him :
with tender sorrow he took it up in his arms, embraced
it with conjugal affection, and carried it off with a sort
of triumph to his expecting comrades. The artless
behaviour of this poor animal wrought so powerfully
on the sportsmen, that they resolved never more to
level a gun at one of the monkey race.
The banian tree I am now describing, is called by
the Hindoos cubbeer-burr, in memory of a favourite
, VOL. I. C

18 THE BANIAN TREE.
saint, and was much resorted to by the English gentle^
men from Baroche, which was then a flourishing chief?
ship, on the banks of the Nerbuddah, about ten miles
from this celebrated tree. The chief was extremely
fond of field diversions, and used to encamp under it in
a magnificent style; having. a saloon, dining-room,
drawing-room, bed-chambers, bath, kitchen, and every
other accommodation, all in separate tents ; yet did this
noble tree cover the whole ; together with his car
riages, horses, camels, guards, and attendants. While
its spreading branches afforded shady spots for the tents
of his friends, with their servants and cattle. And in
the march of an army, it has been known to shelter
seven thousand men.
Such is the banian tree, the pride of Hindostan,
which Milton has thus discriminately and poetically
introduced into his Paradise Lost :
" Then both together went
Into the thickest wood ; there soon they chose
The fig-tree. Not that tree for fruit renown'd,
But such, and at this day to Indians known
In Malabar or Deccan, spreads her arms,
Branching so broad and long, that in the ground
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow
About the mother tree ; a pillar'd shade
High over-arch'd, and echoing walks between :
There oft the Indian herdsman shunning heat,
Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds,
At loop-holes cut through thickest shade."
The areca, or betel-nut tree, (the areca catechu, Linn.)
is one of the most beautiful of the palmyra tribe ; it
grows perfectly straight, with an elegant tuft of plumy
branches on its summit, overshadowing the blossoms
and fruit which are interspersed among them : there

THE BETEL NUT TREE.- 19
is a peculiar delicacy in the proportion and foliage
of this tree, which makes it generally admired : the
Indians compare it to an elegantly formed* and beau
tiful woman; and there is the same allusion in Solo
mon's Song ; " How fair, and how pleasant art thou,
O my love, for delights ! This thy stature is like to a
palm tree." C. vii. v. 6, 7.
The betel-nut, belter known by the name of soopa-
ree, is in appearance like a large nutmeg, enclosed in
a thick membraneous covering ; and is highly esteemed
by the Indians of all descriptions as a fine stomachic,
and a preservative of the teeth and gums : they cut it
into small pieces, and eat it with a hot pungent leaf,
called betel, spread over with chunam, or delicate shell
lime ; which the natives carry in boxes, like tobacco,
and chew it at all hours. The betel is also introduced
at visits of ceremony, when the nut is cut into slices,
mixed with cardamoms and chunam, and folded up in
a betel-leaf, fastened by a clove : these are presented
on a salver to each guest at the conclusion of a visit,
and is generally an indication "to take leave. The
betel-leaf, properly so called (piper betle, Linn.) is a
plant entirely distinct and separate from the areca, or
betel-nut tree ; and grows in neat regular plantations,
like hop-grounds, creeping up the small poles pre
pared for their protection.
The groves and gardens on Bombay and the adjacent
continent, supply the inhabitants with guavas, plain-
tains, bananas, custard apples, jacas, tamarinds, cashew-
apples, ananas, jamboos, oranges, limes, citrons, grapes,
and pomegranates : but the most useful, plentiful, and
best fruit, is the mango (mangifera, Linn.) which
grows abundantly all over Hindostan, even in the
c 2

20 FRUITS OF HINDOSTAN.
forests and hedge-rows, on trees equal in size to a large
English oak, but in appearance and foliage more re
sembling the Spanish-chesnut : this valuable fruit varies
in shape, colour, and flavour, as much as apples do in
Europe : the superior kinds are extremely delicious ;
and in the interior resemble the large yellow peach
at Venice, heightened by the flavour of the orange and
anana: and so plentiful are mangos, in the hot season,
throughout most parts of India, that during my resi-
deuce in Guzerat, they were sold in the public markets
for one rupee the culsey ; or six hundred pounds in
English weight for half a crown : they are a delicacy
to the rich, and a nutritious diet for the poor, who
in the mango season require but little other suste
nance. The anana, dignified by Thomson as the " pride of
vegetable life," needs no description ; nor have I ever
tasted pine-apples of a superior flavour in the torrid
zone, to some produced in the English conservatories.
The custard apples, of two kinds, are pleasant fruits :
the pompelmose, or shaddock (malus aurantia, Indica,)
is much larger and more esteemed than the orange :
the jaca (artocarpus integrifolia, Linn.) is of a pro
digious size, growing from the trunk and large branches
of the tree ; the fruit is luscious, and of a powerful
smell; with a seed resembling the chesnut: the guava
(psidium, Linn.) shaped like a pear, has something of
the strawberry flavour : some of the jamboos are palat
able, and that species called the jambo-rosa, or rose
apple, has the scent and taste of the rose. The caram-
bola, bilimbing, corinda, halfaluree, and some of the
smaller fruits, are pleasant, particularly in tarts and
preserves.

FLOWERS AND PLANTS. 21
Hindostan is celebrated for a variety of flowers and
odoriferous plants, much esteemed by the Asiatic ladies,
but generally too powerful for Europeans. The cham
pach (michelia champaca, Linn.) which resembles the
magnolia glauca, and whose blossoms perfume the air to
a great extent, is the most highly prized. The mogree,
keurah, oleander hinna, and several others, whose orien
tal names and characters it would be uninteresting to
detail ; together with myrtles, jasmins, and a few Chi
nese flowers, flourish in the Indian gardens ; but two
of their principal ornaments are the tube rose and
mhadavi (ipomcea, Linn.) the former, both double and
single, are extremely luxuriant; and from their alluring
fragrance in the cool of the evening, are called by the
Malays* soondul mullam, the intriguer of the night.
The mhadavi is a most beautiful creeper, covering our
seats and arbours with a small monopetalous flower,
divided into five angular segments, like fine crimson
velvet, surrounded by a foliage uncommonly delicate ;
it is introduced in the Hindoo drama of Sacontala,
translated by Sir William Jones, with the blooming
patalis, the balmy usira, and other flowers highly
prized by the Hindoo females. How beautiful is the
apostrophe of Sacontala to this her favorite plant,
when. about to leave the sacred groves, where she had
spent her early days in innocence and peace. " O
mhadavi! thou lovely creeper, whose red blossoms
inflame the grove ! O, mostwadiant of shining plants,
receive my embraces, and return them with thy
flexible arms ! I must, from this day, leave thee ! O
my beloved father, consider this creeper as myself!"
The double and single Japan- rose (hibiscus rosa

22 VEGETABLES AND SPICES.
sinensis, Linn.) form excellent garden hedges, and
the rich crimson of the flowers, contrasted with the
vivid verdure of the leaves, add much to our horten-
sial beauty : but, from being almost scentless, they are
less esteemed than the henna, or mendey (lawsonia
spinosa, Linn.) which makes as fine a fence, and per
fumes the air with a delicious fragrance ; few shrubs
are more esteemed throughout India, Persia, and
Arabia, than the henna. The hibiscus mutabilis, or
changeable-rose, in its three varities, of white, rose-
colour, and crimson, all blowing at one time on the
same plant, is a pretty object in an oriental garden.
Bombay abounds with excellent vegetables, indi
genous to the climate, and is not unfavourable to
cabbages, lettuce, potatoes, and several others, intro
duced from Europe and the Cape of Good Hope.
The banda (hibiscus esculentus, Linn.) is a nutritious
oriental vegetable ; so is the bungal, or egg-plant
(solanum melongena, Linn.) which grows to a much
larger size than in Europe ; the yam (dioscorea, Linn.) :
with the fenugreek (mei trigonella fcenum-graecum,
Linn.) ; the sweet potato, and a variety of calavances,
or Indian beans, are much liked at the English tables.
The Chili pepper (capsicum), of various sorts, is planted
throughout Hindostan, and forms a principal ingre
dient in curries, and other savory dishes, which the
natives are all fond of, whether they eat animal
food or not : to the capsicum they generally add the
cardamom (amomum-repens, Linn.) a pleasant spice
from the Malabar coast ; which, with salt, pepper, and
ginger, season their viands, mingle in small quanti
ties with the rice, which is the chief article of food
among all the higher classes of Indians : the poor

THE RAINY SEASON. ' 23
live principally upon juarree (holcus sorghum), bajaree
(holcus spicatus), and other inferior grains.
The rice, or batty, is sown in June, at the com
mencement of the periodical rains ; which continue,
more or less, until October, when the harvest begins.
The rice grounds are enclosed with mounds of earth,
and contain a great deal of water ; for rice will not
grow in a dry soil ; and as it always rises with the
water, in Pegu, and some other countries, the harvest
is reaped in boats; and many low lands which can be
artificially watered, produce two crops of rice in a
year, with the addition of a little manure.
During the rainy season, and for a few weeks after
wards, the country in Hindostan is delightful ; nothing
can exceed its verdure, and general beauty ; but the
fervour of a tropical sun soon clothes the earth with
a russet hue, which continues until the annual fall of
rain ; in that long interval of eight months not a single
shower falls ; and the nightly dews, though copious,
are insufficient to preserve the grass : yet most of the
trees, as in other tropical climates, are ever greens.
In the temperate climes of Europe, it is difficult
to conceive the force and beauty of the eastern lan
guage respecting fertilizing streams and refreshing
showers : it is not so with the inhabitants of the
torrid zone, who look forward with eager expectation
to the setting in of the rainy season ; when cultivation
commences, the seed is sown, and a joyful harvest
anticipated. Should these periodical rains be with
held, when the heavens are " as brass, and the earth
as iron," (Deut. xxviii. v. 23.) the consequences would
be fatal. Famine and pestilence, with all their dire
attendants, stalk through the land, and spread destruc-

24 HOT WINDS.
tion and despair on every side : as those can testify
who beheld the dreadful scenes at Bengal in the year
1770; and others, who have witnessed the sad effects
of a failure of the crops in different parts of Hindos
tan ; where thousands are carried off by famine and,
from being deprived of sepulture or cremation, the
atmosphere is rendered pestilential.
What renders the privation of rain at the expected
season more dreadful on the continent, is. the effect of
the winds which then generally prevail, especially at
a distance from the sea : they are very little known
at Bombay : in the northern provinces of Hindostan,
and in the Carnatic, they are felt more or less in the
best constructed houses ; but are most distressing to
travellers from milder climates, when passing through
a country where no caravansera, tent, or friendly banian-
tree, affords a shelter ; the greatest alleviation is a house
with thick walls, to resist the heat, and every door and
window shut to exclude the air ; or if open, to have
screens of matted grass hanging before them, kept
constantly watered. When these winds prevail, fur
niture of wood, glass, porcelaine, and metal, exposed
to their blasts, although perfectly shaded from the
sun, are as hot as if they had been placed before a
fierce fire : at the same time, water in guglets from
Persia, and jars of porous earth, hung up in the cur
rent of wind, is refreshingly cold ; and wine, beer, and
other liquors, in a cotton wrapper, constantly wetted,
exposed in the same manner, a short time before they
are brought to the table, are like iced wines in
Europe. As a contrast to the violence of the monsoon, and
the unpleasant effects of the hot winds, there is some-:

CLIMATE OF INDIA. 25
times a voluptuousness in the climate of India, a still
ness in nature, an indescribable softness, which soothes
the mind, and gives it up to the most delightful sen
sations : independent of the effects of opium, cham-
poing, and other luxuries, so much indulged in by the
oriental sensualist !

26 MUS MALABARICUS.

CHAPTER III.
Mus-malabaricus-Musk-rat-Ants-Terrnites-Lizards-Guana
Serpents— Cobra Minelle— Cobra de Capello— Dancing-snakes
—Fatal effect of the poison of the Hooded Snake— Dr. Russell on
the Indian Serpents— Insects of India— Locusts— Wild Honey—
Ghee— Birds of Hindostan— The Myneh— Baya, or bottle-nested
Sparrow— Tailor-bird— Bulbul, or Indian Nightingale— Persian
Ode— Fish at Bombay.
The small island of Bombay does not afford the va
riety of animated nature ftnyid on the adjacent conti
nent : which abounds with tigers, leopards, wild-hogs,
antelopes, deer of many kinds, hares, rabbits, and smaller
animals ; the elephant and the rhinoceros are common
in several parts of India. Armadillos, hyenas, porcu
pines, and others of less note, are to be seen in most
places ; but jackals, squirrels, and hedgehogs, are the
only wild animals on Bombay.
The mus malabaricus, or bandicoote rat, frequently
undermine warehouses, and destroy every kind of mer
chandize ; so that they are a dangerous enemy. The
musk-rats, though small, are nearly as destructive, and
have a most disagreeable smell; if one of these ver
min gets into a chest of wine, every bottle it passes
over smells so strong of the animal, and acquires such
a disagreeable flavour, that it cannot be drank.'

THE GUANA-SERPENTS. 27
Nor are the ants less obnoxious ; they vary in shape,
size, and colour; the largest are black, near an inch
long, and of great strength ; their bite is painful, and
blood frequently follows the wound. They march in
large armies, and exact heavy contributions, particu
larly on sugar and preserves, though few eatables come
amiss, and in a few hours they commit terrible depre
dations. But the termites, or white ants, make still
greater havoc ; they gnaw through the thickest planks,
demolish beams and rafters, and entirely destroy books,
papers, and bales of goods ; which th ey perforate in
a thousand places. These, at a certain season, quit
their reptile state, and become a winged insect.
Lizards abound in the houses, fields, and gardens ;
they are a harmless race, differing in size, form, and
colour ; and some, like the chanielion, assume diffe
rent hues. The alligator, which in all respects resem
bles the Egyptian crocodile, is a terrible animal, sel
dom seen on Bombay ; but they are found in most of
the rivers on the continent from five to twenty feet in
length. The guana, a land animal of the lacerta tribe,
is the next in size, though seldom exceeding four feet;
its colour is a dirty green, and the skin covered with
scales ; some of the natives eat the flesh, and consider
it a dainty; others use it in medicine as a great restora
tive. India, like most other countries between the tro
pics, is infested by serpents, scorpions, centipedes, and
noxious reptiles of various kinds.
Among the serpents of India the cobra-minelle is
the smallest, and most dangerous ; the bite occasions
a speedy and painful death. They are of a brown
colour, speckled with black and white, though at a
distance not easily distinguished from the ground on
which they move ; and happy would it be if they con-

28 DANCING- SNAKES.
fined themselves to it; but they enter the houses,
and creep upon the beds and chairs ; I once found
four, and at another time five, in my chamber up
stairs. The cobra de capello, or hooded-snake (coluber
naja), called by the Indians the naag, or nagao, is a
large and beautiful serpent ; but one of the most
venomous of all the coluber class ; its bite generally
proves mortal in less than an hour. It is called the
hooded snake, from having a curious hood near the
head, which it contracts or enlarges at pleasure ; this
faculty is occasioned by the length of the long legs
proceeding from the vertebrae in that part, and which
assisted by proper muscles, enable the snake to
extend the skin of the neck to a large flattened sur
face or hood. The centre of this hood is marked in
black and white like a pair of spectacles, from whence
it is also named the spectacle-snake.
Of this genus are the dancing-snakes, which are
carried in baskets throughout Hindostan, and procure
a maintenance for a set of people, who play a few
simple notes on the flute, with which the snakes
seem much delighted, and keep time by a graceful
motion of the head ; erecting about half their length
from the ground, and following the music with gentle
curves, like the undulating lines of a swan's neck. It
is a well-attested fact, that when a house is infested
with these snakes, and some others of the coluber
genus, which destroy poultry and small domestic ani
mals, as also by the larger serpents of the boa tribe,
the musicians are sent for; who by playing on a
flagelet, find out their hiding-places, and charm them
to destruction ; for no sooner do the snakes hear the
music, than they come softly from their retreat, and

DANCING-SNAKES. 29
are easily taken. I imagine these musical snakes
were known in Palestine, from the Psalmist com
paring the ungodly to the deaf adder, which stoppeth
her ears, and refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer,
charm he never so wisely. Psalm lviii. v. 4, 5.
When the music ceases the snakes appear motion
less ; but if not immediately covered up in the basket,
the spectators are liable to fatal accidents. Among
my drawings is that of a cobra de capello, which
danced for an hour on the table while I painted it ;
I frequently handled it, to observe the beauty of the
spots, and especially the spectacles on the hood,
not douhting but that its venomous fangs had been
previously extracted. But the next morning my
upper servant, who was a "zealous Mussulman, came
to me in great haste, and desired I would instantly
retire, and praise the Almighty for my good fortune:
not understanding his meaning, I told him that I had
already performed my devotions, and had not so mauy
stated prayers as the followers of his prophet. Ma
homet then informed me, that while purchasing some
fruit in the bazaar, he observed the man who had been
with me on the preceding evening, entertaining the
country people with his dancing snakes ; they, accord
ing to their usual custom, sat on the ground around
him ; when, either from the music stopping too sud
denly, or from some other cause irritating the vicious
reptile which I had so often handled, it darted at the
throat of a young woman, and inflicted a wound of
which she died in about half an hour. Mahomet
repeated his advice for praise and thanksgiving to Alia,
and recorded me in his calendar as a lucky man.
Dr. Russell, in his valuable treatise on Indian ser-

30 INDIAN SERPENTS.
pents, has distinguished between the venomous and
the harmless species, in the three genera of boa,
coluber, and anguis : he has given an accurate de
scription, and coloured engravings of forty-three of
the most common serpents in Hindostan ; experi
ments on the effects of their bite, and the several re
medies applied ; with observafions on the apparatus
provided by nature, for preparing and instilling their
poison : he mentions, that a quantity of warm Ma
deira wine taken internally, with an outward application
of eau-de-luce on the punctures, was generallv suc
cessful in curing the bite of the most venomous spe
cies : and that the medicine called the Tanjore-pill
seemed to he equally efficacious. Dr. Russell further
observes, that " of forty-three serpents examined and
described by him, seven only were found with poison
ous organs : and upon comparing the effects of the
poison of five oriental serpents on brute animals, with
those produced by the poison of the rattle-snake and
the European viper, it may in general be remarked
that they all produce morbid symptoms nearly similar;
however much they may differ in the degree of their
deleterious power, or in the rapidity of its operation.
The bite of a rattle-snake in England, killed a dog in
two minutes ; the bite of the most pernicious snake in
India was never observed to kill a dog in less than
twenty-seven minutes."
It would be entering on too extensive a field to
describe the character and beauty of the papilios, libel-
lulae, scarabei, cicada?, cantharides, and other insects,
which animate the Indian groves and gardens through
out the day : and are succeeded by a variety of moths,
and nocturnal visitors ; but especially the lampyris,

LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY. 31
or fire-flies, which glitter by thousands in the dark
recesses of the banian-tree; and in perpetual motion
on the external branches of the spreading tamarind,
produce a singular and brilliant effect. The locusts,
which are so much dreaded in many parts of Hindos
tan, are seldom seen on Bombay : but the creeping-
leaf, and some others of the mantis class, are ex
tremely curious. •
India also abounds with wasps and bees ; the latter
build their nests in rocky caverns and hollow trees,
and produce plenty of wax and honey ; but the best is
brought from Muscat, and different parts of Arabia.
The bees are sometimes very troublesome and danger
ous, and ofteft annoyed us in our visits to the caves at
Salsette and the Elephanta ; where they make their
combs in the clefts of the rocks, and in the recesses
among the figures, and hang in immense clusters : I
have known a whole party put to the rout in the
caverns of Salsette, and obliged to return with their
curiosity unsatisfied, from having imprudently fired a
gun to disperse the bees, who in their rage pursued
them to the bottom of the mountains.
I am surprized that commentators on the scriptures
have perplexed themselves about the food of John the
Baptist in the wilderness ; which we are informed
consisted of locusts and wild honey ; and for which
the cassia-fistula, or locust-tree, and many other sub
stitutes', have been mentioned : but it is well known
that locusts are an article of food in Persia and Arabia,
at the present day ; they are fried until their wings
and legs fall off, and in that state are sold in the
markets, and eaten with rice and dates, sometimes
flavoured with salt and spices : and the wild honey

32 INDIAN ORNITHOLOGY.
is found in the clefts of the rocks in Judea, as abun
dantly as in the caves of Hindostan.
We often read in Scripture of the butter of lcine, the
milk of sheep, and the fat .of the kidneys of wheat.;
with the pure blood of the grape, and honey out of the
rock: "He should have fed them also with the finest
of the wheat, and with honey out of the stony rock
would I have satisfied thee." Psalm lxxxi. v. 16.
There caii be as little doubt what that honey was, as
of the wild honey on which the Baptist fed in the wil
derness ; some of the greatest delicacies in India are
now made from the rolong-flour, which is called the
he,art, or kidney of the wheat : and most probably the
brooks of honey and butter, mentioned by Zophar, in
the book of Job, were the liquid honey from the wild
bees ; and the clarified butter, or ghee, used through
out Hindostan, which pours like oil out of the dup-
pers, or immense leather bottles in which it is trans
ported, as an article of comjnerce ; and is every where
preferred by the. natives to butter not so prepared.
The continental woods are enlivened with peacocks,
partridges, quails, green-pigeons, and other birds of
brilliant plumage and excellent flavour ; but under my
present limitation, I can only describe a small part
of Indian ornithology. Vultures, kites, hawks, crows,
and a variety of smaller birds, abound in Bombay ; and
amadavads, and other songsters, are brought thither
from Surat, and different countries. • •
The myneh is a very entertaining bird, hopping
about the house, and articulating several words in the
manner of the starling ; and frequently repeating its
own name of myneh ; the sharukh, a bird of the same
kind, I am not so well acquainted with, but it is said
to imitate the human voice in a wonderful manner.

THE BOTTLE-NESTED SPARROW. 33
The baya, or bottle-nested sparrow, is remarkable
for its pendent nest, brilliant plumage, and uncommon
sagacity. These birds are found in most parts of Hin
dostan ; in shape they resemble the sparrow, as also in
the brown feathers of the back and wings ; the head
and breast are of a bright yellow, and in the rays of a
tropical sun have a splendid appearance, when flying
by thousands in the same grove ; they make a chirp
ing noise, but have no song : they associate in large
communities ; and cover extensive clumps of pal
myras, acacias, and date trees, with their nests. These
are formed in a very ingenious manner, by long grass
woven together in the shape of a bottle, with the
neck hanging downwards, and suspended by the other
end to the extremity of a flexible branch, the more
effectually to secure the eggs and young brood from
serpents, monkeys, squirrels, their most deadly enemy,
and from birds of prey. These nests contain several
apartments, appropriated to different purposes : in one
the hen performs the office of incubation ; another,
consisting of a little thatched roof, and covering a
perch, without a bottom, is occupied by the male, who
with his chirping note cheers the female during her
maternal duties. The Hindoos are very fond of these
birds, for their docility and sagacity : when young
they teach them to fetch and carry ; and at the time
the young women resort to the public fountains, their
lovers instruct the baya to pluck the tica, or golden
ornament, from the forehead of their favourite, and
bring it to their expecting master.
Equally curious in the structure of its nest, and far
superior in the variety and elegance of its plumage, is
the tailor-bird of Hindostan ; so called from its in-
vol. i. • D

34 THE PERSIAN BULBUL.

stinctive ingenuity in forming its nest : it first selects
a plant with large leaves, and then gathers cotton from
the shrub, spins it to a thread by means of its long bill
and slender feet, and then, as with a needle, sows the
leaves neatly together to conceal its nest. The tailor-
bird (motacilla sutoria, Linn.) resembles some of the
humming-birds at the Brazils, in shape and colour :
the hen is clothed in brown ; but the plumage of the
cock displays the varied tints of azure, purple, green,
and gold, so common in those American beauties.
Often have I watched the progress of an industrious
pair of tailor-birds in my garden, from their first
choice of a plant, until the completion of the nest, and
the enlargement of their young.
The bulbul, or Persian nightingale, also called haz-
ardasitaun, or the "bird of a thousand songs," is a
great favourite with the orientals : its plumage is varie
gated by shades of brown and white, with a black tuft
upon the head, and some feathers of a bright scarlet
near the tail : it has a pleasing wild note, but I never
heard one that possessed the charming variety of the
English nightingale, or serenaded us with its nocturnal
melody : whether the Indian bulbul and that of Iran
entirely correspond, I have some doubts : the Persian
bulbul is celebrated by Hafiz and Khusroo, not only
for the plaintive sweetness of its song, but for its pas
sion for the rose ; as they allege, it is so enamoured
with that flower, that if it sees any person pluck a
rose from the tree, it laments and cries. I drew a
bulbul fluttering over a full-blown rose, as a vignette
to a Persian ode, translated by Colonel Woodburne,
who presented me with the following copy, which
has not before appeared in print.

PERSIAN POEM. 35

ON THE ABSENCE OF HIS MISTRESS.
Translated from the Persian of Amir Khusroo.
How, sweet nymph, shall I be gay,
Though it be the month of May ?
Banish'd from the flower of spring,
How shall the mournful bulbul sing ?
Joy, that once inspir'd my lay,
Joy and hope have fled away :
Plaintive notes must tell my woes
In the absence of the rose !
Looks, the language of the eyes,
Tears may speak, and so may sighs ;
But the muse must lend her aid
To describe my lovely maid.
Limner, would you paint her fair,
Mark her mien, her gait, her air ;
Mark the mischief of her eye,
Where the loves in ambush lie :
Shew the sense, the ease, the grace,
In each feature of her face ;
Every feeling of the mind,
Fond, affectionate, refin'd !
Heavens ! how swift our joys are past !
Joys which heav'n might wish to last !
Fancy, bring me back her charms,
Bring them quickly to my arms.
Haste upon the morning gale,
To tell her all my mournful tale ;
Tell her how my bosom burns,
How it bleeds till she returns.
D 2

36 FISH AT BOMBAY.
Ah ! how happy once, and blest,
Panting near thy spotless breast ;
Drinking poison from that eye,
Breathing soft the mutual sigh !
Now complaining, now content,
Free from every false restraint ;
Pleas'd we spend each happy hour,
Under love's auspicious power.
Shall ambition, wealth, or pride,
Lead me from thy path aside ?
No — sweet sovereign of my breast,
Love alone shall make us blest !
Khusroo, cease thy artless strain,
Nor suppose the numbers vain ;
If these pearls at random flung,
Please the nymphs for whom they're strung.
The metaphor of stringing the pearls at the con
clusion of these stanzas, is a poetical idea, common in
the Persian language ; and frequently to be met with
in the beautiful odes of Hafiz.
Having limited myself so much in the pleasing
walk of oriental ornithology, I shall be very brief in
its icthyology : the surrounding ocean supplies Bom
bay with a variety of excellent fish ; some of them
are similar to those in Europe, others are peculiar to
India. The pomfret is not unlike a small turbot, but
of a more delicate flavour ; and epicures esteem the
black pomfret a great dainty: the sable, or salmon-
fish, a little resembles the European fish from whence
it is named : the robal, the seir-fish, the grey mullet,
and some others, are very good ; but the bumbalo, a
small fish, extremely nutritive, and caught in immense
numbers, is the favourite with those natives who are

FISH AT BOMBAY. 37
allowed by their religion to eat fish : they are dried
for home consumption, and furnish a principal article
of food for the Lascars, or Indian sailors, on board
their vessels ; they are also a considerable article of
commerce in their dried state. Turtle are sometimes
caught at Bombay and the adjacent islands ; as are
sea cray-fish, oysters, limpets, and other shell fish.

38 INHABITANTS OF BOMBAY.

CHAPTER IV.
Inhabitants of Bombay — Origin of the Hindoos — The Brahmins —
The Hindoo Religion — Extracts from the Vedas — Menu's Code
of Laws — Brama, or the Supreme Deity — Devotion of the
Hindoos — Fakeers, orYogees — Religious Devotee — Life of the
Brahmins — Candalahs, or Pariars — Dress of the Hindoo Tribes
— Hindoo Women — Education — Early Marriages — Burning the
Dead — Astrology and Augury — Rebekah at the Well — The
Palankeen — Dancing Girls — Ablutions — Hummums — Effects of
Opium — Halcarras.
Having briefly mentioned the animal and vegetable
productions of Bombay, I shall proceed to describe
its inhabitants, commencing with the Hindoos, the
aborigines of Hindostan. From the northern moun
tains of Thibet and Tartary, to the southern promon
tory of Cape Comorin ; and from the western shores
of the Indus to the eastern banks of the Ganges,
extended the boundaries of the vast empire of the
ancient Hindoos ; a country comprising nearly as much
land as half the continent of Europe, and containing
about seventy millions of inhabitants.
The Persians gave it the name of Hindustan, from
being the country of the Hindus, or Hindoos ; but in
more early ages it was called by themselves Bharata,
and sometimes Punyabhumi, or the land of virtues :
a name expressive, of the gentle government, and

ORIGIN OF THE HINDOOS. 39
flourishing condition of a mild and happy people. The
Greeks derive the name of India, which has been so
generally adopted, from the Persian appellation ; and
in modern times, India has been used as a general
name, not only for the extensive region above-men
tioned, but the still more eastern tracts of country,
with the island of Ceylon, and those in the oriental
archipelago. Sir William Jones traces the foundation
of the Indian empire above 3,800 years from the
present time ; the highest age of the Yajur Veda to
1,580 years before the birth of Christ, or 100 years
before the birth of Moses ; and the highest age of the
Institutes of Menu to 1,280 years before the birth of
our Saviour.
The origin of the Hindoos, like that of most other
nations, buried in obscurity, and lost in fable, has
baffled the researches of the ablest investigators. Me-
gasthenes, who was sent ambassador by Seleucus, to
Sandracottos, king of Practri, whose dominion now
forms the fertile provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oude,
wrote an account of his embassy, which Arrian has
preserved in his history of India ; and that narrative,
written two thousand years ago, when compared with
the modern history of the Hindoos, convinces us how
little change they have undergone in that long period:
nor have the conquests and cruelties of their Ma
homedan invaders, nor their commercial intercourse
with the Europeans settled among them, been able to
alter the long established manners and customs, so
deeply interwoven with their religious tenets.
The Hindoos are divided into four principal tribes,
proceeding from Brama, the creating power, in the fol
lowing manner: the Brahmin, issuing from the mouth,

40 THE BRAHMINS.
implying wisdom, to pray, to read, and to instruct; the
Cshatriya, or Ketterree, proceeding from the arms, im
plying strength to draw the bow, to 6ght, and to govern ;
the Bhyse, coming from the belly or thighs, which im
plies nourishment; these must provide the necessaries
of life by agriculture and commerce ; and the Sooder,
coming from the feet, which means subjection ; these
are born to labour and to serve: and these chief tribes,
or castles, are distinguished as the followers of Vishnoos
and Seeva ; called Vishnoo-bukht, and Seeva-bukht.
The Brahmins study religion, astronomy, arts and
sciences : they are the instructors of youth, take care
of the dewals, or temples, and perform every kind of
charity. The Cshatriya tribe includes kings, nobles,
magistrates, officers, and the superior orders of man
kind. The Vursya, or Bhyse, are employed in com
merce, agriculture, arms, and the occupation of
shepherds and herdsmen. The Sudra, or Sooder, con
sists of manufacturers, mechanics, servants, and all
the lower classes of society. Each of these principal
tribes is subdivided into a number of classes, or castes,
amounting in all to eighty-four ; who neither inter
marry, nor intimately associate with each other. So
that each caste differs in features, dress, and appear
ance, as much as if they were of different nations ; and
by laws most strictly observed, they are separated from
each other by insurmountable barriers.
The Brahmins are in all respects the first caste
among the Hindoos, and by the laws are entitled to
very extraordinary privileges ; especially in cases of
delinquency : no other tribe is admitted to the priest
hood ; to them are all the mysteries of their religion and
sacred knowledge confined : they alone understand the

THE HINDOO RELIGION. 41
language of the Shastah, or Shastras, those holy volumes
which contain the religion and philosophy of the
Hindoos; which are divided into four Bedes, or Vedas,
a word signifying science. They contain one hundred
thousand stanzas of four lines each ; treating of divi
nation, astronomy, natural philosophy, the creation of
the world, religious ceremonies, prayers, morality, and
piety ; including hymns in praise of the Supreme
Being, and in honour of subaltern intelligence. These
books the Brahmins esteem so sacred, that they permit
no other castes to read them ; and they are written in
the Sanscrita language, which is now understood by
very few except the Brahmins, and not by all of them :
for although there can be no Hindoo priest that is not
a Brahmin, yet it by no means implies that all of the
Brahmin tribe are priests: on the contrary, they are
employed in the political and revenue departments, and
appear in various public characters under the govern
ments in India; the great and powerful Mahratta
empire is at this day ruled by a Brahmin sovereign,
with the title of Peshwa : others throughout the vast
peninsula, pursue a variety of employments in the
agricultural and commercial lines, and some even
cultivate their own lands.
The Hindoo religion admits of no proselytes ; and is
therefore a principal means of preserving the castes
pure and distinct : neither have the Mahomedan con
quests and oppressions, nor the intercourse of Euro
peans with the Hindoos, been able to subvert a system
of theology and jurisprudence, founded on a firm
basis, and interdicted from all change by the most
rigid laws.
This religious and moral system is no doubt of great
antiquity ; but those who have deeply investigated the

42 THE HINDOO RELIGION.
ancient and pleasing fictions of the Hindoo mythology,
which bears a great resemblance to that of the Greeks,
and may perhaps be traced to the same origin, are of
opinion, that the religious and civil laws of the
Hindoos, called the Institutes of Menu, were compiled
about eight hundred and eighty years before the birth
of our Saviour ; that the Vedas, or sacred volumes,
were written three hundred years prior to the Institutes ;
and that preceding this period, every thing being
handed down by oral tradition, the account was obscure
and fabulous.
But divested of extraneous matter, there appears to
be a great degree of purity and sublimity in the genuine
principles of the Hindoo religion, though now ob
scured by superstitious rites and ceremonies, and
blended with gross idolatry: in their original sim
plicity, they teach that there is one Supreme Ruler of
the universe ; who is styled Brama, or the Great One :
they inculcate also, that this Supreme Intelligence con
sists of a triad, or triple divinity, expressed by the
mystic word Om ; and distinguished by the names of
Vishnu, Brama, and Sheva ; or the creating, preserving
and destructive power of the Almighty. Images of
these attributes are placed in their temples; and worship
and sacrifices are daily performed before them, and a
variety of other statues, representing the different qua
lities of the Supreme Being : so that it is a complete
system of polytheism, and a source of a thousand fables
subversive of truth and simplicity.
Yet it ever was, and ever must be difficult, for either
Christians or Mahomedans to convert a Hindoo : for
with them theology is so blended with the whole moral
and civil obligations of life, that it enters into every
habit, and sanctions almost every action.

BRAMA, OR THE SUPREME DEITY. 43
On withdrawing the veil from the sacred volumes of
the Hindoos, we see Brama, or the supreme deity, re
presented as absorbed in the contemplation of his own
essence, but from an impulse of divine love, resolving
to create other beings to partake of his glory, and to be
happy to all eternity. He spake the word, and angels
rose into existence ! He commanded and the host of
heaven were formed ! they were created free ; and were
made partakers of the divine glory, and beatitude, on
the easy condition of praising their Creator, and ac
knowledging him for their supreme Lord. But not
content with this happy state in the celestial regions,
some of the principal spirits rebelled, and drew a
number after them ; who were all doomed to languish
in that scene of horror, so finely described by our
sublime poet :
" Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace,
And rest can never dwell ; hope never comes
That comes to all ; but torture without end,
Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed
With ever burning sulphur, unconsum'd !"
In process of time, at the intercession of the faithful
angels, the fatal doom of these fallen spirits was
revoked ; and they were released on the conditions of
repentance and amendment, in a state of probation.
For this purpose a new creation of worlds took place ;
and mortal bodies were prepared for the apostate angels,
which they were to animate for a certain space ; there
to be subject to natural and moral evils ; through
which they were doomed to transmigrate under eighty-
nine different forms ! the last into that of man ! when
their powers and faculties are enlarged, and a merciful
Creator rests his chief expectations of their repentance

44 VENERATION FOR THE COW.
and restoration to his favour. If they then fail, their
punishment is renewed, and they are doomed to begin
a°-ain their first state of transmigration. In this
system we are struck with the intermixture of truth
with error, and false traditions, bearing in many
particulars a resemblance to the sacred truths of divine
revelation. On this hypothesis, it appears that one principal
reason for the Hindoos regarding the cow with such
religious veneration, is, that they believe the soul
transmigrates into this animal immediately preceding
its assumption of the human form. No Hindoo, even
of the lowest caste, will kill a cow, or taste its flesh ;
they will die with perfect resignation, rather than vio
late this tenet ; as has been frequently experienced
on board the vessels in the Indian seas, when all the
provisions except salt beef have been expended. But I
am not certain respecting the first principle of the
Hindoo's veneration for the cow; since many conjecture
the command to have originated in the preservation of
an animal so useful to mankind : and it is well known,
that the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and other ancient
nations, have equally venerated this valuable animal.
The Hindoos estimate the delinquency of these
apostate spirits, by the class of mortal forms which they
are doomed to inhabit ; thus all voracious and unclean
animals, whether inhabitants of earth, air, or water, as
well as men whose lives and actions are publicly and
atrociously wicked, are supposed to contain a malig
nant spirit; on the contrary, those animals which
subsist on vegetables, and do not prey upon each other,
are pronounced favoured of the Almighty.
That every animal form is endued with cogitation,

DEVOTION OF THE HINDOOS. 45
memory, and reflection, is one of the established tenets
of the Brahmins : indeed it must necessarily follow,
from the supposed metempsychosis of the apostate
spirits through these mortal forms : they also believe
that every distinct species of the animal creation have
a comprehensive mode of communicating their ideas,
peculiar to themselves ; and that the metempsychosis
of the delinquent spirits extends through every organ
ized body, even to the smallest insect and reptile.
They highly venerate the bee, and some species of
the ant; and conceive the spirits animating these
forms to be favoured by God, and that the intellectual
faculties are more enlarged under them than in most
others. With such tenets we cannot be surprised at their
unwillingness to take away the life of any creature
whatever; as they must suppose them to possess
still more acute sensations than our dramatic poet
describes :
" The smallest beetle that we tread upon,
In corporal suffering feels a pang as great
As when a giant dies !" Shakspeare.
The devotion of the Hindoos to the Supreme Being,
and the inferior deities, consists in regular attendance
at the dewals, or temples, especially at the solemn
festivals ; in performing particular religious ceremo
nies in their own houses ; in prayers, ablutions, fast
ings, and penances ; but especially in oblations, which
consist chiefly of spices, incense, rice, fruits, and
flowers ; and although they have been in former times
accused of offering human sacrifices, it is certain they
now very rarely shed even the blood of an animal in
their religious services.

46 VEDAS OF THE HINDOOS.
I shall not dwell particularly on the religious books
of the Hindoos, but it would be injustice to omit the
following sublime description of the Supreme Being,
from the writings of Governor Holwell ; who was an
early investigator of those subjects, before the field of
oriental literature so laudably engaged the attention of
the English.
" God is One ! Creator of all that is ! God is like a
perfect sphere, without beginning, and without end !
God rules and governs all creation by a general pro
vidence, resulting from first determined and fixed
principles. Thou shalt not make inquiry into the
essence of the Eternal One, nor by what laws he
governs. An inquiry into either is vain and criminal.
It is enough, that day by day, and night by night, thou
seest in his works, his wisdom, his power, and his
mercy : — Benefit thereby !"
As applicable to this subject, I shall transcribe a few
passages from the Vedas of the Hindoos, translated by
Sir William Jones ; to whose invaluable works we are
indebted for so many acquisitions in oriental literature.
" By one Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded ;
even every world in the whole circle of nature. Enjoy
pure delight, O man ! by abandoning all thoughts of
this perishable world ; and covet not the wealth of any
creature existing."
"To those regions where evil spirits dwell, and
which utter darkness involves, all such men surely go
after death, as destroy the purity of their own souls."
" Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the
world, that face of the true sun, which is now hidden
by a vase of golden light ! so that we may see the
truth, and know our whole duty !"

VEDAS OF THE HINDOOS. 47
" O Thou who givest sustenance to the world, thou
sole mover of all, thou who restrainest sinners, who
pervadest yon great luminary, who appearest as the
son of the Creator! hide thy dazzling beams, and
expand thy spiritual brightness, that I may view thy
most auspicious, most glorious, real form."
" Let my soul return to the immortal spirit of God!
and then, let my body, which ends in ashes, return to
dust!" " O Spirit, who pervadest fire, lead us in a straight
path to the riches of beatitude! remove each foul taint
from our souls ; who approach thee with the highest
praise, and the most fervid adoration !
" God, who is perfect wisdom, and perfect happiness,
is the final refuge of the man who has liberally be
stowed his wealth, who has been firm in virtue, and
who knows and adores that Great One !"
" Remember me, O Om, Thou divine Spirit !"
In Sir William Jones's Institutes of the Hindoo
laws, after stating some blemishes, and a few absurdities
in the system, that excellent orientalist observes,
" nevertheless, a spirit of sublime devotion, of be
nevolence to mankind, and of amiable tenderness to
all sentient creatures, pervades the whole work: the
style of it has a certain austere majesty, that sounds
like the language of legislation, and extorts a respectful
awe ; the sentiments of independence on all beings
but God, and the harsh admonitions, even to kings, are
truly noble ; and the many panegyrics on the Gayatri,
the mother, as it is called, of the Vedas, prove the
author to have adored (not the visible material sun,
but) that divine and incomparably greater light, to use
the words of the most venerable text in the Indian
Scriptures, which illumines all, delights all, from which

48 FAKEERS, OR YOGEES.
all proceed, to which all must return, and which alone
can irradiate (not our visual organs merely, but our
souls, and) our intellects. Whatever opinion, in short,
may be formed of Menu and his laws, in a country
happily enlightened by sound philosophy and the only
true revelation, it must be remembered, that those
laws are actually revered as the word of the Most
High, by nations of great importance to the political
and commercial interests of Europe, and particularly,
by many millions of Hindoo subjects, whose well
directed industry adds largely to the wealth of Britain,
and who ask no more in return than protection for
their persons and places of abode, justice in their
temporal concerns, indulgence to the prejudices of
their own religion, and the benefit of those laws which
they have been taught to believe sacred, and which
alone they can possibly comprehend."
The fakeers, or yogees, of the Senassee tribe, are a
set of mendicant philosophers, who travel all over
Hindostan, and live on the charity of the other casts of
Hindoos. They are generally entirely naked, most of
them robust handsome men : they admit proselytes
from the other tribes, especially youth of bright parts,
and take great pains to instruct them in their mysteries.
These Gymnosophists often unite in large armed bodies,
and perform pilgrimages to the sacred rivers and cele
brated temples ; but they are more like an army march
ing through a province, than an assembly of saints in
procession to a temple ; and often lay the countries
through which they pass under contribution.
Many yogees, and similar professors, are devotees of
the strictest order, carrying their superstition and en
thusiasm far beyond any thing we are acquainted with
in Europe: even the austerities of LaTrappe are light

RELIGIOUS DEVOTEE. 49
in comparison with the voluntary penances of these
philosophers ; who reside in holes and caves, or remain
under the banian trees near the temples. They imagine
that the expiation of their own sins, and sometimes
those of others, consists in the most rigorous penances
and mortifications. Some of them enter into a solemn
vow to continue for life in one unvaried position ; others
undertake to carry a cumbrous load, or drag a heavy
chain ; some crawl on their hands and knees, for years,
around an extensive empire ; and others roll their bo
dies on the earth, from the shores of the Indus to the
banks of the Ganges, and in that humiliating posture,
collect money to enable them either to build a temple,
to dig a well, or to atone for some particular sin.
Some swing during their whole life, in this torrid clime,
before a slow fire ; others suspend themselves, with
their heads downwards, for a certain time, over the
fiercest flames.
I have seen a man who had made a vow to hold up
his arms in a perpendicular manner above his head, and
never to suspend them ; until he at length totally lost
the power of moving them. He was one of the Gym-
nosophists, who wear no kind of covering, and seemed
more like a wild beast than a man : his arms, from hav
ing been so long in one posture, were become withered
and dried up ; while his outstretched fingers, with
long nails of twenty years' growth, had the appear
ance of extraordinary horns: his hair, full of dust,
and never combed, hung over him in a savage manner;
and, except in his erect position, there appeared no
thing human about him. This man was travelling
throughout Hindostan, and being unable to help him
self with food, women of distinction among the Hin-
VOL. I. E

50 LIFE OF THE BRAHMINS.
doos contended for the honour of feeding this holy
person wherever he appeared.
I saw another of these devotees, who was one of
the phallic worshippers of Seeva ; and who, not con
tent with wearing or adoring the symbol of that deity,
had made a vow to fix every year a large iron ring
into the most tender part of his body, and thereto to
suspend a heavy chain, many yards long, to drag on
the ground. I saw this extraordinary saint, in the
seventh year of his penance, when he had just put in
the seventh ring ; and the wound was then so tender
and painful, that he was obliged to carry the chain
upon his shoulder, until the orifice became more
callous. I could recite many other facts ; with a variety of
superstitious as well as indecent rites and painful cere-?
monies, which these mistaken votaries practise, in
hopes of appeasing the Deity, Such austerities ought
to make us more highly prize the pure and holy tenets
of the Christian religion ; and should fill our hearts
with love and gratitude to Him wrho brought life and
immortality to light through his Gospel ; and offered
Himself as an all-sufficient atonement for the sins of a
fallen world !
The Brahmins at the Hindoo temples seldom wear
a turban, and the upper part of their body is gene
rally naked ; but they never appear without the zen-
nar, or sacred string, passing over them from the left
shoulder ; and a piece of fine cotton is tied round the
waist, and falls in graceful folds below the knee.
Their simple diet consists of milk, rice, fruit, and
vegetables ; they abstain from every thing that could
enjoy life, and use spices to flavour the rice, which

CHANDALAHS, OR PARIARS. 51
is their principal food ; it is also enriched with ghee,
or clarified butter.
We cannot but admire the principle which dictates
this humanity and self-denial : although, did they
through a microscope observe the animalculae which
cover the mango, and compose the bloom of the fig ;
or perceive the animated myriads that swarm on every
vegetable they eat, they must, on their present system,
be at a loss for subsistence. Some of the Brahmins
carry their austerities to such a length, as never to eat
anything but the grain which has passed through the
cow; which being afterwards separated from its ac
companiments, is considered by them as the purest of
all food ; in such veneration is this animal held by the
Hindoos. From the religious order of Brahmins, I descend to
the caste of Chandalahs, or Pariars. These people are
considered so abject, as to be employed in the vilest
offices, and held in such detestation, that no other tribe
will touch them ; and those Hindoos who commit enor
mous crimes are excommunicated into this caste, which
is considered to be a punishment worse than death.
But I will dwell no longer on particular castes ; be
ing desirous to draw a portrait of the Hindoos, where
they bear a more general resemblance with each other:
for although each caste, as I have already mentioned,
does not differ in dress, and has a few peculiar cus
toms, and rules for ceremonial and moral conduct, yet
they all agree in the fundamental tenets of their reli
gion, and the principal duties of life.
They are commonly of the middle stature, slight and
well proportioned, with regular and expressive features,
black eyes, and a serene countenance. Among the
e2

52 DRESS OF THE HINDOO TRIBES.
virtues of the Hindoos are, piety, obedience to supe
riors, resignation in misfortune, charity, and hospi
tality : filial, parental, and conjugal affection, are among
their distinguishing characteristics. They are ex
tremely sober, drinking only water, milk, or sherbet ;
and none but those of the lowest order are ever seen in
a state of intoxication. They eat in the morning and
evening; their cooking utensils are simple; their plates
and dishes are generally formed from the leaf of the
plaintain tree, or the nymphea lotos, that beautiful lily
which abounds in every lake; these are never used a
second time : the furniture of their houses is equally
simple ; seldom extending beyond what is absolutely
necessary for a people whose wants are very few, when
compared with those of the inhabitants of northern
climates. The men, in most of the Hindoo tribes, shave the
head and beard, but leave the mustachios on the upper
lip, and a small lock of hair on the head. The better
sort wear turbans of fine muslin, of different colours ;
and a jama, or long gown of white calico, which is tied
round the middle with a fringed or embroidered sash-
Their shoes are of red leather, or English broad^ cloth,
sometimes ornamented, and always turned up with a
long point at the toe. Their ears are bored, and
adorned with large gold rings, passing through two
pearls, or rubies ; and on the arms they wear bracelets
of gold or silver. The princes and nobles are adorned
with pearl necklaces and golden chains, sustaining
clusters of costly gems ; their turbans are enriched
with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds ; and their brace
lets composed of gold and precious stones.
¦ The inferior castes are of a darker complexion than

HINDOO WOMEN. 53
the superior Hindoos ; their dress generally consists of
a turban, a short cotton vest and drawers ; but some
wear only a turban, and a cloth round the waist ; air
though the poorest among them usually contrive to
purchase a silver bangle, or bracelet, for the arm.
The Hindoo women, when young, are delicate and
beautiful ; so far as we can reconcile beauty with the
olive complexion. They are finely proportioned ; their
limbs small, their features soft and regular, and their
eyes black and languishing : but the bloom of beauty
soon decays, and age makes a rapid progress before
they have seen thirty years : this may be accounted
for, from the heat of the climate, and the customs of
the country ; as they often are mothers at twelve years
of age, and grandmothers at five and twenty. Mon
tesquieu justly remarks, " that women in hot climates,
are marriageable at eight, nine, or ten years of age ;
therefore in those countries infancy and marriage
generally go together. They are old at twenty ; their
reason therefore never accompanies their beauty : when
beauty demands the empire, the want of reason forbids
the claim ; when reason is obtained, beauty is no
more !" And he further observes, that " those women
ought to be in a state of dependence ; for reason can
not procure in old age, that empire, which even youth
and beauty could not give."
What superior advantagel do my fair countrywomen
derive from a liberal education, and a milder climate ?
The virtues and graces assemble in their train, and form
a delightful union of chastity, beauty, elegance, and
intelligence ! What influence such women have over
our sex, every man of feeling and sensibility must ac
knowledge.

54 HINDOO WOMEN.
No women can be more attentive to cleanliness than
the Hindoos: they take every method to render their
persons delicate, soft, and attractive: their dress is pe
culiarly becoming ; consisting of a long piece of silk,
or cotton, tied round the waist, and hanging in a grace
ful manner to the feet, it is afterwards brought over
the body in negligent folds ; under this they cover the
bosom with a short waistcoat of satin, but wear no
linen. Their long black hair is adorned with jewels,
and wreaths of flowers : their ears are bored in many
places, and loaded with pearls : a variety of gold chains,
strings of pearl, and precious stones, fall from the neck
over the bosom ; and the arms are covered with 'brace
lets from the wrist to the elbow ; they have also gold
and silver chains round the ancles, and abundance of
rings on their fingers and toes ; among those on the
fingers is frequently a small mirror. I think the richer
the dress, the less becoming it appears ; and a Hindoo
woman of distinction always seems to be overloaded
with finery ; while the village nymphs, with fewer orna
ments, but in the same elegant drapery, are more cap
tivating : although there are very few women, even of
the lowest families, who have not some jewels at their
marriage. In these external decorations consist the pride and
pleasure of these uninstructed females ; for very few,
even in the best families, know how to read or write,
or are capable of intellectual enjoyment. We learn
from Homer, that the women in ancient Greece always
kept in' a retired part of the house, employed in em
broidery or other feminine occupations ; and at this
day, the Indian females are never seen by those who
visit the master of the family ; they know but little of

EDUCATION IN HINDOSTAN. 55
the world, and are not permitted to eat with their
husbands or brothers, nor to associate with other men.
After the girls are betrothed, the ends of the fingers
and nails are dyed red, with a preparation from the
mendey, or hinna shrub, already mentioned as a prin
cipal ornament of the Asiatic gardens. They make a
black circle round the eyes with the powder of anti
mony, which adds much to their brilliancy, and
heightens the beauty of the eastern ladies.
The houses of the rich Hindoos and Mahometans,
are generally built within an inclosure, surrounded by
galleries, or verandas, not only for privacy, but to ex
clude the sun from the apartments. This court is fre
quently adorned with shrubs and flowers ; and a foun
tain playing before the principal room,where the master
receives his guests ; which is open in front to the gar
den, and furnished with carpets and cushions.
Education in general among the Hindoos, is attended
with very little trouble : few boys in the subordinate
tribes are taught anything more than to read and write,
with the rudiments of the trade or profession they are
intended for ; but many of the Brahmin youth are in
structed in astronomy, astrology, and physic ; and
acquire some knowledge of the civil and religious laws.
Nothing can be more simple than a Hindoo school ;
which is usually under a thatched shed open on three
sides, with a sanded floor, on which the boys learn to
write, and go through the first rules of arithmetic, in
which science some of them make a great progress.
The ceremonies of the Hindoos open an ample field
for observation, on which I can now make onlyafewcur-
soryremarks. The children are married at the discretion
of their parents; the girls at three or four, and the boys

56 HINDOO MARRIAGES.
at six or eight years of age : the nuptials are attended
with much expense; occasioned by an ostentatious pa
rade, nocturnal processions, feasting for several days,
arid presents to the numerous guests. The bride after
wards sees her husband as a play fellow, she is taught to
place her affection on this object, and never thinks of
any other ; until, when about eleven years old, she is
conducted with some ceremony to his house, and com
mences the duties of a wife, and the mistress of a
family. But should the boy die during that interval,
the girl must remain a widow for life, have her head
shaved, be divested of every ornament, and perform
many menial offices. One delicate attention which
most of the Hindoo women voluntarily pay to their
husband, is, that when he is absent from home for any
length of time, they seldom wear their jewels, or deco
rate themselves with ornaments ; since the object they
most wish to please is no longer in their presence. No
widow is permitted to marry a second time; but a
man may have a succession of wives : polygamy is
allowed by the Hindoo law, though not generally prac
tised, except when the first wife proves barren. • Every
Hindoo must marry into his own caste ; but among
the lower classes at Bombay, I have known this ordi
nance evaded. And in several parts of India, especially
in Mysore and Malabar, the ryots, or cultivators of the
land, take as many wives as they can maintain, as the
women there are extremely useful in different branches
of husbandry, and are not expensive to their husbands.
Most of the Hindoos burn their dead. The funeral
piles of the rich are mingled with sandal-wood, and
fed by aromatic oils ; while the poor are consumed
with humble faggots. Some put the bodies of their

CUSTOM OF BURNING THE DEAD. 57
deceased friends into rivers, especially those they
deem holy streams ; and there are particular castes in
Bengal, who, when they think the sick past recovery,
expose them on the banks of the Ganges, fill their
mouths with sacred mud, and leave them at high-water
mark, to be carried away by the tide.
Throughout the greater part of Hindostan, when
all hopes of recovery are over, the sick person is taken
from the bed, and laid upon the earth, that he may
expire on the element from which he was originally
formed. After his death, the house is surrounded by
widows, hired for the purpose ; who make loud lamen
tations, beat their breasts in a violent manner, and
affect every token of grief and despair. The male
relations attend the corpse to the funeral pile ; which,
if possible, is always near the water, and after the
body is consumed, the ashes are sprinkled with milk
and consecrated water, brought from the Ganges, or
some other holy stream ; and ceremonies are per
formed for several days.
Although the custom of burning the dead so gene
rally prevails, yet in some districts, on particular
occasions, they are interred. The extraordinary custom
of the widow burning herself with the body of her
deceased husband, is never permitted by the Eng
lish government, and very seldom by the Mahomedans,
but it is constantly practised among the Mahrattas,
and different castes of Hindoos, under their own
princes on the continent.
On the decease of the husband, if his widow re
solves to attend him to the world qf spirits, a funeral
pile is erected, covered with an arbour of dry boughs,
where the dead body is placed: the living victim

58 ASTROLOGY AND AUGURY.
follows, dressed in her bridal jewels, surrounded by
relations, priests, and musicians. After certain prayers
and ceremonies, she takes off her jewels, and present
ing them with her last blessing to her nearest relative,
she ascends the funeral pile, enters the awful bower,
and placing herself near the body of her husband, with
her own hand generally sets fire to the pile ; which
being constantly supplied with aromatic oils, the
mortal frames are soon consumed: and the Hindoos
entertain no doubt of their souls' re-union in purer
realms ; where, however false the principle, they are
taught to believe that such heroic virtue, and approved
constancy, will meet with a proportionate reward.
During the cremation, the noise of the t-rumpets, and
other musical instruments, overpowers the cries of
the self-devoted victim, should her resolution fail her:
but those who have attended this solemn sacrifice,
assure us, that they always observed, that even the
youngest widows manifested the greatest composure
and dignity throughout the awful scene.
The Hindoos are much addicted to astrology, and
place such implicit faith in their Brahmins and sooth
sayers, that they will not make a bargain, enter into
a contract, nor suffer a ship to sail, on a day, or an
hour, which they pronounce unlucky. They have
even lucky minutes, when only important business
can be transacted. But we know that Greece and
Rome, even in the highest state of civilization and
refinement, produced many persons who were equally
credulous in omens and auspices, and as much ad
dicted to astrology, and augury as any of the modern
Hindoos. Religious disputes and unavailing controversies

REBEKAH AT THE WELL. 59
seldom disturb the peace of a Hindoo ; contentedly
he adopts the rites and ceremonies of his forefathers,
believes in their tenets, performs his stated ablutions,
and keeps the appointed festivals ; nor by free in
quiries, and freer opinions, does he disturb the peace
of others, or permit them to interrupt his own.
It is not then in Hindostan that we are to look for
the perfection of art and science, for eminent states
men, and sage philosophers: but the Hindoos, who
reside at a distance from capital cities, still preserve
much of that simplicity of manners ascribed by the
poets to the golden age: and seem, more than any
other people now existing, to realize the innocent and
peaceful mode of life, which they ascribe to that
happy aera. When I saw the Brahmin women of
distinction drawing water at the village wells, and
tending their cattle to the lakes and rivers, they
recalled the transactions of the patriarchal days. Very
often have I witnessed a scene similar to that between
Abraham's servant, and Rebekah, at the entrance of a
Hindoo village in Guzerat. " He made his camels to
kneel down without the city, by a well of water, at the
time of the evening, even the time that women go
out to draw water: and behold Rebekah came out
with her pitcher on her shoulder ; and the damsel was
very fair to look upon : and she went down to the
well and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the
servant said, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water
of thy pitcher, and she said, Drink, my Lord, I will
draw water for thy camels also : and she hasted, and
emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again
unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his
camels." Genesis, c. xxiv. v. 11, 15, 16,17, 18, 19, 20.

60 THE PALANKEEN.
The Hindoo damsels of the present day live in as
much simplicity as those formerly in Mesopotamia;
they still descend to the wells, and continue to pour
the water into an adjacent trough for the convenience
of the cattle.
The natives of the torrid zone are not fond of
exercise; walking is by no means considered a
pleasing recreation ; they like to ride a good horse,
with gentle paces, or to take the air in a hackree, a
sort of chariot drawn by white oxen ; it is seldom
hung on springs, and consists of a conical dome, sup
ported by four pillars, covered with broad cloth,
and curtains in front and on each side, made to open
at pleasure. Officers of government, and men of rank,
are carried in a palankeen, or more properly a palkee,
an Asiatic luxury, as yet unknown in Europe. It is
composed of a shell, or frame, about six feet long,
and half as broad, fixed to a long bamboo, forming a
bold curve in the centre, which there rises about four
feet from the frame. Over the bamboo is spread a
canopy of cloth, or velvet, the length of the shell,
adorned with fringes and tassels of gold, silver, or silk ;
and the frame contains abed and pillows, covered with
silk, and so disposed that you may either sit up or re
cline, as is most agreeable. The palankeen is carried
by four men, who with relays, travel at a great rate ;
and I think there is not a more cheerful or happy set
of people in India, than the generality of the palan
keen bearers.
The Asiatics love to retire with their women and
children to some cool spot near a river or tank, shaded
by the friendly banian tree, or spreading mango ; there
they enjoy that sort of indolent repose which they are

DANCING GIRLS. 61
so fond of ; and partake of an innocent repast of herbs
and fruits, on the verdant carpet.
The wealthy Mahometans, Hindoos, and Parsees,
frequently entertain their friends at their garden
houses : but in these mixed companies no women are
present, except the dancing-girls, or tolerated cour
tezans, who are accompanied by musicians, playing on
instruments resembling the guitar and violin. These
singing-men and singing-women, are hired at festivals
and grand solemnities, among all sects and professions
in India. Many of the dancing-girls are extremely
delicate in their persons, soft and regular in their
features, with forms of perfect symmetry; and,
although dedicated from infancy to this profession,
they in general preserve a decency and modesty in
their demeanor, which are more likely to allure, than
the shameless effrontery of similar characters in other
countries. Their dances require great attention, from
the dancer's feet being hung with small bells, which
sound in concert with the music. Two girls usually per
form at the same time ; their steps are not so mazy or
active as ours, but much more interesting ; as the
song, the music, and the motions of the dance, com
bine to express love, hope^ jealousy, despair, and the
passions so well known to lovers, and very easily to be
understood by those who are ignorant of other lan
guages. The Indians are extremely fond of this enter
tainment, and lavish large sums on their favourites.
Another kind of dancing-girls are dedicated to the
principal Hindoo temples ; these are supplied by their
parents, who are taught, that the presentation of a
beautiful daughter to the deity is highly acceptable :
they dance and sing at the festivals, but are not con-

62 SINGING MEN AND SINGING WOMEN.
sidered in the character of the vestal virgins in ancient
Rome, or of those we read of among the Peruvians ;
for if we investigate the brahminical mysteries, we
shall find that these damsels are not only dedicated to
the principal idols, but to the pleasure of the priests.
They seldom leave the place of their initiation, looking
upon themselves as wedded to the deities : but as they
frequently have children, who partake more of a ter
restrial than a celestial origin, the boys are taught to
play on musical instruments, and the girls are early
instructed in the profession of their mothers.
All the large cities in Hindostan contain sets of
musicians and dancing-girls, under the care of their
respective duennas, who are always ready to attend for
hire at weddings, and other festivities ; or to finish
the evening entertainment of the Europeans and
natives ; and many of them accompany the Asiatic
armies to the field.
The singing-men and singing-women mentioned by
the aged Barzillai, and the daughters of music that
we read of in the sacred pages, as well as in the ancient
poets, resembled these characters in Hindostan. The
women of Israel came out to meet David and Saul,
dancing to instruments of music, and complimenting
Saul with having slain his thousands, and David his
tens of thousands, 1 Samuel, c. xviii. v. 7. The chor
risters of Palestine resembled those of India ; who now
celebrate a prince, or general, in the same manner at
a public festival.
It is not only the introduction of dancing-girls and
musicians, but a variety of other customs, which
remind us of similar scenes among the ancients. The
Greeks and other nations kept their religious festivals

HINDOO CLEANLINESS. 63
among consecrated groves, gloomy forests, and sacred
fountains. The Hindoos do the same, and have done
so from the remotest antiquity. The Druids had their
solemn oaks, their awful shades, and holy retreats ; the
Brahmins have their venerable trees, favourite tanks,
and consecrated rivers ; to which, at appointed seasons,
they repair with their followers, to perform ablutions, to
drink of the hallowed stream, and deck the banks
with flowery oblations. There is something awful in
a gloomy shade ; it naturally inspires religious reflec
tions, and was therefore held in much veneration by
the Druids and pagan priests ; but nothing in this
respect equals the banian-tree, that rural fane, which is
so fully described in a former chapter.
The Hindoo religion requires frequent ablution,
which is a custom wisely introduced in a warm climate,
where cleanliness is very "conducive to health : these
ablutions are performed in the consecrated tanks near
the temples ; but in most of the principal cities are
hummums, or warm baths ; and the people of fortune,
especially among the Moguls, have these conveniences
in their own houses. Bathing sumptuously was a
great luxury among the Greeks and Romans ; and the
buildings appropriated to this purpose, constitute some
of the most magnificent remains of antiquity. The
hummum is equally the delight of the Asiatics ; as
is the subsequent anointing with aromatic oils.
The Hindoo women perfume their hair with oil of
cloves, cinnamon, sandal, mogrees, and other sweet-
scented flowers ; and those who can afford it, use the
oil, or ottar of roses ; this delicate and costly perfume
is made in Persia, and the northern provinces of Hin
dostan : it is the pure essential oil of roses, rising in

64 USE OF OPIUM.
small particles on the surface of newly-distilled rose-
water. In Persia, whole fields are covered with the
Damascus-rose, or the scripture rose of Sharon : but
it requires many gallons of rose-water to furnish only
a few drops of this delicious essence.
The Hindoos, as well as the Mahometans, are for
bidden the use of wine and spirituous liquors ; and I
believe most of the higher classes attend strictly to the
prohibition ; the lower classes are less abstemious :
but rich and poor, especially officers in the army, and
soldiers, are addicted to the use of opium, which they
take in large quantities, and enjoy the pleasing deli
rium it occasions. In battle it inspires a false courage,
and sometimes produces a phrenzy, which lasts only
for a short time ; leaving those who swallow this per
nicious drug in a state of languor and imbecility,
until a renewal of the doserevives the spirits : but its
frequent use enfeebles the constitution, and shortens
the lives of its deluded votaries.
Opium is used to a better purpose by the halcarras,
who are a set of people employed as messengers, spies,
and letter carriers. An halcarra takes a letter, wraps
it up in some secret fold of his shabby garment, and
with a little opium, some rice, and a small pot to draw
water from the wells of the charitable, he undertakes
a journey of several hundred miles, and receives his
reward on delivering the letter.

INVADERS OF HINDOSTAN. 65

CHAPTER V.
k
Mahomedan Conquests in Hindostan— Establishment of the Em
pire of Ghizni— Invasion of India by Timur-lung— Mogul Em
pire formed— Character of Akber— Usurpation of the Nawabs,
after the death of Aurungzebe— Religion of Mahomed— Maho
medan Women— Genii, Talismans, and Charms— Loss of a
precious Gem— Fire-flies— Great Extent of the Mahomedan
religion— Ishmaelites— Solomon's Trade with India— Traffic of
the Ancients — Extensive Commerce of the Arabians — General
Character of the Mahomedans in Hindostan.
The rich and fertile kingdoms of Hindostan were
inhabited entirely by the Hindoos, until the year 976
of the Christian aera, when the Islamites, or Maho
medans, commenced their conquests in the northern
provinces, and formed the empire of Ghizni. These
invaders were Tartars, from the northern parts of Asia,
who brought with them the most bigoted attach
ment to the Mahomedan faith. Under a pretence of
converting the Hindoos to the tenets of the Koran,
they destroyed their temples, and plundered them of
the wealth which had been accumulating for ages.
The treasures of gold and jewels found in some of
those sacred repositories, appears almost incredible.
History informs us, that the Sultaun Moaz-ul-Dien,
who made nine expeditions into Hindostan, left behind
him in diamonds alone, of various sizes, five hundred
mauns in weight, which is little less than twenty thou
sand pounds in avoirdupois : and the avarice and
cruelty of Mahmood, the first sultaun of Ghizni, in
VOL. I. F

66 MOGUL DOMINATION.
consequence of an impious vow, are too shocking to
relate. The invaders at length reduced all the north
ern kingdoms ; the Mahomedan religion was esta
blished, and followed by the most horrid massacres
and devastations during the reign of eighteen princes :
a period which presents a sanguinary picture of war
and famine, desolation and despair, arising from the
frequent but ineffectual struggles of the wretched Hin
doos, for their civil and religious liberties.
At the end of the fourteenth century, Timur Bee,
or Tamerlane, a prince descended from Zingis Khan,
chief of the Mogul Tartars, invaded the empire, esta
blished by the former Mahomedan conquerors, and
with atrocious cruelty plundered n'ot only the Hin
doos, but the followers of the prophet. The Mogul
empire was not, however, completely founded until the
sixteenth century; when Baber, a descendant of
Timur, got possession of Delhi, and made it the capi
tal of his dominions. Most of the southern districts
were shortly after subdued, and the tenets of the
Koran adopted by numbers ; the converts entirely re
linquished the Hindoo manners and dress, and lost
the name.
After these Mogul sovereigns were firmly esta
blished on the imperial throne, they permitted their
Hindoo subjects the free enjoyment of their religion ;
and although, from foreign wars, and intestine conir
motions, the picture of the times too often presented
a scene of blood and cruelty, yet the blessings of peace
sometimes prevailed: during those happy intervals,
poetry, history, and music, raised their dejected heads,
and with many useful arts and sciences, assumed a
short-lived smile ; convincing us they only wanted the

REIGN OF AKBER. 67
aid of milder governments, and less tumultuous times,
to flourish in the realms of Hindostan, as well as in
Grecian or Italian climes.
Among the sovereigns of Hindoston, the imperial
Akber merits particular notice ; and, did my limits
permit, gladly s'hould I attempt a theme, on which
poets and historians have dwelt with fond delight.
Akber succeeded his father Humaioon, the eldest son
of Sultaun Baber, in the fourteenth year of his age ;
and from that early period, during a long reign of
fifty years, shone a bright example of wisdom, cle
mency, and justice. He was supreme monarch over
all the provinces of Hindostan, from the Indus to the
Ganges ; and by his mildness and equanimity diffused
happiness throughout his extensive dominions : the
Hindoos enjoyed their religious privileges without
molestation ; no distant governor was suffered to be
guilty of the smallest oppression ; agriculture and
commerce flourished ; the elegant arts were cherished,
^nd a princely encouragement was given to literature
and science. The Ayen Akbery, or institutes, com
piled by Abul Fazel, the secretary and historian of
Akber, remain a lasting monument of the justice,
prudence, and unwearied assiduity, of this great prince,
for the true interest of his subjects. He reigned
from 1556 to 1605.
The Mogul empire continued to flourish from the
reign of Akber until the death of Aurungzebe, in the
beginning of the eighteenth century ; soon after that
event, the nawabs, or governors of the distant pro
vinces, began to shake off their allegiance to the court
of Delhi, and established themselves as independent
princes ; by which means the power of the emperors
f 2

68 MAHOMED.
gradually declined, and instead of one Mahomedan
despot, a number of inferior sovereigns, styled nabobs,
or nawabs, arose in different parts of the empire ; so
that there is now hardly a place of note in Hindostan,
where the followers of the Arabian prophet are not
found ; being tolerated under the Hindoo rajahs, and
protected by all the European governments.
It is unnecessary to discuss the tenets of the Koran,
which is the standard of the Mussulmaun faith; its
rules for religious and moral conduct, are as much at
tended to in Hinsdostan, as in other countries profess
ing the same religion.
Mahomed, the only son of Abdallah, a prince of
Mecca, was born in that city in the year of Christ
571, and died at Medina in 631. At the age of forty,
he publicly assumed the character of a prophet sent
by God to establish in its purity the religion of the
patriarchs. Being desirous of superseding the mis
sions of the Jewish and Christian law-givers, he ad
mitted their divine origin ; but these proving in
effectual to accomplish their intended purpose, the
artful Arabian announced himself to be the Paraclete
promised by Jesus Christ, and asserted that the Al
mighty had sent him with more ample powers ; and
had especially commissioned him to compel those, by
force, who resisted gentler means, to embrace the doc
trines of the Koran, which had been revealed to him
from heaven by the angel Gabriel. By his uncom
mon art and address, and by the temporal power Which
he had acquired in Arabia, Mahomed not only spread
his religion in that country, but throughout Egypt,
Syria, and Persia : his posterity were looked upon as
holy, and reigned over some of the most considerable
kingdoms in Asia.

MAHOMEDANS IN INDIA. 69
About ten years after the commencement of his re
ligious career, some of his more enlightened country
men, who had known the prophet from his youth, but
neither approved of his life or doctrine, resolved to
destroy him, and deliver the world from such an im
postor : Mahomed, apprized of their design, fled from
Mecca to Medina, where the fame of his sanctity pro
cured him a favourable reception. This event, which
happened in the six hundred and twenty second year
of the Christian aera, is called the hegirah, or flight ;
and from this period the Mahomedans compute their
time, dating every thing from the first year of the
hegirah. The complexion of the Mahomedans in India, is
much the same as that of the Hindoos ; a clear olive
brown : their dress is in many respects similar ; espe
cially in the turban, the long white gown, sash, and
shoes ; but in addition, the Mussulmauns wear full
long drawers, generally of a satin called kincob, with
gold and silver flowers ; and a catarra, or short dagger,
in their girdle. The warriors have a broad sword,
with spears, lances, and fire-arms ; and some of the
bravest troops in Hindostan are Mahomedans, from
Arabia, Candahar, Scindy, and the provinces border
ing on Persia. Their religion permits the use of all
animal food, except pork ; which, with the secret in
dulgence of wine and spirits, renders them more ro
bust and hardy than the disciples of Brahma : avarice,
indolence, and effeminacy, mark the character of the
Hindoo; and if, to the two former, we unite ambi
tion, valour, and jealousy, we shall have a tolerably
correct outline of the Mogul.
The Mahomedan women in India enjoy less liberty

70 MAHOMEDAN WOMEN.
than the Hindoos ; but in complexion, manners, and
behaviour, are not unlike them. They adorn them
selves with a variety of jewels, worn over a close gown
of muslin, with long sleeves and a short waist ; silk or
satin drawers reach to the ancles, and a transparent
veil covers the head. The education of these women,
like that of the Hindoos, is very confined ; the men
do not seem to wish them to be rational companions, .
and purposely keep them in a state of ignorance. I
believe music is prohibited by the Koran ; but the
Mahomedans have dancing girls among them ; and
hire vocal and instrumental music at weddings, and
other entertainments where a mixed company is in
vited. The Moguls, Persians, Arabians, and the generality
of the Asiatics, believe in genii, angels, and superna
tural agents of various denominations and degrees of
existence ; their histories, tales, and romances abound
with such imagery. Some are the friends and guar
dians of the human race : others, called the evil genii,
are in a constant state of war with the benevolent
spirits. On this account, talismans, amulets, and
charms, esteemed for their latent virtues and myste
rious powers, are worn by the inhabitants of India ;
who believe that such cabalistical preparations are
effectual against witchcraft, fascination, and all the
operations of the malevolent genii : they serve also as
guards and protectors of hidden treasures, which are
frequently buried under the earth, to conceal them
from the avarice of Asiatic despots.
The Greeks and Romans were not exempt from
these prejudices, nor is it long since they have sub
sided in England. Acts of parliament on this subject,

TALISMANS AND CHARMS. 71
were passed so late as the reign of James the First.
In the age of chivalry, enchantment and divination
prevailed throughout Europe ; and in the oath admi
nistered by the constable to the combatants in a duel,
are these expressions ; " Ye shall swear that ye shall
have no stone of virtue, nor hearbe of virtue ; nor
charm, nor experiment, nor none other enchaunt-
ment by you ; and that ye trust in none other thinge
properly, but in God, and your body, and your brave
quarrel." I constantly wear one of these talismanic stones, it
having been left to me by an invaluable friend : it con
sists of a convex oval emerald, as taken from the
mine ; uncut and unpolished : it is set in plain gold,
and shines in native beauty without any extraneous.
ornament. I pretend not to investigate the antiquity
and legendary tales of this ring during the time of its
oriental proprietors, which gave it an imaginary value
far exceeding its real worth : but the English gentle
man who possessed it fifty years ago, fully appreciated
those virtues. He had from his early youth been much
with the Hindoos ; and although a Christian in prin
ciple, he believed also in lucky and unlucky days,
omens, and spells, so universally accredited by the
Hindoos. This gentleman had often been at Poonah, the capital
Of the Mahratta empire, and had resided much among
the Brahmins. When a member of the council at
Bombay, about forty years ago, he was appointed am
bassador to the Mahratta government, on an affair of
great importance to the East India Company and the
English nation : the business was so urgent, that he
left Bombay in the middle of the rainy season to ascend

72 LOSS OF A PRECIOUS GEM.
the Gaut mountains, and reach the Mahratta capital
on a day which the Hindoo astrologers had marked as
peculiarly auspicious. Being in a public character, he
travelled with a considerable retinue ; as there were no
choultries, or caravansaries, on that road, they generally
pitched their tents where they found the convenience
of shade and water ; for in the rainy season, on the
western side of the Indian peninsula, a series of fair
weather often holds for several weeks together, when
those accommodations are as desirable to travellers as
during the fine months.
On the second evening of the journey, the encamp
ment was formed under a friendly banian tree, on the
margin of a lake : on retiring to his sleeping-tent, the
ambassador missed his ring ; the strictest search was
immediately made for it without success : it was not
merely the loss of the ring which now troubled the
owner; he annexed certain ideas to the event, which I
shall not attempt to explain ; and, notwithstanding the
urgency of the embassy, and the implied necessity of
being at the Mahratta durbar on the auspicious hour
already mentioned, he remained the next day at the
encampment, in search of this precious gem, and of
fered a large reward for its discovery; but in vain : and
the following morning he proceeded on his journey,
under very unpleasant sensations. The embassy con
tinued about thirteen months ; at which period, during
the ensuing rainy season, the gentleman and his suite
returned to Bombay.
The advantage of shade and water induced them to
occupy the ground of their former little encampments,
and the tents were again pitched upon the same spot
where the ambassador had lost his ring : it had rained

FIRE-FLIES. 73
hard in the day, but the evening was remarkably fine,
and the moon at the full : while sitting at his tent-door
after supper, reviewing his late negociations at Poonah,
and by an association of ideas, reverting to the loss of
his ring in that very place, he perceived the dark side
of the grove illuminated by thousands of fire-flies,
flitting among the branches, with a brilliancy, of which
the faint light of the European glow-worm gives but
little idea. Those who have travelled in Italy during
the summer months, and have there seen the lampyris,
or lucciola, although not so numerous as in the Asiatic
woods, can easily conceive the nocturnal splendour of
these insects in the torrid zone. I have seen them
produce a fine effect in the dark recesses of the ma
jestic Coliseum, and illumine the garden of the Villa
Medici at Rome ; on the banks of the Arno, they add
much to the beauty of the Tuscan evening ; and the
Italian and the English poets are fond of celebrating
the "emerald light" of the lucciola and the glow-worm.
While the ambassador was amusing himself with the
splendid appearance of these insects in the surround
ing shades, he observed one of them settled among the
grass, which was always stationary and motionless, al
though shining with equal lustre. Having remarked
it for a considerable time, curiosity led him to approach
it : the moon shone on the spot ; he stooped to seize
the insect ; and took up his ring. We must first enter
into his peculiar feelings respecting omens, talismans,
and charms, and then conceive his surprize and joy at
this auspicious event. It had most probably been
shook from the table cloth thirteen months before, and
remained on that spot the whole time, unobserved by
other travellers : during the fair season it was perhaps

74 SPREAD OF THE MAHOMEDAN RELIGION.
covered with dust ; but now a heavy shower combined
with Cynthia's beam to produce the brilliant effect on
the convex face of the emerald, and to restore the
lucky ring to its owner ; who having so highly prized
it before the adventure, it is needless to say how much
it was now advanced in his estimation.
The three divisions of Arabia were conquered and
commanded by Mahomed himself: Abubekir, his im
mediate successor, assumed the title of caliph, or vicar
to the prophet, which continued in that line for several
generations. In Europe, and among the Asiatic Chris
tians, his disciples were generally called Saracens ; and,
under that appellation, in less than a century from
the decease of the successful impostor, they spread his
religion from the Atlantic ocean to India and Tartary ;
and his successors reigned in Syria, Persia,, Egypt,
Africa, and Spain.
The establishment of the religion of Abraham and
Ishmael, the great progenitors of the Arabians, was no
doubt the principal design of Mahomed, as I have
already mentioned ; he wished, at the same time, to
extend the commerce and increase the wealth of Jhis
native country. The. Ishmaelites had always been fa
mous merchants, as well as warriors : in a very early
state of their tribe, they travelled with their camels to
Egypt, laden with spicery, balm, and myrrh ; neither
had they any objection to deal in slaves, as the history
of Joseph exemplifies.
It would be foreign to my purpose to enter into a
detail of oriental commerce from that transaction, until
the time that " King Solomon made a navy of ships at
Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the
Red Sea, in the land of Edom : and Hiram sent in the

TRAFFIC OF THE ANCIENTS. 75
navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of
the sea, with the servants of Solomon ; and they came
to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred
and twenty talents ; great plenty of Algum-trees, and
precious stones : for the King had at sea a navy of
Tharshish, with the navy of Hiram ; once in three
years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold an 1
silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks-." 1 Kings, ix.
26, 27, 28; x. 11, 22.
It is not yet decided whether the island of Ceylon
was the Ophir of Solomon, as well as the Serendib of
the Persians and Arabians, or whether the vessels of
Hiram traded to other parts of India : but from that
period the commerce of the East has been a most
interesting and productive source of wealth. When
refinement and luxury had made a rapid progress in
their extensive empire, the Romans were supplied with
the most costly productions from all parts of the known
world ; and received by different channels, a variety of
articles from India and China. But there was little
maritime intercourse on these seas, until after the pro
mulgation of the Koran ; when the Arabians, with
a boldness unknown to former navigators, and never
exceeded by any, until the discovery of the magnet,
were urged by their enthusiastic zeal to spread their
new religion on the shores of the Indian continent,
and its remotest islands : they were for some time
established in the city of Canton, subject to their
own laws, and enjoying many privileges : they indeed
only resided there as merchants, the cautious policy
of the Chinese not permitting them to colonize. In
most other places they not only planted their religion,
but increased their trade ; and returned to their own

76 CHARACTER OF THE MAHOMEDANS.
country, with a variety of valuable articles. Thus was
the oriental commerce enlarged ; and numerous con
verts, from the Red Sea to the remotest of the eastern
islands, were added to the Mahomedan faith. •
I shall conclude this account of the Mahomedans in
Hindostan, with a summary of their general cha
racter, from the writings of an intelligent officer, who
travelled through the Nizam's country in 1791, and
communicated his observations in the first volume
of the Oriental Collections :
" What is most surprising to an European, is the
decorum, gravity, and elegance of the Moorish children.
They are, for the most part, handsomer at this age than
when fully grown ; and with all that is infantine and
engaging, they can upon cases of ceremony assume
the unaffected steadiness of an old courtier. By pay
ing attention to what was said to these children by
their tutors, and by observing the most admired and
popular characters among the men, I endeavoured to
acquire some insight into what style of manners was
held in greatest repute among the Moors ; and I found
the leading principles of external behaviour to be a
majestic and martial deportment, a serene and steady
countenance, which should remain calm and unaltered
amidst the greatest events ; neither manifesting signs
of depression nor exaltation, but capable of that plia
bility which softens the countenance to the reception
of friends, and accompanies good offices with a benig
nant smile. This frequently borders upon dissimu
lation, since condemned persons of rank have often
been dismissed from the presence to execution, without
threats or menaces, but with every mark of politeness.
Having discoursed upon this subject with the Moors,

SECLUSION OF THEIR WOMEN. 77
reminding them of similar circumstances in history,
they have replied, those instances were marks of
collected firmness in the prince ; since whatever the
cause might be, he should never derogate from his own
dignity, nor forget the attentions due to a man of
rank, whatever his situation or conduct might be.
They are extremely careful not to interrupt one
another in discourse ; and generally possess a natural
eloquence, which they utter with fluency, in a soft,
but audible tone ; and are peculiarly graceful in their
action, which is so expressive, as often to forestall what
they are about to deliver."
The same observant traveller makes a remark on the
seclusion of the Mahomedan women from the society
of the men, which I believe to have great weight in
the general opinion of the Orientals. "On combining
together the inclinations of Mahomed with his policy,
we shall find the seclusion of women from the society
of men, gives to the latter all those hours, which,
in Europe, are generally employed by men to please
the object of their wishes : leaving them at full
leisure to pursue, without distractions of jealousy, the
business of the day. It also prevents those bitter feuds
and lasting animosities, which poison the minds of
contending rivals, otherwise formed for mutual esteem
and friendship. It preserves the marriage-bed not
only from pollution, but also from the dread of
it ; and it secures women from those delusions and
temptations, which irritate the mind with fleeting
joys, leaviug behind the permanent sting of bitter
remorse! while never having tasted the universal
triumph and dominion which beauty gives in the
circles of Europe, the loss of power is not added to the
painful sensation of fading charms."

78 THE PARSEES.

CHAPTER VI.
Parsees, or Guebres — Everlasting Fire near Baku, in Persia — Reli
gion of Zoroaster and the ancient Magi — Manners and Customs
of the Parsees.
The Parsees, or Guebres, are a people whom the
Mahomedan persecutions drove from Persia, their na
tive country, in the eighth century of the Christian
aera. They are descended from the ancient Persians,
followers of Zoroaster ; to whose religious tenets and
moral laws, they still profess to adhere.
While the Mahomedan religion was established in
Persia under the system of terror, these people emi
grated to the isle of Ormuz, and continued there
fifteen years ; they then embarked in small vessels for
India ; bringing with them the autus-byram, or sacred
fire, which they preserved with the greatest care.
After a dreadful voyage, they landed at Diu, on the
south-west point of the Cambay Gulph, a settlement
now belonging to the Portugueze. They continued
at this place for some time, and then crossing the
Gulph, landed at Suzan, near Nunsarree, which is a
little to the southward of Surat. Here these unhappy
Persians implored the protection of the Hindoo rajah ;
and pathetically related their religious persecutions,
their flight from their native land, and all their subse
quent misfortunes. Astonished at the appearance of
so many armed strangers, the rajah was doubtful how
he should receive them : at length humanity prevailed ;

FIRE-WORSHIPPERS. 79
he granted them permission to settle in his dominions,
and to build a temple for their sacred fire, on their
compliance with certain conditions ; particularly, that
they should never put an ox or a cow to death, nor
on any consideration taste the flesh ; a covenant,
which both themselves and their descendants have
kept inviolable to this day.
As their families increased, the Parsees dispersed,
and settled at Bombay, Surat, Baroche, and other
northern towns on the western coast of India. Active
and industrious, they applied themselves to domestic
and foreign commerce ; -and many of the principal
merchants and owners of ships at Bombay and Surat,
are Parsees : others learned the mechanic arts, and
engaged in the varied manufactures of the loom : the
best carpenters and shipwrights in India are of this
tribe. Their number at Bombay is considerable, and at
Surat they amount to twenty thousand families :
hitherto they have not attempted to establish a govern
ment of their own ; and an unfortunate schism in their
religious tenets has divided them into two separate
factions. TheParsees are all worshippers of fire ; and in every
temple is a sacred flame, lighted at first from that ori
ginally brought from Persia, which is still preserved
with great reverence at Oodwara, near Nunsarree.
These fires are attended day and night by the andaroos,
or priests, and are never permitted to expire. This
was also positively enjoined to the Levites, and was
adopted by the Greeks and Romans under all their
governments. Quintus Curtius tells us that the eter
nal fire was carried before the army of Darius, on silver
altars, followed by the Magi singing hymns, and by

80 • FIRE-WORSHIPPERS.
three hundred and sixty-five youths clothed in scarlet,
amounting to the number of days in the year. These
fires are preserved in a large chafing-dish, carefully
supplied with fuel, perfumed by a small quantity
of sandal-wood, or other aromatics. The vulgar and
illiterate worship this sacred flame, as also the sun,
moon, and stars, without regard to the invisible Crea
tor ; but the learned and judicious adore only the
Almighty Fountain of Light, the author and disposer
of all things, under the symbol of fire. Zoroaster,
and the ancient magi, whose memories they revere,
and whose works they are- said to preserve, never
taught them to consider the sun as any thing more
than a creature of the Great Creator of the universe :
they were to revere it as his best and fairest image, and
for the numberless blessings it diffuses on the earth ;
the sacred flame was intended only as a perpetual mo
nitor to preserve their purity ; of which this element
is so expressive a symbol. But superstition and fable
have, through a lapse of ages, corrupted the stream of
their religious system, which in its source was pure and
sublime. Herodotus says, that the ancient Persians
venerated fire as a divinity ; and the magi, who de
tested the adoration, of images, worshipped the
Almighty only by this element. At the same time
they admitted two principles, one the cause of all
good, the other that of all evil ; the former was called
Orasmades, the latter Ahriman ; the one represented
by light, the other by darkness. This was the system
of Zoroaster and the Magi ; and "under various modi
fications, inculcated in their moral system, is supposed
to form the contents of the Zend Avesta, or sacred
books of the modern Parsees.

DOCTRINES OF ZOROASTER. 81
Butler, in his Horae Biblicae, written in 1769,
says : — " The morality of the Zend Avesta is entitled
to praise : purity of word, action and thought, is
repeatedly inculcated." An attention to truth is
likewise particularly enforced. To multiply the hu
man species, increase its happiness, and prevent
evil, are the general duties inculcated by Zoroaster
to his disciples ; agriculture, and the multiplication
of useful animals, are particularly recommended to
them. " He," says Zoroaster, " who sows the ground
with diligence, acquires a greater stock of religious
merit, than he could gain by ten thousand prayers.''
The disciple of Zoroaster is enjoined to pardon in
juries ; to honour his parents and the king, whose
rights are derived from Ormuzd ; to respect old
age; to observe general gentleness of manners, and
to practise universal benevolence. Fasting and celi
bacy are forbidden to the men ; and as far as it may
depend on themselves, the latter is discouraged in
women : if a man's wife be not barren, only one wife
is allowed him : a marriage with his cousin-german is
recommended to him as an act particularly pleasing to
Heaven. Some of the Parsee tribe still reside in Persia, near
the city of Baku, on the shores of the Caspian sea,
about ten miles from the everlasting fire which they
hold in such veneration. This fire issues from the
cleft of a rock, five or six feet in length, and three in
breadth, appearing like the clear flame over burning
spirits; sometimes it rises to the height of several
yards, at others only a few inches above the aperture.
It has continued thus for ages without intermission,
and the rock is said not to he in the least affected,
VOL. i. g

82 FUNERAL CEREMONIES.
either by the fire consuming its substance, or changing
its colour. Travellers mention, that if a hollow tube
is put a few inches into the ground, for some hundred
yards around this rocky opening, a similar flame issues
through the orifice : the poorer people, who live in the
neighbourhood, frequently cook their victuals over the
flame. What the cause may be I know not, but the
effects of subterraneous fire, which I observed at Sol-
faterra, near Naples, greatly resemble those on the
border of the Caspian.
I am almost led to suppose that the worship of fire
originated at the mountain of Baku. An ancient his
torian* mentions that the Persians relate a story con
cerning Zoroaster, whose love of wisdom and virtue,
leading him to a solitary life upon a mountain, he
found it one day all in a flame, shining with celestial
fire ; from the midst of which he came without any
harm, and instituted certain sacrifices to God, who,
he declared, had appeared to him. In their nuptial
ceremonies, and many other particulars, the modern
Parsees have adopted the customs of the Hindoos ;
but their mode of treating the dead, seems to be pe
culiar to themselves. At Bombay, soon after the de
cease, the body is conveyed to Malabar Hill, an emi
nence about three miles from the town ; where are
two large cemeteries, fifty or sixty feet in diameter,
surrounded by circular walls, twenty feet high. Within
this enclosure is a smooth pavement, sloping gradually
from the side of the wall to the centre, where it ter
minates in a deep pit ; the bodies are laid on this pave
ment, which is divided into three distinct parts, for
men, women, and children ; they are exposed naked,
* Dion Chrysostom.

FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 83
to be devoured by vultures and birds of prey, which
generally hover over them : a person is appointed to
watch which of the eyes they first pluck out ; as they
annex some superstitious idea, respecting the happi
ness or misery of the departed spirit from this circum
stance : and the bones are afterwards deposited in a
pit, to make room for others in this extraordinary
mausoleum. When they are carrying the corpse to
the tomb, which is a duty belonging to a particular
set of people, they must neither speak, nor touch
wood ; for which reason the body is laid upon an iron
bier, and the drawbridges at the town-gates, when they
pass over them, are covered, either with sheets of cop
per or with fresh earth. It is well authenticated that
for a long time the ancient magi retained the exclusive
privilege of having their bodies left as a prey to car
nivorous animals, and that afterwards the Persians
exposed all the dead bodies of their friends indiscri
minately, to be devoured by birds and beasts of prey ;
a custom which is still in some measure adhered to
by their descendants in India, and by the Guebres in
Persia, although so very repugnant to the feelings of
almost every other civilized nation.
The Parsees are generally a tall comely race, ath
letic and well formed, and much fairer than the na
tives of Hindostan ; the women are celebrated more
for chastity than cleanliness ; the girls are delicate
and pleasing, but the bloom of youth soon decays ;
before twenty they grow coarse and masculine, in a
far greater degree than either the Hindoos or Ma
homedans. The Parsees are certainly an industrious
and increasing people, and a valuable class of subjects
in the Company's settlements.
g2

84 portugueze in india.

CHAPTER VII.
Portugueze, and their Descendants in India — Romish Missionaries
— Indian Converts — General Remarks on the Moral and Reli
gious System of the Hindoos — The Deluge confirmed by the
Hindoo Scriptures — Comparison between the Egyptians and
Hindoos — Further Illustration of the Hindoo Religion; com
pared with the Mosaical Dispensation — Irdn in its ancient state —
Quotation from Bishop Watson.
Such as I have endeavoured to describe it in the
preceding chapters, was the state of Hindostan,
and such the character of its inhabitants, at the close
of the fifteenth century, when the passage to India,
round the Cape of Good Hope, was discovered
by Vasco de Gama. That nation soon extended
her commerce to its remotest shores, and established
settlements in different regions, especially on the
Malabar coast, and island of Ceylon : the excellent
harbour at Bombay caused it to become one of
the principal ports : it continued under their govern
ment until it was ceded to the English, on the
marriage of the Infanta Catherine to Charles the
Second. The Portugueze have left numerous descend
ants there, who live under the protection of the English
laws, and enjoy the free exercise of their religion : they
are generally styled Portugueze, retain their European
names and dress, and speak their original language,
although greatly corrupted ; but from their intermar-

ROMISH MISSIONARIES. 85
riages with the natives of inferior tribes, their com
plexion is darker than the high castes of Hindoos, and
their education is very contracted.
The proselytes made by the Romish missionaries in
the East, are generally among the lowest tribes of the
Hindoos : or such whose misconduct having caused
them to lose their caste, are glad to embrace Christi
anity as a religion which is open to all. But when
ever the Hindoos or Mahomedans are baptized into
the Christian faith, the women lay aside their becom
ing eastern drapery, and put on a jacket and petticoat;
and the men wear as much of the European apparel as
their circumstances will admit of: a coat and stockings
seldom form part of their dress, except on a religious
festival, or some particular occasion.
Many respectable Armenian merchants, with their
families, as well as a few Persians, Turks, Arabians,
and Jews, occasionally reside at Bombay ; but the
Hindoos, Mahomedans, and Parsees, form the great
mass of the inhabitants. Fearful of prolixity, I have)
in the foregoing pages, omitted many things inserted
in my original letters; but I have endeavoured to
give a faithful portrait of these interesting people ;
every thing I have asserted was dictated by as impar
tial a judgment as I was enabled to form, during a long
residence among them. I viewed them with an unpre
judiced mind, and wherever I went, I sought for know
ledge at the best sources of imformation among the
natives themselves : but in that respect I find my own
opinion confirmed by an intelligent observer, that "to
whatever country of Europe the traveller directs his
steps, he meets with people ready to give him infor
mation, and proud to display their knowledge ; in

86 ASIATIC HISTORY.
Asia the reverse occurs; the natives are difficult of
access, averse to strangers, and reserved in their man
ners : slaves to their own customs, they hold those of
other nations in contempt. Ever desirous to preserve
their own dignity, they are too apt to consider the un
studied manners and familiarity of the English, as
marks of disrespect ; and will never conceive we dare
to conduct ourselves in like manner to our own supe
riors." Since my return to Europe, the researches into
Asiatic history, the investigation of oriental manners
and customs, aud especially an inquiry into the moral
and religious system of the Hindoos, have engaged
general attention : much valuable information has
been given to the public within these few years, by
those who made their observations in Hindostan,
or by literati who derived their knowledge from
philosophical studies at home ; who have compared
the transactions of remote ages with the occur
rences of the present day; and from the stores of
sacred and profane history, have produced such docu
ments and proofs in favour of the former, as must
satisfy every candid and unprejudiced mind.
Among the most interesting of the recent publica
tions on this important subject, are the Bamptonian
lectures at Oxford, by Mr. Carwithen, on a view
of the Brahminical religion, its confirmation of the
truth of the Sacred History, and its influence on the
moral character. I trust a few extracts from so va
luable a source of information, will not be deemed
irrelevant to the general tendency of these volumes.
The facts stated in the second lecture tend to esta
blish the following important conclusions: that the"

. j*Jti&

CONFIRMATION OF HOLY WRIT. 87
strongest presumption arises, both from the testimo
nies of ancient authors, as far as they can be collected,
as well as from internal evidence, that the chronological
system of the Brahmins has suffered a material
change, and that their present scheme is of compara
tively modern invention; that, in earlier times, this
system had some obvious and striking similarity to
that of the Mosaical history ; that even if the reality
of the aera from which their present age commences,
and which is now generally supposed to be founded on
retrogade calculation, were established, this admis
sion could not, in any degree, affect the truth of the
Sacred Writings ; and that the only probable origin,
which can be assigned to the invention of the prime
val zodiac, expressly contradicts the unwarrantable
assumption of an Egyptian sphere, formed at the im
mense distance of sixteen thousand years before the
present time.
The author then naturally asks, " To what cause it
can be assigned, that in all the historical documents
which have hitherto been brought to light, they should
ascend to nearly the same point of time, and then be
come enveloped in obscurity, and degenerate into
fable? Whence happens it, that these fables, in nations
the most distant and dissimilar, however they may be
disguised by difference of language, however incum
bered by the adhesion of foreign circumstances, which
the diversity of national character may have engrafted
on them, should still retain such an evident similarity
as to be clearly traced to the same source? What cause
can be assigned, that the whole fabric of pagan my
thology, whether surrounded by the gaudy, but mis
shapen ornaments of eastern magnificence ; or rising in

88 CONFIRMATION OF HOLY WRIT.
the graceful elegance and exact symmetry of Grecian
taste, or frowning terrors in the ponderous and massive
grandeur of northern architecture, should be raised on
the same foundation, however the superstructure may
be modelled or varied by the influence of national
manners ? If this globe had been inhabited by na
tions of a separate and independent origin, could this
uniformity in their traditions possibly have existed ?
If mankind had reached that perfection, both in sci
ence and refinement, which is pretended, would there
not have occurred some distinct and diversified events
which would have clearly characterized these periods,
and would have found their way to future generations?
"From every investigation it clearly appears, that
no computations have been able to invalidate the only
historical narrative, which, independently of the stamp
of divine authority, presents a rational account of the
formation of the universe, of the creation of man, and
of the infant state of the world ; which in accuracy of
description, not less than in sublimity of language,
stands unrivalled. In vain have they been applied to
invalidate that everlasting covenant, which was esta
blished before the foundations of the world were laid;
which, as it had a retrospeet to the period before crea
tion existed, shall receive its full and glorious accom
plishment when creation shall be no more.
''The variety of fables to which the awful event of
the deluge has been .accommodated, the diversities in
the narrative, adapted to local prejudices or to theo
logical opinions, prove that they are taken from un-
communicated fragments of some original tradition.
The incident is recorded, not by construction of philo
sophical theories, but by simple narrators of facts. It

: 6t

CONFIRMATION OF HOLY WRIT. 89
is also observable, that the accounts of a deluge still
to be found among the more eastern nations, are as
strongly marked by truth, and are equally conformable
to the history of Moses, as those which are preserved
in Egypt.
"But although the concurrent voice of antiquity
thus loudly responds to the testimony of the Hebrew
historian ; though the memorials of an event, so in
teresting to the early world, must have been treasured
up with care, recollected with sentiments of awe and
gratitude, and shadowed out in hieroglyphic sculpture
in monuments on the earth ; though the combined
powers of fancy and erudition have been successfully
employed, in referring to this source many of the
pagan symbols and devotional ceremonies ; yet vague
and unsatisfactory would all these evidences appear, if
they had not been illustrated and confirmed by that
narrative, of which all other records are but faint
adumbrations. If all the solitary fragments scattered
throughout the voluminous mass of oriental mythology,
joined with those which the nations of the west have
retained, were collected and concentrated, their united
testimony would be insufficient to establish the reality
of this calamitous prodigy. It is not on the exact co
incidence of sacred and profane history, that we at
tempt to prove the truth, and assume the superiority of
the former : but that the one is perspicuous and full,
where the other is obscure and defective : the one is
concise where amplification would be unnecessary, or
would tend to no other purpose than the gratification
of a vain curiosity; the other, by those additions which
the artifice or conceit of man has interwoven, has some
times suppressed the truth by concealment, and some
times weakened it by expansion.

90 ANCIENT IRAN.
" In common with other nations, the Hindoos attri
bute the creation of all visible things in six distinct
periods, the successive formation of all terrestrial
animals, and finally of man, to one Supreme God. In
common with all other nations, they have also preserved
some indistinct remembrance of the antediluvian gene
rations, and the antediluvian personages mentioned in
the Jewish Scriptures. But the first great and important
event, which they attest, clearly and unequivocally, is
the awful catastrophe of the general destruction of the
world by a flood ; and therefore it is from that
point, that the monuments of profane antiquity are
properly called in, to confirm the truth of the Sacred
History. "
The civil history of mankind, contained in the re
maining fragments of the earliest annalist, agrees with
the narrative of Moses. They concur in placing the
theatre of the first memorable events that befel the
human race, within the limits of Iran, understood iu
its true and extended signification, between the Oxus
and the Euphrates, the Armenian mountains and the
borders of India.
The literature of India, lately explored, records the
establishment of the Brahminical religion in Iran,
previously to its adoption in Hindostan. We are in
formed that a mode of faith and worship, essentially
different from that of Zoroaster, was anciently professed
in Persia, and continued to be secretly entertained by
many eminent men, long after the general predomi
nance of the latter.
' That Iran, understood in its true and enlarged
signification, was the country from which the three
original and distinct races of men first separated, is
rendered still more probable from its central situation.

PRIMITIVE TRIBES. 91
It was from this part of the globe, that the adventurous
progeny of Japhet could best transport themselves to
those countries, which, on account of their being se
parated from Judea by the sea, were emphatically styled,
in the writings of Moses, 'the isles of the Gentiles;'
in contradiction to Asia, which to Palestine was strictly
continental. It was nearest to this quarter that the
peaceful descendants of Shem settled themselves in
Arabia, where so many of their names may now be
discovered ; and it was from this quarter, that the
Ammonian race, so famed for daring exploits, subdued
the vast and fertile countries of India, Ethiopia, and
the countries situated on the Nile ; where they have
left so many vestiges of their scientific excellence, and
of their martial prowess.
" From an accurate survey of the Brahminical re
ligion, as we find it established in India, it is impos
sible not to perceive its essential identity with that of
the Egyptians, and therefore that both must have
emanated from a common origin. Both nations were
distinguished by a division into various orders, of which
the philosophers were the most honourable. Each
tribe adhered to the profession of its family, and never
invaded the department of another. The fundamental
principles of their astronomical systems, would also
incline us to suppose, that their sciences were derived
from the same source.
" From a comparison of different facts, the following
will appear to be the result : at the time of the general
dispersion of mankind, some tribes migrated towards
the East to India ; while others diverged towards the
West to Egypt ; and some still remained in their ori
ginal settlements in Chaldea. Egypt, therefore, we
might expect to find the source of knowledge for the

92 BRAHMINICAL DOCTRINES.
western, and India for the eastern parts of the globe.
The few general traditions which they had received
from their ancestors, it is reasonable to imagine, would
find a place in the religious systems of all. These tra
ditions would remain unaltered, chiefly in countries
like India, insulated from the rest of the world by con
tinued and almost impregnable barriers.
"We find that the most common method of ac
counting for the origin of evil is the degeneracy of
man from a state of purity to a state of corruption : a
doctrine which has retained a place in the popular
creed of every nation. Of Brahminism, it may be
almost said to form the basis. It is this idea which
has regulated its elaborate scheme of chronology ; it is
this idea which causes its followers to submit to the
most excruciating penances, in order to purge the soul
from the stains which she has contracted during her
abode in this polluted body. They have indeed cor
rupted and obscured this doctrine ; they have en
grafted on it additions which do not properly belong
to it; they have carried it so far, as to inspire them
with a hatred of life, and a dereliction of every worldly
enjoyment ; they have continually placed before their
eyes the accomplishment of that melancholy period,
when a total decay of bodily strength, as well as an
entire degeneracy of morals, shall increase the sum of
present misery ; but these deviations from the truth
could never have happened, unless they had truth itself
for a foundation. These are phantoms of the imagi
nation, which would never have existed, if they had
not been derived from some correspondent reality.
"From the fall of man, we are naturally led to the
consideration of a positive ordinance immediately con
nected with it, and springing out of it ; the custom

SACRIFICIAL EXPIATION. 93
OF SACRIFICIAL OBLATIONS, AS AN EXPIATION FOR SIN.
In whatever point of view this custom may be regarded,
whether as eucharistical or propitiatory, whether origi
nating in the idea that it was a proper mode of express
ing sentiments of gratitude to the Deity, for the enjoy
ment of the bounties of nature, or as a proper atone
ment for guilt ; still a rite so peculiar, and so universal,
must have received its sanction from some positive
command, and could never have been the dictate of
natural reason.
" The Vedas themselves, on some occasions, enjoin
the oblations of men, as well as animals ; and that the
sacrifices of the latter were anciently practised, we have
the authority of Strabo and Arrian. It is also well
known, that one of the incarnations of Vishnu, that of
Budha himself, is described by the Brahmins, as hav
ing taken place for the purpose of abolishing the
sacrifices enjoined in the Vedas ; and whatever differ
ence of opinion may be entertained concerning the
time, or the genuineness of this descent, it is a decided
proof, that the custom of sacrificial offering must have
been universally prevalent."
Bishop Watson, when archdeacon of Ely, in his charge
to the clergy of that diocese, says :— " learned men
have abundantly proved that a tradition concerning a
deluge has prevailed in every quarter of the globe, not
only amongst the Romans, Grecians, Egyptians, Baby
lonians, Persians, and Scythians ; but amongst the
Iroquoix, Mexicans, Brazilians, Peruvians, and other
nations of America : and that the inhabitants of
Otaheite being asked concerning their origin, simply
answered, that their Supreme God a long time ago,
being angry, dragged the earth through the sea, and
their island being broken off, was preserved."

94 TOWN OF BOMBAY.

CHAPTER VIII.
Town of Bombay — English commerce of Bombay — Civil and
Military Establishments — Courts of Justice — Domestic Arrange
ment — Moonlight Evenings.
I shall conclude my letters on Bombay with a short
account of the European inhabitants, and their mode
of living at that settlement. The principal town takes
it name from that of the island, and is situated near
the harbour, at the southern extremity ; on the north
side is a smaller town, called Mahim, and several
villages in different parts of the country.
The town of Bombay is about two miles in circum
ference, surrounded by modern fortifications; with a
fosse, drawbridges, three principal gates, and several
sally-ports ; but the works having been constructed
under different engineers, without any regular plan,
cannot boast of the strength or uniformity which
might otherwise have characterized them.
The harbour is large, and secure from the storms
and hurricanes which are very frequent and destructive
at Surat bar, and on the Malabar coast : near it were
three excellent docks, which I believe are since in
creased in number ; and a spacious marine-yard, amply
supplied with naval stores of every description : here
they build vessels of all sizes, from a ship of the line,

PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 95
to the smallest grabs and gallivats, employed in the
Company's service : the timber used is chiefly teak
(Tectona grandis), the most valuable of the oriental
forest woods, and more durable than the oak: the
master builders and shipwrights of the Parsee tribe,
are very skilful, and exact imitators of the best models
from Europe.
When I left Bombay, the generality of the public
buildings were more useful than elegant : the govern
ment-house, custom-house, marine-house, barracks,
mint, treasury, theatre, and prison, include the chief of
these structures. There were also three large hospitals ;
one within the gates for Europeans ; another on the
esplanade for the sepoys, or native troops in the Com
pany's service; and a third, on an adjacent island, for
convalescents. The only Protestant church on the island stood near
the centre of the town ; it was a large and commodious
building, with a neat tower. There was also a charity
school for boys, and a fund for the poor, belonging to
the Church of England. There were seldom more than
two chaplains belonging to the Bombay establishment
when I was in India ; the one resided at the Presi
dency ; the other, alternately at Surat and Baroche,
where were considerable European garrisons. The
Roman Catholics, who enjoy every indulgence from
the English government, had several churches and
chapels in different parts of the island.
The English houses at Bombay, though neither so
large nor elegant as those at Calcutta and Madras,
were comfortable- and well furnished; they were built
in the. European style of architecture, as much as the
climate would admit of; but lost something of that

96 COMMERCE OF BOMBAY.
appearance by the addition of verandas, or covered
piazzas, to shade the apartments most exposed to
the sun ; when illuminated, and filled with social
parties in the evening, these verandas gave the town a
very cheerful appearance : but since I left India, the
town-houses have been almost deserted by the English,
who reside entirely at their country villas ; the gentle
men only go to the fort in the morning, to transact
their business ; devoting the evening to domestic
pleasure, and convivial meetings at their garden-
house. The large bazar, or the street in the black town,
within the fortress, contained many good Asiatic
houses, and shops filled with merchandize from all
parts of the world, for the Europeans and natives.
These shops were generally kept by the Indians,
especially the Parsees ; who, after paying the estab
lished import customs, were exempted from other
duties. Bombay was then one of the first marts in India,
and employed a great number of vessels in its extensive
commerce. Bussorah, Muscat, Ormuz, and other
ports in the Persian Gulph, furnished its merchants
with pearls, raw-silk, Carmenia wool, dates, dried
fruits, rose water, ottar of roses, and several other
productions. Arabia supplied them with coffee, gold,
drugs, and honey. A number of ships annually freighted
with cotton and bullion to China, returned laden with
tea, sugar, porcelain, wrought silks, nankeens, and a
variety of useful and ornamental articles. From Java,
Malacca, Sumatra, and the eastern islands, they brought
spices, ambergris, perfumes, arrack, and sugar: the
cargoes from Madagascar, the Comorro isles, Mosam-

COMMERCE. 97
bique, and other ports on the eastern coast of Africa,
consisted chiefly of ivory, slaves, and drugs : while the
-different parts of India produce cotton, silk, muslin,
pearls, diamonds, and every precious gem ; together
with ivory, sandalwood, pepper, cassia, cinnamon, and
other luxuries. This valuable commerce was carried
on by vessels belonging to the European and native
merchants settled at Bombay ; totally independent
of, and unconnected with, the trade of the East India
Company. The exports consisted of English woollen-
cloths of every description ; with copper, iron, leads
and .other European staples, purchased at the Com
pany's sales by the native merchants, both at Bombay,
and from the continent. A great deal of cotton,
imported in boats from Surat, Baroche, Ahmood, and
Jamboseer, was shipped in large vessels at Bombay
for Madras, Bengal, and China. The Portuguese
from Goa, Damaun, and Europe, carried on a trifling
trade with Bombay ; but the French, Dutch, and
Danish ships seldom touched there ; the American
intercourse with India was then in its infancy.
The government of Bombay, in its civil and military
departments, courts of justice, and other arrangements,
was established by the East India Company under the
royal charter ; but the system has of late years been so
often changed, that I decline entering upon the*uhject.
During' my residence there,. a simple and regular sys
tem in the different establishments seemed to answer all
the necessary purposes of government, and everything
was conducted with order, economy, and propriety. A
writer's salary was indeed small, and very inadequate to
even the moderate necessaries of life required in that
climate, not exceeding sixty-five pounds a-year.
vol. i. H

98 ANGLO-INDIANS.
Having been at all the settlements subordinate to
Bombay, from Ahmed-abad to Anjengo, I can assert
that the character of the English in India is an honour
to their country: in private life, they are generous,
kind, and hospitable ; in their public situations, when
called forth to arduous enterprize, they conduct them
selves with skill and magnanimity ; and, whether
presiding at the helm of the political and commercial
department, or spreading the glory of the British
arms, with courage, moderation, and clemency, the
annals of Hindostan will transmit to future ages name9
dear to fame, and deserving the applause of Europe.
As husbands, fathers, masters, they cannot easily be
excelled ; while friendship, illustrated in its more ge
neral sense by unostentatious acts of humanity and
benevolence, shines in India with conspicuous lustre ;
distress never pleads in vain, and the milk of human
kindness flows in ample streams. How often have the
sons and daughters of misfortune experienced the bles
sed effects of oriental benevolence! how often have the
ruined merchant, the disconsolate widow, and the help
less orphan, been relieved by the delicate and silent sub
scription, amounting in a few hours to several thousand
pounds, without the child of sorrow knowing its
benefactors ! And here, with all the milder virtues
belonging to their sex, my amiable countrywomen are
entitled to their full share of applause. This is no
fulsome panegyric ; it is a tribute of truth and affec
tion to those worthy characters with whom I so long
associated; and will be confirmed by all who have
resided in India.
I have not the smallest intention of praising the
Anglo-Indians at the expense of my countrymen at

ANGLO-INDIANS. 99
home: the seeds of philanthropy and benevolence,
which every where adorn the English character, im
pregnated in their native soil, flourish vigorously when
traiisplanted in a foreign couiitry, where fortunes are
generally more easily obtained than in Europe, where
a distressed individual, separated from parents, friends,
and every natural source of redress, seems to have a
double claim upon the compassion of his iriore fortu
nate comrades ; and where an annual increase of wealth
admits of mOre unrestrained bounty than a limited
income. During my abode in India, there were no
arts or sciences to patronize ; no literary or charitable
institutions to support; and neither hospitals nor infir
maries to call forth private benevolence ; the Company
provide for the Europeans, and the natives in general
take care of their own poor : the chief expenses of
the English are therefore confined to convivial plea
sures, and domestic arrangements : whereas, in Bri
tain's favoured isle, how abundant are the channels
for an ample fortune ; and how numerous the worthies
who appropriate a very considerable portion of their
income to relieve the distresses of their fellow crea
tures !
As far as the climate admits, the English fashion in
houSesy equipage, and dress, is generally adopted :
very few ladies or gentlemen kept European servants ;
the former were better served by young female Mala
bars", trained by thetnselves, and by negro or Malabar
boys, who were our favourite personal attendants ;
while the upper servants were usually Mahomedans
and Parsees ; men of character and family, in most.
srepects preferable to Europeans, and less expensive
h 2

100 LIFE AT BOMBAY.
Our clerks and writers were mostly Hindoos, who
from being liable to so many religious and ceremonial
pollutions, were seldom domestic servants ; these writers
at Bombay are generally called Purvoes ; a faithful
diligent class, much attached to their employer, careful
of his interest, accurate in their accounts, and very
often such exact imitators of his handwriting, that it
is impossible in a long letter to discriminate the fac
simile from the autograph : such an amanuensis is
peculiarly useful in a country where the conveyance
of letters was then so precarious, that both in public
and private dispatches, it was necessary to send dupli
cate and triplicate copies.
When I resided at Bombay, comfort, hospitality,
and urbanity characterized the settlement, and early
hours prevailed throughout the presidency and its
subordinate settlements : these are now altered to the
more fashionable routine of England. The morning
was then dedicated to business ; every body dined at
one o'clock ; on breaking up, the company went to
their respective houses to enjoy a siesta, and return
after a walk or ride in the country, to pass the remain
der of the evening, and sup where they had dined.
Our rural excursions in that climate are early in the
morning, or after the sun declines : the twilight, so
near the equator, is short ; but the mildness and sere
nity of the moonlight nights render them peculiarly
delightful : there indeed we behold the nocturnal lu
minary " walking in her brightness," without a vapour
to dim the " sweet influences of the Pleiades, or veil
the bands of Orion." Such a spectacle naturally dis
poses the mind to solemn musings ; and, while enjoy-

NOCTURNAL MUSINGS. 101
ing the western breeze on the flat roofs of the oriental
houses, and beholding the celestial canopy so glo
riously adorned, it is impossible not to meditate with
pious awe on the Great Parent of the universe,
" Who gives its lustre to the insect's wing,
And fills with glory the celestial world !'

102 FORT VICTORIA.

CHAPTER IX.
English Settlement of Fort Victoria — Brahmin Village of Harrasar
— Hot Wells at Dazagon — Voyage thither from Fort Victoria —
Hot winds — Wild beasts — Danger from Tigers — Chamelion of
the Concan — Serpents — Excavations in the Mountains — Hindoo
Devotees, Swingers, Jugglers, Combatants, and Vaulters —
Marre — Mahratta Government — Commencement of a journey to
Bombay — Candhar — Vanjarrahs — Gaut Mountains — Monsoons
— Cultivation, Gardens, and produce of the Concan — Guru,
Hindoo High-priest — Other religious Castes — Value of water
in India — Ascent of the Lower Gauts — Mahomedan Pa
triarch at Ram-Rajah — Hindoo Victims — Reception at Allah
Braug — Colabie — Visit from a Mahratta prince — Family of
Ragojee Angria — Nymphea Lotos — Lotophagi — Method of
supplying travellers with provisions in Hindostan — Conclusion
of the Journey — Comparison between India and England in their
most striking features.
After residing five years at Bombay, a slight indis
position occasioned me to go for a few weeks to the hot-
wells at Dazagon, a village belonging to the Mahrattas
in the Concan, or Cokun, not far from the English set
tlement of Fort Victoria ; a small fortress sixty miles
from Bombay, garrisoned by a company of sepoys, for
the protection of a few villages, and a small district in its
vicinity : it was then the residence of two gentlemen
in the Company's civil service, who collected a trifling
revenue, and procured cattle and other articles for
Bombay. This settlement was ceded by the Mahrat-

FORT VICTORIA. 103
tas in 1756, for Ghereah, a place of far more impor
tance, then lately conquered by Admiral Watson and
Lord Clive : during the subsequent wars between the
English and Mahrattas, it has never been molested.
Fort Victoria is situated on a lofty hill, near the en
trance of Bancoote river, where there is also a lower
battery : this river was formerly navigable for large
ships ; but the sand bank at the mouth constantly
increasing during the south-west monsoon, "it now
only admits a passage for small vessels. Its source is
among the eastern mountains ; at a considerable dis
tance from whence, winding through woody hills and
fertile valleys, it receives some tributary streams, af
fords many delightful prospects, and abounds with a
variety of fish and wild fowl.
The western hills near Fort Victoria, from being ex
posed to the sea wind, are bleak and barren : in the
interior the lofty mountains are covered with trees
and underwood, which soften their craggy precipices,
and exhibit numerous springs, not common in the
torrid zone : these not only add considerable beauty
to the landscape, but cause an agreeable freshness in
the atmosphere, and add to the luxuriance of the cul
tivated vales, abounding with rice, natchnee, and other
Indian grain.
The villages in the Company's districts, generally
inhabited by Hindoos, are surrounded by cocoa-nut,
tamarind, and mango trees : the houses are small,
seldom more than a thatched cottage ; but some of
the dewals, or temples, situated in deep glens, over
shadowed by the burr-tree, have a solemn appearance-
These secluded spots are occupied by Brahmins, whose
religious ceremonies are strangely contrasted by the

104 VILLAGE OF HARRASAR.
antic tricks of the monkeys, which, with green
pigeons, bulbuls, and other birds, enliven the sur
rounding groves.
We sometimes extendedour rides for several miles into
the Mahratta country, and frequently visited the village
of Harrasar, celebrated for the sanctity of its temple,
the beauty of the women, and for having been the re
sidence of the ancestors of the Brahmin family who at
present govern the Mahratta empire. It is inhabited
by a high caste of Brahmins ; the women are certainly
extremely beautiful, characterized by an elegant form,
antelope eyes, and a fairer complexion than the lower
classes of Hindoos : their jetty locks are richly adorned
with jewels ; their garment consists of a long piece of
silk, or muslin, put on in graceful folds, falling like
the drapery of the Grecian statues.
The simplicity of the patiarchal age was realized in
the rural occupations of the women at Harrasar : the
pastoral lives of the Mesopotamian damsels, and many
customs described by Homer, still exist in the Brahmin
villages of the Concan : there women of the first dis
tinction, like Rebeka and Rachael, draw water at the
public wells, tend the cattle to pasture, wa§h their
clothes in the tanks, and gather the flowers of the
nymphea, for their innocent sacrifice at the dewal, and
its foliage for plates and dishes.
The wells are situated thirty miles from Fort
Victoria, and two from Dazagon: there are several
hot springs, and three baths of different dimensions,
varying in heat from 104 to 108 degrees ; the cases
in which the external and internal use of these
waters has been most successful, are visceral obstruc
tions : being chalybeate and purgative, their ge-

DAZAGON WELLS. 105
neral effect in drinking and bathing, is to carry off
superfluous bile, create an appetite, and promote per
spiration : by relaxing the fibres, without exhausting
the strength, they seem peculiarly adapted to invigo
rate the system, and counteract the languor incident to
Europeans in the torrid zone. The Dazagon wells are
in essential respects similar to those at Visraboy, in
another part of the Concan, nearer to Bombay ; and
much resorted to from thence.
The voyage from Fort Victoria to Dazagon affords
an inland navigation of great variety: the river, seldom
wider than four or five hundred yards, winds through
a chain of hills, stored with timber, or covered with
jungle ; and the banks are fringed with salt wood, an
evergreen resembling the laurel : an opening valley
sometimes presents a view of arable land, villages,- and
cattle ; succeeded by woody mountains, waterfalls, and
precipices : in the narrow parts the branches unite over
the stream, which is enlivened by monkies, squirrels,
and various kinds of birds ; all familiar, from being
seldom molested : among the halcyon tribes, display
ing all the vivid tints of azure, green, and orange,
common in other countries, is a black and white king
fisher, with an elegant tuft of the same plumage, not
seen at Bombay.
Few prospects exceed that from Dazagon hill, where
the English resident of Fort Victoria had a small villa,
in which we spent a few days : it command's a view of
the river nieandering through an extensive valley, and
forming a number of islands, clothed with wood, and
abounding in villages, cattle, fisheries, and agriculture:
this beautiful landscape is bounded by verdant hills»and
lofty mountains. It was at sunrise I first beheld this
lovely scene. I seated myself under a mango-tree with

106 DAZAGON WELLS.
my sketch-book, wondering how any one could remain
in a house, .where nature was so lavish of her charms :
but short are all rural pleasures between the tropics.
Situated under the immediate influence of the sun, in
less than an hour the sky appeared as in a glow of fire.
At that time I had never felt the effects of what are
emphatically called the hot-winds,nor had I experienced
anything to equal the heat at Dazagon : on the sea-
coast the atmosphere is tempered by its breezes ; but
their refreshing influence does not extend to the in
terior districts of the Concan, or Guzerat, where the
hot-winds generally prevail from the middle of March
until the commencement of the rainy season ; while
Bombay, from its insular situation, is happily excluded
from their effects. These scorching blasts begin about
ten o'clock in the morning, and continue till sun-set :
by noon, the black wood furniture becomes like heated
metal, the water more than tepid, and the atmosphere
so parching, that few Europeans could long support it,
if the delicious coolness of the nights did not in a great
degree alleviate the heat of the day. In the house at
Dazagon, Farhenheit's thermometer, at sunrise, seldom
exceeded eighty degrees ; at noon on the same day, it
often rose to one hundred and twelve. The European
convalescents sent from the hospitals at Bombay for
the benefit of the hot-wells, complain much of lassitude,
diminished appetite, and impaired digestion during the
prevalence of the hot-winds ; which seem to counteract
the'efficacy of the waters: those symptoms in'a greater or
lesser degree, affected all our party, after leaving the
coast, refreshed by the salubrious breezes from the ocean.
My stay at Dazagon and the hot-wells, afforded me
an opportunity of seeing more of Indian farming and
agriculture, than in the contracted limits of Bom-

CULTIVATION IN THE OONCAN. 107
bay. The cultivation in the Concan, and adjoin
ing districts of the Deccan, is similar to what is generally
practised in the western parts of Hindostan. The soil
varies considerably jn the same tracts ; in some places
sandy, others marly, and often a rich black earth :
sometimes manured with wood-ashes, mixed with
horse and cow-dung, which is placed in small parcels
over the field, and afterwards worked in by a harrow,
consisting of only three or four teeth, like an ordinary
rake, drawn by two oxen ; the plough, rather an
awkward and simple instrument, composed of three or
four pieces of wood, is drawn by three or four yoke of
oxen, agreeably to the nature of the soi). In Other
parts of the Concan, they manure with leaves and small
branches of trees, spread over the land, and burnt to
ashes, mingled, when procurable, with the dung of
cattle; but so much of that is made into cakes, dried, and
used for fuel by the Hindoos,- especially the Brahmins,
that but little comes to the former's share.
tf The soil, generally shallow, badly ploughed, and
slightly harrowed, produces juarree, bajeree, natchnee,
and some inferior grains ; with various kinds of pulse,
melons, cucumbers, gourds, seeds for oil, and in
digenous vegetables : but I believe neither cotton nor
wheat grow in the southern districts of the Concan.
Fort Victoria is chiefly useful to the Company for
furnishing Bombay with oxen ; by which the markets
are supplied with tolerable beef for the European and
Mahomedan inhabitants, and especially the English
garrison : a number o£ buffaloes and horned cattle are
bred in this part of India ; the latter, though small, are
very serviceable in agriculture, and thousands are em
ployed in the mercantile caravans. The sheep of the

108 WEEKLY MARKET.
Concan, as in most of the other provinces, are long,
lank, unsightly animals ; instead of the snowy wool
and silky fleece of the English flocks, they are covered
with a coarse brown or grey hair, possessing very few
qualities of the wool : in some places they make came-
leens, a winter covering and blanket for the poor, from
this hair, by twisting it into a thread, and weaving it
in a sprt of loom : but a considerable manufacture in
the Concan, or more properly the Deccan, is the
spinning and dying cotton thread, which is sold to the
people of Meritch, and wove by them into pieces of
cloth called leugra, which forms the principal part of
the Hindoo female dress.
In most of the towns and considerable villages is a
weekly market, to which the inhabitants of the neigh
bouring country bring their commodities, either for sale
or barter : there is also a collol, or distiller, who pays a
duty to government for the privilege of distilling spirits
from rice, j agree, mowah^ and various other articles :
in the Concan there seems to be no prohibition to
drinking spirits, except to the Brahmins : it is more
generally interdicted in the Deccan, and the decree
rigidly enforced. A peculiar species of the brab-tree
is thinly scattered on the Concan hills ; a* quantity of
nerah is extracted from it, similar to that from the
common palmyra, from which this tree materially
differs ; the leaves and branches bearing a much greater
resemblance to the suparee, or betel-nut tree.
As these hills approach the Deccan mountains, the
scenery assumes a sublime aspect : the landscape is
varied by stupendous heights, narrow glens, dark
woods, and impenetrable jungles ; the haunt of beasts
of prey, monkeys, and birds : among the latter is the

WILD BEASTS. 109
jungle-fowl, Or cock of the woods, probably the domes^-
tic fowl in a wild state ; being of their size and shape,
wjth the head and some plumage of the partridge,
which it also resembles in flavour.
The lower part of these mountains is shaded by a
variety of trees, and softened by many flowering shrubs ;
their summits present a curious kind of stones, which
are found in 'much greater abundance on the Deccan
mountains, near Poonah, and profusely scattered in
Other parts of the country ; they are stalactical, grow
in large masses, and are of a flinty nature : from the
upper and lower surface of these stones proceed crys
tallizations, wliich denticulate with each other in a
very singular manner : in many, from a single base, or
bed of pure flint, shoot forth angular chequers of great
lustre and beauty ; while others consist of a common
sort of stone, not very hard, encrusted by a sparry
substance : from a close examination, flint appears to
be the matrix of the majority ; and as the crystallization
advances, the flint diminishes.
Most of the jungles, or wild forests of underwood^
abound with tigers, hyaenas, hogs, deer, and porcu
pines : the former are as large and ferocious as in other
parts of India, and render a solitary excursion dan-r
gerous : they approached close to our habitations at
the hot wells, and frequently caused an alarm ; the
thatched cottages were so close and uncomfortable,
that we generally placed our beds under a contiguous
mango-grove, until one night a royal tiger, attracted
by the smell of a goat which had been recently killed
and hung upon a tree, rushed close to my bed, in the
road to his prey : the noise awakened us in time to
secure a retreat to the cottage before the return of the

110 HUNTING PARTIES.
monster : the* moon shbne bright, arid in a few minutes
we saw him pass us with the carcase of the goat : which
had he not found, one of our party would most pro
bably have been his prey.
Many natives of the Concan are keen sportsmen, and
form hunting parties, with dogs ; nothing in appear
ance like our sporting ones, but resembling the com
mon pariar dog, except that a few had long hair on the
tail and ears. Each man is armed with a stick of hard
wood, called burbur, which grows in the jungles : the
tree bends inwards towards the root, and instead of
cutting they break it off, so as to bring away part of
the root, to form a head ; with this weapon they are
admirably dexterous ; killing quails, partridges, and
pigeons flying ; hares running ; and breaking the legs
Of the fleetest deer. A set of these men killed, in this
manner, three hares and several quailsj in less than an
hour. Observing one of the party in a small glen by
himself, very intent upon some object, we imagined he
saw a hare ; on approaching the spot, he warned us by
a sign to come on softly, pointing to the root of a
milk bush ; he then quickened his pace, took up a
large stone, and, and suddenly dropping it on a par
tridge, instantly killed it, with no small degree of exul
tation. Bancoote river abounds with a variety of fish ; and
is the nursery of alligators, and other amphibious ani
mals : on the banks are serpents, guanas, chamelions,
and the large seroor, or lacerta, commonly called the
bloodsucker : many of them, though hideous in shape,
are most beautifully coloured: in some^tbe shoulders
and dewlap take every intervening shade between the
palest yellow and brightest scarlet ; in others, the dew-

CHAMELION OF THE CONCAN. HI
lap is of the brightest azure, contrasted by yellow,
scarlet, and orange, in the several parts of the body.
The greatest curiosity is the chamelion (lacerta cha-
maeleon, Lin.) found in every thicket. I kept one for
several weeks , of which, as it differed in many respects
from those described in Arabia, and other places, I
shall mention a few particulars. The chamelion of the
Concan, including the tail, is about nine inches long ;
the body only half that length, varying in circumfe
rence, as it is more or less inflated : the head, like that
of a fish, is immoveably fixed to the shoulders ; but
every inconvenience is removed by the structure of the
eyes ; which, like spheres rolling on an invisible axis,
are placed in deep cavities, projecting from the head :
through a small perforation in the exterior convexity
appears a bright pupil, surrounded by a yellow iris ;
which, by the singular formation and motion of the
eye, enables the animal to see what passes before, be
hind, or on either side; and it can give one eye all
these motions, while the other remains perfectly still :
a hard rising protects these delicate organs ; another
extends from the forehead to the nostrils : the mouth
is large, and furnished with teeth ; with a tongue half
the length of the body, and hollow like an elephant's
trunk, it darts nimbly at flies and other insects, which
it seems to prefer to the aerial food at one time generally
supposed to be its sustenance. The legs are longer
than usual in »the lacerta genus ; on the forefeet are
three toes nearest the body, and two without ; the hin^
der exactly the reverse ; with these claws it clings fast
to the branches, to which it sometimes entwines itself
by the tail, and remains suspended : the skin is granu
lated like shagreen, except a range of hard excres-

112 SERPENTS.
cences, or denticulations, on the ridge of the back,
which are always of the same colour as the body;
whereas a row of similar projections beneath continue
perfectly white, notwithstanding any metamorphosis of
the animal.
The general colour of the chamelion so long in my
possession was a pleasant green, spotted with pale
blue: from this it changed to a bright yellow, dark
olive, and a dull green ; but never appeared to such
advantage as when irritated, or a dog approached it ;
the body was then considerably inflated, and the skin
clouded like tortoise-shell, in shades of yellow, orange,
green, and black. A black object always caused an al
most instantaneous transformation : the room appro
priated for its accommodation was skirted by a board
painted black : this the chamelion carefully avoided ;
but if he accidentally drew near it, or we placed a black
hat in his way, he was reduced to a hideous skeleton,
and from the most lively tints became black as jet : on
removing the cause, the effect as suddenly ceased ; the
sable hue was succeeded by a brilliant colouring, and
the body was again inflated.
The Concan abounds with serpents, similar to those
already described : one of the most dangerous is a long
snake of a beautiful green ; in form resembling the lash
of a coach-whip, from whence it is called the whip-
snake. This insidious animal conceals itself among
the branches of trees, from whence it darts rapidly on
the cattle grazing below, generally at the eye. One of
them, near the hot-wells, flew at a bull ; and Wounding
him in the eye, threw him into a violent agony ; he
tore up the ground in a furious manner, and.foaming
at the mouth, died in about half an hour.

MAHRATTA GOVERNMENT. 113
Marre was the nearest Mahratta town of conse
quence to the hot-wells ; by crossing the river, it was
within a pleasant walk, and we made frequent excur
sions to an excavated mountain in its vicinitv. Marre
is fortified, large, and populous; the governor resided at
Poonah, inattentive to the misery of the people, whom
his duan, or deputy, oppressed in a cruel manner : in
deed, the system of the Mahratta government is so uni
formly oppressive, that it appears extraordinary to hear
of a mild or equitable administration ; venality and
corruption guide the helm of state, and pervade the
departments : if the sovereign requires money, the
men in office, and governors of provinces, must supply
it ; the arbitrary monarch seldom inquires by what
means it is procured : this affords them an opportunity
of exacting a larger sum from their duans ; who fleece
the manufacturers and farmers to a still greater amount
.than they had furnished : thus the country is subjected
to a general system of tyranny. From the great chief
tains and nobles of the realm, to the humblest peasant
in a village, neither the property nor the life of a sub
ject can be called his own ; all bow to the iron sceptre ;
having no law to protect them from oppression, no
clement sovereign to redress their grievances. When
Providence has blessed the land with the former and
the latter rain, and the seed sown produces an hundred
fold, the Indian ryot, conscious that the harvest may
be reaped by other hands, cannot, like an English
farmer, behold his ripening crops with joyful eyes ; his
cattle are in the same predicament ; liable to be seized,
without a compensation, for warlike service, or any
other despotic mandate : money he must not be known
to possess ; if, by superior talent, or persevering m-
VOL. I. i

114 EXCAVATED MOUNTAIN.
dustry, he should have accumulated a little more than
his neighbours, he makes no improvements, lives no
better than before, and through fear and distrust buries
it in the earth, without informing his children of the
concealment : this occasions the frequent discoveries of
hidden treasure in Hindostan.
The excavated mountain is about a mile from the
town of Marre, of great height, and difficult ascent ;
like the excavations at Salsette and the Elephanta,
there are temples and habitations hewn out of the solid
rock, whose origin is lost in fable, and the purposes of
such laborious and expensive works are left to vague
conjecture. The principal temple is sixty feet long,
thirty broad, and ten in height : the roof and sides are
not ornamented, but at the termination is a large
image, seated on a throne, with a smaller figure on each
side, and two mutilated animals under his feet ; the
light is admitted through a range of pillars, forming a
grand entrance.
In one of these caverns, I met with an aged Senassee,
under very strict vows of abstinence and austerity,
which he had observed for many years among those
subterraneous regions ; with no other companion than
a lark and a parroquet : fruit and water were, I believe,
the only aliment of the family ; nor was the head of it
incumbered with furniture, apparel, or any of what are
usually deemed the comforts of life : the people of
Marre revered him for his sanctity, and religious Hin
doos resorted to his cave from a great distance ; his
most constant visitors were the monkeys, who seemed
in possession of all the surrounding territory.
Not far from these sacred caverns, was a spot set
apart for swingers, a set of very extraordinary Hindoo

FANATICS, TUMBLERS, &C 115
fanatics, to be met with in different parts of the coun
try : particular villages are appropriated for this cere
mony, where the swingers assemble at stated seasons.
In the centre of an area, surrounded by numerous spec
tators, is erected a pole, from twenty to thirty feet iri
height, on which is placed a long horizontal beam,
with a rope run over a pulley at the extremity : to this
rope they fix an iron hook, which being drawn through
the integuments of the devoted swicger, he is sus
pended aloft in the air, amidst the acclamations of the
multitude : the longer he is capable of this painful ex
ertion, arid the more violently he swings himself round,
the greater the merit : from the flesh giving way, the
performer sometimes falls from his towering height,
and breaks a limb ; if he escape that accident, from the
usual temperance of the Hindoos the wound soon
heals : this penance is generally voluntary, in perform^
ance of a religious vow ; or inflicted for the expiation
of sins committed, either by himself, or some of his
family. In these excursions I saw a variety of tumblers and
vaulters of a different description ; being in general
young Hindoo women, educated for the purpose, who
travel in companies throughout Hindostan, and perform
surprising feats of agility on the tight rope ; turn
themselves round with a girdle of drawn swords, on
the top of a tall upright bamboo, and exhibit many
other spectacles ; while the elders of both sexes who
accompany them, fill up the interludes by sleight of
hand, uncommonly dexterous and entertaining. Some
times a set of people, more resembling the combatants
in an ancient gymnasium, exhibit athletic exercises to
the assembled crowds : they generally perform in the
i2

116 COMBATANTS.
laTge court of a durbar, or some open place selected.
for the purpose.
At one of these exhibitions in the Concan, where a
prodigious number of spectators surrounded the square,
four pelwans, or combatants, suddenly entered from
the left side, with a brisk bounding step, and a shrill
yell, or shriek, peculiar to themselves , something like
that uttered by the Bheels and wild mountaineers,
when they make their sudden attacks : they were
dressed alike in white turbans and short drawers, with
a strong cotton sash, bound tight several times round
the loins, and passing between the thighs : their tur
bans were ornamented with chaplets of mogrees and
champahs, and their wrists with bracelets of other fra
grant flowers : they were all large full-bodied men, not
remarkably tall ; after a few manoeuvres they made a
respectful salam to the company, and retired. Pre
sently after four other men, who, we were informed,
were to be their antagonists, came in from the opposite.
side of the area : these were tall, lank, and bony, with
much darker complexions, and a graver deportment
than the former. One of each set appeared to be a
youth of nineteen, the three others from thirty to forty
years of age. These also having made their obeisance,
withdrew ; and were succeeded by an old man, who it
seems was a celebrated teacher of the gymnastic art,
and received a pension from the Mahratta government
for that purpose : he was received with great respect.
by the populace, and by a profound reverence from the
eight combatants on re-entering the area from their
respective portals. The contest, which lasted a long
time, consisted of wrestling, boxing, and similar feats :
in boxing, one hand was guarded by a case of horn or

JOURNEY TO BOMBAY. 117
wood, with a convex protuberance over every knuckle :
they commenced the attack by raising the hand un
armed in the attitude of beckoning ; with the other
they strike desperate blows, particularly at the fingers
of their antagonists, when attempting to catch hold of
them. After a few weeks' residence at Fort Victoria and the
hot-wells, I joined two other gentlemen on a journey
from thence to Bombay : I rode on horseback ; being
invalids, they travelled in palankeens : our retinue con
sisted of more than fourscore persons, besides horses
and pack-bullocks. This number of attendants for
only three Europeans, may appear extraordinary to
those who have never been in India ; but they were all
indispensably necessary in a country where no caravan
sary, or house of refreshment, is to be met with ; a
traveller must therefore carry every thing with him,
even a bed and kitchen utensils, which renders an
Indian journey troublesome and expensive.
The distance from the hot-wells to Mandava, where
we embarked for Bombay, was one hundred and thirty
miles ; yet from necessity it could not be accomplished
in less than four days. We commenced our journey
at sun-rise, the latter end of May, and after three hours
halted at a Mahratta village ; unable to procure a
house for our accommodation, or to find one shady
tree, we sheltered ourselves under a corn rick, which,
until the hot- winds blew, was more eligible than a low
cottage ; as the stacks of corn in the Concan are
generally fixed upon a platform of bamboos, supported
by strong poles, seven or eight feet from the ground ;
this being open on all sides underneath, sheltered us
'from the scorching rays of the sun, and afforded a free

118 CANDHAR.
circulation of air ; which we enjoyed until noon, when
the hot-winds set in, and blew violently for many
hours : clouds of dust, burning like the ashes of a fur
nace, continually overwhelmed us ; and we were often
surrounded by the little whirlwinds called bugulas, or
devils ; a name not ill applied to their peculiar charac
teristics of heat, activity, and mischief.
We left that uncomfortable situation early in the
afternoon, and travelling through a parched country,
reached the village of Candhar, soon after sun-set:
here a friendly banian-tree afforded us all ample
accommodation ; we supped and slept under its verdant
canopy, with more comfort than in the best house in
the village. Near Candhar the country was well culti
vated, and watered by a serpentine river : the stream
so late in the season, was narrow and frequently
fordable : during the rainy months it fills an ample
bed, which was now adorned with a plant called
jewassee, from which they make the tattas, or screens,
fixed in bamboo frames, and placed round the verandas
and apartments exposed to the sun : these screens con
stantly supplied with water trickling in small streams,
admit a cool refreshing air, when the exterior atmos
phere is in a glow of heat. The beds of many Indian
rivers abound with the jewassee, as also with a beautiful
shrub named kuseernee, very much resembling a small
cypress tree.
Candhar, eighteen miles from the wells, is pleasantly
situated on the banks of the river; and a place of
considerable trade ; being a great thoroughfare from
the sea coast to the Gaut mountains. We met there
a number of vanjarrahs, or merchants, with large droves
of oxen, laden with valuable articles from the interior

GAUT MOUNTAINS. 119
country to commute for salt on the sea-coast : immense
caravans of oxen are employed in the salt trade, in this
part of India ; where there are no roads for wheel
carriages, and all merchandize is transported by these
useful animals: especially up the steep ascents and
difficult passes of the Gaut mountains, which bound
the Concan to the eastward ; from whence commences
the Deccan, an extent of fertile plains on their summit,
containing popular cities, towns, and villages, situated
in a fine climate, surrounded by nature's choicest
bounties. In some parts this tract is called the Balla-
Gaut, or high mountains ; to distinguish them from
the lower Gaut nearer the sea, and connecting with
the Concan.
These Gauts, or Appenines of the East, extend
from Cape Comorin to Surat, through thirteen degrees
of latitude ; in some parts only forty or fifty miles
from the sea, in others seventy : their rise is frequently
gradual, but all their summits are lofty, and generally
visible many leagues at sea. This stupendous barrier
occasions the phenomenon of summer and winter, or
the wet and dry seasons, to be directly opposite in
places exactly in the same latitude, separated only by
these mountains, sometimes within a few miles of each
other. The diversity of seasons is caused by the
monsoons which blow alternately on the coast of
Malabar and Coromandel, collecting the clouds, and
carrying them towards these alpine regions; where
being arrested in their progress, they become con
densed, and refresh the plains with abundant showers,
to forward cultivation, and insure a harvest. On the
western side of the peninsula, the south-west monsoon
continues this blessing, in a greater or less degree

120 PASTORAL LANDSCAPE.
from June to October : the north-east moonsoon then
commences on the coast of Coromandel, and produces
those fructifying rains over the whole country to the
east of the Gauts. In Bengal and the northern pro
vinces of Hindostan, where the mountainous regions
no longer exist, the south-west monsoon extends its
influence, and wafts health and plenty to the " paradise
of nations."
Early the next morning we proceeded on our
journey by torch-light, and travelled for some hours,
through a barren rocky country ; after sun-rise we
entered a cultivated plain, encircled by verdant hills,
forming a pastoral landscape ; enlivened by villages,
and a busy peasantry. Before ten o'clock the intense
heat compelled us to halt at Cotar, a village on the
banks of Choule river ; where we found a number of
travellers, and droves of oxen, refreshing themselves
under a mango grove : we joined their party, and after
a slight repast enjoyed a comfortable repose, until the
declining sun permitted us to continue our route along
the delightful banks of Choule river, winding through
a populous and cultivated country, protected by two
Mahratta fortresses on the hills.
Several of these small towns and villages were
adorned with Mahomedan tombs and mosques, in a
good style of architecture ; like the Hindoo temples,
they were covered with a coat of fine chunam, in
whiteness and brilliancy equalling the purest marble,
or porcelaine, which it most resembles : these polished
domes form a striking contrast to the mango and
banian-trees, by which they are sourrounded.
The Mahomedan mausoleums generally stand in a
garden of pomegranates and custard apple-trees, which

TEMPLES AND GARDENS. 121
take off from the gloom of a cemetery : the Hindoo
temples in the Concan are also frequently surrounded
by a garden, sometimes of singular beauty. The
brahmins evince as much taste and judgment in the
situation of their seminaries and temples, as the monks
in the disposition of abbeys and priories in England ;
where some of the most lovely spots are still graced by
their ruins. In this respect the monkish and brahmi
nical taste exactly corresponds : to the latter, shade and
water are indispensably necessary ; although, contrary
to the general restrictions of the monastic life, the
Concan shades are enlivened by the songs and dances
of the female choristers appropriated to the temples,
the number of Brahmins engaged in their religious
rites, and the concourse of people assembled to morn
ing worship. Nor are these gardens deficient in
flowers, fruit, and vegetables ; the latter indeed com
pose the principal part of the brahmin's food ; their
best orchards contain guavas, plantains, jambos, and
every variety of Indian fruit; with grapes, figs, and
mulberries : superior grapes, oranges, peaches, and
apples, are supplied from Poonah and Aurungabad, in
the Deccan. The whole country produces mangos
and tamarinds : the mango season in the Concan com
mences in April, and ends soon after the heavy rains
fall in June : the best grape season in the Deecan is
from March till June.
The most productive gardens in the Concan are on
the banks of rivers, and in the beds of nullahs, or rivu
lets, which run from the mountains. In these situa
tions, at the beginning of February, they sow the
seeds of musk and water-melons, cucumbers, gourds,
and pumpkins in great variety : these continue to sup*

122 PRODUCE OF THE CONCAN.
ply their tables until the flurries, which generally pre
cede the rainy season ; then, on the first swelling of
the rivers, the villagers take a licence to rob and plun
der the plantations, to the great detriment of the
owner. They have two excellent sorts of pumpkin, the
red and white ; and a profusion of beans and vegeta
bles, indigenous to this part of India.
Many of the rivers in the rainy season abound with
good fish : the bheinslah, in general appearance and
flavour, resembles the carp, having a large mouth,
without teeth, and strong scales ; they weigh from fifteen
to twenty pounds : the poatlah is of a similar kind, but
smaller. The sewrah is an excellent fish, without
scales ; it has a large mouth, several rows of teeth,
and weighs ten or twelve pounds. There are five or
six other sorts of fish in those waters, whose Hindoo
names are of no consequence, and I am not icthyologist
sufficient to know where to class them : they also
abound with cat-fish, and very good eels.
I did not observe any wheat or cotton fields in the
Concan ; in the upper country both are cultivated :
our journey was not indeed in the season to see many
crops on the ground : as the rice, juarree, and most
other grains, are sown at the beginning of the rainy
season, in ground already prepared for the purpose:
and during the fair intervals of the wet months they
plow for wheat, gram, pease, and other articles, which
are sown in October and reaped in February : the
wheat thrives best in ground wherein nothing has been
produced the preceding year: for gram and pease,
which are sown broad cast, low rice-grounds, and other
wet places are prefered: for all the rest the drill is
used. The juarree generally springs out of the earth

HAND-MILLS. 123
on the fifth or sixth day ; about a fortnight afterwards
it is weeded by a machine called coalpah, and the
operation repeated in ten or fifteen days.
At the earliest dawn of morning in all the Hindoo
towns and villages, the hand-mills are at work ; when
the menials and widows grind meal sufficient for the
daily consumption of the family. There is a windmill
at Bombay for grinding corn, but I do not recollect
seeing another in India ; where the usual method of
grinding is with mill-stones, and always performed by
women, who resume their task every morning : espe
cially the forlorn Hindoo widows, divested of every or
nament, and with their heads shaved, degraded to almost
a state of servitude. Very similar must have been the
custom inJudea, from the pathetical lamentation of
the prophet, alluding to this very circumstance:
" Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter
of Babylon ; sit on the ground, O daughter of the
Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called tender
and delicate : take the mill-stones and grind meal ; sit
thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of
the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more, be called the
lady of kingdoms."-— Isaiah xlvii., v. 1, 2, 5. Thus
when the Hindoo female, who had perhaps been the
pride and ornament of the family, is humbled on the
death of her husband, it is not surprising to see her
prefer his funeral pile to such a state of degradation ;
and we must cast the mantle of charity over the young
virgin-widow, who infringes the celibacy imposed on
her by such cruel and impolitic laws.
Soon after the day closed, we forded the Choule
river, and arrived at Ustom, a considerable village at
some distance from its banks ; which we found a great
inconvenience ; all the wells and tanks being exr

124
hausted, except one belonging to a mosque still fur
ther : thither we repaired to pass the night, and the
fakeer who had the care of it, allotted one of the
largest tombs for our accommodation. These are
often elegant structures of marble, or polished chu
nam ; consisting either of a dome supported by co
lumns, or a sepulchral chamber with only one entrance
to the tomb, generally placed in the centre under the
dome : it was one of the latter to which we were con
ducted; but the stagnated air, and disagreeable smell
of the bats, soon compelled us to retreat to a clump of
custard-apple trees, where we lighted fires, dressed a
curry, and enjoyed a sound repose amid the graves of
departed Mussulmans.
We at break of day continued our journey through a
pleasant cultivated part of the Concan, a great thorough
fare from the low country to Poonah, which was the
residence of the Brahmin peshwa, and the resort of all
castes of Brahmins ; especially the Gurus, a very select
body of priests, of the highest dignity and authority in
the brahminical hierarchy ; in some respects similar to
the bishops and archbishops in the Christian church ;
as they travel through their respective dioceses, at
stated seasons, to visit the inferior priests, and admi
nister particular rites at the Hindoo temples. Those
of the greatest sanctity make more extensive pilgrim
ages, to perform the upaseyda, and other solemn cere
monies in their seminaries and sacred groves. The
Guru is reputed a being of so holy a nature, that he is
not only venerated, but worshipped when he appears
in public : on some occasions their splendid proces
sions unite the insignia of oriental grandeur, with the
fascinating charms of the Hindoo religion, bearing a
great resemblance to the former magnificence of th-

PRIESTLY DISTINCTIONS. 125
sovereign pontiff on the great festivals of the church
of Rome. These sacred shrines are frequently visited
by female senassees, brahmadharrees, and other devo
tees, who have entered into religious vows, and are
highly respected: many of these devout women, as
also of the Gurus and exalted Brahmins, are supposed
to have arrived at such perfection and purity, as to be
actually an incarnation of the deity, and consequently
an object of worship.
So much sanctity is annexed to the Gurus, that all
of inferior caste to the Brahmins are expected to retire
from the road when he passes by in public procession
that the air may retain its purity, unpolluted byplebeian
breath. We met one of these Brahmins of conse
quence, and whatever might be his sacerdotal or civil
station, humility of spirit was not his prevailing cha
racteristic, if we may judge from the pompous titles,
and high-sounding praises ascribed to him by the
chopdais and heralds : for, like other great men, he
had these precursors, and a number of pioneers to clear
the road, and " make his paths straight ;" by removing
obstacles, and filling up the ravines and the hollow-
ways in his route. All eastern potentates affect these
distinctions, nor do they ever travel without their
heralds and pioneers : from the poorest Hindoo rajah
and Mahomedan nabob of a province, to the emperor
himself; who in the days of Mogul splendour, vied
with Semiramis in her progress through Media and
Persia : in which, according to Diodorus, when rocks
or precipices impeded the royal traveller, they were
ordered to be removed : hills and mountains were le
velled, and valleys filled up, for the accommodation of
this mighty potentate : finely illustrating the figura-

126 HINDOO DEITIES.
tive language on the approach of the Prince of
Peace, when " every valley was to be exalted, and every
mountain and hill be made low, to make straight in the
desert a high way for the Lord !"— Isaiah, ch. xl. v. 3, 4.
There are many celebrated temples in the Concan,
but still more above the Gauts, where in some the
revenues and establishment of the priesthood are enor
mous : one temple in the Deccan formerly maintained
forty thousand officiating Brahmins ; who with the
dancing-girls dedicated to the deities, and the other
expensive ceremonies of the Hindoo religion, must
have consumed an immense income. The Hindoo
deities are literally innumerable: in a note to Dr.
Tennant's valuable publication, they are said to be
thirty crore ; which, in round numbers, exceeds three
hundred millions : the Brahmins instruct the other
castes to worship them, although they themselves do
not believe in polytheism, and only worship the Su
preme Being, as the great mysterious Om ; and the
creating, preserving, and destroying attributes, in
Brahma, Vishnoo, and Seeva. Allowing the Brah
mins, and a comparative few of the higher orders, to
be enlightened by a purer system of religion, the lower
classes of society are condemned to a state of igno
rance in religion, art, and science.
The Gurus have great power: but the ordinary
Brahmins have taken care to reserve a sufficient por
tion for themselves, sanctioned and enforced by the
code of Menu. At Poonah, the secular Brahmins
occupy all the important stations ; especially the
lucrative office called Jeiram Bopput ; a sort of cen
sor, whose province it is to collect fines, which under
the authority of the minister, he imposes arbitrarily

scarcity of water. 127
on deviations from brahminical purity ; drinking, do
mestic and family quarrels amongst the high and rich
classes of society : this he manages with the greatest
extortion and injustice. This officer is frequently
summoned at the pleasure of the minister, and fined ;
which has eventually the effect of multiplying his
abuses, by way of reparation for the mulct he has been
obliged to bear ; these are again connived at by his
superiors, that he may enrich himself sufficiently to
answer the call of, the minister, as occasion may re
quire. As the hot-winds commenced their fury, we reached
the village of Chouna ; a spot endeared to travellers
by a spreading banian-tree, and a well of excellent
water ; no less attractive in India, than the Maison-
rouge at Frankfort, or the vineyards of Monte
Fiascone, to the European tourist. Running streams
had hitherto refreshed us when we happily stopped on
their banks ; but a good well had not yet fallen to
our lot : on the contrary, at Ustam, and most other
villages, the water was so muddy as to be scarcely
drinkable : and even this unpleasant beverage was so
scanty,- that we often saw the women wait several
hours at a small hole in the earth, to collect sufficient
to fill a jar : It is only in the months of April and
May, j ust before the first fall of rain, that this scarcity
prevails ; during that sultry season, of most brooks
and rivers it may be said, " dumb are their fountains,
and their channels dry."
The commendation of an ancient patriarch who dug
a well, must not be thought too trivial a circumstance
for the sacred records : he could not have bestowed a
greater charity in a parched and thirsty soil : the fre-

128 SUPERSTITIOUS OBSERVANCES.
quent allusions to living streams, flowing rivers, ver
dant banks, and shady fountains, were delightful to
the natives of Palestine : no prospect more enchanting,
no promise more alluring, than to " feed in a green
pasture, and repose beside the still waters :" Psalm
xxiii. 2. A good well and umbrageous banian-tree, are
the most desirable objects to a traveller in Hindostan ;
since, on account of the peculiarities of caste, and the
variety of religious professions, although an European
carry his own provisions, very few of the natives
will allow him to enter their house to eat them.
This indeed is not to be expected among a superstitious
people ; who, like the Pharisees of old, make clean the
outside of the cup and the platter, while they neglect
the weightier matters of the law ; who regard, with
scrupulous exactness, eating or drinking with an infe
rior caste, the performance of stated ablutions, and bo
dily purifications : when, if by any accident, a Hindoo
tastes food forbidden to his caste, or touches what is
deemed impure, he is subjected to the severest penance,
or perhaps degraded from his rank in society; while
the same man may be guilty of falsehood, perjury, and
the most immoral actions, with impunity.
Having refreshed our bearers and cattle, we pursued
our journey across an arid plain towards the Lower
Gauts ; a chain of mountains separating the broad
valley through which we were travelling, from the
Concan plains reaching to the sea. This part of India
during the rainy months, is doubtless a perfect garden ;
but at the end of the dry season its general aspect is
very different : although in mentioning a parched coun
try or barren plains in Hindostan, I by no means liken
them to the burning deserts of Persia and Arabia.

ACCOUNT OF THE LOWER GAUTS. 129
The general aspect of Hindostan, excepting the
sandy plains on the borders of Cashemire, and the de
serted country near the Indus, presents a scene of lofty
mountains and woody hills, skirting a champaign, ir
rigated by rivers, or artificial streams, which with the
tanks and wells, were the noblest works of former
princes : the Emperor Firose, in the fourteenth cen
tury, made a canal of a hundred miles in length ; and
cut channels from the Jumna and other rivers, to supply
distant towns with water, and facilitate the inland com
merce of his dominions.
With great difficulty and fatigue we ascended the
Lower Gauts ; only called so in comparison with the
stupendous barrier of the Deccan, on the eastern side
of the Concan plains : our guides mistook the proper
route, and bewildered us in a wild and savage scene :
no sooner had we attained the summit of what we ima
gined the highest mountain, than one still higher
reared its majestic head, and thus continued in long
succession : fortunately, during the extreme heat of
noon, the woods and rocks afforded a friendly shade.
We at length accomplished the arduous task, and hailed
the western sea with delight. Descending by a narrow
pass, we entered the lower part of the Concan, through
rocks, woods, and glens ; the haunts of tigers, hyenas,
and serpents.
On entering Ram-Rajah, the first town in the low
country, we were welcomed by a venerable Mahomedan,
who, like Abraham, was sitting at his gate to receive
Strangers : his snowy beard reached to his girdle ; his
countenance inspired reverence and love : an urbanity
and courtesy marked a distinguished character ; and
his whole behaviour evinced a superior knowledge of
VOL. I. K

130 MAHOMEDAN PATRIARCHS.
the world. He conducted us to the portico of his
house, where we saw him surrounded by many branches
of his children and grandchildren, dwelling under the
same roof : the females did not appear ; but, in all re
spects, as far as oriental manners and religious tenets
permitted, he entertained us with the greatest hos
pitality, and exhibited a striking picture of the pa
triarchal age. We dined in a garden refreshed by
fountains, surrounded with flowers, and shaded by
caringe trees ; whose purple blossoms, in rich festoons,
diffused a sweet perfume : the fruit affords a delicate
lamp oil. The cassia-fistula, a tree of nearly equal
beauty, abounds in this country ; exclusive of the me
dicinal value of the fruit, the blossoms are fragrant
and clustering ; it is esteemed among the sacred
trees of the Hindoos, who erect altars, and offer
flowery sacrifices under its shade to Mariatalee and the
svlvan deities.
ml Our venerable friend at Ram Rajah was one of the
most respectable Mahomedans I ever knew ; although
greatly advanced in age, he retained all his faculties,
and had not lost the cheerfulness of youth. As lon
gevity among the Indians is not common, neither is
it, perhaps, very desirable ; when declining years
render the superior classes of Asiatics incapable of en
joying the ambitious, avaricious, and sensual pleasures,
which in their estimation comprise the summum bo-
num of life, with minds untaught by learning and ex
perience, unstored by science and literature, and un-
cheered by a warm and benevolent religion, they have
no relish for those calm delights which soften the
declining path of the pious Christian, and gild the
rays of his setting sun ; the Christian possessing a

HINDOO VICTIMS. 131
mind at peace with God, the world, and himself; en
circled by a loving and beloved offspring, to "rock
the cradle of declining age."
The Mahomedans, in power, are generally intolerant
and cruel ; bigoted to the theism of their own system,
they treat all other religions with a sort of con
temptuous abhorrence, and we may safely pronounce
them cold and uncharitable in their religious opinions :
the Hindoo character, though very different, is in many
essential points extremely defective, and leads by deep-
rooted prejudice and barbarous custom, to the com
mission of crimes, which ought not to be sanctioned by
any moral or religious code. Unlike our patriarchal
friend at Ram Rajah; or the venerable Christian, how
often is the aged Hindoo parent deemed an encumbrance
and unnecessary expense by his family ; and carried
a living victim, devoted to die, on the margin of the
Ganges, or some holy stream ; there his own children
fill his mouth and nostrils with mud ; and thus cut
ting off every prospect of recovery, they leave the
author of their being to be carried away by the stream,
as food for alligators and vultures. Although sanc
tioned by the Brahmins, and perhaps sometimes vo
luntary on the part of the aged victim, no religion
should tolerate such a sacrifice : that it is not always
voluntary, we have many undeniable proofs : but the fa
tal consequence of not submitting to this extraordinary
viaticum, or of eluding its effect by returning to his
family, in case of a rescue or recovery, is so provided for
by the Brahminical laws, that death is far more desira
ble than the continuance of life on such terms : many
instances might be produced to confirm this assertion.
Captain Williamson remarks, that " when a person
k 2

132 HINDOO VICTIMS.
has been taken to the side of the Ganges, or other sub
stituted water, under the supposition that he is dying,
he is, in the eye of the Hindoo law, dead : his property
passes to his heir, or according to his bequest ; and
in the event of recovery, the poor fellow becomes an
outcast : not a soul, not even his own children, will
eat with him, or afford him the least accommodation :
if by chance they come in contact, ablution must in
stantly follow. The wretched survivor from that time
is holden in abhorrence, and has no other resort, but
to associate himself in a village inhabited solely by
persons under similar circumstances. There are but
few such receptacles ; the largest, and most con
spicuous, is on the banks of the Mullah, which passes
near Sooksongah, about forty miles north of Calcutta."
Cruel indeed are these mandates of ignorance and
superstition ! and yet, so contradictory and unac
countable is human nature, even in men of the very
same nation and caste, that, notwithstanding this
treatment of their aged and infirm parents by the
natives of Bengal, I can with pleasure and with truth
record, that the generality of Indians, of whatever re
ligious profession, whether Hindoos, Mahomedans, or
Parsees, pay a great respect and deference to age : the
hoary head is by them considered "a crown of glory."
in the public courts of justice, as in scenes of domestic
life, I have witnessed with delight the pious Brahmin
and the experienced Mullah, informing the members
of the adawlet, or instructing their youthful pupils ;
who looked up with veneration to "days that should
speak, and multitude of years that should teach wis
dom ; they waited for their words, and gave ear to
their reasons." Job, ch. xxxii. v. 7, 1 1.

RECEPTION AT ALLA BHAUG. 133
The hospitality of our venerable host at Ram Rajah,
detained us longer than we intended ; the day was
closing when we left his friendly shade, and proceeded
towards Alla-Bhaug, a Mahratta town at a considerable
distance ; as the country was marshy, and the roads
bad, we had no prospect of reaching it before midnight,
and therefore dispatched a horseman to purchase pro
visions, and provide accommodations, before the in
habitants should retire to rest.
On approaching the town at that unseasonable hour,
we were met by an officer and a troop of Mahratta
cavalry, preceded by mussulchees, or torch-bearers,
who announced the approach of the duan, or minister
of Ragoojee Angria, the Mahratta chieftain, to whom
that territory belonged : he soon made his appearance,
with a splendid retinue, and attended us to the durbar ;
where we were treated with the most polite and kind
attentions, seated on embroidered cushions, strewed
with flowers, and refreshed by servants fanning us with
punkas of coos grass, cooled with rose-water. Our
beds and equipage not being arrived, we were abun
dantly supplied by our host : while kids, poultry, rice,
butter, milk, and vegetables were consigned to the
kitchen for our supper ; pine-apples, mangos, custard-
apples, and pomegranates, were spread before us in
the durbar, with wreaths of mogrees, and nosegays of
roses and jessamine. When supper was served, the
duan and his attendants retired, that we might eat it
without restraint, and enjoy the repose we so much
wanted. This hospitality extended to our servants
and cattle ; all were amply provided for according to
their respective castes and professions.
On expressing our grateful acknowledgments for

134 COLABIE.
these friendly attentions, the minister inforned us,
that his chieftain, Ragojee Angria, was in the secret
friendship of the English, and had the greatest respect
for our nation : having heard wTe were passing through
his country, he ordered every thing necessary to be
prepared against our arrival at Alla-Bhaug, and in
tended to pay us a visit on the following morning, if we
could postpone our journey. It may not be unne
cessary to remark, that one of our party was a colonel
in the army ; myself and the other gentleman held re
spectable posts in the civil service ; which made us
travellers of some consequence among people who pay
great deference to rank and station.
Ragojee Angria resided at Colabie, a fortified island
half a mile from Alia Bhaug;in which were the palace,
treasury, and other public buildings ; but the stables,
gardens, and larger edifices, were at Alla-Bhaug ; the
former contained a noble stud of Persian and Arabian
horses, elephants, and camels ; and every thing about
the durbar was in a princely style.
At nine o'clock Ragojee came from Colabie, mounted
on a large elephant, richly caparisoned : the duan fol
lowed on horseback ; and the procession consisted of
several state elephants, led horses, camels carrying the
large drums, trumpeters, and other musicians, a select
detachment of cavalry, and a body guard of infantry.
On dismounting from the elephant, Ragojee's chopdars,
or heralds, proclaimed his titles, and conducted him
with great state to the durbar, where the duan pre
sented us in form ; he embraced each with a smiling
countenance, and sat down on a cushion prepared for
his reception : he then sprinkled rose-wrater, decked us
with wreaths of mogrees, and concluded his visit bv a

A MAHRATTA PRINCE. 135
present of muslin and keemcab ; pieces of satin, with
gold and silver flowers : these ceremonies, and some
general political conversation, occupied about an hour,
when the prince re-ascended his moving castle, and re
turned in the same state to Colabie.
Ragojee was splendidly dressed in a muslin vest, and
drawers of crimson and gold keemcab ; his turban and
sash were of purple muslin, the former adorned with
sprigs of diamonds and rubies, and a very valuable
emerald ; from his neck depended two rows of beautiful
pearls, sustaining a cluster of diamonds: his ear-rings,
according to the Hindoo costume, were four large
pearls, and as many transparent perforated rubies, on
gold rings two or three inches in diameter : he wore a
rich bracelet on his right arm ; the handle of his
catarra, or short dagger, was studded with jewels ; the
hilt of his broad sword plain gold. He appeared about
forty years of age ; of a comely person, pleasing coun
tenance, and princely manners.
This Mahratta chieftain was of the same family with
Conajee Angria, the celebrated pirate, so long the
terror of the European and Indian vessels trading on
the Malabar coast, until the conquest of Ghereah by
Admiral Watson and Lord Clive. Ragojee, as one of
the tributary Rajahs, paid the Mahratta government
two lacs of rupees annually ; he held his lands on a
military tenure, and furnished a supply of troops
similar to the feudal system which formerly prevailed
in Europe. Some Europeans, who had deserted into
his service, informed us he was generally beloved by
his people, and less oppressive than the other Mahratta
princes : these men were married and settled in the

136 RAGOJEE's FAVORITE.
country, and made themselves useful in the artillery
department. The duan's name was Govindsett, a pundit of the
banian caste, a man of good character, and consi
derable abilities : to him Ragojee entrusted the whole
management of his revenue and disbursements : they
were of the same age, and having been brought up
together, a confidential friendship, uncommon in India,
had subsisted between them from the earliest period :
in the course of their education, Ragojee observing
their different pursuits, promised when he attained
the government, and followed the profession of arms,
Govindsett should be his duan, or prime minister :
the latter shrewdly replied, that, according to the usual
custom of princes, Govindsett would be forgotten
when Ragojee became surrounded by the insignia
of royalty ; but no sooner were the days of mourn
ing for his father accomplished, than the young
sovereign promoted his favourite to the highest
honours and gave him the management of his
treasury. After an early dinner, we pursued our journey
towards that part of the coast from whence we were
to embark for Bombay. In the course of conversation
during Ragojee's visit, he politely observed, that as
our servants and cattle might be fatigued by the
distance and heat of the weather, he hoped we would
accept of his own palanquins, horses, and camels, to
the water- side ; and an armed vessel to convey us to
Bombay : we declined all except the latter ; and ac
companied only by Govindsett and his suite, we pro
ceeded, at his particular desire, to a dewal, or temple

HINDOO TEMPLES. 137
which he had lately erected, in a better style of archi
tecture than any I had then seen in India. It consisted
of two separate temples : the outer one a square, well
proportioned, covered by a large dome, and adorned
at each corner by an elegant turret : the roof of the
further temple was embellished by a lofty spire, com
posed of cupolas, gradually diminishing to the summit,
with appropriate ornaments to produce a general effect.
The outer temple was dedicated to public worship, the
inner exclusively to the Brahmins, who washed and
dressed the idols, richly adorned with jewels, and orna
mented with flowers ; amongst them the nymphea
lotos was most conspicuous. In front of these temples
a spacious area contained a tank lined with hewn
stone for the ablutions of the worshippers, with a
handsome obelisk at each corner, illuminated on the
great festivals : for such illuminations are as common
amongst the Hindoos, as with the ancient Egyptians,
or modern Chinese : the surrounding groves were
enlivened by dancing-girls and musicians ; and, far
from any appearance of austerity or mortification, the
brahmins at Govindsett's temple seemed to partake of
every terrestrial enjoyment : the dancing-girls and
Hindoo women at the tank and fountains were of the
most delicate order, although their own personal appear
ance indicated no self denial in the article of food :
on the contrary, they were all as fat and sleek as rice
and ghee could make them ; and reminded me of a
curious remark in Orme's Oriental Fragments, that
" the Brahmins have made their gods require, besides
the necessity of endowing their temples, the practice
of all other kinds of charities, by which the necessities

138 THE NYMPHFA LOTOS.
of human nature may be relieved. A third part of
the wealth of every Hindoo is expended on such
occasions. The brahmins themselves profess great
hospitality, and by this address preserve that extreme
veneration, which otherwise would be lost through the
effects of envy, in a detestation of their impositions.
A very strange custom prevails in some parts of India:
a brahmin devotes himself to death, by eating until he
expires with the surfeit ; it is no wonder that supersti
tion is convinced of the necessity of cramming the
priest, when he professes to eat like a cormorant
through a principal of religion."
The dewal was encircled by groves and fountains,
among flowers, fruits, and a variety of aromatic shrubs
so much esteemed in India: the extensive lake was
covered with the nymphea, waving its lovely blossoms
of azure, white, and rose-colour, to every motion of
the breeze. This oriental beauty is often mentioned
by the ancients : it was as much a favourite with the
Egyptians as with the Hindoos ; the former considered
it an object of religious veneration, the latter offer it
in sacrifice, and as a decoration in their temples.
Herodotus mentions a people called Lotophagi, who
lived entirely upon the fruit of the lotos ; of what
species I cannot determine, as the fruit was the size of
the mastic, and sweet like the date, from which they
also made wine. He says the Egyptians eat the root
of the plant, which was of a pleasant flavour ; and
from the flour of the seed they made bread. These
properties of the nymphea, and the rhamnus lotus of
Linnaeus, are confirmed by Pliny, and may possibly be
known in some countries at this day. Athenaeus, in

SACRED GROVES AND GARDENS. 139
his Deiprosphist, quotes a description of the Lybean
lotos, from Polybius, which was used as food by the
natives. The temple, lake, and gardens, at Alla-Bhaug, pre
sented an excellent specimen of modern oriental mag
nificence, and evinced the taste and liberality of the
munificent founder : on alluding to the immense ex
pense of such an undertaking, Govindsitt made a reply
which sensibly affected us : " By the blessing of Pro
vidence, and the generosity of my sovereign, I have
been promoted to honour, and accumulated wealth,
sufficient for present enjoyment, and the future pro
vision of my family. In dedicating this temple and
sacred groves for public worship, with the gardens,
tanks and fountains, which I have made for general
ablution and refreshment in a sultry climate, I trust I
have not only offered an acceptable sacrifice to the
benevolent deity, and bestowed a useful charity on my
fellow-creatures ; but, from the changes incidental to
mortality, the sun of prosperity may decline, and the
clouds of adversity gather over my posterity ; and then
my children's children may derive a benefit from what
now so highly gratifies their father's heart. "
In this scene of mutability such changes are no where
uncommon ; but the rapid revolutions of wealth and
power in Asia, gave double energy to the speech of this
benevolent Hindoo : distinction of caste and profession
vanished ; and we cordially united with a heart of sen
sibility, replete with piety to God, and love to man !
Our ride from Govindsett's temple, to the place of
embarkation for Bombay, offered nothing interesting :
he took leave at his garden-gate, ordering a party of
horse to escovt us to the sea-port, and an officer to ac-

140 TEETH MONEY.
company us in the vessel, to inform him of our arrival
at Bombav. They conducted us several miles over the
salt-marshes, and passing through the Mahratta town
of Tull we arrived late in the evening at Mandava, a
small place in sight of the island of Bombay, from
whence we were to embark on the following morning.
Notwithstanding we were under the protection of
Ragojee's escort, the Hindoos of Mandava, fearful of
contamination, would afford us no better accommoda
tion than a cow house ; where we dressed our supper,
and passed the night. To this humble roof, by order
of the officers, the villagers brought poultry, butter,
fruit, and vegetables ; with fuel and earthen pots in
abundance, which we were not permitted to pay for :
this diminished our enjoyment of a repast obtained by
oppression and consequently repugnant to the feelings
of an Englishman. No murmur reached our ears, but
we knew from our servants, that it w7as not accom
panied by the blessing of those from whom menace
and compulsion obtained it.
Lady Wortley Montague remarks, that when the
Turkish bashas travel, themselves, and their numerous
retinue, not content with eating all that is to be eaten
belonging to the peasants, exact what they call teeth-
money ; a contribution for the use of their teeth, worn
with doing them the honour of devouring their meat.
This humane writer, in her entertaining Letters from
Turkey, was compelled to be an innocent partaker of
similar oppressions : and the story related by Baron de
Tott, with a degree of humour which in some measure
diminishes the cruelty of Ali Aga, his mikmindar, or
conductor, I have seen frequently realized, from the
whip to the cinnamon, during my own travels in India.

EXACTION OF PROVISIONS. 141
The Baron travelling in Moldavia, on an embassy to
the Cham of the Tartars, at the expense of the Turkish
government, would willingly have paid the Greek pea
sants for his supply of provisions, but that was not
permitted: and so liable were they to such pillage,
that they generally denied having the articles. At one
place where the usual supply was demanded, the head
of the village pretending he did not understand the
Turkish language, the mikmindar knocked him down,
and kicked him until he began to complain in good
Turkish of being thus beaten. When it was well
known the villagers were poor people, often in want
of necessaries, and whose princes scarcely left them
the air they breathed : "Pshaw ! thou art joking friend,"
replied Ali Aga, " thou art in want of nothing, except
of being well basted a little oftener ; but all in good
time : proceed we now to business. I must instantly
have two sheep, a dozen of fowls, a dozen of pigeons,
fifty pounds of bread, twelve pounds of butter, with
salt, pepper, nutmegs, cinnamon, lemons, wine, salad,
and good oil of olive ; all in great plenty." The
Moldavian replied with tears, " I have already told
you that we are poor creatures, without so much as
bread to eat ; where then must we get cinnamon ? "
On this the conductor took his whip, and flogged the
poor Moldavian until he could bear it no longer :
when finding Ali Aga inexorable, and that the pro
visions must be produced, he ran off; and in less than
a quarter of an hour, the primate of the village, as
sisted by three of his countrymen, brought all the pro
visions required, not forgetting even the cinnamon.
The transaction at Mandava, which gave rise to
these observations, concluded our adventures : the

142 FALLACIOUS DESCRIPTIONS.
next morning we embarked for Bombay, and arrived
there in a few hours : on taking leave, we offered our
conductors a present, which they respectfully re
fused; saying their prince's favour was beyond any
other consideration, and they should forfeit it by ac
cepting our bounty.
This was my first journey on the continent of India ;
I found it replete with novelty and entertainment: as
a country, which, perhaps, precedes Egypt as the nurse
of science ; and by its arts, manufactures, and valuable
productions, has contributed from time immemorial to
the comfort and luxury of other civilized nations.
Aromatic gales and spicy groves ; trees adorned by
Flora and Pomona; pellucid lakes and murmuring
fountains ; charm in poetical descriptions: we wish to
dwell in such delightful scenes. A residence in the
torrid zone convinces us of their fallacy : hot-winds,
and arid plains, unrefreshed by a cooling breeze or liv
ing spring, annoy the Asiatic traveller : and admitting
the existence of such pleasures in the temperate cli
mate and fertile provinces of Hindostan, we know from
experience, that a constant possession of the loveliest
objects, often renders them insipid : the revolving sea
sons and variety of Europe, seem more congenial to
an Englishmen than the luxurious monotony of India,
even in its most pleasing form.
In the court of an Asiatic sovereign we look in vain
for true magnanimity : the nobles approach him with
distrust and fear, conscious that his frown deprives
them of life ; nor can they, on so frail a tenure, enjoy
wealth or honours : those in the middle walk of life,
instead of being subject to one tyrant, are oppressed
by numerous petty despots, who, dead to every feeling

MAHOMEDANS AND HINDOOS. 143
of humanity, rule them with a rod of iron. The lower
classes of ryots, or husbandmen, are not in a more
enviable situation ; the despotic system pervades all
ranks, and whole villages emigrate in the vain hope
of finding a more equitable government: they have
not indeed much to leave ; their cottages being gene
rally built of mud, and their furniture only a few mats
and earthen pots.
In travelling, it is easy to distinguish the ancient
inhabitants from those whom conquest or commerce
have dispersed throughout Hindostan ; not so much
in complexion and outward appearance, as in the pe
culiarities of character : the Mahomedan is compara
tively bold, enterprizing, and resolute ; the Hindoo
tender, humane, and timid : this distinction may in
part be attributed to the mildness of the climate and
difference of food, but still more to the doctrine of
transmigration ; since a religion, which teaches them
that the dearest connexions they once enjoyed on
earth, may, on the system of the metempsychosis,
now animate the mortal form of a bird, beast, or
insect, not only inspires them with horror at the idea
of shedding blood, but, in a great measure, prevents
every kind of cruelty.
In this part of my letters, youthful imagination, and
enthusiastic patriotism, heightened by distance from
the beloved object, led me to draw a long compari
son between the inhabitants of Britain and India.
Warmed by the amor patriae, I pursued the delightful
theme from Windsor's royal towers, to the palaces of
the nobles, villas of the opulent, commercial sea-ports,
manufacturing towns, cheerful villages, farms, and
hamlets : I traced the munificent endowments for art

144 BLESSINGS OF HOME.
and science : from her splendid universities to the
parochial schools. It was a picture, which in a dis
tant clime and secluded situation, delighted the heart,
and animated my endeavours to secure a competence,
that I might the sooner enjoy those unspeakable
blessings.

SURAT. 145

CHAPTER X.
Voyage from Bombay to Surat — Surat Bar — Ancient Trade of
India with Europe — Diamond Mines and Jewels of India —
City of Surat — Gardens — Mode of Watering — Haram — Mogul
Women — Hummums, Champooing — Banian Hospital — Manu
factures- -Trade of Surat with Europe — Visit of the English
Chief to the Nabob — Nabob's Public Procession to the Mosque
— Dress of the Mogul Ladies — Anecdote of a Mogul Widow
and an English Gentleman — Country — Cultivation — Game —
Birds — Wild Beasts — A Cheeta-Hunt fully described — Pulparar
— Hindoo Devotees — Burning of Widows — Similar practice
among the Ancient Crestonians — Affecting account of the Im
molation of a Hindoo Widow — Minute Division of the Hindoo
Castes — Ablutions of the Hindoos — Travels of Hindoo
Devotees — Death of Calanus — Burning of an Indian Woman in
the army of Eumenes.
Soon after my return from the hot-wells at Dazagon,
I visited Surat, one of the principal cities in India ;
where the manners and customs of the natives are
more oriental than in those places immediately under
the English government.
Surat is about a hundred and twenty miles to the
northward of Bombay ; the voyage thither affords an
opportunity of viewing Bassein, Damaun, and some
other sea-ports : the hilly coast terminates half-way at
the lofty promontory of St. John's ; from thence to
the entrance of Surat river, the shore is flat and unin-
VOL. I. L

146 SURAT BAR.
teresting: the southern mountains are woody, and
abound with teak trees, often called the oak of Hin
dostan, from their great value in ship-building. Teak-
timber is more durable than oak, from its oleaginous
quality preserving the wood and the iron necessarily
used in naval architecture, for a considerable time
longer than the British oak, which contains a corro
sive quality, tending to consume the iron-work. I
saw a ship at Surat which had been built near eighty
years ; and which, from veneration to its age and long
services, was only employed in an annual voyage to the
Red Sea, to convey the Mahomedan pilgrims to Judah,
on their way to Mecca ; and then, returning with
them to Surat, after the hodge, or religious ceremonies
were finished, the vessel was oiled, and covered up on
shore until the following season.
During the fair months, the sea between Surat and
Bombay is covered with ships of different nations ;
large fleets of merchant boats, richly laden, sail every
fortnight under convoy of the English cruizers, to pro
tect them against the Coolies, a horde of pirates near
the gulph of Cambay, whose swift-sailing vessels con
stantly infest that navigation.
On anchoring at Surat bar I left the ship which
brought me from Bombay, and sailed up the Tappee
in her pinnace : this river takes its rise at Maltay, a
small town to the northward of Nagpore, the capital
of Moodajee Bounselah, in the latitude of 21° 8' north,
and 79° 44' east longitude ; and after an increase by
many tributary streams, flows into the sea at Surat bar,
a distance of nearly five hundred miles.
We followed the serpentine course of the Tappee,
or Tapty, through a flat uninteresting country, until

ANCIENT TRADE. 147
we suddenly opened on the city of Surat, pleasantly
situated on the southern bank of the river : the old
Indian castle had a venerable aspect : the English,
Dutch, French, and Portuguese colours, waved on
their respective factories and garden-houses near the
river ; and from that distance, Surat had a better ap
pearance than on a nearer approach ; when we found
the walls and towers out of repair, the public buildings
in a ruinous state, and the streets dirty, narrow, and
irregular. The bar, or sand-bank, where the ships anchor, and
discharge their cargoes, is generally crowded with
merchant-vessels from the commercial nations in
Europe and Asia. The city exhibits a busy multitude
of Hindoos, Mahomedans, Parsees, Jews, Turks, Ar
menians, Persians, Arabians, Greeks, and other Asiatic
strangers, besides the Europeans, whose factories have
been already mentioned ; it is also frequented by mer
chants from Malacca, China, Abyssinia, Mosambique,
Madagascar, and the Comorro isles, and by numerous
traders from the sea-ports, and inland provinces of
Hindostan. In a former chapter I have particularized the trade
of Bombay ; that of Surat is very similar. Although
now one of the greatest emporiums in India, I do not
find it mentioned in the oriental commerce of the
ancients by Strabo, Arrian, or other writers on that
subject, who describe the Arabian and Egyptian trade
with Pattala, the modern Tattah, on the Indus ; Bary-
gaza, or Baroche, on the Nerbudda ; and Musiris, now
Murjee, on the Malabar coast. These Arabian vessels
imported, from Egypt and other places, woollen-cloth,
l 2

148 PRECIOUS GEMS.
brass, iron, lead, tin, glass-ware, coral, wrought-silver,
gold and silver bullion, and several kinds of wine :
and they exported spices, diamonds, sapphires, pearls,
and other gems ; with cottons, silks, pepper, and per
fumes. Dr. Robertson observes, that " the justness
of Arrian's account of the articles imported from India,
is confirmed by a Roman law, in which the Indian
commodities subject to the payment of duties are
enumerated. By comparing these two accounts, we
may form an idea, tolerably exact, of the nature and
extent of the trade with India in ancient times."
The diamonds, sapphires, and rubies of India, have
always been held in the highest estimation ; the to
pazes, amethysts, and some other gems, have perhaps
been equalled by those of America : the most celebrated
diamond mines are at Golconda, in the territory of the
Nizam ; and at Raolcondah, near Visiapoor, in the
Mahratta empire : Ceylon produces the ruby, sapphire,
topaz, and other precious stones ; especially one of
superior beauty, called the cat's-eye : the pearl fishery
of this island is very lucrative, and the pearls vie in
size and lustre with those of Ormuz : gold mines are
unknown in India ; but that valuable metal is found
in the torrents which flow from the mountains of
Thibet into the Indus and Ganges: there is no silver in
Hindostan : several places in the southern peninsula
and Ceylon, produce iron, but the natives are very
deficient in their method of smelting and manufac
turing it.
The first English ship which arrived at Surat was
the Hector, commanded by Captain William Hawkins,
in August 1608 : the Captain brought a letter from

TRADE WITH SURAT. 149
the East India Company, and another from King
James the First, to the emperor Jehangire, requesting
the intercourse of trade. At this time the Portuguese
marine predominated on the Indian seas, in so much
that they made prize of all vessels which had not taken
their pass ; and the fear of their resentment on the
ships which traded from Surat to the gulphs of Arabia
and Persia, deterred the Mogul's officers from giving
the encouragement they might wish, to the English
strangers. The Portuguese dreading the future power of the
English, and actuated by the most inveterate jealousy,
did every thing in their power to prevent the esta
blishment of an English factory at Surat : they often
attacked our vessels at sea with a great superiority, but
acquired neither riches nor glory : yet by bribery and
intrigues with the Surat government, they had for
several years sufficient influence to frustrate our trade,
and prevent a settlement. At length, in October, 1612,
a treaty was concluded by Captain Best with the
Mogul government, that an ambassador from the King
of England should reside at the imperial court ; that,
on the arrival of the Company's ships at Swally, the
anchoring ground near Surat bar, proclamation should
be made, three several days successively, in the city of
Surat, that the people of the country might freely
come and trade with the English at the water-side ;
arid settled the duties on their commodities at three
and a half per cent.
Such was the commencement of our trade with
Surat, which is situated in 21° 11' north latitude, and
72° 50' east longitude : the outer walls of the city are

150 ezekiel's description.
seven miles in circumference, with twelve gates : be
tween each gate are irregular towers, mounted with
cannon, and the walls are perforated for musquetry :
the inner town is surrounded by a similar wall, and an
equal number of gates : the streets are narrow, the
houses generally lofty, and crowded with inhabitants.
The bazars, filled with costly merchandize; pic
turesque and interesting groups of natives on elephants,
camels, horses, and mules ; strangers from all parts of
the globe, in their respective costumes ; vessels build
ing on the stocks, others navigating the river ; together
with Turks, Persians, and Armenians, on Arabian
chargers ; the European ladies in splendid carriages,
the Asiatic females in hackeries, drawn by oxen ; and
the motley appearance of the English and nabob's
troops on the fortifications, remind us of the following
description of Tyre, by the prophet Ezekiel :
" O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea,
which art a merchant of the people for many isles !
O Tyrus ! thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
All the ships of the sea were in thee to occupy thy
merchandize. Tarshisli was thy merchant, by reason of
the multitude of all kinds of riches ; with silver, iron,
tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. Javan and
Tubal, they were thy merchants ; they traded in the
persons of men, and vessels of brass. They of the
house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs, with horses,
horsemen, and mules. Syria was thy merchant for
emeralds, purple, and broidered-work, and fine linen,
and coral, and agate ; and many isles brought thee
horns of ivory, and ebony. Judah and the land of
Israel traded in thy markets with wheat of Minnith

BUILDINGS IN SURAT. 151
and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. Damascus
was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy
making, for the multitude of all riches, in the wine of
Helbon, and white wool. Dan also, and Javan, occu
pied thy fairs with iron, cassia, and calamus ; and
Dedan was thy merchant in precious cloths for chariots.
Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied
with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats ; and the
merchants of Shebnah and Raamah occupied in thy
fairs with the chief of all spices, with precious stones
and gold. Haran and Canneh were thy merchants for
blue cloths, and broidered work, in chests of rich
apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar." —
Ezekiel, ch. xxvii. v. 3, 4, 9, 24.
This is a true picture of oriental commerce in ancient
times ; and a very exact description of the port, and
bazars of Surat, at the present day.
The public buildings at Surat are few and mean : the
durbar, or nabob's palace, though extensive and con
venient, makes but a shabby appearance. The mosques
and minarets are small, without taste or elegance. The
Hindoo temples are not more conspicuous ; and the
serais, or caravansaries, much out of repair.
A sort of double government, divided between the
nabob and the East India Company, existed in the
city. The Dutch, French, and Portuguese nations
had no share in the government or police of Surat ;
but they lived in an elegant style at their town and
country houses, with handsome equipages, and suitable
attendants. The Dutch factory is the most regular
and the best-built mansion in Surat ; the Dutch Com
pany import sugar, arrack, and spices, from their set-

152 CEMETERIES and gardens.
tlements, in the eastern islands ; and export a con
siderable quantity of cotton piece-goods manufactured
here. The French trade is greatly diminished ; and
the Portuguese, who once commanded the Indian seas,
are every where on the decline : but the commerce of
the English Company and private merchants at Surat,
is very extensive.
In the English and Dutch burying-grounds, situated
without the walls, are some handsome tombs, with
domes and pillars in the style of the Mahomedan
mausoleums ; which, interspersed among shady trees,
give these cemeteries a grand and solemn appearance.
The serai, or principal caravansary, at Surat, was
much neglected : most of the eastern cities contain one
at least, for the reception of strangers ; smaller places,
called choultries, are erected by charitable persons, or
munificent princes, in forests, plains, and deserts, for
the accommodation of travellers. Near them is gene
rally a well, and a cistern for the cattle ; a Brahmin or
Fakeer often resides there to furnish the pilgrim with
food, and the few necessaries he may stand in need of.
There are many gardens between the outer and inner
walls of Surat, surrounding the villas of the nabob
and principal inhabitants ; the finest of them is called
Mahmud-a-Bhaug, where the nabob had extensive
pleasure grounds ; with small reservoirs of water, and
fountains playing near the open saloons, which pro
duced a refreshing coolness, and had a pleasing effect ;
the gardens, according to the season, were filled with
balsams, poppies, and various flowers, of an equal
height, closely planted, and so disposed as to resemble
a rich Turkey carpet : this formality seems to be the

WELLS. 153
acme of Mogul taste. The walks are shaded by cy
presses, champacas, and cocoa-nut trees ; adorned with
oleanders, myrtles, pomegranates, roses, jessamine, and
odoriferous plants peculiar to India.
The method of watering these extensive gardens,
and of drawing water for the purposes of agriculture,
in this part of India, is simple, and more efficacious
than the soft showers from a watering-pot, which
would by no means satisfy the parched and thirsty
soil. The wells at Surat are large, and deep, enclosed
with strong masonry ; a walk of an easy descent is
formed from the surface, ten or twelve feet wide, its
length corresponding with the depth of the well : on
the surface, opposite to each other, are stone pillars,
supporting an horizontal beam, from which is sus
pended a large leathern bucket, running by a strong
rope over a pulley ; to the other end of the rope is fas
tened a yoke of oxen which, as they descend the slop
ing walk, elevate the bucket containing the water ; this
is emptied into a reservoir, and from thence conducted
by the gardeners in small streams, to every tree and
shrub in the garden. Many of the wells and walks
are sufficiently large to admit of two or three pair of
oxen drawing water at a time ; and some of them are
erected for the public use by charitable individuals, at
the expense of many thousand pounds.
The haram, or women's apartment, at Mahmud-a-
Bhaug, is a distinct building, separated from the
palace by a large garden : this, from the jealousy of
the Moguls, is forbidden ground when the nabob re
sides there ; but being uninhabited, I had an opportu
nity of seeing it : all the windows look into enclosed
gardens, and have no prospect of any thing beyond

154 harams.
them. It seems calculated to furnish every pleasure
that can be expected by the unfortunate females im
mured under the Argus-eyes of duennas and eunuchs.
Baths, fountains, fruits and flowers, the European fair
ones would think a poor compensation for liberty ; the
Asiatic ladies, accustomed to this confinement, are not
discontented with their lot.
An intelligent oriental traveller, describing a scene
in the Nizam's country similar to Mahmud-a-Bhaug,
justly observes that, " although these gardens cannot
be compared to those of Europe in taste and variety,
they are peculiarly adapted to the retired pleasures of
a Mahomedan life : the principal requisites of which
are coolness, space, and secrecy ; besides that, they
hold it both grateful and healthy to live much among
the fragrance of plants and flowers ; and that pride,
jealousy, and modesty, unite in demanding perfect se
curity from all intrusion. Hence the high walls, so
inelegant in the eyes of a European, are the necessary
guardians of a Mahomedan's honour, and the safeguard
of his pleasures. Within this protection, secluded
from the world, the voluptuous Mussulman, laying
aside the grandeurs of the day, with the irritation of
mind which accompanies ambition, abandons himself
to soft repose ; and, in the stillness of a starry night,
acquires that serenity of mind which lulls the soul
into pleasing complacency ; forming a delightful con
trast to the stormy passions of an agitated day. Neg
ligently stretched upon his couch, he listens to the
melodious song, and contemplates the graceful forms
of the surrounding dancers, amid the odoriferous
smoke of incense."
These oriental gardens bear a great resemblance to

PALACE AND GARDENS. 155
those of the Phaeacian monarch, both in situation and
general effect.
" Close to the gates a spacious garden lies,
From storms defended, and inclement skies ;
Tall thriving trees confess'd the fruitful mould,
The swelling mango ripens here to gold ;
Here the blue fig with luscious juice o'erflows ;
With deeper red the full pomegranate glows ;
The branch here bends beneath the weighty pear ;
The verdant olives flourish round the year ;
The balmy spirit of the western gale
Eternal breathes on fruits untaught to fail :
The same mild season gives the blooms to blow,
The buds to harden, and the fruits to grow :
A plenteous fountain the whole prospect crown'd ;
Which through the garden leads its stream around.
Visits each plant, and waters all the ground." Homer s Odyssey.
The palace and gardens of Mahmud-a-Bhaug were
out of repair ; as the Moguls of rank are seldom at
any trouble or expense, on a place which was not
built by themselves ; they had rather be the reputed
founder of an insignificant villa, than preserve the
grandest palace erected by their ancestors. These
gardens were made by a former nabob, and called
after his name ; they cost an immense sum, and re
quired many years to complete them ; yet his succes
sor never resided there, nor prevented their decay :
while, with the iron rod of despotism, he was convert
ing a populous part of the city into a large garden,
adorned with extensive walks, groves, and fountains,
to surround a summer pavilion : the reigning nabob
dignified this favourite retreat with the appellation of
" The Gift of God ;" the suffering manufacturers,

156 baths.
driven from their quiet habitations, and shady verdant
looms, called it " The Garden of Oppression."
The baths at Mahmud-a-Bhaug had been on a
grand scale : in most of the principal houses at Surat
are private hummums, or bagnios ; which consist of
one or two small rooms, paved with marble, illuminated
by a sky-light of coloured glass, and furnished with
cisterns of hot and cold water. There are many public
hummums on a larger scale, but on the same construc
tion : where oils, perfumes, and pastes, are provided
for anointing the visiters. You first enter a vestibule,
paved and lined with marble, surrounded by benches
for the convenience of undressing : from thence you
are conducted by two men into the marble bathing
room; which contains two cisterns of hot and cold
water ; these are mingled in copper vessels, until of
the required temperature, and then poured upon the
visitor by the attendants. The operation of these
men is at first disagreeable to Europeans, especially in
the champooing ; which is a method of working or
kneading the flesh, and cracking the joints, after be
ing rubbed over with perfumed pastes. Champooing
affords delightful sensations to the Asiatics ; and many
Europeans, after being accustomed to this singular
treatment, consider it a luxury.
The Banian hospital at Surat is a most remarkable
institution ; it consists of a large plot of ground en
closed with high walls ; divided into several courts, or
wards, for the accommodation of animals : in sickness
they are watched with the tenderest care, and find a
peaceful asylum for the infirmities of age. When an
animal breaks a limb, or is otherwise disabled from
serving his master, he carries him to the hospital ; and,

THE BANIAN HOSPITAL. 157
indifferent to what nation or caste the owner may
belong, the patient is never refused admittance. If
he recovers, he cannot be reclaimed, but must remain
in the hospital for life, subject to the duty of drawing
water for those pensioners debilitated by age or disease
from procuring it for themselves. At my visit, the
hospital contained horses, mules, oxen, sheep, goats,
monkeys, poultry, pigeons, and a variety of birds ;
with an aged tortoise, who was known to have been
there for seventy-five years. The most extraordinary
ward was that appropriated to rats, mice, bugs, and
other noxious vermin : the overseers of the hospital
frequently hire beggars from the streets for a stipu
lated sum, to pass a night among the fleas, lice, and
bugs, on the express condition of suffering them to
enjoy their feast without molestation.
The Banian hospital in Surat has several dependent
endowments without the walls, for such invalids and
convalescents to whom pasturage and country air may
be recommended ; and especially for the maintenance
of the goats purchased from slaughter on the anniver
sary of the Mahomedan festival, when so many of
those animals are devoted to destruction.
The doctrine of the metempsychosis is commonly
supposed to be the cause of founding this singular
hospital ; I, however, conversed with several Brahmins
on the subject, who rather ascribed it to a motive of
benevolence for the animal creation : nor can we do
otherwise than approve of that part of the institution
appropriated for the comfort of those valuable crea
tures who have exhausted their strength in the service
of man.
The inhabitants of Surat are generally merchants or

158 MANUFACTURES.
manufacturers : after the Mahrattas conquered Guzerat,
the weavers of keemcabs, and other rich stuffs, the
embroiderers, jewellers, painters, and inlayers of
ivory, ebony, and sandal-wood, meeting with no en
couragement from the Mahratta government, emi
grated from Ahmedabad to Surat, and other flourishing
cities in the western districts of Hindostan, where
they have resumed their employments with great
success. Surat is also a considerable market for shawls, one
of the most delicate fabrics yet brought from the loom :
they are not indeed manufactured at Surat, nor in any
of the southern provinces, being chiefly the produce of
Cachemire, that " paradise of nations," where Acber,
and many of the imperial princes, retired from the
cares of government : encircled by their favourite
courtiers, and in the bosom of their family, they en
joyed in that mild climate the picturesque scenery of
the surrounding mountains, and the rural beauties
of the delicious valley, watered by the celebrated
Hydaspes, and refreshed by many other streams from
its lofty boundaries. The shawls manufactured in
Cachemire, from the delicate silky wool of a goat pe
culiar to Thibet, are an elegant article of luxury, too
well known in Europe to need a particular description :
this manufacture is not confined to Cachemire, but all
others are deemed of an inferior quality : their prime
cost is from twenty to five hundred rupees a shawl,
according to the size, texture, and pattern: some,
perhaps, may be more valuable.
The staples of Europe are disposed of by agents at
the respective factories in Surat ; but the commodities
exported to Europe from India and China far exceed

VISIT TO THE NABOB. 159
in value those imported from thence : the natives of
India, from the mildness of the climate, and fertility of
the soil, want but few foreign supplies : gold and silver
have been always carried thither by European traders.
The English commerce in Asia, and especially in
China, towards the conclusion of the eighteenth cen
tury, never could have been conducted on such an ex
tensive scale, had it not been for the inexhaustible
mines of South America : their precious metals have,
by various channels, been conveyed to the east, from
whence they never return : it is singular, that the dis
covery of the new world by Columbus, from whence
proceeds this influx of gold and silver to Europe, was
nearly at the same period when Vasco de Gama opened
the trade to India by the Cape of Good Hope-
Having accompanied the English chief on a public
visit to the nabob of Surat, I will endeavour to describe
the court etiquette at an oriental durbar. The chief
went in state, attended by the members of council,
aides-de-camp, and other officers, preceded by a de
tachment of European infantry, the British colours,
and other insignia appropriate to his station. The
castle guns fired a royal salute : and on approaching
the Durbar, the nabob's troops were ready to receive us.
The naib, or vizier, with the nabob's brother, met the
chief in the inner court, and conducted him to the
hall of audience, where he was seated on the nabob's
right-hand ; the other gentlemen, in chairs, according
to their respective stations. On his left were the naib,
the nabob's sons, brother, and officers of state. After
a complimentary discourse, and a few political ques
tions, we were served with coffee, in small porcelain
cups, placed in silver saucers, and soon after with

160 A PROCESSION.
glasses of perfumed sherbet : the nabob then presented
the chief with an Arabian horse, a diamond ring, and
several pieces of gold and silver keemcab : his attend
ants brought to each of the gentlemen a present of
shawls, keemcab, or muslin, suited to their rank ; the
ceremony concluded by presenting pawn, or betel-nut,
folded up in a leaf of betel, with chunam, and spices,
fastened by a clove : this is the usual indication of the
visit being terminated. The nabob attended his guests
to the bottom of the steps leading from the durbar to
the area, and at parting took each by the hand ; his
eldest son and brother accompanied us to the outward
gate, and took leave in the same manner.
The termination of the monthly fast of Ramadan,
one of the strictest ordinances in the Mahomedan re
ligion, afforded me an opportunity of seeing the nabob
go in state to the jumai musjod, or principal mosque :
a ceremony he always performs on the appearance of
the new moon after the Ramadan ; in which month
the Mussulmans believe the Koran was sent from
heaven, and observe the fast with great austerity.
The procession left the durbar at nine o'clock in the
morning, led by the cajee, a venerable Mahomedan
priest, followed by a train of artillery, with two flags
on each gun-carriage : an officer bearing the sacred
standard of green silk, embroidered with gold, and
mounted on an elephant, surrounded by young men
with small banners, formed the first division. Then
came a detachment of Mogul infantry, with a band of
martial music, preceding the scidees, or Mahomedan
caffrees, favourite slaves and chief officers of the nabob,
mounted on excellent horses, richly caparisoned : the
scidees are generally natives of Abyssinia, adopted into

MAGNIFICENT CAVALCADE. 161
the family of the rich Moguls, and often married to their
daughters. After them came a company of English
troops, followed by an*elephant, and camels carrying
kettle-drums and musicians, with others on horseback :
these were succeeded by an English gentleman of the
council at Surat, in a state palankeen, representing the
East India Company, as governor of the castle, and
admiral of the Mogul's fleet : the nabob's empty pa
lankeen and carriages went before his twro sons,
mounted on Arabian chargers, immediately preceding
the elephant on which his highness was enthroned in
a splendid houdah, with his principal attendant in a
separate apartment behind ; the nabob was richly
dressed, and his turban adorned with jewels : the cover
ing of the houdah and caparison of the elephant, were
scarlet and gold. The buxey, or general of the army,
at the head of a select body, closed the procession.
This magnificent cavalcade only occurring once a
year, was very gratifying to a stranger ; but I was still
more delighted with the company I accidentally met
on the occasion. A friend procured me a projecting
window in one of the principal streets to view the
spectacle ; where I was soon accosted by an old
duenna, to desire I would either turn my back, or
walk down stairs, while some Mogul ladies passed
through the room in their way to an adjoining latticed
chamber : knowing the necessity of obedience, I pre
ferred looking out of the window, and kept my station :
but at the sound of footsteps I was tempted to peep
behind me ; when I only beheld the careful matron
holding up a thick veil, to screen her charge : a similar
curiosity to see an English stranger brought them to
the lattice ; fortunately, one of the party had known
VOL. I. M

162 A MOGUL BEAUTY.
me before, which induced her to break through an
established custom, and pay me a visit, accompanied
by one of the greatest beauties I ever beheld : her age
did not exceed fifteen ; her form was perfect, her fea
tures regular, and her large antelope eyes of brilliant
lustre : although fairer than the generality of Indian
females, neither the rose nor the lily adorned her com
plexion, yet the brunette tint rather enriched than im
paired the softness and delicacy of her skin ; " grace
was in all her steps," and her whole deportment elegant
and courteous.
This young beauty excelled in personal charms, but
was not so superbly attired as her friend, whom I has
tily sketched, as a specimen of a well-dressed Mogul.
Her drawers, of green satin flowered with gold, were
seen under a chemise of transparent gauze, reaching to
her slippers, richly embroidered : a vest of pale blue
satin, edged with gold, sat close to her shape, which
an upper robe of striped silver muslin, full and
flowing, displayed to great advantage : a netted veil
of crimson silk, flowered with silver, fell carelessly
over her long braided hair, combed smooth, and
divided from the forehead, where a cluster of jewels
was fastened by strings of seed-pearl : her ear-rings
were large and handsome, that in her nose, according
to our idea of ornament, less becoming : the Asiatic
ladies are extremely fond of the nose-jewel, and it is
mentioned among the Jewish trinkets in the old tes
tament ; a necklace in intermingled rows of pearls and
gold covered her bosom, and several strings of large
pearls were suspended from an embroidered girdle set
with diamonds : bracelets of gold and coral reached
from her wrist to the elbow, golden chains encircled

ORIENTAL COSTUME. 163
her ancles, and all her toes and fingers were adorned
with valuable rings. Like most of the oriental fe
males, of all religions, her eyes were tinged by a black
circle, formed with the powder of antimony; which
produces a refreshing coolness, gives the eye additional
lustre, and is thought to be a general improvement to
Asiatic beauty.
The slippers, girdle, and other parts of the Mogul
dress, of both sexes, are embroidered with gold, silver,
and coloured silks, upon velvet, satin, or scarlet cloth :
the jamais often richly embroidered; this is the name
of the muslin robe, worn by Hindoos and Mahomedans,
which falls in full folds from the waist to the feet ; the
upper part is made to fit the body, and crossing over
the bosom, is tied on the left side by the Hindoos, and
by the Mahomedans on the right. The veil is an ele
gant part of the female dress ; and has been so esteemed,
from the time of Rebekah to the present day : Homer
frequently mentions it as an ornament of Grecian and
Trojan beauty :
" A veil translucent, o'er her brows display'd,
Her beauty seems, and only seems, to shade."
We were acquainted with a young Persian, a tem
porary resident at Baroche, who one day brought his
wife to our garden-house on a visit to my sister, which
seemed productive of much novelty and pleasure to
both parties : on taking leave they mutually exchanged
presents ; the Persian lady presented my sister with a
veil of purple silk-net, embroidered with silver, such
as the Moguls wear either to cover the face, or to
throw back as an ornament.
The art of embroidery is of great antiquity, as we
m 2

164 ORIENTAL WOMEN.
learn from sacred and profane history : the dress of
the princes and nobles in Homer's time resembled the
jama, girdle, and kincob drawers flowered with gold
and silver, now worn by the Moguls.
Such is the analogy between ancient and modern
Usages in the oriental world ; where things are much
less liable to change than in Europe, especially among
the females, whose manners and customs keep them
in a secluded state : yet the higher classes enjoy va
rious pleasures in the haram ; and many of them con
firm Lady Wortley Montague's account of the ladies
in Turkey, " where no woman, of what rank soever,
is permitted to go into the streets without two mur-
lins, one that covers her face, all but her eyes ; and
another, that hides the whole dress of her head, and
hangs half way down her back : their shapes are also
wholly concealed by a thing called afeugee, which so
effectually disguises them, that there is no distinguish
ing the lady from her slave : it is impossible for the
most jealous husband to know his wife when he meets
her ; and no man dare touch or follow a woman in
the street. The great ladies seldom let their gallants
know who they are, and it is so difficult to find out,
that they can very seldom guess at her name, whom
they have corresponded with for half a year together."
Nor must we suppose, because neither the Hindoo
nor Mahomedan women are allowed to eat with the
men, either at public festivals or family meals, that
they are abstemious in the haram ; on the contrary
they have very expensive entertainments in their own
apartments : thus it was among the Greeks and Per
sians ; when Ahasuerus king of Persia made a royal
banquet for his nobles, Vashti the queen gave a feast

ANECDOTE. 165
to the women in the royal house. Maillet, the French
consul at Cairo, was invited to a magnificent enter
tainment given by the Basha on the circumcision of
his son, at which all the great men in that part of
Egypt were present ; at the same time the expense in
.the ladies' apartments amounted to nearly as much as
the public festival ; " there being the same liberalities,
the same pleasures, the same abundance, that appeared
out of the haram."
The despotism and avarice of the Indian sovereigns
generally prevent their subjects from making that dis
play of fortune, which wealth and situation authorize
in other countries ; consequently, within decayed pa
laces, ruinous courts, and closed gates, in modern
oriental cities, it is not uncommon to find a house and
garden fitted up in good style : this contrast was fre
quent among the Nabob's subjects in Surat ; those
who had claimed the English protection better enjoyed
the gifts of fortune.
During my visit at that city, a young gentleman
conversant in the Persian language, had an opportu
nity of rendering an essential service to a Mogul
widow of distinction ; who, in consequence of some
deeds falsely translated, and misrepresented by the
Mahomedan lawyers, was involved in a long series of
trouble and expense: from the humane impulse of
rescuing a respectable family from such chicanery, he
interested himself in the cause, revealed the truth, and
reinstated the lady in her fortune. Not having seen
her generous benefactor during the whole transaction,
and desirous of acknowledging the obligation, she re
quested an interview.
The young Englishman was conducted to a ruined

166 ANECDOTE.
edifice in a solitary part of the outer city, which ap
peared to have been an appendage to some magnificent
mansion : passing through the portal and dark nar
row passages common in eastern houses, he entered a
spacious court, adorned with fountains, shaded by ta
marind trees, and double tuberoses, the pride of
Surat gardens ; this led to an open pavilion sur
rounded by a veranda, and overlooking a further gar
den in a similar taste, terminated by a hall elegantly
furnished with mirrors, carpets, and Persian paintings ;
above were the family apartments. Here my friend
was served with sherbet, fruit, flowers, and a hooka.
The. attendants withdrew on the approach of their
lady, richly dressed and closely veiled; she entered
with a graceful dignity; from the overflowing of a
grateful heart commenced an interesting conversation
and presenting him with ottah of roses, and a valuable
jewel, seemed hurt at his refusal. Young and thought
less, he made a transition from the brilliant gem, to
her antelope eyes, sparkling through the veil; and,
from a momentary impulse, requested he might be
hold a countenance irradiated by her superior mind :
unwilling to deny the only favour he seemed inclined
to accept, she withdrew her veil, and displayed a face
still decked with youthful bloom, delicate features,
and fine expression : in this singular situation the
enamoured Englishman began a subject not easy to
mistake, in the warm strains of the Persian and Ara
bian poets ; to which she at first vouchsafed a smile :
but assuming a dignified air, and impressive language,
she assured him that the deep sense of her obligation
had alone induced her to deviate from established cus
tom, in requesting this interview ; but a sense of her

ANECDOTE. 167
own honour, veneration to her husband's memory, and
maternal example to her children, would ever regulate
her conduct ; that he might not, however, think her
ungrateful, she' appointed another meeting the next
evening. Encouraged by so flattering an invitation, the
amorous youth repaired to the pavilion, found every
thing in the same style of elegance and hospitality,
and in the further saloon was received by a lady,
whom he accosted as the mistress of the house ; until,
throwing off her veil, he discovered a beautiful Mogul,
young, witty, and elegant, who entertained him at the
pavilion, while the widow and her children were visit
ing at a distant villa. He never afterwards discovered
his lovely incognita, nor could he, consistent with pro
priety, continue his visits in a Mogul family.
We must not too hastily condemn this grateful Ma
homedan, nor judge her conduct by the decorum of
female manners in England, or the purity of the
Christian religion : her education had been different,
and the oriental standard of propriety is more relaxed
than our own ; on the present occasion gratitude pre
dominated over every other consideration.
In the vicinity of so populous and opulent a city as
Surat, the country is highly cultivated, and a fertile
soil amply repays the farmer ; the fields, generally en
closed, and the hedges planted with mango and tama
rind trees, produce wheat, rice, juaree, bahjeree, and
other Indian grains ; luxuriantly diversified by crops
of cotton, hemp, tobacco, plants for dying, and a va
riety of seeds for expressing lamp oil ; particularly the
erindah, or palma-christi, which is also much esteemed
for medicinal virtues. The wheat-fields afforded me

168 AGRICULTURE.
great delight ; they were the first I had seen since my
departure from England, and the harvest had begun :
the corn is trodden out by oxen, walking over the
ears, as described by Homer,
" Where round and round, with never-varied pain,
The trampling steers beat out th' unnumber'd grain."
The gardens produce cabbages, cauliflowers, pease?
french-beans, artichokes, asparagus, potatoes, carrots;
turnips, lettuce, and salads, in abundance and perfec
tion ; besides a variety of indigenous roots and vege
tables. Among other useful productions is a vegeta
ble soap, called omlah ; the nuts grow in clusters on
a wild tree, and the kernels, when made into a paste,
are preferred to common soap for washing shawls, silk,
and embroidery ; it lathers in salt water, and on that
account is valuable at sea, where common soap is of
little use ; retah, another vegetable soap, in the vici
nity of Surat, has the same property.
The wood-apple, a fruit unknown at Bombay, grows
on a large tree, in perpetual verdure ; and, like many
in the torrid zone, is covered at the same time with
blossoms and ripe fruit ; the apple is circular, heavy,
and the size of an orange, hanging perpendicularly at
the extremity of long slender branches, bending with
their weight ; which gives the tree a beautiful appear
ance: the fruit smells like a mellow apple, but on
breaking the wooden shell, we find an acid pulp, full
of seeds, eaten only by the poorer natives. Under the
shades of these trees, and of the banian and tamarind
groves, the weavers every morning fix their looms, and
remove them in the evening: they are constructed
with the greatest simplicity ; it is astonishing how

BIRDS. — WILD BEASTS. 169
few materials are required to fabricate the most deli
cate muslins.
The lanes near Surat afford delightful rides ; the
eye wanders over extensive scenes of cultivation, vil
lages, farms, and lakes, embellished by the nymphea
in every pleasing variety: the lakes abound with
water-fowl ; the fields are enlivened by partridges,
quails, and green pigeons ; and the mango groves
filled with monkeys, squirrels, and peacocks. Parrots,
larks, doves, amadavads, toohties, and bulbuls, enliven
the walks ; but gay plumage generally, supersedes me
lody in the Asiatic birds ; the amadavads are very
small, beautifully arrayed in scarlet, yellow, brown,
and white ; I have seen a hundred together in a cage,
but never two of them marked alike, and one only
sings at a time, in a low simple note. The toohtee, a
pretty bird, is so called from a monotonous repetition
of its own name, like the cuckoo in England.
The surrounding plains abound with deer, antelopes,
hares, and feathered game : the eastern hills, wild and
woody, are infested by tigers, leopards, hyenas, wolves,
and other ferocious animals, whom hunger impels to
commit depredations in cultivated tracts near the city.
The principal Moguls at Surat keep them in mena
geries ; particularly the leopard cheeta, and syah gush,
which afford them much diversion in hunting ante
lopes. The tiger, leopard, and hyena are well known in
Europe, and therefore need no minute description ;
the largest hyena I ever saw was in the nabob's me
nagerie ; his head resembled that of a wolf, but more
fierce and ugly : the body partook of the wolf and
hog, covered by long bristly hair, of a dusky gray

170 CHEETA-HUNT.
colour, confusedly striped with black. The hyena is
said to be the most savage and ferocious of quadru
peds ; when enraged its aspect is hideous. Jackalls
abound in the country round Surat, and hunt in large
packs. The panther, leopard, and cheeta, are of the
same genus as the royal tiger, but smaller ; and differ
in having the skin spotted instead of striped : these
spots vary in each species ;' in the panther and leopard
several small black spots encircle a mark of bright
orange colour, on a field of paler hue ; the cheeta,
felis jubata, is distinguished by black spots only, on a
yellowish brown.
In my original letter from Surat, in the year 1772,
I had written an account of the cheeta-hunt ; but the
friend to whom I am indebted for many interesting
occurrences in this publication, favoured me with the
following extract from his journal at Cambay ; which,
from a keen sportsman, is more accurate and entertain
ing than any thing I can offer.
" The diversion of hunting with the cheeta is much
admired and pursued by the princes and chieftains of
Hindostan, both Mahomedans and Hindoos, excepting
Brahmins. The cheeta, though of the leopard species,
differs from it materially, although confounded with
that animal by Buffon, and other naturalists. In
height the cheeta considerably exceeds the leopard,
and greatly excels it in form and beauty. Its head is
smaller in proportion; its eyes are brown or hazel,
without an appearance of vide ; its spots are black and
solid, not in circles ; its body is long, loins slender,
chest deep, legs straight and taper, and its paws not
larger than those of a common-sized dog ; its tail is
long and gracefully turned. The cheeta is as much

CHEETA-HUNT. 171
superior to the leopard in the docility and generosity of
its nature, as in the elegance of its shape.
" The cheeta is a native of many parts of Hindostan,
but those of Guzerat are most esteemed; two of them
were caught for and sent to me as a present, by a chief
of that province. They were brought to me soon
after they were caught, which was effected by digging
deep pits, and covering them over with boughs, near the
places they frequented, which are easily discovered by
certain trees, against which they are very fond of
rubbing themselves. If they are caught young, and
brought up by hand, they prove good for nothing, and
lose that degree of activity and fierceness, which cha
racterize those procured after having provided prey for
themselves in a wild state.
" One of those cheetas was broke in after he came
to me, and was in the space of twelve months as fa
miliar as a dog, and would follow his keeper loose
through the streets of Cambay ; though, from the
apprehension of his killing goats and other tame
animals, he was generally led by a chain : his common
allowance of food is five seir, or something more than
four pounds of solid mutton every day, except that
preceding the day on which he hunts, when he is kept
from food.
" I shall now describe the method of hunting with
this animal : a reynkla, or Indian carriage, called by
the English a hackery, as introduced into the drawing,
is attached to the cheeta ; on this cart, which is drawn
by oxen, he leaps from custom without hesitation:
he is then hooded, and his keeper, sitting by him,
secures him by a string through his collar on the neck ;

172 CHEETA-HUNT.
in this manner he is conveyed to the scene of action,
having a belt round his loins, the use of which will be
hereafter explained.
"Antelopes are very common in the northern parts
of Guezerat, and there is seldom any doubt of sport :
when the game is descried, the sportsmen generally
leave their horses and attendants, and get on hackeries,
or country carts, like that of the cheeta, as being less
likely to alarm the antelopes ; all the followers on foot
likewise keep close behind the hackeries ; for, ex
clusive of the circumstance of frightening the game,
the cheeta himself is apt to be alarmed, when carried
out to a hunt, by a crowd, which he might disregard in
the town ; and so strongly has instinct implanted in
him the fear of man, and the consciousness of his being
obnoxious to him, that should a person appear at a
distance in a line with the game, he will scarce ever
run ; but it should be remarked, that the introduction
of the horses and attendants is only a favour allowable
after the game is killed.
"Every sportsman being thus mounted on his vehicle,
they proceed in pursuit of the antelopes, and the
subsequent manoeuvres depend upon the nature of the
country ; if it is woody, the cheeta may be unhooded
at any distance ; for the astonishing sagacity of the
animal curbing his impulse to run, on first getting
sight, he leaps carefully off the cart, and creeps on with
the greatest cunning from bush to bush, narrowly ob
serving the game, and most artfully avoiding discovery.
If by these means he can get within the distance of
about seventy yards, he rushes forth at full speed, and
seldom misses. This method is by far the most enter-

CHEETA-HUNT. 173
taining, as it discovers the animal in every point of
view, and shows the extent and turn of his force and
genius. " If the cheeta finds that he cannot proceed un
discovered, or if he perceives the game to be alarmed,
he crouches, and lies close to the ground; thus posted
the hackeries take a circuit, leaving the cheeta, and
getting on the other side of the antelopes ; and then,
edging down, urge them towards the ambuscade, which
if they pass within the distance of seventy or eighty
yards, there is every reason to expect success.
" A third method is in a bare and open country,
where we are frequently obliged to follow the game
sometime before we can get within distance ; in which
case the huntsman studiously avoids getting to wind
ward ; and endeavours by traversing to force the ante
lopes to run across him, at which time the cheeta is
most likely to follow them ; for, although he may be
previously within distance, he generally hesitates, even
when unhooded, to quit his cart, if the game is stand
ing still, or looking towards him when he has no
cover to conceal himself, But sometimes, with every
advantage of distance, the cheeta w7ill not run, and in
this respect, so trying to an eager sportsman, he is
very inferior to the dog, who never fails to do his
utmost. When the cheeta resolves to exert himself, his
velocity is astonishing ; for although the antelope is
esteemed the swiftest species of the deer, and the course
generally begins at the distance of seventy or eighty
yards, yet the game is usually caught, or else makes
his escape, within the space of three or four hundred
yards, the cheeta seldom running a greater distance,
and in that I have measured repeated strokes of seven

174 CHEETA-HUNT.
paces. On coming up with the game, especially if a
doe or a fawn, it is difficult to describe the celerity
with which it overthrows its prey. But the attack of
an old buck is a more arduous task ; his great strength
sometimes enables him to make a hard struggle,
though seldom with success ; for, although , I have
known a buck to get loose two or three times, yet I
never saw one escape after having been fairly seized.
" The cheeta, on overtaking the deer, by a most
powerful and dextrous use of its paw, overthrows it,
and in the same instant seizes it by the throat ; when,
if it is young, or a doe, as already observed, it does
not quit its hold until he finds the respiration cease ;
but if it is a buck, whose neck is very thick and power
ful, he is obliged to be more cautious, and to avoid in
the struggle not only a blow from the horns, which
from the mere convulsive motion of terror and agony,
might be very dangerous ; but from the hoofs, whose
sharpness renders them equally so : the artful care
with which he avoids these weapons is truly astonish
ing: the deer thus seized by the throat, loses all
capacity of struggling, and in the interim the cheeta-
keeper comes up, and instantly cuts the throat of the
antelope, it being an abomination among the Ma
homedans, as with the Jews, to eat an animal killed in
any way but with the knife. The cheeta finding the
animal dead, would commence the work of laceration,
which he generally begins between the hinder legs,
but is prevented by his keeper, who either catches the
blood from his throat in a ladle kept for that purpose,
and presents it to him to lap, or nimbly cuts off the
last joint of the leg, and putting it into his mouth, he
leaves him employed with it, and quickly carries off

CHEETA-HUNT. 175
the game, to secure it behind the hackery. The cheeta
having amused himself with his ladle or bone, his
keeper leads him to the cart, which he ascends with
out taking any further notice of the game, though tied
close under his nose.
" This is the mode generally practised when we
intend to pursue our sport ; and I have killed four
antelopes in one morning : but when it is the intention
to proceed no further, the cheeta has a handsome share
of the deer last killed. It sometimes happens that the
cheeta is thrown out, and misses his prey ; he then
lies down, and the keeper drives the hackery to him :
disappointment sometimes sours his temper, and he
shews signs of anger, but I never saw them attended
with any danger. The keeper, after soothing him a
little, takes him by the collars round his neck and
waist, and conducts him to the cart, on which he
readily leaps. I have heard of accidents happening on
these occasions, but I never saw one, or a likelihood
of one, though I always made a point of being near
the animal, both after seizing and missing.
" One of my cheetas having frequently disappointed
me by refusing to run, I resolved to keep him without
food until he killed for himself; but although I had
him out every day in sight of game, he forced me to
keep my resolution until the eighth day ; when he ran
with surprizing velocity, and killed a black buck;
though he had not ate any thing during the whole
time." The Moguls train another beast for antelope-
hunting, called the syah-gush, or black-ears ; which
appears to be the same as the caracal, or Persian lynx,
felis caracal. The syah-gush resembles the lynx, but

176 PULPARRA.
is smaller, and less fierce ; with a more pointed head,
and remarkably long ears, tufted with black, its general
colour is a reddish brown ; in the chace it affords
much amusement, and is employed in the pursuit of
herons, cullums, cranes, and large birds.
Porcupines are met with in most parts of Hindostan ;
they are generally about two feet long, and one in
height, in appearance resembling the hedgehog ; except
that the prickles of the latter are on the porcupine
hard pointed quills, which cover the whole body in
different lengths, from one to fifteen inches ; the
porcupines are very destructive in gardens ; they select
the nicest fruit within their reach, and will pass over
beds of common vegetables, to devour the lettuce,
cucumber, French-beans, and other delicacies: when
roasted, their flesh has the appearance and flavour of
pork : I have frequently dined on this animal, as
also on the small land-tortoise : both very common in
Guzerat. My walks from Surat were often directed to the
village of Pulparra, pleasantly situated on the banks of
the Tappee, and famous for its seminaries of Brahmins :
the drooping branches of the banian trees, planted on
the steep banks, overshadow the steps leading to the
sacred stream, for the convenience of ablutions, and
spread a solemn gloom around the Hindoo temples
and altars, which abound in this spot. Pulparra is
esteemed peculiarly holy; it is the general resort of
recluse Brahmins, and gymnosophists of various de
scriptions : there also, at stated seasons, the other
tribes of Hindoos repair to bathe, and offer their
flowery sacrifices : the sacred edifices and groves are
strewed with the champa, mogree, and nymphea ; and

HINDOO DEVOTEES. 177
the cottages and arbours of the Yogees and Senasses
are crowded with visitors to behold the austerites of
these devotees ; who, forgetting they were created,
for active and useful life, endued with a capacity to
improve their talents, and enjoy rational pleasures,
consume their days in stupid indolence : or inflict on
themselves severe penance and cruel torture, in hopes
of rendering themselves acceptable to their deities,
in a state of ignorance or forgetfulness of that Being
whose tender mercies are over all his works.
The bodies of the deceased Hindoos are burnt at
Pulparra, and their ashes scattered over this sacred
part of the river : here also their widows frequently
immolate themselves on the funeral pile of their
husbands. Herodotus mentions a similar practice
among the Crestonians : where " each person had
several wives ; and on the decease of the husband, a
great contest ensued to determine which of them had
been best beloved : she, to whom that honour was
ascribed, was gaudily dressed, and then sacrificed, by
her nearest relation, on the tomb of her husband, with
whom she was afetrwards buried : not to be elected
was deemed an affliction by the surviving wives, and
was imputed to them as a disgrace." This idea cer
tainly prevails among the Hindoos ; the memory of
the wife who burns herself is venerated ; the widow
who survives her husband is condemned to a sort of
domestic slavery. No immolation of a Hindoo widow
took place during my residence at Surat ; nor was I
ever an eye-witness of this extraordinary sacrifice. I
have heard many relations, and read several authentic
manuscripts of. the interesting scene ; but none more
satisfactory than the following letter from one of
VOL. I. N

178 A SUTTEE.
my medical friends, who saw a young Brahmin go
through the dreadful ordeal, and thus feelingly de
scribes it.
" I was hastily summoned by a Brahmin friend
yesterday, about five in the evening, to be a spectator
of this dreadful ceremony. Soon after my conductor
and myself had quitted the house, we were informed
that the suttee (the name given to these female
victims), had passed by ; and we soon traced her route
by the gulol, or rose-coloured powder, she had thrown
around her, and the betel-leaf, which, as is usual on
these occasions, she had scattered.
" She had reached that part of the river set apart
for religious ablutions, before we arrived, and, having
performed her last ceremony of this kind, was sitting
on the margin of the stream : over her was held an
aftabgheer, or state umbrella ; an attendant fanned
her with a waving veil, and she was surrounded by her
relations, friends, and select Brahmins, the populace
being kept aloof by a guard from the government. In
this situation she distributed two thousand rupees
among the Brahmins, and the jewels with which
she was decorated to her friends, reserving only the
nose-ring, called bulawk, and the bracelets on her
wrists. " My position prevented my seeing more of her
than her hands, the palms of which being joined,
they were uplifted in an attitude of invocation : quitt
ing therefore this place, I removed to an eminence,
which gave me an opportunity of observing the con
struction of the funeral pile, and commanding the
path-way by which I understood she would approach
it : the spot chosen for its erection was about forty

A SUTTEE. 179
yards from the river, directly in front of her as she
sat: when I came up, the frame alone was raised;
it consisted of four uprights, each about ten feet
high. Its length was about nine, and the breadth
of it under six ; from near the top of the uprights
was suspended, by ropes, a roof of slender rafters
laid lengthwise, parallel with each other ; on this were
soon placed as many billets as it seemed capable of
bearing, while beneath, a pile was raised of more sub
stantial timbers to the height of four feet ; this again
was covered over with bundles of the straw called cur-
wee, and bushes of dry tulsee, one of the sacred plants
of the Hindoos ; the sides and one end being then
closed up with the same materials, the other end was
left open, and formed an entrance.
" The dismal tenement being thus completed, soon
after the widow rose and came forward, walking
amidst her friends without support : she approached
the door, and there having paid some further devo
tions for the occasion, retired a few paces, and sat en
circled as before.
" The dead body was now brought from the water
side, where it had hitherto lain, and deposited within
the hollow of the pile ; several sweet-meats were put
in after it, and a large paper bag, containing either
flower or the dust of sandal-wood. The widow rising,
walked three times slowly round the pile"; when, seat
ing herself on a small square stone, placed opposite
the entrance, she accepted and returned the endear
ments of her friends with great serenity : this done,
she again stood up, and having stroked her right
hand in an affectionate manner over the heads of her
dearest relations and intimate friends, with a gentle
n 2

180 A SUTTEE.
inclination of her person towards them, she let her
arm fall rou'iid their necks in a faint embrace, and
turned from them. Now, with her hands indeed
raised to heaven, but her eyes cast, in a glare of ab
straction, deep into that cave of anguish which waked
her, she stood awhile a piteous statue! — good God,
have mercy on her ! At length, without altering a
feature, or the least agitation of her frame, she
ascended the threshold unassisted, and entering the
cave, lay down on the right side of her husband's
corpse ; yielding her tender body, in the full meridian
of its youth and beauty, a victim to a barbarous and
cruelly consecrated error of deluded faith !
" As soon as the victim entered, she was shut from
our view by several bundles of straw, with which the
aperture was closed ; and all the actors in this tragic
scene seemed to vie with each other who should be
most forward in hurrying it to a conclusion. In the
same instant the air was darkened by a cloud of gulol;
the cords being cut which sustained the roof, it imme
diately fell to crush the limbs of the yet living sacri
fice ; the dreadful flame was communicated to the pile
in a variety of parts ; and the loud clamour of the
trumpets assailed the ear from every quarter ! when
the conflagration became general, and not till then,
the pyre was fed for a time with a large quantity of
ghee, or clarified butter, thrown by the nearest of kin;
but no combustible whatever was used in preparing
the wood, of which the pile was composed.
" It is said to be a custom, that as the victim ascends
the pile, she is furnished with a lighted taper : I heard
some Brahmins assert that it was the case in this in
stance; but I traced the whole progress of the cere-,

A SUTTEE. 181
monial with so close and eager an attention, that I
think I may safely contradict them. Before I left the
place, a guard was posted over the pyre, to remain
until the fire went out, that no accident might befal
the bones of the sacrifice, some of which are always
collected by the relations, and sent to Benares ; where
they are either preserved as sacred relics, or made an
offering to the holy stream of Gunga.
" The subject of this shocking, though by no means
uncommon immolation, was Toolsebhai, the wife of
Ragobah Tantea, a young man of thirty years of age,
nephew to Junabhy Daddah, a person of distinction, and
Amul of Pooiiah. Toolsebhai was about twenty years of
age ; her stature above the middle standard, her form
elegant, her features interesting and expressive, and
her eyes particularly large, full, and commanding:
at the solemn moment in which I saw her, these
beauties were eminently conspicuous ; notwithstand
ing her skin was then discoloured with turmeric, her
hair dishevelled, and wildly ornamented with flowers,
and her looks like those of one whose senses
wandered ; or, to come nearer the impression, whose
soul was already fleeting, and in a state of half-separa
tion from the body.
" A beautiful little girl, not more than four years old,
the fruit of their union, survives her parents, thus early
removed into another state of existence."
Such is the simple account of this ceremony by a
man of feeling ; many relations are published, more
highly coloured. The most extraordinary and affecting
spectacle of this kind is related by Bernier, a cele
brated French traveller in the seventeenth century,
who resided many years, as physician, at the court of

182 A SUTTEE.
Aurungzebe. During a journey from Ahmedabad to
Agra, he witnessed a shocking tragedy which roused
all the feelings of his benevolent heart, nor has he sup
pressed a manly indignation in the recital. A young
Hindoo widow, attended by five females, surrounded
by Brahmins, was advancing towards the funeral pile of
her husband : when the usual ceremonies were over,
he beheld the young and beautiful victim kindle the
combustible altar on which she had placed herself near
her husband's corpse : the flames were increased by the
oil of sandal, poured in by the ministering priests :
and when the pyre burnt furiously, the five infatuated
attendants rushed into the midst of the fire, and
shared the fate of their mistress. The amiable Bernier,
indignant at this horrid spectacle, passionately ex
claims against a religion which could permit such
a sacrifice, and still more so against " les demons de
Brahmens," who not only encouraged these deluded
females, but were the most active persons throughout
the infernal tragedy.
Religious prejudices are very powerful, but how
they can thus destroy the feelings of humanity, is
rather paradoxical : the cruelties of"the inquisition and
other mis-named Christian tribunals proceed from a
different cause : they were originally actuated by the
spirit of Christianity; although bigotry may have
strangely perverted its benevolent influence. In the
sacrifice of a Hindoo widow, (and some thousands are
annually sacrificed,) Religion herself inculcates the hor
rid deed ; the laws of Menu approve it ; and the
priests of Brahma, who affect to shudder at the death
of an insect, assist at the destruction of this most
lovely part of the creation.

HINDOO DEVOTION. 183
Although mingled with other sensations, it is pleas
ing to see the inhabitants of Pulparra, and most other
towns and villages on the banks of the Tappee, Nar-
budda, and principal rivers of Hindostan, repair to the
water to perform their devotions ; no morning dawns,
no evening closes without this pious ceremony. That
the Hindoos worship the Ganges there is, I believe, no
doubt, because a peculiar sanctity is annexed to its
stream : in an inferior degree they seem to venerate
other rivers ; and generally enter them twice a-day,
not only to perform their devotions, but to purify their
bodies, and wash their garments : both sexes assemble
for the same purpose, and shift their clothes in the
water, without the least idea of infringing the laws of
decency. After performing their religious ablutions, the
Hindoos receive on their forehead the mark either of
Visnoo or Siva ; this mark, affixed by a Brahmin,
varies in form and colour, according to the sect they
profess ; the one being horizontal, the other perpen
dicular : it is made from a composition of sandal-wood,
turmeric, and cow- dung ; the latter is deemed pecu
liarly sacred. The mark on the forehead is frequently
alluded to» in the Sacred Scriptures, as characteristic of
the righteous and the wicked : we read of those who
had the mark of the beast ; and of those blessed and
happy beings, who were admitted to the pure river of
the water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb, whose name was written on their
foreheads ; and who had not received the mark of the
beast upon their foreheads, nor on their hands. This
is a holy ceremony which has been adopted in all ages
by the eastern nations, however differing in religious

184 SACRED GROVES.
professions. Among the Hindoos of both sexes, and
all descriptions, among the castes permitted to attend
the temple worship, it is daily practised. To the Jews
it was well known, as also to the Mahomedans.
The sacred groves of Pulparra, are the general re
sort for all the Yogees, Senassees, and Hindoo pil
grims who visit Surat, from the most remote regions
of Hindostan ; the whole district is holy, and the
Tappee in that part has a more than common sanc
tity: all ablutions in a river are thought to be more
efficacious than an immersion in stagnant water ; the
Levitical law enjoined the leper to bathe in the run
ning stream ; the Hindoos annex to it a greater de
gree of purity than in any tank at their temples.
These devotees are great travellers ; they wander,
either collectively or individually, from the confines
of Russia to Cape Comorin ; and from the borders
of China to Malabar-hill on the island of Bombay,
where there is a fane of much celebrity. Plutarch
mentions one of them, named Calanus, who followed
Alexander from India : being seized with a dysen
tery at Pasagardus, he prepared his own funeral
pile ; and, after performing some religious cere
monies, laid himself on it with great composure,
until burnt to death. Diodorus describes the immo
lation of an Indian widow two thousand years ago,
in the army of Eumenes, who burnt herself on the
funeral pile of her husband, in the manner I have
just related.

SAIL FROM BOMBAY. 185

CHAPTER XI.
Voyage from Bombay to Anjengo — Geographical Division of the
Malabar Coast — Goa — Monkish Convents — Commerce — Por
tugueze Domination — Carwar — Mirzee and Barcelore, the an
cient Musiris and Barace — Fortified Island — Onore — Malabar
Frontier — Mangulore — Gigantic Statue at Kurkul — Cannanore
— Tellicherry — Cardamom — Dumapatam Island — Coffee Plan
tations — Ordeal Trials in Malabar — Mucuars at Tellicherry—
Mahie — Sacrifice Rock — Edible Bird-Nests — Calicut — Vapura
— Grand Appearance of the Gaut Mountains — Cochin — Mattan-
cherry — Jews-town — Porca, Calliquilone — Quilone — Eddova —
Anjengo — Catamaran — Hippocampus.
Soon after leaving Surat, I was appointed a member
of the Council at Anjengo, the most southern of the
English settlements on the Malabar coast, about six
hundred miles from Bombay, in the latitude of 8° 39'
north. We sailed from that island the beginning of
February, 1772, and in a fortnight arrived at Anjengo,
after a delightful voyage, during which we stopped at
most of the principal places on the coast.
A favourable breeze soon carried us past Fort Vic
toria ; the next day, sailing along the mountainous
shores of the Concan, we had a distinct view of
Rutnah-Gheriah, and several other Mahratta for
tresses ; we then looked into the harbour of Gheriah,
the chief sea-port on the Malabar coast, defended by a

186 MALABAR COAST.
strong fortification, and surrounded by a rich territory.
Gheriah is in the latitude of 16° 37' north, twenty-three
leagues from Goa ; in which distance are the forts of
Raree and Augustus, conquered by the English, from
the Malwans, in 1765, then lately ransomed: still
nearer to Goa is Vingorla, a small town in a hilly
country, where the India Company had at that time a
factory, and collected a small revenue.
The mountainous shore of the Concan is improperly
called a part of the Malabar coast ; but as the western
side of the Indian peninsula, almost from Surat to
Cape Comorin, is generally included under that deno
mination, I will briefly describe the existing boundaries
of the kingdoms and provinces in that part of the
globe called by geographers the Hither-India.
The most northern district was the Deccan ; bounded
on the north by Guzerat, east by Golconda and Berar,
south by Visiapoor, and west by the Indian ocean :
Aurungabad, Satarra, and Poonah, were the principal
inland cities : Poonah, from an obscure village, became,
after the Brahmin usurpation, the capital of the
Mahratta empire. The sea-ports were Tull, Dundee,
Dabul, and Choule, once belonging to the Portuguese,
but then to the Mahrattas, who possessed the whole
coast r Bombay, Salsette, and all the contiguous islands,
were included in this division.
The next was the kingdom of Visiapoor, extending
north and south, from Gheriah to the spot called the
Malabar frontier, near Mangulore : this division was
bounded on the east by the Gaut mountains, on the
west by the Indian ocean ; Visiapoor was the chief
inland city ; Gheriah, Goa, Carwar, Barcelore, and
Onore, the principal sea-ports : the Mahrattas, and a

GOA. 187
few dependent Hindoo princes, possessed the northern
districts, except Goa ; the conquests of Hyder Ally
added the country of Visiapoor to his dominions.
The third and last division was that of Malabar ;
which extended from the Malabar frontier north, to
Cape Comorin, south : the Gauts were its eastern
boundary, the ocean its western. That part of the
coast was divided among many independent sovereigns :
the principal towns were Mangulore, Cananore, Telli
cherry, Mahie, Calicut, Panana, Cranganore, Cochin,
Porca, Quilone, Anjengo, and Coletchee : in this divi
sion, properly termed the Malabar coast, the persons,
language, religion, and manners of the natives, differ
very much from those in the northern districts.
We anchored in the spacious and beautiful harbour
of Goa, which I have before described in my voyage
from England to Bombay. On landing I beheld mag
nificent structures mouldering into ruin ; the streets
were faintly traced by the remains of their forsaken
mansions, and squares and markets, once populous,
were now the haunt of serpents and noxious reptiles :
the few inhabitants were priests, monks, half-starved
soldiers, and low mechanics. Notwithstanding the
general decline of Goa, the churches and convents re
tained their grandeur, and were in good repair : the
Augustin monastery was very handsome, and the
church of San Caitan exhibited a beautiful specimen
of Italian architecture.
The Jesuits' College, one of the largest and most con
spicuous edifices in Goa, contained apartments for
several hundred of that society ; after their expulsion,
it was inhabited by monks of a different order : the
church, dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, is a fine struc-

188 MONKISH CONVENTS.
ture, the high altar richly ornamented, and the chapel
containing the monument of St. Xavier, uncommonly
splendid ; the tomb, enclosed by glass to prevent da
mage, is only opened on particular occasions : we were
admitted within the sacred enclosure, to examine the
bassi-relievi, which in different compartments contain
the life and miracles of the saint : the whole is com
posed of the choicest marble, sculptured by European
artists : the superb shrine and silver ornaments were
presented by a queen of Portugal.
I shall not detail the extraordinary legends which
the priests gave us of their favourite saint, nor describe
the more substantial entertainment they produced in the
refectory. On leaving their convivial circle we visited
several monkish convents, and the only nunnery then
existing in the city ; where, as usual, we saw many
objects to pity, few to envy : on this subject I shall
not enlarge, nor on that of the Inquisition, the next
public structure that we viewed : the cruelties inflicted
on the native converts at Goa, especially among the
wealthy Hindoos, made me shudder on entering the
exterior courts of this iniquitous tribunal, which were
all we were permitted to see : its history in Spain and
Portugal is well known : the inquisitors at Goa have
not been more merciful : how has misguided zeal tar
nished a religion founded in loving-kindness and ten
der mercy ! how have the judges of the Inquisition
departed from the benevolent spirit of its Founder !
what must the surrounding Hindoos think of the fires,
the racks, and instruments of torture, used in that
merciless prison ? Its cruel tyrants, clothed in the vest
ments of sanctity, but destitute of pity, have spared
neither age, nor sex, nor condition, in human sacri-

COMMERCE OF GOA. 189
fices to the God of mercy, and the compassionate
Redeemer of man ! Mistaken zealots! truly do ye
fulfil the awful words, that he came not to send
peace upon earth, but a sword! a sword too often
wielded by those who are strangers to the merciful
spirit of his Gospel.
Goa, situated in 15° 28' north latitude, and 72" 45'
east latitude, was one of the finest European settle
ments in India ; where the Portugueze generally kept
a strong force of Europeans, and Topassas, who are
the offspring of the Europeans and natives ; their pay
was small, but procured a sufficiency of rice and fish.
The oil expressed from the cocoa-nut is exported from
Goa, and forms a considerable article of commerce ;
it was also famous for the arrack, to which it gave its
name ; but that made at Batavia is now generally
preferred : this spirit is distilled either from rice, su
gar-cane, or the juice of the cocoa-nut tree : the fruit
and flowers of several other trees in Hindostan pro
duce by distillation, a spirit, to which the Europeans
give the general name of arrack. Goa is famous for
the Alphonso mango, a delicious fruit, which is sent
in presents to other parts of India ; mangos are abun
dant in the adjoining districts, but the Alphonso is as
superior to the others, as the nonpareil to the crab-
apple. The commerce of Goa, and the northern parts of
Diu and Damaun, is now unimportant ; the rice,
arrack, and oil, are exported to different parts of In
dia; one or two ships annually arrive from Europe
with military stores and other articles ; and return
thither with printed cottons from Surat, and a few
eastern necessaries for Portugal and her American,

190 PORTUGUEZE DOMINATION.
colonies : this, with two or three vessels trading in
Chinese articles from Macao to the Malabar coast,
now comprise the whole of the Portugueze com
merce in India.
Yet this is the nation, that in the fifteenth and six
teenth centuries called the Asiatic seas her own, and
astonished the eastern world by her martial exploits :
the discoveries of Gama, and the conquests of Albu
querque, were truly glorious : the latter subdued Goa
in 1510, and secured many valuable possessions to the
crown of Portugal. The emancipation of the Nether
lands from the tyranny of Philip, was the principal
cause of the decline of the Portugueze in India : they
were then subject to Spain ; and the Hollanders, no
longer groaning under the yoke of Alva, sent a large
armament from Europe, who conquered Cochin, Cey
lon, the Spice Islands, and many other Portugueze set
tlements ; their ruin in Asia was also accelerated by
the vices of their governors and principal officers ; the
sudden influx of wealth wrought a dreadful change
in their moral character: the noble conduct and pa
triotic virtues of the first conquerors were annihilated
by the venality and corruption of their successors.
De Gama, Albuquerque, and de Castro, appear a dif
ferent race from D'Acughna, Coree, and the other
monsters, whose atrocities have fixed an indelible stain
on the annals of Portugal : their rapacity and cruelty,
united to superstitious tyranny, occasioned a rapid
downfall, from which they never recovered.
Many countries in the vicinity of Goa have at dif
ferent times been almost depopulated by the mistaken
policy, bigotry, and oppressions of the Portugueze
government; especially the district of Kankana ; from

GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISION. 191
whence, Dr. Buchanan says, the inhabitants fled to
Tulava, near Mangulof e, to avoid a persecution in their
native country, and are still called Kankanies. An
order arrived from the King of Portugal to convert all
the natives: the viceroy being a lenient man, on the
receipt of the order, permitted those who choose to
retire to carry away their effects, and allowed them fif
teen days to arrange their affairs : accordingly, all the
rich Brahmins and Sudras retired to Tulava, with such
of their property as they could at that time realize ;
they now chiefly subsist by trade, and many are in
flourishing circumstances. The poor Kankanies who
remained in the Portugueze dominions, were all con
verted to Christianity, if the religion professed and
practised by the Malabar converts can deserve that ap
pellation. In the second geographical division of the Malabar
coast, I mentioned Goa among the cities in Visiapoor :
this part of India, including the Concan and Deccan
(which latter word means the south country, relatively
to the northern provinces of Hindostan), has been
from time immemorial inhabited by the nations of
Canara and Malabar; people from Merhat and Te-
linga, mingled among them in the northern districts :
until the middle of the sixteenth century, it formed a
considerable part of the vast empire of Bezenegur,
now generally written Vijeyanuggur, or more pro
perly, Vijayanagara ; in ancient days it was one of the
most splendid cities in the east : and the capital of an
empire, which nominally comprised under its jurisdic
tion the greater part of the southern Peninsula : the do
minions of Travancore, and some of the countries near

192 MAHOMEDAN CONQ.UESTS.
Cape Comorin, are the only districts which preserved
their independence, and by their distance were pro
tected by the powerful sovereigns of Vijayanagara. In
the sixeteenth century, five of the Mahomedan princes
who had usurped the dominion of their respective go
vernments, north of the Kistnah, ambitious of new
conquests, and of making converts to the Mussulman
religion, confederated in a war against Ram Raje, the
Hindoo monarch of Bezenegur, who was killed in
battle, A. D. 1565. In consequence of his death, and
a disputed succession, many of the naiks, or governors
of provinces, became independent; and formed the
modern Hindoo government of Mysore, Trichinopoly,
Madura, Tanjore, and some others : at the same time
the zamorine of Calicut, the king of Travancore, and
different Malabar princes, shook off all dependence
upon the Hindoo empire, whose seat of government
was removed from Bezenegur to Penekonda.
About this period, the Mahomedan prince of Beja-
pour, or Visiapoor, under his general Mustapha Khan*
assisted by Sahoo Bhosla, reduced the Carnatic Bala-
gaut, afterwards called Bejapoury ; and descending into
the Payen-gaut, conquered the new principalities of
Tanjore, Trichinopoly, and Ginjee. Meer Jumlah,
another Mahomedan chief, was at the same time per
forming similar exploits in other quarters : they enjoy
ed their conquests only a very short time ; for in 1687,
the emperor Aurungzebe subverted their dominions.
and reduced them to saubahs, or provinces, of the
Mogul empire, placing them under the command of
viceroys, or nabobs ; who for some time paid a tri
bute, and did" homage to the imperial government at

ANCIENT NAVIGATION. 193
Delhi ; but at length, on the imbecility and decline of
the empire, they also threw off their allegiance, and
became independent sovereigns.
We sailed from Goa with the land-wind, and the
next morning were off Carwar, a town of importance
during the flourishing state of the Portuguese : the
English had formerly a factory for the purchase of
pepper, which has been for many years deserted : there
are still a number of Portuguese inhabitants, with
a bishop and inferior clergy ; the Roman Catholic
churches at Bombay are in the diocese of Carwar.
In the neighbouring country, the peasants manu
facture catechu, or tcrra-Japonica, from the Keiri tree
(mimosa catechu) which grows wild on the hills of
Kankana, but in no other part of the Indian peninsula.
Not far from Onore we passed Mirzee, and after
wards Barcelore, two places famous for pepper, which
grow spontaneously in those districts ; as also the
laurus cassia, and wild nutmeg.
These towns are supposed to be the Musiris and
Barace of the ancients ; whither Hippalus made the
first voyage from the Arabian gulf: a voyage from
Arabia to the coast of Malabar was then deemed of
so much importance, that the monsoon wind, which
wafted him over a tract of ocean hitherto unat-
tempted, was called Hippalus, after this celebrated
navigator. Previously to this bold undertaking, the
merchant vessels belonging to the Egyptians and Ara
bians had sailed from Berenice in the Red-Sea, along
the Arabian shore to the promontory of Syagrus, now
Cape Rasalgate ; and held their course along the
coast of Persia, to the different ports in India where
they traded.
vol, i. o

194 MIRZEE.
The sight of Mirzee recalled to mind its former im
portance in the oriental commerce : nothing can be
more clear or satisfactory, than Pliny's account of the
trade to Musiris ; and Arrian, describing the imports
from the Arabian gulf, at that port, says they were
much the same as those I have already mentioned at
Surat ; but as it lay nearer to the eastern parts of India,
and seems to have had much communication with
them, the commodities exported from it were more
numerous and more valuable. He specifies par
ticularly, pearls in great abundance, and of extra
ordinary beauty ; a variety of silk stuffs, rich perfumes,
tortoiseshell, different kinds of transparent gems, es
pecially diamonds; and pepper in large quantities,
and of the best quality.
After leaving Mirzee there was nothing worthy of
observation, until we passed Fortified Island, a little
to the northward of Onore ; it is about a mile in cir
cumference, rocky, barren, and so strong both by
nature and art, as to be deemed impregnable : it then
belonged to the nabob Hyder Ally Caun, as did
Onore, and all the adjoining territory.
Passing Fortified Island, we anchored off" Onore, or
Honawera, as it is called by the natives : the fort was
situated on a rising ground, near a small town of in
different houses ; the best was the English factory,
where two of the Company's servants resided, to pur
chase pepper and sandal wood, for the English and
Chinese markets : a considerable private trade was
carried on with Bombay and the northern ports, in
betel nuts, and other articles.
Onore river, or rather a salt lake, is navigable at
spring-tides for small vessels ; it is indeed connected

THE ONORE DISTRICTS. 195
with a small river which flows from the inland moun
tains, through a hilly country whose romantic rocks
are softened by a wild assemblage of trees: among
them the silk-cotton (bombax ceiba, Lin.), and the
decannee-bean (butea superba), are very conspicuous ;
the former covered with buds and flowers of crimson,
and the scarlet papilionaceous blossoms of the latter,
contrasted by their black stalks, give a brilliant effect
to the western woods, and appear at sun-set like im
mense forests in a glow of fire. These sylvan regions
are the haunt of tigers, and other wild beasts already
described. The low lands contiguous to Onore are well cul
tivated, and planted with cocoa-nut trees, areca, pepper,
rice, and inferior grains ; but the most valuable pro
duction in this part of India is the sandal, or saunders
tree (santalum alburn, Linn.)
The sandal tree is indigenous on the rocky hills in
the Onore districts, and if permitted would grow to a
tolerable size ; but the wood is so valuable, that the
tree is cut down at an early stage, and we seldom
meet with any more than a foot broad ; the wood is
either red, yellow, or a whitish brown ; and from
its colour and size, is called the first, second, and
third sort of sandal wood, each varying in price ; the
best from one hundred and fifty to two hundred
rupees the coudy, of five hundred and sixty pounds
weight. The wood of the brightest colour and
strongest scent is most esteemed, having a fine grain
and an aromatic smell, which it communicates to every
thing near it ; it is, therefore, much used in small
cabinets, escritoires, and similar articles, as no insect
can exist, nor iron rust, within its influence : from the
o 2

196 THE SANDAL TREE.
dust and shavings is extracted an aromatic oil ; the oil
and wood are used by the Hindoos and Parsees in their
religious ceremonies ; but the greatest part of the
latter is reserved for the China markets, where it sells
to great advantage.
The sandal is a beautiful tree ; the branches regular
and tapering ; the leaf like the narrow willow, shorter,
and delicately soft ; the blossoms hang in bunches of
small flowers, either red or white, according to the
colour of the wood ; the fruit is small, and valuable
only for its seed : the tree thrives in a hilly rocky
situation, and there produces wood of the finest grain
and strongest scent: on low land, and a richer soil, it
degenerates, and is in all respects less esteemed.
It is often extremely difficult, as well as dangerous,
to transport merchandize over Onore bar, on account
of a tremendous surf. I never thought myself in such
imminent danger as in attempting a passage through
these surges : a little before my arrival, a young gentle
man in the Company's civil service was overset in a
ship's boat, and all perished ! We took the advantage
of the land wind at midnight to return to the vessel,
when the surf was moderate.
A pleasant land-breeze wafted us from Onore, in
passing by Barcelore to the fortress called the Malabar
Frontier, where we properly entered on the Malabar
coast : we anchored the same evening at Mangulore, in
12° 50' north latitude, and 74° 44' east longitude. It
was then the principal sea-port of Hyder Ally, nabob
of the Mysore, well situated for commerce, and fre
quented by foreign merchants for pepper, sandal-wood,
rice, and betel-nuts.
The entrance into the river, or rather a salt-water

HINDOO IDOLS. 197
lake, near which the town was built, is difficult and
dangerous, occasioned by a rapid current running into
the sea through a narrow channel in the sandy beach,
which extends along the coast : this entrance was de
fended by batteries ; the principal fortress stood on the
opposite side of the river, near a populous town ; the
houses were generally mean, and there were no public
buildings of importance. During the succeeding wars
with Hyder Ally, and his son Tippoo Sultaun, Man
gulore, Onore, and the other sea-ports in their do
minions, underwent a total change.
At Kurkul, near Mangulore, is a celebrated Hindoo
temple of great antiquity, and a gigantic image of
Gdmatdswar ; inferior in size, but of a similar kind,
to the famous idol, named Gdmate'swar Swami, at
Belligola, or Sravana- Belligola, the principal residence
of the Guroos, or high priests belonging to the sect of
Jains, a singular and separate tribe among the Hin
doos, particularly described in the Asiatic Researches.
The image at Belligola is said to be eighteen times the
height of a man, but this I imagine to be exaggerated
upon examining the engravings accompanying the
account, where a man of the usual height stands upon
the terrace near the gigantic figure, to shew the com
parative height of art and nature : when these draw
ings were taken in 1801, the foot of the statue was
measured, and found to be nine feet in length ; hence
the height of the statue is estimated at fifty-four feet.
The records of the t/iams also mention a golden image,
of five hundred times the height of a man ; which was
inundated by the sea : but they believe it can still be
sometimes seen at low water.
We staid a very short time at Mangulore, most of

198 TELLICHERRY.
which was sacrificed to a formal visit at the governor's
durbar ; a Mahomedan oppressor, in great favour with
his sovereign Hyder Ally ; I should otherwise have
gone to Kurkul, and some interesting places in its
vicinity. The etiquette of the Mangulore durbar detained us
until a late hour; when we returned on board, and
sailed with the land-breeze for Tellicherry, along a
hilly coast, particularly near mount Dilla, a high woody
cape, twenty miles from Tellicherry. We next passed
Cannanore, a large sea-port town belonging to a
Mahomedan prince called Ally Rajah, who was also
sovereign of the Maldivae islands. Cannanore carried
on a considerable trade in pepper and cocoa-nuts, and
was situated in a beautiful country, the sea-coast being
enriched by extensive groves of cocoa-nuts, with cul
tivated plains between them and the Gatte mountains.
Tellicherry was at that time a principal settlement
of the English, in the latitude of 1 1° 48' north, and
75° 23' east longitude : the town, enclosed by a slight
wall, contained several good houses, belonging to the
English, and native Portuguese : situated on a rising
ground near the sea, it was constantly refreshed by the
western breeze ; and, from the salubrity of the air, was
called the Montpelier of India. The fort was large and
well garrisoned ; it contained an excellent house for
the chief, with barracks and other public buildings :
about a mile to the southward was another English
fort, called Moylan, and batteries on the adjacent hills;
but after the wars with the Mysore sultauns, the whole
system on the Malabar coast was altered, and the pre
sent civil and military appointments in that quarter
are foreign to the subject. Provisions were cheap and

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS. 199
plentiful, especially fish, in great variety ; it was
famous for fine sardinias and excellent oysters. The
trade consisted in pepper, sandal-wood, cocoa-nuts,
cardamoms, and ureca, the produce of the country ;
with shark's-fins, dried fish, and similar articles.
The cocoa-nut groves on the sea coast in this part
of Malabar, are very extensive : I have fully described
this valuable tree at Bombay : in Malabar, from the
time the nut is planted, until the tree begins to bear
fruit, is about twelve years ; it continues in perfection
for fifty or sixty years : and then, although in a decay
ing state, bears fruit twenty years longer.
The low lands produce abundance of rice. The plan
tations of pepper in this part of Malabar are extensive
and valuable ; the jacs, mangos, and other high trees,
on which the vines are trained, add much to the general
beauty of the country.
The cardamom (amomum repens, Lin.), which grows
in this part of Malabar, is a spice much esteemed by
the Asiatics ; they chew it separately, or with betel :
it is a principal ingredient in their cookery, and used
medicinally as a stomachic. The plant in appearance
resembles the ginger ; it attains the height of two or
three feet, and sometimes more, before it bears fruit ;
the blossoms are small, white, and variegated with
purple ; some have a brownish appearance ; they are
succeeded by small green pods, containing the seeds,
which become of a light brown when the seed ripens,
grows black, and acquires the aromatic flavour for
which it is so estimable.
This valuable spiqe is indigenous to many parts of
Malabar, but flourishes most on the acclivity of moist

200 CARDAMOM PLANTS.
cool hills, among low trees, bushes, and little springs
of water. Although the cardamom delights in such a
situation, it will grow in other places ; and is some
times planted in gardens and orchards of plantain trees;
the roots are taken up and divided. The cardamom
hills are generally private property ; when the plants
are discovered, they are preserved with great care, by
cutting down the bushes, and attending to the shoots
for three years, at which time they begin to bear ; they
have attained their full growth, and produce the best
crops in the fourth year, after which they generally
iecay. The plants spring up in the rainy season ;
chose under cultivation are not permitted to grow too
close to each other ; when it so happens, the roots are
divided, and planted at a greater distance : the seed
begins to ripen about the middle of September, and
continues more or less for the space of two months.
The capsules, or seed-pods, sometimes grow on a
high stalk, often in short clusters near the root : such
as are ripe are daily gathered, and carefully dried for
sale ; otherwise the birds and squirrels would carry off
a large share. It is supposed these animals scatter
the seed in the unfrequented spots, where the carda
mom is often unexpectedly found : diligent search is
always made for the springing plants at the com
mencement of the rainy season. I was informed
that in some places they burn the bushes, which
are always cut down at that time; as the ashes pro
duce an excellent manure without injuring the grow
ing plant.
There were some thriving coffee plantations on the
island of Durmapatam near Tellicherry ; the seed was

ORDEAL TRIALS. 201
originally brought from Mocha, but the Malabar coffee
is inferior in flavour and refreshment to the Arabian
berry : it is a beautiful plant in its foliage, blossoms,
and fruit, but too well known to need a description.
The ordeal trials, mentioned in other parts of these
volumes, were frequently practised at Tellicherry,
even under the sanction of the British government :
this custom, so contrary to the general opinion in
Europe, is universally admitted by the sovereigns of
Malabar. When a man, accused of a capital crime,
chooses to undergo the ordeal trial, he is closely con
fined for several days, his right hand and arm are
covered with thick wax-cloth, tied up and sealed, in
the presence of proper officers, to prevent deceit : in
the English districts the covering was always sealed
with the Company's arms, and the prisoner placed
under an European guard. At the time fixed for the
ordeal, a cauldron of oil is placed over a fire ; when it
boils, a piece of money is dropped into the vessel ; the
prisoner's arm is unsealed, and washed in the presence
of his judges and accusers : during this part of the
ceremony, the attendant Brahmins supplicate the
deity. On receiving their benediction the accused
plunges his hand into the boiling fluid, and takes out
the coin : this I believe is sometimes repeated. The
arm is afterwards again sealed up, until the time
appointed for a re-examination : the seal is then
broken ; if no blemish appears the prisoner is declared
innocent ; if the contrary, he suffers the punishment
due to his crime.
Nine kinds of ordeal are enumerated ; but I shall
here confine myself to what is said on that by oil. —
" The ordeal by the vessel of oil, according to the

202 ORDEAL TRIALS.
comment on the Dherma Sastra, is thus performed :
the ground appropriated for the trial is cleared, and
rubbed with cow-dung ; and the next day, at sun-rise,
the pundit worships Ganesa, presents his oblations,
and pays adoration to other deities, conformable to
the Sastra : then, having read the incantation pre
scribed, he places a round pan of gold, silver, copper,
iron or clay, with a diameter of sixteen fingers, and
four fingers deep ; and throws into it one seer, or
eighty sicca weight of clarified butter, or oil of
sesamum. After this a ring of gold, or silver, or
iron, is cleaned and washed with water, and cast into
the oil, which they proceed to heat ; when it is very
hot they put into it a fresh leaf of pippala, or bilwa ;
when the leaf is burned, the oil is known to be suf
ficiently hot. Then, having pronounced a mentra over
the oil, they order the party accused to take the ring
out of the pan ; and if he take it out without being
burned, or without a blister on his hand, his inno
cence is considered as proved : if not, his guilt."
" On the trial by fire, the accused thus addresses
the element : ' Thou, O Fire ! pervadest all beings :
O cause of purity ! who givest evidence of virtue
and of sin, declare the truth in this my hand.' In
the ordeal by poison, the accused pronounces, ' Thou,
O Poison ! art the child of Brahma, stedfast in justice
and in truth ! clear me from this heavy charge ; and,
if I have spoken truly, become nectar to me !"
The Muckwas, or Mucuars, at Tellicherry, are an
industrious useful set of people ; some are Mahome
dans, some Hindoos : they are considered a very low
tribe among the Malabars, but are more valuable in
society than many of higher pretensions : they make

HINDOO MUCUARS. 203
excellent palankeen-bearers, boatmen, fishermen, and
porters of goods from the landing place to the store
houses. Some of the young women are pleasing in
their countenance and person, which is generally
very much exposed ; their clothing consisting only of
a white cotton cloth round the middle. The Hindoo
Mucuars are kept in a most degraded state by the
Brahmins, who allow them to eat all animal food, ex
cept beef: they may also drink strong liquors ; and are
not very nice in their matrimonial connexions. Dr. F.
Buchanan says, " the deity of this caste is the goddess
Bhadra-Kali, who is represented by a log of wood,
placed in a hut that is called a temple : they assemble
four times a-year to sacrifice a cock, and make offer
ings of fruit to the log: one of the caste acts as
priest, but his office is not hereditary. The Mucuars
are not admitted to enter within the precincts of any
of the temples dedicated to the great gods of the
Brahmins, but they sometimes stand at a distance, and
send their offerings by more pure hands : they seem to
know nothing of a* state of future existence ; but
believe in evil spirits, who inflict diseases, and occa
sion other misfortunes."
During our stay at Tellicherry, I spent an agree
able day at Mahie, a French settlement, a few miles
to the southward, pleasantly situated on the banks
of a river ; trading chiefly in pepper, cocoa-nuts, and
cardamums. Sailing southward, we passed near Sacrifice-rock, a
small island, so called from the crew of an English
ship having been massacred there by pirates, the be
ginning of the seventeenth century. It is famous for
the edible birds-nests, found in the clefts of the rocks,

204 EDIBLE BIRDS-NESTS.
which are esteemed so luxurious a dainty in China, as
to have beeome a considerable article of commerce :
the greatest quantity are produced on the coasts of
Malacca. These nests are three or four inches in cir
cumference, and one in depth : formed by a bird of the
swallow tribe (hirundo, nidis edulibus), either with the
spawn of fish, or a glutinous frothy scum, which the
sea leaves on the rock. Shark's fins are also eaten,
they are dried in large quantities at the fishing towns
on the Malabar coast, and constitute a valuable article
of trade to China. The drying of these fins, sar-
dinias, and other fish, all along this coast, renders the
atmosphere extremely offensive, if not unwholesome ;
their putrid effluviae generally overpower the aromatic
odours, which would otherwise be wafted by the morn
ing breeze from groves of cassia, sandal, and champach.
The sharks' fins are sold at a reasonable price ; but the
newest and most transparent nests of the hirundo, are
purchased by the Chinese at five or six dollars the
pound. Those of an older fabric, dry, and less pellu
cid, are not so valuable.
A favourable wind carried us quickly from Sacrifice-
rock to Calicut, in the latitude of 11° 18' north : it is
memorable, as being the place where Vasco de Gama,
and his hardy followers, first landed from Europe in
1498 ; and where the English established a factory in
1616, which at present offers very little to interest a
traveller, being chiefly composed of low huts, shaded
by cocoa-nut trees, on a sandy shore. In this un
pleasant situation, the English, French, Danes, and
Portuguese, had their respective factories, where they
hoisted their national flags ; and purchased pepper,
cocoa-nuts, coir-cables, and ropes, betel-nuts, timber,

CALICUT. 205
oil, and other articles. Beyond this sandy tract is a
fertile plain, extending to the Gaut mountains ; which
in that part of the peninsula are of a stupendous
height, and visible at sea seventy miles distance.
Calicut road, where the ships anchor, is deemed un
safe for those not well acquainted with the navigation ;
several vessels have been wrecked upon the ruins of
the old city, now under water ; as the mean town just
described, formed no part of that emporium where de
Gama landed. Calicut is said to have been then a
large city, where the Zamorine, the sovereign of the
country, held a splendid court, and merchants re
sorted from Persia, Arabia, Africa, and different parts
of India, to purchase pearls, diamonds, spices, ivory,
and other costly articles. From thence the persevering
Vasco freighted the first ship to Europe, and intro
duced those oriental luxuries in much greater abund
ance, and at a cheaper rate, than they had been im
ported formerly by the Greeks of Constantinople, or
the Venetians, who succeeded them in that valuable
commerce. The water-snakes, black monkeys, and black-boned
fowls, with which this coast abounds, like the native
inhabitants of Malabar, remain unchanged ; but the
European settlements on the coast have been all
metamorphosed since the French revolution, and the
wars with the sovereigns of Mysore. The poultry,
with a black skin and black bones, though disagree
able at first to strangers, are found to be more delicate
in flavour, and superior in whiteness to the other kind :
the hogs, fowls, and ducks in the southern parts of the
coast, feed so much upon fish, that their flesh is fre
quently unpleasant, and offensive.

*ri

206 THE GAUT MOUNTAINS.
A few miles from Calicut is a small sea-port, called
Vapura, pleasantly situated on the banks of a river ;
from whence a great quantity of leak-wood is exported,
and where vessels are built of that timber. These
valuable trees are felled on the Gaut mountains, and
transported from thence to the river-side by elephants :
where they remain to be floated down to Vapura, when
the stream fills in the rainy season.
This part of Malabar also produce the chapingum,
or sapanwood (gullandina sapan) : the trees are planted
in gardens and orchards, for the sake of the wood,
which produces a valuable dye.
From Calicut, we proceeded to Cochin, and arrived
there on the 14th, after sailing along a bold coast of
cocoa-nut trees and rice-fields, extending over a sandy
plain to the Gaut mountains, whose majestic summits
in the morning are generally enveloped in clouds ; but
towards sun-set, their western acclivities display an as
semblage of rocks and woods, in broad masses of light
and shadow, which rival the Alps and Appenines of
Europe; although deficient in those pinnacles and
glaciers, whose sublimity and beauty, seen through the
clear atmosphere of an Italian winter, baffle the artist's
skill, and defy the power of language.
Cochin, in the latitude of 9J 58' north, and 76° east
longitude, was among the early conquests of the Portu
guese ; from them it fell into the hands of the Dutch,
and is now in possession of the English. The town is
pleasantly situated at the entrance of a broad naviga
ble river, or more properly a lake, which extends
southerly for near twenty leagues to Quilone, another
Dutch factory, affording an inland navigation through
that part of the king of Cochin's dominions. It was

COCHIN. 207
surrounded by a fortification, built by the Portuguese ;
of no great strength except towards the sea ; the gar
rison consisted of five hundred Europeans, and a few
Malay troops.
I have occasionally resided there several weeks,
when transacting business for the India Company :
it was a place of great trade, and presented a striking
contrast to Goa ; a harbour filled with ships, streets
crowded with merchants, and warehouses stored with
goods from every part of Asia and Europe, marked
the industry, the commerce, and the wealth of the
inhabitants. The phlegmatic and formal character of the native
Hollander generally accompanies him to other cli
mates ; but at Cochin, a constant intercourse with
strangers had effected a pleasing change. I always
received the kindest attention from the governor and
principal inhabitants ; their tables were furnished with
hospitality, and graced with politeness ; their houses
and gardens displayed the national cleanliness and
neatness. Provisions of all kinds abounded; in the
rainy season, when no ships frequent the port, a
turkey cost only half a rupee ; fowls and ducks in pro
portion : the beef, though small, was well-flavoured,
and very cheap ; as were fruit, vegetables, and other
refreshments for the numerous vessels which touch
there in the fair season. Europeans and natives find
the water unwholesome ; drinking it frequently causes
that disagreeable disorder called the Cochin-leg, or
elephantiasis, which is deemed incurable : it is the
same as the lepra arabum, and considered as a species
of leprosy. I have seen many with a leg thicker
than their body ; on the naked limbs of the natives it

208 JEWS OF COCHIN.
has a disgusting appearance ; to the leg of a European,
with a silk-stocking, shoe and buckle, something ludi
crous is annexed ; the Asiatic garb would be more
comely. The swelling generally commences at the
knee, and continues of the same wonderful circum
ference to the foot ; few persons are affected in both
legs; and I believe they are insensible of any other
inconvenience than that of dragging such a cumbrous
load. During my residence at Anjengo, I was deputed
to transact some money concerns between the Eng
lish Company and the Jews of Cochin ; they do not
reside in the city, but at Jews-town, or Mottancheree,
situated on the banks of the river, about a mile dis
tant ; where they have two large synagogues, and
many excellent houses and gardens, are allowed the
free exercise of their religion, and carry on the prin
cipal trade of the settlement. Jews from Poland,
Spain, and other parts of Europe, were intermingled
with those established in Malabar, many ages before
the discovery of India by the Cape of Good Hope.
They are a people distinct and separate from the
surrounding Malabars, in dress, manners, and re
ligion, as well as in their complexion and general
appearance. This Hebrew colony is said to have
emigrated from Judea soon after the destruction of
the second Temple by Titus Vespasian ; when a num
ber of these devoted people, escaping from the dread
ful massacres and sale of captives at Jerusalem, emi
grated from Palestine to India: a country probably
not unknown to the Jews in more prosperous days,
at least to those tribes situated near Tyre and Sidon.
The Medes, Persians, and Abyssinians, had a com-

DISPERSION OF THE JEWS. 209
munication with distant parts of India for articles of
luxury ; and that they carried on a considerable trade
to its remote provinces before Alexander's conquest,
is evident from Strabo, Pliny, and other writers ;
exclusive of the maritime commerce already men
tioned, from the Periplus and Grecian historians. It
is therefore not improbable that some Jewish families,
on their dispersion at the First Captivity, or at some
subsequent period, may have wandered to the Malabar
coast ; which my venerable informer assured me was
believed by his people to have been the case with part
of the tribe of Manasseh.
The fate of the expatriated Jews who wandered to
India after the destruction of the second Temple, until
their arrival in Malabar, at the conclusion of the fifth
century of the Christian aera, is, I believe, no where
authenticated. At that period the colony reached
their place of destination ; the sovereign of the coun
try, a Brahmin, treated them with kindness, and allowed
them to settle at Cranganore with considerable privi
leges. There they were established many centuries,
increasing in wealth and consequence, until, from dis
sensions among themselves, they called in the aid of
surrounding princes, and after much cruelty and blood
shed, were driven from Cranganore, with the loss of
their possessions and property.
These unhappy fugitives were thus separated and
dispersed among the Malabar districts, until a remnant
again collected, and were permitted by the king of
Cochin to settle at Mottancheree, on the banks of
Cochin river, where their descendants have continued
ever since.
In their possession is a royal grant of Cranganore,
vol. i. p

210 THE JEWS.
and the district allotted to their ancestors, on their
first establishment in Malabar, engraved on metal,
and signed by the Brahmin sovereign of the country.
This is since confirmed by Dr. Claudius Buchanan,
who procured a fac-simile, engraven on copper, from
the original brass tablet which he saw in the posses
sion of the Cochin Jews in 1807; he has also pub
lished a translation from that made by the Jews into
the Hebrew language ; the original grant, as dated in
the Malabar annals, corresponds with the year 490 of
the Christian aera.
The history of the Jews is the most wonderful of
any in the annals of time. They are indeed a standing
miracle ! and however modern philosophy may raise
doubts of revelation in some particulars, a people scat
tered over the face of the earth, yet preserved distinct
and separate from every nation among whom they
dwell, affords incontrovertible evidence of its truth.
We trace them from the call of Abraham in Chaldea,
and rest with delight at the tents and wells of the pa
triarchal shepherds : from those pastoral scenes we
accompany them to Egypt, sympathizing in their cap
tivity and oppressions under an ungrateful monarch,
and rejoice in their deliverance from cruel bondage :
we share in their adventures in the wilderness, and
participate in their wars and conquests in Canaan.
Established there, and dissatisfied with the theocracy,
we view them under the regal government, in a pro
gressive increase of wealth and population, until, at
the conclusion of David's reign, the men of Israel who
drew the sword were a thousand thousand, and a
hundred thousand, and Judah was four hundred three
score and ten thousand men ; all descended in a direct

THE JEWS. 211
line from Abraham, the pastoral patriarch. In the
reign of Solomon the temporal prophecies were com
pleted ; the wealth, power, and greatness of that ex
traordinary monarch, surpassed all the kings of the
earth : but, alas ! Solomon forgot the guide of his
youth ; and in his old age built altars, and sacrificed
unto the gods of his strange wives. His example was
followed by many of his successors, until their idolatry
became so abominable in the sight of Jehovah, who
had peculiarly styled himself the God of Israel, that,
after a succession of heavy judgments, blended with
signal mercies, he finally withdrew his protection from
the ungrateful tribes of Israel and Judah ; and Nebu
chadnezzar king of Babylon came with a large army
and besieged Jerusalem, carrying away all who had
escaped the sword captives to Babylon, where they
became servants and slaves for seventy years. There
we behold them in a deplorable state of captivity,
hanging their harps upon the willows of Euphrates,
and suffering a cruel bondage until released by the
decree of Cyrus : then, with their millions reduced to
forty-two thousand, they were numbered by hundreds,
and by twenties, in their small encampment near the
river Ahava : there Ezra, their pious leader, proclaimed
a fast, and prostrated himself before the God of Israel,
who had delivered their fathers, their kings, and their
priests, to the sword, to captivity, and to spoil ; but had
now extended his mercy to them in the sight of the
kings of Persia, and had left a remnant to escape, and
to set up the house of God, and to repair the desola
tions of Jerusalem ! Their history is still interesting,
from the building of the second Temple until the final
destruction of Jerusalem by Titus ; predicted by the
p 2

212 SAIL FOR ANJENGO.
Son of God, for their rejecting him as the Messiah.
From that dreadful period, to the present day, what a
spectacle do they exhibit ! how fully accomplished are
all the prophecies respecting them ! they daily present
a miracle which no sophistry can controvert, no scep
ticism elude. Scattered over the face of the earth, how
awfully do their expatriated tribes fulfil the denuncia
tion of their great law-giver ! " And it shall be, if thou
do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other
gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify
against you this day that ye shall surely perish. The
Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one
end of the earth even unto the other ; and thou shalt
become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word,
among all the nations whither the Lord shall lead
thee ; if thou wilt not observe to do all the words of
this law ; that thou mayest fear this glorious and fear
ful name, The Lord thy God ! " Deut. ch. viii. v. 19.
ch. xxviii. v. 37, 58, 64.
We sailed for Anjengo on the 17th, passing near a
sandy coast, covered with cocoa-nut trees : we had a
transient view of the Dutch factories at Porca and
Calliquilone, where they procure pepper and cassia,
abundant in that part of Malabar : the next moming
we arrived at Quilone, or Coulan, another Dutch set
tlement ; it was formerly a large town, belonging to
the Portuguese, with extensive fortifications; these
are now destroyed ; the churches are converted into
warehouses, and the European inhabitants reduced to
a factor, surgeon, and a small garrison : the natives
are chiefly Roman Catholic Christians.
Quilone is six leagues from Anjengo. About half
way we passed Eddava, formerly a Danish factory ; but

anjengo. 213
at that time a country villa belonging to the English
chief of Anjengo. From thence to Anjengo the coast
is hilly and romantic ; especially about the red cliffs at
Boccoli ; where the women of Anjengo daily repair for
water, from a very fine spring ; which they sell at An
jengo, the water there being generally brackish and
unwholesome. Although the weather was moderate, we found a
violent surf rolling on the shore at Anjengo ; no
English boat ever attempts to pass through it : on ap
proaching these rolling surges, we quitted the pinnace,
and got into a canoe, in which we were thrown on
shore by their fury.
Thus terminated our voyage down the Malabar
coast ; which during the fair season is delightful : its
shelving shores afford a safe navigation, present many
beautiful scenes, and a number of opulent towns : the
alternate land and sea breezes are equally favourable
for vessels bound either north or southward. While
the captains are engaged in commercial concerns, the
passengers have the advantage of stopping daily at
some new settlement, where they meet with hospitality
and variety.
Anjengo, the place of my destination, was at that
time the last English factory on the Malabar coast,
something more than six hundred miles from Bombay,
in the latitude of 8° 39' north, and 76° 40' east longi
tude. On a narrow bank of sand, its western side
bounded by the sea, and the eastern by a river, were
two rows of houses, forming a street about five hun
dred yards in length ; the north end terminated by the
Portuguese church, and the English burying ground ;
the south by the fort and lower batteries : this fortress,
which reached nearly from the sea to the river, con-

214 its inhabitants.
tained storehouses, accommodations for the garrison,
and apartments for the chief, who was a member of
council at Bombay. The civil servants and military
officers resided in tolerable houses ; the natives gene
rally in thatched huts. The Portuguese church, white
tombs, a respectable fortress, and other accompani
ments, surrounded by cocoa-nut woods, gave Anjengo
a pleasing appearance.
Without crossing the river, I had but little induce
ment to leave my house, which indeed was a cottage
thatched with palmyra leaves, so small, that a sofa I
carried from Bombay could not enter the door, and I
remained in a veranda the whole time of my banish
ment. Without a road, carriages and horses would have
been useless ; our only recreation was sailing on the
river, landing on its verdant banks, and strolling among
the wilds, where I allow the scenery was delightful.
Most of the inhabitants of Anjengo are Christians
of the Romish church ; either descended from the Por
tuguese, or converted from the lower tribes of Ma
labars, a poor ignorant people with whom we could
not associate : many were fishermen : others made
cordage and cables, from the coir or husk of the cocoa-
nut, a principal article of trade at Anjengo ; where
they also manufactured some common cotton cloth ;
but in the kingdom of Travencore were various and
extensive manufactures of that article, which in every
respect rivalled the long-cloth of the Carnatic. The
English Gentlemen traded in cassia, but the Company
had the exclusive purchase and exportation of pepper.
Among the Anjengo manufactures may be reckoned
the trunks, travelling-cases, and camp-baskets, com
posed of cane- work, covered by a composition of quick
lime and butter-milk, mingled with a black powder,

sterne's ELIZA. 215
prepared from the burnt shells of cocoa-nuts : this is
afterwards repeatedly varnished with the juice of a
tree, common in Travencore, until it acquires a polished
solidity capable of resisting the weather : two or three
families excelled in gold and silver fillagfee work,
which they executed with the simplest implements ; and
imitated silver utensils of the best English fashion,
with great facility and neatness.
I do not immediately recollect the Abbe Raynal's
rhapsody at Anjengo ; it implies, that however insig
nificant the settlement may be in itself, it will be for
ever celebrated as the birth-place of his and Sterne's
Eliza, a lady with whom I had the pleasure of being
acquainted at Bombay, whose refined taste apd elegant
accomplishments require no encomiums from my pen.
But it is, perhaps, not so generally known, that An
jengo likewise gave birth to Robert Orme ; a writer
who has frequently been denominated the British Thu-
cydides, and the Father of Oriental History. This
amiable man was born at Anjengo in 1728, and died
in England in 1801.
The south-west monsoon generally sets in very early
at Anjengo ; it commences with great severity, and
presents an awful spectacle : the inclement weather
continues, with more or less violence, from May to
October ; during that period, the teriipestuous ocean
rolls from a black horizon, literally of " darkness
visible," a series of floating mountains heaving under
hoary summits, until they approach the shore, when
their stupendous accumulations flow in successive
surges, and break upon the beach : every ninth wave
is observed to be generally more tremendous than the
rest, and threatens to overwhelm the settlement. The
noise of these billows equals that of the loudest can-

216 THE COAST.
non, and with the thunder and lightning, so frequent
in the rainy season, is truly awful. During the tedious
monsoon I passed at Anjengo, I often stood upon the
trembling sand-bank, to contemplate the solemn scene,
and derive a comfort from that sublime and omnipotent
decree, " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further ;
and here shall thy proud waves be stayed!" Job
xxxviii. v. 11.
My cottage and garden were so near the beach, that
during the monsoon the gauze curtains of the bed,
although in a retired chamber, were constantly wet
with a salt moisture, the glasses and pictures ran down
with a briny fluid, and the vegetables in the garden
were incrusted with salt. In that gloomy season, no
vessel approaches the inhospitable shore ; in the fair
months, their boats cannot attempt passing through the
surf, but wait at a distance, for the coming off of the
light canoes, called toneys, to bring on shore the goods
and passengers ; who are never landed without trouble,
and are sometimes exposed to danger : even then the
sea is often so rough, that neither a canoe, nor even a
catamaran, can put off; although the latter is only a
small raft, on which the fishermen venture in severe
weather to vessels in the offing : they are frequently
overset, and the men washed off; yet they are such
dextrous swimmers, as soon to regain their situation,
and paddle away until their purpose is accomplished.
I shall not enter on the icthyology of the Malabar
coast, except to mention the hippocampus, or sea
horse, which, in its dried state, forms a part of most
European collections: it is not among the edible fish,
though caught in great numbers with them : the hip
pocampus is generally from four to six inches in length,
and two in circumference in the thickest part : the

A CURIOUS CONTEST. 217
head and curvature of the neck resemble a horse ; from
whence a short swelling body gradually tapers to the
extremity of the tail : some parts of its form are qua
drangular, others hexangular, and the body has seven
or eight divisions ; the whole separated by ridges, and
furnished with fins, to shape its course in its own
element. A principal amusement, during the rainy season,
was to assemble at the bar of Anjengo river, to behold
a curious contest, not only between the deities of the
sea and the river, but also between the finny race in
their respective dominions. In those months when
the south-west monsoon blows with the greatest vio
lence, the floods pour down from the mountains, swell
the rivers, inundate the plains, and with astonishing
rapidity, carry trees, houses, men, and beasts, to the
ocean : the finny tribes, disturbed in their calm re
treats, are impelled to the embouchure of the river :
where, led by instinct, or accidentally driven by the
monsoon winds, they meet the monsters of the deep
ready to devour them. The floods from the mountains
impetuously rush to this outlet, and there meet a sandy
bar, accumulated by the western surges, which pre
sents a formidable barrier between the contending
waters. Neptune's terrific billows dash furiously
against the river streams, precipitating over the bar,
and present a scene easier to conceive than describe.
The floods contain immense shoals of fish, which,
unused to such violent convulsions, attempt to escape
the noise and fury by leaping over the bar, into the
distended jaws of the tyrants waiting to devour their
timid prey. An alligator is sometimes involuntarily
impelled to act a part in this extraordinary gymnasium ;
and of course perishes in the ocean.

218 TRAVENCORE.

CHAPTER XII.
Travencore — Cultivation of Pepper — Cassia Lignea, and Cinna
mon — Oil Plants — Olive Tree — Silk — Cotton — Wild Animals —
Civet Cat; Crocodile and Alligator — Ichneumon — Seal — Birds
— Crescent Snake — Black Amphisbcena — Number of Noxious
Reptiles — Termites, or White Ants — Gold Dust in Malabar
Rivers — Iron Mines, Forges, and Smelting-houses — Saltpans—
Molungies or Salt-boilers of Bengal.
During my residence at Anjengo, I endeavoured to
acquire a topographical knowledge of that part of
Malabar; and the manners and customs of the natives
of Travencore : its natural history opens a very ample
field for investigation, and the inhabitants differ in
many respects from the northern Hindoos.
Although not partial to Anjengo as a residence, I
never made a distant excursion without being charmed
with the variety of its rivers : sometimes we glide
through narrow devious channels, between steep craggy
rocks, with woody summits, where the branches, unit
ing over the stream, form a verdant canopy, imper
vious to the tropical sun : from these dark recesses we
suddenly emerge into an extensive lake
" pure as the expanse of heaven ;"
again we enter a romantic scene of rocks and woods, or
pursue the serpentine course of a broad gentle river
fringed by odoriferous plants, and encircling many
verdant islands, some inhabited, others woody and

MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPE.

219

wild : these scenes are aninated by beautiful birds ;
and the waters abound with excellent fish. Cultivation
extends to some distance eastward of the rivers ; from
thence to the foot of the Gaut mountains the country
is an entire forest, never frequented by travellers, and
little known even by those who live in its vicinity :
there, amid the solemn stillness of uncultivated na
ture, I have ranged for miles, rapt in solitary musings.
These excursions were my chief enjoyment at An
jengo : the fertile plains, the hills clothed by mango,
cashew, and cassia trees, bounded by the stupendous
Gauts towering in rude magnificence, formed a land
scape not often exceeded. Its grandeur was aug
mented when seen from the heights of Eddova and
Quilone ; where I have often beheld the sun majes
tically rising above the summit of the eastern moun
tains, and throwing a broad expanse of light over the
western sea. In such situations we experience the truth
of Addison's remark, that, " our imagination loves
to be filled with an object, or to grasp at any thing
that is too big for our capacity : we are flung into a
pleasing astonishment at such unbounded views, and
feel a delightful stillness and amazement in the soul, at
the apprehension of them."
Among the various productions of the southern dis
tricts in Malabar, are the pepper-vine and cassia (piper
nigrum, and laurus cassia, Lin.) The former is a
staple commodity at Anjengo, and grows on a beautiful
vine, which, incapable of supporting itself, entwines
round poles prepared for it ; or, as is more common in
the Travencore plantations, the pepper-vines are planted
near mango and other trees of straight high stems,
which being stripped of the lower branches, the vine

220 THE PEPPER PLANT.
embraces the trunk, covering it with elegant festoons,
and rich bunches of fruit, in the picturesque style of
the vineyards in Campagna Felice. The mango and
jac trees are generally used for this purpose ; few
pepper gardens contain more than eight or ten trees :
the vines are planted near the trunk, and led to it while
young ; the stem is tough, knotty, and strong : some
begin to bear in the fourth year, others not till the
sixth ; they are in perfection about the ninth or tenth
year, and continue bearing as many years longer, if in
a congenial soil ; from that period the vine gradually
decays ; a new soil is then prepared for a considerable
depth round the tree, for the reception of fresh shoots
from flourishing vines.
The leaf of the pepper plant is large, and of a bright
green; the blossoms appear in June, soon after the
commencement of the rains ; they are small, of a
greenish white ; succeeded by bunches of green ber
ries, which turn brown and hard as they ripen : the
pepper is gathered in February, and has the same
appearance as in Europe. The flavour of pepper is
more or less communicated to the fruit of the tree
which supports it ; a circumstance not at all relished
by the proprietor, as many mangoes taste strong of
turpentine, and are not improved by the additional
pungency of pepper.
Assiduity and cleanliness are essentially necessary
in a pepper garden ; not a weed is permitted to grow ;
the produce, however, amply compensates for the
trouble ; for although the Anjengo pepper is not so
much esteemed as that produced at Onore and Carwar,
it is sold, on an average, at eighty rupees a candy ; five
hundred and sixty English pounds weight. It is

THE CASSIA. 221
treason to destroy a pepper-vine in Travencore, where
the king monopolizes that branch of commerce ; but
permits the merchants of Anjengo to have a free trade
with his subjects in cassia, coir, cables and cordage,
made from the outer husk of the cocoa-nut.
The cassia resembles the bay-tree, of which it is a
species: it is called cassia lignea, to distinguish it from
the laurus-cinnamomum, or true cinnamon, to which it
is very inferior: the finest cassia sometimes possesses
the peculiar properties of that valuable spice, but is
in general of a coarser texture and less delicate fla
vour. The real cinnamon seems indigenous to Ceylon ;
there are some trees in the Company's garden at
Anjengo, as a curiosity. The leaves of the cassia are
smaller than the laurel, and more pointed ; those of
cinnamon still more delicate: the blossoms of both, like
the flowers of the arbutus, hang in bunches, white and
fragrant; the fruit resembles a small acorn. The young
leaves and tender shoots are of a bright red, changing
to green as they approach maturity ; they taste of cin
namon, but the only valuable part of the tree is the
inner bark ; which, being separated from the exterior
is cut into pieces, and exposed to the sun, when it
dries and curls up, and is packed in cases for foreign
markets. The tree decaying on being deprived of its
bark, is cut down, and new shoots spring from the
root ; it is also raised from seed.
The Travencore country abounds with indigenous
trees, whose blossoms and foliage have a pleasing and
diversified appearance: most of the fruit and seeds pro
duce oil ; one by way of distinction is called the olive-
tree, and bears a fruit in shape, size, and taste like the
olive ; and the oil is rather pleasant ; but the leaf and

222 WILD ANIMALS.
character of the tree is altogether different, and far
more beautiful in landscape than the grey tint of the
Italian olive.
The silk-cotton tree (bombax cerba, Lin.) grows
luxuriantly in those districts : it produces beautiful
cotton, but of too delicate a texture for manufacture.
This tree is extremely curious in its growth ; the
branches regularly project in horizontal stages, gra
dually diminishing as they approach the top, forming
in the Malabar woods a crimson pyramid, of singular
appearance ; the flower resembles a single peony, or
round tulip, of bright red, succeeded by a pod, in size
and shape like a plantain, green at first, but ripening
to a dark brown, when it bursts open, and covers the
adjoining groves with snowy flakes, light as the floating
gossamer. The animals in the southern provinces and moun
tainous regions of Malabar, are tigers, elephants, buf
faloes, hogs, civet-cats, and a variety of monkeys and
squirrels ; some of the monkeys are large, and covered
with black glossy hair, except a very full white beard
and mustachios ; which give them a venerable, and
almost human appearance.
The wild buffaloe is common in many parts of
Travencore : I had never before been in a country
where these animals were indigenous. The Malabars,
and especially the Nairs, form large hunting parties to
destroy them, as also the wild elephant, tiger, and leo
pard. They assemble by hundreds armed with strong
spears, and large bows and arrows : forming a circle
round the thickets frequented by the wild beasts, they
make a loud noise to rouse them from cover, and
drive them towards the centre : then gradually con-

THE BUFFAL0E. 223
tracting the circle, they unite in an armed phalanx,
and fall upon their prey, of which very few escape :
but they sometimes wound each other in their furious
onset, and often sustain dreadful attacks from their
enraged foe.
The buffaloe is one of the strongest and most for
midable of the savage race ; with short horns, powerful
neck, and large tuft of hair on the head. It is justly
remarked in the oriental field-sports, that his aspect is
extremely fierce ; he seems to look with disdain on
every living object, and rely on the great strength he
possesses to overthrow whatever may be opposed to his
rage. The smallest provocation irritates him incre
dibly ! and such is his courage, that he will sometimes
attack even a group of elephants going for fodder.
There cannot be a more menacing object than a single
wild buffaloe, disturbed from wallowing in the mud ;
and the knowledge of his brutal disposition by no
means allays the apprehensions to which his coun
tenance and gestures give birth : the whole race, whe
ther wild or tame, have an eye full of mischief, and are
never, on any occasion, to be trusted.
It is commonly understood that Providence has
allotted to every animal a climate suited to its nature ;
and a general review, throughout the universe, will add
no small weight to this opinion. But to this general
rule we have to plead one exception: namely, that the
buffaloe of India is by no means suited to the climate
of the country : that animal not only delights in the
water, but will not thrive unless it have a swamp to
wallow in : there rolling themselves, they speedily work
deep hollows, wherein they lie immersed. No place
seems to delight the buffaloe more than the deep ver-,

224 THE CIVET-CAT.
dure on the confines of pools and marshes, especially
if surrounded by tall grass, so as to afford concealment
and shade, while the body is covered by the water : in
such situations they seem to enjoy a perfect ecstacy :
having in general nothing above the surface, but their
eyes and nostrils, the horns being low down, and con
sequently entirely hidden from view.
The civet-cat (viverra civetta, Lin.) so called, though
not of the feline, but weasel genus, is a very ferocious
animal, and unless taken young, extremely difficult to
tame : it is larger than a common cat, the body and feet
shaded with dark stripes over a brindled brown ; the
head, eyes, and ears resemble a large rat ; their food
consists of birds, mice, and reptiles, for which they in
sidiously watch, and seize with wonderful eagerness : I
kept one for some time in a wooden cage, but the smell
at length became so insufferable, that I gave him li
berty ; for, however the perfume may be esteemed, the
odour of the animal is always disagreeable. The civet,
or musk, is formed in a glandular receptacle under the
tail, from whence it is squeezed out by little at a time,
twice or thrice a week ; it is then an offensive unguent
like thick greasy milk, but afterwards changes to a
hard brown substance. A full-grown cat always yields
more of this perfume when first caught, than after it
has been any time confined.
The eastern districts of Travencore, intersected by
lakes and rivers, abound with amphibious animals,
especially alligators and seals. There seems to be no
essential difference between the alligator of India, and
the Egyptian crocodile ; lacerta alligator, and lacertus
crocodilus. Naturalists seem to confine the alligator to
South America, the crocodile to Asia and Africa ; but

THE ALLIGATOR. 225
in India the lacerta crocodilus, generally called the
alligator, is from five to twenty feet long, shaped like
the genus to which it belongs ;. the back is covered
with impenetrable scales ; the legs short, with five
spreading toes on the fore-feet, and four in a straight
line on the hinder, armed with claws : the alligator
moves slowly, its whole formation being calculated for
streng'th, the back-bone firmly jointed, and the tail a
most formidable weapon : in the river he eagerly
springs on the wretch unfortunately bathing within
his reach, and either knocks him down with his tail,
or opens a wide mouth for his destruction, armed with
numerous sharp teeth of various length ; by which,
like the shark, he sometimes severs the human body
at a single bite : the annals of the Nile and Ganges,
although wonderful, are not fabulous. The upper jaw
only of the alligator was thought to be moveable;
that is now completely disproved : the eyes are of a
dull green, with a brilliant pupil, covered by a trans
parent pellicle, moveable as in birds : from the heads
of those of large size, musk is frequently extracted.
The alligator sometimes basks in the sun-beams on
the banks of the river, but oftener floats on its surface ;
there, concealing his head and feet, he appears like the
rough trunk of a tree, both* in shape and cojour : by
this deception, dogs and other animals fearlessly ap
proach, and are suddenly plunged to the bottom by
their insidious foe : even the royal tiger becomes hi»
prey, quitting the cover to drink at the river; the
wily alligator, concealed under water, steals along the
bank, and suddenly emerging, furiously attacks the
tiger, who never declines the combat : the alligator
generally loses his eyes, and receives dreadful wounds
VOL. i. e.

226 THE CROCODILE.
on the head, but at length plunges his adversary into
an unnatural element, and there devours him.
The astonishing size and strength of the alligator
and crocodile render them very terrible: the small
ones live chiefly on fish ; and far from attacking the
human species, dive instantly on their approach :
the female sometimes lays three or four hundred eggs,
which she covers with sand to be vivified by the sun ;
in about a month the brood break the shell and in
stinctively take to the water. I kept a small one
several months in a garden pool, but growing large
and destructive to my poultry, I set him at liberty.
The following account of the Egyptian crocodile
in the book of Job, is very descriptive of the Indian
alligator. " Canst thou draw out leviathan with
a hook, or his tongue with a cord? Canst thou
fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with
fish-spears ? Lay thine hand upon him, remember the
battle, do no more ! None is so fierce that dare stir
him up. Shall not one be cast down even at the sight
of him ? Who can open the doors of his face ? his
teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride,
shut up together, as with a close seal. One is so near
to another, that no air can come between them. They
are joined one to another ; they stick together, that
they cannot be sundered. By his neesings a light
doth shine ; and his eyes are like the eye-lids of the
morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and
sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth
smoke, as out of a seething pot, or caldron. In his neck
remaineth strength. His heart is as firm as a stone.
The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold ; the
spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth
iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. Darts are

THE ICHNEUMON. 227
counted as stubble, he laugheth at the shaking of a-
spear. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made
without fear!" Job, ch. xli. v. 1, 710, 14—20,22,
24, 26, 27, 29, 33.
The ichneumon, or mongouse (viverra ichnemon,
Lin.) which is said to destroy the eggs of the crocodile
on the banks of the Nile, are equally destructive to
those of the alligator, deposited near the rivers of Tra
vencore ; where these useful animals abound. They also
devour the young ones on shore, as their food consists of*
vermin and reptiles of every description ; they are
enemies to serpents, with whom they wage perpetual
war: and when wounded by their poisonous fangs,
instinctively go to an herbaceous antidote, with which
they are well acquainted, This animal was adored by
the ancient Egyptians for Jiis national services ; and is
domesticated by their descendants, to destroy rats, mice,
and other vermin. The ichneumon is formed, like the
weasel, with a slender head, long nose, bright eyes,
very sharp teeth, and a long coat of hair beautifully
brindled, often shining like silver. It sometimes
springs suddenly on its prey with wonderful agility ;
at others, it steals insidiously among the high grass
and bushes, and seizes it unawares : it is very cou
rageous, and frequently attacks animals much larger
than itself.
The salt waters of Travencore abound with a seal of
that species which is called phoca pusilla, an animal
seemingly between the beaver and the otter, in some
respects partaking of both, and differing from the pho^
ca vitulina, and others of the genus, found on the rocky
islands of the ocean. The Travencore seal has a round
head, short ears, thick neck, tapering body, and flat
tail, like a fish ; it is web-footed, and the skin covered
a 2

228 BIRDS.
with a soft oily hair : this amphibious creature, uniting
in so many respects the quadruped with the aquatic
animals, seems to link the two species in the great chain
of creation. Seals vary in size and appearance in differ
ent countries; at Anjengo they seldom exceed four feet
in length : they are gregarious and sociable ; form par
ties on the banks of the rivers, but always plunge in at
the approach of a stranger.
The birds in the suuthern parts of Malabar, as in
most tropical climates, are gaily clothed ; but less me
lodious than the northern songsters. The parroquets
are remarkably handsome ; the head, shaded with red,
purple, and blue, finishes in a black circle round the
neck, from whence to its long tapering tail the plu
mage is a lively green ; the parrots are not so beautiful
but their number is astonishing : they are as much
dreaded at the time of harvest as a Mahratta army, or
a host of locusts ; they darken the air by their num
bers, and alighting on a rice-field, in a few hours carry
off every ear of ripe corn to their hiding-places in the
mountains. The bird of Attinga, or pied bird of Paradise (pi-
cus orientalis, Lin.) is common in the queen of Attin-
ga's dominions ; its elegant form, purple crest, snowy
plumage, and long tail, constitute it one of the most
beautiful in the Indian ornithology.
The houses at Anjengo, being mostly thatched with
the matted leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, afford shelter
to snakes, scorpions, centipedes, lizards, and insects of
all descriptions. The most curious is a small black
snake, called by the natives the crescent snake, though
I should rather class it with the polypus : it is two or
three inches long, with a head shaped like a crescent ¦
from the outer line of the semicircle are small teeth

SNAKES. — WHITE ANTS. 2?29
easily discerned through a microscope ; I could not
discovet^any eyes : on cutting off this head, the other
end immediately supplied the loss ; it moves in a re
trograde manner, and lives after the amputation: it
is entirely covered with a glossy slime, which, like a
Snail, it leaves wherever it goes : this is said to be poi
sonous, and the bite mortal ; a characteristic often
ascribed to the Indian serpents without foundation.
There was also at Anjengo a small black species of
the amphisbcena, or double-headed snake. The tail is
shaped and marked so like the head, as not to be ea
sily distinguished from it. The idea of the amphis
bcena having two heads, with perfect organs, is erro
neous ; but as it proceeds, at pleasure, with either
head or tail foremost, this opinion has been adopted.
The bite of this snake is also reputed mortal by the
natives; but being, like the former, destitute of fangs,
the usual conveyance of a serpent's poison, I am doubt
ful of its malignity.
I mentioned the Termites, or White Ants of Bombay;
these extraordinary insects are far more numerous and
destructive at Anjengo, where it is difficult to guard
against their depredations ; in a few hours they will
demolish a large chest of books, papers, silk, or clothes,
perforating them with a thousand holes : we dare not
leave a box on the floor without placing it on glass
bottles, which, if kept free from dust, they cannot
ascend ; this is trifling, when compared with the se
rious mischief they sometimes occasion, by penetrating
the beams of a house, or destroying the timbers in a
ship. These destructive animals advance by myriads to
their work, under an arched incrustation of fine sand,
tempered with a moisture from their body, which ren-

230 WHITE ANTS.
ders the covert-way as hard as burnt clay, and effec
tually conceals them at their insidious employment.
I could mention many curious instances of depreda
tion by the termites ; one happened to myself ; I left
Anjengo in the rainy season, to pass a few weeks with
the chief at his country house at Eddova, in a rural
and sheltered situation. On my departure, I locked
up a room, containing books, drawings, and a few valu
ables ; as I took the key with me, the servant could
not enter to clean the furniture : the walls of the room
were white-washed, adorned with prints and drawings,
in English frames and glasses : returning home in the
evening, and taking a cursory view of my cottage by
candle-light, I found every thing apparently in the
same order as I left it ; but on a nearer inspection the
next morning, I observed a number of advanced works,
in various directions, towards my pictures : the glasses
appeared to be very dull, and the frames covered with
dust: on attempting to wipe it off, I was astonished
to find the glasses fixed to the wall, not suspend
ed in frames as I left them, but completely sur
rounded by an incrustation cemented by the white
ants ; who had actually eaten up the deal frames
and backboards, and the greater part of the pa
per, and left the glasses upheld by the incrusta
tion, or covered-way, which they had formed dur
ing their depredation. From the flat Dutch bot
tles, on which the drawers and boxes were placed, not
having been wiped during my absence, the ants had
ascended the bottles by means of the dust, eat through
the bottom of a chest, and made some progress in per
forating the books and linen. The chief s lady, with
whom I had been staying at Eddova, on returning to
her apartments in the fort, found, from the same

THEIR DESTRUCTIVENESS. 231
cause, a large chest in which she had deposited shawls,
muslins, and other articles, collected preparatory to
her leaving India, entirely destroyed by these voracious
insects. The story of the termites demolishing a chest
of dollars at Bencoolen, is commonly told, if not com
monly credited throughout India. Captain William
son in a great degree clears up that singular anecdote,
by introducing another of a gentleman who having
charge of a chest of money, unfortunately placed it on
the floor in a damp situation : the chest was speedily
attacked by the white ants, who had their burrow just
under the place where the treasure stood. They
soon annihilated the bottom, and were not more cere
monious in respect to the bags containing the specie ;
which being thus let loose, fell gradually into the hol
lows in the ants' burrow. When the cash was called
for, all were amazed at the wonderful powers, both of
the teeth and stomachs, of the little marauders, which
were supposed to have consumed the silver as well as
the wood. After some years the house requiring re
pair, the whole sum was found several feet deep in the
earth : and the termites were rescued from that odlo-
quy which the supposed power of feasting on precious
metals had cast on their whole race. The captain
adds, "that, when from finding such articles as they
might else attack, insulated by means of frames, of
which the feet are placed in vessels full of water, they
have been known to ascend to the upper flooring, and
thence to work downwards in filaments, like the rami
fications of the roots of a tree ; and thus descend to
their object. In fact, it is scarcely possible to prevent
them from injuring whatever they take a fancy to. " .

232 PUBLIC WORKS.
When a bear finds a nest of any kind of ants, but es
pecially white ants, he demolishes the whole burrow :
licking up all the clusters he can get at ; and lying
with his tongue out, to entice the prey into his mouth ;
by this means he often obtains an ample meal ; for a
bushel of them may frequently be found in the same
nest. The white ant is about the size of a small grain
of rice ; has a white body, appearing like a maggot,
and a very strong red head, armed with powerful for
ceps : it has four short legs. They are an article of
food among some of the low castes in Mysore, and
the Carnatic.
In the king of Travencore's dominions are some use
ful public works, but nothing comparable to those in
the northern parts of Hindostan : among other bene
ficial undertakings of former sovereigns, are rows
of chashew-apple trees on each side of the principal
public roads, extending for many miles : these trees are
shady, and beautiful in foliage, blossoms, and fruit.
Formerly the road from Lahore to Agra, a distance of
near five hundred miles, was in the same manner shad
ed by large trees : and where there was a deficiency of
wells, persons were placed in small arbours at convenient
distances, to supply water gratis, to the traveller.
Gold dust is said to be sometimes found in the Ne-
lambur river and other mountainous torrents of Mala
bar ; iron is certainly produced in many places, where
they have erected forges for smelting it ; these are ca
pable of much improvement.
Salt pans, or rather salt-fields, are formed in Traven
core, as in most other parts of the Malabar coast:
they are large reservoirs enclosed by mounds of earth,
into which the sea flows at high tides ; from whence

BEASTS OF PREY. 233
by a simple process, the water is conveyed into a
range of small inclosures, where in the course, of the
day the fluid is evaporated and the salt gathered in
the evening. These reservoirs are most productive in
the hot months preceding the rainy season ; and
from every part of the coast, salt forms the chief article
of inland commerce.
These salt-pans being generally near populous
towns and villages, the men employed there are not
more exposed to tigers and beasts of prey, than those
occupied in the usual pursuits of husbandry : not
so the Molungies, or salt-boilers, in the Sunder-
bunds, or wild regions of Bengal ; who, of all the
castes and tribes throughout the whole extent of Hin
dostan, seem to have the hardest fate. I would rather
be a Pariah or Chandala, subject to their most ignomi
nious treatment and cruel oppression, than one of
these unfortunate Molungies, living in constant terror
from the fiercest tigers, without any means of safety
or redress. Their situation had often been represent
ed to me by gentlemen from Bengal, and as often ex
cited my commiseration ; but I had no idea of their
complete misery until I read the account of the Sun-
derbunds by Captain Williamson ; where he says, "the
royal tigers are often seen swimming across the va
rious rivers which form the innumerable islands inha
bited only by wild beasts, and presenting an immense
barrier all along the sea-coast, from Saugar island to
the great mouth Of the Megna. Of this propensity in
tigers the Molungies are so thoroughly aware, that,
while performing their duties on the long^ spits of
sand which project into the sea from the impenetrable
jungles that skirt the soil, a look-out is always kept

234 - MOLUNGIES.
for tigers on the opposite banks of the rivers ; and
as soon as any appear, the whole take to flight, and con
ceal themselves in caves excavated for the purpose ;
from which, it however sometimes happens, the hun
gry animal removes every obstacle with his claws, and
drags out one or more of the inhabitants, already half
dead with terror.
" The reader will naturally inquire, why some
means are not adopted for opposing devastations of
this nature, and securing the Molungies from such a
dreadful misfortune ? The fact is, that no one is a
Molungie from choice; but, according to the principle
prevailing throughout Hindostan, the occupation of
the father and his ancestors is continued invariably by
his posterity. The Molungies would, however, readily
deviate from this principle if they had the power to do
so ; but, being kept to their posts by various guards of
revenue peons, or officers, they are unable to quit their
miserable situations. These revenue officers are, in ad
dition to some provincial militia, posted at all the places
whereby it is possible to escape in boats : as to making
off by land, it would be utterly impossible ; the surround
ing country being an immense wilderness, full of tigers,
abounding in snakes, and intersected by a labyrinth of
rapid waters, replete with alligators and other reptiles.
This unfortunate race of human beings sometimes ob
tain an addition to their number when trespassers at
tempt to escape from the pursuit of justice, and to wind
through the mazes of the inland navigation. These are
handed over to the salt-pans, whence not one in a million
ever returns. To arm persons of such a description,
would be to afford them an immediate emancipation ; and
would subvert that establishment which supplies Ben-

RETURN TO BOMBAY. 235
gal with salt, and affords to the government a revenue
not much under a million of money annually ! No
doubt but time will furnish. the means of substituting
some less objectionable means of providing so indis
pensable an article of consumption, and do away what
must, till then, be classed among the many necessary
evils with which humanity is burthened !"
The climate of Anjengo not agreeing with my con
stitution, and the situation I held affording no emolu
ment equivalent to the sacrifice of my friends and a
delightful society at Bombay, at the expiration of the
year I obtained permission to return thither, and wait
for some other appointment.

236 HINDOO TRIBES.

CHAPTER XIII.
Brahmins of Malabar— Sacred Rivers of India— Veneration for
the Cow— Public Charities— Similarity of the Malabars and
Northern Hindoos— Extraordinary Purification of the King of
Travencore passing through a Golden Cow — The same Cere
mony by Ragonath Row — Sevajee weighed against Gold —
Adventure in Quilone Forest— Civilization of the Malabars —
Physical Effects of the Torrid Zone— Conduct of a Marawar
Heroine — Dominions of the King of Travencore — Nairs —
Manners and Customs — Namburis — Tivees — Tetees — Moplah
Women— Cruelty of the Queen of Attinga — Writing on Olas —
Malabar Christians — Cheap purchase of Children — Houses of the
Malabars — Implements of Agriculture — Tribe of Pooleahs —
Pariars — Hindoos and Egyptians — Tribes mentioned by Hero
dotus ; their Manners and Customs illustrated by those of the
Malabars — Paramhansa — Hindoo Anthropophagi — Moplahs,
Mahomedan Malabars —Massacre of the English at Attinga —
Interesting Particulars of the St. Thome, or Syrian Christians.
In describing the Hindoos, the aborigines of Hindos
tan, I divided them into four principal tribes, the
Brahmin, Chuttree, Byse, and Sooder ; subdivided
into a number of smaller castes : the Malabars in this
distinguishing characteristic, and many other essentials,
resemble the northern Hindoos : as a nation, their
four grand divisions are the. Brahmins, Nairs, Tivees,
and Pooleahs.
The Malabar Brahmins, like those in other parts of
India, form two distinct classes, engaged in different

THE MALABAR BRAHMINS. 237
pursuits ; both are held sacred by the other castes ;
one has the absolute and entire management of every
thing relating to religion. Occupied by no secular con
cerns, they spend their days under the sacred groves of
their temples in superstitious ceremonies, and listless
indolence, or study the sacred volumes, treatises on
astrology, medicine, and fabulous legends ; they incul
cate benevolence to man, and kindness to the animal
creation, and are reverenced by the inferior tribes, who
swear by their heads, and treat them with filial
affection. The Brahmins who live in large towns, and hold
situations under their respective princes, as officers of
government, collectors of the revenue, and other poli
tical departments, do not merit this amiable character :
they may, on the contrary, be classed with the despots
so often mentioned, who unfeelingly exercise the rod
of oppression over the lives and property of their fel
low-creatures : although* by a strange inconsistency,
these very people are taught to shudder at the death of
an insect, and tremble at the idea of inhaling an ani
malcule. Superstition leads her votaries to the most
extraordinary actions ; during my residence among the
Malabars, where the ignominious distinction of castes
is carried to the utmost extent, I was fully convinced
that it puts a stop to the noblest exertions of real
charity, blunts the finest feelings of humanity, and
estranges man from man.
The Malabar Brahmins, like the rest of that priest
hood, have such faith in the purifying water of the
Ganges, as to believe their sins are absolved by a pil
grimage thither, or even by its virtue when trans
ported to a distant country. The Ganges, Kistna

238 RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE.
and Indus, enjoy this pre-eminence among the nume
rous rivers of Hindostan ; they fertilize, the finest tracts
in its extensive plains : the Nerbudda, and other
northern streams, claim a share of veneration ; but I
did not hear of any peculiar sanctity annexed to the
rivers of Malabar. In the fertile imagination of the
Indian all nature is animated by an endless number and
infinite variety of inferior deities and benevolent spirits,
who occupy every grove, preside over every fountain,
and fill the heavens and the earth with forms invisible
to mortal eyes.
The Malabars regard the cow with as much super
stitious veneration as the northern Hindoos ; and, if
possible, are more severe in their punishment of those
who ill-treat them, or cause their death : a subject of
Travencore who is detected in selling a bullock to
an European is impaled alive. Religious prejudice
operates powerfully in the preservation of this animal ;
but it is politic in a country where milk forms a great
part of the food, and oxen are very useful in commerce
and agriculture.
Irrigation being absolutely necessary in a climate
where rain only falls during four months in the year,
the preservation of water is a most important object ;
the Brahmins, therefore, judiciously persuade their dis
ciples to build reservoirs, and construct wells, as the
most acceptable charity they can confer : in the Tra
vencore dominions are many expensive works of this
kind ; some made by the generosity of individuals,
others at the public expense. The high roads are
planted on each side with cajew-apple, tamarind, and
mango-trees ; which adorn the country, and shade the
traveller ; caravansaries, or choultries, are erected at

NAIRS OF MALABAR. 239
convenient distances for his accommodation. Charity
of this kind is every where inculcated ; and it is equally
the ambition of a southern Malabar as of a northern
Hindoo, to have a tank, a well, or a choultrie, called
after his name. Under despotic princes, where pro
perty is never secure, and where to be reputed rich is to
bereally unfortunate, such munificent acts are far from
being uncommon : the fame of these benevolent works,
and the tranquillity of domestic life, form the chief
happiness of a people unaccustomed to public spec
tacles, or the refinements of polished society.
The Nairs of Malabar are equally brave, and more
energetic than most of the warlike Hindoos ; the na
tional characteristics of both people are otherwise very
similar. A mild climate, and the peculiar tenets of
their religion, inspire meekness, temperance, and list-
lessness : they abstain from intoxicating liquors, are
seldom guilty of debaucheries, and not subject to many
of those passions which enslave the civilized Euro
peans. Strangers to patriotism, and the blessings of liberty,
the Malabars, as well as the northern Hindoos, are
governed by fear ; loyalty and affection form no part
of their political system : amongst such a people ambi
tion has no scope : every man is confined to his own
caste, follows the profession of his ancestors, is mar
ried in childhood to his equal, and never rises higher
than the limited sphere in which he was born : there
may be exceptions, but they are very uncommon. One
indeed of an extraordinary nature occurred during my
residence in Travencore : the reigning sovereign, who
was of an inferior caste of Brahmins, advanced himself
into a higher, by purifications, gifts, and ceremonies ;

240 PURIFICATION.
part of which consisted in his majesty passing througri
the body of a cow, of the size of life, and made of pure
gold : this was the last stage of purification ; and when
performed, the cow was divided among the Brahmins.*
It is said that Ragonath Row, the Mahratta paishwa,
when expelled from his capital, and defeated by his
enemies, passed through a golden cow, in hopes of
better fortune : and two Brahmins, whom he sent as
ambassadors to England, were, on their return to Hin
dostan, compelled to pass through the sacred yoni, or
female lingam, made of the finest gold. After per
forming this ordeal, and making valuable presents to
the Brahmins, they were restored to the privileges of
their caste, which they had lost, by the impurities
contracted in travelling through so many polluted
countries. The celebrated Sevajee, in the seventeenth
century, on the day when he assumed the Mahratta
sovereignty, was publicly weighed against gold ; his
weight was equal to that of sixteen thousand pagodas ;
which, with a hundred thousand more, were distributed
among the Brahmins.
* Orme ascribes a different cause for the king of Travencore's
regeneration to that given to me by his subjects, who, perhaps,
were withheld by fear from assigning the true reason. "The kino-
of Travencore has conquered, or carried war into all the countries
which lay round his dominions, and lives in the continual exercise
of his arms. To atone for the blood which he has spilt, the
Brahmins persuaded him that it was necessary he should be born
anew; this ceremony consisted in putting the prince into the body
of a golden cow of immense value ; where, after he had laid the time
prescribed, he came out regenerated, and freed from all the crimes
of his former life. The cow was afterwards cut up, and divided
amongst the Seers who had invented this extraordinary method for
the remission of his sins."

INTOLERANT PRIESTS. 241
Herodotus mentions, that Mycerinus king of Egypt,
having lost his daughter, an only child, it caused him
the greatest affliction ; and wishing to honour her
funeral with more than ordinary splendour, he en
closed her body in an heifer made of wood, and richly
ornamented with gold.
The Malabar Brahmins, more ignorant and less to
lerant than their northern brethren, assume greater
consequence than I ever met with in other parts of
India : when travelling, they have not only their pre
cursors to clear the road ; who make a loud noise, and
compel all of inferior degree to retire ; but even when
their provision is carried along the highway, the same
cry is made ; and the vulgar are under the necessity
of hiding themselves, or falling down with their faces-
to the earth, that the atmosphere may not be polluted
by plebeian breath, while the food of a Brahmin passes
by. Even the king himself is obliged to alight from
his elephant, horse, or palanquin, when he approaches
a temple ; no person being allowed to ride near those
structures. These ignorant and bigotted priests seem to hold
strangers in abhorrence, and detest every intrusion
into their holy retreats ; I nearly lost my life by in
dulging an innocent curiosity near Quilone, a Dutch
settlement, twenty miles to the northward of Anjengo.
Strolling one evening through a wild scenery of woods
and forests, I accidentally saw a Hindoo temple, al
most concealed by banian-trees. Pleased with the
spot, I ascended a rising ground within the grove,
to take a sketch ; and in an adjoining tank saw a
Nair girl performing her ablutions : she instantly
snatched up her garment, and ran to an inner court ;
VOL. I. R

242 AN ADVENTURE.
aware of her high caste, I did not attempt to speak to
her ; but seating myself on the bank, finished my draw
ing. In the grove was a Nair at his devotions, who,
on the female speaking to him with earnestness, looked
stedfastly at me, and departed with her to the temple.
Thinking no more of either, I returned leisurely to
wards Quilone ; when hearing a noise, I looked round,
and perceived the same man, joined by several others,
armed with sticks and stones, hastily following, and
alarming the forest with their cries. I had neither
time for deliberation, nor any weapon to defend my
self ; but, with a little distance in my favour, ran to
the nearest village, and claimed the protection of some
Moplahs, having received a few stones in my flight.
Upon inquiring of these Mahomedans the nature of
an offence so undesignedly committed, they told me I
had, in the first instance, ventured on sacred ground,
untrod by Europeans ; and had seen a woman of high
caste in a consecrated tank ; crimes of great atrocity
among that superstitious people ; and had they over
taken me, my life might have been the forfeit of my
temerity. The next day the Brahmins sent orders to
the English party at Quilone to keep at a distance
from their districts, lest the atmosphere should be
tainted by our breath; and some of the milder sort
sent a basket of live poultry to an English lady of our
party, that during our abode there, we might abstain
from eating beef.
Civilization, as far as the Malabars are susceptible
of it, has long attained its height : Egypt, Assyria,
Persia, Greece, and Rome, from the pinnacle of gran
deur, perfection in the fine arts, and the luxury of opu
lence, have dwindled to a name : the Malabars seem

CIVILIZATION. 243
to have been for some thousand years in the same
state of mediocrity ; on such a system, no new designs
in building, no alteration in manners or dress, no im
provements in art or science, are to be expected.
This may be alleged of a great part of the world
besides ; but I do not compare the Negroes and Hot
tentots of Africa, nor the savages of America, with
the natives of India, or the generality of Asiatics :
these are certainly placed on a higher scale : as already
mentioned in the northern cities of Hindostan, espe
cially among the Moguls, we find eloquence, poetry,
painting, and architecture, in a considerable degree of
perfection : the Chinese shine with still brighter lustre
in the scale of civilized society : as a nation they have
never been conquered, although the Tartars usurped
the sovereignty, and introduced some changes in their
customs : during numerous revolving centuries they
have cultivated the arts of peace, have been governed
by wise laws, and have enjoyed many enviable bless
ings ; considering their limited intercourse with the
rest of the world, and how little they are beholden to
strangers for improvement, we must regard them as
an enlightened, polished, and independent people.
That the heat of the torrid zone debilitates the body,
and enervates the mind, is very obvious : to this cause
may be attributed the want of curiosity, enterprize,
and vigour, among the Malabars : their inclinations
are chiefly passive ; indolence constitutes their happi
ness, and you cannot impose a severer task than men
tal employment: with the exception of the warlike
Nairs, they pass days, months, and years, in swinging
in their verandas, or under the shade of a tree, chewing
betel, and singing dismal ditties, without a reflection
r 2

244 A MARAWAR HEROINE.
on the past, or a plan for the future : from this habi
tual indolence they become incapable of exertion ; and
thus the laws, manners, and customs, are the same at
this day as they were some thousand years ago.
There are, however, occasionally exceptions to this
state of listless indolence among the Malabars : dur
ing my residence at Anjengo a circumstance occurred
which would not have disgraced a Roman matron.
The English were at war with the Marawars, a people
inhabiting a mountainous country in the southern part
of ihe peninsula: a considerable force from Madras
was sent against them, who with great difficulty ob
tained a conquest : the obstacles chiefly arose from
the wildness of the country, and the almost inaccessi
ble fortresses to which the Marawars retreated, in the
midst of thick forests and morasses ; the rajah was
killed in defending his last castle, whither he had re-r
tired with his family and treasure : he expired in the
arms of his wife ; who immediately ordered one of the
guards, as he valued his master's honour, to s,tab her
to the heart before the fortress surrendered : the sol
dier obeyed ; and the English found the unfortunate
pair clasped in a last embrace : the commanding pffi-r
cer caused them to he burnt on the same funeral pile,
agreeable to the custom of their caste.
The king of Travencore, in whose dominions An
jengo is situated, governed a country extending from
Cape Comorin south, to the kingdom of Cochin
north : a district which has always remained free from
Mahomedan invaders, and most probably was never
subject to any of the great Hindoo rajahs. Traven
core is mountainous and hilly, difficult of access, and
defended at the passes : the most formidable, though

KING OF TRAVENCORE. 245
badly fortified, was the pass of TineVelli, leading into
that country^ 'The king usually resided in a town
called Trevanduram, about eighteen miles from- An
jengo, mean in appearance, and without defence, the
palace excepted, which was surrounded by an indif
ferent fortification near three quarters of a mile in ex
tent. His force consisted of four thousand sepoys,
disciplined in the English style, many of them de
serters from the Madras army ; and about twelve thou
sand irregulars, armed with English muskets : his
cavalry never exceeded one thousand. On an emer
gency he could assemble a formidable militia, com
posed of a hundred thousand men, armed with spears>
and bows of a large construction. The Malabars are
very expert with these weapons, especially the Nairs ;
who always assemble under their respective leaders,
on the festival of the full moon in September, at the
breaking up of the monsoon ; and being drawri up in
two divisions, commence a serious engagement with
bows and arrows, spears and lances : this is sometimes
protracted for a considerable time, and many fall on
both sides ; who confer a great honour on their family
by this sacrifice to glory. The principal Brahmin and
Nair ladies are always present on these occasions, co
vered with orriaments, if not with drapery.
The throne of Travencore does not descend from
father to son, but invariably devolves to the eldest son
of the eldest sister, that the blood-royal may be clearly
and indisputably preserved. The king on particular
occasions is spendidly apparelled, and adorned with
royal jewels ; but in general dresses, like the other
Brahmins, in a muslin turban, with a piece of
white cotton cloth round the waist, reaching to the

246 MYTHOLOGY. — JURISPRUDENCE.
knees : this is the usual dress of the Malabars. The
hereditary prince has no outward distinction from the
other nobles ; and the king's sons, whether by his
wives or concubines, have no privileges annexed to
their royal descent ; neither are they by birth entitled
to any importance in the government.
I always found more suspicion and jealousy in con
versing with the Malabars, than among any other
people in India : they were very cautious of giving
information, and deemed the most common questions
intrusive ; it was therefore impossible from such a
people to obtain much knowledge either of a religious
or political nature. Whether the Malabars, like the
northern Hindoos, adore the triad-deity, with the sub
ordinate divinities in their endless mythology; or
whether their idolatrous system comprises a different
set of gods and goddesses, especially of the dii lares,
I could not determine ; neither could I ascertain the
jurisprudence of Travencore, or other Malabar rajah-
ships : in those dominions, it is perhaps altogether a
nominal science: for in Travencore, as in most de
spotic states, the subjects are seldom governed by
written laws, but implicitly obey the will of an arbi
trary despot. The king is considered as heir to all
his subjects when he chooses to exert his full prero
gative ; consequently they require no laws respecting
landed property, or titles of inheritance : as he mono
polizes all the pepper, and such other articles as he
thinks proper in his dominions, commercial laws are
also needless : the women, except among the Nairs,
being entirely dependent, and almost in a state of
slavery, have no occasion for statutes to regulate dow
ers or marriage settlements : for as the sovereign is

EXTRAORDINARY MARRIAGES. 247
absolute in his kingdom, so is every master of a family
in his own house : moral actions and relative duties
are regulated solely by the will of a father and a hus
band. Thus, occasions of wrangling and law suits are
removed : despotic power is all-sufficient ; and the
people, excluded from general information, contentedly
submit to the oppressive system.
The Nairs, or nobles, form the second tribe in the
kingdom of Travencore : they are a well-made hand
some race, of a fairer complexion than the inferior
castes, from whom they entirely separate themselves ;
and neither eat or intermarry with any other. Their
marriages are very extraordinary, and directly contrary
to the usual system of polygamy adopted in Asia.
Among the Nairs, one wife is common to many
husbands, who cohabit with her by turns ; dur
ing this temporary attachment, the arms of the
inmate are placed over the door of the house, to
prevent the intrusion of another husband. These
marriages are attended with fewer disputes, and disa
greeable consequences, than might be imagined : the
wife nominates the father of the child ; and he is
obliged to provide for it.
In consequence of these marriages, it is an estab
lished custom, not only in the royal house of Traven
core, but in the whole tribe of Nairs, that the son
does not inherit his father's estate ; which, if permitted
by a despotic prince, devolves at his death to his
sister's children ; where there can be no doubt Of the
consanguinity. The same law exists among the
Hurons in America ; on the demise of a chief in that
tribe, he is not succeeded by his own child, but by the
son of his sister ; and in default of such an heir, by

248 NAMBURIS. — TIVEES.
the nearest relation in the female line. A similar
custom prevailed among the princes of Ethiopia.
Montesquieu assigns the following reason for the poly-
andrian system of the Nair ladies : " In this tribe the
men can have only one wife ; while a woman, on the
contrary, is* allowed many husbands : the origin of this
custom is not difficult to discover. The Nairs are the
tribe of nobles, who are the soldiers of the nation :
in Europe soldiers are not encouraged to marry ; in
Malabar, where the climate requires greater indul
gence, they are satisfied with rendering marriage as
little burthensome as possible: they give one wife
amongst many men ; which consequently diminishes
the attachment to a family, and the cares of house
keeping ; and leaves them in the free possession of a
military spirit."
The Namburis are the Brahmins of Malabar, who
consider themselves of so high a caste, that they will
neither eat nor drink with those of the northern pro
vinces. These shameless priests, not content with the
dancing girls attached to the different temples, who are
all prostitutes to the Brahmins, have connexions with
the youngest and most beautiful women among the
high tribes of Malabars, who deem it an honour to
admit a Namburi to their bed.
The Tivees, although in general only farmers and
husbandmen, are far from being a low caste : in the
vicinity of Anjengo, they are called Chagos ; and as
this tribe includes the bulk of the people, what may
be said of them is applicable to the Malabars in general.
They are well shaped, of a middle stature, and dark
complexion : their dress is a cotton cloth, tied loosely
round the waist, reaching below the knee ; some wear

FEMALE COSTUME. 249
a turban, others tie the hair on the back of the head,
and throw a loose piece of muslin over it : but the
Brahmins are always distinguished by the sacred cord
on the left shoulder. The dress of the Malabar
women is similar to that of the other sex ; their black
glossy hair, tied in a knot on the middle of the head,
is copiously anointed with cocoa-nut oil, and per
fumed with the essence %of sandal, mogrees, and
champahs ; their ears, loaded with rings and heavy
jewels, reach almost to their shoulders ; this is
esteemed a beauty ; instead of a small gold wire in the
orifice, as is practised in other countries, a filament
from the cocoa-nut leaf, rolled around, is placed in the
incision ; the circles are increased, until the orifice
sometimes exceeds two inches in diameter, the ear is
then healed, and being stretched to the perfection of
beauty, is filled with rings and massy ornaments.
Round the waist they wear a loose piece of muslin,
while the bosom is entirely exposed : this is the only
drapery of the Malabar women ; but they are adorned
with a profusion of gold and silver chains for necklaces,
mixed with strings of Venetian and other gold coins ;
they have also heavy bangles, or ^bracelets : a silver
box, suspended by a chain on one side, forms a
principal ornament, and contains the areca, or betel-
nut, with its appendages of chunam, spice, and betel-
leaf. Their skin is softened by aromatic oils, espe
cially among the Nairs and Tetees, who are peculiarly
attentive to cleanliness in their persons. The Tetees
are of the tribe of cultivators, and the Muckwas of the
fishers ; both are well-made women, sometimes tall,
and always graceful.
The Moplahs, or wives of the Mahomedans, who

250 CRUELTY OF A O.UEEN.
have been for many centuries settled among the
Malabars, are in all respects a contrast to the natives ;
far from exposing any of their personal charms, they
muffle themselves up in a covering of thick cotton
cloth, and always retire on the approach of a stranger :
they are extremely dirty, and pride themselves on their
chastity; the young Tetees, on the contrary, never
consider it among the cardinal virtues ; but after
marriage, they make good wives, and affectionate
mothers. I inquired into the truth of Mr. Grose's anecdote of
a Malabar woman, who living with an English lady at
Anjengo, to please her mistress, dressed in the Euro
pean manner ; but appearing afterwards in the queen
of Attinga's presence with her breasts covered, the
cruel despot ordered them to be cut off for such a
mark of disrespect : it was confirmed at Attinga. It
is not only the vulgar who are thus sparingly clothed ;
for the first princesses wear only a finer muslin, with
costly jewels.
Most of the Malabar men have a knife stuck in
their girdle ; and the steel pen with which they write
their letters, accounts, and records, on the leaf of the
Palmyra tree, there called olas : they write in a
straight line, in a neat manner, and with great expedi
tion : their books consist of several leaves, fastened
together by a thong. The northern Hindoos write
with the calamus, or reed, on a smooth glossy paper,
made of hemp, rice, and different ingredients.
The Malabar Christians dress like their pagan
neighbours, except that the women cover the bosom.
The Christians I usually met with were of the lowest
class : the Roman catholic missionaries made but few

PURCHASE OF CHILDREN. 251
converts of superior rank, although many of them were
settled in the Travencore dominions, and permitted to
build churches for public worship.
The poorer Malabars live on rice, salt-fish, and
jagree ; those who cannot afford rice, content them
selves with natchnee, a grain of inferior quality. The
despotism of the government frequently occasions an
artificial famine, and the inhabitants fly the country :
a real famine is' sometimes attended with dreadful
consequences. Rice is sown at the commencement of
the rains ; which do not always fall as expected, and
in some instances they have been entirely withheld for
a whole season. Should the ground be only partially
inundated, the ear droops, and yields but half a crop.
On such occasions the poor wretches are driven by
hunger to Anjengo, and other sea-ports, where you
see a youth selling himself for sustenance, a mother
offering her infant son for a bag of rice, and a des
ponding father parting with his wife and children for
forty or fifty rupees.
Malabar children are generally a cheap commodity at
Anjengo; at the end of the rainy season, when there was
no particular scarcity in the interior country,I purchased
a boy and girl about eight or nine years of age, as
a present to a lady at Bombay, for less money than a
couple of pigs in England. I bought the young couple,
laid in two months provisions of rice and salt-fish for
their voyage, and gave each of them four changes of
cotton garments, all for the sum of twenty rupees, or
fifty shillings. English humanity must not pass a
censure on this transaction : it was a happy purchase
for the children : they were relieved from hunger and
nakedness, and sent to an amiable mistress, who

252 PURCHASE OF CHILDREN.
brought them up tenderly, and, on leaving India, pro
vided for their future comfort ; whereas, had I refused
to buy them, they would assuredly have been sold to
another, and probably have experienced a miserable
bondage with some native Portugueze Christian, whom
we do not reckon among the most merciful task
masters. A circumstance of this kind happened to myself:
sitting one morning in my veranda, a young fish-
woman brought a basket of mullets for sale : while
the servant was disposing of them, she asked me to
purchase a fine boy, two years of age, then in her arms :
on my upbraiding her for want of maternal affection, she
replied with a smile, that she expected another in a
few weeks, and as she could not manage two, she
made me the first offer of her boy, whom she would
part with for a rupee. She came a few days
afterwards, with a basket of fish, but had just sold
her child to Signor Manoel Rodriguez, the Portu
gueze linguist ; who, though a man of property and
a Christian, had thought it necessary to lower the
price to half a rupee. Thus did this young woman,
without remorse, dispose of an only child for fifteen
pence !
The houses of the Nairs, and better sort of Mala
bars, are neat and clean ; generally situated in a gar
den, with a few cocoa-nut and jac trees, betel plants,
indigenous roots and vegetables: a small grove of
areca, or a shady tamarind, and a well within the in-
closure, furnish a Malabar habitation: the furniture
seldom consists of more than a few mats, earthen
pots, grind-stones, and utensils for cleaning the rice,
with the swing already mentioned.

PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS. 253
The method of inflicting punishment on criminals
and debtors in Travencore, is in some respects singu
lar: for capital crimes the culprits generally suffer
death ; although, as in most oriental governments,
money and interest may purchase a pardon ; except
for the dreadful sin of killing a cow, or selling one
for slaughter: this subjects them to a most cruel
death. For debts, and non-payment of fines, inflicted
as a punishment, they are confined by the caricar, or
chief of, the district ; who draws a circle round the
prisoner, from which he dare not move; then, gently
laying a sharp stone on the crown of his head, de
mands payment of the sum required : on a refusal,
he places a flat stone over the other, and ties it firmly
on ; additional weights are gradually accumulated,
with a repetition of the demand, until the sharp stone
penetrating the head, either insures payment, or causes
a painful death.
Having described the higher castes, I now descend
to the degraded Pooleahs ; an abject and unfortunate
race, who, by cruel laws and tyrannical customs, are
reduced to a wretched state ; while the monkeys are
adored as sylvan deities, and in some parts of Mala
bar have temples and daily sacrifices,. I have often
lamented the treatment of the poor Pooleahs, and the
cruel difference made by human laws between them
and the pampered Brahmins : banished from society,
they have neither houses nor lands, but retire to soli
tary places, hide themselves in ditches, and climb into
umbrageous trees for shelter : they are not permitted
to breathe the same air with the other castes, nor to
travel on a public road ; if by accident they should be
there, and perceive a Brahmin or Nair at a distance,

254 TRIBE OF POOLEAHS.
they must instantly make a loud howling, to warn him
from approaching until they have retired, or climbed
up the nearest tree. If a Nair accidentally meets a
Pooleah on the highway, he cuts him down with as
little ceremony as we should destroy a noxious animal :
even the lowest of other castes will have no commu
nication with a Pooleah. Hunger sometimes compels
them to approach the villages, to exchange baskets,
fruit, or such commodities as they may have, for a
little grain : having called aloud to the peasants, they
tell their want, leave their barter on the ground, and
retiring to a distance, trust to the honesty of the vil
lagers to place a measure of corn equal in value to the
barter; which the Pooleahs afterwards take away.
Constant poverty and accumulated misery have en
tirely debased the human form, and given a squalid
and savage appearance to these unhappy beings.
Yet, debased and oppressed as the Pooleahs are,
there exists throughout India, a caste called Pariars,
still more abject and wretched. If a Pooleah, by any
accident, touches a Pariar, he must perform a variety
of ceremonies, and go through many ablutions, before
he can be cleansed from the impurity. With such
ideas of defilement, no marriages are contracted be
tween the Pooleahs and Pariars ; nor do they eat
together ; although the only difference in their epi
curean banquet is, that the Pooleahs eat of all animal
food, except beef, and sometimes of that which dies
of itself : the Pariars not only feast upon dead car
cases, but eat beef, and carrion of every kind. The
Brahmins of Malabar have thought proper to place
Christians in the same rank with the Pariars.
I know not whether these humiliated castes are per-

PARIARS. 255
mitted to worship any of the higher order of the
Hindoo deities : Mariatalee, peculiarly styled the god
dess of the poor, is said to be composed of two dis
tinct properties, the virtues of a goddess and the
vices of a criminal, from a monstrous union of im
purity and virtue having accidentally happened* by
mistake, as particularly recorded in the Hindoo le
gends. Sonnerat says Mariatalee is the great goddess
of the Pariars ; to honour her they have a custom of
dancing with several pots of water on their heads,
placed- one above another : these pots are adorned
with the leaves of the margories, a tree consecrated
to her. Southey, in the Curse of Kehama, has happily
availed himself of this circumstance in saving the in
teresting Kailyal."
Rejection of caste must to a Hindoo appear much
worse than death : hurled from the high privileges of
a Brahmin or a Nair, the delinquent of either sex is
obliged to enter the tribe of Pariars, the outcasts of
all ranks of society ; in which both them and their
offspring are compelled to remain for ever ! No virtue,
no talent, no merit of a child can ever atone for the
venial sin of the parent, whose whole posterity must
feel the full effect of the dreadful sentence : none are
to pray, to sacrifice, to read, or to speak to the hap
less culprit ; none are to be allied by friendship or by
marriage, none to eat or drink with him : he is to be
come abject, and excluded from all social duties :
to wander over the earth, deserted by all, trusted by
none ; never to be received with affection, nor treated
with kindness ; but to be branded with infamy and
shame ; the curse of heaven, and the hatred of all good
men !

256 HINDOOS AND EGYPTIANS.
The Brahmins of Travencore, as in most other parts
of India, have taken care to be exempted as much as
possible from punishment ; at least, their sentence is
far more lenient than that passed on the other
castes for the same crime's ; and their power and
influence in Malabar are more unbounded than in the
north of India.
Consulting Herodotus on the purifications and cere
monies of the priests in ancient Egypt, we find a
striking resemblance between them and the Brahmins
in India, whose time ought to be divided between
study and devotion. The Egyptian priests possessed
many and great advantages ; the Brahmins enjoy still
greater privileges, by the laws of Menu, and the in
variable respect and affection of their followers. It is
not impossible to throw light upon many passages in
his history, which appear to have no more foundation
in truth than the fables in the Odyssey, or the voyages
of Sindbad the sailor.
Herodotus says, that Darius, king of Persia, on a
certain occasion sent for some of the Greeks who
were subject to his power, and asked them what re-
compence would induce them to eat the bodies of
their deceased parents ; they replied that no sum
could prevail on them to commit such a deed. In the
presence of the same Greeks, who by an interpreter '
were informed of what passed, he sent for the Callatise,
a people of India known to eat the bodies of their
parents ; he asked them for what sum they would con
sent to burn the bodies of their parents : the Indians
were disgusted at the question, and entreated him to
forbear such language. This has staggered the belief
of those wh'o have only taken a general view of Hindoo

LOATHSOME APPETITE. 257
hianners and customs, and have always observed them
burn the bodies of their dead : but this strange asser
tion is wonderfully illustrated by the following pas
sage in Moor's Hindu Pantheon : " Not only do the
Hindoos, even the.Brahmins, eat flesh ; but they eat,
one sect at least, human flesh. They do not, I con
clude, kill human subjects to eat ; but they eat such
as they find in or about the Ganges, and perhaps other
rivers. The name of the sect is Paramahansa ; and
I have received authentic information of individuals of
this sect being not very unusually seen about Benares,
floating down the river on, and feeding on a corpse.
Nor is this a low despicable tribe ; but, on the con
trary, esteemed, by themselves at least, as a very high
one ; and my information stated that the human brain
is judged by these epicurean cannibals as the most de
licious morsel* of their unsocial banquet. It may be
difficult for the English reader to believe this hitherto
unrecorded story of the flesh-abhorring Hindoos ; as
well, perhaps, as the now fully-authenticated facts" of
their prodigality of human life. Anecdotes to a con
siderable extent might easily be collected of the san
guinary propensity of these people ; such as would
startle those who have imbibed certain opinions from
the relations of travellers, on the character and habits
of the abstinent and flesh-abhorring Hindoos, and
Brahmins with souls as unspotted as the robes they
wear." In many Indian customs mentioned by the Greek
historian, we find the same traits of character as among
the modern Hindoos ; others appear so extremely dis
similar that little credit is given them : such for in
stance are the Padsei, whom he describes as leading a
vol. i. s

258 SHEEP-EATERS.
pastoral life, and living on raw flesh ; when any man
was diseased, he was put to death by his nearest con
nections ; if a woman was ill her female relations
treated her in the same manner : the more aged among
them were regularly killed and eaten ; few indeed at
tained to old age, because in case of sickness they put
every one to death.
It is well known that in some of the districts near
Bengal, there are a tribe of people called Sheep-eaters,
who seize the animal alive, and actually devour wool,
skin, flesh, and entrails, until nothing remains but the
skeleton. Lady Anstruther, who made a valuable col
lection of drawings during her residence in India, has
a set of paintings in water- colours, done by a native,
which contain the whole process of these extraordinary
gluttons, from the first seizure of the unfortunate ani
mal, until it is completely devoured.
Herodotus further says, that in India is a set of peo
ple, who, entirely different from the Padaei, put no
animal to death, sow no grain, have no fixed habita
tion, and live solely upon vegetables. These were no
doubt Yogees, Senassees, and wandering Gymnoso-
phists, who live entirely in the same manner at the
present day. The Massageta? and Nasamenes of Africa,
who were allowed promiscuous marriage, and during
cohabitation with an individual, fixed a staff before the
door, resemble in that respect the Nairs of Malabar.
About a fourth part of the inhabitants of Malabar
are Moplahs, or Mahomedans, descended from the
Moors and Arabians, who have settled there at different
times, and married Malabar women : they are the prin
cipal merchants in the country, both for foreign and
home trade : many are proprietors of trading vessels,

MOPLAHS. 269
navigated by Mahomedan commanders and seamen, in
which they make an annual voyage to the Persian and
Arabian gulfs ; and after disposing of pepper, cassia,
cardamoms, cotton-cloth, coir-ropes, and other produc
tions of Malabar, they return with coffee, drugs, dates,
and dried fruits. Those on the sea-coast use a corrupt
language between the Arabic and Malabar : the Koran,
and the few books they possess, are written in Arabic.
The Moplahs engaged in commerce, and enjoying an
intercourse with other people, are tolerably courteous
and orderly ; those in the interior, who are too proud
to work or engage in agricultural pursuits, are gene
rally an idle worthless race ; parading about the coun
try with a broadsword, or murdering time in the
swing. These are of a most turbulent revengeful
spirit, prone to mischief, especially against the Nairs,
whom they consider as infidels, proud and haughty as
themselves. When intoxicated with bhang, or opium,
they frequently run a-muck, and in a dreadful state of
phrenzy, kill every person they meet, until they are
overpowered and 'destroyed.
The Nairs are at constant variance with the Moplahs ;
and the king of Travencore, jealous of their ambitious
revengeful temper, keeps them in great subjection, and
levies frequent contributions on their property ; to
which they reluctantly submit, from knowing they
would experience the same treatment from other go
vernments. At one period the Moplahs created great
commotions in Travencore, and towards the end of the
seventeenth century massacred the chief of Anjengo,
and all the English gentlemen belonging to the settle
ment, when on a public visit to the queen of Attinga :
s 2

260, ST. THOMI5 CHRISTIANS.
the sanguinary deed was committed near her palace *
some were even murdered in her presence, whom she
in vain attempted to rescue from their fury, although
at that time sovereign of the country.
There was still a nominal queen of Attinga when I
resided at Anjengo ; who, like the rajah sovereign of
the Mahrattas, was little more than a state prisoner,
while the king of Travencore, the usurper of her domi
nions, imitating the peshwa of Poonah, styled himself
duan, or minister to the queen of Attinga.
The Syriac churches, or Christians of St. Thome',
settled in Travencore, are objects of great interest and
curiosity. They were not unknown to Vasco de
Gama, and the first navigators to India : to whom the
unexpected discovery of Christians on the Malabar
coast, was a matter of the greatest surprise and satis
faction ; for they were not more enthusiastic in extend
ing their military glory and conquests, than in propa
gating their religion among the infidels in the remotest
quarters of the world. Their exultation, however, was
temporary ; for, upon nearer investigation, they found
that these Christians followed the doctrine of Nesto-
rius, and acknowledged, instead of the Pope, the pa
triarch of that sect residing in Syria, for their ecclesi
astical supreme chief.
"They are indiscriminately called St. Thome Chris
tians, (from Mar Thome, who was, according to their
tradition, their first bishop, and founder of their
religion in these countries,) Nestorians, Syrians, and
sometimes the Malabar Christians of the mountains,
by the Portugueze writers of that time, and by the
subsequent missionaries from Rome. The most com-

ST. THOMi CHRISTIANS. 261
irion name given to them by the Hindoos of the coun
try, is that of Nazaranf e, Mapila, and more frequently
Surians, or Surianee Mapila.
"They made at first some proselytes among the
Brahmins and Nairs, arid were on that account much
respected by the native princes ; and many preserve
the manners and mode of life of the Brahmins as to
cleanliness, and abstaining from animal food.
" They possessed upwards of one hundred villages,
situated mostly in the mountainous part of the south
ern division of Malabar. Their habitations were dis
tinguished from those of the Hindoos by being solid
buildings, and collected in villages. They paid a very
moderate tribute to the different rajahs in whose terri
tory they lived, but were subject to their archbishop in
all ecclesiastical and civil matters. They all wore
swords and targets, and some of them had firelocks ;
they were great marksmen, and from their eighth year
frequented the firing schools : husbandry and trade
were their principal occupations, and, next to the
Brahmins, the St. Thome' Christians furnished the
greatest quantity of pepper to the Portugueze.
"They admitted no images of saints in their
churches, where the Holy Cross alone was to be seen.
They had only three sacraments, baptism, eucharist,
and the orders ; and would not admit of transubstan-
- tiation in the manner the Roman Catholics do. They
knew nothing of purgatory ; and the saints they said
were not admitted to the presence of God, but were
kept in a third place till the day of judgment. Their
priests were permitted to marry at least once in their
life. Their rite was the Chaldaean, or Syrian."
Dr. Claudius Buchanan, who visited the Syrian

262 SYRIAN CHURCHES.
churches in 1806, under the sanction of the Marquis
Wellesley, confirms the preceding account, and has
given an interesting and affecting detail of his recep
tion by Mar Dionysius the bishop and the pastor of the
Christian churches in Malabar : he describes the vene
rable metropolitan, at the age of seventy-eight, in his
episcopal mitre and crozier, as a man of highly respec
table character, eminent for piety, and devoted atten
tion to his pastoral functions : in a conversation with
the English divine, the Bishop said, " You have come
to visit a declining church, and I am now an old man :
but the hopes of its seeing better days cheer my old
age, though I may not live to see them." On Dr.
Buchanan's submitting to the venerable prelate his
wishes in regard to the translation and printing of the
Holy Scriptures, he replied, "I have already fully consi
dered the subject ; I have determined to superintend
the work myself, and to call the most learned of the
clergy to my aid : it is a work which will illuminate
these dark regions, and God will give it his blessing."
Dr. Buchanan collected an ancient Syrian Bible, and
several valuable manuscripts among these churches ;
aud the king of Travencore acceded to his request for^
sending a catalogue of all the Hindoo manuscripts in
the temples of Travencore to the English college at
Calcutta ; a measure to which the Brahmins were
very averse. Those manuscripts are supposed to con
tain most of the Hindoo literature of the south of India.
The Christians in Travencore, who exceeded two
hundred thousand in number, were much in want of
printed versions of the Holy Scriptures, having only a
very few manuscript copies belonging to all the churches.
This Syriac version was carried to India, according to

THE MALABAR PROVINCE.

263

the popular belief, at the beginning of the fourth cen
tury, before the year 325 of the Christian aera ; at
which time Johannes, Bishop of India, signed his
name at the council of Nice. Dr. Buchanan, in com
pany with Colonel Macaulay, the British resident in
Travencore, visited Udiamper, where Beliarte, King
of the Christians, kept his court: for the Syrian
Christians had formerly regal power in Malabar, and
when Vasco de Gama arrived at Cochin in 1503, he
saw the sceptre once swayed by their monarchs. At
Udiamper is the Syrian church, at which Archbishop
Menezes, from Goa, convened the synod of the Syrian
clergy in 1599, when he burned the Syriac and Chaldaic
books. The extensive tract of country, now denominated the
Malabar Province, having since the fall of Tippoo Sul
tan, formed part of the British empire in India, and
been placed under the management of the Company's
servants, a more accurate and comprehensive detail of
the subjects slightly touched upon during my voyage
on the Malabar coast, and residence in Travencore,
will most probably be communicated to the public.
The pride and insolence of the Nambouri Brahmins and
Nairs will be checked under the English government,
and by that means many new channels of information,
which could not have been accessible forty years ago,
will be attainable.
The King of Calicut was, in the Malabar language,
called Samory, or Zamorine, that is to say, God on
the earth.
Many of the singular customs of the high caste of
the Tamuri Raja, or Zamorine, are amusingly de
scribed by Dr. Francis Buchanan. The present Za-

264 THE TAMURI.
morin, instead of possessing the power, wealth, and
dignity of his ancestors, is reduced to a cypher, and
subsists on a pension from the English East India
Company. Notwithstanding his degradation and po
verty, all the males of his family are called Tamburans,
and all the ladies Tamburetti, appellations of high dis
tinction : as the Tamuri pretend to be of a higher rank
than the Brahmins, and to be inferior only to the
invisible gods, a pretension that was acknowledged by
his subjects, but which is held as abominable by the
Brahmins.

EXCAVATIONS AT SALSETTE. 265

CHAPTER XIV.
Excavations at Salsette and Elephanta — Journey from Bombay
to Salsette — Description of the great Temple there — Depreda
tions of the Tigers — Island of Elephanta — Excavations — Grand
Temple — Hymn to Narayena — Caverns and Temples at Ellora
— Wars of the Kooroos and Pandoos from the Hindoo Legends —
Cemetery in the Desert of Sinai.
During my residence at Bombay I frequently visited
the excavations of Canara and Elephanta : the former
are hewn in the central mountains on the island of
Salsette, contiguous to Bombay ; the latter in a similar
situation on the isle of Elephanta, seven miles from
thence, and nearer to the continent. Soon after my
return to England, an engraving was published from
my painting of the large temple at the Elephanta ; and
the views of those stupendous works on both islands,
since delineated by Mr. Daniell with the accuracy and
effect which characterize all his productions, give a
correct idea of their general appearance.
The nations of Asia, as well as of Europe, continued
long ignorant of the origin and purport of these extra
ordinary caverns : later researches have thrown a light
on their obscurity : the author of the " Indian An
tiquities" has taken great pains to illustrate them ; his
minute investigations have the glow of oriental poetry,
and are enriched by interesting anecdotes. If his com-

266

OUR JOURNEY.

pari sons between the tenets of the Hindoo religion
and the rites of the Eleusinian mysteries, together with
his other hypotheses, do not entirely satisfy, they at
least afford pleasure to the inquiring mind.
My first visit to Salsette was in the beginning of
1774 ; that island then belonging to the Mahrattas, we
obtained a passport from the Pundit for our journey;
and crossing a narrow arm of the sea which divides
Bombay from Salsette, proceeded in palanquins to
wards the caves. Our party consisted of six English
gentlemen, a small escort, and numerous attendants ;
which were as necessary on this excursion as in the
former journey in the Concan, from being obliged to
carry beds, provisions, and every thing wanted, on the
heads of the villagers.
The first part of the road was through salt marshes
and rice-fields, with few trees, or interesting objects:
at sun-set we ascended a pleasant hill, and took up our
quarters in a Portugueze church,* near an extensive
lake, bordered by mango-trees : the priest did every
thing for our accommodation, partook of our supper,
and at midnight left us to repose in his spacious
dormitory. At day-break next morning we renewed our journey
to another church, five miles from the principal ex
cavation : the country improved in beauty and fertility,
its produce chiefly consisting of rice-fields, mango
groves, and palmyra trees. After breakfast we pro
ceeded towards mountains of difficult ascent, through
narrow rocky paths rendered almost impervious by
thickets and jungle grass, through which our palanquin-
bearers could not penetrate, and we finished the
journey on foot.

THE GREAT TEMPLE. 267
At noon we reached the great temple, excavated at
some distance from the summit of a steep mountain, in
a commanding situation. This stupendous work is
upwards of ninety feet long, thirty-eight wide, and of
a proportionable height, hewn out of the solid rock,
and forming an oblong square, with a fluted concave
roof: the area is divided into three aisles by regular
colonnades, similar to the ancient basilic, a pile of
building twice as long as it was wide, with one of the
extremities terminating in a hemicycle ; two rows of
columns formed a spacious area in the centre, leaving
a narrow walk between the columns and the wall. The
largest excavation at Salsette appears intended for a
place of worship ; towards the termination of the
temple, fronting the entrance, is a circular pile of solid
rock, nineteen feet high, and forty-eight in circum
ference, most probably a representation of the lingam,
the symbol of Seva. There are no images in this tem
ple, nor any kind of sculpture except on the capitals
of the pillars, which are generally finished in a masterly
style, and are little impaired by time ; many have been
left in an unfinished state ; on *the summit of others
is something like a bell, between elephants, horses,
lions, and animals of different kinds.
The lofty pillars and concave roof of the principal
temple at Salsette present a much grander appearance
than the largest excavation at the Elephanta, although
that is much richer in statues and bassi-relievi than
any of those on Salsette. The portico at Salsette, of
the same height and breadth as the temple, is richly
decorated ; on each side a large niche contains a co
lossal statue well executed; facing the entrance are
small single figures, and groups in various attitudes ;

268 DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE.
the whole in good preservation. The outer front of
the portico, and the area before it, corresponding in
grandeur with the interior, are now injured by time,
and the mouldering sculpture intermingled with cle
matis and a variety of rock-plants. We copied several
lines from the long inscriptions on the square pillars
at the entrance ; the characters were obsolete, and had
not been deciphered when I left India.
The following are the exact dimensions of the large
temple, or principal excavation at Salsette :
Length of the interior, ninety-one feet, six inches.
Breadth, thirty-eight feet.
Depth of the portico, twelve feet.
Portico-wall, or support of rock, five feet.
Front-wall, or support of rock, three feet.
Area, twenty- eight feet.
Outer wall, or support of rock, two feet eight inches.
The length of the whole temple, portico and area,
leading to it, is one hundred and forty-two feet two
inches. After remaining some hours in the large temple,
we proceeded further. up the mountain by a flight
of steps hewn in the rock, and continued to the
summit. By various intricate paths they lead to
smaller excavations ; most of which consist of two
rooms, a portico and benches, cut in the rock : to
each is annexed a cistern of water of about three cubic
feet, also hewn in the rock, for the preservation of
rain water; which we found very cool and grateful
after a sultry walk.
Some of these excavations are larger and better
finished than others ; a few in their general effect
resemble the principal temple, though inferior in size

EXCAVATED MOUNTAIN. 269
and decoration. The whole appearance of this exca
vated mountain indicates it to have had a city hewri
in its rocky sides, capable of containing many thou
sand inhabitants : the largest temple was doubtless
their principal place of worship ; the smaller, on the
same plan, inferior dewals ; the rest were appropriated
as dwellings for the inhabitants, differing in size and
accommodation according to their respective ranks in
society ; or, as is still more probable, these habitations
were the abode of religious Brahmins and their pupils,
when India was the nurse of art and science, and the
nations of Europe were involved in ignorance and
barbarism. The summit of this wonderful mountain commands
an extensive view ; the island of Salsette appears like
a map around the spectator, presenting a fine cham
paign of rice-fields, cocoa-groves, villages, and cattle ;
woody hills and fertile vales : the surrounding moun
tains form a fore-ground of grey rocks, covered with
trees, or hollowed into gloomy caverns, the haunt of
tigers, serpents, bats, and bees, in immense swarms ;
the horizon is bounded on the south by the island of
Bombay with the harbour and shipping, east by the
continent, north by Bassein and the adjacent moun
tains, arid west by the ocean. In various parts of Sal
sette are romantic views, embellished by the ruins of
Portugueze churches, convents, and villas ; once large
and splendid, but suffered to decay since the Mahrattas
conquered the island.
The enjoyment of the picturesque and fertile scenery
of Salsette is interrupted by the tigers which infest the
mountains and descend to the plains : they not only
prey upon the sheep and* oxen near the villages, but

270 FEROCIOUS TIGERS.
sometimes carry off the human species. During our
short stay, a poor woman gathering fuel on the skirts
of a wood, laid her infant on the grass, when a tiger
sprung from the cover and carried it to his den, in the
sight of the wretched mother !
Another of these ferocious animals prowling in a
garden near Tannah, the capital of the island, suddenly
put his head and fore-feet through the small window
ofca summer house where a friend of mine was sitting.
Alarmed at his danger, he kept his eye stedfastly
fixed on the enemy, rightly judging that the aperture
was too small for the admission of his body ; the gen
tleman then ran speedily to the house, and returning
immediately with two or three armed servants, shot
the monster through the heart, he having never moved
from the spot.
The island of Elephanta, about two leagues from
Bombay, does not exceed three miles in circumfe
rence; consisting of two rocky mountains, covered
with trees and brush-wood, and a small valley of rice-
fields, cultivated by a few Hindoo farmers, whose cot
tages and cattle enliven the scene. Near the landing
place is the figure of an elephant the size of life,
shaped out of a rock, which probably gave its name
to the island ; that by which the natives distinguish it
being very different.
Ascending the mountain by a narrow path, winding
among rocks, trees, and underwood, we arrive at the
excavation, which has long excited the attention of
the curious, and afforded ample scope for the discus
sion of antiquaries. The principal temple, and ad
joining apartments, are two hundred and twenty feet
long, and one hundred and fifty broad; in these dimen-

TEMPLE OF ELEPHANTA. 271
sions exceeding the largest work at Salsette : but be
ing very inferior in height, notwithstanding the nume
rous and richer decorations at the Elephanta, the spec
tator is constantly reminded of being in a cave ; at ¦
Salsette, the lofty concave roof and noble columns
have a majestic appearance. Yet the observer feels
more surprize and admiration at the Elephanta than at
Salsette : he beholds four rows of massive columns cut
out of the solid rock, uniform in their order, and
placed at regular distances, so as to form three mag
nificent avenues from the principal entrance to the
grand idol which terminates the middle vista ; the ge
neral effect being heightened by the blueness of the
light, or rather gloom, peculiar to the situation. The
central image is composed of three colassal heads,
reaching nearly from the floor to the roof, a height
of fifteen feet : it represents the triad deity in the
Hindoo mythology, Brahma, Vishnoo, and Seeva, in
the characters of the creator, preserver, and destroyer :
the middle face displays regular features and a mild
and serene character ; the towering head-dress is much
ornamented, as are those on each side, which appear
in profile, lofty and richly adorned with jewels : the
countenance of Vishnoo has the same mild aspect as
Brahma : the visage of Seeva is very different ; seve
rity and revenge, characteristic of his destroying attri
bute, are strongly depicted ; one of the hands embraces
a large cobra de capello ; while the others contain
fruit, flowers, and blessings for mankind; the lotos
and pomegranate are easily distinguished. The lotos,
so often introduced into the Hindoo mythology, forms
a principal object in the sculpture and paintings in
their temples, is the ornament of their sacred lakes,

272 THE TRIPLE DEITY.
and the most conspicuous beauty in their flowery sa
crifices. Whether the Bali-putras, or Palibothra
kings, mentioned in Alexander's invasion of India,
were the same with the more ancient dynasty of Ball-
putra, or Patali-putra, is, perhaps, not yetdetermined ;
but the Bhagavata mentions one of the titles of Maha-
Bali, the founder of that dynasty, to have been Maha-
padma, Pati-Nanda, the " Great Lord of the Lotos?
The lotos is often seen in the Egyptian and Grecian
sculpture ; and that a triad deity was an object of wor
ship in the mythology of those ancient nations, is an
hypothesis well supported in Maurice's Indian Anti
quities. On either side of the Elephanta triad is a gigantic
figure leaning on a dwarf, an object frequently intro
duced in these excavations. The giants guard the
triple deity, and separate it from a large recess filled
with a variety of figures, male and female, in different
attitudes ; they are in tolerable proportion, but express
no particular character of countenance : one conspi
cuous female, like the Amazons, is single breasted ; the
rest, whether intended for goddesses or mortals, are
generally adorned, like the modern Hindoo women
with bracelets, and rings for the ancles ; the men have
bracelets only. The intervening space between these
large figures is occupied by small aerial beings, hover
ing about them in infinite variety. I know not whe
ther I am correct in saying the larger images in these
groups are in alto-relievo, and most of the smaller in
basso-relievo, brought sufficiently forward from the
rock to produce a good effect.
The sides of the temple are adorned with similar
compositions, placed at regular distances, and termi-

COLUMNS AND BATHS. 273
nating the avenues formed by the colonnades, so that
only one group is seen at a time, except on a near ap
proach ; the regularity and proportion of the whole
are remarkably striking. The figures are generally in
graceful attitudes ; but those of herculean stature indi
cate no muscular strength.
Among many thousand figures, few of the coun- .
tenances express any particular passion, or mark a de
cided character : they have generally a sleepy aspect,
and bear a greater resemblance to the tame sculpture
of Egypt than the animated works of the Grecian
chisel. The columns at the Elephanta are of a singular
shape, and in all respects differ from the beautiful or
ders' of ancient Greece: the shafts are massive in pro
portion to their height; the large capitals, swelling
over the ornaments, give the appearance of pressure
by the superincumbent mountain ; a form appropriate
to their function in this wonderful work.
From the right and left avenues of the principal
temple are passages to smaller excavations on each
side : that on the right is much decayed, and very
little of the sculpture remains entire ; a pool of water
penetrates from it into a dark cavern far under the
rock ; whether natural or artificial is not determined.
A small corresponding temple on the left side, con
tains two baths, one of them elegantly finished: the
front is open, and the roof supported by pillars of a
different order from those in the large temple; the
sides are adorned with sculpture, and the roof and
cornice painted in mosaic patterns ; some of the co
lours are still bright. The opposite bath of the same
proportions, is less ornamented ; between them a room
VOL. i. t

274 SCULPTURED MOUNTAINS.
detached from a rock* contains a colossal representa
tion of the lingam. Several small caves branch out
from the grand excavations.
I remained on one occasion four days at the Isle of
Elephanta, and paid more than one visit to the sculp
tured mountains of Canara, sketching the most striking
features of these wonderful works. I once accom
panied an eminent English artist on his first visit to
the Elephanta ; he had seen the most striking objects
of art in Italy and Greece, but never any thing which
filled his mind with such extraordiriary sensations
as to the general effect. After staying until a late
hour he reluctantly accompanied me to the hospitable
mansion of an English officer at Butcher's island;
whither we repaired every evening, and returned on the
following morning to revisit the Elephanta, as the
nocturnal damps render it dangerous to sleep in the
caverns, and the cottages of the natives cannot accom
modate Europeans.
However these gigantic statues, and others of simi
lar form, in the caves of Elora and Salsette, may astonish
a common observer, the man of taste looks in vain for
proportion of form and expression of countenance.
The Elephanta caves especially cause admiration
when we contemplate the immensity of the under
taking, the number of artificers employed, and the
extraordinary genius of its first projector, in a country
until lately accounted rude and barbarous, by the
now enlightened nations of Europe*. It is a work
which would be admired by the curious, had it been
raised from a foundation, like other structures ; but
when we consider it is.hewn inch by inch in the hard
and solid rock, we'cannot but be astonished at the con
ception and completion of the undertaking.

HYMN TO NARAYENA. 275
I am far from advocating the cause of Hinduism ;
but I confess, that a view of these excavations has often
caused pious meditation and filled my mind with awe,
though I was surrounded by idols. My opinion of
modern Brahminism is apparent throughout these
pages ; but many circumstances authorize a conclu
sion, that there was a time when the more enlightened
Brahmins worshipped God in his unity ; and perhaps
in these very temples sang the praises of Jehovah,
without the medium of subordinate divinities ; which
are said to have been introduced only for vulgar minds.
The hymn to Narayena is one of the most sublime
and beautiful compositions in any language, translated
by our great orientalist, Sir William Jones.
The first stanza represents the sublimest attributes
of the Supreme Being, and the three forms in which
they most clearly appear to us, power, wisdom, and
goodness ; or, in the language of Orpheus and his dis
ciples, love. I shall only copy the first stanza of this
divine poem, and the concluding lines ; although every
part of it would delight a refined and pious mind, and
enlighten the most obscure recesses appropriated to
such an object of worship.
The Spirit of God, called Narayena, or moving on
the water, has a multitude of other epithets in the
, Sanscrit, the principal of which are introduced in dif
ferent part9 of the hymn.
HYMN TO NARAYENA.
Spirit of spirits, who, through every part
Of space expanded and of endless time,
Beyond the stretch of labouring thought sublime,
Bad'st uproar into beauteous order start,
Before heaven was, thou art :
T 2

276 UNSATISFACTORY CONJECTURES.
Ere spheres beneath us roll'd or spheres above,
Ere earth in firmamental ether hung,
Thou sat'st alone, 'till through thy mystic love,
Things unexisting to existence sprung,
And grateful descant sung.
What first impell'd thee to exert thy might ?
Goodness unlimited. What glorious light
Thy power directed? Wisdom without bound.
What prov'd it first? Oh ! guide my fancy right ;
Oh ! raise from cumb'rous ground
My soul in rapture drown'd,
That fearless it may soar on wings of fire ;
For thou, who only know'st, thou only canst inspire !
* * * *
My soul absorb'd One only being knows,
Of all perceptions One abundant source,
Whence every object every moment flows:
Suns hence derive their force,
Hence planets learn their course ; .
But suns and fading worlds I view no more :
God only I perceive, God only I adore !
Various are the conjectures of d'Anquitel, Niebuhr,
and other travellers, respecting these caverns, but none
satisfactory ; the Author of the Indian Anquities, and
several writers who have recently published their in
vestigations, are more explanatory.
Dr. Fryer's account of the excavated mountains
at Salsette, and the temples at the Elephanta, though
very entertaining, throw no light on their origin :"and .
it appears almost ridiculous to mention the opinion of
those travellers who conjecture the excavations to
have been made in the reign of Solomon, by artists
who sailed in his fleet from Ezion-geber to Ophir, for
the commodities of India. Many attribute them to
Alexander, as remarked by Dr. Fryer ; but after
crossing the Indus, and entering the Punjab, that

UNSATISFACTORY CONJECTURES. 277
country watered by five rivers, the Macedonian hero
made little progress into the southern provinces of
Hindostan : for, on the banks of the river Chelum, or
Betah, the ancient Hydaspes, he was opposed by Porus,
the Indian sovereign, as 'appears from Arrian's history,
taken from the journals of Aristobulus, Nearchus, and
the other generals who accompanied Alexander : the
hardships his veteran Greeks had undergone in their
marches during the rainy season, made them refuse
to advance further; although he doubtless meant to
have extended his conquests to the banks of the Ganges.
The river Hyphasis, now called the Beyah, was the
boundary of his march from Persia ; from thence he
commenced his return to that kingdom, and there he
erected several monuments in memory of his achieve
ments. Nearchus fitted out a fleet of near two thou
sand vessels, of various size and construction, on the
Hydaspes, a branch of the Indus, with which he en
tered that noble river, and following its stream to the
ocean, proceeded by the Persian gulph to the Eu
phrates ; while Alexander himself returned, with the
remainder of his army, through Persia. The other
parts of Hindostan had then remained unpenetrated
by the conqueror ; this would abundantly disprove all
connexion between these works and Alexander's expe
dition, did not the total absence of any thing Grecian,
in the style of architecture, or the character of the
mythological figures, preclude any such idea.
Sir Charles Malet's judicious remarks on the exca
vations at Ellora, which are similar, and most probably
contemporary with those at Salsette and the Elephanta,
throw considerable light on these wonderful produc
tions ; although in his letter to Lord Teignmouth he

278 TEMPLES AT ELLORA.
does not allow his inquiries to have been entirely
satisfactory. He says, that " Doubtless they are the works of
people whose religion and mythology were purely the
Hindoo, and that most of the excavations carry strong
marks of dedication to Mahdew, as the presiding
deity, that leaves no room to doubt their owing their
existence to religious zeal, the most powerful and most
universal agitator of the human mind."
Sir Charles Malet's account of the temple at Ellora
was preceded in the Asiatic Researches by a description
of the excavations at the island of Elephanta, by Mr.
Goldingham, whose investigations corroborate Sir
Charles's so far as to prove that neither Egyptians,
Jews, nor Greeks, had any share in the undertaking.
Mr. Goldingham's descriptions of the several com
partments of figures and of the detached baths and
temples, are very accurate, and discriminated with
judgment. He supposes the figure with one breast to
be a representation of the consort of Siva exhibiting
the active power of her lord, not only as Bawani, or
courage, but as Isani, or the goddess of nature, con
sidered as male and female, and presiding over genera
tion, and also as Durga. Here we find the bull of
Iswara (one of Siva's names), and the figure bearing
his trisule or trident. The beautiful figure on the
elephant is Cama, or the Hindoo god of love ; the
figure with four heads supported by birds is a repre
sentation of Brahma, and that with four arms mounted
on the shoulders of another, is Vishnu. The two prin
cipal figures in the niche to the left, represent, perhaps,
Siva and his goddess as Parvati, with Brahma and
Vishnu in the background.

ANCIENT SCULPTURES. 279
The terrific figure with eight arms has been supposed
by some to represent Solomon threatening to divide the
harlot's child ; others believe it to be the tyrant Cansa
attempting the life of the infant god Crishna when
fostered by the herdsman Ananda. But in this, the
third attribute,' or the destroyer in action, is too well
represented to be mistaken : the distant scene, where
the smaller figures appear in distress and pain, is per
haps the infernal regions. The figures, male and female,
sitting, with a bull couching at the feet of the former,
are Siva and his goddess ; and thus they are repre
sented in the temples at the present day. The figure
with the human body and the elephant's head cannot
be mistaken for any other than Ganesa, the Hindoo
god of wisdom, and the first-born of Siva ; and the
lingam is a sufficient testimony of Siva's having pre
sided in this ancient Hindoo temple.
Mr. Goldingham does not attempt to deduce the
aera of the fabrication of this wonderful structure ; but
a considerable light is thrown on the subject by Mr.
Wilford, whose erudition has been conspicuously dis
played in the Transactions of the Asiatjc Society. He
has discovered some of the inscriptions in the caves at
Salsette to be the pure Sanscrit dialect, and that the cha
racters, though uncouth and barbarous, are of the same
language; others again are engraved in an ancient
vernacular dialect, and in characters derived from the
original, or primeval Sanscrit, since they are estab
lished on the same elements, although very different
in form from those at present in use. The subject of
these inscriptions would perhaps have been of little
importance, had they not led to a very valuable disco
very of ancient alphabets ; which may hereafter facili-

280 HINDOO LEGENDS.
tate the deciphering of other inscriptions of greater
consequence. In the literature of India there is no legend more
celebrated than the wars of the Kooroos and Pandoos,
the sons of Detrarashtra and Pandoo, for the dominion
of Hindostan — a subject which has given birth to the
Mahabarat, a poem that, among the Hindoos, has the
credit of divine inspiration, and which Mr. Hastings
has compared with the Iliad of Homer.
Detrarashtra and Pandoo were the sons of Veectree-
traveerga, who was succeeded in the empire by Pandoo
in consequence of his elder brother being incapacitated
by blindness. Detrarashtra is said to have had a hun
dred sons, of whom Doorgadun was the eldest, an.d in
fact the representative of that branch of the family
distinguished under the name of Kooroos : the sons of
Pandoo were five ; Yoodishter,Bheem, Arjoon, Nekool,
and Sahader.
Upon the death of Pandoo, Doorgadun, his ne
phew, succeeded to the throne ; hence divisions were
excited, and conspiracies were alternately formed, on
the one hand, #to usurp the government, and on the
other, to extirpate the race of Pandoo. At length, to
terminate the feuds, it was agreed between Doorga
dun and Yoodishter to divide the kingdom ; when
Doorgadun conceived an artifice by which he might
remove his rival, without occasioning those conten
tions to which the empire had before been a prey. To
effect this purpose he challenged Yoodishter to a game
of chance ; which being accepted, Doorgadun, by means
of false dice, won all his adversary's wealth and king
dom ; and having thus succeeded, he agreed to give him
one chance more of redeeming his loss, if, in case of

HINDOO LEGENDS. 281
failure, he would retire with his brothers for twelve
years into such a strict banishmeut, that they should
not within that time be seen by any man. These
terms were consented to, .Doorgadun prevailed, and
the Pandoos entered upon their exile into forests the
most unfrequented. The term of their seclusion from
society being expired, they addressed Doorgadun, by
Vedum and Vyasa, to be restored ; when, their over
tures being rejected with contempt, they assembled a
large army, and effected by force what they failed in
by entreaty ; for in a pitched battle fought between the
two armies near the city of Tanassar, the Kooroos were
vanquished, and Yoodishter succeeded to the throne.
It is to these exiles in the forest that the inscrip
tions are found to relate ; they consist of short obscure
sentences, supposed to have been engraven on rocks
and stones by Vedum and Vyasa, the friends of the
Pandoos, communicating to them, by their means, such
intelligence as was necessary to their safety ; consoling
them in their misfortunes, and warning them against
the arts of Doorgadun.
These transactions are supposed to have happened
in the commencement of Kalee Youg, a period between
four thousand eight hundred, and five thousand years
ago : and some of the most respectable Hindoos of the
present day, entertain a firm conviction that these in
scriptions are the authentic works of Vedum and'Vyasa.
It may be interesting to the lOvers of Hindoo literature
to be informal that this Vyasa is the reputed author
of the»Puranas.
Such is the recent account of those inscriptions, and
certainly there are many corroborating circumstances
in the sculpture, especially in the caves at the Ele-

282 EGYPTIAN SCULPTURES.
phanta, to strengthen this opinion ; and particularly so
at Mont-pesser, or Mundip Ishwur, on Salsette : at a
little distance from whence there still remain six obe
lisks, in tolerable preservation. On some of them is
a representation, in basso-relievo, of sea and land
battles ; the vessels engaged in a furious combat are
extremely well represented : on others are carved the
emblems of peace, and similar subjects, which may
perhaps relate to the aera just mentioned.
Before I conclude my account of these excavations,
I must not omit the striking resemblance which has
been observed between them and the sculptured grottos*
in Egypt ; a circumstance which seems to imply that
either the Egyptians copied from the Hindoos, or the
Hindoos from them ; the former is now generally
allowed. Not far from the city of Assuan, the ancient
Syen described by Strabo, on the confines of Ethiopia,
the rocks on the western bank of the Nile are hewn
into grottos, with places of worship, columns, pilasters,
and hieroglyphics, as particularly mentioned by modern
travellers. Strabo also describes the adjacent island of
Elephantina, with its surrounding rocks in the Nile ;
from whence were hewn those enormous masses used
in the magnificent structures of Egypt, and especially
that amazing cube, each side measuring sixty feet, in
which the sanctuary of Butis was cut. The island of
Elephctotina in the time of Strabo contained a small
town, with the temple of Cneph, and a celebrated
Nilometer. $
I have often been struck with the idea that* there
may be some affinity between the written mountains
in Arabia, and the excavated mountains in Hindostan ;
I mean only as far as relates to such records or memo-

INSCRIBED ROCKS. 283
rials in time of remote antiquity. The book of Job
is allowed to be of a very ancient date ; coeval, if not
antecedent, to the writings of Moses. In his sublime
and pathetic apostrophe the afflicted Patriarch ex
claims, " O that my words were now written ! oh that
they were printed in a book! that they were graven
with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever ! for I
know that rny Redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God, whom I shall see for myself; and mine eyes shall
behold, and not another !" Job, ch. xix, v. 23 — 27.
In this memorable speech to his misjudging and un
charitable friends, uttered by the venerable sufferer, in
strong faith and fervent hope, he not only makes this
animated appeal, but ardently wishes to have it recorded
for the consolation of the latest posterity. Printing,
so improperly introduced by the English transla
tors, was then unknown ; manuscripts were perishing,
but the rock was permanent. On an adamantine rock,
therefore, did the pious* prince wish that his words
might be engraved, the characters filled up with lead,
and remain indelible for ever ! All this must certainly
allude to a custom then known : most probably the
written mountains in Arabia, the very country in which
they lived, were extant at the time, and familiar to his
hearers. *
Engraving on stones was generally practised in
Egypt : th^eir hieroglyphics were cut in the hardest
granite ; the obelisks were sculptured in intaglio,
filled with cement of various colours ; which is pro
bably what our translators have meant by lead. These
memorials brought into Europe by the Roman Em-

284

CEMETERY IN SINAI.

perors, the remains of excavated hills and sculptured
rocks still extant in Egypt, united with the accounts
of the Greek historians, undoubtedly prove the anti
quity of works similar to those in India. The characters
engraved on the portals of the excavated mountains in
Hindostan, and the adjacent rocks, have very lately
been deciphered : I copied several lines from the en
trance of the caves of Canara, which were then pro
nounced obsolete, and past finding out : Mr. Wilford
has proved the contrary. Possibly, in this enlightened
age, the characters on the Arabian mountains may yet
be explained.
Niebuhr mentions a large cemetery in the desert of
Sinai, where a great many stones are set up in* an erect
position, on a high and steep mountain, covered with
as beautiful hieroglyphics as those of the Egyptian
mountains. The Arabs carried them to this burial
place, which is more remarkable than the written
mountains, seen and described by other travellers in
this desert ; for so many well-cut stones could never
be the monuments of wandering Arabs, but must
necessarily owe their origin to the inhabitants of some
great city near this place, which is, however, now a
desert. Towards the end of the year 1774, commotions in the
Mahratta State afforded the Government of Bombay
an opportunity of obtaining the islands of Salsette,
Caranjah, and Elephanta ; the former was an acquisi
tion of great importance to Bombay. s.
I paid an early visit to these new conquests : it is a
pleasant passage of a few hours from Bombay to
Tannah, the principal fortress in Salsette, which so
soon after the siege made a desolate appearance. It

CARANJAH. 285
was built by the Portuguese when masters of the island
and altered by the Mahrattas, who conquered Salsette
and Bassein during the Peshwaship of Bajerow. Half
a mile from the fort is a Portuguese church, pleasantly
situated on the side of a large tank, surrounded by
mango and tamarind groves ;#the spires and domes of
mosques and Hindoo temples rising amid their dark
foliage, produce a good effect.
I sailed from Salsette to Caranjah, and landed about
two miles from the principal town, situated between
two lofty mountains, on the west side : it was nothing
more than a large Mahratta village, with low straggling
houses, near a tank covered with wild ducks and water
fowl, hitherto unmolested by Europeans. On its banks a
small fort, a Portuguese church, and a Hindoo temple,
embellished the view. The principal fort stands on
the summit of a lofty mountain, romantically diversi
fied by woods and rock : the ascent is steep and diffi
cult. This castle, small, badly constructed, and mount
ing only fourteen guns, was incapable of defence, but its
situation rendered it almost inaccessible. It com
mands a western view of the town and harbour of
Bombay, Salsette, and all the adjacent islands, and to
the east the mountains of the continent, and nearer
plains of Caranjah, abounding with rice-fields, co^
coa-nut, palmyra, mango, and tamarind trees, filled
with monkeys, parrots, owls, and singing-birds of
various kinds.

286 MY APPOINTMENT.

CHAPTER XV.
The Author obtains an Appointment among the Civil Servants
attached to the British Detachment ordered from Bombay, to
assist Ragonath-Row, Peshaw of the Mahrattas, then driven
from his Capital, and at the head of an Army in Guzerat —
Mahratta Empire — Ragobah leaves PoQnah, and marches
against the Nizam — Commencement of the Civil War — Ragobah
applies to the Bombay Government for a Detachment of British
Troops, and enters into a Treaty — Embarkation of the English
Detachment to join his Army in Guzerat.
Soon after the conquest at Salsette I obtained one of
the appointments generally given to the civil servants,
with the detachment of British forces sent from Bom
bay to the assistance of Ragonath-Row, at that time the
reigning Sovereign of the Mahrattas, though he had
then been driven from his capital by the confederate
ministers ; and when the Bombay Government resolved
to reinstate him on the musnud at Poonah, he was
encamped with his army in the province of Guzerat,
waiting for the junction of the English troops.
That a war, which, in its consequences, has engaged
the East India Company in various treaties and al
liances with the Mahrattas, may be better understood,
I shall give some account of that extraordinary nation ;
who, by their caste, are accounted among the lower
tribes of the Hindoos ; but by courage, policy, and
perseverance, are become the most powerful and for
midable people in Hindostan.

THE MAHRATTAS. 287
The Mahrattas are said to derive their name and
origin from Mah'rat, signifying the great province,
or country; and designating a large, although an
undefined portion of that part of Hindostan called
Deccan, or Deckshan, meaning the south country, as
situated south of the river Nerbudda. From a state
of rustic obscurity, and rigorous vassalage, the Mah
rattas, within the last century, have become a mighty
power ; and, in that period, precipitated and completed
the ruin of the Mogul empire, which had commenced
in its own vices.
The founder of the Mahratta pre-eminence was
Sahjee, or Shajee, of the Bhosla tribe, for among the
Mahrattas are many distinct tribes ; but the first who
assumed the title of rajah, or king, was his son Sevajee :
after an indefinite variety of fortune, and being led
captive by Aurungzebe, he escaped from the hands of
that powerful emperor, and by the wonderful exertions
of his own genius, seconded by his hardy countrymen,
established the foundation of his power, amidst the
inaccessible mountains and fortresses of the Deccan,
and extended his predatory excursions to the rich pro
vinces of Guzerat and Carnatic. In the fortieth year
of his age he assumed the title and honours of rajah,
and ascended the regal throne in the fort of Rairee,
A.D. 1673. From that time Sevajee waged such an
incessant war against the Moguls, that Aurungzebe,
although, next to Acber, the most warlike and vigorous
of their emperors, was baffled and distracted by the
innumerable and indefatigable invaders, who, like the
barbarians on the Roman empire, poured down from
their mountains, and devastated his fairest provinces.

288 sevajee's sons
Sevajee's career closed with his life in 1680, leaving
two sons, Sambajee and Raja-Ram • the former suc
ceeded his father on the throne, and therewith to
hostilities with the Moguls. To his brother he gave
the fort and principality of Pannella; and his successors
retain it to this day. His own destiny was less for
tunate ; for, having been made a prisoner by' Aurung
zebe, through the treachery of Cablis 'Caun, whom he
esteemed as his most confidental friend, he was brought
into the imperial presence, and on refusing to apos
tatize, the bigotted despot condemned him to a cruel
death ; so cruel, and so strikingly descriptive of Au-
rungzebe's character, that I shall transcribe the tragic
scene from Orme's Historical Fragments.
" Sambajee appeared before Aurungzebe with un
daunted brow ; who reproached Cablis Caun, not with
his treachery, but the encouragement which his pros
tituted ministry had given to vices which at length
had led his sovereign to ruin, and ordered him to
instant death. To Sambajee he proffered life and rank
in his service, if he would turn Mahomedan; who an
swered by an invective against the prophet, and the
laud of his own gods. On which he was dressed in the
fantastic ornaments of those wandering Indian devotees,
who beg in villages with a rattle and a cap with bells.
In this garb he was tied, looking backwards, upon a
camel, and led through the camp, calling upon all
the Rajepoots he saw to kill him ; but none dared.
After the procession, his tongue was cut out, as the
penalty of blaspheming Mahomet. In this forlorn
condition, Aurungzebe, by a message, again offered to
preserve his life, if he would be converted ; when he

THE MAHRATTA ARMY. 289
wrote, " Not if you would give me your daughter in
marriage :" on which his execution was ordered, and
performed, by cutting out his heart; after which
his limbs and body were separated, and altogether were
thrown to dogs prepared to devour them.
For having thus emerged from obscurity, and the
rustic habits of pastoral and agricultural society, to the
dominion of vast and opulent regions, the Mahrattas
are indebted to the two preceding heroes : from them
the nation assumed a military character, priding them
selves more on their proficiency in arms than in
letters ; leaving the revenue department and manage
ment of the exchequer to the Brahmins, who have
since become so powerful in the empire. Although
descended from a rural race, a spirit of enter-
prize, plunder, and usurpation, is now the prevailing
characteristic of this restless nation, ever ready to
engage in a desultory kind of warfare, which they con
duct with great ease and profit to themselves, to the
dreadful annoyance of their neighbours. This enter^
prising spirit keeps them in almost perpetual actions,
either with foreign enemies, domestic rivals, or in
military expeditions to collect their choute in different
and distinct parts of Hindostan.
The Mahratta army made a rapid increase under
the unfortunate Sambajee: the number of their cavalry
and infantry, either at that period or the present day,
cannot be exactly ascertained : in the middle of the
eighteenth century their united forces amounted to at
least two hundred thousand horse, and fifty thousand
foot, which they can at any time increase considerably
without the least coercion : that indeed forms no part
of their system : voluntary levies supply ample re-
vol. i. u

290 CIVIL WAR.
cruits to an army where no rigour of discipline or sub
ordination obstructs the general taste for war and
predatory excursions.
Rajee Ram succeeded to the government on the death
of his brother Sambajee, and the captivity of his
nephew Suojee, who had been made a prisoner with
his father. He maintained his situation through a
variety of fortune, against the power of Aurungzebe,
until the year 1707, when death carried off the Mogul
and Mahratta sovereigns within a very short period of
each other. On this event Tarrabhye, the widow of
Rajee' Ram, assumed the reins of the Mahratta go-
verment, although she had a son by her husband then
living, called Sevajee Raja; and Rajee Ram left another
son, named Sambajee Raja, by Rajusbhye, to whom
also he was married.
On the death of Aurungzebe, dreadful was the contest
forsuccession totheMogul empire between his two sons,
Sultan Aazim and Sultan Moazim, called also Azem
Shah and Mahommed Mauzim : the victor, treading in
the footsteps of his cruel father, wore a crown of thorns,
and deluged the musnud with fraternal blood: his three
short-lived successors were dethroned and murdered by
theSEYDs, Abdalla and Hossan, who at length in 1729
established Mahommed Shah on the vacant throne,
which he occupied until the irruption of Nadir Shah
in 1738, when Delhi was plundered of all its money
and jewels, the accumulated wealth of ages. The
savage cruelties of Mahmood, Timur, and the northern
conquerors were renewed, and again a hundred thou
sand of the wretched inhabitants were tortured and
massacred to discover their hoarded treasures : the
plunder amounted to seventy millions sterling, includ-,

GHOLAUM KAUDIR. 291
ing the peacock- throne, which cost Aurungzebe's
father eleven millions. After these devastations,
Mahommed Shah was reinstated by his conqueror on
a throne less splendid, and to the government of an
empire then shook to its foundation. From that
period, to the conclusion of a century which Aurung
zebe commenced in the meridian of power, wealth,
and dignity seldom equalled, this immense fabric fell
to ruin, until in 1788 Gholaum Kaudir, a Rohilla
chief, for the last time plundered Delhi, with a
cruelty surpassing even the atrocities of Timur and
Nadir Shah. After robbing the palace of every
valuable left by the latter fifty years before, Gholaum
Kaudir concluded the tragedy by plucking out the
eyes of the aged emperor, and consigning him to
poverty and wretchedness. This monster of barbarity
surpassed the -tyrant whose portrait, drawn by himself,
has been thus transmitted by Orme. A dervise had
the boldness to present a writing to the Persian con
queror, conceived in these words : " If thou art a god,
act as a god ; if thou art a prophet, conduct us in the
way of salvation ; if thou art a king, render the people
happy, and do not destroy them !" To this the Barba
rian replied, "I am no god, to act as a god; nor a
prophet, to shew the way of salvation ; nor a king, to
render the people happy : but I am he whom God
sends to the nations which he has determined to visit
with his wrath !"
During the rivalship between Aurungzebe's sons,
which eventually ruined the Mogul empire, sultan
Aazim liberated Saojee, the captive son of the Mah
ratta sovereign Sambojee, murdered by his father, and
sent him into the Deccan to recover his patrimony.
u2

292 VICARIAL POWER.
On his arrival, Tarrabhye, pretending he was an im
postor, disallowed his claims and rejected his admis
sion ; in this emergency, Saojee, being joined by
several powerful Mahratta chieftains, and especially by
Pursojee Bhosla, from whom are descended the Nag-
pore rajahs, overcame all opposition, and triumph
antly ascended the throne in Sattara. Tarrabhye, with
her son and adherents, retired into the stronghold of
Pannella. Saojee, wfio was from this period called the Saou-
rajah, proceeded with energy to re-establish the de
ranged system of the Mahratta government. The first
and most important measure he adopted was the
constituting the great council of the empire. In the
course of these official arrangements, Ballajee Wissa-
rath became a prominent character : he was a Brahmin
of the Concan, and had previously served Dunnajee
Jaddoo, the Seyna-Puttee, or generalissimo ; but
attracting the rajah's notice, he was first employed as
seyna-kurtee, or deputy of his old master, from which
he was advanced to the dignity of peshwa, or acting
general of the forces, and subsequently exalted to a
place among the eight grand counsellors, with the
title of pundit pur dhan, or purdhati pud. This is the
foundation of that vicarial power which, under the
well-known title of peshwa, or leader, has superseded
the actual power and splendour of the Mahratta
rajahs, who indeed continue to exist, with a certain
degree of regal state, in the fortress of Sattara, but
under such restraint as the reigning peshwa may think
proper to impose, the title and forms of supremacy
being still ascribed to the existing rajah, from whom
the peshwa professes to derive his insign of authority ;

SUBVERSION OF MOGUL POWER. 293
which consists of a khellat, or investiture, a dagger
and a seal, with an inscription describing the peshwa
as paramount to the sovereign.
Under this dispensation (ably administered by Bal-
lajee Wissanath and his two* immediate successors,
amidst the confusion that followed the death of
Aurungzebe, and from which the Mogul empire was
never more entirely extricated) the Mahrattas utterly
subverted and levelled with the dust the vast and
mighty fabric of Mogul power, and are themselves
beginning to experience the ascendancy of the British
dominion over those internal weaknesses and vices
which have been produced by civil discord out of their
national prosperity. May Heaven long avert the same
evils from the British !
On the death of Ballajee Wissanath, in 1723, after
a series of important services to the state, his eldest
son Badjerow was appointed by Sao Rajah to succeed
him as peshwa ; and his youngest son, Chimnajee
Appa, was made duan, or principal minister. During
the administration of Badjerow, the important island
and fortress of Bassein, with several other subordinate
stations, were conquered by the Mahrattas from the
Portugueze, about the same time that the Mogul
armies were defeated, and Delhi taken by Nadir Shah.
The consequent weakness of these disasters greatly
assisted the. Mahrattas in their expeditions towards
the northern provinces ; in which, under the auspices
of Badjerow, the tribes of Sindia and Holkar became
conspicuous, and Malhar Row Holkar and Rancojee
Sindia were entrusted by him with large commands.
The overwhelming power of the Mahrattas, whose
tributary exactions were now, under various denomi-

294 BALLAJEE ROW.
nations, almost universally established, would probably
have soon annihilated the neighbouring Mogul power
in the Deccan, had not the resistance to it been directed
by the great talents of the nabob Nizam al Doula,
father of the present iSfizam al Mulk ; the death of
Badjerow is attributed to his dejection after a defeat
which he sustained from Nassir Jung, the nabob's son,
in the neighbourhood of Aurungabad.
On Badjerow's death, in 1743, his eldest son, Bal-
lajee Row, more generally known by the appellation
of the Nanna, or Nanna Saib, succeeded him as
peshwa ; his second son was called indiscriminately
Ragonath Row, Ragobah, and Dadda Saib, names
which I shall hereafter explain. Ballajee Row was
invested by Sad rajah at Satarra, with the dignities of
peshwra and purdun pud : he made his constant abode at
Poonah, an open town in the latitude of 18° 30' north,
and 73° 55' east longitude, situated at the conflux of
the rivers Moota and Moolah, which, for the conve
nience of assembling and subsisting the large armies
of the Mahratta cavalry, had become the favourite
residence of the peshwas, and has since grown into the
capital of the Mahratta empire.
Under the administration of Ballajee Row, "the
Mahrattas established a tribute on the eastern pro
vinces of Bengal : great confusion took place in the
Deccan on the death of Nizam al Doula ; the subse
quent assassination of his eldest son, Ghazd al Deen,
and his second son, Massir Jung, previous to the
settlement of the Mogul viceroyalty of the Deccan in
the person of the third son, Sullabat Jung, who after
wards made way for his brother, the present Nizam ul
Mulk. Under this peshwa the Mahrattas became

SAO RAJAH. 295
well acquainted with the operations of European re
gular troops, the French having been introduced by the
competitors for the succession of Nizam al Doula,
and the Mahrattas having entertained some corps
under native and European partizans, to facilitate their
operations against fortified places ; in his time, also,
the great members of the Mahratta aristocracy, the
Bhosla family in Nagpore, under Ragojee, and the
Gugkwar in Guzerat, under Damojee, having assumed
too much independence, were reduced to subjection ;
and, although he had lost the able assistance of his
uncle, Chimnajee Appa, the success of his arms and
councils was great and uninterrupted. He enjoyed
the unrivalled favour and confidence of his sovereign,
Sao Rajah ; who, with little personal exertion or inter
position in the government, devoted himself to the
pleasures of the field and domestic conviviality; and
having been happily conducted, by the fidelity and
abilities of wise and active ministers, through a long
and prosperous reign, closed it by a natural and
tranquil death, in his palace at Satarra, about the year
1749. Sad Rajah leaving no issue, Rajah Ram, his grand-
nephew, and grandson of the preceding prince of the
same name, was placed by the peshwa Ballajee Row on
the vacant throne, the latter assuming to himself the
absolute government of the state, with the assistance
of his brother Ragobah, and Sudobah, the son of his
deceased uncle, Chimnajee Appa, to whom were occa
sionally associated his sons, Wiswas Row and Mhada
Row ; by whose exertions the Mahrattas made great
progress against the Moguls in the north of Hindostan,
and in the Deccan. The splendid administration of

296 DEFEAT OF THE MAHRATTAS.
this peshwa was at length clouded by the most decisive
and bloody defeat of the Mahratta army by the Afghans
under Ahmed Shah Abdallee, in the neighbourhood of
Panniput. The Mahrattas were commanded by Sudo
bah, Wiswas Row, Shumsheen Bhadur, a natural son
of the peshwa, and many of the great feudatory chief
tains. To those three principal leaders, who were lost
in this tremendous battle, are to be added several others
of the highest rank and fame in the empire ; in fact,
two only are said to have escaped, Malhar Row, chief
of the Holkar, and Damojee, of the Guykwar families.
No estimate has ever been ventured of the general
slaughter, nor of the whole plunder of this signal over
throw ; it is certain that twenty-five thousand prisoners,
fifty thousand horses, four hundred elephants, two hun
dred thousand baggage-oxen, several thousand camels,
all the ordnance, and the whole camp, stored with the
vast riches attendant on an assemblage of such great
chieftains, fell into the hands of the victors.
It is worthy of notice, that the Mahrattas had a large
body of regular infantry, and a numerous train of artil
lery, at the battle of Panniput, under the command of
Ibrahim Khan, who had been educated by Monsieur
Bussy ; he was made prisoner, and put to death by
Ahmed Shah's order.
Ballajee Row, accompanied by Jannojee Bhosla, was
on his march from the Deccan to succour Sudobah and
his sons, when he received intelligence of this disaster,
which so deeply affected him, that, giving orders for a
retreat, he sickened and died in about a month, in
1760, leaving two surviving sons, Mhada Row and Nar-
rainrow. The former, accompanied by his uncle Rago
bah, waited on the Sao rajah at Sattara, who with every
mark of favour conferred on Mhada Row the dignity of

MHADA ROW. 297
peshwa, purdhan pud, with the other honours and dis
tinctions of his family.
The administratiori of Mhada Row was chequered by
domestic and foreign vicissitudes ; the former arising
from jealousies which led to hostilities between him
and his uncle Ragobah, who was finally subdued and
imprisoned ; and by the secession of Jannojee Bhosla
and Gopal Row, who leagued with Nizam Ally Khan
after deposing his brother Sallabut Jung, and assum
ing the government of the Mogul part of the Deccan.
This unnatural coalition caused a temporary ascend
ency of the Nizam's arms, which was followed by the
capture and pillage of Poonah ; but the speedy return
of the seceding chieftains re-established the predomi
nance of the Mahrattas, and enabled Mhada Row to
direct it with effect against Hyder Ally, who had be
come formidable in the southern countries of upper
Carnatic and Mysore, as also to threaten Mahomed
Ally Khan in the lower Carnatic. The northern ex
peditions of this peshwa were chiefly conducted by
Vissajee Krishun, in command of the peshwa's troops,
and by the northern feudatories, Tookajee Holkar and
Mhadajee Sindia, at the head of their respective quotas,
which gave them a decided influence over the Mogul
affairs in that quarter.
Mhada Row having administered the government, and
supported it vigorously against domestic feuds and
foreign foes, during a period of twelve years, died in
1772, much lamented by his country, without issue, at
the age of twenty-six, and with him expired the pros
perity of the Mahrattas.
Aware of his approaching dissolution, Mhada Row
sent for his brother Narrain Row, and knowing the

298 HIS WIFE.
weakness of his understanding, and general incapacity
for government, advised him, when invested with the
dignity of peshwa by the Sao Rajah, to follow a different
plan from that which he had adopted, particularly re
specting their uncle Ragobah : cautioning him rather
to imitate the example of their father, by placing con
fidence in him, and making him of consequence in the
administration. He further counselled him to culti
vate the friendship of the old ministers, and attached
adherents to their family, from whom alone he could
derive assistance, should Ragobah's ambition create any
future disturbance.
Mhada Row was endowed with uncommon talents,
and possessed a mind unfettered by the restraints and
superstitious tenets of the Hindoos : after parting
with Narrain Row, he had a last interview with his
wife, a woman of beauty and virtue ; her personal
charms and engaging manners had beguiled the cares
of government, and cheered his retired hours in the
haram : his actions now testified the sincerity of his
affection. To preserve her dignity, and to free her
from that degraded state to which the Hindoo widows
of every rank are subjected, he settled on her a large
jaghire, or annual income, with the supreme control
over a rich and populous country ; to this he added a
considerable sum of money, and a profusion of jewels.
Deprived of such a husband, to her this munificence
was of no importance ; nothing afforded her consola
tion but the resolution she immediately adopted, to
immolate herself on his funeral pile.
One of the causes usually assigned for this extraor
dinary sacrifice, could have had no influence on Mha
da Row's widow, that of being reduced to a state of

NARRAIN ROW. 299
tfependance and comparative insignificance in her hus^
band's family : this young princess was left her own
mistress, and enabled to vie in wealth and dignity with
the first nobles in the realm ; but, exalted above all
sublunary honours, she resolved to add her name to
those illustrious females who had accompanied their
husbands to the upper world. After bequeathing her
property, and dividing her jewels among her friends,
she followed Mhada Row's corpse to the spot prepared
for its cremation, and having performed the prescribed
ceremonies, ascended the awful eminence with admira
ble dignity and fortitude, and with her own hand set
fire to the sandal-pile, which the Brahmins fed with
clarified butter and aromatic oils.
When Narrain Row succeeded his brother as peshwa
in November, 1772, he was only twenty years of age ;
a weak indolent prince, destitute of all talent and reso
lution ; placing no confidence in his ministers, and
breaking the most solemn promises : the enfeebling
pleasures of the haram had early seduced him from
the path of glory : a stranger to every noble virtue,
and a slave to sensuality, he lavished immense sums
on dancing girls, fire works, and similar pursuits,
seeming to be placed in a sphere of life he was un
worthy to possess, and incapable of sustaining.
In consequence of Narrain Row's last interview with
his brother, Ragobah obtained his liberty immediately
after his decease : but, far from treating his uncle with
the confidence desired, or endeavouring to gain the
affection of the Mahratta chieftains, Narrain Row
carried himself so haughtily in the durbar, that he
entirely lost the esteem of the old friends of his family ;
and, dismissing them from his council, he raised a set

300 NARRAIN ROW.
of low dissipated characters to the highest and most
splendid situations. He behaved with more duplicity
to Ragobah than the courtiers he disbanded : to deceive
both him and the Sao Rajah, he persuaded his uncle to
accompany him to Satarra, on his first public visit,
when he was to be invested with the insignia of
peshwa, promising he should have the title and
honours of naib, or vizier, conferred on him by the
imprisoned sovereign, which was accordingly per
formed by the Sa6 Rajah, with all the usual ceremonies.
On their return to Poonah, Narrain Row, far from
confirming Ragobah in his new appointment, deprived
him of the little power he was before intrusted with ;
and, although not immediately remanded to prison,
he was surrounded by spies, and ordered not to move
from the capital.
Narrain Row's duplicity and ill treatment at length
occasioned Ragobah to concert measures with Hyder
Ally's ambassador to effect his escape, which being
known by the young peshwa, he confined him in his
palace, suffering no friend to visit him, nor any of his
own servants to attend him. Being all Brahmins,
Narrain Row could proceed no further, there being
then no instance of one of that sacred order taking
away the life of another.
Having thus once more imprisoned his uncle,
Narrain Row gave himself up to every evil propensity ;
sensual pleasures, useless pomp, and an ostentatious
display of wealth, constituted his chief delight : in a
few months he thus squandered the immense treasures
amassed by his predecessors for the emergencies of
the state. This weakness of character, and insolent
behaviour to his ministers, became every day more

RAGOBAH S VOW. 301
disgusting, and the hearts of the people were entirely
alienated. At length, conscious of defects which he
was too weak and irresolute to amend, and dreading
a revolution in favour of Ragobah, he confined him
with yet more rigorous severity.
Whether from weariness of life, or to intimidate his
nephew, Ragobah now entered into a solemn vow to
starve himself, when, his death being attributed to
Narrain Row's cruelty, the nation would stigmatize
him as the murderer : thus resolved, he put his vow
into execution, and, for the space of eighteen days,
took no other sustenance than two ounces of deer's milk
each day, until, when he was nearly exhausted, Narrain
Row relented, and promised, if he would procure
brahminical absolution from his vow, he should have
the government of a district with five castles, and a
jaghire of twelve lacs of rupees per annum, provided
some of the great chieftains would become surety for
his future conduct; to which they readily assented:
but, unmindful of his solemn protestations, the prince,
actuated by suspicion and jealousy, again treated his
uncle with unrelenting rigour.
Such was the state of affairs in the month of August
1773, when, to the astonishment of all the powers in
India, Narrain Row was assassinated in his palace.
The accounts of this" catastrophe are variously related.
The peshwa family and a large part of the nation
accused Ragobah of the murder ; some of the Mahratta
chiefs, and numerous partizans, asserted his innocence.
When we consider his ambitious character and his
peculiar situation at the time, it is difficult to exculpate
him. When the murder was committed, Ragobah was
confined in a small room near Narrain Row's private

302 NARRAIN ROW'S DEATH.
apartment. Sobal Sing, who commanded the peshwa's
body-guard, had also the immediate charge of Ragobah's
person, which afforded them frequent opportunities
for private conversation. He is supposed, by large
promises, to have been prevailed upon, with another
officer, named Esoof Khan, to perpetrate the horrid
deed. Seizing the opportunity when Narrain Row had
retired from the public durbar, Sobal Sing entered
officially, as if to receive orders, but instead of the
respect due to his prince, Narrain Row was surprized
by his abusive and insolent behaviour : when begin
ning to expostulate, on a signal from Sobal Sing,
Esoof Khan, and several armed men, entered the
room. The unhappy prince dreading his approaching
fate, fled through a private door to his uncle's prison,
Where, throwing himself at his feet, he claimed his
forgiveness and protection. Ragobah, whether igno
rant, or pretending ignorance of the plot, opened his
arms and embraced his nephew ; the assassins, in a
well-feigned rage, ordered Ragobah to withdraw, or
share his fate ; he instantly obeyed, and Narrain Row
was stabbed to the heart, after a short reign of eight
months. These commotions in the palace alarmed the city ;
but, as the gates were shut, they remained for some time
ignorant of the murder, and only surmised that some
mischief was transacting, the majority naturally con-
eluding that Ragobah's sufferings were terminated.
The ministers now assembled, sent two letters to the
durbar, one addressed to the peshwa, the other to
Ragobah, in which they mentioned the general alarm,
and the suspicion of some dark transaction ; assuring

CRUEL POLICY. 303
the injured prince he should meet with every redress
in their power, and requesting the gates might be
opened. On reading the letter, Ragobah immediately
ordered the ministers to be admitted, and standing
near the body, solemnly declared his innocence, impre
cating divine vengeance on the perpetrators of the
horrid deed. Few believed his protestations, and all
retired with horror from his presence, the Hindoo
annals having never before recorded the murder of a
Brahmin ; and the dagger directed by a near rela
tion of the same sacred caste, dreadfully increased its
atrocity. On the accession of a sovereign to the throne, it has
often been the cruel policy of Asiatic despots to
destroy every male relation capable of creating an
insurrection, especially in the Mogul, Turkish, and
Persian courts. The history of the house of Timur is
filled with tales of woe : there seemed no alternative
between the musnud and a grave ; it was only to be
ascended through a deluge of blood : no predilection
for private pursuits, nor choice of religious retirement,
could screen the royal princes from suspicion. The
fate of Aurungzebe's brothers and their descendants,
is almost too tragical for recital : but the murder of
Narrain Row had been committed on a Hindoo prince
of the sacred caste of Brahmins, every where most
highly venerated.
It appears extraordinary, as Ragobah was so gene
rally considered to be the author of his nephew's assas
sination, that he should have been quietly permitted to
succeed him : it is difficult to determine whether it was
occasioned by the general disaffection to the deceased
peshwa, or that the leading men then thought the revo-

304 GENERAL DISCONTENT.
lution necessary : it is certain, Ragobah assumed the
government in course, and for some months ruled the
empire* with all the power of his predecessors, and
remained undisturbed at Poonah. Still there wrere
many obstacles to surmount : had he preserved the
bravery, activity, and generosity, which had formerly
distinguished him, he might have triumphed over all ;
but his conduct was unaccountably the reverse : he
became timid, indolent, and suspicious : his under
standing seemed clouded by superstition, and his mind
weakened, either by the severities he had lately suf
fered, or the distractions of a wounded conscience.
The first, act of his government was to reward Sobal
Sing and Esoof Khan, who were universally detested,
thereby attaching to himself the foul stigma of this
murder. The general discontent and sullen silence
that pervaded the capital, soon spread through the
empire : there seemed only wanting an enterprising
spirit to stand forth and effect a revolution. This calm
had not been of long duration, when two formidable
enemies appeared in the highest female characters of
the empire ; the mother and the widow of Narrain
Row, the deceased peshwa.
The name of the former was Gopicabhye, the widow
of Ballajee Row, and mother of Mhada Row and Nar
rain Row; a woman who, during her husband's life,
had great influence in the Mahratta court: at that time
her character was not very correct, and afterwards she
became extremely dissolute. Instead of immolating
herself on the funeral pyre of her husband, she pre
ferred a longer abode among the sons of men, to indulge
in the most licentious conduct : false, malicious, and
tyrannical, her state intrigues were marked by cruelty

WIDOW OF NARRAIN ROW. 305
and oppression, and, instead of a decent retirement
and chaste deportment, her widowhood was devoted to
shameless levity. This woman was emphatically styled
the scourge of her country : to an undue influence over
her husband andher sons, the three succeeding peshwas,
were imputed all the troubles which had for so many
years disturbed the court of Poonah, especially in the
distrust and imprisonment of Ragobah. Being now
deprived of her only surviving son by means of the
man she so much detested, she gave loose to the whole
fury of her revenge.
Actuated by sentiments equally inimical to the new
peshwa, Gungabhye, the youthful widow of Narrain
Row, came forth to public view : being declared preg
nant, she was exempt by the Suttee-law, had she been
so inclined, of becoming, like the wife of Mahda
Row, a devoted victim to the manes of her murdered
husband. The promulgation of this interesting cir
cumstance fixed the attention of the whole nation in
the most anxious state of expectancy, and attracted
around the young widow all those, who, from attach
ment to her husband, or enmity to her murderer, were
eager to excite, or ready to execute her revenge. Un
der these circumstances, and sanctioned by the two
widowed princesses, a conspiracy was formed ; in due
time the posthumous prince appeared, and religious
ceremonies, thanksgivings, and rejoicings, generally
prevailed throughout the empire.
During that period Ragobah went twice to Satarrah,
to be invested with the khelaut, as peshwa; but the
rajah, at the instigation of the ministers, procrastinated
the ceremony ; at first alleging that decency required
him to wait until the expiration of the mourning for
.VOL.1. x

306 SECRET REBELLION.
his nephew. It was afterwards deferred until the birth
of the expected child.
On the second disappointment Ragobah marched
with a large army against the nizam, at the time a secret
rebellion was pervading his own capital. Previous to
his departure, he removed most of the old ministers
from their stations, and replaced them by others of more
obscure character. These discarded officers, who were
men of the first families and influence in the state,
justly incensed at such conduct, no longer concealed
their design ; but immediately on Ragobah's departure,
¦ twelve of the principal chieftains formed themselves
into a legislative body, levied a considerable army, and
commenced hostilities against him.
Thus this infatuated peshwa left the Mahratta capital,
no more to return. Among many extraordinary in
stances of weakness and folly, on marching against the
nizam," he carried with him only fifteen lacs of rupees
from the public treasury at Poonah, leaving a much
larger sum of ready money to be seized by the confe
derates, which gave them a decided advantage. Mha-
dajee Sindia and Tokajee Holcar, two of the great
chieftains of the empire, collected the principal jaghi-
redars, and instantly summoned the husserat, orhouse-
hold troops. A full treasury enabled the confederate
chieftains to add to this valuable corps a large body of
common Mahratta horse, and as many Patan, Scindian,
and Arabian infantry as they deemed necessary.
Thus commenced the eivil wars in the Mahratta
empire. Ragobah, on hearing of the proceedings at
Poonah, too late relinquished foreign conquest to sup
press rebellion at home. Both armies took the field ;
but, nothing decisive being effected, Ragobah sent an

ENGLISH DETACHMENT. 307
ambassador to Bombay, to request the assistance of the
English Government in furnishing him with troops and
a field train of artillery, to be paid by him, and for
which he assigned a considerable territory on the con
tinent, and the valuable acquisition of Salsette, with
some smaller islands contiguous to Bombay. A treaty
to this effect was concluded between Ragobah and the
Bombay Government, on behalf of the English East
India Company; and a considerable detachment of
European infantry and sepoys, and a large train of artil
lery, were embarked from thence in March 1775, and
sailed to Surat, in hopes of effecting a junction with
Ragobah's forces in Guzerat ; which, according to the
latest intelligence, were then encamped on the banks
of the river Myhi, not far from Cambay : the army
of the confederate chieftains was reported to be on the
opposite side of the river.

x2

308 ENGLISH TROOPS AT SURAT.

CHAPTER XVI.
Arrival of the English Troops at Surat — Interview with the
Nabob of Surat — Ragobah's Zenana — Voyage from Surat to
Cambay — Gongwa — Gosaings, their peculiar Character — Tides
in the Gulf of Cambay — Public Visit of the Nabob to Rago
bah— Ragobah removes from the City to a Summer Palace —
Public Visit of the British Commander and his Staff— Cere
mony of. making presents in the East — English Detachment en
camp at Narranseer, near Cambay — City of Cambay — Monkeys-
Manufacture— Plants — Fertility of the Country — Wells — Cor
nelians, Agates, and Cambay Stones— Character of the Nabob,
contrasted with that of Ragobah — Narrow Policy and Cruelty of
Oriental Courts — Etiquette and Ceremonies — General Effects of
Opium — Diversions of the Nabob and Nobles at Cambay — Litera
ture — Pleasant Situation of the English Head-quarters at Narran
seer— Wild Beasts and Reptiles — Nabob's Gardens— Heat in the
English Camp — Roses and Rose Water — News of Ragobah's
Army marching towards Cambay — The English Encampment
at Narranseer struck ; the Detachment proceed to Darah.
When the English detachment sailed from Bom
bay, we were in expectation of forming a speedy
junction with Ragobah's army in Guzerat ; but on our
arrival at Surat, we found he had experienced a sad re
verse of fortune ; the confederate generals had en
gaged him a few weeks before on the plains of Arras,
near the banks of the Myhi, and gained a decisive
victory. Ragobah's army was entirely dispersed, great
part of his artillery, elephants, and camp-equipage

ragobah's treasure. 309
taken ; while he himself with some of his women, Emrut
Row, an adopted son, and a few confidential friends, en
trusted with some of his jewels, fled precipitately
from the plains of Arras, on elephants and camels?
escorted by a troop of cavalry.
Ragobah first halted at the gates of Cambay, in the
hope that by means of Sir Charles Malet, the Com
pany's resident at that durbar, he might be enabled to
embark for Surat ; but the Nabob, dreading the ven
geance of the victorious army, refused to receive the
fugitive prince. The Resident immediately procured
guides to conduct him to Bownagur, and sent vessels
thither which conveyed him in safety to Surat. At
parting, Ragobah left with Sir Charles Malet all his
remaining treasure and jewels ; among the latter were
some valuable strings of pearl, with diamonds and
precious stones belonging to the peshwa family,
amounting to six lacs of rupees : the whole value in
money, bonds, and government securities, was said to
exceed forty-three lacs, upwards of half a million ster
ling. This deposit shews the confidence placed by
the unfortunate prince in an English individual, in pre
ference to an independent oriental sovereign, sur
rounded by his army and fortifications.
The arrival of the English forces at Surat gave
Ragobah consequence ; he cherished hope, and soon
after our landing had his first interview with the
Nabob, who visited him at the house allotted for his
residence, and from thence accompanied him in state
to one of his summer-palaces, with the usual magnifir
cence : to shew Ragobah the greater honour, his body
guard consisted of a battalion of English sepoys. In
the hall of audience he was placed on an elevated

310 VOYAGE TO CAMBAY.
throne covered with cloth of gold, while the Nabob
and his sons sat on the carpet. The Nabob on this
occasion presented Ragobah with gold and silver coin
as a mark of respect; and afterwards with an ele
phant, an Arabian horse, and a profusion of shawls
and keemcobs, in token of friendship.
We passed some time in suspense at Surat : at
length Ragobah receiving intelligence that his generals
in Guzerat had collected his scattered forces at Cop-
perwanje, resolved to proceed to Cambay with the
English detachment, and from thence endeavour to
effect a junction with his army. We embarked at
Surat, and proceeded in boats down the Taptee ; but
Ragobah deeming it necessary to perform some re
ligious ceremonies at a Hindoo temple near Domus,
a village not far from the entrance of the river, he
landed there with his family. Several of us followed
his example, from a wish to explore the country. No
tents were pitched, nor any accommodation provided
for the ladies of his zenana, who were obliged to pass
some time under the humble roof of the English
serjeant posted at Domus. There I first saw these
females, seven in number, besides their attendants :
one of them was handsome, all richly drest, and
covered with jewels ; they appeared distressed at their
situation, and were much struck by the novelty of
Europeans. While we gratified their curiosity, we
enjoyed no common opportunity of indulging our
own ; but a jealous eunuch soon deprived us of this
mutual satisfaction, and hurried them to the temple,
whither Ragobah had retired.
The next morning some splendid tents were pitched
for the reception of the chief and council at Surat, who

VISIT TO RAGOBAH. 311
came to pay a visit of ceremony to Ragobah at Domus :
on taking leave the chief presented him, in the name
of the English company, with three Arabian horses,
some bales of the finest scarlet broad-cloth, and a
valuable assortment of shawls, keemeobs, and muslin.
Ths English gentlemen accompanied Ragobah from
the tent of audience to the water-side ; where, pre
vious to his entering the boat, he stood for some time,
without his turban, gazing steadfastly at the sun ; he
then prostrated himself on the ground, and continued
a few minutes in silent prayer.
On reaching Surat-bar the weather was boisterous,
and we encountered so rough a sea that it was im
possible to reach our respective vessels. While at
tempting to gain the yacht appropriated to the colonel
and his staff, we were obliged to take refuge in the
vessel destined for Ragobah and his family, where We
had another opportunity of seeing his concubines and
female attendants, in a state of terror and distress to
which the Hindoo women are seldom accustomed. We
lamented the pride, vanity, and want of feeling inthe
Asiatics thus exposing the tender sex to the fatigues
and dangers of war.
Many religious Brahmins and strict professors
among the high castes of Hindoos, censured Ragobah
•for undertaking a voyage by sea, in which they alleged
he not only deviated from the established laws and
customs of his tribe, but thought he acted contrary
to the divine injunction. He might have pleaded that
" necessity has no law," for he certainly had no other
alternative. The religious Hindoos, like the ancient
Magi, and many of their followers among the modern
Parsees, consider the sea as a sacred element.

312 VILLAGE OF GONGWA.
The Greeks and Romans seem also to have a natural
dread, if not an aversion to the sea, and a horror of
dying or of being shipwrecked on that element, and
by that means deprived of the funeral rites and cere
monies which they deemed essential. Ovid, miserable
as he was on his banishment, seemed to prefer even
death itself to the danger of a voyage by sea, most
probably from a fear of being consigned to the deep
without the rites of burial.
" Demite naufragium, mors mihi munus erit."
" Death would my soul from anxious troubles ease,
But that I fear to perish by the seas."
The voyage from Surat to Cambay was uninterest
ing. We anchored that evening with the ebb tide
near Gongwa, a village embosomed in mango and
tamarind trees, surrounded by corn fields, pastur
age, flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and large ricks
of wheat.
This village belongs exclusively to the Gosaings, or
Senassees, a caste of religious Hindoo mendicants, de
scribed in another place, who march in large bodies
through the provinces of Hindostan, and levy heavy
contributions : they are sometimes hired as auxiliaries,
being an athletic race, brave and hardy, seldom encum
bered with drapery, and often entirely naked : these
gymnosophists at Gongwa acknowledge a superior of
their own tribe, and seem contented with their fertile
district, which they enjoy unmolested by paying an
annual tribute to the Mahrattas. Some of us landed,
and were hospitably entertained with milk, butter, and
a variety of fruit. Unlike the generality of Hindoos,

FLOODS AND &UICKSANDS. 313
these Gosaings do not burn their dead, but bury them,
and, what is more extraordinary, often inhume them
before they expire. On this occasion, when a patient
is deemed past recovery, his friends dig a grave, and,
placing him in a perpendicular posture, put an earthen
pot over his head, fill the grave with mould, and im
mediately erect a tomb of masonry over the devoted
victim. A living wife is sometimes thus interred with
her dead husband.
When the tide had ebbed a few hours, we were left
aground ; and before the flood made, the gulf was
perfectly dry for many leagues around us. The tides
flow there with amazing rapidity, and occasion fatal
accidents ; when the south-west monsoon blows strong,
they are said to rush faster than the swiftest horse can
gallop, and sometimes rise to the height of forty feet.
The flood carried us on with wonderful velocity ; but
with fair wind, fine weather, and skilful pilots, we were
not apprehensive of danger. The quicksands in the
Cambay gulf are frequently alarming; constantly
shifting by the conflux of the tides, they render the
navigation difficult, and form large banks entirely
across, which prevent ships and vessels of heavy burden
sailing higher than the Nerbudda ; the small craft,
convoyed by light gallivats, proceed to Cambay.
Our anchorage, when the flood rushed up the gulf,
like the bore of the Ganges, resembled Alexander's
fleet at the mouth of the Indus ; which probably con
sisted of the same kind of vessels, employed for a
similar purpose, the embarkation of troops and warlike
stores, on an expedition to the peaceful provinces of
Hindostan. Arian mentions several Grecian vessels
that were left dry on the sands by the ebb-tide, being

314 CEREMONY OF PRESENTS.
overset by the velocity of the flood. Our fleet would
have shared the same fate had not each vessel been
supported by strong poles. When the water retires,
the mud and sands of the Cambay gulf swarm with
millions of a small fish called a nutee, in taste resemb
ling an eel, but not in form ; it seldom exceeds four
or five inches in length ; and when washed from the
slimy mud, in which it delights, the body appears
beautifully spotted, and the fins variegated with shades
of blue.
We anchored on the 17th in Cambay road, about a
mile and a half from the city. Ragobah and his
family immediately landed, and proceeded to the tents
pitched near the water-side for their accommodation.
The next morning I accompanied the commanding
officer and his staff on shore, to be present at the
Nabob's first visit to Ragobah, who was now before
his gates in a different character from that of a fugi
tive. When the etiquette and ceremonials of this
interview were arranged, the nabob left his durbar, and
came in state to Ragobah's tents, accompanied by
Sir Charles Malet and many Persian noblemen. After
the usual formalities, the nabob offered him gold and
silver coin, the acknowledgement from an inferior to
his superior : he then presented him with an elephant
richly caparisoned, two Arabian horses, with a variety
of.keemcobs, shawls, and muslin. Emrut Row and
the English gentlemen received presents according to
their respective rank. The conversation, as custom
ary on such visits, was ceremonious and polite ; and
on the part of the nabob particularly respectful, as if
desirous of obliterating the unfavorable impression of
his conduct when Ragobah, flying from a conquering

CAMP AT NARRANSEER. 315
army, was denied protection in his capital, and the
means of embarkation from it. Ragobah's behaviour
to the nabob sufficiently indicated that he had not for
gotten his treatment ; especially when addressing Sir
Charles, he said aloud in full durbar, " You are indeed
my friend ! you did far more for me than my father
Badjerow : he gave me life ; you saved that life, and
with it, preserved my honour!" Having made this
speech, Ragobah presented each guest with a leaf of
spices and betel nut, and sprinkling us with rose-
water, concluded the visit.
At this interview Ragobah was dressed in a short
muslin vest, rich drawers, and a profusion of jewels ;
the nabob wore a plain muslin robe, and small white
turban, adorned only with a fresh-gathered rose. State
elephants, led horses, and all kind of Asiatic pomp
had been prepared for Ragobah's procession from the
tents to a house provided for him in the city, whither
the nabob, the commander in chief, and the principal
English gentlemen, then attended him. The heat and
dust during the cavalcade were almost insupportable,
and the crowd of spectators immense. On leaving
Ragobah, the commander and his staff repaired to the
factory, and remained for several days with Sir Charles
Malet, until a camp was formed on the plains of Nar
ranseer, a little distance from the city. The nabob, in
the style of Eastern hospitality, sent us a superb
dinner of fifty covers, cooked in the Mogul taste ; con
sisting of pilaurs, keb-abs, curries, and other savoury
dishes, with a profusion of rice variously dressed
in the most delicate manner. This was repeated for
several days.
Ragobah afterwards removed to a summer-palace

316 PRESENTS;
belonging to the nabob, without the city walls ; where
he established a sort of court, as peshwa of the Mah
ratta empire, in which character the field and staff
officers, and a few other gentlemen of the British
army, were introduced to him by the commanding
officer. The ceremonies at the Mahratta durbar were
similar to the Mogul visits already described, and the
presents of the same nature ; shawls, muslins, and rich
stuffs, differing in quality and quantity according to the
station of the visitors.
As I have before mentioned, this custom of making
presents prevails throughout Asia, and has done so
from the remotest antiquity ; no public visits are made
without this ceremony : in many parts, among the in
ferior classes, a flower, fruit, or a cardamom, is offered
out of respect at familiar visits : an Indian never requests
a favour from his superior with an empty hand. When
the aged patriarch sent his sons before the ruler of
Egypt, he said, " Take of the best fruits in the land, and
carry the man a present ; a little balm, a little honey ;
spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds." Gen. ch. xliii.
v. 1 1 . Solomon remarks that " a man's gift maketh room
for him, and bringeth him before great men ;" and there
is an Arabian proverb to this effect, " tokens accom
pany love ; presents are the vehicles of friendship."
It is not so much the custom in India to present
dresses ready made to the visitors, as to offer the ma
terials, especially to Europeans: in Turkey, Persia, and
Arabia, it is generally the reverse. We find in Char-
din that the kings of Persia had great wardrobes, where
there were always many hundred habits, sorted, ready
for presents : and that the intendant of the wardrobe
sent them to those persons for whom they were de-

PRESENTS. 317
signed by the sovereign : more than forty tailors were
always employed in this service. In Turkey they do
not attend so much to the richness, as to the number
of the dresses, giving more or fewer, according to the
dignity of the persons to whom they are presented, or
the marks of favour the prince would confer on his
guests : thus in primeval times Joseph gave to each of
his brethren changes of raiment, but to his favourite
Benjamin he- gave three hundred pieces of silver, and
five changes of raiment. Among the honourable dis
tinctions conferred by a Persian monarch on Mordecai,
he ordered him to be clothed with his own royal appa
rel : the same honour was granted by the king of Baby
lon to Daniel, who for his excellent wisdom was com
manded to be clothed in scarlet, and to have a chain of
gold about his neck. In modern times, when Charles
the Twelfth was made a prisoner by the Turks setting
fire to his house at Bender, the dresses, tents, horse-
caparisons richly ornamented with gold and jewels, and
other valuable articles which had been given him in
presents, amounted to fifty thousand pounds.
On our first public visit to Ragobah, it was inti
mated to me, that, acting in the double capacity of chap
lain to the British troops, and secretary to the com
mander-in-chief, the peshwa being a Brahmin, and
associating an idea of priesthood or brahminism to the
former appointment, the presents allotted to me were on
that account superior in quality and quantity to those
of the other staff-officers.
One part of Ragobah's behaviour on these public
visits, was extremely offensive to the gravity and polite
ness of the Nabob, and the high-born Moguls and Per
sians who attended him. On our first introduction to

318 INDECORUM.
the Brahmin sovereign, the English gentlemen were
equally astonished and disgusted : a repetition of such
uncourtly manners in some degree reconciled us to a
succession of windy explosions from the royal musnud,
or elevated cushions on which he was seated ; we won
dered in silence at such an extraordinary dereliction
from every idea of delicacy and decorum : the nabobs
of Surat and Cambay publicly expressed their abhor-
ence of such unprincely conduct.
In a Mogul durbar outward manners and etiquette
are carried to the greatest extent of ceremonious refine
ment. Orme says, " that persons of distinction have
been known, through a sense of shame, to make away
with themselves after having committed an involuntary
indecorum in the presence of their superiors."
We found very few of Ragobah's troops at Cambay,
but were informed his army was in the Bisnagar pro
vince, about eighty miles from thence, and that the
confederate forces were encampedtwenty miles nearer,
in hopes of preventing a junction with the English.
The enemy amounted to forty thousand cavalry, and
twelve thousand infantry ; bazaar-men, foragers, wo
men, and various camp followers, swelled the number
to a hundred thousand.
Thus circumstanced, the English detachment landed
the next day and marched to the plains of Narranseer,
on the north side of Cambay, or Cambaut, an ancient
city terminating the gulf of that name in 22° 16' north
latitude and 72" 32' east longitude : it is now only three
miles in circumference, surrounded by a brick wall per
forated for musquetry, flanked with fifty-two irregular
towers, without fosse or esplanade : the works are out
of repair, and the cannon in the towers of little conse-

CAMBAY. 319
quence. It is built on uneven ground, which on the
whole may be termed an eminence ; the houses,
mosques, and tombs reach to the walls, and were for
merly a part of the city founded near twelve hundred
years ago, on the site of Camanes, mentioned by
Ptolemy. Cambay, or Cambaut, once famous in oriental his
tory, is now entirely changed, and its grandeur mingled
with poverty and desolation ; uninhabited streets, fall
ing mosques, and mouldering palaces, indicate its an
cient magnificence and the instability of human
structures : formerly every street was fortified, and de
fended by gates ; a few in the principal streets still
remain, but the greater part have shared the common
fate of the city.
The durbar, or nabob's palace, is almost the only
large edifice in good repair ; its exterior appearance is
far from elegant ; within it abounds with small rooms
and porticos, surrounding open squares, embellished
with gardens and fountains, in the Mogul taste.
Adjoining the durbar is a handsome mosque, called
the Jumma Mosseid ; it was anciently a Hindoo Pa
goda, converted into a mosque when the Moguls
conquered Guzerat ; the idols which then adorned it
are buried beneath the pavement. It forms a square
of two. hundred and ten feet ; a succession of domes
of different dimensions, supported by pillars, compose
a grand colonnade round the interior area. This
temple was once paved with white marble ; the greater
part is now removed, and replaced with stone : over
the south entrance was a handsome minaret ; its com
panion, having been destroyed by lightning, was never
replaced.

320 A HINDOO TEMPLE.
Cambay is also celebrated for a curious Hindoo
temple, which I frequently visited. I was first con
ducted into an open court, its walls adorned with a
variety of small sculpture, and images in separate
niches ; on the east side is an inner temple, the whole
length of the outer square, but only six feet wide, in
which are placed a number of statues, nearly of the
human size, many of white marble, some of black ba
salt, and a few of yellow antique ; inferior deities in
the Hindoo mythology, cast in silver, brass, and other
metals, were ranged below them. After a present to
the Brahmins, we lighted candles, and descended thirty
feet into a large subterraneous temple, covered by a
dome, and entirely dark : on three sides of this tem
ple are a number of empty niches, a little above the
floor ; and on the east is an opening into another
narrow temple, the length of the large one, which con
tains five images of white marble sitting in the eastern
manner, two on each side of a throne placed under a
magnificent canopy in the centre, which contains the
celebrated statue of Parisnaut, one of the principal
Hindoo deities, I cannot praise the artist's skill, al
though superior to most I have seen in India ; the
countenances express no character, the limbs have
neither strength nor elegance, and are destitute of the
graces which characterize the sculpture of ancient
Greece. „
In the suburbs of Cambay are some large mauso
leums and Mahometan tombs, in the form of octagon
and circular temples, many in a beautiful style of archi
tecture, and the marble sculpture of some exquisitely
fine. I was informed the dust that worked out in
finishing the flowers and ornaments was weighed

CAMBAY. 321
against gold, as a compensation to the artist. The
grandest was erected to the memory of an eminent
Mogul, who died of hunger during a grievous famine,
which almost depopulated this part of Guzerat ; it ap
pears from the inscription, that during this ^dreadful
scarcity the deceased offered a measure of pearls for an
equal quantity of grain, which not being able to pro
cure, he perished by hunger.
From the quantity of wrought stones, and scattered
relics of marble at Cambay, we may judge of its
former wealth and magnificence ; the charge of trans
porting them thither must have been immense, the
mountains from whence they are hewn being very
distant. The trees which shade the houses are filled with
monkeys, squirrels, doves, and parrots : the monkeys
are the only mischievous part of these curious citizens ;
they occupy the roofs of the houses, and swarm all over
the town, unmolested by the inhabitants.
Cambay was formerly celebrated for manufactures of
chintz, silk and gold stuffs ; the weavers are now few
and poor, nor is there a merchant of eminence to be
met with, except the brokers under the English pro
tection. The population and opulence of this city must
have been considerable, when the duties on tamarinds
alone amounted annually to twenty thousand rupees :
two principal causes for its decline are the oppressive
government of the nabob, and the retreat of the sea,
which once washed the city walls, but now flows no
nearer than a mile and a half from the south gate.
Queen Elizabeth, the first English monarch who
encouraged the Indian trade, sent out three persons in
1583, with letters to the sovereigns of China and
VOL I. y

322 TRADE OF CAMBAY.
Cambay. This implies that the latter was at that time
a place of great commercial notoriety. In fhe year
1600 this wise monarch granted the first charter to the
East India Company, by which they became the exclu
sive traders to the East Indies, with a capital of seventy-
two thousand pounds. A very few years after Queen
Elizabeth's embassy, Caesar Fredericke, a merchant of
Venice, visited this country ; and in his Travels, which
were printed in London in 1598, describes the trade of
Cambay. Indigo was always a staple commodity at Cambay,
Where a large quantity is still manufactured ; its culti
vation employs many hands in the adjacent districts.'
When the plant has attained maturity, the leaves are
stripped from the stalks, and infused in a certain quan
tity of water, with a small proportion of sweet oil, for
thirty or forty hours ; the water, which has by that
time acquired a blue tint, being poured off, is left in
large flat troughs, until by exhalation there remains
only a thick sediment; which is made into small cakes,
and dried in the sun for use. This is the pure in
digo ; it is frequently adulterated with red earth,
which adds to its weight, but renders it coarse and
dull. The country in the vicinity of Cambay is fertile and
pleasant, abounding with wheat and different grain,
peculiar to Hindostan ; many acres are sown with car
rots and other vegetables, and extensive fields of cotton,
erinda, and various shrubs for extracting lamp oil,
which is much used. Guzerat is naturally one of the
most fruitful provinces in*India ; but in the Cambay
districts, from the indolence of the inhabitants, and
the oppressions of the government, they plant only

PRECIOUS STONES. 323
from hand to mouth, and cultivate neither grain nor
fruits that require trouble *. mangos and tamarinds,
which grow spontaneously, are almost the only fruit-
trees ; in some of the nabob's gardens are a few pome*
granates, grapes, and limes.
Cambay is amply supplied with provisions at a rea
sonable rate ; for a rupee you purchase twenty pounds
of excellent beef; mutton, veal, and kid, in the same
proportion ; poultry not so plentiful, and fish is a
rarity : pork in Mahometan towns is never to be met
with. In this city and its surrounding domain are fifty
thousand wells, and some very fine tanks ; but the
nabob, to prevent the Mahratta armies from encamp*
ing near his capital, drained most of the lakes, and cut
off their resources.
Cornelians, agates, and the beautifully variegated
stones improperly called mocha-stones, form a valuable
part of the trade at Cambay. The best agates and
cornelians are found in peculiar strata, thirty feet under
the surface of the earth, in a small tract among the
Rajepiplee hills, on the banks of the Nerbudda : they
are not to be met with in any other part of Guzerat,
and are generally cut and polished in Cambay. On
being taken from their native bed they are exposed
to the heat of the sun for two years ; the longer they
remain in that situation the brighter and deeper will
be the colour of the stone ; fire is sometimes substi
tuted for the solar ray, but with less effect, as the
stones frequently crack, and seldom acquire a brilliant
lustre. After having undergone this process, they are
boiled for two days, and sent to the manufacturers at
Cambay. The agates are of different hues ; those
generally called cornelians are black, white, and red,
y2

324 NABOB OF CAMBAY.
in shades from the palest yellow to the deepest scar
let. The variegated stones with landscapes, trees, and
water, beautifully delineated, are found at Copper-
wange, or more properly Cubbeer-punge, the five
tombs, a place sixty miles distance.
While the English troops were detained at Cambay,
I resided at head-quarters ; but spent much of my
time with my kind friend the English resident in the
city, which, with the surrounding district, was then
under the dominion of a Mogul prince named Moh-
man Caun, styled nabob of Cambay ; his father was
nabob of Ahmedabad, the capital of Guzerat, when it
was conquered by the Mahrattas ; on that catastrophe
he fled to Cambay, then only a sea-port to Ahmeda
bad ; there he established his government, and at his
death was succeeded by his son, whose tyranny had
lessened the number of his subjects, and reduced the
remainder to poverty and degradation. His territory
was small, and badly cultivated ; after paying the
Mahratta choute, or tribute, his annual revenue did
not exceed two lacs of rupees : which enabled him to
keep only a small establishment, and to maintain two
thousand Scindian and Arabian infantry, and five
hundred cavalry.
The nabob was of the middle stature, well
made, and with good features ; but his countenance
was a true index to a heart cruel, revengeful, and
suspicious ; to this malevolent disposition, it was said,
his only son had, a few months before, fallen a sacri
fice. The nabob was then about fifty years of age, a
good soldier, and reckoned a consummate politician
on the narrow system of oriental manoeuvring. These
are the distinguishing characteristics in an eastern

RAGOBAH S FANATICISM. 325
sovereign, who is generally a stranger to magnanimity,
generosity, and all the nobler virtues which constitute
a good prince. Far from aspiring after the happy
title of the " father of his people," an Asiatic despot
studies every mode of oppression which avarice can
suggest, or intrigue and craftiness carry into exe?
cution. The nabob of Cambay seemed at length to have
ingratiated himself into Ragobah's good opinion, and
made him an offer of takirig the field and joining
the allied army. Few characters could be more con
trasted than these sovereigns : had the heart of the
nabob been equal to his abilities, he might have
swayed the imperial sceptre, while Ragobah daily
exhibited more superstition and fanaticism than
Aurungzebe ever pretended to, and equalled the
sanctity of the visionaries and mystics in the profes
sional castes of Hindoo devotees. During the deten
tion of the British forces at Cambay, when anxiously
expecting a junction with Ragobah's army, an express
arrived from his principal general, containing intelli
gence of importance : the British commander, after
waiting a proper time, sent an aide-du-camp to the
Mahratta durbar, for the necessary information ; who
was told Ragobah was at his devotions, and the lucky
moment for opening the dispatches not arrived. On
sending again the next morning, the colonel received
for answer that the Mahratta sovereign had not finished
his religious ceremonies. One day in the month of
March occurred, during our detention at Cambay,
which was marked in Ragobah's horoscope as pecu
liarly unlucky : as his destinity would be affected by
an inauspicious planet unless averted by a variety of

326 ragobah's fanaticism.
rites and ceremonies : the most pious priests and emi
nent astrologers were convened to assist the Brahmin
sovereign ; on this eventful day, Ragobah came forth
at early dawn bareheaded and naked, except a cloth
round his loins, watching the rising of the sun, and
remained until noon with his eyes stedfastly fixed on
the glorious orb, which shone with uncommon fer
vency ; he then retired to the tent set apart for wor
ship, where the ceremonies continued until midnight :
the malignant star had then lost its influence, and the
next morning opened brighter prospects.
Cunning generally usurps the place of wisdom and
prudence in an oriental durbar ; superstition assisted
in Ragobah's councils, and weakened a mind conscious
of possessing unlimited power. Although the limits
of most Asiatic princes are now comparatively small,
yet is each licentious nabob too commonly the Nero
or Tiberius of his own domain, and his contracted
court presents a scene of ambition, sensuality, and
cruelty. The oriental annals afford some amiable exceptions ;
Acber stands high in the roll of fame, and vies in
every princely virtue with a Titus, and an Alfred; his
memory is revered throughout Hindostan.
The Asiatics know how to estimate such a cha
racter. The names of Hastings, Cornwallis, and
other eminent Englishmen, are dear to their hearts ;
and, however gradual the progress, the good effect of
British legislation, blended with a due regard to
ancient manners and customs, will in time be fully
appreciated in our extensive empire. The exertions
of government for the happiness of millions, are
already felt and acknowledged throughout the fertile

despotic princes. 327
provinces of Bengal, notwithstanding the most deeply-
rooted prejudices, and attachment to caste: if peace
continues to extend her olive over British India, we
shall see commerce, agriculture, art, and science, once
more adorn and enrich those realms, from whence
they emigrated to the western, world, through the
channels of Egypt, Phoenicia, and Greece.
At present, in the courts of the nabobs, petty
rajahs, and other independent despots of India, there
is so little sense of moral obligation, that no stigma
attaches to the man who plots the most base and
villanous means for attaining the ends of venality and
corruption ; the odium is incurred when not pro^
perly executed. Perhaps this censure should be
limited to the verge of the durbars, courts of
justice, and revenue departments of these princes;
we will hope that the moral sense operates in general
amongst the natives of India, as in those of other
countries, although often vitiated by the relaxed
state of government and society.
Under these despotic princes, a suspected person is
seldom arraigned in a court of justice, confronted with
his accusers, or permitted the shadow of a trial ; so
that judgment and condemnation are synonymous ; and
execution prompt, though silent. This is certainly a
less degree of misery than some European despots have
inflicted on their subjects, by confinement in the dun
geons of a Bastile, Inquisition, or a Venetian prison ;
where the unfortunate sufferer drags on a wretched life
in solitude and suspense; a prey to that weight of
misery emphatically styled the sickness of, the heart
arising from hope deferred.
Capital punishments are seldom inflicted under these

328 PERSIAN REFUGEES.
administrations ; fines are more frequent, and more
acceptable to all parties : pardons can generally be pur
chased for the most atrocious crimes between man
and man, where the prince or his rulers are not affected.
It was formerly customary for the nabob to dedicate
some time every morning to administer justice ; that
power now devolved on a deputy, called the cutwall,
who inflicted punishments, and superintended the infe
rior officers of police.
When the English troops landed at Cambay, although
fallen from its former importance, it was the residence
of many Shah Zadas, descendants of the Persian kings,
and other nobles who left that unfortunate country the
beginning of the eighteenth century, when Shah Hus
sein was murdered by Mir Mahmud, and the Afghans
usurped the sovereign authority : these were followed
by many more who abandoned Persia when Nadir
Shah seized the throne, and destroyed the royal line of
Saffies. Ahmedabad, then under the Mogul govern
ment, and Cambay, were the favourite asylum of those
unfortunate emigrants, and of many Persians who
accompanied Nadir Shah in his memorable expedition
to India, and remained there with their plunder : Cam-
bay has also been the retreat of others who quitted
Persia during subsequent distractions.
The Persian language was spoken in great purity at
Cambay, and there was as much etiquette and cere
mony at the durbar, as in the most refined courts of
Europe. As in other oriental palaces, officers in wait
ing receive a visitor of distinction at their respective
stations. He is met at the outer gate by one of infe
rior rank, who attends him to the inner court, where
he is received by one of higher authority, and so in

ORIENTAL CEREMONY. 329
gradation, until he is presented to the prince on the
musnud, or throne. The reception by the sovereign
varies also according to the rank of the visitors ; to
those of exalted birth or station, he advances a few
paces, and embraces ; to others he simply rises, and
exchanges the salam, or salutation ; while the general
throng of civil and military officers, and other visitors
of the durbar, are received with a return of the salem
from the prince, sitting ; when they are conducted by
the chopdars, gold-sticks, and silver-sticks in waiting,
to the place where they are to stand or sit during the
levee. In a Mogul durbar, while the servants arc
attending with coffee, which is always served, the con
versation is general; they afterwards proceed to busi
ness : if presents are intended, they are next produced ;
ottar of roses, betel-nut, or rose-water, offered to each
visitor, concludes the ceremony.
At visits of the Rajpoots, Gracias, and many other
Hindoo tribes, opium is presented in liquid and solid
preparations with the same familiarity as the snuff-box
in Europe: the Asiatics are so accustomed to this in
toxicating drug, that half the quantity which they take
for recreation, would compose an European into the
sleep of death. On the Indian it seems to produce
the most delightful reveries, transports him in idea to
elysium, and fascinates him with the joys of paradise ;
makes him gay, lively, and good humoured, and his
imagination wantons in voluptuous pleasures. These
dreams of rapture quickly terminate, but the fatal
consequences of the enervating drug are permanent ;
it soon undermines the constitution, debilitates the sys
tem, and brings on premature old age. Taken before a
battle it inspires temporary courage, or rather a dread-

330

ASIATIC DIVERSIONS.

ful phrenzy ; among apparent friends its effects are
often fatal, by causing those who think themselves in
jured by their superiors, to speak and act under its
influence with an unguarded freedom, which is after
wards recollected and punished : there are many in
stances of officers, thus intoxicated, upbraiding an
oppressive despot when surrounded by his courtiers in
full durbar.
The principal diversions of the nabob and his cour
tiers were hawking and hunting, for which the Cambay
districts afford fine sport ; the game of chess was also
very fashionable, but smoking the hooka, chewing
betel, regaling with opium, and attending to the songs
and dances of the courtezans, engrossed most of the
time not dedicated to business or the retirement of
the haram ; there they pass many hours, and there,
under the most oppressive government, remain unmo
lested : the severest despot respects the female apart
ment, where none but a husband enters, where a bro
ther does not even visit his married sister.
The Asiatics in general prefer a sedentary life, and are
surprised to see a European walk for exercise or plea
sure ; much more so to behold the English ladies and
gentlemen take the trouble of dancing themselves,
when they can have a variety of dancers and singers for
money : the men like to be well mounted, and give a
high price for a good horse and sumptuous furniture ;
they attend very little to the fine arts, useful improve
ments, or literary fame ; their libraries in general con
tain only a few tracts of oriental history, Persian poetry,
and Arabian tales, with voluminous commentaries on
the Koran, but they have little knowledge of general
history and the belles-lettres. When the caliph Omar

A SUMMER PALACE. 331
was solicited to spare the Alexandrian library, he
replied that its contents either did, or did not, agree
with what was written in the holy pages of the Koran :
if the former, he alleged the Koran to be sufficient ; if
the latter, other books were pernicious, and ought to
be destroyed. Omar was an ignorant and furious
bigot, but many of the succeeding caliphs encouraged
letters, and even caused the Greek and Latin classics to
be translated, when Europe was enveloped in barba
rism and monkish ignorance.
My situation in the camp at head-quarters was
at a beautiful summer palace belonging to the nabob,
on the border of the spacious lake at Narranseer, which
was always appropriated to the use of the command
ing officer and his family. We passed our time as plea
santly as the extreme heat of the weather and anxiety
respecting the junction with Ragobah's forces would
admit. The tank was surrounded by groves of mango
and tamarind trees, surmounted by the minerats and
domes of Cambay ; the adjacent plains, cultivated and
enclosed, produced fine crops of cotton, indigo, wheat,
and other grain ; the wilder tracts abounded with 'deer,
antelopes, hares, jackals, wolves, and hyenas ; the lakes
and rivers with flamingos, pelicans, ducks, and water
fowl in great variety : peacocks, partridges, quails,
doves, and green-pigeons supplied our table, and with
the addition of two stately birds, called the sahras and
cullum, added much to the animated beauty of the
country ; while monkeys and squirrels, posted in
numbers on the trees, approached us with the greatest
familiarity. The former are very large, and when
sitting in groups at a little distance, might have been
mistaken for the ryuts, or common peasants, who, ex-

332 ragobah's residence.
cept a turban and cloth round the middle, are as naked
as themselves. When all these enliveners of the day
retired to rest, the camp was surrounded by hyenas,
wolves, and jackals ; the latter hunted in large herds,
making a dismal and incessant howl. Tigers, wild-
hogs, and porcupines sometimes sallied forth from the
forests, and the camp was much infested by serpents,
centipedes, and scorpions.
Ragobah and his family resided in another of the
nabob's villas, situated on the banks of Narranseer
lake, in the midst of luxuriant gardens, which abounded
on the borders of that extensive water ; after sun-set,
the atmosphere was filled with fragrance from the
orange-trees, tuberoses, champahs, and oriental jessa
mines, wafted by gentle breezes over the lake : these
scenes were truly delightful, especially when illumined
by the lunar ray, or the emerald-light of the fire-fly,
(Lampyris noctiluca) twinkling in immense numbers
among the flowering shrubs.
These delightful evenings hardly compensated for
our suffering during the heat of the day, when the hot
winds blew from ten in the morning until sun-set, and
were so dry and parching that our thirst was never
quenched: in the soldiers' tents, composed only of
single canvas, Farenheit's thermometer often rose to
116 degrees; it sometimes exceeded 114 in the offi
cers' marquees, with a fly, or separate awning, rising
some feet above the tent. This surpassed every thing
I had before experienced, and had it continued long,
no European constitution could have supported it : the
transition between health and fever, life and death,
was so sudden that medicine had not time to operate,
and our men died rapidly ; to all, respiration became

A COOL RETREAT. 333
difficult, and an oppressive languor arid weariness were
the general complaint.
The greatest luxury I enjoyed during this sultry
season was a visit to the English factory, where the
resident had one room, dark and cool, set apart en
tirely for the porous earthen vessels containing the
water for drinking ; which were disposed with as
much care and regularity as the milk-pans in an
English dairy : on the surface of each water-jar were
scattered a few leaves of the Damascus rose ; not
enough to communicate the flavour of the flower,
but to convey an idea of fragrant coolness when
entering this delightful receptacle : to me a draught
of this water was far more grateful than the
choicest wines of Schiraz, and the delicious sensa
tions from the sudden transition of heat, altogether
indescribable. Chardin mentions that the Persians use rose-water
for cleansing the leather bottles which contain the
water for drinking ; they cause them to imbibe the
rose-water, to take off the taste of the skin : roses
are the delight of the orientals upon all occasions.
When Doubdan was leaving the holy sepulchre at Jeru
salem, the people presented his party with nosegays
of flowers, and fresh-gathered roses, others sprinkled
them from bottles of rose-water. The nosegays of
roses, mogrees, and jessamine, gathered in the cool of
the morning, and brought in with a basket of fruit
and vegetables to the English breakfast- table in India,
are very pleasing and refreshing : so are the Japan
roses, oleanders, and other richly-coloured flowers,
which ornament the gindey and ewer presented to
each guest for ablution after dinner.

334 ragobah's army.
We continued in an inactive state at Narranseer
until the 15th of April, when an express arrived with
the interesting intelligence that Ragobah's generals
had collected his scattered forces, and were then on
their march to Cambay; but as the enemy were
near them, in great force, they requested that Rago
bah and the English detachment would proceed as
soon as possible, as a speedy junction would be of in
finite advantage.
On a confirmation of this news, we struck our
tents on the sultry plains of Narranseer, and by short
marches arrived at Darah, where the junction so ar
dently desired was effected on the 19th of April.
Ragobah's army was said to consist of thirty thousand
cavalry and infantry, with about twice as many camp-
followers, women and children ; but in reality, from
this motley mass, there were not more than twelve
thousand fighting men, commanded by four of Rago
bah's principal generals ; they narrowly escaped the
ministerial army on the banks of the river Sabermally,
who reached the pass too late to prevent their cross
ing, not expecting that so large a force could have
proceeded with such rapidity ; for, eluding the vigi
lance of the enemy, they marched sixty coss, or ninety
Englisli miles, without halting, followed by their ele
phants, camels, bazar, and baggage.
Govind Row Guykwar, an independent chieftain of
Guzerat, and one of Ragobah's principal allies, arrived
soon afterwards with a body of eight thousand cavalry,
but very few infantry in proportion ; this being all the
reinforcement expected, it was resolved to march with
out delay and attack the enemy, then encamped on the
banks of the Sabermatty. *

ENCAMPMENT AT DARAH. 335
On completing this junction with the Mahratta
army, the allied forces might altogether amount to
twenty-five thousand men in arms. The English de
tachment, under the command of colonel Keating,
consisted of eighty European artillery, and one
hundred. .and sixty artillery lascars, natives employed
in that line ; five hundred European infantry, and
fourteen hundred sepoys, with a proportionate num
ber of officers. Our field train of artillery con
tained two eighteen pounders, four twelve, and four
six pounders; two eight-inch mortars, and howitzers
of smaller caliber, with stores and ammunition in
great abundance.
The encampment at Darah, on an arid plain, bare of
trees, and exposed to the blasts of the hot winds, was
intolerable : we looked back with regret to the lovely
lake and shady groves of Narranseer. There was in
deed a large tank at Darah, which accommodated us
tolerably well before the arrival of Ragobah's forces :
from that period the concourse of elephants, camelsj
horses, and bullocks, with thousands of men, women,
and children, rushing into the water, soon destroyed
its fluidity, by mingling it with the mud, from which
with difficulty we strained off a most unpleasant
beverage. When our allies had sufficiently recovered from the
fatigue of their forced march, we joyfully left our un
pleasant encampment at Darah, and marched towards
the enemy's ground on the banks of the Sabermatty,
where we promised ourselves the unspeakable refresh
ment of a running stream. We now found by ex
perience the beneficent character of the banian-tree,
the ficus indica, so frequently mentioned for its pic-

336 SHADE AND WATER.
turesque beauty ; we sometimes met with one of these
umbrageous pavillions, sufficiently extensive to shelter
a thousand men from the sultry rays of a meridian sun,
and found no house so pleasant or cool as this magni
ficent bower. The shade of the tamarind tree, still
cooler, is not so salutary, but when in blossom the
fragrance is delicious : the atmosphere of the mango
tree is impregnated with the heat and the smell of
turpentine, which often communicates a disagreeable
flavour to the fruit ; this valuable production was
every where attaining maturity when we commenced
our march in Guzerat.
The deprivation of shade and water at Darah, and
our early encampments, was a serious evil to the
English soldiers, who suffered very materially from
the intense heat. In the mild climates of Europe we
calmly read of the march of an army over the arid
plains of Asia, or a pilgrimage amidst the stillness
and desolation of the Arabian deserts, but we must
have experienced some of their difficulties before we
can participate in the joy of the Israelites, when, after
tasting the bitter waters at Marah, they came to Elim,
and encamped near twelve wells of fine water, and
threescore and ten palm-trees. The rich colouring in
the pastoral psalms and prophetical writings, of rivers,
groves, and pastures, was intended to depict the great
est blessings both in a literal and a figurative sense.
Mahomet, a native of Arabia, promises his disciples,
among the chief pleasures of his voluptuous paradise,
beautiful groves and gardens, fountains of incorrupti
ble water, rivers of milk, and brooks of honey ; he
knew well how such allurements would work upon the
imagination of his Arabian converts.

MAHRATTA ARMIES. 337

CHAPTER XVII.

Account of a Mahratta Army — Arms — Titles — Magnificence of the
Indian Tents — Military Character of the Indians — Rajepoots —
— Different Orders of Cavalry — Pindarees — Brahmins — Rago
bah's Encampment — Particulars of a Brahmin Feast — Pleasures
and Amusements in Camp — Conduct of a Family on a march —
Dancing-girls — Number of Cattle — Extraordinary Anecdote of
Ragobah's Elephants — Camels — Mahratta Wealth and State —
Hermaphrodites — Improvement in Mahratta Tactics — Method
of besieging a City — War Rockets.
The Mahratta armies are generally composed of
various nations and religions, who consequently form
a very motley collection : they wear no regular uniform,
are under very little discipline, and few in the same
line either of horse or foot, have similar weapons ;
some are armed with swords and targets, others with
matchlocks or muskets ; some carry bows and arrows,
others spears, lances, or war rockets ; many are expert
with the battle-axe, but the sabre is indispensable with
all. The men in armour make a strange appearance ;
a helmet, covering the head, hangs over the ears, and
falls on the shoulders ; the body is cased with iron net
work, on a thick quilted vest ; their swords are of the
finest temper, and the horsemen are very expert at
this weapon ; they are not so fond of curved blades as
the Turks and Persians, but prefer a straight two-
vol. i. z

338 FEUDAL SYSTEM.
edged sword, and will give a great price for those which
they call Alleman, or German, though formerly brought
from Damascus.
In the Mahratta army are no regular commanders
by seniority or merit; the principal officers are called
jemidars : some command five thousand horse, others,
though equally dignified in title, only five hundred.
The Mahratta government, in many instances, re
sembles the feudal system in Europe : the great chief
tains, like the ancient barons, hold their lands by
military tenure; they enjoy their estates, on con
dition of furnishing a stipulated number of knights,
squires, and armed-men, in proportion to their ter
ritory ; and thus in the Mahratta empire, the principal
jaghiredars, or nobles, possessed of landed property,
when summoned by the peshwa, appear in the field
with the number of men expressed in their firmauns,
or grants of land ; and there they exercise every act of
authority, without appeal, more fully than was claimed
by the powerful barons in the Germanic bodies, when
issuing from their northern forests, and emerging from
Gothic barbarism, they marched against the degenerate
Romans, and conquering their provinces, established
that military system, which, under different modula
tions, so long prevailed in Europe.
This variety of independent commanders destroys
that authority and subordination which prevails in
European armies, and may in some measure account
for the want of discipline in so large a body ; where
every man beats a drum, blows a trumpet, or fires his
matchlock when he pleases, and frequently when
loaded with ball. It was with difficulty the British
commanding officer suppressed this dangerous practice

STANDARDS AND ENSIGNS. 339
in Ragobah's army, where it was so prevalent, that it
could only be prevented by cutting off the fingers of a
delinquent. The Indian camps display a variety of standards
and ensigns; red seems the prevailing colour, but
they are seldom decorated with any thing like ar
morial bearings. The banner which was always
carried before Ragobah was small, and swallow-tailed,
of crimson and gold tissue, with gold fringes and
tassels, called by the Mahrattas zerree puttah : some
of the flags are on very high poles, and larger than
a ship's ensign : in the European armies, the knights
banneret erected their own standard among their
followers ; the knights bachelors, or simple knights,
did not: similar distinctions are observed among
the Mahrattas ; the most considerable chieftains dis
play their own colours, have separate encampments,
and their own bazar, or market ; in which they collect
duties, and make such regulations as they think pro
per, without control from the sovereign.
The Mahratta cavaliers of distinction frequently
ornament their saddles with the bushy tails of the
Thibet cows, as also the horse's head. On one side an
attendant carries a rich umbrella, called an aftaphgere,
generally of velvet, embroidered with gold; on the
other, is a man with a large fan, or chouree, formed
by the tail of the wild cow from Thibet, covered with
long flowing hair, delicately white, and soft as silk :
the handle is gold or silver, sometimes studded with
jewels. The chouree is useful in keeping off the flies
and other insects that swarm in hot climates, and also
forms a part of oriental state. The cruppers, martin-
es, and bridles of the horses, are covered, ac-
z2

340 TITLES.
cording to the rank and wealth of the owner, with gold
or silver plates, knobs, coins, and a variety of de
corations : the tails of the grey horses are frequently
dyed of a red and orange colour, and the mains plaited
with silk and ribbands, interspersed with silver roses :
the camp abounds with farriers, and every thing ne
cessary for their profession.
The generals are likewise distinguished by some
title, exclusive of their family name ; sometimes given
at their birth, but oftener conferred by the prince
for gallant behaviour, and a reward of military merit ;
as the valiant swordsman, the illustrious conqueror,
the victorious hero, the ornament of the age, or some
other honourable appellation. The women also have
names expressive of their personal charms, or their
lord's affection ; choice of my heart, delight of my eyes,
morning star, fragrant rose, coral lips, and a thousand
similar fancies, distinguish the favourite ladies in the
harem. In the durbar tent, and at other courts in India, I
frequently observed the officers to whom we were in
troduced, addressed, not by their family name, but by
the appellation given them after some signal exploit,
or analogous to some perfection in their character. A
little history seemed to be attached to each warrior,
similar to those we read of in the ancient poets. The
sequel of the campaign will evince how well they de
served the encomium, and answered the proclamation
of their hyperbolical heralds. I shall only observe at
present, that they could not, like Scipio Africanus,
Germanicus, and other Roman generals, claim an
honorary title from the countries they conquered, or
the martial exploits they performed.

INDIAN TENTS. 341
The magnificence of the Indian tents, pavilions, and
summinianas, or canopy, far exceeds any thing of the
kind in Europe, especially among the Moguls : these
accommodations are the more necessary where their
women and children accompany them to the field.
The Mahrattas seem to prefer their tents to houses,
and enjoy more pleasure in a camp than in a city.
The martial tribes of Hindoos, and Mahomedans of
distinction, in other professions, generally wish to
shine in a military capacity. During the common
wealth of Rome, consuls, senators, and priests, headed
her legions : the Brahmin sovereigns of Poonah have
engrafted the military spirit on the sacerdotal charac
ter ; Brahmins not only serve in the Hindoo armies,
but there are many of that tribe among the sepoys, or
native troops, belonging to the English. In general,
whether a man is occupied in the political cabinet, or
engages in the civil departments of Hindostan, he is
not in such estimation as when he annexes to it the
character of a soldier.
A military profession seldom interferes with other
occupations : in the durbar tent, where Rogabah pre
sided as peshwa of the Mahratta empire, business was
conducted with the same facility as in the court at
Poonah : every evening the principal officers and ca
binet ministers attended his levee, and there, as secre
tary, I often accompanied the English commander:
politics, war, and public business, were then discussed,
and orders issued for the ensuing day; complaints,
were heard, grievances redressed, and the usual justice
of oriental governments administered.
The native princes of India considered the English
tactics as superior to their own ; although, from na-

342 CHARACTER OF THE INDIAN ARMIES.
tional pride, and bigotry to ancient usages, they sel
dom allowed us a preeminence in other respects : they
were then convinced, by experience, how often a small
body of Europeans had decided the fate of kingdoms,
where immense armies of Asiatics had long been
fruitlessly contending for superiority ; and trifling as
the numbers of our detachment may appear to those
unacquainted with the vulnerable irregularity of orien
tal troops, Ragobah ceded very valuable acquisitions,
and stipulated to pay a large sum for such assistance.
The different tribes and clans of warriors in the Indian
armies have various degrees of merit, and differ as
much in courage and discipline as they do in customs
and dress. The common Hindoo and Mahratta infan
try are inferior to those from the northern parts of
India : Mahomedans from the southern provinces en
list in these armies ; many of whom are descended
from the Arabians ; who coming from the countries
bordering on the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, settled
on the coasts of India, and from thence extended
themselves by conquest and proselytism into the inte
rior regions. The Affghans from Candahar, and the
mountains between Persia and Hindostan, are com
monly called Pathans : the Tartars from Samarcand
and the adjacent provinces, Moguls. All these Ma
homedan tribes have intermarried with each other, and
the natives of India, and are now blended into a race
of similar manners, features, and complexion, generally
styled Mussulmans, or Moors.
A number of those adventurers are still pouring
into India from Arabia and Tartary, who for a time
preserve the hardy character and manly virtues of their
country ; but, from the enervating climate, and tender

RAJEPOOTS. 343
pampered education of the southern Moguls, their na
tive character gradually subsides, and they blend into
the common mass : these adventurers frequently bring
with them a horse and arms, and enter into the ser
vice of the Indian princes, who prefer them according
to their merit. There are some corps, styled nujeeb,
or men of good family; originally formed by Sujah
Dowlah, and subsequently introduced into the Mah
ratta armies : these are foot soldiers, invariably armed
with a sabre and matchlock, and having adopted some
semblance of European discipline, are much respected :
as are also the rajepoots, poorbeahs, or eastern-men,
and many other soldiers of fortune, who enlist under
their banners, and are highly esteemed for fidelity and
regularity. The rajepoots are all of a high caste, or clan ; proud
of being nobly born, and bred to arms, they display
a magnanimity, courage, and virtue, uncommon in the
Indian character : renowned for fidelity and attach
ment to the prince whose salt they eat, they are es
teemed among the best soldiers of the east. These
warlike tribes chiefly inhabit Ajmere, Chetere, and
the provinces north of the Nerbudda, which in many
respects resembles the habitable mountainous tracts
of Switzerland, and, like that free and happy coun
try, may be considered, more than any other ori
ental region, the nurse of liberty and independence.
The rajepoot governments have never been entirely
subdued by Mahomedan invaders ; in the dreadful
scenes which marked their conquests, the fastnesses
and strongholds, or mountains accessible only by
difficult passes and narrow defiles, afforded an asylum
to the rajepoots, who there preserved the Hindoo wor-

344 ORDERS OF CAVALRY.
ship, manners, and customs in genuine purity. This
country, chiefly situated in a delightful climate, be
tween 24 and 28 degrees of north latitude, affords some
of the grandest and most picturesque scenery in Asia.
The Mahratta cavalry are divided into several classes :
the husserat, or household troops, called the hassey-
pagah, are reckoned very superior to the ordinary
horse, and belong entirely to the peshwa's government.
Those of the second order are contracted for with go
vernment, either by their own commanders, or per
sons employed for the purpose : the third class are the
Moguls, poorbeahs, and other soldiers of fortune, just
mentioned, who with their own horse and arms enlist
in the service of the oriental sovereigns on the best
terms they can. Swarms of beyds, looties, and
pindarees, all different classes of plunderers, follow
the armies, and are far more destructive than the
soldiers in the countries through which they pass.
These marauders receive no pay, but give a moiety of
the spoil to the commander of the corps to which
they respectively attach themselves, and prefer a
life of rapine to any other profession : armed with
spears and sabres, and provided with hatchets, iron
crows, and implements of destruction, they enter vil
lages already laid waste by the army, and deserted by
the inhabitants : there, as if a general pillage of graiii,
furniture, and other moveables, had not been suffi
ciently distressing, the pindarees deprive the houses
of locks, hinges, and every kind of iron work, with
such timber as they think proper ; then digging up
the floors in search of gain, and demolishing the walls
in hopes of finding concealed treasure, they conclude
by setting fire to what they cannot carry off: although

RAGOBAH'S ENCAMPMENT. 345
there is scarcely any thing that does not turn to ac
count in the camp bazar, where a rusty nail is taken
in exchange for some article of provision.
These pindarees, and various descriptions of un
armed followers of the camp, swell the Indian armies
to an amazing number. When Ragobah's forces
marched towards the ministerial troops, after the junc
tion, they consisted of an hundred thousand, including
camp-followers of all sorts ; the cattle exceed two hun
dred thousand: the confederates were still more nu
merous. Ragobah's encampment covered a space of many
square miles ; the bazar, or market-place, belonging to
his own division, and to the principal generals, con
tained many thousand tents, where every trade and
profession was carried on with as much regularity as
in a city. Goldsmiths, jewellers, bankers, drapers, drugr
gists, confectioners, carpenters, tailors, tent-makers,
corn-grinders, and farriers, found full employment ; as
did whole rows of silver, iron, and copper-smiths ; but
those in the greatest and most constant requisition,
seem to be cooks, confectioners, and farriers. How
ever erroneous their tenets, I should be unpardonable
to omit mentioning the veneration paid to public wor
ship in the Mahratta camp : in the different divisions
was a temporary dewal, or tent, consecrated to reli
gious duties, where Brahmins regularly officiated, and
prayer and sacrifices were offered to the deities with the
same ceremonies as in the Hindoo temples.
In the Mahratta camp, as in all the Hindoo govern
ments, except that of the Brahminical peshwas at
Poonah, there exists a class of people in many respects
superior to the sovereign on the throne ; this is the

346 BRAHMINS.
tribe of Brahmins so often mentioned. Princes and
governors, as also most persons employed in the po
litical and military departments of state, belong gene
rally to the second order of the four principal castes
into which the Hindoos, as a people, are divided :
those Brahmins who are not engaged in public func
tions, or the administration of religious rites, from the
superiority of caste alone, are treated with respect and
deference by their respective sovereigns. So tenacious
are they of their privileges, and so conscious of the
pre-eminence to which the code of Menu entitles them,
that among the officers in the Mahratta army, a Brah
min in an inferior station would send part of his dinner
ready dressed, as a mark of distinction to an officer of
higher rank, and a much greater command, but of a
lower caste ; who accepted it respectfully, and ate it
with pleasure: no such return could on his part be
offered to the Brahmin ; who, in whatever outward
condition, would be degraded and polluted by tasting,
or even by touching the food from one of an inferior
class. As it is not common for Europeans to eat with a
Brahmin, or even to see them at their meals, I shall
give a description of a Brahmin dinner.
When the dinner is prepared, the Brahmin first
washes his body in warm water ; during which opera
tion he wears his dotee, or that cloth which, fastening
round his loins, hangs down to his ancles : when
washed, he hangs up the dotee to dry, and binds in
its place a piece of silk, it not being allowable for a
Brahmin to wear any thing else when eating. If
a person of another caste, or even a Brahmin who is
not washed, touches his dotee while drying, he can-

A BRAHMIN DINNER. 347
not wear it without washing it again. After going
through several forms of prayer and other ceremonies,
he sits down to his food, which is spread on a table
cloth, or rather a table-cover, formed of fresh-gathered
leaves, fastened together to the size wanted for the
company. The dishes and plates are invariably com
posed of leaves ; a Brahmin may not eat out of any
thing else : tin vessels, or copper tinned, may be
used for cooking, but a Brahmin cannot eat out of
them. The food, after being prepared in the kitchen, is
placed in distinct portions, on dishes of different size,
form, and depth, on the large verdant covering in a
regular manner. The feast of a Brahmin generally
consists of seasoned bread, rice, curry, vegetables,
pickles, and sometimes a dessert.
Their bread, in its simple state, is prepared from
the flour of wheat, juarree, or bahjeree : besides
which, they are very fond of a thin cake, or wafer,
called popper, made from the flour of oord, or mash
(phaseolus max.) highly seasoned with assafcetida; a
salt called popper-khor; and a very hot massaula, com
posed of turmeric, black pepper, ginger, garlic, several
kinds of warm seeds, and a quantity of the hottest
Chili pepper. These ingredients are all kneaded with
the oord flour and water into a tenacious paste, to
form the popper, which is rolled into cakes not
thicker than a wafer; these are first dried a little in
the sun, and then baked by fire until crisp.
The curry of a Brahmin is seldom more than
heated butter-milk, with a little gram-flour, slightly
seasoned ; this they highly esteem. Something simi
lar is wurrun, a dish composed of tuor, or doll, a sort

348 A BRAHMIN DINNER.
of split-pea, boiled with salt and turmeric (curcuma) ;
this they eat with ghee, or clarified butter, which they
say destroys its flatulency.
In the centre of the cover is always a large pile of
plain boiled rice, and at a feast there are generally two
other heaps of white and yellow rice, seasoned with
spices and salt ; and two of sweet rice, to be eaten with
chatna, pickles, and stewed vegetables : the latter are
chiefly berenjals, bendee, turoy, and different kinds of
beans, all savourily dressed, and heated with chilies of
every description. The chatna is usually made from
a vegetable called cotemear, to the eye very much re
sembling parsley, but to those unused to it, of a dis
agreeable taste and smell : this is so strongly heated
with chilies as to render the other ingredients less dis
tinguishable. The chatna is sometimes made with
cocoa-nut, lime juice, garlic, and chilies, and, with the
pickles, is placed in deep leaves round the large cover,
to the number of thirty or forty, the Hindoos being
very fond of this stimulus to their rice. These
pickles are not prepared with vinegar, but preserved in
oil and salt, seasoned with chilie and .the acid of
tamarinds, which in a salted state are much used in
Hindostan. Brahmins, and many other Hindoos, re
ject the onion from their bill of fare. Ghee, which, in
deep boats formed of leaves, seems to constitute the
essence of the dinner, is plentifully dispensed. The
dessert consists of mangos preserved with sugar,
ginger, limes, and other sweetmeats ; syrup of dif
ferent fruits, and sometimes a little ripe fruit, but the
dessert is not common. Such is the entertainment of
a rich Brahmin, who eats of no animal food.
In the extraordinary artificial distinction of castes

AMUSEMENTS IN CAMP. 349
amongst the Hindoos, the Mahrattas rank but little
above the lowest ; and therefore being universally edu
cated in the labour and simplicity of rural and agri
cultural society, they are admirably prepared for the
endurance, privations, and bodily exertions of a mili
tary life : this has been the origin of many other warlike
nations. The prohibition of animal food to the
Brahmins and higher orders, lessens as it reaches the
lower classes ; amongst whom the Mahratta is placed
in such a degree of assigned degradation, that the flesh
of animals, except of the sacred ox and cow, is no
pollution, affording a latitude more consistent with the
exigencies and necessities of a soldier's life. It has
been remarked, that there is an honesty, simplicity,
and courtesy in the true Mahratta character, not com
mon among the political Brahmins at the peshwa's
court, or in other public situations : their chicanery,
duplicity, and cunning, are obvious to all who have
been concerned with them in the diplomatic and
revenue departments.
Fond of a wandering life, the Mahrattas seem most
at home in the camp ; the bazars being supplied with
necessaries for the soldiers, and such luxuries as those
in a higher station require, they know no wants, and
are subject to few restraints : surrounded by their wives
and children, they enjoy the pleasures of domestic life;
and many of the principal officers keep greyhounds,
cheetas, and hawks, trained to hunting, for their
amusement on a march, or when encamped in a sport
ing country.
Not only the officers and soldiers, but in general
the followers of the camp, have their wives and fa
milies with them during the march : the women fre-

350 FAMILY ON A MARCH.
quently ride astride with one or two children on a
bullock, an ass, or a little tattoo horse, while the men
walk by the side. On reaching the encampment, the
fatigued husband lies down on his mat, and the wife
commences her duties : she first champoes her hus
band, and fans him to repose ; she then champoes the
horse, rubs him down, and gives him provender ; takes
some care of the ox which has carried her stores, and
drives off the poor ass to provide for himself : she next
lights a fire, dresses rice and curry, or kneads dough
for cakes, which are prepared and baked in a simple
manner. When the husband awakes, his repast is
ready ; and having also provided a meal for herself and
children, the careful matron occupies the mat, and
sleeps till daybreak, when all are in motion and ready
for another march.
Of the Mahratta cavalry, those soldiers who have
neither female companions nor servants to attend them,
on finishing the march immediately champoe their own
horses, by rubbing the limbs, and bending the joints ;
which not only refreshes the animals, but enables them
to bear fatigue with a smaller quantity of food than
would be otherwise necessary. It is generally difficult
to provide provender for horses on these campaigns :
hay is not common in India ; the villagers fodder their
horned-cattle, and the few horses they possess, with
straw and a little grain. In the fair season, when
there is no pasture, the horsemen and their attendant
grass-cutters sally out of the camp to dig up the roots
of grass, which are washed and given to their horses as
more nutritive than the stems of dried reedy grass and
other vegetables, which from their rapid growth in the
rainy season, have even then very little nutricious

NUMBER OF CATTLE. 351
juice : but, whatever may constitute the other food of
the horses, they must have a daily quantity of grain,
or some composition of heartening aliment, whether
on war service, or kept for recreation at home.
Besides the married women, a number of dancing
girls and tolerated courtezans attend the camp ; some
of the former officiate as choristers in the sacred tents
dedicated to the Hindoo gods ; many belong to the
officers, and others form a common Cyprian corps.
Children of both sexes accompany the army in the
severest marches ; they know no home but the camp,
and from habit prefer this wandering life.
The number and variety of cattle necessarily attend
ant on an Asiatic army is astonishing; the expense
of feeding these animals, as also the difficulty of pro
curing provender, is very great ; and their distress for
water in a parched country and sultry climate, often
fatal. Exclusive of the Mahratta cavalry trained to
war, were many thousand horses belonging to the
camp-followers ; the bazar alone required twenty
thousand bullocks to convey the commodities of the
shop-keepers, besides a number of small horses and
asses. Some thousand camels were employed to carry
the tents and baggage ; but the elephants, proud of
their distinguished elevation, were appropriated to
some honourable service, or, covered with caparisons
of embroidered velvets and scarlet cloth, decorated
with gold and silver fringe, were destined to carry the
houdahs of Ragobah and his chief officers : the houdah
sometimes contains two or three small apartments
under a dome supported by gilded pillars, for the
chieftain and his attendants. The elephant is ex
tremely useful in other respects, and, notwithstanding

352 ELEPHANTS.
his enormous bulk and surprising strength, is very
docile and tractable.
The largest elephants are from ten to eleven feet in
height, some are said to exceed it : the average is eight
Or nine feet. They are fifty or sixty years before they
arrive at their full growth ; the female goes witb
young eighteen months, and seldom produces more
than* one at a birth, which she suckles until it is five
years old: its natural life is about an hundred and
twenty years. The Indians are remarkably fond of
these animals, especially when they have been long in
their service* I have seen an elephant valued at
twenty thousand rupees ; the common price of a docile
well- trained elephant is five or six thousand ; and in
the countries where they are indigenous, the Company
contract for them at five hundred rupees each, when
they must be seven feet high at the shoulders. The
mode of catching and training the wild elephants is
now well known : their price increases with their
merit during a course of education. Some for their ex
traordinary qualities become in a manner invaluable ;
and no compensation induces a wealthy owner to part
with them.
The skin of the elephant is generally a dark grey,
sometimes almost black ; the face frequently painted
with a variety of colours ; and the abundance and
splendour of his trappings add much to his conse
quence. The Mogul princes allowed five men and a
boy to take care of each elephant ; the chief of them,
called the mahawut, rode upon his neck to guide him ;
another sat upon the rump, and assisted in battle ; the
rest supplied him with food and water, and performed
the necessary services. Elephants bred to war, and

ELEPHANTS.

353

well -disciplined, will stand firm against a volley of
mufiguetry, and never give way unless severely wounded.
I nave seen one of these animals, with upwards of
thirty bullets in the fleshy parts of his body, perfectly
recovered from his wounds. All are not equally docile,
and when an enraged elephant retreats from battle,
nothing can withstand his fury : the driver having no
longer a command, friends and foes are involved in
undistinguished ruin.
TAe elephants in the army of Antiochus were pro
voked to fight by showing them the blood of grapes
and mulberries. The history of the Maccabees in
form us, that " to every elephant they appointed a
thousand men, armed with coats of mail, and five
hundred horsemen of the best ; these were ready at
every occasion : wherever the beast was, and wither
soever he went, they went also ; and upon the elephants
were strong towers of wood, filled with armed men,
besides the Indian that ruled them." — 1 Maccabees,
ch. vi., v. 34—37.
Elephants in peace and war know their duty, and
are more obedient to the word of command than many
rational beings. It is said they can travel, on an
emergency, two hundred miles in forty-eight hours ;
but will hold out for a mouth, at the rate of forty or
fifty miles a-day, with cheerfulness and alacrity. I
performed many long journeys upon an elephant given
by Ragobah to Colonel Keating; nothing could exceed
the sagacity, docility, and affection of this noble quad
ruped : if I stopped to enjoy a prospect, he remained
immoveable until my sketch was finished ; if I wished
for ripe mangos growing out of the common reach,
he selected the most fruitful branch, and breaking it
vol. i. 2 a

354 THEIR SAGACITY.
off with his trunk, offered it to the driver for the
company in the houdah, accepting of any part given
to himself with a respectful salam, by raising his trunk
three times above his head, in the manner of the
oriental obeisance, and as often did he express his
thanks by a murmuring noise.
When a bough obstructed the houdah, he twisted
his trunk around it, and though of considerable mag
nitude, broke it off with ease, and often gathered a
leafy branch, either to keep off the flies, or as a fan to
agitate the air around him, by waving it with his
trunk ; he generally paid a visit at the tent-door dur
ing breakfast, to procure sugar-candy or fruit, and be
cheered by the encomiums and caresses he deservedly
met with : no spaniel could be more innocently playful,
nor fonder of those who noticed him, than this docile
animal, who on particular occasions appeared conscious
of his exaltation above the brute creation.
The Ayeen-Akbery mentions elephants that were
taught to shoot an arrow out of a bow, to learn the
modes which can only be understood by those skilled
in music and to move their limbs in time : we are there
informed that upon a signal given by his keeper, the
elephant hides eatables in the corner of his mouth, and
when they are alone together, takes them out again, and
gives them to the man : that with his trunk he draws
water out of his stomach, which he has reserved there
to sprinkle himself in hot weather ; from thence also
he takes grass on the second day, without its having
undergone any change, doubtless to appease his hunger
in case of an emergency, which does not often happen
to the tame elephants. The Mogul emperors allowed
their favourites one maund and twenty seer of food

EXTRAORDINARY ANECDOTE. 355
a-day, equal to fifty English pound : they had besides
five seers of sugar, four seers of ghee, and half a maund
of rice, with pepper and spices mixed with twenty
quarts of milk ; and in the season of sugar canes,
each elephant had a daily allowance of two or three
hundred canes, according to his size, for the space of
three months.
I could mention many anecdotes of the elephant's
sagacity and tractability, but will confine myself to one
occurrence with Ragobah's elephants in camp ; which,
like those belonging to the Mogul emperors above-
mentioned, besides their daily provender of grass, fresh
gathered leaves, and vegetables, were fed with balls,
called mossaulla, composed of flour, spices, sugar, and
butter ; ingredients generally expensive, especially in a
camp where every thing was extravagantly dear. A
vegetable diet, and about thirty pounds of grain, is the
usual daily allowance for an elephant ; the mossaulla is
an indulgence on service, and was accordingly allowed
to the peshwa's elephants and Arabian horses, in a
country frequently laid waste, and affording little pro
vender for cattle. In our Guzerat encampments, man
and beast suffered many deprivations, and were often
at a loss of food; notwithstanding this general de
ficiency, an ample supply of mossaulla was allotted to
Ragobah's favourite elephants : yet they became gra
dually emaciated, and pined away without an apparent
cause : the keepers were suspected of withholding their
mossaulla, as those delicate balls were composed of the
most expensive and savory parts of the pilaus, curries,
and other dishes, too costly for persons in their situa
tion ; the fraud being proved, the keepers were pu
nished; and the master of the elephants (who like the
2 a2

356 CAMELS.
master of the horse in European courts, is generally a
man of high rank), appointed inspectors to see them
fed, which for a time had the desired effect ; the ele
phants regained their strength, and appeared in good
condition. Some months afterwards they fell off again;
the inspectors were astonished, as they daily saw them
fed, examined the mossaulla, found its ingredients ex
cellent, and the quantity not diminished. The cause,
once more discovered, confirms Abul Fazel's account,
and evinces the influence the keepers had attained over
these extraordinary animals : they taught them to re
ceive the balls with their trunk, and convey them to
their mouth in the inspector's presence, but to abstain
from eating them ; these docile creatures actually prac
tised this self-denial ; they received the food they were
so fond of from their hands, put it into their mouths
with their trunks, but never chewed it ; the balls re
mained untouched until the inspectors withdrew, when
they took them out, and presented them to the keepers
with their trunks, accepting only of such a share as
they thought proper to allow them.
Elephants are a common present of honour among
the Indian princes and generals ; and choice camels,
used for expresses, sometimes accompany other gifts at
the durbar. The camel is a patient serviceable animal,
but deficient in the rational qualities ascribed to the
elephant : his diet requires no dainties ; the leaves of
almost every tree he meets with afford a meal ; and
from a peculiarity in his internal structure, he carries a
reservoir of water, from which he draws a small supply
for several days, without replenishing. The camel will
carry a heavy load, and patiently submit to the utmost
his strength will bear, kneeling down for the con-

CAMELS. 357
venience of his keeper ; if he adds more than the ac
customed burden, he will not rise, but, making a loud
moaning, continues on his knees until the additional
weight is removed ; nor can any threatening or blows
of the driver effect the contrary. The number of
camels in the Mahratta camp occasioned a disagreeable
smell; they were seldom free from sores, and their
breath was generally offensive.
Few countries or climates agree so well with the
camel as the Persian and Arabian deserts, where they
are bred in great numbers ; as also on the sandy shores
of the Indus, in the domain of the prince of Scindy :
many are brought from Malwa, Ajmeer, and Nagore.
This animal is fit for service at the age of three years ;
they seldom live more than twenty-five years in India,
and do not often breed in the southern provinces.
Moisture, either in soil or atmosphere, is not congenial
with their constitution, which is formed for the arid
tracts they traverse, laden with rich merchandize,
content with the coarsest food, and a small portion of
water. Were it not for this valuable animal, those
immense plains of undulating sand would be an insur
mountable barrier between the kingdoms on their
borders ; but the camel conveys both the merchant and
his goods from one country to another, with astonish
ing facility, over deserts trackless as the ocean, which
has occasioned the Arabians to name it emphatically,
" the ship of the desert."
A camel's travelling load should not exceed five
hundred pounds ; some can carry from six to seven
hundred ; under a weight proportioned to his strength,
he will perform the longest journey under great priva
tions ; when loaded his pace never exceeds three miles

358 MAHRATTA STATE.
an hour, nor will severity make him quicken his pace
any more than increase his load. The Mahratta chiefs
keep a few light camels and dromedaries, called sadnies,
to carry dispatches, which travel with great expe
dition. In the southern part of Hindostan the camel
is of more show than service, and is seldom seen but
with the army, or in state processions : but in the
north-west provinces, intersected by few navigable
rivers, and abounding with extensive deserts, trade is
chiefly conducted by means of this valuable animal.
A Mahratta's state generally consists in elephants,
horses, and camels : his wealth in jewels, particularly
rows of pearls, valued at forty or fifty thousand rupees
a necklace : their diamonds are seldom well cut, and
usually table-diamonds ; the rubies and emeralds are
sometimes cut and polished, but oftener set as they
come from the mines, in bracelets, rings, and an orna
ment for the turban, called serpech. A Mahratta is
not ambitious to make a figure in his house, furniture,
or apparel : his elephants, horses, and jewels, are what
he most esteems ; if possessed of the finest Persian
and Arabian horses, he seldom rides them ; preferring
for service the fleet mares from his own country, of the
Bhimra Tutte breed.
When a Mahratta expects a battle where there is a
chance of being defeated, he mounts a Bhimra mare,
and girds himself with a broad belt round his loins,
the better to enable him to bear the fatigue of a forced
march : this girdle is generally made of strong leather,
covered with velvet, and divided into small compart
ments, containing his most valuable papers and pre
cious jewels : the selected companions of his flight, and
a sure resource in adversity.

HERMAPHRODITES. 359
Among the followers of an oriental camp, at least of
the Mahratta camp to which we were attached, I must
not omit the hermaphrodites ; there were a great
number of them in the different bazars, and I believe
all in the capacity of cooks. In mentioning these
singular people, I am aware I tread on tender ground ;
I cannot solve doubts and difficulties, nor shall I enter
into particulars respecting them. I shall merely ob
serve that there were a considerable number of human
beings called hermaphrodites in the camp, who were
compelled, by way of distinguishing them from other
castes, to wear the habit of a female and the turban of
a man. I was called into a private tent, to a meeting
between the surgeon-major and several medical gentle
men of the army, to examine some of these people :
my visit was short, and the objects disgusting.
There are doubtless many alterations and improve
ments of late years in the Mahratta tactics, which are
foreign to this campaign : at that time, when they
intended to besiege a town, they generally encamped
round the walls ; and having by that measure deprived
the garrison of all external means of assistance, the
besieging army waited with patience until the garrison
was starved into capitulation : I have been informed,
that when the Mahrattas took Ahmedabad, the capital
of Guzerat, they had surrounded it in their desultory
manner for several years, before the garrison sur
rendered. A few shots were sometimes exchanged,
but seldom with effect : when I was with the Mahratta
army they did not understand the use of mortars.
The war-rocket used by the Mahrattas, which very
often annoyed us, is composed of an iron tube, eight
or ten inches long, and near two inches in diameter;

360 WAR ROCKETS.
this destructive weapon is sometimes fixed to a rod of
iron, sometimes to a straight two-edged sword, but
most commonly to a strong bamboo cane, four or five
feet long, with an iron spike projecting beyond the
tube : to this rod, or staff, the tube filled with com
bustible materials is fastened, and on the lighted match
setting fire to the fuze, is projected with great velocity;
if well directed, which is an uncertain operation, it
causes much confusion and dismay among the enemy,
from the difficulty of avoiding its terrifying and des
tructive effects.

MARCH OF THE ARMY. 361

CHAPTER XVIII.
March of the Allied Army towards the Enemy — Blessings of
Water — First Engagement — Retreat of the Enemy — Field of
Battle — Action at Mahter — Treatment of Spies — Patience of
the Hindoos — Kairah — Guzerat Villages — Action at Hyder
abad — March to the South Parts of Guzerat — History of the
Guickwar Family — Neriad laid under contribution — Bhauts —
A Dreadful Sacrifice — Conduct of the Brahmins — March to the
Plains of Arras — Omens — Superstition of the Brahmins and
Astrologers — Battle on the Plains of Arras — Defeat of the
Enemy — Encamp at Bettassee — The Allied Army cross the
Myhi — Pass of Fazal-Poor — March to Baroche — Robbers.
Small parties of Ragobah's army that had been
dispersed in different districts, or had not been able to
keep up with the main body on their forced march to
effect the junction, occasionally dropped in at Ginnich
and Darah : some we had reason to suppose fell into
the enemy's hands, and many were lost in fording the
Sabermatty. So completely intimidated were his prin
cipal generals after their defeat on the plains of Arras,
that they refused to make any movement towards join
ing our army, unless the commander in chief sent an
envoy personally to announce his arrival, and future
intentions, and to assure them of the English friend
ship and protection. He accordingly dispatched a
German gentleman, then a volunteer in our camp, with
an intelligent native officer in the sepoy corps, of inte-

362 MARCH OF THE ALLIED ARMY.
grity and attachment to the defeated generals, at the
Copperwange hills. Knowing we were surrounded by
spies, and fearful of treachery, the envoys with only
one attendant were secretly sent off at midnight, with
a promise of promotion if they succeeded in the
hazardous enterprize of passing the enemy's posts.
After many extraordinary adventures and singular es
capes, they succeeded in their mission, but the faithful
German fell a sacrifice to the fatigue and hardship of
the undertaking ; he died a few hours after reaching
his tent ; the attendant was cut across the body with
a sabre in passing an out-post, and the native officer
was promoted.
Having at length collected all the scattered remnants
we had reason to expect, we left our unpleasant en
campment at Darah, and marched towards the enemy's
post on the banks of the Sabermatty : the country was
delightful, the land highly cultivated, and the villages
populous, generally surrounded by mango and tamarind
trees, overshadowing the wells and tanks which abound
in Guzerat ; but it being now the end of the dry season,
we found all these reservoirs insufficient for our army,
and we seldom remained a night without exhausting
them all. The commencement of a morning march
was pleasant, but by the time the Mahrattas were in
motion, and the sun had gained an ascendancy, the
heat and fatigue became excessive ; a fierce glow im
pregnated the atmosphere ; clouds of burning sand
driven by hot winds continually overwhelmed us ; and
to complete the unpleasant combination, the coup-de-
soleil frequently struck the European soldiers with
instant death.
Heat and dust pervaded the camp, while fetid smells

BLESSINGS OF WATER. 363
and swarms of flies rendered it inconceivably offensive :
I can easily suppose the plague of flies was not one of
the smallest judgments inflicted on Egypt ; few things,
not venomous, could be more troublesome than these
insects ; they entirely covered our food, filled the
drinking vessels, and made it difficult to distinguish
the colour of a coat.
As we marched northward we found the villages
burnt and abandoned : passing over extensive fields of
wheat and other grain, long ready for the sickle, our
allies took away as much as they wanted, and, accord
ing to the general Mahratta system, destroyed all the
remainder. We intended to halt one or two days at
Versara, our next encampment, but in a single night
all the wells and tanks in the neighbourhood were ex
hausted; we therefore proceeded the next morning
towards Sabermatty, finding that nothing less than a
river could supply the necessity of such a multitude.
On our approaching the Sabermatty, a detachment
of the ministerial army, posted on the southern bank,
immediately crossed the river, and joined the main
body, who soon commenced a disorderly retreat : the
English troops forded where the water was rather
shallow, and ascending the northern banks, pitched
their tents without molestation. The bed of the Sa
bermatty was there two hundred yards broad, the
stream much narrower, and seldom more than three
feet deep, gliding gently over a silver sand, and
abounding with carp and smaller fish : like most other
rivers in India, it often overflows its banks during the
rainy season, and floods the country.
The blessings of a well in the torrid zone, I have en
deavoured to appreciate ; those of a river are inestima-

364 BLESSINGS OF WATER.
ble : the Sabermatty was the first we saw in Guzerat ;
it afforded the harassed troops and cattle abundance to
drink, and a delightful bath after a sultry march. The
joy of our allies on encamping near the Sabermatty
was extravagant : the pleasure of drinking it had long
been anticipated, nor were we disappointed in the de
licious beverage : the Indians say it is both meat and
drink, so nourishing and salutary that their cattle re
quire less grain than when drinking other water. Their
encomium and general delight reminded me of the
water of the Nile, which Maillet, formerly French con
sul at Cairo, says is so delicious, that the Egyptians
do not wish the heat diminished, lest the sensation of
thirst should subside ; they eat salted things purposely
to excite it anew, and when absent dwell upon the
pleasure they shall enjoy in drinking it again : all
foreigners who taste it declare they never met with
such water any where else, having something inex
pressibly agreeable to the taste, though mingled with
much sweetness. Herodotus says, the Memphians
filled large jars with the Nile water, and transported it
to the Syrian deserts : Aristides adds, that the Egyp
tians preserved it in earthen jars three or four years ;
it never became impure ; on the contrary, its value
was enhanced by age, as is that of wine in other
countries. Finding the enemy were encamped within a few
miles of us, we struck our tents early on the following
morning, and, hoping to bring them to action, marched
along the banks of the Sabermatty, to the village of
Hossamlee; from whence we perceived the whole
confederate army on the opposite side of the river, ad
vancing in order of battle. The English line imme-

FIRST ENGAGEMENT. 365
diately formed, and a cannonade across the river com
menced on both sides, which continued two hours ; at
length we silenced their guns, and compelled their left
wing and centre to retire : the right kept their ground,
and a strong body of cavalry crossing the river, repeat
edly charged a detachment under the command of Cap
tain Stewart, with two field-pieces directed by Lieutenant
Torriano, who repulsed them so gallantly as to be pub
licly thanked by the commander in chief: Ragobah
presented the former with a diamond ring, the latter
was promoted to the rank of captain of pioneers.
At noon the enemy retreated ; they amounted to
sixty thousand, chiefly cavalry : their artillery, consist
ing of fourteen field-pieces of different caliber, kept up
a brisk fire for some time, but from being too much
elevated, did little execution : they were served by
Europeans, mostly French. The confederates lost two
sirdars, or principal officers, several of inferior rank,
and about four hundred men, besides three elephants,
and a number of horses and camels ; in the English
line three Europeans and five sepoys were wounded,
none killed ; Ragobah's army seemed to be mere
spectators. The river dividing the armies, our fatigued troops
were incapable of pursuing flying cavalry; we there
fore marched a mile further, and encamped near Hos
samlee, on ground lately occupied by the enemy ; who
in that expectation had cut down the trees, destroyed
the village, and burnt all the corn and provender they
could not carry off; the surrounding plain, deprived of
its verdant ornaments, was covered with putrid car
cases and burning ashes : the hot wind wafting from
these, fetid odours, and dispersing the ashes among the

366 FIELD OF BATTLE.
tents, rendered our encampment extremely disagree
able. During the night, hyaenas, jackals, and wild
beasts of various kinds, allured by the scent, prowled
over the field with a horrid noise ; and the next morn
ing a multitude of vultures, kites, and birds of prey,
were seen asserting their claim to a share of the dead.
It was to me a scene replete with horrid novelty,
realizing the prophet's denunciation : " I will appoint
over them four kinds, saith the Lord ; the sword to
slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven
and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy."
Jeremiah, ch. xv. v. 3.
We remained two days in this disgusting situation,
and crossing the Sabermatty on the third morning,
marched six miles, through a delightful country, to
the village of Chonwar, where we encamped in a
large mango grove on the banks of the Wartruc,
or Bakruc ; a small river which joins the Sabermatty
at a little distance. The enemy appearing on the
opposite side, our artillery commenced a brisk fire,
and compelled them to retreat towards Kairah, a
fortified town belonging to Futty Sihng, one of the
confederate chieftains, a few miles to the north
ward. We followed them early the next morning, and
fording the Wartruc near the village of Mahter, four
miles from our last ground, halted on the opposite
banks, while the artillery and baggage crossed the
river: this being effected, we marched towards Kairah,
when a large body of the enemy suddenly appeared on
our right flank, advancing at full charge. Captains
Stewart and Torriano, now appointed brigade major,
advancing with a small reconnoitering party, were

ACTION OF MAHTER. 367
nearly taken prisoners, having only time to unlimber
an eight-inch howitzer, which stopped the enemy's
career until the line was formed to receive them. A
discharge of artillery soon checked their ardour, and
turned their attention to the rear of our allies, where
Ragobah was stationed on his state elephant : but
finding an English detachment, with two field pieces,
posted there for his protection, they made a precipitate
retreat. In this action the confederates were reported to
have lost twelve hundred men, killed and wounded.
Ragobah's halcarras and spies, no doubt, thought to
please him by a little exaggeration ; half that amount
was probably nearer the truth : their artillery was not
so well served as formerly, but their cavalry made some
desperate charges on the allies, who received them
with intrepidity, and in general behaved well ; several
were killed and many wounded: among the latter
was Saccaram-Hurra, paymaster-general of Ragobah's
forces and one of his prime ministers ; the English
detachment did not lose a man. One of the peshwa's
elephant-drivers being wounded, the elephant escaped,
and was taken by the enemy. I mention the loss of
this animal because the Asiatics consider them a valu
able and honourable spoil ; as much so as Europeans
estimate cannon and standards.
Before the engagement a spy was detected in the
camp of the allies, and carried into Ragobah's pre
sence, who ordered his tongue to be cut out previous
to his being returned to the enemy. As the poor
wretch could neither write nor read, this might be in
tended as a figurative oriental language, and the mea
sure, however cruel to the individual, was perhaps

368 TREATMENT OF SPIES.
necessary. The miseries of war are manifold ; but
from a wish to condense the events of the campaign,
I suppress reflections which naturally occur to every
feeling mind. It was sometimes deemed necessary to
hang a person suspected as a spy, and to finish the
execution ; at others, when neither threats nor half-
hanging could extort a confession, it was thought pro
per to lower the struggling wretch, slacken the cord,
and restore suspended animation to a harmless villager
who had unfortunately strayed too near the line.
Necessity alone compels Britons to adopt these stern
decrees : a different spirit rules the Asiatics : the Mo
gul history is replete with blood, nor is the Hindoo
character free from cruelty and revenge. It has been
remarked that the sway of a despotic government has
taught the Hindoos patience, and the coolness of their
imagination enables them to practise it better than any
people in the world ; they conceive a contemptible
opinion of a man's capacity, who betrays any impe
tuosity in his temper: they are the acutest buyers and
sellers in the world, and preserve through all their
bargains a degree of calmness which baffles all the arts
that can be opposed against it. This will be allowed
by those most conversant with their general character,
but they also know that the patient Hindoo who shud
ders at the death of an insect, and preserves the tran
quillity of temper just mentioned, can as calmly
meditate on the most cruel tortures prepared for an
enemy, or one he deems to be so : the love of money
is in general his ruling passion ; throughout Hindostan
cruelty and oppression are the servants of avarice.
We encamped, after the action, on the field of
battle, a hot sandy plain, without a tree, or any kind

KAIRAH. 369
of shade ; yet being on the banks of the Wartruc, it
was preferable to a cooler situation without that ad
vantage. After remaining there three days, we marched
towards Kairah. Before the vanguard had proceeded
half a mile, the enemy suddenly appeared, advancing
rapidly towards us ; the British line immediately
formed, and on firing a few shot, they retreated to
Kairah ; this detained us some time, and the day be
coming intensely hot, we encamped on the spot ; early
the next morning we marched under the walls of
Kairah without molestation, and found the confederate
army had retired to some distance.
Kairah, a large town, situated at the confluence of
the Serry and Wartruc rivers, is fortified in the Indian
manner with a brick wall flanked by irregular towers,
mounting forty-seven guns ; the buildings were almost
concealed by trees. Leaving Kairah unmolested, we
marched to Coomlah, and pitched our tents in a de
lightful spot near the village, on the banks of the Serry,
a small deep river* abounding with fish; the surround
ing country was covered with wild fruit trees, and
berries of a beautiful hue and pleasant flavour, which
we found refreshing during a sultry march ; these in
digenous fruits and some tasteless figs were all that
remained, the enemy having robbed the country of all
the ripening mangos, tamarinds, and other valuable
productions. Happy would it have been for the delightful province
of Guzerat, had their depredations been confined to
such devastation ; but alas ! all was laid waste and des
troyed. The peaceable Hindoos, by whom Guzerat is
mostly inhabited, are greatly to be pitied, from its
being so often the seat of "war ; for notwithstanding
vol. i. 2 b

370 GUZERAT VILLAGES.
the frequent changes of their oppressors, from a Mogul
nabob to a Mahratta chief, the lower classes take very
little concern in such revolutions. They seldom quit
the village where their fathers were born and died ;
there they plough the fields, reap the harvest, and tend
the cattle to the groves and lakes which surround their
humble dwellings, built of mud and straw, where their
wives and daughters spin cotton, grind corn, and pre
pare their simple^ repast of pulse, milk, and vegetables.
It must be allowed that too large a share of the pro
duce is collected for the government, and its sub
ordinate despots ; yet in general a sufficiency is left for
the peasantry, whose wants are few, to encourage them
to remain at home, and renew the annual cultivation.
Thus peaceably they pass their livesj with the
monkies, squirrels, and peacocks attached to every
village, which, although in a manner wild, and per
fectly independent, seem fondly to associate with
man, and are universally fostered and protected.
The peacocks findsustenance in the cullies, or thresh
ing floors ; there the playful squirrels claim a little
share, while the cunning monkeys, concealed "in
the overhanging branches, watch a favourable op
portunity to jump down, and carry off a consider
able portion. The trees are also enlivened by a variety
of small birds, never molested, who repay their be
nefactors in a wild melody. I made many additions
to my oriental ornithology in Guzerat, especially among
the muscicapae, or fly-catchers.
The villagers, who seldom visit cities, preserve an
innocent simplicity of manners ; the women are modest
and delicate ; their drapery, however coarse, is rendered
becoming by an elegant carelessness of the folds, and

GUZERAT VILLAGES. 371
their attidudes are peculiarly graceful. The young wo
men daily draw water from the public wells, and some
times carry two or three earthen jars, placed over each
other, upon the head ; which requiring perfect steadi
ness, gives them an erect and stately air. An English
lady in India, whose great delight was to illustrate the
Sacred Volume by a comparison with the modern man
ners and customs of the Hindoos, reading the interest
ing interview between Abraham's servant and Rebecca
at the gate of Nahor to an intelligent native, when she
came to that passage where the virgin went down to
the well with her pitcher upon her shoulder, her at
tentive friend exclaimed, " Madam, that woman was
of high caste :" this he implied from the circumstance
of carrying the pitcher upon her shoulder, and not on
her head. Some of the highest classes among the
Brahmins do the same.
The Guzerat villagers are not without their amuse
ments, being often visited by travelling comedians,
who exhibit puppet shows and act historical plays by
these miniature performers with laughable effect.
Musicians, dancing girls, singing men and women,
occasionally beguile an idle hour; jugglers and wrest
lers perform extraordinary feats of agility and sleight
of hand ; dancing bears, trickish goats and monkeys,
are also carried about for amusement.
Such was the peaceful state of Guzerat. During the
war this pleasing picture was sadly reversed ; the vil
lages were deserted and destroyed, the harvests reaped
by lawless marauders, and not a passenger to be seen
on the public roads : the cattle that had escaped the
armies, were driven for protection under the walls of
cities, where the peasants were promiscuously huddled
2b2

372 ACTION AT HYDERABAD.
together in famine and wretchedness of every descrip
tion. The melancholy situation of the Guzerat pea
sants is pathetically pictured in the attack of the Mi-
dianites and the Amalekites against the Israelites.
" They came up with their cattle, and their tents, and
they came as grasshoppers for multitude ; for both they
and their camels were without number, and they en
tered into the land to destroy it. The highways wrere
unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by
ways ; the inhabitants of the villages ceased. And be
cause of the Midianites, the children of Israel made
them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves,
and strongholds. And so it was, when Israel had
sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amale
kites, and the children of the east, even they came up
against them ; and they encamped against them, and
destroyed the increase of the earth, and left no susten
ance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass." — Judges
ch. v. ver. 6, 7 ; ch. vi. ver. 2 — 5.
We marched next to Hyderabad, where we were
once more suddenly interrupted by the confederate
army, who had taken the advantage of a commanding
situation to renew the attack ; in about two hours we
again repulsed them with great loss, few in the English
line were killed or wounded, but our allies suffered
considerably, the enemy directing their principal fire
to that quarter where Ragobah, on a state elephant,
displayed the imperial standard. At the commence
ment of the action I happened to be within a -few
yards of the peshwa, and finding myself in the imme
diate line of fire, took shelter under a large mango-
tree, with a great number of his troops who ought to
have been better employed. The shot falling thick

ACTION AT HYDERABAD. 373
among us, I endeavoured to save my head by standing
under a large arm of the tree, my body being perfectly
secured by the pressure of the crowd. I had not long
enjoyed its protection when a cannon ball struck the
branch, and shivered it over us. Nothing could ex
ceed the panic of the motley group by which I was
surrounded ; Ragobah at the same instant alighting
from his elephant increased their consternation, and
caused them to bear away like a flood, by which I was
carried a considerable distance, without touching the
ground, among wounded horses, elephants, camels, and
oxen, all running off in an indescribable confusion of
dreadful yells, furious hot blasts, and clouds of burning,
sand. The enemy now advanced so near the British
line that our grape-shot and musquetry did great exe
cution, and some shells bursting among their cavalry
compelled them to make a hasty and confused retreat ;
a deep narrow river dividing the armies saved their
guns. Exclusive of those who fell in action., the battle of
Hyderabad was attended by many catastrophes on the
part of our allies. While I was under the mango-
tree a cannon-ball tore off the horns of an ox, and
another, in passing a young woman suckling her infant
within a few yards of me, carried it from her breast.
During the engagement at Hossalmee, sitting with the
surgeon-major under a banian-tree, at the portico of a
Hindoo temple, anxious to know the proceedings on
the field of battle, we desired one of the palanquin-
bearers to mount on a high branch, and give us infor
mation: he did so, and while making his report a
cannon-ball took off his head ; the body falling at our
feet occasioned a precipitate retreat within the walls of
the temple.

374. MARCH TO THE SOUTH.
Finding the enemy retreated after every engage
ment, and yet continued near enough to molest us
and cut off our supplies ; knowing also that harassed
European infantry were incapable of pursuing flying
cavalry, and that our Mahratta allies would never ad
vance half a mile from the British line ; Ragobah as
sembled his principal generals and the English com
mander to a council of war in the durbar tent, when
it was determined no longer to follow the enemy in
the northern parts of Guzerat, but to penetrate into
the Deccan without delay, and endeavour by quick
marche's to reach Poonah, the Mahratta capital, before
.the setting in of the rains.
Many of us regretted the intended march to the
southern districts without seeing the imperial city of
Ahmedabad, celebrated in oriental history as the
occasional residence of the Mogul emperors, and still
indicating many splendid remains of ancient gran
deur. Deprived of this gratification, we commenced
our march southwards, towards Neriad : detached
parties of the enemy's cavalry hovered near us, and
endeavoured to retard our progress, but were always
repulsed with little loss on our side. They had not
yet encamped in the country through which our
route now lay. We therefore found its natural beau
ties undiminished ; and although deficient in pictu
resque inequality of hill and dale, it was covered
with enclosures highly cultivated, rich groves, and
extensive lakes, abounding with game ; hares and
partridges 'being often caught close to the tents. On
finding us taking a southern direction the enemy
sent detachments to burn the villages and proven
der, and to drain the wells and lakes ; so that all the
cottages around us were in flames, and the smoke

THE GUICKIWAR FAMILY. 375
of distant towns and hamlets indicated their further
ravages. To see this beautiful and fertile country destroyed,
and its miserable inhabitants compelled to fly to foreign
states for protection, added a poignancy to other
distresses. The calamities of war fall heavily on the
Indian peasantry: the collectors in those despotic
governments make no abatements of rent nor attend
to any remonstrance : nothing remains for the wretched
farmer but the cruel alternative of flight or punishment.
We marched to Neriad through a continuation of the
lovely country just mentioned. This city was the capital
of Conda Row, uncle to Govind Row, one of Ragobah's
principal partizans, then with his army at the head of
eight thousand cavalry ; Conda Row had also pro
mised to join his standard with a considerable force ;
but uniting with his other nephew, Futty Sihng, one
of the most powerful chieftains in Guzerat, they went
over to the opposite party, and fought for them during
the whole campaign.
These princes were all styled Guickwar, in addition to
their family name, as Futty Sihng Row Guickwar,
Govind Row Guickwar, and Conda Row Guickwar ;
the word literally means a cow-keeper, which, although
a low employment in general, has, in this noble family
among the Hindoos, who venerate that animal, become
a title of great importance.
Neriad being the principal town belonging to Conda
Row, who had joined in all Futty Sihng's machina
tions against Ragobah, he determined to give it up to
pillage, or levy a contribution from the inhabitants.
This city is one of the prettiest in Guzerat, nearly
thrtee miles in circumference, fortified in the eastern

376 APPROACH TO NERIAD.
manner with a slight wall flanked by round towers at
irregular distances ; it has nine strong gates, and a
dry ditch round the walls : in the seventeenth century
it was a place of great trade, frequented by the English
and Dutch merchants, and now contained about twelve
thousand families, chiefly employed in fabricating the
finest baftas, and other cotton manufactures : they also
cut and polish the sprig stones from Copperwange, in
a beautiful manner.
On approaching Neriad, Conda Row's subahdar
sent the keys of the garrison to Ragobah, accompanied
by every token of respect and submission, in hopes of
preventing the intended hostilities : he offered terms,
and British troops took possession of the gates until
they were settled. The confederate army only left
Neriad the day before our arrival, and were then
encamped within ten miles, waiting our movements.
We pitched our tents near the walls among rich
groves of mangos and tamarinds, and copses of an
inferior kind of sandal-wood, with a profusion of good
wells and an extensive lake.
Ragobah, considering Conda Row's delinquency,
was thought to have been very moderate in levying a
contribution of only sixty thousand rupees on the
inhabitants of Neriad ; which, as usual, they refused to
pay until the threats of immediate pillage effected a
compliance. Each caste was assessed according
to its wealth and number ; but some sects of Brahmins,
and a very peculiar tribe of people called Bhauts,
claimed an established privilege of being exempted
from every kind of tax and imposition.
The Bhauts reside chiefly in the province of Guzeratj
but are not unknown in other parts of India ; like the

BHAUTS:

377

Troubadours and minstrels in Europe in the days of
chivalry, they seem chiefly occupied in repeating
verses of their own composition, or selections from
the mythological legends of the Hindoos ; they chant
their verses in a style peculiar to themselves, not
unpleasing to a stranger, as the modulation of the
voice, and an energetic graceful action, give effect to
the poetry ; which, like the old ballads in Europe, is
either to praise some renowned warrior, commemorate
a victory, record a tragical event, or panegyrise a
present object. The Hindoo rajahs and Mahratta
chieftains have generally a Bhaut in their family, who
attends them on public occasions, and visits of cere
mony ; during these processions he loudly sounds
their praise, and proclaims their titles in hyperbolical
and figurative language.
Although this is the usual occupation of the Bhauts,
many of them have another mode of living; they
offer themselves as security to the different govern
ments for payment of their revenue, and the good
behaviour of the zemindars, patels, and public
farmers : they also become guarantees for treaties
between rival princes, and the performance of bonds
by individuals. No security is esteemed so binding or
sacred as that of a Bhaut, because, on failure of the
obligation, he proceeds to the house of the offending
party, and in his presence destroys either himself or
one of his family, imprecating the most dreadful
vengeance of the gods on the head of him who had
compelled them to shed their blood. This is deemed
a dire catastrophe ; as the Hindoos are taught to
believe that the Bhaut's life, to which a superstitious
veneration is attached, over and'above their common

378 BHAUTS.
horror of bloodshed, will be demanded from the
aggressor by an offended deity ; it is therefore very
uncommon for an obligation to be broken where a
Bhaut stands security.
For this responsibility the Bhauts receive an
annual stipend from the districts, village, or individual
they guarantee : they sign their name and place
of abode to the agreement, but instead of affixing their
seal, as customary among the other tribes, they draw
the figure of the catarra, or dagger, their usual instru
ment of death.
Although the Bhauts possess landed property, and
cultivate it by the tribes employed in agriculture, as a
privileged order they are exempted from taxes, and
every attempt to levy an assessment is succeeded by
the Tarakaw, a most horrid mode of murdering them
selves and each other : this, from invariable custom, it
is absolutely incumbent upon them to do ; for were
they voluntarily to submit to any imposition, those of
their own tribe in other places would refuse to eat with
them, or to intermarry with their family ; they there
fore prefer a voluntary death to this state of ignominy
and excommunication.
Many families of this tribe resided in Neriad, from
whence they travelled when wanted officially, and were
always considered as a most respectable part of the
community. As this city had been twice assessed and
plundered in the three preceding months, Ragobah's
imposition reduced the inhabitants to the greatest
distress. The most melancholy scenes occurred in
every quarter, of families delivering up their last
mite, and houses robbed of every moveable to an
swer their proportion of the tax : if insufficient, the

A DREADFUL SACRIFICE. 379
wretched owners, stripped of clothes and necessaries,
were left in nakedness and poverty ; or, under pre
tence of secreting valuables they never possessed, tor
tures were, inflicted with merciless rigour. So com
mon are these executions among the Mahrattas,
that our allies thought nothing of the cruelties in
Neriad. Britons were not so unconcerned, their
generous bosoms glowed with indignation against
such wanton oppression :"*but all remonstrances were
vain. When these cruelties and the refusal of the Bhauts
to pay the tax were reported in the English camp,
the commanding officer sent the brigade-major pri
vately into the town, to convene the principal Bhauts,
and assure them if they discharged their quota quietly,
they might rely upon protection, sincerely lamenting
the necessity of the measure. The heads of the tribe
informed the officer they were able to pay more
than was demanded in any other mode, but if Rago
bah persisted in compulsory assessment, they should
prefer death to submission.
These humane remonstrances and persuasions prov
ing ineffectual, and Ragobah continuing inexorable,
the whole tribe of Bhauts, men, women, and children,
repaired to an open space in the city, armed with dag
gers, and with a loud voice proclaimed a dreadful sacri
fice. They once more prayed for an exemption, which
being refused, they rushed furiously upon each other,
and a considerable number perished before our
astonished troops could disarm them. One man,
more cool and deliberate than the rest, brought his
family to the area before the durbar : it consisted of
two younger brothers, and a beautiful sister, all under

380 CONDUCT OF THE BRAHMINS.
eighteen years of age ; he first stabbed the unre
sisting damsel to the heart, instantly plunged the
dagger into the breast of one brother, and despe
rately wounded the other before he could be pre
vented ; indeed the whole horrid deed was in a man
ner instantaneous. I afterwards heard this man boast
of having sacrificed his father a few months before,
in the glorious cause for which he had now become
a fratricide. A particular set of Brahmins claimed the same
privilege of exemption : on being refused, they like
wise vowed revenge; but acting* more wisely than
the Bhauts, they purchased two aged matrons of the
same caste, who having performed the duties of life,
were now past the enjoyment of its pleasures, and
quietly submitted to the sacrifice. These ancient
ladies were sold by their daughters for forty rupees
each, to enable them to defray the expense incurred
by the funeral ceremonies, on which the Indians all
lay a great stress. The victims were then conducted
to the market-place, where the Brahmins, calling
aloud for vengeance, dispatched them to another
state of transmigration. After these sacrifices neither
Brahmins nor Bhauts thought it any disgrace to pay
their share of the imposition. What an anomaly is
sometimes found in the human character, and what
a deviation from the general system does the con
duct of these people exhibit !
The Neriad assessment being at length collected,
on the 14th of May we left that ill-fated city, and
marched towards the river Myhi. During our pro
gress the enemy's advanced cavalry burnt every vil
lage on the road, destroyed the forage, and as far

PLAINS OF ARRAS. 381
as possible exhausted the tanks and wells ; their
whole army came twice unexpectedly upon us, but
were repulsed with loss. It was sometimes reported
that they poisoned the wells and tanks, as well as
burnt the villages and corn-ricks : the latter we daily
witnessed, but I do not recollect an instance of the
former more than once, and then it appeared doubt
ful. To our numerous army and camp-followers that
step would have been of little consequence, unless
they could have produced deleterious effects on an
extensive lake : since, as already observed, nothing less
could satisfy us for more than one night ; brooks at
this late season were dried up, and we never allowed
them time to alter the course of a river, as is
sometimes practised. Hezekiah, on the approach of
the Assyrian army to Jerusalem, took counsel with
his princes and mighty men to stop the waters of*
the fountains which were without the city, and the
brook that ran through the midst of the land. Baby
lon was taken by turning the course of the Euphrates :
and many modern oriental cities would easily fall'by
the same means.
On the 18th we reached the plains of Arras, the
spot which had been so fatal to Ragobah in his last
battle with the ministerial army, before the English
junction : there, in conformity to the Hindoo super
stition of omens, astrological calculations, and Brah
minical predictions, the enemy resolved once more
to try their fortune in a general action. Most of
the Indians firmly believe in omens, whether from
cows, birds, or accidental circumstances ; ignorant and
superstitious, the Brahmins and Mullahs encourage
such a disposition, and make their advantage of it.

382 OMENS.
The practice of astrology has prevailed in a greater
or less degree among most nations unenlightened
by Christianity. Suetonius mentions the army of
Vitellius to have been directed by the flight of an
eagle in the way they were to march. " Praemisso
agmini laetum evenit auspicium ; siquidem a parte
dextra repente aquila advolavit : lustratisque signis,
ingressos viam sensim antecessit." Homer , abounds
in omens ; the Jews were continually requiring signs
and tokens, and positively ordered to place no confi
dence in diviners, nor to hearken to dreamers.
Ragobah and the Brahmins who surrounded him,
were aware of the prevailing opinion in the enemy's
camp ; they doubtless performed many prayers and
ceremonies to avert the fatal consequences, but we
had reason to suppose they placed greater confi
dence in British valour, superior tactics, and formid
able artillery : still it was unpleasant as well as incon
venient to act under such a superstitious prince. A
few days before our arrival at Neriad, the enemy °n a
particular occasion sent a herald under a flag of truce
to Ragobah, and at the same time the officer who ac
companied him informed the colonel, that if we (the
English) would ^quit their guns, they would be more
upon a par with each other, and it would shew a more
generous courage ; or, if we selected a champion from
our forces, they would appoint another from theirs to
meet him, and decide the event of the war by single
combat; but that the effects of our grape-shot and
shells were unfair and cruel.
On entering the plains of Arras we perceived the
enemy advancing in two divisions, who soon com
menced a cannonade on the rear, where Ragobah was

BATTLE ON THE PLAINS. 383
seated on his state elephant: his body guard, at his
particular request, had been this day strongly rein
forced from the English detachment. Our line imme
diately formed, and a further reinforcement of infantry
was ordered to Ragobah's assistance, but no artillery ;
the field pieces remained with the line, and kept up a
heavy fire till the enemy's cannon were silenced, and
their cavalry dispersed with considerable loss. The
colonel having frequently told Ragobah that he would
attack the enemy's guns whenever they brought them
on a plain without the separation of a river, now gave
orders for a strong party to advance and take them.
The detachment was immediately formed, and ad
vanced with Captains Myers and Serle at the head of
their companies of European infantry, and a strong
party of sepoys. The enemy on observing our inten
tion returned at full speed with their artillery, and
threw in a large body of cavalry between our advanced
party and their guns, who twice charged the British
detachment with great impetuosity: they were re
pulsed and fled. At this time another large body of
cavalry, with several war elephants, penetrated between
our advanced party and the British line, who declaring
themselves Ragobah's partizans, were permitted to
approach unmolested ; especially as their assertions
were confirmed by Hurra Punt, an officer of rank in
his army. Here we were fatally deceived, and Hurra
Punt proved a traitor ! Several among our allies
overheard this infamous man calling on the enemy to
seize the opportunity of striking a decisive blow, by
cutting off the advanced division ; in consequence, they
commenced a vigorous attack, and nearly surrounded
them by their elephants and cavalry. Our brave fel-

384 DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY.
lows repulsed them gallantly in front and rear ; many
were cut to pieces, among them Captains Myers and
Serle: when, by some unaccountable mistake of the
officer who then took the command, the grenadiers
facing to the right about, to change their ground,
commenced a retreat ; the other Europeans and se
poys followed their example. Unfortunately, at this
time a tumbril of shells belonging to the howitzer,
pierced by a rocket, blew up, and added to the general
confusion. Although our men retired with precipita
tion, they preserved some, order until they reached an
impenetrable hedge of the thorny milk-bush ; here
they entirely broke their ranks, and leaving a field-
piece in the hands of the enemy, endeavoured to push
through the formidable barrier, though repeatedly or
dered by the surviving officers to form. Another body
now advanced against this devoted detachment ; their
officers in vain endeavoured to rally them, and fell a
sacrifice. The enemy pursued the fugitives to the
advancing British line, which now recommenced a
brisk fire ; our grape-shot and shells at length drove
off the whole • confederate army, and we remained
masters of the field. The brigade major with a com
pany of grenadiers had previously retaken the field-
piece; the tumbril of ammunition was lost in the
explosion. •
The engagement lasted near four hours. Situated
as we were with respect to Europeans, the victory was
dearly purchased : out of fifteen British officers in the
advanced division, seven were killed and four wounded,
besides a great many native officers and two hundred
sepoys ; we also had to lament eighty Europeans
killed and missing, mostly grenadiers. The officers

DREADFUL SCENES. 385
at that unfortunate crisis separated from the line, and,
deserted by their soldiers, bravely fell in the bed of
honour. I had been conversing with most of them
during the morning march, and in the evening was
called to bury them in a large pit with their unfortu
nate comrade. A field of battle is indeed a scene of
horror !
" For then does Death line his dead chaps with steel,
The swords of soldiers are his teeth, his fangs ;
And now he feasts, mouthing the flesh of men,
In undetermin'd differences of kings!" Shakespeare.
In the battle of Arras the confederates lost several
principal officers, and upwards of a thousand men,
with a number of horses and elephants ; many of the
Mahrattas fell in attempting to carry off the killed
and wounded, an act of humanity to which they pay
the greatest attention. They seldom leave a body on
the field, and venture almost to the cannon's mouth,
rather than suffer the remains of a friend to be ex
posed : out of the number killed in this action only
seven bodies were found after their retreat.
The dreadful scenes on the field of battle before the
sepulture of our dead, and the removal of the wounded,
together with the groans of elephants, camels, horses,
and oxen, expiring by hundreds, united to the noise
of vultures, and screams of other ravenous birds ho
vering over them, realized the sublime invitation in
Sacred Writ for the birds of prey to come to the feast
of death. " Come, and gather yourselves together,
that ye may eat the flesh of kings,, and the flesh of
captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh
vol. i. 2 c

386 ENCAMP AT BETTASSEE.
of horses, and of them that sit on them, both small.
and great." — Revelation, ch. xix. ver. 18.
The traitor Hurra Punt, who betrayed our unfortu
nate detachment into the enemy's hands, was punished
as his infamous conduct deserved ; a grenadier sepoy
of the British line pulled him from his horse, and
Ragobah's Arabs, who had suffered severely by his
treachery, cut him to pieces.
We continued several hours on the field of battle,
assisting the wounded, and burying the dead : the heat
was intense, and the plains of Arras not affording a
drop of water, we proceeded towards the banks of the
Myhi ; but, unable to reach that noble river, we en
camped at Bettassee, a good village, where providen
tially meeting with some large wells, and a tank not
quite exhausted, we remained the next day to perform
the necessary amputations, and administer such com
fort as we could to the sick and wounded ; our flying
hospital now consisting of more than four hundred
patients, most of them in violent fevers in consequence
of the extreme heat, and the wounds received in the
battle of Arras.
About this time Ragobah, or rather Ragonath Row,
as peshwa of the Mahratta empire, signed a phirmaun,
or grant, by which he engaged himself to pay the
English detachment under colonel Keating employed
in his service, the sum of thirty lacs of rupees on his
arrival at Poonah, and re-establishment in the govern
ment of the Mahratta empire ; specifying that this do
nation is intended in lieu of plunder, prize-money,
and all demands of that kind. This is a usual method
of recompensing European troops for their services
to the Indian princes.

CROSS THE MYHI. 387
The following morning we crossed the Myhi at the
pass of Fazal-poor : on approaching the banks, we
found the ground full of hollow ways, and ravines two
or three hundred feet deep ; the steep banks were bare
of trees, but covered with prickly bushes. The cele
brated pass at Fazal-poor is a deep narrow defile*
where only one of our baggage carts, exceeding four
hundred in number, could proceed at a time, on a very
indifferent road ; here the enemy might have annoyed
us, but we were suffered to pass unmolested. The bed
of the river is there about four hundred yards broad,
but the pellucid stream, running over a silver sand and
shells, does not exceed fifty at that advanced season.
At sun-set the English detachment, artillery and
stores, had all safely crossed the Myhi ; we encamped
on the southern banks, and early the next morning
marched towards Baroche, where it was intended to
halt a few days, to obtain a supply of money, ammu
nition, and stores, and to send the sick and wounded to
the hospital. On leaving Fazal poor, we proceeded
through a continuation of deep defiles, and almost sub
terraneous passes, for two miles ; from whence we en
tered a cultivated plain, in the Brodera Purgunna,
which having hitherto escaped the ravages of war, pre
sented a perfect garden.
Near a village called Sevasee Contra, I left the line
of march, to sketch a remarkable building, which
formed an oblong square of two hundred feet by fifty ;
the walls were low, and a small dome at each corner
gave it the appearance of a Mahomedan mausoleum.
On a nearer approach, I discovered it to be a well of
very superior workmanship ; of that kind which the
natives call Bhouree, or Bhoulee : the portal was ele-
2c2

388 REMARKABLE BUILDING.
gant, the roof supported by pillars, each a single stone,
twelve feet high ; this led to a flight of a hundred
and twenty steps, of hewn stone, terminating at a re
servoir of fine water ; the space from the fountain to
the- portal, the perpendicular height of these noble
stairs, was ornamented with six tiers of pillars, of an
elegant order, each tier supporting large stones across the
breadth; these columns were likewise composed of a
single stone twelve feet high, the base, shaft, and capital
well proportioned. These two rows of pillars, and two
of pilasters, corresponding on the side walls, formed
three magnificent avenues to the fountain at the bottom,
and produced a good effect from the different resting-
places, which were adorned with niches, .and a profu
sion of carved-work ; the cross stone on the uppermost
tier was richly sculptured, and contained an inscrip
tion, which I did not stay to copy, as several detached
parties from the fortress of Fazal-poor hovered near us,
in the rear.
A Mahratta general assured me this reservoir cost
fifteen lacs of rupees, or one hundred and eighty thou
sand pounds sterling ; which is not improbable, when
it is known that in the Guzerat province, in the space of
several hundred square miles together, not a stone is
to be met with ; we must also recollect the former
wealth of Guzerat, and the execution of the work,
when the price of labour was comparatively trifling. I
have already mentioned the encomiums lavished on
such public benefactors by sacred and profahe writers :
to construct a Bhouree of this kind establishes the
founder's fame throughout Hindostan.
About • two o'clock we encamped near Padrah, a
large town in the Brodera Purgunna, defended by a

MARCH TO BAROCHE. 389
brick wall and irregular towers ; the houses are well
built, the town populous, and the surrounding country
highly cultivated. The Brodera district is one of the
richest in Guzerat ; the land divided into extensive en
closures, the hedges adorned with mango and tamarind
trees : the latter, then in fresh verdure and full bloom,
diffused "a fragrant odour, and afforded a refreshing
shade. The banian trees near Padrah, from their
amazing size, appeared coeval with the Deluge, and
formed a canopy for our troops impervious to the me
ridian sun : they were filled with monkeys, squirrels,
and peacocks, all favoured and protected by the Hin
doos. The country abounded with antelopes, deer,
-hares, porcupines, partridges, and quails ; the lakes and
Tivers we're covered with water-fowl ; few encampments
could be more delicious.
The following morning we marched ten miles to the
banks of the Dahder. Crossing the river at the pass
of Maun-poor, we pitched our tents in a shady spot on
the south side of the river, and found the plains adorned
by a beautiful species of the mimosa, covered with fra
grant blossoms of rose-colour and yellow ; also a thorn,
bearing a red flower, succeeded by a small plum vary
ing in tints of green, pink, blooming lilac, and dark
purple. On the 25th we marched towards Baroche, through
the Ahmood districts, generally a rich black earth, fa
vourable to cotton, juarree, and many valuable pro
ductions ; the Brodera Purgunna was mostly a light
reddish soil, very productive. The next day we en
tered the Baroche Purgunna, belonging to the
English : it is extensive and productive : the soil in

390

ROBBERS.

different parts partaking of the Ahmood and Brodera
districts, resembles them in crops.
No enemy having been there, we found the country
in the highest style of cultivation, the inhabitants
peaceable and happy ; the villages, seldom more than
two miles from each other, contained from fifty to a
hundred cottages, with a tank, and one or two public
wells. The white dome of a Hindoo temple, or a
Mahomedan minaret rising among the mango and
tamarind trees, added to the general beauty. They are
usually planted when the village is built, and in a few
years form a useful and ornamental grove ; where the
women spin, and the weavers fabricate cotton cloth of
every texture, from coarse canvas to delicate muslin.
Many other occupations are carried on under this
verdant canopy.
We encamped for the night at Sourban, one of the
best villages in the Baroche Purgunna. In our march
thither we passed through the country described by
Thevenot in the seventeenth century, as a wild tract,
once inhabited by anthropophagi. That I suppose ad
mits of a doubt ; not so that many parts are still in
fested by tribes of wild men, and most audacious
robbers, under the names of Gracias, Bheels, Coolies,
Cotties, and other plunderers ; who, either in gangs or
individually, way-lay the traveller. During our so
journing on the banks of the Myhi, Sabermatty, and
other Guzerat rivers, not a night passed in which our
camp was not robbed and plundered by these banditti.

ENCAMPMENT AT BAROCHE. 391

CHAPTER XIX.

Encampment at Baroche — Description of that City — The Nerbudda
— Discontent in Ragobah's Army — March from Baroche towards
Dhuboy — Pass of Bowa-peer — Sudden setting in of the Monsoon
— Rise of the Water — Serpents, Scorpions, and Reptiles in the
Village Huts — Winter Quarters in Dhuboy — Description of that
City — Adjutant Bird — Encampment of Ragobah's Army at Bel-
lapoor — Journey to Bellapoor — Rise of the Dahder — Females in
Ragobah's Zenana — An Intrigue with Esswant Row — Incon
veniences of a Camp in the Rainy Season — Duplicity and chi
canery of the Indians — Cruelty of Brahmins — Division of Castes
— Mahratta Character — Story of some Palanquin-bearers —
Mangos — Mahratta Tents — Illness of the Writer — Conclusion of
the War — Subsequent Fate of Ragobah.
On the 27th of May, the English Detachment en
camped near the walls of Baroche, and continued there
until the 8th of June : this city then belonged to the
English, and having many friends there in the Com
pany's service, I resided among them during our stay,
and doubly enjoyed the comforts of domestic life, after
a fatiguing campaign in the hottest season of the year ;
when, except to change them, I had seldom taken off
my clothes, or slept out of a palanquin*
Baroche is situated on an eminence, on the north
banks of the Nerbudda, in the twenty-second degree of

392 THE CITY.
north latitude ; about forty miles from Surat, sixty
from Cambay, and twenty-six from the entrance of the
river ; it is two miles and a half in circumference, for
tified in the oriental manner with high walls, per
forated for musketry, and flanked by towers, mounted
with cannon ; there are two principal gates, and several
smaller outlets : the suburbs are extensive and po
pulous, and the surrounding country fertile and plea
sant. Baroche, from its natural situation and strength
of the works, may, for an Asiatic city, be deemed a
formidable fortress, and cost the English some loss
and much trouble to take it from the nabob in 1772 ;
from which time until 1783 it remained in the Com
pany's possession.
The ancient history of Baroche is of little con
sequence, nor can I trace its origin ; it is with great
reason supposed to have been the Barygaza of Ptolemy.
It formerly belonged to the Hindoos, but when the
Mahomedans conquered Guzerat, and subdued Ahme-
dabad, Carribay, and Surat, Baroche shared a similar
fate. From that period, until taken by the English,
it was governed by a nabob ; first as a delegate from
the Great Mogul, and then by usurped authority as an
independent prince : although the Mahratta chieftains
of Brodera compelled the nabobs at different times to
assign over six tenths of the Baroche revenue ; which
were then paid by the Company to Futty Sihng, the
chief of Brodera : the whole revenue amounted to six
lacs of rupees, upwards of seventy-five thousand pounds.
The houses in Baroche are built like those at Surat
and Cambay; the streets are generally narrow and
dirty : the durbar, or palace of the late nabob, occupies
a large range of buildings, commanding a view of the

MOSO.UES AND MAUSOLEUMS.

393

river, and a rich country beyond- the southern banks.
There were formerly several musjids at Baroche, es
pecially one, called by way of eminence the silver
mosque, situated in the centre of a large area, contain
ing several marble tombs, under a handsome cupola;
on the west side is the musjid, or house of prayer ; on
the south, a small temple enclosed with a lattice,
covered with thin plates of silver, has obtained this
dignified appellation. There, under velvet canopies,
are deposited the remains of the former nabobs of
Baroche ; the last, after the loss of his capital, fled to
a distant country, and fell a sacrifice to his misfortunes.
General Wedderburne, commander-in-chief of the
Bombay forces, was killed during the siege ; a tomb
is erected to his memory near the flag-staff tower. In
the vicinity of Baroche are several other dilapidated
mosques and mausoleums, particularly one called
Bawhran, on an extensive scale. The nabob's gardens
without the walls, nearly a mile in circumference, are
laid out with some taste ; they contain several summer
pavilions, fountains, and canals, with abundance of
oriental fruits and flowers.
Situated in a fertile province, this city is well supplied
with provisions : fine beef, mutton, kid, and poultry, at
very reasonable rates ; with venison, game, wild-fowl,
and plenty of fruits and vegetables ; the river Ner
budda, which washes the southern walls, abounds with
carp and other fish.
Baroche has always been a place of considerable
trade ; very extensive cotton manufactures are carried
on there, and large consignments of raw cotton from
the adjoining districts are exported in boats to Surat
and Bombay, to be shipped for China and different

394 THE NERBUDDA.
parts of India ; as, from the dangerous navigation in
the gulf of Cambay, few large vessels venture up
higher than Surat.
The Nerbudda rises in the mountains far to the
north-east: it is esteemed one of the sacred streams of
the Hindoos, and throughout the whole day the
women of Baroche are bathing in the river, without
being at all abashed by spectators, though no females
are more modest than the Hindoos ; they shift their
garments^ consisting of a single drapery, elegantly
folded, in the most expeditious manner, without the
least offence to decency. Custom reconciles every
thing ; and not a spark of jealousy enters the breast of
a Brahmin or Banian husband, when he sees his wife
bathing in the same stream with a hundred of the
opposite sex. Besides the flowery sacrifices daily
offered to the gods of the Nerbudda, there are solemn
rites at stated periods ; about once in forty years, as
regulated by astrological calculations in the Brahmi
nical calendar, a grand jatterah, or festival, is celebrated
on its banks, to which pilgrims resort from all parts
of Hindostan ; every Hindoo who can accomplish the
journey, is desirous once in his life to assist at this
solemnity, and anticipates it with as much enthusiasm
as the zealous Mussulman does his pilgrimage to the
sacred shrines in Mecca and Medina.
During our stay at Baroche, great discontent pre
vailed in Ragobah's army, which at length produced
murmurs and remonstrances, occasioned by long arrears
of pay, and other disappointments. Govind Row
Guykwar, one of the Peshwa's principal adherents,
declared he would not accompany him to Poonah,
unless he was put into the possesion of Brodera, his

MILITARY DISCONTENT. 395
paternal inheritance. The Arab and Scindian infantry
insisted on receiving their arrears before they crossed
the Nerbudda ; a thousand of the former, under arms,
marched out of the camp with music playing and
colours flying, and never returned. These seditions
caused a change of measures in Ragobah's council :
it was now finally resolved to remain in Guzerat dur
ing the rainy months, and proceed to Poonah at the
commencement of the fair season. Dhuboy, a for
tified city about fifty miles from Baroche, was the
place destined for our winter quarters ; accordingly, on
the eighth of June we marched from Baroche, along
the banks of the Nerbudda, towrards that place, which
was then in possession of the enemy.
In our route thither we passed near the celebrated
banian-tree, called Cubbeer-burr, eighteen hundred
feet in circumference, as fully described in another
place. Proceeding from thence by Coral, Ranghur,
and Zinore, all situated on the lofty banks of the
Nerbudda, the army encamped two nights ^n a de
lightful spot not far from the water-side, whence
the country in every direction presented a charming
picture : to the north and west an extensive culti
vated plain, abounding with mango groves and villages,
on the east and south the river meandered boldly
through a fertile and populous champaign, bounded by
the woody hills and lofty mountains of Rajpipley.
This hilly tract belongs to an independent Rajah,
whose wild domain is situated in the midst of the
Mahratta empire. By paying an annual tribute, he
remained unmolested.
Our march on the tenth was very fatiguing; in
hopes of surprising the enemy, we had not pursued

396 SULTRY MARCH.
the direct road to Dhuboy, but followed them towards
the pass of Bowa-Peer, where we were informed they
had encamped. The heat this day was dreadful ; a
European serjeant was killed instantaneously by a
coup-de-soleilj and several in the ranks were recovered
with difficulty. The country was still beautiful, but
the hot winds and burning dust which continually
Overwhelmed us, were an alloy to every pleasure ; the
immense clouds of the latter, occasioned by the motion
of three hundred thousand men and animals, in a light
soil, which for eight months had not been moistened
by a single shower, is inconceivable, nor have I lan
guage to describe the rage of the hot winds.
This sultry and fatiguing march brought us in the
evening to Serulah, a village in the Zinore Purgunnaj
the residence of several respectable families in the
tribe of Bhauts. After halting until midnight we
renewed our march to beat up the enemy's quarters at
the pass of Bowa Peer ; where, notwithstanding their
usual vigilance, we understood from our Halcarras and
spies, they were lulled into security, from a supposition
of our having crossed the Nerbudda at one of the
western fords. We marched in tolerable order by
moonlight for two hours, when becoming extremely
dark, Ragobah's cavalry continually broke through our
line, and obliged us to halt until day-break ; we then
proceeded to the heights of Ranghur, from whence at
sunrise we discerned the enemy's camp, with their
tents and colours all standing, at three miles distance.
The sight of our advanced guard threw them into the
greatest confusion ; they struck their tents with pre
cipitation, and filled the bed of the river with elephants,,
camels, and fugitives of every description : their bazar,

FLIGHT OF THE ENEMY. 397
escorted by seven thousand cavalry, had already crossed ;
the rest of the army now followed in all directions.
The British troops, disregarding heat and fatigue.
marched with alacrity, but were retarded by the deep
fissures and defiles on the banks of the Nerbudda,
Instead of forming, as usual, and marching towards us
when we approached their camp, the enemy fled in the
utmost disorder, and our round and grape had but
little effect.
The halt after midnight prevented our completely
surprising their camp at day-break, otherwise we
should have made many prisoners, and found consi
derable plunder ; but this delay afforded an opportunity
to carry off their valuables, and leave us little more
than some grain and provender. It was impossible for
harassed European infantry and sepoys to pursue flying
cavalry, nor could we stimulate Ragobah's horse to
follow them, or indeed to advance beyond our
guns : a few independent parties took an advan
tage of still smaller troops of the enemy, to bring off
an elephant, twenty camels, two hundred horses, and a
great number of pack oxen : a detachment under their
own leader crossed the river without orders, and plun
dered the rear of the enemy's bazar; but none at
tempted to go after the main body. The only article
of booty obtained by the British troops fell to the lot
of the brigade >major, who, observing a sepoy with a
bundle under his arm, pursued by a native officer, who
seemed resolved to share the spoil, he rode up just as
they opened the parcel, which to their surprize and
disappointment contained a new-born infant, which
some unfortunate mother had most probably dropped in
her flight. Both parties most willingly consigned their

398 MARCH RESUMED.
treasure to the humanity of my friend, who immedi
ately procured a wet nurse for the little foundling, the
only want in a climate where infants wear no drapery.
At eleven o'clock we encamped on the enemy's
ground, on the banks of the Nerbudda, near- the pass
of Bowa-peer, which takes its name from a celebrated
Mahomedan saint, buried there eight hundred years
before ; his tomb, covered with silk and embroidery, is
daily strewed with flowers, and nightly illuminated by
small lamps ; his character is so highly estimated, that
Hindoos and Mahomedans approach his shririe with
equal reverence. The fakeer who resides in a sacred
grove near the tomb, and performs the stated religious
ceremonies, informed us that when the enemy first
discerned our approach, they threw several of their
cannon, and a great deal of ammunition into the river ;
some of them were taken up by our pioneers.
Early on the 12th of June we marched from Bowa-
peer towards Dhuboy, twenty miles distant ; the day
was cloudy : a few showers had cooled the air, and
rendered the country delightful. On leaving the
river, we passed several large villages, embosomed in
groves, and abounding with wells, but found the tanks
exhausted until we reached Thain-telow ; which takes
its name from a large reservoir of water, enclosed with
a wall of hewn stone, and surrounded by a noble flight
of steps, the labour and expense of former ages. This
village being only six miles from Dhuboy, we pitched
our tents for the night, with the intention of marching
into Dhuboy the following morning, to take possession
of winter quarters.
The shades of evening approached as we reached
the ground, and just as the encampment was

MONSOONS. 399
completed, the atmosphere grew suddenly dark, the
heat became oppressive, and an unusual stillness
presaged the immediate setting-in of the monsoon.
The whole appearance of nature resembled those
solemn preludes to earthquakes and hurricanes in the
West Indies, from which the East in general is provi
dentially free. We were allowed very little time for
conjecture ; in a few minutes the heavy clouds burst
over us " With the big stores of steaming oceans charg'd."
I witnessed seventeen monsoons in India, but this
exceeded them all, in its awful appearance and dread
ful effects. Encamped in a low situation, on the bor
ders of a lake formed to collect the surrounding
water, we found ourselves in a few hours in a liquid
plain. The tent-pins giving way, in a loose soil, the
tents fell down and left the whole army exposed to the
contending elements. It requires a lively imagination
to conceive the situation of a hundred thousand
human beings of every description, with more than
two hundred thousand elephants, camels, horses, and
oxen, suddenly overwhelmed by this dreadful storm, in
a strange country, without any knowledge of high or
low ground ; the whole being covered by an immense
lake, and surrounded by thick darkness, which pre
vented our distinguishing a single object, except such
as the vivid glare of lightning displayed in horrible
forms. No language can describe the wreck of a
large encampment thus instantaneously destroyed, and
covered with water ; . amid the cries of old men and
helpless women, terrified by the piercing shrieks of

400 INUNDATION.
their expiring children, unable to afford them relief.
During this dreadful night more than two hundred
persons and three thousand cattle perished, and the
morning dawn exhibited a shocking spectacle.
Such was the general situation of the army, such
the conclusion of the campaign. As secretary to the
commanding officer, I was always one of his family,
and generally slept in his tent. At this time he was ill
with a violent fever, and on the commencement of the
storm had been removed in his palanquin to the vil
lage : I endeavoured to follow him ; but up to my
knees in water, and often plunging into holes much
deeper, I was compelled to return to the tent ; there
being left alone, and perceiving the water gradually
rising, I stood upon a chair, to keep me above its sur
face : by midnight it had risen more than three feet.
The shrieks of the surrounding women and children, and
the moaning of cattle, especially of dying camels, were
horrible. To increase my distress, the pins gave way,
and the tent fell upon me, when no calls for assistance
could be heard. Providentially it was a small Indian
tent, with a centre pole, round which it clung ; had it
been the Colonel's usual marquee, of English canvas, I
must have been smothered. At last, finding myself
nearly exhausted, I determined to make one effort
more for my deliverance, in which I happily suc
ceeded. Guided through the lake by tremendous
flashes of lightning, after many difficulties, I reached
the hut whither they had conveyed the Colonel, and
there found the Surgeon-general, and several other
gentlemen, drying their clothes round a large fire in
the centre : with them I passed the remainder of this
miserable night, among serpents, scorpions, and centi-

SHOCKING SPECTACLE. 401
pedes, which the fire within and the heavy rain with
out had driven from their hiding-places. Several of
our men were stung by the scorpions, and bitten by
snakes and centipedes ; none fatally. The scorpion,
though less dangerous* than the malignant serpents,
inflicts a wound which, like that of the centipede,
is attended with inflammation and fever ; his sting at
the end of the tail he darts with great force at the ob
ject of his fury ; the centipede bites by means of strong
forceps at the mouth : this reptile is more common
than the scorpion, and more easily concealed. If the
scorpion is surrounded by flaming spirits or burning
embers, and can find no egress, he stings himself to
death. Such was our night : the next morning the camp
exhibited a scene of woe ; the train of artillery was
sunk several, feet into the earth, and covered by the
water. • To convey them and the heavy stores to
Dhuboy required the utmost exertion, and, with the
assistance of elephants, could not be accomplished in
less than seven days, although only a distance of six
miles. On the 15th we made our first attempt, and pro
ceeded one mile from Thain-Thelow to Vurrage, the
next village. The plain, covered with carcases of
horses, camels, and oxen, some at their last gasp, suf
focated in the mud; others in a state of putrefaction,
presented a shocking spectacle. The groans of a
dying camel are dreadful ; but the mind of feeling
was more distressed by the sight of infirm men and
expiring women ; of parents, unable to support their
helpless offspring, or in agonizing grief carrying
them dead in their arms for sepulture or cremation.
vol. i. 2d

402 CITY OF dhuboy.
Had 1 attempted to walk over this Golgotha, I
might have shared their fate : my bearers could not
carry me in a palanquin. With some difficulty I
effected it on horseback, for no road could be traced
through the waters, and the ravines were dangerous.
We remained at Vurrage until the artillery and am
munition were transported from Thain-Thelow, which*
although only the distance of one mile, was a work of
five days. This being accomplished, we employed
two more in finishing our journey of five miles to
Dhuboy, occasioned by the Herculean labour of
dragging the artillery. I made this second attempt on
an elephant, and from such an eminence had an
extensive view of the country, which presented a
boundless sheet of water, encompassing the rising
grounds, covered with trees and villages, like so
many islands.
The officers and privates in the English detachment
were soon provided with comfortable quarters in the
ancient city of Dhuboy. The remains of its fortifi
cations, gates, and temples, indicate great magnifi
cence. The temple near the est gate, called the Gate
of Diamonds, a work of immense labour and expense,
must have employed a number of artificers many years.
The city is nearly quadrangular, exceeding two miles
in circumference : such parts of the fortifications as re
main entire are of large hewn stones, and the interior
colonnade is a beautiful and useful work : within the
walls is a large tank, surrounded by strong masonry,
with a grand flight of steps, the whole extent de
scending to the water, from the Hindoo temples,
choultries, and solemn groves, which border this beau-*
tiful reservojr.

ITS PRESENT STATE. 403
Dhuboy, with the other Hindoo cities in Guzerat,
became an early part of the Mahomedan conquests,
and remained in their possession until the Mahrattas
took it on the decline of the Mogul power, in the
eighteenth century ; it is now chiefly inhabited by
Hindoos ; a few Mahomedan families are permitted to
reside there, on condition of not eating beef. The
pundit, or governor, appointed by the Ministers at
Poonah, submitted to Ragobah, and on our approach
acknowledged him as peshwa of the Mahratta empire ;
he immediately levied a contribution of three lacs of
rupees from the inhabitants, which they were unwill
ing and almost unable to pay ; for, although some cot
ton manufactures are carried on there, Dhuboy and its
dependencies are poor.
The durbar and a few of the principal houses were
well built, and the streets generally broad and airy :
many acres within the walls were cultivated, and pro
duced abundant crops of corn and vegetables : the city
contained about forty thousand inhabitants, and nearly
as many monkeys, which occupied the roofs of the
houses, or enjoyed the shade of the mango and tamarind
trees with the peacocks, squirrels, and green pigeons;
that lived there as unmolested by the Hindoos as if in
the midst of a forest. Pelicans, wild-ducks, adjutant-
birds, and a variety of water-fowl, animate the beauti
ful lake, adorned by the nymphea and many aquatic
plants. The adjutant-bird, or argali, a large bird of the crane
species, is sometimes near six feet high, and from
twelve to fifteen from the extremity of each wing.
The adjutant, one of the ugliest in the Indian orni
thology, is as useful as the stork in Holland, or the
2 d2

404 ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY.
ibis in Egypt, and equally venerated by. the Hindoos :
it not only destroys serpents and noxious reptiles, but
eats up the carrion and offal in towns and villages,
which in that climate are extremely offensive. I know
not why this bird is called the adjutant ; the name of
sentinel would perhaps be more appropriate ; for, when
not in quest of food, they stand motionless, in a pen
sive attitude, like so many statues. Their pendent
red craw, and coarse breast, bare of feathers, but pro
truding some long dark hairs, have a forbidding ap
pearance. Soon after the English troops were settled at Dhu
boy, Ragobah encamped with his army at Bellapoor, a
pass on the river Dahder, at ten miles distance. The
commander-in-chief residing there more than in Dhu-
boyj my time was divided between the Mahratta camp
and the city ; especially during a negociation between
Ragobah and Futty Sihng, the Guykwar chieftain of
Brodera, when all correspondence with Bombay was in
cypher. My journeys to Bellapoor were frequent, and
in favourable weather not unpleasant. After the first
heavy falls of rain, the face of nature was soon adorned
with beauty : the hedges enriched with a variety of
climbing plants perfumed the air, from blossoms of
mingled hues and fragrance, springing cotton, crops of
various grain, plants for oil, with large fields of cucum
bers, gourds, and melons, gave the country the appear
ance of a well-cultivated garden, but the sudden
transition in the rainy season from a bright serenity to
an overwhelming tempest, was an alloy to these, de
lights, especially to one so much exposed to their in
clemency. My journey from Dhuboy to Bellapoor, although a

INUNDATION. A TEMPEST. 405
distance of only ten miles, frequently occupied as many
hours, notwithstanding I was mounted on a strong
elephant, whose sagacity generally guided me in safety
through a continued sheet of water which entirely
covered the roads. Once, when important business re
quired my attendance at Bellapoor, I arrived at the.
pass of the Dahder, and found the stream, seldom more
than three feet deep, suddenly risen to forty, and run
ning with astonishing velocity. The mountain tor
rents had joined the overflowing lakes and rivulets ;
whose united streams rushing furiously to the river,
swept away corn-ricks, cottages, trees, and cattle, and
then hurried them to the ocean ; together with some
feeble inhabitants of the plains, and several of Rago
bah's camp-followers, who lost their lives in attempt
ing to get the trees and rafters for fire-wood ; for, al
though the Indians are generally expert swimmers, the
current was too rapid for their exertions.
In view of a comfortable encampment on the oppo
site side, at only a few yards distance, but separated
by this impaseable flood, I found the evening approach,
when I found neither food, fire, nor hovel to afford
me shelter.
At sun-set, a darkness resembling that at the set
ting in of the monsoon covered the horizon, and a
deluge of rain fell the whole night. The houdah,
or covered throne, which at first served for my habita
tion, being soon broken by the tempest, and filled with
water, I sheltered myself to the leeward of the ele-
phant, and remained until day-break, with the faithful
animal and his driver ; the wet sod our bed, the watery
clouds our only canopy. When the morning dawned
I beheld the river rising still higher, and, being unable

406 ragObah's zenana.
to hold any communication with the camp, I returned
to Dhuboy through a continued flood, impassable by
any other conveyance than a boat or an elephant.
Another time i crossed this river with some danger,
on a raft placed over earthen pots ; a contrivance well
known in modern Egypt, where they make a float of
earthen pots tied together, covered with a platform of
palm leaveSj which will bear a considerable weight, and
is conducted without difficulty. This satisfactorily
explains the earthenware boats of Juvenal :
" Hac solvit rabie imbelle et inutile vulgus
Parvula fictilibus solitum dare vela phaselis,
Et brevibus picta remis incumbere testae."
Sat xv. ver. 126.
During my next visit at Ragobah's camp, a circum
stance occurred which affords a remarkable trait of
Asiatic manners and despotic power, under the in
fluence of jealousy and revenge. I have mentioned
the ladies of Ragobah's zenana, on our departure from
Surat : they accompanied him throughout the cam
paign, and generally rode on horseback. As the Hin
doos do not wear veils, they were frequently more
exposed on the line of march than is usual for the
eastern ladies. But in camp their tents were always
surrounded by high canvas walls ; where, concealed
from view, they passed their lives in solitude, apathy,
a&d disgust. Anandabhye, the only wife of Ragobah,
was not with him on this campaign. Of his seven
concubines, one only attracted attention ; si pretty
lively girl, who rode gracefully, and seemed pleased
with observation : many of our officers admired her,
but her charms made a deeper irnpression on the heart

HIS REVENGE. 407
of Esswant Row, a young soldier of fortune and dis
tinction in the Mahratta army.
It is unnecessary to detail the particulars of this
amour : however modified by education, the passions'
in the eastern and western hemispheres are much the
same ; love, perhaps, burns with a fiercer flame in the
torrid zone, and an intrigue is carried on with more
difficulty in an oriental zenana than in the fashionable
circles of Europe. These lovers cherished a mutual
attachment, and by means of a confidant baffled for a
time the Argus-eyes of Asiatic jealousy. The eunuchs
and duennas at length suspecting the intrigue, gave
information to Ragobah. On the rumour Of a dis
covery, Esswant Row absconded, leaving his terit,
armour, and horses in camp ; and had not his attach
ment to an Arabian horse got the better of his pru
dence* he would have effectually escaped; but in
hopes of carrying off this favourite animal, he returned
the following night to his tent: on approaching the
tree where the horse was picketed, he was made a
prisoner. Ragobah ordered him to be instantly be
headed, by torch-light, at- the extremity of the camp^
and his remains exposed as a public spectacle through
out the next day. While the ministers of death dis
patched the unfortunate lOver, his ill-fated mistress
was sowed up in a sack, and thrown alive into the
river; the confidant was condemned to have her nose
cut off, and thus remain an example to the Other
slaves in the haram.
Midnight is generally the time for oriental execu
tions ; sometimes the criminal is put to death with
the utmost privacyj at others an alarm-gun from the

408 MALARIA.
imperial tent, at that silent hour proclaims the exit of
the devoted victim.
About this time, from being so much exposed to
the violence of the weather, and sleeping in a wet
camp, I was seized with a fever ; which, resisting all
the power of medicine, constantly returned every
spring-tide, and left me in a weak and languid condi*-
tion ; but having much to do, in my official capacity,
with Futty Sihng, the Brodera chieftain, which occa
sioned several inclement journeys to his capital, I re
sisted its effects as long as possible, and continued with
the colonel at Bellapoor. An encampment in the rainy
season is very unpleasant; the soft and muddy qua
lity of the soil, the humidity of the atmosphere, and
the rank grass which springs round the tents, united
with the fetid odours in every quarter, render it a
disagreeable residence : it is with difficulty that the
pins and ropes keep the tents upright in the soft
earth, and it is still more difficult to preserve them
dry during the long and heavy falls of rain.
These are perhaps the only inconveniences attending
the rich soil of Guzerat, but they are compensated by
its fertility and beauty. In happier times this pro
vince was styled the paradise of nations, and it de
served the appellation : for when conversing with
oriental travellers, and comparing it with other coun
tries, I have heard them in the very words of Moses,
call it "a land flowing with milk and honey:" and
when the Hindoos and Moguls at this day are describ
ing a pleasant and well-cultivated district, they distin.
guish it as, in Scripture language, " a land of brooks
of water, of fountains and depths ; a land of wheat

SCARCITY OF WATER. 409
and barley, and vines, fig-trees and pomegranates, a
land of oil, olive, and honey." — Deut. viii. 7, 8.
Our own army, both Europeans and sepoys, had
comfortable winter-quarters at Dhuboy; the public
buildings and largest houses were appropriated for
their accommodation : and the principal caravansary,
situated on the border of the tank, was converted into
an hospital. These reservoirs were seldom thought
complete without a caravansary for the convenience of
travellers, and a temple for the worship of the deity.
Some of them are very extensive.
However unhealthy may be a winter encampment
in Guzerat, I think it far preferable to the extreme
heat which I have so often mentioned ; we had not
indeed the simoom of Arabia, nor the sirocco of Italy^
but we experienced the mingled effects of the scorch
ing heat of the former, and the languor occasioned by
the latter. A scarcity of water in such situations was
a dreadful evil, which we frequently encountered ; I
remember almost dying of thirst, when I had emptied
my own cantine for some wounded soldiers, and en
treated a friend to give me a few drops without effect ;
his was almost exhausted, and when there is but little
water in a leather cantine, the hot wind soon dries it
up. Often,* during a short slumber in my palanquin,
have I realized the affecting description of " the thirsty
man dreameth ; and behold, he drinketh ! but he
awaketh ; and behold he is faint, and his soul hath ap
petite !" — Isaiah, ch. xxix. ver. 8.
The Mahrattas do not seem to mind heat or cold,
wet or dry encampments, nor any other inconvenience ;
fond of a rambling life, predatory excursions are their
great delight. The followers of the camp, so often

410 Beasts of burden.
alluded to, are generally a singular set of people. I
do not mean the regular shop-keepers, or persons who
hold situations in the army, but those who attach
themselves to it with their wives and children, to pick
up what they can find ; who have no other place of
abode, nor mode of obtaining a living : each man pos
sesses a poor half-starved ox, or an asS, which is laden
with the wealth of the family,' perfectly corresponding
with an ancient picture of 'the wily Gibeonites in their
pretended embassy to Joshua, who " worked wilily,
and went and made as if they had been ambassadors,
and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-bottles,
old and rent, and bound up; and old shoes, and
clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them ;
and all the bread of their provision was dry and
mouldy." — Joshua, ch. ix. ver. 4, 5.
Asses are common in many parts of Hindostan, and
are used as beasts of burden. This humble animal
seems to be ill-treated in all parts of the world, and
seldom meets with a due reward for his patience and
resignation. But the Hindoos carry their aversion to
a greater length than is customary elsewhere. Dr.
Buchanan mentions a dispute among the Hindoos
near Seringapatam, which was not likely to be termi
nated without killing a jack-ass in the street of the
town where they lived, and which he says would be
attended by the immediate desolation of the place.
The camp-followers are a very independent set
of people ; and only remain with the army to which
they attach themselves as long as it suits their con
venience ; nor are they subject to that oppression
which is so generally prevalent in Hindostan.
From long observation among the Mahratta chief-

treachery. 411
fains, and principal officers in the camp, they appeared
to me more or less influenced by a jealousy of each
other, and trying which should gain the ascendancy by
duplicity, chicanery, and intrigue. Dissimulation
seems to be the. predominant trait in the Asiatic cha
racter; very few Europeans are a match for them.
In my visits to Brodera during the negociation with
Futty Sihng, I witnessed such dissimulation, treachery,
and meanness in the prince and his ministers, as
would with difficulty be believed by a generous Eng
lishman unused to these people. On One occasion
his naib, or vizier, thought proper to deprive me of
my sword, and detain me a prisoner for some hours in
a close room in the palace : a circumstance, to a per
son then in a public character, which his master could
not be ignorant of, though he afterwards chose to
assert it was done without his knowledge. No
thing could exceed the insolence of the men in
office when they obeyed the vizier's commands ; nor
the mean apologies of himself and all concerned, when
they fepented of their error, and honourably dismissed
me to_ Ragobah's camp*.
That the Brahmins themselves, with all their profes
sions of mildness, benevolence, and sanctity, can be
guilty of deliberate revenge and murder, is evident not
only from Ragobah's conduct on the massacre of his
nephew Narrain Row, as mentioned in the Mahratta
history, but still more so from the following account
of the Telinga Brahmins at Poonah, communicated to
me by Sir Charles Malet, as a most extraordinary
event, which happened during his embassy at the
Mahratta court, in 1791.

412 BRAHMINICAL revenge.
On the 29th of August, thirty-four men of the caste
of Telinga Brahmins having been confined in a cho-
key, or close room, by the officer'9 of the cutwal, the
head magistrate of the police at Poonah, twenty-one
were taken out dead the next morning, and the re
maining thirteen were with difficulty restored to life.
In the evening the popular clamour became violent
against the cutwal, who was a gour Brahmin, named
Gaunseram, a native of Aurungabad, and whose office,
in a city where the most rigorous police is established,
necessarily rendered him an obnoxious character.
The peshwa .improperly yielding to the furious mob,
delivered up the cutwal, who was tied backward on an
elephant, and in that manner conveyed to a prison
without the town, amidst the scoffs and insults of the
populace, while guards were sent to seize his family,
dependants, and property. The day following the
clamour grew more violent. The unhappy man was
tied backward on a camel, and in that disgraceful
manner reconducted into the city, amidst the re
proaches of the people : here he was made to alight,
and his head having been publicly shaved, he was
again placed in the same manner on the camel ; and
having been carried through the principal streets of
Poonah, escorted by a strong guard, he was for the
last time led to a spot about a mile from the city, and
there ordered to dismount : one of his hands was then
strongly fastened to the end of a turban between
twenty and thirty feet long, and the other end com
mitted to some Hallalcores, the lowest outcasts of the
Hindoo tribes, who contaminate all other castes by
their touch. It was then made known to the Telinga

BRAHMINICAL REVENGE. .413
Brahmins that the cutwal was delivered up entirely to
their disposal, either as a sacrifice to their vengeance,
or an object for their mercy ; on which twelve Brah
mins of that tribe, in the most savage manner, imme
diately attacked the fallen magistrate with large stones.
The Hallalcores who held the turban, by straitening
it, kept him at full length running in a circle, pursued
by his relentless murderers ; who at length, by re
peated blows on the head and breast, brought him to
the ground ; and there, with an eagerness disgraceful
to humanity, though merciful to the prostrate object
of their cruelty, these Brahminical murderers dis
patched him by a succession of large stones thrown
violently on his head and breast.
Instances of cruelty are not confined to the Brah
mins of Telinga, they appear among the Jaina, Smar-
tal Brahmins, and other sects among that elevated
taste. The Mahrattas, though all Hindoos, are by no
means rigid in their penances, ablutions, or food.
The lower classes, especially, eat of almost every thing
that comes in their way ; as mutton, goat, wild-hog,
game, and fish. Major Moor mentions two places by
name where the Mahrattas eat beef, and permit, cattle
to be killed, and publicly exposed to sale. I should
rather have supposed it was intended for the food of
Mahomedans, had not this discriminating writer been
so very particular.
The lower tribes of Hindoos are not so scrupulous
as the higher about what they eat, or what they
touch ; especially if they are not observed by others.
When at a distance from their families, and out of

414 HINDOO PREJUDICES.
sight of their priests, many divest themselves of these
nice ideas of purity. Those domesticated with Euro
peans generally affect to be very scrupulous : an
English table, covered with a variety of food, is neces
sarily surrounded by a number of servants of different
castes to attend the guests. At Baroche, Surat, and
Bombay, a Hindoo will not remove a dish that has
been defiled with beef, a Mahomedan cannot touch a
plate polluted by pork, nor will a Parsee take one
away on which is hare or rabbit. I never knew more
than one Parsee servant who would snuff a candle,
from a fear of extinguishing the symbol of the deity
he worships ; nor would this man ever do it in pre
sence of another Parsee.
The palanquin-bearers, although in general a plea
sant set of people, are sometimes on a journey ex
tremely tenacious of their privileges of caste, and
carry their prejudices to a ridiculous length. I was
acquainted with a gentleman, who having formed a
party for a little excursion into the country, provided
a round of beef, as a principal dish in the cold colla
tion : as he was going on horseback, he desired the
beef might be covered with a cloth, and put into his
palanquin to keep it cool ; the bearers refused to carry
a vehicle which contained such a pollution. The gen
tleman, on finding that neither remonstrances, entrea
ties, or threatenings, wTere of any avail, cut off a slice
of the meat, and eating it in their presence, desired
them to carry him to the place of rendezvous. This
produced the desired effect ; the bearers were the first
to laugh at their folly, and exclaimed " Master come
wise-man, with two eyes ; while poor black- man come

HINDOO PREJUDICES. 415
very foolish, with only one ;" and taking up the pa
lanquin with the beef, set off towards the tents in
great good humour.
Such scruples are not confined to any particular
caste ; they more or less pervade every tribe in India,
and are cherished by the active soldier as well as the
pious Brahmin. In the Ayeen Akbery we read of
Narrain Doss, a principal chief in the Rahtore tribe,
in command of five hundred cavalry and two thousand
infantry, who lived with such austerity, that his only
food was grain which had passed through oxen, and
been separated from their dung, which, as I have be
fore mentioned, is an aliment considered by the
Brahmins as the purest of all food.
The Indians are also very scrupulous about the water
they drink, and the vessels which contain it. The
rich generally have the water of the Ganges carried
with them on a journey. Most of the Mogul emperors
travelled with it for their own beverage ; and Akber,
who never drank any other, called it, when cooled with
saltpetre, " the water of life."
In cities, in the armies, and with Europeans on
country excursions, the water for drinking i3 usually
carried in large leather bags, called pacaulies, formed
by the entire skin of an ox, sewed up, except at one
corner left open for filling them : these are hung on
each side of a bullock, or tame buffalo, and poured
into guglets of a porous earth ; in these the water soon
becomes cool, and, as a great luxury, is sometimes
iced with saltpetre. * Often during this campaign, when
suffering fr6m thirst, and panting under the extreme
heat, have I envied the village buffaloes, who in such
weather seem the happiest beings-in the country : they

416 UNHEALTHY CLIMATE.
either get under water, or conceal themselves in the
thin slimy mud on the margin of the lakes and rivers ;
there they remain during the sultry hours without any
part of them appearing above the surface.
Good water and ripe mangos were the greatest
luxuries I aspired after in this campaign : . the latter are
extremely fine in most parts of Guzerat, though in
ferior in size to the mangos of Agra, which sometimes
weigh two pounds each. 'A basket of high-flavoured
mangos, accompanied by a wreath of mogrees or
champachs, were a frequent present from the Mahratta
officers to the English gentlemen, and from the peshwa
to the commander-in-chief.
The mango topes, tamarind groves, and springing
crops in the extensive plains round the Mahratta camp,
were very delightful during the fair intervals of the
rainy season. I repeat few countries equal the Brodera
Purgunna in fertility and beauty ; but the heat, added
to the moisture and fetid smells of the camp, were in
tolerable, and attended with pernicious effects. For
tunately there were seldom any Europeans there
besides the colonel and myself; he was often ill with
an intermittent fever ; and I soon experienced the bad
effects of sleeping in a damp tent, on my palanquin,
raised only a few inches from the ground, covered only
by a cotton carpet; for, notwithstanding all the
trenches, the heavy rains pervaded every thing. Few
European constitutions can resist the combinations of
heat and moisture ; mine was gradually undermined,
and I suffered a severe relapse of fever at the return of
every new and full moon.
The Mahratta generals had excellent tents for the
rainy season, formed' of many folds of quilted cotton,

THE DURBAR TENT. 417
purposely to resist the elements. When Ragobah re
solved to form his winter encampment at Bellapoor,
all his tents were pitched, and those separately ap
propriated to worship, eating, sleeping, the zenaria,
and attendants, occupied a very large scite, at some
distance from the rest of the army, and guarded by a
select body of troops. The durbar-tent, where the
peshwa gave audience and administered justice, was
placed near the dhall-flag, or royal standard, distin
guished from all others, like the praetorium of the
Roman generals, so called from the ancient Latins,
who styled their commanders praetors. Scipio Af
ricanus first formed the praetorian cohort, stationed
near his tent, and ready to attend him on all emer
gencies : such are the hussserat, or household troops
of the Mahratta peshwa, and the life-guards of the
British sovereign.
My fever increasing, attended by many symptoms of
the liver complaint, I was obliged not only to leave the
army in Guzerat, but to return to Bombay, and
embark in the first vessel for- England, in hopes of
re-establishing my health. -*
I shall therefore only add, that in consequence of
orders from the newly-appointed governor-general in
council at Bengal, an embassy was sent from thence
to the Ministers at Poonah, by which means a peace
was concluded between the Mahrattas and the English,
the Bombay detachment withdrawn, and Ragobah
compelled to resign the peshwa sovereignty to the
posthumous child of Narrain Row. As a compensa
tion for this sacrifice, he was to be allowed a jaghire
from the Mahratta government, and some other pri
vileges : but becoming discontented with a private
VOL. I. 2 E

418 END OF THE CIVIL WARS.
station, he again asserted his claim to the sovereignty >
was once more assisted by the Bombay government in
an expedition sent from thence in 1779, which proved
unsuccessful : and Ragobah's death happening soon
afterwards, terminated the civil wars in the Mahratta

empire

*

* Latterly, war has been again rekindled between the Mahrattas
and the Company. After three very brilliant and successful cam
paigns in 1817, 1818, and 1819, the Mahrattas, as well as their
allies, were completely conquered by the Marquis of Hastings,
then Governor-General of India. Their empire now forms part of
the British possessions, under the name of Central India. (Note
of the Editor. )

SAIL FROM BOMBAY. 419

CHAPTER XX.
Departure from Bombay to England — Cape Bassos and the
coast of Africa — Mermaids at Mosambique and Mombaz —
Melinda — Cape St. Sebastian — Storms near the Cape of Good
Hope — Whales — Bay False — Isthmus between Table Bay and
Bay False — Dutch Settlement at Simmons' Harbour — Journey
from thence to Cape-town — Table Mountain— Cape-town —
Fruits, Flowers, Trees — Menagerie — Inhabitants of Cape-town
— Scarcity of Timber — Beauty and Variety of the Plants —
Character of the Dutch Farmers — Vineyards — Dutch Govern
ment of the Colony — Character of the Hottentots — Boshmen —
Wild Animals at the Cape — Birds in Southern Africa — African
Lions — Villas, Gardens, and Farms near Cape Town — Tent
Wine — Flowers and Vegetables — Myrtle Hedges — Constantia
and its Vineyards — Grand Mountain Scenery near the Cape —
Voyage from thence to St. Helena — St. Helena Pigeons —
Fortifications — Town — Beauty of the Interior Vallies — Climate —
— Inhabitants — Government — Provisions, Fruits and Vegeta
bles — Birds — Trees and Plants, Indigenous and Exotic — Fish
— Sail for England — Coast of Guinea — Crew — Variety of
Fish on the Gold Coast — Cape de Verd Islands — Fogo — Azo
res — Sudden Tempest — St. Mary's Island — Arrival at Cork —
Departure from Ireland — Land at Hastings — Arrival at Home.
Pursuant to the resolution mentioned in the last
chapter, I sailed from Bombay to Europe, on the 1st of
December 1775. With regret I left a spot, where I
had spent several happy years, in a delightful society ;
heightened by the charms of friendship, and animated
by the hope of acquiring that independence which
2 e 2

420 CAPE BASSOS.
first led me to its distant shores. Although illness
frustrated the enjoyment of these pursuits, I endea
voured to encourage the pleasing anticipation of see
ing parents, friends, and my native country, and re
turning to India with renewed health and an advan
tageous appointment.
The ships of that season had been all dispatched to
Europe previous to my determination of leaving
India ; I was therefore under the necessity of em
barking for the Cape of Good Hope in the Betsy
schooner, a vessel built on an Indiaman's long-boat,
and perhaps the smallest ever sent on such a voyage,
having only four European sailors besides the captain
and two officers ; the rest of the crew were Lascars,
or Indian mariners.
Soon after leaving Bombay we fell in with the
north-east trade-wind, which in thirteen days carried
us off Cape Bassos on the coast of Africa, which we
saw at a few leagues distance. The next day we
crossed the equator, and passed a range of sandy hills
and lofty mountains. A steady wind befriended us to
the sixth degree of southern latitude, when it was suc
ceeded by variable breezes, calms, thunder, lightning,
and heavy rain. The sea was enlivened by a variety of
birds, uniting with dolphins, albacores, and bonitos, in
hostility against the unfortunate flying-fish.
Near the coast we saw many other sorts of fish, but
did not meet with any of the mermaids so often men
tioned in these seas ; and especially by Mr. Matcham,
a gentleman of great respectability, and at that time
superintendant of the Company's marine at Bombay.
I have heard him declare, that when in command of a
trading vessel at Mozambique, Mombaz, and Melinda,

MERMAIDS. 421
three of the principal sea-ports on the east coast of
Africa, he frequently saw these extraordinary animals
from six to twelve feet long; the head and mouth resem
bling the human, except about the nose and mouth,
which were rather more like a hog's snout ; the skin fair
and smooth ; the head covered with dark glossy hair
of considerable length ; the neck, breasts, and body of
the female, as low as the hips, appeared like a well-
formed woman ; from thence to the extremity of the
tail they were perfect fish. The shoulders and arms
were in good proportion, but from the elbow tapered
to a fin, like the turtle or penguin. These animals
were daily cut up, and sold by weight in the fish
markets of Mombaz; nor was the flesh easily dis
tinguished from the fishy pork with which those who
have resided at Calicut or Anjengo are so well ac
quainted. Although the existence of mermen and mermaids
is doubted by many, the history of England, Holland,
Portugal, and other countries, proves the reality of
these creatures. In the fifteenth century, after a
dreadful tempest on the coast of Holland, one of
them was found struggling in the mud, near Edam
in West Friesland; from whence it was carried to
Haarlem, where it lived some years ; was clothed in
female apparel, and it is said was taught to spin. In
1531 another, caught in the Baltic, was sent as a pre
sent to Sigismund, king of Poland ; it lived some
days, and was seen by all his court. In 1560, the
fishermen of Ceylon caught seven of both sexes,
which were seen by several Portugueze gentlemen
then at Menar, and among the rest, by Dimas
Bosquez, physician to the Viceroy of Goa, who

422

MELINDA.

minutely examined them, made dissections, and as
serted that the principal parts, internal and external,
were conformable to those of the human species.
Our small vessel approached much nearer the
African coast than is customary for India ships
homeward bound. We were not far from Melinda,
that hospitable port which received Vasco de Gama
and his brave comrades after encountering the
storms of the Cape, and escaping the treachery of
the Moors at Mombaz and Quiloa. Here they met
with a friendly monarch to supply their wants, and
found a number of merchants from various parts of
India, who opened a scene of glory and profit to
Gama's aspiring mind, and furnished him with pilots
to navigate the first ships from Europe across the
Indian ocean to Calicut, then the grand emporium of
commerce in the oriental world.
From Melinda our voyage was protracted by light
winds and calms, and sometimes by strong southerly
gales. A favourable current generally carried us
twenty or thirty miles a-day ; and more than once,
when we had no advantage of wind, on taking an ob
servation we found the current had advanced us upwards
of fifty miles on our course. In these latitudes a
wind prevails from south-east to south-west ; which,
blowing strong, with squalls and rain, meets the
north-east winds, and occasions terrible storms and
tempests. Continuing our course along the eastern shores of
Africa, on the 2d of January we came in view of
Cape St. Sebastian. The currents which had hitherto
ran to the south, now changed their direction, and
carried us westward of our reckoning. On leaving

STORMS NEAR THE CAPE. 423
St. Sebastian we encountered rough seas, and having
run down the thirty-third degree of latitude, con
sidered our voyage as nearly terminated. While an
ticipating the pleasure of shortly landing and enjoy
ing the summer refreshments at the Cape, a storm
suddenly burst upon us from the south-east, and con
tinued with unabated fury for six and thirty hours.
The sea was dreadful ; and the situation of our little
bark, elevated on its foaming mountains, or plunged
into a dark abyss, filled every soul with horror.
We saw a number of whales and grampusses in
those southern latitudes, which we sometimes wished
at a greater distance, from an apprehension of mis
chief from their enormous bulk. The sports of these
immense animals often cause a concussion in the
waters which prove fatal to small vessels.
On the 13th of January, sounding on the great
sand-bank at the extremity of Africa, we found
ground at ninety fathoms, and soon afterwards saw
the land. Unfavourable gales again prevented our
entering Bay False until the 20th, when a fair wind
carried us up that noble bay, and we anchored at
noon in a small cove, called Simmons's Harbour, where
fifteen ships may lie secure in the most stormy weather;
situated on the western side of False Bay, it is at all
times more commodious than Table-bay, the summer
harbour near Cape-town. The two bays are sepa
rated by an isthmus, covered with sand and small
shells, most probably once under water. The Cape
mountains, rocky hills, sandy plains and cultivated
tracts on the peninsula, contiguous to Cape-town,
form a territory upwards of thirty miles long, and
eight broad.

424 DUTCH SETTLEMENT.
The Dutch settlement at False-bay then consisted of
only a few houses, gardens, and store-houses, scat
tered at the bottom of the mountains which form
Simmons's cove; with a pier and crane for the landing
of goods, great convenience for watering the ships,
abundant supplies of fresh provisions, fruit, and
vegetables, and tolerable accommodation for pas
sengers at the boarding-houses. Having no induce
ment to remain there, I proceeded to Cape-town,
about twenty miles distant, in a light waggon drawn
by eight horses. The coachmen, or waggoners, who
are generally slaves, drive these eight in hand with
wonderful dexterity, making the hills resound with
the smack of their long whip, and continual voci
feration to the horses. The vehicle contains six
or eight persons sitting on benches before each other,
which is the usual mode of travelling in this part of
the world.
The road for the first six miles, to a place called
Muisenburg, was over a sandy beach, or the acclivities
of the mountains, sometimes on dangerous precipices,
under rocks loosened from the mountains, and ap
parently threatening destruction. The pass at Muisen
burg, defended by a fortress, is deemed impregnable.
From thence we entered a sandy plain, little culti
vated ; but presenting a succession of natural beauties
in the variety of heaths and other plants indigenous
to its sterile surface, the ornament of European con
servatories. The country was not otherwise interest
ing until within a few miles of the capital, when it
became suddenly enriched with farms, villas, planta
tions, vineyards, and gardens ; embellished by groves
and avenues of oaks, elms, and protea-argentea, a most

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 425
elegant tree: it does not attain a large size, from
growing extremely close, and is thickly covered with
leaves, soft and glossy as satin, glittering like a forest
of silver undulated by the breeze. The golden protea,
more gaudy than its modest rival, arrayed in foliage of
yellow-green edged with scarlet, appears in the sun
beams like waves of fire; they form a lovely contrast.
These novelties beguiled a rough heavy road, until our
arrival at Cape-town, situated at the foot of the
Table-mountain; near a large bay full of ships, open
ing to the ocean and several rocky islands.
The Cape of Good Hope forms the western part of
Bay False, and terminates the south point of the
African continent. It was formerly called Cabo dos
Tormentos, the Cape of Storms, a name expressive of
its situation amidst contending elements. John, king
of Portugal, changed it to Boa Esperanza, when De
Gama, after conquering all difficulties, doubled this
formidable barrier, and opened the passage to India.
It is situated in the latitude of 34° 24' south, and
18° 30' east longitude. The variation of the compass
was then 19° west ; mariners pay great attention to
this variation, it being the surest guide for the longi
tude in the voyage from India. The north-west winds
generally prevail from May until the beginning of
September ; the south-east during the other months.
The latter are cold, dry, and unpleasant, but the at
mosphere clear and healthy. The climate may be
called temperate, the heats seldom last long, and it
rarely freezes in winter, although the summits of the
interior mountains are frequently covered with snow.
The barometer varies from 27 to 28 inches chiefly in

426 TABLE MOUNTAIN.
the winter ; in which season the thermometer at sun
rise is from 40 to 50 degrees, and at noon from 65 to
70 ; in summer is rises from 70 to 90 degrees, and
sometimes approaches 100.
The view of this stupenduous promontory from the
sea presents a scene of massy rocks and barren
mountains : that, from its flat surface, called the
Table-land is most conspicuous, and seen from a
great distance. The fatigue and difficulty of its
ascent are amply repaid by the extensive prospects
from the summit ; where the eye, as on a map,
stretches over an immense space of sea and land ;
comprising the boundless ocean, rocky isles, majestic
mountains, softer hills, a large town, crowded har
bour, and scenes of cultivation. The Table-mountain
is said to be covered with its table-cloth when
mantled with white clouds, falling in a striking man
ner on its sides. Half concealed by these immense
volumes rolling over its surface, it makes a very grand
appearance, but in height is inferior to many others of
less note, being only three thousand six hundred feet
above the level of the sea. On the summit is a lake
of fresh water, which supplies the town and shipping;
the stream in its descent falling over grotesque rocks,
forms beautiful cascades. At each end of the Table
land, is a lofty mountain connected with it ; one
called the Lion's Rump, the other the Devil's Moun
tain. They are all composed of rocky strata, but are
said not to be volcanic. Their inhabitants are chiefly
hyenas, wolves, monkeys, vultures, and sometimes
runaway slaves.
Cape-town is large, and regularly built ; the princi
pal streets, leading to the great square, intersect each

CAPE TOWN AND GARDENS. 427
other at right angles : it contained at that time six or
seven hundred houses, and about eight thousand in
habitants, including slaves. The houses, built in the
European style from one to three stories high, have
uniformly that neat appearance which characterizes
the best towns in Holland. The square, and most of
the wide streets, are planted with avenues of oaks and
poplars, on each side of a narrow canal, before the
houses. There were then only two churches, one
Calvinist, the other Lutheran. The principal public
buildings were the stadt-house, library, hospital and
prison. The fort at the south end of the town was
not deemed a place of strength ; there were several
other batteries in different situations.
The public gardens, adjoining the town, were much
frequented by the inhabitants, and formed a delightful
resort for strangers. They contained five walks, half
a mile long, shaded by oaks, and perfumed by hedges
of myrtle on each side; which separated them from
square orchards and gardens, divided by formal narrow
walks and hedges ; but richly stored with standard
peaches, apricots, figs, apples, pears, and other Euro
pean and Indian fruits, planted amidst a profusion of
roots and vegetables for the use of the hospital, and
ships belonging to the Dutch East India Company.
Two enclosures before the governor's house, are appro
priated to flowers and curious plants. The garden
was terminated by a large menagerie, containing the
most remarkable beasts and birds indigenous to Africa,
or brought from other parts of the world.
The inhabitants of Cape-town have generally a good
complexion, and some of the young women are pretty ;
but they soon incline to corpulency, and lose the

248 THE INHABITANTS.
elegant symmetry so attractive in the ferhale form.
The men are perhaps less phlegmatic than the Hol
landers in Europe. Descended from an heterogeneous
mixture of Dutch, Germans, French, and other emi
grants, they have in some measure lost the peculiar
traits of national character, and by a constant inter
course with foreigners, have acquired more affability
and courtesy than we usually meet with. The colonists
had mostly large families, matrimony was encouraged,
luxury and dissipation discountenanced; there were
then no theatres, casinos, nor public exhibitions of
any kind. The morning was dedicated to business,
the evening to family meetings ; frequently enlivened
by music and dancing. On the arrival of any distin-
quished strangers, the governor gave a public ball to
the principal inhabitants and passengers from the
ships. Such is the pleasing side of the picture ; for it must
be confessed, that, when compared with the refine
ments of Europe, or the political, military, and
commercial pursuits in India, the inhabitants of the
Cape appear to pass a dull, monotonous, indolent life.
With little employment in commerce or agriculture,
no taste for intellectual pleasures or mental improve
ment, the gratifications of animal appetite usurp a
primary consideration, and the important concerns of
eating, drinking, and smoking, engross a large portion
of time which might be dedicated to nobler objects.
The women merit a more amiable character ; the girls
were educated for domestic life, the mother instructed
them in needle-work, and the various branches of
household economy. The father, assisted by such
masters as were procurable, taught them the French and

ACCOMMODATIONS.

429

English languages, writing and arithmetic : nor were
the elegant accomplishments of music, drawing, danc
ing, and works of ingenuity, neglected in the higher
classes of society.
I was informed there were, at least, eight women to
one man among the white inhabitants of Cape-town.
Naturalists have observed that a larger proportion of
females are born there than elsewhere : but another
cause may be ascribed for this deficiency ; all the girls
remain at the colony, while the boys are generally sent
to Europe and the East Indies, to enter a more ample
field for fame and fortune.
When I first visited the Cape there was no respec
table tavern or hotel ; but many of the best families
accommodated strangers for a Spanish dollar a-day.
For this sum, I was provided with a neat bed-chamber,
the use of the parloilrs and drawing-room, and four
meals a-day, besides tea and coffee. At dinner we
always sat down with a well regulated family to a table
plentifully covered with fish, meat, poultry, and game ;
a dessert of choice fruit, and every sort of Cape-wine,
except constantia.
Some articles, notwithstanding, were very expensive,
especially fuel and washing ; strangers often found the
latter peculiarly so ; for however honest the washer
women might appear in returning clean linen corres
ponding in tale with the articles delivered, they
generally deferred bringing in the last assortment until
the passengers were just going on board their ship3
who seeing the number correct, suspected no other
fraud ; but I have known more than one lady much
mortified, when, far from any reparation on the distant
main, she has found a. muslin gown deprived of a

430 CAPE WINES.
breadth, and her cambric handkerchiefs reduced a few
inches in size ; nor were the gentlemen less annoyed
on beholding their shirts and cravats equally cur
tailed. Coach-hire was thought extravagant ; they charged
eight dollars a-day for a country excursion, and four
for an evening drive. Bread was always at a fixed
price ; that made of the best wheat flour one penny
per pound, which the bakers were allowed to charge
after the most plentiful harvests, but not permitted to
advance in a season of scarcity. The medium price of
wheat was about two shillings and fourpence the
bushel. The common Cape wines then sold for ten,
twelve, and fifteen dollars the pipe ; so that the lower
classes amply enjoyed the two great blessings of bread
and wine ; many vineyards in advantageous situations
produce a hundred pipes of wine at a vintage. The
vines were originally brought from France and
Germany ; but, except from the two vineyards at
Constantia, the Cape wines are not much esteemed.
The principal inhabitants drink those imported from
Madeira and Bordeaux, and prefer rich ale and English
porter to the best malt liquor brewed at the Cape.
As the duties were not exorbitant, the Teneriffe and
Maderia wines were drank at a moderate expense :
nor was there any want of brandy, rum, or Batavia
arrack. The earth supplied abundance of fruit and
vegetables, and the extensive sand bank, at the end of
their promontory, a variety of fish : so that on every
account the Cape of Good Hope is one of the finest
places in the world for ships to refresh at. Advanta
geously situated midway between Europe and Asia, they
here meet with most of the fruits and vegetables of the

SCARCITY OF TIMBER. 431
torid and temperate zones, with plenty of excellent
mutton, beef, and lamb, all of which when I was there,
sold for a halfpenny per pound ; I believe the foreign
ships paid something more.
Some of the interior districts are said to contain
inexhaustible forests of timber, but from a want of
means to convey it to the Cape, the Dutch Company
preferred sending timber and plank from Holland and
Batavia. It could probably be transported by sea
from Mussul-bay and other places at less expense.
From this cause timber and plank were at an immo
derate price; firewood was procured with difficulty:
to gather it in small quantities was the sole occupation
of numerous slaves ; and a small cartload of roots and
brushwood could not be purchased for less than three
or four dollars ; consequently, all manufactures requir
ing the operation of fire were extravagantly dear.
Although there is so great a deficiency of timber,
and useful trees near the Cape, no country can boast
of more curious and beautiful plants than this part of
Africa. The variety of erica, geranium, ixia, and other
elegant tribes, lately brought to Europe, is asto
nishing, and the number is continually increasing.
Were I master of the subject, it would be too copious
to enter on a Linnaean description of the lovely plants
which "waste their sweetness on the desert air" of
Africa, but become the pride and delight of the
English collections. In the season of spring, between
the months of September and December, the infinite
variety and beauty of these plants springing up on the
sandy plains, covering the sides of the mountains,
and adorning their rugged summits, is astonishing ;

432 INTERIOR SETTLEMENTS.
their colours are brilliant, and many are extremely
odoriferous. Exclusive of the plantations and villas in the Cape
territory, many gentlemen had estates at a great dis
tance in the interior districts, particularly round Mus
sul-bay, four hundred miles on the eastern shore?
where their planters cultivate corn, wine, fruit, aloes,
and other drugs ; but I believe there were no manu
factories at the capital, or throughout the colony.
Some of the principal farmers, we were told, employed
two hundred slaves and Hottentots in agriculture and
breeding cattle : the former were either born in sla
very at the Cape, or brought from India, Madagascar,
and the Comorro Isles ; the latter, whether they in
reality enjoy their liberty or not, are considered to be
a free people.
I heard of many farms situated a month's journey
from Cape-town, among the friendly Hottentots.
Those farmers are mostly descended from the Dutch,
French, and German protestants, who, on various
occasions, rather chose to encounter the dangers of a
foreign country than endure the cruelty they expe
rienced in their own. They generally speak the
Dutch language, and retain the European complexion.
Scattered throughout those extensive wilds, they have
little communication with each other, but many of
them accompany their wives and children once a-year
to Cape-town, in large waggons, loaded with wine,
grain, butter, dried fruits, hides, and other articles.
With the produce they purchase wearing-apparel, fur
niture, utensils, and necessaries for a family. Some
of those planters are men of amiable manners ; honest,

DUTCH FARMERS. 433
industrious, and hospitable, but ignorant of every
thing beyond the extent of their farm : the want of
books and social intercourse renders them credulous
and inquisitive, characteristics usual among people
thus situated.
Such were the better sort of farmers in the Dutch
colony when I made my inquiries ; I am sorry to ,add
that another, and I fear a much larger class, bore a
different character ; and perhaps a more unprincipled,
unlettered, and cruel race of people nowhere existed.
I do not make this assertion from my own experience ;
I travelled ^"St little into the interior, and only occa
sionally saw the farmers who brought their commo
dities to town ; but from reports of its inhabitants,
confirmed by the accounts of Barrow, Percival, and
other intelligent travellers, who made long journeys
among them, we know these colonists are, in many
respects, no better than savages, and in clemency, ur
banity, and other social virtues, far inferior to the
Hottentots among whom they dwell. The latter are
a mild, amiable, gentle race, compared with the Dutch
boors and yeomanry of the Cape, composed of the
lowest classes of Dutch, French, and German emi
grants, and their descendants. Their cruelty to their
slaves, cattle, and Hottentots, has become proverbial,
and has been fully detailed. Many of these coloriists
have served in the ranks of the Dutch and German
regiments, from whence they became servants and
overseers in the farms, and marrying the farmers'
daughters, have in time purchased landed property for
themselves ; and without retaining the virtues of a
soldier, have introduced the vices of the army into a
different order of society.
vol. i. 2 F

434 THEIR DEGENERACY.
Thus, far distant from the civilized manners and
refinements of the capital, deprived of the blessings of
public worship, and the social delights of a returning
Sabbath, the generality of these people had descended,
or rather degenerated, into an almost savage state, and
were given up to ignorance, cruelty, and animal gra
tification. The moral and political laws of Holland,
and even the bye-laws of the colony, had little influ
ence in regions so remote from the seat of govern
ment ; every head of a family found himself at liberty
to act without control; and his conduct generally
evinced, that unrestrained power, whether exercised
in the durbar of an Asiatic sovereign, or usurped by a
Dutch boor in the wilds of Africa, has always a fatal
tendency. In the colonial farms it is not uncommon to have
a hundred oxen for the plough, thirty or forty milch-
cows, eighty horses, and a thousand sheep : I was told
of some that fed ten or twelve thousand sheep, with
horses, oxen, slaves, and Hottentots in proportion ;
the oxen are particularly serviceable in drawing large
waggons over the indifferent roads in those extensive
regions. The governor was then appointed by the Dutch
East India Company, and had the rank of an edele
lieer, equal to one of the council of regency at Batavia.
Under him was a council, consisting of eight mem
bers, including the fiscal, and the major who com
manded the garrison ; these gentlemen held the prin
cipal posts in the settlement, and were assisted by
junior servants. The colonists had nothipg to do with
the police or government, but seemed to enjoy much
comfort and tranquillity under their administration.

HOTTENTOTS. 435
The Dutch had been in possession of this colony
ever since the middle of the seventeenth century ; the
Hottentots, who were easily captivated by presents of
tobacco, brandy, and cutlery, permitted them to ex
tend their territory, establish farms, and, for these
trifling considerations, to become masters of their
flocks and herds, far distant from the southern rocks
where they first settled. In a short time, when under
the pernicious effects of brandy and tobacco, they in a
manner pawned themselves and children to the Dutch.
Although it may not amount to direct slavery, they
have ever since performed all the hard services of
agriculture for the colonists.
Those Hottentots who preferred the blessings of
liberty and a pastoral life to such debasing gratifica
tions, drove their cattle into the interior parts of the
country, among extensive forests and high mountains,
far from the European settlements : there they still
continue in separate hordes, and fix their kraals at
pleasure, where pasture, water, and shade most invite.
They appear to be an innocent people, in what may
be called a savage state ; for they certainly have made
no progress towards refinement, though the Christian
missionaries have been rather successful in converting:
'them. In stature they are seldom above the middle size ;
their complexion is dark brown, with short black curl
ing hair, like the negroes, whom they also resemble
in features ; the young women are not unpleasing in
their form, and soft and feminine in their manners.
The different tribes vary something in their dress,
which generally consists of the skins of wild beasts;
and both sexes wear a skin cloak, called a kross, which
2f2

436 BOSHMEN.
ties over the soulders : the women have also a little
apron, sometimes covered with beads, and an orna
ment on their head, composed of the same materials.
Both sexes are fond of painting themselves, and rubbing
their bodies with the fat of animals ; which, as they
go almost naked, prevents the bad effects of the sun
in the summer heats. Their usual arms are bows and
arrows, spears and lances ; which they use with great
dexterity against their enemies, and the wild beasts
that infest the kraals, and carry off their cattle. They
sometimes shoot with poisoned arrows, especially at
the latter ; for which purpose they have many vegetable
poisons in the inland parts of Africa, but the most
fatal is said to be the venom of serpents.
The Hottentots subsist chiefly upon animals caught
in the chase, and the milk of their cattle, with a few
roots peculiar to the country, and sometimes a sheep
from the flocks ; but I believe nowhere cultivate corn,
nor have any idea of gardening. Cheerful, harmless,
and hospitable, they are perhaps happier in ignorance,
than some other nations with their boasted refinements.
They are fond of music, singing, and dancing ; but
nothing can be more simple than their musical instru
ments, more monotonous than their songs, nor more
ungraceful than their dances.
The boshmen, or woodmen Hottentots, are a set of
people who live by plundering their neighbours, whe
ther Hottentots, Caffrees, or Dutch farmers, at places
the most remote from protection ; they shoot with
poisoned arrows, and their appearance always spreads
alarm among the planters. I believe they are not of
any particular tribe of Hottentots, but form a com
munity of banditti, composed of the vilest wretches

WILD ANIMALS.

437

from the other hordes ; as also from negro and mulatto
slaves, who desert from the Cape, and unite with these
people in devoting themselves to a life of plunder, de
vastation, and cruelty, throughout the Dutch colony,
and the peaceful tribes of Hottentots.
Of Caffraria, which joins the Hottentots' country on
the north, and other distant parts of this vast con
tinent, the inhabitants of the Cape, when I was there,
seemed to have but very little knowledge, except from
the prejudiced relations and improbable stories pro
pagated by the ignorant planters who were settled
nearest to their districts.
In the menagerie at the Cape I had an opportunity
of making drawings of most of the wild animals and
curious birds from the interior parts of Africa. Lions,
tigers, elephants, hyenas, jackals, and smaller qua
drupeds, abound in the rocky wilds and forests. The
hippopotamus, rhinoceros, zebra, and camelo-pardalis,
animate the distant solitudes.
The hippopotamus, although in size next to the
elephant, is a mild and gentle animal, heavy and slow
in its motions by land, but more active in the water ;
and, when irritated by the huntsmen, it sometimes
does mischief in that element: it feeds principally on
grass, and is caught in pits which the Hottentots dig
on the banks of the rivers, where it conies to graze.
These pits are ten or twelve feet deep, concealed by
green turf and boughs, from whence this ponderous
animal can never extricate himself. Its flesh is es
teemed a delicacy, and the ivory of the tusks preferable
to that of the elephant; the planters obtain much oil
from the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros, and the ele
phant, both for medicinal and domestic use. The feet

438 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
and trunk of these animals are thought excellent by
the Hottentots and colonists, who make them into a
rich stew ; the rest of their flesh, which is seldom all
devoured while fresh, is cut up into long thongs, and
dried in the sun for future provision. Had we known
in the Guzerat campaign that an elephant's foot was
esteemed a luxury, we might often have been regaled
when so many were left on the field of battle.
What an exact description does the book of Job
give us of the hippopotamus, under the name of be
hemoth. " Behold now behemoth which I have made,
he eateth grass as an ox ; his strength is in his loins,
and his bones are like bars of iron ; he moveth his
tail like a cedar, and his sinews are wrapped together :
the mountains bring him forth food ; he lieth under
the shady trees, in the covert of the reeds and fens :
the shady trees cover him with their shadow, the wil
lows of the brook compass him about ; behold, he
drinketh up a river, and hasteth not ; he trusteth that
he can draw up Jordan into his mouth !" Job, ch. xl.
ver. 15—23.
As the hippopotamus is undoubtedly the behemoth,
so the rhinoceros is supposed to be the unicorn of
scripture : this animal attains a prodigious size in
Africa, and is said to be the most powerful of the
savage tribe ; it is not naturally ferocious, but its coat
of mail affords a complete defensive armour, and its
horn is so formidable a weapon of offence, that he
generally remains unmolested by the lions, tigers, and
other beasts of prey. Here, as well as in Hindostan,
I found many extraordinary virtues attributed to the
horn of the rhinoceros, especially in drinking out of it
as an antidote to poison. I have one of the largest and

THE GIRAFFE.. 439
most beautiful ever met with, being thirteen inches in
circumference, though not turned from the thickest
part of the horn. The rhinoceros feeds upon grass,
sugar-canes, and esculent plants found in its haunts.
Many improbable stories are circulated at the Cape
of the camelo-pardalis, or giraffe, which is certainly
one of the most singular animals we are acquainted
with : its height is often magnified, but I believe none
have yet been met with that measured more than six
teen feet, from the hoof to the tip of the horns, or
short bony excrescences on the top of the head, which
are eight or nine inches in length ; the neck is very
long in proportion to the body, which is only seven
feet; the length of the shoulder-bone makes the fore
legs appear much longer than those behind, and gives
the animal an inclining posture: the male is richly
spotted with a dark brown on a grey ground, the
female of a lighter hue. The cameleopard is an
innocent peaceable animal, and feeds chiefly on the
leaves of the mimosa trees, which adorn the interior
forests. The zebra, another native of the African deserts, is
a beautiful animal : in form, colour, and graceful mo
tion, it has the comeliness of the horse, the swiftness
of the deer, and the independence of the lion. It is
larger than the common ass ; and although sometimes
taken alive, I believe not one has been completely
tamed, or converted to any use.
The adjacent country abounds with monkeys of va
rious kinds ; many of them are domesticated by the
inhabitants. Among others, I often visited an ourang-
outang, which had been brought from Java ; in many
instances it approached very near the human species,

440 THE OSTRICH.
and seems to be the uniting link in the grand chain of
creation between man and beast. At the Cape they
have playful mongooses and mococks, from Madagas
car and the Comorro isles, some of them beautifully
marked. Africa abounds with a variety of birds, but their
rural haunts were at so great a distance from the Cape,
that I could only draw those I met with in cages, or
in the public menagerie. In South America, where
the loveliest valleys skirt the city of St. Sebastian,
every walk presented beautiful subjects for the pencil ;
not so the country near the Cape. The African de
serts nourish thousands of ostriches ; some were kept
in the menagerie, with the secretary bird, and others
from the same wilds ; together with the cassowary,
the columba-coronata, and many curious birds from
the Dutch settlements in the East Indies.
The ostrich is so well known in the African orni
thology, that it would be needless to describe it.
Among other peculiarities, it is said to digest stones
and iron. I am ignorant of their digestive powers,
but they certainly voraciously devour pieces of glass,
iron, and similar substances, when thrown into the
menagerie. The ostrich is the largest of the feathered
tribe, and is called in Arabia the camel-bird, from its
resemblance to that animal ; it runs swiftly over the
desert, by means of its long legs and expanded wrings,
which are not formed for an aerial flight. The Ara
bians, Caffrees, and Hottentots, hunt them for their
feathers, and eat the flesh of the young ones ; their
eggs, fifteen inches in circumference, also afford a plen
tiful meal. Among the luxuries of the Roman empe-_
rors we read of Heliogabalus having destroyed six

THE CASSOWARY. 441
hundred ostriches to furnish one dish of brains. The
large thick shell of this bird is frequently carved with
subjects from Scripture history, and other ornaments.
They are sold for a trifle to the passing stranger by the
slaves who carve them ; as are also other of these egg
shells cut into longitudinal bars, like a bird cage ; in
which some poor canary-bird, or other unfortunate
songster, is perched, and sold with his singular prison,
for a couple of dollars.
The cassowary, more formidable in appearance, and
more savage in disposition than the ostrich, is generally
his companion in the Cape menagerie : not much in
ferior in size, and stronger made, he is capable of doing
much mischief, and sometimes evinces his power, as
our party one day experienced. The cassowary then
exhibited, had it seems an invincible aversion to the
fair- sex, which the keeper had not informed us of : a
young lady approaching, he instantly struck her down
with his foot, and got the better of two gentlemen who
attempted to rescue her, before the keeper, with an
immense whip, put an end to the combat. He was
altogether a very formidable adversary ; the head, in
stead of a crest or soft plumage, being armed with a
hard bony excrescence, like a helmet ; his large black
eyes are encireled with hairs, which sparingly cover
the head and neck instead of feathers.
Among other curious birds was the Columba-
coronata, or Java pigeon, a bird nearly as large as a
turkey, with a plumage of dusky blue, and a beautiful
tuft on the head. Also the secretary-bird, a native of
the southern parts of Africa ; about three feet high,
chiefly arrayed in purple, with some long feathers ele
gantly falling from the head ; it destroys serpents, rats,

442 CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.
and vermin, and is on that account much esteemed,
for the Cape abounds with venomous snakes, scor
pions, scolopendrae, and noxious reptiles, also with
lizards of many descriptions, the land tortoise, and
gryllae, or locusts, in variety, abundance, and depreda
tion, equalling their destructive hosts in other coun
tries. Barrow relates a very curious circumstance respect
ing living serpents in the stomach of one of these birds
after its death : " An English gentleman, who held an
official situation at the Cape, being out on a shooting
party, killed a secretary-bird, which he carried home
with the intention of having an accurate drawing made
from it. He threw it on the floor of the balcony near
the house, where, after it had remained some time, and
been examined and tossed about, one of the company
observed the head of a large snake pushing open the
bill ; out of which it speedily crawled, in perfect vigour,
and free from any injury. On the supposition that
others might still be in the stomach, the bird was sus
pended by the legs, and presently a second made its
appearance, as large and as lively as the first. The
bird was afterwards opened, when the stomach was
found to contain seven dead snakes, with a half-digested
mass of lizards, scorpions, scolopendrae, centipedes, and
beetles." The penguins, seals, sea otters, and other animals in
the amphibious parts of the Cape zoology, found
among the rocks and islands near this southern pro
montory, open an ample field to the naturalist.
The lions, hyenas, and wild beasts in the interior of
the colony, are very formidable and destructive. The
wonderful stories of these animals, related by farmers

AFRICAN LIONS.

443

from the more distant regions, require no common de
gree of faith; some of their narrations would have
staggered Vaillant himself. There appears to be very
little difference in the habits of the African lion and
the royal tiger of Hindostan ; both are equally crafty,
ferocious, and cruel. We read of the noble behaviour
and generous conduct of the sovereign of the forest,
in ancient history, and cherish the pleasing ideas early
imbibed of his attachment and friendship to man.
Modern lions have certainly the same propensities as
all of the feline genus in other countries.
I had no time for distant excursions, but joined
several parties to the villas and plantations beyond the
sandy plains, three or four miles from Cape-town ; where
the governor had a country house, and most of the prin
cipal citizens, plantations, farms, and vineyards, sur
rounding a rural habitation. The gardens and orchards
were extremely pleasant, and very productive, mingling
the peach, apricot, and apple of Europe, with the
guava, banana, and pomegranate of tropical climes.
There were mango trees in the Company's garden,
which had not then produced fruit. The peaches,
apricots, and plums, were all standards, and in January,
the commencement of the Cape autumn, were bending
under their grateful produce ; nectarines had not suc
ceeded, and cherries were uncommon : strawberries
abound earlier in the season, with a few gooseberries
and currants ; oranges, lemons, figs, and mulberries
are as prolific as the apples and pears, every where
in great profusion. Nothing cari exceed the plenty
and variety of the grapes ; one of the most delicious
produces the tent- wine, a black grape, with a rich

444 GARDENS.
crimson juice-like blood ; which may have caused it to
be selected for the sacramental wine.
The avenues are generally planted with almond,
chesnut, and walnut trees, which attain a large growth,
and protect the flowers, vegetables, and tender fruit
trees, from the high tempestuous winds, which so
powerfully prevail in that part of the globe. The kit
chen gardens abound with cabbages, cauliflowers, arti
chokes, asparagus, pease, beans, French-beans, beet
root, turnips, carrots, potatoes, salads, and most of
the European vegetables ; many of them much im
proved by the climate. They seem to be more atten
tive to these productive and useful crops, than to the
cultivation of flowers, for which the Dutch are gene
rally famous. Yet a variety of European flowers
seemed to flourish among the aloes, geraniums, and ele
gant heaths indigenous to Africa. A chief beauty, of
the Cape gardens are the luxuriant myrtle hedges,
which surrounded every enclosure, to a great height ;
their blooming branches waving over the head of the
passenger, unite in fragrance with the odoriferous ex
halations from the orange and lemon trees, so abun
dant in this clime.
We spent one day at Constantia, the celebrated
vineyard, twelve miles from Cape-town. We travelled,
in coaches drawn by eight horses, over the sandy
plains already mentioned in the journey from False-
bay, until we approached the mountains, and entered
a country abounding with farms and young woods of
oak. Much trouble and expense have been bestowed
to produce this effect in a wide waste of barren moun
tains, rocky precipices, and sandy hills. On a rising
ground, in this once dreary region, are situated the

VINEYARD AT CONSTANTIA. 445
house and vineyard of Constantia : the former is a
plain comfortable mansion, sheltered by plantations,
and approached by an avenue of venerable oaks. The
vineyards are in the best aspect, whither after visiting
the cellars and tasting the choicest wine, we were con
ducted. In general, we were invited, not only to eat
as many grapes as we pleased, but to carry them away
with us. At Constantia the vine-dresser requested
us to pick only a little fruit from the trees, but not to
gather a bunch ; the wine is too precious for this
indulgence : it must ever be deemed a rare, as well as
a delicious cordial, because the peculiar soil of Upper
Constantia gives the muscadel grape a value there,
which cannot be imparted to the same vine when
planted elsewhere, and treated exactly in the same
manner; it always produces a different grape, and
wine of inferior flavour. The experiment has been
repeatedly tried in the adjoining vineyards of Lower
Constantia, without success.
We dined at an adjacent villa, delightfully situated
among citron, orange, and lemon groves, and all the
pleasing variety just mentioned, contrasted also by the
rough scenery of rocks and mountains which surround
it. The vineyard seldom yielded less than forty pipes
of wine each vintage, inferior in strength and richness
to Constantia, but resembling it in flavour; it was
then sold in casks containing twenty gallons, at twelve
dollars the cask. The hospitable proprietor had lately
purchased this estate, with a good house, excellent
wine-vaults, gardens, vineyard, oak-plantations, and an
extensive tract of contiguous waste land, for six thou
sand rix- dollars.
I do not particularize the aquatic excursions we

446 ST. HELENA.
made to Penguin Island, and other rocks near the
Cape, inhabited by penguins, seals, and sea-fowl.
We sometimes extended them to a greater distance, to
have a better view of the Table-land and its contiguous
mountains, which I had only seen before through the
medium of a dreadful tempest. The scenery around
Bay False, and that of Table-bay is singularly striking-
As the small vessel which brought me from Bombay
to the Cape was not permitted to proceed to Europe,
I embarked on board the Calcutta Indiaman, and
joined a party of friends, who were passengers for
England, and had sailed from Bombay ten weeks be
fore my departure.
After a pleasant passage of fourteen days from the
Cape, we arrived at St. Helena. A constant succes
sion of fair winds, smooth water, and fine weather,
however delightful to the voyager, presents but little
to amuse the reader : the continued prospect of sky
and water affords no topic for a descriptive pen ; al
though the glorious spectacle of the rising and setting
sun is perhaps no where beheld with such grand effect
as on the boundless ocean.
Before we discovered the island, we saw several of
the St. Helena pigeons, a sea-bird which has obtained
that name, although it bears no resemblance to the
genus. These birds are always seen to the windward
of the island, but never to the leeward ; thus direct
ing the wanderers on the ocean to this haven of repose
and refreshment, after a long voyage, although it is
little more than a volcanic eruption, rising in the
vast Atlantic, and but a speck in a map of this terra
queous globe. There is every appearance of volcanic
agency throughout the island, which is situated in the

ST. HELENA. 447
latitude of 16 degrees south, and 5° 44' of west longi
tude, from London. It is twenty-seven miles in cir
cumference, consisting chiefly of high rocky moun
tains, and deep valleys ; composed of lava, scoria, ashes,
and marine shells, similar to the strata of Etna, Vesu
vius, and other volcanoes. The highest hill is called
Diana's Peak, and its summit is 2696 feet above the
level of the sea. The stupendous cliff's on the coast
are so extremely steep, that a ship sailing under them
appears from their lofty summits no bigger than her
buoy ; and we could but- just distinguish the islanders
surveying us, as we passed close under their perpen
dicular sides sixteen hundred feet high.
St. Helena affords neither anchorage nor soundings,
except at Sandy-bay, and the bank on the north-west
side of the island, where the vessels ride in safety,
about half a mile from the shore ; the different hills
and valleys near it are fortified with batteries and re
doubts. From hence St. Helena appears to the great
est advantage, presenting a prospect of St. James's
valley, the landing-place, governor's house, and the
only town on the island ; it consists chiefly of a long
narrow street, with houses ranged at the foot of the
mountains, built in the English style, and furnished
from Europe or India. The church is neat ; the go
vernment-house convenient, and pleasantly situated ;
in front commanding a view of the ships, and opening
behind into the Company's garden ; which, after those
at the Cape, appeared rather insignificant. This val
ley is fortified towards the sea ; and on the sides of
the mountains are winding roads, leading to the coun
try. These roads are only intended for horses, wheeled
carriages would be useless. The ladies are bold riders,

448 RURAL SCENERY.
and gallop up and down the most formidable preci
pices. Notwithstanding the dreary appearance of St. He
lena towards the sea, many of the inland vales are
sweetly rural, bounded by magnificent scenery. From
some of the least tremendous heights the stranger be
holds a bold crater, in the centre of steep rocky hills,
accessible only to wild goats, but the gentler aclivities
are dotted with neat farm-houses, shaded by trees, and
surrounded by verdant meadows or enclosures of yams,
potatoes, and such productions as the soil and climate
admit of. These farms are animated by herds of
cattle and flocks of sheep, while many a murmuring
rill falling from the mountains gives a fine effect to the
sublime and beautiful landscape. This, although writ
ten at first under the impression of novelty, appeared
to me equally true on a second visit, and even after
enjoying the beauties of Switzerland and other alpine
scenery in Europe.
A short walk from these picturesque views leads to
immense cliffs and craggy precipices, opening on the
unbounded ocean, bringing to a stranger's mind the
unenviable situation of the islanders, secluded from
the rest of the world, and entirely dependant on fo
reign supplies for the necessaries of life ; for, though
the valleys and acclivities of the mountains are co
vered with a thin surface of mould, which by cultiva
tion would produce a variety of grain, yet in conse
quence of the rats and mice, that have escaped from
the ships, and infest the island, not an ear of it could
attain maturity.
The monotony of the town and its local anecdotes
present few attractions to the inquisitive traveller. In

THE INHABITANTS. 449
so confined a spot the refinements and elegancies of
Society are not to be expected ; but nature is always
new, always delightful, and as I anticipated ano
ther long confinement on the realms of Neptune, I
spent as much time as possible in the country, and
have sometimes been so enveloped in clouds, on
the summit of the hills, that I could hardly see my
horse's head. These vapours penetrate through the
thickest coat, but are not often of long continuance*
Leaving the tops of the mountains clear, they roll iri
immense volumes over the valleys, and sometimes pre
sent a picture half lighted by the sun, and half con1
cealed in an impenetrable mist.
When no ships are at St. Helena, the town is for
saken ; most of the inhabitants reside at their farms
during great part of the year ; as the valley, which is
the general name for the town, is, from its situation?
Very warm, and the prospects confined: there the
thermometer rises to 78 or 80 degrees, but seldom ex-*
ceeds 67 or 68 on the hills. The whole island^ "corir
sidering its situation so near the equator, is remark
ably cool, the air mild and salubrious ; few disorders
are known, and the small-pox is particularly guarded
against. The ladies have fine complexions, for natives
of a warm climate ; which is generally unfavourable
to the roses of my fair countrywomen in India, where
the blushing flower of love soon decays, and the jon
quil subdues the snowy tint of the lily. At St. He.*-
lena health and pleasure sparkle in the countenances
of the young islanders ; who are in general lively,
smart, and agreeable, although superficially endowed
with those accomplishments and refinements which
are only to be acquired by education.
vol. i. 2 G

450 THE GOVERNMENT.
The English took this island from the Dutch in
1673; it had been first discovered by the Portugueze
in 1508, on St. Helen's day : they thought it too barren
for a settlement, but left poultry and goats to run wild,
and afford refreshment to such vessels as might occa
sionally touch there for water. The number of in
habitants in 1776 did not exceed two thousand ; more
than half of those were slaves and black servants from
Asia and Africa, the rest were Europeans and their
descendants, including four hundred soldiers and
officers ; the other inhabitants capable of bearing arms,
both black and white, are formed into a militia, re
gularly disciplined. The government was vested in a
governor, lieutenant-governor, and two members of
council, under whom were a few junior servants ; no
foreign trade was permitted. The governor's table was
-kept at the Company's expense, but his salary and
emoluments did not then exceed seven hundred pounds
a year, the lieutenant-governor was allowed five hun
dred, and the other servants proportionably less.
The island at that time contained about two thousand
head of cattle, which were not deemed sufficient to
supply the ships, and keep up a stock. The mutton
is good, but not abundant ; geese, turkeys, and smaller
poultry were dear; pheasants, partridges, and Guinea-
fowls, scarce, though often seen wild upon the hills.
The gardens and plantations produce a variety of food ;
tiie plantain was most attended to, from forming with
the yam the chief food of the slaves. Apples, peaches,
mulberries, figs, and melons were good ; the peaches
large, coloured like an apricot, and highly flavoured,
but grapes rare. In some of the best gardens were
pine apples, mango and tamarind trees, as well as several

TREES. 451
oriental shrubs and flowers lately introduced ; they had
also begun to cultivate the tuar, or doll, of Hindostan,
which if it succeeds will be a valuable acquisition.
The apple-trees are deservedly esteemed at St.
Helena, for when the summer fruit is ripe the winter
crop on the same tree begins to blossom ; but this
valuable tree only succeeds in particular situations :
oranges, limes, and citrons grow well ; the custard-
apple, papah, and pompelmoos had been latterly im
ported from India; all seemed to flourish; and it
must afford delight to every voyager, to contribute to
the improvement of this interesting spot; where the
British oak and banian-tree of Hindostan unite their
friendly shade with the indigenous ebony and Ca
ledonian fir-tree ; where the African aloe and prickly
pear, the Indian bamboo, and Arabian coffee, grow
luxuriantly in the same border with the apple, the
peach, and the mulberry from Europe.
The ficus indica, or banian-tree, thrives at St. Helena;
still more so the ficus religiosa, or pepal. The string-
wood I have only seen on this island ; its long strings
of red blossoms give this tree a beautiful appearance ;
its drooping branches, and the thick foliage of the
standard peaches, shelter the rose-linnets, which now
abound in St. Helena, perhaps brought from South
America, where their rosy bosoms form a beautiful
contrast to the snowy blossoms of the orange groves.
This is the passerculus orientalis, a small bird of de
licate brown plumage, varied by rose-colour and white,
the eyes encircled with feathers of a bright red. They
build two nests, one above the other ; in the' largest
below, the hen lays her eggs; and,, like the interest
ing baya of India, the cock watches in, the upper apartr
2g2

452 COTTON PLANT. — FISH.
ment, and sings to his mate during her incubation.
The Java sparrows are more common ; they were first
brought from China and Batavia for their beauty, but
from their wonderful increase, are become a great
annoyance to the farmers.
The cotton plant had not been long introduced at
St. Helena ; with what success it may be cultivated
time must determine. The gum-wood (solidago-
leucadendron,) seems the most thriving tree on the St.
Helena hills, it produces a resinous substance like
gum- benjamin. They also abound with ferns in great
variety and beauty, particularly the dicksonia, or tree-
fern, which grows to the height of twenty feet ; the
seed of the furze brought from England, and scattered
about the hills, clothes them with beauty and fragrance.
The variety of fish daily brought to market, is a
source of entertainment to a stranger, as well as a
luxury at his meals. Many are curious and finely
coloured ; the mackarel are inferior to those in Eu
rope ; the little fish called the bull's-eye is delicious,
equally so the cunning-fish, thus called from its steal
ing the bait, and eluding the hook. The hog-fish is
curious, and the green fish vies with the dolphin in
alternate changes of purple, crimson, green, and gold.
We left St. Helena on the last day of February, and
favoured by the south-east trade-wind crossed the line
on the 12th of March; there it forsook us, and was
Succeeded by variable breezes, squalls, calms, thunder,
lightning, and heavy rain, with a hot condensed at
mosphere. This unpleasant weather continued until
the 23d, when being in the latitude of 7° 12' north,
we flattered ourselves with the hope of meeting the
north-east trade wind, and soon terminating out

COAST OF GUINEA. 453
Voyage ; but different scenes awaited us : after a
moderate breeze all that day, followed by a mild even
ing, we retired to rest as usual about ten o'clock. At
midnight the officer upon deck was alarmed by the
noise of a swelling surf, and very soon distinctly heard
the hollow surges successively rolling upon a near
shore. The captain was instantly called, and a general
alarm succeeded : on sounding we found only ten
fathoms water, when we imagined ourselves on the
Atlantic ocean, some hundred miles from land. As
the wind blew fresh on the land, there was no time for
deliberation ; we therefore anchored immediately, and
at day-break beheld within a mile of the ship a sandy
beach, shaded by groves of cocoa-nut and tamarind
trees, but could not distinguish any hills or mountains.
We then knew it to be a part of the coast of Guinea,
near St. Ann's, generally called the Gold Coast, from
its producing gold, ivory, and slaves ; but as none of
the natives came off, and we sent no boat on shore, I
had not an opportunity of making further observations.
Although it was deemed imprudent to have any
communication with the natives, or partake of nature's
bounty on shore, we unfortunately continued near it a
long time. We weighed anchor the next morning,
but could neither get out of soundings, nor lose sight
of the coast. The land-winds were too faint to assist
us, and the sea-breezes always contrary ; to render
our situation still more distressing, an unfavourable
southern currerit set so strong that frequently when we
had sailed several miles to the northward, the observa
tion convinced us we were far south of our last
reckoning ; and thus, after a fortnight had elapsed, we'
were further from England than when we first saw the

454 SUDDEN STORMS.
land. The wind seldom varied more than two points
from the north-west, which was the very course we
wanted to steer ; we crossed the line several degrees
more to the eastward than is customary for the home
ward-bound ships from India.
The days were sultry, and the nightly dews un*
wholesome ; the pressure of the atmosphere caused a
lassitude both of body and mind. Nothing can be
more uncertain than the weather on the coast of
Guinea : from a sky perfectly clear and serene, in a
moment bursts a storm of thunder, lightning, rain, and
wind ; the sea instantly becomes confused and tumul
tuous ; its lovely tints of azure and aqua-marina, assume
the sable hue of the overspreading gloom ; this as sud
denly subsiding, leaves the air more sultry than before,
producing all the enervating effects of the Italian
sirocco. Thus we continued in a state of listless apathy for
some weeks, when, after stealing gently on with a faint
land breeze during the night, we were agreeably sur
prized one morning at day-break with the appearance
of a vessel at a few miles distance. Pleased with the
novelty, we dispatched a boat, and found her to be a
French ship from Mauritius, bound to l'Orient, which
had already been a month in these latitudes, amid
calms, contrary winds, and southerly currents. We
kept company many days, and frequently dining with
each other, diverted our ennui ; for, notwithstanding
their misfortunes, the French captain and passengers
were cheerful and volatile.
Among a variety of fish on the coast of Guinea, the
most beautiful is the Medusa, or Portugueze man-of-
war, which enlivened the surface of the ocean, sailing

THE MEDUSA FISH. 455
by thousands before the wind. It appears individually
like a large bubble or inflated bladder, perfectly transpa
rent, and varying with the most lovely tints of blue, pink,
and violet ; it is generally of an oval shape, two or three
inches long, with a protuberance at each end, something
like a bird's head and beak. I could never discover
eyes, nose, or mouth, yet it certainly belongs to the
tribe of fishes, with a cartilaginous body, assuming dif
ferent shapes as it is more or less inflated. On the top
of the body it spreads a pink transparent sail, sup
ported by delicate fibres, which enable it to raise or
lower the sail at pleasure ; with this they scud away
before the light breezes, but are seldom seen in a bois
terous sea ; under the body are suspended several fila^
ments of the most beautiful blue, of unequal length,
and always in the water. These appendages are of a
pungent caustic quality, and wherever they touch the
skin it rises in blisters like a burn, followed by acute
pain. These curious animals are attended by a train of
beautiful fish, six or seven inches long, marked with
dark stripes over the pale hues of the iris, like the
pilot fish, which always accompany the shark ;
I never saw these little fish but under the Me
dusa, whos*e protection they seem instinctively to.
claim from the bonitos, albacores, and other voracious
fish, which are continually pursuing them and the
flying fish ; but these have the advantage, for the in
stant their gigantic enemy approaches, they swim un
der the Medusa, which is so poisonous that no fish
attempts to touch it : and it would be impossible to
snap up one without the other, so closely do the little
fugitives adhere to their protector ; while the unfortu-

456 CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS.
nate flying-fish, in endeavouring to escape a watery
foe, are devoured by the aquatic birds continually ho
vering over them.
The sharks on the Guinea coast are of a tremendous
size, and often follow the slave vessels from thence to
the West India islands, to feast upon the bodies of
the negroes, who are so fortunate as to die on the
voyage, and escape from Christian bondage.
On the 17th of April, having proceeded considerably
to the westward of the coast of Guinea, we had the
sa isfaction to find the wind veering gradually front
west, and at length it settled in the regular north-east
trade. We soon forgot all our late misfortunes ; the
anticipation of happiness in our native isle again sea
soned our repast, and we sailed gaily on. In three
days we saw St. Jago, Brava, and several of the Cape
de Verd Islands, and were detained by a calm close to
Fogo, a barren mountainous island, only ten miles in
circumference, which takes its name from a burning
mountain, that frequently sends forth liquid lava and
other volcanic matter, like the more sublime alembics
of Etna and Vesuvius. Brava, situated between Fogo
and St. Jago, seems to be an uninhabited mountain,
three or four miles long. I have already described St.
Jago in my voyage to India ; very few of -the home
ward bound ships ever fall in with the Cape de Verd
Islands. From thence, pleasant gales and fair weather carried
us to the Azores, or Western Islands, which we saw
on the 13th of May ; I must except one half-hour,
when we were suddenly assailed by a violent storm,.
with thunder, lightning, and rain. It came on so in--
stantaneously that we had no time to prepare against

THE AZORES* 457
it before all our sails were split to pieces : it com
menced from the south-east, and in a moment shifted
to the north. I shall not attempt to describe this
dreadful scene ; its horrors exceeded every thing I
could have conceived, and the oldest seamen declared
they had never met with any thing to equal it.
Sailing eastward of the Azores, a pleasant breeze
wafted us along the coast of St. Mary's, within sight
of its orange groves, villas, hamlets, and corn-fields,
scattered among craggy precipices and foaming cas
cades. We passed between St. Mary's and a chain of
rocks called the Hormigas, on which the waves beat
violently ; and after coasting along St. Michael's, fa^
mous for its oranges, we saw several other islands
belonging to Portugal, situated about three hundred
leagues to the westward of that kingdom. The cli
mate of the Azores, though subject to earthquakes, is
mild and salubrious ; they afford the inhabitants all the
necessaries of life, and abound with corn, wine, and
fruits. Angra, in the island of Tercera, is the seat
©f government, and the residence of the governor-
general, the bishop, and principal officers : this capital
contains a cathedral, and several other churches : there
is a good harbour, and generally a brisk trade.
After leaving the Azores, the Atlantic presented a
lively scene of vessels sailing in all directions : we
Spoke with several, and exchanged presents of tea,
arrack, and Indian delicacies, for the grateful return of
English porter, butter, and cheese, on which we regaled
for the. remainder of the voyage ; which, notwithstand*
ing it was now the beginning of summer, was notcon^
eluded without fresh . gales, boisterous seas, and cold
weather ; so late . as the 30th of May, the decks were"

458 COVE OF CORK.
covered with snow. At that time our water and pro
visions running low, and the sails being in a shattered
condition, we steered for the Cove of Cork in Ireland ;
where we arrived the next day, after a voyage, by the
log, of twelve thousand nine hundred miles from
Bombay. The prospects on the coast of Ireland were very
pleasant, especially in the Cove of Cork, which pre
sented a continued succession of villas, parks, and
farms, with the ruins of castles and religious edifices.
The Cove is spacious, and reckoned one of the most
commodious harbours in Europe. We found it
crowded with vessels, and anchored near the small
town of Cove, about nine miles from Cork, from
whence, early the next morning, the Calcutta was filled
with company, from the principal nobility to the lowest
shopkeepers, flocking on board for India bargains. All
the beauty and fashion from the city and the nearer
villas were constantly arriving. Longing to be on
shore, I accompanied the captain and passengers to
Cork ; sailing up the river in an open boat, we had
beautiful views of several noblemen's and gentlemen's
seats on the acclivities of hills sloping to the water's
edge, covered with groves, gardens, and farms ; while
the busy sons of industry and commerce in the different
vessels enlivened the picture.
We were treated with the greatest kindness and
hospitality by many of the principal families at Corkj
which ranks next to Dublin in magnitude and wealth,
and carries on a more extensive commerce. It con
tains about fifty thousand inhabitants. As the Cal
cutta was likely to be detained there for some weeks,
and I ardently longed to reach home, I left Ireland on

ARRIVAL AT HOME. 459
the 6th of June, with several of our passengers, in the
Pitt yacht.
We sailed with a fair wind, and next evening saw
the lights on Scilly ; on the third morning we were off
the Land's-end in Cornwall, and swiftly passing the
romantic coasts of Devon, on the fourth evening we
neared the Isle of Wight ; the wind then becoming
contrary, we landed the 10th of June at Hastings in
Sussex, with feelings which I cannot express ; the
thrillings of joy were too powerful, and produced a
sickness of the heart well known to minds of sen
sibility. " Bliss goes but to a certain bound —
Beyond 'tis agony !"
I could neither eat nor sleep ; and at three the next
morning we set off in a post-chaise and four for Lon
don. It was indeed an interesting journey, and most
delightful did everything appear in this lovely month ;
orchards and hawthorn hedges in full bloom and fra
grance, verdant meadows, and springing corn-fields, all
united to endear my native land, from which I had
been absent eleven years. My happiness was complete
on reaching my father's house, and finding my family
well.

460 RETURN TO INDIA.

CHAPTER XXI.
The Author's Return to India — Journey from Surat to Batoehe
— Senassees — Wells — Illustrations of Scripture — General Cha-.
racter of the Indians — Trade of the Ancients with Barygaza,
or Baroche — Modern Cotton Trade at Baroche — Revenues
of Baroche — Purgunna — Animals — Birds — Fruits — Oriental
Wines, Sherbets, Ice — Oils and Perfumes — Tribe of Borahs —
Mahomedan Fakeers — Penances of Indian Devotees — Hindoo
Colleges — Jattaras— Succulterah — Expiation of Sucla-Tirtha— ..
Mahomedan Festivals — Death of Houssain — English Villa near
Baroche — Serpents, Guardians of Indian Gardens — Ordeal
Trials by Water and Rice — Singular Anecdote of a Robbery
-—Provisions at Baroche — Lower Classes of Society — Court of
Adawle at Baroche — Silver Mosque — Mausoleum of Baba-
Rahan — Comparison between Modern Hindoos and Maho
medans — Rajpoots — Singular exile of a Hindoo Family at Bom
bay—Anecdotes from Lord Teignmouth.
The voyage to Europe, and a residence of nine
months in England, restored my health ; when having
obtained from the Court of Directors an appointment
to the first vacancy at Baroche, a settlement in the
province of Guzerat, subordinate to Bombay, I em
barked a second time for India in 1777, with a beloved
sister, and several agreeable passengers.
After a pleasant voyage, and stopping a few days at
the Cape for water and refreshments, without an
hour's bad weather, losing a man by sickness, or meet-

SIR WILLIAM JONES.- 461
ing with accident or adventure, we arrived at Bombay
in little more than four months. Thus circumstanced,
a voyage of twelve thousand miles affords no subject
for communication ; numerous passengers, like my
self, have probably traversed the expanse of rolling
oceans between Europe and Asia, without once reflect
ing on the situation which afforded Sir William Jones
enthusiastic delight ; it requires a mind enlightened
and expanded as his own, to enjoy the sensations which
he describes in his preliminary discourse to the Asiatic
Society at Bengal. I confess it is a passage I never
read without envying his feelings, and participating
in his pleasures.
" When I was at sea last August," says our great
Orientalist, "on my voyage to this country, which I
had long and ardently desired to visit, I found one
evening, on inspecting the observations of the day,
that India lay before us, and Persia on our left : whilst
a breeze from Arabia, blew nearly on our stern. A
situation so pleasing in itself, and to me so new,
could not fail to awaken a train of reflections in a
mind, which had early been accustomed to contem
plate with delight, the eventful histories and agreeable
fictions of the eastern world. It gave me inexpressible
pleasure to find myself in the midst of so noble an
amphitheatre, almost encircled by the vast regions of
Asia, which has ever been esteemed the nurse of
science, the inventress of delightful and useful arts;
the scene of glorious actiofis, fertile in the productions
of human genius, abounding in natural wonders, and
infinitely diversified in the forms of religion and
government, in the laws, manners, customs, and Ian-

462 JOURNEY FROM SURAT.
guages, as well as in the features and complexions of
men! After residing six months at Bombay, a vacancy
happened at Baroche, and I took the first opportunity
of succeeding to my appointment. I went by sea to
Surat, and from thence across the country to Baroche.
Surat I have already described; it afforded no further
novelty; and the voyage thither is too short and
unvaried to interest a distant reader. A land-wind
every night, and a sea-breeze throughout the day,
equally assisted us ; the morning presented a splendid
sun, rising over the eastern mountains, and the western
sky and curling waves were tinged by his evening
beams. The pleasure of the voyage was heightened
by a serene atmosphere and regular winds ; we
felt their salubrious influence, and were amused by
the sportive inhabitants of the deep, and interested in
the commercial intercourse with different sea-ports
which we passed.
The little journey of thirty-six miles from Surat to
Baroche is delightful. Soon after leaving the former,
I crosed the Tappee, and travelled through a fertile
country to Kimcatodrah Chawkey, a caravansary on
the banks of the river Kim, about half way to Baroche :
situated in so great a thoroughfare it is much fre
quented by merchants, and travellers of all descrip
tions ; especially by senassees, yogees, and other
religious pilgrims. I have there met with Hindoo
mendicants, who had made the tour of Hindostan,
extended their journey to Persia, and some of them
had even penetrated into Russia, and reached Moscow;
These people were often brought to me secretly, to

WELLS AND TANKS. 463
know if I would purchase ottah of roses, pearls, or
other concealed commodities ; I had frequently some
trouble with them as custom -master at Baroche.
Most villages in this tract of country have public
wells and tanks, where the pilgrim and his cattle are
sure of finding abundance, except in dry seasons ;
and then some charitable individual generally alleviates
the failure, by placing a person to dispense water
gratis from a temporary receptacle. An inhabitant
of the East understands in all its extent the simple
words of our Saviour : " Whosoever shall give you a
cup of water to drink, in my name, verily I say unto
you he shall not lose his reward." St. Mark, ch. ix.
ver. 41.
I spent the heat of the day at Kimcatodrah, and
passed the night at Occlaseer, a pleasant Hindoo
town, the capital of a small purgunna in the Baroche
districts, then belonging to the English. Occlaseer. is
not many miles from the south bank of the Nerbuddaj,
where I arrived the next morning, and crossed the
river to Baroche.
I have already mentioned the establishment of the
English factory at Surat in 1615. The Company
were soon afterwards permitted to have factors at
Ahmedabad, and other cities in Guzerat, where they
carried on a considerable trade. Sir Thomas Roe, in
the progress of his embassy from James the First to
the Emperor Shah Jehan, stayed some days at Bram-
pore, where Sultan Currum, the emperor's second
son, was encamped with his army. During that visit,
Sir Thomas Roe, by his negociation with Mahobet
Caun, received a phirmaun, granting him permission
to establish a factory at Baroche, with several valuable
immunities.

464 ANCIENT COMMERCE.
The trade of the ancients with India, as recorded
by Ptolemy, Arrian, and other writers, having been
mentioned at Surat and Mirjee, I shall now only
particularize their commerce with Baroche, the
Barygaza of the Greeks : on which subject the
publications of Dr. Robertson have thrown consider
able light.
Dr. Robertson's account of the ancient commerce
of this city is taken from Arrian's treatise of the
navigation of the Erythrean sea. After describing
the trade of Pattala on the Indus, he says, " a far
more considerable emporium on the same coast was
Barygaza; and on that account Arrian describes its
situation, and the mode of approaching it, with great
minuteness and accuracy. Its situation corresponds
entirely with that of Baroche, on the great river
Nerbudda; down the stream of which, or by land
carriage, from the great city of Tagara across high
mountains, all the productions of the interior country
were conveyed to it. The articles of importation and
exportation in this great mart, were extensive and
various. Among the former, our author enumerates
Italian, Greek, and Arabian wines, brass, tin, lead,
girdles or sashes of curious texture, melilot, white
glass, red arsenic, black lead, gold and silver coin.
Among the exports he mentions the onyx, and
other gems, ivory, myrrh, various fabrics of cotton,
both plain and ornamented with flowers, and long
pepper." The modern imports and exports of Baroche are
similar to those mentioned by Dr. Robertson ; wines
indeed are not included, except for the consumption
of Europeans, and the trade in onyxes, cornelians,

COTTON TRADE. 465
and agates, from the sardonyx mountain of Ptolemy,
not many miles from Baroche, has been transferred
from thence to Cambay.
Three years had elapsed since my visit to Baroche,
with Ragobah's army ; I found it much improved in
buildings, population, and commerce. The cotton
trade was very considerable; and the manufactures
of this valuable plant, from the finest muslin to the
coarsest sail-cloth, employed thousands of men, women,
and children, in the metropolis and adjacent villages.
The cotton -clear ers and spinners generally reside in
the suburbs, or poorahs of Baroche, which are very
extensive. The weavers' houses are mostly near the
shade of tamarind and mango-trees ; under which at
sun-rise they fix their looms, and weave a variety of
cotton-cloth, with very fine baftas and muslins ; Surat
is more famous for its coloured chintzes and piece-
goods. The Baroche muslins are inferior to those of
Bengal and Madras; nor do the painted chintzes of
Guzerat equal those of the Corornandel coast.
Exclusive of cotton the Baroche districts abound
with rice, and a variety of grains and pulse, nuts
and seeds for oil, also shrubs and plants for dying
the cottons.
Nothing can exceed the simplicity of the oriental
manufacturers and mechanics. In Surat and Baroche,
the silver-smith, if convenient, brings his apparatus to
the house of his employer, and there makes such
things as are required, in a style of strength and
neatness that answers every useful purpose ; and in
some parts of India, especially at Sumatra and An
jengo, the work of the natives in gold and silver
filagree, executed with only an iron nail, is beautiful;
vol. i. 2 h

466 REVENUES OF BAROCHE.
The carpenters and cabinet-makers generally came
home to us, and made up our furniture ; I have
had a chariot, in the English style, begun and
finished, under my own roof, except the heavy parts
of the iron-work.
The Baroche purgunna, which then belonged to the
East India Company, contained one hundred and
sixty-four villages ; and its revenues as I have before
mentioned amounted to six lacs of rupees, or some
thing more than seventy thousand pounds a-year,
which was six-tenths of the whole produce ; the re
mainder belonged to the cultivators. In the reign of
Akbar, at the end of the fifteenth century, the circar
of Baroche, or Bheroatch, to which the Purgunnas of
Occlaseer, Hansoot, and some others, were then an
nexed, contained fourteen mahls, three hundred and
forty-nine thousand seven hundred begahs of land,
and yielded a noble revenue.
The peninsula of Guzerat in which, as I have already
observed, Baroche is situated, two hundred miles long,
and a hundred and forty broad, is formed by the
Arabian sea on one side, and the gulph of Cambay on the
other, extending inland in a north and east direction.
From its numerous ports, and commercial advantages,
the sea-coast contains as great a variety of castes
and religions as any part of Hindostan. The re
venues of this soubah, or province, in the reign of
Aurungzebe, at the beginning of the eighteenth cen
tury, amounted annually to one hundred and fifty
lacs of rupees, or one million eight hundred thousand
pounds sterling.
The Baroche villages are rural and pleasant ; each
is embosomed in its own mango and tamarind grove,

CULTIVATED TRACTS. 467
and the surrounding country resembles a luxuriant
garden ; the rich crops of grain are contrasted by ex
tensive fields of capsicums, or chilies, glowing with
scarlet, large tracts of yellow cossumba, (carthamus)
which makes a valuable red dye, and acres of to
bacco, crowned with flowers of a pale rose-colour.
Several villages cultivate the sugar-cane, as also the
turmeric, amomum curcuma, Lin. ; fenugreek or meti,
meti trigonella, faenum-graecum, Lin. ; benda, hibiscus
esculentus, Lin. ; fulsi, ocymum, and many other
useful plants and vegetables, peculiar to the country :
it is almost unnecessary to mention that turmeric,
ginger, and capsicums are planted wherever they will
grow, throughout Hindostan.
The cultivated tracts abound with hares, antelopes,
foxes, and jackals ; also partridges, quails, and other
game ; and every village has its monkeys and pea
fowl ; the woodlands, and wilder parts towards the
eastern hills, shelter tigers, leopards, hyenas, and hogs;
the lakes and rivers are covered with flamingos,
pelicans, ducks, and water-fowl in great variety. The
partridges frequently roost on high trees ; and several
sorts of wild ducks settle on the lofty branches of
the palmira, borassus flabelliformis, Lin. The bamboo,
bambusa, grows in many of the wilds ; it is also culti
vated near some of the villages. In Guzerat the
natives are seldom distressed for grain ; but in many
parts of India the poor eat the seed of the bamboo.
The bamboo forms an impenetrable hedge round
the villages, when thickly planted for that purpose ;
and the branches uniting at the top, produce a shady
walk, with the effect of a gothic cloister.
The water-melons at Baroche are esteemed the best
2 H 2

468 MELONS.  POMEGRANATES.
in India, especially those which grow on a sandy
island in the Nerbudda, near the city. I think the
Water-melon, (anguria citrullos, Lin.) one of the
pleasantest and most refreshing of the tropical fruits ;
when cooled they are like the iced fruits in Europe,
and dissolve, in the mouth like snow. I have found
them extremely good in the south parts of Europe,
particularly at Venice and Naples, where they are very
abundant. An eminent physician observes, that
" the water-melon is providentially calculated for the
southern countries, as it affords a cool refreshing
juice, assuages thirst, mitigates feverish disorders, and
compensates thereby, in no small degree, for the ex
cessive heats of those climates." Melons of every
kind abound in their season in most parts of India,
and the best musk-melons are often sent as presents
from a great distance.
The Indian pomegranates, although sometimes
tolerable, are by no means equal to those brought from
Arabia by the Muscat Dingeys : these are a very fine
fruit ; large, and full of juice, highly flavoured ; some
are red, others white. The most luxurious method
of eating them is to have the juice expressed from
the seeds and interior film, by which means the harsh
seeds and bitter flavour are avoided. It is a delicate
beverage, and one of those pomegranates will some
times fill a small bason. They make a pleasant wine
from this fruit in Persia and Arabia, to which there is
probably some allusion in the Song of Solomon,
where they are mentioned as growing in orchards.
" I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the
juice of my pomegranate." Song of Solomon, ch. viii,
ver. 2. I have never tasted this, nor any other Persian

SHERBET. — FRAGRANT OILS. 469
wine, except that of Schiraz, which, although much
extolled by poets, I think inferior to many wines in
Europe. There are various methods of cooling sherbet and
water-melons. I never met with ice during my re
sidence of India : it is now I believe generally used
by all who can afford it, especially in Bengal, where
it is procured without much difficulty or expense*
How Alexander the Great at the siege of Petra, a
city of India, procured a sufficient quantity of this
luxury to fill thirty ditches, is difficult to ac^
count for. Chares, the Mytelenean, is cited by
Athenaeus for this anecdote, and adds that it was
preserved for a long time by covering it with boughs
of trees.
As perfumed and spiced sherbets are much es
teemed in the east for the palate, so are perfumed oils
and spicy unguents for the person. A variety of fra
grant oils are made in Persia and India, by putting
blossoms of mogrees, jasmine, and other highly scented
flowers into the most delicate oil; which after a cer
tain time imbibes the flavour, and is poured off into
small bottles, stopped with cotton and wax, to be dis
persed throughout the provinces by borahs, gosannees,
and yogees.
These fragrant oils are not only used by all descrip
tions of Indian females, but the venerable Mahomedan
is fond of perfuming his beard ; which, when grey, is
often died black, or a dark brown, with a composition
bf al'hinna, and other herbs: especially among the
Turks and Persians who reside in Hindostan : where
they have also introduced the custom of perfuming
their beards by holding them over salvers of smoking

470 TRIBE OF BORAHS.
incense, which are also offered to their guests. They
likewise unloose the shawls and open their vests, to
receive as much as possible of this favourite delicacy.
The use of perfumes has been immemorially practised
in the east. Moses gives particular directions for the
preparation of oils and fragrant ointments for the
sanctuary. Domestic happiness and brotherly union
is beautifully compared by the Psalmist to " the pre
cious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the
skirts of his garments."* — Psalm cxxxiii. ver. 2.
In Persia, Cashmere, and the northern parts of
India, they make very delicate conserves, and syrups
of roses, violets, and jasmine, which on particular occa
sions are presented to visitors, with sherbets of falsee,
lemons, and acrid fruits, mingled with odoriferous
waters, or a few drops of these rich syrups.
The tribe of Mahomedans, called Borahs, settled in
Baroche, Surat, Bombay, and other parts of Hindos
tan, are not only considerable traders in commercial
towns, but are the chief travelling merchants in Gu
zerat and the western parts of India ; they go about
like the Jews in Europe with boxes of different com
modities, particularly perfumes and jewels, and appear
to be very distinct from the Moguls and other sects of
Mussulmans in India. The English at Bombay con
sider them as a sort of Mussulman Jews ; on what
* It having been objected that the words " going down to the
skirts of the garment," imply a needless profusion of precious oint
ment, it has been suggested that the Hebrew word translated
" the skirt, ? signifies more properly the opening (or mouth) of the
garment, where it is fastened round the neck, immediately under
the beard.

DEVOTEES. 471
foundation I know not. The only mention made of
them to my knowledge is by Mr. Hunter at Oujein,
where he says that " they distinguish their own sect
by the title of Ismaeeliah ,- deriving their origin from
one of the followers of the prophet, named Ismaeel,
who flourished in the age immediately succeeding
that of Mahomed, and that the head-quarters of the
tribe is at Burhanpoor, where their mullah, or priest,
resides. He is paramount in all ecclesiastical matters,
and holds the keys of Paradise ; it being an established
article of faith, that no man can enter the regions of
bliss without a passport from the high priest, who re
ceives a handsome gratuity for every one he signs.
He also exercises a temporal jurisdiction over his
tribe, wherever dispersed."
The tomb of Baba Rahan, and other sacred places
belonging to the Mahomedans, are visited at stated
seasons by pilgrims ; and often resorted to by fakeers
and pretended saints of that religion ; who, like their
religious brethren among the Hindoos, are guilty of
various extravagances, indecencies, and immoral prac
tices. The parent stock from which the Hindoo devotees
seem to have derived their severest penances, Mr.
Halhed traces to Tarakee, a devotee in the wood Mid-
hoo, on the confines of the kingdom of Brege, who
there performed incredible penances.
For many years Tarakee held up his arms and one
foot towards heaven, and fixed his eyes upon the sun.
For a considerable length of time he remained stand
ing on tiptoe, nourishing himself with water ; some
times he stood and made his adorations in the river,
at others buried up to his neck in the earth, and fre-

472 MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS.
quently enveloped with fire. He often stood upon his
head, with his feet towards heaven ; or upon the palm
of one hand resting upon the ground ; and then varied
the penance by hanging from a tree by one hand, or
suspending himself from a branch with his head down
wards. These I believe to be the principal penances of the
Hindoo enthusiasts, and I have seen most of them
performed. Cui bono ? necessarily occurs on the
perusal of such things. The monastic institutions in
the church of Rome, although in some respects liable
to censure, and perverted from their original inten
tion, had many advantages ; they afforded an asylum
to learning and science in the dark ages, and, before
the art of printing, were the depository of the manu
scripts that escaped the wreck of the Roman empire.
They were the hospitals and places of refreshment for
travellers at a time when inns and houses of entertain
ment were unknown in Europe. I can gratefully ac
knowledge, with many other travellers, the hospitality
and kindness of the monks of Grand St. Bernard, after
a long and fatiguing ascent up the Alps to the well-
named Hospice of that benevolent society. There,
on the loftiest site of any human habitation in Europe,
Asia, or Africa, these good fathers exercise the noblest
charities to every weary stranger, without a question
as to religion or country ; it is sufficient that he is
" a man and a brother." Not only do they leave their
convent in the darkness of the most tempestuous
nights, to seek the bewildered pilgrim, but train dogs
to search out the wretched traveller lost in the snowy
tracts of those dreary regions.
We contemplate the Hindoo colleges and Brah-

JATTARAS. 473
minical seminaries, at Benares and different parts of
Hindostan, with pleasure ; they are useful institutions ;
and, however limited in their benefits to particular
castes and descriptions of people, they are the nurses
of literature, medicine, and science, as far as is deemed
necessary among the Hindoos. But I cannot praise
a religion which encourages thousands, perhaps mil-,
lions, of idle vagabonds, who practise no virtue ; but
under the mask of piety, with a sort of stoical apathy
and pharisaical zeal, undergo these needless austerities
and penances near their celebrated temples, or pervade
the provinces of Hindostan, singly, and in large bo
dies, to make depredations on the hard-earned property
of the poor villagers, and violate the chastity of their
wives and daughters, under a cloak of sanctity and
religious perfection.
The number of these mendicants who assemble at
the festivals and jattaras held in the vicinity of Ba
roche, and especially under the embowering fane at
Cubbeer-Burr, is astonishing. The island covered by
that sacred tree, the banks of the Nerbudda, and the
river itself, are thronged beyond conception from the
adjacent districts, and distant parts of Hindostan : es
pecially the holy precincts of Succulterah, a large
village on the banks of the Nerbudda, a few miles
from Baroche, much celebrated for the sanctity of its
temples. I have mentioned the Hindoo jattaras, and some of
their principal festivals, in another place ; they are so
lemnized with great delight at Baroche, and the sacred
spots in its vicinity. But as it had been a Mahomedan
principality before the English conquest, and was still
inhabited by numerous Mussulmen, their fasts and

474 CURIOUS ANECDOTE.
festivals, although celebrated with less pomp and ex
pense than formerly, were strictly observed by all the
followers of the prophet. Their two grand festivals
are those of the Ramazan and Beiram, when the
princes and great men repair in state to the mosques.
I have described the procession of the nabob of Surat
on this occasion. The Mogul splendour is mostly sub
sided at Baroche ; few families of eminence now re
main there ; their religious ceremonies therefore were
by no means expensive : but on the feast of Beiram
they all made the best appearance they could, and
generally contrived to procure a new dress for the oc
casion. D'Herbelot mentions a curious anecdote of
Mostanser Billab, caliph of Bagdad, on the approach
of the Beiram. This monarch going one day to the
highest part of his palace, saw many of the flat roofs
around him " spread with clothes of different kinds,
and being told by his vizier, upon his asking the rea
son of it, that the inhabitants of Bagdat were drying
their clothes, which they had newly washed on the ac
count of the approach of the Beiram, which is a very
solemn Mahomedan festival, Mostanser was so con
cerned that they were so poor as to be obliged to wash
their old clothes, for want of new ones with which to
celebrate this festival, that he ordered a great quantity
of gold to be instantly made into bullets, proper to be
shot out of cross-bows, which he and his courtiers
threw, by this means, upon every terrace upon the city
where he saw their garments laid a drying."
The anniversary of the death of Houssain, the
grandson of Mahomed, is celebrated with great parade
by all the Mussulmen in Hindostan of the sect of Ali.
They call it the death of Houssain and Hussen, two

PROCESSIONS. 475
imans or successors to Mahomed in his religious and
civil government. Houssain was grandson to Maho
med, by his daughter Fatima, who was married to Ali ;
and this murder was the cause of the enmity which
subsists to this day between the Ommiades and Abas-
sides. On the anniversary of that catastrophe the
Mahomedans at Baroche, and other large towns in
India, of the sect of Ali, go in procession through the
streets, making the most dismal howlings and lamenta
tions, and often inflict severe wounds on each other, in
the mock combat, in memory of the attack on the
plains of Kerbela, where Houssain, with seventy-two
of his family, were cut to pieces, by an officer of the
usurper Yezid, on the 10th of the month Mohurrum,
in the 6lst year of the Hejeid. They were surrounded
by ten thousand of Yezid's cavalry, and, after fighting
desperately, himself, his children, and the whole party,
were destroyed.
This combat is rather the termination of the tragedy ;
for the spectacle commerces with solemn processions,
plaintive music, and religious ceremonies. According
to Chardin, the Persians annually solemnize this mas
sacre to the fullest extent.
In the Tanzea, or Lamentations, composed for this
occasion, and annually recited at the commemoration
of this martyrdom, are the following stanzas, which I
have selected, in order to give an idea of this kind of
poetry, from the affectionate dirge supposed to have
been uttered by the Lady Zineb, sister to the murdered
prince, Sekeena, his daughter, and the youth Zeen-ul-
Abedeen his son, upon the horse of Houssain, called
Zu-al-Jinnah, returning to the tents, covered with
blood, without his master :

476 LAMENTATIONS. ZlNEB.
O ! Zu-al-Jinnah ! where is the son of Ali (
Where is the martyr of Kerbela ?
Whither is fled my comfort, my support ?
The favoured of God, whither is he fled ?
Zeen-ul-Abedeen.
O! Zu-al-Jinnah! what hast thou done with the
prince of religion ? What is become of the fragrant
flowers of the garden of Kheen-ul-Nissa, the most ex
cellent of women ? Of Fatima, the daughter of the
prophet, the wife of Ali, and the mother of Houssain J
Alas ! alas ! O misfortune and distress !
Sekeena.
O Zu-ul-Jinnah, stained with blood !
What hast thou done with my father ?
Where lieth the crown of my delight ?
My companion, my morning, my evening!
Where is the iman beloved of God ?
Where is the father of Sekeena ?
Where is the bright taper of Sekeena's nights,
Where is the support, the comfort of thy daughter ?
Alas ! I am now an unfortunate orphan !
My father, my protector, is no more !
Soon after my arrival at Baroche, I purchased a
small house and some land in the village of Vezel-
poor, about a mile from the city, situated between two
English gardens bounded on the north by a ruined
mosque and sacred grove, the occasional retirement of
an English gentleman from Baroche, and on the south
by the Nerbuddah, there near a mile broad. My gar-

ENGLISH VILLA. 477
den occupied about six acres ; I formed it as much as
possible after the English taste, and spared no pains
to procure plants and flowers from different parts of
India and China : it contained several large mango,
tamarind, and burr trees, which formed a delightful
shade ; besides a variety of smaller fruit-trees and
flowering shrubs. At the southern extremity a bower,
elevated on a mount overlooking the river, commanded
an extensive view of the plains of Occlaseer, and a
rich tract of country bounded by the Raje-Pipley hills.
Shade and water were my grand objects ; without them
there can be no enjoyment in an Indian garden ; even
with those advantages, the time of enjoyment is short,
especially during the hot winds. One great desideratum
is the verdant lawn almost peculiar to the English
gardens : a tropical sun would not admit of it in the
fair seaaon, and during the rainy months the rank
luxuriant grass more resembles reeds and rushes than
the soft carpet bordered by an English shrubbery.
I have mentioned various modes of irrigating the
oriental gardens and orchards ; a practice in constant
use in our garden at Baroche, which generally employed
three men and a boy eight hours every day. This
custom seems to illustrate a passage in Scripture re
specting the gardens of Egypt, which were probably
watered by small streams, conducted from a reservoir
filled at the annual overflowing of the Nile. " The land
whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land
of Egypt ; where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst
it with thy foot (or by an instrument worked by
the foot) as a garden of herbs ; but it is a land of
hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of

478 IKRIGATION.
heaven." Deut. ch. xi. ver. 10, 11. Two under gar
deners raise the water from the well to the reservoir
by a yoke of oxen, in the manner I have before de
scribed at Surat ; the head man, attended by a boy,
conducts it from thence, by artificial channels, to each
bed of herbs, and every favourite flower. These little
conduits being made in the mould, near the borders,
require constant attention to remove obstructions, and
give a free circulation to the rill, which seldom exceeds
a few inches in breadth. This the gardeners some
times do in a stooping posture with their hands, oftener
in an upright position with their feet, and by practice
become very expert.
My favourite seat was under a tamarind tree, near
the well just mentioned ; the adjoining shrubberies
were generally enlivened by squirrels, parrots, and bul-
buls ; vines and creeping plants were trained to con
ceal two pillars of rude construction, that supported
the beam over the well, to which the large w^ater buc
ket was suspended : one of these I entirely covered
with the lively ipomea, and every variety of clematis ;
the other I modernized a little in the European taste,
and placed an urn on the summit, dedicated to the
naiad. One sultry morning, when enjoying the luxury
of shade, and listening to the falls of water, under this
umbrageous canopy, a few lines occurred, which I
addressed to the nymph of the fountain, and inscribed
on the pedestal supporting the urn. It requires
an apology for introducing my first poetical essay to
the public eye, now transcribed from the manuscript
letter ; and which my partial friends will not allow to
be suppressed.

VOTIVE LINES. 479
Lines inscribed under an Urn in a Garden at
Baroche, near a Spring overshadowed by a Burr,
or Banian-tree, surrounded by flowering Shrubs.
To Medhumad'ha,1 lovely nymph,
The guardian of my spring ;
To thee, this votive urn I raise,
Where bulbuls2 sweetly sing.
Thy gurgling, cool, pellucid stream
Fair naiad, gently pour ;
And murmuring softly from thy font,
Awake each opening flower.
Let spicy groves luxuriant rise
Around this blest retreat,
And Indra3 balmy zephyrs breathe
On every peaceful seat.
Let lofty champa's1 graceful boughs
Diffuse their fragrance far ;
Al'hinna,5 tulsee,6 mogree,7 sweet,
Perfume the ambient air.
Bright Mahadavi's8 crimson stars
On pensile tendrils stray
Around the mango's9 stately trunk,
And with the breezes play.
1 Medhumadha, a water nymph in the Hindoo mythology.
* Bulbul, the Indian nightingale.
3 Indra, god of the seasons.
_ 4_ Champa, a flower of great fragrance, growing on a large tree,
similar to the magnolia glauca.
5 A favorite shrub with the oriental ladies, who use the flowers
for dying their nails and fingers of a lively red.
6 Tulsee, a plant held sacred by the Hindoos.
7 Mogree, a beautiful species of Arabian jessamine.
8 Mahadavi, a most elegant crimson creeper; ipomea; often
mentioned in the drama of Sacontala, and universally admired.
9 Mango ; esteemed the best fruit in Hindostan.

480 SERPENTS.
Then, gentle naiad, kindly pour
Thy vivifying dew ;
And tint the flowers that kiss thy stream
With beauty's loveliest hue !
But the lov'd burr's" entwining trunk
Claims most thy fostering care ;
Emblem of God ! its out-stretch'd arms
Beneficence declare !
When Mitra2 throws his powerful rays
On every distant tree,
My favour' d plants shall gaily bloom,
And owe that bloom to thee.
The various birds, insects, and plants, differed but
little from those at Bombay and on the Malabar
coast. The serpents in Guzerat were more numerous,
and in greater variety : many were of a large size,
and especially a species which seemed peculiarly partial
to the shrubs and creeping plants which overshadowed
the large well in my gardens ; these the gardeners
would neither destroy, nor suffer to be molested, as
they looked upon them to be the genii, or guardian-
angels of the garden, and often invoked them, un
der the endearing appellations of father, mother, and
other respectful and affectionate epithets. This ve
neration for serpents is not confined to Hindostan :
the ancients thought there was something divine in
these reptiles. Esculapius, and several of the heathen
deities are supposed to have appeared in this form ;

1 Burr or banian-tree. Ficus bengalensis ; a sacred tree of the
Hindoos ; considered as emblematical of the Deity, from its out
stretched arms, and overshadowing beneficence.
q Mitra, the sun, or solar deity of the Hindoos.

DANGEROUS INTRUDER. 481
their statues were often adorned with serpents, and
the cobra de capello makes a conspicuous appearance
among the Hindoo sculpture in the temples of Elora,
Salsette, and Elephanta.
Whether our hortensial snakes were evil genii, or
guardian-angels, I shall not determine ; I never dis
turbed them until I had erected a cold bath in an
orange and lemon grove for my sister, who retired
thither at sunrise, with her sable nymphs, to enjoy
one of the greatest luxuries in the torrid zone. This
bath, being nothing more than a humble shed,
thatched with the leaves of the palmyra ; attracted a
visitor, equally unexpected and disagreeable as
Acteon ; for one morning she was alarmed by a
rustling among the palmyra leaves which covered the
bath ; and looking up beheld one of the garden genii,
with brilliant eyes, under the expanded hood of a large
cobra de capello, pushing through the thatch, and
ready to dart on the fountain. Pure and unadorned
as Eve when her reflected beauties first met her eye,
the lady, followed by her handmaids, made a preci
pitate retreat through the grove, and gained her
chamber, heedless of gazers, whether in the form of
gardeners, snakes, or monkeys.
My garden at Baroche was not only frequented by
these genii, but by a variety of other serpents, green,
blue, scarlet, and black, as also by one shaded with
every varied hue in a Turkey carpet; for that
reason called the carpet snake. They never molested
us, nor did I ever hear of an accident there : indeed,
I believe very few of them are venomous.
I have mentioned the ordeal trials, and the practices
vol. i 2 I

482 ORDEAL TRIALS.
of diviners in India : whatever may be our opinion of
such things, we are often, from various motives, under
the necessity of acquiescing in them. Residing in a
family at Surat, my sister lost a gold watch on which
she set a particular value. Several modes of divination
were practised to discover the thief ; one was similar
to that used among the acient Chaldeans and Egyp
tians, and perhaps not unlike the cup of divination
belonging to the viceroy of Egypt found among the
shepherds of Canaan. On this occasion the name of
every person in the house was placed in a separate ball
of paste or wax, and thrown into a vessel of water :
one only swam on the surface ; the rest fell to the bot
tom, and there remained. On opening the floating
ball, it contained the name of an unsuspected female,
who immediatelv confessed she had stolen and secreted
the watch. Supposing this to be like other Asiatic
juggles, I thought little about it ; but afterwards
at Baroche I attended minutely to an ordeal in which
myself and my head gardener, Harrabhy, were more
immediately concerned.
On removing from our country house at Baroche to
Surat, we packed up most of our things, and placed
them in the front veranda, where the peons slept on
their moveable beds. An iron plate-chest was for
greater security deposited in an inner room, near that
where the family slept : we saw it there when we re
tired to rest, and in the morning it was missing. The
contents being valuable, and the time of our departure
near, we used every means to discover so extraordinary
a robbery, in which, from the weight of the chest, three
or four persons must have been concerned. Pro
mises and threatenings were of no avail, the delin-

ORDEAL TRIALS. 483
quents were concealed. I suspected an individual, but
not knowing how he could have accomplished the
robbery, I was silent. The public officers belonging
to the court of Adawlet not being able to discover the
robber, at the earnest solicitations of all our servants,
Hindoos, Mahomedans, and Parsees, we had recourse
to divination by balls in the water ; our own names
were included with the rest. On forming a circle round
the vase, I observed the man I suspected to change
colour, and become a little agitated : no other person
remarked it, until on the balls being immersed in water,
one only rose to the surface ; his confusion was then
evident ; still more so when, on opening the ball, it
contained the name of Harrabhy. He had lived with
us several years as head gardener, without our having
any reason to suspect his honesty : he positively denied
the robbery, and we had no other proof than the ordeal,
which, although fully satisfactory to all the Indians,
was not so to us. They requested that neither Harrabhy
nor any other person might leave the spot until we had
gone through the rice ordeal ; to this we submitted,
though by no means palatable to Harrabhy. He re
luctantly complied, and with all the rest of us put a
few grains of unboiled rice into his mouth : it was
previously intimated that from the mouth of the inno
cent after mastication it would come out a milky
liquid, from the guilty a dry powder. We were all of
the milky party except Harrabhy : mingling with the
saliva it became a white fluid ; with him it remained a
dry powder, notwithstanding a number of fruitless of-
forts to liquefy it. He was compelled thus to spit it
out : his complexion changed from a rich brown to a
sort of livid blue, his lips quivered, and his altered
2i 2

484 provisions.
countenance plainly indicated guilt; he would make
no confession, and on this evidence we could only put
him in confinement under the court of Adawlet, until
we obtained further proof. The next day a little slave-
boy, whom I afterwards brought to England, discovered
the bent iron hasp of the plate-chest just appearing
out of the steep bank of the Nerbudda, at the end of
our garden, about twenty feet above the river, and as
much below the summit of the cliff; there we found
the chest, buried in the earth. The robbers had at
tempted to wrench it open, and the clasps fastened by
padlocks had given way ; but the lock occasioning
greater difficulty, they waited for a more favourable
opportunity. When the culprit found the chest had
been discovered and restored to the owners, and had
no prospect of benefiting by its contents, he confessed
that in concert with three other men he had carried it
off in the night, while our people were asleep, and was
in hopes we should have departed without finding it.
Profane history abounds with ordeals ; the bitter water
of chastity, and many similar trials in the sacred page,
prove their prevalence among the Jews.
Our gardens produced abundance of fruit and ve
getables; and few places are better supplied with pro
visions than Baroche ; meat of all kinds is excellent
and cheap ; there is no want of poultry : the bazars are
stocked with indigenous fruits and vegetables, and the
Nerbudda supplies a variety of fish, exclusive of that
brought in by the fishing boats from the sea. The
carp in the Nerbudda are uncommonly large ; they
sometimes weigh fifty pounds ; these, when stuffed and
baked in a plantain leaf, are much esteemed ; it is
most probably the same as the rooee and cutlah of the

price of labour. 485
Ganges, whieh often weigh forty pounds. At Baroche
most articles for the table are about one-third of the
price for which they can be purchased at Bombay.
Grain is not much dearer in general; it being im
ported there from the northern settlements, the prices
at Surat are much the same as in the Baroche markets.
The price of labour is from two to four rupees per
month. The labourers in my garden received three
rupees and a half each man, the boy who attended the
water- rills only two ; with this they were perfectly
contented, and it was probably more than they would
have got from a wealthy native in a similar situation.
The price of labour, servants' wages, and many other
expenses appear small when compared with the same
classes in England ; but the number of persons ne
cessarily employed in every department of domestic
economy in India, brings the expense of an English
family, in each country, more upon a level than may
at first be imagined.
In most parts of Guzerat, a small native family of
the low castes may live comfortably in their humble cot
tage for forty and fifty rupees a year ; perhaps for less.
When the wants of a people are so few, and those few
so easily supplied, the same quantity of land must be
able to support a much greater number of inhabitants
than the same quantity in England ; it has been cal
culated at three, and in some places at four to one.
For petty offences committed by the inhabitants of
the Baroche districts, the court of Adawlet established
in the city, and the power of the English chief as a
magistrate, seemed adequate ; in cases of a more cri
minal nature the prisoners were tried by the quarter

486 MUSSULMAN SAINT.
sessions at Bombay, and civil suits of importance were
decided there by the Mayor's court, and court of appeals
agreeably to the laws of England and the charter of the
East India Company.
Among the works of art at Baroche, is the Jumma
Musseid, the silver mosque, of which I have already
spoken, and a few other remains of Mahomedan build
ings. The most interesting is a mausoleum called
Baba-Rahan, or Bawrhan, which is built on an emi
nence, a mile from the city, near a spacious tank and
shady groves, where are many Mahomedan tombs of
less importance. But the grand mausoleum is in the
Saracenic, or Moorish style of architecture ; where
columns and arches form corridors, and support several
large domes and smaller cupolas, richly ornamented,
which cover the marble tombs. This monument of
Mahomedan splendour was erected seven hundred years
ago, and is still held in great veneration.
In the year 1078 of the Christian aera, and 492 of
the Mahomedan hegira, while the government of the
Hindoo rajahs remained undisturbed in this part of
Hindostan, a Mussulman saint, called Baba-Rahan,
came into the Baroche country from Bagdad, accom
panied by a number of fakeers and dervises, to convert
the Hindoos to Islamism ; but the saint, like many
other Mahomedan champions, after a successful mis
sion, no longer trusting to the persuasive powers of
eloquence, drew the sword of intolerant zeal to increase
the number of true believers, and caused such dis
turbances in the province, that the rajah of Baroche
sent his son, Roy-Currun, to oppose him with a con
siderable force. Baba-Rahan, not thinking it prudent

ROYAL CONVERTS. 487
to contend with so powerful an antagonist, entered
into a treaty with the young prince, and in a few days
converted him to the tenets of the Koran, and gave
him the name of Mullick Mahomed. By their united
endeavours, the princess Bhaga, the rajah's daughter,
embraced the new religion ; and many other Hindoos,
following the example of the royal converts, left the
shrines of Brahma, and became disciples of Baba-
Rahan. But as the most pure and peaceable of all
religions has been too often perverted to the most cruel
purposes, when ambition, interest, or misguided zeal
have spread their pernicious effects, so it was with
these Mahomedans ; for the prince of Baroche, for
getting every moral and filial duty, took up arms
against his father, and was killed in an engagement
near Bawrhan, where the bodies of himself, his sister,
and a number of converts who fell in the action, were
interred. Soon after this catastrophe Baba-Rahan
made his peace with the rajah, and at his death was
buried on this sacred mount.
When this country was settled under the Mogul
government a prince named Jengis Shah erected a
mausoleum over the graves of the saint and his dis
ciples ; future nabobs added to the embellishments, and
ordered their remains to be interred in this holy spot,
at the same time endowing lands to keep the buildings
in repair ; but during the lapse of time these bequests
have been converted to other purposes, and the whole
is in a state of decay.
An evening walk to Bawhran was one of my favorite
excursions ; the prospect from the upper terrace was
extensive and delightful; the breeze over the lake re
freshing ; and the scene altogether formed for medita-

488 HINDOOS AND MAHOMEDANS.
tion. Monkeys, squirrels, doves, and pea-fowl, animated
the groves; the decayed parts of the building were occu
pied by bats, owls, and noxious reptiles, the usual
inhabitants of desolation. Some of the dark sepul
chral chambers contained fragments of sculpture, and
other decorations, rudely heaped together from the
mouldering tombs ; but the stench of the bats, which
were of a very large size, was so intolerable that it was
impossible to remain many seconds to examine them.
Whatever might have been the animosities between
the Hindoos and Mahomedans in the time of Baba-
Rahan, or during subsequent periods, it is certain that
now the professors of both religions have acquired a
habit of looking on each other with an eye of indul
gence unusual in other countries between those who
maintain such opposite tenets.
We had no invidious distinction between Mahome
dan and Hindoo at Baroche ; but a very unpleasant
schism existed among the Parsees, who formed a con
siderable part of its inhabitants.
However delightful it is to cherish the idea of such
liberal opinions among the Hindoos and Mahomedans
in the British settlements, it is well known there exist
under the Turkish and Persian governments thousands
of intolerant bigots, who act diametrically opposite to
those philanthropical sentiments, and pervert certain
passages of the Koran to the most cruel and diabolical
purposes. In this number, few have been more active,
determined, and powerful than the late Tippoo Sultaun,
whose misguided zeal led him to commit the most
atrocious cruelties.
I need not particularize the inhabitants of Baroche ;
the Hindoos are much the same every where. The

RAJHPOOTS. 489
high Moguls and other Mahomedans at Baroche and
Surat are a dignified, polite, and respectable people.
In the Baroche purgunna were many families of the
Rajhpoots, or Rajhputs, a noble race of Hindoos,
divided into distinct tribes, and settled in various dis
tricts, chiefly in the northern parts of Hindostan.
Some of the highest distinction trace their origin to
the suryabans, or children of the sun, and in that
respect vie with the incas of Peru. This celestial
descent is confined to few families ; but the Rajhpoots
all pride themselves on their noble ancestry, and sel
dom disgrace their pedigree by an ignoble action. I
became acquainted with several in Guzerat who con
firmed these sentiments, and I knew some of their
females, who considered themselves very superior to
the surrounding Hindoos. The Rajhpoots make the
best soldiers in the country; imbued with a noble
spirit, great energy, and generally of an athletic form,
they have the grand essentials of a military character,
and are highly respected by all the other castes.
Some of the Rajhpoot tribes can furnish from twenty
to thirty thousand fighting-men. In Mr. Hunter's
journey from Agra to Oujein, we find the decendants
of one of their princes at this time able to raise forty-
one thousand troops, which he particularly specifies as
to number and family. The tribe to which they be
long is named Cuchwdha, and is of the suryabans, ro
children of the sun, being descended from Rama, the
celebrated rajah of Ayodhya.
So noble and distinct a race of people, more or less
dispersed throughout the northern provinces, deserves
our notice. The character they every where preserve,
of a dignified martial spirit, throws light on the fol-

490 A SACRIFICE.
lowing anecdote, and shows the insufficiency of the
English laws among such a people.
About four years before my appointment to Baroche,
some Mahomedans, walking through a village where
a family of Rajhpoots resided, approached their house,
and accidentally looked into a room where an elderly
woman was eating. They intended no insult; they
saw her at her meal, and immediately retired : but
this accident occasioned a disgrace on the Rajhpoot
lady for which, on her part, there could be no expia
tion. She at that time lived with her grandson, a
fine young man, who was absent when the Mahome
dans committed their trespass : on his return home
she related the circumstance, and her determination
not to survive it ; she therefore entreated him in
stantly to put her to death, a step which she had only
deferred that she might fall by his hand. The youth's
affection and good sense induced him to remonstrate
with his venerable parent, whom he endeavoured to
dissuade from her purpose by alleging that none but
her own family knew of the disgrace, the very men
who were the innocent cause of it being unconscious
of the offence. Persevering however in her resolution,
but unable to persuade either her grandson, or any
other person, to perform the sacrifice, she calmly
waited until he next went from home, and then beat
her head against the wall, with dreadful violence. On
his return he found his venerable parent in this ago
nizing and shocking state ! She again entreated he
would finish the sacrifice, and release her from mi
sery: he then stabbed her to the heart. By the
English laws he was secured as a. murderer, sent to
Bombay for trial, and confined in the common prison

TRIAL AND SENTENCE. 491
until the ensuing sessions. The grand-jury found a
bill for murder; the petty jury, composed half of
Europeans and half of natives, found him guilty ; and
the judges condemned him to death. The Rajhpoots
in general have a noble mien and dignified character;
their high caste is stamped in their countenance: this
young man possessed them all. I saw him receive
his sentence, not only with composure, but with a
.mingled look of disdain and delight not easy to de
scribe. Unconscious of the crime laid to his charge,
he said he had nothing to accuse himself of but dis
obedience to his parent, by permitting humanity and
filial affection to supersede his duty, and the honour
of his caste : that life was no longer desirable ; nor,
if acquitted by the English laws, would he survive the
ignominy of having been confined with European cul
prits, and criminals of the lowest castes, with whom
he had been compelled to eat, and associate in a com
mon prison ; acts so contrary to every thing which he
esteemed right and honourable, that the sooner he
was transferred to another state of existence the bet
ter. However inclined the government might be to
clemency, it would evidently have been fruitless ; the
noble Rajhpoot would not survive the disgrace, and
the sentence of the law was executed, in the hope it
might prevent others from following his example.
The same motive operated in another instance which
happened at Bombay about ten years before; and
this, as well as the preceding trial of the Rajhpoot, is
entered in the proceedings of the Court of Sessions.
One of those Hindoo visionaries, whom I have fre
quently described, lived in the cocoa-nut woods at
Bombay, in the neighbourhood of several Hindoo and

492 ANOTHER SACRIFICE.
Mahomedan families ; he was a man of an amiable
character, in the prime of life, married, and the father
of four young children. Although the Christian sab
bath is not held sacred by the Indians, yet in com
pliance with the English laws no shops are opened,
and no business transacted among the natives. Be
coming consequently a leisure day, they consider it a
holiday, and generally retire to their country-houses
and gardens ; or walk on a sandy beach near the sea,
called Back-bay, a pleasant spot two or three miles in
extent, bounded on one side by the sea, on the other by
the cocoa-nut woods where this Hindoo resided. One
Sunday afternoon he desired his wife to prepare her
self and the children for a walk on the beach ; from
whence he intended to accompany them on a longer
journey: on inquiring whither, he informed her he
had received an invitation from the deity to go to
heaven, and take his family with him ; that they were
to proceed by water, and depart from Back-bay.
Thither the parents repaired with the children ; the
two eldest walked before them to the sea-side, and
each carried an infant: in this manner they walked
into the water. Hitherto there was nothing extraor
dinary in their conduct had there been strangers on
the beach, because the Hindoos are more or less in
the water throughout the day in their usual attire,
performing ablutions and religious ceremonies, espe
cially the females. What arguments or influence this
Hindoo used to induce his wife to comply with his
singular desire, is foreign to the subject ; it is certain
the infatuated parents drove their two eldest children
into the sea, and saw them carried off by the waves.
After plunging the helpless infants into the same

EXECUTION OF A HINDOO. 493
abyss, the wife voluntarily followed : the husband was
deliberately drowning himself, when he suddenly re
collected, that, living under the English government,
the disappearance of a family without any apparent
cause, might involve his neighbours in trouble; he
therefore determined to return once more to his habi
tation before his final departure, and inform them of
the truth : he accordingly did so. The Hindoos re
ceived the intelligence very calmly, and some of them,
probably, applauded his conduct ; but a Mahomedan
among the number of his auditors, said the communi
cation was so extraordinary, that as they did live
under the English government, whose laws and cus
toms so essentially differed from the Hindoo system,
it might be difficult to convince them of the truth,
and therefore the enthusiast must accompany him be
fore a magistrate, and relate the story himself. With
this he reluctantly complied, and they repaired toge
ther to the acting magistrate in the town of Bombay ;
who thought it an affair of such importance, that he
placed the man under a guard, and the next morning
convened a bench of justices, who committed him for
trial at the ensuing sessions, where he was found
guilty of murder, condemned, and executed. The
only circumstance which caused him distress, was the
procrastination of his change in the metempsychosis,
and not being permitted to accomplish his exit in the
manner he had intended.
In confirmation of such extraordinary facts, and at
the same time to shew the cruelty which the Brahmins
frequently commit, I shall insert two or three instances
communicated by Lord Teignmouth to the Asiatic

494 EXTRAORDINARY FACTS.
Society, which throw further light on their manners
and customs.
In 1791, Soodishter Mier, a Brahmin, the far
mer of land paying revenue, and tenant of tax free
land, in the province of Benares, was summoned to
appear before a native officer, the deputy collector of
the district where he resided. He positively refused
to obey the summons, which was repeated without
effect ; and after some time several people were de
puted to enforce the process by compelling his attend
ance. On their approaching the house he cut off the
head of his deceased son's widow, and threw it out.
His first intention was to destroy his own wife ; but
it was proved in evidence, that, upon his indication
of so doing his son's widow requested him to decapi
tate her, which he instantly did. In this case the pro
cess against Soodishter was regular, his disobedience
contemptuous, his situation in life entitled him to no
particular exemption, he had nothing to apprehend
from obeying the requisition, and he was certain of
redress if injury or injustice were practised upon
him. Another Brahmin, named Baloo Paundeh, in
1793, was convicted of the murder of his daughter.
His own account of the transaction will best explain
it, and his motives ; I give it in abstract. That about
twelve years before the period of the murder, he,
Baloo, and another man were joint tenants and cul
tivators of a spot of ground, when his partner
relinquished his share. In 1793 this partner again
brought forward a claim to a share in the ground :
the claim was referred to arbitration, and a decision

MATRICIDE. 495
was pronounced in favour of Baloo. He conse
quently repaired to the land, and was ploughing it,
when he was interrupted by his opponent. The
words of Baloo are as follows : " I became angry
and enraged at his forbidding me ; and, bringing my
own little daughter Apmunya, who was only a year
and a half old, to the said field, I killed her with
my sword."
The last instance is an act of matricide, perpetrated
by Beechuck and Adher, two brothers, Brahmins, and
Zemindars, or proprietors of landed estates, the extent of
which did not exceed eight acres. There had been a
dispute among the Zemindars respecting the revenues
of the village, particularly with a person named
Gowry, and the immediate cause which instigated
the Brahmins to murder their mother, was an act
of violence said to have been committed by the
emissaries of Gowry in entering their house during
their absence at night, and carrying off forty rupees,
the property of Beechuk and Adher, from the
apartments of their women. Beechuk first returned
to his house ; where his mother, his wife, and his
sister-in-law, related what had happened. He imme
diately conducted his mother to an adjoining rivulet ;
where, being joined in the grey of the morning by
his brother Adher, they called out aloud to the
people of the village, that although they would over
look the assault as an act which could not be reme
died, the forty rupees must be returned. To this
exclamation no answer was received, nor is there a
certainty that it was even heard by any person.
Beechuck, without further hesitation, drew his

496 MATRICIDE.
scimitar, and at one stroke severed his mother's
head from her body ; with the professed view, as en
tertained and avowed both by parent and son, that
the mother's spirit, excited by the beating of a large
drum during forty days, might for ever haunt, tor
ment, and pursue to death Gowry and the others
concerned with him. The last words which the
mother pronounced were, that she would " blast the
said Gowry and those connected with him."

SHOOTING PARTIES. 497

CHAPTER XXII.
Excursion of a Shooting Party in Turcaseer — Wild Beasts —
Monkeys — Bheels — Serpents — Locusts — Feathered Game of
Guzerat — Anecdote of a Sahras — Baubul, or Acacia — Curious
Instinct and Sagacity in the Baubul Caterpillar — Further De
scription of the Baya, or Bottle-nested Sparrow — Instinct of
various Animals — Raje-pipley Hills — Tiger Mountain — Num
ber of wild Animals in those unfrequented Regions — Various
Habits of Tigers — Of Hyenas and other Beasts of Prey —
Rhinoceros — Wild Hogs — Bears — Anecdote of their dreadful
Brutality. During my residence at Baroche I frequently joined
the English chief on hunting and shooting parties
in the neighbouring districts : not that I had any
pleasure in those diversions, but his tents being often
pitched in unfrequented forests, and savage tracts,
little known to Europeans, I had an opportunity of
exploring scenes of nature, which, on account of wild
beasts and wilder men, it would have been impossi
ble to have traversed without a strong and expensive
guard. The most interesting of these excursions occurred
the year after my arrival at Baroche, when the sport
ing camp was formed in the environs of Turcaseer, a
small Mahratta town which gives name to ruined
districts once populous and cultivated, then con
taining only two inhabited villages, .and the shabby
vol. I. 2 k

498 WILD BEASTS.
capital. A scene so contrasted to the futile plains
in the Baroche purgunna, afforded me a fund of
novelty and amusement ; the woods and forests
were filled with tigers, hyenas, wolves, jackals, elks,
antelopes, spotted-deer, and a variety of smaller
game. We continued some time at Turcaseer, and then
moved on, in the patriarchal style, from place to
place, as shade, water, and game attracted us. The
different quadrupeds just mentioned were occasion
ally seen ; peacocks, doves, and squirrels, unaccus
tomed to molestation, approached our tents with
familiarity ; while monkeys in great number diverted
us with their playfulness and cunning devices to
purloin the bottled-beer, fruit, or any delicacy that
suited their taste. The Chinese are said to eat
monkeys ; but I never heard of any caste, tribe, or
individual in Hindostan using them for food ; not
even the Pariahs and Chandalas, who eat carrion and
offal of every description.
The surrounding districts were nearly as wild and
uncultivated as Turcaseer : the wildness increased as
we approached the Raje-pipley hills, and there every
trace of agriculture and population ceased. The only
human inhabitants are a set of cruel robbers called
Bheels, more barbarous than the beasts among whom
they dwell.
The serpents, reptiles, and insects in these wilds were
varied and beautiful, particularly some of the cicadae
and locusts ; that called the creeping leaf was to be
seen in great variety ; they are not easily distinguished
from the plants on which they feed. Guanas, cameleons,
and lizards of every description abounded; some of the

locusts. 499
latter, basking in the sun, appeared in alternate stripes
of blue and gold ; and a large kind of locust was ar
rayed in the same splendid hues.
Many of these insects, when separately viewed, are
extremely curious, and very pretty ; but, considered
collectively, as destroyers of a country, they appear in
an awful light. Desolation and famine mark their
progress ; the face of the country is covered with them
for many miles ; all the expectations of the husband
man vanish ; his fields, which the rising sun beheld
covered with luxuriance, are before evening a desert ;
the produce of his garden and orchards is equally de
stroyed: for where these destructive swarms alight,
not a leaf is left upon the trees, a blade of grass in the
pasture, nor an ear of corn in the field ; all wears
the marks of dreadful devastation ; vegetation being no
more renewed until the next rainy season. The locusts
not only cause a famine, by destroying the produce of the
country, but in districts near the sea, where they had
been drowned, they have occasioned a pestilence, from
the putrid effluvia of immense numbers blown upon
the coast, or thrown up by the tides. In India they
are not near so pernicious as in Arabia, and many
parts of Africa. "Soon after my arrival at Baroche I
saw a flight of locusts extending above a mile in
length, and half as much in breadth ; they appeared,
as the sun was in the meridian, like a black cloud at
a distance : as they approached, the density of the host
obscured the solar rays, cast an awful gloom, like that
of an eclipse, over the garden, aud caused a noise like
the rushing of a torrent. They were near an hour in
passing over our little territory ; I need not say with
2k2

500 LOCUSTS.
what an anxious eye we marked their pi'ogr ss, fear
ful lest the delicacies of our garden should allure them
to a repast. We picked up a few stragglers, but the
main body took a western direction, and without set
tling in the country most probably perished in the
gulph of Cambay. A few months afterwards a much
larger army alighted on the opposite side of the Ner
budda, destroyed every vegetable production through
out the Occlaseer purgunna, and gave the whole coun
try the appearance of having been burnt. Each of
these flights were brought by an east wind, from
whence I cannot say : they completely realized the
picture so affectingly recorded in Holy Writ : " The
Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day,
and all that night, and when it was morning the east
wind brought the locusts, and the locusts went up
over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts
of Egypt ; very grievous were they ; for they covered
the face of the whole earth, so that the land was dark
ened, and they did eat every herb of the land, and all
the fruit of the trees, and there remained not any green
thing on the trees, or in the herbs of the field throughout
all the land of Egypt." — Exodus, ch. x.ver. 13 — 15.
It has been a matter of dispute between learned
commentators on the scriptures, whether the animals
mentioned by Moses in the miraculous supply of food
for the Israelites in the wilderness, were quails or lo
custs. Our translators render them the former ; but,
from the description given by the sacred historian,
and from what I observed of locusts, I rather incline
to the opinion of Ludolphus, and the late Bishop of
Clogher, that they were locusts, and not quails, which

feathered game. 501
the children of Israel ate in the desert. Moses says,
" There went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought
quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as
it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a
day's journey on the other side, round about the camp,
and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the
earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all
that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the
quails ; he that gathered least gathered ten homers ;
and they spread them all abroad for themselves round
about the camp." — Numbers, ch. xi. ver. 31, 32.
The Nerbudda is enlivened by fourteen different
kinds of wild-ducks ; some are extremely beautiful in
their plumage, and many roost on trees. Pelicans,
spoon-bills, white and rose-coloured flamingos, storks,
cranes, and a variety of aquatic birds frequent the
lakes and marshes ; woodcocks are sometimes seen in
the cool season ; snipes are more common, and im
mense flocks of wheat-ears and ortolans emigrate from
distant countries during the harvest. The common
partridge in shape and plumage is very like that in
England; the feathers of that called the black-par
tridge are peculiarly rich ; the quails are excellent.
The florican, or curmoor, (otis houbara, Lin.) exceeds
all the Indian wild-fowl in delicacy of flavour ; its
varied plumage, lofty carriage, and tuft of black fea
thers, falling gracefully from its head, make him one
of the most elegant birds in India ; it is of the bustard
species, but much smaller than the English otis.
Green pigeons, doves, and the usual variety of song
sters, animated the woods of Turcaseer.
The cullum, or large crane, similar to the demoi
selle of Numidia (ardeavirgo, Lin.) is a majestic bird;

502 A CAPTURED SAHRAS.
some when erect are near six feet high ; the sahras or
cyrus, a bird of the same genus, equals it in sta
ture, and excels it in the beauty of its plumage, being
generally of an azure hue, with a crimson head.
The mention of these birds induces me to transcribe
a circumstance from my memoranda, which, if not
otherwise interesting, affords an additional instance of
the instinct and memory of birds, to those related by
Buffon, Goldsmith, and other naturalists.
Riding out one evening in the Dhuboy district, I
left my hackery and atendants at a village, and taking
my book retired as usual, with only one peon, to walk
in the corn-fields; where, amidst a crop of juaree, I
saw a large flock of cullums and sahrases, devouring
their share of the harvest. On our approach they all
flew away, except one young sahras, who, being too
weak to escape, was caught by the peon. He very con
tentedly ate some juarree out of my hand, and we car
ried him to Dhuboy, where he became quite domes
ticated. At Baroche he was equally beloved and ca
ressed by all the family. Our garden-house was about
a mile from the west gate of that city ; the sahras ge
nerally walked thither at the dinner hour of the gar
rison ; he wras always a welcome guest, both with the
Europeans and sepoys, and ate as much of their rice
and cutcheree as he chose. This bird, when he at
tained his full growth, was near six feet high ; with
beautiful plumage, an elegant form, and stately air,
blended with a pleasant familiarity. We were then
preparing to leave India, and, however agreeable the
sahras might be in the extensive precincts of a villa,
I was fearful his size and appetite might cause him to
be considered in a less favourable light as a passenger

ANECDOTE. 503
on board a crowded Indiaman : therefore, on embark
ing for England, I gave him to a friend, who went in
another ship with fewer incumbrances. On our arri
val the gentleman informed me the bird had made a
pleasant voyage, was welcomed to every mess by the
good natured sailors, and soon after landing had been
given to a friend, to oblige a nobleman from whom he
had received particular favours.
Nine years afterwards I went with a party to Park-
place, near Henley, then belonging to general Conway.
After we had been delighted with the pleasing variety
of those lovely scenes, we visited the menagerie.
Among other birds, a sahras, in a state of confinement,
immediately brought my former friend to my recol
lection ; nor could I help remarking, with some em
phasis, the resemblance between them. On hearing
my voice, the bird flapped his wings, pushed his head
through the bars of the enclosure, and shewed signs of
joy and impatience, which surprised us all, especially
the gardener, who declared he had never seen him in
such a transport. On telling him I believed the sahras
was an old acquaintance, he thought it impossible, as
his lady had possessed it several years, and had been
assured it was the only living bird of his species in
England. The more I noticed it, the more affec
tionate and violent were its gestures ; until a senti
ment of feeling, a mutual sympathy, or mutual instinct,
convinced me it was my sahras. Upon further inves
tigation I found this bird had been given to the lady
by the nobleman to whom it was presented on its ar
rival. This anecdote being related at Park-place,
procured us the kindest attentions from the hospitable
owners, and gave rise to a correspondence between the

504 AROMATIC PLANTS.
general and myself. The bird died in the following
winter. I had drawn its portrait in India ; a recollec
tion of its affectionate attachment induces me to offer
it among those selected for engraving ; for which, and
the prolixity of the anecdote, I trust I shall be excused
by every heart of sensibility.
A number of curious trees, shrubs, and aromatic
plants, adorn the wilds of Turcaseer ; among them are
extensive forests of the baubul tree, the acacia, or
Egyptian thorn, much esteemed in the materia-medica
of the ancients for its gum, which it produces in great
abundance, with every property of gum-arabic. The
leaves, like all the mimosa tribe, are pinnated, the
branches covered with sharp white thorns, adorned with
clusters of fragrant globular blossoms, in great pro
fusion ; pink, yellow, or white ; the most beautiful is
an oblong flower, the lower part nearest the stalk of a
delicate rose-colour, the other half a bright yellow:
the gum oozes from the bark on the trunk and larger
branches. The flowers are not converted to any pur
pose that I have known in India, but it is said the
Chinese extract from them a valuable yellow dye.
The baubul tree afforded a curious specimen of in
sect sagacity in the caterpillars' nests, suspended by
thousands to the branches. This little animal, consci
ous of its approaching change, and the necessity of
security in its helpless state as a chrysalis, instinctively
provides itself a strong mansion during that metamor
phosis. As a caterpillar it is furnished with very strong
teeth ; with them it saws off a number of thorns, the
shortest about an inch long, and glues them together
in a conical form, the points all tending to one direc
tion, the extremity terminating with the longest and

caterpillars' nests. 505
sharpest. This singular habitation is composed of
about twenty thorns for the exterior, lined with a coat
of silk, similar to the cone of the silk worm, suspended
to the tree by a strong ligament of the same material.
In this asylum the baubul caterpillar retires to its
long repose ; and, armed with such formidable weapons,
bids defiance to birds, beasts, and serpents, by which it
might otherwise be devoured. When the season of
emancipation arrives, and the chrysalis is to assume a
new character in the papilis tribe, the insect emerges
from the fortress, expands its beautiful wings, and
with thousands of fluttering companions, released at
the same season from captivity, sallies forth to enjoy
its short-lived pleasures. Paley has happily defined
instinct to be a propensity prior to experience, and in
dependent of instruction.
" Whether with reason, or with instinct blest,
Know all enjoy that power which suits them best ;
And reason raise o'er instinct as you can,
In this 'tis God directs, in that 'tis man." Pope.
Addison pertinently and beautifully asks, " What
can we call that principle which directs every different
kind of bird to observe a particular plan in the struc
ture of its nest, and directs all of the same species to
work after the same model r It cannot be imitation ;
for though you hatch a crow under a hen, and never
let it see any of the works of its own kind, the nest it
makes shall be the same, to the laying of a stick, with
all the other nests of the same species. It cannot be
reason ; for were animals endued with it to as great a
degree as man, their buildings would be as different as
ours, according to the different conveniences that they

506 FORESTS OF TURCASEER.
would propose to themselves. Animals in their gene
ration are wiser than the children of men ; but their
wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a
very narrow compass. Take a brute out of his instinct,
and you find him wholly deprived of understanding."
The baubul trees are also covered by pensile nests of
the baya, or bottle-nested sparrow, which I have for
merly described. These birds seemed to have formed
immense colonies in the wilds of Turcaseer, and most
of the acacia forests in Guzerat ; from fifty to a hun
dred nests are often suspended from one tree, each
containing a numerous family.
Few situations afford more variety than the forests
of Turcaseer ; I only laid aside my pencil to traverse
those solitary wilds, and procure new subjects, while my
attentive friends brought me every thing curious from
their distant excursions. One of our keenest sports
men left the party for a few days, with some expert
Indian marksmen, to explore the Raje-pipley hills, and
shoot on Bhaug-Doongur, the " Tiger-mountain" a
spot abounding with tigers, leopards, hyenas, and wild
beasts of various descriptions. There, for the first time,
he saw the mountain-goat (capra ibex Lin.) an animal
resembling the steinbock, or bouquetin of Switzerland.
In a narrow defile, where they were stationed for the
destruction of tigers, a male elk, (cervus alces, Lin.) of
noble appearance, followed by twenty-two females,
passed majestically under their platform, each as large
as a common-sized horse. They shot one, but being
obliged to leave it, in pursuit of royal game, on their
return next morning they found it nearly devoured by
beasts of prey.
They saw many other herds of elks, and a great va-

TIGERS. 507
riety of deer, but never met with the niel ghou, or blue
ox, though they seem to partake much more of the
deer than the ox. These animals were frequently
brought to Baroche and Surat as a curiosity from other
parts of India.
There were no lions in that part of India ; the royal
tiger was considered as the lord of the forest, and a
more powerful animal cannot easily be conceived.
The adventures and escapes of our sportsmen from
these ferocious beasts, and their encounter with boars,
hyenas, and other savage monsters, highly entertained
us in the tents. Distance of time, and the death of
most of the party, deprive them of interest.
Some tigers in Turcaseer were nearly as large and
ferocious as those in the Sunderbunds of Bengal, and
were said to equal the largest ever killed there ; one of
which measured fourteen feet from the tip of the nose
to the extremity of the tail, was four feet high at the
shoulder, and the circumference of his foot near the paw
twenty-six inches. Every action of the tiger confirms
Captain Williamson's idea, that it so closely resembles
the cat that the latter may be deemed a tiger in minia
ture. Their motions, tempers, habits, are all precisely
similar ; and, except in the number of young usually
borne at a litter, it would perhaps be difficult to point
out any distinguishing trait. They have two, three,
and sometimes five cubs at a litter, seldom so many ;
they attain their full growth at two years of age. They
are, generally speaking, very pusillanimous. It hap
pens but rarely that they act openly, even in situations
where persons may unhappily be exposed completely
to their assaults.
" They are extremely averse to fire ; but when hungry,

508 TIGERS.
nothing will deter them from their object. The
dawks, or posts, throughout India, travel on foot, one
man carrying the mail over his shoulder, accom
panied at night, as also through all suspicious places in
the day-time, by one or more men with small drums,
and eventually a teereudaur, or archer. Yet this pre
caution does not suffice to intimidate the ravenous ani
mal during the day, however great his antipathy to
noise, any more than two strong flambeaux which the
postman has at night. An instance is well known of
a tiger occupying a spot in Goomeah-pass for near a
fortnight, during which time he daily carried away a
man ; generally one of the postmen. At one time he
was disappointed of his meal, as he by mistake carried
off the leather bag instead of its bearer ; but the fol
lowing night he seized one of the torchmen, and soon
disappeared with him.
" A melancholy proof exists of the little respect a
tiger pays to fire when hard put to for a meal, in the
well-known fact of a young gentleman of a respectable
family, and of the most amiable qualifications, having
been taken away by one when benighted on Sanger's
island, at the entrance of the Hooghly river, as a party
were sitting by a fire which had been kindled for the
purpose of security : the tiger sprung through the
flames, and carried off the unfortunate victim in spite
of the efforts of his companions, who were well pro
vided with fire arms.
" The number of stragglers taken by tigers from a
line of march, when troops are proceeding through a
close country, would surprise persons unaccustomed
to such events ; three sentries have been carried off in
one night, besides several camp-followers, who fell

TIGERS. 509
victims to their impatience in their attempts to get a-
head of the line, by taking short cuts through the
jungles." The tiger will eat nothing but what he destroys
himself. The hyena, sya-gush, and even the leopard,
will, on emergencies, act otherwise. The lion, with
respect to eating, has the same propensity as the tiger,
and in many instances they seem to blend something
noble with their ferocity. These animals generally ap
pear to have their own walks in the solitary regions
which they inhabit, and are seldom seen more than
two together. For several miles in extent, the Turca
seer forests, in the dry season, are destitute of water.
There was a pool in a wild part, whither the natives
informed us the savage race nightly resorted to drink ;
which they .could only approach by one narrow pass.
One of our sportsmen had a platform fixed among the
branches of a lofty tree overhanging this path, where
he passed two moon-light nights, and was highly gra
tified with his success. Among the variety of animals
which went to the water, he saw five royal tigers
marching together, which the Indians reckon a very
extraordinary circumstance.
The rhinoceros is not uncommon in some of the
Bengal provinces, and other parts of Hindostan fre
quented by the wild elephant, with whom it often has
a desperate engagement.
Next to the rhinoceros and buffalo, the wild boar is
perhaps one of the most ferocious animals in India ;
and not only fierce, but so swift, that few of the savage
tribes afford more variety of diversion to sportsmen.
Their chief abode is in the jungles and forests ; but
when the grain is nearly ripe they do great mischief in

510 WILD HOGS.
the corn-fields, especially in sugar plantations, as they
are extremely fond of the sugar-cane. The sows have
very large litters of pigs, which are soon able to shift
for themselves. There is a great variety in the form
and colour of the wild hogs : the former varies accord
ing to the season. When the sugar cane is full of
juice, and the corn ripe, the hog is large and heavy ;
during a scarcity of food, he becomes meagre, light,
and grim. When hunted in the proper season, we fre
quently had a young boar barbacued, or roasted with
spices and Madeira wine, in a sylvan style of cookery,
which afforded a sumptuous feast. The largest boars
are from three to four feet high at the shoulder ; their
tusks are five or six inches from the sockets, which
render them a formidable adversary.
Not only the wild hogs, but bears, porcupines, and
many other animals are particularly fond of the sugar
cane, which supplies them with food and beverage of
a delicious kind : and affording a cool retreat in hot
weather, causes their incursions to be attended with
incalculable mischief. Bears abound in many moun
tainous tracts of Hindostan : their natural history is too
well known to need a description ; but Captain
Williamson mentions some traits in their character of
less publicity. This gentleman says, it has often been
in his way to see the operation of bears, and he is
confident that no animals are more cruel, more fierce,
nor more implacable. Such as have suffered under
their brutality have, in all instances within his know
ledge, borne the proofs of having undergone the most
dilatory torments, some having their bones macerated
with little breaking of the skin, with others their flesh
was sucked away into long fibrous remnants, and

FEROCITY OF BEARS. 511
in one instance the most horrid brutality was dis
played. Whilst stationed at Dacca, Captain Williamson
went with a party seyeral times to Tergong, about
five miles from thence. They had on many occasions
seen bears among the wild mango topes, and did not
consider them so dangerous, until one day returning
with another gentleman from hunting some hog-deer,
they heard a most lamentable outcry in the cover
through which they had to pass. Being provided
with guns and spears they alighted, not doubting but
a leopard was attacking some unfortunate wood-cutter.
They met a poor woman, whose fears had deprived
her of speech, and whose senses were just flitting; she
however collected herself sufficiently to pronounce the
word bauloo, which^ signifies a bear. She led them
with caution to a spot not more than fifty yards
distant, where they fouud her husband extended on
the ground, his hands and feet sucked, and chewed into
a perfect pulp ; the teguments of the limbs in general
drawn from under the skin ; and the skull mostly laid
bare ; the skin of it hanging down in long strips, obvi
ously effected by the talons. What was most wonderful,
the unhappy man retained his senses sufficiently to
decribe that he had been attacked by several bears,
the woman said seven ; one of which had embraced
him while the others clawed him about the head and
bit at his arms and legs, seemingly in competition for
the booty. The gentlemen conveyed the wretched
object to the house ; where, in a few hours, death
released him from a state in which no human being
could afford the smallest assistance !

512 DHUBOY.

CHAPTER XXIII.
Appointment to Dhuboy — Revenue of the Purgunna — General
Division of Hindostan — City of Dhuboy — Inhabitants — Sacred
Groves — Chandode — Zinore — Ranghur — Bhaderpoor — Mon
keys — Curious Anecdote of their Agency — Powaghur— Source
of the Nerbudda — Story of Narmada from the Hindoo Mythology
— Uncharitableness of the Brahmins — Low Estate of the Chan
dala Caste — Cruelty of the Jaina Brahmins — Singular Anecdotes
of Religious Hindoos — Comparison between the Porticos at
Dhuboy and Pompeia — Expense of the Dhuboy Fortifications —
Gate of Diamonds — Lines on a celebrated Picture by Guercino
— Serpents at Dhuboy — Guardians to Nero — Story of the
Origin and Magnificence of Dhuboy — Its Destruction by the
Mahomedans, and subsequent History — Custom of giving a
new name to Oriental Cities — Dhuboy surrounded by the
Mahratta Army.
When Dhuboy was made winter quarters for the
Bombay army, during the Mahratta campaign in
1775, I little thought it would so soon belong to the
East India Company, and that I should be entrusted
with its government ; a situation to which I was
appointed in 1780, on its being surrendered to General
Goddard, in command of the detachment from the
Bengal army. Dhuboy, Zinore, Bhaderpoor, with
the little district of Chandode, were thus placed under
my jurisdiction as collector of the revenue for the
India Company.
Dhuboy is the capital of a purgunna or district, of

CITY OF DHUBOY. 513
the same name, in the province of Guzerat, which
contains eighty-four villages, and yields a revenue of
four lacs of rupees, about fifty thousand pounds ster
ling, per annum. The produce of the Dhuboy district
consists of batty, bajaree, juaree, and smaller grain ;
with some cotton, mowrah, seeds for oil in great
variety, and shrubs for dying. Batty may be termed
the staple grain of this purgunna ; the others bear
only a small proportion, and wheat is seldom sown.
The city of Dhuboy, upwards of two miles in extent,
forms nearly a square ; fortified in the Indian manner,
with a high wall and fifty two irregular towers. At
each angle is a round tower, surmounted by a cavalier
bastion. In the centre of each face is a double gate
of hewn stone, richly ornamented, with a spacious area
between them. Dhuboy at that time contained only
forty thousand inhabitants, mostly Hindoos, includ
ing a very large proportion of Brahmins. There are
three hundred Mahomedan families ; but no Parsees yet
settled in this city : the magnificent remains of public
buildings, and the site of numerous houses in a ruinous
state, indicate it to have been, at a former period, a
place of great importance, and much more populous.
The manufactures chiefly consist of coarse dootes, sent
from home to be dyed at Surat for the Mocha and
Judda markets ; no very fine cottons are wove here ;
the common sort, dyed in the city, are generally for
home consumption. Ghee and the coarse cottons
called dootes, are the staple commodities of Dhuboy.
The customs collected in the capital, and at the naukas
or smaller custom houses in the pergunna, seldom
exceed sixteen thousand rupees a-year.
Within the walls is a tank lined with hewn stone,
VOL. I. 2 L

514 A FESTIVAL.
and a flight of steps all around, three quarters of a
mile in circumference ; part of it was then much out
of repair: its first cost exceeded five lacs of rupees,
or sixty thousand pounds. This magnificent reservoir
is supplied with water, not only by the periodical rains,
but also from receptacles without the walls, by means
of a stone aqueduct communicating with the tank ;
which it enters under a small temple in the hallowed
groves of the Brahmins, forming a cascade with a
picturesque effect.
The opening this aqueduct at the commencement of
the rainy season, affords a festival to the inhabitants
for several days : like the Egyptians at the annual
rising of the Nile, they make religious processions to
the temples, and perform their flowery sacrifices in the
surrounding groves. The elders look on with com
placency, younger females dance on the banks, while
the boys rush into the foaming cataract, and swim about
the lake. This annual supply of water is far more
beneficial than the gifts of Bacchus in other coun
tries ; the peasants and their cattle here assuage
their thirst in seasons of draught, when the surround
ing reservoirs fail, and the small rivers are generally
exhausted. These dances were less formal, and more active than
any I had seen in India, unlike those of the dancing-
girls, and little resembling the English country-dance ;
the tune and figure seem both unstudied ; and the
songs which accompanied them, like the rhapsodies of
the Italian improvisatore, or those of their own Bhauts
and minstrels, were all extemporaneous effusions.
They reminded me of those which Lady Wortley
Montague describes among the modern Greeks ;

CHANDODE. 515
" whose manner of dancing is certainly the same
that Diana is said to have danced on the banks of
Eurotas. The great lady still leads the dance ; and is
followed by a troop of young girls, who imitate her
steps, and if she sings, make up the chorus. The
tunes are extremely gay and lively, yet with something
in them wonderfully soft. The steps are varied, ac
cording to the pleasure of her who leads, but always
in exact time ; and infinitely more agreeable than
any of our dances."
During these festive rites the Brahmins offer sacri
fices, in the temples and adjoining groves, to the
different deities ; especially to Isa the god of nature,
and Indra, who presides over the seasons.
Chandode has rio fortification, being esteemed a
place of great sanctity by the Hindoos, and much re
spected by all other tribes. The detachment of horse
kept for the security of the Dhuboy districts, are par
ticularly useful about Zinore and Chandode, situated
near the Gracias, a most insolent and cruel set of
banditti. The Zinore purgunna contains fifty inhabited vil
lages ; the town of that name is open, large, and strag
gling, tolerably populous, situated on the steep banks
of the Nerbudda ; the deep gullies which nearly en
compass it are the only defence. The trade and
manufactures are similar to those at Dhuboy ; so is
the produce of the country, except that it bears less
rice, and a larger proportion of cotton. The customs
of Zinore and Naukas are usually about three thousand
rupees per annum.
The small compact gurry at Ranghur, strongly si-
" 2l2

516 BHADERPOOR.
tuated on the banks of the Nerbudda, eight miles
from Zinore, is now included in that purgunna.
Bhaderpoor, although dignified as a separate pur
gunna, does not with its whole district annually pro
duce so much as one of the best Dhuboy or Baroche
villages. The principal town, situated on the banks of
the Oze, is little more than seven miles from Dhuboy ;
some of its villages only three. Of these sixteen are
inhabited, many desolated, from the incursions of the
Bheels and Gracias. The produce is similar to that of
the Dhuboy purgunna ; the revenue, in tranquil times,
is sixteen thousand rupees ; the customs amount to
three or four thousand rupees per annum.
In Bhaderpoor is a small gurry for the protection of
the town. It contains the custom house and a few
other low buildings of poor materials, which were
burnt down by the Mahrattas, with a considerable part
of the gurry, when they found it would become
English property. I repaired the whole at a small
expense. I likewise put the fortifications and public
buildings at Dhuboy in the best possible repair.
The durbar, or governor's mansion, where I resided,
with its courts and gardens, occupied seven acres : it
was almost surrounded by the lake, except near the
principal gate, communicating with the town ; a pave
ment of large flat stones admirably united, formed a
dry walk at all seasons, above the steps of the tank,
shaded in most parts by lofty trees, and adorned with
fragrant shrubs ; through which only a few houses and
towers on the walls were visible ; so that from the win
dows of the durbar, overlooking the lake, everything
had more the appearance of a rural village than a

MONKEYS. 517
fortified city. Near the durbar was a small woody
island affording a nightly roost for cranes, kites, and
crows ; and shelter for a number of those immense
bats, not improperly called flying-foxes. To finish this
picturesque scene, a ruined Hindoo temple, nearly
covered with moss, and the clematis in great variety,
terminated the terrace walk in the garden, where the
animal creation had hitherto been so unmolested, that
my orange and lime trees were filled by peacocks, doves,
and bulbuls ; monkeys and squirrels feasted on my
pomegranates and custard-apples ; while pelicans, spoon
bills, and other aquatic birds occupied the lake.
The intrusion of the monkeys I could have dispensed
with ; their numbers were often formidable, and their
depredations serious. I believe there were as many
monkeys as human inhabitants in Dhuboy ; the roofs
and upper part of the houses seemed entirely appro
priated to their accommodation. While the durbar
was repairing, on my first arrival, I resided a short
time in one of the public streets ; the back of the
house was separated by a narrow court from that of a
principal Hindoo. It being the shady side, I generally
retired during the heat of the afternoon to a veranda,
and reposed on a sofa, with my book ; small pieces of
mortar and tiles frequently fell about me, to which,
supposing them to be occasioned by an eddy of wind,
I paid no attention, until one day, when I was so much
annoyed by their repetition, accompanied by an un
common noise, and a blow from a larger piece of tile
than usual, that I arose to discover the cause : and, to
my astonishment, saw the opposite roof covered with
monkeys, employed in assaulting the white stranger,
who had unwittingly offended by intruding so near

518 MONKEYS.
their domain. Although my situation invested me
with considerable power, and made me the first man
in the city, yet as I knew I could neither make
reprisals nor expect quarter from the enemy, I judged
it most prudent to abandon my lodging, and secure a
retreat. I do not imagine the inhabitants of Dhuboy protect
the monkeys from any other motive than humanity to
the brute creation, and their general belief in the
metempsychosis ; but in Malabar, and several other
parts of India, Dr. Fryer's assertion is very true, that
" to kill one of these apes the natives hold piacular ;
calling them half men ; and saying they once were men,
but for their laziness had tails given them, and hair to
cover them. Towards Ceylon they are deified ; and at
the straits of Balagat they pay them tribute."
I cannot omit mentioning one singular employment
in which the monkeys of Dhuboy are engaged. I be
lieve among the higher castes of the Hindoos duelling
is every where unknown, and the lower classes are
equally ignorant of the art of boxing ; but as even
Hindoos quarrel, though they do not often lose
their temper, one principal mode of offence is that of
abuse ; not by calling a man a rascal or a villain, for
that would neither lessen him in his own opinion, nor
in that of society ; but to abuse his mother, his wife,
his sister, or his daughter, would be esteemed the
grossest insult, and only to be reconciled by a more
abusive retaliation. If that is not accomplished, it
remains a subject for future revenge, which brings me
to the point in question respecting the Dhuboy mon
keys, who are the innocent agents.
Previous to the commencement of the periodical

AGENTS OF REVENGE. 519
rains, about the middle of June, it is customary to
turn the tiles on the roofs of all the houses in the
towns and villages in Hindostan, both of Euro
peans and natives. These tiles are not fixed with
mortar, but regularly laid one over the other, and
by being adjusted immediately before the setting-
in of the rains, they keep the roof dry during
that period; after which, their being misplaced is
of little consequence, in a climate where not a shower
falls for eight months together. At this critical junc
ture, when the tiles have just been turned, and the
first heavy rain is hourly expected, the injured person
who has secretly vowed revenge against his adversary,
repairs by night to his house, and contrives to strew
over the roof a quantity of rice, or other grain ; this
is early discovered by the monkeys, who assemble in
a large body to pick up this favourite food : when
finding much of it fallen between the tiles, they make
no ceremony of nearly unroofing the house, when no
turners of tiles are procurable: nor can any remedy
be applied to prevent the torrents of rain from soak
ing through the cow-dung floors, and ruining the fur
niture and depositories of grain, which are generally
formed of unbaked earth, dried and rubbed over with
cow-dung. The upper terrace of the durbar overlooked the
garden, the lake, and all its surrounding embellish
ments ; consisting of rich groves, embowering Hindoo
temples, Mahomedan mosques, and costly tombs of
the principal Mussulmans. Beyond the city walls was
seen a landscape replete with populous villages, lux
uriant corn-fields, herds of oxen, flocks of sheep and
goats, and a numerous peasantry, employed in agricul-

520 THE RIVER NERBUDDA.
ture : this charming plain was terminated on the
north-east bv the mountain of Powa-Gur, one of the
strong-holds of the Mahratta empire, connected with
a chain of hills, stretching eastward, until they join
the mountains beyond the Nerbudda ; that fertilizing
stream which begins its course many hundred miles
off, in a mountainous region on the confines of the
Bengal provinces ; and flowing from thence in a nar
row channel to the falls near Chandode, there expands
into a noble river, still increasing in size until it
washes the walls of Baroche, and becomes navigable
for large vessels to the gulph of Cambay.
Powa-gur is with great reason supposed to be the
Tiagur, or Tiagura, of Ptolemy : though he there mis
takes the river Narmada, or Nerbudda, for the D'had'-
hara, or Dahder, a contiguous stream often mentioned
in these volumes. The Nerbudda, the Narmada of
the Greeks, takes its rise in the mountains of Pindara,
a wild and barbarous country. Near its source, the
Hindoos erected a temple called Omercuntuc, which
at stated times is much resorted to by pilgrims. In
1795 captain Blunt was sent to explore a route
through Hindostan, which lies between Berar, Orissa,
and the northern Circars : he then approached within
a few miles of the source of this celebrated river, but
the cruel and savage manners of the mountaineers
prevented him from proceeding nearer. He however
obtained the most satisfactory information that the
Nerbudda and Soane rivers take their rise at a little
distance from each other, near the temple of Omer
cuntuc, where the Hindoos worship the consort of
Siva, whom Sir William Jones, in his treatise on the
gods of Greece, Italy, and India, mentions as being

ROMANTIC FABLE. 521
distinguished by the names of Parvati, or the moun
tain-born goddess ; Durga, or difficult of access ; and
Bhavani, or the goddess of fecundity ; which latter is
her leading name at Omercuntuc. The temple which
contains the moorat, or image of Bhavani, was built
by one of the ancient rajahs of Rutturpoor, the prin
cipal place in that country.
From the classical streams of ancient Greece, to
Pope's Lodona, rivers, fountains, and naiads, have
afforded a copious subject for poetical fiction ; the
Nerbudda and the Soane, with poor Johilla, have in
like manner enriched the Hindoo mythology : for the
same intelligent writer informs us, that the images at
Omercuntuc are said to represent Bhavani, (who is
there worshipped under the symbol of Narmada, or
the Nerbudda river) much enraged at her slave Johilla,
and a great variety of attendants preparing a nuptial
banquet; to which a romantic fable is attached. Soane,
a demi-god, being enamoured with the extreme beauty
of Narmada, after a tedious courtship presumed to
approach the goddess, in hopes of accomplishing the
object of his wishes by espousing her. Narmada sent
her slave Johilla to observe in what state he was com
ing ; and, if arrayed in jewels, of lovely form and dig
nity, or worthy to become her consort, to conduct him
to Omercuntuc. Johilla departed, met with Soane,
and was so dazzled with the splendor of his ornaments
and extreme beauty, that she fell passionately in love
with him, and so far forgot her duty, as to attempt to
personate her mistress ; in which succeeding, Narmada
was so enraged at the deceit, that, upon their arrival
at Omercuntuc, she severely chastised Johilla, and dis
figured her face in the manner said to be represented

522 HINDOO ABLUTIONS.
on the image. She then precipitated Soane from the
top of the mountain to the bottom, whence that river
rises ; disappeared herself in the very spot where the
Nerbudda issues ; and from the tears of Johilla, a little
river of that name springs at the foot of Omercuntuc.
Such is the fabulous source of the Nerbudda, on
whose banks I had a beautiful villa, and extensive
gardens : in whose rural villages, shady groves, and
holy island, I have enjoyed many delightful parties ;
and by a residence of seven years, generally within
view of its bold meanders, have occasion to recollect
many local circumstances with peculiar pleasure.
The affection of the Hindoos for lakes and rivers
has been mentioned ; in no part of Hindostan are they
more venerated than at Dhuboy, Zinore, and Chan
dode ; where I so often resided, encircled by the sacred
groves and temples of the Brahmins. The ablutions
strongly enforced in the Hindoo religion, are wise in
junctions. Bathing, as I have before observed, is not
only one of the most refreshing pleasures in a hot
climate, but purity of body is supposed to be nearly
connected with purity of soul : and in the sacrament
of Christian baptism the one is typical of the other.
I am willing to believe that acceptable prayers and
praises ascend to heaven from the ablutions of the in
nocent Musnavi Brahmin, who rising with the early
dawn, washes himself in the holy stream of the Ganges,
the Indus, or the Nerbudda ; waiting for the appear
ance of the celestial luminary over the eastern hills,
to worship Om, the Great Invisible, who through this
agency gives life, and joy to his creation : but emo
tions of pity and of blame are mingled with our ap
probation when we behold these eastern philosophers

RELIGIOUS INDOLENCE. 523
worshipping God themselves in his unity, and at the
same time sanctioning and teaching polytheism among
all the other tribes of Hindoos.
Dhuboy was chiefly inhabited by Brahmins of dif
ferent orders ; some of them were actively employed
among the other casts of Hindoos ; numbers seemed to
pass their lives in a state of religious indolence, and an
apparent abstraction from sublunary objects, like the
devotees at Seringham, described by the elegant Orme,
" living in a subordination which knows no resistance,
and slumbering in a voluptuousness which knows no
wants." The Brahmins of Dhuboy repose from morn
ing till night under the trees which border their
sacred lake, meditating on the Institutes of Menu, or
bewildering themselves with the Avatars of Vishnu ;
nine incarnations of that deity, which form an in
teresting part of the Hindoo mythology.
In the inner court of the durbar at Dhuboy, into
which my front veranda opened, an altar had been
erected under a shady pepal-tree (ficus religiosa) which
I carefully preserved ; a hollow cavity on the top con
tained the tulsee, or tulsi, (ocymum) a sacred plant of
the Hindoos, to which they frequently resorted; as
also to a few of their dii penates, which were left in
the surrounding niches ; it was a scene nearly re
sembling that of Priam's palace in Troy.
" iEdibus in mediis, nudoque sub aetheris axe,
Ingens ara fuit, juxtaque veterrima laurus
Incumbens arse, atque umbra complexa penates. Virg. JEs.
I sometimes almost envied these peaceful Hindoos
the pleasure they enjoyed in the performance of their

524 PATRIARCHAL SIMPLICITY.
religious duties, and the delights of social worship ; in
my solitary situation I felt, for near four years toge
ther, a privation of all the sacred ordinances of Chris
tianity, and from attendance on public worship.
During that period I had very little communication
with Europeans, and no personal intercourse with one
kindred mind.
In the southern parts of India, as I have frequently
observed, are abundance of churches, and thousands of
Roman-catholic Christians, who are generally con
verts from the lowest castes of Hindoos In Guzerat
there are very few of that persuasion, and none in
this part of the province : among their priests and
missionaries are liberal and intelligent men, but these
are not numerous.
There was not a Christian inhabitant either in
Dhuboy or the districts under my care ; the Mahome
dans were in all respects similar to those I have
described in other places, and the Hindoos brought
to my recollection the simplicity of the patriarchal
age ; they had not been accustomed to any inter
course with Europeans, and while under the Ma
homedan dominion their religious and national cus
toms were generally tolerated. Soon after my arrival
some venerable Brahmins and principal Hindoos en
treated of me that the Europeans belonging to the
garrison might not be permitted to molest the mon
keys, nor to fire at the pelicans, cranes, and water
fowl, which resorted to the lake. They not only
dwelt upon the metempsychosis, but alleged that they
were extremely useful in keeping the city and tank
free from dirt and nuisances, and that for ages, even
during the Mahomedan government, they had never

SACRED ANIMALS. 525
been molested. It was a capital offence in ancient
Egypt to kill an ibis or an hawk ; the former was
venerated because it devoured the serpents and rep
tiles which bred in the country after the inunda
tion of the Nile : the inhabitants of Holland are as
strongly attached to the stork, because it destroys the
rats, mice, and other vermin which undermine the
dykes. Supposing therefore that the Hindoos had
similar reasons for their prejudice in favour of mon
keys and pelicans, I readily granted their request ; and
this compliance led to another of far more import
ance, and indeed to the greatest favour I could confer
upon them ; which was, that I would issue an order
that no ox or cow might be killed in the city, nor the
flesh publicly exposed to sale. They said they knew
the English soldiers would have beef where it was
procurable ; but as those animals were esteemed
sacred, and none had ever been killed in Dhuboy
during the Hindoo government, nor had a Mahome
dan ever dared to offer such an offence, they hoped,
if I could not entirely suppress the slaughter, that I
would keep the whole matter as private as possible
during the hours of darkness. It would have been
cruel as well as impolitic to refuse them so inno
cent and reasonable a request. I only wished the rest
of my countrymen there had been as indifferent to
this part of their food as myself, and their feelings
should not have been wounded. I made some fruit
less attempts to reason with the Brahmins on the ne
cessity of killing animals intended for food ; they op
posed the doctrine of the metempsychosis to all my
arguments, and would neither admit the truth nor
beauty of Pope's more rational system.

526 THE METEMPSYCHOSIS.
" The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play ?
Pleas'd to the last, he crops the flowery food,
And licks the hand just rais'd to shed his blood."
According to Herodotus, the ancient Egyptians
believed, that on the dissolution of the body, the soul
immediately entered into some other animal, and after
using as vehicles every species of terrestrial, aquatic,
and winged creatures, it finally entered a second time
into the human body; and that it underwent all these
changes in the space of three thousand years. Very
similar to these ideas, are the reveries of the modern
Brahmins, with whom I found it fruitless to argue
upon the metempsychosis or any religious subject ;
their pride and self-sufficiency militated against every
attempt to convince them of their errors. The
Brahmins of Malabar usually treated such kinds of
conversation with arrogance and contempt : those at
Dhuboy affected either an air of superiority or in
difference. Indeed, these extraordinary beings are so
highly exalted in the Institutes of Menu, that it is
almost impossible it should be otherwise ; for thus
saith this celebrated Hindoo lawgiver : —
" From his high birth alone, a Brahmin is an ob
ject of veneration, even to deities ; his declarations
to mankind are decisive evidence ; and the Veda itself
confers on him that character. Never shall the kins'
slay a Brahmin, though convicted of all possible
crimes ; let him banish the offender from his realm,
but with all his property secure, and his body unhurt.
Although Brahmins employ themselves in all sorts of
mean occupations, they must invariably be honoured ;
for they are something transcendently divine."

INSTITUTES OF MENU. 527
In a part of the Ramayana Brahminical potency,
almost it may be said omnipotency, is strongly en
forced :
" Let not a king, although in the greatest distress
for money, provoke Brahmins to anger by taking
their property; for they, once enraged, could imme
diately by sacrifices and imprecations, destroy him
with his troops, elephants, horses, and cars.
"Who, without perishing, could provoke these
holy men, that is, by whose ancestors, under Brahama,
the all-devouring fire was created ; the sea, with
waters not drinkable, and the moon with its wane
and increase.
" What prince could gain wealth by opposing
those, who, if angry, could frame other worlds, and
regents of worlds, could give being to new gods and
mortals !
" What man desirous of life would injure those, by
the aid of whom, that is by whose attentions, worlds
and gods perpetually subsist, those who are rich in
the learning of the Veda !
" A Brahmin whether learned or ignorant is a
powerful divinity : even as fire is a powerful divinity,
whether consecrated or popular. Thus, though Brah
mins employ themselves in all sorts of mean occupa
tions, they must invariably be honoured, for they are
something transcendently divine.
" Of created things, the most excellent are those
which are animated : of the animated, those which
subsist by intelligence : of the intelligent, mankind :
and of men the sacerdotal class. The very birth of a
Brahmin is a continued incarnation of Dherna, god of

528 OUTCASTS.
justice, for the Brahmin is born to promote justice,
and to procure ultimate happiness.
" Whatever exists in the universe, is in effect,
though not in form, the wealth of the Brahmin, since
the Brahmin is entitled to it by his primogeniture
and eminence of birth.
" When a Brahmin springs to light, he is born
alive to the world, the chief of all creatures, assigned
to guard the treasury of duties, religious and civil.
" He, who through ignorance of the law, sheds
blood from the body of a Brahmin not engaged in
battle, as many particles of dust as the blood shall roll
up from the ground, for so many years shall the
shedder of that blood be mangled by other animals in
his next birth, or as many thousand years shall the
shedder of that blood be tormented in hell."
Great indeed must be the sacrifice which men
make, when they embrace a religion of which humility
is the foundation stone.
But how shall I describe the poor out-cast Chan
dalas, who were not allowed to have a habitation within
the city walls, and were compelled to live in wretched
huts at a distance from the western gate ! which, on
that account, was seldom frequented by the other
tribes; while the gate of diamonds, on the eastern
face, was the resort of the zemindars, banians, and
chief men of the city. I have described the abject
condition of these Chandalas and Pariars at Bombay
and Malabar ; it will scarcely be believed by a liberal-
minded European, that the very same code of the be
nevolent Menu, which deifies the Brahmins, thus con
demns to perpetual and hereditary ignominy, the poor

OUTCASTS. 529
Chandala, created by the same God, and born as pure
and as innocent as the Brahmin.
" The abode of the Chandalas must be out of the
town ; they must not have the use of entire vessels ;
their sole wealth must be dogs and asses. Their
clothes must be mantles of the deceased ; their dishes
for food, broken pots ; their ornaments rusty iron ;
and continually must they roam from place to place.
Let food be given to them in potsherds, but not by
the hands of the giver ; and let them not walk by
night in cities or towns."
It cannot be supposed that with a set of men who
preached and practised such doctrines, and encouraged
their followers to do the same, my authority or argu
ments should have much influence. I did indeed
wish to redress the grievances of the Chandalas, but
I found it in vain to combat with the prejudices of a
whole city; prejudices which are interwoven with
every part of the civil and religious system of the
Hindoos. What a wrong opinion have the Europeans,
until very lately, formed of the Brahmins, and how
many are there who still see no necessity for intro
ducing among them the purity and benevolence of the
Gospel ! But the veil is now withdrawn, and men of
enlightened minds will make a just comparison be
tween the two religions.
Let us not imagine that because the Hindoos do not
admit of converts from other religions, they have no
dissensions nor schisms among themselves ; nor that
the Brahmins are so mild with those who differ from
them in religious sentiment as they have been repre
sented. Dr. Buchanan, when speaking of the Jaina in
Mysore, says, that " in a quarrel among the Brahmins,
vol. i. 2 M

530 JAINAS.
the party which obtained the victory, caused the
priests of Jaina, with as many of their followers as
were obstinate, to be ground to death in oil-mills ;
while the remainder, who were converted by this
powerful mode of argument, received pardon from
the offended Brahmins." This intelligent traveller
further observes, that the houses at Tonoru, where
this cruelty took place, are roofed with tiles, and
covered with thorns, to prevent the monkeys from
unroofing them, because those mischievous animals
are very numerous, and to destroy them is reckoned
a grievous sin. Those very persons who applaud
the Brahmins for having ground the Jainas in an oil-
mill, shudder with horror at the thought of a monkey
being killed.
These Jainas are a very singular sect among the
Hindoos ; we find in the Asiatic Researches, that
there are three classes of yatis, or ascetics, in this
tribe, called Anuvrata, Mahavrata, Nirvana. " To
attain the rank of Anuvrata, a man must forsake his
family, entirely cutting off his hair, throwing away the
sacred thread, holding in his hand a bundle of pea
cock's feathers, and an earthen pot, and wearing only
tawny coloured clothes ; he must reside for some time
in one of the temples. He next proceeds to the
second rank, Mahavrata ; when totally abandoning
any degree of elegance in his dress, he uses only a rag
fastened to a string round his loins, as a Brahmachdri :
he still retains his fan and pot ; he must not shave his
head with razors, but employs his disciples to pull out
the hair by the roots. On the day when this opera
tion is performed, he abstains from food ; at other
times he eats only once daily, of rice put in the palm

JAINAS. 531
of his hand. Having, for a considerable time, re
mained in this state of probation, he attains the third
degree of Nirvdna ; he then lays aside even rags ;
and, being perfectly naked, he eats, once every second
day, of rice, put by others in the palm of his hand ;
carrying about with him the clay pot, and a bundle of
peacock's feathers. It is the business of his disciples
to pull out his hairs ; and he is not to walk, or move
about, after the sun sets. He is now called by the
dignified title of Nirvan, and the Jainas worship him
as god of their tribe, in the like manner as the
images, which they worship in their temples, of their
ancient Nirvdns or Guroos.
" The other Jainas, who have not entered into these
religious vows, are obliged to abstain from the follow
ing things, viz. eating at night ; slaying an animal ;
eating the fruit of those trees that give milk, pumpkins,
young bamboo plants ; tasting honey or flesh ; taking
the wealth of others ; taking by force a married wo
man ; eating flowers, butter, cheese ; and worshipping
the gods of other religions. To abandon entirely the
abovementioned, is to be a proper Jaina. The Jainas,
even the young lads, never taste honey, as it would
occasion expulsion from their caste ; they never taste
intoxicating liquors, nor any other forbidden drink."
Such are the penances and privations among the
Jainas ; in Dhuboy I had occasion to witness a thou
sand similar austerities of the devotees who frequented
its sacred shrines.
In Captain Wilford's essay on the Sacred Isles in the
west, communicated to the Society, is a very curious
account of some of these devotees, taken from the
writings of Ctesias, who accompanied Cyrus and the
2m 2

532 STRANGE NARRATIVE.
ten thousand Greeks, in his unfortunate expedition to
Persia. Ctesias was taken prisoner, but being a phy
sician he became a great favourite with Artaxerxes
Mnemon. In describing different countries in Hin
dostan, four hundred years before the Christian aera,
Ctesias says, " beyond the sources of the Sipa-chora,
is a tribe of men, who have no evacuations ; they how
ever make a little water occasionally ; their food is
milk alone, which they know how to prevent from
coagulating in their stomachs. In the evening they
excite a gentle vomiting, and throw up the whole."
This strange narrative is not without foundation.
Many religious people in India, in order to avoid the
defilement attending the coarser evacuations, take no
other food but milk ; and previous to its turning into
faeces, as they say, they swallow a small string of cot
ton, which, on their pulling it back, brings up the
milk, or those parts of it which they consider as the
caput mortuum. This they make the credulous be
lieve ; their disciples are ready to swear to it ; and they
have even deluded persons otherwise of great respecta
bility. I suppose they conceal themselves with great
address ; and their evacuations cannot be very frequent,
nor copious ; for they really live upon nothing else but
a very small quantity of milk, though certainly more,
as I should suppose, than they acknowledge ; and
the ceremony of the string they perform, occasionally,
before a few friends ; they are all hermits, who seldom
stir from the place they have fixed upon. How much
the sight of these misguided enthusiasts strengthened
my ardent wish to convert this poor people to the
gentle practical truths of the Christian religion ! al
though I disclaim every idea of compulsion, or any

NECESSITY OF CONVERSION. 533
weak, sinister, or improper means for their conver
sion. No force, no coercive measures were em
ployed by the Great Founder of our faith, nor by
those who immediately followed the steps of their
Divine Master. The power of working miracles, the
supernatural gift of languages, and the extraordinary
operations of the Holy Spirit, sealed the ministry of
the first Apostles ; mild persuasion, impressive con
viction, united to a corresponding life and practice,
marked the character of the primitive teachers, and
were the most powerful engines of proselytism ; their
successors in every age, and in every nation, must
regulate their conduct by such examples, if they wish
to disseminate the truth of Christianity, and we must
be convinced of the necessity of blending the wisdom
of the serpent with the innocence of the dove, in
undertaking the great work of religious and moral im
provement among a people so rivetted to ancient usages
as the Hindoos.
Who can read Sir William Jones' dissertations on
the mystical poetry of the Persians and Hindoos with-
our exquisite pleasure ? His comments are admirable;
and his quotations from Barrow and Neker fill the
soul with ecstasy. It would be a rash attempt to
controvert what that elegant and experienced writer
has said on the absorption of the religious Brahmins :
from my own knowledge of those devotees on the
sacred banks of the Nerbudda, I admit it all, as well
as the influence of the sublime communion to which
he alludes in some of the Brahminical priesthood ; yet,
as I have had occasion to ask in another place, what is
the religion of the millions of Hindoos who are not
initiated into their mystical reveries ? Sir William

531 CHRISTIANITY.
Jones allows that this absorption borders upon
quietism, and enthusiastic devotion ; and perhaps
among Christians there may be only a few, who, like
Fenelon and others of that description, attain to that
holy approximation, that ineffable communion with
their Creator and Redeemer, by the influence of the
Divine Spirit ; but there is a simple, a practical, and a
delightful path, for the humble Christian of smaller
attainments ; a religion which will render him useful
and happy in this world, and blessed for ever in that
which is to come ; a religion, which expressly assures
us, that to whom much is given, from him much will
be required ; but where only one talent is committed,
the improvement of only one talent will be expected.
Therefore, allowing to the Brahmins all their preten
sions, the Hindoo religion, when opposed to the
philanthropy and benevolence of the Gospel, is unsocial,
proud, and uncharitable.
The sublime passages so often quoted from the
Hindoo scriptures and oriental poets, excite our ad
miration ; but the Brahmins and Sufis alone can
comprehend them. Passages far more sublime may be
selected from the Old and New Testament. Nothing
can exceed the energy and beauty of the prophecies of
Isaiah ; nothing can equal the beatitudes in the ser
mon on the mount ; nor can any oriental imagery of
the shastah and vedas be compared with the sublime
and energetic language of that ancient poem, the book
of Job.
The profusion of hewn stone, and remains of sculp
ture, scattered about Dhuboy, is astonishing ; the walls
and towers were built entirely of large square stones.
The west front, which is the only part remaining in

ANTiauiti*ES. 535
\
any degree of perfection, presents a grand view of the
ancient fortifications ; the terreplein, several feet broad,
is supported by a colonnade of pillars, which form a
casemate or covered piazza the whole length of the
wall, in a style of elegance not only ornamental beyond
any thing I have seen elsewhere, but when in repair
must have afforded excellent accommodation for an
India garrison, who generally prefer a covered shed or
veranda to a close room. This colonnade, half a mile
in length, resembles the porticos in front of the bar
racks at the ancient city of Pompeii ; where the
soldiers' names are written in a rude manner on the
walls, and after a lapse of seventeen hundred years are
still legible. The barracks of Pompeii surround a
large court, with a portico in front of their sleeping
rooms ; their appearance instantly reminded me of the
fortifications of Dhuboy ; and the villa and gardens
without the gate of Pompeii, as well as many objects
both there and in Herculaneum, were completely ori
ental. No town in India, nor any other part of the
globe, can create those peculiar sensations which
absorb the spectator when he beholds two cities brought
to light after being buried near two thousand years ;
the one under a torrent of liquid fire, the other over
whelmed by a mountain of burning ashes and volcanic
productions. Herculaneum still remains in a sub
terranean state ; but at Pompeii, cleared of ashes,
pumice-stones, and cinders, with the plantations and
vineyards which during a lapse of ages had progres
sively covered them, the astonished traveller beholds
temples, theatres, houses, and tombs, again restored
to-day, and on a level with the surrounding plain !
The massive covering having been removed, the mo-

536 ANT4Q.UITIES.
dern traveller walks through the streets, visits the tem
ples, ascends the amphitheatres, and enters the houses,
shops, and porticos of the ancient Romans, with the
same facility as when they were first finished. In
some he finds the furniture not yet removed ; in a few
the skeletons of their inhabitants still remain. It is a
scene which fills the mind with sensations impossible
to describe, or previously to conceive.
But the immediate object which caused me to take
this retrospective view, was the Roman villa just men
tioned. On entering the portal I fancied myself in one
of the modern mansions of an oriental city, and par
ticularly the durbar which I so long occupied in
Dhuboy. Like the Asiatic houses, the Pompeian villa
consisted of several ranges of apartments, surrounding
a large area, with a fountain and garden in the centre ;
each floor had a veranda, or portico, overlooking the
garden, and shading the rooms, leading also to the
closets, baths, and store-rooms similar to those in
India : these had been then lately cleared, and dis
covered the tracery of the flower-beds, and channels
from the fountain, all perfect. In the extensive cellars
which encircle the area, under the summer apartments,
I saw several wine jars, some fixed in the lava, others
standing loose against the wall; many of them con
tained the dried lees of red wine, which even then
retained a fragrant odour.
In clearing the rubbish from one of these cellars, the
workmen discovered eight skeletons of the unhappy
family crowded together against the door, which opened
outwards into the area ; and, from the accumulation
of lava, could not be pushed forwards : thither these
devoted persons had fled for refuge from the burning

HINDOO ARCHITECTURE. 537
atmosphere above ; some of the females were adorned
with bracelets of gold and jewels ; the master of the
house stood next the door, with one hand on the key,
and a purse of gold in the other.
In the paintings discovered at Herculaneum and
Pompeii, are many near resemblances to the houses
and gardens in India, and much oriental costume in
other respects ; but the real objects were far more
impressive ; especially the soldiers' guard-rooms and
porticos just mentioned, which are so very similar to
those at Dhuboy that I could not omit the compa
rison. The Bhauts, and oral historians of the country, say
that these fortifications, with the tank and Hindoo
temples adjoining, cost ninecrores of rupees ; upwards
of ten millions sterling. This is not improbable, when
we consider the extent and beauty of the walls and
corridores, the grandeur of the double gates, and the
amazing expense of bringing such massive stones from
the distant mountains : for not the smallest pebble is
to be found in that part of Guzerat. The city-gates
are all strong and beautiful ; there is a double gate in
the centre of each face, with a spacious area between,
surrounded by a corridore and rooms for the guards.
But the eastern portal, called by way of eminence the
Gate of Diamonds, and the temple connected with it,
present the most complete and elegant specimen of
Hindoo taste I ever saw. In proportion of architecture
and elegance of sculpture, it far exceeds any of their
ancient or modern structures I have met with ; and the
latter is superior to the figures at Salsette and the Ele
phanta. This beautiful pile extends three hundred and
twenty feet in length, with proportionate height.

538 SCULPTURE.
Rows of elephants, richly caparisoned, support the massy
fabric ; the architraves and borders round the compart
ments of figures are very elegant, and the groups of
warriors, performing martial exercises, on horseback, on
foot, and on fighting elephants, approach nearer to the
athletic gladiators and classical bas-reliefs of ancient
Greece, than any performances in the excavations of
the Elephanta, or the best finished temples I have seen
in Hindostan. The warlike weapons of the soldiers,
with their armour, as also the jewels, chains, and orna
ments in the caparisoned horses and elephants, are ad
mirably finished ; there is likewise a profusion of lions,
camels, birds, and serpents, too numerous to discrimi
nate. In one compartment, a man and woman, stand
ing under a plantain-tree, with an infant at their feet,
are very conspicuous ; it forms a separate group, re
sembling the general representation of Adam and Eve
in paradise. The serpent, which forms so distinguished
a feature in the Hindoo mythology, and is usually in
troduced with our first parents, made no part of this
sculpture, although a prominent subject in other
places. In the sculpture of the eastern portal the cobra di
capello was very distinguishable ; and not only this
species, but a variety of other large snakes abounded
in the city and its environs, especially in the banian-
groves without this beautiful gate. The ruinous
buildings near the durbar were so infested by serpents
of almost every description, that I frequently employed
the charmers to withdraw them. The cobra-di-capello,
like those mentioned at Baroche, were considered as
the guardian genii of my garden. The Brahmins and
Hindoo astrologers of Dhuboy on hearing my escape

WORSHIP OF SERPENTS. 539
from the hooded-snake, and the cobra- minelle found in
such numbers in my bed-chamber at Bombay,* began
their astrological calculations, made abundant use of
the astrolabe, and in due time recorded me on their
cabalistical tablets as a very lucky man ; for which I
was indebted to my friends and protectors in the colu
ber tribe. Tacitus says, Nero in his infancy was sup
posed to have been guarded by two serpents. Accord
ing to Murphy, Suetonius explains the origin of this
fable, from a report that certain assassins were hired
by Messalina to strangle Nero in his bed, in order to
remove the rival of Britannicus. The men went to
execute their purpose, but were frightened by a ser
pent that crept from under his pillow. This tale was
occasioned by a serpent's skin being found near Nero's
pillow ; which, by his mother's order, he wore for some
time upon his right arm, enclosed in a golden bracelet.
In the Indian Antiquities, a work of deep research
and great merit, Mr. Maurice ingeniously remarks, "that
it is impossible to say in what country the worship of
serpents first originated. The serpent was probably a
symbol of the Ka/coo'ajpoj', or evil genius ; and those
whose fears led them to adore, byway of pacifying the
evil demon, erected to the serpent the first altar. In
succeeding periods, the annual renewing of its skin,
added to the great age to which it sometimes arrived,
induced the primitive race to make it the symbol of
immortality. Serpents biting their tails, or interwoven
in rings, were thenceforwards their favourite symbols
of vast astronomical cycles, of the zodiac, and some
times of eternity itself. In this usage of the symbol
* See chapter iii.

540 SYMBOLS.
we see it enfolding all the statues of gods and deified
rajahs in the sacred caverns of Salsette and Elephanta.
Symbols also being the arbitrary sensible signs of intel
lectual ideas, in moral philosophy, the serpents, doubt
less from what they themselves observed of it, and
from the Mosaic tradition concerning its being more
subtle than any other animal, became the emblem of
wisdom. An ancient Phoenician fragment, preserved
in the OZdipus Egyptiacus, fully explains the notion
which the Egyptians and other pagan nations enter
tained of this compound hieroglyphic, the globe,
wings, and serpent, which decorated the portals of
their proudest temples. Jupiter, says the fragment, is
an imagined sphere ; from that sphere is produced a
serpent. The sphere shews the divine nature to be
without beginning or end ; the serpent, his word,
which animates the world and makes it prolific ; his
wings, the Spirit of God, that by its motion gives life
to the whole mundane system."
The principal image in the temple at the east gate of
Dhuboy is said to have diamond eyes ; from their
magnitude I doubt their reality : the Brahmins have
probably exchanged those magnificent ornaments for
stones of inferior value. Whether this portal was dig
nified with the appellation of the gate of diamonds
from those brilliant eyes of the deity, or from its costly
architecture, I cannot say ; but I have no doubt that
this immense work, with the sanctity annexed to it, as
well as to the temple itself, is indebted for its celebrity
to its eastern situation, as much as for its ornaments.
Possibly, had it not been erected in that relative aspect
it would not boast of such magnificence. Whether
this gate was peculiarly appropriated to the entrance

GATES AND WELLS. 54 1
of the ancient Hindoo rajahs, and Brahmins of the
higher order, or whether opened only for the admission
of religious processions, I could not learn from tra
dition. Many passages, from sacred and profane authors,
may be adduced in support of the idea that the east
was generally considered to be a more sacred aspect
than the other cardinal points ; whether from the sun
rising in that quarter of the heavens, or from what
other cause, is unnecessary to inquire.
The eastern gate of Dhuboy was not only a venerated
part of the city, but the general morning rendezvous
of the Brahmins and principal inhabitants ; shady trees
protected them from the heat, and on the verdant slope
without the exterior portal, heedless of all the coluber
genus, or trusting to the reputed benevolence of the
warning lizard, they enjoyed a listless indolence, or en
tered on the political news of the day, a favourite topic
with most of the castes in India. Under these trees
were some rude altars of stones, uncouth, and appa
rently unhewn ; smooth by age and the friction of the
worshippers, especially an ordeal stone under a banian-
tree, daily strewed with flowers, and anointed with oil,
where the citizens generally assembled for their morn
ing discussions.
A public well without the Gate of Diamonds was a
place of still greater resort ; there most travellers
halted for shade and refreshment. The women, as
already mentioned, frequent the fountains and reser
voirs morning and evening to draw water. Many of
the Guzerat wells have steps leading down to the sur
face of the water, others have not ; nor do I recollect
any furnished with buckets and ropes for the conve-

542 WELLS.
nience of a stranger ; most travellers are therefore pro
vided with thern, and halcarras and religious pilgrims
frequently carry a small brass pot, affixed to a long
string for this purpose. The Samaritan woman, in the
memorable conversation with our Saviour, says unto
him, " Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the
well is deep ; from whence then hast thou that living
water?" John, ch. iv. ver. 1 1. Nothing is more common
than for strangers to enter into conversation upon such
occasions. Happy was the meeting of the woman of
Sychar with the holy traveller at Jacob's well. An as
semblage of pilgrims at an oriental reservoir, often
brings to mind the interview in Samaria. When at
Rome I purchased a picture on this subject, by
Guercino,large as life; reckoned one of the finest works
of that master ; meekness and dignity are happily
blended in the Saviour's countenance, and the whole
composition is a chef d'ceuvre of the Italian school.
A learned friend, eminent in his profession, on see
ing it at Stanmore Hill, wrote the following extempore
lines, which I trust he will forgive me for inserting.
" Soon as the silken curtain I undraw,
My soul is fill'd with reverential awe ;
Emotions various agitate my breast,
With fear, grief, joy, alternately imprest.
When the frail fair Samaritan 1 view
Trembling with conscious guilt, I tremble too !
Like her, I seem a wretched sinner, brought
Before that God, who knows man's inmost thought ;
With shame abash'd, back from myself I start,
And keen remorse and sorrow pierce my heart.
But when that image meets my ravish'd sight,
Where softness, grace, and dignity, unite
Meekness with majesty, I think I see
My God himself cloth'd in mortality !

ANCIENT TRADITION. 543
His eyes beam mercy, while his lips reprove,
Tempering rebuke with gentleness and love :
His hand uplifted, points the way to heaven ;
I hear his voice — ' Repent, and be forgiv'n !'
Desponding fears no more my peace destroy,
Sorrow's black gloom, Hope ripens into joy !
But, if a mere resemblance here pourtray'd,
The child of Art, the effect of light and shade,
Can to my mind such strong sensations call,
O ! what must be the Great Original !'' B.I. S. 1797.
The Bhauts and Churruns, the only historians of
Guzerat, account for this expensive and sumptuous
portal and the other magnificent structures in the
city, by the following story ; which is probably
founded on fact, though blended with fable. Their
traditions relate that many centuries ago, a Hindoo
rajah, named Sadara Jai Sihng, the " Lion of Vic
tory," reigned in Putton, the Paithana, or Pattana,
of the ancient Greeks ; a city built on the banks
of the river Godavery, at a great distance from
Dhuboy. According to the privileged custom of oriental
monarchs, this rajah had seven wives, and many
concubines ; the first in rank, and his greatest favou
rite, was called Rattanalee, the " Lustre of Jewels,"
an additional name conferred upon her, expressive of
transcendent worth and superior beauty ; in which,
and every elegant accomplishment, she excelled all the
ladies in the haram. She thus preserved an ascen
dancy over the rajah, notwithstanding she had no
child, and several of the rest had presented him with
princes. The intrigues and jealousies among the
secluded females in the eastern harams are well known ;

544 ANCIENT TRADITION.
they prevailed powerfully at Putton, where the ladies
were all jealous of Rattanalee, and used every means
to alienate the rajah's affection from his favourite ;
but when they found that she also was in a state of
pregnancy, their hatred knew no bounds. According
to the superstitious customs of the Hindoos, they
employed charms and talismans to prevent the birth
of the child ; and the beloved sultana, superstitious
and credulous as themselves, imagined their spells had
taken effect, and that while she remained in the palace,
her infant would never see the light.
Impressed with these ideas, she departed with a
splendid retinue to sacrifice at a celebrated temple on
the banks of the Nerbudda, and after a long journey
•arrived late in the evening at a sacred grove and lake,
about ten miles from the river, on the very spot where
Dhuboy now stands; there the princess pitched her
tents, intending to conclude her journey the next
morning. In this grove dwelt a Gosannee, who had
renounced the world, and passed his life in religious
retirement. On hearing of Rattanalee's arrival he
requested to be admitted into her presence ; a request
which is seldom refused to those holy men : he desired
her not to proceed any further, as that grove was
sacred, and there in a few days she would be delivered
of a son. The princess followed his advice, and con
tinued in her encampment until the birth of her child ;
who, at the Gosannee's desire, was named Viseldow,
or " the child of twenty months."
This pleasing news was soon conveyed to the. rajah,
who declared young Viseldow heir to his throne ; and
finding his mother delighted with the spot where she
had obtained the blessing, and fearful of returning

DHUBOY. 545
among the ladies of the haram, he ordered the lake to
be enlarged, the . groves extended, and a city erected,
surrounded by a strong fortification, and beautified
with every costly decoration. The most eminent
artists were engaged to build this famous city, and
over them was placed a man of superior abilities, who
lived to complete the immense work, thirty-two
years after its commencement. At that time Viseldow
had succeeded his father on the throne of Putton, but
generally resided at the place of his nativity ; where,
on dismissing the several artists, he made them suitable
presents ; but desirous of more amply gratifying the
man to whose superior taste it was indebted for such
extraordinary beauty, he desired him to name a reward
for his services. The architect respectfully replied,
that being happy in the prince's favour he wanted
neither money nor jewels ; but as the place had not
yet received any particular name, he entreated it might
be called after his own, Dubhowey, which was imme
diately granted, and with a slight alteration is the
name it still retains.
Dhuboy for a long time was inhabited only by
Hindoos, no Mussulman being permitted to reside
within the walls, nor under any pretence to bathe or
wash in the tank ; but a young Mahomedan stranger,
named Sciad Ballah, on a pilgrimage with his mother
Mamah-Doocre, in their way to Mecca, alighted at a
caravansary, without the gates of Dhuboy : and Sciad
Ballah, having heard much of its magnificence, walked
in to gratify his curiosity. After viewing the curious
gates and temples on the borders of the tank, and
ignorant of any prohibition to the contrary, he rashly
vol. i. 2 N

546 SIEGE OF DHUBOY'.
ventured to bathe in the sacred lake : the Brahmins,
deeming the water polluted, prevailed on the rajah to
punish the delinquent by cutting off his hands, to deter
others from following his example : he w as then
turned out of the city with disgrace ; and thus covered
with shame, and weak with the loss of blood, he could
but just reach his mother at the caravansary, and there
expired. These strangers were Mahomedans of distinction
then on their way to Surat to embark for the Red Sea,
from the interior parts of Hindostan. Mamah-
Doocre, after the first paroxysm of grief, laid aside
her pilgrimage, and vowed revenge. She imme
diately returned to her own country, and sued to
her sovereign to redress this disgrace and cruelty to
her family ; he immediately ordered a large army to
march, under the command of his vizier, against Dhu
boy. The siege continued for several years ; at
length famine raging in the city, the garrison
having no hopes of foreign assistance, made a sally,
and fought with enthusiasm. A dreadful slaughter
ensued; but the besiegers were at length victorious;
the principal Hindoos fled to a distant country, and
the Mahomedans entered the city. On viewing the
strength of the works, the vizier determined to destroy
them : three sides of the fortress were immediately
razed to the ground. The beauty and elegance of the
west face, and the magnificence of the four double
gates, preserved them from his fury. They remain to
this day splendid monuments of the architectural
taste of the ancient Hindoos.
After the destruction of Dhuboy, the Mahomedans

MAHRATTA WAR. 547
returned to their own country, and the city remained
for many years in a state of desolation. Mahma
Doocree, the lady on whose account the expedition
had been undertaken, came with the army against
Dhuboy, and dying during the siege, was revered as a
saint, and buried in a grove near the gate of diamonds,
where her tomb still remains. Near it a perforated
stone, already mentioned, is used for ordeal trials.
The monument of Sciad Ballah is near that of his
mother. When the Moguls finally conquered Guzerat, Dhu
boy once more became populous, and remained under
their government upwards of two centuries ; it then
fell into the hands of the Mahrattas, who rebuilt the
walls in their present heterogeneous condition. Under
them it continued until the beginning of 1780, when,
during the Mahratta war writh the English, General
Goddard appeared before it at the head of an English
army from Bengal. While he was preparing for a
siege, the pundit with the Mahratta troops evacuated
the city in the night, and the next morning the Eng
lish took possession. General Goddard having esta
blished a garrison, marched to the conquest of Ahme-
dabad, and I was appointed to take charge of this new
acquisition, and to collect the revenues, still retaining
my situation as a member of the council at Baroche,
where I occasionally resided.
The circumstances of giving a name to a city on any
particular occasion, or of changing the name on some
extraordinary event, frequently occurs in ancient his
tory, as we find at Alexandria, Constantinople, and
many other places. In India it is equally prevalent ;

548

CITY OF WATERS.

Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Aurungabad derive their
name from their founder or conqueror; - and although
the former name of Dhuboy, if the spot had any pecu
liar appellation, is no longer remembered, I should
suppose it must have been the " city of waters ;" for in
the rainy season it is completely insulated by large
lakes, so that the cattle swim in and out of the gates
every morning and evening. A similar passage occurs
in the reign of David : when the Israelitish monarch
sent Joab, his principal general, to besiege Rabbah, a
royal city of the Ammonites. After the conquest, Joab
sent messengers to David, and said, " I have fought
against Rabbab, and have taken the city of waters ;
now therefore gather the people together, and encamp
against the royal city, and take it ; lest I take the city,
and it be called after my name." — 2 Samuel, ch. xii.
27, 28.
I had not been many weeks in Dhuboy, before it
was surrounded by the Mahratta army, consisting of
near a hundred thousand horse and foot, who en
camped within sight of the walls, although not within
reach of our cannon. The Dhuboy garrison consisted
only of three companies of Bombay sepoys, com
manded by three European officers, a few European
artillery -men and lascars, with five byracs of Arabs
and Scindian infantry. Our situation was very unplea
sant : but finding, from the halcarras and spies sent
into the enemy's camp, that they entertained a much
higher opinion of our strength, we were in hopes the
city might be defended until we received a reinforce
ment from Baroche.
Two English gentlemen, with whom I was inti-

CRITICAL SITUATION. 549
mately acquainted, were at that time hostages in the
Mahratta camp; one in the civil service on the Bom
bay establishment, the other a military officer. The
former contrived to send me secretly a few words con
cealed within the tube of a very small quill, run into
the messenger's ear, to inform me of the enemy's de
termination to recapture Dhuboy ; advising me, as I
could expect no relief from Baroche, and general God-
dard's army was pursuing a different direction, to make
the best terms possible, and deliver up the keys to
the Mahratta sirdar, as all resistance would be vain.
My library at Dhuboy was very scanty ; the Annual
Registers and Encyclopedia were its principal treasures.
I consulted the commanding officer, and looked over
various articles of capitulation, that in case of neces
sity we might at least have made honourable terms ;
and having no artillery officer, nor engineer, we stu
died the treatises on fortification, gunnery, and simi
lar subjects, to strengthen the ramparts, repair the
towers at the Diamond Gate, and render the old Mah
ratta guns of some service. Fortunately, at this criti
cal period, the approach of General Goddard, with his
conquering army from Ahmedabad, was announced ;
the Mahrattas instantly broke up their encampment,
and retreating towards Poonah, the general marched
to Surat.
The Indians thought my Encyclopedia contained all
knowledge, from building a castle to making a gun-
carriage, and were constantly consulting it; and so
ingenious and persevering were the Indian artificers,
that in a few months after my arrival I had furnished
the durbar with chairs, tables, sofas, and other neces
sary articles from Europe, finished entirely by the na
tives of Guzerat.

550 PEACE.
On the Mahratta army entirely leaving the country,
the Byots returned to their respective villages and
agricultural employments, and peace and plenty once
more blessed the pergunna entrusted to my care.

END OF VOL. I.

NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMKNT-S1 REET.

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