ORIENTAL MEMOIRS:

SELECTED AND ABRIDGED FROM

A SERIES OF FAMILIAR LETTERS

SEVENTEEN YEARS RESIDENCE IN INDIA:

INCLUDING

OBSERVATIONS

ON
PARTS OF AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA,

AND

A NARRATIVE OF OCCURRENCES IN FOUR INDIA VOYAGES.

Illustrated by Engravings from Original Drazwings.

By JAMES FORBES, F.R.S. &e.

rE

IN FOUR VOLUMES.

VOL. III.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY T. BENSLEY, BOLT COURT.
PUBLISHED BY WHITE, COCHRANE, AND CO. HORACE’'S HEAD,
FLEET-STREET.

1813.

g 320246 “Gy

iDOAG
WGY 15 1945

“rionae use

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

District of Chandode. . solemn groves. .sanctity of Chandode.. brahmins. . temples. .

altars. . Jaggernaut.. account of the ceremonies there by Dr. Buchanan. . funeral
ceremony of the Hindoos.. beautiful address to the elements..extract from Sa-
contala..four grand divisions of Hindoo castes..temple and village worship. .
sealing of the worshippers. .imark on the forehead very generally adopted, . orna-
ments and paintings in the temples... Menu’s Hindoo laws.. preliminary dis-
course,. brahminical belief in the unity of God.. polytheism of the Hindoos..
beautiul letter from a Hindoo rajah to Aurungzebe.. doctrine of the metempsy-
chosis. . doctrines of the Grecian philosophers, compared with the religion of the
patriarchs. . character of a real Yogee.. pure brahminism.. mysteries in their reli-
gion. .sublimity admitted. . truth and beauty of divine revelation far beyond them
.. happy death of a christian contrasted by Hindoo darkness and superstition. é
further considerations on that subject..idea of the Indian natives respecting
christianity in its doctrines and practice..the subject pursued in different points
of view. . effects of modern philosophy among the Europeans in India. . its different
effects. .an interesting conversion. . further reflections. .character of an excellent
minister, Swartz, and other Indian missionaries.. interest taken by George the
First and Archbishop Wake for the conversion of the Hindoos ; letter from the
prelate to the missionaries. . cause and effects of irreligion. .a sovereign remedy. .

beautiful extract from the writings of Bishop Horne..conclusion of the solemn

SUDJECE. coe cece cere eee none econ ere ee eres eeee nesses eeveresseesernens 5

CHAPTER XXIX.

Conquest of Ahmedabad by General Goddard..journey from Dhuboy thither,

through Baroche, Ahmood, Jamboseer, and Cambay..Guzerat coss, .Ahmood
VOL, Ill. b

vi

CONTENTS.

purgunna, .town of Ahmood,. swelling of the Indian rivers.. account of a dread-
ful storm in Guzerat.. mode of crossing the Guzerat rivers..mango topes. .Jam-
boseer purgunna.. plentiful crops..general effects of famine in Hindostan..
particulars of a dreadful faraine in the Bengal provinces... British humanity on
that occasion..town of Jamboseer..Gurry.. Hindoo houses..Coolies, a tribe
of robbers... poetical description of a Hindoo village. manner of travelling. .
brahminic kites and vultures.. Pariar dogs.. erroneous geography of Pliny. .sar
donyx mountains. .river Myhi.. further account of the Coolies..the'r country
described.. Cambay purgunna..remains of antiquity near Cambay..Cambat..
ancient pillar.. pillar of Feroze Shah... Sacred Isles of the West, a very curious
research, , resemblance between the Hindoo and English festivals.. that of the
Hooli, and Vastu Puja..singular ceremonies of Hindoo worship. . strange mis-
conception of a transaction at Dhuboy..cruel oppressions by the nabob of Caim-
bay.. ruinous state of his country and capital. . noble character of Akber. . arrival
at Cambay, and polite reception by the Nabob and Vizier,.elegant entertain-
ment at the Vizier’s house. . Persian emigrants at Cambay.. magnificent jewels.
the hill of lustre, and ocean of lustre, two transcendant diamonds in Persia. .
Tucht-Taoos, the peacock throne. . its value..commerce of Cambay in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. .its former opulence. . causes of its decline.. Dr. Robertson’s
picture of a Hindoo rajah proved to be erroneous. . wild beasts in Guzerat. . dis-
covery of lions.. perilous adventure of a company of sportsmen on that oecasion
.. departure from Cambay.. Sejutra..Guzerat villages and cultivation. . beauty of
the antelopes. .Soubah of Guzerat in the reign of Akber,. division of the empire
at that period.. valuable oxen in Guzerat..horses in India..ancient splendor of
Guzerat. . beautiful mausoleums at Betwah.. affectionate veneration for the dead
in Hindostan..description of the Taje Mahal at Agra..estimate of the expenses

in building that wonderful structure. .short comparison with Solomon’s temple at

MertrSeal Grate Sassy o%5%sra tes tor gae aneite aim ona vorebedekeuayansioreto aiete cE vcierem ctor terete ie eas aren eee

CHAPTER XXX.

Description of Ahmed-abad..when built by Sultan Ahmed. .its former magnitude»

and great decay, compared with Nineveh and Babylon. .contrast between the
Mogul palaces and Mahratta hovels.. melancholy situation of the reduced Mogul

families... charities in Hindostan,. caravansaries..those on the royal roads de-

CONTENTS. vii

scribed, . Jumma-musjed at Ahmed-abad, its uncommon grandeur and extent...
tomb of sultan Ahmed..mosques of Sujaatt Khaun..ivory mosque. . dreadful
heat.. public wells and aqueducts.. palaces and gardens..city of dust..banian
hospital... gold formerly coined there. . public hammums.. news writers... Kokarea
uncommon palmyra.. Dutch burying-ground.. Dutch and English factories. .
trade at that time.. manufactures. .artists.. Persian and Mogul beauties. . nurses
in India..mausoleums and mosque at Sercaze..palace and gardens at Shah-
Bhaug.. park and pleasure-grounds,. Zenana.. arrangement in Akber’s haram..
Damascus rose. . ottar of roses,. Nurse’s well, a most costly structure. . sepulchres
of Mahomedan nurses. . Narwallee, the ancient capital of Guzerat, . conquered by
Afghans. .indolent and peaceable character of the Hindoos..became an easy
conquest to these northern invaders..immense plunder,. splendid taste of their
monarchs. . the celestial bride, a gorgeous temple erected by sultan Mahmood. .
Afghans conquered by the Mogul Tartars.. character of Timur-Lung.. his dread-
ful cruelty in the massacre at Delhi..his posterity to the beginning of the eigh-
teenth century..declining state of the empire, and usurpation of the nabobs..
the cause of Ahmed-abad and Cambay becoming independent... Ahmed-abad
conquered by the Mahrattas..nabob flies to Cambay, and pays tribute to that
power. .taken by the English under General Goddard.. Ayeen Akbery.. Akber..
Abul Fazel.. his sublime and beautiful preface to the Institutes of Akber. .succes-
sors to that emperor... splendid taste of the Mogul princes. .the Dewane-khass, a
magnificent hall in the palace of Shah Allum, described,.reflections on the

Mogull WIStory..c.c00s = cist cinie nine aise o cin, tlgu erp sissies sia eta ess cstie uly

CHAPTER XXXII.

Departure from Ahmedabad.. visit the mosques and tombs at Peerana,. Dolcah, a

large and strong town..Cusbattees on military tenure.. beauty of the country..
depredations of the Coolies.. Bursora..return to Cambay..summer palaces and
gardens.. palace in Cuttek..correspondence with Mirza Zummaun, vizier of
Cambay, when disgraced by the nabob..Siddees and attendants on the nabob..

slavery in India. . portrait of an Asiatic sovereign..cruelty of zemindars and offi-
cers of government... purchase of slaves..nabob’s entertainment at Dil Gusha..

gardens,.temple of fountains.. luxury of an oriental evening. . pavilions. . danc-

ing-girls, .songs.. poetry... Persian stanzas and distichs.. Persian feast. . professed

vill CONTENTS.
story-tellers at Cambay. . illustrations of Scripture by modern customs in India. .
Voltaire’s philosophy... fatal tendency of infidelity in India. . David Hume. . dis-
crimination in the oriental entertainments as to food and presents of apparel. .a
passage in scripture explained from Homer, and modern manners in Hindostan
, further illustrations... familiarity of the inferior Mahomedans at great feasts. .
subjection of Asiatic females,.tents and pavilions. . palanquins.. hackaree. , feast
of Ahasuerus contrasted with modern entertainments. . great similarity of ancient
and modern despotism. . princely banquet from a Persian story... intelligent brah-

mins, . departure from Cambay, . reflections on the Journey ..eeeeseee+seeee LOL

CHA PTEIR® XxX Xi.

Improvement in the population, cultivation and revenue of the Dhuboy purgunnas
..irruptions of the Gracias and Bheels.. character of those banditti. .endeavours
to bring them to terms..insolence and cruelty of the Gracias..their shameful
behaviour at the Gate of Diamonds. .expedition against their capital of Mandwa
.- instructions of the British commanding officer. . success of the enterprize. . cap-
ture of the town, and the ladies in the haram..their treatment as hostages at
Dhuboy.. correspondence with Kessoor Khan, chief of Vazeria,. account of the
Bhauts, demanded as security for the good behaviour of the Gracias. . similarity
in the language and conduct of those people, with several in ancient times..
treaties entered into with the Gracia chieftains on Bhaut security ; hostages re-
leased, and peace restored..Hindoo legend of the Bhauts..bards proclaim the
praises of heroes, and sometimes of females..account of the Charuns, a similar
tribe. . astrologers and soothsayers in Hindostan compared with Balaam, and those
in the Grecian and Roman annals.. astrology and geomancy taught in the Hin-
doo seminaries..schools instituted by Akber..wise women of the east.. known
among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans,.consulted chiefly by lovers in India. .
one of them apphed to by ~Zeida..anecdote of this interesting female and an
English gentleman, after such an application. . warm imagination and lofty flights
of the Persian poets,.stanzas from the Yusef Zelakha of Jami.. virtues of oint-
ments and love-potions. . passage from Horace. . spells and charms complained of
in the courts of Adawlet at Baroche and Dhuboy.. virtues of the Hinna. . poisons

and enchantments..on the death of Germanicus. .....

TeeRa ec esies ele eamas Ola

CONTENTS. Ix
CHAPTER XXXIIL.

Excursion with the new chief of Baroche, and a party, through the English purgun-
nas in Guzerat..the cold season delightful for travelling. .Cubbeer-Burr. . bats
of enormous size..serpents..cure of their venomous bite by Lullabhy. . extraor-
dinary anecdote on that subject. .character of Lullabhy.. weddings in his family
.. behaviour on the death of his daughter.. description of Corall.. Ranghur..
Baubul forests; method of killing the antelopes.. pleasant manner of travelling. .
Vanjarrahs, their commercial journeys and comforts, . life of the palanquin-bearers
..anecdote of a young Hindoo mother. . country near Zinore,. pass of Bowa- peer
..depredation of the Mahratta armies.. beauty and fertility of Guzerat. . revisit
Chandode.. Hindoo superstition. . questions respecting the recluse brahmins..
answered from Craufurd’s Sketches.. arrival at Dhuboy..improvement of that
purgunna, . miseries of war.. letter from the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburgh
Strelitz to the King of Prussia. suggested improvements in agriculture and reve-
nue, . landed property in India.. mountain of Powaghur.. Brodera.. the capital of
the Guicwars described. .interior of the durbar.,debauched character of Indian
princes. . haram.. Mahomedan women. . mosques and sepulchres. . funeral ceremo-
nies.. grand wells..inscriptions.. Rebekah and Eliezer..great men travel with
water in jars.. stone bridge.. provisions at Brodera.,.cheapness and abundance in
other districts.. few wants in India..superior beauty of the Brodera purgunna. .
lotos..lotophagi.. valuable produce of the district. . villages. .oppressions of go-
vernment..character of Futty Sihng..his titles..horn of victory..invitation to
his daughter’s wedding. . presents. . anecdote at Sindia’s durbar respecting Khiluts
.. Magnificent wedding of Vazeer Ally. character of Asuf-ud-Dowlah.. anecdote
of Hyder Ally, and letter from that prince to Colonel Wood..letter from the
Mahratta Peshwa to George the Third.. presents on that occasion insignificant
compared with the munificence of ancient sovereigns..system of oppression. .
Akber.. happy consequences to be expected from the power and influence of the
British government in India..music of the Hindoos..ceremonies at a Hindoo
wedding..cremation of widows. . flattery of Futty Sihng’s heralds..chamber of
mirrors.. Tippoo Sultaun’s sleeping apartment,.noble traits in Neber’s character
-.- compared with Alfred. . weighing of the royal person. . coins and seals of Akber
.. zodiac rupees... delightful encampment near Brodera.. cold in India. , wretched

state of the Chandalahs,. compared with the brahmins,. injustice of the system

CONTENTS.

and general character of the Hindoos.. Meah Gaum Rajah..his amiable chiarac-
ter..death and character of Hiroo Nand.. sacrifice of his widow.. her superior
endowments, .compared with celebrated English females,. Mahomedan women
.. extraordinary character of Avyar, a Hindoo female philosopher and celebrated
author..extracts from her writings. .serpents. . serpent-eaters. . locusts. . distillers

.. potters. . Hindoo deities. . floods. . average Of annual. Lains,s 4.00.0 eveveroeete oh 249

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Cession of Baroche, Dhuboy, and the English purgunnahs in Guzerat, to the Mah-

rattas and Mahdajee Sindia, at the peace in 1783..rise of Mahdajee Sindia’s fa-
mily in the Mahratta state.. illegitimacy of that chieftain. .dissensions in the
family, . assassination of Jeajee..elevation of Mahdajee Sindia by Mahdarow..
chosen mediator of the treaty of peace between the English and Mahrattas in
1783..the city and district of Baroche presented to him for this service... Dhu-
boy and Zinore ordered to be surrendered to the Mahrattas. . sorrow of the inha-
bitants of Baroche, and their behaviour on giving it up to the Mahratta gover-
nor.. these facts opposed to former ill-founded prejudices in England. . instances
of oriental gratitude. . letters from different natives of India..noble behaviour of
the inhabitants of Dhuboy on the report of its being restored to the Mahrattas..
present of Hindoo images brought to England, and placed in a temple erected
for their reception, . beauty and peculiarity of the nymphea lotos..events of the
day on which Dhuboy was to have been delivered up to the Mahratta pundit. .
his non-arrival..dissuasion of the brahmins from my leaving Dhuboy.. reasons
assigned for their conduct. . threats and intended ambuscade of the Gracias. . the
mantra, and divinations communicated by the brahmins.. paper presented by the
elders of Dhuboy, stating the happiness of the English government, and their
misery at its being withdrawn. . reasons for inserting it.. translation of the address
.. divination of the Gracia soothsayers. . arrangements in consequence, . departure
from Dhuboy.. lines written on the oceasion.. proceed to Baroche.. attack of the
Gracias on my escort. . murder of the cavalry officer, servant, and attendants..
further cruelty and plunder... funeral processions..my narrow escape from the
ambuscade.. conduct of the relations of the murdered people. . general behaviour
of the Mahomedan women on such occasions. . intentions of the Gracias, had they

succeeded in my capture... various modes of poisoning their prisoners, . effects of

_— a

Stri

CONTENTS. xi

deleterious drugs on the body and the mind.. poisons ameng the ancients. . reco-
very of part of my effects..sheep-skin death..anecdote in consequence. . death
by thirst.. another scheme of the Gracias frustrated... oriental sorceries. . remarks

Onl a particul ay Provid ence sere «tracks c/creretslclaiers; a4 eloteloreiersisiecei eine cele etalon Wem OAT

CHA DT-E Rex XV.
king the British colours, and final departure from Baroche.. situation of the civil
and military servants on that establishment. . arrival at Surat..double government
of the English in that city. . evils attending it.. abolition of the nabob’s authority,
and sole administration cf the English.. provision for the nabob.. consequent
happiness of Surat..gloomy aspect of the company’s affairs in 1783..hard situa-
tion of many exiled civilians from Baroche..resolution to return to Europe..
late changes at Surat..decline of its magnificence and commerce. . effects of a
dreadful storm. . devastations at Mahmud-a-Bhaug.. pavilions in oriental gardens
.- oriental villas compared with Pliny’s at Laurentinum.. Elisha’s chamber. .
summer parlour of Eglon..gardens at Zulam Bhaug..chief beauties in Indian
gardens,.amrah, the mango blossom.. variety of custard apples..their sacred
destination. . oriental perfumes.. Moguls and Persians at Surat. . literary charac-
ters there..Gibbon’s remark on eastern literature..character of Avyar, a cele-
brated female philosopher.. morality and piety of her writings..her aphorisms
and maxims. . font at Belgram, the Pierian spring of India..its reputed effects
.. general female portrait in Asiatic cities,.oriental state insignia. . necessity of
preserving it..reflections in consequence, .revisit Pulparra.. Hindoo supersti-
tions there. .immolation of Hindoo widows never practised at Bombay. . infanticide
prevented in Guzerat.. introduction of vaccination in India,. its blessed effects. .
encouraged by the bralmins.. previously known in the districts of Benares; au-
thenticity of that fact.. general statement of medical practice in India. . particu-
jar instances.. liberal and scientific character of Serfojee, rajah of Tanjore...
letter from that prince..cure of the ophthalmia.. practice of medicine among the
Mahrattas. . zodiac rupees, by whom coined and for what purpose. arrival at
Bombay.. great alteration in the style of life and manners at that presidency...
final resolves of the emigrants from Baroche.. increase of population at Bom-
bay.. increase of private expense and the public expenditure. . increase of crimes
and punishments among the natives in consequence.. ungrateful and immoral
traits in the Indian character.. letter on the desertion of sepoys..summary of

Indian depravity, by Sir James Mackintosh, . excursion to the islands of Salsette

xii CONTENTS.

and Elephanta..improvements at Tannah.. further remarks and illustrations of
the excavations in those sacred islands..atmosphere of Salsette.. reflections on

the summit of the excavated mountains.......ccccccscecccecccccveccccece 401

CHAPTER XXXVI.

The author desirous of travelling to Powa Ghur, and the confines of Malwa; pre-
vented by his official duties, . avails himself of every opportunity to gain inform-
ation of those districts... becomes possessed of Mr. Cruso’s papers containing the
particulars of a journey from Sarat to Calcutta, with Sir Charles Malet.. which,
amplified and corrected by that gentleman, form the most interesting part of this
and the following chapters..cause of the embassy, and Sir Charles Malet’s ap-
pointment by the supreme government of Bengal.. public papers relative to the
embassy..the gentleman who accompanied Sir Charles..arrival at Surat from
Bombay..departure from Surat for Baroche.. arrival there. .dancing-girls. .a
bé-ropee, or buffoon... dilapidations of Bowran,.. melancholy picture of Vezelpoor
and the English garden-houses in that village... reflections and verses on reading
these remarks. . ingratitude of some of the higher orders at Baroche towards the
English. . Tuckarea,. Borahs..rajah Ramul Sihng oppressed by Futty Sihng..
Gracias. . fertility and beauty of the Brodera purgunna..arrival at Brodera..
reception and visit from Futty Sihng..ceremonies at this visit.. presents. . dress
of Futty Sihng and his brother..the visit returned at the Brodera durbar. . pa-
lace described... particulars of the visit.. leave the Guicwar dominions, and enter
those of Mhadajee Sindia. . Jarode, Halool. . Powa-Ghur ; that fortress described. .
Champoneer formerly the capital of Guzerat.. romantic country near Malow..
Belah fruit..intestine broils in that wild district.. lofty hills.. Barreah, . visit
from the rajah, . the visit returned. . pleasant character of the Bareah rajah. . con-
tinuation of wild country. . infested by robbers..alarm.. precautions. . design frus-
trated... Dohud.. escort from the Jaboo rajah through this perilous tract. . visit
from this rajab.. Pitlabad.. cross the Myhi.. character of the country near that
river..its borderers notorious robbers. . Rajoud..sources of the Myhi and Coto-
ser rivers..Churruns, a very singular tribe, described..robbery at the tents..
Noulai.. the opposite direction of the rivers in this part of Hindostan, . produce of
the country... poppies.. manner of extracting the opium..aul tree.. province of
Malwa proverbially fertile and well watered..singular mud villages, . arrival at

459

Dojen..ccccccsscccccccovcccccvscvressescvscesseserersssscerscarvere

THE PECULIAR SANCTITY OF THE HINDOO TEMPLES, GROVES

CHAPTER XXVIII.

A DESCRIPTION OF CHANDODE;

AND LAKES, IN THAT DISTRICT; AND A COMPARISON

BETWEEN THE RELIGIOUS TENETS OF THE

VOL. III.

BRAHMINS, AND THE SUBLIME
TRUTHS OF CHRISTIANITY.
17 St.

«* From whence the progress of the Sage’s mind,
Beyond the bounds by Nature’s laws assign’d ?
Whence, every form of vulgar sense o’erthrown,
Soars the rapt thought, and rests on God alone?

Perhaps, by smooth gradations, to this end
All systems of belief unconscious tend,
That teach the infinite of nature swarms
With gods subordinate through endless forms,
And every object, useful, bright, malign,
Of some peculiar is the care, or shrine.
Ask the poor Hindoo if material things
Exist: he answers, their existence springs
From Mind within, that prompts, protects, provides,
And moulds their beauties, or their terrors guides.
Blooms the red flow’ret? Durva blushes there.
Flash lightnings fierce? dread Indra fills the air.
The morning wakes, or high the white wave swells.
That Surya brightens, Ganga this impells.
Thus in each part of this material scene,
He owns that matter leans on Mind unseen ;
Andin each object views some God pourtray'd,
This all in all, and that but empty shade !”’ C. Grant.

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CONTENTS.

District of Chandode—solemn groves—sanctity of Chandode—brah-
mins —temples—altars—Jaggernaut—account of the cerenionies
there by Dr. Buchanan—funeral ceremony of the Hindoos—beau-
tiful address to the elements—extract from Sacontala—four grand
divisons of Hindoo castes—temple and village worship—sealing of the
worshippers—mark on the forehead very generally adopted—orna-
ments and paintings in the temples—Menu’s Hindoo laws—preli-
minary discourse—brahminical belief in the unity of God--poly-
theism of the Hindoos—beautiful letter from a Hindoo rajah to Au-
rungzebe—doctrine of the metempsychosis—doctrines of the Grecian
philosophers, compared with the religion of the patriarchs—character
of areal Yogee—pure brahminism—mysteries in their religion—sub-
limity admitted—truth and beauty of divine revelation far beyond
them—happy death of a christian contrasted by Hindoo darkness
and superstition—further considerations on that subject—tdea of the
Indian natives respecting christianity in its doctrines and practice—
the subject pursued in different points of view—effects of modern
philosophy among the Europeans in India—its different effects—an
interesting conversion—further reflecttons—character of an excel-

lent minister, Swartz, and other Indian missionaries—interest

taken by George the First and Archbishop Wake for the conver-
sion of the Hindoos; letier from the prelate to the missionaries—
cause and effects of irreligion—a_ sovereign remedy—beautiful ex-

tract from the writings of bishop Horne—conclusion of the solemn
subject.

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CHAPTER XXVIII.

Apjo1nine the Zinore purgunna, and equally under my juris-
diction, was a little district called Chandode, to which the brah-
mins attributed peculiar sanctity; the town, situated on the lofty
banks of the Nerbudda, was intersected by ravines and water-
courses, formed by heavy rains and encroachments of the river:
as these inundations subsided, they left deep hollow-ways, and
steep precipices overhung by trees entangled with under-wood
and jungle-grass, affording an impenetrable cover for tigers, hyenas,
serpents, and noxious reptiles.

Immense groves of the ficus religiosa and indica, overshadow-
ing numerous Hindoo temples, and spacious lakes, cast a more

than common gloom on this venerated spot.

«« What solemn twilight, what stupendous shades

« Enwrap those sacred floods! Through every nerve

x

© Unusual horror thrills; a pleasing fear

‘© Glides o’er my frame. The forest deepens round ;

‘© And more gigantic still, the impending trees

©

Stretch their extravagant arms athwart the gloom.

«« Are these the confines of some fairy world,

«© A land of Genii?” ARMSTRONG.

6

No place in the western provinces of Hindostan is reputed so holy
as Chandode; none at least exceed it: its temples and seminaries al-
most vie with the fanes of Jaggernaut, and colleges of Benares. ‘Two
thirds of the inhabitants are brahmins and devotees of various de-
criptions: Hindoos of every caste from all parts of Guzerat, and pil-
grims from a greater distance, resort thither, at stated festivals, to
bathe in the Nerbudda, and perform their religious ceremonies on
its sacred banks; every temple has its respective images, every burr-
tree its holy lingam, or tutelary deity. ‘There the brahmins seem
to be almost idolized, and inflated with the appellation given
them in the code of Menu, of “ something transcendently divine.”
Such they may be thought by their deluded disciples; to other
observers their earthly origin is sufficiently conspicuous. My duty
led me thither on occasional visits to collect the Company’s share
of the revenue in their hely districts. I lived near four years
within a few miles of the solemn groves where those voluptuous
devotees pass their lives with the ramjannees, or dancing-gitls at-
tached to the temples, in a sort of luxurious superstition and sanc-
tified indolence unknown in colder climates.

‘he dewals, or temples, at Chandode daily undergo a variety
of lustral ceremonies: not only do the priests and worshippers of
the various deities in the Hindoo mythology, perform these fre-
quent ablutions, but the lingam, the images, and the altars are
washed and bathed with water, oil, and milk. We read in the
Ayeen Akbery, “ that the brahmins wash the images of Jagger-
naut six times every day, and dress them each time in fresh clothes.

As soon as they are dressed fifty-six brahmins attend them, and

re

present them with various kinds of food. The quantity of vic-
tuals offered to these idols is so very great as to feed twenty thou-
sand persons. ‘They also, at certain times, carry the image in pro-
cession upon a carriage of sixteen wheels; and they believe that
whoever assists in drawing it along obtains remission of all his
sins.”

Such was the account of Abul Fazel, the Mahomedan vizier of
Akber, two hundred years ago- He has there omitted one material
circumstance in the procession of Jaggernaut; that of the volun-
tary human sacrifices to this lascivious god! This can now be too
well supplied from a late publication by Dr. Claudius Buchanan,
who was an eye-witness of the horrid scene he describes; which I

shall curtail as much as possible.

Jaggernaut, 14th June 1806.

* T wave seen Jaggernaut. No record of ancient or
modern history can give, I think, an adequate idea of this valley
of death; it may be truly compared with the valley of Hinnom.
The idol called Jaggernaut, has been considered as the Moloch of
the present age; and he is justly so named, for the sacrifices offered
up to him by self-devotement are not less criminal, perhaps not
less numerous, than those recorded of the Moloch of Canaan. Two
other idols accompany Jaggernaut, namely Boloram and Shubu-
dra, his brother and sister; for there are ¢hree deities worshipped
here. They receive equal adoration, and sit on thrones of nearly
equal height.

“‘ The temple is a stupendous fabric, truly commensurate with

the extensive sway of the horrid king. As other temples are

8

aie

usually adorned with figures emblematical of their religion, so
Jaggernaut has numerous and various representations of that vice
which constitutes the essence of his worship. ‘The walls and gates
are covered with indecent emblems, in massive and durable sculp-
ture. I have also visited the sand plains by the sea, in some
places whitened by the bones of the pilgrims; where dogs and
vultures are ever seen, who sometimes begin their attack before
the pilgrim is quite dead. In this place of skulls I beheld a poor
woman lying dead, or nearly dead, and her two children by her,
looking at the dogs and vultures which were near. The people
passed by without noticing the children: I asked them where was
their home; they said “ they had no home but where their mother
was.” O, there is no pity at Jaggernaut; no mercy, no tenderness
of heart in Moloch’s kingdom! ‘Those who support his kingdom

err, I trust, from ignorance: “ they know not what they do.”

Jaggernaut, 18th June.

“1 wave returned home from witnessing a scene which
I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock of this day, being the
great day of the feast, the Moloch of Hindostan was brought out
of his temple amid the acclamations of hundreds of thousands of
his worshippers. When the idol was placed on his throne, a shout
was raised by the multitude, such as I had never heard before. It
continued equable for a few minutes, and then gradually died
away. After a short interval of silence, a murmur was heard at
a distance; all eyes were turned to the place, and behold a grove
advancing: a body of men, having green branches, or palms in

their hands, approached with great celerity. ‘The people opened

9

a way for them; and when they had come up to the throne, they
fell down before him that sat thereon and worshipped. And the
multitude again sent forth a voice, “like the sound of a great
thunder.” But the voices I now heard were not those of melody,
or of joyful acclamation. Their number indeed brought to my
mind the countless multitude of the Revelations; but their voices
gave no tuneful Hosanna or Halleluia: it was rather a yell of ap-
probation !

«The throne of the idol was placed on a stupendous car,
about sixty feet in height, resting on wheels which indented the
ground deeply as they turned slowly under the ponderous machine.
Attached to it were six cables, of the size and length of a ship’s
cable, by which the people drew it along. Upon the tower were
the priests and satellites of the idol, surrounding his throne. The
idol is a block of wood, having a frightful visage painted black,
with a distended mouth of a bloody colour; his arms are of gold,
and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols are of a
white and yellow colour. Five elephants preceded the three towers,
bearing lofty flags, dressed in crimson caparisons, and having
bells hanging thereto, which sounded musically as they moved.

“¢ IT went on in the procession, close by the tower of Moloch;
which, as it was drawn with difficulty, grated on its many wheels harsh
as thunder: after a few minutes it stopped; and now the worship
of the god began. A high priest mounted the carin front of the
idol, and pronounced his obscene stanzas in the ears of the people;
who responded, at intervals, in the same strain. “ These songs,”
said he, “are the delight of the god; his car can only move when

he is pleased with the song.” The car moved on a little way, and
VOL:, ILI. c

10

then stopped; a boy of about twelve years old was now brought
forth, to attempt something yet more lascivious, if peradventure the
god would move. ‘The child perfected the praise of his idol with
such ardent expression and gesture, that the god was pleased, and
the multitude emitting a sensual yell of delight, urged the car
along. After a few minutes it stopped again. An aged minister
of the idol then stood up, and with a long rod in his hand, which
he moved with indecent action, completed the variety of this dis-
gusting exhibition.

** After the tower had proceeded some way, a pilgrim an-
nounced that he was ready to offer himself a sacrifice to the idol.
He laid himself down in the road before the tower as it was
moving along, lying on his face with his arms stretched forward.
The multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear; and he
was crushed to death by the wheels of the tower. A shout of
joy was raised to the god; he is said to smile when the libation of
blood is made. The people threw cowries, or small money, on the
body of the victim, in approbation of the deed. He was left to
view a considerable time, and was then carried by the hurries to

the Golgotha, where I have just been viewing his remains.” .

Jaggernaut, 20th June.

“ Tne horrid solemnities still continue; yesterday a
woman devoted herself to the idol. She laid herself down on the
road in an oblique direction, so that the wheels did not kill her
instantaneously, as is generally the case; but she died in a few
hours. This morning as I passed the ‘ place of skulls’ nothing re-

mained of her but her bones.

11

‘© And this, thought I, is the worship of the brahmins of Hin-
dostan! and their worship in its sublimest degree! What then shall
we think of their private manners, and their moral principles!
For it is equally true of India as of Europe; if you would know
the state of the people, look at the state of the temple.

“« The idolatrous processions continue for some days longer;
but my spirits are so exhausted by the constant view of these enor-
mities, that I mean to hasten away from Jaggernaut sooner than
I first intended. As to the number of worshippers assembled
here at this time, no accurate calculation can be made: the na-
tives themselves, when speaking of the number at particular festi-
vals, usually say that a lac of people, (one hundred thousand)
would not be missed. . I asked a brahmin how many he supposed
were present at the most numerous festival he had ever wit-
nessed: ‘ How can [ tell,” said he, “ how many grains there are in
a handful of sand ?”

These horrid superstitious rites are not practised in Guzerat;
nor are sanguinary sacrifices of any kind offered on the Hindoo
altars. Self-immolation by widows too often pollute the flowery
banks of the Nerbudda, and female infanticide, to a great extent,
was then encouraged among whole tribes in the province. These
are now happily prevented by the interference of the British govern-
ment. Under the groves of Chandode are many funeral monu-
ments in memory of those pilgrims who died on their journey to
these sacred shrines, and whose ashes were brought to this sanc-
tified spot, and cast into the river: because it forms an essential
part of the Hindoo system that each element shall have a portion

of the human body at its dissolution.

12

~_

When there is no hope of recovery, the patient is generally
removed from the bed, and laid on a platform of fresh earth,
either out of doors or prepared purposely in some adjoining room
or veranda, that he may there breathe his last. In a physical
sense, this removal at so critical a period must be often attended
with fatal consequences; though perhaps not quite so decisive as
that of exposing an aged parent or a dying friend on the banks
of the Ganges. I now only mention the circumstances as form-
ing part of the Hindoo religious system. After having expired
upon the earth, the body is carried to the water-side, and washed
with many ceremonies. It is then laid upon the funeral pile, that
the fire may have a share of the victim: the ashes are finally
scattered in the air, and fall upon the water.

During the funeral ceremony, which is solemn and affecting,
the brahmins address the respective elements in words to the fol-
lowing purport: although there may be a different mode of per-
forming these religious rites in other parts of Hindostan.

O Eartu! to thee we commend our brother; of thee he was
formed; by thee he was sustained; and unto thee he now returns!

O Fire! thou hadst a claim in our brother; during his life
he subsisted by thy influence in nature; to thee we commit his
body: thou emblem of purity, may his spirit be purified on enter-
ing a new state of existence!

O Air! while the breath of life continued, our brother re-
spired by thee: his last breath is now departed; to thee we yield
him!

O Water! thou didst contribute to the life of our brother;

thou wert one of his sustaining elements. His remains are now

13

dispersed: receive thy share of him, who has now taken an ever-
lasting flight !

Eastern and western philosophers seem to coincide in senti-
ment respecting this disposition of the human frame at its disso-
lution: at least the author of the Night Thoughts has thus beau-

tifully expressed himself on a similar subject.

«« The moist of human frame the sun exhales ;
«© Winds scatter, through the mighty void, the dry ;
«« Earth repossesses part of what she gave;
«« And the freed spirit mounts on wings of fire:
«« Each element partakes our scattered spoils ;
«* As nature, wide, our ruins spread !—Man’s death

«* Tnhabits all things, but the thought of Man! Younc.

In the brahminical benediction at the commencement of Sa-
contala, the Hindoo system of philosophy is still more enlarged,
and contains a beautiful part of their mythology. “ Water was
the first work of the Creator, and fire receives the oblations or-
dained by law; the sacrifice is performed with solemnity: the two
lights of heaven distinguish time; the subtle ether, which is the
vehicle of sound, pervades the universe; the earth is the natural
parent of all increase; and by air all things breathing are ani-
mated: may Isa, the god of nature, apparent in these eight forms,
bless and sustain you !”

I have occasionally mentioned the most striking features in the
moral and religious character of the Hindoos. It would be end-
less to enter into the various shades of caste and different cere-
monials observed among them; nor are they of importance to an

English reader. One doctrine which I have not particularly ad-

14,

verted to, has the greatest possible influence among all the castes,
and keeps them in that extraordinary state of distinction and sub-
ordination which forms their peculiar characteristic; it is that the
four grand divisions, or castes, proceeded from Brahma, the creat-
ing power, in the following manner: The brahmin issued from the
mouth, implying wispom; to pray, to read, and to instruct.
The chetterce proceeded from the arms, implying srrENGTH; to
draw the bow, to fight, and to govern. ‘The bece came from the
belly or thighs, which implies NourgIsHMENT; these must pro-
vide the necessaries of life by agriculture and commerce. The
sooder came from the feet, which means suBJECTION ; these are
born to labour, and to serve. From these four grand divisions all
the subordinate castes are derived. .

1 had constant opportunities of seeing the religious ceremonies
at the Hindoo temples in Dhuboy and Chandode. The brahmini-
cal worship is generally divided into the Narganey Pooja, and
Sarganey Pooja ; or the worship of the great invisible Gon, and the
worship of idols. ‘The latter always appeared to me to be the ob-
jects of devotion both of the priests and people. Exclusive of the
temple for public worship, in most of the Guzerat villages is a
sacred burr, or pipal-tree; under which is the figure of a cow, the
lingam, one or two of the deities, or a vase containing a plant of
the tulsee, or sweet basil, growing on the top of the altar. Some-
times the object of worship is only a plain stone, or a block of
black or white marble, on which flowery sacrifices are daily offered
by the villagers, either with or without the presence of a brahmin.
Sometimes they are joined in their religious rites by a Yogee, who
lives under the tree on the skin of a tiger or leopard, which they

15

are very fond of: if that is beyond their reach, they content them-
selves with a mat, and frequently a terrace of cow-dung, where
the worshipper remains motionless for many hours together, in a
stupid kind of absorption. With the other sacrifices the Hindoos
often mingle a small quantity of oil of sandal, mogrees, and
odoriferous plants; more common unguents are rubbed on the
stone. The custom of anointing stones with oil, and converting
them into altars, is very ancient. When Jacob had been favoured
with the heavenly vision on his journey to Mesopotamia, he took
the stone on which he had slept, and set it up fora pillar, and
poured oil upon it; as is practised at this day on many a shape-
less stone throughout Hindostan.

Although the object of their worship is erroneous, and painful
to the feelings of more enlightened minds, it is pleasing to see
the Hindoos every morning perform their ablutions in the sacred
lakes, and offer an innocent sacrifice under the solemn grove.
After having gone through their religious ceremonies, they are
sealed by the officiating brahmin with the tiluk, or mark, either of
Vishnoo or Seeva; the followers of those respective deities forni-
ing the two great sects among the Hindoos, The mark is impressed
on the forehead with a composition of sandal-wood dust and oil,
or the ashes of cow-dung and turmeric: this is a holy ceremony,
which has been adopted in all ages by the eastern nations, how-
ever differing in religious profession. Among the [indoos of
both sexes, and all descriptions among the castes permitted to at-
tend the temple worship, it is daily practised. ‘To the Jews it was
well known, as also to the Mahomedans. Many passages in the

Old and New Testament allude to it; and a Jewish rabbi says

16

* the perfectly just are sealed, and conveyed to Paradise.” Chris-
tians are said by the apostle to be sealed by the Spirit until the
day of redemption; and in the Apocalypse the charge given to
the destroying angel is illustrated by this oriental practice. “ Hurt
not the earth until we have sealed the servants of our Gop in the
forehead; and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on
their foreheads.”

The principal temple at Chandode is finished in a superior
style of taste and elegance to any in that part of India: the cen-
tral spire is light and in good proportion; the interior of the dome
is forty feet diameter ; the concave painted by artists from Ahme-
dabad, on subjects in the Hindoo mythology. They are done in
distemper, which is very durable in that climate: but the drawing
is bad, and the style altogether hard, incorrect, and deficient in
the effect of light and shade: a light and dark shade seem indeed
to be all they are acquainted with: the modern artists have no
idea of middle tints, or the harmony of colouring. ‘The outline,
though greatly inferior in proportion and line of beauty, bears
some resemblance to the ancient Greek and [truscan vases. The
temples at Chandode abound with exterior sculpiure, inferior to
that at the Gate of Diamonds at Dhuboy, and to the figures at
Salsette and Elephanta; nor can they be named with the graceful
statues of ancient Greece.

During the latter years of my residence in India, I had so
little intercourse with my own countrymen, and my lot was so com-
pletely cast among the brahmins of Guzerat, that I naturally be-
came interested in all their concerns as far ascircumstances admitted.

At that time very few publications had appeared in Europe re-

Ly

specting the Hindoos; nor were the English then settled in In-
dia likely, from their pursuits, to obtain much knowledge of their
religion, morality, and manners. In the circumscribed island of
Bombay, where society was confined to the European circles,
little information of that kind was to be expected; the same cause
operated at the principal subordinate settlements: but at Dhuboy
I was in a peculiar situation of seclusion and solitude; and, will-
ing to profit by the opportunity, I endeavoured to acquire all the
paruculars I could respecting these extraordinary people. ‘The
observations I made enable me to confirm what I have since met
with in the writings of Sir William Jones, and other celebrated
orientalists. But the code of laws translated from the Sanscreet
of Menu, affords the best and most authentic system of Hindoo
policy and manners. Although their chronology and history ex-
tend far beyond our computation of time, we must allow this
book to be one of the most ancient records any where extant.
The preliminary discourse affixed to it, composed by modern
pundits and brahmins, is a liberal and manly essay; and although
the Hindoo literati of the present day are very inferior to their
ancestors in science and wisdom, many of them are taught the lan-
guage in which those valuable treatises were written, and have the
same fountain to apply to for information. In this preliminary
discourse several eminent brahmins, with great elevation of mind,
and liberality of sentiment, thus address themselves.

“From men of enlightened understandings, and sound judg-
ment, who in their researches after truth, have swept from their
hearts the dust of malice and opposition, it is not concealed that

the contrarieties of religion, and diversities of belief, which are
VOL. III. D

18

causes of envy, and of enmity to the ignorant, are in fact a
manifest demonstration of the power of the Supreme Being. For
it is evident that a painter, by sketching a multiplicity of figures,
and by arranging a variety of colours, procures a reputation
among men; and a gardener, for planting a diversity of shrubs,
and for producing a number of different flowers, gains credit and
commendation; wherefore it is absurdity and ignorance to view,
in an inferior light, Hrm, who created both the painter and the
gardener. ‘The truly intelligent well know that the differences
and varieties of created things are a ray of his glorious essence ;
and that the contraricties of constitutions are a type of his wonder-
ful attributes, whese complete power formed all creatures of the ani-
mal, vegetable, and material world, from the four elements of fire, wa-
ter, air, and earth, to be an ornament to the magazine of the creation ;
and whose comprehensive benevolence selected man, the centre of
knowledge, to have dominion and authority over the rest: and,
having bestowed upon this favourite object judgment and under-
standing, gave him supremacy over the corners of the world; and,
when he had put into his hand the free control and arbitrary dis-
posal of all affairs, he appropriated to each tribe its own faith,
and to every sect ils own religion; and having introduced a nu-
merous variety of castes, and a multiplicity of different customs,
he views in each particular place the mode of worship respectively
appointed to it. Sometimes he is employed with the attendants
upon the mosque, in counting the sacred beads; sometimes he is
in the temple at the adoration of idols; the intimate of the Mussul-
man, and the friend of the Hindoo; the companion of the Chris-

tian, and the confident of the Jew. Wherefore men of exalted

e

19

notions, not being bent upon hatred and opposition, but consider-
ing the collected body of creatures as an object of the power of
the Almighty, by investigating the contrarieties of sects, and the
different customs of religion, have stamped to themselves a lasting
reputation upon the page of the world; particularly in the ex-
tensive empire of Hindostan, which is a most delightful couniry;
and wherein are collected a great number of Turks, Persians,
Tartars, Scythians, Europeans, Armenians, Abyssinians, &c.”

The beauty and philanthropy of this quotation will, [ trust,
apologize for its prolixity. During my residence among the brah-
mins and religious sectaries of the Hindoos, I witnessed so much
of their life and conduct as convinced me of the usefulness of
many who performed their active duties; and, as far as the laws
of caste and their own knowledge permitted, instructed those who
were allowed to learn, in their religious and moral duty. I am
also convinced, that the most enlightened brahmins believe in the
unity of Gop, although they think it necessary to represent his
different attributes under symbolical forms, for the comprehen-
sion of the vulgar. ‘They have also permitted the representation of
celestial beings for a similar purpose; in the same manner as the
stoics and other philosophers, who were unwilling to disturb the
popular religion of their country, yet knowing how truth was ob-
scured by fable and allegory, they ventured to establish tenets
which enlarged the ideas, and ennobled the minds of their fol-
lowers; and went as far in their system as human nature can
attain, unenlightened by the Sun of Righteousness. Many of
their writings clearly indicate the sublimity of their conceptions.

Strabo, probably, gives the general opinion of those ancient sages

20

when he asserts that “ the thunder of Jupiter, the «gis of Minerva,
the trident of Neptune, the torches and snakes of the Furies,
together with the whole heathen theology, are all fable; which the
legislators who formed the political constitution of states, employ
as bugbears to overawe the credulous and simple.”

Among my Hindoo visitors at Dhuboy, I have frequently heard
liberal and intelligent men express themselves almost in the very
words of Jesswant Sihng, the Hindoo rajah, who wrote the follow-
ing letter to the emperor Aurungzebe, a prince of a most fanati-
cal and persecuting spirit: it is deservedly preserved by Orme in
his valuable history.

“ Your royal ancestor, Abker, whose throne is now in heaven,
conducted the affairs of this empire in equity and firm security, for
the space of fifty years; preserving every tribe of men in ease and
happiness, whether they were followers of Jesus or of Moses, of
David or of Mahomed; were they brahmins of the sect of Dha-
rians, they all equally enjoyed his countenance and favour: inso-
much that his people, in gratitude for the indiscriminate protection
which he afforded them, distinguished him by the appellation of
Juggut-Grow, guardian of mankind. If your majesty places any
faith in those books, by distinction called divine, you will there
be instructed that Gop is the God of all mankind; not the God
of Mahomedans alone. ‘The Pagan and the Mussulman are equally
in his presence; distinctions of colour are of his ordination: it is
HE who gives existence. In your temple, to his name, the voice
is raised in prayer; in a house of images, where the bell is shaken,
sull ug is the object of adoration. To vilify the religion and

customs of other men, is to set at naught the pleasure of the Al-

21

mighty. When we deface a picture, we naturally incur the re-
sentment of the painter; and justly has the poet said, “ presume
not to arraign, or to scrutinize the various works of power
divine.”

It is well known the Hindoos admit of no proselytes to their
religion: a man must be born a Hindoo, he cannot become one.
The preceding letter confirms the liberality of their sentiments to-
wards all other religious systems. It also establishes the fact, that
the enlightened brahmins firmly believe in the unity of the God-
head; while at the same time, as just observed, polytheism, on as
extended a scale as ever entered into the Grecian mythology, is
the creed of the vulgar; all unite in the belief of the metempsy-
chosis, but the ideas of the generality on this subject are vague,
unsatisfactory, and uninfluencing. Frequently, when arguing
with the brahmins on this favourite tenet, I have stated, even on a
supposition of its truth, that it could have little influence on a set
of beings who retained no consciousness of a pre-existent state,
whether virtuous or vicious: they generally declined the subject,
by saying such knowledge was imparted to a few highly-favored
brahmins, and twice-born men; but the doctrine of the metem-
psychosis was to be received by all the various tribes of Hindoos
as an article of faith.

The doctrine of the metempsychosis, is not only of very re-
mote antiquity, but was widely spread among the most civilized
nations. Pythagoras, who travelled into Egypt, Chaldea, and
India, on his return to Greece confirmed those tenets which had
been previously introduced there by his master Pherecides. And
it appears that not only the doctrine of future rewards and punish-

22

ments, as set forth in the brahminical code, were publicly taught
by Pythagoras, but also many of the other moral and religious
tenets of the Hindoos, Craufurd says many of the latter believe
that some souls are sent back to the spot where their bodies were
burnt, there to wait until the new bodies they are destined to oc-
cupy be ready for their recepuon. ‘This appears to correspond
with an opinion of Plato; which, with many other tenets of that
philosopher, was adopted by the early christians. ‘The institutes
of Menu, enlarging on this subject, assert that the weal souls of
those men who have committed sins in the body, shall certainly,
after death, assume another body, composed of nerves, with five
sensations, in order to be the more susceptible of torment; and
being intimately united with those minute nervous particles, ac-
cording to their distribution, they shall feel, in that new body, the
_ pangs inflicted in each by the sentence of Yama.

It was a prevailing idea with the Grecian and Roman philo-
sophers, and, as is often mentioned in these memoirs, it is equally
so among the enlightened brahmins, that the spirit of man origi-
nally emanates from the Great Sout or Berne, the Divine
Spirit: and when, by the inevitable stroke of death, it quits its
tenement of clay, it is again absorbed into the immensity of the
Deity. This, they taught, was to be the final state of the virtuous,
while the souls of the wicked were doomed to punishments pro-
portionate to their crimes. Such were the purest doctrines of
Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; both these and their
moral system deserve our admiration, but how far short do they
fall from the faith of the ancient patriarchs in the Great Jehovah,

long before the law was given to Moses, or grace and truth

2g

CS

came by Jesus Christ? Whether God vouchsafed his revelation
immediately from himself, as he sometimes did to Abraham; or by
the administration of angels, as to Lot; or in a dream, as by
Jacob’s symbolical ladder; those highly-favoured men had none
of those doubts which perplexed the philosophers of Greece and
Rome. They could not, with metaphysical subtilty, argue in the
Stoa or dispute in the Lyceum, yet these unlettered shepherds of
Mesopotamia went far beyond them: in strong faith Abraham
could plant a grove at Beersheba, and call upon the name of the
everlasting God! When he sent his servant into Mesopotamia, to
take a wife for his son, he could say in simple language, “'The Lord
God of Heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from
the land of my kindred, he shall send his angel before thee to
direct thee in the way.” ‘There was no mystery in the revelation to
Isaac when the Lord appeared to him at Beersheba, and said “ I
am the God of Abraham thy father, fear not, for I am with thee,
and will bless thee!” Who can be a Swanger to Jacob’s sentiments
when, after leaving his father’s house in poverty and distress, and
sleeping on the ground, on his journey to Haran, with only a stone
for his pillow, he dreamed that. a ladder was set upon the earth,
and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God
ascended and descended on it? When he awoke, he was not left
to conjecture, but piously exclaimed, ‘ Surely the Lord is in this
place; it is none other but the house of God, and the gate of hea-
ven!” In his extreme old age, after such an eventful life as few
experience, he blessed Joseph, and said, “ The God before whom
my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed
me all my life long until this day, the Angel which redeemed me

from all evil, bless thy sons!” When these patriarchs had ful-

24

filled their generations, and their remains had been long deposited
in the cave of Macpelah, the Almighty calls himself the God of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; and one greater than Abraham
has told us, that God is not a God of the dead, but of the liv-
ing. What simplicity, what beauty, what sublimity, are in these
passages !

What do the doctrines of the ancient philosophers, or the re-
reveries of modern brahmins, senassees, and yogees, offer in the
comparison? ‘These devotees are composed from any of the
other sects of the Hindoos, except the caste of Chandala; they leave
their family, break every tender connexion of life, and wander
over the face of the earth, in the exercise of their religious duties.
‘heir rules are very strict, and some of their voluntary penances
of the severest kind; but to what do they tend? In Craufurd’s
sketches is an extract from the Sanscrit writings, in which it is
said, “that a senassee or yogee, who shall devote himself to a
* solitary religious life, shall wear no other clothing but what may
*¢ be necessary to cover his nakedness; nor have any other worldly
“ ¢oods but a staff in his.hand, and a pitcher to drink out of.
“That he shall always meditate on the truths contained in the
sacred writings, but never argue upon them. That his food
“shall be confined to rice and vegetables; that he shall eat but
‘once a day, and then sparingly. ‘That he shall Jook for-
“¢ ward with desire to the separation of the soul from the body;
be indifferent about heat, or cold, or hunger, or praise, or re-

proach, or any thing concerning this life; and that unless he

Os

‘ strictly follow these rules, and subdue his passions, he will only

“6

be more criminal by embracing a state the duties of which he

“ could not perform, and neglecting those he was born to observe.”

95

Sir William Jones, and other oriental writers on the Hindoo
mythology, agree with the narralions of Bernier, Chardin, La
Croze, and many celebrated travellers in former days, as to the
brahminical faith in the purity and sublimity of One Supreme
Being, under the name of Brahma, or the Great One; “ that he
is the spirit of wisdom, the universal soul that penetrates every
thing; that God is as upon a sea withvut bounds; that those who
wish to approach him, must appease the agitation of the waves;
that they must be of a tranquil and steady mind; retired within
themselves; and their thoughts being collected, must be fixed on
God only.”

These are as sublime ideas as can enter into the soul of man
in his present state of existence; and that some of the brahmins
may attain to the enjoyment of such spiritual delight, far be it
from me to contradict; but we certainly may assert, that this at-
tainment is confined to a few, when compared with the millions
that form the great mass of Hindoos; and so far are the brah-
mins from wishing the inferior castes to acquire such knowledge,
that they keep them as much as possible in a state of ignorance.
And in the Code of Menu it is asserted that if one of the Sudra
caste reads the Vedas to either of the other three tribes, or listens
to them, heated oil, wax, and melted tin, shall be poured into his
ears, and the orifice stopped up; and that if a Sudar gets by heart
the Vedas, he shall be put to death.

Shall we then, with modern sceptics and philosophists, com-
pare the religion of the Hindoos with that of the gospel? with
the blessed Catholicon, which, wafied on wings of celestial love, is

spread forth for the healing of the nations, when immersed in
VOL. III. E

26

folly, ignorance, and vice? Who can understand the mysteries
of Brahma, or enter into the abstracted reveries of his priests?
They have answered this question themselves, by saying, that as
God is a being without shape, of “ whom no precise idea can be
“ formed, the adoration before idols, being ordained by their
“ religion, God will receive, and consider that as adoration offered
* to himself.”

But what saith the God of Israel, the High and Holy One who
inhabiteth eternity? “ I am the first and I am the last, and besides
me there is no God! ‘Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, the
Holy One of Israel, who created the heavens, and stretched out
the earth, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit
unto them that walk therein; I am the Lord thy God, that is my
name; and my glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to
graven images!” And to the poorest of his church, as well as to
the kings who should be its nursing fathers, and the queens who
should be its nursing mothers, he thus speaks by his prophets;
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God! speak ye com-
fortably to Jerusalem, and say unto her, that her warfare is accom-
plished, that her iniquity is pardoned! O thou that bringest good
tidings to Zion, lift up thy voice, and say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God!” And hear the language of the great propitia-
tory Sacrifice unto these brahmins, senassees, and devotees of
every denomination, who torture themselves for the expiation
of sin: “ Look unto me, and be saved! for I am God, and
none else !”

Such is the prophetical language of the Old Testament: in the

fulness of time these predictions were verified, and the birth of the

27

Messiah was announced by a heavenly choir singing “ Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men!”
During his ministry, with whom did this divine teacher associate,
to whom did he preach the consolatory truths of his gospel? Not
to the rich, the great, and the learned, but to the poor, the humble,
and the ignorant. He who spake as never man spake, not confin-
ing his blessings nor his invitation to any particular class of people,
saith, with a beneficence unparalleled, “Come unto me, aut ye
that labour and are heavy Jaden, and I will give you rest!”

I shall not add more upon this interesting subject than be-
comes a christian, who in peculiar situations has endeavoured to
acquire a knowledge of the religious doctrines and moral practice
of India. I allow the benevolent Hindoo, the compassionate Ma-
homedan, and the follower of Zoroaster, their respective virtues; I
have also met with mild and amiable characters among the Hot-
tentots of Africa, the Negroes of Caffraria, and the Indians of
South America, but nothing in their religion or morality can be
compared with the exalted ideas inspired by the gospel! With
what sublimity and purity does it clothe the divine attributes! On
what a basis does it erect our faith, elevate our hope, and extend
our charity! What a system of moral virtue does it inculcate! With
what mild persuasion, pathetic simplicity, and dignified authority
were these interesting truths delivered! Surely every unprejudiced
mind must say with the Roman centurion who witnessed the suf-
ferings of the Messiah, and beheld the convulsions of nature at the
termination of that awful scene, “ Truly this was the Son of God!”

For near two thousand years has this religion been spreading

itself over the world: in due time its saving influence will, I have

28

no doubt, extend to the nations of the east, and embrace them
all in the arms of H1s mercy “ who brings his sons from far, and
his daughters from the ends of the earth;” whose religion is suited
to all capacities, and adapted to all situations, whether high or
low, rich or poor, learned or unlearned; none can be too high for
its exalted promises, none too low for its divine consolations. It
has no invidious distinctions for the elated brahmin; no despond-
ing degradation for the outcast Chandala! for it teaches that God
is no respecter of persons, but that all the faithful disciples of a
crucified Redeemer shall be accepted through him.

We need not go for these consoling truths to the palaces of
princes, nor the seminaries of the learned; the humblest village
affords strikingexamples; because to the poor the gospel is preached.
I have witnessed the triumphant language of a domestic servant
on the bed of sickness and near the hour of death, after suffering
for years in painful and languishing disorder. I beheld her, with
the countenance of an angel and the fervour of a saint, thus ad-
dress the minister and friends assembled round her: “ I have long
experienced, and in this trying hour I know the truth, and sen-
sibly feel the support of that consoling promise, “ When thou
passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the
rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Saviour !”

Whither would not such a subject lead a philanthropist? As
a contrast to these delightful truths, I insert an extract from the

travels of that acute observer, Dr. Francis Buchanan, who was

29

employed in the year 1800 by the Marquis Wellesley, Governor-
general of India, to investigate the state of agriculture, arts, com-
merce, religion, &c. of several different kingdoms in Hindostan.
“The 'Tigulas, a caste in Mysore, have some faint notions of a
future state; but rather as a thing of which they have heard, than
as a thing of which they are firmly convinced, or in which they
are much interested. The Palliwénlu, like all the other inhabitants
of this country, are much addicted to the worship of the destructive
powers, and endeavour to avert their wrath by bloody sacrifices. In
the Smartal sect, among the crimes for which no pardon can be given
is that of eating in company with persons of another caste, or of
food dressed by theirimpure hands. And among their punishments
for smaller faults is that of giving large draughts of cow’s urine,
which is supposed to have the power of washing away sin! ‘The
only thing in which a Sudra ought to be instructed to believe is,
that the bralimins are greatly his superiors, and that the only means
of gaining the favour of the gods is by giving them charity. And
to those who refuse to acknowledge these doctrines, no men can be
more intolerant, nor violent.” And to conclude such painful ex-
tracts, Dr. Buchanan says ‘* that among the Morasu, a caste of Sudra
Hindus, where bloody sacrifices of sheep and goats are offered to
Kala, one of the destroying powers, is this singular custom: when
a woman is from fifteen to twenty years of age, and has borne
childen, terrified lest the angry deity should deprive her of her in-
fants, she goes to the temple, and as an offering to appease his
wrath, she cuts off one or two of her fingers from the right hand.”

Such are the remarks of this intelligent writer; and I can but too

30

well confirm his assertion, that the gods of many villages are re-
presented by a shapeless stone.

Since my return from India, 1 have been often asked by men
skilled in political and commercial knowledge, yet seemingly
ignorant of the inestimable benefits of christianity, why we should
convert the Hindoos; why not leave them as we found them? Such
questions are easily answered; but at present I will only ask why
ihe compilers of that fine prayer, which forms part of the esta-
blished liturgy of the English churches in Hindostan, inserted this
petition, “ Give to us, and to all thy servants whom thy Provi-
“dence hath placed in these remote parts of the world, grace to
“discharge our several duties with piety towards thee our God;
“loyalty towards our king; fidelity and diligence towards those
*‘by whom we are employed; kindness and love towards one
** another, and sincere charity towards all men; that, we adorning
“the gospel of our Lord and Saviour in all things, these Indian
“nations among whom we dwell, beholding our good works, may
**be won over to the love of our most holy religion, and glorify
‘thee, our Father which art in heaven!”

Let us then hope, and by every gentle means endeavour to
realize the hope, that at no very distant period the Hindoos may
have a knowledge of those scriptures where the God of truth and
holiness is revealed in characters becoming his glorious attributes,
especially in the gospel of Jesus Christ, where mercy and justice
meet together in the atonement made fora guilty world. Instead
of being absorbed in their mystical reveries, may the brahmins fecl

the influence of the Holy Spirit, in opposition to the endless laby-

31

rinth of the metempsychosis! may they be taught the resurrection
of the body, its reunion with the soul, and the unchangeable state
of the righteous and wicked, at the final day of retribution, in
realms of bliss, among angels and purified spirits in the Paradise
of God; or, in a state of alienation from his beatific presence,
with evil doers, in the abodes of misery and woe!

Let not this subject be placed upon a level with the cui bono of
mundane speculations; THEY must come to an end: but here, the
blessings of heaven and earth, the blessings of time and eternity,
the justice and the mercy of God, all conspire to magnify its im-

portance !

Mella jubes Hyblza tibi, vel Hymettia nasei,
Et thyma Cecropiz Corsica ponis api. Marr.

Alas! my friend, you try in vain
Impossibilities to gain :

No bee from Corsica’s rank juice

Hyblzan honey can produce. Lewis.

The preceding remarks, amplified since my return to Engiand,
were originally written under the brahminical groves in Guzerat :
so were most of the following observations; which, with mingled
sensations, I have copied and enlarged from those manuscripts.
By some, the ensuing pages may be thought irrelevant to the
general subject of these volumes; many, I trust, will be of a dif-
ferent opinion. I have been for some time undetermined whether
to indroduce them in part, or entirely to suppress them. Diffi-
dence suggested the latter: a hope of doing some good to the
rising generation, and especially in endeavouring to give a proper

bias to the yet unprejudiced mind in India, prompts me to bring

Q
52

forward what was originally written among those very brahmins
who asked the questions; connected with the observations of
maturer experience, and a retrospecuive view of later occurrences
in England. °

Although the generality of the brahmins at Dhuboy and Chan-
dode were more zealous than any I conversed with in other parts
of India, some of them were inquisitive about the worship of
chrisuans; of which they had conceived a faint idea from Hindoo
pilgrims, or from slight observations made at our settlements dur-
ing their own travels. Similar inquiries have been put to me by
intelligent Indians of other castes who understood our books, and
conversed in English; men of diferent religious professions, Hin-
deos, Mahomedans, and Parsees; especially by Muncher Jevan,
a Parsee merchant at Bombay: a character well known, and uni-
versally esteemed for integrity, urbanity, and good sense.

These people, in their own artless, expressive style, often asked
me this important question, ‘* Master, when an Englishman dies
docs he think he shall go to his Gop?” My answer in the aftirma-
tive generally produced a reply to this effect: ‘ Your countrymen,
inaster, seem to take very little trouble about that business; they
choose a smooth path, and scatter roses on every side. Other
nations are guided by strict rules and solemn injunctions in those
serious engagements, where the English seem thoughtless and un-
concerned. The Hindoos constantly perform the ceremonies and
sacrifices at the Dewal; the Mahomedans go through their stated
prayers and ablutions at the Mosques; the Parsees suffer not the
sacred fire to be extinguished, nor neglect to worship in the tem-

ple. You call yourselves Christians, so do the Roman Catholics,

33

who abound in India; they daily frequent their churches, fast and
pray, and use many penances. ‘The English alone appear uncon-
cerned about an event of the greatest importance !”

On such a theme the candid mind cannot remain in a state of
neutrality. The lukewarm church of Laodicea appears to have
been the most offensive, and the most severely rebuked of all the
Asiatic churches to whom the divine admonitions were sent. Those
interested in the important concern of establishing Christianity in
British India, must in the preceding paragraph behold a weighty
obstacle to its success. What fruit can be expected from seed
sown by the most prudent and zealous missionary if the lives of
professing Christians militate against the doctrinal truths and moral
precepts of the Gospel? ‘Those Hindoos who read, and in some
degree enter into the spirit of the Bible, allow its beauty and
purity; nor do they seem to doubt its authenticity. In that re-
spect, the disciples of Brahma are liberal; but, as a quiet thought-
ful people, they wonder that Christianity has so little influence on
the practice: they wonder such sublime precepts, such affectionate
invitations, such awful threatenings, should not have more effect
on its professors. ‘The incarnation of the Son of Gop is no rock
of offence, no stumbling block to the Hindoo, who believes in the
avatars of his own deities. But he finds it difficult to reconcile a
Christian’s faith with what he sees of his conduct. “ By their
fruits ye shall know them” is the grand criterion pointed out by
the Founder of that faith, to prove his disciples.

The differing castes and tribes of Indians in the English settle-
ments, know that we have one day peculiarly set apart for public

worship, as well as themselves: how do they see it observed? ‘They
VOL. .ILT. P

¢ ,
oA:

know that our blessed Redeemer preached a gospel of purity and
self-denial, how do they see those virtues practised? They know
that an incarnate God offered himself as a sacrifice for sin; the inno-
cent for the guilty; that he died an ignominious death, to redeem
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; instituted
the eucharist in commemoration of his dying love, and before his
awful sacrifice, said, ‘‘do this in remembrance of me.’ The In-
dians perform the sacrifices enjoined them; they well know their
typical and sacramental meaning: what judgment must they form
of our obedience to this divine ordinance ?

The East has been the scene of wonders trom the earliest
ages; the nursery of art and science; true religion there first shed
her glorious rays; and there, I trust, she will again become a “ light
to lighten the gentiles, and be the glory of the people of Israel!” It
should also be remembered, that the hand-writing upon the wall
appeared to an impious monarch in the east, when rioting with his
princes and nobles, his wives and concubines, on the night the
Chaldean monarchy was destroyed by Darius, the predecessor
of the Persian Cyrus. ‘The awful example of that night, in which
the glory of Babylon was lost for ever, concerns every individual
on whom the light of truth hath shined, whether in a cottage or a
palace: each has respective duties to fulfil, an example to set, a
circle to influence. All therefore should seriously reflect how far
the mysterious T'eKEL is applicable to them; “ Thou art weighed
in the balance, and art found wanting!”

I have been asked by many natives of India, whether we
really believed the truth of our own scriptures; when our general

conduct so little corresponded with their divine injunctions. What

3D

5)

may now be the prevailing practice I cannot say; certainly the
spirit of Christianity was not the actuating principle of European
society in India. A thoughtlessness of futurity, a carelessness
about religious concerns, were more prominent. Highly as I
esteemed the philanthropy, benevolence, and moral character of
my countrymen, I am sorry to add, that a spirit of scepticism and
infidelity predominated in the younger part of the community ;
especially in the circle of those who had received what is called a
good education; implying a knowledge of classical, mathematical,
and metaphysical learning, as far as such knowledge can be ac-
quired at sixteen years of age; the period when most of the writers
were then appointed to India.

My mind is at this moment solemnly impressed with scenes
long past in those remote regions; especially in conversation at
the breakfast table of a gentleman, frequented by young men of
the first character in the Company’s civil service: infidelity was
the order of the day; the systems of Voltaire and Hume the prin-
cipal topic of discourse; the philosophy of Sans Souci, the grand
subject of admiration! The truths of Christianity were so entirely
effaced by these doctrines, that for years together, many of those
deluded youths never entered a place of worship, nor read the
Bible, except for the purpose of misapplying texts, and select-
ing unconnected passages; so often, and so ably refuted, by all
that can be urged by the force of reasoning, or the extent of
learning.

T have since had occasion to witness the effect of those fatal
errors upon the living and dying conduct of many who then em-

braced that pernicious system of infidelity. I know the misery it

36

has caused, and still causes, to some of the former; and the re-
morse which occurred at the closing scene of one of the most
learned, sensible, and best informed of those eastern philosophists.
This gentleman had, long before his last illness, seen the fallacy of
the creed he had adopted; the same interesting passage in the pro-
phecies of Isaiah, which engaged the attention of the minister of
the Ethiopian queen, and so happily effected the conversion of a
dissipated English nobleman, had, by the divine blessing, been
equally instrumental to the conviction of my deluded friend. On
his return to England, his brother, at that time one of our most
eminent and zealous prelates, employed every mean in his power
to convince him of his error, and providentially succeeded.

Soon after my arrival in London I paid him a visit, without
knowing of this change in his sentiments. I found him studying
the Bible; then opened at the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, with
his own manuscript comment upon that affecting and wonderful
passage. ‘This gentleman had been educated, in a more than ordi-
nary manner, a Christian; but alas! separated far from the guides
of his youth, he forgot the covenant of his God, and became
enamoured with the continental philosophy: he lost his anchor of
hope, sure and steadfast; and parted with the heavenly pilot,
which would have conducted him through the rocks and quick-
sands of time, to the haven of peace, in a. blissful elernily! He
avowed himself to have been a champion in the cause of infidelity,
and was too successful in the combat.

The breakfast party I have alluded to was principally com posed
of my own select friends; young men of superior talents, amiable

dispositions, and elegant accomplishments: as such, I loved and

37

esteemed them: in another point of view I was happily permitted
to adopt the decision of the venerable patriarch, “ O my soul!
come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour,
be not thou united!” The volume of Truth was my study; and
its divine lessons were pathetically enforced in the annual letters
of my beloved parents, and the revered preceptor of my youth.
He constantly corresponded with me during my absence, and
lived more than twenty years after my last return, a bright example
of piety and virtue; until, at the advanced age of ninety, he was re-
moved from works to rewards. Such was the Reverend David
Garrow, of Hadley, a name beloved; a memory revered!

The gentleman of whom I have related the preceding anec-
dote became an eminent pattern of Christianity, as a husband,
father, friend, and master; in a word he walked worthy of his
high and holy vocation. His house was the house of prayer, and
the incense of praise arose morning and evening from his assem-
bled family. Painfully could I reverse this picture; hope, deli-
cacy, inclination, forbid me!

In a few years it pieased that all-wise Being, in whose hands
are the issues of life and death, to afflict his approved servant,
now well prepared for the awful change, with a long and trying
illness. Finding his last hour approach, and having taken leave of
his wife and children, as the concluding act of his life, he wrote
an earnest and affecting letter to a friend who had been his chief
associate in the false creed of philosophy, but had not, like him,
returned to that source of truth, “ the merchandize whereof is

better than silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold! to that wis-

38

dom whose ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are

{7

peace

The decrees of heaven are mysterious to short-sighted mortals.
“Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters!” was
the exclamation of a pious monarch; and it must often arise in
the mind of every one who attentively reads the history of man-
kind, or marks events passing around him: the former begins with
the premature death of righteous Abel, a living pattern of faith
and piety, and the continuance of his murderer Cain, as a fugitive
and vagabond upon the face of the earth. In contemplating suc-
ceeding events through every period of time, true wisdom will
instruct us in this truth, “ Man was not made to question, but
adore.”

When I was a youth, a ship from England, bound for Bengal,
unexpectedly arrived at Bombay, with a number of passengers
for Calcutta; among them was a venerable clergyman, eminent for
his talents and piety, to whom I had the pleasure of an early in-
troduction: he preached only once, after having been a fortnight
on the island, and taken pains to study the character of the Euro-
pean inhabitants. He selected his text from the solemn address
to the church of Ephesus on forgetting her first love; and applied
it to the false philosophy which then pervaded the different classes
of society: ‘‘ Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen:
and repent, and do the first works: or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, unless
thou repent!” The discourse was such as became a faithful teacher,

replete with sound reasoning, great earnestness, and affectionate

39

solicitude. The application, especially to the younger part of his
audience, was conciliating, pathetic, and impressive: this excellent
minister preached no more; he was the next day seized with an ill-
ness which soon terminated his earthly career! Such a pastor
was suddenly taken away, while shepherds of a different descrip-
tion were left to feed the flock in the wilderness: for India might
then be termed a spiritual wilderness, compared with the religious
societies in Europe.

I never saw the apostolical Swartz, for fifty years the zealous
missionary on the coast of Coromandel, whose fame must ever
live in the eastern churches. Nor, during my abode in India,
had I the happiness of meeting with any similar character. I
was acquainted with some missionaries of the Romish communion
on the Malabar coast ; and several of the regular clergy stationed
in the Catholic churches at Bombay, Anjengo, and other places;
but with none belonging to the Danish mission, oer other protestant
church. Were such ministers as Swartz more common in Hin-
dostan, much good might be done among our own countrymen,
and the Indians; but while the higher classes of European society
continue in thoughtless indolence, lukewarmness, or infidelity, and
ihe garrisons and cantonments are left without religious instructors,
we have little reason to expect the Hindoos will become converts
io Christianity. “ Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in hea-
yen,” is one of the most solemn injunctions given by its great
Founder.

What good may be done in India by prudent and zeaious

missionaries, Swartz and others have clearly evinced. What may

40

still be done is pointed out in letters written at the beginning of
the eighteenth century by George the First, king of England, and
that eminent prelate Dr. Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the
Indian missionaries: they are epistles becoming a monarch of
Great Britain, and of the first dignitary in the Protestant church.
I reluctantly forbear inserting the letter of the former, and shall
only make a short extract from the latter, to the missionaries
Ziegenbalg and Grundlerus, then propagating the gospel in
India.

** Tt will be your praise, a praise of endless duration on earth,
and followed by a just recompence in heaven, to have laboured in
the vineyard which yourselves have planted; to have declared the
name of Christ where it was not known before; and through much
peril and difficulty, to have converted to the faith those among
whom ye afterwards fulfilled your ministry. Your province, there-
fore, brethren, your office, I place before all dignities in the church.
Let others be pontiffs, patriarchs, or popes; let them glitter in pur-
ple, in scarlet, or in gold; let them seek the admiration of the won-
dering multitude, and receive obeisance on the bended knee: ye
have acquired a better name than they, and a more sacred fame.
And when that day shall arrive when the chief Shepherd shall give
to every man according to his work, a greater reward shall be ad-
judged to you. Admitted into the glorious society of the pro-
phets, evangelists, and apostles, ye with them shall shine, like the
sun among the lesser stars, in the kingdom of your Father,
for ever!

“« God hath already given to you an illustrious pledge of his

favour; an increase not to be expected without the aid of his

AL

grace. He will continue to prosper your endeavours, and will
subdue unto himself, by your means, the whole continent of orien-
tal India. O happy men! who, standing before the tribunal of
Christ, shall exhibit so many nations converted to his faith by your
preaching; happy men! to whom it shall be given to say before the
assembly of the whole human race, ‘ Behold us, O Lord! and the
children whom thou hast given us; happy men! who being jusu-
fied by the Saviour, shall receive in that day the reward of your
labours; and also shall hear that glorious encomium, ‘ Well done,
good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of your Lord.”

Such is the path, such the reward of the Indian missionary.
The clergy stationed in that remote part of the world may do much ;
and every individual can do something towards the glorious struc-
ture, the living temple; which is to continue not only for the short
period of time, but will endure throughout those eternal ages
when “ time shall be no more!” ‘They may all, in some degree,
enrol themselves among those wise builders who shall shine as
the brightness of the firmament: they will know that “he who con-
verteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save his soul from
death; and they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as
the stars for ever and ever!”

A christian, who knows and feels his obligations to the Author
of his being for creation, preservation, and redemption, will en-
deavour to act as becometh his high and holy vocation, from the
motive of love. To him, a religious life, far from being a com-
pulsive obligation, becomes his deliberate choice, a service of per-

fect freedom; an unlimited conformity to the manners and cus-
VOL. III. G

42

toms of a thoughtless age, would be a cruel bondage. His heart
having received a different bias, the world ceases to allure; he
aspires after h savenly-mindedness; he tastes the celestial manna ;
and enjoys a peace which the world can neither give nor take
away. Buthis religion, far from rendering him gloomy or austere,
prompts him to perform every relative and social duty with pecu-
liar delight. On proper occasions he partakes of rational re-
creation, innocent amusement, and convivial pleasure. ‘Thus he
pursues his carthly career, in lively faith, cheerful hope, and active
charity; looking through the valley of the shadow of death
to that city which hath foundations whose builder and maker
is Gop !

In India, a climate favouring voluptuousness, with other local
causes, aids the fascinating stream of fashionable inconsideration ;
which, united with many smaller rills, flows in a full and rapid
current through the higher classes of society in Europe; and power-
fully carries all before it. Against such strong temptations, where
shall we find an antidote equal to the vigilance required by Chris-
tianity, and the grace promised to those who seek it? The love of
God is the first principle of that religion, and leads to the practice
of all inferior duties; while a forgetfulness of this great and ado-
rable Being is the source of an irreligious and worldly spirit. In
prosperity we should be cautious how we enter that vortex of dissi-
pation from whence it is difficult to extricate ourselves: so flowery
is the path to the Circean palace, so delightful the fascinating cup
of pleasure, that it requires a careful step and vigilant eye to escape

the alluring charms; and where to draw the line is the great diffi-

43

culty: but in this combat we shall soon find that strength con-
sists in a consciousness of our own weakness, and that retreat is
victory.

Let us then, in a spirit of humility and love, meditate upon
the volume of divine inspiration; we shall find the whole to possess
those charms which bishop Horne has sweetly described; and we
shall then know, in a degree, the delight which he experienced
in writing his invaluable commentary on the Psalms. “ Great-
ness,” says this amiable prelate, “confers no exemption from the
cares and sorrows of lite. Its share of them frequently bears a
melancholy proportion to its exaltation: this the Israelitish monarch
experienced ; he sought in piety that peace which he could not
find in empire, and alleviated the disquietudes of state with the
exercise of devotion.”

‘* His invaluable psalms convey those comforts to others,
which they afforded to himself. Composed upon particular occa-
sions, yet designed for general use, they present religion to us in the
most engaging dress; communicating truths which philosophy
could never investigate, in a style which poetry can never equal;
while History is made the vehicle of Prophecy, and Creation
lends all its charms to paint the glories of Redemption. Calcu-
lated alike to profit and to please, they inform the understanding,
elevate the affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited
under the influence of H1m to whom all hearts are known, and
all events foreknown, they suit mankind in all situations; grateful
as the manna which descended from above, and conformed itself
to every palate. ‘The fairest productions of human wit, after a

few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our hands, and lose

44

their fragrancy; but these unfading plants of Paradise become,
as we are accustomed to them, more and more beautiful; their
bloom appears to be daily heightened; fresh odours are emitted,
and new sweets extracted from them. He who hath once tasted
their excellencies, will desire to taste them again; and he who
tastes them oftenest will relish them best.”

I had the happiness of a personal acquaintance with the vene-
rable prelate whose energetic language I have quoted ; his life and
doctrine were consistent. He was an eminent disciple of that
Saviour whose precepts he loved and honoured; and his closing

scene realized the sublime description of the poet.

«« The chamber where the good man meets his fate,
<< Ts privileg’d beyond the common walk
«© Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven :
«© God waits not the last moment, owns his friends
“© On this side death ; and points them out to men,
« A lecture silent, but of sovereign power ;

“© To Vice confusion, and to Virtue peace !” YOunc.

T will conclude in the words of a pious modern writer, who
has happily condensed all I would further say on this moment-
ous concern. “I do not presume to appreciate what his feel-
ings, or his fears may be, who says in his heart that there is no
God; nor yet of fzs, who pretends to acknowledge the being
of a God, and wholly disbelieves a divine revelation of his will.
If there be no God, there can be no future state. What then
will be the value of life? If there be a God that hath made
no revelation of his will, consequently hath afforded not one gleam

of hope beyond the grave, what will be the value of death? ‘The

45
expectation of annihilation will add no value to a life where all
moral principle has been wanting. It will give no comfort to a
death, where every thought, every word, every action, every friend
and every foe is buried. in one eternal oblivion. Happy Chris-
tian! sleep in peace; thy Saviour is thy kind and compassionate
friend, through all the stages of thy various life; and if, by Divine
grace, thou continuest faithful unto death, thou mayest look for-
ward to his further help, when he shall open for thee the gate of

an everlasting state of existence!” Brewster.

Be _ ’
ifn msi On! -p oy atten sn jas iw Poy at totats he s
jyoied 994) Proe da br Pig Bie ¥: .5stiteniae itaget anit “aieuig: Lehi |
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. Sti Ai 2 Momilit, leniatotolle rt Ronda ai sit" vies bis |
a S at A ey Woe Hattol eke et suoRih? qa 998 ata te Cahite

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- ae x) Apt i Justa ue eftssh nhiet fevitsinat ne Oe io
he ~ - me: Oo Se sas sid 40} faZO" Itc Sek aeeter? yd ages

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OCCURRENCES DURING A JOURNEY FROM BAROCHE TO AHMED-

CHAP TE. Rex xrXx.

ABAD, THROUGH THE DISTRICTS OF AHMOOD,

JAMBOSEER, AND CAMBAY.
1781.

Lo, Ganges’ genius mourns! while yet, sublime,
With arts and muses smil’d his native clime ;
And rich with science, round his plains he loy'd
The golden hours in blooming circle moy'd,
With grief he saw the future ages rise,

Dark with their sad and fearful destinies ;
Mark'd bleeding science pinion’d to the ground,
And all her blasted trophies withering round!
—Alas! how dark the baleful ruins spread !
What filial tears the sons of Science shed !
While in each bower the widow'd Arts repine,
And Learning clasps her violated shrine.

Sad on his staff, ‘mid Casis’ blasted scenes,
Himself how fallen! the aged Pandeet leans.

C. Granr.

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aif Hoel i sila Tey oi YS a
iw

CONTENTS.

Conquest of Ahmedabad by General Goddard—journey from Dhuboy

thither, through Barocke, Ahmood, Jamboseer, and Cambay—
Guzerat coss—Ahmood purgunna—town of Ahmood—swelling
of the Indian rwers—account of a dreadful storm in Guzerat—
mode of crossing the Guzerat rivers—mango topes—Jamboseer
purgunnah—plentiful crops—general effects of famine in Hindos-
tan—particulars of a dreadful famine in the Bengal provinces—
British humanity on that occasion—town of Jamboseer—Gurry—
Hindoo houses—Coolies, a tribe of robbers—poetical description of
a Hindoo village—manner of travelling—Brahminic kites and
vultures—Pariar dogs—erroneous geography of Pliny—sardonyx
mountains—river Myhi—further account of the Coolies—their
country described—Cambay purgunna—remains of antiquity near
Cambay—Cambat—ancient pillar—pillar of Feroze Shah—Sacred
Isles of the West, a very curious research—resemblance between the
Hindoo and English festivals—that of the Hooli, and Vastu Puja
—singular ceremonies of Hindoo worship—strange misconception of
a transaction at Dhuboy—cruel oppressions by the Nabob of Cam-
bay—ruinous state of his country and capital—noble character of
Akber—arrival at Cambay, and polite reception by the Nabob and
Vizier—elegant entertainment at the Vizier’s house—Persian emi-

grants at Cambay—magnificent jewels—the hill of lustre, and ocean
VOL. Tit: H

—_—.*

of lustre, two transcendant diamonds in Persita—Tucht-Taoos, the

peacock throne—its value—commerce of Cambay in the reign of
4 “ o

Queen Elizabeth—its former opulence—causes of its decline—Dr.
Robertson’s picture of a Hindoo rajah proved to be erroneous—wild
beasts in Guzerat—discovery of lions—perilous adventure of a com-
pany of sportsmen on that occasion—departure from Cambay—
Sejutra—Guzerat villages and cultivation—beauty of the antelopes
—Soubah of Guzerat in the reign of Akber—division of the empire
at that period—valuable oxen in Guzerat—horses in India—ancient
splendor of Guzerat—beautiful mausoleums at Betwah—affection-
ate veneration for the dead in Hindostan—description of the Tajé
Mahal at Agru—estimate of the expenses in building that wonder-

Sul structure—short comparison with Solomon’s temple at Jerusalem.

CA ALP Oy cB ie OX.

Generat Goddard, in command of the army detached from
Bengal in 1779 to the assistance of the government at Bombay,
having conquered Ahmedabad and several other places in the Gu-
zerat province, I embraced the first opportunity in my power to
visit that celebrated capital, formerly the pride of western Hindos-
tan, and still vying with Agra and Delhi in magnificent remains of
mogul grandeur.

Having finished the latter harvests, and collected the revenues
in the Dhuboy districts, in the month of April 1781 I commenced
my journey, proceeding first to Baroche, and from thence to Ah-
mood, a distance of twenty miles. In Guzerat, as in most other
parts of India, the distance from one place to another is reckoned
by the coss, which in that province seldom exceeds one mile and a
half. Its length varies in different countries, although geographers
generally estimate the coss in Hindostan at two English miles.
The usual rate of travelling in a hackery, drawn by a pair of bul-
locks, or in a palanquin, with eight bearers to relieve each other, is
from three to four miles an hour; this they will keep up for five
hours without inconvenience.

The Boukie and Nyar are the only rivers between Baroche and

52

Ahmood: the former in the rainy months is a rapid stream, con-
fined within a narrow bed; the latter broad and gentle. So late in
the season they were both nearly dry. The soil in the Ahmood
pergunnais a rich, black mould, producing cotton, rice, wheat, and
a variety of Indian grain. ‘The Ahmood cotton is esteemed the
best in these fertile provinces, and is sold at the highest price in
the Bengal and China markcts.

I passed the night at Ahmood, a small town which gives its
name to the district; it is built on the borders of a shady lake, and
belonged half to the English and half to a Gracia rajah, between
whom the revenues of the purgunna were also divided. ‘The for-
mer possessed the citadel, a place of little strength, and a small
garrison. A member of the council at Baroche occasionally re-
sided there to collect the company’s share of the revenue, which
annually amounted to a lac of rupees, or twelve thousand five
hundred pounds.

The next morning I renewed my journey, and about three miles
from Ahmood reached the Dahder, then a small stream, but six
years before, when Ragobah’s army was encamped on its banks,
and I passed a wretched night under the lee-side of an elephant, a
tremendous torrent. In the rainy months the mountain floods
swell the small rivers of India in a wonderful manner. Within a
few hours they often rise twenty or thirty feet above their usual
height, and run with astonishing rapidity. The Nerbudda, Tap-
pee, and larger rivers, generally gentle and pellucid, are then furi-
ous and destructive, sweeping away whole villages with their inha-
bitants and cattle; while tigers, and other ferocious animals from

the wilds, join the general wreck in its passage to the ocean.

53

The great rivers frequently swell some time before the rain falls
in the low countries, from what immediate cause I know not. This
sudden rise is easily accounted for in those rivers whose source anong
mountains, with snow-capped summits, receive additional streams
from the power of the sun in the hottest season of the year. Although
the Nerbudda and Tappee do not spring among such wintry regions,
I have seen these rivers in an awful state, threatening destruction.

Two years before I left India, some weeks previous to the set-
ting in of the south-west monsoon, we had the most dreadful storm
ever remembered in Guzerat; its ravages by sea and land were
terrible ; the damage at Baroche was very great, and the loss of
lives considerable. It came on so suddenly, that a Hindoo wed-
ding passing in procession through the streets by torch-light, with the
usual pageantry of palanquins, led-horses, and a numerous train of
attendants, were overtaken by the tempest, and fied for shelter into an
old structure, which had for ages withstood the rage of the elements :
on that fatal night, from the violence of the winds and rain, both
roof and foundation gave way, and seventy-two of the company
were crushed to death.

_At our villa every door and window was blown away, the ele-
ments rashed in at all directions, and spoiled furniture, pictures,
books, and clothes. The roof of the stable giving way, the main
beam killed a fine Arabian horse, and maimed several others. The
garden. next morning presented a scene of desolation, strewed with
large trees torn up by the roots, broken pillars, seats and orna-
ments, sea and land birds, wild and tame animals, porcupines,
guanas, serpents, and-reptiles, all crushed, together. Large fish

from the ocean, together with those of the river, were left upon the

54

banks, and covered the adjacent fields) One of the company’s
armed vessels lately arrived from Bombay was lost in the river,
together with a great number of large cotton boats and other craft,
richly laden.

The effects of this storm at Surat were still more dreadful ;
many ships foundered at the bar, or were driven on shore ; the
banks of the 'Tappee were covered with wrecks, which the violence
of the wind and swelling floods carried to a great distance inland;
the river flowed into the city, covered the surrounding country, and
did incalculable damage. I will not give the melancholy detail
which at the time interested every feeling heart, though one cir-
cumstance must not be entirely passed over. The English being
at war with the Mahrattas, large detachments of their cavalry were
then in the vicinity of Surat, committing their usual depredations.
About three thousand inhabitants, to avoid their cruelty, deserted
the villages, and took refuge on an island in the Tappee, with their
wives, children, cattle, furniture, looms, spinning wheels, and stock
of grain for the rainy season. ‘There they anticipated an asylum
until the setting in of the monsoon should drive the Mahrattas from
the country, and allow them to return home. They had, alas! a
more formidable enemy to contend with; on that fatal night the
river entirely overwhelmed the island, and carried off every indi-
vidual!

My palanquin-bearers now found no difficulty in fording the
stream of the Dahder; the last time I crossed it was with some
danger, ona 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 platfurm of palm leaves, which will.

55

bear a considerable weight, and is conducted without difficulty.

This satisfactorily explains the earthen-ware boats of Juvenal.

Hac seevit rabie imbelle et inutile vulgus,
Parvula fictilibus solitum dare vela phaselis,

Et brevibus pictz remis incumbere teste. Sat. 15. ver. 126.

On crossing the Dahder I entered the Jamboseer purgunna ; it
presents a more pleasing landscape than Ahmood and Baroche,
which generally consist of open cultivated plains, with trees only
near the villages. Here the fields are enclosed, and the whole
country enriched by plantations of mango, tamarind, and banian-
trees. Forty or fifty full-grown mango-trees will cover a square
acre of ground, forming a dark grove of beautiful foliage to shelter
the traveller from meridian heat; and at the season I was there,
affording a golden produce for his refreshment. The mangos vary
as much in size as flavour, weighing from two ounces to near a
pound. Although the tamarind tree is exquisitely beautiful, and
its fruit pleasant and wholesome, it is deemed by the natives ex-
tremely unhealthy to sleep or even torest under its shade. Captain
Williamson justly observes, that “the numerous plantations of
mango-trees by the natives, chiefly through ostentation, afford con-
siderable convenience to persons inhabiting tents. - Some of these
plantations, or topes, are of such extent that an army of ten or
twelve thousand men may encamp under shelter; a circumstance
which to the native soldiery, with whom tents are not in use, is of
great moment. In the hot season the shade is both pleasant and salu-
tary, in the cold months these woods afford warmth by keeping off

the bleak wind; and in the rainy portion of the year those trees

56

which have the thickest foliage contribute to the comfort of the
troops, by throwing the water off from certain spots, and rendering
them habitable. Sporting parties are benefited in a similar man-
ner; such places are chosen as are well shaded, and near to wells
or tanks. It is a general practice when a plantation of mango
trees is made, to dig a well on one side of it. The well and the
fope are married, a ceremony at which all the village attends, and
large sums are often expended. The well is considered as the hus-
band; as its waters, which are copiously furnished lo the young
trees during the first hot season, are supposed to cherish and im-
pregnate them. Though vanity and superstition may be the basis
of these institutions, yet we cannot help admitting their effects, so
beautifully ornamenting a torrid country, and affording such gene-
ral convenience.”

The soil of the Jamboseer purgunna is light and fertile, fa-
vourable to juarree, bajeree, and other grain. The western plains,
of a rich black earth, produce abundant crops of wheat and cot-
ton. ‘This district had then been six years in the company’s pos-
session, under the care of Mr. Callander, a gentleman whose atten-
tion to agriculture and the happiness of the peasants, rendered the
villages flourishing, wealthy, and populous. ‘The country had the
appearance of a garden, and peace and plenty smiled around him.
The annual revenue usually amounted to five lacs of rupees.

‘The crops, similar to those in the Dhuboy districts, were in ge-
neral very abuudant; failure of rain sometimes causes a scarcity,
but a real famine is seldom experienced in Guzerat: when it does
happen the consequence is dreadful! Famine is generally succeeded

by pestilence, and the paradise of nations becomes a desert! “ All

- oo Vr ee ee oe ee er =O ee ee oe

57

nature sickens, and each gale is death.” During my residence in
India I never witnessed these calamities in any alarming degree ;
since my return to England both sides of the peninsula have felt
their dire effects. I remember the rains at Bombay being once with-
held until long after the usual season. 'l’o avert the fatal consequences
apprehended, the professors of all the different religions on the island
made solemn processions to their respective places of worship, to
offer up prayers and supplications to the Great Parent of the
universe. In the Protestant and Romish churches the usual pceti-
tions were made for this blessing. ‘The Hindoos were lavish in
their ceremonies; the mahomedans daily opened their mosques, and
the Parsees fed the sacred fire with a double portion of holy oil and
sandal-wood. At length the rain poured down copiously, fear
vanished, “ the wilderness and the solitary place rejoiced, and the
desert blossomed as the rose!”

The extent of these dreadful famines in India is not easily con-
ceived in Europe. ‘The account of one in the northern provinces
of Bengal, by Captain Williamson, is truly affecting. It is a plain
unvarnished tale which I shall not pass over, because, among many
interesting particulars, it displays the English character in India in
the light in which it deserves to be estimated. A Briton, wherever
his lot may be cast, feels and acts in the true sense of Terence’s
often-quoted line,

«* Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.”

I am a man, and have a fellow-feeling for every thing belonging to man!

« Nothing could be more distressing than the effects produced

by the famine, which, owing to the extreme drought of the year
VOL. III. I

a

b

a8

1783, prevailed throughout all the subsequent season throughout
the whole of the northern provinces, but was especially felt in the
dominions of the Nabob Vizier of Oude. Even in the fertile and
well-culivated districts subject to the control of the English go-
vernment, a very alarming scarcity prevailed, which would proba-
bly, but for the tumely precautions adopted, have proved of irreme-
diable injury. In the Nabob Vizier’s territories, where order was
wanting, and where industry is by no means a characteristic, the
inhabitants were reduced to the utmost distress. The more opulent
had hoarded up their grain; some, perhaps, did so under the li-
mited and prudent intention of securing their own families from
want, while many, foreseeing what was inevitable, neglected no
means to procure corn of all descriptions, with the nefarious view
of taking advantage of the times, and bent on raising their fortunes
on the miseries of their fellow-creatures. Few, however, succeeded
in their speculations. The hordes of famished wretches who pa-
troled the country made no distinction of property, but, urged by
the imperious calls of nature, plundered alike the savings of the
provident and the accumulations of the monopolists.

«<'This being but a temporary relief, had the baneful effect of
encouraging a spirit of depredation, whereby, in lieu of retailing
what did exist with a sparing hand, all was profusion for the mo-
ment, and not a little lost in the scramble. Such was the blind
infatuation of the million of walking spectres, that, in the moment
of phrenzy and despair, many granaries were burnt. Resentment
overcame even the principles of self-preservation, and impelled
them to the perpetration of follies such as indicated the wish not

to obtain redress, but to involve all under one general ruin.”

59

** Here.it may be proper, as well to prevent illiberal suspicions
from attaching to Europeans at that period as on other occasions,
to state, that throughout the country the most zealous and unani-
mous means were. adopted to check the evil. So far from blemish-
ing the national character, the philanthropy displayed by the
gentlemen of all professions in India justly entitles them to the
foremost rank. Their sensibility and energy did them immortal
honour. Of this, however, it would not be very easy to satisfy a
famished multitude. We cannot expect discrimination from the
poor wretch whose cravings guide his thoughts to one object only,
and which, moreover, he views according to his own disconsolate
situation.

“ When it became obvious that the famine could not be
averted, government sent supplies, which indeed could be ill
afforded, from Bengal, where the scarcity was least felt, to the
troops through the upper country. ‘This measure, however salutary,
could have but a partial effect, but more could not be done. To
lessen the evil as much as possible, the European gentlemen en-
tiered into large contributions for the purposes of procuring grain
from other parts. ‘The liberal scale on which these subscriptions
were conducted will be sufficiently understood when it is stated
that, at Cawnpore alone, where about eight thousand men were
cantoned, no less a sum than a lac of rupees, equal to twelve thou-
sand five hundred pounds, was collected, and being vested with a
committee, whose economy and assiduity merit the warmest enco-
miums, was applied to the relief of as many persons as it was sup-
posed could be maintained until the next harvest.

«* All could not be relieved; consequently the station occasion-

60

ally exhibited a scene of the most horrid licentiousness, which few,
however necessary it might be, could harden their hearsts suf-
ficiently to repel! As to live stock, litle was left. Religious
boundaries were annihilated, and all castes or sects were seen to
devour what their tenets taught them either to respect or to abhor.
Many devoured their own children! and thousands perished while
altempting to force open pantries, and other places containing
victuals, insomuch that it was common to find in the morning the
out-offices of our houses half filled with dying objects, who with
their ghastly countenances seemed to express hope, while their
tongues gave utterance to curses!

* The good intention of the donors was productive of a very
serious evil, which in the first instance was not, perhaps, sufficiently
guarded against. ‘The intelligence was rapidly spread throughout
the country that the Europeans, at the several military and civil
stations, had made provision for supplying the poor with rice.
This induced all to bend their course towards the nearest asylum.
Thousands perished by the way from absolute hunger, while num-
bers fell an easy prey to the wolves, which being bereft of their
usual means of subsistence by the general destruction of all eatable
animals, were at first compelled, and afterwards found it convenient
to attack the wretched wanderers. ‘The little resistance they ex pe-
rienced in their depredations on these unfortunate creatures, em-
boldened them in an astonishing manner, and taught them to look
with contempt and defiance towards a race of whose powers they
were heretofore in awe.

«¢ Such numbers, however, succeeded in finding their way to the

cantonments, that we were to all intents in a state of siege. ‘The

61

wolves followed, and were to be seen in all directions committing
havoc among the dying crowd. They absolutely occupied many
gardens and out-houses, and often in open day trotted about like
so many dogs, proceeding from one ravine to another without
seeming to entertain the least apprehension. So familiar had they
become with mankind, and so little did they seem disposed to re-
move from what to them was a scene of abundance! I cannot
give a stronger idea of our situation than by informing the reader,
that not only the wolves, but even the swine, were to be seen in all
directions attacking the poor wretches, whose feeble endeavours to
drive away their ravenous devourers, were the only indications that
the vital sparks were not quite extinct.

“ The demise of such numbers tainted the air, and caused a
sickness among the troops. Many officers died of putrid fevers,
and the most serious consequences would inevitably have followed
but for the setting in of the rains, which both abated the extreme
heat of the atmosphere and carried off immense quantities of of-
fensive remains. It is not easy to assert how many died, but I
heard it stated by some gentlemen of the committee for managing
the subscription money, that at least two hundred thousand per-
sons had flocked from the country, of whom not more than one in
twenty could be maintained for the number of months which must
elapse before the soil could render its aid. ‘T'o calculate upon
less than a regular supply until such should be the case, would
have been absurd; for there was not the smallest probability
of the scourge being abated in the meanwhile. The lower pro-

vinces, as before remarked, could do little more than support them-

selves; and no periodical supply of the fruits, &c. usually produced
in the rainy season, could be expected in a country of which nearly
two-thirds of the population was destroyed.

‘This mournful scene, however, gradually drew to a close.
The unfortunate group had either died, or had been restored to
health, and were capable of returning to their occupations. The
wolves now felt themselves bereft of their usual prey, but did not
lose their habit of attacking men; many of whom, though in gene-
ral provided with some means of defence, which circumstances had
rendered necessary, yet became victims to their depredations, till
at length measures could be taken to check their rapacity, and they
were obliged to have recourse to their former researches for food.”

Jamboseer, the capital of the purgunna, is only seven miles
from Ahmood, although I have made a long digression from the
direct road to the distant provinces of Bengal. The town is two
miles in circumference, surrounded by a mud wall. The gurry
was deemed a place of strength against the country powers, but
these citadels soon fell before European artillery. Some of the
Hindoo houses are large; the exterior style of architecture has nei-
ther elegance nor proportion; the interior generally consists of
small dark low rooms, surrounding an open area, which sometimes
contains a garden and fountain, with an altar of tulsee, the sacred
plant of the brahmins. The stairs are always steep and narrow;
the roofs are often flat, but frequently covered with tiles. The
inferior houses have either led roofs, or are thatched with jungle
grass, or the Jeaves of the palmyra. Like most large towns in Gu-
zerat, Jamboseer is situated near an extensive lake, the banks

adorned with Hiudoo temples and caravansaries, overshadowed by

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ad: passed the sultry hours: ak cone r alent populeas town

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large avd tolerably éonvenient,

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63

mango and banian trees, and the surface almost covered by the
lovely flowers of the lotus in all its varied hues.

Mr. Callander accompanied me from Jamboseer to Ahmeda-
bad. We left his hospitable mansion early on the 27th of April,
and passed the sultry hours at Gudgerah, a large populous town
surrounded by a wall, to protect it from the depredations of the
Coolies, who are a very insolent set among the numerous, and pro-
bably indigenous tribes of freebooters and robbers in this part of
Guzerat. The Indian robbers of all descriptions are uncommonly
clever, and by long habit elude the greatest vigilance.

From Gudgerah we proceeded to Corelli, a pleasant village on
the south banks of the Mahi, which gives its name to the cele-
brated pass over that river. We pitched our tents under a spread-
ing banian-tree, and passed the night more pleasantly than we
could have done in any house in the village, although in those
districts the villages are generally large and tolerably convenient,
with a bazar or market well supplied. Banian and mango groves,
temples, choultries, wells, and tanks, add to their comfort and
beauty. They realize Southey’s picture in detached parts of his
Kehama, which I have brought together, as a novel and faithful
description of a good Hindoo village.

*Twas a fair scene wherein they stood,
A green and sunny glade amid the wood,
And in the midst an aged banian grew.
It was a goodly sight to see
That venerable tree;
For o’er the lawn, irregularly spread
Fifty straight columns propt its lofty head:
«And many a long depending shoot,

Seeking to strike its root,

ee Oe. ene ee ere DSi,

Straight like a plummet grew towards the ground.
Some on the lower boughs which cross’d their way,
Fixing their bearded fibres round and round,
With many a ring and wild contortion wound:
Some to the passing wind at times, with sway
Of gentle motion swung ;
Others of deeper growth, unmov’d, were hung
Like stone-drops from the cavern’s fretted height.
Beneath was fair and smooth to sight,
Nor weeds nor briars deform’d the natural floor ;
And through the leafy cope which bower’d it o’er
Came gleams of chequer’d light.
So like a temple did it seem, that there,

A pious heart’s first impulse would be prayer !

A brook with easy current murmur’d near ;
Water so cool and clear,
The peasants drink not from the humble well,
Which they, with sacrifice of rural pride,
Have wedded to the cocoa-grove beside ;
Nor tanks of costliest masonry dispense
To those in towns who dwell,
The work of kings in their beneficence.
Fed by perpetual springs, a small lagoon,
Pellucid, deep, and still, in silence join’d
And swell’d the passing stream. Like burnish’d steel
Glowing it lay, beneath the eye of noon!
And when the breezes in their play,
Ruffled the darkening surface, then, with gleam
Of sudden light, around the lotus stem
It rippl'd, and the sacred flowers that crown
The lakelet with their roseate beauty, ride,
In gentlest waving, rock’d, from side to side ;
And as the wind upheaves
Their broad and buoyant weight, the glossy leaves

Flap on the twinkling waters, up and down.

VOL. III.

65

There, from the intolerable heat,
The buffaloes retreat ;
Only their nostrils rais’d to meet the air,
Amid the sheltering element they rest.
The market-flag, which hoisted high,
From far and nigh,
Above yon cocoa-grove is seen,
Hangs motionless amid the sultry sky.
Loud sounds the village drum ; a happy crowd
Is there.
Behold Ladurlad’s home,
By yonder peepal-tree o’ershaded :
There Marriataly’s image stands,
And there the garland twin’d by Kailyal's hands
Around its brow hath faded.
The peacocks at their master’s sight,
Quick from the leafy thatch alight,
And hurry round, and search the ground,
And veer their glancing necks from side to side,
Expecting from his hand
Their daily dole, which erst the maid supplied,
Now all too long denied.

Evening comes on ; arising from the stream,
Homeward the tall flamingo wings his flight ;
And where he sails athwart the setting beam,
His scarlet plumage glows with deeper light.
The watchman, at the wish’d approach of night,
Gladly forsakes the field, where he all day,
To scare the winged plunderers from their prey,
With shout and sling, on yonder clay-built height,
Hath borne the sultry ray.
Hark! at the sacred Hindoo fane
The brahmin strikes the hour :

K

66

For leagues and leagues around, the brazeti sound
Rolls through the stillness of departing day,
Like thunder far away !

‘The stanzas are accurately descriptive of the superior order of
villages in Hindestan. ‘The natural history of the banian-tree is
equally just and poetical with Milton’s admired lines on the ficus
Indica, and more copious. ‘The description of the lotus transports
those who have been accustomed to that beautiful flower to the
calm and peaceful scenery of a Hindoo lake, and awakens a thou-
sand pleasing recollections.

Ampliat zetatis spatium sibi vir bonus, hoc est

Vivere bis, vita posse priore frui. Marr.
They stretch the limits of this narrow span,
And, by enjoying, live past life again.

In such a tranquil scene we usually pitched our tents. Our travel-
ling marquee had a fly or awning, which being a few feet above the
roof of the tent,and spreading some distance around, kept it cool, and
afforded a sort of veranda to shade our servants, in a deficiency of
trees. ‘To render it more effectually cool during the hot winds
prevalent in April and May, instead of the usual purdahs, or hang-
ings of cotton before the entrance, we placed tatties, or screens of
matted grass, especially the fragrant cusa, when we could procure
it. These being kept constantly watered, the passing air was cooled,
and the interior of the tent rendered very comfortable.

I have already observed, we were obliged to travel with beds
and every necessary comfort; our views never extended beyond

that invaluable word; a word but little known out of an English

po Reg. alesse EBS eines AE SEABED 2y 2 AR AE mayan nena OG A i A ieee

67

vocabulary, although the luxury of an Asiatic encampment often
equals that of the most refined cities. Our cooking was very sim-
ple ; the fowl being frequently roasted on a wooden spit, supported
by two branches from the nearest tree; boiled meat, vegetables, rice,
and curry, were dressed in earthen pots supplied by the village,
and placed over little fires made between sods, or in holes in the
earth. In such rural encampments our provisions were in no dan-
ger of being taken by the natives, who would not have tasted the
greatest dainties. It was not so easy to guard against the monkeys,
who slily purloined bread, fruit, and country beer, a liquor made
with English porter, palm-wine, and water, of which those animals
are extremely fond. We had sul a bolder and more ravenous ene-
my in the hawks and brahminee kites, constantly hovering near,
ready to dart on a roasted fowl, or quarter of kid, while. actually
carrying by the servants from the temporary kitchen to the dining
tent. There are vultures in Guzerat, but not so common as at
Bombay, where the parsee sepulchres are their great attraction ;
but the dogs, with which all the Indian towns and villages abound,
clear away every offal. ‘They are numerous, noisy, and trouble-
some, especially to travellers. They are called pariar-dogs, have
no respective owner, generally subsist upon charity, and are never
destroyed. They frequently hunt in large packs like the jackals,
which they resemble in many other respects.

We left our umbrageous dormitory near Corelli at an early hour
the next morning, and immediately descended the banks of the
Mahi at the pass of that name. The bed of the river is six miles
broad, although the stream, even at spring-lides, does not exceed

two; but during the floods from the Malwa mountains, where this

68

river rises, it swells to a great height, fills the channel, and rushes
impetuously to the Cambay gulf. When we crossed it, towards
the end of the fair season, the ford was so shallow that loaded carts
passed over without danger.

Captain Wilford justly remarks, that the geography of Ptole-
my, in this part of India, is distorted to an astonishing degree ; for,
besides other mistakes, he supposes the river Mahz to form an el-
bow, and to run close to the Narmada, or Nerbudda, with which it
is made to communicate through a short canal, and then after-
wards to fall into the gulf of Cantha. The Mahi is a celebrated
river, and the daughter of the earth (Mahi), and of the sweat
(ushna), that ran copiously from the body of Indradyumna, king of
Ujjayini; and famous in the legends relating to the white island in
the west. Ptolemy’s sardonyx mountains are doubiless the Cop-
perwange, or Cubburpunj hills, still famous for cornelians, agates,
and the sprig-stones generally called mocha stones. The best cor-
nelians are brought from Rajpipla; the art of cutting and polish-
ing these stones seems to be exclusively confined to Cambay.

It occupied two hours to cross the bed of the Mahi. We
reached the northern bank at the well-known pass of Dewan, a
narrow defile between steep banks thirty fect high, through which
only one cart can proceed at a time. On leaving this defile we
were met in a friendly manner by Jeejabhy, a famous chieftain
among the coohes. The principal rajah of these refractory tribes
resides at Ometah, the chief fortress of the Mahi coolies, a few
niles to the east of Dewan. ‘These people maintaining in their
fastnesses an armed independence, deem it no-disgrace to be rob-

bers and plunderers of all whom they can master, that venture to

69

travel without their escort. This gives them many advantages over
their neighbours, and makes them respected by the surrounding
governments, by whom small bodies of Coolies are frequently enter-
tained as occasional escorts and safeguards. They were then on
friendly terms with the English, but we thought it necessary to
travel with an escort of five-and-twenty native cavalry, and a de-
tachment of Arab and Scindian infantry, armed with matchlocks,
to prevent either plunder or insults from the Coolies and Cotties,
another tribe of freebooters inhabiting the country of Coltyawar;
further to the north-west. They are always well mounted and roam
in troops, to lay travellers under contribution, rob villages, and
drive off the cattle.

Robbery and plunder being the general pursuit of these people,
I was surprised to see the Coolie districts under excellent cultiva-
tion ; their villages were large and populous, the fields enclosed
by hedges, planted with mango and tamarind trees. We travelled
without molestation through this delightful country, but on enter-
ing the Cambay purgunna every thing wore a different aspect; the
soil was equally rich, though by no means so well cullivated ; nor
were the villages half inhabited. ‘The Nabob’s government, pressed
by the wants ot Mogul ostentation, was. too oppressive for the in-

crease of population, or encouragement of agriculture,

«© In vain kind seasons swell the teeming grain,
“© Soft showers distil, and suns grow warm in vain ;
<< "The swain with tears his frustrate labour yields,

«« And famish’d, dies, amidst his ripen’d fields. Pore,

Under a mild government, the Cambay purgunna, with the ad-

vantage of iis bunder or port, is capable of being rendered equal to

70
any in Hindostan. Its hight and fertile soil yields a rich return of
every thing committed to its bosom, and great quantities of coarse
coloured cottons are manufactured in the city, and exported for
the African markets.

A few miles from Cambay we passed over gentle hills, covered
with groves, commanding a delightful view of the surrounding
plain. I mention this circumstance, because in the whole Guze-
rat province there is seldom a rising ground to the west of Powagur,
or the mountains which separate it from the interior parts of Hin-
dostan. The rich prospects in this country delight the traveller,
but afford litle variety for description. ‘The heavy roads retarded
our arrival at Cambay ; in that light sandy soil the rainy season is
preferable for a journey ; the sands then become solid, and the rains
are not so violent as in the southern latitudes.

In the tract of country through which we had now travelled, we
observed several neat modern temples at the Hindoo villages, simi-
lar to those in other parts of Guzerat. There are also scattered
remains of ancient and magnificent structures, both Hindoo and
Mahomedan; handsome wells and extensive tanks lined with
stone, indicated the former wealth of the country. The village
temples as usual were near a grove or burr-tree, and where there
was no temple the ryots were content to join their brahmin in
sacrifice and prayer under these verdant fanes. The Lincam
seems to be a general object of worship among the villagers; the
image of Ganerisu, or Ganeasa, the god of wisdom, denoted by
the elephant’s head, the symbol of sagacity, is often placed against
the trunk of the banian tree; as is also that of Buavani,or Bowan-

wrk, the goddess of fecundity.

71

I expected to find more remains of antiquity in these districts,
because in the essays on the Sacred Isles of the West, we are informed
that in the fifth century of the christian era, Cambat, or Cambay,
was “ the metropolis of the Bala-rayas, and perhaps of the empe-
rors of the west also, when these two dignities happened to be
united in the same person; and it was also the place of residence
of 'Tamra-Sena, so called from his metropolis, Tamra-pura, signi-
fying the Copper-city, which is supposed to have been entirely
built of that metal ; but, if I may offer my opinion, it received its
name from the domes and spires of the temples being covered with
copper. This city was near Cambat, but tradition says that it was
swallowed up by the sea; and Cambat was a famous place of wor-
ship, called in the puranas Shambhastha-Tirtha, from a shambha or
column close to the sacred pool. Now a column is called camba
in the spoken dialects, and from cambasta is derived its present name
of Cambat. Shambhastha and Tamra-pura are called Asta and
‘Trapera, by the author of the Periplus; but Protemy, considering
these two places as one only, for they were close to each other,
calls it Astacampra, or Astacapra; and instead of Tamra, which sig-
nifies copper, he writes Campra, or Capra. ‘The reason why he has
carried this place so far inland, on the banks of the Mahi is, that
either he or some other writer misunderstood the natives, who have
no word for a bay or guiph, and use generally the word river in-
stead of it, particularly when there is one at the bottom of the
gulph, as in the present case. Osorio, a Portugueze writer, says
that when Francis D’Almeida landed near Cambat, in the year
1519, he saw the ruins of sumptuous buildings and temples, the

remains of an ancient city; the history of which was connected

72

with that of a foreign prince. Such ruins are said to exist to this
day, not close to Cambat, but at a place called Cavi, or Cavi-gaw,
to the south of Cambat, where are temples and other buildings, with
statues half buried in the sands, by which this place was over-
whelmed.”

I saw nothing of the column above-mentioned, which desig-
nated the name of Cambat, but such were not uncommon in for-
mer times, as we find from the pillar at Dedhi, sull remaining, which
is generally, although improperly, called the pillar of Feeroze Shah.
It consists of a single stone of a reddish colour, tapering upwards,
and is now thirty-seven feet above the hunting palace that sur-
rounds it. It is said that only one-third of this column is visible,
the rest being buried under ground and concealed by ruins. Fee-
roze Shah, whose name is now attached to .this pillar, though it
must have been erected as some Hindoo monument at a much ear-
lier period, reigned at Delhi between the years 1351 and 1388 A. D.
in which he died, at the age of ninety. A part of his character in
Ferishtu’s history shews what may be done by a benevolent and
peaceful monarch: “ ‘Though no great warrior in the field, Feeroz
Shah was by his excellent qualities well calculated for a reign of
peace. He reigned thirty-eight years and nine months, and left
many memorials of his magnificence in the land. He built fifty
great sluices, forty mosques, thirty schools, twenty caravansaries,
an hundred palaces, five hospitals, an hundred tombs, ten baths,
ten spires, one hundred and fifty wells, one hundred bridges, and
the pleasure-gardens he made were without number.”

It is probable the column which gave its name to Cambay re-

sembled the Lat, or pillar of Feroze-Shah. The remains may be

73

extant among the other ruins of ancient buildings in the environs
of the modern city. ‘The juma-musjed, or grand mosque at Cam-
bay, was, as I have formerly remarked, a Hindoo temple of great
antiquity before it was dedicated by the mahomedans to Alla.
Shawuk pagoda, and many other Hindoo edifices bear a very an-
cient date. The antiquity of the Hindoos involves such a variety
of matter, and embraces so many objects, that it is a very difficult
field to enter; and yet who could travel over the plains of Cam-
baya without recollecting they had employed the pens of Arrian
and Ptolemy many ages past? And, if not already proved, it
will most probably soon be discovered, that there has been a very
ancient communication between Hindostan and Great Britain.
Should it be ascertained that the latter is one of the Sacred Isles of
the West, in the Hindoo puranas, it is impossible to calculate the
result of such researches.

This is a subject too deep for my investigation, but has been
ably taken up in the Asiatic researches, by Captain Wilford, whose
learned Essays tend to prove, that “ the sacred isles in the west, of
which Sweta-dwipa, or the White [sland, is the principal, and the
most famous, are in fact the holy land of the Hindoos. ‘There, the
fundamental and mysterious transactions of the history of their re-
ligion in its rise and progress took place. The White Island, this
holy land in the west, is so intimately connected with their religion
and mythology, that they cannot be separated ; and of course, di-
vines in India are necessarily acquainted with it, as distant Mussel-
mans with Arabia.” This, says Captain Wilford, ‘* I conceive to
be a most favourable circumstance, as in the present case the

Jearned have little more to do than to ascertain whether the White
VOL. IIT. L

74.

Island be England, and the Sacred Isles of the Hindoos the Bri-
tish isles. After having maturely considered the subject, I think
they are.” To this may be added the conclusion of Sir William
Jones’s third discourse delivered to the Asiatic Society in 1786.
“ Of these cursory observations on the Hindoos, which it would
require volumes to expand and illustrate, this is the result: that
they had an immemorial affinity with the old Persians, Ethiopians,
and Egyptians; the Phenicians, Greeks, and ‘Tuscans; the Scy-
thians or Goths, and Celts; the Chinese, Japanese, and Peruvians.
Whence, as no reason appears for believing that they were a colony
from any one of those nations, or any of those nations from them,
we may fairly conclude they all proceeded from some central coun-
try, to investigate which will be my future object.”

It has been observed by careful investigators, that there is a
great resemblance between many of the Hindoo festivals and the
old feasts in England. Colonel Pearse remarks, that on the festi-
val of Bhawanee, which auswers to our May-day, the Goras and
all other herdsmen frequent the gardens on that day, erect a pile
in the fields, and adorn it with pendants and garlands. Mr.
Paterson, on the origin of the Hindoo religion, in describing the
festival of the Hooli, compares it with the Hilaria of the Romans,
celebrated at the vernal equinox in honour of the mother of the
gods. ‘ It was a festival which was continued for several days,
with great display of pomp and rejoicing. It began the eighth day
before the calends of April, or the 25th of March. The statue of
Cybele was carried about in procession, and the attending crowds
assumed to themselves whatever rank, character, or dress, their

fancy led them to prefer. It was a kind of masquerade, full of

75

mirth and frolic. In fact, it was the Earth, under the name of
Cybele, which was worshipped at the commencement of that genial
season, when she receives from the sun those vivifying rays which
are so adapted to the production of fruits and flowers. Let this
ceremony be compared with the Hindoo celebration of the Hooli,
at the same period of the year. The epithet of purple is constantly
given to the spring by the Roman poets, in allusion -to the bios-
soms which nature, as it were in sport, scatters over the earth with
such variety and profusion. The Hindoos design the same idea in
the purple powder Abir, which they throw about at each other
with so much sportive pleasantry. The objects of worship with the
Hindoos are the earth and fire; that genial warmth which pervades
all nature at that period of the year. The licentiousness of the
songs and dances at this season was intended to express the effects
of that warmth on all animated objects. The Hindoos have like-
wise their masquerading processions, in which gods and goddesses,
rajahs and ranees, are represented ; and the ceremonies are con-
cluded by burning the past or deceased year, and welcoming the
renovation of nature.”

During the festival of the Hooli, when hilarity and mirth per-
vade every class of society, one subject of diversion is to send
people on errands and expeditions that are to end in disappoint-
ment, and raise a laugh at the expense of the person sent. ‘This
is very similar to the first day of April in England. The Hooli is
always.in the month of March, and the last day is the greatest
holiday.

The Hindoo festival of Vastu Puja, on the day when the pro-

prietors of land worship the earth and fire, is similar to that of

76

Vesta at Rome. The Romans worshipped the goddess of nature,
under the symbols of earth and fire. The sects of Visnoo and
Siva do the same, ‘The former offer an oblation of fruit and flow-
ers, the latter sacrifice a sheep to their respective deities.

In my letters from Dhuboy and Chandode I have so fully de-
scribed the Hindoo temples and customs of the brahmins, that it
would be superflucus to add any thing further upon those subjects. I
have not entered into many particular ceremonies of the Hindoo wor-
ship at their respective temples. Several of their rites are very little
known to Europeans, and according to our judgment appear ab-
surd and trifling. I will give only a single specimen from the
tedious ceremonials with which their ritual abounds, selected from
Mr. Colebrooke’s religious ceremonies of the Hindoos, but without
attempting to detail the whole ceremony. Indeed most readers
wil think this specimen amply sufficient.

* A brahmana arising from sleep, is enjoined, under the penalty
of losing the benefit of all rites performed by him, to rub his teeth
with a proper withe, or a twig of the racemiferous fig-tree, pro-
nouncing to himself this prayer, “ Attend, lord of the forest; Sama,
king of herbs and plants has. approached thee: mayest thou and
he cleanse my mouth with glory and good auspices, that I may eat
abundant food!” Then foilows a long account of bathing and ab-
lutions, which having finished he puts on his mantle, after washing
it, and sits down to worship the rising-san.

** This ceremony is begui by his tying the lock of hair on the
crown of his head, while he recites the Gayatri, holding much cusa
grass in his left, and three blades of the same grass in his right

hand; or wearing a ring of grass. on the third finger of the same

Ve
hand. Thrice sipping water with the same text, preceded by the
same mysterious name of worlds, and each time rubbing his hands
as if washing them; and finally touching with his wet hand his feet,
head, breast, eyes, ears, nose, and navel; or his breast, navel, and both
shoulders; only (according to another rule) he should again sip water
three times, pronouncing to himself the expiatory text which recites
the creation. Ifhe happen to sneeze or spit, he must not immediately
sip water, but first touch his right ear, in compliance with the
maxim, ‘after sneezing, spituing, blowing his nose, sleeping, put-
ling on apparel, or dropping tears, a man should not immediately
sip water, but first touch his right ear.” “ Fire,” says Parasara,
‘¢ water, the Vedas, the sun, moon, and air, all reside in the right ear
of brahmanas. Ganga is in their right ears, sacrificial fire in their
nostrils, at the moment when both are touched impurity vanishes.”
This will explain the practice of suspending the end of the sacer-
dotal string over the right ear, to purify that string from the defile-
ment which follows.an evacuation of urine. ‘The sipping of water
is a requisite introduction of ail rites; without it, says the Samba
Purana, all acts of religion are vain. Having therefore sipped
water as abovementioned, and passed his hand filled with water
briskly round his neck, while he recites this prayer, “ May the
waters preserve me!” the priest closes his eyes, and meditates in
silence, figuring to himself that Bkauma, with four faces and a red
complexion, resides in his navel;. Visunu, with four arms and a
black complexion, in his heart; and Siva, with five faces and a
white complexion, in his forehead. The priest afterwards meditates
the holiest of texts during three suppressions of breath. Closing

the left nostril with the two longest fingers of his right hand, he

78

draws his breath through the right nostril, and then closing that
nostril likewise with his thumb, holds his breath while he meditates
the text. He then raises both fingers off the left nostril, and emits
the breath he had suppressed. While he holds his breath, he must
on this occasion repeat to himself the Gayatri, with the mysterious
names of the worlds, the triliteral monosyllable, and the sacred
text of Braume. <A suppression of breath so explained by the
ancient legislator, Yayirywalcya, consequently implies the following
meditation: Om! earth! sky! heaven! middle region! place of
births! mansion of the blessed! abode of truth!”

Iam cautious in drawing conclusions, or putting a decided
construction on the religious ceremonies of the Hindoos ; they may
be more or less mystical than I am aware of, and many of their
customs have possibly a different meaning from that which a super-
ficial observer supposes. A circumstance which occurred at Dhu-
boy confirms my principle of not forming hasty decisions on dubi-
ous subjects. When Thad been there two years, a rumour pre-
vailed that I worshipped the devil, or at least that I performed
ceremonies, and paid some kind of adoration to the destructive
power. On tracing this extraordinary supposition to its source, it
appeared to have originated with some of my own servants, natives
of the place, who had not been conversant with Europeans. About
that time General Goddard being engaged in a political negocia-
ton with Futty Sihng, paid him a visit at Brodera, accompanied
by his staff officers and a considerable detachment from the Bengal
army. On his march to Brodera he favoured me with a visit at
Dhuboy, where I entertained him a few days in the best manner

my retired situation permitted. We generally sat down sixteen at

79

table ; as there are no turkeys in Guzerat, young pea-fowl were an
excellent substitute, and often made a principal dish. The gizzard
and other parts of the pea-fowl, as is frequently practised with the
turkey, were sent from table to be broiled and seasoned with salt,
pepper, and kian; thus improved, the savoury meat was returned
hot to table with the additional appellation of the devil; each guest
took a small piece to relish:a glass of wine, as customary on such
eccasions, and possibly some cheerful toast was given, and passed
round. The novelty of this ceremony in presence of my Dhuboy
servants, who were strangers to our manners and customs, who nei-
ther understood the English language, nor asked for information
from those who did, caused them to put a wrong construction upon
an innocent practice ; and in a city renowned for sanctity we were
enrolled among the worshippers of the devil!

I have introduced this trifling anecdote as an instance of what
a wrong judgment may be formed, and false conclusions drawn,
by superficial observers on their travels, especially when ignorant
of the language of those among whom they sojourn.

In describing Cambay six years before, during the campaign
in Guzerat, I deplored its ruinous condition; it now presented a
scene of desolation! ‘The Nabob had continued his oppressions,
and his subjects sought for protection and comfort under a milder
government. Unmindful of the happiness of his people or the in-
terest of his successor, the chief study of Mohman Caun was to
procure money for the gratification of sensual pleasure, and the
maintenance of the shadow of a Mogul court. The means of ac-
quiring it gave him no concern. ‘Thus his sovereignty comprised

only a dilapidated capital, deserted villages, and a few impove-

80

vished subjects, who, notwithstanding his iron sceptre, were sull
attached to their native soil. Under such a government there is
nothing to hope for; emigration can alone relieve the burden; but
the measure of oppression must be full ere we bid adieu to our
dii-penates, and the local joys of home ; pleasures which memory
loves to cherish. From these independent petty sovereigns there is
no appeal; their tyranny kuows no control: pathetically does a
pious monarch lament their fate! ‘ I considered all the oppressions
that are done under the sun, and beheld the tears of such as were
oppressed, and they had no comforter! and on the side of their
oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter!”

When Akber filled the imperial throne, his ear was open to the
petition of the meanest subject, and his time dedicated to the hap-
piness of his extensive empire. Under that wise monarch there
could be no oppression without redress; justice and clemency
overshadowed the soubah, and his outstretched arms protected the
most distant purgunna in his vast domain. In such an instance
absolute monarchy may be deemed a_ blessing, particularly in
Asia; but dreadful is unrestrained power in the hands of a cruel
despot. For one Akber, Antoninus, or ‘Trajan, how multiplied is
the character of Nero, Tiberius, and Aurungzebe!

However tyrannical and oppressive over his unfortunate sub-
jects, the nabob of Cambay was esteemed one of the politest sove-
reigns in India. He immediately sent one of his chopdars with
his compliments and congratulations on our arrival at his capital,
and presently after we received a visit from Mirza Mahomed Zu-
maun, the naib, or vizier, accompanied by several moguls and Per-

sian noblemen. On the following evening Mirza Zumaun invited

81

us to an elegant supper, served up in the true Persian style. He
received us.at the outer gate, and conducted us through a small
garden to the flat roof of the house, where we were introduced to
several Persians and moguls of distinction. Here we enjoyed the
evening breeze and a moonlight view of the gardens, and were
amused by successive sets of dancing-girls and musicians, superior
to any I had then seen in India.

It is well known that the Asiatics of either sex of any respecta-
bility never dance themselves. Throughout Hindostan, whether
among the Hindoos, Mahomedans, or Parsees, the master of a feast
sends for the public dancing-girls and musicians to entertain his
guests ; for himself, his family, or his company to do either would
be quile inconsistent with propriety, and the gravity of character
they generally preserve.” Amidst the general joy on the annual
epening of the aqueduct at Dhuboy, I have mentioned a sort of
rural dance by other females, but this is very rare; in the lower
classes of society it may be more common, although it has escaped
my observation. An Indian of respectability could never consent
to his wife or daughter dancing in public, nor can they reconcile
the English country-dances to their ideas of female delicacy. I
remember an amiable Hindoo at Bombay being taken lo a ve-
randa overlooking the assembly-room, where a number .of ladies
and gentlemen were going down a country dance ; on his conductor
asking how he liked the amusement, the wild Indian replied,
“« Master, I. not quite understand this business, but in our caste we
say ‘if we place butter too near the fire, butter will melt.” I
have thought of this Hindoo when present at some particular
waltzing in France and Germany.

VOL. 111. M

32

During the entertainment of the “ singing men and _ singing
women” at the vizier’s, the attendants frequently brought dried
fruits, pistachio-nuts, and salted almonds, to improve the flavour
of the coffee and sherbets, made from the juice of falsee, limes, and
different fruits, presented in profusion and variety. Other servants
stood near with punkahs and chouries, to cause a vibration in the
air, and keep off the insects. The former may go under the general
denomination of fans, however modified in shape. The latter are a
sort of long pendant brush, composed of different materials ; some-
times of peacock’s feathers, or the beautiful plumage of the bird of
paradise; some are of cusa grass, or the leaves of the palmyra tree.
Those most esteemed for elegance and utility united, are formed
from the tail of the katass cow. This animal is a native of Thibet,
Cachimere, and some of the northern provinces of Hindostan. The
beauty of these tails, or chouries, depends upon the whiteness,
silkiness, and length of the hair, which is not taken off the tail, but
remains on the stump, set in a handle of gold, silver, or enamel.
Thus luxuriously seated, the Persians smoked their culleons and
nargills, kept up a lively conversation, and displayed some taste in
music, poetry, and painting.

At ten o’clock we descended from the terrace to the saloon pre-
pared for supper, which was covered with rich carpets, cushions,
and pillows of various kinds, illuminated from cut-glass chande-
liers, and ornamented with Persian paintings, representing the
youths and damsels of Iran in voluptuous indulgence, amid a pro-
fusion of fruit, flowers, ices, and perfumes. This room, supported
only by pillars, opened on every side to a flower garden of roses,

jasmin, mogrees, and double tuberoses, with pomegranates and

33

taller plants, surrounding small canals and fountains playing with
delightful effect. ‘The English gentlemen were seated at a table in
the upper part of the saloon, covered in the European mannet.
The other guests, according to oriental custom, were placed in two
rows on the carpet, and the supper served between them on a small
elevation. The repast consisted of great variety, in pilaus, curries,
kebats, and other savoury dishes, composed of, or intended to be
mixed with rice, which is the principal grain eaten by the higher
ranks throughout Hindostan. Some of the pilaus appeared to me
extremely curious, and were the first [had seen at any oriental
entertainment. ‘The vizier asked me to partake of venison, pea-
fowl, kid, poultry, and game. Not seeing any on the table, [hesi-
tated in my choice, and was then informed that the different dishes
_ of rice, in various colours, were flavoured with the gravy, or rather
essence of all those diversities. An antelope, two or three pea-
cocks, or a dozen partridges, were stewed down into a strong gravy,
to flavour as many dishes of rice, which having sufficiently imbibed
the essence of the animals, were placed before the fire until every
grain was separate, and then served on the table. The liquors
offered to the guests were only water and a variety of sherbets.
Neither the Persians nor Moguls, in defiance of the precepts of the
koran, often object to wine or much stronger liquors in private.
Cambay at this time contained several noble Persian families,
who left their country fifty years before, after Shah Hussein had
been murdered by Meer Mahmud, and the Afghans usurped the
sovereignty; of others who abandoned that unhappy kingdom some
years afterwards, when Nadir Shah seized the throne, and destroyed

the royal line of Seffies; and of several more who accompanied that

84
usurper in his march to Delhi, and left bim after the conquest to
settle in various parts of the Mogul empire with their share of the
plunder.

The wealthy. Persian emigrants generally bring with them
pearls, diamonds, and other jewels to a large amount. ‘T'hey lie in
a small compass, and are the most certain means of securing a
competency in a foreign country. 1 saw a valuable assortment of
precious stones at Cambay, belonging to a Persian nobleman, in-
tended for sale; among them was a diamond of the first water,
shaped like a prism, weighing an hundred and seventeen carats,
and estimated at twenty-five thousand pounds. The proprietor
informed me of a diamond then in the royal treasury at Ispahan,
which weighed two hundred and sixty-four carats, and was valued
at four hundred and twenty thousand pounds. ‘This is probably
the same stone mentioned by ‘Tavernier, at that time in possession
of the Mogul emperor, which weighed two hundred and seventy-nine
‘carats, and its value was estimated at half a million sterling. The
variation in the weight and price in a gem of such magnitude, may
be easily allowed between a Persian and European traveller. This
imperial diamond is a brilliant of beautiful shape, called by way
of eminence Kooi Toor, “ the Hil! of Lustre,” alluding to Mount
Sinai, in Arabia, where Gop appeared in glory to Moses. Ano-
ther diamond of a flat surface, nearly as valuable as the former, is
denominated Doriainoor, ‘* the Ocean of Lustre.” These magnifi-
cent jewels formed part of Nadir Shah’s plunder at Delhi in 1739;
when the riches he carried off exceeded seventy millions sterling.
The most superb article of this imperial spoil was the Tucht-Taoos,

or peacock-throne, in which the expanded tail of the peacock, in

85

its natural size, was imitated in jewellery, composed of the most
costly diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, topazes, and ame-
thysts, producing a wonderful effect. This throne was valued at
ten crore of rupees, upwards of twelve millions sterling. After the
assassination of Nadir Shah this plunder was transported into vari-
ous countries, and since the late revolutions in Persia has been
more widely dispersed.

Jewels have been always held in high estimation; sacred and
profane writers extol their beauty and value; the Romans, under
their luxurious emperors, carried this extravagant superfluity to
the utmost prodigality. Diamonds with them do not appear to
have been in so much request as pearls, of which they possessed
some immensely valuable: one, presented by Julius Czesar to Ser-
vilia, the mother of Brutus, cost him forty-eight thousand pounds
sterling. The celebrated pearl ear-rings of Cleopatra were valued
at one hundred and sixty thousand pounds. .

In the oppressed and impoverished city of Cambay, at the time
I last saw it, there was no demand for jewels, nor any other valuable
commodity; they were generally sent to Surat, Bombay, or China,
where they found a ready sale. ‘The magnificent prismatic dia-
mond I have just mentioned, was lost in a dreadful storm a few
months afterwards at Surat bar, where the ship in which it was
freighted, with a number of other vessels, foundered at their an-
chors. Cambay in former times, when the sea flowed near its
walls, was the grand emporium of Guzerat, and the resort of mer-
chants from every quarter of the globe. Queen [lizabeth, the first
English monarch who encouraged the Indian trade, sent out three

persons m 1583, with letters to the sovereigns of China and Cam-

86

bay. This implies that the latter was at that ime a place of great
commercial notoriety. In the year 1600 this wise monarch granted
ihe first charter to the East India Company, by which they became
the exclusive traders to the East Indies, with a capital of seventy-
iwo thousand pounds.

A very few years after Queen Elizabeth’s embassy, Caesar Fre-
dericke, a merchant of Venice, visited this country, and in his
travels, which were printed in London in 1598, this entertaining
writer thus describes the trade of Cambay: ‘ No great ships can
go thither by reason of the shallowness of the water, but they carry
on the trade in smail barks, which can sail in all parts of the gulph.
The principal city in Cambaia is called Amadaur, or Ahmadabad;
it is a very great city, and very populous; and fora city of the
gentiles it is very well made, and builded with fair houses, and
large streets. Cambay is also avery fair city, and if I had not
seen it I could not have believed that there should have been such
a trade as there is; for in the time of every new and full moon the
small barks come in and go out, Jaden with all sorts of spices, with
silk of China, with sandal, with elephants’ teeth, velvets of Vercini,
great quantity of pannina, which cometh from Mecca, with chicki-
nos, Which be pieces of gold worth seven shillings, with money,
and with divers sorts of other merchandize. Also these barks lade
out an infinite quantity of cloth stamped and painted, with a great
deal of indigo, dried ginger, and conserved myrabolans dry and
candied, boraso in paste, great store of sugar, great quantity of
cotton, abundance of opium, asafaetida, puchio, and many other
sorts of drugs; turbants made in Diu, great stones like to corne-

lians, granites, agates, diaspry, calcedony, hematist, and some other

87

kind of natural diamonds. During the time I dwelt in Cambay I
saw many marvellous things; and in that time the city was in
great calamity and scarceness, so that J have seen the men of the
country, who were gentles, take their childien, their sons and their
daughters, and have desired the Portugals to buy them; and I have
seen them sold for eight or ten lorines a-piece, which may be of
our money from ten to thirteen shillings sterling.”

Cambay continued a flourishing commercial city long after the
above period; the Mogul princes who then reigned encouraged
agriculture, manufactures, and trade. It gradually declined dur-
ing the convulsions of the empire in the eighteenth century, and
the cruel and oppressive govefnment of Mohman Caun, the then
reigning nabob, had completed its ruin. He prided himself on
being an excellent Persian scholar, but I should suppose he had
never read the Tears of Khorassan, one of the most beautiful poems
in that language, from which I have extracted a few stanzas appli-

cable to the present subject, translated by Captain W. Kirkpatrick.

‘© Say, dost thou know what wild confusion reigns
«© Throughout Cambaia’s desolated plains,
«* And how her sons are drown'd in seas of tears ?
«« Say, dost thou know, ofall her ancient boast,
‘« And glorious sights that spread her fame the most,

“No trace or mournful vestige now appears ?

‘« Here upstart slaves, to fame and worth unknown,
«* Rear their proud crests, and in imperious tone,
«< Command the man whose virtues all revere :
«« Here avarice scoffs at virtue in distress,
‘* And spurns the hand which grateful thousands bless, —

“« O hard reverse! and fate, too—too severe !

38

“‘ View where sage elders, prostrate at the door
«© Of some low wretch, in vain relief implore ;
«¢ Tn vain their anguish and their wrongs disclose :
“«« Behold the sons of rank debauchery bind
«© The holy anchorite, by heaven resign’d,

«© A prey to dungeons, and to sharpest woes.

«Ts there, where Ruin reigns in dreadful state,

“* Whom fortune smiles on, or whom joys await ?—
«« *Tis yonder corse descending to the tomb :

«« Ts there a spotiess female to be found,

«* Where deeds of diabolic lust abound ?—

«« "Tis yonder infant issuing from the womb.

«€ —O thou, descended from a noble race!
«« By him who gave the crown thy brows to grace;
«* Who gave, t'adorn the minted ore, thy name :
«© By him, by heaven’s just King, we thee conjure,
*< To loose our chains, —our painful wounds to cure ;—

“« So shall a grateful world thy praise proclaim."

Dr. Robertson has drawn a beautiful picture of an oriental
sovereign: but I fear the original is only to be found in Utopian
climes. I confess I never met with such a character in my travels;
nor can I find one among those of more extensive research in the
courts of Asiatic princes, modern as that amiable writer thus de-
scribes his virtuous monarch. ‘‘ A Hindoo rajah, as I have been in-
formed by persons well acquainted with the state of India, resem-
bles more a father presiding in a numerous family of his own chil-
dren, than a sovereign ruling over inferiors, subject to his domi-
nion. He endeavours to secure their happiness with vigilant
solicitude; they are attached to him with the most tender affec-
tion, and inviolable fidelity.”

89

I am sorry to dissent from this celebrated historian, and the well-
informed persons from whom he obtained the information; but so far
from being able to confirm such pleasing characteristics; I must,
on the contrary, affirm that I never met with such a pattern of
royal virtue, nor with such grateful and amiable subjects, in my
intercourse with the inhabitants of India. That the Hindoo
rajahs in the time of Dushmanta, Vicramaditya, and other coeval
princes, recorded in the early brahmin chronicles, might possess
those benevolent attributes, Ido not deny. We have every reason
to believe those patriarchal rajahs were the fathers of their people;
but from my own knowledge of modern Hindoo chieftains by
whom I was surrounded at Dhuboy, of the Mahratta peshwa
and his nobles with whom I was long encamped, of the king
of Travencore, and of other princes with whom I was acquainted,
I cannot draw so favourable a conclusion. Jam willing to believe
there are exceptions: wherever I have found them, I felt a plea-
sure in noticing their comparative excellence, whether Hindoos
or Mahomedans.

I have frequently mentioned the wild-beasts in Guzerat: dur-
ing our nocturnal encampments on this journey, our attendants,
who, probably actuated by their fears, preferred sleeping in the
towns, were constantly telling us of the number and ferocity of
the tigers in that part of Guzerat, but we were never molested;
although, not long before, in travelling by torch light, with two
English ladies, and a large party, from Dhuboy towards the Ner-
budda, a royal tiger sprung among my cavalry, overthrew one of
the riders, and killed his horse by the blow. The last of the

species which I destroyed in the Dhuboy purgunna was a leopard,
VOL. ILI. N

90

most beautifully spotted; which weighed about two hundred and
fifty pounds; his strength and ferocity equalled his size, and had
long rendered him a terror to the villages near his haunts.

So great is the dread of beasts of prey in the villages on the
Sabermatty river, at the head of the Gulph of Cambay, that the
inhabitants carefully collect all their cattle within the mud walls
with which every village is encircled, at the close of day; after
which all egress is avoided; and even the dogs, instinctively con-
scious of the perils by which they are surrounded, keep within
the protection of the walls.

It is certainly dangerous to travel in the jungles, or Indian
forests, after sun-set, when the savage beasts leave their haunts,
and prowl abroad for prey: but as they retire to their dens at the
approach of dawn, we do not often hear of accidents. They reign
by night, and claim their wild domain: the day belongs to man,
Equally beautiful as just is that passage in the royal psalmist,
‘Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of
the forest come forth, and the lions roar after their prey. Thesun
ariseth, and they gather themselves together, and lay them down
in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour
until the evening. O Lord! how manifold are thy works; in
wisdom hast thou made them all !”

Sir Charles Malet, then president at Cambay, shewed me the
skin of a lioness which had been recently found with some of her
whelps, in a forest near the river Sabermatty, not many miles from
Cambay. The existence of lions in this part of India had been
hitherto unknown to Europeans. The northern provinces, border-

ing upon Persia, abounded with those animals, and afforded noble

91

sport to the imperial princes in their hunting parties from Dejhi
and Agra.

As the discovery of lions in Guzerat was perfectly novel, Sir
Charles indulged me with an extract from his itinerary, when,
in consequence of such an intimation, he went with a party of
Moguls and Persians to the forest of Durlee, about twenty miles
to the northward of Cambay, two months before our arrival. This
extract presents a very interesting scene; which I shall not clothe
in any other language than his own, as it is written with all the
zest and warmth of feeling, occasioned by immediate impressions,
which no correctness of style or studied expressions can give in a

subsequent recollection.

Durlee, 8th of March 1781.

“ Havine killed some elks and antelopes, without
meeting with any tigers, we proceeded this morning to Coora, in
a wilder part of the country, where we were more likely to meet
with those animals. As we advanced into the wood in pursuit of
our game, we saw in one of its thickest glooms a number of large
dead serpents; some entirely devoured, except their skins; some
half eaten, and others apparently just killed; we also observed
the bones of various animals strewed thick all about this spot. On
expressing my surprise at this appearance, the country people
assured me it was a proof of our being very near the haunt of
these savage beasts; and mutual exhortations followed to be steady
and circumspect; in fact, in a few paces we discovered, in the soft
grass and moss, the almost perfect figures of several animals, of

various sizes, who had been reposing there; and the carnivorous

92

smells which then assailed us, and the numerous and recent
impressions of the feet of beasts of prey, left us no room to
doubt of the evidence which I had just received of this being
the gloomy residence of the savage race who had been roused by
our approach.

‘“‘ Having watched for two nights in vain, on the third evening
we tied lures of goats and asses under the trees, in three different
places, and at each of these stations three marksmen, including
myself, watched in a tree. About midnight, four animals, which
we imagined to be tigers, but afterwards discovered to be lions,
having at some distance taken a momentary survey of the goat
tied at one of the posts, rushed furiously on it; and the largest of
them seizing it by the neck, with one shake broke the bone, and
the animal was instantly deprived of life. ‘The lion then made an
effort to carry off his prey, which being purposely bound with
strong cords he failed in the attempt. At that instant two of the
marksmen posted with me in the tree fired and wounded him,
but he suffered only a momentary stupefaction, for immediately
recovering, he quitted the slain goat and retired. One of a smaller
size instantly came forward and seized the goat, when the third
marksman fired, and wounded him; he also directly retired; but,
by the light of the moon, we perceived that they both retreated
with difficulty.

** On assembling the next morning from our respective posts,
we tracked the lions to some distance, by the blood; which having
at length lost, I resolved to penetrate into the depth of their haunts.
For this purpose I sent for the people of the nearest village, and
with some difficulty prevailed upon them to shew me the place

95

of their retreat. I then accompanied them, with eight musketeers,
a few miles further, to an almost impenetrable jungle, or thicket,
extending for several miles. Soon after entering this dismal scene,
our people from different quarters gave the alarm; but nothing
appearing within shot, we proceeded further into the gloomy forest,
which was impervious to the sun’s rays, and so entangled with un-
derwood, that we were obliged frequently to proceed upon our
hands and knees. In a short time the villagers discovered and
announced the wounded lions; and we were instantly saluted by a
most tremendous roar, and a frightful rushing through the thicket;
which, with the gleam of sabres, the shouts of the party, and the
thick darkness, formed an awful and terrific scene. The animals
retreating, we followed, until we arrived at a part of the wood ab-
solutely impenetrable. Thus stopped, we fired several shot at
those places where we observed the birds to appear in consterna-
tion, but without effect. I then, with three or four of the stoutest
of my companions, endeavoured to push forwards, when our pro-
gress was again impeded by a terrific growling, at a very small
distance; but so complicated was the jungle, and so dark the at-
mosphere, that we could not see our object, nor, had we been able
to discover it, could we either have presented our pieces or used
our sabres: thus circumstanced, we retired, and fell upon the
expedient of collecting the buffaloes from the neighbouring fields,
and driving them forcibly into this fastness; which the buffaloes
had no sooner entered than they were saluted by such a horrid roar,
as put them most precipitately to flight, and our game, roused
by the charge, changed its situation; which was observed, and

taken immediate advantage of: for, on proceeding to the spot,

94

which was somewhat more open, and consequently more favour-
able to the use of our arms, I advanced within a very few paces,
and lodged a brace of balls in his heart.

“« My fire was seconded by a volley from the other musketeers ;
and the noise of their pieces was succeeded by something, which
could neither be styled roaring nor groaning, but a frightful mix-
ture of both. Not knowing that our bails had effectually re-
moved every cause of apprehension, and that this vociferation was
the symptom of expiration, I concluded that the creature was now
thoroughly enraged, and meditating vengeance; with this idea, I
quitted my piece, and betook myself to my sabre; but after a
short pause, observing the rustling in the thicket to cease, and
the vociferation to grow fainter, I advanced to the spot where the
animal lay; and one of my people having laid open three of his
ribs by the stroke of a sword, I with another nearly severed his
head from his body: and then dragging him from his retreat, I
hauled him, amidst the acclamations and congratulations of the
villagers, to my tents, where I arrived at noon, having spent six
hours in rousing, pursuing, and killing our game; which in that
interval had received three balls, exclusive of the wound inflicted
on the preceding night.

“This beast was called by the country people oontia-baug, or
camel-tiger, and is by them esteemed to be the firercest and most
powerful of that race. His colour was that of a camel, verging to
yellow, but without spots or stripes; not high in stature, but
powerfully massive, with a head and foreparis of admirable size
and strength. He was killed near the village of Coora, on the

banks of the Sabermatty, fifteen coss from Cambay.

95

“Nearly five quarts of oil were extracted from this animal,
which the peasants of that country consider to be very efficacious
in rheumatic complaints, and it is used externally in those and
some other disorders. The oil of the lion was extracted by stew-
ing the flesh, when cut up, with a quantity of spices: tle meat was
white, and of a delicate appearance, and was eaten by the wau-
grees, or hunters, who extracted the oil.”

We left Cambay at day-break on the 2d of May, and in three.
hours reached the village of Sujeutra, fifteen miles distant; where
we pitched our tents, and spent the sultry hours in a tamarind
grove, near a spacious lake; indeed all the towns and villages we
saw, had those valuable reservoirs: Abul Fazil mentions an
ancient city of Guzerat, called Beernagur, that contained three
hundred Hindoo temples, each of which had a tank of water. He
also describes the country two hundred years ago exactly as it is
at the present day, when the abundance of mangoes and other
fruit trees gave it the appearance of a perfect garden; in the midst
of which stands the rich and populous village of Sujeutra, in
the Pitlad purgunna, surrounded by extensive fields, highly cul-
vated, and planted with rows of mangoes, tamarinds, and khirneys,
all large and shady fruit trees. Sujeutra belongs toa set of dancing-
gitls, who frequently have lands and villages assigned them by the
princes of Hindostan.

When the sun declined, we renewed our journey, over a broad.
sandy road, very heavy for the cattle and palanquin bearers. 'T'ra-
velling by moonlight, we arrived at a late hour at Kairah, a con-
siderable fortified town belonging to the Brodera chieftain, situated

on an eminence, near the confluence of two small rivers, called the

96

Wartruc and Serrie; we forded the latter, and slept in our palan-
quins on the banks of the Wartruc.

The next morning we rose with the dawn, and commenced
our last .day’s journey to Ahmed-abad, through a delightful part
of Guzerat; but, although approaching the capital, we found it
not so well cultivated as many other districts, occasioned by be-
ing very much infested by the Coolies and Cotties. The villages
are large and populous, and the houses built of bricks in frames
of timber. Small scattered hamlets would be unsafe in a district
where the peasants are obliged to unite in considerable force to
defend themselves against the banditti. The land contiguous to
the villages was well cultivated, and planted with fruit trees. The
fields in Guzerat, except for very particular crops, do not require
much manure; what they use is chiefly the dung of animals, and
the refuse of the cow-houses; at Bombay, and on many parts of
the Malabar coast, they manure the land with rotten fish, blubber,
and other putrid substances, offensive and unwholesome: it has
been forbid in Bombay. <A very good substitute, and indeed a
most excellent manure, is the remains of the cocoa-nut after the
oil has been expressed from it; this also constitutes a nutritious
food for oxen, but gives the milk of the cows an unpleasant taste.
Cow-dung is used for so many purposes by the Hindoos, especially
by the religious brahmins, that very little of it goes for manure;
their houses and humbler dewals are covered with, and purified by
it: when perfectly dry, it has a neater appearance than we should
suppose. In places where wood is scarce, the cow-dung is made
up into cakes, and dried for fuel, which the brahmins and Hindoos
of rank prefer to any other.

97

The uncultivated tracts in Guzerat are woody, and abound
with tigers, leopards, hyenas, wolves, wild-hogs, and a variety
of deer, elks, and antelopes, with those large brilliant eyes, so
highly extolled in oriental poetry. The Persian and Arabian
poets are extremely fond of alluding to these beautiful eyes,
which, according to lady Wortley Montague’s translation, ‘are
black and lovely, but wild and disdainful as those of the stag:”
this idea extends from the gazelle of Arabia to the rein-deer of
Lapland, as we find in the songs of those northern regions. In
the Song of songs, the enraptured monarch seems to prefer the
* doves’ eyes, which ravished his heart, as the eyes of doves by the
rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set within the locks.”
But the gazelle, or antelope, is most probably alluded to by his ena-
moured princess, when she says, her beloved ‘ cometh leaping over
the mountains, and skipping upon the hills; like a roe, or a young
hart he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through
the lattice.”

The more I saw of Guzerat, the more I admired its fertility
and beauty: to both of which three noble rivers, the Taptee, the
Nerbudda, and the Myhi, largely contribute; while the Sabermatty
and many smaller streams, water its luxuriant plains. In the
reign of Akbar the soubah of Guzerat contained nine sircars, or
large districts, which were subdivided into one hundred and
ninety-eight purgunnas, of which thirteen were sea-ports. The
amount of revenue was forty-three crore, sixty-eight lacks, 2,301
dams, together with one lack, 62,628 dams of port duties; the
whole being. equivalent to sicca rupees 10,96,123,3,11. The

measured lands in Guzerat exceeded one crore and sixty-nine
VOL. III. 0

98

jacks of beegahs, and it then mained 67,375 cavalry, and 8900
infantry.

I conclude this account of Guzerat, taken from the Ayeen
Akbery, with a short extract from Abul F'azel’s description
of Hindostan in general. ‘The whole extent of this vast em-
pire is unequalled for the excellency of its waters, salubrity of
air, mildness of climate, and the temperate constitutions of the
natives. Every part is cultivated and full of inhabitants, so that
you cannot travel the distance of a coss without seeing towns and
villages, and meeting with good water. Even in the depth of
winter the earth and trees are covered with verdure; and in the
rainy season the air is so delightfully pleasant, that it gives youthful
vigour to old age.”

“¢ In the fortieth year of the reign of Akber, the imperial
dominions consisted of one hundred and five sircars, or provinces,
subdivided into two thousand seven hundred and _ thirty-seven
koubahs or townships; the revenue of which he settled at sicca
rupees, 9,0743881, 2, 5. ‘The empire was then parcelled out into
twelve grand divisions or soubahs, each of which was committed to
the care of a soubahdar or viceroy; to which the sovereign of the
world was pleased to add three more, which he had obtained by
conquest, thus increasing the number to fifteen.”

Such was the empire of Akber, and in all his vast domain no
part in beauty and fertility exceeded the province of Guzerat,
which still abounds with large commercial cities, the capitals of
districts which, since the dismemberment of the Mogul empire,
have become independent. Populous villages and a well-cultivated

country enrich most of the purgunnas with crops of wheat, rice,

99

barley, and abundance of inferior grain; while cotton, indigo, and
tobacco, amply repay the little trouble they occasion the farmer,
by a ready sale at foreign markets.

Nature seems also to be peculiarly favourable to the animal
tribes in Guzerat: the oxen are esteemed the finest in India; they
are perfectly white, with black horns, a skin delicately soft, and
eyes rivalling those of the antelope in brilliant lustre. The oxen
reared in the northern part of the province are noble animals,
superior in strength, size, and docility; some of them travel with a
hackery from thirty to forty miles a day, and are yoked to the car-
riages of the wealthy Hindoos in distant parts of India. I had a
very fine pair of these white oxen, in spirit, size, and beauty, equal
to most I ever saw in Guzerat; and in sweetness of temper and
gentleness of manners nearly approaching the elephant formerly
described in Ragobah’s campaign. With these animals I travelled
many thousand miles in the delightful province of Guzerat. The
Ayeen Akbery mentions some of these oxen valued at one hundred
geld mohurs the pair, a sum nearly equal to two hundred pounds
sterling; the common price at that period was from ten to twenty
mohurs a pair; while at the same time the usual price of a good
cow, yielding daily twenty quarts of milk, was only ten rupees, or
twenty-five shillings, in the beast-market at Delhi. A smaller breed
of these animals is employed in the province in agriculture, and
the transportation of merchandize. ‘There is also a variety of
inferior in size, strength, and value, reared in different parts of
Guzerat for the same purposes; these are of all colours, and with

the usual characteristics of the species in other parts of Hin-
dostan.

100

Horses in India are seldom employed for the pack or draft; a
great number are bred in different parts of Guzerat to supply the
cavalry of the respective governments; those of Cutch and Cottya-
war are in high estimation, but the best horses are brought to India
from Arabia, Persia, and 'Tartary; from the two former the trading
vessels sometimes import mules of a large size, which are very
serviceable animals, and far more hardy than the fine breed of
horses brought from the same country. Many horses of various
descriptions are bred in the Deckan and the northern provinces of
Hindostan, all of which are sure to find purchasers at the courts of
princes, and especially in the Mahratta armies. The horses of
Thibet are a peculiar race, generally pied, not exceeding the Eng-
lish galloways in size, natural amblers, and much valued as pads.

Such were the animal and vegetable productions of the coun-
try through which we were now travelling. If the government of
Mohman Caun, nabob of Cambay, was discouraging and oppres-
sive, I am sorry to say there was no amelioration for the peasantry
when we left his purgunna and entered the Mahratta dominions.
Whether the districts were under the immediate government of
delegates from the peshwa at Poonah, or ruled by different branches
of the Guicawar sovereigns in Guzerat, the evils of despotism every
where prevailed ; the rapacity of venal and corrupt zemindars was
felt in every village, and left the wretched inhabitants no choice of
masters. Little as the poor ryot of India knows of a comfortable
home, that little is most cruelly infringed by rapacious harpies of
every description.

‘The nearer we approached the capital the more we traced the
former splendor and magnificence of the moguls: ruined palaces,

101

gardens, and mausoleums, which once adorned the country, now
add a striking and melancholy feature to its desolation; these are
conspicuous in every village in the campagna of Ahmedabad, and
form a striking contrast to the mud cottages and thatched hovels
of the Mahrattah peasantry.

On our arrival at Betwah, or Puttowah, which we were told
had once formed a part of the suburbs of Ahmedabad (but was
now a detached village five miles from the city walls), we were con-
ducted to a large square, containing several mahomedan tombs
and grand mausoleums; some were of white marble, others of
stone, covered with the finest stucco, white as alabaster, and exqui-
sitely polished. ‘The domes were supported by elegant columns,
their concaves richly ornamented, and the tessellated marble pave-
ment beautifully arranged, vied with those of ancient Rome in the
museum at Portici; the tracery in the windows resembled the
Gothic specimens in European cathedrals; and the small cupolas
which cover each tomb are of fine marble, curiously inlaid with
fruit and flowers, in festoons of ivory, mother-of-pearl, cornelians,
onyxes, and precious stones, as neat as in European snufi-boxes.
The small tombs in the centre of the building are adorned with
palls of gold and silver stuff, strewed with jessamin and mogrees,
and hung round with ostriches’ eggs and lamps, which are kept
continually burning by the fakeers and dervises. maintained there
for that purpose.

Near most of the mahomedan cities in Asia are these extensive
cemeteries (none being allowed within the walls) containing a num-

bér of beautiful temples, sometimes supported by pillars and open

102

on all sides, at others closed like a sepulchral chamber, with only
one door; each has a marble tomb in the centre, under which is
deposited the body of the deceased. These burying-grounds fre-
quently afford shelter to the weary traveller when overtaken by the
night, and at a loss for better accommodation; and their recesses
are also a hiding-place for thieves and murderers, who sally out
from thence to commit their nocturnal depredations. Thus we read
in scripture of demoniacs dwelling among the tombs in Judea;
they are likewise the scene of many adventures in the Persian and
Arabian tales.

Except among the Parsees, whom I have mentioned as the fol-
lowers of Zoroaster, there seems to prevail throughout India the
greatest respect and affectionate veneration for the dead. ‘The
pious attentions of the mahomedans, from the magnificent mauso-
leum of 'Taje Mahal, the crown of the seraglio at Agra, to the hum-
blest grave strewed with flowers in the village cemetery, confirm
this pleasing truth; and although the Hindoos in general, after
burning the body of the deceased, and scattering the ashes into the
air, do not erect a monument or a cenotaph in any particular spot,
yet the parent lives in the memory of his children, and the husband
in that of his wife, if she survive him. Numerous annual ceremo-
nies are enjoined, and most affectionately performed by the Hin-
doos to the manes of their ancestors. Mr. Wilkins, in a note upon
the Heetopades, informs us, that a Hindoo’s hope of happiness after
death depends upon his having a son to perform the offering of the
consecrated cake, and other ceremonies, by which he expects that
his soul will be released from the torments of Naraka. And we

find that Absalom in his lifetime reared up for himself a pillar ia

103

the king’s dale, because he had no son to keep his name in remem-
brance.
«* Mark the sad rose, once summer's darling pride,
«* That threw its blooming odours far and wide,

“« Now all its bright, its blushing honours past ;

** Too dazzling fair, alas! and sweet to last !

“«* But yet, though scatter’d be each silken leaf,
** By cruel Time, that sad despoiling thief,
«« Still from those leaves exhales a rich perfume;
“ Still they are sweet, though they have ceas’d to bloom !
«© So lov’'d remembrances of joys long fled
«© O’er the sad heart their soothing influence shed :
«¢ While in the breast is sav’d each wither’d leaf

© Of past delight,—to soothe its present grief!’ By.a rounc Lavy.
1Y 8 P 8

I was delighted with the mausoleums at Betwah, but the Mul-
lahs assured me they were inferior to those at Agra and Delhi,
where imperial wealth and magnificence had united to decorate
the tombs of the Mogul princes and their favourite sultanas. The
finest marbles that could be procured were the most common ma-
terials in these superb buildings; for the ornamental parts consist-
ing of the most elegant borders in a sort of arabesque pattern,
with festoons of fruit and flowers in their natural colours, were
composed entirely of agates, cornelians, turquoise, lapis-lazuli, and
other valuable gems, rivalling the most admired specimens of the
inlaid marbles at Florence, where | compared the charming origi-
nals on the tombs of the Medici, with some beautiful drawings
of the Faje Mahal at Agra, belonging to an English lady in Tus-
cany, who had visited the magnificent shrine at Agra. How for-

cibly do these remind us of the truth and beauty of the metaphorical

104.

language in the sacred page, promising sublime and spiritual joys
under allusions from these subjects in oriental palaces! In the
prophetical books of the Old Testament it is said, “ I will make
thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy
borders of pleasant stones.” In the figurative descriptions of the
New Testament we find the same ideas: ‘ Her light was like unto
a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal:
the wall was of jasper, and the foundations were garnished with
the sapphire, the emerald, the chalcedony, the sardonyx, the chry-
solite, the beryl, the topaz, the amethyst, and all manner of pre-
cious stones.”

From Petwah we travelled over a tract of land, once filled with
crowded streets and populous mansions, now a cultivated plain,
covered with trees and verdure, unless where a falling mosque or
mouldering palace reminded us of its former state. These ruins
increased as we drew nearer the city, until at length we travelled
through acres of desolation. An universal silence reigned; nothing
indicated our approach to a capital, nor did we meet with “ one
sad historian of the mournful plain,” without the gates of Alme-
dabad!

Et seges est ubi Troja fuit. Ovip.

or rather let me quote a similar scene in the expressive language
of the prophetical writings, of a city sull more magnificent than
either ‘Troy or the capital of Guzerat, that it should become a heap
of ruins, a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment and a hiss-
ing, without an inhabitant; the wild beasts of the desert should be
there, and the houses full of doleful creatures; the owls should

105

dwell in their habitations, and the satyrs dance in their pleasant
places. Ssich is now the desolation round the circumscribed walls
of Ahmedabad; it is literally the resort of tigers, hyenas, and
jackals; the abode of monkeys, guanas, serpents, and noxious
reptiles!

«« The spider holds the veil in the palace of Cesar ;

** The ovel stands sentinel on the watch-towers of Afrasiab!” Sapy.

)

On perusing this letter in manuscript, Sir Charles Malet con-
firmed the preceding desolation of Ahmedabad by a circumstance
during his encampment near the city of Aurungabad, where,
among the ruins of the imperial palace, he saw a timid hare start
from the spot where once stood the throne of Aurungzebe, who
gave his name to the city. The following aceount of this interest-
ing visit. is transcribed from his journal:

“ May 31, 1794.—This morning we made another excursion
from our encampment to view the city of Aurungabad and its en-
virons. We went first to the palace, which was built by Aurung-
zebe at the same time as the city; and in the multiplicity and
extent of its offices and apartments, exhibits a strong proof of the
magnificence of that great but bigotted monarch, and of the me-
lancholy mutability of human grandeur; for in the short space of
ninety years the splendid remains of this princely structure are
mouldering into dust, and some parts quite obliterated !

“ We first entered by a lofty gateway into a vast area called
the Jellougah, or the place where the imperial guards paraded ; the
gates here, as in most other oriental palaces and cities, being in-
tended for the admission of state elephants, with the exalted hou,

VOL. III. P

106

dar on their backs, are on a large scale, and add much to the
general grandeur. From the Jellougah we ascended a noble flight
of steps into another spacious court, on the western side of which
was the duan aum, or public hall of audience, and opposite to it
the nobut khani, or music-gallery. On approaching the hall of
audience, a timid hare started from the spot where stood the mus-
nud of Aurungzebe; that throne where the proudest monarch in
the world was seated in all his glory! The throne was elevated in
the most conspicuous part of this superb hall; the hall itself was
filled with ameers of the first distinction, and the spacious court
crowded with haughty warriors and other nobles, while the air
echoed with the swelling notes from the nobat khani, and the voices
of the chopdars and heralds loudly proclaiming, “ May the king of
the world live for ever!” From that throne, which the proudest
nobles then approached with awe and palpitation, now sprang
forth a terrified little hare!”

This is followed by an excellent description of the Taje Mahal,
the celebrated mausoleum at Agra, already mentioned, which city
then belonging to the Mahrattas, this spot was appropriated for
the accommodation of the English embassy.

* On approaching the famous city of Agra, or Akber-abad, the
most melancholy remains of former grandeur presented themselves
on all sides ; mosques, palaces, gardens, caravansaries, and mauso-
leums, mingled in one general ruin! On entering the gate of the
city, at which there was no guard, I proceeded through the quar-
ter called Momtazabad, over a chaos of desolation for about two
miles, to Taje Mahl, the gem or diadem of the seraglio, which was
the place allotted by Mhadajee Sindia, the Mahratta chieftain, for

107

iy accommodation. This grand mausoleum, which stands due
north and south, on the southern bank of the river Jumna, was
built by command of the emperor Shah Jehan for the interment of
his favourite sullana Momtaz mehl, or Montazal Zumani, the “ Pre-

5

eminent in the seragho, or Paragon of the age;” and at his death his
remains were also here deposited, by order of his son Aurungzcbe.

«This building, in point of design and execution, is one of the
most extensive, elegant, commodious, and perfect works that was
ever undertaken and finished by one man. To this celebrated
architect the emperor Shah Jehan gave the title of Zerreer Dust,
or Jewel-handed, to distinguish him from all other artists. This ex-
traordinary man, knowing the impatience of the emperor, and the
peculiar situation of the intended structure on the precarious banks
of the river, after laying a strong foundation, secreted himself for.
twelve months, nor could the strictest search by imperial mandate
discover his retreat. At the expiration of that period, he volunta-
rily appeared in the hall of audience, and throwing himself on the
‘emperor's clemency, declared that he had absconded from the fear
of being urged by his majesty to proceed with the superstructure
before he had sufficiently proved the solidity of the foundation; of
this being now perfectly satisfied, he was ready to fulfil the impe-
rial command.

«© The astonishing art and niceness of ihe masonry has hitherto
admirably withstood the devastations of time; nor has a succession
of barbarous and predatory invaders yet dared to violate the sanc-
tity and beauty ‘of this wonderful fabric. It 1s composed of two
large squares; the outer one intended for the accommodation of

travellers, and the convenience of the inferior officers attached to

108

it: the inner court, which is entered through large gates of brass
under a stupendous dome, forms a beautiful garden, with a profu-
sion of fountains, surrounded by magnificent buildings for recrea-
tion and devotion. At the north end, close to the bank of the
Jumuna is the grand dome, under which the royal remains are depo-
sited. “It is built entirely of pure white marble, on an immense
square platform of the same material, having a lofty minaret of
equal beauty at every corner. On each side, and behind the im-
perial mausoleum, is a suit of elegant apartments also of white
marble, highly decorated with coloured stones. ‘The tombs and
other principal parts of this vast fabric are inlaid with wreaths of
flowers and foliage in their natural colours, entirely composed of
cornelians, onyxes, verd-anlique, lapis-lazuli, and every variety of
agates, So admirably finished as to have rather the appearance of
an ivory model set with jewels, just delivered from the artist’s
hand, than an edifice which has withstood the inclemency of the
elements an hundred and forty-seven years.”

Sir Charles adds the tollowing short account, extracted from
an authentic mahomedan chronologist, viz. “* This year being the
sixteenth of his majesty’s reign, he attended in person the ceremo-
nies of the anniversary of the death of the nabob Meb’ddlea,
‘ Montaz Mehl,’ and distributed large sums in alms... The meeting
was held in the magnificent mausoleum which was finished this
year, having been twelve years in building, at the expense of fifty
lacks of rupees; its chokies, serais, and various offices, formed a
grand city which went by the name of Montazabad. Thirty vil-
Jages from the dependencies of Akberabad and Neiggarchund, whose

produce was rated at four lacks of damms, and whose income

109

amounted to one lack of rupees per annum, were made wukf, and
appropriated to the use of the. mau:oleum. The produce of the
shops, bazars, and serais, amounted to an equal sum, so that there
was a yearly revenue of two lacks of rupees allotted for the neces-
sary repairs of the building, for the salaries of the various offices
attached to it, and for charitable distributions; the surplus, if any

remained, was lodged in the treasury of the mausoleum.”

Agra, 1785. C. W. M.

Annexed is an abstract of the expenses in building the magni-
ficent structure mentioned above, selected from a very full account
in the Asiatic Miscellany, which not only differs materially in the
total amount expended upon this immense undertaking, but also
of the time employed in its construction, which it expressly says
was commenced in the fifth year of the reign of the emperor Shah
Jehan, and the whole completed in sixteen years, four months, and

twenty-one days.

110

Expense of the mosque, with the pavement, the — Rupees.
fountain, and spiral ornaments ,........ 8,25,811 °F) 8
Th esepulchre with the four meenars, the terrace,

the pavement in front, and the spiral orna-

ments: .-/. eed sel Se Rs 5177979 FT 8
Tomb of Shah Jehan, of marble, inlaid with pre-

ClOUS'StOMESi7s 4) 8 Sl ae IIE eae 29,190 O @
Tomb of Mumtazal Zumani, of marble, inlaid with

PICEIOUSSLONES {5.0% cere eNeas wietelelo a er 26,620 0 O
Marble railing, with the inlaid work, and doors of

BBALE eis Garantie das » scaler iota etna esekor ate: 68,895 2 6
A pair of silver doors for the glass room...... 5,472 8 3
Sandal-wood doors, brass gates, and chains to the

meenars:andidome . <. i62 es s/s ee ee 8,154 3 O
The Jumaut khanah, with the terrace, the fountain

and spiral ornaments ..... - Ae Ree ones 8,24,625 6 6
The towers, piazzas, public walks, marble foun-

tains,-and large ‘brass gates.) 2°. hee 18;85,0S2° ©: “0
The jilaw khaneh, or court, with the bazars, reser-

voirs, warehouses, wells, &c...........- 74,103 14 O
Wages of the masons and other workmen ..... 2,63,018 6 6
Buildings in the town of Mumtazabad ....... OS 5 2581 «16.10
The two outer khowar-poorehs ............ 38,005 6 0O
The chowkundy of Sutty Khanem.......... 27,078 3.3
The other chowkundys, squares, and buildings near

SGI ke noon Pe ee ee ee pees tt oes 52,438 8 O

Total amount, rupees 98,15,4296 13 3

111

The above sum of ninety-eight lacks, or nine millions eight
hundred and fifteen thousand rupees, is equal to one million two
hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds sterling. Although the
price of labour then was, and still continues to be very reasonable
in India, yet the expense of the marble and precious stones was
immense, and in such profusion as to make the high colouring of

oriental poetry no longer ideal.

«© There stately mansions new and old
‘¢ Flame with Barbaric gems and gold ;
‘© There shine, with pride, the regal stores,
“¢ Of ivory roofs, and cedrine floors ;
«« Phere diadems of price unknown
«¢ Blaze with each all-attracting stone:
«© Firm diamonds, like fix’d honour true,
“© Some pink, and some of yellow hue ;
«« Some black, yet not the less esteem’d,
«« The rest like tranquil Jumna gleam’d,
‘© When in her bed the Gopia lave
‘« Betray’d by the pellucid wave.
« Like raging fire the ruby glow’d,
“* Or soft, but radiant water show’d ;
« Pure amethysts, in richest ore
«« Oft found, a purple vesture wore ;
«© Sapphires, like yon ethereal plain ;
*¢ Emeralds, like peipal fresh with rain ;
“* Gay topazes, translucent gold ;
** Pale chrysolites of softer mould ;
*« Fara’d beryls, like the surge marine,
“ Light azure mix’d with modest green ;
“ Refracted every varying dye,
** Bright as yon bow that girds the sky.
“¢ Here opals, which all hues unite,

‘* Display their many-tinctur’d light ;

112

‘© With turquoises divinely blue,

“€ (Though doubts arise where first they grew,)
«* Whether chaste elephantine bone,

‘* By minerals ting’d, or native stone)

“© And pearls unblemish’d, such as deck

«« Bhawanee's wrist, or Leeshmy's neck.” ENCHANTED Fruit

Many things in the description of the Faje-Mahal at Agra
have a great resemblance to the ornaments in Solomon’s temple,
which was adorned with onyx-stones, precious and glistering stones
of divers colours, and marble in abundance. And as Shah Jehan
appointed one superior artist, or jewel-handed man, to superintend
that magnificent structure, so Solomon wrote to Huram, king of
Tyre, to send him a man cunning to work in gold and silver, in
brass and iron, in purple, and critnson, and blue, and that had skill

to grave with the cunning men of Judah and Jerusalem.

Ig lr 's2g.lag ums

‘OrlMOV Aas oy fo NMOMD 42 “TWHLVIAL - SEV,

PY”? “VUDV 7? GINO °Y7 9 Yrow pryper 27 fo YUM Dy

CHAPTER XXX.

AHMED-ABAD;
AN ACCOUNT OF ITS FORMER GRANDEUR, AND PRESENT DECAY;
THE CHARACTER OF ITS INHABITANTS;
A DESCRIPTION OF TILE MOSQUES, PALACES, GARDENS,
AND PRINCIPAL STRUCTURES, IN

THAT IMPERIAL CITY.

“© I conceive every traveller does well to submit to his country, observations which have
arisen from local knowledge; since, out of much dross, it is possible some pure cold may be ex-
tracted: and by whatever customs or prejudices mankind are enslaved, that very circumstance
renders the knowledge of importance. Those who have never travelled, conceive their own
country to be superior to any other; and its customs the most excellent: we should, therefore,
in deciding upon any custom, lay aside our own prejudices, and examine all things with imparti-
ality; from which it commonly results, that after a while, you perceive the customs of each coun-
try have arisen with propriety from its locality and climate,” Or1EnTAL COLLECTIONS,

VOL. IIf. Q

CONTENTS.

Description of Ahmed-abad—when built by Sultan dhmed—its for-
mer magnitude, and great decay, compared with Nineveh and
Babylon—contrast between the Mogul palaces and Aahratta
hovels—melancholy situation of the reduced Mogul famiiies —chari-
ties in Hindostan—caravansaries—those on the royal reads de-
scribed—Jumma-musjed at Ahmed-abad, its uncommon grande.
and extent—tomb of sultan Ahmed—mosques of Sujaat Khaun—
wory mosque—dreadful heat— public wells and aqueducts— palaces
and gardens—city of dust—banian hospital— gold formerly coined
there—public hummums—news writers—h okarea—uncommon pal-
myra--Dutch burying-ground—Dutch and English factories—trade
at that time—manufactures —artists—Persian and Mogul beau-
ties—nurses i India—mausoleums and mosque at Sercaze—palace
and gardens at Shah-Bhaug—park and pleasure-grounds-- Zenana
—arrangement in Akber’s haram—Damascus rose—ottar of roses
—Nurse’s well a most costly structure—sepulchres of Mahomedan
nurses—Narwallee, the ancient capital of Guzerat—conquered by
Afghans—indolent and peaceable character of the Hindoos—be-
came an easy conquest to these northern invaders—immense plunder

—splendid taste of their monarchs—the celestial bride—a gorgeous

temple erected by sultan Mahmood--Afghans conquered by the Mogul
Tartars--character of Timur-Lung—his dreadful cruelty in the mas-
sacre at Delhi—his posterity to the beginning of the exghteenth cen-
tury—declining state of the empire, and usurpation of the nabobs
—the cause of Ahmed-abad and Cambay becoming independent—
Ahmed-abad conquered by the Mahrattas—nabob flies to Cambay,
and pays tribute to that power—taken by the English under gene-
ral Goddard—Ayeen Akbery—Akber—Abul Fazel—his sublime
and beautiful preface to the institutes of Akber—successors to that
emperor— splendid taste of the Mogul princes—the Dewane-khass,
a magnificent hall in the palace of Shah Allum, described—reflec«
tions on the Mogul history.

CHAPTER XXX.

Tue imperial city of Ahmedabad is situated in the latitude of
23 degrees north, and in 72° 37’ east longitude, and is built on the
banks of the river Sabermatty, which washes its western walls.
From being formerly one of the largest capitals in the east, it is
now only five miles and three quarters in circumference, surrounded
by a high wall, with irregular towers every fifty yards, in the usual
style of Indian fortifications; there are twelve principal gates,
and several smaller sally-ports.

Ahmedabad was built in the year 1426 A. D. oe sultan Ahmed
Shah, on the site of a more ancient town. The sultan being on
a hunting party at a great distance from Gulburga, his usual place
of residence, was so delighted with this spot, that he resolved to
build a magnificent city, and call it after his own name Ahmed-
abad. In its greatest splendor, it extended, with the suburbs,
twenty-seven miles in circumference; ‘Thevenot, who visited it in
the seventeenth century, says it was then seven leagues: and the
Ayeen Akbery thus describes it; ‘“ there are two forts, on the out-
side of which is the town; it formerly consisted of three hundred ~
and sixty pooras, or quarters; but only eighty-four are now in a

flourishing condition: in these are a thousand mosques, each hay-

118

ing two large minarets, and many wonderful inscriptions. The
situation, upon the river Sabermatty, is remarkably healthy, and
you may here provide yourself with the productions of every part

of the globe.”

«« all now obscur'd
<« By sordid moss, and ivy's creeping leaf ;
«© The princely palace, and stupendous fane,
«© Magnificent in ruin, nod! Where time
«© From under shelving architraves, hath mow’'d

«© The column down, and cleft the pond’rous stone !””

On every side, nodding minarets, decaying palaces, and
mouldering aqueducts, indicate the former magnificence of
Ahmedabad. It was then enriched by commerce, peopled by
industry, and adorned by wealth. Long wars, unstable and op-
pressive governments, and the fluctuations of human establish-
ments, have brought it to a state of decay from which it seems
doomed never to recover.

From the appearance of these scattered ruins, I have no doubt
that Ahmedabad once extended near thirty miles; London, with
its environs, is not much less, and ancient history, sacred and pro-
fane, astonishes us with the extent and magnificence of Nineveh
and Babylon. Josephus describes the former as an exceeding
great cily of three days journey; twenty miles a day was the com-
mon oriental journey for foot travellers. Diodorus Siculus, and
other authors, make its extent more than sixty miles; it contained
habitations for six hundred thousand inhabitants; with the gardens
and pastures usual in eastern cities.

Babylon, but little inferior to Nineveh, was styled the glory

119

of nations, the beauty of Chaldea, the lady of kingdoms, the
golden city, with many similar titles, given by the prophets,
as characteristic of ils splendour and dignity. Nothing could
exceed the grandeur of its palaces and temples, nor the beauty
of the hanging-gardens: these, with the canals, water-works, and
other ornaments, described by ancient historians, fill the mind with
astonishment. How awful are the reflections upon the judgments
denounced against these cities for their impiety and idolatry!
they were so literally accomplished that infidels have been com-
pelled to assert that the prophecies were written after the events.

Herodotus and Diodorus say the walls of Babylon were
three hundred and fifty feet high, and eighty-seven broad; so that
six chariots could pass abreast on the ramparts; a magnitude
perhaps without a parallel; yetit was foretold, that for the wicked-
ness of its inhabitants it should become a desolation, a dry land,
and a wilderness; a land where no man should dwell, neither any
son of man pass thereby: that it should be a spot swept with the
besom of destruction; where the Arabian would not pitch his tent
nor the shepherds make their folds. So literally is all this ful-
filled, that travellers, a few centuries ago, assert that the ruins of
ancient Babylon were so full of venomous creatures, especially of
a poisonous animal called eglo, that no one dared to approach
nearer this heap of desolation than half a league; and those who
have been lately there, declare they can no longer discern the site
of this ancient city.

Ahmedabad, like those proud capitals, seemed hastening to its
dissolution; from covering an extent of thirty miles, it had dwindled
to less than six; much of that space, even within the walls, was

120

covered with ruins, or appropriated to corn-fields and fruit-gardens.
Some of the streets were broad, but not planted with rows of trees,
as mentioned by Mandesloe, and other travellers; neither are they
paved. ‘The triumphal arches, or three united gates, in the prin-
cipal streets, with the grand entrance to the durbar, still remain.
The mosques and palaces of the Pattans still give evidence of their
original magnificence. ‘The streets were spacious and regular;
the temples, aqueducts, fountains, caravansaries, and courts of jus-
tice well arranged. Commerce, art, and science, met with every
encouragement, when a splendid court was kept in this city; it
was then the resort of merchants, artists, and travellers of every
description; it now exhibits solitude, poverty, and desolation!
You behold the most heterogeneous mixture of Mogul splendor
and Mahratta barbarism; a noble cupola, overshadowing hovels
of mud; small windows, ill-fashioned doors, and dirty cells intro-
duced under a superb portico; a marble corridore filled up with
Choolas, or cooking-places, composed of mud, cow-dung, and uh-
burnt bricks.

But declining commerce and ruined buildings are not the only
symptoms of decay. I saw a great many unfortunate Pattan and
Mogul families, who, having survived the dignified situation of
their ancestors, lived in the gloom of obscurity, and felt the degra-
dation of poverty. The young men offered themselves as soldiers
of fortune to more flourishing governments, or otherwise sought
a provision. Not so the aged, the infirm, and the softer sex;
they had seen better days; ‘ they could not’ dig, to beg they were
ashamed.” ‘The jewels and ornaments of the Mogul paraphernalia

were privately sold at a great disadvantage, to procure the neces-

121

saries of life; during my short residence I saw many articles thus
disposed of, especially a small mirror, in the centre of a single
agate, adorned with golden foliage, and roses of small rubies, which
had been purchased from a Mogul widow for only ten rupees.
Of such females it might truly be said, “ her virgins are afflicted,
her matrons are desolate; they sigh for bread, they have given
their pleasant things for meat !”

These unhappy families excited our pity; their wants were
not relieved by that generous charity which characterizes my na-
tive country, where the children of adversity - find affliction
softened and sorrow soothed, by exalted souls, who wipe the fall-
ing tear from the orphan’s eye, and cause the ‘ widow’s heart to
sing for joy.” Virtues amply recompensed in this life, by sweet
sensations in the soul of sympathy, unknown to the votaries of
dissipation, and will meet a glorious reward in that day, when
those who have pity upon the poor shall be pronounced blessed,
and the merciful shall obtain mercy!

It is not my intention to infer that among the Mahomedans
and Hindoos there are no charitable institutions: far from it;
they have many of various descriptions unknown to the polite
Greeks and luxurious Romans, who in general disregarded the
old and diseased poor, and treated their sick slaves with savage
cruelty. With pleasure I have mentioned the charitable endow-
ments in Hindostan, from the banian-hospital at Surat, to the pro-
vision made in the Guzerat villages, for the poor, the helpless, and
the traveller. But to these, like the English poor’s-rates, a refusal
of contribution is seldom optional. The spirit of christianity super-
sedes compulsive and ostentatious modes of charity; alins given

VOL. 111. R

122

from a different motive may equally benefit the object; but the
heart which melts at another’s woe, is actuated by very superior
considerations to those which produce the same effect from the
church-warden, or overseer of a work-house. Love is the essence
of that divine religion, it pervades the whole system of the gospel.
And from that pure principle in the Christian’s heart, flow all the
delightful charities of life.

«« Hail! sacred source of sympathy divine,
«© Each social pulse, each social fibre thine !
Hail, symbols of the Gop, to whom we owe
«« The nerves that vibrate, and the hearts that glow :
«© Love's tender tumult, friendship’s holy fires,
«© And all which beauty, all which worth inspires ;
“¢ The joy that lights the hope-illumin’d eye,
The bliss supreme that melts in pity’s sigh ;
Affection’s bloom, quick rushing to the face,
The choice acknowledg'd, and the warm embrace !

«« Blest myriads still there are,

«© Whom Sympathy adopts with fondest care ;
«< Unbrib'd by wealth, by fortune undismay’d,
Friends in the sun-shine, partners in the shade ;
In whose warm hearts the soft sensations roll,

«< The same in India, Albion, or the Pole!” Prarr.

tn Ahmedabad, as in most other large cities of India, are
splendid remains of those noble structures, for the accommoda-
tion of travellers, erected by the Mogul monarchs. They were not
always in towns, but frequently in deserts, and places little fre-
quented, except by travelling merchants and religious pilgrims,
whose profession led them from one place to another, through
every variety of country. When benighted in a dreary solitude,

123

they were certain, within a moderate distance, to find one of these
buildings appropriated for their accommodation, and were often
supplied with the necessaries of life gratis; at least such as sufficed
the lower classes of pilgrims. Opulent travellers, as already men-
tioned, always carry their comforts and luxuries with them on an
eastern journey.

Those buildings, under the different names of serais, caravan-
saries, or choultries, were erected at stated distances throughout
the Mogul empire, especially on the patshah, or royal roads. In
those provinces which now form part of the Mahratta dominion,
many of these structures have been converted into fortresses; others
are made storehouses for the grain and hay belonging to the cir-
car; a few answer the purpose for which-they were intended, but
most are in a state of dilapidation. The serais were generally
constructed in an oblong square, consisting of a high wall and
towers, with a handsome entrance al each end; a few had a gate-
way at the cardinal points. The gates were often of considerable
strength, with guard-rooms on each side. ‘Two ranges of apart-
ments for the convenience of the merchants, containing sleeping
rooms and warehouses for their goods, formed a street from one
gate to the other; with a colonnade, or veranda, in front of the
buildings, opening to a spacious area between them. ‘The serais
with four gates contained a double range of these apartments,
forming an avenue to each entrance. Under the inner wali of
the ramparts were similar accommodations. In the most com-
plete and splendid serais a due regard was observed for public
worship, ablutions, and other ceremonies; without the eastern gate

was generally erected a musjid, or house of prayer, where a

124

mullah attended to assist the pious Mussulman in his devotion s.
This edifice, of marble or stone, was often surrounded by a garden,
or a tope of mangoes and tamarinds, shading a cemetery for such
pilgrims as finished the journey of life at a place where they only
intended a halt. ‘The opposite gate often led to a tank, well, and
useful gardens: these were noble and expensive works, becoming
a wise government. As mentioned at Surat, they were sometimes
erected by the piety and benevolence of opulent individuals, who
could not have bestowed a more useful charity in a country
where there are no public hotels, inns, or houses of refresh-
ment.

Sultan Ahmed, the founder of the city, enriched it with a
variety of other public structures, especially a magnificent jumma
musjed, or grand mosque, called after his name, which arrests
the attention of all strangers. It stands in the middle of the
city, adorned by two lofty minarets, elegantly proportioned, and
richly decorated: each minaret contains a circular flight of steps
leading to a gallery near the summit, for the purpose of con-
vening the people to prayer, no bells being in use among the Maho-
medans. From thence you command an extensive view of Ahmed-
abad, and the Saberty winding through a wide champaign. The
domes of the jumma musjed are supported by lofty columns, re-
gularly disposed, but too much crowded; the concave of these
cupolas is richly ornamented with Mosaic and fret-work; the
portal corresponds with the rest of this stupendous fabric, and the
pavement is of the finest marble. This mosque occupies the
western side of a large square; in the centre of which is a marble

basin and fountain, for ablutions, called the wazzoo, preparatory

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125

to the namauz, or prayer; such reservoirs and fountains are made
near most of the mosques for the convenience of the congregation.
The other sides of this spacious area are rendered useful and orna-
mental by a surrounding corridore, of elegant columns, support-
ing a roof of light columns, forming a cloister round three parts
of the square; its interior walls and cornices are ornamented
with sentences from the Koran, emblazoned in a_ beautiful
manner. ;

An uncommon degree of solemnity characterises this jumma
musjed. Grandeur and simplicity unite, and fill the mind with
reverential awe. Whatever may be the general characteristic of the
Mahomedans, their demeanor from the moment they enter the
house of prayer is truly exemplary. They seem conscious of
having approached the immediate presence of the Supreme Being,
and all ranks conduct themselves throughout the service with pious
humility.

Near the jumma musjed is a grand mausoleum, in memory or
sultan Ahmed and two of his sons. Beyond it is the cemetery of
the sultanas, princesses, and favourite eunuchs in the royal haram.
No domes or temples cover their marble tombs, they are shaded
by cypresses and pomegranates, surrounded by flowering shrubs.
Certain lands, called wukf, are appropriated for the maintenance
of the mullahs and dervises who constantly reside there, to pre-
serve the tombs, keep the lamps burning, and strew flowers on
stated anniversaries.

The mosque built by Sujaat Khaun, though less magnificent,
is more elegant than sultan Ahmed’s; the columns and arches

are finely proportioned, and the whole structure, of the pures

126

white marble, surrounded by the dark foliage and glowing scarlet
of pomegranate blossoms, had an uncommon effect. ‘ Mucburré
Sujaat Khaun,” is proverbially beautiful among the Moguls of
Guzerat. The precincts contain a handsome mausoleum, in
memory of the founder, and a fountain of excellent water; near
them is the falling palace of this benevolent nobleman, once a

sumptuous edifice, now an extensive ruin.

“ Troy is no more, and Ilium was a town!”

1 will proceed no further with the religious edifices than the
wory mosque, which, although built of white marble, has obtained
that distinction, from being curiously lined with ivory, and inlaid
with a profusion of gems, to imitate natural flowers, bordered by
a silver foliage on mother of pearl, similar to those I mentioned
-at Puttowah, and to the ornaments in the winter apartments of
the Kahya’s palace at Adrinople, described by Lady Wortley
Montague; which ‘ were wainscotted with inlaid work of mother
of pearl, ivory of different colours, and olive-wood, like the little
boxes brought from Turkey.”

Each of these mosques would have furnished a beautiful sub-
ject for a drawing; but while sketching the jumma musjed from
the central fountain in the large area, I felt something like a
coup de soleil, and was obliged to retire. I have seldom experienced
greater heat than during the hot winds at Ahmedabad; situated at
a distance from the sea, and not refreshed by its breezes, the
external atmosphere, for many hours in the day, was insupport-
able; the heavens were as brass, and the earth like heated iron,

and we were obliged to confine ourselves in dark rooms, cooled

197

by tatties, or screens of matted grass, kept continually watered.
I therefore gave up my intention of seeing several places within
a few miles of the city; like Thevenot, when he relinquished his
visit to the tomb of Jonah, on the banks of the Tigris; “ from
there being no possibility of stirring abroad two hours after the
sun was risen, until an hour after it had set, the walls being so
hot, that half a foot from them the heat was as if it were from a
hot iron.”

Exclusive of the public aqueducts for conveying water to dif-
ferent parts of the city, which with most of the reservoirs and foun-
tains were now in ruins, were many private wells and gardens, the
gift of benevolent individuals; these extended in all directions from
the city gates; some yet remain, but are mostly involved in the
general ruin. Dr. Chandler's travels in Asia Minor give a pleas-
ing account of these charitable donations, and an observation at
the conclusion, which I have no doubt operates powerfully on
the mind of the donor. ‘The number of these fountains is
owing to the nature of the country and the climate. The soil,
“parched and thirsty, demands moisture to aid vegetation; and
a cloudless sun, which inflames the air, requires for the people
the verdure, shade and coolness, its agreeable attendants. Hence
they occur not only in the towns and villages, but in the fields and
gardens, and by the sides of the roads and of the beaten tracks on
the mountains. Many of them are the useful donations of hu-
mane persons, while living, or have been bequeathed as legacies
on their decease. ‘The Turks esteem the erecting them as merito-

rious, and seldom go away, after performing their ablutions or

128

drinking, without gratefully blessing the name and memory of
the founder.”

Until this visit to Ahmedabad, I had no idea of the extent
of oriental magnificence; the palaces and splendid chambers de-
scribed in the Arabian Nights’ Entertainment, appear no longer
over-charged or fabulous; excepting only the wonder-working
genii, called into action by Aladin’s celebrated lamp. For I have
no doubt there was a time when the palaces and gardens at
Ahmedabad, almost realized the other descriptions of the luxu-
rious mansions in Balsora and Bagdad. I can, at least, have no
idea of any reality beyond those erected and adorned by Shah
Jehan and Sujaat Khaun. Homer must have been familiar with
such scenes, when he describes the palaces and treasures at Ithaca
and the Spartan court, especially where Telemachus thus addresses
Pisistratus.

«© View’st thou unmoy’d, O ever-honour'd most!
«« These prodigies of art, and wonderous cost ?
‘© Above, beneath, around the palace shines
« The sumless treasure of exhausted mines:
«« The spoils of elephants the roofs inlay,
*« And studded amber darts a golden ray!
«© Mean time the lofty rooms the prince surveys,
Where lay the treasures of the Ithacian race :
‘© Here ruddy brass, and gold refulgent blaz’d ;
‘© There polish’d chests embroider’d vestures grac’d ;

«© Here jars of oil breath’d forth a rich perfume,

‘« There casks of wine, in rows, adorn’d the room.” Homer’s Opyssey.

Notwithstanding all its splendour, Ahmedabad was called by

Shah Jehan, who was long resident there, Guerdabad, or the city of

129

dust, from the abundance of dust in the dry season. After the pre-
valence of the hot winds, before the setting in of the rainy season,
it is still one of the warmest and most dusty places I ever visited.
I omitted to remark, that one of the principal mosques in this
city was formerly a Hindoo temple. The zealous Aurungzebe
converted it into a musjed; and ordered a cow to be killed there,
in order to prevent the Hindoos from ever entering it. Thevenot
mentions the mausoleum of a cow, that was buried at Ahmedabad,
covered by a dome supported by six pillars, which I could not
find out. He also describes a banian-hospital similar to that at
Surat, where he saw a number of sick oxen, camels, and horses,
and many invalids of the feathered race. Animals deemed in-
curable were maintained there for life; those that recovered were
sold to Hindoos exclusively.
The former consequence of Ahmedabad may be in some
degree ascertained from its being one of the four cities where the
imperial Akber permitted gold to be coined; the other three
allowed that distinguished privilege were Agra, Cabul, and the
capital of Bengal; ten cities were indulged with a royal mint for
silver, and in twenty-eight they coined a copper currency. ‘There
are no remains of the mint, treasury, and many other public
buildings; but several magnificent ruins of the hummums, or
warm baths. ‘Those of modern structure are very inferior, but
are kept up in different quarters for the convenience of the inha-
bitants. It is probable that all the oriental hummums, in point
of architecture, accommodation, and beauty, have been at all
times insignificant, when compared with those sumptuous edifices

in ancient Rome, which now form a very conspicuous part of her
VOL. III: 8

130

majestic ruins; and not only in that once proud capital, but in
many of her conquered kingdoms and provinces. Few cities, per-
haps, excelled Alexandria in such embellishments. When it was
taken by the Saracens the number of baths exceeded four thou-
sand, as we learn from the conflagration of the Alexandrian
library, by order of the caliph Omar; when seven hundred thou-
sand volumes were condemned to be used as fuel to heat them:
and notwithstanding that amazing number of baths, six months
elapsed before all the books were consumed. ‘The literary world
must ever lament this cruel mandate of ignorance and bigotry.
The manuscripts had been accumulating for ages; and the art of
printing being then unknown, the loss was irreparable!

In Ahmedabad, as in most other large oriental cities, are a sort
of news-writers, or gazetteers, who at midnight record all the
transactions of the preceding day, and send them off by express
halcarras, or messengers, to their correspondents in distant pro-
vinces. During the splendour of the Mogul government, in the
capital of every district, the emperor maintained a gazetteer, an
historiographer, and a spy, to collect and record the occurrences
of the day; and immediately to transmit them to a public officer
at the imperial court, who laid such as were of importance before
the sovereign.

Not far from the city wall is a beautiful Jake, called Kokarea,
about a mile in circumference, lined with hewn stone, and a
flight of steps all around. The four entrances, which were pro-
bably formerly approached through avenues of the red tamarind-
tree, are adorned with cupolas, supported by pillars; in the centre
is an island, with a summer-palace, and gardens shaded by the

131

red tamarind; a rare tree, equal in size and beauty to the common
tamarind, with a fruit far more delicious, and sent in presents as
a confection to distant parts of India. The palace was in ruins,
and the gardens neglected. Among a variety of trees still remain-
ing was 4 very uncommon species of the palmyra; after growing
up in a straight stem, to a considerable height, like others of that
genus, it shot forth upwards of forty branches, with a tuft of
spreading leaves at the extremity of each branch, like the common
borassus flabelliformis: this tree is esteemed a great curiosity, and
visited by most travellers, who, like myself, had perhaps never
seen any but the usual palmyra, or brab-tree, which has only
branches and leaves on the summit of a straight single stem, forty
or fifty feet from the ground. <A bridge of forty-eight arches
formed a communication with the island, which, like all the sur-
rounding ornaments, was 3 a state of dilapidation.

At a short distance from Kokarea is the Dutch burying-
ground, containing several handsome tombs, in the style of the
Mogul mausoleums, covered by a dome supported by pillars.
Some of the inscriptions are dated at the commencement of the
seventeenth century, when the Dutch had a factory at Ahmed-
abad, which has been long withdrawn. ‘The English at the same
time carried on a considerable trade at most of the opulent
towns in Guzerat. We were shewn the spot in this city where
the Company’s factory stood in the year 1614; this circumstance,
although often doubted, confirms an occurrence in Orme’s frag-
ments of the English trade at Surat, that in November 1613,
Messrs. Aldworth and Withington, two of the Company’s se. vants,

travelled from Surat, to examine the marts of Baroche, Jamboseer,

132

Brodera, Neriad, and Ahmedabad; where they received intelli-
gence that three English ships had arrived at Laureebunder on
the river Indus. Thither Withington proceeded, travelling for
safety with a caravan, which was attacked by the coolies: the next
day they met an officer of the great Mogul, with two hundred and
fifty heads of these coolies, whom he calls a nation of robbers.
He returned, after many disasters, to Surat, by the route of Cam-
bay and Baroche. Mr. Aldworth had also arrived there from
Ahmedabad, and Baroche; he had hired a house at each of those
places on the Company’s account, and left brokers and domes-
tics to provide goods, until the factors from Surat should come to
examine them, and settle the prices.

The Dutch, and other European merchants, at that time carried
on an extensive trade at Ahmedabad, where the greatest variety
of the rich gold and silver-flowered silks and satins, called kim-
cobs and allichars, were manufactured, together with silk and
cotton goods of almost every description; the trade in indigo was
very extensive; the best workmen in steel, gold, ivory, enamel,
and inlaid mother of pearl, met with great encouragement; it was
also celebrated for excellent paper, and lackered ware, in cabinets,
boxes, and ornaments. Few traces of this commerce now remain,
except a few small manufactures of chintz and kimcobs; and
some of lackered-work, ornamented wilh gold and silver for
escriloirs, boxes and palanquins, only made when they are pre-
viously bespoke. They began and finished for me an elegant
sandal-wood escritoir, lackered with black and gold, in ten days.

Paintings in water-colours by modern artists at Ahmedabad,

are in all respects very inferior to those of the portrait and minia-

133

ture painters in the seventeenth century, of which I have many
beautiful specimens by artists of Agra and Delhi; often deficient
in proportion and perspective, but probably faithful in general
character and physiognomy, and exquisilely finished. It is a
mistaken idea that the Mahomedan artists do not imitate subjects
in animated nature. The Turks I believe sometimes make ob-
jections, from particular passages in the Koran; it has always
been otherwise in Persia, and the northern capitals of India.
Among the munificent acts of the imperial Akber, he employed
artists to make portraits of all the principal omrahs and officers in
his court; they were bound together in a thick volume, wherein,
as the Ayeen Akbery expresses it, “the past are kept in lively re-
membrance, and the present are insured immortality.”

It is not probable that portraits were often taken of females,
especially those of distinction. Oriental manners, and the natu-
ral jealousy of Mahomedans, would generally prevent it; yet I
have seen a few pictures, drawn from Mogul and Persian beauties,
in a costume like that of the Mogul lady described at Surat; and
the dress of the high Mahomedan females at Ahmedabad, almost
exactly resembles that of an eastern beauty upwards of two thou-
sand years ago. “I washed thee with water, and anointed thee
with oil; I clothed thee with broidered-work, girded thee with fine
linen, and covered thee with silk: I also decked thee with orna-
ments, put bracelets upon thine hands, and a chain on thy neck:
I put a jewel on thy forehead, earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful
crown upon thine head. ‘Thus wast thou decked with gold and
silver; thy raiment was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery: thou

wast perfect for comeliness, and thy renown went forth for thy

134

beauty! Thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil, and wast
exceedingly beautiful.” Such is the figurative language of Eze-
kiel for the daughter of Zion, the lady of beauty, the capital of
Judea. It is literally a description of those noble Mogul women
lately mentioned, who privately sent out their nurses and duennas to
barter their jewels for bread, and their ornaments for a measure of
grain. These women are not like the temporary nurses in Europe, but
such as Savary mentions in Egypt, and common in the respectable
families of Hindostan, where peculiar circumstances may require
a female of that description, who is not looked upon as a stranger,
but becomes one of the family, and passes the remainder of her
life in the midst of the children she has suckled, by whom she is
honoured and cherished like a second mother.

These elderly matrons make no objection to visit a man of
character, whether European or native, especially when they can
befriend their unhappy mistress or her children. Such were they
who brought the agate mirror and jewels to the English gentle-
men during my visit at Ahmedabad, who lamented the misfortunes
and dignified sorrow of their ladies with little variation from these
pathetic strains of sacred writ: “ The daughters of Zion sit upon
the ground, and keep silence; they have cast dust upon their heads,
and covered themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem
hang down their heads to the ground. What thing shall I take to
witness for thee? unto what shall I liken thee, O daughter of
Jerusalem? Who can heal thee, and with what shall I comfort
thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? The children and the sucklings
swoon in the streets of the city; they say unto their mothers, where

is corn and wine?”

135

At Sercaze, a sacred place, five miles from Ahmedabad, is a
very grand musjed, which is said to be an exact imitation of the
temple at Mecca, so highly revered by every pious mussulman. It
also contains a complete model of the kaaba, a square building
at Mecca, which the ancient Arabians used to adorn with the best
compositions of their poets, written in golden characters on silk
hangings. This building was highly venerated by the Arabians,
who supposed it to have been the first place consecrated to the
worship of the TruE Gop. Mahomed availed himself of this tra-
dition cherished by his countrymen, to establish the hodge, or an-
nual pilgrimage to the holy spot; thither all his devout followers
were enjoined, at one period of their lives, to perform the most
solemn acts of religion. The artful prophet had also political and
commercial designs to accomplish, which, until the late revolutions
and new sectaries in Arabia, were very successful: thither resorted
large caravans of camels, laden with valuable productions from
every part of the east; and the annual fair at Mecca was perhaps
the greatest mart in the world. The woollens, cloths, and useful
metals of Europe; spices, gems, silks, muslins, and all the coarser
cottons of India; ivory, slaves, and gold-dust from Africa; together
with all the luxuries and comforts from other places, were sold or
bartered at Mecca, and returned by the caravans to every part of
Asia. The number of hodgees, or pilgrims, who annually assem-
bled there, frequently exceeded two hundred thousand. During
my residence in India, the nabob of Arcot and other mahomedan
princes, sent ships annually to the Red Sea, to accommodate the

pilgrims of both sexes proceeding to the sacred shrines at Mecca.

136

and Medina, with a passage to Judda, the port where they gene-
rally landed.

Among other excursions from Ahmedabad, we spent a delightful
day at Shah-Bauhg, or the royal garden, a summer palace two miles
from the city, pleasantly situated on the banks of the Sabermatty.
Although built near two hundred years before, by the emperor Shah
Jehan, when sultan Currim, viceroy of Guzerat, it was still in excel-
Jent repair. The saloon, spacious and lofty as the building, was
a fine room; the wall covered with shell chunam, a white stucco,
polished like the finest marble, and the cieling painted in small
compartments with much taste. ‘I'he angular recesses lead to eight
small octagon rooms, four below and as many above, with sepa-
rate stairs to each; they are finished in the same style as the saloon,
the walls like alabaster, and the cielings neatly embossed. The
flat roof commands an extensive prospect, the substructions form
a cool retreat under the saloon and a surrounding platform, orna-
mented with small canals and fountains. ‘These substructions are
on a level with the flower-garden, which reached to the river; every
thing appears to have been elegant and splendid. It was during
ithe reign of Shah Jehan that architectural taste in the mahomedan
structures of India attained its acmé.

The park and pleasure-grounds of Shah-Bauhg extended from
the palace to the city gales; they were enclosed by a high wall,
which is now in ruins: little of the gardens remains except broken
fountains, aqueducts, and a few trees; some of foreign appearance.
The zenana, or sultana’s palace, was situated at a little distance

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rate gardens, baths, and fountains. The apartments for the officers
and attendants of the court were still further detached. Every
thing indicates the taste and judgment of Shah Jehan, in planning
this lovely retreat from the cares of royalty. It now exhibits a
scene of solitude and ruin, except the palace itself. The zenana
seems to have been intended to accommodate a great number
of females: whether Shah Jehan entertained the same political
sentiments on this subject as his grandfather Akber, is foreign
to the purpose; but it may not be irrelevant to give Abul
Fazel’s account of Akber’s seraglio, both for its novelty and good
sense.

That intelligent writer allows ‘“ that there is in general a great
inconvenience arising from a number of women; but his majesty,
out of the abundance of his wisdom and prudence, has made it
subservient to public advantage; for by contracting marriages
with the daughters of the princes of Hindostan and other coun-
tries, he secures himself against insurrections at home, and forms
powerful alliances abroad.” He then describes the haram as an
enclosure of such an immense extent, as to contain a separate
room for every one of the women, whose number exceeded five
thousand; who were divided into companies, and a proper em-
ployment assigned to each individual. Over each of these com-
panies a woman was appointed (darogha) ; and one was selected
for the command of the whole, in order that the affairs of the
haram might be conducted with the same regularity and good
government as the other departments of the state. Every one re-
ceived a salary according to her merit: the pen cannot measure

‘the extent of the emperor's largesses, but the ladies of the first
VOL. ill. T

138

quality received from one thousand to sixteen hundred rupees
per month; and the servants, according to their rank, from two
rupees to fifty-one, monthly. And whenever any of this multitude
of women wanted any thing, they applied to the treasurer of the
haram, who according to their monthly stipend took care their
wants should be supplied. The inside of the haram was guarded
by women, and the most confidential were placed about the royal
apartments. The eunuchs watched immediately on the outside
gate, and at proper distances were placed the rajepoots, and
porters of the gates; and on the outside of the enclosure, the om-
rahs, the ahdeeans, and other troops mounted guard, according
to their rank.”

The gardens of the zenana at Shah-bhaug, on the banks of the
Sabermatty, must have been peculiarly delightful. I am a pas-
sionate admirer of water, shade, and verdure, especially in a sultry
climate; but those pleasure-grounds, and all the Asiatic gardens I
ever saw, were deficient in the verdant lawns, artless shrubberies,
and varied scenery, which when attempted to be introduced in
France, Italy, and Germany, I always found dignified by the
appellation of “Jardins 4 VAngloise.” In Hindostan the royal
gardens are often called the Garden of God; perhaps Paradise is
the term intended; although it must be allowed that the Maho-
medans in every thing affect to ascribe their blessings to the bene-
volence of the Deity.

‘The princely gardens at Shah-bhaug still boast of some noble
cypresses, cedars, palmetos, sandal, and cassia trees, with mango,
tamarind, and other spreading fruit trees. The large and small

aqueducts, admirably contrived for conveying water to every tree

139

and bed in the garden, with all the surrounding oriental scenery,
minutely resembled a picture drawn by the son of Sirach; “ I was
exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the
mountain of Hermon; I was like a tall palm-tree in Engaddi, and
a rose in Jericho; as a fair olive in a pleasant field, and as a plane-
tree by the water. I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspa-
lathus; I yielded a pleasant odouras myrrh, galbanum, and frank-
incense. I came out as a brook from ariver, and as a conduit
into a garden; to water my best garden, and abundantly to water
my garden bed.”

How these oriental portraits may suit in a cold climate I can-
not determine. I doubly felt their truth and beauty in the sultry
spot where I wrote them; although for the first ume during my resi-
dence in Hindostan I was then on the borders of the temperate zone.

Such as above described by an ancient writer, is still the per-
fection of an eastern garden. ‘The same trees shade their retreats,
the same flowers adorn their borders; but especially the rose of
Sharon, or the Damascus rose, which from the age of Solomon to
the present day has been an universal favourite; and formerly, a
considerable quantity of ottar of roses, the most delicate of all
perfumes, was made from the rosaries near Ahmed-abad. ‘ihe
usual method of making this is to gather the roses with their
calyxes, and put them into a sull, with nearly double their weight
of water; which, when sufficiently distilled, will be highly scented
with roses: it is then poured into shallow earthen vessels, and ex-
posed to the nocturnal air; the next morning the oltar or essential
oil, extracted from the flowers, is found in small congealed parti-

cles, swimming on the surface; it is carefully collected and pre-

140

served in small glass bottles. One hundred pounds of roses sel-
dom yield more than from two to three ounces of this precious
essence, which it is difficult to procure unadulterated; as the dis-
tillers frequently put sandal-wood, scented-grass, and other oily
plants into the still, which depreciate the value and debase the
fragrance of the rose. ‘The genuine ottar is of different colours,
sometimes green, frequently of a bright yellow like amber, and
often of a reddish hue; the rose water which remains is generally
very good. There may be other methods of extracting this first of
all perfumes, in different countries.

About a mile from Shah-bhaug, is a large well, or rather a
noble reservoir, constructed by a nurse to one of the kings of Gu-
zerat, and sul called the “ Nurse’s well.” A grand flight of steps
leads to the water, through double rows of pillars and pilasters,
elegantly finished, far below the surface of the earth. This reser-
voir is all of hewn stone, surrounded by galleries, ascended by
circular steps and a dome supported by light columns over each;
these galleries communicate with the principal stairs, and add to the
general magnificence. Upwards of thirty thousand pounds were
expended on this munificent work; which some attribute to the
nurse, and others to a rich dancing-girl, who erected it with the pro-
duce of one of her ancle-jewels ; the other she is reported to have
thrown into the water, to reward the search of the diver; from
that deep abyss it has never been recovered. This ridiculous
anecdote appears very inconsistent with the good sense and bene-
volence of the female, who not only dug this beautiful reservoir,
but also founded a handsome mosque near it, where her body is
deposited under a costly tomb.

141

In many parts of Hindostan are mosques and mausoleums,
built by the Mahomedan princes, near the sepulchres of their
nurses. ‘They are excited by a grateful affection to erect these
structures, in memory of those, who with maternal anxiety watched
over their helpless infancy; thus it has been from time immemo-
rial. How interesting is the inverview which Homer has described
between Ulysses and Euriclea! When Rebecca too left her parents,
on being betrothed to Isaac, we read that she was accompanied
by her nurse, who never left her until the day of her death ; which
event is not deemed unworthy of being recorded in the patriarchal
annals. ‘* Here Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, died, and was buried
under an oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth, or
the * Oak of weeping.”

Ahmedabad was not always the capital of Guzerat, which
was once a kingdom under the Hindoo rajahs, who kept their
court at Narwalla, a city renowned in the ancient history of Hin-
dostan for wealth, population, and extent. Guzerat, as already
mentioned, was always esteemed among the most fertile and beau-
tiful countries in India; it was one of the early conquests of the
Afghans, a hardy race from the mountains which separate Persia
from Hindostan; they are often called Patans. ‘These invaders
established the empire of Ghisni in the 361st year of the Mahome-
dan hejira, corresponding with the 975th year of the Christian zra;
this empire, in its most flourishing period, comprehended nearly
half the kingdoms of Asia.

The Hindoos, naturally indolent, and, under the influence of
their benevolent institutions, fond of peace, were unable to with-
stand the incursions of those northern enthusiasts; who, impelled

by bigotry and rapacity, rushed like a torrent upon their fruitful
plains. Although the difiercnt rajahs sometimes united in the
common cause, and raised immense armies, the fierce moun-
taineers found India an easy conquest. Its largest cities and

strongest fortresses were alternately subdued, the Hindoo images

destroyed, their temples purified, and dedicated to the unity of

Alla.

These northern invaders conunued their depredations for many
years against the rajahs of Delhi, Ajmere, and the neighbouring
kingdoms, and always overpowered the Hindoo armies by their
superior skill and matchless courage. When the Afghans poured
down with such irresistible fury, the Hindoo princes promised obe-
dience, and submitted to pay a tribute; but becoming impatient
of the yoke, they again assisted each other, and united in a gene-
ral revolt. This caused their implacable enemies to renew their
cruelties; and, to use the emphatical language of the eastern histo-
rians, “to drown themselves, and their devoted victims, in the
crimson torrent of revenge.”

The gold, jewels, and wealltn of every kind, found at Nagra-
cote, Somenaut, and other celebrated temples, is beyond calcu-

lation, Sultan Mahmood made thirteen cruel and successful ex-

peditions from Ghisni, against the Hindoo rajahs. From one of

which he carried to his capital a spoil of fifty thousand captives,
three hundred and fifty elephants, with gold, diamonds, pearls,
and precious effects, to an incredible amount. These riches were
generally secreted in the temples: hollow images were filled with
jewels; gold and silver, which had been accumulating for ages, were

buried under the pavement. At the destruction of the temple of

143

Somenaut, the brahmins offered the Sultan a large sum to spare
the principal idol, which he refused; saying he preferred the title
of “the destroyer of idols,” to the “ sedler of idols,” and brandish-
ing his mace, inflicted so violent a blow on the image, that it
broke in pieces, and there issued from it an amazing collection of
the most precious jewels. ‘The Sultan was immediately congratu-
lated by his Mahomedan courtiers, on the purity and effect of his
zeal; and from thence assumed the additional title, a glorious
one in their estimation, of Bhool Skikun, the ‘ Destroyer of
Idols.”

Such were the effects of the Mahomedan invasions on the
wretched Hindoos, in the tenth century; and such are now the
fatal consequences of modern conquests and depredations by Hin-
doos, over the descendants of those very invaders, in all the
splendid cities in the northern kingdoms of Hindostan. Delhi,
Lahor, and Agra, are, like Ahmedabad, a picture of desolation and

despair; realizing those pathetic stanzas in the tears of Khorassan.

«« The mosque no more admits the pious race ;
“© Constrain'd, they yield to beasts the holy place,
«« A stable now, where dome nor porch is found:
«© Nor can the savage foe proclaim his reign,
«© For Khorassania’s criers all are slain,

«« And all her minarets levell’d with the ground.

‘« Pity, ah pity, those, who oft in vain
** Seek suppliant, drooping nature to sustain,
«« A scanty portion of the coarsest corn ;
*« Alas! how alter’d, since with sensual air,
«« And pamper'd pride, they loath’d the sweetest fare,

‘« And turn'd from costly delicates with scorn.

144

“© Pity, ah pity, those whom, dead to joy,
“© No soothing thoughts engage, nor cause employ
«© But night and day their hapless fate to mourn
«« Pity, who fore’d by sullen Fortune’s frown,
«© Have chang'd for bed of straw their couch of down ;

*« O sad transition, and estate forlorn !”’

Such are the sad consequences of war, directed by a fatal
thirst for honour, wealth, and power. Fearful of such convul-
sions, and influenced by an avaricious disposition, the Hindoos
frequently deposited their wealth in the bowels of the earth; a
practice still continued by their posterity. The Afghan and
Mogul princes, on the contrary, appropriated their riches to much
better purposes, in the encouragement of literature, art, and
science. ‘They adorned the imperial cities, and other large towns,
with splendid palaces and mosques, triumphal arches, extensive
aqueducts, and commodious caravansaries; which although in
elegant proportion and taste inferior to the public works of
Greece and Rome, might vie with them in magnitude and dura-
bility.

The jumma musjed, or grand mosque, built by sultan Mah-
mood, deserves a particular description. ‘The walls, columns,
floors, and minarets, were of the choicest marble, granite, and por-
phyry, inlaid with agates and precious stones; the ornaments
within were of gold and silver, with hangings and carpets of the
richest manufacture, and large chandeliers of massive gold; this
plendid temple was called the Celestial Bride. Near it the sultan
founded a large college, and an extensive library, with a museum

containing a variety of curiosities from all parts of the world; he

145

also endowed Jands for the maintenance of the students, philoso-
phers, and learned men, whom his munificence attracted to the
capital; and several of his successors emulated his example.

Such were the effects of the Afghan victories over the Hindoos;
these invaders maintained their conquests until the end of the
thirteenth century, when the Moguls, or Mogul: Tartars, com-
menced their ravages, and entered some of the northern districts
of the Afghan empire; and in 1397, the celebrated Timur-lung,
Timur the lame, or Tamerlane, crossed the Indus, and laid waste
the adjacent provinces. We must not judge of this conqueror
from: Rowe’s tragedy of Tamerlane; whatever may be the stage
effect, it is not founded upon truth: history represents him with
an almost unexampled ferocity, depopulating kingdoms, burning
cilies, and murdering their inhabitants, to gratify his boundless
‘ambition, intolerant zeal, and sanguinary disposition; Mogul
annals paint him grasping the empire of Hindostan through seas
of blood. I will relate only one instance of ‘l'imur’s cruelty from
the many which blast his laurels. When he was attacked by the
Afghans before the citadel of Delhi, there were upwards of an
hundred thousand prisoners in his camp, taken after he crossed
the Indus. On hearing that some of them had expressed. satis-
faction on this occasion, the inhuman tyrant issued an order to
put all above the age of fifteen to death; on that day of horror
the greater part of those miserable captives were destroyed. After
the conquest of Delhi, he ordered a massacre no less cruel, on the
wretched inhabitants of that devoted city, in which he spared
neither age, nor sex, nor condition. Such conduct procured him

the tile of Hillak Khan, the ‘“ destroying prince;” yet this is
VOL. III. U

146

the man represented on the English stage with every princely
virtue ;
«« The scourge of lawless pride, and dire ambition,

«© The great avenger of a groaning world!

«© Well did he wear the sacred cause of justice

«© Upon his prosperous sword. Approving heaven

«© Still crown’d the righteous warrior with success ;

*« As if it said, go forth, and be my champion,

«© Thou most like me, of all my works below.” Rowe's TAMERLANE.

Although Timur-lung and other tyrants made such horrid de-
vastation in Hindostan, the Mogul annals do not date its final
conquest until 1525; when sultan Baber, a descendant of ‘Timur,
seated himself on the musnud at Delhi, and assumed the command
of the empire. His son Humaioon, a mild prince, succeeded him
in the imperial dignities, and extended his conquests, as there
were still some of the smaller Afghan governments unsubdued;
and the kingdom of Guzerat, with its capital Ahmedabad, pre-
served its independence for fifty years longer; when, during the
reign of sultan Mahmood, the last of the Pathan dynasty, it
yielded to Akber, son of Humaioon, and became a part of the
Mogul empire. From that period it formed one of the twelve
grand soubahs, and was generally governed by a son of the em-
peror, as soubah-dar or viceroy; sometimes that honour was con-
ferred upon a favourite omrah, under the title of nawab, or
nabob.

In the beginning of the eighteenth century, when many of
the distant provinces shook off their allegiance to the Mogul em-

peror, and these nabobs established themselves as independent

147

princes, the governor of Ahmedabad and Cambay followed the
example, and assumed the sovereignty of that part of Guzerat;
which continued in succession to Mohman Khan, who was the
last Mogul prince in Ahmedabad; for during his reign, the Mah-
rattas under Ragonauth Row conquered it about the middle of
the eighteenth century. The nabob fled to Cambay, and submitted
to the limits of a small territory, subject to the humiliating condi-
tion of paying an annual choute, or tribute, to the Mahrattas.
Mohman Khan was the nabob of Cambay during my several
visits to that capital.

Ahmedabad continued under the Mahratta government until
1779, when an English army, commanded by general Goddard,
took it by storm; and, for political reasons, the city witht its imme-
diate territory, was ceded to Futty Singh, a Hindoo chieftain of
Guzerat, leaving an English garrison in the citadel, which they
were in possession of on my arrival; at the termination of the war
in 1783 it was restored to the Mahrattas.

I could not describe this celebrated city, without adverting
to its former splendour, and the cause of its decay, which im-
perceptibly led me to an outline of the general history of Hin-
dostan, under its ancient rajahs, and the subsequent governments
of the Pathan and Mogul princes, during the latter dynasty, when
the empire enjoyed tranquillity, arts, science, agriculture, and manu-
factures, were encouraged, and the blessings of peace am ply dif-
fused, even under a despotic government. Few reigns can be
perused with more delight than that of Akber, who is more en-
titled to the character of Great, than many on whom it has been
bestowed ; his name, like Alfred’s, fills the mind with delight ; he

148

forms a striking contrast to most Asiatic sovereigns. During areign
of more than forty-nine years this great prince made the welfare
and happiness of his extensive empire the supreme object of his
concern; and, assisted by his excellent vizier, Abul Fazel, and
his Hindoo. minister, Bheer Bhul, he established such wise institu-
tions, as have seldom been surpassed in the civil or military depart-
ments of the most enlightened sovereigns. Whoever peruses the
Ayeen Akbery, or “ the Institutes of the emperor Akber,” must
he pleased with the wisdom and humanity which regulated the
conduct both of the monarch and his minister, and pervaded the
whole system of jurisprudence. ‘The former died at Agra, at the
age of sixty-three, in the year 1605; the latter was murdered on
returning from the Deccan, three years before, by some banditti,
to the inexpressible sorrow of his royal master: of Bheer Bhul’s
fate I am ignorant.

The piety and humility of Abul Fazel shine conspicuously
in his preface to the Ayeen Akbery, which thus commences:

‘* IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GoD!

* Q Lorp! all thy mysteries are impenetrable.

* Unknown are thy beginning, and thy end.

“ In ree both beginning and end are lost!

**'The name of both are lost in the mansions of thy eternity !

It is sufficient that I offer up my thanksgiving, and meditate
‘in astonishment.

“© My ecstasy is sufficient knowledge of Thee !” i
Abul Fazel’s character of Akber, with which his sublime preface

concludes, is grateful, just and beautiful.

1490

* Praise be unto Gop! Akber, the exalted monarch of our own
times, is endowed with such laudable dispositions, that it is no
exaggeration to say he surpasses all the sages of antiquity. From
the light of wisdom he discovers all ranks of men; and by the
rectitude of his conduct, he adds splendour to his understanding,
by the performance of laudable actions. Who is it that is abie to
measure the extent of his virtues? ‘They are not only beyond
expression, but even exceed conception. It it better that I make
not the attempt, but point out a few intelligible wonders, by setting
forth his regulations for the household, for the ordering of the
army, and for the prosperity of the kingdom; upon which three
things depends the glory of a monarch; hereby preparing a rich
gift for the intelligent, who seek after knowledge.”

So highly respected was Akber among the Hindoos, who wish
to appropriate every thing to themselves, that in Wilford’s Essays,
we find they insist that Akber was a Hindoo, in a former gene-
ration, The proximity of the time in which this famous emperor
lived, has forced them, however, to account for this in the follow-
ing manner. ‘There was a holy brahmin, who wished very much
to become emperor of India; and the only practicable way for
him was to die first, and be born again. For this purpose he made
a desperate tapasya, wishing to remember then every thing he
knew in his present generation. This could not be fully granted,
but he was.indulged with writing on a brass plate a few things
which he wished more particularly to remember; then he was
directed to bury the plate, and promised that he would recollect
the place in the next generation. Mucunda, for that was his

name, went to Allahabad, buried the plate, and then burned him-

self: nine months after he was born in the character of Akber:
who, as soon as he ascended the throne, went to Allahabad, and
easily found the spot where the brass plate was buried. Thus the
Hindoos claim Mahomed and Akber as their own; exactly like
the Persians of old, who insisted that Alexander the Great was the
son of one of their kings; so that, after all, they were forced to sub- .
mit to their countrymen only.

Akber was succeeded by Selim his son, who then took the
name of Jehangire; this emperor appointed his son sultan Currain
to be viceroy of Guzerat, and conferred on him the tile of Shah-
Jehan, “king of the world,” which he retained after he became
emperor, in 1628. It was during the reign of Jehangire, in 1615,
that Sir Thomas Roe was sent on an embassy to the Mogul court,
by James the First, king of England. About that time the soubah
of Guzerat was in a very flourishing condition; if we are to be-
lieve the Mogul writers, Ahmedabad then contained near three
millions of inhabitants; I should imagine one third of the number
to be nearer the truth. When I was there they were reduced to
three hundred thousand, of whom two parts were Mahomedans,
and the rest Hindoos.

During the reign of Shah Jehan, his sons, Morad and Aurung-
zebe, successively enjoyed the soubahship of Guzerat, and kept
a splendid court at Ahmedabad, which they greatly improved,
and there fostered all the arts of peace. The Mogul emperors
from Akber to Aurungzebe, who died in 1707, although fond of
foreign conquests, and of humbling other princes, in their own
dominions encouraged agriculture and commerce, patronized the

arts and sciences, and distributed impartial justice, to the best of

151

their abilities, in the remotest districts of their extensive empire.
In their days arose those magnificent structures which now adorn
the northern cities of Hindostan; the palaces, aqueducts, and
mausoleums lately described, were all erected by those emperors ;
and Shah Jehan, who built the summer-palace on the banks of
the Sabermatty, erected the Taje Mahal at Agra, in memory of a
favourite Sultana, which is still the wonder of the eastern world.
The most splendid palaces at Ahmedabad were in too ruinous
a state during my visit to furnish a sufficient description; but to
give some idea of these structures in the time of the imperial
princes, I shall mention the dewané khass, one of the halls in the
palace of Shah Allum, described by Francklin; which, although
repeatedly stripped and plundered by successive invaders, still re-
tains great beauty. “ This building is a hundred and fifty feet in
length, by forty in breadth. ‘The roof is flat, supported by nume-
rous columns of fine white marble, which have been richly orna-
mented with inlaid flowered work of different coloured stones. ‘The
cornices and borders have been decorated with a frize and sculp-
tured work. ‘The cieling was formerly incrusted with a rich foliage
of silver, throughout its whole extent; and the delicacy of the
inlaying in the compartments of the walls is much to be admired.
Around the exterior of the dewan khass, in the cornice, are the
following lines, written in letters of gold, upon a ground of white
marble: “ If there be a paradise upon earth this is it; at ts this;
it is this!” The terrace of this building is composed of large slabs
of marble, and the whole is crowned at top with four cupolas of

the same material. The royal baths built by Shah Jehan near the

152

dewan khass, consisting of three large rooms, surmounted by domes
of white marble, are lined with the same, and ornamented with
beautiful borders of flowers, worked with cornelians, and other
stones.”

During the splendid reigns of the imperial house of ‘Timur,
we behold despotism in rather an engaging form; in cultivating
the arts of peace, she assumes her mildest aspect; yet absolute
power, in its best estate, must be attended with many unhappy
consequences. <A prince, who wishes to rule with clemency, rarely
has it in his power. Shortly after the royal diadem adorns his
brow, some confederacy is formed against him, by sons, brothers,
or near relations, and he thinks himself under the necessity of
putting them to death, or depriving them of sight, to prevent his
own destruction from a successor who is too soon to feel the
thorns so thickly intermingled with the roses of royalty.

These horrid crimes cast a gloom over oriental annals ; history
paints the way to the musnud through a sea of blood; yet, after
being firmly established, the Mogul princes in general governed
well. No monarch ever ascended a more sanguinary throne than
Aurungzebe; we start with horror at the treatment of his aged
father, and the cruel fate of his wretched brothers; but when
these obstacles were removed, few sovereigns have displayed (ex-
cept in his bigotted persecution of the Hindoos) more justice and
clemency than Aurungzebe, during a long reign of fifty years:
many parts of his character form a pattern for sovereigns in milder
governments. But since the usurpations in the empire, the inva-
sion of Nadir Shah, and the conquests of the Mahrattas, which

153

commenced under Sevajee, during the reign of Aurungzebe, very
few traces of his excellent regulations exist; we can only Jament
over their ruins.

I shall not attempt a detail of the cruel oppressions and mean
advantages of the Mahratta pundits and governors, now dispersed
throughout Guzerat, and occupying these magnificent remains of
Mogul splendour. ‘Their severe exactions have already rendered the
district of Ahmedabad, once so flourishing and delightful, al-
most a desert; and thousands of industrious subjects are annually
leaving it, to seek protection under milder governments.

I wish to write impartially, and not to paint despotism in
a favourable light: to be hated by an Englishman, it needs but to
be seen. Its frightful picture, drawn by the penetrating Mon-
tesquieu, must be confirmed by a slight observer of Asiatic
tyranny. That admirable writer asserts, that “ Fear is the prin-
ciple of all despotic governments; we are not to look for mag-
nanimity among a timid spiritless people, where the prince
cannot impart a greatness which he does not himself possess;
for with him there is no such thing as glory. It is in mo-
narchies we behold the subjects encircling the throne, and cheered
by the irradiancy of the sovereign; there it is, that each person
filling as it were a larger space, is capable of exercising those
virtues which adorn the soul, not with independence, but with true
dignity and greatness.”

This is one of the distinctions in the Spirit of Laws between
a limited monarchical, and a despotic government. Yet, in the
present constitution of things, it must reluctantly be admitted

VOL. ILI. x

154

that the latter appears to be best adapted to the slavish minds
of Asiatics; who are strangers to the noble sentiments which ani-
mate free-born souls, which impelled the ancient heroes of Greece
and Rome to their magnanimous exertions; and which, in sub-
sequent times, in our.own country, have inspired a Hampden,
and a Russel, and will still continue to inspire every real patriot
in his struggle for the preservation of British freedom !

«© And now

«

* Behold! while round the baleful storm extends,

© Behold our native land,
‘« The much-belov'd, the beauteous isle,
‘© Tn peace still rest, in beauty smile !

** Mid states in flames, and ruins, hurl’d,

*« See England yet survive the world !

«« From hardy sports, from manly schools,
«« From Truth’s pure lore in Learning’s bow’r,

“ From equal law, alike that rules

“« The People’s will, the Monarch’s pow’r ;
“© From Piety, whose soul sincere
*« Fears Gon, and knows no other fear ;
« From Loyalty, whose high disdain
‘¢ Turns from the fawning, faithless train ;
«« From deeds, the Historian records shew,
«© Valour’s renown, and Freedom’s glow ;
“ Tis hence, that springs th’ unconquer’d fire,

«© That bids to Glory’s heights aspire.

** In Britain, still the Sage’s aim,

‘* The scholar’s toil, the statesman’s fame,

155

«« The flaming sword, are ready found

«© To guard the Paradise around !

“© Here, in their last retreat are seen
«« The peaceful arts, the classic muse,
« And heavenly Wisdom here her light serene,
«© Her holy calm does still diffuse !” W. Smite.

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CHAPTER XXXI.

JOURNEY FROM AHMEDABAD TO CAMBAY;3
CHARACTER OF THE NABOB 5
ANECDOTES OF THE MOGULS AND OTHER MAHOMEDANS
ILLUSTRATED FROM SACRED HISTORY.
1781.

« Ah? what avail thy consecrated floods,
Thy citron breezes and thy palmy woods ;
What though the cassia breathes along thy shore,
And trickling manna adds its essenc’d store ;
Though gums balsamic in thy valleys grow,
And fragrant spices on thy borders glow !—
These choicest blessings a strong balance find
In one broad curse that seizes on thy kind:
For stern Oppression rules thy fruitful plains
O'er thy deyoted land a tyrant reigns !”

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; A
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aes Lpiter awe NAAT HR SARS - ~—
; ew Reet Sad AI HANTS ¢ Wh rua ay a 4WwF TO St0da1KA
; : Ah eR 4,
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Ww Mets ls: — eo ise. eaieg bercaes -
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CONTENTS.

Departure from Ahmedabad—wisit the mosques and tombs at Peerana
—Dolcah, a large and strong town—Cusbattees on military tenure
—beauty of the country—depredations of the Coolies—Bursora—
return to Cambay—summer palaces and gardens—palace in Cut-
tek—correspondence with Mirza Zummaun, vizier of Cambay,
when disgraced by the nabob—Siddees and attendants on the nabob
—slavery in India—portrait of an Asiatic sovereign—cruelty of ze-
mindars and officers of government—purchase of slaves—Nabob’s
entertainment at Dil Gusha—gardens—temple of fountains—luxury
of an oriental evening—pavilions—dancing girls—songs—poetry—
Persian stanzas and distichs—Persian feast—professed story-tellers
at Cambay—illustrations of Scripture by modern customs in India—
Voltatre’s philosophy—fatal tendency of infidelity in India—David
Hume—discrimination in the oriental entertainments as to food and
presents of apparel—a passage in Scripture explained from Homer,
and modern manners in Hindostan—further illustrations—fami-
liarity of the inferior mahomedans at great feasts—subjection of
Asiatic females—tents and pavilions—palanquins—hackaree—feast
of Ahasuerus contrasted with modern entertainments—great simi-
larity of ancient and modern despotism—princely banquet from a
Persian story—ntelligent brahmins—departure from Cambay—

reflections on the journey.

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‘te 1~ 3

CHAPTER XXXI.

Ws left Ahmedabad at day-break, on the 8th of May; some re-
freshing showers had fallen the preceding evening which laid the
dust, and arrayed every object with a lovely verdure. This may
appear a trifling circumstance in Europe, but it affords an un-
speakable pleasure to a traveller in the torrid zone, and at ilis
season of the year is very unusual.

The costly mosques and mauscleums at Peerana, a sacred spot,
seven miles from Ahmedabad, detained us a considerable time.
These tombs are of white marble, adorned with ostriches’ eges,
rows of false pearl, and wreaths of flowers. The walls, pillars,
and domes of the mouldering edifices which centain them, are in-
laid with small looking-glasses, agates, and cornelians, more gaudy
than elegant, and very inferior to the shrines at Bettwah; although
these, from having been erected to the memory of mahomedan
saints, are held in higher veneration. The tracery of the windows
is extremely neat, and filled with stained glass from Europe, in the
manner of our cathedrals.

From Peerana we rode five miles through a pleasant country to
the banks of the Sabermatty, forded its shallow stream, and conti-

VOL. III. Y

162

nued our journey to Dolcah, a large town eighteen miles from
Ahmedabad, where the offer of a summer-palace, surrounded by a
charming garden, fountains, and groves of fruit-trees, tempted us
to remain ull the next morning.

Dolcah, a cusbah or town, inhabited by landholders on military
tenure, is four miles in circuit, not fortified, but surrounded by a
mud wall; the gates are strong, and the town furnishes twenty
thousand Cusbattees, who form a sort of equestrian militia; many
of them are warlike, of good family, and men of property. Dol-
cah is celebrated for several spacious tanks lined with stone: one
of them is adorned with an island and bridge like that at Kokarea.
Near these lakes are several ruined palaces, mosques, and tombs,
once splendid and beautiful. The surrounding country was culti-
vated in large enclosures, planted with mango, tamarind, and kir-
ney trees. In times of tranquillity the Dolcah purgunna yields a
revenue of eight lacs of rupees, but the Coolies and Cotties already
mentioned were then so very troublesome, that cultivation only
flourished near the towns; the distant plains were assuming the
appearance of a forest overrun with a variety of game. The inha-
bitants of Dolcah assured us that their farmers and ploughmen
were attended by warriors to keep off the banditti; and near every
village we found centinels stationed on the highest trees to give
notice of their approach. As soon as a watchman discovers a
troop of Cotties he blows a horn, or makes a loud cry, which is
perfectly understood both by the peasants and cattle; this is re-
peated by other centinels, and in a few minutes the whole country
is alarmed ; swains, flocks, and herds hastily retreat to the vil-
lages, always surrounded by mud walls or strong milk-bush hedges,

163

and sometimes both. ‘They are occasionally surprised, and these
marauders have been known to drive off two or three thousand
cattle ata time. ‘The villagers, armed with bows and arrows, at-
iack the Cotties when their numbers are not too formidable ; but
the latter being always on horseback have greatly the advantage.
On account of these predatory incursions, our little escort of ca-
valry and Arabs, with the necessary attendants, generally occa-
sioned an alarm as we travelled through the country.

Early the next morning we left Dolcah, recrossed the Saber-
matty at Angolah, and reached the village of Bursora, fifteen miles
from Dolcah, before the heat of the day. Here we pitched our
tents, and remained during the sultry hours. In the evening a ride
of twelve miles, over an open cultivated plain, brought us to the
gates of Cambay; the distance from thence to Ahmedabad, either by
Kairah as we went, or by Dolcah our returning route, distinguished
by the upper or lower road, is only fifty miles.

On both roads I had an opportunity of revisiting the site of our
encampments on the plains of Naranseer, and the garden-houses
where we resided at head-quarters during the campaign in Guze-
rat: some of those summer palaces were very beautiful, both in
situation and architecture. The nabob did not occupy any ot
them; he spent his retired hours entirely at Dil Gusha, or Heart-
Expanding, a more favourite retreat. Most of those summer-
houses are of a slight construction, and, like those in the chief’s
garden at Baroche, are divided into three pavilions, at a consider-
able distance from each other, with canals, fountains, and flower-
gardens in the intermediate space. They are generally surrounded

by sloping verandas and purdoes, or wet hangings of gunnies, a

164

sort of cotton sackcloth, to keep them cool; while the palaces in
cities are built of strong masonry, and ornamented at great expense ;
and palaces, villas, and mosques, are often named after their prin-
cipal embellishments: thus at Baroche and Ahmedabad are the
Ivory and Silver Mosques; the Fountain of Pleasure, the Garden of
Delight, and many similar appellations distinguish the villas of the
moguls. In the destruction of Samaria, we read in the prophet
Amos: “ I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house, and
the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an
end.”

In the Ayeen Akbery we read of a house in the city of Cuttek
which consisted of nine stories; the first for the elephants, camels,
and horses; the second for the artillery and military stores, on
which were also quarters for the guards and other attendants;
the third story was occupied by the porters and watchmen; the
fourth was appropriated for the several artificers; the kitchens
made the fifth range; the sixth contained the rajah’s public apart-
ments; the seventh was for the transaction of private business; in
the eighth the women resided; and the ninth was the rajah’s sleep-
ing apartments. This palace was built by rajah Mucund Deo,
and contiguous to it stood a very ancient Hindoo temple.

At Surat I mentioned one of the nabob’s gardens, which he
called Alla Bauhg, or the “ Garden of Gop;” but his subjects, who
had been grievously oppressed to procure his highness this beauti-
ful retreat, named it Zulam Bauhg, “ the Garden of Oppression.”
I fear that appellation would be applicable to most of the palaces
belonging to the Cambay nabob, who ruled his people with a rod
of iron, and was guilty of the most cruel exactions.

165

“" Mild equal rule, the government of laws,
«© And all-protecting Freedom, which alone
«* Sustains the name and dignity of man,

“© These are not theirs !"* THomMson.

After leaving Cambay I had occasion to correspond with our
kind host the vizier Mirza Zummaun, when in disgrace, and barba-
rously treated by the nabob his ungrateful master; his letters were
interesting and pathetic: I insert one as a specimen. It was in
answer to a letter of mingled condolence and congratulation which
I had written to him at the French-gardens in Surat, whither he
had escaped from the nabob’s tyranny, under the protection of
Sir Charles Malet, then the English resident at the nabob’s court,
who made the most generous exertions in behalf of the unfortunate
Persian, at the moment when the mute and bow-string, or some
species of murder equally private and expeditious, awaited him in
the nabob’s durbar. With the letter I had sent him a drawing
which he had requested of the Temple of Fountains, at Dilgusha,
which is the picture the vizier alludes to in the following letter.

Translation of a Persian Letter from Mirza Zummaun, late Vizier at
Cambay, to James Forbes, Esq. dated from the French Gardens
at Surat, 17th March, 1782.

[After the usual Oriental compliments]

“You keep an eye of pity and of favour on your friend Mirza
Zammaun; for this may Alla protect you, bless you with health,
and shower down upon you the dew-drops of felicity. May all

166

my wishes for your happiness in this life be fulfilled, until you ar-
rive at the celestial paradise!

“ Your kind letter reached me in good time, and afforded a
gleam of pleasure to my sorrowful heart. I rejoice at your health,
and most sincerely thank you for condoling with me in my misfor-
tunes; it convinces me that there are sull men in the world who do
not forget a friend in adversity. I cannot tell you what I have
suffered from the nabob of Cambay, who in his heart is not a
friend to the English, notwithstanding his outward appearance. I
always regarded them; and the more I knew of them, day by day,
the more my friendship increased: this his highness did not ap-
prove; it was one cause among many others for my disgrace, and
atlength for his determined resolution to take away my life: but
life and death are in the hands of Gop! without his permission my
death was not to happen. Our excellent friend the English resi-
dent, on receiving intelligence of my misfortune, instantly flew to
the durbar and rescued me from the power of the wicked.

“The vessel that has a good pilot fears no storm; in the raging
tempest what can happen to her? Such a safeguard, such a pro-
tector is our exalted friend! he came to save my life in the most
critical moment of my existence: had his exertions been delayed a
few minutes all would have been too late. Thanks be to Gop wha
pointed out his path, and caused him to bring safety to my soul.

“‘T have received the picture; the Temple of the Fountains,as you
observe, will fill my mind with mingled sensations. When I look
at that beautiful drawing it will remind me of the happy hours J
spent there with my friends; it will also recal to my remembrance

an ungrateful and perfidious prince, who loaded me with favours

167

and overwhelmed me with disgrace. I am made happy by this
act of your kindness. I pray to Alla to keep you in health and
wisdom! what can I say more?”

Among the attendants of- the Cambay nabob, as also at Surat
and other places, are several Abyssinian and Caflree slaves, called
by way of courtesy Seddees, or Master. They are often promoted
to great honours, richly apparelled, and furnished. with horses,
arms, and servants. ‘This is customary among the Moguls, Turks,
Persians, and Arabians, and especially the Mamelukes in Egypt,
most of whom have ascended to their eminence from such an
origin, as the name, signifying “purchased,” or “ property,” implies.
The slaves who conduct themselves well find their chains light, are
treated like near relatives, and are admitted to great confidence:
they often obtain their freedom, and marry their masters’ daughters.
The mahomedans in general treat their slaves with humanity, and
by kind attentions render their servitude easy and comfortable ;
nor have those purchased by the English in India much reason
to complain of their lot; they experience very different treatment
from that of their African brethren in the West Indies. No cruel
iaskmasters and overseers increase the hardships of bondage; they
are all household servants, often confidential domestic friends, and
never employed in agriculture or laborious work. With the Dutch
in India indeed their condition is not so pleasant; but the most
unfortunate of all are those who fall into the hands of the native
Portugueze, generally a worthless race, treating their helpless cap-
tives with excessive cruelty.

After all, we must say with Sterne, “ disguise thyself as thou

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wiit, still, Slavery, thou art a bitter draught!” Whether the titled
slave is a favourite of royalty, clothed with purple and fine linen,
and faring sumptuously every day, or whether like my little An-
jengo captives, their wardrobe and monthly sustenance amount
only to a few rupees, still the tender lies of parental, filial, and
fraternal affection are dissolved; all the domestic pleasures of youth
destroyed, and many other painful deprivations accompany the
galling chain: such must be the case of slavery even in its best
estate. I have witnessed the cruel treatment of the Portugueze
slaves in the plantations of South America, and conversed with
slaves who filled a high station in India: the latter, no doubt, have
most reason to be satisfied ; but an English cottager is a happier
man. Liberty is his birthright, it sweetens the most homely meal,
and gives a zest to every enjoyment, beyond all the favours which
an imperial despot can lavish on his fettered minion.

I know not where to find a more just portrait of an Asiatic
sovereign than that presented by a young man to Darius, king of
Persia, as it was delivered to the monarch himself when surrounded
by all the princes, governors, and chief officers of Persia and Me-
dia. It certainly was not intended to display despotism in its worst
light, but rather to represent the great king in the fairest point of
view. I introduce it as a true picture of an Asiatic prince at this
day, and of one far more amiable than the nabob of Cambay.

“Oye men, do not men excel in strength, that bear rule over
sea and land, and ail things in them? But yet the king is more
mighty, for he is lord of all these things, and hath dominion over
them; and whatsoever he commandeth them they do. If he bid

them make war one against another they do it; if he send them

169

out against the enemies, they go and break down mountains, walls,
and towers; they slay and are slain, and transgress not the king’s
eommandments; if they get the victory they bring all to the king;
as well the spoil as all things else. Likewise for those that are no
soldiers, and have not to do with wars, but use husbandry, when
they have reaped that which they had sown, they bring it to the
king. If he command to kill, they kill; if he command to spare,
they spare; if he command to smite, they smite; if he command
to make desolate, they make desolate; if he command to build,
they build; if he command to cut down, they cut down; if he
command to plant, they plant. So all his people and his armies
obey him, and yet he is but cone man! furthermore he eateth and
drinketh and taketh his rest!” [Espras.

If such is the portrait of despotism in its best estate, what must
it be in the hands of a wicked and cruel tyrant? It is painful to
remark, but I believe it will be allowed by those who have been in
similar situations with myself as collectors of the revenues, that the
mildness and equity of the English laws, the forbearance and hu-
manity of our national character, do not always, nor indeed gene-
rally, preduce the desired effects in Hindostan. I found it so in
the revenue department at Dhuboy. The severe and oppressive
measures which the people had been accustomed to under their
former governors were more efficacious. J’ear is the operative
principle; coercion seems necessary in all ranks, from the zemindar
to the lowest tandar or patell in the purgunna; the lenity and
kindness shown to those immediately connected with the durbar,
never to my knowledge produced a return of benevolence in the

conduct of the zemindars towards their inferiors. The chain of
VOL. LIL: Zz

170

oppression continued unbroken from the top to the bottom. It is
I believe a true observation, that no masters are more tyrannical
than those who have been slaves themselves; few servants in a free
country prefer living with a master or mistress who had themselves
been in a state of servitude. Among the oppressions complained
of by Nehemiah, under the government of Artaxerxes, he says
that not only the governors but even their servants bare rule over
the people, and made cruel exactions. ‘Thus it is at this day
throughout India; it extends from the savage punishment which
I mentioned to have been inflicted on a man of high rank by the
prince of Scindy, down to the village patell, who does not ac-
quiesce in the payment of the sum extorted from him by the op-
pressive zemindars.

As to slavery literally so called, in Asia it is of various kinds.
The female slaves brought to the Indian courts from Georgia and
Circassia, are in very high estimation. I have seen some of these
reputed beauties, and others from Armenia or the northern parts
of Persia: they were generally fair, with dark eyes and clear com-
plexions; in youth possessing that rich style of beauty so much
admired in Persian and Arabian tales. The male slaves generally
preferred by the Persians and Moguls in India are brought from
Abyssinia and the eastern coast of Africa.

In the northern provinces it is not so common to have slaves in
Hindoo families as in the Mysore and Malabar dominions; there
they are very much employed, especially in cultivation. I believe
most of the tribes of Pooleahs and Pariars in Malabar are. consi-
dered as slaves. Dr. Buchanan observes, that in Malayala, in the

south of Malabar, the usual price of a young man and his wife is

Ea

from six to seven pounds, if they have two young children it in-
creases their value to nine or ten pounds; and with four or five
children, two of whom are beginning to work, the family will pro-
duce altogether from fourteen to fifteen pounds; this was at Palu-
Ghat: at Manapuram, in its vicinity, children sell from eight to
twenty-one shillings a-head, according to their growth. This ap-
pears a small sum for the purchase of a slave, but they are as cheap
in many other parts of the world. Chardin says the Tartars sold
their Polish prisoners for a crown a-head ; and the prophet Joel, in
describing the miserable captivity. of the Jews, says, the children of
Jerusalein have ye sold to the Grecians; they gave a boy for an
harlot, and sold a girl for a drink of wine.

The number of poor people who come down to Anjengo and
the other sea-ports from the inland countries, during a famine,
either to sell themselves, or to dispose of their children as slaves, is
astonishing. During my residence at Anjengo there was no fa-
mine, nor any unusual scarcity of grain, but during the rainy
season many were weekly brought down from the mountains to be
sold on the coast. They did not appear to think it so great a hard-
ship as we imagine; what may be their usual degrees of filial and
parental affection I pretend not to determine, neither can I ascer-
tain the Malabar ideas annexed to dulce-domum, and the charities
of domestic life; but, without the smallest intention of countenan-
cing West India slavery, I must and do think the feelings of a Ma-
labar peasant and those of a cottage family in England are very
different ; the former certainly part with their children apparently
with very little compunction, the latter are united by every tender

sympathetic tie. We know that it isno unusual thing for people to

172

sell themselves for bread in eastern countries; it has been practised
from the time of Joseph until the present period. The Egyptians
sold themselves and their possessions to Pharaoh, to save their lives
during a grievous famine; and in the code of Hindoo laws is a
provision for the poor wretches who from the same cause might be
reduced to the same dreadful necessity. ‘ Whoever having re-
“ ceived his victuals from a person during the time of a famine,.and
“hath become his slave, upon giving to his provider whatever
“he received from him during the time of the famine, and also
“two head of cattle, may become free from his servitude.” Re-
specting this kind of slavery among the Jews, the Mosaical law,
with the sweetest breathings of humanity, thus enjoins the Israelites:
“ If thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold
** unto thee, he shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee; and then
shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and

a

6

‘shall return unto his family; and unto the possession of his fa-

s

‘thers shall he return: for they are my servants which I brought

* forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bond-
“‘ men.”

During our stay at Cambay the nabob invited us to pass an
evening at a summer palace, called Dil-Gusha, which means the
Heart's Delight, literally the exhilaration or expansion of the heart;
aname in the Persian language somewhat synonimous to Sans-
Souci, the favourite retreat of Frederick, king of Prussia; although
in all respects on a more limited scale than that royal residence,
which I have since visited. Dil-Gusha is contiguous to the city,
and being the spot in which the nabob then most delighted, the

pavilions and gardens were kept in good order, while his other

———

OMT

USC AA PMSA UL A

pe

a Sak.

CAIMUBAN

173

‘
villas were entirely neglected. The principal building at Dil-
Gusha consists of two octagon halls, on the northern terrace of an
upper garden; from thence a flight of steps leads to the lower gar-
den near a Jake, containing the zenana and private apartments,
where no strangers intruded; at the south end of the upper garden
is another pavilion with a flat roof, commanding an extensive view
over the gulph of Cambay, on which the nabob generally enter-
tained his evening visitors.

The size of these gardens does not admit much variety in the
walks and shrubberies; choice trees and shrubs border a narrow
canal between the pavilions, adorned with a number of small foun-
tains; the centre of the canal expands round an octagon marble
temple of a singular construction; each perforated column con-
tains a leaden pipe, which conveys water to the roof of the temple,
where fiom eight founiains round the dome it falls over the project-
ing a:chitrave on screens of sweel-scented khusa-grass, and gently
trickling through the matted verdure renders the internal atmo-
sphere delightful. Imagination can hardly form a more luxurious
regale in the torrid zone than to repose in a temple of fountains,
lulled by the notes of bulbuls in the surrounding groves.

This retreat affords a charming alleviauion to the heat of a tro-
pical day. The evening, as already mentioned, has its peculiar
delights. ‘The rays of Cynthia give a softened beauty to the gar-
dens; the shrubs and flowers emit a double perfume, and the lordly
champach fills‘the air with fragrance. ‘Then, or rather at early
dawn, is realized the address of the damsel in a vernal morning to

the love-sick Rhada, elegantly translated by Sir William Jones:

174

‘The gale that has wantoned round the beautiful clove-plants,
breathes now from the hills of Malaya; the circling arbors resound
with the notes of the cocil, and the murmurs of honey-making
swarms. Now the hearts of damsels whose lovers travel ata dis-
tance are pierced with anguish, while the blossoms of bacul are con-
spicuous among the flowers covered with bees. ‘The ¢amala, with
leavesdark and odorous, claims a tribute from the musk which it van-
quishes; and the clustering flowers of the palasa resemble the nails
of Cama, with which he rends the hearts of the young. The full
blown césara gleams like the sceptre of the world’s monarch, Love;
and the pointed thyrse of the cetaca resembles the darts by which
lovers are wounded. See the bunches of patali flowers filled with
bees, like. the quiver of Smara full of shafts; while the tender
blossom of the caruna smiles to see the whole world laying shame
aside. The far-scented mad/avi beautifies the trees round which it
twines; and the fresh madlica seduces, with rich perfume, even the
hearts of hermits; while the amra-tree with blooming tresses is em-
braced by the gay creeper attimucta, and the blue streams of
Yamuna wind round the groves of Vrindavan. In this charming
season, which gives pain to separated lovers, young Heri sports
and dances with a company of damsels. A breeze like the breath
of love, from the fragrant flowers of the cétaca kindles every heart,
whilst it perfumes the woods with the dust which it shakes from
the maliieé with half opened buds; and the cocila bursts into song
when he sees the blossoms glistening on the lovely rosd/d.”

Most of the royal gardens in India have an appropriate name,

and frequently an inscription over the portal in Persian poetry,

175

hyperbolically descriptive of their attractions. The following spe-
cimen is taken from the entrance of a garden, made by the empe-
ror Aurungzebe at Noorabad, on the banks of the river Zank,
‘© This garden was planted by the king Alungeer,
«© Whose universal bounty rivals that of the sun, in all his splendor:
«< When he demanded a sentence to denote its date

«« An invisible voice replied, thou hast seen the GarpEN oF Beauty.”

A. Hej. 1077.

Something similar to the temple of fountains at Dil-Gusha is
thus fabled in the gardens of Indra, introduced in the Curse of
Kehama.

Within the temple on his golden throne

Reclin'd, Kehama lies,

Watching with steady eyes

The perfum’d light, that burning bright
Metes out the passing hours.

On either side his eunuchs stand,

Freshening with fans of peacocks’ plumes the air ;
Which, redolent of all rich gums and flowers,

Seems overcharg’d with sweets to stagnate there.

After a recreation in the garden, the nabob accompanied us to
the roof of the pavilion, where music and dancing-girls awaited us.
Fire-works on the canal illuminated its fragrant borders, and exhi-
bited a curious scene of alternate fountains, playing fire and water,
falling among shrubs and flowers. ‘The supper, similar to that at
the vizier’s, consisted of various rich dishes; the different sherbets
were improved by spices and rose-water. The nabob was aftable
and polite, helped us himself from the best dishes, and kept up a
sprightly conversation. On our taking leave he sprinkled us with

176

ottar of roses; and, agreeably to the custom of Asiatic princes,
presented to each betel, shawls, and kincobs.

It is not easy to give a literal translation of the dancing-girls’
songs, but as they were superior to any I had heard before, I at-
tempted an imitation from the communication of a friend, who
understood the language, and had been accustomed io these enter-
tainments. Were I favoured by the muse of Hafiz, I would not

introduce them in humble prose.

A SONG OF ROSHAN, OR ROXANA:

A FEMALE APPELLATION SIGNIFYING SPLENDOR.

When, oh my beloved! wilt thou return? delight of my heart,
and treasure of my soul, oh! when wilt thou appear to bless thy
Roxana? In vain do J wait thy approach; thou comest not to
thy love: mine eyelids are weary in watching thy footsteps. The
sofa of my beloved is decked with garlands of mogrees, oversha-
dowed by a canopy of jessamin. I have strewed it with the sweet
dust of Keurah, and perfumed it with oltar of roses: Iam scented
with the oils of lahore, and tinged with the blossoms of hinna;
haste then, my beloved, to thine handmaid, gladden her heart by

thy presence!

A SONG OF SELIMA.

Abdallah! lamp of my life and possessor of my heart; my first,
my only love! In vain do I call upon thee, thou art afar off; thou
hearest not the voice of thy Selima, once the most favoured of thy

slaves!

Abdallah! my king! my love! thou hast decked me with dia-

177

monds of Golconda, and covered me with pearls of Ormuz;—
what are diamonds and pearls to her that is forsaken? the jewel
most prized by thy Selima is no longer her own—give me thy
heart, my beloved, restore it to its first possessor !

The shawls of Cassimer and the silks of Iran presented by my
lord, have no longer any charms for thy Selima; thy palace, thy
baths, thy gardens delight me no more; take them again; what
are they all, compared with the heart of my Abdalla? O give me
thy heart, my beloved, restore it to its first possessor!

The gardens and groves, once the fond retreat of thy Selima,
afford me no pleasure; the mango and pomegranate tcinpt me
in vain! The fragrance of champahs and odour of spices I no
longer enjoy;—my damsels delight me no more, and music
ceases to charm. Return, oh my lord, to thine handmaid, restore
her thy heart, and every pleasure will accompany it; O, give. thy
heart to thy Selima, restore it to its first possessor!

The Persians and Moguls whom we met at these parties seemed.
fond of poetry, and one of them was favoured by a plaintive
muse. ‘The orientals allow the Europeans to excel in history,
philosophy, and ethics, but suppose we have very little taste for
poetry, especially odes, in the style of Sappho, Anacreon, and
Hafiz, of which they are extremely fond. On a person of rank
making this remark to Sir Charles Malet, who accompanied us
on this visit, he assured him to the contrary. Being master of
the Persian language, he made the following stanzas extempore,

and immediately translated them into Persian poetry, to the admi-
VOL. IIT. 2A

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178

ration of our oriental friends. They were addressed to the myrtle,

a tree equally esteemed by Europeans and Asiatics.

EXTEMPORE LINES ON THE MYRTLE.

“« Favourite tree of beauty’s queen,
«« Ever fragrant, ever green,
«© With thy foliage form a grove,

*‘ Sacred to the maid I love.

** There, encircled in her arms,
«© Free from all but love's alarms,
«* Let me revel, toy, and play,

‘© And fondly love my life away.”

The fruit, flowers, spices, and perfumes, introduced at these
entertainments, exercised the talents of the Mogul and Persian
youth. We had several pleasant specimens of their genius during
the evening in little odes, distichs, and other effusions of poetry.
The splendor of the moon, the fragrance from the garden, the ele-
gance of the dancers, and the beauty of their songs, afforded the
subjects. I have preserved several which were written at the mo-
ment, by a young Shah-zadah, who committed them to paper as
they were composed, in a most elegant style of penmanship; which,
on fine Indian paper, flowered in silver and spotted with gold,
contrasted by the strong Persian letters, produces a beautiful effect.

Distichs and poetical effusions are sometimes written upon the
leaves of plants and flowers; this was not practised on the present
occasion. D’Herbelot mentions it, but leaves us at a loss to guess
what kind of myrtle afforded a leaf sufficiently large, in his curious

anecdote of Kessai and Al Mamon, the son of the famous Khaliff

179

Haroun al Rascheed, a conspicuous character in the Arabian
Nights’ Entertainment: “ Kessai one day presented himself at the
door of the apartment of Al Mamon, to read one of his lectures ;
the prince, who was then at table with his companions, wrote him
a distich upon a leaf of myrtle; the sense of which was, There is a
time for study, and a time for diversion: this is an hour I have
destined for the enjoyment of friends, wine, roses, and myrtle.
Kessai having read this distich, answered it upon the back of the
same myrtle leaf in four lines; the meaning of them as follows:
If you had understood the excellence of knowledge, you would
have preferred the pleasure that gives, to what you at present en-
joy in company; and if you knew who it is that is at your door,
you would immediately rise, and come and prostrate yourself on
the ground, praising and thanking Gop for the favour he had be-
stowed upon you. Al Mamon had no sooner heard these verses
than he quitted his company, and came to his preceptor.”

How happily does this anecdote illustrate that passage in the
“ Wisdom of Solomon,” where the folly of inconsiderate youth is
thus represented: “ Come on therefore, let us enjoy the good things
that are present; let us fill ourselves with costly wine and oint-
ments; and let no flower of the spring pass by us: Jet us crown
ourselves with rose-buds before they be withered.”

Similar sentiments prevail in most oriental writings, ancient and
modern: the Greek poets were equally fond of them. I shall not
introduce the productions of this evening, composed from present
objects, not so generally interesting as the following lines, which I
have selected from two celebrated Persian poets, as a more com-

plete specimen of the elegant recreation I allude to.

180

STANZAS OF A SONNET, BY SADI.

Strike, strike the lyre! let music tell

The blessings Spring shall scatter round :
Fragrance shall float on every gale,

And opening flow’rets paint the ground.
Oh! I have past whole nights in sighs,

Condemn’d the absent fair to mourn ;
But she appears—and sorrow flies,

And pleasure smiles on her return.

The following distichs are of a more serious nature, but the
mahomedans in general affect piety and morality, and the allusion
of the pearls formed from tears, in the Jast line, is taken from an
idea common among the Asiatics, that the pearls found in certain
shell-fish are produced from drops of rain-water which they imbibe.

«© Who made manifest the vital and intellectual powers ?

Who confirmed the foundation of understanding ?

Who, into the form of the human frame, breathed his animating spirit ?

Who bestowed reason, and inspir'd the soul ?

Who painted with lively colours the cheek of the tulip,

And made of the dew-drop an ornament for the rose-bud ?

Who crowned the summit of the heavens with a diadem of constellations,

And ting’d the hard bosom of the ruby with a vivid glow?

Who enkindled the fire of the moon as a nocturnal lamp ;

And perfum'd the flower-garden with the fragrance of burning incense ?

Who spread out the earth on the face of the water,

And form’d precious pearls from the tears of the clouds ?”

Such were the entertainments we received from the nabob of

Cambay and his vizier, in the true style of Persian elegance and

181

hospitality. As a further illustration of an oriental feast, Dr.
Fryer has added some other particulars, curious and entertaining.
“ On alighting at the host’s, the company are introduced into the
guest-chamber, all bestrewed with flowers and sweet herbs, besides
perfumed with odoriferous gums, or the aloe’s wood alone, or other
resinous matters made into candles, and in massy silver fuming
pots, very costly and delicate, leaving their slippers where they
begin to tread on carpets; they take their seats on susanees, a rich
tapestry of needle-work that borders the carpets, behind which are
placed huge velvet bolsters. They welcome you by a flood of
rose-water, poured on your head and beard; then they bring in, in
neat voiders, china plates of pistachios, walnuts, almonds, grapes,
prunellas, dried apricots, and other sweetmeats, amidst whereof
they pour out coffee, tea, and hot rose-water; and divert the com-
pany with mimics, stage-players, and dancers, between whose in-
terludes is mixed the custom, as ancient as Nebuchadnezzar, of
certain wise men repeating verses in their praise, or reading monu-
ments of antiquity, which continues Ull victuals are brought in, and
the cloth spread on the carpets. Water is first brought and ewers
to wash; the courses are ushered in with music, and the servitors
are placed so as to furnish every one with plates of the several
varieties, which they place before each, and give them long wheaten
cakes, both for napkin, trencher, and bread ; also plenty of boiled
rice: their most admired dainty is pillaw, wherewith they will fill
themselves and receive no hurt, it being so well prepared for the
stomach. After they have eaten well, and the cloth is removed,
they wash again. The usual drink is sherbet, made of water, juice

of lemons, and ambergris; most of them will freely take off therr

~

162

bowls of wine, which are commonly of silver, and some of gold.
When they have tired themselves with feasting, as they depart they
return thanks, by inviting every one in course to an entertainment
of the like nature, where they strive to outdo each other.”

At the entertainment given us by the nabob, he was attended
by the vizier and all his great officers: and from a latticed cham-
ber the ladies of the haram (invisible to us) had a view of the Ku-
ropean strangers. <A part of his domestic establishment consists of
professed story-tellers, called kissa kawn, a class of people well
known to the admirers of Persian and Arabian tales: they have
always been entertained by the oriental princes. Richardson, in
his valuable dissertations on eastern manners, says, ‘* professed
story-tellers are there of ancient date; even at this day men of rank
have usually one or more, male or female, among their attendants,
who amuse them and their women, when melancholy, vexed, or
indisposed; and they are generally employed to lull them to sleep.
Many of their tales are highly amusing, especially those of Persian
origin, or such as have been written on their model. They were
thought so dangerous by Mohammed, that he expressly prohibited
them in the Koran.”

One of my friends, a former resident at Cambay, and a favour-
ite of the nabob, being ill with a fever, which banished sleep and
baffled the power of medicine, the nabob sent him two female
story-tellers, of respectable Mogul families, but neither young nor
handsome. Placing themselves on each side of his pillow, one of
them in a monotonous tone commenced a tale, which in due time
had a soporiferous effect: the patient enjoyed a slumber to which

he had long been unaccustomed; when. he awoke the story was

185

renewed exactly where it had left off. Thus these venerable dames
relieved.each other day and night, until by a charm more effica-
cious than the juice of poppies, they wrought a cure.

At these Cambay suppers I observed many striking resem-
blances to the manners and customs recorded by Homer and other
ancient writers. ‘The feasts of the Grecian bard are often counter-
parts of modern orientalism, and the entertamment and presents
given by the governor of Egypt to the strangers from Canaan, is an
exact picture of what constantly occurs in an Asiatic durbar; quo-
tations would be endless ; but there are many passages in scripture
which might be illustrated by an attentive observer of modera
manners, particularly in that beautiful and pathetic narrative of
our blessed Redeemer, when a guest at the house of a rich Phari-
see. There the penitent Mary comes with an alabaster box of pre-
cious ointment, to anoint the feet of her Saviour, and to wipe them
with the hairs of her head. The proud host was astonished at this
attention being permitted from a sinner; and although he did not
express his sentiments upon the occasion, he internally passed sen-
tence upon the humble female, little imagining thai his thoughts
were well known toa guest, who, though veiled in mortality, was
the great Searcher of his heart, and knew all its motions. In for-
merly perusing this affecting relation | have been surprised at the
admission of such a woman into the mansion of the Pharisee; but
when I noticed the open halls and gardens in which the oriental
feasts are given, the variety of strangers admitted, and the familia-
rities which I have seen them take, and have myself experienced, I
cease to wonder, and am convinced that by a minute attention to

scenes daily transacting before us, not only the present seeming

184

inconsistency, but many of far more importance, which have exer-
cised the malignant wit of Voltaire and his disciples, might be
pleasingly and effectually elucidated. It is notorious that ridicule
is the principal instrument which the French philosopher makes
use of to depreciate the gospel; with his success by means of this
engine in his writings, conversation, and example, all Europe is
unhappily but too well acquainted. I had an interesting conver-
sation on this subject with the late Bishop Porteus after my return
from captivity in France, when that excellent prelate wished to be
parucularly informed whether true religion, under whatever out-
ward profession, had sprung up from the prostrate altars of the
Gallican church to counteract the fatal effects of Voltaire’s philo-
sophy, concluding in language similar to that which he bad more
publicly delivered, “ that Voltaire’s writings had unquestionably
produced more infidels among the higher classes, and spread more
general corruption over the world, than the voluminous productions
of all the other philosophists of Europe put together.”

Whea the servants of Naaman made use of that beautiful ex-
clamauion, ‘* My father! if the prophet had bid thee do some great
thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then
when he saith unto thee, Wash and be clean? If their master had
then continued under the fatal influence of pride and anger, how
wretched would have been his condition! how would he have con-
tinued to suffer under a shocking disease, which all the physicians
of Damascus could not heal, nor the wealth and power of his situ-
ation alleviate. Such is the pride of man! ‘To Voltaire’s deluded
tollowers, of what avail are those endearing words of truth and

love, “Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and

S

185

I will give you rest?” The invitation is too simple for self-confi-
dence ; until the spirit is humbled the heavenly manna is rejected
by modern philosophers, as was the prescription of ‘ Wash and be
clean,” by the Syrian general!

The fatal tendency of infidelity among the Europeans in India,
especially the younger part of the community, has been mentioned.
Bereft of parents and friends, we had none to address us in the
language of the pious Gellert, the amiable professor of Leipsic:
“* O! if the testimony of a friend, of a tutor, can have any weight
*¢ with you; if mine, my dear young friends, can have any influence
** over you, whenever any presumptuous reasoner would set you
*‘ against the doctrines of the holy scriptures ; or when the infidel,
“ not knowing how to tranquillize his own mind; undertakes to
“extinguish in yours a belief, the holiness of which confounds him,
« O Christian youth, let him never find one amongst you, who may
“ dare to despise the most excellent of all books, and make it a
* subject of raillery! Let the scriptures be at all times the object
< of your veneration; it constitutes your happiness on earth, and
“ secures it in heaven!”

How does the invaluable advice of this excellent professor out-
weigh the sophistical reasoning of the royal philosopher of Sans
Souci, in his memorable lines to Marshal Keith.

« De l'avenir, cher Keith, jugeons par le passé :
«© Comme avant que je fusse il n’avoit point pensé ;
“© De méme, aprés ma mort, quand toutes mes parties
“« Par la corruption seront anéanties,

«© Par un meme destin il ne pensera plus!

“« Non, rien n'est plus certain, soyons en conyaincu.”

VOL. III. 2B

186

IT shall at present conclude the subject with the sentiments of
the late earl of Charlemont: this illustrious nobleman preserved a
lasting friendship with Hume, without the slightest deviation from
those religious principles which he had the happiness early to
imbibe.

“'The celebrated David Hume, whose character is so deserv-
edly high in the literary world, was secretary to the British pleni-
polentiary to his Sardinian majesty, when I was at the academy at
Turin in 1749. He had then lately published those philosophical
essays which have done so much mischief to mankind, by contri-
buting to loosen the sacred bonds by which alone man can be
restrained from rushing to his own destruction; and which are so
intimately necessary to our nature, that a propensity to be bound
by them was apparently instilled into the human mind by the all-
wise Creator, as a balance against those passions, which, though
perhaps necessary as incitements to activity, must, without such
control, inevitably have hurried us to our ruin. The world, how-
ever, unconscious of its danger, greedily swallowed the bait. The
essays were received with applause, read with delight, and their
admired author was already, by public opinion, placed at the head
of the dangerous school of sceptic philosophy.”

From this digression I return to the oriental entertainments,
which, if properly attended to, illustrate many passages in the sa-
cred volume, not generally understood in Europe. The profusion
at these feasts is very great. In the patriarchal age, Benjamin, as
a mark of superior favour and distinction, had five times the quan-
tity of food set before him that was allotted to his brethren, and

more changes of raiment; so it is at this day, in the quality as wel}

187

as the quantity of food and raiment distributed to the guests, as 1
have often experienced, both among Hindoos and Mahomedans,
especially in the marked distinction, in number and fineness of
texture, in the shawls, muslin, and keemcobs, presented on pub-
lic visils at a durbar. This distinction points out the different
degrees of honour and respect due to the visitors. In the article
of dress it seems to have more meaning than in that of food; at
least so far as respects quantity; although even there, we must
not form too hasty a conclusion. In richness and expense, the
dishes placed before a great man may be far superior, and more
acceptable to his palate; but in quantity, from various causes, he
would perhaps consume less than a poor one. If we attend to the
general economy of an Asiatic entertainment, we shall find that
all is well done; no fragments remain; nothing is lost.

Our Saviour, illustrating a spiritual subject, says, a certain
man made a great supper, and invited many suitable guests: on
neglecting the invitation, the host sent his servant to tell them that
his oxen and fatlings were killed, and every thing ready for their
etitertainment. When, after a second call, they all sent an ex-
cuse, the master of the house ordered his servants to go out
quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and to bring in the
poor and the maimed, the halt and the blind; and to go into the
high-ways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that his
house might be filled. This is certainly very unlike the manners
and customs of modern Europe: when we examine those of Asia
in ancient and modern times, we shall find it literally fulfilled ;
the hospitality of the present day exactly resembles that of the
remotest antiquily.

188

“« A palace, wealth, and slaves I late possess'd,
And all that makes the great be call'd the bless’d :
My gate, an emblem of my open soul,

Embrac’d the poor, and dealt a bounteous dole.—
—For, taught by time, my heart has learn'd to glow
For others good, and melt at others woe!

— Who knows the son of sorrow to relieve

Cheers the sad heart, nor lets affliction grieve.

it never was our guise

To slight the poor, or aught humane despise;
For Jove unfolds our hospitable door,

Tis Jove that sends the stranger and the poor:
On all their weary ways wait Care and Pain,
And Pine and Penury, a meagre train.

Be then attentive: what we order heed;

This hapless stranger to the city lead:

By public bounty let him there be fed,

And bless the hand that stretches forth the bread.
To wipe the tears from all afflicted eyes,

The will may covet, what the power denies. Homer.

Such was the hospitality of ancient Greece ; my own experi-
ence, and that of many other travellers, confirms. the same customs
among the modern Asiatics. Chardin writing on this subject says,
among the Turks and Persians, at their meals “ they do not in
common make use of a table, or chairs; the floors of the houses
are covered with mats, pieces of felt, or carpets. Among those
who are at all opulent, there are, besides, embroidered or stitched
coverings, four feet broad; and cushions placed against the wall
to lean upon. All these things are embroidered with gold, among
people of quality. When the provisions are served up, they
spread a cloth, whose breadth and length is proportioned to the

189

hall, when it is full of people, and smaller when there are fewer
persons; at the same time they serve up the provisions, beginning
with the bread. In Turkey all eat together, and many out of one
dish; and I apprehend the Turks do not consider it as forbidden
and unlawful to eat with people of a different religion. It is
otherwise in Persia, Arabia, and India; the people of these coun-
tries would think themselves defiled, and made impure, by being
touched by people of a different faith, or by eating out of the
same dish: it is for this reason I am of opinion, that they are
wont to serve up every one’s food by itself. A carver parts each
dish into as many portions, put into different plates, as there are
people to eat; which are placed before them. There are some
houses where they place several plates in large salvers, either
round, long, or square; and they set one of these before each
person; or before two or three persons, according to the magni-
ficence of the house. The great men of the state are always by
themselves, and are served with greater profusion; their part of
each kind of provision being always double, treble, or a larger
proportion of each kind of meat, in the feasts that are made for
them.”

A passage in Dr. Pococke’s Travels exactly illustrates the con-
cluding circumstance in our Saviour’s parable of the great man’s
supper; which was doubtless very familiar to the company assem-
bled at the house of the chief Pharisee, whose guest he then was,
and to whom he was making thé application for a very different
purpose. In Dr. Pococke’s account of an entertainment made
by the governor of an Egyptian village for the cashif, or chief of

the district, with whom he travelled, he says, the custom was for

190

every one when he had done eating, to get up, wash his hands,
and take a draught of water; and so in continual succession, until
the poor came 1n, and ate up all; for the Arabs never set by
any thing that is brought to table: when they killa sheep, they
dress it all; call in their neighbours, and the poor, and finish every
thing. An Arab prince will often dine in the street before his
door, and call to all that pass, even to beggars, in the usual ex-
pression of Bismillah; that is, in the name of Gop: these poor
people then sit down, partake of the dinner, and when they have
done, retire with the usual form of returning thanks.

The familiarity to which I alluded in another entertainment
at a pharisee’s house, where Mary uses the box of oitment, is not
only common, but is far from being deemed either disrespectful or
displeasing. During my visit at Cambay I usually wore a corne-
lian ring containing my name cut in Persian characters; which
I used as a seal to official papers at Dhuboy. This being ob-
served by the sciddees and nabob’s attendants when we supped
at his garden-house, they approached me with that sort of free-
dom I have just mentioned, not only to admire the ring, but to
take it off my finger, and hand it round among each other, and to
the servants of the vizier and noblemen present, exclaiming Yacoob
Forbés: this was circulated, and by that appellation I found my-
self afterwards generally known and greeted throughout the city
of Cambay. |

Exclusive of the religious pleasure resulting from a perusal of
the sacred scriptures, there is a peculiar satisfaction in comparing
these ancient records with modern manners and customs in’ Hin-
dostan. Until my journey to Cambay and Ahmedabad, I knew

191

but little of the higher classes in oriental society; whose mode of
life constantly reminded me of similar representations in those au-
thentic annals.

The Asiatic females, especially among the wealthy Moguls
and Persians, are now exactly in the same situation as they were
placed by a Persian monarch some thousand years ago; the story
of Ahasuerus and Vashti is completely descriptive of modern
orientalism. Here we behold an eastern monarch, in the zenith
of power, reigning over an hundred and twenty-seven provinces,
extending from India to Ethiopia: ‘ making a feast unto all his
princes and servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles
and princes of the provinces being before him; when he shewed
the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excel-
lent majesty, many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.
When these days were expired the king made a feast unto all
the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto
great and small, seven days in the court of the garden of the
king’s palace; where were white, green, and blue hangings,
fastened with cords of fine lmen and purple to silver rings, and
pillars of marble; the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pave-
ment of red. and blue, and white, and black marble.” This is
exactly descriptive of a shahmyanah, or large canopy, spread
upon lofty pillars, in the gardens and courts of the Mogul palaces;
and attached by similar cords of various colours. Some of these
awnings, belonging to the Indian emperors, were very costly and
distinguished by various names; the most so was that called the
bargah, mentioned in the Ayeen-Akbery, belonging to the empe-

ror Akber; which was of such magnitude, as to contain ten thou-

192

sand persons; and the erecting of it employed one thousand men
for a week, with the help of machines; one of these shahmy-
anahs, without any ornaments, cost ten thousand rupees.

I cannot illustrate what the beds of silver and gold were,
from modern Asiatic furniture. The divan, or hall of audience,
as also the room for receiving guests in private houses, is gene-
rally covered with a Persian carpet; round which are placed
cushions of different shape and size, in cases of gold and silver
kincob, or of scarlet cloth embroidered: these are occasionally
moved into the courts and gardens, and placed under the shah-
myanah, for the accommodation of company. Respecting ano-
ther kind of bed mentioned in scripture, I think there can be
little doubt, that it means the palanquin of Hindostan, or some-
thing very similar; in which the prince not only reclines, or
sits in stale in paying visits of ceremony, but the traveller also
reposes during a journey, as if he were in his own bed. I have
been in a situation nearly nine months together in which I not
only travelled in my palanquin during the day, but slept in it
every night, with the purdoe or curtain dropped round it; either
in or out of a tent, under a shamyanah, or a banian-tree, as the
weather permitted.

The words in Solomon’s Song to which I allude, exactly de-
scribe the procession of an Indian prince in his palanquin, sur-
rounded by his guards; ‘‘ Who is this that cometh out of the wil-
derness, like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankin-
cense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold the bed, which is
Solomon’s; three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant of

Israel; they all hold swords, beimg expert in. war; every man

193

hath his sword upon his thigh. King Solomon made himself a
chariot of the wood of Lebanon ; he made the pillars thereof of silver,
the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple; the midst
thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.”
The latter part seems to correspond more with the hackeree, or
Indian chariot, drawn by oxen, than the palanquin; the former
having a canopy, or dome, covered with cloth or velvet, richly
embroidered and fringed, supported by pillars, ornamented with
silver and gold, often inlaid with sandal-wood and ivory: so is
the bottom of the vehicle, or frame-work, raised above the wheels,
which is here said to be paved with love.

The sacred historian proceeds to observe, that ‘ the guests of
Ahasuerus had their drink in vessels of gold, and royal wine in
abundance, according to the state of the king: the drinking was
according to law, none did compel; for so the king had appointed
to all the officers of his house, that they should do acording to
every man’s pleasure. Also Vashti the queen made a feast for
the women in the royal house, which belonged to king Ahasu-
erus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was
merry with wine, he commanded the seven chamberlains that
served in his presence, to bring Vashti the queen before the king
with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her
beauty, for she was fair to look upon, But the queen Vashti
refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamber-
lains; therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned
in him.”

Here two circumstances are introduced very foreign to the

manners of India, although one is perhaps not uncommon in
VOU. EUr: 2G

194

modern Persia; the drinking of wine in public, and the sending
for the queen on such an occasion: her conduct in refusing to
obey the command implies how indecorous and indelicate she
considered it, For this mark of disobedience, the king said unto
the wise men which knew the times, “ what shall we do unto the
queen, according to law, because she hath not performed the
commandment of the king by the chamberlains? Memucan, one
of the seven princes of Persia, who saw the king’s face, and sat
the first in the kingdom, answered before the king and the princes,
Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also
to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the pro-
vinces of the king Ahasuerus: for this deed of the queen shall
come abroad unto all women; so shall the ladies of Persia and
Media despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be
reported the king Ahasuerus commanded his queen to be brought
before him, but she came not: thus shall there arise too much
contempt and wrath. If it please the king, let there go forth
aroyal decree, and let it be written among the laws of the Per-
sians and Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no
more before king Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate
unto another that is better than she. And when the king's decree
shall be published throughout all his great empire, all the wives
shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small. And
the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did
according to the word of Memucan; for he sent letters into all
the king’s provinces, to every people after their language, that
every man should bear rule in his own house; and that it should

be published according to the language of every people.”

195

Such is the condition of the Asiatic women in general at this
day; their influence in society, their occupations and amuse-
ments I have already described. When a Hindoo, a Mogul, or a
Parsee, marries, he knows exactly how the girl has been educated,
what are the habits and customs of women in her situation of
life, and can generally calculate with tolerable accuracy upon her
future conduct. How opposite is this to Marmontel’s character
of a young Parisian; which, although perhaps too just a descrip-
tion, we readily allow is not without many amiable exceptions.
“A Paris, comme Ja prétention de former 4 son gré le charac-
** tére d’une jeune femme est la chimére de tous les maris, l’alten-
** tion de toutes les méres est d’élever leurs filles dans un état de
“reserve et de dissimulation qui ne laisse rien voir de décidé en
elles. Une fille 4 marier est dans le monde une espéce de chry-
“* salide jusqu’au moment qu’en déployant ses ailes, elle se change
‘en papillon.”

The sequel of the history of Ahasuerus affords a most re-
markable instance of the venality, corruption, and cruelty, of an
oriental tyrant. ‘This sovereign of Media and Persia, encircled by
wealth, splendor, and power, accepts of ten thousand talents of
silver, (offered by a nobleman whose pride was offended at the
neglect of a foreigner), to issue a decree, by which some hundred
thousand unfortunate captives dispersed throughout his extensive
empire were commanded to be put to death. This picture of
eastern cruelty and injustice, can be related in no language so
simple and pathetic as that of the sacred historian.

After the repudiation of Vashti, and the marriage of Ahasu-

erus with Esther the niece of Mordecai the Jew, the king pro-

196

moted Haman, and set him above all the princes that were with
him; and all the king’s servants that were in the king’s gate,
bowed, and reverenced Haman, for the king had so commanded
concerning him; but Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reve-
rence: and when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did
him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And after he had been
feasted at the royal banquet given by Esther the queen, he came
home, and sent and called his friends, and Zeresh his wife. And
Haman told them of the glory. of his riches, and the multitude of
his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted
him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and ser-
yants of the king. Haman said moreover, yea, Esther the queen
did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she
had prepared, but myself; yet all this availeth me nothing, so
long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate. Where-
fore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout
the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.
And Haman said unto Ahasuerus, there is a certain people scat-
tered abroad, and dispersed among the people in all the provinces
of thy kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all people,
neither keep they the king’s laws, therefore it is not for the king’s
profit to suffer them; if it please the king, let it be written, that
they may be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver
to the hands of those who have the charge of the business, to
bring it into the king’s treasury. And the king took his ring from
his hand, and gave it to Haman: and letters were sent into all
the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all

Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day,

197

and to take the spoil of them for a prey. ‘The copy of the writing
was published in every province, unto aJl people, that they might
be ready against that day; the posts went out, being hastened
by the king’s commandment; and the decree was given in Shu-
shan the palace, in the name of Ahasuerus was it written, and
sealed with the king’s ring; and the king and Haman sat down
to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed. And in every
province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree
came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting,
and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

The prolongation of this story is foreign to my purpose. Un-
der the controlling power of Providence, Haman passed the
favourable decree on Mordecai, which he thought could be only
intended for himself, as the man whom the king delighted to
honour : “let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth
to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown
royal which is set upon his head; and let this apparel and horse
be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes,
that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to
honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the
city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man
whom the king delighteth to honour. ‘Then the king said to Ha-
man, make haste, and take the apparel, and the horse, as thou
hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at
the king’s gate. Let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
When Esther the queen informed Ahasuerus of Haman’s wicked-
ness, while he was sitting at the second royal banquet, the king

arose in wrath, and went into the palace-garden; and Haman

198

stood up to make request for his life, to Esther the queen, for
he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.
Then the king returned out of the palace-garden, into the place
of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed
whereon Esther was; then said the king, will he force the queen
also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s
mouth, they covered Haman’s face. And Harbonah, one of the
chamberlains, said before the king, behold also the gallows fifty
cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai; then the
king said, hang him thereon: so they hanged Haman on the gallows
that he had prepared for Mordecai: then was the king’s wrath
pacified.”

What a scene of tyranny, caprice, and injustice does this story
present! it is too tue a picture of what stil! passes in an Asiatic
palace. Here also we see an exact description of the mode of
conferring honour on the favourite of a sovereign; a princely
dress, a horse, and a ring; these are now the usual presents to
foreign ambassadors; such as I have seen exchanged between the
Mahratta peshwa, and the nabob of Cambay: and presented to
an English chief, or the commander of a British army. The
taking off the signet from the royal finger, and affixing it to the
decree ; dispatching the halcarras, or posts, to the provinces, and
several other preceding circumstances, are still constantly practised
in an oriental durbar.

These frequent quotations from scripture, to illustrate the
manners and customs of Hindostan, will I trust be excused. Gib-
bon the historian, although no friend to Christianity, has candidly

acknowledged, that “if the sacred writings be considered but as

199

human productions, they deserve to be studied, as one of the most
curious and original monuments of the East.” And Granville
Penn, a writer of a very different spirit from Gibbon, says, “ that
it is impossible for the utmost power of human industry and
circumspection to gather in the harvest of sacred criticism so
completely, as that here and there an ear should not remain be-
hind for the gleaner who comes after; and it is with these, and
no loftier pretensions, that such are now offered to the reader.”

T had formerly the pleasure of being acquainted with a minis-
ter, well known in the literary world, now removed from works to
rewards; a man of learning, talents, and eloquence; in conver-
sation elegant, instructive, and delightful. Some of his friends
thought his pulpit eloquence by no means corresponded with his
private conversation, and were a little annoyed by the plainness
and familiarity of his language. One of them remonstrating with
him on this subject, the worthy minister, unwilling to pursue the
argument, pulled the bell, and desired his servant to take down
one, from a number of boxes, ranged in order, upon the upper
shelf in the Jibrary; he did so indiscriminately. Like all the
others, it contained the correspondence of a year: the minister
requested the gentleman to peruse a few of the letters, while he
finished some business in which he was engaged: after reading
half a dozen, he exclaimed, “ persevere, my valuable friend, in
your present method of preaching; change not: and may your
Great Master continue, as he has hitherto done, to bless your
endeavours.” I need hardly say, these were letters from persons

under contrition, * sorrow, need, sickness, or some other adver-

200

sity,” to whom his discourses, under the Divine benediction, had
brought peace, comfort, and joy!

i have been requested by valuable friends not to suppress
those quotations of scripture, first written in foreign lands and
distant shores; and which they are pleased to think may now be

a word in season :

Simul et jucunda et idonea discere vite. Horace.

And join both profit and delight in one.

I shall take leave of Cambay, and the various entertainments
IT met with on my journey to Ahmedabad, with an extract from
a Persian story, by Feridd’eddin Attar, inserted in the oricntal
collections, describing a magnificent banquet, which must cer-
tainly include every thing that can enter the warmest imagi-
nation.

“The painted representation of Persian feasts, which are to
be found in some of their manuscripts, agrees with this poetical
description. The prince, seated on a raised sofa or cushion, re-
ceives either from the hand of his princess, or of the young cup-
bearer, a goblet of wine; the guests in turn are served round, the
musicians are seated in a corner, and dancing women are repre-
sented in various attitudes. These feasts are sometimes celebrated
during the hours of nocturnal coolness, on the flowery bank of a
refreshing stream; where a thousand nightingales in the border-
ing rose-trees, join their voices to the melody of the chenk and
barbut. Perfumes are scattered all around; and lovely nymphs,

with faces bright as the moon, and ringlets black and fragrant

201

as musk, appear on every side. Attar concludes the description
of this princely banquet with the following appeal to his reader.
** All that can charm the ear, the pleasures of wine, the season of
youth, full-blown roses, and the minstrels’ songs,—wine and a
purling stream,—soft moon-beams—the melody of the nightingale,
and the clear light of torches, the faces of nymphs lovely as hou-
ries, and the fragrant breath of early morn,—when all these are
combined, what more canst thou desire ?”

I mentioned the taste of the Moguls and Persians at Cambay
for poetry and the belles-lettres during an evening entertainment.
‘The day following I was introduced to a brahmin, with whom I
was agreeably surprised and very much delighted. He was inti-
mate with Sir Charles Malet, and had profited by his acquaint-
ance: he understood English, and having access to his friend’s
library, he read our books with great facility, and particularly
studied a voluminous dictionary of arts and sciences, from whence
he had acquired a fund of useful knowledge and a liberality of
sentiment uncommon in his caste. He was fond of drawing, and
had acquired a skill and judgment in that amusement beyond any
native [ever met with; he presented me, on a further acquaint-
ance, with fifty portraits of persons well known at Cambay and the
adjacent country, high and low, of different tribes and religions, in
their various costume and distinct character of countenance, toge-
ther with drawings taken from the life of the most celebrated
yogees, senassees, and other religious pilgrims, who frequented the
Hindoo temples at Cambay.

I never met with a similar instance among the natives of India,
nor with any one approaching it. Mr. Hunter, in a journey from

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202

Agra to Oujein, relates a pleasing interview of this kind with the
soubahdar of Burwa-Sagur.—* On our arrival we were agreeably
surprised to receive from the soubahdar a present of cabbages,
lettuce, celery, and other productions of an European garden. In
the evening the soubahdar paid us a visit; he appeared to be about
sixty years of age, rather below the middle stature; his counte-
nance bespoke intelligence and his manners were pleasing. Hav-
ing had occasion, on account of some bodily infirmity, to repair to
the English station at Kanhpoor for medical assistance, he had
contracted a relish for European manners and customs. He had
discernment enough to perceive our superiority in arts and science
over his countrymen, and possessing a spirit of liberal inquiry and
an exemption from national prejudices, which is very uncommon
among the natives of Hindostan, he was desirous of gaining a
knowledge of our improvements. Next morning when we returned
his visit, he received us in an upper room of the castle, which,
instead of the Hindoostaney Muslum, was furnished with chairs and
tables in the European manner. He shewed us several English
books, among which was the second edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica. Of this he had got all the plates neatly copied by
artists of his own. To get at the stores of seience which these
volumes contain, he had even at that advanced period of life
formed the project of studying the English language. He ex-
pressed great anxiety to procure a teacher, or any book that could
facilitate his pursuit, and was highly gratified by Lieutenant Mac-
pherson presenting him a copy of Gilchrist’s dictionary. He en-
tertained us with several tunes on a hand-organ which he had got
at Kanhpoor, and exhibited an electrical machine constructed by

—

203

aman in his own service. The cylinder was a common table-
shade, with this he charged a phial, and gave pretty smart shocks,
to the no small astonishment of those who were the subjects of his
experiments, and of the spectators. As the weather was very dry,
the operation succeeded remarkably well. He even proposed sen-
sible queries on the nature of the electric fluid, and the parts of
the phial in which the accumulation took place; as, whether in
the glass or the coating, &c. which shewed that he did not look on
the experiments with an eye of mere childish curiosity, which is
amused with novelty, but had a desire to investigate the cause of
the phenomena. I am sorry to add that this man, being about
two years ago seized with some complaint which he considered as
incurable, repaired to Benares, and there drowned himself in the
Ganges.”

On leaving Cambay we crossed the Myhi, and returned to
Jamboseer by a different route, but not sufficiently interesting to
discriminate. I remained a few days with Mr. Callander, con-
versing with the Hindoos and principal people in Jamboseer,
whose manners and customs varied but little from those in the
Dhuboy districts. From thence I performed a solitary journey
to Ahmood, Baroche, and my own purgunnas ; during which, de-
prived of my interesting companion, I had leisure to reflect on all
we had lately seen, and to form an estimate of the happiness en-
joyed by the inhabitants of Guzerat under the native princes, com-
‘pared with the blessings of security and protection extended to
those in the English districts, or rather in the empire of British
India; no longer under the government of only a commercial

company, but subjects of a sovereign who sways his sceptre over

204:

those distant realms, where at least sixty millions of civilized,
industrious, and peaceable people, look up to British energy and
public virtue for a preservation of tranquillity and happiness.
Much has been done both at home and abroad to effect this glori-
ous purpose; much yet remains for improvement in the civil and
religious establishment of that vast empire. ‘The causes and ef-
fects of the late unfortunate misunderstanding at Madras will no
doubt place the military in India, whether bearing the king’s or
company’s commission, on a proper footing, and it is to be hoped
will effectually prevent the repetition of conduct fraught with in-
calculable mischief. Peculiarly situated as we are in that distant
country, it behoves every subject of Britain cordially to unite in
the support of our happy constitution, as far as local circumstances
admit of. If the fable of the father and his children makes a due
impression, and the bundle remains indissoluble, we must, by our
national character for justice, clemency, and generosity, gradually
secure the gratitude and affection of the natives. Great will be
the ascendancy of British administration, patriotic virtue, arts, and
science, over Asiatic despotism, venality, and corruption; where
the prophetical language may be literally applied, that “ they
hunt every man his brother with a net; that they may do evil
with both hands earnestly, the prince accepteth and the judge asketh
a reward ; the great man uttereth his mischievous desire, and so they
wrap itup; for the best of them is as a brier, the most upright is
sharper than a thorn hedge. They have gathered the summer
fruits, and the gleanings of the vintage, and have left no cluster to
eat!”

Allowing the virtues recorded of the ancient Hindoo rajahs to

205

have existed in their golden age, that age is long past; like other
eras of the same description it exists only in poetical fictions and
fabulous legends: or, if there is truth in those ancient Hindoo
annals, the cruelties of mahomedan invaders have obliterated it
in seas of blood, flowing in a greater or less degree through many
centuries. Since the death of Aurungzebe and the dismember-
ment of the Mogul empire, the peaceful Hindoos have been little
benefited by the usurpations of Hyder Ally, or any of the petty
despots called nabobs; nor are they rendered happier by the con-
quests of the Mahrattas, who, at least, equal the mahomedans in
rapacity and cruelty. Under all, the system of oppression has
been invariably adopted. Let British India boast of a mild, free,
uniform, and stable government; let its delegated rulers shew by
their religious, moral, and political conduct, that they are them-
selves actuated by the religion, morality, and policy which they
wish to enforce—a religion of love and mercy, of inward purity
and heartfelt delight; a religion, which having little to do with
types and shadows, dwells in the heart, and influences: the con-
duct. With such examples and such an infiuence, under the bless-
ing of Him by whom kings reign and princes decree justice, pos-
terity will behold a wonderful change. They will see that the
Hindoos are not so rivetted to the prejudices of caste and super-
stilious ceremonies as to refuse the proffered blessings of liberty,
protection, and peace. Let a wise administration remove igno-
rance and vice, and individual example exhibit the perfection of
British virtue and Christian piety, and they will “see the wilderness
and the solitary place be glad, and the desert rejoice and blossom
as the rose: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto thee; the

206

excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of the
Lorp, and the excellency of our Gop! ‘They shall obtain joy
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away!”

Although the description of Persian and Mogul entertainments
at Cambay may convey some idea of modern oriental splendor in
water-temples, waving chowries, scented punkas, perfamed sher-
bets, and similar accompaniments, they were in my estimation
generally counterbalanced by as many inconveniences. At the
moment of enjoyment I should have preferred a climate not in
need of those extraneous luxuries; a country where hired sing-
ing-men, singing-women, and dancing-girls, are not deemed ne-
cessary to domestic amusement; where the young and happy of
both sexes enjoy themselves, and communicate to others, the de-
light inspired by harmony, dance, and song, under the auspices of
parental hosts, who encourage the innocent cheerfulness appropri-
ate to the season of youth, and preside over their festivities with
that taste and dignity which elegant and cultivated minds so pre-
eminently display. The revolving season of Christmas, anniversary
birth-days, and other family convivialities, afford an ampler scope
for hospitality and beneficence—when friends, tenants, and depen-
dants of various descriptions partake of their bounty and munifi-
cence. Such was no uncommon character among the English
nobility and gentry some years ago, and is still to be met with in
many country mansions throughout this favoured island.

If the traveller in various countries makes a comparative state-
ment of human happiness, he will find, with few exceptions, that
the Great Author of Nature has distributed it more equally than

he first imagined. He writes of men and manners as he finds them

207

in their various gracations, from imperial Akber, dispensing hap-
piness to millions, to the wandering fakeer with his staff and lark;
from the splendid rajah and proud brahmin, to the wretched Poo-
leah and outcast Chandalah! Although he cherishes a hope that
ere long, under British jurisdiction, the condition of the latter
will be meliorated, he also enjoys some degree of pleasure in ob-
serving, that man, in a state of ignorance, is generally reconciled
to his situation, and that consequently there is less individual hap-
piness or misery than is at first apparent. In this position I am
as far from defending the tyranny of despots, the oppression of
zemindars, and the degrading distinctions of caste, as I should be
in supporting the horrors of the Inquisition, or the miseries of the
Bastille: but in contemplating the civilized part of the globe, whe-
ther in Europe or Asia, we shall find the concluding lines of Gold-
smith’s Traveller to contain a true portrait; whether drawn by the
pen of Johnson (to whom they are attributed,) or flowing from the
same source as many other striking passages in that beautiful
poem, is of little consequence; the truth is evident to all who in-
vestigate human nature, and examine with an unprejudiced mind
the allotment of Providence to his rational creatures.

“Vain, very vain, my weary search, to find
*¢ That bliss, which only centers in the mind:
«¢ Why have I stray’d from pleasure and repose;
'* To seek a good each government bestows ?
‘« In every government though terrors reign,
*¢ Though tyrant kings or tyrant laws restrain,
*¢ How small of all that human hearts endure,

*¢ That part which Jaws or kings can cause or cure-!

208

« Still to ourselves in every place consign’d,
“Our own felicity we make or find ;

<< With secret course, which no loud storms annoy,
‘* Glides the smooth current of domestic joy.

«< The lifted axe, the agonizing wheel,

s¢ Luke’s iron crown, and Damien's bed of steel,
«To men remote from power but barely known,

*€ Leave reason, faith, and conscience, all our own.”

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CHAPTER XXXII.

EXPEDITION AGAINST THE GRACIAS:
CAPTURE OF MANDWA, AND RESTORATION OF PEACE;
WITIE AN ACCOUNT OF THE BUHAUTS, SEERS,
AND SIMILAR CHARACTERS
IN GUZERAT.

1782.

«© NoorsHEERVAN, amidst the splendor of royalty, sought after the jewel of wisdom; and
sent a philosopher in disguise, to make researches into the stores of knowledge in Hindostan.
Mankind are often so subject to their corporeal senses, that they will not allow any thing to exist
which they themselves have not felt ; and are so governed by prejudice, that they will not be-
lieve any thing foreign that does not suit their own judgment: indolence induces them to forego
the pains acquired in searching after knowledge, and: they fall into a habit of imitation, without
asking why or wherefore: hence a variety of evils are derived, and truth lies buried under a load
of error. Thanks be unto Gop, who hath no equal, I neither condemn the ignorant ; nor am J

averse to praise those who know better.”’ AYEEN AKBERY.

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CONTENTS.

Improvement in the population, cultivation and revenue of the Dhuboy
purgunnas —irruptions of the Gracias and Bheels—character of
those banditti—endeavours to bring them to terms—insolence and
cruelty to the Gracias—their shameful behaviour at the Gate of
Diamonds—expedition against their capital of Mandwa—instruc-
tions of the British commanding-officer—success of the enterprize
—capture of the town, and the ladies in the haram—thew treat-
ment as hostages at Dhuboy—correspondence with Kessoor Khan,
chief of Vazeria—account of the Bhauts, demanded as security for
the good behaviour of the Gractas—similarity in the language and
conduct of those people, with several in ancient times—treatics en-
tered into with the Gracia chieftains on Bhaut security; hostages
released, and peace restored—Hindoo legend of the Bhauts—bards
proclaim the praises of heroes, and sometimes of females—account
of the Charuns, a sumilar tribe—astrologers and soothsayers in Hin-
dostan compared with Balaam, and those in the Grecian and Ro-
man annals—astrology and geomancy taught in the Hindoo semina-
ries—schools instituted by Akber—wise women of the east—known
among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans—consulted chiefly by lovers

in India—one of them applied to by Zeida—anecdote of this in-

teresting female and an English gentleman, after such an applica-
tion—warm imagination and lofty flights of the Persian poets—
stanzas from the Yusef Zelakha of Jami—virtues of ointments and
love-potions—passage from Horace—spells and charms complained
of in the courts of Adawlet at Baroche and Dhuboy—virtues of

the Hinna—poisons and enchantments—on the death of Germa-

nicus.

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CHAPTER XXXII.

Tue emigrations from the Brodera purgunna, occasioned by
Futty Sihng’s oppressive government, added so much to the pros-
perity of the Dhuboy districts, that at the commencement
of the fair season, after the most seasonable rains in 1782,
I found their population, and consequently the cultivation
and revenue much increased. They would have been. still
more flourishing, had not the cruel depredations of the Bheels
and Gracias prevented the distant villages from sharing the tran-
quillity enjoyed by those situated nearer the protection of the
capital. I have occasionally mentioned both these banditti; the
former were wild mountaineers, under no regular government,
and almost in a savage state; the latter, in considerable numbers,
were arranged according to their religion and caste, under a variety
of petty sovereigns, Hindoos and Mahomedans, who were dig-
nified by the titles of rajah, ranah, and other royal appellations ;
and had their viziers, officers of state, and usual appointments in
an oriental durbar, blended with a meanness and rapacity, difficult
to conceive. In this instance I allude to the rajahs and ranahs of

Mandwa, Vazeria, and Veloria, contiguous to the Dhuboy pur.

214

gunnas. There were Gracia chieftains at Ahmood and other places
in Guzerat of a more respectable character.

These Gracias style themselves the aborigines of the country;
alleging that many ages ago the ancestors of the modern Hindoos
possessed themselves of their property, and drove them to the
eastern hills; under this plea, they rush down, armed, in large
bodies of horse and foot, upon the defenceless villages, and make
heavy demands upon the inhabitants; which, if not complied
with, subjects them to the most atrocious cruelty and depreda-
tion. The marauders leave a written menace, or deliver a threat
to the patell of the village, and probably on the following night
come down with considerable force to burn the houses, drive off
the cattle, and destroy the harvest. They sometimes murder men
women, and children, without the least provocation. Dr. Francis
Buchanan, describing the banditti in Canara, justly observes, that
pestilence, or beasts of prey, are gentle in comparison with Hindoo
robbers; who, in order to discover concealed property, put to the
torture all those who fall into their bands.

During the Hindoo and Mogul governments at Dhuboy, de-
tachments of armed cavalry patrolled the country, and protected
the inhabitants; if the cruel Bheels and merciless Gracias did not
retire on their approach, they cut them down, or destroyed them
as so many wild beasts. On my appointment to Dhuboy, willing
to give the Gracias a better opinion of British administration, and
to impress their minds with a sense of our justice and. moderation,
I wrote letters to the different chieftains, desiring them to send

‘proper persons to state their claims, in the cutcheree (or revenue-

215

court) at Dhuboy; assuring them, that at the time of settling the
jumma-bundee, or harvest agreements, and appropriating the
revenue to the respective claimants, their reasonable demands
should be satisfied; provided they remained within their own dis-
tricts, and did not molest the Company’s subjects. ! threatened
them at’ the same time with the punishment. due to such atrocity,
if they continued their depredations.

The Gracias, from the first, made light of these proceedings,
and afterwards treated them with contempt. My small detach-
ment of cavalry, patrolling the districts, could effect but little
against much larger bodies of Gracias well accoutred. 'The ver-
tunnees, or armed-men, kept for the defence of each village, were
generally driven within their mud walls. They sometimes sent
me the head of a Bheel, as already mentioned, but met with no
encouragement for so doing. Year after year of remonstrances,
and mistaken clemency on my part, only added insolence to their
cruelty and treachery. Anonymous letters, filled with abusive
menaces to the inhabitants of Dhuboy, and threatening destruc-
tion to the villages, were tied up by night to the outward gates of
the city. When apprehensive of any effective measures being
taken against them, the Gracia chieftains thought proper to dis-
avow any knowledge of these papers, which were sometimes ad-
dressed to myself; but always without a signature. Tliese letters
were sometimes more openly delivered, accompanied by the most
wanton cruelties.

The Gate of Diamonds, or eastern portal at Dhuboy, has been
particularly described; as also the custom of the inhabitants, to

repair thither to enjoy the fresh air, and verdant shades without

216

the walls. There they met their friends every morning, and talked
over the news of the day, a subject the Indians of all denomina-
tions are fond of: the same remark, by Pococke and Russell, illus-
trates this passage in Ezckiel ** the children of thy people are
talking concerning thee by the walls, and at the doors.” A few
peaceful Hindoos were cne morning assembled ou a verdant slope
without the Gate of Diamonds, when two armed Gracias on horse-
back rode up, and asked them if I was at the durbar; being an-
swered in the affirmative, one of these cruel wretches threw a letter
to a brahmin, saying, “ deliver this to your sirdar; but that you
may not forget it, take this also, by way of remembrance;” at the
same instant thrusting a spear into his side. The other delivered
a letter intended for me to a banian; aud, by way of enforcing a
similar message, cut him across the breast with a scimitar. ‘The
wounds did not prove mortal, but they were both a considerable
time under the care of a surgeon.

A frequent repetition of these outrages compelled me to urge
the governments of Baroche and Bombay to send a military force
against these banditti. Many villages were entirely depopulated,
and the inhabitants, on emigrating into other countries, declared
that notwithstanding the justice and clemency of the English laws,
and the enviable blessings they enjoyed under their benign in-
fluence, they would rather become the subjects of an Asiatic des-
pot who would protect them from the Gracias. In consequence
of these representations, the garrison of Dbuboy was reinforced
by a strong detachment of infantry and artillery from Baroche;
which enabled me to send a sufficient force against Mandwa, the

capital of Gomany Sihng, the chief Gracia rajah. This fortress,

Q17

the strongest in their country, was deemed impregnable, from its
situation; and had always bade defiance to the Indian armies sent
against it. My instructions to the commanding officer on this
occasion, (consistent with rules then established in the Company’s
service) will evince the moderation and clemency, constantly en-
joined, and practised by the British armies in India, on campaigns

of more importance.

SIR,

Ow your detachment being joined by the troops from
Baroche, you will march with the united force under your com-
mand to Mandwa, the capital of the Gracias, and there en-
deavour to secure the person of Gomanny Sihng, the Gracia chiet-
tain, together with his vizier, and principal officers; as his sub-
jects have lately committed the most insolent outrage and cruelty
in the Honourable Company’s districts intrusted to my care.

If you succeed in securing the Gracia rajah, or any of his
family, you will please to send them under an escort to Dhuboy;
there to give security for their future good behaviour, and to
settle such other terms as may be necessary, to establish a perma-
nent peace, previous to their enlargement. You will, in the mean
time, continue at Mandwa, with your detachment, until you re-
ceive further directions from me, or from the chief and council at
Baroche.

Should you not be able to secure the person of Gomanny
Sihng, you are to make yourself master of the town, and remain
there until further orders. Notwithstanding the cruelty, insolence

and treachery of the Gracias towards our subjects, you will please
VOL. ILI. 28

218

to issue the strictest orders, that the inhabitants of Mandwa and
its dependencies, are not, under any pretence whatever, to be
plundered or ill-treated; on the contrary, you are, on their sub-
mission, to assure them in the most unequivocal manner of the

English protection.
Wishing you health and success,

I remain, &c.

(signed) James Forses,
Dhuboy, Collector of Dhuboy, &c.
Qth October, 1782.

This expedition was kept a profound secret from the natives
of Dhuboy, nor did the least suspicion of our intention reach the
Gracia chief. The detachment marched out of the garrison at
midnight, and reached Mandwa by break of day. So complete
was the surprise, that when the guard opened the gates of the
fortress to turn the cattle to pasture, and for the women to go
out for water, the British troops rushed in, seized the guards, and
obtained possession of the place with very little bloodshed. Go-
manny Sihng, the Gracia chief, although a very old man, escaped
by the vigilance and fidelity of his attendants, who on the first alarm
carried him on his bed across the river, and conducted him to a
strong hold, among the hills at some distance. Several ladies
were taken prisoners in the zenana, with his wife and daughter,
and sentto meas hostages. ‘These princesses were at first very ob-
streperous, and occasioned much trouble before I could bring
them to reason, or at all reconcile them to their situation. They
menaced immediate self-destruction, if brought into my presence,

219

or at all exposed to public view; a threat which I was well assured
they would put into execution, from the high idea generally enter-
tained of such suicides. I therefore ordered a sepoy-guard, selected
from such castes as I knew would be most agreeable; nor did I
ever see them, or enter into that court of the durbar appropriated
to their accommodation. And, as they did not eat animal food,
a daily supply of rice, ghee, flower, spices, fruit, and vegetables
were sent in for the ladies and their attendants, who had been
brought from Mandwa to Dhuboy in covered hackarees and pa-
lanquins.

During the time these Gracia princesses were detained as
hostages at Dhuboy, I wrote letters to the surrounding chiefs; one of
them will be a sufficient specimen of that kind of correspondence,

and illustrate my peculiar situation among those extraordinary

people.

To Kessoor Khaun, Chief of the Vazeria Gracias.
[After the oriental compliments]

During three years residence in a public character
at Dhuboy, I have frequently remonstrated with you on the in-
sults, cruelties, and depredations, committed by your subjects in
the English districts. They have been hitherto without effect.
Some months ago your vizier came before me, with an apology
for your conduct, and a promise of amendment; expressing at the’
same time your sincere wish to live on friendly terms with this

durbar: all was insincere. The Gracias of Vazeria have since re-

220

newed their depredations, plundered the villages, and committed
murder.

You have thought proper, among many other metaphorical
expressions, to write to me, that “a moscheto can torment an ele-
phant:” in one sense I admit its wath; but remember, that although
that noble animal bears much, when once roused to revenge no-
thing can withstand his fury; the beasts of the forest tremble
at his presence, and flee before him. The British lion, when ex-
asperated, is still more formidable; he is noble, generous, and for-
bearing, but there is a season, when the time of forbearance is past,
and the hour of revenge is arrived! My whole conduct must
have convinced you of the lenity of the British nation, and of
my desire to live in amity with the different governments around.
me; but the Gracias are continually infringing on the good order
of society, and the peace which ought to subsist between civilized
states. ‘loo long did I suffer your cruel depredations, from a re-
luctance to draw the sword of revenge. But the Mandwa Gracias
having lately exceeded their former atrocities, by darting a spear
into the side of a brahmin, and treacherously murdering some of
the Company’s subjects, f was compelled to send an army against
their chief, and take a capital which had for so many centuries
been deemed impregnable. You are not ignorant of that capture,
nor that the aged chieftain was with difficulty conveyed for safety
to one of the distant hill-forts, while his wife and daughter, with
several females from the zenana, were sent prisoners to Dhuboy,
where they must remain as hostages until a general peace is con-

cluded with the Gracias. ‘They have a separate apartment in the

221

durbar, where they shall be honourably treated; nor need they
have formed the desperate resolution of destroying themselves, if
brought into my presence. ‘The Gracia chieftains may be assured
that I feel too much for their sex, their rank, and reverse of for-
tune, to add thereto any thing incompatible with their caste or re-
-ligion. I neither desire to see them, nor to intrude any of my at-
tendants into their apartments: their guards have been selected
from the higher castes, and every proper attention paid them.
They are detained as hostages, the more effectually to bring -
the Gracia government to proper terms; Gomanny Sihng has
been informed, as you now are, that I am ready to receive your
viziers and duans, and to accede to a liberal peace, on your pro-
ducing respectable bhauts as guarantees for its being fulfilled;
so weacherously has every former stipulation been evaded, that I
will accept of no other security for your future good behaviour
than Ryjee Sihng, the principal bhaut of Serulah, and any others
with whom he may be willing to associate.

To you, I once more offer peace and friendship, before the same
force that has conquered Mandwa, proceeds against Vazeria and
Veloria. Send your vizier, or some other confidential minister to
treat with me. Be assured his person shall be safe; and whatever
may be the result of the negociation, he shall come in, and go out
of this district under my protection: the English never act with
duplicity, their word 4s sacred! Judge not of us by yourselves.
You are a Mahomedan prince, and doubtless, conversant with the
religion and morality of the Koran: consequently from being
more enlightened than the pagan Gracias, I have written to you,

as to a man of understanding. Reflect on the contents of this

229

letter; consider that peace and war are before you, and make a
wise choice! I conclude in the words of your own epistle “ what
can I say more?”

| Ap
Dhuboy, or Sookiabad,

8th of the month Sheval, Hejira 1194.
A.D. 15th October 1782.

During the campaign in Guzerat I particularly mentioned the
Bhauts at Neriad, and the value of a security executed by one
of that extraordinary tribe; the failure of an agreement which
they guarantee can only be expiated by the shedding of human
blood. This was my reason for insisting upon this sacred cere-
mony, in all my engagements and treaties with the Gracias. A
note on these lines in Pope’s Homer is very illustrative of this

custom among the Bhauts.

*« Yet him, my guest, thy venom’d rage hath stung ;

«« Thy head shall pay the forfeit of thy tongue.”

“From two remarkable expressions in Homer and Sophocles,
it appears that the blood which was found upon the sword, was
wiped upon the head of the slain; an intimation that his own blood
was fallen upon the head of the deceased, and the living were
free from it. His blood shall be upon his head, is a common ex-
pression in scripture, as also in other ancient writers. It was cus-
tomary among the Romans to wash their hands, in token of inno-
cence, and purity from blood. Pilate, the Roman governor, at the
condemnation of our Saviour, washed his hands, and-said, “ I am

innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it!” A speech,

um |.

RYJEE SUING, 2

Ziblished by Richard Z

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993

which occasioned the memorable imprecation from the infatuated
Jews, “his blood be upon us, and upon our children!” An im-
precation which has been awfully accomplished; exhibiting, for
near two thousand years, a standing miracle in proof of the
Christian religion, in its dreadful consequences on this mistaken
people.”

It was customary among the ancients, to confirm their agree-
ments, by drinking human blood, in which they sometimes min-
gled wine. Ryjee Sihng, the Bhaut whom I generally selected on
these occasions, was of a respectable family in the Zinore pur-
gunna, particularly celebrated as an historic bard, or minstrel.
In that part of his professional character, the Gracia chiefs took
very little concern, it being to them a matter of indifference, whe-
ther he chanted their praises, or published their crimes, so as he
did not rigidly exact the performance of a deed where money was
the object.. With them, as with many superior potentates in Hin-
dostan, avarice superseded honour. ‘he characters of princes
and historical traditions are committed to the Bhauts, in the same
manner as was practised among the bards and oral historians of
Greece. Homer was of this tribe; and the same custom pre-
vailed in Judea. In the chronicles of the kings of Judah, Jong
after the death of Josiah, it is said that all the singing-men and
singing-women spake of that excellent monarch, in their lamen-
tations, unto that day.

I wished to be guided by justice, moderation, and clemency, in
my dealings with the Gracias; but those virtues were of little avail
with that unprincipled race. The best, and most efficacious mode

of negociating with the generality of Indian princes, was by a

similar message to that from Benhadad king of Syria, to the
Israelitish monarch, then besieged by him in Samaria. He sent
messengers to Ahab, saying, “thy silver and thy gold is mine;
thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest of them, are
mine; and thou shalt deliver them into my hands. I will send
my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time; they shall search
thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that
whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it into their
hands and take it away!”

Equally insolent were the messages of the Gracia chiefs to
me, both verbally and in writing. ‘Their insolence in prosperity
was only equalled by their meanness in adversity. Very similar
to the pusillanimous conduct of the tyrannizing Benhadad, when
defeated by the monarch of Israel, to whom he had so lately sent
his insolent demands. On this reverse of fortune he sent his ser-
‘vants with sackcloth upon their loins, and ropes on their necks,
with a supplication to spare his life; a request with which the—
king of Israel imprudently complied. This hardly exceeds the
insolence of the Gracias before the conquest of Mandwa, nor their
abject behaviour afterwards. Many of the letters and messages
from their princes, delivered at the gates of Dhuboy, were not in
spirit, but in words, replete with expressions of impregnable rocks,
swelling rivers, birds of omen soaring aloft, and a variety of figura-
tive language so exactly resembling that on ancient record, that I
cannot omit it. Gomanny Sihng, especially, gave me to understand
that “he dwelt in the clefts of the rock, on the height of the hiil;
that he had made his nest high as the eagle, it was the habitation

of the strong. Although we should come up as a lion from the

225

swellings of Jordan, we should flee to the plains in which we
glorified; even to the valleys and the plains, which were the right
of their inheritance.”

After the conquest of Mandwa, and tedious negociations with
the Gracia chieftains of Vazeria and Veloria, they reluctantly
entered into the Bhaut security, finding no other terms would be
admitted, and finally acceded to my demands. They engaged
Ryjee Sihng, the head Bhaut of Serulah, and several others of the
most respectable families, to become guarantees for their perform-
ance of the treaties entered into with their respective chiefs. The
arlicles of peace and friendship between them and the East India
Company, were duly ratified in the Dhuboy durbar, and there
guaranteed by the Bhauts, who signed their names, and instead of
affixing a seal, drew the figure of a cattara, or dagger, their instru-
ment of death, opposite to each name. The female hostages
were then dismissed, tranquillity was perfectly restored, and not
a Gracia was to be seen within the company’s districts. So that
at the conclusion of my third year, I had the satisfaction of be-
holding all the purgunnas intrusted to my management, well cul-
tivated, populous, and happy. Colonel Wilks’s History of Mysoor
contains an excellent note on the Bhauts, with which I shall con-
clude my account of these extraordinary people.

« Bart, baut, batt, as it is differently pronounced, is a curious
approximation to the name of the western bard; and their offices
are nearly similar. No Hindoo rajah is without his bards.
Hyder, although not a Hindoo, delighted to be constantly pre-
ceded by them; and they are an appendage to the state of many

other Mussulman chiefs. They have a wonderful facility in speak-
VOL. IfT. 2.6

ing improvisatore, on any subject proposed to them; a declama-
tion in measures, which may be considered as a sort of medium
between blank verse, and modulated prose; but their proper pro-
fession is that of chanting the exploits of former days in the
front of the troops, while marshalling for battle, and inclining
them to emulate the glory of their ancestors. Many instances
are known of bards who have given the example, as well as the
precept, of devoting themselves for their king, by leading into the
thickest of the battle.

** At the nuptials (says the legend) of Siwa (the destructive
member of the Indian triad) with Parvati, the deity discovered
that the pleasures of the festival were imcomplete, and instantly
created poets, for the purpose of singing his exploits to the as-
sembly of the gods: they continued afterwards to reside at his
court or paradise of Kylasum; and being one day desired by Par-
vati to sing her praises, submissively excused themselves, by re-
minding her of the exclusive object of their creation, namely,
“to chant the praise of heroes.” Parvati, enraged at their un-
courteous refusal, pronounced on them the curse of perpetual
poverty; and the bards remonstrating with Siva against this un-
merited fate, were informed that nothing human could evade the
wrath of Parvati. That although he could not cancel, he would
alleviate the curse; that they should accordingly be permitted to
visit the terrestrial world; where, although sometimes riches and
plenty, and always approbation, would be showered over them
by the soverergns of the earth, the former of these gifts should
never remain with them; and that poets, according to the decree

of Parvati, should be ever poor. ‘The alleged prediction contri-

227

butes to its own fulfilment, and is the apology of the Indian bards
for not being much addicted to abstinence of any kind.”

“The Jegend adverts to a Mundanee Misroodoo, who in the
beginning of the Caly-yoog, introduced certain ordinances, among
which was the prohibition of animal food; a reform which the
brahmins consented, but the bards refused, to adopt. Major
Mackenzie conjectures that the name Misroodoo may _ possibly
designate the country of the reformer—Musr, Egypt; and that
this well known reform may have been introduced into India by
the Egyptian priesthood. Shenker Acharee is mentioned in the
legend as reviving, at a period long subsequent, some of the doc-
trines of Misroodoo; and Shenker Acharee probably lived about the
commencement of the christian era.”

Although Parvati, according to the preceding legend, inflicted
a severe punishment on the bards for not singing her praises, the
ladies in the easthave adopted other modes of obtaining that satisfac-
tion. Their eulogy may perhaps be less public, and more limited
in Hindostan than some other parts of Asia. Many passages of
scripture and ancient history mention singing-men and singing-
women sounding the praises of heroes in public; but do not en-
tirely confine those panegyrics to the male sex. And d’Arvieux,
who was present at the visit of an Arabian princess to the wife of
an emir, or great chieftain, at her tents, says, ‘“‘she was mounted
on a camel, covered with a carpet, and decked with flowers: a
dozen women marched in a row before her, holding the camel’s
halter with one hand: they sung the praises of their mistress, and
songs which expressed joy, and the happiness of being in the service

of such a beautiful and amiable lady. Those which went first,

298

and were more distant from her person, came in their turn to the
head of the camel, and took hold of the halter; which place, as
being the post of honour, they quilted to others when the princess
had gone a few paces. The erim’s wife sent her women to meet her,
to whom the halter was entirely quitted out of respect, her own
vomen putting themselves behind the camel. In this order they
marched to the tent where she alighted. ‘They then sung all toge-
ther the beauty, birth, and good qualities of this princess.” Voy.
DANS LA PALESTINE, p. 249.

The Ayeen Akbery mentions both the Bhauts and Charuns.
The Hindoos say that Charun or Churrun, was created from the
will of Mahadeo, and that Bhaut issued from his spine; that these
were the founders of two distinct tribes; Charun composed verses,
sang the praises of, and revealed to mankind past and future
events. ‘The tribe who bear his name are his descendants; the
greatest part of them employ themselves in singing hymns of
celebration, and in reciting genealogies. In battle they repeat
. warlike fables, to animate the troops; and they are also famous
for discovering secret things. Bhaut was the progenitor of the
tribe so called; who at least equal the Charuns in animating the
troops by martial songs, and in chronology excel them; but the
charuns are better soldiers. There is hardly a great man through-
out Hindostan who hath not some of these tribes in his service.

The transactions with the Gracias brought me more imme-
diately acquainted with the Hindoo seers, astrologers, and pro-
phets, of Guzerat. During my residence at Dhuboy I had fre-
quent occasions of slight intercourse with these extraordinary

people; who had pretended to forete! my periods of happiness,

229

and warn me of impending dangers. But, like the prophecies of
Michaiah, and other false seers, I found their predictions were
not infallible. These astrologers were consulted by the Gracia
chieftains on the first rumour of the expedition against Mandwa.
Oriental sovereigns of far more importance attend to their divina-
tions on the events of war, or the terms of peace. They are sent
for, as was the seer of Aram by the king of Moab, when the armies
of Israel approached his territories, to curse a people that were
too mighty for him. On the prophet’s arrival the king tock him
to Zophim, and the high-places of Baal; from whence they’ be-
held the goodly tents of Jacob, and the tabernacles of Israel,
spread forth in the vallies, as gardens by the river’s side, as cedar
trees beside the waters; “ from hence,” said the desponding mo-
narch, “ come curse me Jacob, and defy me Israel.” 1 shall pro-
ceed no further with this sublime and beautiful episode, than to
remark that Balaam was not a prophet of Israel, but one of
the oriental seers who were then consulted on important occa-_
sions, and were sometimes permitted to utter solemn truths, and
extend their prophecies to distant periods. We are expressly
told the source of Balaam’s inspiration on this occasion. His
parables not only foretold the success of the Jewish army, but, in
the sublimest strains, predicted the coming of the Messiah !

I have introduced the seer of Aram and his interview with
Balak on mount Zophim, from a coincidence of circumstances,
when the Gracias first believed the reality of an expedition against
them. Gomanny Sibng and his confederates then sent for the

principal brahminical astrologers and soothsayers; who, as usual,

230

yeceived the reward of divination, and flattered the vanity of the
Mandwa chieftain, by assuring him that his fortress was impreg-
nable, that the English arms would not prevail, and that the
Gracias might set our threat at defiance. ‘These predictions en-
couraged them to continue their depredations, and increased their
insolence and cruelty.

The seers and diviners in Hindostan are not confined to the
brahmin tribe: they are to be found of various descriptions, and
of both sexes; from the prince, who, like Joseph, divineth by bis
cup, to the humble fortune-teller, who, like the wandering gipsy,
receives a small donation for his prediction. Plutarch mentions
similar occurrences; and from other classical writers we find the
Greeks and Romans believed some men were endowed with power
by the gods, to devote not only individuals, but whole armies to
death. Homer frequently introduces the seers and augurs in the

Grecian and ‘Trojan armies.

«© This, Telemus, Eurymides foretold,
«© The mighty seer, who on these hills grew old;
<¢ Skill’d the dark fates of mortals to declare,

«¢ And learn’d in all wing’d omens of the air.”

The astrologers and magicians at Rome at length fell into such
disrepute, that, according to ‘Tacitus, the whole tribe was banished
from Italy, by a decree of the Senate. 'I'wo of them were put to death;
one was thrown from the Tarpeian rock, and the other executed, at
the sound of a trumpet, on the outside of the Esquiline gate. ‘The

magicians of Chaldea, and the professors of judicial astrology,

231

wishing to be deemed men of real science, called themselves
mathematicians, a name which frequently occurs in the Annals
of Tacitus.

Many augurs and soothsayers in India, though not of any
particular caste or tribe, are I believe set apart and educated for
the purpose in the seminaries of the Brahmins. We frequently
read of the schools of the prophets among the Jews; few of the
pupils, probably, were afterwards dignified with that sacred title,
or endowed with any supernatural gift. On the contrary, Amos,
when invested with that high honour, says ‘I was no prophet,
neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdsman, and a
gatherer of sycamore fruit. And the Lerd took me as I followed
the flock, and said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
IT am led to: imagine that in many Hindoo seminaries, instead of
encouraging mental and moral improvement, in those liberal and
solid acquirements, which expand the ideas, and dignify human
nature, the pupils are instructed in astrology, geomancy, cabalis-
tical knowledge, and similar attainments, which tend to weaken
and degrade the rational character. Unlike the great and wise
Akber, who instituted public schools throughout his extensive
empire, where, after the boys had been taught the letters of the
Persian alphabet, and the first rudiments of science, they were
then instructed in morality, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, agri-
culture, ceconomics, physic, logic, natural philosophy, abstract
mathematics, divinity, history, and the art of government. In the
Hindoo schools every one was educated according to his circum-
stances, or particular views in life. A plan which might be wisely

adopted in many civilized countries of Europe. From those regu-

932
jations mentioned in the Ayeen Akbery, the schools of Hindostan
obtained a new form; and the colleges became the lights and
ornaments of the empire.

I have omitted geomancy among the sciences taught in the
schools of Akber, as undeserving a place in his liberal plan of
education; but, distinct from the diviners and soothsayers lately
mentioned, there are in Ahmedabad, Baroche, Dhuboy, and
most cities in India, a class of femaies, skilled in astrology,
geomancy, and fortune-telling; these women were well known
among the Greeks and Romans; and in our translations from
the Hebrew they are called wise-women, which exactly answers
to their appellation amongst the modern Indians. It was to
one of these that Joab thus addressed himself, after David had
banished Absalom. “I pray thee feign thyself to be a mourner;
put on mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil; but be
as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead; and
come unto the king, and speak in this manner unto him. So Joab
put his story into her mouth.” From the kind respectful manner
in which the king treated her, after hearing the melancholy tale,
we may judge of the high estimation of these wise-women in those
days. ‘They are frequently introduced by the ancient poets under
the denomination of enchanters, diviners, and charmers. ‘Their
power was supposed to be very great; and they used various
devices to accomplish their purpose. Ovid introduces one who
had power over all the elements; and another mentioned by
Theocritus, as consulted by a love-sick swain, exactly corre-
sponds with a circumstance which came immediately within my

‘

own knowledge.

233

*¢ All this I did, when I design’d to prove
«* Whether I should be happy in my love:—
« To Agrio next, I made the same demand,

«« A cunning-woman she, I cross’d her hand.”

Wise ladies of this description are now consulted by young peo-
ple in India, on the same subject; especially on the jealousy, re-
venge, and other passions prevalent in an Asiatic zenana. I
could recite many modern anecdotes similar to those in Persian
and Arabian tales, but will confine myself to that above al-
luded to.

A young gentleman, when collector in one of the Company’s
districts in Guzerat, separated from all European society, formed
a temporary connection with an amiable Hindoo girl; for this
step no justification is offered, though the most rigidly virtuous
would, perhaps, make some allowance for influence of climate
and custom, a total seclusion from European refinement and
elegant society; and the impossibility, thus situated, of forming
an honourable union with one of his fair countrywomen. In a
christian country, where every man, from the sovereign to the
cottager, may wed the object of his affections, and where indivi-
dual example influences the circle in which he moves, a deviation
from moral rectitude admits not of this extenuation; but when
seduction or adultery aggravate the crime, the evil strikes deep at
moral and religious principle, and destroys domestic comfort.

The example of this young Englishman could have little ef-
fect among a people who neither professed the religion, nor prac-
tised the manners of Europe. His attachment to Zeida was con-

stant, delicate, and sincere; he never saw her at her own house,
VOTE 2.0

234

and she entered the durbar by a private door in the garden.
Three years had passed in this manner, when one evening the
lovely girl, her eyes suffused in tears, informed her protector that
knowing he would shortly return to Europe, a cavalry officer of
a good family in her own caste, bad offered to marry her; a pro-
posal she never would have listened to, had he remained in India;
but under the idea of losing him, she requested his counsel on a
scheme so important to her happiness. Her friend, delighted with
this honourable establishment, readily consented, and the marriage
took place. Zeida lived with her husband in a remote part of
the city; from prudential reasons all former intercourse ceased;
and from the different modes of life between Europeans and
Asiatics, nothing was heard of Zeida for many months.

In the warm nights preceding the rainy season, the youth
generally slept upon a sofa, placed under a gauze musquito-
curtain, on the flat roof of the durbar; to which there was one
ascent from the interior, and another by an outer flight of steps
from the garden. While reposing there on. one of those delightful
moon-light nights known only between the tropics, and apparently
inadream, he thought something gently pressed his heart, and
caused a peculiar glow, accompanied by a spicy odour, which
impregnated the atmosphere; under this sensation he awoke, and
beheld a female reclining over him in a graceful attitude. Her
personal charms, costly jewels, and elegant attire were discernable
through a transparent veil, a double fold artfully falling over the
upper part concealed her features. Her left hand contained a
box of perfumed ointment, with which her right was softly anoint-

ing his bosom, nearest the region of the heart. Doubtful whether

235

the scene was real, or the effect of a warm imagination, he re-
mained for some moments lost in astonishment; when the lovely
stranger, throwing aside her veil, discovered Zeida, decked with
every charm that youth and beauty could assume on such an
interesting visit.

When his surprise subsided, Zeida informed him the marriage
had turned out unfortunate; in hopes of happier days she had
hitherto forbore to trouble him with complaints; but seeing no
amendment she seized the opportunity of her husband’s absence
to repair to the durbar, in hopes of regaining that affection which
had formerly constituted her happiness. Fearful of a cool recep-
tion, she had previously consulted the most celebrated cunning-
woman in the city; who prepared a box of ointment, which she
was to apply by stealth, as near as possible to the heart of the
object beloved; and, if so far successful, she might be assured of
accomplishing her wishes. Zeida knew not the character of her
friend; he resisted the tear of beauty, and the eloquence of love;
and having convinced her of the difference between their former
attachment, and the crime of adultery, persuaded her to return
home before the approaching dawn discovered the impropriety
of her visit.

Oriental poets paint the tender passion with all the glow of
fancy and power of language: as Sir William Ousley observes,
‘in their descriptions of beauty, they indulge the most extrava-
gant license; the earth affords few objects sufficiently amiable or
beautiful, to be admitted into their similies; the blushing rose

withers at the superior glow of a mistress’s cheek; and the lofty

236

cypress is confounded at the grace and majesty of her stature.
The Persian poet ascends into the clouds of fiction, and seeks
among the aerial race of Peries, some resemblance to his beloved;
but seldom contented in this intermediate state, he exalts himself
among the stars, the moon and the sun; and his aspiring imagi-
nation would soar, no doubt, even above these. Seeking objects
of comparison, could imagination conceive any more beautiful,
more brilliant, more sublime !”

Zeida was not a dull pupil in this school; she felt that life
without love is of little value, as poignantly as Khosroo, Hafiz, or
any of the Persian poets. The sentiments, so much extolled in
the Yusef Zelekha of Jami, only express those, which, in unstudied
language, flowed from the lips of Zeida at this affecting interview.

«© Enrapt Zelekha, all her soul on fire,

*« Flew from her home, t’accomplish her desire ;
P 3

a

The raven night now slowly wings its way,

a
~

The bird of morning hails the new-born day :

~
«

Th’ enchanting warblers sing in rival pride,

«« The blooming rose-buds throw their veils aside:

«¢ The virgin jasmin bathes her face in dew,

“« The violet scents her locks of azure hue:

** But sad Zelekha knows no pleasing rest,

a
a

While hopes and fears possess ler anxious breast :

“« Her powers of reason wild despair disarms,

«€ Prompting to scatter all her roseate charms :

~
as

Smiling, to all she wears the face of joy,

«© A thousand flames her burning breast destroy,

237

s

© Night, more than day, desiring lovers hail,

a

© For that withdraws, but this bestows the veil.

« Conceal'd by night, she gives her griefs to flow,

«© And seeks in solitude relief from woe.

‘© Tn youth’s gay garden, like a flower she rose,

*« Pure and unruffled, as life’s water flows:

*« Giv’n to the winds, away her peace is flown;
P 3

«© Upon her bed unnumber’d thorns are strown.”

Respecting the virtues of the oimtment prepared by the ex-
perienced matron, such charms are generally credited in India:
many allusions to them are found in oriental stories; the “ oint-
ment poured forth,” and similar expressions in Solomon’s Song,
have probably the same tendency. ‘The ancient poets abound
with philtres, charms, and medicaments, to excite the tender pas-
sion. Unguents, bones of snakes, blood of doves, and a variety
of potions are mentioned by the Greek and Roman writers; espe-
cially the Arcadian plant called hippomanes. Many appropriate
passages might be quoted from Homer, Virgil, and Propertius.
One from Horace, where Canidia seems to have been be placed in

a similar situation with Zeida, will suffice.

Atque nec herba, nec latens in asperis
Radix fefellit me locis.

Indormit unctis omnium cubilibus
Oblivione pellicucum.

Ah, ah, solutus ambulat venefice

Scientioris carmine,

238

Then what am I? There’s not an herb doth grow,
Nor root, but I their virtues know,
And can the craggy piaces shew ;

Yet Varus slights my love, above my pow’r,
And sleeps on rosy beds secure ;

Ah! much I fear some rival’s greater skill

Defends him from my weaker spell.

It would be endless to repeat the variety of instances relating
to these spells and incantations which were continually brought
before the courts of adawlet in Baroche and Dhuboy, where they .
could neither be refuted nor counteracted. Those brought to
light in the public court were generally more intended for de-
struction by poison, than for the creation or revival of the tender
passion. ‘To effect the latter many virtues are attributed to the
mendey, or al’hinna, a fragrant and elegant shrub in the oriental
gardens, already mentioned. With the leaves of this plant the In-
dian women tnge their nails and fingers of a crimson dye; from
whence that passage in a Hindoo song, “ Like me, O Hinna!
thy heart has long been full of blood; whose foot art thou desirous
of kissing?” The other spells were composed of less innocent
materials, and appropriated to more iniquitous purposes. With
the exception of human ingredients, they bore a very near resem-
blance to the singular anecdote recorded by Tacitus, and con-
firmed by Dio Cassius, respecting the death of Germanicus; who
was supposed to have been poisoned at Antioch, by the secret
orders of Piso, by means of Martina, a celebrated female prac-
tiuioner in these arts. ‘ Under the floor, and in the cavities

of the walls, a collection of human bones was found, with charms,

239

and magic verses, and incantations. The name of Germanicus
was graved on plates of lead; fragments of human bodies, not
quite consumed to ashes, were discovered in a putrid condition ;
with a variety of those magic spells, which, according to the vul-
gar opinion, are of potency to devote the souls of the living to
the infernal gods.”

~ : -_ enorininig hs ate bth. oe Maes aii! deleaial hee For ‘piven
: - 4 D doe ceil “i aun? We elt dotting ‘ aij pale” ‘tor eatisle fe Loven. an
; fag = - : 5 ‘i fat: Ayr 745 7 hi whe se Si nh hist 21D aif Si am oils: a Pratta vecio’9 atin

; ; a Rettig “th} ors sc) LHDO TR ihsidton wallone. aignan. peotiete wine i, thi +
or a yniil ons ‘to, ibn 8 ad 1 ately Of <hiod 29 aap woiviyion 10g

i gt Vs 7 a
D aly, ee Se Pa OT Pe

ee ito) ce : Me ays

ae 3 a Lt
Beet et

ety

CHAPTER XXXIII.

AN EXCURSION INTO THE BRODERAH PURGUNNA,
AND OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE
PROVINCE OF GUZERAT.

1783.

«‘ Quantos payzes, tantos costumbres."’ SPANISH PROVER..
As many countries, so many customs.

«* And often did he pry through Nature’s store,
Whate’er she in th’ ethereal round contains,
Whate’er she hides beneath her verdant floor,
The vegetable and the mineral reigns ;
Or else he scann’d the globe, those small domains,
Where restless mortals such a turmoil keep,
Its seas, its floods, its mountains, and its plains,
But more he search’d the mind, and rous’d from sleep
Those moral seeds whence we heroic actions reap.” THOMSON.

VOL. III. 271

PT) ae Vo oe ae
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= ayes vac feriu a! (art pi ve OMA ss as Bs
3 aie A valk Yas ize we ibis AS ted" “dt ae ae

hie _ i ' ‘(ita land ae lead gait oe : sh ~
, wrmetal Mh, onwinaie dl mons weet ee 8 ey

a arpa Vea reey is Ts ated ‘Pedesae mauve a + _ Ppa
0 iis yi creer aR Ges _

tS aay iS Apulia fia panties aul wD Ace 1 2 4
Siaipehon ahaa Mane re Aan : iy as

aie |

oki a Hr gh

Me

CONTENTS.

Excursion with the new chief of Baroche, and a party, through the
English purgunnas in Guzerat—the cold season delightful for

travelling —Cubbeer-Burr — bats of enormous size

serpents—
cure of their venomous bite by Lullabhy—eatraordinary anecdote
on that subject—character of Lullabhy—weddings in his family
—behaviour on the death of his daughter—description of Corall—
Ranghur—Baubul forests ; method of killing the antelopes—pleasant
manner of travelling—Vanjarrahs, their commercial journeys and
comforts—life of the palanquin-bearers—anecdote of a young Hin-
doo mother—country near Zinore—pass of Bowa-peer—depreda-
tion of the Mharatta armies

beauty and fertility of Guzerat—
revisit Chandode—Hindoo superstition—questions respecting the
recluse brahmins—answered from Craufurd’s Sketches—arrival at
Dhuboy—improvement of that purgunna—miseries of war—letter
from the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburgh Strelitz to the King
of Prussia—suggested improvements in agriculture and revenue—
landed property im India—mountain of Powaghur—Brodera—
the capital of the Guicwars described—interior of the durbar—
debauched character of Indian princes — haram —mahomedan
women—mosques and sepulchres—funeral ceremonies—grand wells
—inscriptions— Rebekah and Eliezer—great men travel with water
an jars—stone bridge—provisions at Brodera—cheapness and abun-

dance in other districts—few wants in India—superior beauty of

the Brodera purgunna—lotos—lotophagi—valuable produce of the

district —villages—oppressions of government—character of Putty
Sihng—his titles—horn of victory—inoitation to his daughter's
wedding—presents—anecdote at Sindia’s durbar respecting Khi-
luts—magnificent wedding of Vazeer Ally—character of Asuf-
ud-Dowlah—anecdote of Hyder Ally, and letter from that prince
to Colonel Wood —letter from the Mharatta Peshwa to George
the Third—presents on that occasion insignificant compared with
the munificence of ancient sovereigns—system of oppression—
Akber—happy consequences to be expected from the power and
mfluence of the British government in India—music of the Hin-
doos—-ceremonies at a Hindoo wedding—cremation of widows—
flattery of Futty Sithng’s heralds—chamber of mirrors—Tippoo
Sultaun’s sleeping apartment—noble traits in Iveber’s character
—compared with Alfred—weighing of the royal person—coins
and seals of Akber—zodiac rupees—delight{ul encampment near
Brodera—cold in India—wretched state of the Chandalahs—
compared with the brahmins—injustice of the system and general
character of the Hindoos—Meah Gaum Rajah—his amiable cha-
racter—death and character of Hiroo Nand—sacrifice of his
widow—her superior endowments—compared with celebrated Eng-
lsh females—mahomedan women—extraordinary character of
Avyar, a Hindoo female philosopher and celebrated author—ex-
tracts from her writings — serpents—serpent-eaters—locusts—dis-

tullers—potters—Hindoo deities—floods—average of annual rain.

C B.A PT ER xXexX XE.

Tue present chapter formed the contents of a letter to 2 member
of council at Bombay, who had never been in Guzerat, and wished
to obtain some information respecting the English purgunnas in
that province. <A few repetitions of circumstances mentioned in
former chapters, extracted from a correspondence with friends in
England, may have escaped notice; I have endeavoured to avoid
tautology and to suppress redundancy, except where it would have

disturbed the sense or broken the connexion.

In the month of January, 1783, I accompanied the chief of
Baroche, then lately arrived from Bombay, on a tour through all
the purgunnas under his jurisdiction, as collector-general. We
formed a social party of five English gentlemen, with proper offi-
cers and attendants; it being necessary for those who fill high sta-
tions in India to preserve a respectable appearance in the eyes of
the natives. We spent three weeks in this delightful tour, although
the distance did not exceed two hundred miles. December, Ja-
nuary, and February, are the best months for travelling in Guzerat;

the mornings and evenings are cold, and the whole day temperate

246

and pleasant. ‘he thermometer at sun-rise is frequently under
60°, sometimes considerably lower, and at noon, until the warmest
time of the day, seldom exceeds 70’; during the hot winds in the
succeeding months, although the morning may be tolerably cool,
the thermometer evadually rises from 70 to 100°, and on the plains
of Nairangseer, near Cambay, I have seen it 116 in the soldiers’
tents.

On leaving Baroche and its extensive suburbs, we travelled
twelve miles near the banks of the Nerbudda, to our first encamp-
ment, under Cubbeer-Burr, (ficus Indica) one of the most magni-
ficent banian-trees in India, forming a canopy of verdant foliage
impenetrable to a tropic sun, extending over a circumference of
two thousand feet. A dreadful storm and sudden swell of the river
had, a few months before, diminished its beauty and reduced the
number of its trunks, which formerly exceeded thirteen hundred
and fifty, all traced to one parent stem.

The birds, monkeys, and serpents abounding in Cubbeer- Burr
are well known. ‘The enormous bats which darken its branches
frequently exceed six feet in length from the tip of each wing, and
from their resemblance to that animal, are not improperly called
flying-foxes. Bats of this magnitude are a kind of munster, ex-
tremely disagreeable both in smell and appearance. ‘They must
have been the harpies mentioned by Virgil.

«« When from the mountain-tops with hideous cry,
«« And clattering wings the hungry harpies fly ;

«© They snatch the meat, defiling all they find ;

«© And parting, leave a loathsome stench behind.”

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Q47

selves by the claw, or hook on the wings with their heads down-
wards, when they repose or eat, in which posture they hang by
thousands in the shades of Cubbeer-Burr. Archdeacon Paley re-
marks, that ‘ the hook in the wing of a bat is strictly a mechani-
cal, and also a compensating contrivance. At the angle of its wing
there is a bent claw, exactly in the form of a hook, by which the
bat attaches itself to the sides of rocks, caves, and buildings, laying
hold of crevices, joiings, chinks, and roughnesses. It hooks itself
by this claw, remains suspended by this hold, takes its flight from
this position, which operations compensate for the decrepitude of
its legs and feet. Without her hook, the bat would be the most
helpless of all animals. She can neither run upon her feet, nor
raise herself from the ground; these inabilities are made up to her
by the contrivance in her wing; and in placing a claw in that part
the Creator has deviated from the analogy observed on winged
animals. A singular defect required a singular substitute.”

As some of the monkey tribe seem to unite the brute to the
human species, in the great chain of creation, so the bat forms the
link between birds and beasts. Naturalists have disputed to which
class they belong. Pliny and the ancients place them among the
feathered race: the moderns, with greater propriety, arrange them
with quadrupeds. Like a bird they have wings, and the power of
flying; unlike the oviparous tribes, they bring forth their young
alive, and suckle them; the mouth is furnished with very sharp
teeth, and shaped lke that of a fox.

The most disagreeable inhabitants of this verdant caravansary
are snakes, which in great variety dwell among the branches ; some

malignant, others innocuous. ‘The monkeys destroy a number of

248

these reptiles ; sufficient still remain to cause anxiety in a sojourner
before his slumbering siesta, or nightly repose; yet it is extraordi-
nary how few accidents happen from venomous creatures in India,
where the natives in travelling are accustomed only to spread a
mat, or cotton carpet, on the earth when they sleep. I have occa-
sionally mentioned circumstances irreconcileable to Europeans,
constantly occurring among the Hindoos. [ insert another anec-
dote respecting the bite of a serpent, and the consequences which
took place at Baroche the year before I made this excursion; I
shall only affirm that my relation is an unembellished matter of
fact, from which I do not pretend to draw any conclusion.

At Baroche I was intimate with a Banian named Lullabhy, the
richest man in the city, and of great influence in the purgunna.
He was universally believed to possess the power of curing the bite
of venomous serpents, by a knowledge peculiar to himself, which
he never imparted to another. By this art he certainly recovered
many natives from a desperate state, after being wounded by the
cobra-di-capello, and the scarlet snake of Cubbeer-Burr, without
touching the patient or prescribing any thing inwardly. The
talent of Lullabhy seemed to have no affinity with that of the
ancient Psylli, or the modern snake-charmers, but probably was
not unlike the science professed by Mesmer or Dr. de Mainoduc;
be that as it may, his fame for effecting these cures was every
where esiablished. Mr. Perrott, then second in council, and some
other of the civil servants at Baroche, were satisfied with a cure of
which they had been frequent witnesses.

Of all the Europeans I was acquainted with in India, Mr.
Robert Gambier, at that time chief of Baroche, was perhaps the

249

most incredulous respecting talismans, charms, divinations, and
preternatural pretensions of the brahmins. His opinion of Lulla-
bhy’s talent was publicly known; a circumstance in his own gar-
den now afforded a fair oppertunity of detecting its fallacy. One
of the under-gardeners working between the pavilions was bit by
a cobra-di-capello, and pronounced to be in danger. Mr. Gambier
was then holding a council in an upper pavilion, and, at the desire
of Mr. Perrott, immediately sent for Lullabhy, without informing
him of the accident, of which he remained ignorant until ushered
into the chief’s presence. ‘The gardener was lying on a slight bed
of coir-rope, in a veranda adjoining the council-room. Being
asked if he could effect a cure, Lullabhy modestly replied, that by
God’s blessing he trusted he should succeed. ‘The poor wretch
was at this time in great agony, and delirious ; he afterwards be-
came torpid and speechless; still Lullabhy was not permitted to
commence his operation. The members of council anxiously waited
the chief’s permission, especially when Lullabby asserted that any
further loss of time would render it too late. Mr. Gambier examined
the man’s pulse by a stop-watch, and when convinced his dissolu-
tion was inevitably approaching, he allowed Lullabhy to exert his
influence. After a short silent prayer, Lullabhy, in presence of
all the company, waved his catarra, or short dagger, over the bed
of the expiring man, without touching him. The patient continued
for some time motionless; in half an hour his heart appeared to
beat, circulation quickened ; within the hour he moved his limbs
and recovered his senses. At the expiration of the third hour Lul-
labhy had effected the cure. The man was sent home to his family,

and in a few days recovered from the weakness occasioned by con-
VOL. ILl. 2K

250

vulsive paroxysms, which probably would neither have been so
severe or of such long continuance, had the counteracting power
been sooner applied.

Lullabhy was not only the principal zemindar of Baroche, but
one of the most opulent men in Guzerat. It is unnecessary on
this occasion to investigate his character as a zemindar, among the
Patels and Ryots, or to inquire how he accumulated his wealth.
I have stated the conduct of zemindars in my own purgunnas ;
and as the Asiatics view the nefarious transactions in the revenue
department differently from a conscientious Englishman, I shall be
silent on that subject. As a charitable man, this wealthy Banian
appeared very conspicuous; he daily appropriated a considerable
sum of money to alms-giving and relieving persons in distress ; no
mendicant was dismissed from his gate without a measure of rice,
or a mess of vegetable pottage mingled with meal. In time of
dearth he distributed grain throughout the villages in the Baroche
district ; nor was his bounty confined to those of the Hindoo reli-
gion. He repaired public tanks and choultries for travellers, dug
several common wells, and constructed a bowree, or large well, in
the Baroche suburbs, with steps leading down to the water, all of
hewn stone, in a very handsome style of architecture. A marble
tablet placed over the fountain of this noble reservoir, contains a
short inscription more expressive and beautiful in the Persian Jan-
guage than can be given in an English translation.

“© The bounties of Lullabhy are ever flowing.”

About this time Lullabhy celebrated a splendid wedding for
his son, a boy under five years of age, and soon after married his

only daughter, a year younger than her brother, to a child of a

251

suitable age, in a respectable family of the same caste. The feasts
and entertainments to his friends and acquaintance of all descrip-
tions continued many days, parading every night by torch-light,
through the principal streets of the city, with state horses, palan-
quins, musicians, dancing-girls, and every display of eastern mag-
nificence, in which the infant brides and bridegrooms, covered with
jewels and wreaths of flowers, made a splendid appearance; the
former in palanquins, the latter on led horses. These nocturnal
processions, illuminated by many hundred massauls, or torches,
illustrate the parable of the ten virgins, as each torch-bearer carries
a lighted flambeau in one hand and a brass vessel containing oil to
feed the flame in the other. Lullabhy’s presents on this occasion
were extensive and valuable, considerably exceeding a Jac of ru-
pees, upwards of twelve thousand pounds sterling.

Not long after Lullabhy’s daughter died ; being a man of such
high respectability, all those who had partaken of his festivity now
sent messages of condolence. I paid him that mark of attention,
not merely as a ceremony, but because I felt sincerely for his loss.
The religious rites and faniily customs on the death of relations are
piously and strictly attended to by all castes of Hindoos. When
the days of mourning were accomplished, I was surprised by a
much earlier visit from Lullabhy than I expected. | On alighting
from his hackaree I received him as a person under affliction, and
cautiously avoided saying any thing to awaken his parental feel-
ings. He led to the subject himself, and, with a smile of resigna-
tion if not of cheerfulness, told me as it was the will of Gop to de-
prive him of his child, he had the greatest consolation which a

father could enjoy on such an event, that of seeing her previously

Jt

2

es

married; had the nuptial rite not taken place, her death would
indeed have plunged him into deep affliction.

Natural affection must be nearly the same in all climates and
countries, but the numerous and prolonged ceremonies required on
the death of a Hindoo seem in some measure to supersede and
alleviate the sorrow, which might otherwise take deeper root in
the filial or parental breast. Mourners are hired at the obsequies
of Hindoos and Mahomedans, as they were in ancient days. It
appears from a passage in the prophet Amos, that this sort of
mourning and lamentation was a kind of art among the Jews:
“¢ wailing shall be in the streets, and they shall call such as are
skilful of Jamentation to wailing.”

From Cubbeer- Burr we continued our route for ten miles along
the banks of the Nerbudda to Corall, a small town, which gives its
name to an inconsiderable district, then belonging to the company,
producing a revenue of forty thousand rupees. The little capital,
situated on the bank of the river, contains some tolerable houses, a
few Hindoo tempies, and a gurry, or fortress, of no great strength.
Some of the villages are large and populous, the country generally
well cultivated, producing abundant crops, similar to those de-
scribed in the Dhuboy districts.

Our next stage was only nine miles from Corall, to Ranghur, a
small compact fortress on a lofty bank of the Nerbudda, in a com-
manding situation, where I had a delightful summer apartment
overlooking the rural plains and woody hills on the south side of
the river. We passed a few villages belonging to the Broderah
purgunna, and on approaching Ranghur entered an extensive plain

covered with baubul trees, a beautiful species of mimosa, produc-

253

ing gum-arabic, and affording cover to immense herds of antelopes.
This spot forming a part of my district under Dhuboy, I was
well supplied with venison and other game. A little powder and
ball procured me an antelope, and for a rupee I could at any time
purchase a deer, with two or three pea-fowl. For the more certain
destruction of antelopes and deer in that country, the sportsman
covers himself with a moveable arbour of green boughs; which
effectually concealing him from the unsuspecting animals, they
become an easy prey. ‘The peacocks, doves, and green pigeons
found near the Guzerat villages, are nearly as tame as poultry in a
farm yard.

It is unnecessary to particularise different stages and encamp-
ments on this tour: we travelled with two sets of tents and ser-
vants; by which means, without a deprivation of comfort at one
station, we found every necessary prepared for us on arriving at
the next. ‘Throughout this excursion we generally met with mango,
tamarind, or banian-trees, on the banks of -rivers, the margin of
a lake, or near a public well: water being the first consideration
for the cattle and attendants necessary in a country where furni-
ture, beds, and every useful article must be carried with us. Hay,
fire-wood, milk, butter, and lamp-oil, are supplied gratis to most
travellers, according te the custem of Guzerat; and in that respect
we found very little difference whether travelling in the English
purgunnas, or the dominions of a foreign prince.

Reposing under contiguous trees, we generally saw yogees,
gosannees, Mahomedan dervises, and other religious mendicants,
who travel over Hindostan; and often met with large caravans of

banjarrees, or vanjarrahs, a set of merchants, who do not belong

Q54

to any particular country; but live in tents, and unite together for
mutual comfort and safety, in the transportation of their merchan-
dise. Each corps is governed by its own laws and regulations.
These people travel from interior towns to the sea coast, with
caravans of oxen, sometimes consisting of several thousand, laden
with corn, oil, and manufactured goods of cotton and silk. They
return with raw cotton, spices, woollen cloths, iron, copper, and
other articles imported from Europe, and distant parts of Alia: the
greatest number are laden with salt, which finds a ready sale in
every habitable spot, from the sea to the summit of the Ghaut-
mountains.

The vanjarrahs from distant countries seldom make more than
one annual journey to commute their merchandize at the sea-
ports; travelling with their wives and children in the patriarchal
style, they seem a happy set of people, particularly at their meals.
A hundred fires are often blazing together in their camp, where
the women prepare curry, pilaw, or some savoury dish, to eat
with the rice and dholl, which constitutes their principal food.
Some of these merchants travel fifteen hundred or two thousand
miles during the fair season; and, as they make only one journey,
they contrive to give it every possible advantage. For this pur-
pose each bullock carries a double load, which they effect in this
manner: moving on one stage with their loaded oxen, wives and
children, they fix upon a shady spot, to unload the cattle; leay-
ing the family and merchandize under the care of a guard, they
drive back the empty oxen for a second load; which is brought
forwards, and deposited in their tents. The cattle having rested,

move on to the next station, with the first packages; returning

255

empty, they proceed again with the second load, and thus continue
a trading journey, throughout the whole fair season. The van-
jarrahs are protected by all governments, pay the stated duties at
the frontier passes, and are never molested. For further security,
a bhaut generally accompanies the caravan; the bhauts or chur-
rons, are a caste feared and respected by all the Hindoo tribes;
an old woman of that description is a sufficient protection for a
whole caravan. If plundered, or ill treated, without reparation,
either the protecting bhaut, or one of the tribe, sheds his blood in
presence of the aggressors; a dreadful deed, supposed to be al-
ways followed by divine vengeance. The vanjarrahs are likewise
followed by conjurors, astrologers, jugglers, musicians, dancing=
bears, dancing-snakes, monkeys, and various entertainments; they
gain a livelihood by what they receive in the camp, or pick up in
ihe towns and villages through which they pass.

The palanquin-bearers in India, are also a happy people. I
had the same set in Guzerat for many years. During a long
journey, which they generally contrive to pass very cheerfully, on
reaching their station in the evening, whether under a tree, a choul-
trie, or a shed, one immediately lights a fire, and cleans the cook-
ing utensils; another prepares the supper; the rest champoe each
other, or lie down to repose. A travelling set of bearers never
consists of fewer than eight; sometimes more; and in our party,
where each gentleman had his own set of bearers, they made a
considerable number. To prevent their falling asleep before the
rice and curry is ready, the wittiest man in the company com-
mences a story, similar to those in the Arabian Nights Entertain-

ments, which always gains attention and affords amusement.

250

These in a humble degree resemble the professed story-tellers
who form part of the establishment in an oriental court.

Between Ranghur and Zinore, I stopped with one of our party
under a friendly banian-tree, near a tank, to refresh the bearers:
a young and graceful Hindoo woman passed us in her way to a
temple on the opposite side of the lake. Concluding she had gone
thither on some religious visit, we took no further notice; but in
Jess than half an hour she returned, carrying a bundle on her arm
with such anxious care as arrested our attention. Having nothing
of the kind when she first passed us, we inquired after the contents :
smiling at the question, and removing the drapery, she shewed us
a fine infant, of which she had just delivered herself at the water-
side, its birth having unexpectedly happened while walking to her
own village at no great distance, whither she then proceeded.
The whole transaction was begun and finished within the space of
half an hour.

The book of Exodus implies something of this kind in a com-
parison between the Hebrew and the Egyptian women. Lady
Wortley Montague makes similar observations on the Turkish, and
Brydone on the Sicilian females. But I should not have ventured
to relate the Guzerat anecdote, had not Dr. Fryer, a professional
man, made a similar remark. ‘“ ‘The Gentoo women, at their
*‘ Jabours, seldom call midwives: it is a profession only in esteem
“ among the rich and lazy ; the poorer, while they are labouring or
“ planting, go aside, deliver themselves, wash the child, lay it in
« a clout, and return to work again.”

Had this woman belonged to any of the unnatural tribes of

Guzerat, who practise female infanticide; or had she been a

257

young widow devoted to celibacy, whom the birth of her child
would have doomed to infamy and loss of caste, she might here
have disposed of it as she thought proper, without any human
witness of the transaction, and subject to no punishment but the
remorse of her own conscience: fortunately she was the wife of a
peasant, and became the happy mother of a fine infant.

The distance from Ranghur to Zinore is about eleven miles,
through a populous, well-cultivated country, at that time under
my care. From the town you descend the steep bank of the Ner-
budda by more than a hundred broad steps of hewn stone, many
yards in extent. This river is there a narrow stream, meandering
through a lovely scene of woods, groves, villages, and cultivated
plains, bounded by picturesque hills and lofty mountains. Pur-
chas’s Pilgrims, two hundred years ago, describes Guzerat “as a
garden, where the traveller saw at once the goodliest spring and
harvest he had ever seen. Fields joining together, whereof one
was green as a meadow, the other yellow as gold, ready to be cut,
of wheat and rice. And all along goodly villages, full of trees,
yielding abundance of fruits.”

Soon after leaving Ranghur we came to the celebrated pass
at Bowa-peer, where the Mahratta armies ford the Nerbudda,
when rushing down from the Deccan mountains, on these lovely
plains like a people of old, fierce and strong, with a fire devour-
ing before them, and behind them a flame burning; the land
was like the garden of Eden before them, behind them a desolate
wilderness; and from them nothing should escape. Such a coun-
try to be so frequently subject to the cruel depredations I twice

witnessed within six years, is truly painful. Guzerat, either in
VOL. Til. 2 L

258

fertility or beauty, cannot easily be exceeded. ‘The tract round
the imperial city of Ahmedabad, and all that extensive cham-
paign watered by the Mihi and Sabermatty, is a perfect garden ;
its flat surface forming a variety from the inequalities of landscape
round Zinore. Hindostan, though not destitute of poets and
historians, cannot be styled classic ground; but had Homer,
Virgil, or Horace visited this ‘* Paradise of Nations,” they would
have caused it to vie with Greece and Italy. An oriental Baia
and Umbria would have courted their muse; and the vale of
Tempe would not have remained unrivalled. The gardens of
Alcinous, and the streams of Tiber and Clitumnus bear away the
palm of antiquity; in every other respect the royal retreats at
Ahmedabad, and the noble rivers of Guzerat, far surpass them.
Homer has exactly described the province of Guzerat,

«© Stern Winter smiles on that auspicious clime,
«¢ The fields are florid with unfading prime:
«© From the bleak pole no winds inclement blow,
«© Mould the round hail, or flake the fleecy snow,
‘« For there all products and all plants abound,
‘© Sprung from the fruitful genius of the ground ;
«© Fields waving high with heavy crops are seen,
«< And trees that flourish in eternal green:
«© Refreshing meads along the murmuring main,

«« And fountains streaming down the fruitful plain, Porr’s Opyssxy,

From Zinore we proceeded ten miles to Chandode, which is
esteemed by the Hindoos one of the most sacred spots in Guze-
rat; situated in a romantic part of the province, among deep

ravines and overhanging woods, on the banks of the Nerbudda;

259

a favourite retirement for that class of brahmins who spend their
lives in indolence, apathy, and a repetition of superstitious rites
and ceremonies, with which the generality of the Hindoos have
fortunately little connexion ; although the number of days appro-
priated to festivals and sacrifices for their respective deities, to
which the people allowed to worship at the temples are enjoined
observance, amount to nearly one third of the year. The Hindoo
religion has occupied so much of these volumes, that further dis-
cussion would be superfluous. Some queries were put to me bya
sensible friend, desirous of information regarding the recluse
brahmins in the sacred seminaries of Guzerat, which I shall not
withhold from those more capable of resolving them: a full deci-
sive answer would explain many difficuliies which now occur in
the brahminical ethics and religion.

Do the brahmins consider the universal Deity, and the sen-
tient, or conscious, principle in human nature, to be one and the
same Being?

If they do, under what name, or as what attribute of the
Deity, or result of sense, do they respect and consider him as
forming inherently a part of human nature? For instance,
whether as Brahma, Visnoo, or Siva? or as love, power, or intel-
ligence ?

Do the brahmins consider the essence, of which sentiment or
consciousness forms an inherent part, as it may constitute a part
or the whole of the Deity, and a part of human nature, as an
essence pervading the creation in all its parts and forms? For

instance, do they conjecture that stones or trees, or the elements,

260

in any of their forms and modifications, can have any portion,
however vague, of sensation and consciousness ?

Cun a human being, according to the brahminical ideas, ac-
cumulate within himself, or cause to have influence on his nature
the essence of the Deity surrounding him, by any operation of
thought, self-government, or amelioration of conduct? and, can
he lose, by a contrary conduct, or by any encouragement of vi-
cious passion within hima portion of the Deity he may be in pos-
session of, and be thus influenced the less by its proximity ?”

From my own knowledge I cannot explicitly answer these
questions; many passages in Craufurd’s sketches of the Hindoos,
elucidate them in a certain degree. ‘ Pythagoras, returning from
his eastern travels to Greece, taught the doctrine of the metempsy-
chosis, and the existence of a Supreme Being, by whom the uni-
verse was created, and by whose providence it is preserved. That
the souls of mankind are emanations of that Being. Socrates,
the wisest of the ancient philosophers, seems to have believed that
the soul existed before the body; and that death relieves it from
those seeming contraricties to which it is subject, by its union
with our material part. Plato (in conformity to the opinions of
the learned Hindoos) asserted, that God infused into matter a
poruon of his divine spirit, which animates and moves it: that
mankind have two souls, of separate and different natures; the one
corrupuible, the other immortal: that the latter is a portion of
the divine spirit; that the mortal soul ceases to exist with the life
of the body; but the divine soul, no longer clogged by its union

with matler, continues its existence, either in a state of happiness

261

or punishment; that the souls of the virtuous return, after death,
into the source from whence they flowed; while the souls of the
wicked, after being for a certain time confined to a place destined
for their reception, are sent back to earth to animate other bodies.
Aristotle supposed the souls of mankind to be portions, or emana-
tions, of the Divine Spirit; which, at death, quit the body, and,
like a drop of water falling into the ocean, are absorbed into
the divinity. Zeno, the founder of the stoic sect, taught that
throughout nature there are two eternal qualities; the one active,
the other passive: that the former is a pure and subi ether,
the Divine Spirit; and that the latter is in itself entirely inert
until united with the active principle. That the Divine Spirit,
acting upon matter, produced fire, air, water, and earth: that the
Divine Spirit is the efficient principle, and that all nature is moved
and conducted by it. He believed also that the soul of man, be-
ing a portion of the Universal Soul, returns, after death, to its first
source. ‘The opinion of the soul being an emanation of the
Divinity, which is believed by the Hindoos, and was professed by
the Greeks, seems likewise to have been adopted by the early
Christians. Macrobius observes, Animarum originem manare de
celo, inter recté philosophantes indubitate constant esse fidei.
Saint Justin says, the soul is incorruptible, because it emanates from
God; and his disciple, 'Tatianus the Assyrian, observes, that man
having received a portion of the Divinity is immortal as God is.”
Such was the system of the ancient philosophers, Pythago-
reans, brachmans, and some sects of Christians. In the sacred
volumes of the Hindoos are these assertions: “ Know that every

thing which is produced in nature, results from the union of

262

Keshtra and Keshtragna, matter and spirit. As the all-moving
Akash (ether) from the minuteness of its parts, passeth every
where unaffected, even so the omnipotent spirit remaineth in the
body unaffected. ‘The soul’is not a thing of which a man may
say, it hath been, or is about to be, or is to be hereafter; for it is
a thing without birth, constant and eternal, and is not to be de-
stroyed. It is even a portion of myself, that in this world is
the Universal Spirit of all things. I am the Creator of all things,
and all things proceed from me. I am the soul, which is in the
bodies of all things.”

The last text seems to convey an answer to the questions of
my ingenious friend, more clear and satisfactory than it is in my
power to offer, either from experience, or any other authority.

On leaving Chandode, we reluctantly quitted the beauties of the
Nerbudda, on whose banks we had hitherto chiefly travelled. A
stage of ten miles from the sacred groves and seminaries of Chan-
dode, brought us to Dhuboy, where I had the pleasure of enter-
taining my friends a few days in the durbar; from whence we
made excursions to Bhaderpoor, and other places within my
jurisdiction, before we proceeded northwards to Brodera or Ba-
roda, the capital of Futty Sihng. It was gratifying to observe
how much the population, industry, and commerce of the com-
pany’s districts were improved by the security, protection, and
encouragement of the English government; the standard of liberty
had then been flying three years on the Gate of Diamonds at
Dhuboy; when that noble flag was first displayed, the surround-
ing country exhibited a scene of poverty, wretchedness, and de-

spair; in villages destroyed and burnt by contending armies;

263

cattle killed or driven away; peasants emigrated, or compelled to
join the plundering hosts like beasts of burden. This dreadful
system had been so frequently repeated, that when I took charge
of the Dhuboy purgunnas, no language can describe their deplo-
rable state; and a few months afterwards, when surrounded by
the Mahratta army, I have from the ramparts beheld upwards
of twenty villages in flames at the same time. ‘The first female in
Europe, when princess Charlotte of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, pathe-
tically described a similar scene, in a letter to Frederick the Great,
king of Prussia, written when that amiable princess was not six-
teen years of age. It ought to be transcribed in letters of gold,
and with a set of Callot’s miseries of war, occupy a conspicuous
place in the cabinet of every sovereign and prime minister in the
civilized world!

«© T am at a loss whether I shall congratulate or condole
with your majesty, on your late victory, since the same success that
has covered you with laurels, has overspread the country of Meck-
lenburgh with desolation. I know, Sire, that it seems unbecom-
ing my sex, in this age of vicious refinement, to feel for one’s
country, to lament the horrors of war, or wish for the return of
peace. I know you may think it more properly my province to
study the arts of pleasing, or to turn my thoughts to subjects of a
more domestic nature: but, however unbecoming it may be in
me, I cannot resist the desire of interceding for this unhappy
people. It was but a very few years ago that this territory wore
the most pleasing appearance; the country was cultivated, the
peasant looked cheerful, and the towns abounded with riches and

festivity. What an alteration at present from such a charming

204

scene! I am not expert at description, nor can my fancy add any
horrors to the picture. But surely even conquerors themselves
would weep at the hideous prospect now before me. ‘The whole
country, my dear country, lies one frightful waste, presenting only
objects to excite terror, pity, and despair. ‘The business of the
husbandman and the shepherd are quite discontinued; the hus-
bandman and the shepherd are become soldiers themselves, and
help to-ravage the soil they formerly occupied. The towns are
only inhabited by old men, women, and children; perhaps here
and there a warrior, by wounds or loss of limbs, rendered unfit for
service, left at his door; his little children hang round him, ask
an history of every wound, and grow themselves soldiers before
they find strength for the field. But this were nothing, did we
not feel the alternate insolence of either army, as it happens to
advance or retreat. It is impossible to express the confusion
even those who call themselves friends create; even those from
whom we might expect redress, oppress us with new calamities.
From your justice, therefore, it is that we hope for relief; to you,
Sire, even children and women may complain, whose humanity
stoops to the meanest pelition, and whose power is capable of re-

; ae Poa,
pressing the greatest injustice.

Considering the incursions of the Gracias into my purgunnas,
and how much they had lately suffered by war, they were then
in a flourishing condition. Several occurrences in this journey,
nouiced by the collector-general, and the other collectors, tended
to improve the statement we had before transmitted to the Bom-

bay government, respecting the landed-property, cultivation,and

265

revenue of the English districts in Guzerat. They were com-
mitted to writing for that purpose, the unexpected cession of
Baroche and all its dependencies to Mhadajee Scindia, and the
Mabrattas, frustrated our plan. But as the Baroche purgunna,
and other considerable districts in Guzerat, once more happily
form a part of the British empire, I shall insert a brief recapitu-
lation of the present state of landed property in India, from an
excellent work lately published, which states that “ the country
is divided into large estates; some of them equal in extent to the
county of York. All landed property belongs to the govern-
ment, which lets the district to a great renter, or zemindar. This
tenant divides his estate into shares, which again are let to inferior
renters, through several gradations under different names; so that
before the land is given to the peasant it goes through several
hands: some smalls pots are possessed in perpetuity by persons hold-
ing a tenure something analogous to our perpetual fee-farm renis
in Europe. Thus we see that in Asia there is no class of men
which answers to our landed interest. The zemindars, as they
first hold one district and then another, may be rather considered as
traders in produce, and usurers to the cultivator, and thus may be
more properly deemed a part of the monied interest; of course
they have no local attachment, nor any regard for the peasantry.
This system may well accord with the despotic governments of
Asia, but cannot be at all necessary to the support of an European
power established in a country whose genius dictates milder in-
stitutions.

“Tf these immense tracts were divided into smaller estates,
forming a gradation down to the peasant, who possesses a few

VOL, III. 2M

266

acres of land, the result would be a greater security of property,
and superior encouragement to industry; an increase of people,
and the clearing immense tracts of waste land, which now cover
the half-desolated country of Bengal.

“As our European system of landed tenure is unknown in
Asia, and inasmuch as it is highly favourable to the prosperity of
the people, so it would be opposite to the principle of public re-
venue in India, where the revenue is the rent of land. When
once mankind had felt the good effects of this policy, it would be
to their interest that it should be durable; hence would arise a
dread of again being under the dominion of a native power. To
say that it would make them independent enough to enable them
to raise the hand of rebellion against us, would testify ignorance
of the temper and genius of the people. It would also imply
that the servants of the Company would not know how to govern
the whole community by balancing the different orders of society
against each other. ‘The increase of confidence towards the govern-
ment which such a measure would cause, must render the accumu-
lation of wealth and the establishment of a funded property more
easy, and create a fresh ue on the fidelity of the subject. It must
animate him by every motive of interest, in the defence of a
government on which his prosperity and happiness depended.
To this system it is that Great Britain owes its stability in the
midst of the revolutions which have convulsed all Europe. Man
is in many respects the same under every climate, and the mo-
tive of personal interest is certainly the surest pledge of his
fidelity.

“In a country where the great body of the people are poor

267

husbandmen and artificers, and where the rich have no fixed or
landed interest, little support can be expected from them; parti-
cularly when they are under the dominion of strangers, in whose
preservation they can have no personal interest. Thus we see
that it is in our power to prolong the duration of our Indian em-
pire to a very distant period, if we bave but wisdom and firmness
to see things as they really are, and acquire clear and distinct ideas
on them; and at last when our existence as a great and powerful
people shall be traced only in the page of history, posterity will
attribute to us the glory of having wrought a change highly im-
portant to the prosperity of mankind, and to the foundation of
civil government, in a region where degrading despotism had
oppressed the natives, and arrested all improvement in society.”
Leckie.

From Dhuboy we proceeded to Brodera, a city twenty miles
to the north-west. About mid-way we crossed the river Dalder,
then almost dry; but in the rainy season it is deep and rapid.
The country was fertile and well cultivated, but presenied neituer
hills nor uplands, to form the variety we had been accustomed
to near the Nerbudda. ‘There is indeed one exception on the
right of this extensive plain where the mountain of Powaghur
rears its majestic head, and gives an unusual grandeur to the land-
scape; it stands entirely unconnected, with a steep, bold, and
rocky ascent on all sides. ‘This extraordinary mountain appears
considerably higher than the '‘Table-land at the Cape of Good
Hope; but resembles it in other respects. On the summit is a
strong fortress, belonging to Mhadajee Scindia, a Mahratta chief-

tain, difficult of access, and deemed impregnable.

268

Brodera, the capital of the Guicawar domain in Guzerat, is
situated in the latitude of 22° 15’ 30” north, and 73° 11’ east longi-
tude. It then belonged to Futty Sihng, head of the Guicawars,
but had been formerly in the possession of the Moguls, to whom
it is indebted for all its grandeur; the Mahrattas having neither
taste nor desire of improvement. ‘The fortifications, like most
others in this part of India, consist of slight walls, with towers at
irregular distances, and several double gates. ‘The town is inter-
sected by two spacious streets, dividing it into four equal parts;
meeting in the centre at a market place, containing a square
pavilion, with three bold arches on each side, and a flat roof,
adorned, with seats and fountains. ‘This is a Mogul building, as
is every thing else that has the smallest claim to grandeur or ele-
gance. The Mahratta structures are mean and shabby, none
more so than the durbar, then lately finished by Futty Sihng;
which resembles most modern Hindoo palaces, in the want of
taste and proportion in architecture, and elegance in the interior
decoration. Many Indian princes, Hindoos and Mahomedans,
as also the wealthy nobles have a favourite upper chamber, with
walls and cieling covered with mirrors of every size and shape; in
the centre is a sofa, or a swinging bed, suspended from the roof,
adorned with wreathes of mogrees, and cooled with rose-water.
Here the voluptuous Indian retires to smoke his hookah, or waste
his time with a favourite from the haram. ‘This apartment is
sometimes decorated with indelicate paintings, in a wretched style,
suited to their depraved appetites: the orrentals im high life are
generally men of debauched morals and vitiated taste, who have

no idea of the pure and tender passion of love:

269

“¢ Nought do they know of those sweet graceful acts,
“© Those thousand decencies, that daily flow
‘© From female words and actions ; mixt with love,

«* And sweet compliance.”

In eastern harams the heart has little share in the tender passion.
Asiatic love, devoid of sentiment, means only sensuality; its
elegant refinements and chaste endearments are unknown. From
the confined education and retired habits of female life in India,
the women have no idea of intellectual enjoyment; their ordinary
pursuils are trifling, their amusements childish. ‘To have children,
fine clothes, and abundance of ornaments, seem to be the grand
objects of their wishes.

The Hindoo women are fond of frequenting their temples,
and performing the enjoined sacrifices: the Mahomedan females
seldom attend public worship; this by no means implies that
they do not pray at home: nor does the Koran, as many imagine,
inculcate the doctrine that women have no souls; neither does it,
as alleged, deem them incapable of enjoying a situation in the
voluptuous paradise of the Arabian prophet. On the contrary,
there are many passages in the Koran, which give them an equal
litle to that happiness, as the other sex: these are explicit.
“© Whosoever doeth good, whether he be male or female, and is
*¢ 4 true believer, shall be admitted into Paradise. On a certain
‘‘ day, thou shalt see the true believers, of both sexes; their light
‘“‘ shall run before them, and on their right hands; and it shall
“be said unto them, good tidings unto you this day; gardens
“ through which rivers flow, ye shall remain therein for ever.”

The remains of Mahomedan mosques and splendid tombs,

270

embosomed in the Brodera groves, add a sombre beauty to the
scenery near the capital. ‘They contain many superb mauso-
leums to the memory of wealthy Moguls, and humbler tombs,
or graves of turf, for the inferior classes. In these cemeteries
are displayed the amiable propensities of the female character:
to these consecrated spots the Mahomedan matrons repair, at
stated anniversaries ‘ with fairest flowers to sweeten the sad grave.”
The grand tombs are often splendidly illuminated; but the
meanest heap of turf has its visitors to chant a requiem, light a
little lamp, suspend a garland, or strew a rose, as an affectionate
tribute to departed love, or separated friendship.

The funeral ceremonies of the Mahomedans in Guzerat, and
other parts of India, resemble those in Turkey, Persia, and Arabia.
Widows and matrons, like the ancient Prefice, are hired to
weep and wail, and beat upon their breast with loud lamen-
tations.

Lryles de wAyeas, npadiyy yvimans wudw. Hon. Opys,
«*« Smiting upon his breast, he began to chide his heart.”

This was practised, not only amongst the Greeks, but adopted
by the Jews and many other nations. The howling and lamen-
tation, on such occasions, by the vociferous females in the suburbs
of Baroche, frequently reached to Vezelpoor, and disturbed the
tranquillity of our retreat. Itis to these noisy exclamations, rather
than to the dignified and affecting effusions of silent sorrow, to
which Lucan alludes. “ With hair dishevelled, and smitten breast,
*Lwas thus she spoke her grief.”

«« Effusas laniata comas, concussaque pectus

«« Verberibus crebris, ———. sic meesta_profatur.””

O71

Many Mahomedans reside in the smaller towns and villages
of Guzerat: they engage but little in agriculture or manufactures,
leaving the operations of the loom, and the toil of husbandry to
the more patient and laborious Hindoos: commerce and war
form the principal pursuits of the Mussulmans.

In the environs of Brodera are some very expensive bowrees,
or wells, with grand flights of steps descending to the water,
through rows of stone pillars and pilasters; these noble reservoirs
are generally charitable donations from the rich and great, both
Hindoos and Mahomedans. The largest of the Brodera wells is
a magnificent work, with the following inscription over the portal,
in the Persian character; of which I insert the translation, as a

specimen of such dedications.

IN THE NAME-OF ALLA!
THE GOD OF MERCY AND BENEFICENCE!
GOD IS ONE!

AND THE GOD WHO SENT MAHOMET INTO THE WORLD.

Jaffer Khan Ben Vazalmool, viceroy of Guzerat, was great,
successful, and mighty in battle. Brodera was under his com-
mand; he was an officer high in rank above all officers, and dig-
nified, by the king his master, with the most honourable titles.
By his favour, Soliman his chief minister was appoimted governor
of Brodera; where, by the blessing of Alla, he accumulated
great riches, and employed them in works of charity and_bene-
ficence. By him, this work of beauty, strength, and admiration,
was, by the Divine permission, completed on the first day of the

month Razeb, in the 807th year of the Hejira.

272

The steps to Soliman’s well at Brodera, were truly grand;
in the meeting between Eliezer and Rebecca, at the well in
Mesopotamia, it is particularly mentioned that Rebecca went
down to the well to draw water; from whence, after having filled
her pitcher, she came up, possibly by one of these flights of steps.
Perhaps also the ear-ring was the same as that which is now worn
on the nose by the Hindoo women; for it is expressly said in
mentioning the ornaments and jewels, provided for the occasion,
that Eliezer put the ear-ring (singular) upon the damsel’s
face.

The water of Soliman’s well is reckoned extremely pure, and
is much sought after. When the oriental princes and great men
travel, they generally have the water which they are accustomed
to drink carried with them, either in earthen jars, or leather
vessels, called pacauleys. This is a wholesome custom, as the
variety of water on a journey is the cause of many disorders,
especially to those who neither mingle it with wine, nor drink
any other liquor. Aurungzebe carried it with him from Delhi to
Cachemire. The opulent Hindoo travels with the water of the
Ganges; the ancient kings of Parthia were accompanied by the
water of the Choaspes. David, when surrounded by the Philis-
tine army, longed to taste of the water from the well at Bethlehem,
his native place: three mighty men of valour brake through the
Philistine host, and brought him the water.

Near Brodera is a stone bridge over the river Biswamintree,
consisting of two ranges of arches, over each other. I do not
mention this construction as being curious, or elegant in its archi-
tecture, but as the only bridge I ever saw in India. In Guzerat

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Published by Richard Bentigy 3 New Barlangten SLMI4

973

the rivers are generally crossed in ferry-boats, or the traveller con-
tinues his journey along the banks to the nearest ford. During
the rainy season, when the rivers swell suddenly, and run with
amazing velocity, [ have been obliged to cross them on a light
platform, fixed on empty earthen pots, dragged over by ropes.
This is sometiines a dangerous experiment, especially when any of
the pots break.

Brodera is abundantly and cheaply supplied with excellent
provisions ; with mutton, beef, and kid, at a penny per pound ; or
a whole fat lamb or kid for fifteen pence; poultry is not bred
much, except near the English settlemen's in Guzerat; but deer,
hares, partridges, quails, and water-fowl, are extremely cheap and
plentiful. Compared with the price of provisions at Bombay,
these were uncommonly low, and yet they were extravagant to
the cost of similar articles in the northern parts of the Bengal pro-
vinces, and some districts through which General Goddard’s army
marched in their route to Surat. ‘The officers commanding the
Bengal battalions of sepoys, then stationed at Brodera, informed
me they had in those countries purchased a fine ox for three ru-
pees; six sheep, or as many fat lambs, for one rupee; and five
dozen of fowls at the same price; wild hogs, deer, and hares were
extremely abundant; flamingos, wild ducks, and feathered game
still more so. In plentiful seasons every kind of Indian grain was
procurable by the poorest peasants ; they could buy upwards of
three hundred pounds weight of rice for a rupee ; juarree, bahjeree,
and inferior grain proportionably cheaper.

In such a country none can complain of poverty; and through-

out the province of Guzerat the general wants are few, compared
N

i)

VOL. III.

cS)

74

with those of the natives in colder climates, particularly in houses,
fuel, and raiment. Give a poor Hindoo his cocoa-nut hubble-
bubble, or smoking machine; a shady tree, near a tank for his
beverage and ablutions: and a village bazar to purchase a little
rice and tobacco, and he performs a long journey perfectly con-
tented. Poor indeed must be the spot which cannot supply him
with those necessaries ; I never met with any so desolate in the
course of my travels. For in Hindostan are no ruthless deserts or
pathless plains, common in Persia and Arabia; those arid tracts
which Buffon so admirably describes in a few words: * Qu’on se
figure un pays sans verdure, et sans eau; un soleil brulant, un ciel
toujours sec, des plaines sablaneuse, des montagnes encore plus
arides, sur les quelles Yoeil se tent, et le regard se perd, sans pou-
voir s’arreter sur aucun objet vivant.”

If I were to point out the most beautiful part of India I ever
saw, I should fix upon the province of Guzerat. If I were to de-
cide upon the most delightful part of that province, I should with-
out hesitation prefer the purgunnas of Brodera and Neriad. The
crops in the other districts may be equal in variety and abun-
dance, but the number of trees which adorn the roads, the rich-
ness of the mango topes round the villages, the size and ver-
dure of the tamarind trees, clothe the country with uncommon
beauty, such indeed as Inever saw to so great an extent in any
other part of the globe. ‘There is, besides, a voluptuous stillness,
if | may use the expression, in an Indian landscape, a serenity in
the atmosphere, and a quietness in the road during a morning
walk, or evening ride in the cool season, not generally known in
Europe. I am almost tempted to say, that the lotos-covered lakes,

‘LCC

Q75

and their overshadowing banian-trees, have a more cheerful and
brilliant appearance than in the surrounding districts: the sweet
variety of the red, white, and blue lotos, gently agitated by the
breeze, or moved by the spotted halcyon alighting on the stalks,
with the rails and water-hens lightly running over the foliage, are
altogether lovely. Our tents were pitched in one of these delight-
ful situations on the margin of a lake, about a-mile from the walls
of Brodera.

Ido not know whether the seed of the lotos is eaten, or put to
any other use in India, nor can I ascertain the variety of these
plants in different parts. Eustathius says there are many kinds
of lotos: he thinks Homer speaks of it as an herb, for he calls it
dive edop; and adds, that there is an Egyptran lotos, which Herodo-
tus affirms grows abundantly in the Nile, resenbling a lily; the
Egyptians take out the pulp or seed, dry it in the sun, and bake
it as bread: this I think cannot be any of the class in Hindostan.
Atheneeus, in his Deipnosophist, quotes a description of the Ly-
bian lotos, from Polybius, which was used as food by the natives ;
but that also differs very much from the lily of the Nile, or the
nymphea of Hindostan. Did any of the harmless Hindoos eat
the seed or fruit of this plant, as they convert its leaves into
dishes and plates at their own vegetable meals, they would exactly
answer Homer’s description of the innocent lotophagi.

«* At length we touch’d, by storms and tempests tost,
«¢ The land of Lotos, and the flowery coast ;

«© We climb’d the beach, and springs of water found,
«© Then spread our frugal banquet on the ground :

«© The people there are kind to foreign guest,
«« They eat, they drink, and nature gives the feast ;

276

«« The trees around them all their food produce,
«© Lotos the name ; divine nectareous juice !
“ (Thence call’d lotophagi) which whoso tastes,

‘« Insatiate riots in the sweet repasts.”’ Opyssey

Three valuable articles might be cultivated in Guzerat to a
much greater extent, which would yield an ample profit, if the
speculation did not interfere with the West India trade to Eng-
land; these are the sugar-cane, tobacco, and indigo; the luxuri-
ance of these productions, when planted in a congenial soil, indi-
cates the source of wealth that would accrue to the cultivator on a
larger scale, without encroaching on the quota of land set apart
for the necessary supply of corn, oil, and pulse of various kinds.
Mulberries of three different sorts flourish in the Guzerat gardens ;
the small red, the white, and a long curling kind, hanging in ap-
pearance like so many caterpillars. Hach of these kinds grow from
cullings without the smallest trouble; they only require to be
stuck in the ground in the rainy season, and take their chance
afterwards. ‘Thus silk in any quantity might be produced in vari-
ous purgunnas. Opium perhaps would not be so productive in all
places where the poppies would grow; nor is it desirable, from
the fatal purpose to which it is converted in most parts of India
and China. Hemp and flax would flourish in the northern dis-
tricts, and colton isa staple commodity of Guzerat.

The villages in the Brodera purgunna, like those of the adjacent
districts, are seldom more than two miles from each other. The
natives all live either in towns or villages; a single farm-house, or
even a separale cottage, is not often seen; incursions of wild

beasts, and in many tracts of wilder men, is a sufficient reason for

277

their dwelling near each other, within the village fence of mud
walls and milk-bush hedges. Bamboos, planted for that purpose,
form avery strong boundary. Cattle are never left out at night
in the village pastures.

It was dreadful to think that the inhabitants of this earthly
paradise groaned under the most oppressive despotism. Compared
with the government of the Brodera chieftain, a Mogul prince
appears a noble character; but even the latter loses much when
contrasted with the ancient Hindoo rajahs. Surrounded as_ they
were by wealth and splendor, there was something patriarchal in
their style of administration, which, by delegated authority, per-
vaded the most distant provinces. A retrospective view of orien-
tal history carries us to a time of great simplicity—to something
like the golden age of the poets, when virtuous princes sat on the
throne, and a religion unadulterated by modern brahminism, pre-
vailed throughout the empire. Ofsuch a climate, such a country,
and such a sovereign, it may be truly said, that * blessed of the
Lord was the land, for the precious things of heaven, the precious
things of the earth, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the
sun; for the chief things of the mountains, and the precious things
of the hills; for blessings which distil as the dew, and as showers
upon the grass! that he might eat the increase of his fields ; butter
of kine, milk of sheep, and kidneys of the wheat; that he might
suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock!”

Futty Sihng completely reversed this benevolent portrait of the
ancient Hindoo rajahs. He thought himself under a necessity of
paying attention to the English chief of Baroche, with several

members of his council, and suitable attendants, travelling through

278

his districts. No sooner were our tents pitched near the walls of
Brodera than he sent his chopdars, or heralds, with a friendly mes-
sage, accompanied with a present of fruit and sweetmeats, and re-
questing the honour of a visit at the durbar. We accepted his
invitation the same evening, and were amused as usual with danc-
ing-girls, music, betel, and sherbet, and received the customary
presents, but allina very unprincely style compared with the Per-
sian and Mogul entertainments at Cambay. The generality of
Hindoo princes, when contrasted with the highest class of Mussul-
mans, are mean and sordid; avarice and ambition unite in both ;
but the courteous behaviour and dignified politeness of the Mogul
are far more engaging than the unpolished manners, mingled with
the disagreeable pride of the Mahratta sirdar.

Futty Sihng was a remarkable instance of the blended charac-
teristics of pride, avarice, and a sordid disposition. As a prince
he had many names and titles; the principal were Futty Sihng
Row, Guicawar, Shamsheer Bahadur. As head of the Guicawar
family, that of Cow-keeper was most pre-eminent: the last appel-
Jation alludes to the prowess of a military chieftain. Futty, or
Futteh Sihng, implies the “ Horn of Victory.” The horn has al-
ways been a figurative expression in Asia for power and dignity.
David says to his enemies, “ Lift not up your horn on high”— of
himself, ‘© My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn;”
or rather the rhinoceros, it being a most offensive weapon in that
animal. In Abyssinia the horn, according to Bruce, is worn as an
ornament by the nobles and great men, and bound upon the fore-
head in the days of victory, preferment, and rejoicing; on which

occasions they are anointed with new, or sweet oil; a circum-

279

stance which David expressly unites with that of lifting up, or
erecting the horn. How far this visible horn might have added
to the princely appearance of Futty Sihng I cannot determine ;
without it, he certainly had no dignity, being short of stature, of a
dark complexion, and mean appearance. He was then forty years
of age, had been married to several wives, but had only one child,
betrothed a little time before to a young man of family in the
Deccan. Futty Sinng sent a chopdar to me at Dhuboy, with a
letter of invitation to the wedding, then celebrating at Brodera at
a great expense, and of long continuance. ‘The letter, as usual
from oriental princes, was wrilten on silver paper, flowered with
gold, with an additional sprinkling of saffron, enclosed under a
cover of gold brocade. The letter was accompanied by a bag of
crimson and gold keem-caub, filled with sweet-scented seeds, as a
mark of favour and good omen. For on these occasions the brah-
minical astrologers and soothsayers are always particularly con-
sulted.

For several reasons I declined accepting Futty Sihng’s invitation
to his daughter's wedding, especially on account of the presents to
be given and received on the occasion; for gifis at these oriental
visits are far from being always disinterested, or outward tokens of
friendship, especially at a Mahratta durbar; a return of equal, if
not superior value, is generally expected. In a late British embassy
to Mahi Rajah Doulut Rao Scindia, one of the great Mahratta
princes, after a polite reception and the etiquette usual at a first
public visit, the khiluts, or presents, were brought in, consisting of
eight trays for the ambassador, filled with shawls, muslins, tur-

bans, and brocades ; and one for each of the gentlemen who ac-

280

companied him, in which were a pair of shawls, a piece of brocade,
a piece of muslin, a turban, &c. The Mah Rajah then fastened
with his own hands a sipech, or ornament of emeralds upon the
ambassador's hat; one of the sirdars did the same by the other
gentlemen, after having first offered the jewel to be touched by the
soverecign’s hand. Ottar of roses, spices and betel were then dis-
tributed in the same manner by his highness to the ambassador, and
by one of his chiefs to the rest of the party. When they took leave,
a horse and an elephant, neither of them of much value, were waiting
without for the ambassador’s acceptance. ‘The visit was not re-
turned until ten days afterwards, in consequence of some disputes
having arisen respecting the number of presents to be given to the
Mah Rajah and his suite. One hundred and fifty were at first de-
manded, which were afterwards reduced to sicty-seven. This
species of arithmetic was so well understood at the mean and mer-
cenary court of the Brodera chieftain, that | pretended business,
and absented myself from the nuptials, where I understood every
thing was conducted with an ostentatious parsimony peculiar to
a Mahratta durbar: for the Mogul princes, as far as their declin-
ing fortunes admit, still preserve a degree of splendor, taste, and
generosity, unknown among modern Hindoo sovereigns, of whom
Futty Sihng was perhaps one of the meanest.

The wedding of Vazeer Ally, eldest son of Asuf-ud-Dowlah,
nabob of Oude, celebrated at Lucknow in 1795, was one of the
most magnificent in modern times. Its description by an eye-wit-
ness, forms a splendid contrast to the shabby proceedings at Bro-
dera, and far exceeds any thing I had an opportunity of seeing

amongst the princes of Guzerat, or during my residence in India.

281

“All the omrahs and great men of the country were invited to this
festivity, and a party of English ladies and gentlemen went to the
celebration on elephants caparisoned. The nabob had his tents
pitched on the plains, near the city of Lucknow; among the num-
ber were two remarkably large, made of strong cotton cloth, lined
with the finest English broad-cloth, cut in stripes of different
colours, with cords of silk and cotton. These two tents cost five
lacs of rupees, or above fifty thousand pounds sterling; they were
each an hundred and twenty feet long, sixty broad, and the poles
about sixty feet high: the walls of the tents were ten fect high;
part of them were cut into lattice-work for the women of the na-
bob’s seraglio, and those of the principal nobility, to see through.
In front of the tent prepared for our reception was a large shu-
meeana, or awning, of fine English broad-cloth, supported on sixty
poles covered with silver; this awning was about an hundred feet
long and as many broad. We were received with great politeness
by the nabob, who conducted us to one of the largest tents des-
tined for the men, where we sat for about an hour. His highness
was covered with jewels, to the amount at least of two millions
sterling. From thence we removed to the shumeeana, which was
illuminated by two hundred elegant girandoles from Europe, as
many glass shades with wax candles, and several hundred flam-
beaux ; the glare and reflection was dazzling, and offensive to the
sight, When seated under this extensive canopy, above a hundred
dancing-girls, richly dressed, went through their elegant, but ra-
ther lascivious dances and motions, and sung some soft airs of the
country, chiefly Persic and Hindoo-Persic. About seven o'clock,
the bridegroom Vazeer Ally, the young nabob, made his appear-
VOL. IIL. 20

282

ance, so absurdly loaded with jewels that he could scarcely stagger
under the precious weight. ‘The bridegroom was about thirteen
years of age, the bride ten; they were both of a dark complexion,
and not handsome.

« From the shumeeana we proceeded on elephants to an exten-
sive and beautiful garden, about a mile distant. The procession
was grand beyond conception: it consisted of above twelve hun-
dred elephants, richly caparisoned, drawn up in a regular line like
a regiment of soldiers. About a hundred elephants in the centre
had houdas, or castles, covered with silver; in the midst of these
appeared the nabob, mounted on an uncommonly large elephant,
within a houdah covered with gold, richly set with precious stones.
The elephant was caparisoned with cloth of gold. On his right
hand was Mr. George Johnstone, the British resident at the court
of Lucknow; on his left the young bridegroom ; the English gen-
tlemen and ladies and the native nobility were intermixed on the
right and left. On both sides of the road, from the tents to the
garden, were raised artificial scenery of bamboo-work, very high,
representing bastions, arches, minarets, and towers, covered with
lights in glass lamps, which made a grand display. On each side
of the procession, in front of the line of elephants, were dancing-
girls superbly dressed, (on platforms supported and carried by
bearers) who danced as we went along. These platforms consisted
of a hundred on each side of the procession, all covered with gold
and silver cloths, with two girls and two musicians at each plat-
form.

«The ground from the tents to the garden, forming the road

on which we moved, was inlaid with fire-works;: at every step of

283

the elephants the earth burst before us, and threw up artificial
stars in the heavens, to emulate those created by the hand of Pro-
vidence ; besides innumerable rockets, and many hundred wooden
shells that burst in the air, and shot forth a thousand fiery serpents;
these, winding through the atmosphere, illuminated the sky, and,
aided by the light of the bamboo scenery, turned a dark night into
a bright day. The procession moved on very slowly, to give time
for the fire-works inlaid in the ground to go off. The whole of
this grand scene was further lighted by above three thousand flam-
beaux, carried by men hired for the occasion. In this manner
we moved on in stately pomp to the garden, which, though only
a mile off, we took two hours to reach. When we arrived at the
garden gate we descended from the elephants and entered the
garden, illuminated by innumerable transparent paper lamps, or
lanterns, of various colours, suspended to the branches of the trees.
In the centre of the garden was a large edifice, to which we as-
cended, and were introduced into a grand saloon, adorned with
girandoles and pendant lustres of English manufacture, lighted
with wax candles. Here we had an elegant and sumptuous col-
lation of European and Indian dishes, with wines, fruits, and
preci mentan at the same time above a hundred dancing-gils sung
their sprightly airs, and performed their native dances.

“Thus passed the time until dawn, when we all returned to
our respective homes, delighted and wonder-struck with this en-
chanting scene, which surpassed in splendor every entertainment
of the kind beheld in this country. The affable nabob rightly ob-
served, with a little Asiatic vanity, that such a spectacle was never

before seen in India, and never would be seen again. ‘The whole

284.

expense of this marriage feast, which was repeated four three suc-
cessive nights in the same manner, cost upwards of three hundred
thousand pounds sterling.”

«© Asuf-ud- Dowlah, since deceased, was the son of the famous,
or rather infamous Shujah-ud-Dowlah, nabob of Oude, who was
conquered by the arms of the British Kast India company, direct-
ed by the invincible Clive. He died in 1775, leaving the character
of a bold, enterprizing, and rapacious prince. His son, Asuf-ud-
Dowlah, succeeded to the government by the assistance of the East
India company. Mild in manners, polite and affable in his con-
duct, he possessed no great mental powers; his heart was good,
considering his education, which instilled the most despotic ideas.
He was fond of lavishing his treasures on gardens, palaces, horses,
elephants, European guns, lastres, and mirrors. He expended
every year about two hundred thousand pounds in English ma-
nufactures. ‘This nabob had more than an hundred gardens,
twenty palaces, twelve hundred elephants, three thousand fine
saddle horses, fifteen hundred double-barrel guns, seventeen hun-
dred superb lustres, thirty thousand shades of various form and
colour ; several hundred large mirrors, girandoles, and clocks ;
some of the latter were very curious, richly set with jewels, having
figures in continual movement, and playing tunes every hour; two
of these clocks cost him thirty thousand pounds. Without taste
or judgment, he was extremely solicitous to possess all that was
elegant and rare; he had instruments and machines of every art
and science, but he knew none; and his museum was so ridicu-
lously displayed, that a wooden cuckoo clock was placed close to

a superb time-piece which cost the price of a diadem ; and a valu

285

able landscape of Claude Lorraine suspended near a board painted
with ducks and drakes. He sometimes gave a dinner to ten or
twelve persons sitting at their ease in a carriage drawn by ele-
phants. His haram contained above five hundred of the greatest
beauties of India, immured in high walls which they were never
to leave, except on their biers. He had an immense number of
domestic servants, and a very large army, besides being fully pro-
tected from hostile invasion by the company’s subsidiary forces,
for which he paid five hundred thousand pounds per annum. His
jewels amounted to about eight millions sterling. I saw him in
the midst of this precious treasure, handling them as a child does
his toys.” .L. F. Smits.

I do not insert Futty Sihng’s nuptal invitation, nor any of his
letters to me during my residence at Dhuboy ; the contents were sel-
dom interesting, and the style far from elegant. A letter from
Mirza Zummun, vizier at Cambay, has afforded one specimen of
Persian writing; the two following, from a Makomedan and Hin-
doo sovereign, of very different characters, will be a sufficient
illustration of modern oriental epistles. For the first, from the
celebrated Hyder Ally Khaun, and the anecdote accompanying
it, I am indebted to Sir James Sibbald, formerly ambassador at
the court of that nabob: for the latter, to Sir Charles Malet, who
filled the same character at the Mahratta durbar.

In the rainy season of 1768, during the war which the East
India Company were then carrying on against Hyder Ally, Sir
James Sibbald proceeded from Tellicherry to Coimbatoor, where
Colonel Wood commanded a detachment from the Madras army,

in order to obtain information of the state of the war in that part

286

of Hyder’s country, that a plan of co-operation might be adopted
with the Bombay presidency, for the renewal! of hostilities against
his possessions on the Malabar coast, at the opening of the fair
season. On arriving at Coimbatoor, he found Colonel Wood’s
detachment had taken possession of the greatest part of that
province ; the nabob himself, with a large force, being employed
in obstructing the operations of Colonel Smith, in command of the
main army then at Colah, and preparing for the siege of Banga-
lore. The difficulty of bringing Hyder to a pitched battle threat-
ened destruction to our affairs; for his mode of carrying on the
war by avoiding any decisive engagement, and by cutting off our
supplies of provisions, obliged us to abandon the advantages
almost as soon as gained, by compelling a hasty retreat for
want of provisions. In this situation the government of Madras
determined to equip Colonel Wood’s army with a light train of
arlillery and a picked body of sepoys; in the hope, that by the
velocity of their movements they might bring Hyder to action,
and thereby leave Colonel Smith with the main army to proceed
uninterrupted to Bangalore. But however sanguine were the ex-
pectations of the Madras government, Colonel Wood found it a
vain attempt to bring the nabob to an action, although he had
been following him in different directions for many weeks, accord-
ing to the best intelligence he could obtain of his movements.

At length Colonel Wood, completely harassed and weary of
the pursuit, adopted a very singular expecient to effect his pur-
pose : he wrote a letter to Hyder Ally, stating that it was disgrace-
ful for a great prince, at the head of a large army, to fly before a

detachment of infantry and a few pieces of cannon, unsupported

287

by cavalry. The nabob’s answer to this extraordinary letter trans-
mits a very impressive trait of that great man’s character.

“| wave received your letter, in which you invite me
“to an action with your army. Give me the same sort of troops
“ that you command, and your wishes shall be accomplished. You
*¢ will in time understand my mode of warfare. Shall I risk my
“ cavalry, which cost a thousand rupees each horse, against your
“cannon balls which cost two pice?* No.—TI will march your
“troops until their legs shall become the size of their bodies,—
* You shall not have a blade of grass, nor a drop of water. I will
“‘ hear of you every time your drum beats, but you shall not know
‘* where I am once a month.—lI will give your army battle, but it
“it must be when I please, and not when you choose.”

Every word in this letter proved true. ‘The incessant fatigue
which Colonel Wood’s detachment underwent, brought on such
complaints among the troops that he was obliged to leave a great
number in different garrisons of Coimbatoor. By keeping a piquet
of horse to watch Colonel Wood’s motions, and establishing tele-
graphs on signal posts in different parts of the country, Hyder
exactly knew every movement his army made; and, by laying
waste the country, and destroying the tanks and wells as Coijonel
Wood advanced, the latter was frequently obliged to retreat for
want of forage and water. ‘To complete his promise, and fulfil his
threat of giving battle to the British army when he thought proper,
Hyder surprized Colonel Wood at Manbagul, and brought him to

an engagement, in which he lost all his artillery, and nothing saved

* A piece of copper equal to a penny.

288

his little army but the advance of Colonel Smith; who, upon hear-
ing a heavy cannonade at day-break that morning, marched im-
mediately from Colah, and reached the spot in time to compel
Hyder to fall back, at the moment when Colonel Wood’s troops
were upon the point of being entirely defeated.

The other specimen of an oriental epistle is from the peshwa
of the Mahratta empire to the king of Great Britain, accompany-
ing some valuable presents, intrusted to the care of Sir Charles
Malet, late ambassador at that durbar, on his departure for Eng-
land in 1798. This was accompanied by another letter, expressive
of the peshwa’s friendship to the English East India Company:
that to his majesty was the first instance of the Mahratta durbar

making a declaration of attachment to a British sovereign.

Translation of a letter from Soude Badjerou Ragonath, peshwa of the
Mahratta empire, to his Majesty George the Third, King of
Great Britain, §c. &.

“© May the august assembly of spiritual and temporal
majesty, may the congregation of glory and royalty, long derive
splendor from the princely virtues of your majesty, pre-eminent
among the inheritors of grandeur and magnificence, supporter of the
mighty and illustrious, chosen of the tribunal of the Almighty,
elect of the judgment-seat of infinity !

** Some time ago the exalted Sir Charles Warre Malet was
appointed by the mighty chiefs of Calcutta to reside at the court
of your well-wisher, in the character of their minister; which re-
spectable gentleman, being endowed with foresight and expe-

289

rience in business, was always employed in, and devoted to
strengthening the mutual friendship, and increasing the cordiality
of the two states; but having, at this season, adopted the reso-
lution of returning to England, he has taken leave, and proceeded
towards that quarter; which opportunity has been embraced to
transmit, under his care, for your majesty’s gracious acceptance,
sundry pieces of cloth and articles of jewellery, agreeable to the
accompanying catalogue, which he will have the honour of pre-
senting to your majesty; and we have a firm hope they will be
honoured with your majesty’s approval.

“ Your majesty, looking on your well-wisher (the peshwa) as
one of those sincerely studious of your good-will, will be pleased
to honour him with your exalted letters, which will be deemed a
gracious proof of your majésty’s kindness and attention. May
your empire and prosperity be everlasting!”

The presents from the Mahratta peshwa to his Britannic ma-
jesty, mentioned in the preceding letter, consisted of two hundred
and thirty-two diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, set in various orna-
ments; two strings containing an hundred and twenty beautiful
pearls; and a large pearl, pendant to an ornament of diamonds and
emeralds, called a jeega. ‘These were accompanied by a complete
Indian dress of costly materials, and twenty valuable shawls.

These may be esteemed a magnificent present from a Hindoo
prince at this period. More must depend upon the value than the
number of jewels sent by the durbar at Poonah to the British
sovereign—of that I can give no estimate, but the Mahratta khi-

luts, and all the presents I have heard of in modern times, dwindle
VOL. III. 2P

290

into insignificance when compared with those recorded of the Mo-
gul emperors and sultauns of Deccan. A peace-oftering from
Dewal Roy to Sultaun Firoze Shah, consisted of ten lacs of pago-
das, a sum amounting to near four hundred thousand pounds
sterling ; fifty elephants, most probably richly caparisoned ; two
thousand slaves of both sexes, accomplished in singing, dancing,
and music. ‘lo these were added pearls, diamonds, rubies, and
emeralds, to an inestimable value. ‘This magnificent present, so
greatly exceeding those usually sent from one oriental sovereign to
another, was toeffect a reconciliation, and procure thesultaun’s favour
after a rebellion; but there are many instances of dresses richly
set with jewels, Arabian horses shod with gold, in caparisons em-
bossed with rubies and emeralds, and other superb presents from
eastern sovereigns to their favourites, which realize half the fictions
performed by the obedient genu of Aladdin’s wonderful lamp.
Such was the magnificence of former ages: ali is now reversed;
and it appears as if the courage, magnanimity and generosity which
once adorned the character of the Hindoo and Mahometan princes,
had vanished with their fortunes. ‘The more I saw of the petty
Asiatic sovereigns and their system of government, the less I
thought them deserving of estimation. Virtue finds no asylum in
an Indian durbar; sensual pleasure and oppressive tyranny ex-
tend through all the higher ranks. To gratify the avarice of men
in power and administer to their pleasures, the inferior classes of
society submit: the Duans, Pundits, and petty tyrants of every
description, are in their turn fleeced by the ruling despot; if his
iniquitous demands are gratified, he never inquires by what means

the money was accumulated. Thus I have described it in the

291

Concan and Malabar, thus I found it at every court I visited in
Guzerat, whether Mahratta or Mahomedan. On the extent of
human misery under such a dreadful system of government, it is
painful and needless to enlarge—it is universal throughout Hin-
dostan ; none attempt to stem the torrent of venality and corrup-
tion. The conduct of great and small is influenced by fear, for
which Montesquieu assigns sufficient reasons. The more we de-
velope oriental courts, the more we are convinced that the beauti-
ful animating principle of patriotic virtue is entirely unknown.

I must on all occasions exempt the great Akber, and his virtu-
ous minister Abul Fazel, from general censure. In a former chap-
ter [ mentioned two Hindoos of liberal sentiments and consider-
able acquirements in literature, art, and science. These, and a
few similar characters which occasionally occur, form a pleasing
contrast to the general picture of the higher orders in India; and
indicate, that, among the Hindoos especially, there are minds open
to literary and philosophical pursuits, and I trust also to the re-
ception of truth; to the balmy comforts of that religion which
alone produces true happiness in this life, and bliss eternal in that
which is to come. Notwithstanding the prejudice of caste and
other causes, which it is acknowledged operate powerfully against
the general introduction of Christianity, and melioration among
the lower classes of Hindoos; there are instances in every rank,
from the haughty brahmin to the poor Chandalah, which prove
that a change may be effected, and conversion take place. The
attempt has been made and succeeded, and will, I have no doubt,

in due time be wisely directed throughout the whole empire of
British India.

292

«« Brirain, thy voice can bid the light descend;
On thee alone, the eyes of Asra bend!
High Arbitress ! to thee her hopes are given,
Sole pledge of bliss, and delegate of heaven :
In thy dread mantle all her fates repose,
Or bright with blessings, or o’ercast with woes ;
And future ages shall thy mandate keep,
Smile at thy touch, or at thy bidding weep.
Oh! to thy godlike destiny arise!
Awake, and meet the purpose of the skies ! .
Wide as thy sceptre waves, let India learn a
What virtues round the shrine of incense burn ;
Some nobler flight let thy bold genius tower,
Nor stoop to vulgar lures of fame or power ;
Such power as gluts the tyrant’s purple pride,
Such fame as reeks around the homicide.
With peaceful trophies deck thy throne, nor bare
Thy conquering sword, till Justice ask the war :
Justice alone can consecrate renown,
Her’s are the brightest rays in Glory’s crown ;
All else, nor eloquence nor song sublime

Can screen from curse, or sanctify from crime.

Let gentler arts awake at thy behest,
And science sooth the Hindoo’s mournful breast.
In vain has Nature shed her gift around,
For eye or ear, soft bloom or tuneful sound ;
Fruits of all hues on every grove display’d,
And pour’d profuse the tamarind’s gorgeous shade.
What joy to him can song or shade aftord,
Outcast so abject, by himself abhorr’d ?
While chain’d to dust, half struggling, half resign’d,
Sinks to her fate the heaven-descended mind,
Disrob’d of all her lineaments sublime,

The daring hope whose glance outmeasur’d time,

293

Warm passions to the voice of rapture strung,
And conscious thought, that told her whence she sprung.
At Brahma’s stern decree, as ages roll,
New shapes of clay await th’ immortal soul;
Darkling condemn’d in forms obscene to prowl,
And swell the melancholy midnight howl.
Be thine the task, his drooping eye to cheer,
And elevate his hopes beyond this sphere,
To brighter heavens than proud Sumeera owns,
Though girt with Indra and his burning thrones.
Then shall he recognize the beams of day,
And fling at once the four-fold chain away ;
Through every limb a sudden life shall start,
And sudden pulses spring around his heart:
Then all the deaden’d energies shall rise,
And vindicate their title to the skies.

Be these thy trophies, Queen of many isles!
On these high Heaven shall shed indulgent smiles.
First by thy guardian voice to India led,
Shall Truth divine her tearless victories spread ;
Wide and more wide the heaven-born light shall stream,
New realms from thee shall catch the blissful theme,
Unwonted warmth the soften’d savage feel,
Strange chiefs admire, and turban’d warriors kneel ;
The prostrate East submit her jewell’d pride,

And swarthy kings adore the CruciFiEp !” C. Grant,

Beautiful as is the whole poem, from whence the preceding
lines are taken, we may indulge the hope that it contains some-
thing far beyond the pleasing fictions of poetry. It is impossible
to calculate the effects which may ultimately be produced by
Asiatic researches, and the noble establishment of the college at

Calcutta. From the revival of science, learning, and true philo-

294

sophy on the banks of the Ganges, we may expect to see the
temples of Vishnoo consecrated to the worship of Jehovah, and
brahminical groves, now seminaries for astrology, geomancy, and
frivolous pursuits, become the seats of classical learning and
liberal sentiment. ‘The climate of India does not militate against
patriotic virtue and manly attainments, although it may in some
degree depress their energy. Greece, now the abode of the igno-
rant, indolent, and illiberal Turk, was once the theatre of wisdom,
virtue, and glory! Art and science, nurtured in Asia, will, under
the auspices of peace and liberty, resume their influence over the
fertile regions of Hindostan. Philosophy, religion, and virtue,
attended by liberality, taste, and elegance, will revisit a favourite
clime; poetry, music, painting, and sculpture, encouraged by the
genius of Britain, may there strew the path of virtue with many a
fragrant flower.

These when patronized by Akber, and a few other princes,
flourished sufficiently to shew what may be again expected. The
arts are now at the lowest ebb in India. How far music is en-
couraged in modern durbars I cannot say. In the splendour of
the Mogul empire, music and illuminations seem to have formed
a principal evening amusement. Akber, every afternoon, some
little time before sun-set, if asleep, was awaked; and when the
sun set the attendants lighted twelve camphor candles in twelve
massive candlesticks of gold and silver, of various form and
beauty; when a singer of sweet melody, taking up one of the
candlesucks, sang a variety of delightful airs, and concluded
with imploring blessings on his majesty.

I have not touched upon either Hindoo or Mahomedan music,

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from my own knowledge, as I can say little on the subject,
having been seldom pleased with their vocal or instrumental
melody; nor, from those who had better opportunities of being
acquainted with it, did I ever hear much in its favour. Yet
as it has been differently treated by Sir William Jones, and other
writers, | submit to their superior judgment. The former thus
wriles to a friend respecting it, ‘* You touched an important
string when you mentioned the subject of Indian music, of which
I am particularly fond. I have just read a very old book on that
art in Sanscrit, and hope to present the world with the sub-
slance of it as soon as the transactions of our society can be
printed.”

Sir William Ousely, on the subject of oriental music, says
“the books which treat of it are numerous and curious. Sir
William Jones mentions the works of Amin, a musician; tiie Dama-
dara, the Narayan, the Ragarnava, and (not to. add any more
Indian names) the sea of passions, the delight of assemblies, the
doctrine of musical modes, and many other Sanscrit and Hin-
doostani treatises. ‘To these must be added an essay on the
science of music; the object of which is to teach the understand-
ing of the raugs and rauginees, and the playing upon musical instru-
ments. From this work it is briefly stated, that the Hindoos have
a gamut, consisting of seven notes, like our own; which being
repeated in three several ast’hans, or octaves, form in all a scale of
twenty-one natural notes. ‘The seven notes which form the gamut
are expressed sa, ra, ga, ma, pa, da, na; or sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha,
mi; and, when written at length, stand thus: kau,redge; rekhub;

gundhaur; mud,dhum; punchum; dhawoth; neekhaudh. Of these

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seven words (the first excepted) the initial letters are used in writ-
ing music to represent the notes. Instead of the initial of the first
or lowest, kau,redge, that of the word sur is used: which signifies
emphatically the note, being as it were the foundation of the
others; and named swara, or the sound, from the important office

which it bears in the scale.
“On the subject of those ancient and extraordinary melodies,

which the Hindoos call raugs and rauginees, the popular traditions
are as numerous and romantic, as the powers ascribed to them
are miraculous. Of the six ravgs, the five first owe their origin to
the god Mahadew, who produced them from his five heads. Par-
buttee, his wife, constructed the sixth; and the thirty rauginees
were composed by Brimha. Thus, of celestial invention, these
melodies are of a peculiar genus ; and of the three ancient genera
of the Greeks resemble most the enharmonic; the more modern
compositions are of that species termed diatonic.”

«“ A considerable difficulty is found in setting to music the
raugs and rauginees; as our system does not supply notes, or
signs, sufficiently expressive of the almost imperceptible eleva-
tions and depressions of the voice in these melodies; of which the
time is broken and irregular, the modulations frequent and very
wild. Whatever magic was in the touch when Orpheus swept his
lyre, or ‘Timotheus filled his softly-breathing flute, the effects said
to have been produced by two of the six raugs, are even more
extraordinary than any of those ascribed to the modes of the an-
cients. Mia Tousine, a wonderful musician in the time of the
emperor Akber, sung one of the night raugs at mid-day: the

powers of his music were such that it instantly became night; and

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the darkness extended ina circle round the palace, as far as the
sound of his voice could be heard.

*“‘T shall say little on the tradition of Naik Gopaul, another
celebrated musician in the reign of Akber, who was commanded
by the emperor to sing the raug dheepuck; which whoever at-
tempted to sing should be destroyed by fire—the story is long; Naik
Gopaul flew to the river Jumna, and plunged himself up to the
neck in water; where, Akber, determined to prove the power of
this raug, compelled the unfortunate musician to sing it; when,
notwithstanding his situation in the river, flames burst violently
from his body and consumed him to ashes.

“These and other anecdotes of the same nature, are related
by many of the Hindoos, and implicitly believed by some. The
effect produced by the maig mullaar raug was immediate rain.
And it is told, that a singing girl once, by exerting the powers of
her voice in this raug, drew down from the clouds timely and re-
freshing showers on the parched rice-crops of Bengal, and thereby
averted the horrors of famine from the paradise of regions. An
European, in that country, inquiring after those whose musical
performance might produce similar effects, is gravely told “ that
the art is now almost lost, but that there are still musicians pos-
sessed of those wonderful powers in the West of India.” If one
inquires in the West, they say, ‘ that if any such performers re-
main, they are to be found only in Bengal.’

‘“« Of the present music, and the sensations it excites, one can
speak with greater accuracy. Many of the Hindoo melodies
possess the plaintive simplicity of the Scotch and Irish; and

others a wild originality, pleasing beyond description. Counter-
VOL. IIl. 2Q

298

point seems not to have entered, at any time, into the system of
Indian music. It is not alluded to in the manuscript treatises
which I have hitherto perused; nor have I discovered that any
of our ingenious Orientalists speak of it as being known in
Hindostan.”

Many of the brahmins and principal Hindoos of Dhuboy who
attended the royal nuptials at Brodera, gave me an account of
the entertainments, which lasted many days. I have already
mentioned the nocturnal processions and expensive pageantry on
these occasions, but have not particularized the marriage cere-
monies, which are given at large by Mr. Colebrook: from his ac-
count I subjoin a few of the most striking features, which vary
but little throughout Hindostan.

“The marriage ceremony opens with the solemn reception of
the bridegroom by the father of the bride. Having previously
performed the obsequies of ancestors, as is usual upon any acces-
sion of good fortune, the father of the bride sits down to await the
bridegroom’s arrival, in the apartment prepared for the purpose,
and at the time chosen for it, according to the rules of astrology.
The jewels, and other presents intended for him, are placed there;
a cow is tied on the northern side of the apartment, and a stool
or cushion, and other furniture for the reception of the guest, are
arranged in order. On his approach the bride’s father rises to
welcome him, and recites a short prayer, while the bridegroom
stands before him. After the mention of many previous cere-
monies, presents suitable to the rank of the parties are then pre-
sented to the guest. At the marriage ceremony, too, the bride is

formally given by her father to the bridegroom in this stage of

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the solemnity according to some rituals, but later according tu
others. The hospitable rites are then concluded by letting loose
the cow, at the intercession of the guest, who says “ kill not the
innocent harmless cow, who is mother of Rupras, daughter of
Vasus, sister of A’pytas, and the source of ambrosia. May
she expiate my sins! release her that she may graze.” It is
evident that the bridegroom’s intercessions imply a practice, now
become obsolete, of slaying a cow for the purposes of hospi-
tality.

Many pages of ceremonies then follow, which lead to one of
more consequence: when the bridegroom puts his left hand under
the bride’s hands, which are joined together in a hollow form, and
then taking her right hand in his, he recites ihe six following texts.
“ First, I take thee for the sake of good fortune, that thou mayest
become old with me, thy husband. May the generous, mighty,
and prolific sun render thee a matron, that I may be a house-
holder. Second, Be gentle in thy aspect, and loyal to thy hus-
band; be fortunate in cattle; amiable in thy mind, and beautiful
in thy person; be mother of surviving sons; be assiduous at the
five sacraments; be cheerful, and bring prosperity to our bipeds
and quadrupeds. Third, May the lord of creatures grant us pro-
geny, even unto old age; may the sun render that progeny con-
spicuous. <Auspicious deities have given thee to me. Enter thy
husband’s abode; and bring health to our bipeds and quadrupeds.
Fourth, O Inpra, who pourest forth rain! render this woman
fortunate and the mother of children: grant her ten sons, give her
eleven protectors. Fifth, Be submissive to thy husband’s father,

to his mother, to his sister, and to his brothers. Sixth, Give thy

300

heart to my religious duties; may thy mind follow mine; be
thou consentient to my speech. May Vriuwasparr unite thee
unto me.”

This is succeeded by a variety of other ceremonies, mentioned
at large by Mr. Colebrook. During the three subsequent days
the married couple must abstain from factiuous salt, live chastely
and austerely, and sleep on the ground. On the following day,
that is, on the fourth exclusively, the bridegroom conducts the
bride to his own house on a carriage, or other suitable convey-
ance. He recites the following text when she ascends the car-
riage. ‘O wife of the sun! ascend this vehicle, resembling the
beautiful blossoms of the cotton-tree, and butea, tinged with
various tints, and coloured like gold; well constructed ; furnished
with good wheels, and the source of ambrosia (that is, of bless-
ings), bring happiness to thy husband!” Proceeding with his
bride, he, or some other person for him, recites the following text
on their coming to a cross road: ‘* May robbers, who infest the
road, remain ignorant of this journey; may the married couple
reach a place of security and difficult of access by easy roads,
and may foes keep aloof!”

Alighting from the carriage, the bridegroom leads the bride
into the house, chanting the hymn called Vdmadévya. Matrons
welcome the bride, and make her sit down on a bull’s hide; the
bridegroom then recites the following prayer: ‘ May kine here
produce numerous young; may horses and human beings do so;
and may the deity sit here, by whose favour sacrifices are accom-
plished with gifts a thousand fold.”

IT shall not detail the further ceremonies and sacrificial fires in

301

the bridegroom’s house; those of the whole nuptial solemnity
may be thus recapitulated. The bridegroom goes in procession
to the house where the bride’s father resides, and is there welcomed
asa guest. ‘The bride is given to him by her father, in the form
usual at every solemn donation, and their hands are bound toge-
ther with cusa grass; he clothes the bride with an upper and
lower garment, and the skirts of her mantle and his are tied toge-
ther. ‘The bridegroom makes oblations to fire, and the bride drops
rice on it as an oblation. ‘The bridegroom solemnly takes her
hand in marriage. She treads on a stone and mullar. They walk
round the fire: the bride steps seven times, conducted by the
bridegroom, and he then dismisses the spectators, the marriage
being now complete and irrevocable. In the evening of the same
day the bride sits down on a bull’s hide, and the bridegroom
points out to her the polar star, as an emblem of stability. They
then partake of a meal. The bridegroom remains three days at
the house of the bride’s father. On the fourth day he conducts
her to his own house in solemn procession. She is there wel-
comed by his kindred; and the solemnity ends with oblations
to fire.

In my letter, appropriated to the Hindoos, I mentioned the
custom of marrying their children in a state of infancy. It is
as much practised in Guzerat, as in other parts of Hindostan;
although great part of the preceding ceremonies are intended for
persons more advanced in life. On this part of the subject Mr.
Colebrook remarks, that “among the Hindoos a girl is married
before the age of puberty; the law even censures the delay of the

marriage beyond the tenth year. For this reason, and because

302

ihe bridegroom too may be an infant, it is rare that a marriage
should be consummated until long after it solemnization. The
recital of prayers on this occasion constitutes it a religious cere-
mony, and it is the first of those that are performed for the pur-
pose of expiating the sinful taint which a child is supposed to
have coniracted in the womb of his mother.”

« On the practice of immature nuptals, a subject suggested in
the preceding paragraph, it may be remarked, that it arises from
a laudable motive; from a sense of duty incumbent on a father,
who considers as a debt the obligation of providing a suitable
match for his daughter. ‘This notion, which is strongly inculcated
by Hindoo legislators, is forcibly impressed on the minds of
parents. But in their zeal to dispose of a daughter in marriage,
they do not perhaps sufficiently consult her domestic felicity. By
the death of an infant husband, she is condemned to virgin widow-
hood for the period of her life. If both survive, the habitual
bickerings of their infancy are prolonged in perpetual discord.

** Numerous restrictions in the assortment of matches impose
on parents this necessity of embracing the earliest opportunity of
affiancing their children to fit companions. ‘The intermarriages
of different classes, formerly permitted, with certain limitations,
are now wholly forbidden. The prohibited degrees extend to the
sixth of affinity; and even the bearing of the same family name is
a sufficient cause of impediment.”

Another writer on the Hindoo marriages, after reciting the
previous ceremonies, says “ the fali, which is a ribbon with a
golden head hanging to it, is held ready; and, being shewn to the

company, some prayers and blessings are pronounced; after which

3O3

the bridegroom takes it, and hangs it about the bride’s neck. This
knot is what particularly secures his possession of her: for, be-
fore he had put the talz on, all the rest of the ceremonies mighi
have been made to no purpose. But when once the tali is put
on, the marriage is indissoluble; and, whenever-the husband dies,
the tali is burnt along with him, to shew that the marriage bands
are broken.” It is this part of the ceremony to which Southey
alludes in the “ Curse of Kehama,” where Azla and Nealliny, the
two wives of Arvalan, are sacrificed on his funeral pile; the one
voluntarily, the other by compulsion. These stanzas contain an
animated description of the ceremony, from which I shall only
select that in which the tali, or marriage knot, is particularly

mentioned..

Woe! woe! for Azla takes her seat
Upon the funeral pile!
Calmly she took her seat,
Calmly the whole terrific pomp suryey’d;
As on her lap the while
Thi lifeless head of Arvalan was laid ;
Woe! woe! Nealliny,
The young Nealliny!
They strip her ornaments away,
Bracelet and anklet, ring, and chain, and zone;
Around her neck they leave
The marriage knot alone ;
That marriage band, which when
Yon waning moon was young,
Around her virgin neck
With bridal joy was hung.
Then with white flowers, the coronal of death,

Her jetty locks they crown.”

304

About the time of his daughter’s wedding, Futty Sibng paid
a visit to the officers of the Bengal detachment, then encamped
near Brodera. He wished to consult them upon an intended
alteration in his artillery, and to be present at the experiment.
The chieftain left the durbar on a state elephant, and the custom-
ary cavalcade: arriving at the bottom of the eminence where the
field-pieces were mounted, it was found the elephant could not
ascend, and there being no palanquin at- hand, the prince of the
Guicawars was compelled to alight, and walk a few yards to the
summit, to the astonishment of the attendants, who thought it
derogatory to his dignity. On advancing, the chopdars, or heralds,
proclaimed the titles of this princely cow-keeper in the usual
hyperbolical style. One of the most insignificant looking men I
ever saw then became the destroyer of nations, the leveller of
mountains, the exhauster of the ocean. After commanding every
inferior mortal to make way for this exalted prince, the heralds
called aloud to the animal creation, Retire, ye serpents; fly, ye
locusts; approach not, guanas, lizards, and reptiles, while your lord
and master condescends to set his foot on the earth.

Arrogant as this language may appear, it is less so than that
of oriental pageantry in general. In a translation from the Sanscrit,
Mr. Wilkins mentions an eastern monarch “ whose innumerable
army, when it moved, so filled the heavens with the dust of their feet,
that the birds of the air could rest upon it. His elephants moved
like walking mountains; and the earth, oppressed by their weight,
mouldered into dust.” The sacred writings afford many instances of
such hyperbole: none more so than Hushai’s speech to Absalom.
«Thou knowest that king David, thy father, and his men, that

305

they be mighty men; and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear
robbed of her whelps. Therefore I counsel thee that all Israel be
gathered unto thee, from Dan even unto Beersheba, as the sand
that is by the sea for multitude: and we will light upon him as
the dew falleth upon the ground. Moreover, if he be gotten into
a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes into that city; and we
will draw it into the river, until there be not one stone found
there.”

Such adulation has always been practised in Asia; and was
carried to the most arrogant height by the Roman emperors of
the East, even after their conversion to Christianity. Gibbon
says, “the most lofty titles, and the most humble postures which
devotion has applied to the Supreme Being, have been prostituted
by flattery and fear to creatures of the same nature with ourselves.
The mode of adoration, of falling prostrate on the ground, and
kissing the feet of the emperor, was borrowed from Persian servi-
tude; but it was continued and aggravated till the last age of the
Greek monarchy. ‘This humiliating reverence was exacted from
all who entered the royal presence, from the princes invested with
the diadem and purple, and from the ambassadors who repre-
sented their independent sovereigns, the caliphs of Asia, Egypt,
or Spain, the kings of France and Italy, and the Latin emperors
of ancient Rome. Liutprand, ambassador from Otho, thus de-
scribes his own introduction. ‘ When he approached the throne,
the birds of the golden tree began to warble their notes, which
were accompanied by the roarings of two lions of gold; with his
two companions, Liutprand was compelled to bow and to fall

prostrate; and thrice he touched the ground with his forehead.
vio. rr: 2k

306

He rose, but in the short interval, the throne had been hoisted by
an engine from the floor to the cieling, the imperial figure appeared
in new and more gorgeous apparel, and the interview was con-
cluded in haughty and majestic silence.” On the eve of a pro-
cession, the gracious or devout intention of the emperor was pro-
claimed by the heralds: the streets were cleared and purified; the
pavement was strewed with flowers; the most precious furniture,
the gold and silver plate, and silken hangings, were displayed from
the windows and balconies, and a severe discipline restrained and
silenced the tumult of the populace. The march was opened by
the military officers at the head of their troops; they were fol-
lowed in long order by the magistrates and ministers of the civil
government. The person of the emperor was guarded by his
eunuchs and domestics, and at the church-door he was solemn! y re-
ceived by the patriarch and his clergy. The task of applause
was not abandoned to the rude and spontaneous voices of the
crowd. Convenient stations were occupied by chosen bands, who
in responsive melody echoed the praises of the emperor. Their
poets and musicians directed the choir, and Jong life and victory
were the burden of every song.”

Such was the style of ancient adulation; the ostentatious and
expensive entertainments of Asuph ul Dowlah have afforded an
ample display of modern pageantry; perhaps none like it will be
any more exhibited, for such things must be nearly at an end with
the Indian princes; their wealth, their power, their palaces, their
mausoleums, wells, and serais, are all decaying, without a pros-
pect of revival, Few places of less importance than the royal

Mogul cities evince this melancholy change more than Brodera,

307

The sovereign, the capital, army, peasantry, every thing that de-
pends on Futty Sihng’s administration, displays his oppression,
weakness, and bad taste.

Almost the only commendable trait in Futty Sihng’s character
seemed to be his wisdom and policy in so long preserving the
attachment and faithful services of his virtuous vizier, or duan,
Hiroo Nand, then lately deceased, as hereafter mentioned. His
immediate friends and companions were men of debauched prin-
ciples and infamous conduct. The Ayeen Akbery would have
taught the Brodera chief a better lesson; from another virtuous
vizier, the wise Abul Fazel, he would there have learned, that “the
companions of a prince, whose advice he follows in affairs of
moment, resemble water. When they are of a mild tempera-
ment, they wash off the dust of affliction from the hearts of the
distressed, and diffuse freshness and delight. But if they depart
from moderation, they inundate the world with a deluge of cala-
mities; so that numbers are overwhelmed by the billowy waves
of misfortune. Speaking of his own sovereign, the immortal Ak-
ber, he says, it is his constant endeavour to gain and secure the
hearts of ali men. Amidst a thousand cares and perplexing ayo-
cations, he suffers not his temper to be in any degree disturbed,
but is always cheerful, He is ever striving to do that which may
be most acceptable to the Deity, and employs his mind on pro-
found and abstract speculations. From his thirst after wisdom,
he is continually labouring to benefit by the knowledge of others,
while he makes no account of his own sagacious administration.
He listens to what every one hath to say, because it may happen

that his heart may be enlightened by the communication of a just

308

sentiment, or by the relation of a laudable action. But although
a long period has elapsed in this practice, he has never yet met
with a person whose judgment he could prefer to his own: nay,
the most experienced statesmen, on beholding this ornament of
the throne, blush at their own insufficiency, and study anew the
arts of government; nevertheless, out of the abundance of his
sagacity, he will not suffer himself to quit the paths of inquiry.
Although he be surrounded with power and splendour, yet he
never suffers himself to be led away by anger or wrath. Others
employ story-tellers to Jull them to sleep, but his majesty, on the
contrary, listens to them to keep him awake. From the excess
of his righteousness he exercises upon himself both inward and
outward austerities; and pays some regard to external forms, in
order that those who are attached to established customs, may not
have any cause for reproach.

“He never laughs at, nor ridicules any religion or sect. He
never wastes his time, nor omits the performance of any duty; so
that through the blessing of his upright intentions, every action of
his life may be considered as an adoration of the Deity. He is
continually returning thanks unto Providence, and scrutinizing his
own conduct. But he most especially so employs himself at the
following stated times: at day-break, when the sun begins to
diffuse his rays; at noon, when that grand illuminator of the uni-
verse shines in full resplendence; in the evening, when he disap-
pears from the inhabitants of the earth; and again at midnight,
when he recommences his ascent. His life is an uninterrupted
series of virtues and suund morality. Gop is witness that the

wise of all ranks are unanimous in this declaration.”

309
We must allow something for the partiality of a grateful minis-
ter, during a long period high in the favour of a sovereign who
truly appreciated his services: but it will be generally granted

_that Akber is one of the finest characters recorded in history;

approaching, perhaps, the nearest to our own ALFRED.

“« In whom the splendour of heroic war,
«© And more heroic peace, when goyern’d well,
“© Combine: whose hallow’d name, the Virtues saint,

«* And his own Muses love ; the best of Kings!” Tuomson.

Akber had not the trials of Alfred; he had not been taught in
the school of adversity. Few reigns have been so long, fewer so
prosperous as Akber’s; yet he always preserved a consistency of
character. ‘The annual ceremony of weighing the imperial sove-
reign, with ils consequent largesses, as also his mode of alms-
giving, ought not to pass unnoticed. ‘To the poor and needy
Akber bestowed money and necessaries of every kind, gladdening
the hearts of all in public or private. Many were allowed daily,
monthly, or annual pensions, which they received regularly, with-
out any delay or deduction. Besides those establishments, the
sums that were daily bestowed upon particular persons, in conse-
quence of representations made in their favour, as well as the food
and necessaries constantly distributed amongst the indigent, were
beyond description. A treasurer always waited in his presence
for that purpose; and every needy person who presented himself
before his majesty, had his necessities instantly relieved.

As a means of bestowing a largess upon the indigent, the

emperor was weighed twice a year, various articles being put into

310

the opposite scale. The first time of performing the ceremony,
was at the commencement of the Persian month Aban, the solar
anniversary of his majesty’s birth-day. He was then weighed
twelve times against the following articles: gold, quick-silver,
raw-silk, artificial perfumes, musk, rootootea, intoxicating drugs,
ghee, iron, rice-milk, eight kinds of grain, and salt. At the same
time, according to the years he had lived, there were given
away a like number of sheep, goats, and fowls, to people who
kept those animals for the purpose of breeding. A great number
of wild birds were also set at liberty on that occasion. The
second time of performing the ceremony was on the fifth of the
Arabian month Rejib, when he was weighed eight times against the
following things: silver, tin, linen cloth, lead, dried fruits, sesame-
oil, and pot-herbs. At the same time the festival of Salgeerah
was celebrated, and donations bestowed upon people of all ranks.
The king’s sons and grandsons were weighed once a year, on the
solar anniversary of their respective nativities, against seven or
eight things, and some as far as twelve, which number they never
exceeded, and according to their respective ages, a certain number
of beasts and fowls were given away, and set at liberty. There
were appointed for this ceremony a separate treasurer, and
mushreff.

The coins and seals of the empire also illustrate the character
of Akber: previous to his reign gold, silver, and copper, were
coined in various parts of the Mogul empire; he restricted the
coinage of gold to four places, Agra, Bengal, Ahmedabad, and
Cabul. Silver coin was allowed to be struck in fourteen cities,

including the preceding four: mints for copper coin were appointed

311

in twenty-eight cities, Great attention was paid to assaying and
refining the various metals, and to every department of the mint
and treasury. The gold and silver intended for the current coin
of the realm, when brought to the greatest degree of purity, was
committed to the most celebrated artists, to give each specimen
the perfection of beauty. It is well known the coins, medals, and
signets of the Mahomedan princes have no portrait or armorial
bearings cut on the die from which the coin is to be stamped, as
is generally practised in Europe: it is usually impressed with
the name of the reigning monarch, the date of the year in the
Hegira, and perhaps some appropriate or flattering tile. In the
reign of Akber were struck those immense gold masses, distin-
guished as the zmmortal coins: the largest, called sehenseh, weighed
upwards of one hundred tolahs, in value one hundred Jaal jilaly
mohurs, not much short of two hundred pounds sterling; estimat-
ing the gold mohur at fifteen silver rupees of half a crown each;
others were of half that value; from which they diminished to the
small round mohur, valued at nine silver rupees ; some of these
were marked with flowers, especially the tulip and the rose, but
never with the representation of any animated form. In the
place of such emblems, Akber had moral sentences, tetrastichs
from the Persian poets, the praises of the Almighty, or his own
titles, engraved on the die in a most beautiful manner. On the
sehenseh were these words on one side:

“The sublime monarch! the most exalted khalif! May Gop
perpetuate his kingdom and his reign! and increase his justice
and righteousness!—”

On the reverse of the sehenseh:

312

* The best coin is that which is employed in supplying men
with the necessaries of life, and that benefits the companions in the
road to Gop.”

On another coin of the same value is this tetrastich, which is
more condensed in the Persian character than in an English trans-
lation :

“ The sun, from whom the seven seas obtain pearls.

*« 'The black stone from his rays obtains a jewel.

* The mine from the correcting influence of his beams obtains gold.

** That gold is ennobled by the impression of Shah Akber.

“* God is the greatest; mighty is his glory!”

On the reverse the date of the month and year, with the fol-
lowing tetrastich :

“This coin, which is the garment of hope, carries an everlast-
** ing impression and immortal name.”

On some of the smaller coins were the following inscriptions in
Persian characters, some of them ornamented with a tulip and
wild-rose:

“© God is greatest!”—-on the reverse, “ O Defender!” “ God is
“ oreatest! mighty is his glory!”—reverse, the date.

“‘ This current coin accompanies the star of good fortune; the
sun nourishes it for this cause, that to eternity it may be ennobled
by the impression of Akber Shah.”

These are sufficient specimens of Akber’s coins ; the seals of this
illustrious prince were equally characteristic of his piety and justice.

On the seal for petiions were these words,

“ Rectitude is the means of pleasing God! °

I never saw any one lost in a straight road.”

a

315

There is one exception in Hindostan, if not more, to the gene-
ral rule of the Mahomedan emperors not permitting any effigy, or
the representation of men and animals on the imperial coins; this
is well known to those who have seen the zodiac rupees in India ;
which, in complete sets, are now only to be met with in the cabinets
of the curious, or occasionally found singly in different provinces. I
once saw an entire collection of these rupees in silver, and a few
others procured by chance of the same metal: those of gold and
copper never came within my observation. ‘There are two legends
current in India respecting these singular coins. One relates, that
in the reign of the emperor Jehangheer, son of the celebrated Ak-
ber, and father of Shah Jehan, his favourite Sultana Noor Jehan,
or Light of the World, a woman of transcendent beauty and genius,
having prevailed upon the emperor to grant her power for one day
over his empire, she ordered a new coinage in the different metals,
to be impressed under twelve varied dies, with the signs of the
zodiac, from whence they have been always distinguished by that
appellation. ‘Phis was certainly the most effectual, and perhaps
the most ingenious method of giving universality and perpetuity
to the existence of her influence over an imperial husband.

Another story rejects the interference of the sultana Noor
Jehan, in the coinage of the zodiac rupees, which it rather attri-
butes to a whim of the emperor himself; as Jehangeer was a
prince of great eccentricity, and though a Mussulman was a bon-
vivant, and possibly issued the order when in a mirthful mood. In
refutation of that part of the legend which limits the whole coinage
to one day, it is asserted that the zodiac rupees are of different

VOL. IfI. 25§

$14

dates, and it is supposed that the Mogul mint-master had some
clever European in his service, from some of the figures be-
ing executed in a masterly manner, in the Furopean style. The
dies are unequal, and some of the impressions are very dif-
ferent.

Our encampment without the walls of Brodera was so plea-
sant, that we seldom entered the city; which, like most other In-
dian towns, was hot, dusty, and disagreeable, atlording no altrac-
tions to vie with the natural beauties of the country. No groves
are more shady, no plains more delightful, no lotos-covered lakes
more brilliant, than in the Brodera purgunna. For here they
have the addition of that lovely species of the menianthes some-
times seen on the margin of the lakes on Salsette; it is one of the
inost elegant aquatic plants in Hindostan, smaller than the lotos,
with beautiful fringed petals of the purest white, floating on the
surface of the water, surrounded by a dark foliage. When not
too cold to sit under summeanas without our tents, the moon-
light evenings afforded a tranquil pleasure, more easily conceived
than described. The air was perfumed from the mogrees and
champachs near the Mahomedan mausoleuims, whose white domes
gave a melancholy interest to the surrounding groves; which
after the monkeys, peacocks, and squirrels had retired to rest,
were sul enlivened by the prolonged notes of the bulbul, con-
tinued sometimes an hour after sun-set; this favourite songster
was succeeded by the pepeeheh, which frequently serenaded the
midnight hour. The pepeeheh is said, by Abul Fazel, to sing

most enchantingly during the night, at the commencement of the

315

rains; when its lays cause the old wounds of lovers to bleed afresh.
This bird is also called peeyoo, which in the Sanscrit language sig-
nifies beloved.

The cold evenings in January often compelled us to leave the
summeana, and retire for warmth within our tents. ‘This was the
coldest season I ever felt in Guzerat; far more so than is generally
experienced in the twenty-third degree of north latitude; it was
most intense about an hour before sun-rise; and although there
was no ice, the cold was certainly more sharp and penetrating
than the autumnal frosts in England. I never met with ice in
India, but I have been told some old people at Surat remembered
io have seen it. In an interesting journey in 1798, from Mirza-
poor to Nagpoor, we find that for several days together, in the
month of January, in the twenty-fourth degree of north latitude,
the travellers met with sharp frosts, and ice on the ponds and in
their vessels, for more than two hours after sun-rise: a thermo-
meter, which had been exposed all night, was covered with icicles
in the morning, and stood after sun-rise at 21°. This appears to have
been the coldest night exhibited by Fahrenheit’s thermometer on
that journey; which generally stood at 23° or 24° at sun-rise, rose
at noon to 62°, and by ten at night fell to 31°.

The grandest feature, from all our northern encampments on
this excursion, was the stupendous mountain of Powa-ghurr ; which
at that distance appeared a single eminence; but on a nearer ap-
proach was observed to be connected with a range of hills, and
much picturesque scenery, an account of which is introduced in a

future chapter. The water at Powa-ghur, and many mountainous

316

tracts in Hindostan, is attended with deleterious effects; frequently
causing incurable sickness, and the premature death of strangers.

Our tents, on this journey, were more than once pitched near
the spot set apart for the Chandalahs; who, as already mentioned,
are seldom permitted to reside within the city walls, nor to have
their habitations near the other inhabitants in the open towns.
The sight of these poor outcasts, with the reflections naturally
occurring, from their abject condition, proved an. alloy to the
notes of the bulbul and the perfume of the champach. It is im-
possible to behold them without pity, and, while subject to brah-
minical influence, without hope of amendment. Under my own
administration I endeavoured to meliorate their condition; but so
rooted were the prejudices of the higher castes, that all attempts
were fruitless. The liberal-minded Aul Fazel, discriminating alk
the other Hindoo castes by some appropriate characteristic, with
a frigid brevity, unlike his usual benevolence, says “ the chan-
dalahs are vile wretches, who eat carrion.” And when mention-
ing polluted things among the Hindoos, he adds, ‘* water that has
been defiled by the shadow of a chandalah, is to be. purified by
stin-shine, moon-shine, or wind, and that wooden vessels, if touched
by a chandalah, cannot be purified by any means.

It is curious to observe (although in some measure accounted
for in other parts of these volumes) that in fines and punishments
for murder, among other castes ot Hindoos, no mention is made
of killmg the poor pariar or outcast chandalah. Amongst the
Malabars I have particularly noticed, thatif the pooleahs, (similar

to the pariars and chandalahs,) appear on the high-road while a

31T

brahmin or nair passes by, or even while their provision is carried
along, they are destroyed, like a wild beast, for daring to breathe
ihe same atmosphere with those inflated tribes. Thus says the
Hindoo law on murder: “If an inferior kills his superior, he
shall suffer death. If a brahmin kills a brahmin, his estate shall
be confiscated, and the hair of his head cut off; he shall be
branded in the forehead and banished. If a brahmin kills a keh-
teree, he shall be fined one thousand cows, and a bull. If a brah-
min kills a byse, he shall be fined one hundred cows, and a bull.
If a brahmin kills a sooder, he shall be fined ten cows and a bull.”
Here seems to be a regular scale of degradation in human nature ;
from a thousand cows to ten, according to the elevation or de-
pression of caste: in which the chandalah is not deemed worthy
of notice.

The efficient government of a nation whose own laws and
privileges (as far as human institutions can) deservedly boast the
perfection of jurisprudence, whose monarch extends his sceptre
over sixty millions of Asiatic subjects, will surely now be exerted
in giving full effect to that wise and benevolent resolution of the
House of Commons in 1793; “ thatit is the pecnliar and bounden
duty of the legislature to promote, by all just and prudent means,
the interests and happiness of the inhabitants of the British domi-
nions in India; and that for these ends, such measures ought to
be adopted, as may gradually tend to their advancement in use-
ful knowledge, and to their religious and moral improvement.”
From so long a residence amongst the exalted brahmins and
degraded chandalahs, and witnessing many other evils occa-

sionally mentioned among the natives of India, I cannot refrain

O18

from adding my evidence, however humble, to the mass of know-
ledge, and brilliant lights, Jately thrown on this interesting subject,
from abler pens. The more we reflect on the degraded situa-
lion of the lower tribes of Hindoos, the more unpleasant are the
sensations in a mind of sensibility. ‘This is probably the last time
I shall touch upon the theme. I therefore briefly give the senti-
ments of a mild, unprejndiced observer of the Hindoos; a man
of learning and piety, who made his researches amongst the people
he describes.*

*'Phe Hindoo superstition makes no provision for the instruc-
tion of the great body of the people. ‘The vedas, puranas, and
other sacred books contain, it 1s said, a copious system of the most
unexceptionable morality; and from the specimens already trans-
lated, this must in part be admitted. But the canonical books
of the Hindoos have always been regarded as a bequest too
sacred to be committed to vulgar hands; to the far greater part
of society they are strictly forbidden, and are doomed to remain,
in the most emphatic sense, a dead letter. Nothing can equal
the ignorance of the great body of the people, on every subject
relating to religion, morals, or literature. Few of them can ex-
plain the genealogy or attributes ascribed to their deities. They
do not understand the meaning of the ceremonies they attend; and
the nature and obligations of their duty they may obscurely feel,
but are wholly incapable to describe. ‘The inconvenience of
ignorance, so gross and universal, is too obvious to require eluci-
dation: itrenders the mass of the people not only dupes to the arti-

fices of priestcraft, but subjects them to the imposition of every

* Dr. Tennant.

319

charlatan who pretends to skill in any art or science whatever.
The charms, incantations, and exorcisms, that here make a part
of the medical art, clearly show, that the grossest impositions, in
other matters as well as religion, may be turned to account among
an uninformed multitude.

“The ignorance of the great body of the natives of India, has
shaded their character with a diffidence and timidity, which has
not only rendered them the slaves of their own monarchs, or
foreigners, in every age, but has degraded them, in some measure,
to an inferior rank among human beings. From this condition,
which has so often called forth the contempt of the brave, and
the compassion of the wise, you in vain endeavour to raise them
while their intellects are chained down by the multiplic«! fetters of
their degrading superstition. ‘The higher orders of the brahmins,
whose duty it is to undertake this work, and who are perhaps
alone able to effect it, are the least likely to make any such at-
tempt. While their own minds are comparatively enlightened by
a pure system of natural religion, and all those precepts of duty,
which cultivated reason teaches ; they “detain the truth in unrighte-
ousness,” and commit the people to be guided by the grosser sys-
tems of superstition and error.

“Those polemical disputes in religion and politics, which in
Europe sometimes disturb society, but which always awaken
curiosity, and invigorate the powers of intellect, are unheard of
in India. The Hindoo shelters himself from such turmoils in a
total apathy, or listlessness of thought, more resembling the still-
ness of the grave, or annihilation itself, than the common efforts of
a rational being.

320

“The description Dr. Robertson has given of the early pro-
gress made by the Hindoos is extremely accurate and guarded in
its assertions: if applied to the higher orders of the brahmins, or
the princes of Hindostan, it is siricUy just; but nothing can be
more erroneous than its application to the bulk of the people,
whom the foregoing strictures are meant to describe. ‘The sciences
of India, and all the more liberal arts, are at present, and always
have been, confined to the great and learned alone. ‘The moral and
theological knowledge possessed by a few in the higher ranks, for
many ages, is as completely beyond the reach of the common
people as if it did not exist. Of consequence it must prove of
little service in promoting their interests. The same thing may
be affirmed of every branch of knowledge. ‘The portion pos-
sessed by nineteen in twenty of the whole community, is com-
paratively nothing. ‘To the power of habit, and the influence
of custom alone, they are consigned for the direction of them-
selves. Reason, inert and feeble as in them it must prove, has little
share in what we justly regard as its peculiar province. In such
circumstances certainly no people can be more entitled to indul-
gence towards their weakness and errors; and there is certainly
none who have stronger claims upon our sympathy and tenderness.
Britons now occupy the places of their native princes; and the
blessings of protection, instrucuion, and encouragement in virtue,
which there are too frequently withheld, Providence has bestowed
upon us asa sacred duty to bestow.”

These appear strong and conclusive arguments; they oppose
a weighty testimony to that assertion, that “ on the enlarged prin-

ciples of moral reasoning, the Hindoo code little needs the melio-

321

rating hand of christian dispensations.” Can the conversion of
the Hindoos, on a mild, liberal, and benevolent plan, be called
misguided zeal; a zeal without prudence and without knowledge?
By a real christian it surely cannot be deemed a thing indifferent,
whether they are to be taught the truths of the gospel; whether
they shall be transferred from darkness to light; and from the
worship of idols to the adoration of the living Gop! Notwith-
standing all that has been alleged in the controversy respecting
the conversion of our Indian subjects, this is an hypothesis that
will not be generally admitted. It must be obvious that in the
code of Menu are many dreadful desiderata; millions are ex-
cluded by it from the knowledge of the Hindoo religion; a reli-
gion, indeed, upon so unjust a foundation, that a brahmin may
commit the most heinous crimes with comparative impunity;
while the poor chandalah, who leads a virtuous life, is prohibited
from the common right of humanity. Does the latter make no
silent appeal to the feeling hearts of British legislators? When the
Hindoo law-giver (so far from offering him the benefits of religion)
does not even permit him to tread the outer courts of the temple,
does it not sull more behove an enlightened government to ten-
der him the comforts of the gospel, and an equitable share in the
common rights of man? It is not the mysteries of Christianity
on which a stress is now laid; it is on the divine consolations
afforded by that blessed revelation, and the practice of the moral
duties which it inculcates. From this practice, from these enjoy-
ments, the lower classes of Hindoos are more or less excluded. The
Christian’s Bible is not “ an exercise of ingenuity, but of obedience.
Our great duties are written with a sun-beam; to believe what is
VOL. III. 27

322

true, to love what is amiable, to do what is right, and to suffer
what is appointed. We bring into the world tempers and
dispositions which are strong obstacles to these attainments. To
surmount these obstacles is the life of a christian; for this we
were brought into being: as we pursue or neglect this, we shall
answer or defeat the end for which we were born.”—Hannau
More.

On leaving the Brodera purgunna, we entered a small territory
belonging to the Meah-Gaum rajah, named Ramul Sihng. This
Hindoo chieftain, more than any I ever saw in India, reminded
me of the ancient patriarchs; and his domestic arrangements
nearly resembled those of my venerable Mahomedan host at Ram-
Rajah. Like him, this respectable Hindoo lived under the same roof
with twelve of his sons, their wives and children. Some others
were engaged in the service of foreign princes, some had fallen
in battle, and several daughters were married among their own
caste, in different parts of Guzerat. Ramul Sihng was highly
esteemed in that province: although not abounding in wealth, or
possessing a large revenue, he was kind and hospitable to stran-
gers; gave them the milk and honey of his land; and, though for-
bidden by religious tenets to kill the fatted calf, the firstlings of his
flock, the milk of his kine, and the fruits of his garden were always
sent to travellers who visited his little capital. It was a delightful
visit to his humble durbar; where, surrounded by his children in
many generations, he prayed for blessings on their heads, and em-
braced them with paternal affection. Ramul Sihng did not vie
with the prince of Uz, in the number of his camels, sheep, and

oxen; but he was equally happy in a numerous family, and en-

‘a

323

joyed their society in the same manner. I frequently quote the
sacred historians, not only for their intrinsic truth and beauty, but
because they illustrate oriental manners and customs more happily
than any other book I am acquainted with. In the parallel be-
tween the ancient patriarch and the Meah rajah, there was a
striking coincidence of circumstances and character. I heard the
subjects in his little principality speak of their parental chief as
did the inhabitants of Uz, in days of yore; and in the very words
they used, which I noted down at the time. ‘“ When the ear
heard him, then it blessed him; and when the eye saw him it gave
witness to him; because he delivered the poor, and the fatherless,
and him that had none tohelp him. 'The blessing of him that was
ready to perish came upon him; and he caused the widow’s heart
to sing for joy!”

The rajah of Meah Gaum was indeed an amiable exception to
the Indian portraits lately introduced. With equal pleasure I now
bring forward two others, in the characters of Hiroo Nand, and
his amiable wife, then lately deceased, and burnt at Brodera.
Hiroo Nand was duan to Futty Sihng; who, however deficient in
princely virtues himself, knew how to value them in a faithful ser-
vant. His superior abilities and unshaken integrity gained him the
esteem of his prince; he was equally beloved by his subjects for
his justice, moderation, and clemency in cullecting the revenues
of the Guickwar, which annually amounted to sixty lacs of rupees.
Thus respected by all ranks, his happiness was complete, from
having married a young lady of family, in every respect worthy
of such a husband. When his presence was required in distant

provinces, to her he intrusted all his concerns in Brodera; she not

only transacted business, audited accounts, carried on his corres-
pondence and received his own officers, but gave audience to
foreign deputauions. ‘This is the more extraordinary, as a very few
Hindoo women can either write or read.

A short time previous to our visiting Brodera, Hiroo was seized
with a dangerous fever at Neriad. The brahmin physicians giving
very little hope of recovery, he sent for his wife, who arrived in
time to administer the last consolations to her expiring husband.
She accompanied his corpse to Brodera, where the funeral pile
was to be erected, with a fixed resolve not to survive him. On
hearing of the duan’s illness, Futty Sihng sent to assure his wife
of his favour and protection; and in case of his decease promised
the regard due to a faithful minister should be transferred to his
widow and children. Her husband amply provided for her by
will, and, contrary to the laws of dowry, and general customs of
the Hindoos, he made her totally independent of his family. All
were of no avail, she persisted in her determination to attend him
to a better world, and suffered not the tears nor supplications. of
an aged mother and three helpless infants to change her purpose.

The funeral pyre was erected on the banks of the river Biswa-
mintree, without the gates of Brodera. An immense concourse of
all ranks assembled at the cremation; a band of music accom-
panied the brahmins who superintended the ceremony. The bower
of death, enwreathed with sacred flowers, was erected over the
pile of sandal-wood and spices, on which lay the body of the de-
ceased. After various ceremonies, the music ceased, and the
crowd in solemn silence waited the arrival of the heroine! She

approached from a temporary retirement with the brahmins, at-

325

tended by her mother, and three lovely children, arrayed in rich
attire, and wearing the hymeneal crown, an ornament peculiar to
a Hindoo bride at her marriage. On reaching the pyre she made
a salam to the surrounding spectators, and a low obeisance to her
husband’s body. After a few religious ceremonies, the attendants
took off her jewels, anointed her dishevelled hair with consecrated
ghee, as also the skirts of her flowing robe of yellow muslin (the
colour of nuptial bliss). ''wo lisping infants clung round her knees,
to dissuade her from the fatal purpose; the last pledge of conjugal
love was taken from her bosom by an aged parent, in speechless
agony. Freed from these heart-piercing mourners, the lovely
widow, with an air of solemn majesty, received a lighted torch
from the brahmins, with which she walked seven times round the
pyre. Stopping near the entrance of the bower, for the last time
she addressed the fire, and worshipped the cther deities, as pre-
scribed in the Sutty-ved: then setting fire to her hair, and the
skirts of her robe, to render herself the only brand worthy of illumi-
nating the sacred pile, she threw away the torch, rushed into
the bower, and embracing her husband, thus communicated the
flames to the surrounding branches. ‘The musicians immediately
struck up the loudest strains, to drown the cries of the victim,
should her courage have forsaken her. But several spectators
then present, assured me the serenity of her countenance, and dig-
nity of her behaviour, surpassed all the sacrifices of a similar na-
ture they had ever witnessed. I was invited to this cremation,
which took place within twelve miles of my residence, and am
now sorry I did not attend so extraordinary an immolation.

The widow of Hiroo walked seven times round the funeral

326

pile; some Hindoo females only encompass it thrice; and there
may be other exceptions. But in ancient and modern history we
find the numbers seven and three generally considered to be
sacred; the former number is most common in scripture; among

the Greeks and Romans the latter prevails, especially at funerals.

Oi 8e Tels meg) vexgay eEuTeIyas PAUTOY (TTS

Mugéjzevor. Homer.

«© They drive their horses thrice about the dead

«« Lamenting.”

Ter circum accensos cincti fulgentibus armis
Decurrere rogos, ter maestum funeris ignem

Lustravere in equis, ululatusque ore dedere. Virc.

Well-arm'd, thrice round the pile they march'd on foot,
Thrice round it rode, and with a dismal shout

Survey‘d the rolling flames.

The character and conduct of the young Hindoo widow ex-
cites our admiration and claims our pity; for although we may
admire the heroism, we must pity a female, biassed by a wrong
education, and influenced by a false religion, to make this dreadful
sacrifice. Christianity would have regulated her affections, have
taught her the delights of resignation, the necessity of fulfilling
her relative duties to society, and especially those implanted in the
maternal bosom. We gaze fora moment on the Asialic meteor;
admiration and esteem accompany our judgment in contemplating
the fortitude and active virtues of Lady Russell, Madame de
Sevigné, the late Marchioness of ‘Tavistock, and other eminent

females in Europe.

327

«« Woman, the sweet enchantress! given to cheer

The fitful struggles of our passage here ;

In pity to our sorows, sent to show

The earlier joys of Paradise below;

With matron love, and matron duty, pour

Her gentle influence on our evening hour,

When the world-wearied spirit longs to rest
‘Its throbbing temples on her sheltering breast.
Woman, whose tear, whose glance, whose touch, whose sigh,
Can wrap us in despair, or ecstasy !

With untold hope, and passion’s nameless thrill,
Refine our raptures, bid our cares be still ;

With Love’s sweet arts, the gloom of Woe dispel,

Bid in our breast returning transport swell ;

Cling round our soul, the rising fiend destroy,

And lead to Virtue, by the path of Joy.” ANON.

The Indian women, especially the high castes of Hindoos, have
their peculiar virtues; delicate, retired, and feminine. On the pre-
sent journey, not only in the English districts, but those belonging
to other governments, the women drew water at the public wells for
ourselves, our servants, and cattle, while others presented us with
butter, milk, vegetables, fruit, and flowers. However shy they
may be reckoned in their general deportment to strangers, in my
purgunnas I have often known them to exceed these stated duties
of hospitality; and have seen a woman of no mean rank, literally
illustrate the conduct of an unfortunate princess in the Jewish his-
tory; where, “ ‘lamar took flour and kneaded it, and made cakes
in her brother Amnon’s house; and did bake the cakes, and took
a pan, and poured them out before him. And her brother said

unto her, bring the meat that I may eat of thine hand: and ‘Tamar

328

took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon
her brother.”

Such was the simplicity of royalty in former ages; such the
domestic conduct in a princess of the house of David. Homer in-
troduces a lady of equal rank, engaged in an occupation which in
Europe would be thought very degrading; but is not beneath the

dignity of the brahmin female at this day.

«© When lo! they met, beside a crystal spring,
«© The daughter of Antiphates, the king :
«« She to Artacia’s silver streams came down,
«« Artacia’s streams alone supply the town ;

«« The damsel they approach.” OpysseY.

However decidedly some travellers may write on the Asiatic
women, it is difficult to form a correct portrait of the high Mogul
or Hindoo female character; especially among the former. I have
known English physicians sent for to the durbar at Cambay, and
the palaces of other Mahomedans. ‘The princes openly consulted
them on their real and imaginary complaints; they generally en-
tertain a high opinion of their medical skill, are fond of conversing
upon the subject, and enumerating their disorders. Their attend-
ance was not confined to the male sex; the ladies generally re-
quested a visit (for an interview it cannot be called) in the
haram; whither the physician was conducted by eunuchs and
duennas, and attended a patient for many days, without ever
seeing her. On entering the ladies’ apartments, he was led into a
saloon, separated from the interior chambers by a thick curtain,

falling from the ceiling to the floor, the whole breadth of the

329

room; this curtain has a small aperture in the centre, like those
in front of a theatre, through which the patient puts her arm, that
the physician might feel the pulse, and form some sort of con-
clusion for a prescription: but he was not permitted any further
intercourse with these secluded ladies.

In describing the Indian Mahomedans on another occasion, I
gave the sentiments of a very intelligent writer on those in the
Nizam’s country: what he says on the female character in that
class of oriental society, is too pertinent to be omitted. * In re-
tracing the various subjects of a cursory sketch of Mahomedan
manners, there is one circumstance likely to strike the curious
reader, namely, that refinement of manners should be found
among a people whose customs entirely preclude women from
any parlicipation in society. As a popular opinion has long pre-
vailed in Europe that mankind are chiefly indebted for the im-
provement of ferocious and uncouth manners to the endearing
society of the more amiable sex, as well as to the refinement
arising from the introduction of chivalry; yet, in contradiction to
this supposition, we learn from history that the institutions of
chivalry are unknown in India, or in the countries from whence
the Mahomedan conquerors of India eriginated. We also know
from the same source, that the exclusion of women from the mixed
society of men, obtained more or less in Asia prior to the introduc-.
tion of the Mahomedan religion. Indeed, though the Mahomedan
doctrine has been supposed extremely adverse to the fair sex by
Europeans, it will be found that the women of Arabia are pecu-
liarly indebted to the precepts of the Koran for the abolition of a

horrid custom, then prevalent among the Arabs, of frequently
VOL. LL. 2U

330

condemning to death their female offspring, as useless for the purposes
of war. And here it may not be extraneous to make some mention
of a religion whose dictates have caused so extraordinary a separa-
tion in society between the two sexes; an instiLution the more
singular, as arising from the lucubrations of a man whose devotion
to the sex placed the eternal happiness of the Faithful in the per-
petual enjoyment of bliss in the arms of celestial beauties; who,
like their mortal sisters, are equally condemned to rerement in the
next world; where Mahomed represents the charming black-eyed
girls of Paradise to be created of pure musk, and possessing the most
rigid senuments of modesty, as secluded from the rest of the heavenly
host in sacred groves, or enshrined in pavilions of hollow pear! of vast
extent. Though this indeed particularly alludes to the Hur Al
Ayun, or Hource, an immortal race created for the solace of true
believers; yet to prove, with many other passages of the Koran,
that women have not been banished these celesual abodes, the
Faithful are permitted to send for their former loves; who, clothed
in robes of heavenly texture, and crowned with resplendent pearls,
will wander in the fragrant bowers of Paradise, enjoying the un-
fading bloom of eternal youth. But, to descend from the extatic
raptures of the amorous prophet to his earthly institutions, we may,
in the Mahomedan mode of life, partly trace the views of its
ambitious founder. Designing his disciples for the founders of a
new and splendid empire, he wished the whole energy of the
human soul to be collected in that one great design; and that,
inspired with enthusiasm, his followers might, without interruption,
pursue a steady course in the arduous and dangerous paths of

politics and war. Yet the strong impulse of nature warned the

331

Prophet, like a secret monitor, that intellectual food alone was in-
sufficient for beings compounded of soul and body. Convinced
of this, he only followed, without knowing it, the example of Zeno,
Epicurus, and Aristotle, by adapting his system and religion to
his own temperament and inclinations. Love and dominion were
the passions of the Prophet, so he determined they should go hand
in hand; and resolved that the diet and beverage of his disciples
should neither impair the vigour of the body nor the faculties of
the mind. But, as the frailty of human nature had ordained
repose both to the statesman and hero, he contrived that the
allurements of pleasure should not interrupt the hours of business,
and that women should be the solace of mankind only in the
hours of retirement and relaxation, without superadding to the
toils of public life the anxiety and perturbation of the absent
lover. For, however dull and inanimate society may appear to the
votaries of pleasure, deprived of this genial source of all our delights,
yet the philosopher and statesman, viewing pleasure as a secondary
motive, may think the exciusion of women an advantage to the
cold system of wisdom and policy, Nam fut ante Helenam belli
teterrima causa amor; which the subsequent ages of the world have,
and do confirm.”

From Brodera and Meah Gaum, we travelled westward, through
the Jamboseer and Ahmood purgunnas: having already described
those districts and their respective capitals, I shall not resume the
subject. Almost every part of the Brodera purgunna evinced its
former beauty, in topes of mango and tamarind trees, tastefully
planted near mosques, mausoleums, and other remains of Mogul

splendor, now in a state of dilapidation. The abundance of

2

rw)

32

game in this country, and especially of wild peacocks in the wood-
lands, is astonishing: every village seems to have an appropriate
share of these birds in the surrounding groves. There, as in the
Dhuboy districts, peacocks and monkeys are protected, and allowed
an ample share of grain in the cullies, or farm-yards. ‘The pea-
fowl in other parts of the country, secluded from the haunts of
men, subsist, no doubt, upon wild fruits, insects, and reptiles,
which every where abound, especially of the coluber tribe; for
although, like the rest of the species, the pea-fowl of Guzerat are
granivorous, they are also very fond of serpents, and devour them
whenever they have an opportunity. The natives are still more
obliged to the sahras, stork, crane, and many other graminivorous
and aquatic birds, for the destruction of those enemies, which they
swallow with great avidity. And as the snake devours poultry
and animals of various descriptions, ten times larger than itself, so
the peacock contrives to swallow a serpent of almost incredible
magnitude; even the cobra-di-capello, and others of a poisonous
nature.

The cobra-di-capello, or coluber naja, is as common in Guzerat
as In many parts of Hindostan. At Dhuboy they were of the
largest size, and generally of a paler colour than those in the
Concan, occasioned perhaps by the contrast: the hood of those in
Guzerat appears more brilliant, and the black and white marks in
the spectacles more distinct than in the darker kind at Bombay.
The hood is dilatable to a great degree, at the pleasure of the animal.
This faculty is occasioned by the length of the bony rays proceed-
ing from the sides of the vertebra in that part; and which, assisted

by proper muscles, enable the snake to extend the skin of the

333

neck to a large flattened surface or hood; generally spotted, like
the rest of the body, with brown, except those black and white
marks, resembling a pair of spectacles in shape, which has ob-
tained it the name of the spectacle-snake.

Like most other serpents, the cobra-di-capello has the power
of fascinating small birds; who either hover over it, until they
actually drop into its mouth, or lose the power of motion to escape
from their insidious enemy. I have frequently found very large
skins of these serpents, perfect, and of great beauty, in caverns
and thick bushes, in different paris of India; particularly in the
caves of Salsette and Elephanta, where they are very abundant.

In Mr. Boag’s account of the serpents at Bombay, it appears
that Gmelin’s Systema Nature describes two hundred and nine-
teen different kinds of snakes, of which, according to Linnzeus, only
one in ten are poisonous; and that many of these are not poisonous
to man, though they may be destructive to lesser animals. “ The
most certain indication to be depended on, is the large canine teeth
or fangs fixed in the upper jaw, which are commonly two in
number, but sometimes more. ‘These teeth are covered with a
“membranous sheath, and are crooked, moveable, and hollow, to
give passage to the venom, which they receive from a small reser-
voir that runs along the palate of the mouth, and passes through
the body of each fang. ‘This reservoir contains only a small
quantity of venom, which is forced out of it when the animal
attempts to bile by a strong muscle fixed in the upper jaw for
that purpose. It has been well observed by Linnzus, that if

nature has thrown them naked on the ground, destitute of limbs,

334

and exposed to every misery, she has in return supplied them with
a deadly poison, the most terrible of all weapons!

« On procuring a large cobra-di-capello with the venomous
teeth and poison-bag entire, it was made to bite a young dog in
the hind leg, for which no medicine was made use of. ‘The dog
upon being bit howled violently for a few minutes; the wounded
limb soon became paralytic; in ten minutes the dog lay senseless
and convulsed; in thirteen minutes he was dead. <A dog of a
smaller size, and younger, was bitten in the hind leg, when he was
instantly plunged into a warm nitre bath prepared on purpose.
The wound was scarified, and washed with the solution of lunar
caustic, while some of it was poured down his throat. The dog
died in the same time, and with the same symptoms as the former.
After an interval of one day, the same snake was made to bite a
young puppy in the hind leg; but above the part bitten a ligature
was previously tied: the wound was scarified and treated as the
other. This dog did not seem to feel any other injury than that
arising from the ligature round his leg. Half an hour after being
bitten the ligature and dressing were removed: the dog soon began
to sink, breathed quick, grew convulsed, and died.

‘«'The symptoms which arise from the bite of aserpent, are com-
monly pain, swelling, and redness in the part bitten; great faint-
ness, with sickness at the stomach, and sometimes vomiting,
succeed: the breathing becomes short and laborious, the pulse
low, quick, and interrupted. ‘I'he wound, which was at first red,
becomes livid, black, and gangrenous; the skin of the wounded

limb, and sometimes of the whole body, takes a yellow hue; cold

335

sweats and convulsions come on; and the patient sinks, sometimes
in a few hours, but commonly at the end of two, three, or four
days. ‘This is the usual progress when the disease terminates
fatally; but happily the patient will most commonly recover. A
reflection which should moderate the fears of those who happen to
be bitten by snakes; and which, at any rate, should, as much as
possible, be resisted; as the depressing passion of fear will in all
cases assist the operation of the poison.”

Fear doubuessly operates powerfully on men and animals at the
sight of these venomous serpents, especially those of superior
magnitude. Many of the Hindoos, discarding fear, seem to behold
them with veneration and love. ‘They are, as already mentioned,
the protectors of their treasure, the object of adoration in their
temples, and most probably the receptacle of some favoured souls
in the metempsychosis. With them, as among the ancients, the
serpent is, in a high degree, figurative and symbolical. Its many
singular properties render it peculiarly interesting; none more
wonderful than its power of charming the unwary birds (as instanced
in the cobra-di-capello), by fixing its brilliant eyes on the intended
prey, until the terrified flutterer actually rans into its open mouth.

Paley, in his Natural Theology, marking the attention of the
Creator to the three great kingdoms in the animal creation, quadru-
peds, birds, and fishes, and to their constitution as such, introduces
the fang of a poisonous serpent as a clear and curious example of
mechanical contrivance in the great Author of nature. It is a
perforated tooth, loose at the root; in its quiet state lying down
flat upon the jaw, but furnished with a muscle, which, with a jerk,

and by the pluck, as it were, of a string, suddenly erects it. Under

336

the tooth, close to ils root, and communicating with the perfora-
tion, lies a small bag, containing the venom. When the fang is
raised the closing of the jaw presses ils root against the bag under-
neath; and the force of this compression sends out the fluid
with a considerable impetus through the tube in the middle of the
tooth. What more unequivocal, or effectual apparatus could be
devised for the double purpose of at once inflicting the wound,
and injécting the poison? Yet, though lodged in the mouth, it is
so constituted, as, in its inoffensive and quiescent state, not to
interfere with the animal’s ordinary office of receiving its food. It
has been observed also, that none of the harmless serpents have
these fangs, but teeth of an equal size; not moveable, as this is,
but fixed into the jaw.

I believe very few of the water-snakes have these fangs, or are
in any degree venomous. In this family is a great variety; some
very large, especially those in soundings on the Malabar coast.
Many in the Guzerat lakes are of beautiful colours; and their
predatory pursuits are extremely curious. ‘They watch the frogs,
lizards, young ducks, water rats, and other animals, when reposing
on the leaves of the lotus, or sporting on the margin of a lake,
and at a favourable opportunity seize their prey, and swallow it
whole, though often of a circumference much larger than them-
selves. These, in their turn, become food to the larger aquatic
fowl, which frequent the lakes; who also swallow them, and their
contents, entire: thus it sometimes happens that a large duck not
only gulps down the living serpent, but one of its own brood still
existing in its maw. Standing with some friends on the side of a

tank, watching the manceuvres of these animals, we saw a Muscovy

337

drake swallow a large snake, which had just before gorged itself
with a living prey. The drake came on shore to exercise him-
self in getting down the snake, which continued for some hours
working within the bird’s craw; who seemed rather uneasy at its
troublesome guest. It is therefore most probable there were three
different creatures alive at the same time in this singular con-
nection. ‘The serpent swallows small animals alive without much
suction or bruising, and a living frog is frequently found within the
snake’s stomach. How long the frog continues alive within the
serpent, and the serpent within the bird, I cannot say, as the
digestive faculties of the stomach may vary in different animals.
The ostrich swallows stones, iron, and similar substances; the
shark voraciously devours carpenters’ tools, pieces of wood, clasp-
knives, and thick ropes, that fall from the ship; the peacocks and
aquatic fowl of Guzerat prey upon living serpents, and small
reptiles of every description. I mentioned this propensity in the
falco serpentarius, or secretary-bird, in the menagerie at the Cape
of Good Hope. Barrow relates a very curious circumstance re-
specting living serpents in the stomach of one of these birds after
its death, which puts the matter beyond all doubt. “ An English
genUeman, who held an official situation at the Cape of Good.
Hope, 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
crasvled, in perfect vigour, and free from any injury. On the suppo-
VOLS IITs 2X

338

sition that others might still be in the stomach, the bird was sus-
pended by the legs, and presenUy 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 several dead snakes, with
a half-digested mass of lizards, scorpions, scolopendre, centipedes,
and beetles.”

The little district belonging to the Meah Gaum Raitah afforded
neither novelty nor interest; but on entering the Jamboseer pur-
gunna, which had then been several years in the company’s posses-
sion, we observed a visible alteration in the agriculture, population,
and cheerfulness of the villages: for fertile, beautiful, and abun-
dant, as are so many parts of the Brodera pergunna, yet numerous
villages are depopulated, and the surrounding country a desert,
from the oppressive government of Futty Sihng, and the cruel
irruptions of the Bheels and Gracias. In one considerable tract
near the confines of the Brodera district we witnessed a mournful
scene, occasioned by a different scourge: a flight of locusts had
some time before alighted in that part of the country, and left
behind them an awful and striking contrast to the general beauty
of this earthly paradise. The sad description of Hosea was literally
realized. “That which the palmer-worm hath left, hath the locust
eaten; and that which the locust hath left, hath the canker-werm
eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left, hath the cater-
pillar eaten. They have laid waste the vine, and barked the fig-
tree; they have made it clean bare, and the branches thereof are
made white: the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the
apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered. Howl, O
ye husbandmen! for the wheat and for the barley; because the

339

harvest of the field is perished. How do the beasts groan! the
herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea,
the flocks of sheep are made desolate!”

IT am no judge of this distinction in the caterpillar tribe;
neither can I discriminate the different companies in a_ host
of locusts: all are destructive, and equally dreaded by the
peasants. In the forest scenery on this excursion, we saw many
beautiful varieties in the mantis, cicada, and papilio tribes;
especially among those curious, but ravenous insects, called the
creeping-leaf. The tough sugar-canes, luxuriant juarree, and
strongest oil-plants, had fallen a sacrifice to the host of locusts, in
the Brodera purgunna: even the large mowah trees did not escape
their ravage. The madhuca, or mowah tree, abounds in this
part of Guzerat, and a great quantity of mowah-arrack is distilled
in the Brodera villages. This pernicious distillery is encouraged
by the Indian princes on account of the revenue; although, like
a similar mischief in a more civilized country, the deleterious
effects of this intoxicating spirit are too visible among the lower
classes of society. In Brodera they also distil a strong spirit from
the sugar cane, and the molasses, or jaggaree, 1t produces.

Sugar, and spirits distilled from sugar, have been known in
India from time immemorial. Sir William Jones proves the Insti-
tutes of Menu to have been promulgated at least twelve hundred
years before the Christian era. Those laws particularly prohibit
spirits to the Brahmins; whether extracted from the dregs of sugar,
from rice, or from the flowers of the madhuca.

In most of the Guzerat villages, and in every part of India

where I travelled, are usually one or more potters, who manufacture

pots, dishes, and other utensils, from the argillaceous earth: these
are turned by the wheel, with the usual simplicity of oriental
artificers. Some of the superior workmen manufacture idols, in
the Hindoo mythology, of clay, baked and painted, in imitation of
those formed of prepared rice, alabaster, and different metals,
which were annually imported to a considerable amount at the
Baroche Phoorza, when I was custom-master at that settlement;
and transported from thence into the interior of Guzerat and
Malwa. Atthe Baroche Phoorza I frequently purchased specimens
of Ganesa, and other Hindoo deities, on a small scale, both in
rice and alabaster: and the Brahmins at Dhuboy liberally and
kindly superintended the silver-smith, who made me a set of images,
cast in tuthenaque, or chinese white copper, with the ornaments
and utensils of the temple, in gold and silver, of a reduced size.
A particular part of the bed of the Nerbudda, not far from Chan-
dode, as also some places at a greater distance in that river, were
famous for producing stones exactly resembling the idol appro-
priated for the worship of Seva. ‘They are formed into this shape
by the action of the water, and on that account are deemed
particularly holy by the brahmins in the sect of Seva.

The general velocity of the Nerbudda, where the stream is con-
fined to a narrow channel, occasions the friction of the stones to
produce a great variety of forms, consequently some of the shape
alluded to. ‘Those are all produced in the upper parts of the
river, for its bed, in the Baroche and Zinore districts, is entirely of
mud, clay, or sand; not the smallest pebble is to be met with.
Like most rivers in Hindostan, the Nerbudda overflows its banks

in the rainy season, when its limits are confined; a number of large

341

irees and animals are then brought down by the floods from thie
mountains: some of the former different from those in the plains of
Guzerat. The Nerbudda seldom occasions mischief; the over-
flowing streams of the Dahder, and some of the smaller rivers,
frequently produce dreadful calamities within a few miles of their
fertile banks. ‘These floods seem to be very little influenced by the
rain which falls on the plains, they are always occasioned by
mountain torrents. ‘There certainly is not so great a fall of rain
during the wet season in Guzerat as on the island of Bombay,
and the southern parts of the Malabar coast; where the periodical
rains generally commence and terminate at the same period, as we
experienced at Surat and Baroche. The setting in of the rain,
with the south-west monsoon, usually takes place before the middle
of June, and continues, with more or less violence, and unequal falls
of rain, for about four months: the largest quantity always falls in
July. From a calculation made and published, it appears that on
the island of Bombay, for eight successive years, from 1780, the
general average of rain in July, was twenty-two inches, and the
most that fell in any one day was six inches. The quantity of
rain which fell in each of those years at Bombay, being thus asccer-
tained, may serve as an estimate for ten degrees of latitude, from

10° to 20° on the west side of the Gaut mountains.

342

Inches,
From July 4th, to October 14th, 1780 . .. 534
From June 14th, to October 14th, 1781 . . . 715
From May 28th, to October 5th, 1782 . . . 518
From June 1st, to October 4th, 183 — oiehe ek SEO
From June 6th, to October 6th, TGs iy iee eee
From May 29th, to October 27th, 1785 . . . 702
From June 12th, to October 12th, 1786 . . . 74

From June 11th, to October 12th, 1787. . . 70 4

General average 63 96

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CHAPTER XXXIV.

PRESENTATION OF BAROCHE AND ITS VALUABLE

DISTRICTS TO MHADAJEE SINDIA;
CESSION OF DHUBOY, AND THE OTHER ENGLISH PURGUNNAS
IN GUZERAT TO THE MAHRATTA GOVERNMENT;
AND FINAL DEPARTURE OF THE COMPANY'S
SERVANTS AND GARRISONS FROM
THOSE ESTABLISHMENTS.
1783.

«© O Liserty! thou goddess, heavenly bright,
“© Profuse of bliss, and pregnant with delight ;
«« Eternal pleasures in thy presence reign,
«« And smiling Prenry leads thy wanton train ;
«© Eas'd of her load Subjection grows more light,
“ And Poverty looks cheerful in thy sight ;
«© Thou mak’st the gloomy face of Nature gay,
“© Giy’st beauty to the sun, and pleasure to the day !
« °Tis Liperty that crowns Britannia’s isle,
“ And makes her barren.rocks, and her bleak mountains smile." Apprisex.

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CONTENTS.

Cession of Baroche, Dhuboy, and the English purgunnas in Guzerat,
to the Mahrattas and Mahdajee Sindia, at the peace nm 1783—
rise of Mahdajee Sindia’s family in the Mahratta state—uillegiti-
macy of that chieftain—dissensions in the family— assassination of
Jeajee—elevation of Mahdaee Sindia by Mahdarow—chosen
mediator of the treaty of peace between the English and Mah-
rattas in 1783—the city and district of Baroche presented to him
for this service—Dhuboy and Zinore ordered to be surrendered to
the Mahrattas—sorrow of the inhabitants of Baroche, and their
behaviour on giving it up to the Mahratta governor—these facts
opposed to former ill-founded prejudices in England—instances of
oriental gratitude—letlers from different natives of India—noble
behaviour of the inhabitants of Dhuboy on the report of its being
restored to the Mahrattas—present of Hindoo images brought to
England, and placed ina temple erected for their reception—beauty
and peculiarity of the nymphea lotos—events of the day on which
Dhuboy was to have been delivered up to the Mahratta pundit—
his non-arrival—dissuasion of the brahmins from my leaving Dhu-
boy—reasons assigned for their conduct—threats and intended am-
buscade of the Gractas—the mantra, and divinations communicated
by the brahmins—paper presented by the elders of Dhuboy, stating

the happiness of the English government, and their misery at its
VOL. III. 2¥

being withdrawn—reasons for inserting it—translation of the ad-
dress—divination of the Gracia soothsayers—arrangements in con-
sequence—departure from Dhuboy—tines written on the occasion—
proceed to Baroche—attack of the Gracias on my escort—murder
of the cavalry officer, servant, and attendants—further cruelty and
plunder—funeral processtons—my narrow escape from the ambus-
cade—conduct of the relations of the murdered people—general
behaviour of the Mahomedan women on such occasions—intentions
of the Gracias, had they succeeded in my capture—various modes
of powsoning thew prisoners—effects of deleterious drugs on the
body and the mind—poisons among the ancients—recovery of part
of my effects-—sheep-skin death—anecdote in consequence—death by
thirst—another scheme of the Gracias frustrated—oriental sorceries

—remarks on a particular Providence.

CHAP TE R XX XPV.

I wow enter upon the painful subject of my last letter from In-
dia; it was written from Bombay at the end of the year 1783,
when I had taken a final leave of Baroche, Dhuboy, and all the
interesting scenes in Guzerat. ‘They then no longer belonged to
the English; the British flag, the security of liberty and property
in that delightful province, no more waved on her ramparts, and
the peasants on her luxuriant plains were abandoned to Mahratta
despotism. Ill-fated people, who only experienced the mildness of
our laws, and tasted the sweets of freedom, to find the cup of slavery
more bitter !

I shall not discuss the oriental politics at that period. The
East India Company had been engaged for several years in an
expensive war with the Mahrattas and Hyder Ally Khan, the two
most formidable powers in Hindostan. In the beginning of 1783
the Supreme government of Bengal concluded a peace with the
peshwa of the Mahrattas, through the mediation of Mhadajee
Sindia, one of the great sirdars, or chieftains, of the empire; a man
whose rise in life was so extraordinary as to merit a particular

recital.
When Bajee-Row became peshwa, as particularly mentioned

QQ }
348

in the account of the Mahrattas, he employed his younger brother,
Chimnajee Appa, in affairs of the greatest_importance, for the
Rajah Saou Bhousela, the nominal sovereign of the Mahrattas:
armies were intrusted to his command; and the country of the
Concan, with all the castles below the Gauts, which, under the
Moeul emperors, had been governed by the Abyssinian Yacoot
Khan, was submitted to his direction: while vested with this
authority he conquered Bassein from the Portugueze. '

Chimnajee, at his death, left one son, named Sudasew Row,
_ who afterwards became better known by the appellation of Bhaouw.
Bajee-Row also dying, his son Ballejee-Row, generally called
Nanna, succeeded his father in the full possession of all his minis-
terial powers, as peshwa, wluile his cousin Bhaod remained in
obscurity. Ramchunder Baba, a brahmin of great abilities, who
had been closely connected with Chimnajee, saw and lamented the
fortune of his son. Influenced by his feelings, he waited on the
Rajah Saou Bhonsela, and by his representations to that prince,
procured a mandate, ordaining that Nana should have the supreme
direction of his affairs, in the manner of his father Badjee Row,
and that Bhadu should enjoy powers under him, similar to those of
Chimnajee: conformable to this resolution, the rajah confirmed
his appointment of the two cousins by a sirpaw to each; from
which time Nana was considered as head purdhan, and Bhadu as
dewan.

After this event a long interval elapsed, in which, though
Nana behaved with the greatest circumspection and civility to. his
new associate, yet Ramchunder, who had been the cause of

Bhaou’s elevation, saw and dreaded latent jealousy: to evade the

consequences of which, he constantly insisted with Bhaou on the
necessity of forming a new and powerful interest in the army,
by the promotion of new men to command, whose hopes and
prospects must rest on him alone; since no reliance could be
placed on chieftains grown old in authority, and haughty from a
habit of commanding. Bhaou felt the force of his friend’s reason-
ing, and in the prosecution of his plan selected Malhar Row
Holcar, a silledar, or soldier of fortune; who, with a high reputa-
tion, possessed besides only his horse and sword, and with him
Ranojee Sindia, who commanded a few horse. ‘They were both
esteemed excellent soldiers, and had been occasionally intrusted
with small commands during the adininistration of the late peshwa,
Badjee-Row. Mutual agreements were entered into; Bhaou en-
gaged on all occasions to procure for them an additional extent of
territorial government, and to increase their forces, while they
pledged themselves to support his influence, as the origin of their
good fortune.

Great part of the extensive province of Malwa was shortly
after allotted to them in Jaghire; while some districts of inferior
value were conferred on Powar, a very respectable chieftain
amongst the Mahrattas. No opportunity was lost of adding to the
power of Bhaou’s new friends; and Bhilseh, with the other terri-
tories of the Mogul, which, by the death of Dost Mahommed
Khan, and Yas Mahommed, fell into the hands of the Mahrattas,
were added to their government.

After a long time spent in this manner, Ranojee Sindia died,
and was succeeded in his Jaghire by his son Jeajee Appa, who

had two brothers, one named Dutajee Patell, the other Tucojee:

—

350

the former was admitted by Jeajee to a participation of power;
but Tucojee dying, left a son named Kedrajee. Ranojee Sindia
had also a son by a butkee, or bond-woman, whose name was
Mahdarao, but who has since become better known by that of
Mhadajee Sindia. As among the Hindoos the offspring of a bond-
woman is not held in equal esteem, nor admitted to inheritance
with the legitimate children, so was this young man excluded from
all share in his father’s estate: insomuch that he was driven to the
necessity of serving in the armies of Bhaou, his father’s patron, as
a yeké souar roo shinas, which signifies a cavalier admitted to the
acquaintance of the chief.

When Mharajah Buckt Sihng, rajah of Marwar, died, his
nephew, Ram Sihng, son of Rarah Abhé Sihng, his elder brother,
who during the life of his uncle had not entirely concealed his
pretensions, openly aspired to the rajahship, and raised an army
to support his claims against his cousin, Bejee Sihng, the son and
successor of the late rajah. Hostilities between these competitors
had subsisted for two years with great animosity, when Jeajee Appa,
on his return from Shah-Jehanabad towards Malwa, passed near
Marwar, and gave Ram Sthng an opportunity of procuring a
meeting; in which, notwithstanding the large offers of Bejee Sihng,
he solicited and obtained Jeajee’s assistance; who upbraided Be-
jee Sihng with his father having deprived his elder brother's son
of his inheritance; since, according to the custom of the Hin-
doos, an hereditary government devolved in course to the eldest
branch.

Thus reinforced, Ram Sihng renewed the contest with vigour;

the whole open country was reduced to his authority, and all ap-

351

pointments were established in his name; while Bejee Sihng, con-
fined to the strong hold of Merut, was so straitened for provisions,
that a pound of salt was not procurable for one rupee, notwith-
standing which, he refused all terms of accommodation offered by
Jeajee; who proposed an equal division of the country between
him and his cousin, and on receiving an acknowledgement for
the expenses of his own troops, to desist from all hostilities. Bejee
Sihng’s answer was constantly and uniformly this, that he was a
rajpoot, that he possessed no treasure but his sword; with which,
while he lived, he would defend himself.

The war being thus protracted for. three years, and Bejee
Sihng perceiving no end to his distresses, had recourse to the ser-
vices of a set of people called Ghaouleh, inhabitants of that coun-
try, who hold lands free of all tribute and taxation, on condition
of devoting themselves to their sovereign’s commands, when called
upon to execute the most desperate acts; so that it is customary
with them, when summoned to his presence, to bequeath their
effects, and take a last farewell of their friends, as though they were

‘never to return; and, under the influence of this extraordinary
fanaticism, they seldom fail to effect the most hazardous enter-
prises.

Five of these Ghaouleh were dispatched to the camp of Jeajee;
two, in the character of public envoys, had free access to the chief-
tain’s tent; one personated a musician, and by his skill gained ad-
mission to an intimate knowledge of all the officers of the house-
hold; while the remaining two, in the disguise of byragees, a tribe

of religious Hindoo mendicants, were diligently employed in pro-

352

curing intelligence, and watching a favourable opportunity to effect
the purpose of their mission.

On a certain day, Jeajee having performed his ablutions, ac-
cording to the Hindoo rites, was seated in his durbar, or audience-
tent. ‘Those ceremonies of access, so punctiliously observed by
the Moguls, are very much neglected among the Mahrattas;
strangers can easily introduce, and place themselves close to the
chief, whose attendants are frequently at a distance. Thus it
happened with the fictitious envoys, who seizing the opportunity
of Jeajee being alone, entered the tent, and advancing near him,
with the utmost humility entered into a detail of their master’s dis-
tresses, endeavouring at the same time to soften Jeajee’s enmity.
He replied, that Bajee Sthng sull proudly depended on his castles
of Merut, Joodpore, and Nagore, all of which he would take
from him, and then treat their master according to his deserts.
One of the envoys, increasing his show of humility, advanced still
nearer; when, suddenly seizing Jeajee by the neck, he drew his
dagger, and giving him three mortal wounds, exclaimed at each
blow, ‘ this is Merut, this is Joodpore, this is Nagore!” Jeajee °
groaned and fell; the servants, alarmed, ran to the place ; confu-
sion ensued, many persons were slain. But it has never been as-
certained whether the assassin was among the number, or whether
he made his escape during the general consternation.

The noise occasioned by this extraordinary circumstance,
brought Dutajee, Jeajee’s brother, to the durbar-tent. Jeajee was
sll breathing; aud with great difficulty was able to utter a few

words, advising him immediately to provide against an attack

(4

~

KO
JI

iS

from Bejee Sthng, and exhorting his brother never to break tlie
engagements he had made to support Ram Sithng, nor desist from
his endeavours to bring his affairs to a happy termination, he ex-
pired.

Dutajee, renowned for courage, instantly gave orders for his
cavalry to mount; and marching from his camp, he found Bejee
Sihng advancing to take advantage of the confusion occasioned
by his emissaries. A severe conflict ensued, in which the sword
and spear were more used than arlillery or small-arms: the raj-
poots under Bejee Sihng behaved with the greatest courage, and
made several desperate charges, so that many of the Mahrattas
were inclined, according to their custom, to change the battle to
a running fight, but were prevented by the firmness of their
leader; whose fortune at length prevailed, and Bejee Sihng leav-
ing the field, retreated slowly towards Merut. Dutajee pursued
him to near the walls, without being able, notwithstanding his ut-
most efforts, to break their line of march, and throw the rajpoots
into confusion.

Bejee Sihng having regained the fort, Dutajee returned to his
encampment, and for a long time closely invested the place, de-
solating, by his predatory excursions and foraging parties, the
whole country of Marwar. At length, on the intelligence of
Ahmed Shah Abdallee having entered Hindostan, Dutajee was.
repeatedly summoned from Poonah, to join the Mahratta army
collected to oppose him. Thus urged, he was under the necessity of
proposing an accommodation between the cousins ; which having
effected, by securing certain districts for Ram Sihng, he marched

towards Delhi. Bejee Sihng, taking advantage of his absence,
VOL. IIL. 2%

354

perfidiously broke the agreement he had entered into, and ex-
pelled his cousin from the districts assigned him.

Dutajee, after the assassination of his elder brother Jeajece,
ordered his son Juncojee Sindia to be treated as his successor ;
while he took upon himself the management of his affairs, under
the ttle of dewan; but being soon after killed in action against
the Duranies, near Delli, the whole weight of government de-
volved on Juncojee ; who also was slain the following year, at the
great battle of Panniput, fought by the Duranies, and several
other Mahomedan tribes, under Ahmed Shah Abdallee, and the
Mahrattas under Sudobah, or Bhadu.

No legitimate descendant of Ranojee Sindia now remained,
except Kedrajee, the son of Tucojee. At this time Mhadarow
had succeeded his father Ballajee Row, in the office of peshwa,
but his uncle Ragonath Row had so great weight and authority
in the administration, as to give Mhadarow constant jealousy and
anxiety.

On the death of Juncojee, Ragonath Row strenuously insisted
on the succession of Kedrajee, in which the whole Sindia tribe
agreed with him. But Mhadarow, suspicious of the designs of
of his uncle, having heard of Mhadajee Sindia, sought after, and
summoned him to his presence. Mhadajee was at that time lame,
from a wound received in the battle of Panniput; poor, and little
known. From this condition Mhadarow elevated him to the go-
vernment and jaghire of his family. ‘The shroffs and monied
men, finding him patronized by the Mahratta sovereign, imme-
diately advanced him money, to take possession of his new ap-
pointment with dignity and splendour.

355

Mhadarow had the same views in the nomination of Mhada-
jee Sindia, as Bhadu had in the tirst elevation of the family, and
he shortly after made use of him to thwart his uncle Ragonath
Row in an expedition against Gohud; by whose means he was
obliged to return unsuccessful and disgraced to the Deccan. Soon
after this transaction, Mhadarow made it a plea for confining his
uncle; and from thence forward the good fortune of Madajee
$india advanced with such rapidity as to give him very consider-
able weight in the Mahratta empire; and the late cession of
Baroche and its dependencies, added still more to his conse-
quence.

So brilliant had the star of his destiny become in 1783, that
he was selected to be the mediator of the treaty of peace between
the English East India Company, and the Mahratta state. By
this treaty, among the purgunnas in Guzerat ceded to the Mah-
rattas, were those of Dhuboy, Zinore, and the other districts under
my jurisdiction; which I was directed to surrender on the 24th of
April 1783, to such officer as might be deputed by the Mahratta
state to receive them, agreeably to the terms of the treaty.

At the same time the Chief and Council of Baroche were or-
dered by the Governor and Council at Bombay to deliver up that
important city and its valuable purgunna, to Bascar Row, agent
for Mhadajee Sindia; to whom it had been presented by the gover-
nor General and Supreme Council of Bengal, “in testimony of
the sense which they entertained of the generous conduct mani-
fested by the said Mhadajee Sindia, to the government of Bom-
bay, at Wargaum, in January 1779; and of his humane treat-

ment and release of the English gentlemen, who had been deli-

3560

yered as hostages on that occasion.” ‘Those were the reasons
assigned by the Bengal government for making this valuable pre-
sent to Mhadajee Sindia.

The inhabitants of Baroche, accustomed to the lenity of British
jurisdiction, execrated the approaching change, and dreaded the
arrival of Bascar Row, which had been delayed in consequence
of a mistaken renewal of hostilities on the Malabar coast; the
people of Baroche, in the mean time, indulged a vain hope that
the intended cession would not take place. No prayers, no cere-
rnonies, no sacrifices, were left unperformed by the different castes,
and religious professions, to implore the continuance of the British
government. It is with extreme salisfaction I recollect the un-
feigned sorrow which pervaded all ranks of society when the fatal
day was fixed for our departure. Baroche, before its conquest
by the English, had belonged to the Moguls, and was governed by
a Mahomedan nabob; the inhabitants well knew the difference
that awaited them. Of all oriental despots, the arbitrary power of
the Mahratta falls perhaps with the most oppressive weight; they
extort money by every kind of vexatious cruelty, without support-
ing commerce, agriculture, and the usual sources of wealth and
prosperity in well-governed states. ‘The Mahomedans, although
equally fond of money, spend it with more liberality, encourage
useful and ornamental works, and patronize art and science.

On the ninth of July 1783, the day appointed for the cession
of Baroche to Mhadajee Sindia, the chief and council received
his agent, Bascar Row, with proper ceremony in the durbar, and
there delivered to him the keys of the city-gates. We immedi-

ately repaired to the water side, to cross the Nerbudda in our

357

way to Surat, and were silently followed by the principal inha-
bitants of the city. While embarking on the Company’s yacht, a
dark cloud passed over us, and a shower of rain fell; our afflicted
friends, no longer able to keep silence, and forgetting the impend-
ing terrors of a Mabhratta despot, pathetically exclaimed “ these
drops are the tears of Hraven for the fate of Baroche!”

I oppose this fact to a thousand unfounded prejudices, and
unsupported calumnies, against the English, which were once so
easily credited in Europe. Among the many who occupy emi-
nent siations in India, some no doubt deserve censuré: the cha-
racters of all who fill similar situations at home are not immacu-
late: the temptations of wealth and power sometimes subdue the
strongest minds; but the hour approaches when they cease to
charm, and when a “ conscience void of offence” will be the
only comfort. Whether the European or Indian peculator, is now
amenable to human laws, or not, a secret monitor corrodes every
present joy, and an unerring Judge hereafter will avenge the breach
of his own laws, established in truth and equity! The general
opprobrium was unjust on a set of men, whose prevailing charac-
teristics were philanthropy, generosity, and benevolence.

The sympathizing tear which accompanied the drops from
heaven on our leaving Baroche, was a public testimony that the
natives preferred the British to an Asiatic government; a love -of
truth, and an affectionate recollection of scenes long past, impel
ine also to insert, a few instances of private attachment and grati-
tude from individuals among the Hindoos, Mahomedans, and
Parsees, with whom I so long resided. They are letters addressed to

myself and the friend of my heart, chiefly from our Indian ser-

358

vants and dependants, who lived with us from the time we entered
on our own career of life, rose in circumstances as we rose in sta-
tion, served us faithfully until our departure to Europe, and never
left us until the ship was almost out of sight of land. I also select
two or three similar tokens of remembrance from Asiatic friends
in a superior walk of life. They are all in their original simple

style, which would derive no advantage from alteration.

A Letter from Dowlet-Roy, Dessoy ; a manin a high station at Baroche.

I am much obliged by your kind inquiries after me, in
Mr. Corkran’s letter; it was becoming your prosperity to notice
your friend in adversity ; for since the departure of the English, and
the establishment of the Mahratta government at Baroche, I have
suffered very cruel oppressions. Mr. Corkran, who is the only
English gentleman of your council who remained here, is very
kind to me, but he has no power to relieve my distress. A great
many of the inhabitants of this city have left it, because they could
not live under such tyranny; and your friend Lullabhy has suf-
fered most of all; but I depend upon the pleasure of Almighty

God: and Dowlet-Roy daily remembers the kindness of you and
Mr. Dalton.

Baroche, 10th December, 1784.

Letter from Jevanjee Furdonjee, a merchant at Baroche.

Iwas much obliged by your kind notice of me, through
Mr. Corkran, on your leaving India. [ pray to God Almighty to

give you a long life, and day by day to increase your dignity :

359

that you may be happy, and rise up in his favour, which I shall
hear of with much pleasure. Mr. Dalton and you were always
my good friends; and Jevanjee still hopes to see your feet in
India once more before he dies! He will then be happy!

Baroche, \7th December, 1784.

Letter from Eddul Ruttonjee, an attached domestic seroant, of the

Parsee tribe.

IT raxe the liberty to address my honoured master with a few
lines, which I hope will find you happily in health, with Mr. and Mrs.
Dalton. You, Sir, in your great favour, recommended me to Mr.
Seton at Surat, when you left India. ‘That worthy gentleman is
very good to me; though since my being settled here I have not
had the happiness to hear of your safe arrival in Kurope: but my
worthy master must not put his poor Eddul far from his sight,
after continuing so many years in his service: and I yet hope I
shall receive one short letter, to tell me you are all well. Sucha
favour will make your servant Eddul happy.

Surat, 31st October, 1785.

Letter from Mahommed Khaun, an old and faithful Mahomedan servant.

UxpeERstTANDING from your purvoe, Cassinauth Vettojee,
that you, my worthy master, had mentioned me in your letter to him,
and as Cassinauth is now sending a packet to you and Mr. Dalton
in Europe, | have requested him to write this letter for me, that

you may accept my humblest thanks for all your kindness during

300

so many years. I am happy to hear of your health, and that of
Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, and I pray God to continue it and your
prosperity ; and 1 hope, wherever your good fortune may take
you, that you will not forget your old servant Mahomed.

Bombay, \st November, 1785.

Letter from Sorabjee Muncherjee, an eminent Parsee merchant at

Bombay, after hearing the news of Mr. Dalton’s death.

I rake this opportunity of writing to you, because I have
heard the sad news of Mr. Dalton’s death. It has given mea grief
which J cannot express. Asa child is doleful for the loss of his
father, so was I afflicted for the death of so kind a friend—you,
Sir, must feel very much indeed: but for death there is no re-
medy, and time will give comfort to the heart. You must now
console his widow, your sister, for his death, and beg of God to
keep his soul in his happy place! As for myself, such was his
kindness in every respect in assisting me as a merchant, that
during my whole life I never can forget it; but with all this you
are well acquainted, as you and Mr. Dalton were one! I now
wish you, Sir, much health and prosperity, and I hope you will
ever keep a favourable sight upon your friend Sorabjee.

Bombay, 25th February, 1787.

When it was publicly known that Dhuboy and its dependent
purgunnas were to be given up to the Mahratta government, and
ihe day approached which was fixed for my departure, a deputation
from the braimins and principal inhabitants visited me at the

durbar, and sincerely condoled with me on the change of affairs.

361

They offered presents, and were so hurt at my refusing any thing
tendered for my acceptance, that I was at length induced to men-
tion a gift which I could receive without conscientious scruples,
if they could bestow it, which from delicacy alone I had not be-
fore asked. Expressing some surprise, and at the same time ma-
nifesting the greatest desire to oblige me, I told them, that as
Dhuboy contained many remains of Hindoo antiquity, in broken
columns, mutilated images, and remnants of basso-relievo scattered
among dilapidated buildings in the city, I requested they would
allow me to select a few of the smallest specimens from the exte-
rior fragments, which I would bring with me to Europe, and erect
a temple for their reception in my own garden. ‘Their astonish-
enent increased at this communication, and was followed by a
solemn silence. They expressed no apprehension of my ridiculing
their religion, but seemed anxious to know why a Christian wished
to possess Hindoo idols. I found a little difficulty in convincing
them of the general curiosity of Europeans, the gratification it
would be to shew them those specimens of oriental sculpture,
and the delightful association of my own ideas, when I should
behold in my own country the precious relics transported from a
distant spot endeared by a thousand tender recollections.

Their tears flowed when they requested to retire for a few
hours, during which they would assemble the recluse religious
brahmins, and in a conclave consider the first request of the kind
which they had ever heard of. ‘They returned the next morning
with counlenances indicating mingled sensations of regret at my
approaching departure, and of delight at having it in their power

to grant my request: to which they acceded in the most liberal
VOL. Iff. 3 A

3602

manner, desiring | would send my own people to select such spe-
cimens as I thought proper, and place them in a temple to F'riend-
ship in my own country. I did so; and deputed some Hindoe
workmen to coliect such small images as I pointed out in the
dilapidated walls of forsaken dewals, and from the exterior orna-
ments at the Gate of Diamonds, which in eight groups now adorn
an octagon building at Stanmore-hill, erected for that purpose,
under a linden-grove on the margin of a lake profusely adorned
by the nymphea lotos, which, when its snowy petals and expanded
foliage are gently agitated by the southern breeze, reminds me of
the sacred tanks in Guzerat.

I have often mentioned this lovely flower; the intelligent Mr.
Knight throws a new light upon the subject: “ growing in the
water, amongst ils broad leaves it puts forth a flower, in the centre
of which is formed the seed-vessel, shaped like a bell, or inverted
cone, and punctuated on the top with little cavities, or cells, in
which the seeds grow to maturity, decay, and again shoot forth;
for the orifices of these cells. being too smal! to let ‘the seeds drop
out when ripe, new plants germinate in the places where they
were formed, the bulb of the vessel serving as a matrice to nou-
rish them until they acquire such a degree of magnitude as to
burst it open and release themselves; .after which, like other
aquatic weeds, they take root wherever the current deposits them.
This plant, therefore, being thus productive of itself, and vegetat-
ing from its own matrice without being fostered in the earth, was
naturally adopted as the symbol of the productive power of the
Deity upon the waters.” ‘To this Maurice alludes in his beautiful

poem on the lotos of Egypt.

363

«« Within thy fair corolla’s full-blown bell
Long since th’ immortals fix'd their fond abode ;
There day’s bright source, Osiris, lov’d to dwell,

While by his side enamour'd Isis glow'd.

What mystic treasures in thy form conceal'd,
Perpetual transport to the sage supply ;
Where Nature, in her deep designs reveal'd,

Awes wondering man, and charms th’ exploring eye.

In thy prolific vase, and fertiie seeds,
Are trac’d her grand regenerative powers ;
Life, springing warm, from loath’d putrescence breeds,

And loyelier germs shoot forth, and lovelier flowers.”

Among the groups of Hindoo deities in the temple at Stan-
more-hill, several are sculptured on the lotos, according with the
fictions in that mythology. All my reliques from Dhuboy were
packed up in chests, ready to accompany the stores and ammu-
nition belonging to the company, with the return of the garrison,
when Dhuboy was ceded to the Mahratta pundit. The 25th of
April was the time appointed for that ceremony, agreeably to the
treaty entered into between the British and Poonah governments.
I had received instructions to deliver up the keys of the fortress
on that day to the Mahratta governor, to strike the British colours,
and proceed to Baroche with the whole garrison. When the
gates were shut the preceding evening the pundit had not arrived,
nor did he make his appearance on the morning fixed for my
departure ; I therefore resolved to leave the city in charge of the
commanding officer of the company’s troops, until the Mahratta
governor arrived.

On that eventful day the principal Hindoo and Mahomedan

304.

inhabitants of Dhuboy assembled in the inner court of the durbar.
Their behaviour indicated something uncommonly solemn and
mysterious, and a horror in their countenance very much surprised
me. At length an aged brahmin with a few associates, came into
the hall, and requested I would defer my departure to Baroche
until the garrison and train of artillery proceeded with me, as that
day was peculiarly unfortunate, and my journey would be attended
with extreme danger. Knowing my incredulity respecting brah-
minical prognostics and cabalistical tables, they added to their
usual strain a prevailing report, that in consequence of the late
treaty between the company and the Mahrattas, by which the
purgunnas under my charge were to be restored to the latter
power, the Gracia chieftains had been for some time secretly
convened at Mandwa, with a number of celebrated soothsayers,
and having raised a large body of horse and foot, had resolved
under the sanction of Manha, to cut me off or take me prisoner, on
my return to Baroche.

The fact was, that the conquest of Mandwa and the captivity
of the rajah’s family, had struck a general terror among the Gracias,
and my correspondence with the other chieftains accomplished
every intended purpose without further bloodshed. They all sent
ambassadors to Dhuboy, entered into treaties, and engaged the
most respectable Bhauts to. become security for their performance.
The Gracias would probably have adhered to these terms, had the
English power continued in Guzerat, but finding they were to
withdraw their forces and lose their influence in that part of India,
they determined to break the treaty; and indignant at the capture

of a fortress hitherto deemed impregnable, and enraged against

365

ihe author of their disgrace, they vowed revenge; having entered

- into a secret combination to effect their purpose, they raised troops,
and laid plans for my destruction, on my final journey from Dhu-
boy to Baroche.

r ¢ : : ay 1 7 ¥9 : : :

To communicate this report of the Gracias’ determination was
one cause of the affectionate visit from the brahmins and elders of
Dhuboy on the day of my departure ; the other, which also sprung
from attachment and gratitude on their part, produced sensations

on mine which I never can forget.

«¢ All fame is foreign, but of true desert,
«¢ Plays round the head, but comes not near the heart ;
“© One self-approving hour whole years outweighs

«« Of stupid starers, and of loud huzzas !” Porr.

After having apprized me of the impending danger, and vainly
urged the procrastination of my journey, they presented me with
an address they had just composed in the Hindoo language, trans-
lated into Persian by the durbar munsee, written on paper spotted
with silver and flowered with gold, which is preserved with the
original drawings and manuscripts from whence these volumes are
compiled. ‘The whole transaction filled me with ineffable delight,
nor would I part with this token of their regard for all the gems
of Golconda.

The following translation is divested of some lofty metaphors
and hyperbolical compliments, which, though well intended, were
too flattering for the performance of official duty, and my sincere
endeavours to render them happy. I introduce it with the greatest

diffidence, as an unexpected and affectionate tribute from a grate-

366

ful people, the last hour I saw them, when they could not expect
another benefit from my hands. I insert it also with peculiar
pleasure, because it so strongly militates against those unfounded
prejudices and illiberal sentiments once entertained against the
British character in India. It likewise affords an additional evi-
dence of honourable feeling and attachment, opposed to many
instances of ingratitude, oppression, and cruelty, by the zemindars

and higher powers in Hindostan, inserted in preceding chapters.

Translation of the Persian Address from the Inhabitants of Dhuboy,

to the English Collector, on the morning of his final departure.

ALLA!

‘“«Trou conferrest power and greatness on the sons of men, ac-
cording to thy pleasure: by Thee the nations of the earth are
created ; their kings and rulers are ordained by Thee!

“ Dhuboy, famed among the cities of the east, was happy when
this English sirdar presided in her durbar ; his disposition towards
the inhabitants was with the best consideration. He afforded
shelter to all, whether they were rich or poor; he delivered them
from trouble and restored thein to comfort. All castes who looked
up to him obtained redress, without distinction and without price.
When he took the poor by the hand he made him rich: under
his protection the people were happy, and reposed on the bed of
ease. When he superintended the garden, each gardener per-
formed his duty ; rills of water flowed to every flower, and all the
trees in the garden flourished. So equal was his justice, that the

tiger and the kid might drink at the same fountain; and often

367

did he redeem the kid from the tiger’s mouth. Under his admi-
nistration the rich dared not to oppress the poor; for lis eyes were
open on the great and small !

“In this country we have not known any government so upright
as that of the English:—-Alas! if our protector forsakes us we shall
be disconsolate as a widow: we shali mourn the loss of a father,
and weep as for the death of a mother!—Atta! in thy mercy con-

tinue him to us!”

Truth and justice have often impelled me to mention extortions
of avarice and oppressions of despotism: delightful have been my
feelings in recording these nobler traits of the Indian character,
when the hearts of the people, ‘‘as the heart of one man,” rising
superior to prejudice of caste and religion, obeyed the dictates of
nature, feeling, and gratitude. As such I introduce it in favour
of a people not renowned for attachment when hope and fear no

Jonger influence their conduct.

—— dignum sapiente, bonoque est, Hor.

“Worthy a wise man, anda good. .

Our mutual feelings on tins occasion are easier conceived than
described. After a short interval the superior brahmin requested
I would retire with him and my Jinguist into a private room, He
then renewed his entreaties that I should remain in Dhuboy until
the garrison marched to Baroche, representing the danger which
awaited meas immediate and otherwise unavoidable. He in-
formed me the diviners had again been convened by the Gracia

chieftains; they had again taken up their parables, pronounced

368

the Mantra, and doomed me to destruction. Secret as they had en-
deavoured to keep their machinations, some had transpired ; and he
produced not only oral reports, but written proofs of their inten-
tions. One of the latter documents was almost literally the divi-
nation mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel, on the approach of the
Chaldean army. “ The king of Babylon stood at the parting of
“the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. ‘He
“ made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked on
* the liver. At the right hand was the divination to appoint cap-
*‘ tains, to open the mouth in slaughter, to lift up the voice
** with shouting; to appoint two ways, and choose a place for de-
‘¢ struction.”

My venerable friend sincerely lamented my incredulity, assur-
ing me the holy writings of the brahmins, and their constant expe-
rience in these matters, established the truth of his assertions; that
the Mantra, or malediction from the brahminical soothsayers and
diviners, was not to be slighted. It was dreaded throughout Hin-
dostan, not only by Hindoos but Mahomedans ; and even some of
my own countrymen paid attention to the predictions and incan-
tations of the brahmins, and were in some measure guided by their
calculations. This I knew to be true in more than one instance,
although it had no effect upon me. But during my absence with
the brahmin in the interior of the durbar, I found something which
had passed in the outer court had made a deep impression on my
servants; they appeared to be extremely alarmed, and entreated
me to postpone my journey. They laid great stress upon the
Mantra denounced by the Mandwa brahmins and seers. It seemed

to be as terrific as the anathema in the plenitude of papal power.

369

This mantra is explained in the Hindoo Pantheun to be an
imprecatory incantation, generally composed of a passage from
the Veda, in which the name of some tremendous deity occurs.
The Hindoos, and indeed the Mahomedans aiso, have great faith
in the efficacy of propitiatory incantations, and great dread of those
of a malevolent tendency. ‘The following passage from the Rama-
yana will exemplify this ; and, with those who have faith in such
works, affords a sufficient reason to fear the effects of such curses.
—‘ Even he who cannot be slain by the ponderous arms of
Inpra, nor by those of Kali, nor by the terrible Chackra of Vish-
noo, shall be destroyed if a brahmin curse him, as if he were con-
sumed by fire.” In another part, brahminical potency, almost, it
may be said omnipotency, is strongly enforced.

“¢ Let not a king, although in the greatest distress for money,
provoke brahmins to anger by taking their property; for they,
once enraged, could immediately 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 Brauma, 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 oppressing 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 ablutions, worlds and gods perpetually
subsist; those who are rich in the learning of the Veda?

«“ A brahmin, whether learned or ignorant, is a powerful divi-

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370

nity ; even as fire is a powerful divinity, whether consecrated or
popular. Thus, though brahmins employ themselves in all sorts
of mean occupations, 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 Durrna,
god of 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 above 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 so many thousand years shall the shedder of that
blood be tormented in hell.”

Such insufferable pre-eminence, either implied or confirmed,
in a variety of passages respecting the brahmins, pervades the code
of Menu. Great indeed must be the sacrifice such men make,
when they embrace a religion of which humility is the foundation
stone. It would be difficult to convey an idea to the English
reader of the surprize and horror which prevailed throughout the

371

durbar when the mantra was explained. My Mahomedan and
Parsee servants seemed to be as much affected as the Hindoos.

Cicero justly observes, ‘ superstitio tusa per gentes oppressit
* omnium fere animos, atque hominum imbecillitatem occupavit.”
—Superstition, when once diffused through the world, oppressed
the souls of almost the whole human race, and fixed itself upon
the weakness of our nature.

With people thus bigotted, and subject to such laws and
usages, it was of no avail to argue. In vain I opposed to the
divination of the seers the solemn treaties lately entered into, and
the binding security of the Bhauts, given by the Mandwa rajah
and Gracia chieftains; my Dhuboy friends remained immoyveable
in their superstitious belief, and were more concerned than of-
fended at my incredulity. At length they dropped that part of
the subject, and laid the greater stress upon the undoubted intelli-
gence they had received of the plot devised against me by the
Gracias. Having been informed that Ryjee Sihng, the principal
Bhaut of Serulah, and one of their principal securities, was then
in Dhuboy, to convince my friends that I did not entirely despise
their counsel, I deviated a little from my first plan, and desiring
him to be called, I directed him to get ready immediately and
accompany me on horseback beyond the bed of a river in the
wild country, between the Dhuboy and the Baroche purgunnas, a
woody tract of Zinore, intersected by gullies and ravines, the
haunt of wild beasts and Bheel robbers. 'This spot had been
pointed out as the intended scene of action; and appearing so well
adapted for an ambuscade, I resolved to pass it before the close of
day. In all former journeys from Dhuboy to Baroche, a distance

372

‘of fifty miles, 1 had, to avoid the heat of the day, generally set
off about five in the afternoon, and arrived at Baroche early the
next morning. From prudential considerations, as well as to please
my Dhuboy friends, I resolved to commence my journey three
hours sooner; and, accompanied by the Serulah Bhaut, left the
durbar at two, instead of five o'clock. We halted a short time in
a grove without the city gates, waiting for my servants and palan-
quin-bearers, who were to follow with my escritoire, with a few
papers and valuables, under. the escort of an Indian cavalry offi-
cer. I left my linguist and upper servant at the durbar to come
with the records and larger packages when the garrison marched
to Baroche.

During this halt, with a mind more oppressed by sorrow at
leaving the place than from any idea of danger on the journey, I
wrote the following lines with a pencil, which, although since re-
vised, contain the extempore effusions of a heart contending with

many mingled sensations arising from my peculiar situation.

‘Duusoy, farewell! farewell ye ancient towers,
Ye peaceful lakes, ye consecrated bowers!
Where studious brahmins, skill’d in mystic lore,
Avatars, Vedas, Menu’s laws explore :

Where pious priests attend on Vishnoo’s shrine
And ruthless Seeva claims the rite divine ;
While Brahma’s choral songs are heard no more;

Yoo great a god for mortals to adore.

Too great ? ah. mournful thought-for human woe’!
Best solace lost, that:mortals e’er can know !
Not so the Christian’s lore, my country’s creed ;

Our Gop is present help in time of need:

375

Though his great attributes, beyond our scan,

Yet is he Faruer to his offspring Man !

Though glory, majesty, and light his throne,

The earth his footstool, and the world his own;
Though seraphs’ tongues loud hallelujahs raise,
And heavenly hosts, unnumber’d, hymn his praise,
Yet is the contrite heart his temple still,

Which he with joy ineffable can fill;

Amidst the songs of angels, pray’r ascends

From mortal lips, and with that incense blends..
The secret sigh, the penitential tear,

Receive a blessing from the.God we fear :

His awful terrors veil’d from human eyes,

Tis mercy gilds the Christian’s opening skies !
From them did Bethlehem’s star illume the night ;
From them the Dove celestial wing’d her flight;
From them, the holy benediction came,
Proclaiming Curist, the great Immanuel’s name::
From them.the Gospel light on thee shall shine ;
And give thy country day, as bright as mine.

Thy delegated Triad.then shall fail,

And One Eternal Father thou shalt hail!

That glorious Saviour then thy sons shall know,
Who came from heayen these blessings to bestow :
To Him the brahmin proud shall bend the knee,
And outcast Pooleah from his chains be free :

The differing castes shall cease ignoble strife,

And poor Chandalahs eat the Bread of Life.

In virtue’s path shall all serenely glide,

For God’s eternal word shall be their guide !

«« With him no high, no low, no great, no small,”
His mercy and his love extend to all,

Who meekly humble hear the shepherd's voice,
And wisely make his heavenly fold their choice::
For all are ransom’d by his wondrous love,

All are invited to the realms above :

374

Those blissful realms, where jarring castes shall cease,

And all be harmony, and joy, and peace !

One lustre scarce has swell'd the stream of Time,
Since Britain conquer’d in this favour'd clime ;
Since Freedom here, her valued blessings pour'd,
And British laws and British rights procured :
Ah! now no more ye boast so mild a sway,
To despots doom’d an unresisting prey ;
The day is fix’d that brings oppression dire,

And bids your mantling hopes and joys expire.

How short our triumph o’er this wide domain '
No honour’d vestige of our wars remain.
From Ahmed’s splendid fanes and regal bow’rs,
To towns far distant on the Concan shores.
This spacious tract obey’d our mild command,

And British freedom bless’d a grateful land.

O sad reverse! these fair luxuriant plains,
Where Nature smiles, and golden Plenty reigns,
Where numerous flocks and herds adorn the meads,
And fruitful harvests wave their varied heads ;
Where Nerbudda, majestic, rolls her tide,

And streams of lesser note pellucid glide ;
Where stately castles, royal cities rise,

And fanes and Minars glad the pilgrim’s eyes;
Where cheerful villages, and groves serene,
In beauty deck the bright expansive scene ;
All these must feel Oppression’s iron rod,
And bow, reluctant, to a tyrant’s nod :

A stern Mahratta’s power too soon must own,
And Freedom quit her Asiatic throne :

Your haughty rulers now again return,
Towns, cities, villages, —submissive, mourn !
Mourn for those blessings of so short a date ;

For Scindia, Malwa’s chief, has seal’d your fate!

375

Oppression! mighty foe of human kind !
Thy cruel deeds to darkness are confin’d:
No sun-beams play around thy gloomy form,
No council wise averts the gathering storm :
Thy giant arms extend a lengthen’d chain,
And captive nations feel its rankling pain:
Before thy lurid glare their courage dies,
And Hope expiring seeks her native skies :
Thy breath destroys the fairest fruits on earth,
And Nature’s tears bewail thy direful birth.
Thy stature grew to more than mortal height,
And seem’d to blot the radiant source of light ;
For where thou dwell’st is still a dreadful night.
But when the day-star from on high appears,
Thy reign shall vanish, and thy victims’ fears;
Thy adamantine chains shall waste away,

And Liberty restore her cloudless day.

Ye bhauts! the oral bards of Indian climes,
Like Europe’s minstrels in the feudal time,
"Tis yours to praise the chieftain’s mighty deed,
And give the hero glory’s deathless meed ;

*Tis yours to raise, or melt, the human heart,
By all the fervours of the tuneful art ;

Tis yours to fill the void of History's page,
And thus immortalize the passing age :

‘Tis yours to blow the golden trump of fame,

And twine the laurel rouind each honour’d name.

Ah! when you chant the legendary tale,
In crowded cities, or the rural vale,
How will you mourn fair Freedom’s transient reign!
Whilst list’ning tribes lament the dirgeful strain!
Lament her blessings wither’d in their bloom,
And nations suffering in her hasty doom!
When you relate, with strict historic truth,

These changing scenes, familiar to your youth,

376

The wondering crowd will scarce believe a theme;

Fill'd with events that seem a passing dream.

But, rapt in visions of prophetic joy,
What bright’ning days in prospect you descry !
When clouds are vanish’d, and the sun appears
Resplendent, ’midst a nation’s gloomy fears ;
When Freedom’s voice shall hail your native land,

' And beer again the olive in her hand ;

When she shall break the cruel tyrant’s rod,
And, first of blessings! shew the path to God!
When she shall leave Hindostan’s realms no more,
But ransom'd hope, and promis’d bliss restore !—
Prophetic bards ! these lofty visions sing,
And Liberty from rising joy shall spring :
The captive shall forget his ponderous chain,

And join in chorus with the rapturous strain,

Dhuboy, farewell! thy gloomy change so near,
For thee I drop the sympathetic tear !
For thee I supplicate in silent pray’r,

That thou ere long these heavenly gifts may share!

On the arrival of my palanquin and effects at the grove, I
placed them under the care of the cavalry officer, and eighteen
armed horsemen; and with the other six, the Bhaut security on
horseback, and a little favourite slave boy behind the carriage, I
commenced my journey with full four hours day-light before us.
I had previously sent off relays of bullocks; and travelling in a
light hackaree, at the rate of five miles an hour, I passed through
the wild country about sun-set, at least three hours sooner than
usual. Not meeting with any molestation from the Gracias, and
concluding the brahmins had been misinformed, I dismissed the

377

Bhaut, stopped a few hours to rest my people at the entrance of
the Baroche purgunna, and reached home in safety early the next
morning, where I related the late events at Dhuboy, and especially
the prognostics of the brahmins respecting the Gracias, as totally
without foundation. But when some hours had elapsed, without
tidings of my servants and effects, nor the appearance of a horse-
man, I became alarmed. My suspense was not of long duration,
for on looking anxiously towards the road, I saw a sort of funeral
procession moving towards our garden-house, accompanied by the
yells of female mourners, more dismal than any I had ever heard.
It consisted of a mingled group. of Mahomedans, Hindoos, and
Parsees, 2 sight very unusual at an Indian funeral. There was a
Mahomedan mosque and burying-ground near our villa, which
they passed, and moved on immediately towards the garden gate.
We now distinguished several different biers; on the foremost lay
the headless body of my cavalry officer, followed by the violent
exclamations of Mahomedan women. Another set brought the
dead body of a Parsee servant, almost cut to pieces: others car-
ried dead and wounded Hindoos of different descriptions, on the
village cots. ‘These they placed in the garden under our front
veranda, and immediately renewed their dreadful lamentations.

_ When we could obtain silence, I learnt from the survivors, that
about an hour after I crossed the bed of the river, my people and
effects arrived at the fatal spot, where they were suddenly. sur-
rounded by upwards of three hundred armed Gracias, on horse-
back, and four hundred on foot, who immediately attacked
my small party with the most savage barbarity, cut down the

cavalry officer, killed a Parsee servant and several of my attend-
VOL. III. 3. C

378

ants, and wounded many more. FElated with this success, and
intoxicated by opium and bhang, their ferocious chieftains called
loudly for the English sirdar, vehemently demanding when I should
arrive from Dhuboy. My faithful people told them I had passed
long before, and was then in the Baroche purgunna, far beyond
their reach ; although, travelling at the slow pace of oxen, I could
not have been three miles distant. Thus disappointed, they re-
newed their insults, and frantic with bhang, committed further
cruelty before they decamped with their plunder, consisting of
horses, arms, my palanquin, sword, and some valuable effects ;
leaving the dead and wounded men on the spot, where they had
fallen a sacrifice themselves, but would not betray their master.

The sight of the dead bodies and the accompanying lamenta-
tions, announced the first tidings of this fatal catastrophe. I have
no language to express my feelings on this occasion. Tacitus,
eminent for sublime conceptions and pathetic description, aids my
recollection by a scene of far greater importance.

«© Non tumultus, non quies ; sed quale magni metus, et magne ire, silentium est.”

«Tt was not a tumult, it was not quietness ; it was the silence of terror, and of indignation.”

Tacitus.

I find it equally difficult to mention my own providential de-
liverance. The Gracias not pursuing me, seems so very extraor-
dinary, that, among some other remarkable events of my life, I
can, (without referring to second causes, or intermediate agency)
only ascribe it to that Protecting Arm, which “is about our path
and about our bed; for in the way wherein I walked they had

privily laid a snare for me: I might have looked on my right

379

hand and on my left, but I had no place to fiee unto, no man to
care for my soul!”

Never can I forget the vociferation and exertion of the hired
mourners in this melancholy procession ; it had some resemblance
to the howl at an Irish funeral; but so many imprecations and
maledictions were mingled with affectionate inquiries and pathetic
eulogy, that it is difficult to say whether curses or blessings most
predominated: nor, in their frenzy, was it easy to distinguish
whether the execrations were enlirely applied to the murderers, or
the innocent cause of the disaster. Their whole behaviour realized
Irwin’s account of a similar procession at Cosire in Upper Egypt,
in consequence of a merchant, named Mohummed, being murdered
in the desert between Ghinnah and Cosire; when a mournful
train of females passed through the principal. streets, uttering the
most dismal cries. ‘ One of them carried a naked sword in her
hand, to imitate the weapon by which the deceased fell; they
stopped at sundry places, and danced around the sword, to the mu-
sic of timbrels and tabors. They paused a long time before the
house inhabited by Mr. Irwin and the English gentlemen, and
some of the women made threatening signs to their servants, which
agreed with the caution the gentlemen had received to keep within
doors. It would indeed have been dangerous to have faced this
frantic company, whose clamours and cxtravagant gestures gave
them all the appearance of the female bacchanals of Thrace, re-
corded of old. This scene continued for seven days, during which
interval the female relations of the deceased made a tour through
the town, morning and night, beating their breasts, throwing ashes

on their heads, and displaying every artificial token of sorrow.”

380

Thus the noisy processions, and various ceremonies performed
by the relations and hired mourners for the murdered cavalry
officer, continued at stated hours for several days.. And as the
Mahomedan burying-ground and place of prayer was very near
my garden, they took care I should not be without some share in
the tragedy. I certainly felt many unpleasant sensations, although
after the first onset I was perfectly convinced there was no real
sorrow in the case. It was rather a daily counterpart of Chardin’s
Persian scene, where, speaking of the Asiatic women, he says,
“‘ their sentiments of joy or of grief are properly transports ; and
their transports are ungoverned, excessive, and truly outrageous.
When any one returns from along journey, or dies, his family
burst into cries, that may be heard twenty doors off; and this is
renewed at different times, and continues many days, according
to the vigour of the passion. Especially are these cries long in
the case of death, and frightful; for the mourning is downright
despair, and an image of hell. I was lodged at Ispahan near the
royal square; the mistress of the house next to mine died at that
time. The moment she expired, all the family, to the number of
twenty-five or thirty, people, set up such a furious ery, that I was
quite startled, and was above two hours before 1 could recover
myself. These cries continue a long time, then cease all at
once; they begin again as suddenly at day-break, and in concert.
It is this suddenness which is so terrifying, together with a
greater shrillness and loudness than one could possibly imagine.
‘This enraged kind of mourning, if I may so call it, continued forty
days, not equally violent, but with diminution from day to day.

‘he fongest and most violent acts were when they washed ‘the

38 1

body, when they perfumed it, when they carried it-out to be in-
terred, at making the inventory, and when they divided the effects.
You are not to suppose the people that were ready to split their.
sides with crying out, wept as much; the greatest part of them
did not shed a single tear through the whole tragedy.”

Never was there a picture more truly drawn of the scene I daily:
witnessed in the precincts of the cemetery near our garden-house.

A person of consequence in Guzerat, well informed of the
Gracias’ intentions, told me, that although in the first onset they
killed and wounded so many of my people, they had resolved not
to destroy me at that time, but to carry me alive to one of their
fortresses in the distant hills, where I should indeed have been fed
with the bread of adversity, and have drank the water of affliction.
No friend would have known where I was, nor how to have ob-
tained redress; the English had no longer any influence, and the
Gracia chieftains acknowledge no superior. ‘Their inaccessible
castles upon the mountains baffle the tactics of civilized nations,
and bid defiance to their experienced generals. Shakespeare’s
crealive imagination could alone have depicted my melancholy

situalion.

—~ «¢ where all things had been savage ;
«« Where I should ne’er have look’d on better days ;

«« Nor have with holy bell been knoll’d to church ;

“« Nor sat at good men’s feasts ; nor wip'd my eyes

«< Of drops that sacred Pity had engender’d.

GG But in a fortress inaccessible,

«© Amid the dungeon’s melancholy gloom,
* T should have lost the creeping hours of time ;

«© Nor known what ‘twas to pity, or be pitied !"'

382

Dreadful as must have been this sort of captivity to a free-
born Briton, even without the severities of a dungeon, or any ad-
ditional torture, it would have been impossible for a reflecting
mind not to have foreboded something worse. We are but too
well acquainted with the cruelties inflicted by Asiatic despots
from the earliest annals, to those recorded of the late tyrants of My-
sore. ‘The poisoned coffee, the crush of an elephant, or any kind
of speedy death, is a merciful dispensation when compared with
the refinements in cruelty often made use of by these adepts in
human misery. A poison has been often administered to the ill-
fated princes of the house of Timur, and prisoners of rank in Hin-
dostan, which I should more have dreaded than the baneful cup,
or the mute and bow-string. ‘They speedily transmit the prisoner
before the tribunal of a more merciful judge ; but for the victim of
imperial jealousy or revenge, certain poisonous drugs are mingled
with his food, which by imperceptible degrees undermine his con-
stitution, and deprive him of life in the course of a few days, a
few weeks, or during a longer period of months, and even of years,
as may be most gratifying to the will of a capricious tyrant.

Shocking as these relations are, my imagination would have
recurred to one mode of destruction still more dreadful. ‘The
wretched agents of these royal murderers have the art of infusing
deleterious ingredients into the sustenance of the prisoner, which
tends to destroy the mental faculties, and by a gradual progress of
imbecility terminate in complete idiotism. This Dr. Fryer con-
firms by a very curious description of these state prisoners ; who,
on committing any offence which subjects them to this destiny,

“ are sent by the king’s order to a place of punishment, where the

383

keeper being informed of the heinousness of the crime, mingles for
them a drink made of bhang, the juice of an intoxicating sort
of hemp; this at first they refuse; but on receiving the addi-
tion of some dutry, made from the deadly solanum, called poss,
it makes them so foolishly mad, that after a week’s taking, they
crave it more than ever they nauseated. ‘They are then brought
into the inner lodgings of the house, where folding-doors open upon
delicious . gardens, and apes, cats, dogs, and monkeys, are their
attendants ; with whom they maintain their dialogues, exercising
over them their humour of an assassin, usurper, miser, or what
their genius led them to, whilst themselves. After this manner
they are imprisoned during the king’s pleasure, or he order their
cure, to restore them to their senses again; which otherwise, after
their spirits are tired by a restless appetite of doing, and in the
meantime have not a suitable recruit, they linger by a lasting
leanness into the shades, which alive they represented.”

Such enervating drugs and deleterious pouons were well
known in ancient Rome, and no doubt in the ancient ages of
Greece. Dropping the allegory, Circe most probably adminis-
tered similar beverage and baneful food to those who were unfor-
tunately impaled within her magic circle.

«© On seats around, with downy coverings grac’d,

«¢ With semblance fair th’ unhappy men she plac’d ;
«« Milk newly prest, the sacred flour of wheat,

«© And honey fresh, and Pramnian wines the treat :
«« But venom’d was the bread, and mix’d the bowl,

«© With drugs of force to darken all the soul!”

A variety of poisons are mentioned by the Roman historians

and poets, especially by ‘Tacitus; many of a similar nature to

those now administered in India, and I believe in the southern
parts of Europe. Numantina, the divorced wife of Plautins Syl-
yanus, a pretor of Rome, was accused of having distempered his
brain by drugs and magic spells. Syanus procured a poison to
destroy Drusus, which, operating as a slow corrosive, brought on
the symptoms of a natural disorder. Piso, and his wife Plancina,
were both accused of effecting the death of Germanicus by the
same means. Martina, the confidante of Plancina, was notorious
for her practices in this diabolical profession; and was sent for
from Syria to Rome, to be tried with her employers for the mur-
der of Germanicus. Claudia Pulchra, the friend of Agrippina,
the widow of Germanicus, was accused of an atlempt to poison
Tiberius by spells and incantations ; and Agrippina herself, urged
by the agents of Sejanus, to beware of poison at that emperor’s
table, abstained from every thing set before her, and would not
even. taste the fruit which he presented with his own hand; which
occasioned 'Fiberius to ask, “Should this woman be treated with
severity, Will any body wonder, when she now imputes to ine the
guilt of dealing in poison?”

A case sull more in point with the modern Asiatic poisons, is
the conduct of the second Agrippina, the infamous mother of the
infamous Nero, both the unworthy offspring of the virtuous Ger-
manicus. ‘This wicked woman, when her husband Claudius
went to Sinuessa for the recovery of his health, determined to:
execule the black design she had long harboured in her breast
of taking the emperor off by poison, the more speedily to accom-
plish her ambitious views in favour of Nero. ‘Tacitus says, ‘ in-

struments of guilt were ready at her beck, but the choice of the

385

poison was still to be considered: if quick and sudden in its ope-
ration, the treachery would be manifest. A slow corrosive would
bring on a lingering death. In that case, the danger was, that
the conspiracy might, in the interval, be detected; or, in the weak-
ness and decay of nature, the affections of a father might return,
and plead in favour of Britannicus. She resolved to try a com-
pound of new and exquisite ingredients, such as would make
directly to the brain, yet not bring on an immediate dissolution.
A person of well known skill in the trade of poisoning was chosen
for the business. This was the famous Locusta; a woman lately
condemned as a dealer in clandestine practices, bnt reserved among
the instruments of state to serve the purposes of: dark ambition.
By this tool of iniquity the mixture was. prepared. |The hand
to administer it was that of Halotus, the eunuch, whose business
it was to serve the emperor’s table, and taste the viands for his
master.” Claudius swallowed the poison in. a savoury. dish of
mushrooms; and was shortly afterwards seized with sickness.
Zenophon, the physician, corrupted by Agrippina, searched the
emperors throat by means of a feather tinged with the most
‘subtle poison; thus accelerating the wishes of his cruel empress,
and preventing a lingering state of imbecility and wretched:
ness. in beinios oi
Such are the ancient and modern effects of poisen, equally
well attested. A choice of them was. in agitation against .me,
among: the Gracias, for having protected, the. helpless, villages
intrusted ‘to, my care from their cruel depredations,:.. My author
rity for this. assertion was not derived. from common report; Mr,
VOL. Ifl. 3D

5386

Callander, the British resident at Jamboseer, who accompanied
me to Ahmedabad, and was highly respected throughout the coun-
try, corresponded with some Gracia rajahs, who had no concern
with the chieftains of Mandwa and Veloria, and were in no shape
implicated in their treachery; they assured him, in letters written
after my providential escape, of what was the deliberate inten-
tion of those cruel tribes, had they secured me alive. These
Gracia friends of Mr. Callander, aided by the bhauts of Serulah,
were the means of recovering my palanquin and some other effects
from the enemy; my sword they detained, as a trophy of their
inglorious exploit.

I formerly mentioned the cruel sheep-skin death, sometimes
practised by the Mahrattas, which was not forgotten among the
various tortures meditated against me by those merciless chief-
tains, To be sewed up naked in the skin of an animal newly
flayed, and therein exposed to the solar rays in India, without
food or water, is perhaps one of the most cruel deaths ever thought
of. The deprivation of sustenance would indeed mercifully hasten
the death of the wretched sufferer; for dreadful must be the tor-
ture occasioned by the skin drying, contracting, and closely ad-
hering to the flesh of the living victim.

I do not find any mention made of this punishment in Indian
history, excepting one instance recorded in the Ayeen Akbery,
which was probably of a similar nature. The anecdote is alto-
gether curious, and concludes with one of Abul Fazel’s usual
remarks. During the khalifat of Waleed, Mohammed Cossim was

sent against Dahir, a brahmin who had usurped the throne of the

387

rajah of Sind, and reigned at Tattah on the Indus. Dahir was
slain in battle, and Mohammed Cossim sent the khalif, among
other captives, two daughters of Dahir, together with presents of
considerable value. ‘The two young princesses, in order to revenge
the death of their father, represented falsely to the khalif, that
Mohammed Cossim had been connected with them. The khalif
hereupon, falling into a rage, gave orders for Mohammed Cossim
to be sewed up in a raw hide, and sent in that condition to court,
where he was shewn to the princesses; who expressed great joy
at seeing their father’s murderer in such a situation. “It is asto-
nishing how the khalif could issue such a cruel order without
positive proofs of delinquency. A wise prince never suffers him-
self to be led away by reports; but exercises his circumspection,
and makes diligent investigation, seeing that truth is scarce and
falsehood common; and it behoveth him to be more particularly
doubtful of whatever is said to the prejudice of those whom he
has distinguished by peculiar marks of his favour, as the world in
general bear them enmity, even without cause, and the wicked
frequently put on the appearance of virtue, to compass the de-
struction of the innocent.”

Abul Fazel does not say whether this cruel punishment of
Mohammed Cossim terminated in his death; the reflections seem
to imply that it did. Nor do they ascertain whether, like the
Mahratta victims, the Mahomedan general was. deprived of food
and water: perhaps, after all, the misery of perishing by thirst in
the torrid zone, is one of the most dreadful deaths that can be
inflicted. In the lamentations for Moab, Sibmah, and Dibon,

short, pathetic, and sublime, how strongly expressive is the doom

388

of the latter, alluding to this severest woe! ‘O! ye that dwell
in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock like the dove! O
vine of Sibmah! I will. weep for thee, with the weeping of Jazer.
O! daughter of Dibon, come down from thy glory, and “ seé uw
thirst.”

Whether I was to have been taken off by poison, by hunger,
or by thirst, is now of little consequence: my destruction was de-
termined, and I escaped. When I reflect on this momentous
crisis of my fate, I am naturally Jed into solemn and grateful
contemplation. Near thirty years are elapsed, but the images are
not effaced, and the retrospection creates sensations which I can-
not describe. I, who appeared to be the sole object of their re-
venge, came off unhurt. But their machinations did not end in
the wilds of Zinore, that disappointment only increased their re-
sentment, and engaged them in new stratagems.

On the civil and military establishments being withdrawn from
Baroche and its dependant purgunnas, our family passed the rainy
season at Surat, and, for some time, resided at an English garden-
house, without the Veriow-gale, at some distance from the city
walls. After living there a few weeks, we observed every evening
several persons lurking under the garden hedges, and concealing
themselves in the adjoining fields: being strangers in the country,
we did not at first attend to them; but a constant repetition of
such mysterious conduct at length excited suspicion. I was, at
that time, extremely ill ofa fever; and never left the house, except
to walk in the garden, before sun-set, which was rather earlier than
these persons genera!ly appeared. As they seemed to be in pursuit

of an object which eluded their vigilance, it at length occurred,

389

that possibly they might be some. kind of spies or agents em-
ployed by the Gracias to carry me off. On an investigation by
the Surat police, this proved to be the fact; and Mr. Callander
afterwards obtained certain intelligence of the plot by means. of
his correspondents in Guzerat. .'The Gracia rajah of Ahmood in-
formed him, that the Mandwa and Veloria chieftains had again
summoned the soothsayers, and made sure of my capture. I was
once more destined to a hill fortress, and the emissaries were to
have been handsomely rewarded.

Finding their last plot discovered, the Gracia hirelings left the
Surat districts; but, from an apprehension of similar attempts, we
immediately repaired to a house within the city. Having neither
health nor spirits to encounter fresh difficulties, [ embarked on thé
frst vessel bound to Bombay, on the breaking up of the monsoon,
some weeks before the rest of our family ; for after the melancholy
scenes at Baroche and Dhuboy, and our unsettled situation at
Surat, I anticipated more satisfaction at Bombay. Soon afier
receiving orders from the governor and council for the evacuation
of Baroche, we sent the English ladies to Surat, before the com-
mencement of the rains. With them the charm of society vanished;
a gloom pervaded the city, confidence in its Asiatic inhabitants
was lessened, and many of the native troops deserted their colours.
It is unnecessary to detail unpleasant circumstances, which, from
lapse of time and change of affairs, have lost their -interest.
Neither have I particularised the incantations and ceremonies
which were performed in the Hindoo temples, to propitiate Ga-

wesa, the god of wisdom and policy, with other deities, in favour

390
of Baroche and its popular purgunna, that the English govern-
ment might be continued over that fertile and happy country.
Similar supplications were offered up in the Mahomedan Musjids,
and at the sacred fires of the Parsees. They speak highly in praise
of British administration in India.

Charms, talismans, and magical ceremonies of various de-
scriptions, were said to have been practised by different castes,
in hopes of producing the same effect. I have formerly observed,
that however differently such things nsay be considered by en-
lightened Europeans, they are deemed of the utmost importance
by the Asiatics; and, as a case strongly in point, 1a modern times,
I shall finish the subject of oriental diviners, soothsayers, and
sorcerers, of all denominations, with a note from the Hindoo Pan-
theon; in which the ingenious and intelligent author, after pre-
mising that both Hindoos and Mahomedans have extensive belief
in sorcery and witchcraft, relates an anecdote of the late Nizam
Ally Khan, at Hydrabad, now the greatest Mahomedan sove-
reignty in India. It is detailed in a letter, written from Poonah
m January 1798, to a political correspondent, with this very just
observation ; “ Ridiculous as it may appear, that such folly should
have connection with politics, it is nevertheless true, that in this
case they were closely combined: operating, or intending to ope-
raie, on the permanency of a ministry, the succession to the govern-
ment, the influence of the English or French at the court of Hydra-
bad; and, consequently, on many points of great national im-

portance.

“For some time past the Hydrabad newspapers have abounded

391

with accounts of necromantic endeavours against the Nizam’s
life; casting another ridiculous ray of light on the folly of that
silly durbar. It seems suspected, that Tuywrar an Nissa,
BEGUM, (Sekander Jah’s mother) and the minister Azim uL Om-
RAH, are jealous of the superior talents, spirit, and generosity, of
IFertpun Jau, his Highness’s second son, and are using these
shameful practices to undermine his father’s affections. Evidences,
manifestly suborned, affirm, that certain incantations have been
performed on a wooden figure, arrayed in a suit of clothes, pro-
cured for the unholy purpose by the mother of Fertpun Jan,
from the Nizam’s wardrobe, and that this effigy of his Highness
was buried. The figure has been dug up, and produced, with
some of the Nizam’s hair, found drawn into its side; corres pond-
ing with the local seat of his highness’s paralytic affection ; his
barber has been arrested, on suspicion of having furnished the
hair. But the old prince seems to have sense sufficient to
disbelieve his son being capable of acting so basely; and says,
plausibly enough, that if he hath been palsied by sorcery, a dis-
covery thereof should, by all necromantic rules, break the spell,
and restore his withered limbs to their functions; whereas he con-
tinues as decrepit and helpless as ever. A Moghlani (or female
Mogul) in Azim ul Omrah’s family, who pretends to hold con-
verse with spirits, has made all this stir. She affirms the Nizam
to be under the influence of sorcery; and that his present discase
is the effect of the incantations of no less than twenty-five magi-
cians of Hydrabad, whom she offers to point out; and has named

a nephew of an asseel, or bed-chamber woman of the Nizam, as

392

one of the number, who has been apprehended. Other ladies
of the Mahl (or seraglio) are sadly alarmed, -lest this wi-
zard, whois much with the Nizam, should pitch also upon

them.”

The same author says it was once his misfortune to live in
Bombay, in the immediate neighbourhood of an exorciser; who
planted himself near his garden wall, and by the horrid yells and
music, the necessary accompaniments of his craft, so disturbed his
repose, that, failing by remonstrance and threats, he was forced
to apply to the police for its restoration and security. This
man must, from the number of his patients, have been of some note,
or the possessed numerous; for every full moon he was occupied the
whole night. It appeared that women were mostly, if not ex-
clusively, possessed; but, lest his appearance should seem to sanc-
tion the annoyance, the author did not attend, to observe his
noisy neighbour’s exorcisms.

Such are the practices still continued, and accredited in one
of the politest Mahomedan courts of India. They are more or
less believed and practised throughout the extensive regions of
Hindostan, and indeed in Persia and Arabia. Against these per-
sons, Him, of whom it is emphatically written, Him who maketh
the diviners mad, issued this solemn edict to his chosen people on
their entering the land of Canaan.

* When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of

those nations. ‘There shall not be found among you any one that

393

useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a
witch; or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an
abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations
the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

Such were the people among whom I passed my last four
years in India. In detailing the divinations, outrages, and mur-
ders of the Gracias at Mandwa and the wilderness of Zinore,
as also their secret ambush intended at Surat, I have suppressed
many anecdotes, interesting to myself, and those immediately con-
cerned: forso much egotism, as unavoidably remains, I claim the
indulgence of my reader. J confess I cannot now contemplate
my extraordinary deliverance from the Gracia machinations with-
out feelings more appropriate to solemn silence, than expression.
The subject of a particular Providence requires the utmost deli-
cacy and caution; because few, perhaps, are more liable to mis-
conception and error; yet a reflecting mind must be conscious of
peculiar feelings in peculiar circumstances: and, although as a
fallible being, he may innocently fall into a mistake, if instead
of encourageing pride, presumption, and vanity, he finds his heart
filled with humility, gratitude, and adoration, to that Great First
Cause, without whose divine permission not a sparrow falleth to
the ground, he cannot be guilty of great aberration. I shall
conclude this chapter, written throughout with extreme diffi-
dence and humility, and no part of it, until very lately, intended
for publication with the other selections, with an extract from Mel-
moth, who has treated this subject delicately and satisfactorily.

VOL. III. 3 E

394

** It is not necessary, in order to establish the credibility of a
particular Providence, to deduce it from known and undisputed
facts. I should be exceedingly cautious in pointing out any sup-
posed instances of this kind, as those who are fond of indulging
themselves in determining the precise cases wherein they imagine
the immediate interference of the Divinity is discoverable, often
run into the weakest and most injurious superstitions. It is im-
possible, indeed, unless we were capable of looking through the
whole chain of things, and of viewing each effect in its remote
connections and final issues, to pronounce of any contingency,
that it is absolutely, and in its ultimate tendencies either good or
bad. That can only be known by the Great Author of nature,
who comprehends the full extent of our total existence, and sees
the influence which every particular circumstance will have in
the general sum of our happiness. But though the peculiar points
of divine interposition are thus necessarily, and from the natural
imperfection of our discerning faculties, extremely dubious; yet
itcan by no means from thence be justly inferred, that the doc-
trine of a particular Providence is either groundless or absurd:
the general principle may be true, though the application of it to
any given purpose be involved in very inextricable difficulties.”—
Firzosporne’s Letters.

“‘ He that dwelleth under the defence of the Most High, shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty! He shall not be afraid
for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. He
is my refuge, and my fortress; my God, in him will I trust! When

395

my spirit was in heaviness Thou knewest my path; in the way
wherein I went, had they privily laid a snare for me. ‘They
sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder’s poison was under
their lips. The Lord is my strength, and my shield; my heart
trusted in him, and I was helped; therefore my heart greatly re-

joiceth; and in my song will I praise him.”

TaN

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-

CHAPTER: XXKAV:

TRANSACTIONS AT SURAT AND BOMBAY, AFTER TIE
EVACUATION OF BAROCHE, AND THE CESSION or
THE ENGLISH DISTRICTS IN GUZERAT
TO THE MAHRATTAS.

1784.

«« May not the pleasure of OMNIPOTENCE
To every clime some secret good dispense ?
Those who amidst the torrid regions live,
May they not gales unknown to us receive ;
See daily showers rejoice the thirsty earth,
And bless the flowery bud’s succeeding birth,
The various heaven of an obliquer sphere ;
While by fix’d laws, and with a just return,
They feel twelve hours that shade for twelve that burn ?
And may not those, whose distant lot is cast
North beyond Tartary’s extended waste,
Where through the plains of one continual day,
Six shining months pursue their even way ;
And six succeeding urge their dusky flight,
. Obscur’d with vapours and o’erwhelm’d in night,—
May they not scorn our sun’s repeated race,
To narrow bounds confin’d, and little space ?” Prior.

.
-
«
avs
‘
,

.
ty

CONTENTS.

Striking the British colours, and final departure from Baroche—
situation of the civil and military servants on that establishment—
arrival at Surat—double government of the English in that city—
evils attending it—abolition of the nabob’s authority- -and sole
administration of the English—provision for the nabob—consequent
happiness of Surat—gloomy aspect of the company’s affairs in 1783
—hard situation of many eviled civilians from Baroche—resoiution

to return to Europe—late changes at Surat—decline of its mag=-

nificence and commerce—effects of a dreadful storm—devastations
at Mahmud-a-Bhaug—pavilions in oriental gardens—oriental
villas compared with Pliny’s at Laurentinum—Elisha’s chamber
—summer parlour of Eglon—gardens at Zulam Bhaug—chief
beauties in Indian gardens—amrah, the mango blossom—vwariety
of custard apples—their sacred destination—oriental perfumes
—Moguls and Persians at Surat—lterary characters there—
Gibbon’s remark on eastern literature—character of Avyar, a
celebrated female philosopher—morality and piety of her writinges—
her aphorisms and maaxims—font at Belgram the Pierian spring of
India—its reputed effects—general female portrait in Asiatic cities

—oriental state insignia—necessity of preserving it—reflections. in

consequence—revisit Pulparra—Hindoo superstitions there—immo-
lation of Hindoo widows never practised at Bombay—infanticide
prevented in Guzerat—introduction of vaccination in India—its
blessed effects—encouraged by the brahmins—previously known in
the districts of Benares; authenticity of that fact—general state-
ment of medical practice in India—particular instances—liberal
and scientific character of Serfojee, rajah of Tanjore—letter from
that prince—cure of the opthalmia—practice of medicine among
the Mahrattas—zodiac rupees, by whom coined and for what pur-
pose—arrival at Bombay—great alteration in the style of life and
manners at that presidency—yjinal resolves of the emigrants from
Baroche—increase’ of population at Bombay—increase of private
expense and the public expenditure—increase of crimes and punish-
ments among the natives in consequence—ungrateful and immoral
traits in the Indian character—letter on the desertion of sepoys—
summary of Indian depravity, by Sir James Mackintosh—eacursion
to the islands of Salsette and Elephanta—improvements at Tannah
—further remarks and illustrations of the excavations in those sacred
tslands—atmosphere of Salsette—reflections on the summit of the

evcavated mountains.

CHAPTER XX XY:

Tus last chapter concluded with the evacuation of Baroche,
Dhuboy, and all the valuable districts belonging to the East India
Company in Guzerat. When the yacht on which the chief and
council embarked from Baroche arrived on the southern banks of
the Nerbudda, we had the mortification to behold the Mahratta
flag waving over the ramparts. It was the first time the natives
had witnessed that standard of oppression. ‘Their tears and other
expressions of sorrow on that sad occasion have been recorded ;
some of them accompanied us to Surat in hopes of procuring situ-
ations, under the English government, either-there or at Bombay.

Thus were the civil and military servants on the Baroche esta-
blishment, obliged to leave that once happy settlement, in the midst
of the rainy season, and to seek an asylum at Surat, until the navi-
gation opened to Bombay at the breaking up of the south-west
monsoon in October. ‘The three months now spent there afforded
but little novelty or interest to a former description in 1772, and
several subsequent visits.

The double government which had then existed in Surat, from
the conclusion of the treaty entered into by the East India Com-

pany with the nabob’s father, Moyen Odeen, in the middle of the
VOL. ILI. 3 F

4.02

eighteenth century, was attended with many inconveniences. ‘he
firmaun obtained at that time from the Mogul emperor vested the
English company with the government of Surat castle, and the
command of the imperial fleet stationed at that emporium. It also
gave them power to appoint a naib, or deputy, to the nabob, for
the administration of affairs in that city. ‘This mingled govern-
ment of the English and nabob continued during the reign of
Moyen Odeen, who died in 1763, and of his son Cootub Odeen,
who filled that station during the whole of my residence in India,
and died in 1790. Nizam Odeen succeeded his father in the na-
bobship, but the authority of the Mogul emperor being at that
time dwindled to a name, this title was never confirmed by the
court of Delhi. Nizam Odeen dying in 1799, the government of
Bombay very properly interfered im the appointment of a succes-
sor, with a view of putting an end to tumults, confusion, and mis-
chief, which on various occasions had molested the peace of Surat,
occasioned by the exactions, oppressions, and corrupt administra-
tion in the nabob’s durbar; especially in collecting the revenues
and conducting the police of the city. This mal-administration
had so often disturbed the happiness of the inhabitants, the walls
and fortificalions were in such a defenceless state, for want of
umely repairs, and the surrounding districts had been so often in-
vaded on the nabob’s quarrels with the Mahrattas, that it was evi-
dent the power of a Surat nabob, now no longer an officer of the
Mogul emperor, was inadequate to this important situauion.

After a full and clear arrangement between the governor-
general in council at Calcutta, and Nassar Odeen, the brother of

ihe last deceased nabob, the Bombay government was authorized

4.03

to conclude a new treaty with Nassar Odeen, and to constitute
him nabob of Surat, under the protection of the English East India
Company, on the following conditions, viz. That an offensive and
defensive alliance should take place between the contracting
parties; that the civil and military administration should be on
the part of the company; that the new nabob should be entitled
to all the respect and distinctions of his predecessors, should have
a suitable share of the revenue for his own expenses and those of
his officers, and security for himself, his relations, and immediate
servants, from the authority and process of the courts.

'hese conditions were acceded to, and a treaty concluded
between Mr. Duncan, governor of Bombay (who went up to
Surat for the purpose, in May 1800) and Nassar Odeen. In con-
sequence of which peace, good order, and happiness, under an
equitable administration have prevailed ever since in the city ; her
commerce and manufactures have increased, and the surrounding
ierritory, placed in the hands of the company, and freed from
Mahratta depredations, has flourished surprizingly, under. the
protection of the British flag. After an ample provision for the
nabob, and deducting the charges of collection, the company re-
ceive an annual revenue amounting to three lacs of rupees.

When the Baroche emigrants arrived at Surat in 1783, the
company’s affairs were not very prosperous, either in India or
Europe. In the latter the British nation had been at war with
the French, Spaniards, Dutch, and Americans, and the company
lost many valuable ships. In the former, the recent peace with
the Mahrattas had deprived the Bombay presidency of all its

valuable possessions in Guzerat ; the hostilities in which the Eng-

4.04,

lish were engaged with Tippoo Sultan, had been lately attended
with disastrous consequences, especially in the recapture of Bed-
nure, and the destruction and imprisonment of General Matthews,
and the flower of the Bombay army. ‘The forts of Onore and
Mangalore on the Malabar coast, still held out against Tippoo’s
forces, but they were not expected to make a much longer stand
against such superior power, when a prey to disease, and destitute
of provisions, stores, and comfort of every description.

Thus gloomy was the general aspect of affairs on the western
side of India. Compared with Bengal and Madras, the civil and
military establishments at Bombay were always on a contracted
scale; they were now much curtailed ; the military from Baroche
were staioned at the presidency, or ordered to the subordinate gar-
risons ; but no compensation, nor place of emolument were offered
to the civil servants exiled from Guzerat; not even a sufficient
maintenance for gentemen who had been from fifteen to thirty
years in the company’s service. In this dilemma, such as could
accomplish it, resolved to settle their Indian concerns and to
embark for England, by the first convenient opportunity. But in
addition to other inconveniences, we were informed by our corres-
pondents at Bombay, that the captains of the homeward-bound
Indiamen demanded eight thousand rupees (1000/.) for the passage
of a single person, and fifteen thousand for that of a gentle-
man and his wife. This was certainly imposed upon the passen-
gers by the last ship of that description which had sailed from
Bombay: some families were now returning by the men of war
ordered home in consequence of the general peace in Europe and

America; and on our arrival at Bombay we were offered a passage

405

on more moderate terms. The captain with whom we embarked
for England received upwards of eighty thousand rupees, or ten
thousand pounds sterling, for his homeward-bound passengers.
One gentleman, distinguished for his liberality, gave five thou-
sand guineas for the accommodation of his wife and family in
this ship, besides an ample supply of Madeira wine, provisions,
and delicacies for the table. This will be deemed a_ handsome
compensation for five or six months board and lodging in any. part
of the world.

A great change had taken place at Surat during the last ten.
years. ‘The splendour formerly kept up in the nabob’s durbar,
and the style of Mogul magnificence in which the principal Maho-
medans lived on my first visit, seemed almost annihilated. Neither
Hindoo nor Mahomedan_ pageantry now enlivened the public
streets, and the war which had so long raged. in Europe and India,
affected the Asiatic commerce in general, but was most sensibly
fell at Surat. Her dock-yards, storehouses, and bazars, mdicated
little of that life and spirit, formerly likened to the glowing picture
of ancient Tyre; all was now comparatively silent and forsaken.
‘The usual calamities of war had been heightened by the dreadful
storm, which happened a year before on the western shores of
India. The effects of its ravages at Baroche have been mentioned ;
at Surat it was still more tremendous. The tottering mansions of
the Moguls, long out of repair, the slighter Hindoo houses, and the
mud-built cottages of the lower classes, alike gave way, and buried
many of their inhabitants in the ruin. Extensive parts of the
outer walls and towers of the fortifications, long in a dilapidated

state, fell down; and the whole city exhibited a scene of desolation.

4.06

In the surrounding country, whole villages, with the peasantry and
cattle, were swept away. Every ship at the bar, with yachts,
boats, and vessels of all descriptions in the river, either foundered
at their anchors, or were driven on shore. ‘Three ships richly
laden, belonging to a ‘Turkish merchant, were entirely lost; their
cargoes exceeded five lacs of rupees. ‘The Revenge, the finest
cruizer on the Bombay station, foundered, and every soul perished ;
together with the Terrible, Dolphin, and several of the smaller
armed vessels. ‘The ravages of this storm extended along the coast
for upwards of six hundred miles on the west side of India; but it
was felt most about the latitude of Surat and Baroche, and added
no trifling effect to the sombre appearance of this once animated
emporium.

‘The palace and gardens at Mahmud-a-bhaug were nearly de-
stroyed by the storm, nor did the nabob seem inclined to repair
them. The garden-houses of the English gentlemen suffered much
damage, but were now resuming their former appearance. Melan-
choly indeed was the general aspect of Mahmud-a-bhaug. The
pavilions and detached buildings were blown. to pieces, having
by lapse of time, and the parsimony of the nabob, been for many
years out of repair. The pavilions and smaller buildings, so often
mentioned in the oriental gardens, separated from the princely
mansion, are not to be considered like the generality of European
summer-houses, as ornamental structures to embellish a vista, or
command a prospect; on the contrary, being intended for use as
well as ornament, they occupy different parts of the garden ; some-
times connected to the principal building by corridores and veran-

das, oftener entirely detached, like those described in the chief’s

4.07

garden at Baroche, where each pavilion, shaded by a slight veran-
da, and encircled by its own canals, fountains, and parterres, is
appropriated to a respective purpose: the most retired is generally,
among the Moguls, set apart for the zenana.

I have mentioned the similarity of the Roman villa at Pompeii
(lately cleared from the mountain of volcanic matter, which over-
whelmed it near eighteen hundred years ago), to the houses in
eastern cities, particularly the Mogul dwellings at Surat: and the
description of Pliny’s elegant retreat at Laurentinum is very cor-
respondent to such modern structures in Hindostan. Shah-Bhaug,
the summer palace of the emperor Shah Jehan, near Ahmedabad,
and Mahmud-a-PBhaug, at Surat, bear a striking resemblance to
the Tusculan villa and Laurentinum, especially the detached build-
ing at the latter, which Pliny calls ‘* Amores mei, re vera amores.”

«« Here is my heart, here fix’d my soul’s delight,

«¢ Here the calm slumber of forgetful night.”

In Lord Orrery’s essay on the life of Pliny, he tells Lord Boyle,
“you will be delighted with a little garden apartment adjoining
to his mansion at Laurentinum. He mentions it with ecstasy in
his description of that villa, and tells us that he constantly lodged
in that apartment during the noisy festivals of Saturn; and at once
found himself not only euclosed in sweetness and solitude, but
perfectly defended from all kinds of interruption, Doctor Suaw,
in his travels through the Levant and Barbary, and in his descrip-
tion of the houses there, takes notice, that they have imitated the
eastern manner, by building a private set of apartments, which

seem rather annexed, than properly belonging to the rest of the

408

house. The little chamber designed by the Shunamite for Elisha,
where he retired at his pleasure, without breaking in upon the pri-
vate affairs of the family, and without being interrupted in his own
devotions, may be conjectured to be one of these separate build-
ings; as may also the summer parlour of Eglon, where he was
slain by Ehud.”

Zulam-Bhaug, the ‘* Garden of Oppression,” formerly noticed,
called by the nabob, Alla-Bhaug, Paradise, or literally the “ Gar-
den of Gop,” still continued to be his favourite retreat. The
damages sustained by the storm had been all repaired, and its
beauties heightened by every means which his wealth, power, and
influence, could accomplish. Although the pavilions and other
buildings were less magnificent than those at Mahmud-a-Bhaug,
aud some other of the nabob’s palaces, the grounds were more art-
less and beautiful than the generality of the Indian gardens; and
profusely adorned with trees, shrubs, and flowers; not only of
those indigenous to Hindostan, but with every variety procurable
from China, Persia, and Europe. ‘The apple and the peach, flou-
rishing with the Chinese roses and oranges, interspersed among
mangos, plantains, and tamarinds, reminded me of the interesting
associations at the Cape of Good Hope; and more than any thing

Thad seen in India realized Mason’s beautiful description of an
oriental garden.

“«« Amid ambrosial tufts, where spicy plants
‘© Weeping their perfum’d tears of myrrh, and nard,
“* Stood crown’d with Charon’s rose ; or where, apart,
«© The patriarch palm his load of sugar’d dates

“ Shower’d plenteous: where the fig, of standard strength,

4.09

* And rich pomegranate, wrapt in dulcet pulp
‘« Their racy seeds, or where the citron's bough,

“« Bent with its load of golden fruit mature.”

In these gardens I made considerable additions to a collection
of near two hundred specimens of seeds I had preserved from the
trees, shrubs, and flowers at Baroche, and different parts of Guze-
rat; many of which have since flourished in the conservatory at
Stanmore-hill. There I have had the pleasure of beholding the
tamarind-tree, custard-apple, and cotton-plant, flourishing with the
ginger, turmerick, and coffee; and have gathered ripe guavas from
a tree entwined by the crimson ipomea, the lovely Mhadavi-creeper
of the Hindoos ; encircled by the changeable rose (hibiscus muta-
bilis) the fragrant mogree, attracting alhinna, and sacred tulsee.
I have not succeeded with the mango, which, in larger conserva-
tories, has not only blossomed, but produced fruit ; in those belong-
ing to the Duke of Northumberland, and perhaps in some others.
The fruit, I believe, did not arrive at full maturity ; the blossoms
were in perfection and richly scented. The amrah, or bloom of
the mango, is mentioned among the five warm flowers in which the
arrows of Cama Diva, the Hindoo god of love, are said to be
dipped, as formerly mentioned in the hymn to that deity.
“ Sweetly,” says another tender lamentation, “ delightful are the
flowers of the amra on the mountain top, while the murmuring
bees pursue their voluptuous toil: delightful, yet afflicting to
me, O friend, in the absence of the youthful Kesava! Iam not
the terrible Mauesa:a garland of water lilies, with subtle threads,
decks my shoulders; not serpents with twisted folds. The blue

petals of the lotos glitter on my neck, not the azure gleam of poi-
VOL. III. 3G

410

son. Powdered sandal-wood is sprinkled on my limbs, not pale
ashes. O, god of love! mistake me not for Mauaprva; wound
me not again; approach me not in anger; hold not in thy hand
the shaft barbed by an amra flower!”

The custard-apple, or ramphul, is delineated in the first volume
with the bulbul, or Indian nightingale. The s¢taphul, another
species of custard-apple, is not engraved. When I made the
drawings, and abridged my description of the Indian fruits, I knew
not of their symbolical meaning, nor religious dedication, as men-
tioned in the Hindoo Pantheon; where the ramphul, or fruit of
Rama, is said in its shape to form a cone, and ts hence sacred to
Siva; as placed on its base it resembles a pyramid. Its coat is
exceedingly rough, being divided into lozenges by lines deeply in-
dented, drawn spirally right and left, and imtersecting each other,
from the insertion of the stalk to the tip.“ Another species is
named sttaphul, after Stra, spouse of Rama (incarnations of Visu-
noo and Lacsumr); this fruit is delectably smooth and soft out-
side, and in shape not so conical as the other. It is fancied to
resemble the mamma of the human female ; and legends are popu-
larly related of the origin and application of these appellations,
which I shall not explain or detail. It is not always that the
popular legends of Hindoo fabulists will bear expounding to an
European reader.”

I failed in many of the seeds gathered from those fragrant trees
and shrubs, which in such great variety delight the Indians; espe-
cially the females of every caste and description. The fields, as
well as gardens, around Surat, are cultivated for this purpose, not

only to adorn the ladies, but the Hindoo temples, images, and

411

dancing-girls belonging to them. They are still more profusely
used to perfume the oils and unguents, which are so universally
esteemed in Asia. These, preserved in small bottles, and boxes of
onyx or alabaster, make a conspicuous figure on the Indian toi-
lette, and form a considerable article of traffic with the borahs and
travelling merchants throughout Hindostan ; especially those from
the sandal and mogree ; the roses of Surat are neither so abundant
or fragrant as to produce the valuable ottar. Resembling some of
these, was probably the box of ointment used by the pious Mary,

and the nard mentioned in the invitation from Horace to Virgil.

«« Nardo vina merebere,

<« Nardi parvus onyx eliciet cadum.” Ope 12.1, 4,

Of late years, the most beautiful villas and gardens at Surat, at
least those in the best condition, no longer appertain to the Mo-
guls or Hindoos; but, with very considerable landed property in
the outer city and adjoining districts, belong to the Parsees, a
numerous and industrious tribe mentioned in a former chapter.
These Persian emigrants are now wonderfully multiplied: except-
ing the extraordinary instance of the children of Israel, there is,
perhaps, no record of so great an increase as among the Parsee
tribe in India, sprung from the few families who emigrated thither
for the preservation of religious liberty. Active, robust, prudent,
and persevering, they now form avery valuable part of the com-
pany’s subjects on the western shores of Hindostan, where they are
not only protected, but highly esteemed and encouraged. They
never interfere with the government or police of any country

where they settle, but gradually and silently acquire money, and

412

the influence usually depending on such an acquisition. The
Parsees not only acquire wealth, but enjoy the comforts and luxu-
ries naturally accompanying it; as is evident in their own domes-
tic economy, and especially in the entertainments they sometimes
make for their English friends at Bombay and Surat, where Asiatic
splendour and hospitality are agreeably blended with European
taste and comfort. Subject to little spiritual or temporal influence
of their priests, and liable to few restricuons in food, fasting, puri-
fications, and religious mortifications, compared with the Hindoos,
and even the Mahomedans, they know how to appreciate and
enjoy the blessings by which they are surrounded.

Surat at that time contained only the shadow of.a Mogul
court; an extensive commerce, of far more importance to its ag-
grandizement, rendered it the first emporium in India, and the
resort of merchants from every quarter of the globe. It was also
the residence of several eminent and learned Mahomedans from
Persia and the northern provinces of Hindostan, where Mogul
literature, art, and science, no longer met with encouragement. I
occasionally associated with these literati, as also with many Arme-
nians and Turks, at the villa of Mulna Facroodeen, a rich Mogul,
partial to English society.

At these visits, and similar opportunities during three months’
leisure in this extensive and opulent city, I was at some pains to
investigate the progress of art and science, and the extent of lite-
rary acquirements. Incompetent myself, from an_ insufficient
knowledge of the language, to forma conclusion, I do not offer a
decisive opinion upon the subject; but if not misinformed by those
more able to make a proper estimate, it may be safely affirmed,

413

that their knowledge is contracted, and their sentiments illiberal.
I have occasionally mentioned the few exceptions within my own
observation of the natives of India, and we may conclude that
Gibbon’s remark on the Arabians may be justly applied to the
generality of <Asiatics, and especially of the Indian moslems in
higher classes of society: “ That they deprived themselves of
the principal benefits of a familiar intercourse with Greece and
Rome, the knowledge of antiquity, and the freedom of thought.
Confident in the riches of their native tongue, the Arabians dis-
dained the study of any foreign idiom. 'The Greek interpreters
were chosen among their Christian subjects; they formed their
iranslations, sometiines on the original text, more frequently per-
haps on a Syriac version; and in the crowd of astronomers and
physicians, there is no example of a poet, an orator, or even an
historian being taught to speak the language of the Saracens. The
mythology of Homer would have provoked the abhorrence of those
stern fanatics; they possessed in lazy ignorance the colonies of the
Macedonians, and the provinces of Carthage and Rome. The
heroes of Plutarch and Livy were buried in oblivion; and the his-
tory of the world before Mahomed was reduced to a short legend of
the patriarchs, the prophets, and the Persian kings. Our education
in the Greek and Latin schools may have fixed in our minds a
standard of exclusive taste; and I am not forward to condemn the
literature and judgment of nations, of whose language I am igno-
rant. Yet I know that the classics have much to teach, and I be-
lieve that the orientals have much to learn. ‘The temperate dignity of
style, the graceful proportions of art, the forms of visible and intel-

iectual beauty, the just delineation of character and passion, the

414,

rhetoric of native argument, the regular fabric of epic and dramatic
poetry. ‘The influence of truth and reason is of a less ambiguous
complexion. The philosophers of Athens and Rome enjoyed
the blessings and asserted the rights of civil and religious free-
dom. Their moral and political writings might have gradually
unlocked the fetters of Eastern despotism, diffused a liberal spirit
of inquiry and toleration, and encouraged the Arabian sages to
suspect that their caliph was a tyrant, and their prophet an im-
postor. The instinct of superstition was alarmed by the intro-
duction, even of the abstract sciences; and the more rigid doc-
tors of the law condemned the rash and pernicious curiosity of
Almamon. ‘To the thirst of martyrdom, the vision of paradise,
and the belief of predestination, we must ascribe the invincible
enthusiasm of the prince and people. And the sword of the
Saracens became less formidable, when their youth was drawn
away from the camp to the college, when the armies of the Faith-
ful presumed to read and to reflect.”

The effects of the belief in predestination, not only among the
Mahomedans just mentioned, but the Indians in general, are won-
derful, and pervade their whole conduct. The entrance of the
jumma musjid, or grand mosque, in the capital of a district, had
been adorned by two lofty minars; one of them struck by light-
ning, fell down at a few feet from its base, and left the other a
desolate beauty. On inquiring why the damage was not repaired,
the mullah told me their religion did not permit it when produced
by such a cause.

It would be unpardonable to conclude the subject of oriental

literature without mentioning Avyan, a celebrated female philo-

415

sopher among the Tamuls. Dr. John, in the protestant mission
on the Coromandel coast, has given a very interesting account of
this extraordinary woman, accompanied by many valuable trans-
lations from her writings. ‘This Indian phenomenon was a poly-
theist, and invoked the god Pulleyar, or the deity held by the Hin-
doos to be the protector of learning and science, as Mercury was
among the Greeks. The time in which she lived, is placed in the
age of the three famous kings, Sholen, Sheren, and Pandien, which
falls about the ninth century of the Christian era. Amongst other
sciences this lady was well acquainted with chemistry, and her
moral writings were wrilten for the benefit of mankind, particu-
larly for youth. Her performances are introduced in the Tamul
schools, and read by the children amongst the first books which
they learn. Dr. John further says, “ but neither the children un-
derstand it, nor can hardly any master comprehend each of the
sentences they contain; as some are composed of such high and
abstruse words, which admit more than one sense, and some say
that each sentence could be interpreted in five different ways.
Some appear to me clear enough, and admitting only one inter-
pretation; but some are so dark, and those with whom I have
consulted, vary so much amongst themselves, that I found it dif-
ficult to decide between their interpretations; and I chose there-
fore that which gave the best sense, and according to that manu-
script which I possess ; for there are also different manuscripts.
‘The sentences are placed according to the order of the 'Tamul
alphabet; each accordingly begins with a letter; therefore we
may call it, the golden alphabet of the Tamuls. Irom several
hundred aphorisms and maxims, translated from three treatises by

Avyar, I have selected the few following, as a specimen.

FROM THE ATISUDI, BY AVYAR.

Glory and honour be to the divine son of him who is crowned
with the flowers of the Ati.
Charity be thy pleasure.
Be not passionate.
Do not manifest thy secrets.
Give, and then eat.
Never cease to improve in learning.
Build not too large a house.
Forget offence.
To protect is noble.
Do not part with thy friend.
Be not slothful in thy actions.
Keep company with the virtuous.
Do not speak too much.
Converse with those who are polite.
Save rather than destroy.
Do not pursue a conquered enemy.
Do not occupy thyself with trifles.
Keep the divine laws.
Cultivate what gives the best fruit.
Go not where a snake may lie.
Be prudent in applying thy money.
Do not despise thy ancestors.
Make not others blush by thy speaking.
Do not come near one who is in a passion.

417 -

Go not into the house of the dancing-girls.
Do not like dispute.

Endeavour to get a house of your own.
Be clean in thy clothes.

Go only where there is peace.

Love religious meditation.

FROM THE KALWIOLUCKAM, OR RULES OF LEARNING,

BY AVYAR.

The zealous study of sciences brings increasing happiness
and honour.

Learning is really the most durable treasure.

A wise man is like a supporting hand.

If all should be lost, what we have learned will never be lost.

What we have learned in youth, is like a writing cut in
stone.

He who has learned most, is most worthy of honour.

Though one is of low birth, learning will make him respected.

In proportion as one increases in learning, he ought also to in-
crease in virtue.

If knowledge has a proper influence upon the mind, it makes
us virtuous.

Science is an ornament wherever we come.

If one knows what sin is, he becomes wise.

Religious wise men enjoy great happiness.

Wisdom is the greatest treasure on earth.

VOL. IIIf. 3H

418

In whom is much science, in him is great value.

Wise men are exalted above all other men.

FROM THE MORAL SENTENCES CALLED KONNEIVENDEN,

BY AVYAR.

Mother and father are the first known Deity.
Obstinate children are like a poisonous draught.

If thou cherishest passion, all thy merit js lost.

To obey thy father is better than prayer.

To honour thy mother is better than sacrifice.

Be peaceful, give, and be happy.

The best ornament of a family is unanimity.

The best ornament of a female is modesty.
Without a clean conscience, there is no good sleep.
A mild temper is a beauty in women.

Amongst relations civility is too often neglected.
Even with thy nearest friends speak not impolitely.
Speak friendly even to the poor.

The fruit will be equal to the seed.

A bad wife is like a fire in the lap.

A slandering wife is like a devil.

Let thy fellow creatures partake in thy enjoyments.
Without religion is no virtue.

If the Lord is angry, no man can save!

If any faith could be placed in a legend recorded in the Ayeen
Akbery, we might suppose Avyar had paid a visit to the college

419

of Benares, and the classical font at Belgram, a town in the pro-
vince of Oude, celebrated for producing men with lively imagina-
tions, and melodious voices; and containing a well, of which whoso-
ever drank for a continuance of fifty days would find his understand-
ing enlivened, and his eye-sight brightened. The modern literati
of India, if such there are, seem to have forsaken this Pierian
spring, as very few traits of genius appear among them. ‘That a
few men from the brahmin seminaries may occasionally appear
in the path of science, is nothing extraordinary; but a female
scholar, like Avyar, is a prodigy in Hindostan. As such I have
been the more particular in her portrait; so contrasted in all
respects to that of the Hindoo, Mahomedan, and Parsee wo-
men. Whether confined within the secluded haram, or of more
easy access in a voluptuous city, the oriental females, far from
cultivating intellectual entertainment, pass their time either in
listless apathy, or personal decoration. ‘The latter especially pre-
vails in a certain class of beauties, most accurately described by
an ancient prophet, as also the costume of her lovers: “ Thou hast
washed thyself, and painted thine eyes; thou hast decked thyself
with ornaments, and seated thyself upon a stately bed; with a
table prepared before it, whereupon thou hast placed incense and
oil. The voice of those that are at ease is with thee; of captains
and rulers of Assyria, desirable young men, clothéd gorgeously;
and of Sabeans from the wilderness, which put bracelets upon
their hands, and beautiful crowns upon their heads.”

Ostentatious splendour and pageantry formerly existed at
Surat, as much as in most oriental cities, where a nabob, or dele-
gate from the Mogul empire, held his court. His durbar was al-

420

» ‘
ways an epitome of the imperial arrangements at Agra and Delhbt.
These state insignia seem to be absolutely necessary among people
so much attracted by outward appearance; and is equally un-
avoidable, in some degree, wherever an Englishman resides in a
public character, vested with a delegated authority, whether he is
entitled a governor, a chief, a judge, or a collector. ‘The people
in general do not enter into those distinctions, they consider him
as intrusted with the executive power, and the more enlightened
view him as the representative of the British nation. Humble,
as was my own situation in the Company’s service, on the general
system at Bombay; and, as collector of Dhuboy, subordinate to
the chief and council at Baroche; yet, being the only English-
man intrusted with civil authority in the Dhuboy purgunnas, f
lived in the durbar, the residence of their ancient rajahs, pundits,
and governors; and, as far as the inhabitants could judge, was
possessed of supreme power and influence. I was, therefore,
often gently reprimanded by the zemindars and native officers, for
leaving the suwarree, or state attendants, at the outer gate of the
city, when I took my evening excursion, and preferred a walk in
the fields, followed by a single peon and a faithful dog, to being
smothered in dusty roads by an ostentatious cavalcade. It would
have been as imprudent to have waved the ceremony of official
insignia within the precincts of the Dhuboy durbar, as it would
have been irksome to parade with such imcumbrances on a rural
recreation. |

At this time, when surrounded by ten times more Asiatic
pomp than I had any reason to expect would fall to my lot, how
often have I wished, and in familiar letters to my English friends

421

expressed the wish, that I was enjoying a primrose bank and haw-
thorn hedge in my native country. With gratitude I acknow-
ledge my wishes have been granted; and few, perhaps, have tasted
the raral pleasures and vernal delights of this happy island, for
near thirly years, more than myself, to whom they possess addi-
tional zest from having been so long deprived of them.

The umbrageous banian trees and the sacred groves at Pul-
parra shared the same fate as those in the surrounding country,
during the late storm. I revisited those brahminical seminaries
which had formerly afforded me so much delight. A long and
more intimate intercourse with the brahmins and _ higher classes
of Hindoos had rather lessened them in my esteem, since I re-
ceived my first impressions in this sanctuary; in that respect, as
well as in its shady honours, I found Pulparra had lost many of
those charms with which twelve years before I had been so cap-
tivated. The lives of the luxurious priests, the ignorance of the
worshippers, and the penances of the devotees, now appeared not
only superstitious, but useiess and absurd. The unhallowed fires
were still kindled for the innocent female victims; the temples
still open to the higher castes of Hindoos, still shut against the
poor chandala and humbled pariar. But as the Surat government
is now no longer divided, and the English laws, properly blended
with the Hindoo and Mahormedan codes, are now established, we
may hope that many flagrant abuses in the corrupt durbar of the
nabob will be remedied, and the cremation of Hindoo widows
be no longer permitted. No woman has burnt herself on the
island of Bombay for these last fifty years, to my knowledge;
nor do I believe this species of suicide has been allowed of

4.29

since the English possessed it. Surely, then, it may be gradually
and peaceably abolished wherever Great Britain extends her in-
fluence. Although not one of these infatuated females have im-
molated themselves during that long period in Bombay, itis a
fact, too well established, that very lately, in the short space of
six months, and within the compass of thirty miles round Calcutta,
one hundred and fifty women, some of them virgin widows, have
sacrificed themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. To
what extent this cruel, destructive, and impolitic system prevails
among thirty millions of Hindoos subject to British laws and
government, it would be impossible for me to determine; the pro-
portion must be painfully great. In this estimate of thirty millions
neither Mahomedans, Parsees, nor the warlike tribes and lower
castes of Hindoos are included: the calculation is only intended
for those classes who, more or less, accede to this destructive tenet.
The whole population of the British empire exceeds sixty millions.

Infanticide, as formerly mentioned, has, within these few years,
been exterminated in Guzerat, and thousands of happy mothers,
in all succeeding ages, when caressing their infant daughters, will
bless the name of Duncan. Surely, therefore, the horrid spec-
tacle of female suicide will be for ever abolished; for we must re-
collect, as instanced in the vizier of Brodera’s wife, it is not only
a widow, but a mother, a daughter, an ornament in all the relative
situations of life, that thus dedicates herself to the flames.

The English have introduced the blessings of vaccination
among all descriptions of people in Hindostan. By which means
the lives of thousands, and tens of thousands, are annually pre-

served. In this humane undertaking the brahmins have risen

4.23

superior to prejudice, and under their extensive and powerful
influence all other castes of Hindoos have adopted the practice.
Many letters on this subject, from eminent brahmins to medical
gentlemen in India, do them honour; they contain the most
liberal sentiments, and have been followed by a corresponding
practice. Mooperal Streenivasachary, a brahmin, thus writes to Dr.
Anderson at Madras on vaccine inoculation.

« J beg leave to observe, for the information of the natives of
this country, that I have perused the papers which you have
published on that wonderful, healthful, and immortal vaccine
matter, discovered on the nipple and udders of some cows in Eng-
land, by that illustrious physician Dr. Jenner; whereby the loath-
some, painful, and fatal small-pox has been prevented from seiz-
ing the many of our fellow-creatures in India, as well as in
Europe.

“ J] am an eye-witness, as well as many others, that numbers of
children here have been inoculated with vaccine matter, without
any injury or blemish whatsoever, excepting a small spot at the
place where the matter is applied, which is commonly on the
arm. It is therefore greatly to be wished that an intimate know-
ledge of this wonderful discovery may be acquired by the natives
of this country, so as to enable them to preserve the lives of the
rich and honourable, as well as those of low castes. On this
account, it might be useful to remove a prejudice in the minds
of the people, arising from the term cow-pock, being literally
translated comary, in the advertisement which has been published
in our Tamul tongue; whereas there can be no doubt that it is a

drop of nectar from the exuberant udders of the cows in England,

424,

and no way similar to the humour discharged from the tongue

and feet of diseased cattle in this country.

(Signed) MooreraL STREENIVASACHARY.

As vaccination is now so generally adopted in Hindostan, and
likely to become a universal blessing in that populous part of the
globe, it may be satisfactory to mention the following singular fact,
respecting the antiquity of vaccination in India, taken from the
Asiatic Register for 1804; which is altogether a curious and au-
thentic addition to a subject so interesting to humanity.

“ The fact stated in the following translation of a written
memorandum from the nabob Mirza Mehady Ali Khan, who
was long resident at Benares, that the effects of vaccination haye
been known for a great length of time in that celebrated quarter
of India, is referred to the investigation of those who have the
opportunity and ability, since they cannot want the inclination, to
prosecute so interesting an inquiry. The undoubted intimation
of this fact, that vaccination has been practised among the wor-
shippers of Bowannee, will not detract an iota from the merits of
the Jennerian discovery; the fortuitous and happy circumstance
that led to the discovery in Europe, has been unquestionably and
most satisfactorily proved, whilst the anxiety, study, perseverance,
and indefatigable exertions, which have been applied by its bene-
volent professor to ensure the conviction of the world, in the un-
bounded benefit of the discovery, have entitled him to the lasting
gratitude of mankind, The full ascertainment of the fact will

only-go to afford an additional instance of primeval oriental

425

knowledge; whether acquired or accidental, is to be hereafter
proved. It will only open an additional, neglected mine, for
ihe curious and the learned; and will be another proof that the
Kast has been the seat of wisdom “ where learning flourished,
and the arts were prized;” however much the neglect with which
this knowledge has been treated in this country, may reflect upon
the modern degeneracy, or the prejudices of the Indian character ;
which may, however, be all accounted for, from the effects of the
various revolutions to which their country has, for so many ages,
been a prey; leaving thence room to the liberal construction of
the unbiassed of every nation to conclude, that before the intro-
duction of a foreign sway into Hindostan and the Deccan, its
Hindoo inhabitants were versed in the arts and sciences, far be-
yond the other parts of the world, at the same remote period of

time.”

Translation of a written memorandum from the nabob Mirza Mehady
Ali Khan.

‘“¢ During the period of my abode in the dictrict of Benares,
iny eldest son being taken ill of a bad kind of the small-pox, and
my friends interesting themselves for my comfort and his relief,
one of them, named Slookum Chund, a Hindoo, pointed out to
me that there was in the city of Benares one Alep Choby, a brah-
min from Oude, whose practice was chiefly confined to this
malady. Him, therefore, ] lost no time in sending for to the
town of Ghazeepoor, where I dwelt; and he arrived on the ninth
day of the eruption; on secing which, he observed, that if the

2

VOL. III. 3].

426

eruption had not taken place, he would have endeavoured to faci-
litate and render it easy, but that now it was too late. On ask-
ing Choby what his process was, he said, ‘ From the matter of
the pustule on the cow, I keep a thread drenched, which enables
me, at pleasure, to cause an easy eruption on any child; adoring,
at the same time, Bowannee (who is otherwise called Debee, Mata,
and Sebla, and who has the diréction of this malady) as well in
my own person, as by causing the father of the child to perform
the like ceremonies; after which [ run the drenched string into a
needle, and drawing it through between the skin and flesh of the
child’s upper arm, leave it there, performing the same operation
in both arms, which always ensures an easy eruption; on the first
appearance of which, the child’s father or guardian renews his
worship to Bowannee; and as the animal this goddess rides on is
an ass, it is customary for such parent or guardian to fill his lap
with grain, which an ass is sent to eat up. These observances
ensure the propitious direction of Bowannee, so that only a very
few pustules make their appearance ; nor does any one die under
this process.” Thus far did I learn from Alep Choby.

** Upon referring on this subject to a native, well versed in the
learning and customs of the Hindoos, he told me that the prac-
tice thus described by Choby was not general among them, but
confined to those who were attached to the worship of Bowannee,
and adored her with implicit faith; and upon my asking the per-
son whether he was aware how the matter of the pustule got from
the cow, and whether all cows had such pustules, or only those of
a certain description; he answered, that on these points he pos-

sessed no information, but had certainly understood that the cows

427

nad these pustules break out on them, and that from the matter
thereof children were infected; acknowledging, however, that he
spoke not this much from ocular knowledge, but from report.”
Mr. John Underwood, senior, a valuable friend and near
relation of mine, who resided many years at Madras in a me~
dical capacity, beloved and respected by his own countrymen
for his hospitality and social virtues, and highly esteemed by all
classes of the natives for his universal benevolence and_profes-
sional abilities, frequently corresponded with SuRFOJEE, rajah of
Tanjore, a most amiable benevolent character, and particularly
fond of studying anatomy. Mr. Underwood sent the rajah a
body where the heart and every artery and vein were carefully in-
jected with coloured wax. ‘This preparation would give him a
correct idea of the course of circulation, and the insertion of seve-
ral muscles. The rajah was much gratified by a present which
enabled him to pursue his studies with increased delight, and
rendered him more useful in his sovereignty. ‘The following letter,
in acknowledgement of this valuable present, was written by the
rajah to Mr. Underwood; which, in a Hindoo prince, indicates
a mind unusually liberal and enlightened; sufficient to encourage
a lively hope towards the advancement of literature, art, and
science; extending ultimately, perhaps, to establish christianity
in that part of Hindostan, where there are already several protes-
tant churches; for Surfojee, rajah of Tanjore, was the friend and
patron of Swartz, for near half a century the apostolical. mis-
sionary of Coromandel ; whose prudent. zeal truly blended the
wisdom of the serpent with the innocence of the dove. The Hin-

deo sovereign shed tears at the death of his venerable christian

4.28

friend, and covered his remains with a splendid pall of gold bro-
cade. On the establishment of the Native Hospital at Madras, in
1799, under the immediate care of Mr. Underwood, senior, this
benevolent sovereign sent two thousand pagodas, about eight

hundred pounds sterling, to assist the institution.

Letter from Surfojee, Rajah of Tanjore, to Join Underwood, Esq, ai
Fort St. George.

“ T RECEIVED your letter some time ago; the contents
of it have yielded me inexpressible pleasure. The box and the
book alluded to in the letter have likewise been safely received.

“'The human body, of which the origin appears to have been
wrought by the Supreme Being himself, the frame of which is sup-
posed to have afforded satisfaction even to its Maker, has been the
chief object of my long imitation and inquiry. The books with
which I have been conversant have spread before me but a faint
light upon this topic; hence I need not say, that the preparation
which you have sent to me, bas afforded me the greatest pleasure,
especially as I have long been desirous to see one of this kind: the
receiving it so unexpectedly from you has redoubled my satisfac-
tion. Upon examining every part of it, I found the muscles to be
well preserved, and it is worthy of the inspection of every lover of
philosophy.

“The book of anatomy which you have’ been so obliging as to
send me, is also well calculated for the students to profit by. I
request you will accept of my thousand thanks for the trouble you

429

have taken in forwarding me the above things, which are very use-
ful and pleasing to
SurFoJEE, Rajah.”

Tanjore, 5th July, 1806.

Not being myself sufficiently competent to elucidate the subject
of medicine, as practised by the natives of India, I requested Mr.
Underwood to give me some account of the general mode of treat-
ment in that part of the world. In consequence of which he fa-
voured me with the following statement, which I introduce with
great satisfaction, from its filling up a desideratum I could not have
supplied from my own knowledge. I am indebted for many re-
marks in these volumes on the state of medicine and music in
India to writers of more experience and ability. I confess my
ignorance in both these subjects, and have therefore availed myself
of better information.

‘It appears to Europeans that the natives of India are ex-
tremely ignorant in the practice of physic ; they have. many reme-
dies, chiefly roots and herbs, which are generally given in the form
of powders. The practitioners are poor men of a particular caste,
who sit by the side of the high roads and market paths, with small
boxes, containing various kinds of powder, which is administered
with particular instructions, and a promise of cure in a specific
number of days. In all complaints they enforce abstinence, sel-
dom allowing the patient any other nourishment than thin conjee,
or rice gruel. Tn certain diseases they give cinnabar, occasionally
with success; but the improper use of it frequently causes ulcera-

tions to spread to a very great extent.

430

*'The natives are extremely bigoted to their own remedies, which,
without improvement or alteration, are handed down from father
to son, through succeeding generations. They therefore seldom
apply for the assistance of Europeans until the case appears hope-
less from their own prescriptions. They do not bleed, nor perform
any surgical operation, unless the removal of a part partially
divided. All cases of fractures and dislocations are consigned to
the potters ; a caste of people abounding in Hindostan, for mak-
ing the water-jars and cooking utensils of red clay, so universally
used. The potter places the limb of his patient in what he consi-
ders the best situation, and then covers the part affected with
moist clay; this when dry fixes the limb, and under such treat-
ment simple and compound fractures often do well: but, as may
be expected from this process, distoruons and stiff joints are more
frequently the consequence.

“* For spasmodic affections the natives of India generally
apply the juice of the milk-bush to the parts affected, which acts
like a blister. In more serious cases they use the actual cau-
tery; from this cause it is common to see horses, oxen, labour-
ing men, especially palanquin-bearers, and porters of heavy
burthens, marked in many places by a hot iron. Notwith-
standing the liberal mind and singular propensity of the Tan-
jore sovereign, already mentioned, it cannot be expected that these
medical practitioners should in general acquire any accurate know-
ledge of anatomy ; and the heat of the climate operates powerfully
against their possessing any extensive information from dissection.
‘Much however may be acquired from preparations.

** Although I have no high opinion of the general mode of

431

practice among the natives, yet in a few instances I should give a
preference to their remedies, particularly in the ophthalmia, or sore-
eye of India. The inflammation frequently runs so high that the
sight is destroyed, unless by some active means the affection, so
deeply rooted, can be removed. This I think is best done by an
early application of what is called at Madras the “ country re-

,

medy;” which is a thin paste, made by burning a little alum on a
hot iron, and mixing it with lime juice by a spatula into a paste.
This is applied over both eye-lids, to the extent of the circle of the
orbit, at going to rest, and washed off in the morning with a decoc-
tion of tamarind leaves. This I consider ihe best and most cer-
tain remedy for a disease that so repeatedly causes blindness; a
surprising number of the natives are entirely blind, especially
among the poor.

“IT have often seen a Mahomedan practitioner perform the
operation of removing a cataract. He made a small puncture
with the point of a lancet, immediately behind the iris, into which
he introduced a particular instrument, so guided as to depress the
cataract. This operation I prefer to any other mode yet practised,
as it occasions less injury to the eye.”

The preceding appears to be a clear and brief statement of
medical and surgical practice among the natives of Coromandel ;
and I believe the same system is generally, or nearly, adopted
throughout Hindostan. When with the Mahratta army during
Ragobah’s campaign in Guzerat, [ had frequent opportunities of
knowing the high estimation in which the English physicians were
held both by Hindoos and Mahomedans, when they thought them-

selves seriously ill, or wished to procure their advice even for their

432

females, whom, indeed, they were not often permitted to see; but
formed their judgment of the disorder by feeling the patient's pulse
with the arm admitted through a perforated curtain. It certainly
would be no easy matter to persuade a brahmin to mingle Peruvian
bark, or any other medicine, with wine or distilled spirits; but to
take the drug in simple water, or compounded with any ingre-
dients he was accustomed to, would not be attended with difficulty.
As to the other castes, in general, provided they are persuaded the
prescription is to effect a cure, or prove a stimulus, they wave the
ceremony of being very particular in their inquiries.

Among some curiosities at Surat, I had an opportunity of see-
ing a few more of the zodiac rupees in good preservation, but could
not meet with any for sale. When these singular coins occurred
on a former occasion, I had not read Lord Valentia’s travels,
otherwise I might have acquired some light from a note in the
appendix. In his journey from Calcutta to the northern districts,
his Lordship only mentions having procured one of the zodiac
mohurs at Benares, which were now so extremely rare, that it was
impossible to purchase a complete set. In the note it is remarked,
that the tradition of their having been coined by Noor Jehan, em-
press of Jehangheer, is discredited by the natives of science and
research, who rather imagine that the emperor, on the celebration
of his birth or reign, ordered medals to be struck, with the sign of
the zodiac in which the sun was when such anniversary occurred ;
which his long reign, and the difference of solar and lunar years,
would easily have allowed to pass throughout the whole number.
Lord Valentia seems persuaded they were intended for medals, and

nol fora current coin. Some of them have this inscription ;

433

“The face of gold received ornament in Agra,

«« From Jehangheer Shah, the son of Akber.”

I mentioned the great alteration which a few years had occa-
sioned at Surat, and assigned the cause. I certainly observed a
much greater variation in the society and manners at Bombay,
without such apparent reason. A constant fluctuation by the re-
moval of the civil and military servants from one settlement to
another, the influx of strangers in a large sea-port town, with other
local circumstances, always occasioned some change in society ;
but whether from an extension of the military establishment, a
considerable increase in the female circle from Europe, or from
what other cause I know not, there was a material alteration in the
English character at the Presidency. Etiquette, ostentation, and
formality, had too generally supplanted the urbanity, friendship,
and conviviality, so delightful in former times. That this remark
may not be thought invidious, I insert part of a letter written to
me by a very discerning friend, about the same period, after an
absence of seven years, in a retired part of Guzerat.

« T know your partiality for Bombay, but in my opinion it is
no longer the same place as when I last resided here. I allow that
the little Presidency is become very gay and lively, and I have
passed a few weeks here with much satisfaction; but at all the
pleasures and entertainments, I could not prevent the thought
from intruding itself, that the high polish had debased the material,
and you too plainly see all the more valuable ties of friendship
and affection, sacrificed to an ostentatious vanity, which aukwardly

endeavours to assume their semblance. It has its merits, and
VOU. Tit. 3 K

renders society polite and agreeable; but, alas! how insipid, how
different from that intercourse of mind, that confidential exchange
of sentiment, so pleasing in those who really esteem and regard
each other. But this is the error of the community, not the indivi-
dual; and on your arrival you will find most of your friends there
the same worthy characters you left them. I suppose it will not
be long before you and yours are among them ; for this Mahratta
peace is a sad stroke to the service on this side of India, Happy
those who, expelled from their honourable and delightful situations
in Guzerat, are able to return to their native country, blessed with
health and independence. Dalton and yourself have wisely made
up your minds to quit India, and accompany your amiable sister
on the voyage her health has long impelled her to undertake. I
most sincerely wish I could make one of the party, but my con-
cerns are too extensive, and my fortune insufficient. However we
might have been prepared to expect the cession of the eonquered
districts to the Peshwa government, the giving up Baroche and its
valuable purgunna to Mhadajee Sindia, is a death-blow to our
hopes in Guzerat, and the whole a sad purchase for an inglorious
peace. However I may, as an individual, reconcile it to my own
particular case, I am greatly concerned for the younger part of the
service in general, who will feel the consequences of it longer per-
haps than they are aware of, unless we can acquire some perma-
nent establishments in Malabar, in the present contest with 'Tippoo
Sultaun, in which I confess I am not very sanguine.

“I'he volumes of manuscripts and drawings you lent me have
afforded me the greatest amusement, and I can assure you it was

with regret I finished the last page of your descriptive letters.

‘

435

You must pardon me for transgressing your commands respecting
the perusal of the early part of your correspondence. I confess I
wished to know your juvenile sentiments, as well as to behold the
juvenile efforts of your pencil; and without flattery (to which you
well know I am not addicted) I may venture to say they need no
apology: but I am of opinion that both by your descriptions and
drawings, you have so beautified this side of India that I hardly
know it again. And now, surprised into a belief that these things
are really so, I only wonder I did not find it before. The fact
perhaps may be, that I have wanted observation ; or, as Lord
Chesterfield says, “I have looked without seeing.” I believe
however that you have licence, in the double capacity of poet and
painter.”

Had Bombay retained all its former hospitality and urbanity,
the influx of so large a proportion of civil servants from the northern
settlements in Guzerat, without employment or suitable mainte-
nance, was a very unpleasant reflection. ‘The military, as already
noticed, were ordered to other garrisons, and suffered no pecuniary
hardship. It was very different with the civilians; to them the
Presidency offered neither pleasure, profit, nor usefulness; nor was
there any provision for them at the southern subordinates. Our
hopes in India being thus extinguished, we looked forwards to
England; where, withdrawn from the fatigue and anxiety of
camps and senates, from pageantry and ostentation, into the
bosom of family and domestic comforts, we might pass the re-
mainder of our days in rural tranquillity, enjoying the supreme de-
lights of a peaceful mind, and a conscience void of offence.

436

“« Toss'd through tempestuous seas, the voyage o’er,
«Pale, we look back, and bless the trembling shore ?”

We found the population of Bombay very much increased,
and constantly increasing. ‘The troubles on the continent had
compelled many to seek an asylum from the calamities of war ;
personal security and protection of property, under the British
flag, was another great inducement; while a flourishing commerce
and many other causes allured a number of merchants to leave
their fluctuating situations in other places, for a more permanent
settlement on this little rocky island; which to the higher tribes of
Hindoos has some peculiar inconveniences, and to the lower
classes of every description, must be far more expensive than any
part of the continent.

The price of most kinds of provisions was nearly doubled since
I first knew Bombay; but there appeared no deficiency either of
European or Indian commodities. ‘The shops in the bazar were
well stored with articles for luxury and comfort from all parts of
the world ; and every breeze wafted a fresh supply. But if pri-
vate expenses were thus increased, great indeed was the accumu-
lation of public expenditure since my arrival in India, and still
more so since my departure. According to Lord Valentia’s esti-
mate in 1804, the monthly outgoings of Bombay amounted to
fifteen lacs of rupees, making one hundred and eighty lacs, or
upwards of two millions two hundred thousand pounds sterling
per annum ; although its whole annual revenue, mcluding the
late cessions in Guzerat, did not exceed forty lacs, or five hundred
thousand pounds.

437

The island of Bombay should now no longer be considered as
a settlement, or separate colony, but as the metropolis (surrounded
indeed by a large moat) of an extensive domain. For this island,
only twenty miles in circumference, and almost covered with
houses and gardens, will soon become a city, similar to the outer
towns of Surat and Ahmedabad ; smaller indeed by eight miles in
its circumference than the latter in the zenith of her glory, and
much less than London at this present day.

I am sorry to add, that as the Indian population of Bombay
increased, there was among the natives a proportionate increase of
crimes and punishment. ‘This it may be alleged is a general hypo-
thesis, and a necessary consequence of increased population in
every country: there certainly are exceptions :—but wishing to be
impartial, and on all occasions to draw a true porirait of the In-
dian character, | cannot avoid adverting once more to the assertions
in some late publications respecting Indian morality in general,
and to the virtues ascribed to the servants in particular. One re-
spectable writer has thought proper to place the native servants in
a very superior point of view, to the same class of society in Eng-
land, I cannot subscribe to such general eulogy: with heartfelt
pleasure I have mentioned the fidelity and attachment of our own
family servants, and introduced several of their letters, received
since our arrival in England; yet I can neither coincide in the
preference given to the Asiatic over the British character, nor can
I sanction the circulation of such an opinion. On the contrary it
is well known, that notwithstanding the preference given by the
inhabitants of Baroche to the British government, and their affect-

ing exclamation on the tears of Heaven at our departure, that from

438

Lullabhy, the great mozumdar of that purgunna, and extending in
a greater or lesser degree from him through the revenue depart-
ment and other civil appointments, self-interest, ingratitude, and
fraud, prevailed among the native officers, with the exception of
Dowlut Roy, Dessoy, and a few other amiable characters. These
evil propensities prevailed not only among those classes, but broke
out into a spirit of mutiny and desertion among the sepoy corps ;
with deceit, peculation, and robbery, in the lower orders of society,
reaching to the Baroche servants employed in our family, who
were not to accompany us to Bombay. The head gardener, as-
sisted by his labourers, contrived to carry off a heavy iron chest of
plate, and to conceal it in the steep banks of the Nerbudda, as
mentioned on a former occasion. After my departure from Dhu-
boy, during the short interval I continued at Baroche, the English
commanding officer at Dhuboy sent me constant and grievous
complaints of the native troops employed in those districts. At
Baroche sonie were blown trom the cannon’s mouth for mutiny
and deserion: and such was the general depravity previous to our
departure, that it was no longer safe to remain at our garden-house.
Here I must beg leave to insert the copy of an authentic letter in
my possession, which strongly marks the character of the Indian
sepoys, in a different part of the Company’s possessions, and shews
the necessity of vigilance, discipline, and discretion, with a corps
necessarily employed in immense numbers, under our government.
The letter was written to a friend, by an officer who had accepted
a command under an Asiatic prince.

“«T was yesterday not a little surprised to be solicited by seve-

ral Bengal sepoys to give thememploy. Upon inquiry I found, to

439

my utter astonishment, they were all deserters, lately arrived from
Bengal, with their arms and accoutrements complete. Upwards
of fifty are already come, and they expect more to join them
very shortly. It is natural to suppose that some persous are em-
ployed from hence to entice them from their colours; nor shall I
be surprised to see whole battalions following their example. At
this rate the Mabhrattas will have very little occasion to purchase
European fireiocks from any other nation, when they are so well
supplied by your own people; in this respect they may bid you
defiance in case of any fulure rupture; for to my certain know-
ledge they have now upwards of seventy thousand stand of English
arms in different depots, belonging to the sircar. ‘The war with
Tippoo may render many useless on both sides, which is some
satisfaction ; for as to the loss of the sepoys I esteem it nothing, as
I know the Purveea caste are the most mutinous and cowardly
fellows in India, haying had sufficient demonstration of them when
ordered for Madras. Many plans might be adopted to entice
them again into the company’s. service; and when once in your

possession, you may secure the arms, and discharge the scoundrels

with infamy, or even a more severe punishment.”

{ have introduced this letter and stated the preceding circum-
stances, froma necessity of establishing facts, instead of making
assertions, where the moral character of the two nations is brought
into competition ; and.the conclusion intended to be drawn is evi-
dently to evince that the moral and religious tendency of Christi-
anity is not superior to the code of Menu, or the laws of the
Koran.

I have on another occasion mentioned Sir James. Mackintosh’s

440

charge to the grand jury at Bombay, where he introduces Sir William
Jones’s opinion of Indian depravity ; another part of the same
charge from this excellent judge more than confirms all that I have
said on this unpleasant subject: ‘ The difference of language and
manners, and perhaps the hostile prejudices of many of the natives,
render the detection of crimes, and increase the chances of total
concealment in a proportion which we cannot exactly calculate,
but which we know to be very great ; much of what passes amongst
the lowest natives must be involved in a darkness impenetrable to
the eyes of the most vigilant police. After the existence of a crime
is ascertained the same obstacles stand in the way of identifying
the criminal; and even after he is perfectly known, our local situ-
ation, which is that of a large town in a small territory, is that
which an experienced offender would select for the opportunity of
concealment, and the facility of escape; and such is the unfortu-
nate prevalence of the crime of perjury, that the hope of impunity
is not extinguished by the apprehension of the delinquent; if to
this you add the supine acquiescence of many English inhabitants
in the peculations of their domestic servants, which, from an opinion
of the rooted depravity of the natives, we seem to look upon as if their
vices were immutable and inflexible, like the laws of nature. And if
you add also those summary chasusements, which are, in my
opinion, almost always useless as examples, you will not wonder
that I do not consider the records of the criminal court as a mea-
sure of the guilt of the community. Indeed the universal testimony
of Europeans, however much I may suspect occasional and _par-

tial exaggeration, is an authority too strong for me to struggle
with.”

4A]

After a variety of sound reasoning and good policy, this excel-
lent recorder thus closes his charge ;—a charge which bears a true
testimony to the British character in India, opposed to all the ef-
forts of senatorial eloquence to prove the contrary.

“IT am convinced, that both as jurors and as private gentle-
men, you will always consider yourselves as intrusted, in this re-
mote region of the earth, with the honour of that beloved country,
which I trust becomes more dear to you, as I am sure it does to
me, during every new moment of absence ; that in your intercourse
with each other, as well as with the natives of India, you will
keep unspotted the ancient character of the British nation, re-
nowned in every age, and in no age more than in the present, for
valour, for justice, for humanity and generosity, for every virtue
which supports, as well as for every talent and accomplishment
which adorns, human society!”

Mr. Gambier, the former chief of Baroche, having completed
his fortune, took his passage for England in the same ship with
myself. His successor, Mr. Nalsey, who enjoyed that situation
little more than a year, and had it not in his power to leave India,
was, on his return from Baroche, appointed chief of Salsette.
After being settled at 'l'annah, he invited a party of his Baroche
friends to the durbar, where we were hospitably entertained for
some days, and passed our time as happily as a retrospection of
evanescent pleasures in Guzerat, and the idea of a speedy separa-
ton, would allow. ‘Tannah, the capital of Salsette, had then be-
come a flourishing town; the fortifications had been repaired, the
Mahratta houses improved or rebuilt by the English gentlemen,

and the durbar rendered a commodious residence.
VOLecltl. ce

442

From Tannah we made a pleasant excursion, in palanquins, to
the inland mountains, to revisit the excavated temples and singular
habitations, formerly described ; and on our returning voyage from
Tannah to Bombay, took a last view of the far-famed caverns. on
the island of Elephanta—scenes which always fill the mind with
renewed astonishment, followed by a train of ideas unknown in other
situations. Having formerly described these wonderful excava-
tions, I shall not proceed again on the same ground; but as the
Hindoo Pantheon illustrates some objects in those gloomy regions,
on which it was not then in my power to throw sufficient light, I
shall on this farewell visit introduce two or three satisfactory re-
marks from that valuable work, which coincides in opinion with
almost every intelligent person I conversed with on the spot, that
the Elephanta was not always.a small island of only five or six
miles in circumference, but was formerly joined to the contiguous
islands, and to the continent; from which it is now disjoined by
a channel more than a mile in breadth.” In the spacious harbour
formed by the islands of Caranjah, Colaba, Bombay, Salsette, and
the continent, several smaller rocky islands are scatiered, bearing
of course different names; but which I deem formerly to have
been only one, and probably under one designation ; which might
well have been that still retained by Bombay, or by Elephanta, or
by a little island, close to the latter, that we call Butcher’s Island.
Its Hindoo name is Deva-devy, the island of the gods, or Holy
Island. [tis low ; Jess than a mile I think from the Elephanta, in
the direction of Salsette. The island of Bombay is called by the
brahimins Maha-maha-devy, or Maha-maha-deva. Maha is an epi-

thet of grandeur, and, as applied to a person, of pre-eminence.

Maha-maha-deva-devy may, therefore, be interpreted the island of
Mauapeva, or the Great-great God, or Stva; that deity being
principally honoured in its chief temple, now on the little island
of Elephanta, where monstrous lingas, evidently and necessarily
coeval with the excavation, and gigantic statues of him and his
consort, indicate his paramount adoration.” Gharipuri, or the
city of caves, is the name by which the natives identify the Ele-
phanta.

Not to enter into any new detail of the Hindoo mythology, it
must strike every common observer, that the representation of
Siva under different forms is the most striking feature in the tem-
ples of the Elephanta, and so far confirms Major Moor’s idea
beforementioned. ‘‘ Siva and Jove,” he observes, “ have been
compared by Sir William Jones and other mythologists ; but no
where is Jove seen combined with his spouse, or any female, as
Siva is, in pictures and sculptures, with Parvati. Jove is however
sometimes called mother as well as father. The following verse
might warrant such a combination in the creative eye of a painter:

«« Jupiter omnipotens, rerum, regumque, deumque,
«* Progenitor, genetrixque.”

«© Almighty Jove ; father and mother, both

‘© Of gods, and men, and things.” Lstrers on Myrwotoey.

And in some of their multifarious characters most of the Hindoo
deities might be identified with Jove or Jupiter; where, in the
poetical language of the world, he is called Saturn’s youngest
child ; that is, the latest production of Time.

«« The comparison between Siva and Jove runs parallel in many

instances. In the capacity of avenger and destroyer, Jove over-

444,

threw the Titans and giants, whom Typhon, Briareus, &c. led
against the god of Olympus, to whom an eagle brought lightning
and thunder-bolts during the warfare. In a similar contest between
Siva and the Daityas, or children of Diti, who frequently rebelled
against heaven, Brahma. is said to have presented the god of de-
struction with fiery shafts. As the Olympian Jupiter fixed his
court, and held his councils on a lofty and brilliant mountain, so
the appropriated seat of Mahadeva, whom the Saivas consider as
the chief of the deities, is Mount Cailasa; every splinter of whose
rocks is an inestimable gem. His terrestrial bounds are on the
snowy hills of Himilaya, or that branch of them to the east of the
Brahmaputra, which has the name of Chandrasichara, or the
mountains of the moon. When, after these circumstances, we
find Siva with three eyes, whence he is named Trilochan; and
know from Pausanias, not only that Triopthalmos was an epithet
of Zeus, but that a statue of him had been found, so early as the
taking of Troy, with a third eye in his forehead, as we see him
represented by the Hindoos, we must conclude that the identity
of the two gods falls little short of being demonstrated.

“In the character of destroyer also, we may look upon this
Indian deity as corresponding with the Stygian Jove, or Pluto ;
especially since Cali, or Time, in the femimine gender, is a name
of his consort, who will be found to be Proserpine.

** There is yet another attribute of Mahadeva, by which he is
too visibly distinguished in the drawings and temples of Bengal.
To destroy, according to the Vedantis of India, the Sufis of Persia,
and many philosophers of our European schools, is only to gene-

rate and reproduce in another form. Hence the god of destruc-

445

tion presides over generation; as a symbol of which he rides on a
white bull. Can we doubt that the loves and feasts of Jupiter
Genitor, (not forgetting the white bull of Europa) and his extraor-
dinary title of Lapis, for which no satisfactory reason is commonly
given, have a connection with the Indian philosophy and my-
thology ?

** Obelisks and pillars, of whatever shape, are symbols of Ma-
hadeva; as are more especially pyramids, and any thing conical.
Hence the custard-apple, or ramphul, as lately mentioned in the
gardens at Surat, from its conical form, takes a religious character,
and is appropriated to Siva. Mahadeva is Fire; the conical or
pyramidal shape is the natural form of -fire; hence applied to. its
representative, and symbolized by a triangle apex upwards.

** To Siva is given three eyes, probably to denute his view of
the three divisions of time, the past, the present, and the future.
A crescent on his forehead pourtrays the measure of time by the
phases of the moon. A serpent forms. a necklace, to denote the
measure of time by years. A second: necklace, formed of human
skulls, marks the lapse and revolution of ages, and: the extinction
and succession of the generations of mankind. He holds a trident,
to shew that the three great attributes are in him assembled and
united ; in another hand is a kind of rattle, called damaru, shaped
like an hour-glass; and I am inclined to. think it really was at first
mtended as such, since it agrees with the character of the deity ;
and a sand gheri is mentioned in the Sastra,.as one of the modes
of measuring time. In the hieroglyphic of Maha Pralaya, or

grand consummation of all things, when ‘Time itself shall be no

446

more, he is represented as trodden under foot by Maha Cal, or
Eternity.”

In these extracts many things bear a resemblance to prominent
features in the history of the Old ‘Testament. ‘They must be ob-
vious to a common observer, and, like similar passages in the
Egyptian and Grecian mythology, might no doubt be satisfacto-
rily traced to that primeval source ; but I shall close these remarks
with an account of that singular composition, formerly most ab-
surdly called the Judgment of Solomon, which contains the figure
and appropriate emblems of Siva. This compartment, from being
in a strong light, is very conspicuous in the Elephanta temple,
and seems more than any other to have engaged the attention of
travellers. Major Moor thus happily illustrates it, with an appa-
rent truth and precision which seems to leave no further room for
conjecture.

The compartment containing the group, in which Siva, in the
character of Maha Cala, or Eternity, makes the principal figure,
is on the night of the entrance in the Elephanta temple. “It is of
Siva Vindex, fourteen feet high, but his lower extremities broken
off. His attention is, from his attitude, turned to his left. His
aspect is terrific, indicating the immediate execution of some
avenging act. He had eight arms; the superior right and left
stretched up, and either supporting a cloth or curtain, or pulling
it over the terrible event he threatens; the fingers grasp the cloth;
the left upstretched arm is finely executed, the right broken at the
elbow ; his next right hand is broken at the wrist; the correspond-

ing lett holds a bell, in good preservation, over a cup in the palm

447

of the next, having a serpent twining round near the elbow. A
third right hand grasps a long straight sword, uplifted, perfect; the
two inferior hands, right and left are. broken off above the elbow ;
they were in bolder relief, and the left appears to have supported,
or to have grasped the leg of a kneeling figure, the trunk of which
only remains, its legs, arms, and head being broken off. This
kneeling figure may have been between five and six feet in height;
its back is towards the threatener, and leaning so in his direction
as to drop its blood, if spilled, into the cup before noticed. The
head of the principal figure has a highly ornamented cap, not
unlike those worn some years ago by grenadiers: a skull and ser-
pent are among its frontal ornaments. It has also a pendant
necklace, and a long chaplet, if it may be so called, composed of
human heads, of which only two or three are plainly discernible,
flowing over the left shoulder to the right thigh, where it is broken
off. The zennaar, or holy thread, and a broader belt, run in nearly
the same direction. On al! the wrists are bracelets, and above the
elbow of three of the arms are bazubands, or armlets. - No figures
remain in any preservation to the right of the principal, or under
him. On the left, near the supposed victim, are two bearded
faces, expressive of pity. A compassionate female is just above
them, leaning forward over the victim; she holds her scarf in her
hands, and is an elegant person. Below the bearded men are two
or three females, with pitying aspects. ‘The same emotion inter-
mingled with terror, is evident in every face of this compartinent,
whose features can be traced.

« Over the subjects just described is a row of males and

females, of rather diminutive size: 1n the middle of the row.

4.48

nearly over the head of Siva, is a thing like a mitre, with a crozier
cut deep into it, and surmounted with a cross; but the limbs of
the cross not exactly at right angles. ‘Two aged and emaciated
males are on the right (the spectators right) of the mitre, holding
up their hands, betokening pity and pain; on the other side of
the mitre are two similar figures. In front of each pair is a pros-
trate distressed male child, their heads near the mitre; beyond the
last mentioned pair, on the spectator’s left, are a male and female
in great anxiety and distress, holding scarfs in their hands.

“ Near this compartment, but advanced into the body of the
cave, so as nol to be interposed, is a room, twenty-two feet square,
with a door in each face; and on each side the door a gigantic
male figure, in stature sixteen feet, highly ornamented; this room
contains a monstrous linga, plainly indicating for whose worship
this temple was intended. But neither this, nor any other part of
the caves of Elephanta, is used as a temple, by modern Hindoos;
it has no establishment of brahmins, or endowments: but neigh-
bouring individuals make occasional offerings of prayers and ob-
lations. I have seen the lingas adorned with recent flowers; and
rice on the yoni at the foot of it. Brahmins generally disregard
imperfect images; the sad mutilations at Elephanta may well,
therefore, have caused their neglect of it.

“¢ It has been said in support of some hypothesis, that the
Vedas and Puranas, the sacred books of the Hindoo, make no
mention of this cavern temple. But who has sufficiently examined
those wonderful volumes to be enabled to say so? Several of our
Sanscrit scholars have given us many surprising things that they

do contain; but a knowledge of what they do not contain, or,

449

in other words, of all that they do, will demand many more years
of laborious examination. ‘“ Wherever we direct our attention to
Hindoo literature,” said Sir William Jones, “ the notion of in-
finity presents itself; and the longest life would not be sufficient
for the perusal of near five hundred thousand stanzas in the Pu-
ranas, with a million more perhaps, in other works; meaning the
books on divine knowledge, called veda, or what is known; and
sruti, or what has been heard from revelation.

“ The island of Salsette is, by the natives, called Shasta, or
Shaster; which is supposed to be derived from She-aster; meaning
in Mahraty, eighty-six, it having formerly contained that number
of villages; it must, however, have had a name prior to such an
advance of prosperity; and it is worth while to inquire what it
was, and its meaning; neither is it likely that such a point would
supersede any prior name, any more than originally give one.
This fine and interesting island offers a rich harvest to mineralo-
gical, botanical, and mythological inquiries; until lately, it has,
in these, and in every other respect of policy and interest, been
sadly neglected.”

The climate of Salsette is not reckoned so salubrious as Bom-
bay; many causes are assigned, especially the quantity of jungle,
or wood-land, still remaining uncleared; to which may be added
the stagnant pools and marshes of rank vegetation, besides very
extensive tracts of land yet uncultivated. When the underwood
is cleared, the marshes drained, and agriculture encouraged, there
can be no doubt of their effects in meliorating the atmosphere. The
jungle, or marsh-fever, is more common at Salsette than Bombay:

the young cadets sent over, on their first arrival from Europe, to
VOL. III. 3M

Versovah and other places on this island, frequently suffer much
from their deleterious effects.

During the whole of my residence in India, | never had a more
alarming fever, than I was formerly seized with in the principal
cave at Salsette, when I had been travelling two days in a palan-
quin, through the lower parts of the island, after the rainy season:
before the vapours were sufficiently exhaled from the stagnant
marshes and putrid vegetables on their borders. I therefore
doubly enjoyed the interest and beauty of this wonderful scenery
on the present occasion, when blessed with health, and surrounded
by a social party of both sexes, sharing in every pleasure. At the
same time I would observe, that after sufficiently reposing in the
great temple, a pensive stroll among these solitary and silent
mountains, is preferable for a stranger: he should leave the com-
panions of his journey for an hour, to enjoy alone the peculiar
sensations, on beholding a city not built by man, but excavated
from the rocks; immense temples not erected by human hands,
but hewn inch by inch within a mountain of granite, in the most
exact proportion. Adorned with elegant and lofty pillars, seem-
ingly to support a noble concave roof. ‘The temple indeed contains
only an amazing lingam, bul in its magnificent portico stand the
gigantic images of Boodha, or some great deity, with compart-
ments in basso relievo, of various subjects in the Hindoo mytho-
logy. He ascends from thence, by numerous steps cut in the rock
leading from one range of habitations to another, excavated in the
same manner, with verandas, cisterns, and other conveniences for
a large population: he treads the whole in silence, and meets no

other inhabitant than birds, bats, and bees; unless, perchance,

451

(as has sometimes happened), he spies a uger, who after his nightly
prowl has retired to one of these dark recesses to conceal himself
from the glare of day. From the summit of the highest moun-
tain he enjoys the extensive prospect of sea and land formerly
described; and finds himself lost in contemplative wonder at the
inadequateness of sublunary operations, and the vanity of all
human structures; since, in this astonishing scene, not even the
name of the founder, nor the intent of his undertaking, is known
to a single individual now exisung!

In contemplating the extensive and delightful prospect from
the excavated mountain, and especially the gentler hills and ex-
panded vallies in the centre of the island, still in their wild state,
il appeared extraordinary that during the ten years Salsette had
then belonged to the Company, cultivation was not more ad-
vanced, I believe its improvement has been since more at-
tended to, and the growth of sugar, indigo, and other lucrative
productions attempted; with what success [I cannot ascertain.
At all events Indian grain, in its great variety, would, accord-
ing to the nature of the soil and situation, be sure to thrive,
and, considering the immense population of Bombay, must there
always meet with a ready market. It was then I again adverted
to the Parsees; a people, who, if properly encouraged, might form
a valuable colony on Salsette. From the energy and spirit they
possess in so superior a degree to the Hindoos, (who only tread in
the footsteps of their progenitors, without even a wish for improve-
ment) much might be expected, not only in cultivating the waste
land, but by the introduction of the useful arts, manufactures, and

commerce. They are a very multiplying people, and must in

452

time extend themselves beyond the island of Bombay, and the
precincts of Surat and Baroche, which are at present almost the
only places where they reside in any considerable number. Jn-
stead of emigrating to foreign powers, and distant situations, this
industrious tribe would form a flourishing colony nearer home,
carrying with them arts and manufactures of various kinds. As
carpenters, in house and ship building, they are extremely expert ;
especially the latter, and to them the naval architecture at Surat
and Bombay is chiefly confined. If thus induced to settle on
Salsette, indulged with temples for their sacred fire, open sepul-
chres for their dead, farms, manufactories, and cottages for the
middle and lower classes, and gardens and villas for the opulent,
I cannot easily conceive a better or a happier colony.

Few people more justly appreciate the blessings of liberty and
property than the Parsees; they enjoy the envied bliss, and con-
trast it with the oppressive governments around them. When last
at Bombay, I frequently conversed with Muncher Jevan, and
other sensible Parsees. Unshackled by the religious prejudices
and superstitious deprivations of the Hindoos and Mahomedans,
and possessing more useful knowledge and liberal sentiments than
either, 1 was highly gratified by their opinion on subjects in gene-
ral history, politics, and religion. Their reasoning on the separa-
tion of the American colonies and the ruinous war then just ter-
minated, on the blended and separate interests of the King’s and
Company's governments in India, and the diversity of religious
opinions and modes of worship in the Christian church, sere I
to detail them would surprise many European readers.

The Parsees at Bombay possess considerable landed property,

453

and have either built, or purchased from the English on their re-
turn to Europe, some of the best villas and gardens on the island.
At my last visit I had been absent seven years, during which they
had made great advances in wealth and independence, lived in
some of the prettiest country houses, and drove thither in elegant
carriages of English construction. JI am informed their progress
in the last twenty years has been still more rapid.

This party to Salsette, Elephanta, and Caranjah, was the last
of my excursions in India. On parting in the durbar at Tannah,
many of us took a final leave of each other—that was to have been
expected. Several of us had resided together in Guzcrat, occu-
pied in the respective duties of public and private life; our des-
liny was now widely different—separated by an immense distance
of sea and land, the pleasures and the pains of memory were to
become a substitute for friendly concord and social harmony.
When friends take a long leave of each other, they endure a pang,
well known to minds of sensibility, which language cannot utter.
Twenty-eight years are now elapsed since the separation alluded

to: the sensations were renewed within a few weeks on our final

departure from Bombay!

«* Behold, fond man !

«© See here thy pictur’d life !—-Pass some few years,

«© Thy flowering Spring—thy Summer’s ardent strength,
«* Thy sober Autumn fading into age-=

«* And pale concluding Winter comes at last,

«« And shuts the scene. Ah! whither now are fled

“© Those dreams of greatness? those unsolid hopes

«© Of happiness? those longings after fame ?

“€ Those restless cares ? those busy bustling days ?

454,

« Those gay-spent festive nights? those veering thoughts
** Lost between good and ill, that shar’d thy life ?

«« All now are vanish’d! Virrvs sole survives,
«Immortal, never-failing friend of man,

‘* His guide to happiness on high !"" THoMson,

CHAPTER XXXVI.

COMMENCEMENT OF A JOURNEY FROM SURAT TO CALCUTTA;
CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL OCCURRENCES IN THE
PROVINCES OF GUZERAT AND MALWA,

BETWEEN SURAT AND OOJEN, IN
17S:

“It was a frequent saying of Alexander, that he had discovered more by his eyes than other kings
could comprehend in their thoughts. In this he referred to travel: experience is the best in-
former, and one journey will shew us more than any description can. A man, to improve himself
by travel, ought to observe and comment on what he sees; noting as well the bad to avoid, as
the good to make use of it: and without registering these things by the pen, they will pass away
without profiting him. The committing of a thought to paper fixes it on the mind ; he who does
this, can, when he pleases, go oyer his journey again in his closet.” Owxrw FeLrrHAm, 1628.

CONTENTS.

The author desirous of travelling to Powa Ghur, and the confines of
Malwa, prevented by his official duties—avails himself of every
opportunity to gain information of those districts—becomes pos-
sessed of Mr. Cruso’s papers containing the particulars of ajourney
From Surat to Calcutta, with Sir Charles Malet—which, amplified
and corrected by that gentleman, form the most interesting part of
this and the following chapters—cause of the embassy, and Sir
Charles Malet’s appointment by the supreme government of Bengal
—public papers relatwe to the embassy—the gentleman who ac-
companied Sir Charles—arrival at Surat from Bombay—departure
From Surat for Baroche—arrival there—dancing-girls—a bé-ropee,
or buffoon—dilapidations of Bowran—melancholy picture of Vezel-
poor and the English garden-houses in that village—reflections and
verses on reading these remarks—ingratitude of some of the higher
orders at Baroche towards the English—Tuckarea—Borahs—rajah
Ramul Sihng oppressed by Futty Sihng—Gracias—fertility and
beauty of the Brodera purgunna—arrival at Brodera—reception
and visit from Futty Sthng—ceremonies at this visit—presents—
dress of Futty Sihng and his brother—the visit returned at the
Brodera durbar—palace described—particulars of the visit—leave
the Guicwar dominions, and enter those of Mhadajee Sindia—Ja-
rode, Halool—Powa-Ghur, that fortress described —Chumponeer
formerly the capital of Guzerat—romantic country near Malow—

VOL. III. 3 N

Belah frwit—intestine broils in that wild district—lofty hills—
Barreah—vwisit from the rajah—the visit returned—pleasant cha-
racter of the Barreah rajah—continuation of wild country—in-
fested by robbers—alarm—precautions—design frustrated—Do-
hud—escort from the Jaboo rajah through this perilous tract—
visit from this rajah—Pitlabad—cross the Myhi—character of the
country near that river-—ats borderers notorious robbers—Rajoud
—sources of the Myhi and Cot6-ser rivers—Churruns, a very sin-
gular tribe described—robbery at the tents—Noulac—the opposite
direction of the rwers in this part of Hindostan—produce of the
country—poppies—manner of extracting the opium—aul tree—pro-
vince of Malwa proverbially fertile and well watered—singular

mud villages—arriwal at Oojen.

be

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Iw travelling through Guzerat I occasionally mentioned the lofty
mountain of Powa-Ghur, and the majestic scenery in its vicinity,
as forming one of the grandest features in that province, especially
when seen from the ramparts of Dhuboy. I was always desirous
of exploring those romantic regions, the falls of the Nerbudda,
and some other interesting spots in the north-east parts of Gu-
zerat. With the conveniences for travelling in England this might
have been easily accomplished ; but it is far otherwise in Hindos-
tan, where a journey of only fifty miles requires much considera-
tion and arrangement.

My public duties as a member of council at Baroche, and
collector of the revenues at Dhuboy, situations of responsibility
and anxiety, kept me fully employed; and being thus deprived of
an opportunity to accomplish my wishes, I endeavoured to gain
every intelligence of those districts from the yogees, senassees,
and other travelling mendicants, who frequented Dhuboy. 'They
made some valuable communications, not indeed always such as I
could depend upon; for these wandering devotees, (who, except
the Vanjarras with their bullock caravans, are almost the only

travellers in Hindostan), generally exaggerate in their descriptions,

460

and blend a strange mixture of legendary lore with topographical
history.

I had transcribed some hundred pages from those memoranda,
and other documents, toillustrate the countries bordering on the Dhu-
boy and Brodera purgunnas; especially in the dominions of Mha-
dajee Sindia, which I intended should follow the account of the
Guzerat districts entrusted to my care; but the papers of a de-
ceased friend having since come into my possession, afford such
ample scope for a more complete description of those interesting
tracts, that I shall suppress much of my own collection, to intro-
duce a journey from Surat to Calcutta, written in the year 1785,
when Mr. Cruso, in his medical capacity, accompanied Sir Charles
Malet to the camp of Mhadajee Sindia, through provinces little fre-
quented by Europeans, and some of them never yet described:
this route was purposely selected by Sir Charles, to improve
and extend our knowledge of so interesting a part of India.

From my own materials, the rough journal of Mr. Cruso, and
the kind assistance of Sir Charles Malet in supervising, improve-
ing, and amplifying many passages from his own manuscripts,
Tam enabled to produce a narrative of novelty and interest far
superior to the desultory observations contained in two or three
of my letters, descriptive of the Malwa scenery, and its inha-
bitants. As the whole is now formed into one connected detail,
it is unnecessary to particularise each respective source of infor-
mation, Mr. Cruso’s journal has furnished the outline and prin-
cipal features of the picture, the more masterly touches are by the
hand just mentioned.

Mr. Malet (now Sir Charles Warre Malet, Bart.) was appointed

461

by Warren Hastings, Esq. then governor-general of India, resident
at the court of Poona, in the following terms of a letter from the
supreme government at Bengal, to the governor in council of
Bombay, dated the 23d of November 1784.

‘For the maintenance of the general interests of the
Company with the Mahratta state, we make it our request that
you will be pleased to allow us to employ the services of Mr.
Malet as our minister at the court of Poona; considering him,
from his relation to your government, and from that which such
an appointment will give him to this, the fittest for such a pur-
pose.” Alluding no doubt, not only to his political knowledge,
but from his being perfectly conversant with the languages and
manners of Hindostan. The following extract from the same
letter will explain the cause of this long and arduous journey.

«In order that Mr. Malet may receive complete instructions
in the general line of his negociations, and be enabled to establish
a concerted plan of correspondence with our minister at the court
of Mhadajee Sindia, for the purpose of avoiding both an oppo-
sition of influence, and also the appearance of it, in our trans-
actions with two powers, to which we bear a common relation,
as to the members of the same state, but whose respective inte-
rests and views may occasionally lead them to different lines of
policy, in which, without such a caution, our ministers might be
involved; we request that you will depute Mr. Malet to go im-
mediately to the camp of Mhadajee Sindia, at. Agra, as on his
way to Calcutta; and with actual orders to proceed to this presi-

dency, if it shall be judged necessary for his more effectual instruc-

462

tions, or otherwise, to receive his appointment and credentials
there. It is not probable that we shall require Mr. Malet’s pre-
sence here; but we would wish to have it publicly understood as
his destination; and his visit to Mhadajee Sindia as a conse-
quence of its lying in his route, to prevent any conclusion unfa-
vourable to his reception at Poona.”

These orders having reached Bombay in the beginning of
January 1785, Sir Charles Malet lost no time in carrying the views,
and if possible more than the views, of government into effect:
thus actuated, he procured captain (now general) Reynolds, to
be appointed to accompany him as surveyor, and Mr. Cruso as
surgeon, both recommended by talent, promising every advantage
in their respective lines. ‘The surveys of the former, and the me-
moirs of the latter, from whence great part of the following com-
munications have been collected, will best evince how that pro-
mise has been fulfilled.

In consequence of this appointment by the supreme govern-
ment, Sir Charles Malet received the orders of the governor in
council at Bombay on the 24th of January, 1785, to carry it into
effect, by proceeding to Surat, and from thence to the camp of
of Mhadajee Sindia, wherever it might be. He accordingly sailed
in the Prime, one of the Company’s ships, on the 28th of that month,
and reached the city of Surat on the 2d of February; where hav-
ing been detained, by waiting for the requisite passports from the
different princes whose territories he had to traverse, and by the
preparations necessary for so long a journey, in a conspicuous
public character, he was not able to proceed until the 12th of

March; when he moved from Surat, amply equipped, in every

463

point, to give an impression of respect for his nation and govern-
ment, to those tribes and chieftains, hitherto unacquainted with
Europeans, through whose dominions, then but litle known, and
entirely undescribed, he had purposely selected his route. ‘The
guard appointed to accompany him consisted of one complete
company of regular native infantry, twenty-six Indian cavalry, and
thirty-five irregular sepoys.

Mr. Cruso’s account of Surat, Baroche, and other places in
Guzerat, generally corresponding with those formerly detailed in
these volumes, I shall pass hastily over. On leaving Surat, they
crossed the Tappee river at Veriow, and proceeding on the 15th
by the usual road to the banks of the Nerbudda, they arrived at
Baroche on the 17th, nearly two years after it had been in posses-
sion of Mhadajee Sindia. On crossing the Nerbudda their tents
were pitched at a little distance from the city walls. Sir Charles
was soon after visited by Gopal Rao, Sindia’s governor; the dessoy,
or collector of the revenues; and several other persons, who for-
merly held situations under the English government.

In the evening, while the gentlemen were amusing themselves,
as was their practice, in shooting at a target with bows and arrows,
two or three sets of dancing-girls intruded, and urgently solicited
permission to dance and sing: to gratify their wishes, rather than
their own pleasure, they acquiesced, and ordering carpets, sat
down on the banks of the river, and entertained several hundred
persons assembled round them. ‘The scene was agreeably varied
by an elderly man, whose vocation was that of assuming dif-
ferent gestures and characters for the general entertainment. ‘This

kind of dramatist is by the natives called bé-roopee, or double-

464

shaped (a mimic, or buffoon). This man, personating a fakeer,
repeated a number of verses on the passion of love with singular
address, and that alternate motion of the right and left hand gene-
rally adopted by orators.

The next morning the party visited the dilapidated mausoleum
of Baba Rahan, or Bowran, hastening fast to ruin. Returning
from thence, they alighted at the village of Vezelpore, about a
mile to the westward of Baroche, formerly adorned by the houses
and gardens of several English gentlemen, then belonging to that
establishment, most delightfully situated near the bank of the Ner-
budda: they were now totally neglected, uninhabited, and deso-
late; still indicating the remains of beauty in mutilated columns,
urns, and other ornaments, which filled their minds with melan-
choly. Baroche was always esteemed one of the most flourish-
ing and delightful settlements under the Bombay presidency; at
this time Mhadajee Sindia only permitted the Company to have
a small factory in the city, in charge of one of their civil servants.
The higher classes of Hindoos, from religious prejudice, are averse
to dwell in houses that have been inhabited by Europeans; those
of the lower orders, and of other castes, dare not occupy man-
sions which, by giving an idea of wealth, might subject them to
the cruel rapacity of the Mahratta government; nor could any
individuals, either Hindoos, Mahomedans, or Parsees, safely reside
in defenceless habitations without the city, where they would be
exposed to the depredations of the Gracias.

My feelings were excited on copying the preceding remarks
from Mr. Cruso’s narrative. I had heard from other visitors of
the desolated scenery at Vezelpore. The villa I had erected on

-— —@— Stee

tes eer eer yen ae

465

that beautiful spot only eight years before, was then in ruins; the
dining-parlour converted to a stable, the drawing-room to a cow-
house: the garden was ploughed up, and sown with grain, the
trees destroyed, the lines to the Naiad defaced, and her urn
broken. Such was the picture lately given me by colonel Boden,
then a subaltern officer in the Baroche garrison. This villa with
two others adjoining, were the evening resort of our military
friends from the city, who came to pass the tranquil moonlight
hour in the garden, sup under the summiniana, and enjoy the
“ feast of reason, and the flow of soul,” with congenial minds,
alive to every feeling of urbanity and friendship.

There is a beautiful passage in sacred writ, relating to the fall
of Assyria; which under the imagery of a similar devastation, illus-
trates the destruction of the stately banian tree, and the surround-
ing grove in our garden, which were refreshed by the waters they
overshadowed. ‘“ Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon,
with fair branches, a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature;
his top was among the thick boughs; the waters made him great,
the deep set him up on high, with her rivers running round about
his plants; and her little rivers flowing to all the trees of the
field. ‘Therefore his height was exalted, his boughs were multi-
plied, and his branches became long, because of the multitude
of waters, when he shot forth. All the fowls of heaven made their
nests in his boughs, and under his branches the beasts of the field
found shelter: thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of
his branches; for his root was by the waters. ‘The cedars in the
garden of Gop could not hide him; the fir trees were not like his
boughs; the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree

VOL. III. 30

4.66

in the garden of Gop was like unto him in his beauty. He was
made fair by the multitude of his branches; so that all the trees
of Eden envied him! But I have delivered him into the hands of
the heathen, strangers have cut him off; the terrible of the nations
have left him; upon the mountains and in the valleys his branches
are fallen; his boughs are broken; the people of the earth are
gone from his shadow, and have left him! ‘lake up a lamenta-
tion for his destruction ; prophecy, and say, Woe worth the day!
for it is a day of desolation; a cloudy day! The daughters of the

nations shall lament thy doom, they shall lament the loss of thy
beauty !”

The reader of sensibility will excuse this digression, and the
following parody on a few lines in Goldsmith’s “ Deserted Village,”
occasioned by a momentary impulse, on reading the state of our
carden-houses in Mr. Cruso’s journal.

Sweet Vezel! loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheer'd the labouring swain ;
Where cooling showers their earliest visits paid,
And latter rains abundant harvests made.

Dear lovely bowers of innocence and ease,

Seats of my youth, when every sport could please :
How often have I wander’d o’er thy green,
Where friendly intercourse endear’d each scene:
How often have I paus'd on every charm,

The Hindoo cot, the cultivated farm,

The bold Nerbudda flowing by thy side,

The decent mosque beyond his swelling tide,
The glittering temple hid beneath the shade
Where Visnoo’s priests or Seeva’s votaries stray’d.
How often have J hail’d the festive hour

When distant friends arriv’d to grace the bow’r,

i a ig a OT aN

467

Where social mirth, from pride and envy free,
Beguiled the time beneath the spreading tree.
While different parties loiter'd in the shade,
The happy hosts their well-pleas’d guests survey'd,
And many a gambol frolick’d o’er the ground,
3 And many a cheerful song and jest went round,
And still as each repeated pleasure tir'd,
Succeeding joys the mirthful band inspired.
Such were thy charms, dear village! charms like these,
With sweet succession made the tropic please :
Made us to meet its fervours with a smile,
And less regret the joys of Albion’s isle :
These round thy bowers their cheerful influence shed;

These were thy charms—but all these charms are fled!

I shall make no extracts concerning Baroche, having already
fully described it during the English government, when flourish-
ing and happy: under the Mahrattas Mr. Cruso thus writes. The
present Amul or governor for Mahdajee Sindia, named Gopal
Row, is a young man of mean capacity, not liked by the inhabi-
tants. The dewan a low insignificant being, called Tattea. The
mudjemoodar, named Lullabhy is a banian of considerable fortune
who held that post under the nabob Mozuz Caun, previous to the
English conquest, and filled it during the whole of their govern-
ment; when his local knowledge and intrigue in the revenue
department made him useful to the Company’s collectors, and
gave him great consequence in the purgunna. He has contrived
to hold the same situation under the Mahratta government; but
is no longer a friend to his former employers, and ungratefully
acts on all occasions in opposition to the English interest. The

dessoy, Dowlat Roy, succeeded to that station on his father’s

468

death, during the English government, and was continued in it by
the Mahrattas. His grandfather was put to death by Mozuz
Caun at the instigation of Lullabhy’s maternal grandfather; and
Dowlat Row, a young man of no striking talents, is now entirely
at the mercy of Lullabhy; as indeed are the heads of every de-
partment in the Baroche durbar. On leaving Baroche, where Sir
Charles Malet had been treated with great respect by Sindia’s
government, and our guard increased by twenty-five horse and
fifteen foot, to accompany us as far as Champoneer, we marched
through a well-cultivated and populous plain for sixteen miles, to
Tuckarea, a large village chiefly inhabited by borahs; Mahome-
dans of singular appearance and manners, in many respects re-
sembling the Jews. Their houses are numerous, and well built; the
musjeed is the largest in the Baroche purgunna; the outside, from
its magnitude and style of architecture, promised a handsome inie-
rior; but we found nothing more than the usual places of prostra-
tion, the ornaments mean, and every thing common, except the
tank where the worshippers perform their ablutions. At this vil-
lage Sir Charles was met by a mehmendar, from Futty Sihng,
the Guicawar chieftain at Brodera, with a letter of invitation to
his capital.

We arrived at Meah Gaum, a town belonging to rajah Ranul
Sihng, on the 20th of March; and were immediately visited by two
of his sons, bringing a respectful message from the rajah, then on
his way to meet us. He soon after arrived, attended by nine
more of his sons, forming altogether a very interesting family
group. We found him a sensible, well-behaved, respectable man,

about sixty years of age, of great hospitality, who not only ordered

469

every thing necessary, but would willingly have pressed more upon
us than we wanted. This benevolent rajah is of the Rajepoot caste,
tributary to Futty Sihng, of whose rapacity he made bitter com-
plaints, and was then in extreme distress, from his having placed
a guard of fifty horse over his person, and ordered him immediately
to repair to his durbar at Brodera, or to pay down a large sum.
The aged patriarch spoke with much feeling and spirit on the oc-
casion: “ God,” said he, “ has blessed me with a numerous off-
spring, and now that I have lived to see most of them attain to
man’s estate, I am threatened with being deprived of the means of
providing for them. My possessions are in a hazardous state. [
have every thing to apprehend from the rapacity and injustice of
Futty Sihng, but I will not suffer myself to be led into his presence
by an armed force. If he will withdraw his troops, I may perhaps
obey his other command; if not, my life on such terms as he
would force a compliance, is not worth preserving.”

During this conversation a very handsome youth, about six-
teen years of age, entered the tent; our venerable guest immedi-
ately arose, and introduced him as the heir to his rajahship, being
the child of his eldest son, who is dead. Most of the Hindoo suc-
sessions run in that line. The town contains upwards of three
thousand inhabitants, mostly Rajepoots and Gracias; the latter
are probably the aborigines of the country, who were never so
completely subdued as to give up their claim on a certain portion
of the landed property, the produce of which they claim to this
day. If their demand is not complied with, they are, after admo-
nishing the defaulter, frequently guilty of the greatest cruelty, kill-

ing or maiming man and beast belonging to the village which re-

470

fuses. In such terror are they held, that when a party of them
enters a village, their horses and themselves are amply provided
with every thing necessary.

The day following we crossed the dry bed of the river Dahder,
and encamped at the village of Etola, belonging to Futty Sihng,
not far from its banks. It is remarkable that Etola, in the Brodera
purgunna, is the first village, since the commencement of our jour-
ney, at which we have been refused the few articles of provisions
and necessaries usually supplied to an oriental traveller.

The next morning we left Etola at four o'clock, by torch-light,
and when the day broke found ourselves on a beautiful plain, ex-
tending many miles around us; the trees with which it was richly
adorned, were arranged in such sweet assemblage as to produce the
most agreeable effect. I must own I had hitherto looked in vain
for the rural scenery which I had been led to expect in Guzerat: I
now no longer found it a fictitious exaggeration. I cannot figure
to myself a more charming country than that in the vicinity of
Brodera. As you approach the city the views are enriched by a
number of mausoleums, embosomed among dark groves of mango
trees. After a march of eleven miles we encamped, at seven
o'clock, two hundred yards north-east of Brodera, the capital of
the Guicwar territory in Guzerat, and the residence of its chieftain,
Futty Sitng Row Guiewar, which, by our route, is about ninety
miles from Surat. In the evening Futty Sihng signified his inten-
tion of visiting Sir Charles Malet on the following afternoon, and
sent a present of fruit and necessaries.

The next day, about five o’clock in the afternoon, the approach

of the Brodera chieftain being announced, preparation was made

471

for his suitable reception. ‘The guard, regular and irregular was
paraded, and all the members of the mission, with their followers,
appeared in their best attire. When he came within two hundred
paces, Sir Charles went forward in his palanquin to meet him.
Futty Sihng was escorted by a party of cavalry well mounted and
appointed ; and a guard of a hundred infantry, selected from his
household troops, many of whom had been sepoys on the Bengal
establishment. He was received at the door of the public tent,
and from thence conducted to Sir Charles’s private tent, where a
chair covered with embroidered velvet was placed for him ; others
were ranged on each side for his ministers and ourselves. After
presenting Captain Reynolds and myself, as gentlemen of his suite,
Sir Charles took Futty Sihng by the hand, and led him to his seat.
He brought with him one of his brothers, Monajee, who was seated
on his right hand; Gulab Roy, the mehmundar who had been sent
to meet us on the journey, stood at his left, as the interlocutor be-
tween him and Sir Charles. The rest of the numerous attendants
of rank to entitle them to admission, sat on carpets to the right of
Monajee, without any distinction of priority that I could observe ;
nor could any be made by a difference of dress or other circum-
stance; for all, except two soucars, or commercial men, were
equipped in the rough manner affected by the Mahratta cavaliers,
nor were their manners more refined than their appearance.

After some general conversation, and a few songs and dances,
by two sets of dancing-girls usually attendant on such ceremonies,
Futty Sihng expressed a desire to return; on which a number of
presents that were in readiness, were brought in by the servants,

and offered in the following manner:—Several attendants carried

472

each a silver dish, covered with an embroidered cloth. As the
first approached near the Broderah chieftain the embroidered cover
was removed, and discovered a muslin turban unfolded, under
which were some of the articles to be presented. Sir Charles then
taking one end of the turban, offered it to Futty Sihng with the usual
salam. He received it with a return of the same civility and gave
it toan attendant. ‘The contents of the dish were then separately
displayed to him, and delivered to his servants: each cover was
presented in succession, with a repetition of the same ceremonies.
An Arab horse, a present from Sir Charles, was then led to the tent
door, and given in charge to one of his grooms; suitable presents
were also made to his brothers and principal attendants. Futty
Sihng having expressed great satisfaction at his reception, then re-
turned to his durbar, attended part of the way by Sir Charles.
This Guykwar chief of the Mahratta empire is a dark man, of
the middle stature, with an intelligent countenance, but his conver-
sation and manners are far from elegant; the behaviour of his at-
tendants still more rude, and his domestics seemed perfect strang-
ers to order. His dress was of fine muslin, neat and plain; the
nimma, or robe, closed at the neck by a diamond pin. His right
arm was ornamented with a row of diamonds, and on the little
finger of his left hand was a ring with a middle-sized diamond.
The handle of his dagger was mother of pearl, inlaid with gold.
Monajee is a much better looking man than his brother ; his
person tall and commanding, with good eyes, an open counte-
nance, and regular features. His dress was also of plain muslin,
the nimma fastened by a large emerald in form of a lozenge ;

with a necklace of pearls and emeralds alternately disposed.

473

‘hese brothers had both a nerveless debilitated appearance, pro-
duced probably by an immoderate use of opium and early de-
bauchery.

At Futty Sihng’s visit it was settled that a proper person should
wait on Sir Charles at ten A. M. of the ensuing day, to conduct
him to the durbar in the city. We accordingly waited until the
afternoon in hopes of learning the appointed hour; when a chop-
dar arrived from the durbar with a message, that the chieftain
having assembled his astrologers, it had been determined the day
was unlucky, and for that reason we could not be received until a
more auspicious season. Sir Charles returned for answer, that the
visits of friends made all days lucky; and as he was under the
necessity of proceeding on his journey, and had already sent off
part of his equipage, he wished to pay his respects at the durbar
the same evening.

The messenger presently returned, with a request to see us as
soon as convenient, as every thing was prepared for our reception;
and a number of massaulchees ordered to light us from the tents
to the durbar, whither we repaired about eight o’clock ; but from
the immense crowd of spectators, and narrowness of the streets,
we did not arrive there until nine. From our imperfect view of
the city, it made a shabby appearance, ill suited to its magnitude
and the reputed wealth of its owner. It seems very populous, and
contains a good market-place, arched and roofed. The new dur-
bar is a lofty structure, but of mean appearance ; the audience-
chamber, where Futty Sihng received us, is divided by pillars inta
three parts, for the accommodation of the company at public diver-
sions and nautches, who being arranged on either side, see the

VOL, III. 3 P

474

spectacle in the central division without interruption. On enter-
ing this apartment we found three chairs placed for us, and ano-
ther covered with crimson velvet for Futty Sihng, who soon en-
tered, and after the usual compliments we were seated ; the embrace
is only customary at a first meeting. We were afterwards informed
that Futty Sihng’s reason for not being present in the durbar to
receive us, arose from a finesse of foolish pride, that he might
avoid the condescension of rising. ‘The master of the ceremonies,
and all the company introduced upon this occasion, were of rude
and clownish appearance, with only two exceptions: one, a manly
handsome Patan, who commanded the regular troops; the other
a Mahomedan officer of a similar description. Two sets of danc-
ing-girls were provided for our entertainment: but though Brodera,
or MVaroda, as frequently called by the natives, is one of the most
famous cities in India for these tolerated courtezans, and from
Futty Sihng’s general character, his acquaintance with them is not
very limited, none were of even passable beauty. ‘They however
danced well, and one of them sang with more harmony and variety
than usual. Our visit was protracted until near midnight, by @
long private conference, which Futty Sihng had requested Sir
Charles to have with himself and his principal minister in a sepa-
rate apartment. ‘The public visit was closed, as customary, with
a return of presents.

Early the next morning we proceeded to Jarode, the last stage
in the Brodera purguuna, where the Guicwar dominion terminates,
and Mhadajee Sindia’s commences. Near Brodera the road is
good, and the country of that pleasing description already men-

tioned ; all the rest presented a dreary aspect, without an acre in

475

cultivation. In this march of twelve miles, we crossed the dry
bed of a small river, called the Suree. Jarode is the place where
Sindia’s army was encamped on General Goddard’s campaign ;
the English army occupied the ground near Camlah, from whence
they followed the Mahratta chief, in hopes of bringing him to an
action, for which he shewed no inclination. In front of Jarode is
an excellent tank, at this advanced seasen abounding with water.
On the 26th we marched eleven miles to Halool, the first part
uncultivated and dreary, but about half way. the dawn of morning
presented a beautiful landscape; to the finest fields and richest
woods was added a charming variety of forest scenery, with an ex-
cellent road winding through it. The morning air, perfumed by
numberless flowering shrubs, and a serenade from bulbuls and
other warblers, rendered the sylvan seene complete, until we
reached Halool, a large village belonging to Sindia, five miles from
Powa-ghurr. Our encampment commanded a. grand view of that
stupendous rock ; for a rock it certainly is, from the foot to the
summit; which, as also the ascent to it, is strongly fortified at
convenient places; but what generally appears at a distance to be
an artificial fortification, below the upper part, is all a natural
defence, consisting of scarped rock to a most formidable depth.
On the summit of the mountain is a Hindoo temple of some cele-
brity ; also the mausoleum of Peer Sujjun Sermust, a Mahomedan
saint. <A part of these religious edifices is said to be used as store-
houses. This fortress, which makes such a conspicuous appearance
from the plains of Guzerat, is commanded by Chillajee Cuddum,
who has been killedar at this important station the last five years.
The city of Champoneer, formerly the capital of the whole Guze-

470

rat district, is situated at the foot of the mountain on the opposite
side. We wished very much to have seen it, but as we must have
deviated considerably from our route to gratify curiosity, it was
givenup. ‘There is a large tank near the village of Hullole, ad-
joining a grand mausoleum, said to have been built by Secunder
Padshaw, consisting of two magnificent structures covered with
domes, and five smaller, of the same construction, all of admirable
workmanship. Under each of the large domes is a marble tomb,
without an inscription. ‘The work on these tombs is exquisite.

On the 27th we proceeded on our journey, having been fur-
nished from Champoneer with an additional guard of ten footmen.
We wished for an escort of cavalry from the killedar, but most of
his troops being employed in collecting the revenues, and protect-
ing the villages against the Bheels, a troublesome banditti, it was
not in his power. We were tcld when we left Jarode, we should
enter a country so full of woods and thickets, as to be scarcely
passable ; and so infested with robbers that our baggage would be
constantly in danger of being pillaged: in this respect we have
been agreeably disappointed; the road having been generally good,
the country pleasant, and not a robber to be seen. This morning
we crossed the bed of a river about a mile before we reached Ma-
low; the stream was now small, and the scene abounded with wild-
fowl of various kinds.

In the vicinity of Malow are large masses of rocks, which secn
through the trees resemble a considerable village. On a nearer
approach we found them to consist of a multiplicity of separate
rocks, ina variety of shapes, forming a very singular and romantic

disposition. We had not previously seen a single stone, and the

477

rocky hills we afterwards came to, may be said to commence at
this spot. On the top of the largest rock is a Hindoo temple, sur-
mounting the trees by which the masses are surrounded. These
are of various kinds; one bearing a fruit in size and outward ap-
pearance like the orange, with a thick cortex, similar to the cowit,
or wood-apple of Guzerat ; it is called the belah; the seeds resem-
ble those of the pomegranate, are exceedingly gummy, and are used

medicinally in fluxes. Like the mango, when green they are pre-

served in salt and water, and eaten as pickles.

Such is the state of warfare between the inhabitants of the
different villages in this country, that every boy of fourteen is
armed, and if you send for butter and eggs, the peasant brings
them with a drawn scimetar. All the villagers we met had either
a sword, or bows and arrows, sometimes both.

After a journey of thirteen miles through a wild country, we
encamped on the 28th at Seemlee, on the river Gomah, the first
village of the territory of the Barreah rajah, who having been
previously in correspondence with Sir Charles, had sent one of his
officers with an escort of five and twenty foot and fourteen horse,
to conduct us to his capital; in consequence of which the Baroche
jemadar was sent back with his party. We met many carts laden
with grain, and overtook others proceeding to the interior with
eocoa-nuts from Jamboseer and the sea-coasts of Guzerat.

The next morning, at three o’clock, we proceeded through a
thick forest until we came to a village called Gorlah,. surrounded
by cultivation. In those wilds we passed a large well, or bowree,
built by Damajee, the father of Futty Sihng, on a spot where, flying
with only fifteen horsemen, after the dreadful battle of Panniput,

478

he had nearly perished from thirst. We then crossed the bed of
the Pannah river, a broad stream which runs into the Myhi, as do
most of the rivers in this part of the country. After a march of
twelve miles we arrived at Barreah; the rajah fired the best salute
in his power to congratulate us, having sent his duan, at the head
of a body of cavalry, to meet and conduct us honourably into his
capital.

On our left, through the jungle, we passed the chain of hills
running off from the high mountain of Powaghur, seen from Dhu-
boy at a great distance. ‘They do not seem a regular range, being
often interrupted, and sometimes separate, and have in general a
woody and wild aspect, on a basis of rock. In many parts were
large flakes of a white shining stone, which at a little distance ap-
peared like cotton strewed through the valley, running through two
ranges of similar rocky hills.

Barreah stands in this valley on the river Panna, in .a narrow
spot, just sufficiently large to contain the town between the foot
of the hills. It is very neat, and contains many good houses, built
of brick, and tiled. ‘The inhabitants appeared decent and orderly ;
the shop-keepers well dressed, and the troops had a clean soldier-
like appearance.

The rajah having previously announced his intention, paid us
a visit at six in the evening. He was mounted on an elephant, well
caparisoned, and brought with him a party of select friends. He
seemed about thirty-five years of age, of a dignified mien, prepos-
sessing manners, and dressed with taste. Round his neck hung
several rows of pearls, from whence depended emeralds, diamonds,

and rubies, set in the shape of hearts, one above another, in the

479

cenire of strings of pearl. The rajah’s name 1s Jeswant Sihng,
of the Rajepoot tribe; his family possessed Powa-ghurr when it
was last subdued ; five hundred of their adherents were killed on
the spot; one only of his family survived, from whom this prince
is lineally descended. Mhadajee Sindia on his last campaign in
Guzerat, in passing and repassing through the rajah’s country,
was so pleased with his attentions that he made him many grate-
ful returns, and presented him with the elephant on which he
visited our tents.

The next morning we returned the rajah’s visit. In passing
through the town the people pressed in front of their houses with
great anxiety to behold the first Europeans they had probably
ever seen. The durbar is large, but rude; it was well attended,
and a dancing-girl commenced her song immediately on our being
seated. The rajah now examined our dress, and every article
about us; and was good-naturedly inquisilive, especially regard-
ing our watches, whose operation we explained to him. A small
compass affixed to one of them was matter of great surprise ; but
still more so a telescope, carried by one of our servants. The
yoom in which the rajah received us growing too hot from the con-
course of people continually pressing into it, he led us into another
apartment more airy and spacious. Here from a window which
commanded an extensive view, he diverted himself a long time
with the spying-glass, calling in two or three of his favourites to
share his pleasure, telling them that the people walking at a dis-
tance could not even wink their eye bet he saw them. On our
rising to take leave, he told us with a smile, that we were now in

the midst of a wild country, prisoners at his pleasure We passed

480

more than two hours with him, and then returned to the tents,
where the good-natured prince paid us another visit in the even-
ing.

Barreah, situated in a narrow defile, is a much frequented pass
or thoroughfare, between Guzerat and Malwa; the tolls taken at
the town-gates generally exceed twenty thousand rupees per an-
num. We left it on the 3lst of March, and soon re-entered a
wild rocky country, similar to that already described. Sleeping at
a wretched place called Cummareah, a mile from any water, at an
early hour the next morning we renewed our journey through the
same wilds, which had now continued for fifty miles. Here we
came to a deep pass, cut through the hills, which descended into
a stony plain. We had been told many frightful stories of the
cruelty and depredations of the Bheels, the wild inhabitants of the
jungles and forests through which we had lately passed; but by
due precaution we escaped. Before day-break this morning, after
having passed the last fortified hill which forms the limits of Jes-
want Sihng’s territory, and in a forest near a fortress where Sindia’s
dominions commence, a most infernal yell suddenly issued from
the deep ravines. Our guides informed us this was the noise al-
ways made by the Bheels previous to an attack, with the view of
throwing travellers into a fright and confusion most favourable to
their designs. We immediately set off at full gallop to the brink
of the nearest gully whence the war-whoop seemed to issue, where
our alertness and the lighted matches of the horsemen’s pieces dis-
concerting them, they made off as fast as possible. This place we
afterwards found to be famous for these banditti; here they esta-

blish a sort of rendezvous, and Jie in wait among thickets and

oor

48 |

hollow ways, trom whence they spring on travellers, in places
where no horse can follow them, nor even foot, being strangers to
the ground. ‘This dangerous spot is also a neutral situation between
two independent powers, neither of whom deem themselves re-
_ sponsible for the robberies and murders committed by these ma-
rauders. Sir Charles used great precaution in marching through
this country, moving himself with the cavalry of his guard, and at-
taching the regular infantry to the baggage.

Soon after descending the pass we arrived at Dohud, a town
situated within another circle of hills, where the province of Guze-
rat ends, and Malwa commences. Dohud is by far the best town
we have seen since leaving Broderah ; surrounded by a high wall
of no great strength, with two gates and a gurry, or citadel, form-
ing an oblong square. ‘The houses are built of brick, and the in-
habitants respectable, especially a number of Mussulmauns of the
Borah tribe, who, like the Parsees, are seldom found in consider-
able numbers, but where there is something like an advantageous
trade.

The following day we travelled twelve miles to Taundah, a
very fine village. ‘The country though hilly was open, and well
cultivated. We were there warned of an intended attack by the
Bheels in our next morning’s route. Before midnight a jemadar
and four armed horsemen arrived from the rajah of Jaboo, a petty
prince in the neighbourhood, who hearing of Jeswant Sihng’s
civilities at Barreah, was willing to follow his example, and sent
his people as an additional escort on the next stage. We accord-
ingly proceeded together at the usual hour, and before day-break

passed this perilous spot without molestation ; no place could be
VOL. III. 3Q

482

better adapted for banditti, being covered by thick foresis, inter-
sected by deep ravines, and encompassed by hills.

Having escaped all difficulties we arrived at our tents, pitched
near the village of Tandlah, in a pleasant country, with plenty of
catle grazing in the meadows, and peasants reaping an abundant
crop of barley. It belonged to Bihm Sihng, rajah cf Jaboo, of
the Rhatore tribe of Rajpoots, who paid us a visit in the evening,
with a number of attendants, in a better style than we had ex-
pected ; among them were several respectable Patan, Scindian,
and Arab officers. The rajah was a heavy corpulent young man,
about five-and-twenty years of age, well dressed, and covered with
ornaments, particularly several gold chains round his neck and
across his shoulders, with a profusion of rings and_ bracelets.
During the evening I had numerous applications for advice and
medicines, which, for the credit of the embassy, I distributed libe-
rally to all who required assistance.

We proceeded early on the 4th of April to Pitlabad, a stage
of fourteen miles; the first part through a hilly country, but nei-
ther so high nor rocky as those we had lately passed. The soil in
the valleys resembled finely sifted black earth, generally covered
by long dried grass, thinly scattered, with trees resembling the
birch. We then ascended two lofty hills, in immediate succession,
and, from an extensive plain on the summit, commanded a fine
view of the country we had lately traversed, a tract of fifty
miles in length, and fifteen in breadth; generally lost to all the
purposes of cultivation ; a cover for wild beasts, and the abode of
crvel banditti, A suecession of hill and dale brought us from

thence to Pitlabad, once the mart of Malwa, and one of the most

483

considerable places in that province, now greatly impoverished
and reduced.

On the 5th we continued our morning march, and passing
Jamlah and another village, reached the banks of the Myhi, hav-
ing travelled about fifteen miles from Pitlabad, through a pleasant
cultivated country, producing wheat, barley, and abundance of
poppies for extracting opium, but a magnificent wildness charac-
terized the approach to this celebrated river. The bed is abcut a
hundred yards broad, but the stream, so late in the season, every
where small, and in some places discontinued. We crossed at
one of the principal passes from Oojen, (or Ujen) to Guzerat.
The defiles and gullies on each side are very deep, and the road
indifferent. The banks on each side the river are generally of
equal height, but opposite the pass is an eminence, well calcu-
lated for a post to obstruct an enemy’s passage from Guzerat to
Malwa. The ravines and inaccessible retreats near the banks of
the Myhi, render its borderers notorious for their depredations.
We passed them with great circumspection. Indeed at the outset
of the mission a regular. plan of encampment, and a very strict and .
vigilant police had been established.

On leaving the Myhi we proceeded to Rajoud, a large zemin-
darree village, belonging to a Rajpoot, named Keysree Sikng, on
the little river Coté-Ser, where we encamped after a march of
twenty miles. ‘This place is about ten coss from the source of the
Myhi, and three from that of the Coté-Ser. The former is at a
place called Chimpapoora near Umeree, the latter near two vil-
lages named Coa and Budnar. A Hindoo temple is buiit over the

spring of the Myhi, near which it falls in a beautiful cascade into

484

a natural bason of rock. After seeing the number of large rivers
and small rivulets which disembogue into the Myhi, it is no longer
wonderful that its impetuous torrent, in the rainy season, should
carry down such a quantity of timber, cattle, wrecks of villages,
and sometimes their inhabitants, from the inundated plains.

The general produce of the country hitherto appears to have
been juarree, wheat, barley, chena, hemp, and sugar-cane; but
none in great abundance, nor indicative of a large population.

I pass over a number of disputes and quarrels detailed in the
journal, between Holcar, Bhim Sihng, and other petty sovereigns
in those districts. These, and various historical anecdotes were
related by the Charruns, a caste of people very much resembling
the Bhauts at Neriad, Zinore, and other parts of Guzerat. ‘The Chur-
runs were formerly said to live only in that province, but about thirty
years before several of the tribe, during the distress of a grievous
famine, fled for subsistence to Malwa, and settled under the pro-
tection of different powers. ‘They formed considerable villages in
the territory of Jaboo, Jeswant Silng, and the rajah of Umjeree.
A village belonging to these Churruns, on the banks of the Myhi,
had been lately plundered by a petty rajah, on the pretence of
their having assisted the Gracias in their depredations for some
unjust demand. <A party of the injured Churruns were now at
the village where we encamped, on their way to Dhar, to solicit
reparation ; which if they do not obtain, several of them, accord-
ing to the custom of their caste, are determined to commit suicide
in the city, and shed their blood at the doors of the people who
refuse to redress their injuries. The guilt of the blood of this

tribe is deemed an inexpiable crime, and a very severe curse.

485

From Dhar, the surviving Churruns purpose repairing to the
peshwa at Poonah; and if unsuccessful there also, will renew the
self-devotion, and complete the sacrifice of despair!

This night a robbery was committed in our encampment, the
first of the kind which has happened on the journey. Mr. Cruso
was the principal sufferer, having lost not only his palanquin bed-
ding and several other articles, but a case of capital surgical instru-
ments; he was fortunately provided with another set; otherwise
in such a country the loss would have been irretrievable.

Nothing interesting occurred for some days; on the Sth of
April the party arrived at Boodnaour, through an open flat coun-
try; having entirely passed the hills and rugged unevenness which
had characterised the landscape during the last fortnight. The
next day they encamped at Noulai, a large flourishing town be-
longing to Mhadajee Sindia, with a mud wall and a ghurry; it is
the capital of a very considerable purgunna, containing an hundred
and seventy-five villages: the part through which they travelled was
well cultivated, yielding good crops of most Indian grains, wheat,
barley, and cotton. Near the town runs the little river Chumla:
which, contrary to all the streams yet passed, takes a north-easterly
direction. Sir Charles Malet imputes this to their having entirely
left the range of hills and high lands from whence those rivers took
their rise, and which now formed a barrier to the flux of water
south-westward. As the rivers crossed in the former part of the
journey generally fall into the Mihi, so those in their future pro-
gress must be considered as subsidiaries of the Jumna and the
Ganges, a prominent feature in the geography of Hindostan.

The next halt was at Bulleyree, a village in a well-cultivated

486

and plentiful country. Passing the Chumla chose to Noulai, about
eight miles further, they came to the Chumbal, a fine running
stream, which rising near Indore, about twenty-five miles distant,
takes a north-easterly direction, and falls into the Jumna. near
Dholepore. In addition to the abundant crops of wheat, barley,
juarree and other Indian grains, were large fields of cotton and
poppies, for opium. The mode of extracting and gathering this
drug from the poppy, of which there are three kinds, is very
simple. The peasants go every evening into the fields, and with
a sharp instrument make three or four incisions into the rind of
the poppy-head of seed; the juice, during the night, oozes plenti-
fully from these incisions; and is tenacious, until they come the
next morning with another instrument to scrape it off, and collect
it for sale. This country also produces the sarunjee, or aul
tree. From the root of this tree when young the natives extract a
red dye.

The large village of Bulleyree is amply supplied with water,
from several brooks flowing at this arid season. The whole coun-
try during the latter stages was remarkably well watered; indeed
the province of Malwa is in this respect proverbially happy, and
is said never to have known the distress of famine; it is, on the
contrary, generally considered as an asylum and store-house for
other countries, suffering under that calamity. Large parties of
emigrants from Marwar, and Cottyawar, which had for two years
experienced a great drought, were now spread over this happier
country. |

The villages in this part of the Malwa province are built en-
tirely of mud; the flat roofs, walls, and floors, all of the same

487

materials; each house is encircled by a mud wall, over which its
shabby top is just visible; this appeared the more remarkable in
populous villages, so near the capital. On questioning the inha-
bitants if these mud roofs did not render the houses very hot, they
invariably answered no; adding that they were also proof against
the heaviest rain which fell in that province.

On the 10th of April, after travelling thirteen miles and a half
from Bulleyree, and crossing the fine river Gumeer about half
way, they arrived at Oojen, the capital of Mhadajee Sindia’s part
of Malwa. The road was excellent; the first six miles through a
forest of baubul trees, the latter over a rich fertile plain, abound-
ing with remarkably tame deer.

On approaching the city Sir Charles Malet was met by a de-
putation from the governors, (for there were then two,) who con-
ducted him to the encampment on the banks of the river Sepra,
which runs by the western walls of the city.

END OF VOL. III.

T. Bensley, Printer,
Bolt Court, Fhect Street, London,

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