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 THE HAND BOOK OF
 
 THE 
 
 HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 GUIDE TO THE STRANGER 
 
 THE TRAVELLER, 
 
 COMPANION TO THE RESIDENT. 
 
 BY 
 
 J. H. STOCQUELER, pj^e-^ci 
 
 fc*TB BDtTOB OP THE "CALCtJTTA KNOLI3H MA V ;"' AUTHOR OP" FIFTEEN IfONTfIS' PIX.GKIMAGI 
 
 THBOQGH KHOZISTAN, PERSIA, TURKEY, NEW RUSSIA, GKRMANT, ETC. ;" 
 
 " MEMORIALS OF AFFGH ANI8TAN,*' ETC. 
 
 LONDON: 
 W M. H. ALLEN & CO. 
 
 1844.
 
 cox, BROTHERS, latk COX & SONS, 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE HONOURABLE EAST-INDIA COMPANY, 
 
 74 iSt 7!>, Great Queen Street, Lincoln's-liin Fields.
 
 
 TO 
 
 DWARKANATH TAGORE, 
 
 WHOSE NOBLE QUALITIES 
 HAVE RENDERED THE COUNTRY WHICH HE HAS SERVED, 
 
 BY HIS LIBERALITY AND HIS EXAMPLE, 
 AN OBJECT OF INTEREST TO ALL CLASSES OF ENGLISHMEN, 
 
 ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
 BY ONE WHO ADMIRES HIS VIRTUE AND PUBLIC SPIRIT, 
 
 AND CHERISHES A GRATEFUL RECOLLECTION OF 
 
 HIS MANY PAST KINDNESSES. 
 
 J. H. S. 

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The object of the present work is to combine, 
 within the smallest possible space, all the informa- 
 tion respecting British India, which an individual 
 proceeding to any one of the presidencies might de- 
 sire, at first, to possess. Innumerable excellent pub- 
 lications are before the world, some of which treat of 
 the history of India, the form of government, the 
 topography, productions, and commerce of the 
 country, while many are confined to sketches of 
 habits, customs, and religions ; the revenue and 
 monetary systems ; the manner of European life, 
 laws, and institutions, &c. But there is not one 
 single volume extant which presents, at one view, an 
 outline of every thing relating to the country. To 
 supply the desideratum has been the purpose of the 
 author, or compiler, of the present Hand-Book.
 
 vi PREFACE. 
 
 Although a lonq; residence in India has afforded 
 the writer many opportunities of collecting informa- 
 tion respecting several important sections of the 
 country, and more especially the metropolis of 
 British India, the magnificent city of Calcutta, he 
 has necessarily consulted and quoted from the works 
 of others who have traversed portions of the empire 
 which it never was his fortune to visit. Among 
 these authors, the late Miss Emma Roberts, Mrs. 
 Postans, and Colonel Davidson stand in the fore- 
 ground. Much has also been derived from the 
 Bengal and Agra Guide and Gazetteer, published in 
 India, the Asiatic Journal (the articles from which 
 were originally contributed by the author of the 
 " Hand-Book " himself), Milhurns Oriental Com- 
 merce, Galloway s Law and Constitution, Thornton's 
 History, the East-India United Service Journal, 
 and some others. 
 
 The proportion of the following pages relating to 
 Calcutta was originally intended to form part of a 
 separate publication, in a work illustrative of the 
 present position of that capital, of which so little 
 appears to be really known in England ; but it has 
 been thought preferable to include the sketch in the 
 present volume. The occupation of so much space, 
 however, with one subject, has necessarily induced 
 much brevity in the treatment of the other presi- 
 dencies ; but as these are, in a great degree, reduced
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 copies of the megapolis of British India, the omis- 
 sions, in respect to them, may easily be supplied 
 by a diligent study of all that is said of the latter, 
 due allowance being made for the difference in the 
 dimensions of the three cities.
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 1, line 15. — For " procession," read " precession." 
 ,, 16 ,, 3. — For " England, who," 7ead " England, which." 
 ,, 33 ,, 12. — After " nature's hand " put a full stop, and com- 
 mence paragraph " From the eagle, &c." And 
 at the IGth line, dele fall stop after " south " 
 and place a comma, continuing, " the ornitho- 
 logical, &c." 
 ,, 37 ,, 3. — For " people in the world who are so little distin- 
 guished," dele "who are." 
 ,, — ,, 31. — For "in whom is supposed to rest," read "in 
 
 whom are." 
 ,, 46 ,, 8« — For " some of which, " read '■ some of whom." 
 ,, 76 ,, last. — For " changeable," read " chargeable." 
 „ 80 „ b-.—For " £-'10,000," read "■ ^--H.OOO." 
 ,, 14b ,, 5. — i^or " prosperty," rea<? " prosperity." 
 ,, 161 ,, 2. — For " bunghy-bearers," read " banghy bearers." 
 ,, 166 ,, 7. — For " there are pleasant," read " these are 
 pleasant." 
 
 ,, 167 ,, 12 " If bound to Calcutta," add" or Madras." 
 
 ,, 172 ,, lij. — For " trans^xed" read "transferred."
 
 THE 
 
 HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 Sfc. 
 
 INDIAN CHRONOLOGY. 
 
 The natives of India use a great variety of epochs, 
 some of whicli are but little understood, even by 
 themselves, and almost all are deficient in univer- 
 sality and uniformity, so that the same epoch nomi- 
 nally will be found to vary many days, or even a 
 year, in different provinces. 
 
 The solar, or more properly, the sidereal year, is 
 that which is most in use for public business, par- 
 ticularly since the introduction of European power 
 into India. This year is calculated by the Indian 
 astronomers at 365 days, 7 hours, 12 minutes, 30 
 seconds, or, according to others, 36 seconds. 
 Therefore in sixty Indian years there will be a day 
 more than in sixty Gregorian years. The difference 
 arises from not taking into consideration the proces- 
 sion of the equinoxes, being equal in reality to some- 
 thing more than 20 minutes, though by them calcu- 
 lated at 23 minutes. 
 
 The luni-solar computation is not at present so 
 common as it formerly was, although still much used 
 in some parts of India, and common everywhere in 
 
 / B
 
 Z THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the regulation of festivals, and in domestic arrange- 
 ments. But the solar and luni-solar forms may be 
 used with most of the Indian eras, though some 
 more particularly affect one form and some the 
 other. 
 
 The luni-solar mode varies in different provinces, 
 some beginning the month at full moon, others at 
 new moon: we shall describe that beginning by the 
 full moon, which is used in Bengal ; the other me- 
 thod will be easily understood when this is known. 
 Each year begins on the day of full moon preced- 
 ing the beginning of the solar year of the same date. 
 The months are divided into halves, the first of 
 Avhich is entitled hadi^ or dark, being from the full 
 moon to the new, and the last, sudi, or bright, from 
 new to full moon. These divisions are sometimes 
 of 14 and sometimes of 15 days, and are numbered 
 generally from 1 to 15, though the last day of the 
 badi half is called 15, and that of a sudi is called 30. 
 By a complicated arrangement, a day is sometimes 
 omitted, and again a day is intercalated, so that, 
 instead of going on regularly in numerical order, 
 these days may be reckoned 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 
 10. The subject is enveloped in some obscurity, and 
 it will be perhaps sufficient to observe, the time of a 
 lunation is divided into 30 parts, called tiths, and 
 when two tiths occur in the same solar day, that day 
 is omitted in the lunar reckoning, and restored, by 
 intercalation, at some other period. When two full 
 moons occur in one solar month, the month also is 
 named twice, making a year of 13 months. In the 
 case also of a short solar month, in which there 
 would be no full moon, the month would be alto-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 6 
 
 gether omitted. All these circumstances render the 
 luni-solar computation a matter of much difficulty ; 
 and to reduce it exactly to our era would require a 
 perfect knowledge of Hindoo astronomy. But as 
 the solar reckoning is by far the most general, we 
 shall only observe that the lunar month precedes the 
 solar month by a lunation at most, and consequently 
 a lunar date may be nearly known from the solar 
 time, which is of easy calculation. 
 
 We shall begin by the eras which are generally 
 known, and follow with those of more limited use. 
 
 The Caliyug. — This era is the most ancient of 
 India, and dated from a period 3101 years before 
 Christ. It begins with the entrance of the sun into 
 the Hindoo sign Aswin, which is now on the 11th 
 April, N.S. In the year 1600 the year began on the 
 7th April, N.S., from which it has now advanced four 
 days, and from the procession of the equinoxes, is 
 still advancing at the rate of a day in sixty years ; 
 the number produced by subtracting 3102 from any 
 given year of the Caliyug will be the Christian year 
 in which the given year begins. 
 
 The era of Saliwahana may be joined here to that 
 of the Caliyug, being identical with it as to names of 
 months, divisions, and commencement, and differing 
 only in the date of the year, which is 3179 years more 
 recent than that, and therefore seventy-seven years 
 since our era. It is much used in the southern and 
 western provinces of India, and papers are frequently 
 dated in both eras. The years of this era are called 
 Saca. The number 77 must be added to find the 
 equivalent year of the Christian era. Both these 
 eras are most commonly used with solar time. 
 B 2
 
 4 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The era of Vicramadety, Avhich has its name from 
 a sovereign of Malwa, may also be placed here, as it 
 uses the same months as the two above mentioned, 
 but it is more generally used with lunar time ; this 
 era is much employed in the north of India, and its 
 years are called Samvat. It began fifty-seven years 
 before Christ, and that number must be deducted, to 
 bring it to our era. 
 
 In Guzerat this era is used, but it begins there 
 about the autumnal equinox. 
 
 The following are the names of the months of 
 the Hindustani year : — 
 
 Bysakh, 
 
 Bhadon, 
 
 Poos, 
 
 Jeth, 
 
 Koonar, or Asin, 
 
 Magh, 
 
 Asar, 
 
 Katick, 
 
 Fagoon, 
 
 Sawan, 
 
 Aghan, 
 
 Chyt. 
 
 These months all begin on the days of the entrance 
 of the sun into a sign of the Hindoo zodiac, and they 
 vary from twenty to thirty-two days in length, though 
 making up 365 days in the total, in common years, 
 and 366 in leap years. The intercalation is made 
 when and where it is required, not according to any 
 arbitrary rule, but by continuing the length of each 
 month, until the sun has completely passed each 
 sign. This will bring about twenty-six leap years in 
 every century. It would require long and complicated 
 calculations to find exactly the commencement and 
 duration of each month, but we shall not err more 
 than a day or two by considering them to be of thirty 
 and thirty-one days alternately. 
 
 The Bengalee year appears to have been once 
 identical with the Hegira; but the solar computation 
 having subsequently been adopted, of which the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. O 
 
 years exceed those of the Hegira by eleven days, it has 
 lost nearly eleven days every year, and is now about 
 nine years later, the year 1245 of the Hegira beginning 
 in July, 1829, and the Bengalee year 1236 begin-, 
 ning 13th April of the same year. 
 
 The number 593 must be added to bring this to 
 the Christian era. The Bengalee months are similar 
 to those of the Hindustani, given before, differing 
 only in dialect. They are as follow, according to 
 the orthography of the English resident there. 
 
 Baysakha, 
 
 Sravona, 
 
 Kartic, 
 
 Maugh, 
 
 Joishta, 
 
 Bhadra, 
 
 Ugrohoyna, 
 
 Falgoon, 
 
 Assan, 
 
 Aussin, 
 
 Pouse, 
 
 Chotira. 
 
 The first of Baysakha is now on the 1 3th April, 
 and in our leap years, on the 12th April. There is, 
 however, a difference of one day in about sixty years, 
 as observed before, in speaking of the eras of Ca- 
 liyug, &c. 
 
 TheFuslee year is pretty generally known in India, 
 and is supposed to be derived from the Hegira. One 
 or two eras are used in India by this name, being 
 chiefly used in revenue accounts ; its commencement 
 alone is much attended to, the subdivisions being 
 neglected. 
 
 The Fuslee year, as used in Bengal, begins with 
 Aussin, in September. The year is lunar, and the 
 full moon preceding the autumnal equinox is the 
 first day. The date also differs from the common 
 Fuslee, being now 1247. 
 
 It may be observed that, notwithstanding this 
 variety of dates, the months agree pretty nearly.
 
 b THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Thus, Poos in all the eras begins somewhat before 
 the winter solstice, and is followed by Maugh, &c. 
 
 The era of Parasurama is used in Malayala, in the 
 south of India. This era began in the year 1176 
 B.C., and is divided into cycles of 1000 years, and 
 at the end of a hundred years, instead of 1001, the 
 next year was called 1. The first cycle ended 176 
 B.C., the second 825 A.D., and the third should 
 have finished in 1825, in which case the present year 
 would have been 15. But, whether from inattention 
 or otherwise, the end of the third cycle was not 
 noticed, and they call 1005, the year which began 
 on the 15th September, 1829. The year 177 of the 
 second cycle began August 17th, A.D. 1, but the 
 year, like the other years of India, advancing one 
 day in about sixty years, now begins as above stated. 
 In our leap years, the 14th of September will agree 
 with its commencement. 
 
 A cycle of ninety years, called Grahaparivrithi, is 
 used in the southern provinces of India. The year 
 1840 corresponds with the 64th year of the 21st cycle. 
 The first cycle began twenty-four years before our 
 era. 
 
 To reduce it to the Christian year, multiply the 
 elapsed cycles by 90 and the odd years, then deduct 
 24 from the sum, and the remainder will be the year 
 required. 
 
 The days of the week, as used by the Hindoos, are 
 as follow : — 
 
 Rubbeebar, 
 
 Sunday 
 
 Brihuspoteebar, 
 
 Thursday 
 
 Soambar, 
 
 Monday 
 
 Sliukrobar, 
 
 Friday 
 
 Mongolbar, 
 
 Tuesday 
 
 Sunneebar, 
 
 Saturday 
 
 Boodbar, 
 
 Wednesday 
 

 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 7 
 
 THE MAHOMETAN ERA OF HEGIRA 
 dates from the flight of Mahomet to Medina, which 
 event took place in the night of Thursday, the 15th 
 July, A.D. 622. The era commences on the follow- 
 ing day, viz. the 16th July. Many chronologists 
 have computed this era from the loth of July, but 
 Cantemir has given examples, proving that, in most 
 ancient times, the 16th was the first day of the era; 
 and now there can be no question that such is the 
 practice of Mahometans. The year is purely lunar, 
 consisting of twelve months, each month commencing 
 with the appearance of the new moon, without any 
 intercalation to bring the commencement of the year 
 to the same season. It is obvious that, by such an 
 arrangement, every year will begin much earlier in 
 the season than the preceding, being now in summer, 
 and, in the course of sixteen years, in winter. Such 
 a mode of reckoning, so much at variance with the 
 order of nature, could scarcely have been in use be- 
 yond the pastoral and semi-barbarous nation by 
 whom it was adopted, without the powerful aid of 
 fanaticism, and even that has not been able to pre- 
 vent the use of other methods by learned men in 
 their computations, and by governments in the col- 
 lection of revenue. It will also be remarked that, as 
 the Mahometans begin each month with the appear- 
 ance of the new moon, a few cloudy days might 
 retard the commencement of a month, making the 
 preceding month longer than usual. This, in fact, is 
 the case, and two parts of the same country will 
 sometimes differ a day in consequence ; although the 
 clear skies of those countries where Islamism prevails 
 rarely occasion much inconvenience on this head.
 
 8 THE IIAND-nOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 But in chronology and history, as well as in all 
 documents, they use months of thirty and twenty-nine 
 days alternately, making the year thus to consist of 
 354 days. Eleven times in thirty years, one day is 
 added to the last month, making 355 days in that 
 year. Consequently, the average length of a year is 
 taken 354, 11 -30th days, the twelfth of which is 
 29, 191-360ths, differing from the true lunation 
 very little more than three seconds, which will not 
 amount to a day in less than 2260 years, a degree 
 of exactness which could not have been attained with- 
 out long-continued observations. 
 
 The intercalary year of 355 days occurs on the 
 second, fifth, seventh, tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, 
 eighteenth, twenty-first, twenty-fourth, twenty- sixth, 
 and twenty-ninth years of every thirty years. Any 
 year being given, to know whether it be inter- 
 calary or not, divide by 30, and if either of the above 
 numbers remain, the year will be one of 355 days. 
 
 The names of the months, as used by the Turks, 
 with the length of each, are as follow : — 
 
 Moharem ----- 30 
 
 Saphar 29 
 
 Rabiu I. 30 
 
 RabiuII. 29 
 
 Jomadhi I. - . - - 30 
 
 Jomadhill. - - - - 29 
 
 Regeb 30 I 
 
 They have weeks of seven days, named as follow : — 
 
 Shaban 29 
 
 Ramadan ----- 30 
 
 Shawall 29 
 
 Dhu'lkadah - - - - 30 
 
 Dhu'l hajjah - - - - 29 
 
 and in intercal. 30 days. 
 
 TURKS. 
 
 PERSIANS. 
 
 INDIANS. ANC. ARABIC. 
 
 MOD. ARABIC. 
 
 Su. Pazar gun, 
 
 Yekshambe, 
 
 Etwar, 
 
 Bawal, 
 
 Yom abad. 
 
 M. Pazar ertesi, 
 
 Doshambe, 
 
 Peeror Somwar 
 
 Bahun, 
 
 Yom thena. 
 
 Tu. Sale, 
 
 Sishambe, 
 
 Mangul, 
 
 Jebar, 
 
 Yom tulta. 
 
 W. Charshambe, 
 
 Charshambe, 
 
 Boodh, 
 
 Dabar, 
 
 Yom arba. 
 
 Th. Pershambe, 
 
 Panjshambe, 
 
 Jumerat, 
 
 Femunes, 
 
 Yom hamsa. 
 
 F. Juma, Juma or .\dina, Juma, Aruba, 
 
 Sa. Juma ertesi, Shambe or Hafta, Suneecher, Chiyar,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 9 
 
 DIVISIONS OF THE DAY.— MAHOMETAN. 
 
 The division of the day among Mahometans is 
 chiefly subservient to the stated times of performing 
 their devotions, and is not generally very accurate. 
 They begin their account at sunset, reckoning twelve 
 hours from thence to sunrise, whether the night be 
 long or short ; from sunrise to sunset they also reckon 
 twelve hours, and consequently a night hour is longer 
 in the winter than an hour of the day, and in summer 
 the hours of the day are longer than those of the night. 
 At the equinoxes alone, all the hours are of equal length , 
 and then they coincide with those adopted by us, in 
 commencement and duration, differing, of course, six 
 hours in enumeration, so that our six o'clock is their 
 twelve, our seven is their one, &c. At other periods 
 of the year, also, their six o'clock coincides with our 
 twelve, but every other hour differs more or less 
 from ours. The time of sunrise, and consequently 
 the length of the day, being known, the length of 
 each hour will be easily found by division, and the 
 period of any given hour determined. Thus, if the 
 sun rise at seven o'clock, the length of the day will 
 be ten hours (of sixty minutes each), and that of each 
 hour fifty minutes. One o'clock, Mahometan reckon- 
 ing, will then be at fifty minutes after seven, two 
 o'clock forty minutes after eioht, and three o'clock 
 will be half-past nine, and so on of the others. 
 When the sun rises at five o'clock, the three first 
 hours of the day will be completed severally at ten 
 minutes after six, twenty minutes after seven, and 
 half-past eight. In every case six o'clock arrives 
 exactly at mid-day. 
 
 B 3
 
 10 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Hindoo. 
 
 The Hindoos divide the day into four watches, and 
 the night into the same number; the day being 
 considered to extend from sunrise to sunset. The 
 watches are again divided into ghurees, which are 
 twenty-four minutes each in length. As in summer 
 the days are longer than the nights, each day-watch 
 will then be longer than any watch of the night, 
 though, from the necessity of each watch comprising 
 an exact number of ghurees, there will generally be 
 the difference of one ghuree between two watches of 
 the same day. There is much variation in this 
 respect, and although, in the latitude of India, the 
 difference is not so great as it would be in a country 
 more towards the north, it is still so inconvenient 
 that the natives of India rarely understand their own 
 method of dividing the day, and readily adopt the 
 English mode when they are in the neighbourhood 
 of one of our factories. 
 
 In order to explain the mode of subdividing the 
 watches, we shall detail the correspondence of ghu- 
 rees with our hours in March and September, when 
 the days and nights are equal, and when, in conse- 
 quence, more regularity may be expected than at 
 other seasons. It must be remembered that a ghuree 
 contains twenty-four minutes, and that sixty ghurees 
 make up the twenty-four hours ; thirty ghurees, there- 
 fore, make up the time between sunrise and sunset at 
 this season; if these thirty ghurees were equally 
 divided between the four watches, giving seven ghu- 
 rees and a half to each watch, their correspondence 
 with our hours would be easily made.
 
 11 
 
 OUTLINE 
 
 HISTORY OF BRITISH INDIA. 
 
 The attempt to comprise within a few pages any 
 thing approaching to an accurate sketch of the main 
 incidents which have distinguished the history of the 
 British empire on the continent of Asia, would prove 
 so perfectly futile, that the following rough outline is 
 offered rather as an apology than a substitute for the 
 record which should be preliminary to a picture of 
 India as it is. By no process of condensation could 
 the contents of the pyramids of volumes which have 
 been written to portray the progress of our power, 
 from the hour when the first factory was established 
 in India, to that which placed Sinde at our feet, be 
 reduced within the compass of a reasonable library, 
 much less comprised in a brief chapter of a single 
 volume. Our excuse must therefore be, in venturing 
 upon even a very slight abstract, that we wished to 
 form, for the benefit of the stranger who may never 
 have bestowed any attention upon India, a connect- 
 ing link between the history of the country and its 
 remarkable position at the present moment. 
 
 The early history of the vast continent of India is 
 veiled in obscurity. The wonderful subterranean re- 
 mains of architecture which exist to this moment in
 
 12 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the western parts of the country demonstrate that 
 they must have been inhabited by a people not infe- 
 rior to the Babylonians and the Cushites in antiquity, 
 and a knowledge of the arts of peace ; but we 
 obtain no other information respecting the inha- 
 bitants, although the historians of ancient Egypt 
 have endeavoured to connect them with the victo- 
 ries of Sesostris, All that we know for certain is, 
 that the Tyrians carried on a trade with India by 
 means of the Red Sea, and that the Greeks, begin- 
 ning with Alexander and ending with Antiochus, pene- 
 trated as far as the upper part of the Ganges,* taking 
 possession of large tracts of country upon either side 
 of the Indus; that the dominion of the Greeks was 
 succeeded by that of the Scythian nomades, who 
 invaded Bactria, and that these, in their turn, were 
 driven out by the Tartars. Next came the Mahome- 
 tans, under Mahraoud of Ghuzni, who, about the 
 year 1000, carried into effect his father's project for 
 the conquest of India, and, after a series of aggressive 
 expeditions, established Mussulman authority from 
 the west of the Ganges to the province of Guzerat. 
 From this time until the middle of the eighteenth 
 century, the power of these invaders augmented, and 
 the whole continent gradually fell under their yoke j 
 the government of the various provinces being vested 
 in Navvaubs, who exercised sovereign control, with a 
 reservation of obedience or fealty to the supreme 
 power of the Great Mogul, who reigned in absolute 
 despotism at Delhi. But in all these conquests and 
 political aggrandisements, no European power took 
 the slightest share. The intercourse with India, 
 
 * Embassy of Megasthenes.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 13 
 
 from the time of the expulsion of the Greeks, was 
 confined entirely to commercial operations. The 
 Egyptians and the Romans followed the Tyrians, 
 sending their argosies down the Red Sea to the coast 
 of Malabar, and receiving, in exchange for their com- 
 modities, the rich stuffs, drugs, dyes, gold, silver, 
 ivory. Sec, which formed the staples of Western India. 
 The conquest of Egypt by the Saracens threw the 
 whole trade into the hands of the latter, who made 
 great efforts to extend it by carrying their enterprise 
 beyond the extreme point of the peninsula of India 
 to the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, thence to 
 Siam, and ultimately to China. But the Saracens 
 held no intercourse with Europe. Closing the port 
 of Alexandria against the Christian trader, they pre- 
 ferred transmitting their return cargoes to Constan- 
 tinople, through Asiatic Turkey and the Black Sea, 
 The city of the Sultan, consequently, soon became 
 the great mart for East-India and China produce, 
 and to it the eyes of the Venetian and Italian states 
 were directed. For a long time, however, the anti- 
 pathy which the Christians and Mahometans bore 
 to each other formed a bar to commercial intercourse 
 of any kind ; at length, the cupidity of the Califs 
 overcame their religious hatred, and a trathc com- 
 menced which, while it gratified the anxiety of the 
 Europeans to possess the products and manu- 
 factures of the East, conferred wealth upon the 
 mercantile followers of the prophet. In this state 
 the trade with India continued until the Crusades 
 gave territorial possession and influence to the 
 southern European powers, and converted the expe- 
 ditions, which were originally of a holy character,
 
 14 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 into commercial and secular enterprises. Partly by 
 means of conquest, and partly through negotiation, 
 the whole of the East-India trade at last passed from 
 the Saracens into the hands of the Italians, and the 
 port of Alexandria, until then closed by Mahometan 
 hatred, was reopened to the ships of the Mediterranean. 
 Florence, Genoa, and Venice were the first to reap 
 the fruits of the great monopoly ; but the latter, by 
 deputing an ambassador to India, to open a commu- 
 nication with ports until then not known even by 
 name to the Europeans, obtained exclusive supplies 
 and benefits, which soon gave them an immense pre- 
 ponderance over their neighbours. To these advan- 
 tages were shortly to be added the diminution of the 
 Genoese trade by the destruction of Constantinople, 
 where they had established themselves to the entire 
 exclusion of the Greeks. Thus, at the close of the 
 fifteenth century, Venice supplied nearly all Europe 
 with the products of the East, and soon raised her- 
 self, by her wealth, to an eminence that excited the 
 jealousy and hostility of surrounding nations. Great 
 efforts were made by several states — the Dutch, the 
 Germans, and the Spaniards — to obtain a share in 
 this vastly lucrative commerce ,• but neither intrigue 
 nor the most tempting offers made to the rulers of 
 Egypt and of Syria could shake the stability of Ve- 
 netian power. Events, however, occurred, perfectly 
 independent of commercial rivalry, which struck at 
 the root of the great monopoly, and almost entirely 
 diverted Oriental commerce into new channels. Chris- 
 topher Columbus had discovered America, and the 
 Portuguese had found a way to India round the 
 Cape of Good Hope. In 1497, the King of Portugal
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 15 
 
 deputed Vasco de Gama to India, to ascertain whence 
 the riches of the Venetians were drawn, and to 
 endeavour to open a trade with the same sources by 
 the route available to the ships of Portugal. The 
 mission was successful ; the key to vast wealth was 
 now obtained, and the Portuguese lost no time 
 in improving their opportunities. Fleet after fleet 
 was fitted out ; every port in India was visited ; pos- 
 session was forcibly taken of several places upon the 
 Malabar coast, the islands lying between Mada- 
 gascar and the Moluccas, and the island of Ormus, 
 in the Persian Gulf; and a papal grant was ob- 
 tained, confirming the prior discovery of the Portu- 
 guese, and thereby checking for a time the rivalry of 
 other Catholic nations. Prodigious efforts were made 
 by the Venetians, supported by the Mameluke go- 
 vernment of Egypt, and subsequently by the Sultan, 
 to counteract the advantages obtained by the Portu- 
 guese, but all was in vain. While, on the one hand, 
 the latter defended with great skill and bravery their 
 acquisitions in India and the Gulf of Persia from 
 their enemies in the Red Sea and the coasts, they, 
 on the other, continued to pour into Europe the pro- 
 ducts of the Oriental world in quantities and at a 
 price against which the Venetians could not possibly 
 contend. For more than a century the trade re- 
 mained in the hands of the Portuguese. But the 
 high road which they had discovered was open to all 
 the world beside, and it was not to be supposed that 
 they would retain exclusive right of way longer 
 than it might suit the convenience of other nations to 
 yield them the privilege. Accordingly, we find that 
 as the maritime power of Holland increased, and her
 
 16 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 domestic cares diminished, the Dutch found it worth 
 their while to turn their eyes to India. The example 
 of Holland was speedily followed by England, who, 
 under the reign of Elizabeth, obtained leisure from 
 foreign quarrels and religious discord, for commercial 
 schemes of magnitude. From the hour of the arrival 
 of these Protestant powers, the Portuguese date 
 the downfal of their influence in India. Throuoh the 
 combined efforts of religious zeal and the conscious 
 possession of superior physical force, they had been 
 guilty of great oppression wherever they had planted 
 the national flag, and had, consequently, raised up 
 enemies amongst the natives, who were only too glad 
 to aflbrd support to any other Europeans whose 
 interest came in collision with those of the Portu- 
 guese. Contests soon ensued between the new 
 visitors and the old settlers, and the result was the 
 expulsion of the latter from nearly all their positions, 
 and the perfect annihilation of their commercial 
 relations with the East. 
 
 The English, obtaining from their own sovereign a 
 charter permitting them to trade to the East Indies, 
 and securing to them a monopoly of the advantages 
 of such commerce, directed their attention in India 
 to the establishment of factories, under the protec- 
 tion, and with the consent, of the different potentates 
 then ruling over her shores. On the Coromandel 
 and Malabar coasts, and on the banks of the 
 Hooghly, they planted their feet as humble traders. 
 Bombay, which had been acquired by the Portu- 
 guese, was soon after ceded to the English, as part 
 of the dowry of the Infanta, who became the consort 
 of our Charles II.; and very shortly afterwards the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 17 
 
 chartered merchants commenced a trade with China, 
 whose tea was acquiring a certain degree of popu- 
 larity in Great Britain. The success of one com- 
 pany of merchants suggested the formation of 
 another, to whom the British government, in its 
 distress for money, likewise granted a charter ; but 
 as this led to disputes abroad, and materially affected 
 the interests of the new trade, a union of the two 
 contending companies was effected in 1702. 
 
 The prosperity of Holland and of England, natu- 
 rally exciting the jealousy of France, an East-India 
 company was formed by the French, who sent out 
 ships and soon obtained permission to establish 
 agencies in Pondicherry and Chandernagore. These 
 three nations, with the Danes and the Spaniards, 
 who had also acquired small possessions, now consti- 
 tuted the European trading community in India, 
 and through their enterprise and rivalry, the whole 
 of the Western world was supplied with every thing 
 that the rich soil of the East, and the ingenuity and 
 industry of her inhabitants, could produce. Some 
 little molestation to their trade was occasionally 
 offered by the barbarous and covetous princes in 
 whose territories they were located, and small bodies 
 of soldiers were therefore allowed to be maintained 
 by the home government to protect the factories, 
 around which defences were erected. But it was not 
 until the year 1745 that the corner stone was laid 
 of those occurrences which converted the humble 
 traders, content to defend their property from out- 
 rage, and to follow their commercial pursuits in 
 peace and security, into warriors and politicians, and 
 finally rendered them masters of the entire empire of
 
 18 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 India. In the year 1746, the Nabob of Arcot having 
 died, the succession of his son was disputed by a 
 cousin named Moozafur Sing. This pretender, mis- 
 trusting his own strength, applied to Dupleix, who 
 commanded the French troops in India, for assist- 
 ance, which was promptly afforded, under the liope 
 and expectation of reaping certain advantages from 
 the connection, should the aid solicited prove effec- 
 tive. The legitimate heir to the musnud, on the 
 other hand, sought the support of Major Laurence, 
 who was in command of the British soldiery in the 
 Carnatic, and Major Laurence did not turn a deaf 
 ear to the appeal. Hence arose a collision, which, 
 with only occasional intervals of peace, has continued 
 for nearly a century, until power after power has 
 succumbed to the British arms, and what was 
 gained by defensive warfare has been maintained 
 by treaty, and consolidated by good government. 
 Every victory obtained from the French and the 
 Mahometan sovereigns, in whose behalf they fought, 
 brought with it an extension of British privileges 
 and the cession of additional territory. The govern- 
 ment at home, to aid the merchants in their contest, 
 sent out reinforcements of troops and ships. The 
 French authorities in a similar manner recruited 
 their forces abroad, and it was not until ten years 
 had elapsed, from the date of the first outbreak, that 
 the latter sustained a complete and decisive defeat. 
 But new and permanent enemies had arisen in the 
 meanwhile. The great chieftains who divided the 
 sovereignty of the Deccan, the Carnatic, in short, 
 the whole peninsula of India not occupied by the 
 British, beheld with dismay the growth of the new
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 19 
 
 European power, and formed alliances for its de- 
 struction. Hyder Ali, a political adventurer and sol- 
 dier of fortune, undertook the lead in these measures, 
 and proved a formidable antagonist. He wrested 
 several of their possessions from the English, wasted 
 much of their territory with fire and sword, threat- 
 ened Madras, and, compelling a large British force to 
 lay down its arms, massacred nearly every man. 
 For thirteen years were the whole resources of the 
 British applied to resist this warrior, who, aided by 
 the French, between whom and the British a war 
 had arisen in Europe, vigorously prosecuted his 
 operations, now gaining certain advantages, and 
 anon suffering severe defeats. Hyder Ali died in 1782, 
 but his son, Tippoo Saib, continued to wage war with 
 the English, and they likewise found abundant em- 
 ployment in a contest which had arisen with the 
 Mahrattas, on whom, for certain considerations, it 
 was deemed expedient to attempt to force a rajah 
 that they had expelled. It would be vain to attempt 
 to follow the course of history through the multitu- 
 dinous wars which were dovetailed into each other 
 from the hour when Lord Cornwallis, in 1792, de- 
 prived Tippoo Saib of half his territory. Scarcely 
 was the sword sheathed in one quarter, than it was 
 drawn from the scabbard to chastise a new enemy in 
 another direction. Sir John Shore (afterwards Lord 
 Teignmouth), who succeeded Lord CornwalHs as 
 Governor-General of Lidia, was engaged in a war 
 with the Rohillas. The Marquis of Wellesley, in 
 1798, found Tippoo Saib actively employed in new 
 intrigues against the British, while the confederated 
 Mahratta chiefs directed their hostility to our power
 
 20 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 in the west and north of India. Aided by his 
 brother, the present Duke of WelHngton, and Ge- 
 neral Lord Lake, the marquis appHed his energies 
 and the resources at his command to the destruction 
 of these formidable opponents, and although their 
 operations were guided and directed by French offi- 
 cers, engineers, and artillerists, he entirely destroyed 
 the powerofTippoo, annexed his dominions to those 
 of the East-India Company, broke the Mahratta 
 confederacy, and added 33,000 square miles to the 
 British possessions. 
 
 The Marquis of Wellesley was succeeded in his 
 government by Sir George Barlow and Lord Minto, 
 whose rule was more distinguished by domestic dis- 
 sensions, intrigues, and the settlement of the pro- 
 vinces acquired, than by campaigns against external 
 foes. The Marquis of Hastings assumed the reins 
 of government in 1813, and during his administration 
 found it necessary to take the field against the Pin- 
 darries, the kingdom of Nepaul, and a host of Mah- 
 ratta chieftains, whose restless spirit had induced 
 them to violate the engagements they had entered 
 into, and endeavour to re-establish themselves in 
 independent authority. After a long campaign, the 
 Pindarries were exterminated, an advantageous peace 
 was made with the Nepaulese, and many states, 
 hitherto independent, were compelled to become tri- 
 butary to the Company. The effect of the policy of 
 Lord Hastings was to spread peace throughout 
 India, and the attention of the government was 
 now turned to the means of consolidating the vast 
 empire which had been won by the sword. The 
 army which had proved strong enough for conquest
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 21 
 
 ill detail was not of sufficient extent to preserve the 
 territory intact and suppress fresh attempts at insur- 
 rection. It was, therefore, largely augmented (in 
 1824), and as the close of the long war which had 
 devastated Europe for a quarter of a century now 
 placed many experienced soldiers at the disposal of 
 the government for employment in the colonies and 
 elsewhere, advantage was taken of the circumstance 
 to put the troops in India under the command of 
 some of those generals who had most distinguished 
 themselves in the field against Napoleon and his 
 generals. The result of this arrangement was soon 
 obvious in the conversion of a somewhat irregular, 
 but brave and devoted force, into a large, well- 
 organized, and admirably disciplined army, capable 
 of bearing a comparison with the most effective 
 troops on the continent of Europe. Scarcely, how- 
 ever, had the country rested from the turbulence of 
 war, and the troops been dispersed over the empire 
 to occupy posts which best protected the people in 
 their peaceful pursuits, and held in check the quar- 
 relsome disposition of neighbours, when the trumpet 
 again sounded the alarm. In 1820 an expedition 
 was despatched to the Persian Gulf, under Sir W. 
 Keir Grant, to put down the pirates who infested its 
 shores. In 1821, another force, under Sir Lionel 
 Smith, proceeded thither to avenge the treachery 
 under which a garrison belonging to the first had 
 been put to the sword. In 1824, the Burmese 
 obliged the government of Lord Amherst to des- 
 patch an armament against them, to punish their 
 invasion of British territory ; whence ensued a con- 
 test which lasted for two years, terminating in the
 
 22 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 surrender by the Burmese of 50,000 square miles of 
 territory, and their agreement to pay ten crores of 
 rupees towards the expenses of the campaign. In 
 1826, Lord Combermere, then commander-in-chief in 
 India, reduced the fortress of Bhurtpore, and took 
 prisoner its intriguing possessor, whose machinations 
 threatened to disturb the peace of Upper India. 
 From this time, and for twelve years subsequently, 
 the operations of the military were confined to petty- 
 warfare in the country of the Coles (Bengal), in the 
 rajahship of Coorg, in Rajpootana, and the un- 
 settled districts in the south of India; but in 1838, 
 events arose which gave employment to nearly every 
 soldier in the service, and led to a campaign attended 
 with disasters to which a British army had hitherto 
 been strangers. The designs of Russia upon the 
 English possessions in India had for a long time 
 been a subject of suspicion and of discussion. Ex- 
 cepting, however, in the instance of her advances 
 upon the Persian frontier, nothing had occurred to 
 awaken particular alarm, or render any measures, 
 beyond those of the commonest precaution, at all 
 necessary. But in 1837 it became apparent that 
 her emissaries and agents were at work in Affghan- 
 istan, to foment and keep alive disputes between the 
 Ameer ruling in Cabul and the government of the 
 Punjab, with which we were on terms of amity; 
 and there was good reason to suppose that if we did 
 not interfere to check the progress of the quarrel, 
 the Affghans would approach, by force of conquest, 
 near enough to India to precipitate a dangerous col- 
 lision between the British and the power that was 
 suspected of instigating them to aggression. Over-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 23 
 
 tures of friendship were consequently made to the 
 Ameer of Cabul, Dost Mahomed ; but, faihng of 
 effect, it was resolved to send an army to dethrone 
 him, and to place on the musnud, in his room, an 
 exiled sovereign, who would be more favourable to 
 our views, and in whose kingdom we might be per- 
 mitted to retain a force that should at once protect 
 him in his seat and oppose a barrier to advances 
 from the north. Accordingly, an army of 15,000 
 men, under Sir John Keane, was despatched, during 
 the government of Lord Auckland, to place Shah 
 Soojah upon the throne, and to enter into alliance 
 or friendly arrangements with the people occupying 
 the large tracts of country lying between India and 
 Affghanistan. Sir John Keane went, saw, and con- 
 quered, and returned to England to enjoy the reward 
 of his easy victory. Shah Soojah maintained his 
 sovereignty for three years, with the continual help 
 of British bayonets ; but at the end of that time, 
 the chieftains, whose power had terminated with his 
 restoration, combined to dethrone him and expel his 
 allies, a measure which they were enabled to effect, 
 partly through the division of councils in the British 
 camp, and partly through the extreme severity of 
 the season. Our troops were driven to capitulate, 
 and, marching out of Affghanistan in the depth of 
 winter, destitute of supplies and ammunition, were 
 assailed in the mountains and massacred almost to 
 a man. This sad blow to our arms was avenged a 
 year afterwards by a fresh body of troops under 
 Generals Pollock and Nott, acting under the direc- 
 tions of Lord Ellenborough, who had now become 
 Governor-General of India; but the original pur-
 
 24 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 poses of the first expedition having been frustratea, 
 and further interference in the affairs of Affghanistan 
 offering no compensation, either in present or pro- 
 spective security, for the great expense of occupation, 
 the country was desolated and then abandoned. 
 
 While these events were taking place to the north- 
 west of India, occupation was found for a consi- 
 derable proportion of the army in China. The 
 Chinese government had insulted a British envoy, 
 imprisoned British subjects, and sequestrated and 
 destroyed British property. To chastise these out- 
 rages, obtain indemnification for the pecuniary in- 
 jury, and security for future commercial dealings, 
 expeditions were fitted out, and after a contest of 
 two or three years' duration, a peace was obtained, 
 under circumstances as honourable to the arms of 
 Great Britain as it promises to be fruitful of advan- 
 tage to her trade. 
 
 Here, it was supposed, strife and bloodshed had 
 reached a termination, and in the confidence of 
 this belief the governor-general proclaimed per- 
 petual peace in Asia, declaring his purpose of 
 abstaining from all intervention in foreign aflfairs. 
 Hardly, however, had the pacific declaration been 
 published in every corner of the empire, when it 
 was found necessary to punish the Scindians for 
 alleged treacherous conspiracies against a part of 
 the force retiring from Southern Affghanistan, and 
 for certain overt acts of hostility subsequent to our 
 evacuation of that country. The Ameers of Scinde 
 refused the satisfaction demanded at their hands, 
 took arms, attacked the British residency at Hydra- 
 bad while negotiations were yet on foot, gave battle
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 25 
 
 to the small army under Sir Charles Napier, which 
 had been employed to sustain the demand for repa- 
 ration, were defeated, and their territory became a 
 part of the British empire ! 
 
 Here the military history of India, as sketched in 
 these pages, may fitly close, for the revolts in Bun- 
 dlecund and Central India, which have recently en- 
 gaged attention, are of too trifling a character to 
 merit special mention. From the Himalayan chain 
 in the north, to Cape Comorin in the south, — from 
 the Assamese frontier in the east, to the mouths of 
 the Indus in the west,— the British are omnipotent ? 
 and it requires no extensive powers of vaticination 
 to prophesy that, ere long, the Punjab will likewise 
 become part and parcel of the wondrous empire. 
 
 In the foregoing sketch, we have confined our- 
 selves entirely to a rough and hasty narrative of the 
 progress of conquest. The outline of history, rude 
 as it is, would, however, be still more imperfect were 
 all mention to be omitted of the various measures 
 which had gradually been introduced to render the 
 tenure of the country firm, and to confer upon the 
 people a better description of civil government than 
 that which had been displaced. 
 
 In 1784, a bill was passed by the parliament of 
 Great Britain, placing the government of India 
 under a board of control, composed of the king's 
 ministers. This measure, while it in some degree 
 affected the patronage of the Company, afforded a 
 guarantee of protection to the people, and strength- 
 ened the hands of the local authorities in their 
 quarrels with the French and the native powers. 
 
 c
 
 26 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Between 1760 and 1773, charters were granted, 
 establishing commissions for the trial of pirates at 
 all the presidencies ; and in 1774, a supreme court 
 of judicature was established in Bengal, with powers 
 co-extensive with the courts in England. Courts of 
 justice were likewise erected at Bombay and Ma- 
 dras, and by 1837, each presidency, and the settle- 
 ment of Penang, had its supreme court. In 1813, 
 the trade to India was partially opened to the public 
 under certain restrictions; and in 1833, the trading 
 monopoly of the East-India Company was entirely 
 abolished ; the country thrown open to European 
 adventurers of all classes; places of trust made ac- 
 cessible to the natives and people of all denomina- 
 tions ; the ecclesiastical establishment augmented, 
 and the number of members of the Supreme Council 
 increased. The press in India has since then been 
 freed ; education is spreading its effects over the 
 country; the vast products of the soil are, under the 
 influence of useful societies and active officers, 
 evolving and improving; and the formation of a 
 regular steam communication between England and 
 India by the old channel of the Red Sea, is pro- 
 moting the cause of good government and general 
 improvement, by bringing the empire nearer to its 
 rulers, and to the people from whose intelligence 
 and sense of justice she has derived strength and 
 virtue, knowledge and civilization.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 27 
 
 CLIMATE.— PRODUCTIONS. 
 
 Over so extensive a tract of country as that com- 
 prised within the Hmits of Hindostan, it is not to be 
 supposed that the climate is uniform in its tempera- 
 ture, or that the seasons change everywhere at the 
 same period. The prevalence of particular winds, 
 the existence of chains of mountains, the alternations 
 of forests and tracts of land where vegetation is 
 comparatively scanty, exercise material influence in 
 India, as elsewhere ; while the difference of latitude 
 is not, of course, without its ordinary effects in yielding 
 various degrees of heat and cold. The sun burns 
 with equal intensity in the north and the south, but 
 the soil and the wind determine the quality of its 
 action. The north of Hindostan is cold, mountain- 
 ous, sandy, and barren; the south is hot, level, 
 moist, and fertile. Nevertheless, the extreme points 
 of the country have their varieties of season — periods 
 when the bracing hyperborean atmosphere tempers 
 the meridional regions, and the Himalayas change 
 their coatins; of snow for a rich and verdant garment. 
 In Bengal, for example, during the months of No- 
 vember, December, January, and February, the 
 thermometer ranges from 50° to 75°; the days are 
 clear and fine; the air pure and elastic; the north 
 wind bracing ; the nights are foggy, but not a drop 
 of rain, excepting, perhaps, a partial shower at Christ- 
 mas, falls during the four months. At such a sea- 
 son, the European constitution, harassed and broken 
 by a long continuance of moist and oppressive 
 weather, becomes invigorated ; the appetite and 
 c 2
 
 28 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 strength, which had previously failed, return, and 
 the whole frame becomes light and springy. Vege- 
 table nature partakes of the generally salubrious 
 effects of the season, and garden plants now shoot up 
 with freshness and vigour. In March, the weather 
 begins to grow warm; the sun is powerful, but is pre- 
 vented from being oppressive by strong and steady 
 southerly winds and occasional storms, known by 
 the name of north-westers. April resembles March, 
 excepting towards the close of the month, when the 
 wind gets warmer, and the thermometer ranges 
 between 75** and 90°. May brings with it burning 
 winds, alternated by close, still, and oppressive 
 weather, trying alike to vegetable and animal na- 
 ture. With June commence the periodical rains, 
 which begin to fall about the middle of the second 
 week, and continue without intermission until the 
 end of September. At first, the relief from excessive 
 heat and aridity is agreeable and beneficial, but after 
 a few weeks' rain, the excessive humidity of the at- 
 mosphere, accompanied by a cold easterly wind, or 
 undisturbed by any zephyrs, is most unpleasant, 
 and productive of disease. In the west of India, the 
 climate resembles that which is here described as 
 common to Bengal, with this difference, that the 
 cold is less bracing and the heat less oppressive. 
 Gentle sea-breezes blow for the greater part of the 
 year from the south and west, rendering salubrious 
 the Malabar coast, while the level country above 
 the Ghauts, or western chain of mountains, derives 
 advantage from the purity of atmosphere consequent 
 upon its elevation. In the south of India, upon the 
 Coromandel coast, the heavy rains fall somewhat
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 29 
 
 later than in Bengal and to the westward, but in all 
 other respects the climate approximates closely to 
 those districts. As we proceed northerly, the climate 
 becomes more temperate. Agra, Delhi, Meerut, 
 and Kurnaul are all more moderate than the south- 
 ern provinces, though the hot winds which blow 
 during the months of April and May are extremely 
 oppressive and pernicious. In Central India, those 
 parching winds are felt in only a moderate degree; 
 and during the rains, the range of the thermometer 
 is very small, seldom falling below 70° at night, or 
 rising above 75° in the day time. In the cold sea- 
 son (December), it has been known as low as 28°! 
 
 The diseases most common to India are fever, 
 dysentery, liver complaints, and cholera morbus. 
 These annually sweep away their tens of thousands, 
 the latter disease baffling the skill of the most emi- 
 nent physicians, and leaving even the theory of its 
 causes enveloped in doubt and uncertainty. But 
 there are a multitude of other diseases peculiar to 
 the country, though less fatal in their general results. 
 Elephantiasis, or the swelling of the leg, is common 
 to the natives in every province. In the hilly districts, 
 goitre is very prevalent, and ophthalmia afflicts my- 
 riads in the upper provinces, where the soil is sandy 
 and the people careless of their persons. Leprosy 
 is often seen in the most hideous form; and rheuma- 
 tism counts its victims amongst the thinly-clad and 
 exposed poor during the rainy season. Biles, ulcers, 
 inflammations, and a peculiar eruption, popularly 
 called prickly heat, are extremely prevalent, more 
 particularly amongst Europeans, whose habits of life 
 are less regulated by climate than consists with a
 
 30 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 proper regard for health and longevity. Influenza 
 and diseases of the lungs sometimes make demands 
 upon the leech's skill, but they do not present them- 
 selves in the formidable guise which distinguishes 
 their appearance in more northerly regions ; neither 
 do hooping-cough, the measles, or other complaints, 
 afflict infants so severely as the same maladies in 
 England. Still, the mortality amongst the newly 
 born is considerable, arising in some measure from 
 convulsions, teething, fever, &c., but more commonly 
 from the ignorance of midwives, and the carelessness, 
 if nothing worse, of native nurses. Small-pox was 
 a terrible scourge to the population of Hindostan; 
 but its ravages are now diminishing, thanks to the 
 philanthropic exertions of the medical officers in the 
 East-India Company's service, who have zealously 
 laboured to introduce vaccination. 
 
 It is the custom to speak of India as a country 
 of great wealth in respect to its natural produce. 
 There is no doubt that the soil is susceptible of vast 
 powers of production, if properly fertilized and cul- 
 tivated, but it is perfectly preposterous to call that 
 country rich which is only partially visited by the 
 hand of the husbandman, and which is so capricious 
 in its fruitfulness, even where the labour of tillaae 
 has been bestowed upon it, that scarcely a year 
 elapses in which a part of the land is not desolated 
 by famine. Deduct the immense tracts overrun with 
 noxious jungle, or occupied by swamps, or com- 
 posed entirely of sandy and sterile land, or unavoid- 
 ably left waste, and the residue scarcely suffices to 
 support the assertion that India is moderately 
 wealthy, much less that she is generous and abun-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 31 
 
 dant. The great staple of the lower and southerly- 
 parts of India is rice, which constitutes the food of 
 a vast majority of the population. In the upper 
 country, wheat is the principal article of produce to 
 the same useful end. Barley, gram, and other pulses 
 are likewise grown in large quantities, and are con- 
 sumed indifferently by man and the beasts of the 
 field. Following these in importance are the cotton 
 and the mulberry tree; the indigo and tobacco 
 plants ; the sugar-cane and the cocoa-tree ; for their 
 produce is convertible to purposes of commerce, and 
 composes the true riches of the country. The poppy 
 is largely cultivated in the province of Behar, and in 
 Central India, whence is manufactured the opium of 
 which the East-India Company preserves a monopoly, 
 as they do also of the immense quantities of salt ma- 
 nufactured for common consumption. Of the fruits 
 and vegetables grown in India, the principal are the 
 mango, the pine-apple, the plantain, pomegranates, 
 lemons, oranges, pumplenosas, grapes, tamarinds, 
 plums, figs, almonds, guavas, leechees, citrons, me- 
 lons, potatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, yams, brinjalls; 
 a great variety of vegetables, compounded of the cu- 
 cumber and the melon tribes ; and where climate 
 assists the labours of the agricultural and horticul- 
 tural societies, all the produce of the kitchen-gardens 
 of Europe. The Flora of India is gay but scentless ; 
 the flowers, opening at dawn of day, are robbed 
 by the sun of their fragrance at the moment that he 
 drinks the dew-drops which bespangle them. In 
 the forests we find the teak-tree, the mighty banian, 
 whose branches spread over acres, yielding a grateful 
 shade to the traveller and a rendezvous for the wild
 
 32 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 denizens of the woods ; the bamboo, the saul, the 
 palm, and a vast affluence of timber, convertible to 
 building purposes, fuel, and the construction of 
 boats, all connected, covered, choked, by masses of 
 vegetation, in the form of high grasses, gigantic 
 shrubs, and luxuriant creepers. These, and a count- 
 less variety of roots, herbs, and small trees, bearing 
 spices and drugs, constitute the sum of the Indian 
 vegetable kingdom. 
 
 The animal creation partakes of the exuberance of 
 the sister world. Of tame and domestic beasts, India 
 possesses the elephant, the camel, the horse, the ox, 
 the ass, the mule, the dog, the cat, the goat, the 
 sheep, the hog, the buffalo, the ichneumon, the rab- 
 bit — all, however inferior in size to the animals of 
 Europe, consecrated to the service of man. Of wild 
 beasts, the jungles produce an immense number, and 
 of different species. The principal are the tiger, 
 lion, leoj)ard, panther, rhinoceros, boar, bison, deer, 
 wolves, jackals, bears, foxes, wild cats, hyenas, &c. 
 Reptiles are likewise extremely numerous, from the 
 enormous boa-constrictor, which makes a single meal 
 of a heifer, to the scorpion and the centipede, which 
 infest alike the houses of the rich and poor, in popu- 
 lous town or in wretched hamlet. The rivers of India, 
 and the seas which wash her shores, abound with 
 fish, which afford cheap and nutritive food to her 
 millions. The delicious pomphret, the delicate bum- 
 melow, the seer and rock fish, the prawn and the 
 sole, are found upon the coasts ; the hilsa, the 
 bekhtee, the mullet, the whiting, the delicate man- 
 go-fish, the oyster, the lobster, craw-fish, and shoals 
 of the most minute members of the piscatorial crea-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 33 
 
 tion, swarm in the great rivers. But they are not 
 without other enemies than man. The alhgator and 
 the porpoise assist the gull and the stork to destroy 
 countless myriads ; the former animal, which often 
 grows to the length of fifteen feet, occasionally 
 visiting the banks of rivers likewise, to bear off a 
 stray cow, a human being, incautiously bathing 
 near his haunts, or any smaller living object that 
 offers meat for his capacious maw. The feathered 
 part of the creation is of corresponding magnitude, 
 in point of numbers and diversity, with the rest of 
 the wonderful offspring of nature's hand ; from the 
 eagle, exercising sovereign sway in the mountains of 
 the north, to the solemn and stately hargillah (ad- 
 jutant), which aids the vulture to perform the useful 
 office of scavenger in the south. The ornithological 
 inhabitants of Hindostan comprise almost every 
 known variety ; to name them all would be an im- 
 possibility, within the prescribed limits of this sec- 
 tion, comprehending, as they do, the domestic fowls 
 of Europe, the birds of prey common to all climates, 
 a prodigious quantity of game-birds, and innume- 
 rable tenants of the grove, whose plumage is as un- 
 rivalled for its splendour as their song is unparalleled 
 by the sweetest notes of the warblers of the West. 
 
 For a supplemental notice of the products of the 
 East, the reader is referred to the section descriptive 
 of the commerce of that part of the world. To pro- 
 ceed further with the subject in this division of the 
 Hand-Book would involve needless repetition. 
 
 c3
 
 34 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 POPULATION— MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
 
 The estimated population of India is one hundred 
 millions. This, however, is a very rough computa- 
 tion, for no census has ever been taken of the inha- 
 bitants, nor, if a judgment may be formed from the 
 extreme difficulty of ascertaining the number of resi- 
 dents in towns which have for the longest period 
 formed part of the British possessions, could a fair 
 census by any possibility be prepared. The estimate 
 is probably offered as the aggregate of returns from 
 the local officers of the different districts, who have 
 hazarded a guess founded upon the rough calcula- 
 tions of their native subordinates. 
 
 The natives of India may be divided into two 
 classes — the Hindoos and the Mussulmans ; the for- 
 mer of whom are the pure and legitimate descend- 
 ants of the aborigines, and the latter the offspring of 
 the successive generations of Mahometan conquerors. 
 In addition to these g-reat classes, of which the Hin- 
 doos are in the proportion of four to one of the Mus- 
 sulmans, there are many tribes who have established 
 themselves in India originally as traders, or who have 
 found shelter from foreign persecution, and are now 
 become part and parcel of the gross population. 
 Such are the Parsees, descendants of the ancient 
 Guebres, or fire-worshippers ; the Armenians, for- 
 merly refugees from Persian persecution ; the Arabs, 
 Jews, Persians, chiefly traders from the Red Sea and 
 Persian Gulf ; the Portuguese, coloured descendants 
 of the early conquerors ; the Eurasians, or East- 
 Indians, offspring of English, Dutch, French, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 35 
 
 Danish connection with Hindoo, Mussulman, or 
 Portuguese females ; the Chinese, settlers from the 
 Celestial empire ; Burmese, chiefly employed in me- 
 nial pursuits ; Seikhs and AfFghans, merchants from 
 the neighbouring states ; the English, soldiers, civil 
 officers, merchants, agriculturists, lawyers, seamen, 
 ecclesiastics, &:c. ; French, merchants and agricultu- 
 rists ; a few Americans, and others from the Western 
 world. 
 
 The Hindoos are separated into four great castes, 
 or religious divisions — Brahmins, Katries, or Raj- 
 poots, Bhyses, and Soudras. Of these, the former 
 occupy the highest place in the esteem of their 
 countrymen. To them are intrusted the performance 
 of religious ceremonies and the instruction of the 
 people, and they alone are permitted to read the 
 Vedas, or sacred books. Extraordinary privileges 
 are accorded to them, and when they are detected in 
 crime, a milder punishment is inflicted than would 
 fall to the lot of any other caste. The Katries are 
 of royal and military descent. Bhyses, or Banians, 
 are the trading class, and the Soudras comprehend 
 the labourers and artificers. These four castes are 
 subdivided into an infinite number of smaller tribes 
 or sects, differing in some degree from the highest 
 and most orthodox in matters of religion and in do- 
 mestic usage; while a fifth great class, called Pariahs, 
 or Chandalas, comprehends all who have violated 
 some leading principle in the religion of the other 
 four, and have been banished the society of the faith- 
 ful ; and all who follow the lowest professions in the 
 scale of Indian society. The religion of the Hindoos, 
 which indicates these distinctions and regulates the
 
 36 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 actions of their lives, is contained in certain books, 
 called the Vedas, or Shasters, written in the San- 
 scrit language. It is pretended that these volumes 
 are the work of an inferior deity, named Brimha, 
 descended from Bramha, the supreme god. They 
 inculcate certain moral precepts, but are more pre- 
 cise in describing the forms and ceremonies, the 
 charities and regimen, of the Hindoo, and consti- 
 tute, in fact, the foundation of a system of idolatry 
 and superstition, transcending in extravagance the 
 worship of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and 
 Egyptians. 
 
 The Mussulmans, who are for the most part 
 traders, soldiers, police-officers, menial servants, sea- 
 men, Sec, profess the religion of Mahomet, and 
 observe the ceremonies of the Ramazan, the Buckra 
 Eed, the Mohurrim, &c., but the great masses are 
 neither as fierce nor as fanatical as the Persians, from 
 whom they derive their descent, nor will all the arti- 
 cles of their faith or the strictness of their lives bear 
 the test of a close comparison with the precepts of 
 the Koran. 
 
 All the other races in India adhere to the relifrion 
 of their ancestors ; and, as the most perfect tolera- 
 tion is extended by the government to every persua- 
 sion, the Roman Catholic church will be found in 
 juxta-position with the Augiaree of the Parsee, and 
 the mosque of the Arab vis-a-vis the cathedral of 
 the Protestant or the chapel of the Baptist. 
 
 It is a problem to this moment, whether the cha- 
 racter of a people is formed by the government or 
 the government influenced by the character of the 
 people. If the former proposition were admitted,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 37 
 
 the English would have slight cause for self-gratula- 
 tion ; for, considered in the gross, there is not per- 
 haps a people in the world who are so little distin- 
 guished by the virtues which adorn the human race 
 as the inhabitants of Hindostan. They are not in- 
 sensible to the natural affections, nor are the exam- 
 ples they present of patience and resignation under 
 calamity, and charity in the bestowal of alms, by any 
 means rare ; but the jier contra exhibits a selfishness, 
 a sensuality, a cowardice, a degree of avarice, cun- 
 ning, falsehood, malevolence, prejudice, inertness, 
 and a host of minor vices, with which it is needless 
 to swell our catalogue ; still, there are brilliant in- 
 stances of exceptions to the ordinary rule. The 
 charge of supineness does not lie at the door of the 
 Parsee — he is industrious and energetic, and gene- 
 rous in the use he makes of his accumulated wealth. 
 Cowardice is not the characteristic of the Rajpoot, 
 nor can the educated classes be accused of an in- 
 difference to truth or the indulgence of strong 
 prejudice. 
 
 The manner of life of the native of India is regu- 
 lated partly by his religion, partly by the climate, 
 and partly by his circumstances. The temperance 
 and frugality suggested by inclination are counterba- 
 lanced by inordinate extravagance in the performance 
 of ceremonials. The accumulation of years is often 
 dissipated in a single week, to swell the pomp of a 
 miarriage procession, to honour the memory of a 
 parent, or to propitiate some one of the imaginary 
 deities in whom is supposed to rest the means of 
 vengeance or the power of absolution. The ordinary 
 food of the Hindoo is of the simplest character — 

 
 38 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 pulse, vegetables, fruit, fish, constituting the chief 
 solids upon his table ; water, milk, or clarified butter 
 reduced to a liquid, the fluids with which he regales. 
 Some sects go the length of eating fowl or mut- 
 ton, and there are not a few who will so far forget 
 their relioious obhoations as to indulge in fermented 
 and intoxicating liquors; but these, with the excep- 
 tion of the Pariahs, to whom no description of food is 
 unpalatable or unwelcome, are the exceptions to the 
 habit of the race. The Mussulman is less scrupulous 
 than the Hindoo ; he objects to no viands that are 
 not cut from the unclean beast, nor is he very rigid 
 in his abstinence from the beverage proscribed by the 
 prophet. 
 
 The usages of the mass of the people, where they 
 are not regulated by religion, are tolerably uniform. 
 Rising early, they apply themselves to copious ablu- 
 tions, — the Hindoo bathing in the waters of the 
 Ganges when accessible ; thence they betake them- 
 selves to their temples, or address themselves to their 
 household gods, in the form prescribed by their 
 teachers. The extenq^oraneous prayer, springing 
 from the religion of the heart, is almost unknown. 
 The morning meal, taken in nearly a state of nudity, 
 follows the ceremony of prayer ; then the toilette is 
 made, and the business of the day commences. The 
 merchant, the clerk, the government functionary, 
 all, in short, of the superior orders, whose duty 
 calls them from their homes, preserve their muslin 
 costume, turban, and slippers* throughout the day; 
 
 * In entering the house of a superior or an equal, the slippers, or 
 shoes, are removed, and left in the vestibule or at the foot of the stairs. 
 The same ceremony is observed in public offices, private establish- 
 ments, &c.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 39 
 
 the artisan, the shopkeeper (except where European 
 customers are numerous), the venders of goods in 
 public market, the labourer, the fisherman, &c., 
 divest themselves of all their upper clothing and a 
 great proportion of the lower, as soon as they com- 
 mence their diurnal toils. Returning to their homes 
 at the close of day, the ceremony of prayer and ablu- 
 tion is repeated, preparatory to the evening meal, and 
 the hours, until bedtime, are passed in the zenana, 
 or, in other words, in the pleasure of domestic inter- 
 course; for though the laws of polygamy obtain 
 among the Mussulmans and a proportion of the 
 Brahmins, and concubinage is tolerated by all classes 
 of Hindoos, the great majority are satisfied with the 
 affections of one wife and the caresses of a family of 
 children. In truth, there are few people in the world 
 over whom the paternal affections exercise more 
 potent sway than the inhabitants of British India. 
 The young men pass much of their leisure in the 
 interchange of visits, gambling, and the society of 
 the fair. There are few public entertainments 
 amongst the natives. They do not worship Terp- 
 sichore; they do not sing, but regale themselves with 
 the performances of a certain class of dancing, or 
 nautch girls, who go through a series of panto- 
 mimic evolutions to the accompaniment of their own 
 songs and a trio of sitars, or rude violins, played by 
 bearded auxiliaries. A more monotonous exhibition 
 can scarcely be imagined ; but it suits the drowsy 
 and inactive genius of the Hindoo, and is therefore 
 much patronized, especially upon the occasion of 
 great religious festivals, marriage ceremonies. Sec. 
 These bayaderes, with the jugglers, who are wonder-
 
 40 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 fully expert; snuke-cluirmers, wrestlers, tumblers, 
 fireworks, kite-flying, illuminations, puppet-shows, 
 and occasional dramas, of which mythological sub- 
 jects, or the ridicule of the English, constitute the 
 materiel, form the whole of the out-of-door amuse- 
 ments of the natives, excepting at the presidencies, 
 where the educated people share in the entertain- 
 ments peculiar to Europeans. 
 
 The dwellings of the better order of the natives 
 are spacious, but, excepting in the infrequent in- 
 stances of a partiality for the European style of 
 decoration, their furniture is simple. The mat, the 
 carpet, and the cushion cover the floors ; mirrors, a 
 few framed prints, and some wall-shades, decorate 
 the walls. Their beds consist of a simple mat, or 
 mattress, spread upon the floor, or upon a raised 
 pallet, termed a charpoy, over which gauze curtains 
 are sometimes hung, to protect the sleeper from the 
 musquitoes. Their domestic utensils are chiefly of 
 copper or of silver. In vessels of such material, or 
 in earthen pots, the meals are prepared, and served 
 up on circular flat dishes, placed upon the ground, 
 over a cloth of the commonest texture. The cook 
 (where the food is not dressed by the females of the 
 house) is a person of the same caste as the master, 
 and the greatest care is used, that, while the culinary 
 operations are going on, no person of an inferior sect 
 touches, or even approaches, the utensils. Water is 
 drunk from small copper vessels, but the lips are not 
 permitted to touch the edge of the cup, which is 
 accordingly held an inch or two above the mouth, 
 while the liquid is poured, as it were, into the throat. 
 After each refection, the hookah is brought, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 41 
 
 smoked with the gusto which distinguishes the 
 Turkish use of the chibouque, or the European indul- 
 gence in the cigar. Nor is it merely at meal-times that 
 smoking is resorted to by the native. He will quit 
 his business to enjoy an occasional whiff, and seldom 
 repairs to his couch until the fumes of tobacco have 
 made the tour of the chambers of his brain. 
 
 If patriotism is not a principle with the Hindoo — 
 and when was patriotism ever co-existent with foreign 
 government? — he is at all events sufficiently attached 
 to his home to be averse to locomotion on a grand 
 scale. Curiosity seldom leads him beyond the dis- 
 trict in which the accident of birth or the nature of 
 his vocation has established him. He has no pas- 
 sion for travel, and rarely even allows the most 
 pressing suggestions of self-interest to carry him 
 beyond seas, for such peregrinations would involve, 
 by throwing him amongst the impure, the possible 
 forfeiture of caste.*" In the fulfilment of a sacred 
 vow, or in the hope of propitiating the Deity, pil- 
 grimages will occasionally be performed to places 
 remarkable for their sanctity ; and in prosecution of 
 these enterprises, neither fatigue, privation, nor ex- 
 pense is regarded for a single moment. Nay, where 
 a powerful religious fervour operates, the Hindoo will 
 set aside every worldly consideration, and either 
 become an ascetic, or, covering his person with ashes, 
 
 * Moor, in his Pantheon, records an instance of the re-admission 
 among the faithful of certain Hindoos who had paid a visit to England, 
 but the indulgence was purchased at a heavy pecuniary sacrifice, and 
 by a degrading process figurative of regeneration. More recently, the 
 voyage of the enlightened Dwarkanath Tagore has been visited by the 
 penalty of expulsion from his famUy circle.
 
 42 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and suffering his hair and nails to grow, wander 
 over the vast continent, depending for a scanty sub- 
 sistence upon the ahus vouchsafed to him by the 
 pious and superstitious. 
 
 Whatever may once have been the state of the 
 arts and sciences amongst the natives of India, they 
 are now confessedly at a very low ebb. Their archi- 
 tecture is tame, monotonous, mixed, and irregular, 
 though the carving of the ornamental parts may be 
 exquisitely beautiful ; their carts, carriages, boats, 
 and agricultural machinery are all rude, cumbrous, 
 and rickety ; their drawing and painting set at de- 
 fiance form, perspective, light, shade, and harmony; 
 their astronomy is a puzzle; their notions of geogra- 
 phy crude and limited, and their medicine a quackery. 
 On the other hand, they are ingenious as workers in 
 gold, silver, and ivory ; and their achievements in 
 ship-building, under the guidance and tutorage of 
 the intelljoent Parsee, have elicited the admira- 
 tion of the European shipwright. For his skill in 
 embroidery, and the fabrication of the finest muslins, 
 the native of India has likewise obtained a name, 
 but his reputation in this respect, and as a fabricator 
 of rattan and osier basket-work, is more than coun- 
 terbalanced by the worthlessness of his attempts at 
 the manufacture of every description of hardware, 
 leather, glass, the implements of trade, crockery, and 
 common cloths. 
 
 And if in the cultivation of the arts of peace the 
 native of Hindostan has failed to occupy high ground, 
 still more limited is his knowledge of the art of war. 
 W ith the lance, the matchlock, the sword, the bow 
 and arrow, for his weapons, he has never been capa-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 43 
 
 ble, unaided by Europeans, of organizing a system 
 of tactics, or of introducing into his armies a con- 
 trolling discipline, at once the source of strength in 
 the peaceful garrison, and formidableness in the field 
 of battle. Trusting to the crushing effect of the 
 fierce onslaught of numbers, he has disregarded 
 alike the importance of a series of complicated ma- 
 noeuvres and the virtue of calm and steady resist- 
 ance, and as a natural consequence, he has, in all 
 his wars, been overcome by small and compact 
 bodies, who relied upon union, moral courage, and 
 the lights of science. That he is deficient in per- 
 sonal courage it were a scandal to pronounce, for 
 while the history of the conflicts during the past cen- 
 tury, which have followed the first dissensions be- 
 tween the European and the native in the south, 
 records innumerable instances of personal intre- 
 pidity upon the part of the hordes opposed to the 
 British, our own experience of the sepoys, through 
 whom we have won the country, supplies us with 
 hundreds of thousands of reasons for testifying to 
 their valour, constancy, and fidelity. 
 
 The condition of the women of India is deplorable, 
 if judged by European views of the right of the sex 
 to at least a moral equality with the lords of the 
 creation. Debarred the advantages of even the most 
 elementary branches of education, the upper classes 
 are held captive in the harem, passing their hours 
 in personal adornment, idle chat, or (if mothers) in 
 performing the duties of nurses ; while on the lower 
 classes are imposed menial offices, household drudg- 
 ery, and labour in the fields and markets. In no 
 grade of society are the women permitted to eat with
 
 44 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 their husbands, or to enjoy the society of othermales, 
 or to marry a^iain, if left widows. Until recently, 
 and even now, where British rule docs not extend, 
 conjugal slavery went beyond the grave, or rather 
 the funeral pile (for the Hindoos burn their dead), and 
 the widow iiad no alternative but to immolate her- 
 self with the dead body of her husband, or sink in 
 the estimation of her caste, and become the family 
 drudge. 
 
 In the foregoing crude and imperfect outline, the 
 usages of the two great classes of which the popula- 
 tion of India is composed have been sketched. The 
 other races are, for the most part, too insignificant, 
 numerically, or approach in many instances too 
 nearly to the Hindoo and Mussulman, to merit spe- 
 cial description in this volume. There are, however, 
 three — the Portuguese, the Eurasians, and the Eu- 
 ropeans — who are worth particular notice, and for a 
 sketch of the former we readily avail ourselves of 
 the graphic pen of Mrs. Postans: — 
 
 "The Portuguese may be known by his sallow 
 countenance, slovenly gait, and mimicry of European 
 fashion. His garments are the worst-shaped things 
 imaginable, and where colour is admitted, it is of the 
 gaudiest tint; he affects a swagger, and desires to 
 pass as a man of style and taste. Nothing can be 
 more dirty and despicable than the Portuguese of 
 the lower order, nothing more absurd and comical 
 than the affected beau of the upper. The Portuguese 
 loves society and music, dancing and festivity ; he is 
 troublesome when holding positions of authority, and 
 offensive in his self-importance when invested with 
 power. Among the natives of India generally, the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 45 
 
 Portuguese are held in contempt, and considered ca- 
 pable of all sorts of depravity and wickedness. That 
 he is weak and degenerate is certain, while all that 
 energy and talent which originated the Portuguese 
 government in India is wholly lost. The Portuguese 
 encourage priestcraft, while their religious teachers 
 place their foot upon the necks of the laymen, and, 
 constraining a very sufficient contribution, live in 
 great content and comfort. The Portuguese seat of 
 government, Goa, is beautifully situated, and adorned 
 with palaces and churches, worthy the great city 
 founded by the noble-hearted Albuquerque ; but the 
 towns which once equally marked their conquests 
 are overgrown with brambles, while the glossy snake 
 glides among their tombs, and the timid songster of 
 the wood shelters its bright plumage among the rich 
 foliage tangled alike round hall and bovver. 
 
 *' The Portuguese woman, pretty when young, be- 
 comes coarse both in form and nature when advanced 
 in age. She loves gaudy colours, the glare of feasts, 
 the incense of admiration. The better class affect 
 sentiment, poetry, and taste, but it is to be feared 
 are very unfemininely deficient in all these, if any 
 opinion may be formed from the alliances that are 
 often considered the most eligible, from their favourite 
 songs, and the striking contrasts adopted in cos- 
 tume. 
 
 "The Portuguese, however offensive he becomes 
 when a ruler, weak as he is as a diplomatist, ridicu- 
 lous as a beau, ignorant as a priest, and useless 
 generally as a member of the native community of 
 India, is yet admirable as a cook ; and although his 
 deficiency in cleanliness and his love of potent liquors
 
 46 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 detract somewhat from his merits, yet it must be 
 admitted that the European gastronomist in India is 
 materially a debtor to the Portuguese: unhappily, 
 in this sphere of action, his usefulness ends, and 
 with it his claim to our attention." 
 
 The Eurasians, a term invented by the late Mar- 
 quis of Hastings, but which does not fully express 
 the whole race of half-castes, some of which are of 
 American extraction (though it is now conventionally 
 accepted as embracing all the progeny of white fa- 
 thers and Hindoo or Mahometan mothers), are as 
 much between the Europeans and natives in their 
 habits and pursuits as in their genealogy, and inter- 
 fere but little with either in the pursuit of siistenta- 
 tion. They are an orderly and intelligent, and in one 
 line, an industrious race of people; but they are 
 devoid of both mental and personal energy, and are 
 unlikely, therefore, to ever make a political class in 
 the state of any weight or importance. In laying 
 down opinions of this kind, we must never be under- 
 stood as maintaining a proposition to the truth of 
 which there are no exceptions ; but we do say, that 
 if ever the exceptions to a rule have been of force in 
 establishing the rule itself, they are so pre-eminently 
 in the question now before us. Perhaps there is no 
 class of men, with their educational advantages, and 
 their other facilities for acquiring local superiority 
 (supposing the true mental vigour to exist), who 
 have produced so few men of note in any of the de- 
 partments from which such men spring in Europe. 
 In painting, in sculpture, in navigation, in law, in 
 arms, in agriculture, in eloquence, in literature, in 
 science, they have not only not acquired the slightest
 
 THE HAND-ROOK OF INDIA. 47 
 
 reputation in Europe or in India (with the one or 
 two exceptions of a Skinner * in war, and a Kyd -f 
 in the higher mechanics), but they have not even 
 endeavoured to acquire it, because their constitu- 
 tional temperament is, by nature's own decree, a bar 
 to the endeavour. Clerkships in the public offices 
 is the line of employment which the body of them 
 look to, and which is manifestly the one best suited 
 to their quiet and unambitious turn of mind. We 
 are aware that they have laboured, and do still la- 
 bour, under difficulties of position which might have 
 repressed the advancement of a more aspiring race, 
 and this has shallowly been urged in refutation of 
 the opinion that they are incapable of achieving 
 greatness. But has it ever been observed that they 
 have been incessantly trying to elevate themselves 
 in the social scale, or have they not been quiescent, 
 and apparently attached to the sub-official employ- 
 ment which so easily gives them food 1% It is 
 
 * Colonel Skinner, commanding a body of irregular horse, raised 
 by himself and stationed at Delhi. The corps rendered important 
 services in the Mahratta and Pindarree campaigns. 
 
 t Mr. James Kyd, the son of General Kyd, constructed dock-yards 
 of some extent, and gave great attention to the mechanical arts. 
 
 X In reply to this, we may be reminded of their having petitioned 
 parliament to open to them new paths of distinction ; but what were 
 those paths ? Why, the easy and sure ones (for livelihood) of the 
 Company's regular service, which incur no speculative risk, and render 
 necessary no greater average of daily labour than they had always 
 performed, and still do perform. The army is in general an indolent 
 life for all who choose to be indolent ; but how came it that the Eura- 
 sians, ifdi naturally energetic and vigorous-minded race, did not enter 
 the more arduous lines of life, which were always open to them in 
 their several grades ? The reason is obvious ; and it is no refutation 
 of our argument to shew that they made an effort to be rendered 
 eligible for the Company's service, when they have never as a body
 
 48 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 nothing, in the way of argument, to point to a few 
 individual instances of activity of mind, and suc- 
 cessful striving against obstacles to advancement. 
 The character of the body at large is to be estimated 
 by the conduct and propensities of the body at 
 large ; and it would be as true to assert that Eng- 
 lishmen were neither enterprising nor intrepid, be- 
 cause individuals there are among them who are 
 neither the one nor the other, as to maintain that 
 Eurasians are energetic, or laudably ambitious of 
 that distinction which energy and genius can alone 
 acquire, because a few out of the whole class have 
 evinced those qualities, — but even those few not in 
 a degree which would have attracted wonder in 
 England. Speaking of them merely in the popula- 
 tion branch of our argument, however, we think it 
 doubtful whether they will increase in any of the 
 admitted ratios (under the various forms of human 
 life), or whether, if they do that, they will physically 
 improve in like proportion. We incline to the nega- 
 tive side of both these problems, in spite of some 
 appearances which, however, we deem fallacious, on 
 the affirmative side of the former of these questions. 
 It is said that the number given in recently published 
 tables, as the Eurasian census, shews an increase, 
 and it is thence inferred that the same result will be 
 observable at any future time; but the inaccuracy 
 of the old guess-work estimates of population is too 
 notorious to admit of their being depended upon for 
 the establishment of so grave a theory. On the other 
 hand, we are of opinion, that if they were, properly 
 
 been found to be active mechanics, industrious agriculturists, enter- 
 prising seamen, or daring politicians.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 49 
 
 speaking, an increasing and a multiplying race, their 
 numbers would now be far greater than that which 
 they are shewn to be ; inasmuch as they live under 
 a state of social affairs highly favourable to such a 
 result. They lead a life of much ease; they have 
 plenty of food, earned without great labour ; thev 
 live unmolested in their native clime ; they are che- 
 rished by the government ; and they are partial to 
 the marriage state: yet at this late period there 
 are not twenty thousand of them, though numerically 
 augmented to some extent from their original source. 
 But this latter supply will gradually dry up,* as the 
 system whence it issued disappears before the march 
 of matrimony (and it has already almost done so), 
 and then they will be left entirely to their own inter- 
 marriages, which, by the course of nature, will not 
 sustain a mixed race in a healthy and vigorous state, 
 but will assuredly produce degeneracy, and eventual 
 decay. Even that source, however, is not left wholly 
 at their command; for it is a notorious fact, that 
 their females prefer to marry with Europeans, and 
 that, of the inferior classes, many are taken as wives 
 by the British soldiery, and by the various Enghsh 
 who are in the capacity of assistants, and the like ; 
 and in all these instances the real Eurasian people, 
 as a race, are losers. We think, then, upon these 
 considerations, and others, that the class in question 
 will not swell into an essential portion of the Indian 
 community, and that the feelings of both Europeans 
 
 * We should here explain that by the " original source " is meant 
 the illicit connections between Europeans and native females, a sort of 
 connection that is happily falling into desuetude. 
 
 D
 
 50 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and natives regarding them will prevent their ever 
 attaining to political importance as a section of our 
 subjects. 
 
 The European, by which we more particularly 
 mean the native of Great Britain, may not change 
 his soul with his skies, but his manners assuredly 
 undergo, in India, a remarkable metamorphosis. 
 Accustomed in youth to habits of obedience to autho- 
 rity, deference to superiors, and civility to equals, 
 he cannot support with becoming equanimity the 
 comparatively elevated position in which he finds 
 himself placed. Invested at once with authority, or 
 treated by his personal domestics, and the traders 
 with whom he may traffic, with abject humility, he 
 naturally conceives a much higher opinion of his own 
 merits than he ever entertained before, and hence 
 is begotten an overweening amour propre, which 
 thenceforth, more or less, influences his character 
 through life. With this difference, however, and the 
 adoption of a costume and habits peculiar to the cli- 
 mate, the European is much the same as we find 
 him elsewhere. Energetic and active, courageous 
 and speculative, he performs the duties intrusted to 
 him, or carries out his own plans of personal advan- 
 tage, in a manner which excites the admiration and 
 confidence of the people around him, and serves the 
 country of his adoption. He is the upright and in- 
 flexible judge, the brave and adventurous soldier, 
 the dauntless and skilful navigator, and the calcu- 
 lating and enterprising merchant. Even his pas- 
 times partake of the loftiness of his character, for he 
 fearlessly encounters the tiger in his lair, does battle
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 51 
 
 with the wild boar, the bison, and even the untamed 
 elephant, and, "witching the world with noble" 
 equitation, ardently encourages every pursuit that 
 serves to improve the horse, and render him more 
 serviceable to the purposes of man. All that the 
 Englishman might do, or might have done, for the 
 benefit and adv-ancement of the people who have 
 fallen under British rule, has not, however, been ac- 
 complished. For more than one half of the period 
 of our dominion, the natives were treated as a people 
 who existed only as ministrants to temporary British 
 interests ; we drained the country of its wealth, and 
 offered no compensation for the heavy appropriation. 
 But a better spirit has arisen of late years, and a 
 sound and liberal policy is gradually taking the 
 place of the narrow system of government which 
 erst rendered British rule in the East a bye-word 
 and reproach. The lights of European science are 
 spreading themselves over the Eastern world. Col- 
 leges and schools upon a considerable scale are 
 established at all the great towns ; offices of trust 
 are rendered accessible to the intelligent and the 
 upright native ; Englishmen have unlimited permis- 
 sion to settle in the towns and agricultural districts, 
 and introduce improvements in machinery and cul- 
 ture : the science of medicine is freely taught, and 
 the qualified practitioner in the healing art distri- 
 buted over the country. But we have elsewhere 
 touched on these matters already, and need not 
 allude to them here, further than to express a hope 
 that every man whose fortune may carry him to 
 India will consider it personally incumbent upon 
 him to return, in some degree, the blessings of ease 
 D 2
 
 52 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and competence, which the residence in the country- 
 may ultimately confer upon him, by an endeavour to 
 improve the condition of its interesting population. 
 
 COMMERCE. 
 
 The external trade of India comprehends not only 
 the commercial intercourse between the various ports 
 in Europe and America with the three presidencies 
 of British India, but the trade carried on by the 
 people of the western coasts, from Scinde to Cape 
 Comorin, and thence to the mouth of the Ganges, 
 and by the people of the Eastern Archipelago and 
 the Burmese coasts, China, Siam, Sumatra, the 
 Dutch settlement of Java, &c., with each other. 
 
 England sends to India a large proportion of her 
 manufactures — iron, piece-goods, copper, lead, mule- 
 twist, hardware, wines, malt liquors, stationery, ha- 
 berdashery, books, saddlery, jewellery, glass, cheeses, 
 hams, preserves, — in fact, every sort of production 
 adapted to the wants of civilized life, and to the 
 temperature of the country. 
 
 France furnishes wines, preserved meats, millinery, 
 porcelain, and, in a lesser degree, the manufactures 
 of her brilliant metropolis. 
 
 From America, India receives timber, sheeting, 
 spermaceti candles, ice, fruits, furniture. 
 
 In exchange for these commodities, Europe and 
 America receive such of the vast and various pro- 
 ductions of India as are convertible to useful purposes 
 in more northern and western climates. The ports 
 to which their vessels speed are not in themselves
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 53 
 
 sources of merchantable commodity, so much as em- 
 poriums for the fruits of other parts of the East, and 
 channels of transit trade, for which their positions so 
 particularly qualify them. It will facilitate the de- 
 scription to place under their respective heads the 
 articles which each is thus enabled to export, instead 
 of enumerating the various sources of supply. 
 
 Bombay, as the recipient of the trade of the gulfs 
 of Persia and Arabia, and the northern parts of 
 Western India, supplies cotton and piece-goods from 
 Guzerat ; opium from Malwa ; tea, ivory, silk, lac, 
 gold and silver filigree-work, from China ; cornelians, 
 from Cambay ; ghee, grain, oils, putchock, seeds, to- 
 bacco, and soap, from the northern coast ; shawls, 
 drugs, and horses, from Scinde, the Red Sea, and Bus- 
 sorah. From the coast of Canara, Bombay derives 
 rice, pepper, betel and cocoa nuts, sarda, cassia, and 
 turmeric ; from the Malabar coast, coir, ginger, am- 
 bergris, pepper, teak timber, cowries, cardamoms, 
 coculus Indicus, colombo-root, elephants' teeth, fish 
 maws, sandal-wood, tamarinds, turmeric, wax, ze- 
 doary, coffee, coarse white piece-goods, nankeen ; and 
 from the Maldives, dried fruits, tortoise-shell, and 
 some rude and trifling manufactures. 
 
 Ceylon yields cinnamon, coffee, cocoa-nuts, coir, 
 oil, wild honey, arrack, areca-nuts, cotton, tobacco, 
 timber, ornamental woods, precious stones, ivory, 
 drugs, dye-stuffs, oleaginous seeds, copperas, pearls, 
 and precious stones of an inferior quality. 
 
 Madras is the emporium of the trade from Cape 
 Comorin and the whole of the Coromandel coast. 
 Thence we derive piece-goods, called calamaganzies, 
 aunniketches, kc, made of a hard long-grained cot-
 
 54 THE HAKD-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ton ; long cloths, palampores (light counterpanes 
 of prhited cotton), coarse plain cloths dyed with the 
 chaya root, Chicacole muslins, Eilore woollen carpets, 
 Jehapoor salt, JNIasulipatam tobacco, Vizagapatam 
 ivory, rice, dhoU, wax-oil, and a proportion of the 
 produce of the Straits of Malacca. 
 
 Calcutta, the head-quarters of the trade of Ben- 
 gal, Behar, and Orissa, and of the provinces east, 
 north, and north-west of those extensive districts, 
 exports indigo, saltpetre, sugar, rice, annatto, arrow- 
 root, opium (chiefly sent to China), wheat, terra Ja- 
 ponlca, tamarinds, talc, sugar-candy, raw silk, silk 
 piece-goods, flax, ghee, hemp, ginger, hides, horns, 
 lac, lac-dye, oil of roses, rum, safflower, dried fruits, 
 munjeet, black salt {bit noher), borax, castor-oil, 
 chillies, cochineal, coriander, and piece-goods, such 
 as baftas, cossas, dorias, mamoodies, &c., from 
 Patna, Allahabad, Lucknow, Central India, and 
 lower Bengal. 
 
 At the four above-mentioned ports the external 
 trade of all India may be said to be concentrated. 
 We have enumerated the productions of the conti- 
 nent, but every part of the coasts and islands to the 
 eastward and the south are also tributary to their 
 stores in a greater or lesser degree. For example, 
 she receives from — 
 
 Arracan — Rice, elephants' teeth, wax, wood-oil, 
 and coarse piece-goods. 
 
 Pe(ju — Teak timber, in balks; keel-pieces, mast 
 fishes, planks, and sheathing boards (all from Ran- 
 goon) ; precious stones, iron, copper, tin, lead, wood- 
 oil, earth-oil, wax, dammer, elephants' teeth, cutch, 
 silver, naphtha, and asphaltum.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 55 
 
 Andaman and Nicohar Islands — Timber for build- 
 ing purposes, masts of ships, dyes, cocoa-nuts, oil, 
 birds' nests, tortoise-shell, ambergris, &c. 
 
 Malay Peninsula and the Islands of Singapore 
 and Penang — Tin, hiche de me?', bees' wax, birds' 
 nests, fish maws, rice, rattans, shark fins, areca and 
 pepper, gold dust, camphor, and all the produce of 
 China, Cochin China, and Siam. 
 
 At the last-named islands, also, the produce of the 
 Eastern Archipelago may be obtained ; but as this is 
 for the most part transmitted either to India or to 
 China, for consumption there, it is scarcely necessary 
 to include it in the commerce with Europe. To com- 
 plete the description of the productions of the gor- 
 geous and wealthy East, the main items of this local 
 trade from port to port may be enumerated, but the 
 reader is requested to bear in mind, that, to avoid 
 repetition, many articles are omitted which may be 
 found in common at each of the islands : — 
 
 Agal, argus feathers, balacharry, or agapi (shrimp 
 caviar), gourd-seed, gum benjamin, black wood, 
 kyapootee oil, canes, clove bark, copper, cossumba, 
 ejoo, gambia, shells, lignum aloes, rattans, sago, 
 wood-oil, dragons' blood, patch leaf, brimstone, 
 silks, sugars, ivory, salt, betel-nut, tobacco, indigo, 
 from Java and Manilla; nutmegs, oil of nutmegs, 
 and mace, all from Banda; cloves and oil of cloves, 
 from Amboyna ; birds of paradise, missoy bark, 
 pearls, pearl shells, tortoise shells, and many curious 
 birds, which the Papuans (of Mysol, New Guinea, 
 &c.) have a particular way of drying ; diamonds, 
 gum copal, civet, and timber, from Ternati, Timor,
 
 56 THE nAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Borneo, &c. ; sapan wood, precious stones, copper, 
 and tutenague, from Siam. 
 
 The value of" the exports of merchandize from India 
 to the United Kingdom, France, and America, the 
 gulfs of Persia and Arabia, and different parts to 
 the eastward, not including China, is about seven 
 millions sterling. In addition to this, treasure to 
 the amount of half a milHon sterling is annually 
 exported. The declared annual value of British pro- 
 duce and manufactures imported in that quarter, 
 including China, is about six millions sterling. It 
 has increased progressively to that amount since 
 1833, when the trading privileges of the East-India 
 Company were abolished. At that time, the value 
 was not more than three millions and a half. 
 
 The trade with India is carried on in various 
 descriptions of craft. The French and Americans 
 employ vessels of from 300 to 600 tons burthen. 
 Liverpool and the Clyde send out vessels of similar 
 tonnage, while those built and employed by the 
 London merchants range from 400 to 1,200 tons. 
 The trade between Bombay and China employs 
 teak-built ships of 500 to 700 tons measurement; 
 that from Calcutta to China is carried on in a small 
 description of vessel, ordinarily denominated a clip- 
 per, and constructed for the reception of chests of 
 opium and tea. They are, for the most part, very 
 fast-sailing craft, well manned, and skilfully com- 
 manded. The coasting trade between Cambay, on 
 the shores of Guzerat, to the termination of the Mala- 
 bar coast, is carried on in rude, ill-fashioned native 
 boats, called pattamars, with high poops, and a simi-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 57 
 
 lar description of vessel, called a dhony, voyages 
 between Madras and the points of the Coromandel 
 coast. The vessel in chief use in the straits of the 
 Eastern Archipelago is called aproa, and much of the 
 trade with the Persian and Arabian gulfs is borne in 
 buggalows and dows. 
 
 The number of vessels employed in the carrying 
 trade between the United Kingdom and the ports 
 within the limits of the East-India Company's char- 
 ter is about eight hundred. Of this number there 
 were entered inwards from — 
 
 Calcutta, in 1842 
 
 224 
 
 Madras 
 
 18 
 
 Bombay . . 
 
 107 
 
 Ceylon 
 
 33 
 
 Singapore and Penang . . 
 
 47 
 
 The number of vessels which sailed in the same 
 period to India was — 
 
 Calcutta . . 
 
 . . 
 
 .. 164 
 
 Madras 
 
 
 28 
 
 Bombay . . 
 
 . . 
 
 124 
 
 Ceylon 
 
 
 30 
 
 Singapore and 
 
 Penang . , 
 
 51 
 
 The inland trade of India comprehends the inter- 
 course between one portion of the British dominions 
 and another; the trade of the latter with the tributary 
 and independent states of Hindostan, and the com- 
 merce along a land frontier of 2,000 miles in length. 
 Scinde, Cabul, the Punjab, the states of Nepaul and 
 Burmah, can obtain few foreign or tropical produc- 
 tions but through their commercial connection with 
 us. Corn, cotton, oil-producing plants, and sugar 
 are the principal articles of this inland trade. Rice, 
 d3
 
 58 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 which is grown in such vast abundance up to the 
 twenty-fifth degree of latitude, and the millet and 
 pulses cultivated beyond those limits, are chiefly con- 
 sumed upon the spot. The cotton-plant, which is of 
 almost universal production in India, from Ceylon to 
 the Himalaya Mountains, furnishes material for a pro- 
 digious variety of fabrics ; and the sugar-cane, which 
 for the most part is grown in the valley of the 
 Ganges, supplies a sugar which is consumed in very 
 considerable quantities in the form of sweetmeats. 
 Besides these main articles, there are a great number 
 of others, such as indigo, salt, opium, silk, tobacco, 
 saltpetre, oils, and oil-skins, drugs, hides, lime, tim- 
 ber, &c., which are objects of the inland trade. These 
 various commodities are paid for by the productions 
 of the coasts, such as spices, teak-timber, sandal- 
 wood, and coarse piece-goods; in the productions of 
 foreign tropical countries of Asia, and in the pro- 
 duce and manufactures of Europe and China. The 
 tropical or foreign commodities which are obtained 
 in exchange for the Indian produce consist of the 
 areca-nut, spices, metals — iron, zinc, tin, copper, 
 and lead — woollens and cottons. The extent of the 
 inland trade, in other words, the amount of home 
 manufacture and home consumption, it is extremely 
 difficult to ascertain. The odious tax which formerly 
 existed, under the denomination of transit-duty, and 
 which furnished a clue to the computation, has been 
 abolished, and nothing now remains to check the 
 spirit of industry, and bring forth the choicest fruits of 
 the generous soil of India, but the government mono- 
 poly of the manufacture and sale of salt, and the cul- 
 ture of the poppy, for conversion into opium for the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 59 
 
 China market. There is no doubt, however, that, in 
 proportion as facihties for the transport of goods from 
 one part of the vast country to another are augmented, 
 and the charges of trade thereby lessened, an addi- 
 tional impulse will be given to enterprise. At present, 
 excepting the rivers Ganges, Berampooter, Jumna, 
 Gunduk, Casi, Gagra, Goomtee, Soane, Betwah, 
 Chumbul, Taptee, Nerbuddah, Mahe, Sabrematta, 
 Godavery, Krishna, Cavery, the Indus, and the 
 Irrawaddy, the greater part of which, by the way, are 
 only suited to canal-navigation, few effective channels 
 of inter-communication exist. There are not many 
 good carriage-roads in any part of India ; the bridges 
 are generally small, and few in number, though the 
 rivers or streams over which they are thi'own are very 
 numerous; the ferries are rude, unsafe, and by no 
 means numerous. The carriage of the inland trade 
 is as imperfect, slow, and expensive as the ground 
 over which it traverses is rough and impracticable. 
 Uncouth and primitive carts, drawn by oxen, the 
 strength of eight of which animals is only equivalent 
 to that of a good English cart-horse; pack-bullocks, 
 camels, pack-horses (in the north-west), small horses 
 and jackasses (in the hills), comprise the means of 
 land transport ; and on the rivers, large boats, of a 
 burthen varying from 15 to 150 tons, v/ith rude and 
 coarse sails, oars, and track-ropes (when wind and 
 tide are adverse), constitute the ordinary craft. On 
 the Ganoes, iron steamers, the property of the 
 government and of private associations, ply between 
 Calcutta and Allahabad, but the rate of freight is so 
 high, and so large a proportion of the space appro- 
 priated to cargo is occupied by baggage and special
 
 60 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 supplies for the Europeans in the interior, that they 
 can scarcely be included in an enumeration of the 
 river trading-vessels. 
 
 The standard currency of continental India con- 
 sists of silver, in coins of the value of about two 
 shillings, and called the rupee. There are copper 
 coins, called pice (four of which represent the anna, 
 the sixteenth part of a rupee), and four-anna pieces, 
 which constitute the quarter of a rupee. Of gold, 
 there is scarcely a single coin in circulation. The 
 mohur, which is represented by sixteen rupees, may 
 occasionally be obtained, and certain coins in exist- 
 ence in the southern parts of India, called pagodas 
 and fanams, may also be seen from time to time, but 
 the exceeding rarity of all these monies authorizes 
 the assertion that in India gold forms no part of the 
 currency. In native transactions, use is made of 
 the cowrie, an exceedingly small shell of the Cyprea 
 species, imported as an article of trade from the 
 Maldive and Laccadive islands. Five thousand one 
 hundred and twenty cowries go to the rupee, whence 
 an inference may be drawn of the extreme poverty 
 of the natives. Paper-money forms a very small 
 proportion of the Indian circulation. Bills of ex- 
 change, termed hoondees, are employed as a means 
 of remittance, and are obtained from the native 
 bankers, or shroffs, who are to be found in uU the 
 large towns. They are generally written upon small 
 pieces of glazed yellow paper, in a character not 
 easily decipherable by any but the parties whom they 
 more immediately concern, namely, the agents and 
 correspondents on whom they are drawn, and who 
 are scattered in every part of India, the Punjab,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 61 
 
 AfFghanistan, and Persia. The rest of the paper- 
 money consists of Treasury notes, bills which the 
 government permits its civil officers to issue, for an 
 equivalent, to facilitate the remittable operations of 
 their own servants and others who may wish to 
 avail themselves of the accommodation. The paper- 
 money which circulates in India in the form of bank 
 notes amounts to a very inconsiderable sum. The 
 banks at the several presidencies are permitted to 
 issue notes, but as they are not all regarded as legal 
 tenders in payment of revenue, the great channel 
 into which, if generally current and recognized by 
 the government, they would ultimately flow, their 
 circulation (comparatively small under any circum- 
 stances) is materially restrained. 
 
 The large capital employed upon the commerce of 
 India is drawn from a variety of sources. England 
 contributes a very large proportion ; her merchants 
 depute parties to establish mercantile houses at the 
 several presidencies and ports, and supply them with 
 the means of purchasing produce, encouraging agri- 
 culture and local manufactures. The natives, as ba- 
 nians or dubashes (a species of broker to the Euro- 
 pean houses), or as merchants on their own account, 
 furnish the remainder of the resources. Formerly, 
 all these parties added the business of banking 
 to their other pursuits, and thus derived immense 
 appliances for commerce from the aggregate depo- 
 sits of their constituents ; but the rashness of spe- 
 culation, the prodigality of personal expenditure, 
 and the incautiousness with which loans were 
 aftbrded to parties in all classes of society, and in- 
 volved in every description of business, led to a
 
 62 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 bankruptcy that was almost universal, scattering in- 
 jury far and wide, and striking a fearful blow at the 
 credit of the Indian merchant. Banking, therefore, 
 is now, with comparatively insignificant exceptions, 
 confined to institutions established exclusively for 
 the operations understood by that term. There are 
 now six banks in India, — the Bank of Bengal (char- 
 tered), the Union Bank of Calcutta, the Madras 
 Bank (chartered), the Agra Bank, the Bombay Bank, 
 and the Bank of Western India; and while we write, 
 efibrts are making to establish a seventh, whose head- 
 quarters are to be at Calcutta. The chartered banks 
 are, to a certain degree, connected with the state, 
 and are, in part, managed by government officers ; 
 the joint stock banks rest their claim to support upon 
 the ground of a wealthy co-partnership, each mem- 
 ber of which is liable, to the full extent of his means, 
 for the claims upon the institution. 
 
 MONETARY SYSTEM. 
 
 The following Table exhibits the scheme of the British Indian Monetary 
 
 System. 
 
 Gold molnir. 
 
 Rupee. Anna. ! Pysa. 
 
 Pie. 
 
 Calcutta 1 
 
 16 256 1024 
 
 3072 ; 
 
 Madras and 
 Bombay 1 
 
 15 240 
 
 960 
 
 2880 
 
 
 1 16 64 
 
 192 
 
 
 ' 1 i 4 
 
 12 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 Small shells, called cowries, are also still partially 
 made use of for fractional payments, and are reckon-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 63 
 
 ed as follows ; but their value is subject to consider- 
 able fluctuation, and they are now nearly superseded 
 by the copper currency. 
 
 4 Cowries make . . . . . . 1 Gunda. 
 
 20 Gundas 1 Pun. 
 
 5 Puns . . . . . . . . 1 Anna. 
 
 EXCHANGES. 
 
 For the conversion of the rupee into the equivalent 
 currency of other nations, it is necessary to take 
 into consideration the fluctuating relative value of 
 the precious metals inter se, from the circumstance 
 of gold being in some, and silver in others, the legal 
 medium of circulation. 
 
 It is also necessary to take account of the mint 
 charge for coining at each place, which adds a ficti- 
 tious value to the local coin. The par of exchange 
 is, for these reasons, a somewhat ambiguous term, 
 requiring to be distinguished under two more definite 
 denominations: 1st, the intrinsic par, which repre- 
 sents that case in which the pure metal contained in 
 the parallel denominations of coins is equal ; 2nd, 
 the commercial par, or that case in which the current 
 value of the coin at each place (after deducting the 
 seignorage leviable for coinage) is equal ; or, in other 
 words, " two sums of money of different countries are 
 commercially at par, while they can purchase an 
 equal quantity of the same kind of pure metal."* 
 
 Thus, if silver be taken from India to England, it 
 must be sold to a bullion merchant at the market 
 price, the proprietor receiving payment in gold (or 
 notes convertible into it). The London mint is closed 
 
 . * Kelly's Cambist., iii. 13.
 
 64 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 against the importer of silver ; which metal has not 
 therefore a minimum value in the English market 
 fixed by the mint price, although it has so in Cal- 
 cutta, where it may always be converted into coin at 
 a charge of two per cent. On the other hand, if 
 a remittance in gold be made from India to Eng- 
 land, its out-turn there is known and fixed ; each 
 new Calcutta gold mohur being convertible into 
 1*66 or 1 J sovereigns nearly; but the price of the 
 gold mohur fluctuates as considerably in India as 
 that of silver does in England, the natural tendency 
 of commerce being to bring to an equilibrium the 
 operations of exchange in the two metals. 
 
 The exchange between England and India has, 
 therefore, a two-fold expression ; for silver, the price 
 of the sicca rupee in shillings and pence ; for gold, 
 the price of the sovereign in rupees. To calculate 
 the out-turn of a bullion remittance in either metal, 
 recourse may be had to the following 
 
 Tables of JEnglish and Indian Exchanges. 
 
 The data for the calculation of these tables are : 
 1st. One mun (or 100 lbs. troy) of silver (iVth al- 
 loy) is coined into 3,200 Company's rupees, of which 
 64 and 60 respectively are taken as mint duty ; 
 being at the rate of two per cent. 
 
 2nd. 100 lbs. troy, of English standard silver 
 (_LS^ths alloy), are coined into 6,600 shillings, of 
 which 400 are taken as seignorage or mint duty; 
 being 4s. per lb., or nearly six per cent. ; but the 
 mint is not open to the holders of silver bullion, 
 which is only purchased through the bank when re- 
 quired for coinage.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 65 
 
 3rd. The sovereign (-^nth alloy) weighs 123-25 
 grains troy, and no duty is charged on its coinage. 
 100 lbs. of pure gold yield 5098*3 sovereigns, 
 = 3069*5 new gold mohurs, =3041*4 old gold mo- 
 hurs, = 3490*9 Madras and Bombay mohurs. 
 
 The par of exchange with other countries may be 
 estimated from the intrinsic and mint produce of 
 their coins ; thus, assuming the Spanish dollar to 
 weigh 416 grains troy, and to be 5 dwts. worse in 
 assay, we have for 
 
 Spain and America. 
 
 [■ = 23 1 • 1 11 tolas in weight . 
 100 Dollars. I = 225-858 Fd. rupees, \ or, deductingdutyj'221-341 Fd. rs. 
 
 (_= 211742 Sicca rupees, J of 2 per cent. )^207'508 Sicca rs. 
 
 The Spanish dollar forms also the currency of the 
 Straits of Malacca and of Manilla ; and it is exten- 
 sively known in the colonies of England, Ceylon, the 
 Cape, Australia, &c. 
 
 For the British colonial possessions, however, an 
 order of council was promulgated on the 23rd 
 March, 1825, extending to them the circulation of 
 British silver and copper money, and directing all 
 public accounts to be kept therein. Where the dol- 
 lar was, either by law, fact, or practice, still a legal 
 tender, it was to be accounted equivalent to 45. 4:d., 
 and vice versa. For the Cape of Good Hope, where 
 the circulation consisted of paper rix-dollars, and 
 Ceylon, where it consisted of silver and paper 
 rix-dollars, as well as a variety of other coins, it v/as 
 provided that a tender and payment of Is. Qd. in 
 British silver money should be equivalent to the rix- 
 dollar. The Company's rupee is allowed circulation
 
 66 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 at Is. lid., and the 5-franc-piece at 4^. These re- 
 gulations are still in force in Ceylon, Australia, Van 
 Diemen's Land, the Cape, Mauritius, and St. 
 Helena. 
 
 France. 
 The French kilogramme of standard silver (-j^th 
 alloy) is coined into 200 francs, and the Itilor/ramme 
 weighs 85*744 tolas ; therefore — 
 
 r = 42-872 tolas in weight. 
 100 Francs J = 42'092 Co.'s rupees, | or, deducting duty j'4r250 Fd. rs. 
 l_ = 39'462 Sicca rupees, j' of 2 per cent. 1_38'673 Sicca rs. 
 
 The coinage duty on silver at Paris is 1 1 per cent., 
 or {r per cent, less than in India ; hence it will be 
 found, that 
 
 100 sicca rupees realize almost precisely 250 francs 
 at the Paris mint. 
 
 Minted gold in France is worth 15* its weight of 
 minted silver, or the kilogramme is coined into 155 
 Naj)oleons, or 20-franc-pieces ; the seignorage on 
 gold is only 4 per cent. 
 
 One kilogramme of pure gold yields 81*457 gold 
 mohurs, or (deducting two per cent, mint duty) 
 79*828 ditto, therefore— 
 
 ( =55'3ig tolas in weight. 
 
 =47-315 old goldmohurs,^ ordcduct- ['46'369 old gold mohurs. 
 •( =47-757 new ditto, I ingduty) 46-802 new ditto. 
 
 54-313 Madras and .'' of 2 per ~| 53-227 Madras & Bom- 
 Bombay gold rupees, J cent. |_ bay gold rupees. 
 
 100 Napoleons ■ 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 As the Chinese have no gold or silver coins, but 
 make payments in those metals by weight, it is 
 sufficient to state the value of the tael of the sycee 
 and dollar silver usually current with them.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 67 
 
 lOOtaelofsycee r= 322-135 tolas in weight = 120 oz. l6 dwts. English. 
 
 silver aver.l5< = 344-108 Comp. rs. 1 or, deducting duty r 337-226 Fd. rs. 
 
 dwts. Br. .. 1= 322-602 Sicca rs. J of 2 per cent. I 316-150 Sa. rs. 
 lOU taelof del- r = 314-811 Comp. rs. 1 or, deducting duty r 30851 5 Fd. rs. 
 
 lars 5 Wo. . I = 295-135 Sa. rs. J of 2 per cent. 1 289-233 Sa. 3 rs. 
 
 BRITISH INDIAN WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 
 
 The unit of the British Indian ponderary system* 
 is called the tola. It weighs 180 grains English troy 
 weight. From it, upwards, are derived the heavy 
 weights, viz. chitak, seer, and mun, or maund ; and 
 by its subdivision the small, or jeweller's weights, 
 called mnshas, ruttees, and dhans. 
 
 The following scheme comprehends both of these 
 in one series : — 
 
 PUSSEREE. 
 
 SEER. 
 
 CHITAK. 
 
 TOLA. 
 
 MASHA. 
 
 RTJTTEE. 
 
 DHAN. 
 
 8 
 
 40 
 
 640 
 
 3200 
 
 38400 
 
 307200 
 
 1228800 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 80 
 
 400 
 
 4800 
 
 38400 
 
 153600 
 
 
 1 
 
 16 
 
 80 
 
 960 
 
 7680 
 
 30720 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 60 
 12 
 
 1 
 
 480 
 9fl 
 8 
 
 1920 
 
 384 
 
 32 
 
 The mun (or that weight to which it closely accords 
 in value, and to which it is legally equivalent in the 
 new scale) has been hitherto better known among 
 Europeans by the name of bazaar maund; but upon 
 its general adoption, under Regulation VII., 1833, for 
 all transactions of the British government, it should 
 be denominated the British maund (in Hindee, Un- 
 
 * The advantages of this system are — 
 
 1. That the maund formed from the modified weight would be pre- 
 cisely equal to one hundred English troy pounds ; and 
 
 2. That thirty-five seers would also be precisely equal to seventy-two 
 pounds avoirdupois ; thus establishing a simple connection, void of 
 fractions, between the two English metrical scales and that of India.
 
 68 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 grezee nmn), to distinguish it at once from all other 
 weights in use throughout the country.* 
 
 The pusseree is, as its name denotes, a five-seer 
 weight, and therefore should not form an integrant 
 point of the scale ; but, as its use is very general, it 
 has been introduced for the convenience of reference. 
 
 The seer, being the commonest weight in use in the 
 retail business of the bazaars in India, and being 
 liable, according to the pernicious system hitherto pre- 
 valent, to vary in wei<2;ht for every article sold, as 
 well as for every market, is generally referred to the 
 common unit in native mercantile dealings, as " the 
 seer of so many tolas" (or siccas, barees, takas, &c.) ; 
 the standard, or bazaar seer, being always eighty 
 tolas. 
 
 The chitak is the lowest denomination of the gross 
 weights, and is commonly divided into halves and 
 quarters (called, in Bengalee, kacha) ; thus marking 
 the line between the two series, which are otherwise 
 connected by the relation of the seer, &c., to the tola. 
 
 The tola is chiefly used in the weighing of the pre- 
 cious metals and coin; all bullion at the mints is 
 received in this denomination, and the tables of 
 bullion produce (as seen in the foregoing pages) are 
 calculated per one hundred tolas. It is also usual at 
 the mints to make the subdivisions of the tola into 
 annas (sixteenth) and pie, in lieu of mashas and 
 ruttees. 
 
 * In the same way the Madras, Bombay, and Furakhabad rupee 
 (when the sicca rupee is abolished, and an English device adopted) 
 may be called "the British rupee," and in the native languages, 
 rupya Ungrezee.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 69 
 
 Mashas, ruttees, and dhans are used chiefly by 
 native goldsmiths and jewellers. They are also em- 
 ployed in the native evaluation by assay of the 
 precious metals ; thus ten mashas fine signifies 
 ten-twelfths pure, and corresponds to " ten-ounce 
 touch " of the English assay report or silver. There 
 is a closer accordance with the English gold assay 
 scale, inasmuch as the ninety-six ruttees in a tola 
 exactly represent the ninety-six carat grains in 
 the gold assay pound, and the dhan, the quarter 
 grain. 
 
 British 
 
 Indian 
 
 Weights. 
 
 English Troy Weights. 
 
 French Weights. 
 
 lbs. oz. dwts. grs. 
 
 grammes. 
 
 One Maund . 
 
 = 100 
 
 = 37320-182 
 
 One Seer . . 
 
 = 2600 
 
 = 933-005 
 
 One Chitak . 
 
 = 1 17 12 
 
 = 58-310 
 
 One Tola . . 
 
 = 7 12 
 
 = 11-G62 
 
 One Masha . 
 
 = 15 
 
 = 0-972 
 
 One Ruttee . 
 
 = 000 1-875 
 
 = 0-122 
 
 Comparison with troy weights. 
 
 For the conversion of English troy weights into 
 those of India, the following scale will suffice, since 
 the simplicity of their relation renders a more de- 
 tailed table unnecessary : — 
 
 Lb. Troy. 
 
 1 
 
 Ounce. 
 12 
 
 Pennyweight. 
 240 
 
 Grain. 
 5760 
 
 
 
 Tolas and Decimals 
 32-0000 
 
 
 1 
 
 20 
 
 480 
 
 = 
 
 2-6666, &c. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 24 
 
 = 
 
 0-1333, &c. 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 = 
 
 0-0055, &c. 
 
 The accordance of a mun weight with the 100 lbs. 
 troy of England affords a ready means of ascertain-
 
 70 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ing its relative value in the standards of other coun- 
 tries employed in weighing the precious metals, 
 since tables of the latter are generally expressed in 
 pounds troy. 
 
 Linear and Square Measures of India. 
 
 Place. Denomination. Value in Eng. mea. 
 
 Agra, Presidency, Standard Ilahy guz, assumed at 33 inches. 
 Standard Beega of Western 
 Provinces = 60 X CO guz. = 
 
 Z(>m guz 3025 sq. yds. (I acres). 
 
 Local guz. varies from 32*8 to 
 
 33-25, aver 32-625 inches. 
 
 Batavia, £//= 27 f inches, /oo^ = ..12-36 ditto. 
 
 Bombay, /f«<A = 18 inches, the ^wz =27 ditto. 
 
 Calcutta, i?ee^«=20cottahsof 16chittaks 1600 square yards. 
 
 Cottah 720sq. ft.=80sq.yds. 
 
 Chittak 45 sq. ft. = 5 sq. yds. 
 
 China, Mathematical foot .. .. 13-12 inches. 
 
 Builder's ditto 12-7 ditto. 
 
 Tailor's ditto 13-13 ditto. 
 
 200 lis r= 1 degree . . . . 69-166 miles. 
 Goa, Portuguese covado . . . . 26-66 inches. 
 
 Madras, Mauiiey, 60 X 40 feet . . . . 2400 square feet. 
 
 Cawney = 24 mauney . . . . 1 -3223 acres. 
 Malwa, Guz (from 28 to 32) . , . . 30-00 ditto. 
 
 Beega, cf 20 wusas . . . . 2 roods nearly. 
 Mocha, Coif rf = 19 inches .. ..25 ditto. 
 
 Persia, Guerze, rojal 37*5 inches. 
 
 Common measure 25-0 ditto. 
 
 Parasang, twentieth of a degree at the equator. 
 Siam, Vouah (2000 = 1 league) .. 75*75 inches.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 71 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 
 
 The jealousy with which the legislature watches 
 over the exercise of political power when delegated 
 to British subjects in distant dependencies, and the 
 extreme difficulty of managing an immense extent 
 of territory abroad through a single secretary of 
 state, have created a mass of gubernatorial ma- 
 chinery for British India, which is as costly as it is 
 unwieldy. That it moves at all, is rather owing to 
 the boldness of the local governors, who often act as 
 emergencies dictate, preferring future obloquy to the 
 evils of present delay, than to any particular har- 
 mony in the arrangement of the component parts of 
 the complex mechanism. 
 
 The political government and patronage of India 
 are placed by charter in the hands of the directors of 
 the East-India Company. They are twenty-four in 
 number, chosen by the proprietors, and are usually 
 selected from the members of the civil, military, or 
 maritime services, or from among the merchants 
 who have acquired knowledge and fortunes in India. 
 Each director must hold £2,000 of the Company's 
 stock, and the proprietors who elect him are only 
 eligible on possession of £1,000 stock, which carries 
 with it a single vote. A larger share gives a greater 
 number of votes, but not in a proportionate degree, 
 £10,000 merely conferring the right to four votes. 
 
 There are about two thousand six hundred pro- 
 prietors, a proportion of whom have only an in- 
 terest in the stock to the extent of £500, which 
 gives no power to vote at an election, although it
 
 72 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 enables the proprietor to debate at the meetings of 
 the court. Six of the directors retire annually by 
 rotation, and are eligible for re-election after twelve 
 months' absence. 
 
 The Court of Directors enjoy full initiatory au- 
 thority over all matters in England or India relating 
 to the political, financial, judicial, and military af- 
 fairs of the Company. But their proceedings are 
 subject to the superintendence of a board of com- 
 missioners appointed by the Crown, to the parlia- 
 ment of Great Britain, and in several matters to the 
 approval of the Court of Proprietors. 
 
 In addition to this home establishment, there are 
 local governments in different parts of India. A 
 survey of the map of India will at once satisfy the 
 most cursory observer that it would be perfectly im- 
 possible to govern so vast a tract of country from any 
 single point, however advantageously situated such 
 a position might be. From Cape Comorin in the 
 south, to Simla, in the Himalayan Mountains, in the 
 north, — from Munneepore, in Assam, in the east, to 
 Kurrachee, the chief sea-port in Scinde, in the , 
 west, — a distance comprising twenty-two degrees of 
 latitude and twenty-five degrees of longitude, or an 
 area of 1,076,590'7 square miles, — every inch of 
 ground acknowledges British rule, or is, directly or 
 indirectly, subject to British influence. Hence the 
 necessity for placing the territory under several dis- 
 tinct governments, all, however, subordinate to one 
 supreme ruler or governor-general, aided by a 
 council, who in their turn are controlled by the 
 home powers mentioned above. 
 
 The five governments have their seats respectively
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 73 
 
 in Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Agra, and Hyderabad, 
 in Scinde. The Bengal government, which exercises 
 a supervision over the rest, has its head-quarters at 
 Calcutta, and administers the affairs of the countries 
 lying between Saugor in the west, Cuttack in the 
 south-west, Arracan in the south-east, and the Ne- 
 paulese frontier to the north ; and between the terri- 
 tory of Assam in the east to the nearest boundaries 
 of the kingdom of Oude in the north-west. The 
 management of the affairs of Bengal Proper is, 
 however, exclusively intrusted to a deputy-governor, 
 as they are found to interfere too seriously with the 
 business of directing the affairs of the empire at 
 large to allow of their entering into the considera- 
 tion of the governor-general. The territory west of 
 Oude, from Allahabad to Agra, and due north from 
 Agra as far as Simla, is designated " the North- 
 western Provinces," and is ruled by a lieutenant- 
 governor without a council, excepting when the 
 governor-general himself visits the provinces, and 
 then the entire control is assumed by him. The 
 Madras government exercises authority over the 
 space embraced between Ganjam, on the coast of 
 Orissa, to Cape Comorin, in the extreme south of 
 the Peninsula, and from Masulipatam in the east 
 to Saddashegarh on the opposite, or Malabar, coast. 
 The intermediate state, from Mostoor, south, to El- 
 lichpore, north, is ruled by a native prince, denomi- 
 nated the Nizam, but he is subsidized by the British, 
 who keep several of their own (Madras) regiments 
 in the neighbourhood of his capital, — Hyderabad. 
 To the government of Bombay, constituted like 
 
 E
 
 74 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 that of Madras, is intrusted the management of the 
 districts lying between Vingorla on the Malabar 
 coast, south, and Palunpore in Guzerat, north, and 
 between Bombay, west, to Asseerghur, east. The 
 limits of the government of Scinde are not at present 
 exactly defined, but its head-quarters are at Hy- 
 derabad, and the whole country acknowledges its 
 rule. The extent to which it may be necessary to 
 carry British authority will doubtless be adjusted 
 when the legislature has had time to consider the 
 question of the recent conquest. 
 
 Besides these five divisions of the government of 
 the continent of India, there are separate govern- 
 ments for the islands to the south and south-east, 
 which form part of the appendages to the British 
 crown, namely, Ceylon (exclusively a British colony, 
 and totally independent of the East-India Company's 
 authority), Penang, Singapore, and Malacca ; to 
 which may be added the Burmese coast as far as 
 Moulmein, where affairs are administered by political 
 commissioners. 
 
 The various governments above enumerated are 
 composed as follows : — 
 
 THE SUPREME GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 
 
 Governor-General and President in Council. 
 
 Two members drawn from the civil service. 
 
 One member from the military service of the 
 East- India Company. 
 
 One military member, who is likewise com- 
 mander-in-chief of the army ; almost inva- 
 riably a general officer in the royal service.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 75 
 
 One ordinary member, who is not in any service, 
 and generally selected for his legal attain- 
 ments. 
 
 A due proportion of secretaries and assistants. 
 
 There is no legislative assembly of any kind to 
 assist the government in its deliberations, or to 
 represent the interests of any class of the governed ; 
 but the right of the community at large to express 
 its sentiments upon measures immediately affecting 
 its interests is recognized, by implication, in the pub- 
 lication of all drafts of laws for general information. 
 Such publication often elicits opinions, either com- 
 municated to the government direct or through the 
 medium of the press, which are not without their 
 weight occasionally, in leading to a reconsideration, 
 or even an abandonment, of the draft before it passes 
 into an act. 
 
 To assist the supreme government of India in ful- 
 filling its important trust, a highly-educated civil 
 service, consisting of about four hundred members, 
 is placed at its disposal by the home administration. 
 Of this number, one-fifth is generally absent, from 
 sickness or other causes ; the remainder, therefore, 
 insufficiently perform the offices of revenue collection, 
 the administration of laws in the interior of the 
 country, the management of political relations with 
 native states, &:c. The army which the government 
 has at its immediate disposal consists of about one 
 hundred thousand men, principally natives of India, 
 commanded by European officers, and divided into 
 seventy-six regiments of regular infantry, ten of 
 regular cavalry, several corps of irregular and local 
 e2
 
 76 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 horse and foot, and a due proportion of artillery, 
 engineers, and sappers. The police duties are per- 
 formed by large and well-trained bodies of natives, 
 guided and directed by British officers, selected from 
 those most remarkable for courage, intelligence, and 
 a knowledge of the native character. 
 
 the government of fort st. george 
 (or madras government) 
 Consists of 
 
 A Governor ... ... President, and 
 
 A Commander of the Forces "j Members of 
 Two civilians ... ... J Council. 
 
 This administrative body is supported by a civil 
 service, two hundred in number, and an army of 
 about three-fifths the strength of that of Bengal. 
 
 THE BOMBAY GOVERNMENT 
 
 Is constituted exactly like that of Madras, with, 
 however, only one hundred and twenty-five civil 
 officers, and thirty-five thousand troops, regular and 
 irregular. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENTS OF AGRA, SINDE, PENANG, 
 MALACCA, ETC., 
 
 Consist each of a single officer, aided by one or 
 more secretaries, aides-de-camp, a due proportion 
 of troops, drawn from the other presidencies, and an 
 adequate police force. 
 
 The manner in which the business of government 
 is carried on will appear to those who are familiar 
 with the method of proceeding in England tedious 
 and changeable, almost all transactions being con-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 77 
 
 ducted through the medium of official correspon- 
 dence, carried through a variety of channels. But 
 this is the unavoidable result of the responsibility 
 of the local administration to the two supervising 
 authorities in England. When every thing has to 
 be formally reported to the controlling power, every 
 thing must necessarily be placed on record ; and, as 
 reference may continually have to be made to the 
 official communications on the spot, the original 
 documents are retained, and copies, in duplicate, for- 
 warded to the Court of Directors and the Board of 
 Commissioners for the Affairs of India. The volu- 
 minous correspondence between the government and 
 its officers is, therefore, multiplied by four, and some- 
 times oftener, thus rendering the machinery of the 
 secretariat extremely cumbrous and costly. 
 
 The method of transacting public affairs in India 
 may be thus briefly described. Every officer of 
 government charged with the management of poli- 
 tical, financial, military, municipal, revenue, police, 
 ecclesiastical, judicial, marine, medical, or other mat- 
 ters, either addresses the authorities direct (advising, 
 reporting, or soliciting instructions and assistance), 
 or through the functionaries and boards intrusted 
 with the immediate control of the several depart- 
 ments of the executive. These communications, 
 amounting to many scores per diem, are laid by the 
 respective secretaries to the government before the 
 Council Board, and they are duly discussed, and 
 orders issued thereupon, in conformity with the sen- 
 timents of the majority of the members. The initials 
 of the council on the back of the letter of the autho- 
 rity addressing them direct, are, in the majority of
 
 78 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 instances, a sufficient guide to the secretarial officers; 
 but where the question discussed is of importance 
 enough to elicit elaborate or precise expressions of 
 opinion, the members of the government place on 
 record separate minutes, from the aggregate of which 
 the decision or ultimate resolution is deduced. On 
 these latter occasions, where the council is much 
 divided, the governor-general, or governor, has power 
 to adopt his own views, even though they may- 
 be at variance with those of the whole body of his 
 colleagues ; but this is a prerogative exercised only 
 in cases of great emergency, the more ordinary 
 course in such circumstances being, to refer the 
 disputed question to the arbitrement of the home 
 authorities. 
 
 It will be obvious, from this concentration of the 
 government of so vast an empire, that the members 
 of the administration must be men of very considera- 
 ble and varied attainments ; for though they may 
 not originate the multitudinous measures carried 
 into effect almost daily for the good of the coun- 
 try and the integrity of the British possessions, 
 they must possess a capacity for determining 
 upon the propriety of yielding assent to proposi- 
 tions submitted for their consideration. Care, 
 therefore, is taken to select for the functions 
 of government as great a variety of ability as so 
 small a council is susceptible of containing. The 
 governors are generally chosen from the statesmen 
 in the mother-country who have manifested a taste 
 and capacity for public business, and to whom Indian 
 affairs are not entirely caviare, or from the public 
 servants of the East- India Company, whose high
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 79 
 
 character, long services, and extensive local expe- 
 rience point them out as pecuHarly fitted for the 
 important trust. The commanders-in-chief, in 
 almost every instance, have earned distinction in 
 the wars of Europe, and are familiar with the science 
 of organizing and disciplining large forces. They 
 carry with them to India a thorough knowledge of 
 the principles of civilized warfare, and an acquaint- 
 ance with the interior economy of an army — qualities 
 which, combined with a stern sense of duty and a 
 lofty chivalry, atone for the temporary absence of 
 local knowledge, and enable them, while acquiring 
 requisite information, to impart a wholesome spirit 
 to the legions intrusted to their command. The 
 other members of the council are gentlemen of the 
 civil service, who have served for many years in 
 revenue, judicial, political, or secretarial offices, — 
 or in all of those branches, — and acquired therein a 
 high official reputation. In the Supreme Council 
 there are two additional members, one of whom is 
 selected from the senior officers, for his superior ac- 
 quaintance with the affairs of the Indian army, and 
 his regard for its interests, and the other for his 
 legal attainments and famiharity with the principles 
 of British polity. The salaries of all these officers 
 are liberal, but not more than sufficient for the 
 degree of state which is almost inseparable from 
 exalted life in India, and for the annual contribution 
 to useful and charitable public objects. The Gover- 
 nor-General receives £25,000 per annum, and is 
 provided with a splendid palace at Calcutta, and a 
 rural residence at Barrackpore, sixteen miles from 
 the presidency. The governors of the other presi-
 
 80 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 dencies (Madras and Bombay) receive £12,000 
 a year, and are similarly domiciled. The Governor 
 of Agra £12,000 ; the Governor of Scinde £7,000. 
 The members of the Supreme Council receive each 
 £10,000 per annum, of Madras and Bombay, each 
 £6,000; the Commander-in-Chief, £10,000, in 
 addition to which he enjoys the pay of his rank in 
 the army, and very often the off-reckonings of a re- 
 giment, of which he may be the colonel. 
 
 We may conclude this sketch with a few particu- 
 lars concerning the relative powers of the several 
 governments of India. 
 
 All subordinate governments send abstracts of 
 their weekly proceedings for the inspection of the 
 supreme government. All extraordinary outlay of 
 public money by the subordinate governments re- 
 quires the confirmation of the supreme government, 
 pensions likewise ; and here it may be noticed, that 
 on one occasion, in answer to a question of the go- 
 vernor in council, inquiring with reference to the 
 provision of the pension rules, whether the local go- 
 vernment was not competent of itself to sanction 
 such pensions, it was stated that the terras of the 
 59th section of Act 3rd and 4th Wm. IV. cap. 85, 
 were too precise to admit of any latitude of inter- 
 pretation. Its provision is conclusive against the 
 power of the subordinate government to make any 
 increase without the previous sanction of the govern- 
 ment of India. Where pension is claimable under 
 distinct rules passed by the government, and approved 
 by the Honourable Court, such sanction is sufficient; 
 but in respect to pensions to the families of persons 
 killed in the performance of their duty, though the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 81 
 
 rules recognize the claim to pension, they do not 
 specify the amount, and a reference to the govern- 
 ment of India would seem to be necessary. 
 
 The new charter provides for most matters re- 
 lating to the constitution of the government, but we 
 may here notice the following : 
 
 The senior member of council, when the comman- 
 der-in-chief stands appointed to that situation, be- 
 comes president of the council during the temporary 
 absence of the governor- general, but does not suc- 
 ceed to the position, in consequence of such seniority, 
 when permanently vacated, even if no provisional 
 appointment exists. 
 
 Members of the supreme council may be selected 
 from any member of the Hon. Company's service 
 of twelve years' standing. Ordinary councillorships 
 of the subordinate presidencies, must be civil ser- 
 vants of those presidencies of twelve years' standing. 
 Retired servants may also hold seats in the supreme 
 council, if annuitants drawing their annuities, under 
 77 cl. 3 and 4 Wm. IV., cap. 85. 
 
 Members of council proceeding to sea or else- 
 where within limits, do so without creating a va- 
 cancy or forfeiting their allowances. But if the 
 council owing to such absence be incomplete, i. e. if 
 there are less than three members present, the num- 
 ber required to pass any act, the provisional member 
 shall be called in. 
 
 The above relates to the supreme council. 
 
 In the subordinate council the provisional member 
 is called in at the discretion of the g-overnor. 
 
 All memorials to the home authorities must lie 
 twenty days on the council table before transmission 
 E 3
 
 82 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 to England, and if not coming through the projaer 
 channels they are always liable not to be received. 
 
 The fourth ordinary member of the council of 
 India is declared not to be entitled to sit or vote in 
 the council, except at meetings for the making of 
 laws and regulations. The law, however, does not 
 preclude him from sitting in council, or prohibit his 
 aid being always made available without his vote ; 
 He accordingly does attend every council. He, how- 
 ever, signs no despatches, except those relating to 
 laws and regulations. 
 
 NATIVE STATES. 
 
 Classification of Native States, with which the 
 British Indian Government is in Alliance. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 The area of the native states in alliance with the British 
 
 Government is .. .. .. .. .. .. 449,845 
 
 That of the territory under British rule, with the remaining 
 
 small states and jageerdars .. .. .. .. 626,746 
 
 Superficial area of all India . . .. .. .. .. 1,076,591 
 
 The extent of coast from Cape Negrais to the 
 frontiers of Sinde is 3,622 British miles ; the breadth 
 from Surat to Silhet, 1,260 miles. 
 
 The native states of India may be classed under 
 the three following heads : 
 
 I. — Foreign, viz. Persia, Senna, the Arab tribes, 
 Siam, Acheen. 
 
 II. — External, on the frontier ; viz. Ava, Nepal, 
 Lahore, Cabul.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 83 
 
 III. — Internal, which are those included in the 
 present list. All of these have relinquished political 
 relations with one another and with all other states. 
 They are, according to the nature of their rela- 
 tions or treaties with the English, divided into six 
 classes. 
 
 First Class. — Treaties offensive and defensive : 
 right on their part to claim protection, external and 
 internal, from the British government : right on its 
 part to interfere in their internal affairs. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 1. Oude, containing .. .. .. .. 23,923 
 
 2. Mysore 27,999 
 
 3. Berar or Nagpore .. .. .. .. 56,723 
 
 4. Travancore .. .. .. .. .. 4,574 
 
 5. Cochin 1,988 
 
 Second Class. — Treaties offensive and defensive: 
 right on their part to claim protection, external and 
 internal, from the British Government, and to the 
 aid of its troops to realize their just claims from their 
 own subjects: no right on its jjart to interfere in their 
 internal affairs. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 6. Hyderabad, containing .. ,. .. 88,884 
 
 7. Baroda 24,950 
 
 Third Class. — Treaties offmsive and defensive : 
 states mostly tributary, achnoivledging the supremacy 
 of, and promising subordinate co-operation to, the 
 British Government; but supreme rulers in their own 
 domains. 
 
 8. Indore, containing . . . . 4,245 square miles.
 
 84 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Rajputdna States. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 9. Oudepore . . 
 
 .. 11,784 
 
 19. 
 
 Pertabgurh .. 1,457 
 
 10. Jeypore 
 
 .. 13,427 
 
 20. 
 
 Dungarpore . . 2,005 
 
 11. Jodhpore . . 
 
 .. 34,132 
 
 21. 
 
 Kerolee .. .. 1,878 
 
 12. Kotah 
 
 .. 4,389 
 
 22. 
 
 Serowee .. .. 3,024 
 
 13. Boondee 
 
 .. 2,291 
 
 23. 
 
 Bhurtpore . . 1 ,946 
 
 14. Alwar 
 
 .. 3,235 
 
 24. 
 
 Bhopal .. .. 6,772 
 
 15. Bikuneer .. 
 
 .. 18,060 
 
 25. 
 
 Kutch .. .. 7,396 
 
 16. Jesalmeer . . 
 
 .. 9,779 
 
 26. 
 
 Dhar and Dewas .. 1,466 
 
 17. Kishengurh 
 
 724 
 
 27. 
 
 Dhalpore .. .. 1,626 
 
 18. Banswara . . 
 
 .. 1,440 
 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 28. 
 
 Dewar . . 
 
 
 10,310 
 
 Boghelkhund 
 
 and '' 
 
 29 
 Bundelkhund 
 
 rDhattea"] 
 
 
 
 I Jhansi \ 
 [Terhee J 
 
 •• 
 
 16,173 
 
 30. 
 
 Sawautwaree 
 
 , , 
 
 935 
 
 Fourth Class. — Guarantee and protection, sub- 
 ordinate co-operation, hut supremacy in their own 
 territory. 
 
 fTonk . . . 
 31. Ameer Khan <* Seronee 
 
 I Ninbahara . 
 
 „„ rPatiala, Khytal ") 
 
 '\Naba and Jeend/ 
 
 Fifth Class. — Amity and friendship. 
 
 33. Gwalior .. .. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 .. 1,633 
 
 .. 16,602 
 .. 32,944 
 
 Sixth Class. Protection, with right on the part 
 of the British Government to control internal affairs. 
 
 34. Sattara 
 
 35. Kolapore 
 
 Square Miles, 
 .. 7,943 
 .. 3,184 
 
 Of the above states, four are Mohammedan ; viz. 
 Hyderabad, Oude, Bhopal, and Tonk, Of the Hin-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 85 
 
 doo states, eight are Mahratta; viz. Sattara, Gvvalior, 
 Nagpore, Indore, Banda, Kolapore, Dhar, and 
 Dewas. 
 
 Nineteen are Rajpoot; viz. Oudeepore, Jeypore, 
 Jodhpore, Boondee, Kotah, Kutch, Alwar, Kikaneer, 
 Jesalmeer, Kishengurh, Banswara, Pertabgarh, Dun- 
 gerpore, Kerolee, Serowee, Rewah, Dhattea, Jhansi, 
 Terhee. 
 
 Six are of other Hindoo tribes; viz. Mysore, 
 Bhurtpore, Travancore, Sawantwaree, Cochin, and 
 Dholpore. 
 
 Besides these allied states, there are the following 
 inferior Rajships and Jageerdarees : viz. Chota 
 Nagpore, Sirgoojer, Sumbhoolpore, Singhbhoom, 
 Munipore, Cacheir, Assam frontier. Tanjore, the 
 Bareich family, Ferozpore, Merich, Tansgaon, Ne- 
 panee, Akulkote, and those of the Saugur and Ner- 
 budda country; also Sikkim and the states of the 
 northern hills and the Tributary Mehals of Kutuk. 
 
 FOREIGN RELATIONS. 
 
 Persia. — The relations of England with Persia 
 arose altogether from our position in India. At one 
 time we apprehended designs on the part of France 
 against our possessions there, and at another, on 
 the part of Russia. Several embassies were sent to 
 Persia at the early part of the present century, laden 
 with valuable presents, and finally an envoy from 
 the home government was established at the capital 
 of Persia, while a subordinate resident was located 
 at Bushire. Subsequently, British officers were em-
 
 86 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ployed to drill a part of the Persian army, and the 
 alliance became, to all appearance, firm. The con- 
 duct of the present king of Persia, however, in pro- 
 secuting the siege of Herat against the AfFghans, led 
 to a temporary dissolution of our connection with 
 tlie I ranee empire, which has only been recently re- 
 sumed. Consuls now reside in Persia, in addition 
 to the envoy and minister ; and active endeavours 
 have been made to introduce a commerce between 
 Persia and England via the Black Sea and Asia 
 Minor. Our military connection is at an end, and 
 scarcely any British officers now hold trusts in the 
 Persian army. 
 
 AcHEEN. — With the sovereign of this place, Eng- 
 land has entered into a treaty, which secures to her 
 subjects a free trade to the ports of the kingdom, 
 and allows of the residence of a British agent, and 
 the exclusion of all other European powers, and like- 
 wise of all Americans. 
 
 Si AM. — Amicable relations subsist between the 
 
 British government and the monarch of Siam, for 
 
 which we are indebted to the idea of our power 
 
 derived from the hostile operations in Burmah in 
 
 1824-25. There is no accredited Enolish a^ent re- 
 ts o 
 
 siding at the Siamese court, but occasional missions 
 have been received in the best spirit; and our com- 
 merce is upon a secure, liberal, and well-defined 
 footing. 
 
 BuRMAii (Ava). — The treaty entered into with 
 this state at the termination of the war of 1824-26 
 ensured the payment, by the Burmese, of certain 
 sums of money ; their abstinence from all interference 
 in the affairs of the states on their frontier which
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 87 
 
 had fallen under the protection of the British; the 
 residence of a political agent at the principal port; 
 and the unrestricted ingress, into all the ports, of 
 vessels under British colours. The relations have, 
 at times, since then, been partially disturbed, owing 
 to changes in the dynasty, low intrigues, and mis- 
 representation; and there is no longer a represen- 
 tative of our government residing within the Bur- 
 mese territories, but the terms of the treaties remain 
 substantially intact, and trade is carried on uninter- 
 ruptedly. The possession by the British of the coast 
 of Arracan, and the Tenasserim provinces, added to 
 the facilities with which troops can be sent from 
 Bengal to Rangoon, and thence up the river Irra- 
 waddie, effectually forbid any apprehension of se- 
 rious ruptures with the sovereign of Burmah. 
 
 Nepal. — A resident, armed with political powers, 
 is accredited at this court. The treaty imposes upon 
 the rajah the obligation of refraining from aggres- 
 sions upon the frontier of the British empire con- 
 tiguous to his state. He is likewise bound to allow 
 British traders to travel unmolested through his 
 territories; to surrender criminals who may take 
 refuge therein ; and to respect the agreement under 
 which he ceded certain portions of his kingdom, and 
 recognized the independence of his neighbours. 
 
 Lahore. — The recent commotion in this capital, 
 terminating in the wholesale destruction of sovereign, 
 lineal successors, minister, &c., has unsettled our 
 relations with the Punjaub, and leaves it, while this 
 volume passes through the press, uncertain what our 
 position will be in the course of a few months. 
 
 Cabul. — The relations with this place — the prin-
 
 00 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 cipal town in AfFghanistan, and generally the seat of 
 government — are as yet undetermined. Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan, so recently prisoner in the British 
 territories, has reason to be friendly to his former 
 custodians ; but until the permanency of his rule is 
 assured, all intercourse with AfFghanistan must re- 
 main in abeyance. 
 
 THE CIVIL SERVICE. 
 
 For a considerable number of years after the 
 East-India Company had acquired large territorial 
 possessions in India, the gentlemen sent out to fill 
 the various civil offices of the government were se- 
 lected without any peculiar references to qualifica- 
 tion, A writership was considered a provision for 
 life, if not a source of large ultimate fortune ; for if 
 the salary was not liberal, the opportunities of gain, 
 by means of trade and other less honourable proceed- 
 ings, were numerous ; while a knowledge of languages 
 and of official business would, it was considered, be 
 acquired in due course of time. The evil working of 
 this loose system, however, at all times partially 
 obvious, was the more apparent as the demand for 
 talent augmented, and rigid integrity and an inde- 
 pendence of native connection became a sine qua non 
 of good government. It was then that the Company 
 began to devise plans of home education, for parties 
 aspiring to serve them in the civil departments 
 abroad. Character, connections, and a certain stock 
 of knowledge, were declared the essential concomi-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 89 
 
 tants of a writership, though merely preparative to 
 other qualifications, of which the candidate was to 
 possess himself in India. This declaration was a 
 material step towards the improvement of the ser- 
 vice; but it was not until the year 1809, when the 
 college of Haileybury, in Hertford, was founded, 
 that the education of the future civilian resolved 
 itself into a system, the adherence to which has since 
 been uniform. With the rare exceptions of young 
 men who have earned much distinction at some of 
 the great public schools or colleges, and who are 
 honoured with presentations of Indian appointments 
 by Presidents of the Board of Control, or Chairmen 
 of the Direction, who are more anxious to promote 
 individual merit than to dispense their patronage to 
 friends and family connections, the civil officers in 
 the service of the East-India Company receive in- 
 struction at the Haileybury College, the nomination to 
 which is dependent upon the following regulations 
 and preparatory instructions. 
 
 NOMINATION OF STUDENTS. 
 
 Regulations and Preparatory Instructions. 
 
 No candidate for the college can be nominated 
 thereto until he has completed the sixteenth year of 
 his age. And no person who has been dismissed 
 from the army or navy, or expelled from anyplace of 
 education, will be nominated to the college. 
 
 The parents or guardian of every candidate for the 
 college will be required to address the following let- 
 ter to the nominating Director : — 
 
 Sir : — / beg to assure you, on my honour, that my , to 
 
 whom you have been so good as to give a nomination to the college,
 
 90 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 has not been dismissed from the army or the navy, and that he never 
 has been expelled from anyplace of education. 
 
 I have the honour to be, &fc. 
 
 Candidates for the college must produce the un- 
 dermentioned documents, previously to their being 
 nominated as students : 
 
 An extract from the parish register of their birth 
 or baptism, properly signed by the minister, church- 
 wardens, or elders ; and, in addition thereto, 
 
 A certificate, agreeably to the following form, 
 signed by the parent, guardian, or near relation : 
 
 / do hereby certify, that the foregoing extract from the register of 
 
 baptisms of the parish of , in the county of , contains 
 
 the date of the birth of my , who is the bearer of this, and 
 
 presenfedfor a nomination as a student at the East-India College, by 
 
 -, Esq. : and I do further declare, that I received the said 
 
 presentation for my gratuitously, and that no money or other 
 
 valuable consideration has been or is to be paid, either directly or in- 
 directly, for the same, and that I ivill not pay or cause to be paid, 
 either by myself, by my — , or by the hands of any other person, any 
 pecuniary or valuable consideration whatsoever, to any person or 
 persons who have interested themselves in procuring the said presen- 
 tation for lyiy ^from the Director above mentioned. 
 
 Witness my hand, this day of , 
 
 in the year of our Lord . 
 
 In the event of no parish register existing or to be 
 found, a declaration of such circumstance is to be 
 made before a magistrate to the following effect, viz. 
 
 /, , presented as a student for the East-India College by 
 
 , do declare, that I have caused search to be made for a parish 
 
 register whereby to ascertain my age, but am unable to produce the 
 same, there being none to be found ; and, further, I declare, that from 
 the information of my parents (and other relations), which information 
 
 I verily believe to be true, that I teas born in the parish of , in 
 
 the county of , on , in the year ^— , and that I
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 91 
 
 am not at this time under the age of sixteen, or abot^e twenty-one 
 years. 
 
 Witness my hand, this day of , 
 
 in the year of our Lord . 
 
 The parent, guardian, or near relation, must then 
 add his certificate as to the truth of the declaration, 
 which must be similar to that ordered to be annexed 
 to the extract from the parish register. 
 
 The above-mentioned certificate (and declaration, 
 in cases where a declaration shall be required) are 
 to be annexed to the petition to be written by the 
 candidate, and they are to sign a declaration thereon, 
 that they have read these printed instructions. The 
 same declaration is to be signed by the parent, 
 guardian, or near relation of the candidates respect- 
 ively. 
 
 Candidates will be interrogated in an open com- 
 mittee as to their character, connections, and quali- 
 fications, conformably to the General Court's reso- 
 lution of the 6th July, 1809. The nature of this 
 interrogation may be known on application to the 
 clerk of the college department. And the following 
 rules and regulations are to be observed with respect 
 to the examination of candidates : 
 
 Each candidate shall produce testimonials of good 
 moral conduct, under the hand of the principal or 
 superior authority of the college or public institution 
 in which he may have been educated, or under the 
 hand of the private instructor to whose care he may 
 have been confided ; and the said testimonials shall 
 have reference to his conduct during the two years 
 immediately preceding his presentation for admis- 
 sion.
 
 92 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Each candidate shall be examined in the four 
 gospels of the Greek Testament, and shall not be 
 deemed duly qualified for admission to Haileybury 
 College, unless he be found to possess a competent 
 knowledge thereof; nor unless he be able to render 
 into English some portion of the works of one of 
 the following Greek authors : — Homer, Herodotus, 
 Xenophon, Thucydides, Sophocles, and Euripides ; 
 nor unless he can render into English some portion 
 of the works of one of the following Latin authors : 
 — Livy, Terence, Cicero, Tacitus, Virgil, and Ho- 
 race ; and this part of the examination will include 
 questions in ancient history, geography, and phi- 
 losophy. 
 
 Each candidate shall also be examined in modern 
 history and geography, and in the elements of ma- 
 thematical science, including the common rules of 
 arithmetic, vulgar and decimal fractions, and the 
 first four books of Euclid. He shall also be exa- 
 mined in moral philosophy, and in the evidences of 
 the Christian religion as set forth in the w^orks of 
 Paley. 
 
 It is, however, to be understood, that superior at- 
 tainments in one of the departments of literature or 
 science, comprised in the foregoing plan of examina- 
 tion, shall, at the discretion of the examiners, be 
 considered to compensate for comparative deficiency 
 in other qualifications ; and also that the examina- 
 tion shall be so conducted as to give to each candi- 
 date reasonable time to prepare himself for the said 
 examination. 
 
 A student publicly expelled the college will not 
 be admitted into the Company's civil or military
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 93 
 
 service in India, or into the Company's Military 
 Seminary. 
 
 No person can be appointed a writer in the Com- 
 pany's service whose age is less than eighteen or 
 more than twenty-three years, nor until he shall 
 have resided four terms, at least, in the college, and 
 shall have obtained a certificate, signed by the Prin- 
 cipal, of his having conformed himself to the statutes 
 and regulations of the college. 
 
 On a student's appointment to be a writer, after 
 he has left the college, a legal instrument is to be 
 entered into by some one person (to be approved by 
 the Court of Directors), binding himself to pay the 
 sum of £3,000, as liquidated damages, to the Com- 
 pany, for breach of a covenant to be entered into, 
 that the student's nomination hath not been in any 
 way bought, or sold, or exchanged for any thing con- 
 vertible into a pecuniary benefit. 
 
 The rank of students leaving the college is deter- 
 mined by the certificate of the Principal, which is 
 granted with reference to the industry, proficiency, 
 and general good behaviour of the student. 
 
 Such rank to take effect only in the event of the 
 students proceeding to India within six months after 
 they are so ranked. 
 
 TERMS OF ADMISSION FOR STUDENTS. 
 
 One hundred guineas per annum for each student, 
 a moiety whereof to be paid at the commencement 
 of each term, there being two in the year, besides the 
 expense of books and stationery. 
 
 Students to provide themselves with a table-spoon, 
 tea-spoon, knife and fork, half-a-dozen towels, tea-
 
 94 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 equipage, and a looking-glass ; also, with not less 
 than two pair of sheets, two pillow-cases, and two 
 breakfast-cloths. 
 
 Ten guineas to be paid on leaving college by each 
 student for the use of the philosophical apparatus 
 and library. 
 
 COLLEGE TERMS. 
 
 First commences 19th January, and ends 30th June 1 . 
 Second commences 10th Sept., and ends 15th Dec. J 
 
 The days for receiving petitions at the East-India 
 House from candidates for admission into the college, 
 are the two Wednesdays immediately preceding the 
 10th January and 1st September in each year. 
 
 N.B. 77ie students are to provide themselves with 
 proper academical habits. 
 
 The terms comprise instruction in the classics, 
 mathematics, histoiy, political economy, and law ; 
 and in the Hindee, Hindoostanee, Mahratta, Arabic, 
 Persian, Sanscrit, and Teloogoo languages. Prizes, 
 medals, and other honourable distinctions, are con- 
 ferred on the students at the examinations, especially 
 when they are leaving college to proceed to India. 
 On the arrival of a writer at either of the presidencies, 
 he is allowed a twelvemonth to master one of the 
 languages principally required in the transaction of 
 public business. During this interval he draws 
 the unemployed salary of three hundred rupees per 
 mensem, and a small sum for a moonshee. When 
 the period allotted, or supposed to be allotted, to 
 special Oriental studies has expired, the student pre- 
 sents himself to a local board of examination. If he
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 95 
 
 passes with tolerable credit, he is pronounced quali- 
 fied for the public service, and is at once " attached," 
 in a subordinate capacity, to the establishment of a 
 judge, a collector, or a magistrate, or, in remarkable 
 instances o^ great interest, to the secretariat, customs, 
 or accountant-general's department, at the presidency 
 to which he may be nominated. Should the candi- 
 date, however, fail to obtain a certificate of qualifica- 
 tion from the examiners ; in other words, should he, 
 through natural incapacity or indolence, be unsuc- 
 cessful in displaying the requisite amount of Oriental 
 learning, he is sent back to his studies for six weeks, 
 at the end of which period he must either establish 
 the possession of the requisite qualifications, or 
 he is shipped to England, as a hopeless subject, 
 and deprived of his appointment in the Company's 
 service. 
 
 When we consider the immense extent of the terri- 
 torial dependencies of the East-India Company, and 
 the circumstances of the vast population by which 
 they are occupied, it is not difficult to conjecture that 
 the civil officer who desires to acquire honour for 
 himself and his masters, and to make his native 
 fellow-subjects participate in the blessings of good 
 government, has an awful and an arduous task 
 imposed upon him. He has frequently to exercise 
 authority over a district comprising an area not in- 
 ferior in extent to three or four of the largest pro- 
 vinces in Great Britain (in some instances a space as 
 large as the whole of Ireland has been under the 
 control of one man) ; and as he has only two or three 
 European assistants, and a body of native functiona- 
 ries — on the trustworthiness and activity of which
 
 96 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 latter, by the way, no reliance whatever can be 
 placed — his heavy responsibility and severe labour 
 may be tolerably well understood. It is true that 
 he has his head-quarters at some central station, 
 whither suitors, land-rent payers, applicants for re- 
 dress, kc, repair in crowds ; but the importance of 
 personal investigation into the affairs of a district 
 begets the necessity for locomotion, and as India 
 does not as yet, offer the same facilities for rapidity 
 of movement as Great Britain or the United States, 
 the judge, magistrate, or collector, is compelled 
 periodically to travel dawk into remote, and often 
 unhealthy, parts of the country ; living in tents, and 
 regaling on such fare as the neighbouring villages 
 can supply, or he may have been enabled to trans- 
 port from his permanent domicile. 
 
 But the civil service has its agrtmens as well as 
 its inconveniences. The salaries are large, varying 
 from £500 to £10,000 per annum ; and the furlough 
 allowance and retiring annuity handsome and all 
 sufficient. The leading civihan is the acknowledged 
 head of the society of whatever place he may be sta- 
 tioned at, while the juniors are regarded, as much 
 from their position as their generally superior attain- 
 ments, with deference and respect. The sports and 
 pastimes peculiar to the country (hunting, shooting, 
 racing, &c.) are accessible to him upon a scale of 
 maonificence and affluence unknown to the English 
 sportsman, who ranges the fields with his gun and a 
 brace of pointers, and seeks no nobler game than 
 the partridge or the hare. If he is in the political 
 line, occupying the office of resident at a native court, 
 he holds a position neither less honourable, less re-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 97 
 
 sponsible, nor less associated with the elegancies of 
 life (rendered accessible by his large salary), than a 
 British ambassador on the continent of Europe. In 
 this, and indeed in all the other offices of trust, he ac- 
 quires a fitness for serious avocations elsewhere; and 
 this capacity, supported by the renown he has earned, 
 frequently recommends him for responsible offices 
 upon his return to England.* But of all the advan- 
 tages of the position of the civilian, none are so en- 
 viable as the opportunities afforded him of spreading 
 happiness amongst the thousands of human beings 
 placed under his protection. Through his instru- 
 mentality, the cause of education, and, therefore, of 
 Christian enlightenment, may be advanced — his cha- 
 rities, judiciously dispensed, will save myriads from 
 starvation — and the encouragement he has it in his 
 power to give to the labourer by building bridges, 
 constructing roads, and draining lands, will confer 
 the blessing of employment upon the industriously 
 disposed, while it gives an impulse to the internal 
 commerce of the country, and diffuses health in re- 
 gions of disease. 
 
 A vague allusion has been made above to the fur- 
 lough and retiring advantages of the civil service. 
 A more particular description of them seems called 
 for. At each presidency there are funds to which 
 civilians contribute a per-centage upon their salaries, 
 and other public emoluments, to entitle them to re- 
 tire after twenty-two years' actual service in India, 
 upon an annuity of £1000. Should they be compelled 
 
 * The appointment of Sir C. Metcalfe to the government, succes- 
 sively, of Jamaica and Canada, is one of the best illustrations of the 
 fact.
 
 98 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 by ill-health to quit the service before the expiry 
 of that period, they receive lesser sums, 2501. per 
 annum for more than ten and less than fifteen years' 
 service; £500 for upwards of fifteen years, and less 
 than the full regulated period. And if sickness drives 
 them permanently to England before they have even 
 completed ten years' service, they are paid a donation 
 of £500. After ten years' service, a civilian is allow^ed 
 a furlough to Europe for three years, receiving, 
 during that interval, 500/. per annum — always sup- 
 posing that the number of gentlemen who may 
 avail themselves of the privilege does not exceed a 
 prescribed limit (seventeen annually from Bengal, 
 nine from Madras, six from Bombay); but should he 
 be obliged to seek a restoration to health before the 
 expiry of the specified period, he then receives only 
 £250 per annum, and £200 on account of passage- 
 money. 
 
 In addition to these provisions, all of which, it 
 should be remembered, are accompanied by con- 
 ditions duly set forth in sundry codes of regulations, 
 there are funds which particularly provide for the 
 widows and children of deceased civil functionaries, 
 upon a scale sufficiently liberal to remove all scruples 
 concerning settlements from the minds of hesitating 
 spinsters, in the first instance, and to relieve husbands 
 and fathers from any anxiety upon the subject of 
 their widows and orphans, in the second. 
 
 In conclusion, it may be mentioned, that any civil 
 servant who, on proceeding to England on leave of 
 absence, shall fail to return to India before the ex- 
 piry of five years, is disqualified for further service, 
 unless it be found that such continued absence was
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 99 
 
 the result of sickness or infirmity, or unless his return 
 is sanctioned by a vote or resolution passed at a 
 meeting of the Proprietors of East-India Stock. 
 
 Another circumstance which involves the penalty 
 of dismissal at any period during the service of a 
 civil officer is, the discovery that his appointment 
 in the first instance was obtained by any pecuniary 
 or other corrupt arrangement with the party in whom 
 the presentation lay. The only exception to the 
 penalty is, the free and voluntary disclosure of the 
 transaction when a Director of the Company has 
 been implicated therein. 
 
 THE ARMY. 
 
 It has been contended of late years, by some public 
 writers, that we hold India entirely by the force of 
 opinion ; that is to say, that we are permitted to rule 
 simply because the principles of justice and equity, 
 and a respect for the religious usages of the thousands 
 under our sway, are carried out to the fullest extent 
 compatible with human frailty. On the other hand, it 
 has been argued that our empire is held entirely by the 
 sword ; and our wars, victories, and their political re- 
 sults, have been pointed at as evidence of the sound- 
 ness of the theory. Truth lies, in most cases, between 
 extremes, and there seems little reason to doubt that 
 such is its proper position in the present instance. 
 The highest opinion that might be entertained of our 
 character as governors, would of itself, we apprehend, 
 avail but little in the retention of the country against 
 the schemes of disaffected or designing men, if it 
 were not backed by a well-organized and judiciously- 
 distributed physical force. If there were no descend- 
 F 2
 
 100 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ants of the countless chieftains who once held pos- 
 session of the country, eager, upon any pretext 
 supported by opportunity, to assert fanciful claims 
 to territory or to privileges ; if there were no frontier 
 foes, whose incursions it were necessary to resist or 
 prevent, as much for the sake of the peace and 
 happiness of the people as for the maintenance of 
 British supremacy; there would still be evil powers 
 within the heart of the empire against whose ma- 
 chinations the greatest amount of political integrity 
 could not successfully contend. The Hindoo and 
 the Mussulman are priest-ridden; the Hindoo and 
 the Mussulman are alike avaricious. What elements 
 more potent than priestcraft and avarice to excite a 
 populace to rebellion ? While the Zemindar's disin- 
 clination to pay his rent ignited the spark of insur- 
 rection, on the one hand, there would not be wanting 
 the ambition and the self-interest of the Brahmin, 
 and the savage religious fervour of the Moollah, to 
 fan the flame, upon the other. The sword, there- 
 fore, is an indispensable agent in the retention of 
 India ; and it is a happy thing for the populace of 
 that empire, that the mercy and humanity which dis- 
 tinguish the administration of the civil government 
 attemper the steel by which the sedition of the dis- 
 affected and the incursion of the foreign foe are in- 
 variably chastised. 
 
 A rough statement has been given above of the 
 strength of the armies of the several presidencies. 
 A more precise estimate is essential in a work of this 
 description. 
 
 The Indian Army — the most remarkable pheno- 
 menon in the history of the world, since conquerors
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 101 
 
 thought of making the vanquished the means of their 
 own perpetual subjugation — consists, in round num- 
 bers, of two hundred and fifty thousand men, of all 
 arms, thus divided : — 
 
 Regiments in her Majesty's service, lent to the East-India 
 Company, infantry and light dragoons, comprising 
 
 (men and officers) 20,000 
 
 Bengal Presidency — 
 
 Three brigades of horse artillery ,. 1,100 
 
 Seven battalions of foot ditto .. .. .. .. 2,250 
 
 Ten regiments of native cavalry .. .. .. .. 5,150 
 
 Two regiments of European infantry .. .. .. 1,900 
 
 Seventy-four regiments of native infantry (sepoys) .. 88,600 
 
 Sappers and miners, and engineer officers , . . . 890 
 
 Surgeons .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 120 
 
 Assistant surgeons . . . . . . . . . . 230 
 
 Veterinary surgeons .. .. .. .. .. 18 
 
 Native doctors . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 
 
 Ordnance and commissariat warrant officers . . . . 46 
 
 Madras — 
 
 One brigade of horse artillery . . . . . . . . 400 
 
 Four battalions of foot ditto . . . . . . . . 1 ,420 
 
 Eight regiments of native cavalry .. .. .. 4,160 
 
 Two regiments of European infantry .. ,. ,. 1,800 
 
 Fifty-two regiments of native ditto .. .. .. 44,200 
 
 Engineers and sappers . . . . . . . . . . 500 
 
 Surgeons . . . . . . . . . . . , , . 73 
 
 Assistant surgeons .. .. .. .. .. 160 
 
 Veterinary surgeons .. .. .. .. .. 10 
 
 Bombay — 
 
 One brigade of horse artillery . . . . . . . . 400 
 
 Two battalions of foot ditto . , . . .. . . 750 
 
 Three regiments of native cavalry .. .. .. 1,500 
 
 Two regiments of European infantry .. ., ., 1,800 
 
 Twenty-six regiments of native ditto . . . . . . 30,000 
 
 Engineers and sappers . . . . . . . . . . 400
 
 102 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Surgeons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 
 
 Assistant Surgeons .. .. .. .. .. 105 
 
 Veterinary ditto . . . . . . . . . . 6 
 
 The remainder of the army consists of irregular and 
 local corps, body guards, militia, &c., officered from 
 the line, and amounting to some forty thousand men. 
 There is a considerable body, also, of invalids and 
 veterans, but as they cannot, in fairness, be included 
 in the physical strength of the government, there is 
 no necessity for taking particular account of them. 
 
 Out of the two hundred and fifty thousand men 
 who compose the East-India Company's troops in 
 India, not more than four thousand eight hundred 
 and thirty are European officers ; and of this num- 
 ber at least seven hundred are generally absent on 
 furlough, and a great many are on the staff, or in 
 charge of local corps, or otherwise employed. The 
 proportion of regimental effective officers is therefore 
 extremely small ; and although they are aided in 
 the ordinary routine duties of a garrison by the 
 native commissioned officers, and experience little 
 trouble in managing the happy and tractable sepoy 
 in cantonments, their numerical deficiency has ex- 
 posed armies to serious risks in the field, where the 
 example of European intrepidity has been of the last 
 consequence in rallying native troops at a critical 
 juncture. In the very last pitched battle fought in 
 India, it was remarked by the commander of the 
 forces engaged (Sir C. Napier), that the fall of a 
 European officer was invariably the signal for sepoy- 
 faltering, and that if others had not been at hand to 
 at once supply the place of the stricken leaders, the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 103 
 
 action must have had a different and far less glorious 
 termination. 
 
 The emoluments of the officers of the Indian Army 
 doing regimental duty are accurately set forth in the 
 annexed table : —
 
 104 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
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 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
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 106 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Situations on the general staff, to which officers 
 are ehgible after four years of actual service in 
 India, and a passage through the ordeal of an ex- 
 amination in one of the native languages, are hand- 
 somely endowed, the salaries varying from two 
 thousand to forty thousand rupees (£4,000) per an- 
 num ; the incumbent, however, in some cases re- 
 linquishing a proportion of his regimental emolu- 
 ments. In former times, and especially upon the 
 settlement of a newly-conquered country, military 
 men were frequently selected to fill the important 
 civil offices of revenue collectors, magistrates, super- 
 intendents of police, political agents, &c., but the very 
 natural jealousy of the civil servants, and the de- 
 mand for the professional services of soldiers, caused 
 the selection to be discontinued as a system. The 
 government, however, still finds it necessary to avail 
 itself of the aid of military officers in the civil branch, 
 more particularly in the departments of police, in 
 tracts of country recently evacuated by regular 
 troops. But apart from these offices, the staff pro- 
 vides honourable and lucrative employment in a 
 variety of ways. The departments of the adjutant, 
 auditor, quartermaster, surveyor, paymaster, judge- 
 advocate, and commissary general ; the offices of 
 brigade-major, aide-de-camp, barrackmaster, secre- 
 tary to the military board, clothing agent, superin- 
 tendent of studs, &c., are all filled by officers with- 
 drawn from regimental duty ; and it is very rare 
 (excepting in instances of field service, when every 
 officer is required to join his corps), that the appoint- 
 ment passes from the hands of the fortunate pos- 
 sessor until his promotion to exalted regimental rank
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 107 
 
 disqualifies him for a subordinate occupation on the 
 staff. 
 
 To narrate the achievements of the army of India, 
 from the hour when mere handfuls garrisoned the 
 factories on the Coromandel coast two centuries 
 ago, down to the time when China humbled herself 
 to the British crown and Sinde became a part of 
 our dominions, were to fill volumes historically de- 
 scriptive of the rise and progress of the British 
 empire in the East. The task must therefore be 
 abandoned, that our available space may be devoted 
 to the more immediate purpose of representing things 
 as they are. It is sufficient to record, that the army 
 has attained, with the gradual augmentation of its 
 strength, the highest point of military discipline and 
 efficiency ; that the sepoy has uniformly, and under 
 the most trying circumstances, proved faithful to 
 his salt ; and that never, even when assailed by count- 
 less numbers of foes at various points, has the 
 British flag been tarnished, excepting when treachery 
 conspired with inclemency of cHmate to render a re- 
 tiring force helpless, and therefore an easy prey to 
 the murderous assaults of masses of savage, deter- 
 mined, and rapacious enemies. 
 
 For the guidance of all candidates for military 
 service in India, under the auspices of the East-India 
 Company, we here transcribe such rules and regula- 
 tions as may at once aid them in obtaining admis- 
 sion into the army, and of acquiring a knowledge of 
 some of the conditions and advantages of their 
 future profession. It should be premised, that for 
 the infantry and cavalry branches of the service, 
 education at the Military College is not indispensable,
 
 108 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 though it is very advantageous ; while, for the artil- 
 lery and engineers, it is a condition of the presenta- 
 tion of a cadetship that the candidate should have 
 gone through a regular course of instruction at Ad- 
 discombe. 
 
 {By a Resolution of the Court of Directors of the 
 \Qth January, 1828, all Cadets at the Military 
 Seminary, and all subsequent nominations thereto, 
 are deemed for general Service until brought for- 
 ward for public examination.). 
 
 TERMS OF ADMISSION. 
 
 Conditions and Qualifications for a Candidate. 
 
 1. No candidate can be admitted under the age of 
 fourteen, or above the age of eighteen years. 
 
 2. Every candidate must produce a certificate of 
 his birth taken from the parish register, and signed 
 by the minister, and countersigned by the church- 
 wardens ; or, if born in Scotland, by the sessions' 
 clerk and two elders, accompanied by a declaration 
 from his father, mother, or nearest of kin, the forms 
 of which may be had in the military department. 
 In the event of there being no register of his birth or 
 baptism, the candidate will be furnished with the 
 form of a declaration to be taken by him previously 
 to his being appointed. 
 
 3. No candidate will be admitted without a certi- 
 ficate that he has had the small-pox, or has been 
 vaccinated ; nor without a certificate, in the pre- 
 scribed form, to be given by two practising surgeons, 
 that he has no mental or bodily defect whatever to 
 disqualify him for military service.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 109 
 
 4. Every candidate must produce a certificate of 
 good conduct from the master under whom he has 
 last studied. 
 
 5. Every candidate must deliver the names and 
 addresses of two persons residing in London, or its 
 vicinity, who engage to receive him if he shall be dis- 
 missed from the seminary, or removed from sickness 
 or any other cause. 
 
 6. It is an indispensable qualification that the 
 candidate write a good legible hand. He will be 
 required to write down a sentence from dictation by 
 the head master ; and if he should be found deficient 
 in his handwriting, or in his orthography, his recep- 
 tion into the institution will be deferred for such 
 length of time as the head master shall report to be 
 necessary. 
 
 7. No candidate will be admitted who cannot read 
 and construe Caesar's Commentaries, and who is not 
 expert in vulgar and decimal fractions. 
 
 8. Every cadet upon his admission is considered a 
 Probationary/ pupil for the first six months ; at the 
 end of which period the public examiner will be re- 
 quired to report to the military committee, on the 
 probability of the cadet being able to pass for the 
 artillery or infantry in the required period of four 
 Terms. Should this appear improbable, either from 
 want of talent or diligence, the cadet will then be 
 returned to his friends. 
 
 Payments, &c. — 1. The parents or guardians of 
 the gentleman cadet are required to pay 50^. per 
 term* towards defraying the expense of his board, 
 lodging, and education; also an entrance subscription 
 of 21. 2s. to the public library ; which payments in-
 
 110 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 elude every charge except for uniform clothes, books, 
 and pocket-money, as hereafter specified. 
 
 2. Such articles of uniform dress* as may be con- 
 sidered by the military committee to be necessary, 
 shall be provided at the cost of the cadet. The 
 amount of pocket-money issued to him at the rates-l- 
 fixed by the rules of the seminary is also to be de- 
 frayed by his parents or guardians. 
 
 3. The following class-books will be provided at 
 the public expense, the mutilation or destruction of 
 which to be chargeable to the cadets, viz. : 
 
 Hindustani Dictionary 
 Latin do. [nometry 
 
 Woodhouse's Spherical Trigo- 
 
 Inman's Nautical Astronomy 
 Do. Nautical Tables. 
 
 4. The cadets will, on their first joining Addiscombe, 
 be supplied with the following books, the cost of 
 which will be charged to their parents or guardians, 
 viz. : 
 
 Cape's Mathematics 
 Straith's Treatise on Fortifica- 
 tion 
 
 French Grammar 
 
 Do. Dictionary 
 De laVoye's French Instructions 
 
 Hindustani Grammar ! Caesar's Commentaries 
 
 First Vol. Hindoo Selections 1 Jackson's Military Surveying 
 Fielding's Perspective I 
 
 Any books not included in the above enumeration, 
 or which may be hereafter required at the seminary, 
 to be paid for by the cadets. 
 
 * Viz. : Jackets, waistcoats, stocks, foraging-caps, trousers, shoes, 
 gloves, together with a proportionate share of the expense of any other 
 periodical supplies, and the repairs of the same. The average ^cost is 
 ^6. 6s. per term. 
 
 t Viz. : 2s. 6d. a week, with Is. additional to censors, and 2s. 6d. 
 additional to corporals.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. Ill 
 
 5. A cadet entering in a term, at whatever part of 
 it, must pay the regulated sum for the whole term in 
 which he enters, which will count as one of the four 
 terms of his residence ; and no return of any portion 
 of the advance will be made in the event of a cadet's 
 quitting the seminary. 
 
 6. Previous to the cadet's admission, his parents 
 or guardians shall furnish him with the following- 
 articles, viz. : 
 
 Twelve shirts (including three night-shirts), eight 
 pairs of cotton stockings, six pairs of worsted ditto, 
 six towels, six night-caps, eight pocket-handkerchiefs, 
 one pair of white trowsers (to be repaired, or, if ne- 
 cessary, to be renewed by the parents or guardians 
 at the vacation), two combs and a brush, a tooth- 
 brush, a bible and prayer-book, a case of mathe- 
 matical instruments of an approved pattern, to be 
 seen at Messrs. Troughton&: Sims, 136, Fleet-street; 
 Mr. Gilbert, 138, Fenchurch-street ; Messrs. Reeves 
 & Sons, 150, Cheapside; and at Mr. Jones's, 62, 
 Charing Cross. 
 
 7. The payment of the fixed charges for each 
 term is to be made in advance; and the payment 
 for clothes, pocket-money, and books for the pre- 
 ceding term, is to be made previous to the cadet's 
 return to the seminary. 
 
 Prohibition. — The cadet must not join the semi- 
 nary with a greater sum in his possession than one 
 guinea; and a further supply from any of his relations 
 during the term may subject him to dismission from 
 the seminary. 
 
 Vacations. — Midsummer commences about the 
 middle of June, and ends 31st July.
 
 112 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 Christmas commences about the middle of Decem- 
 ber, and ends 3 1st January. 
 
 At the close of every vacation, the cadet must apply 
 at the Cadet Department, Military Office, East-India 
 House, for an order for his re-admission, and all sums 
 then due to the Company must be paid up. This 
 order will express that he is only to be re-admitted 
 upon his returning with the same number of books 
 and instruments which he took home with him, that 
 his linen is put into proper repair, and that he is in a 
 fit state of health to renew his studies. 
 
 Notice to Parents and Guardians. 
 
 The friends of every cadet are hereby informed, 
 that provision being made for furnishing him with 
 every requisite, he cannot really want a supply of 
 money to be placed at his disposal while at the 
 seminary; and if they do, notwithstanding, think 
 proper to furnish him with money, they put it in his 
 power to commit irregularities, which must always 
 retard his studies, and may eventually lead to his 
 removal from the institution. 
 
 The parents and friends are further particularly 
 desired not to attend to any application from the 
 cadet for money, under the pretence of his having 
 incurred any debts at Croydon, or elsewhere, or for 
 the purpose of subscribing to public charities, or any 
 other pretence whatever. 
 
 It having become known that cadets have been in 
 thehabitof writing to their friends for money,underthe 
 pretence that there were so many stoppages from their 
 weekly allowance that they had scarcely any money 
 left, the Committee have ascertained that these stop-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 113 
 
 pages have arisen, not only from wilful and wanton 
 destruction of public property, but in a considerable 
 deoree from the postage of letters, and the carriage 
 of parcels addressed to the cadets. It has in con- 
 sequence been ordered, that no letter or parcel shall be 
 admitted into the seminary unless the postage or car- 
 riage of such letter or parcel shall have been previously 
 fully paid for by the person sending the same. It has 
 also been ordered that every parcel shall be opened 
 in the presence of one of the orderly officers and the 
 cadet to whom it is sent; that should it contain wine, 
 or any thing prohibited by the regulations, the parcel, 
 upon the first offence, will be returned to the person 
 sending the same ; and tliat upon the second offence, 
 the cadet will be ordered home, and will not be re- 
 admitted until a written apology has been sent to 
 the Committee by the person who has committed a 
 breach of this regulation. 
 
 Extract from the Standing Regulations of the Semi- 
 narg, Sec. 1, Clause 1. 
 
 " No professor, master, or other person in the in- 
 stitution, shall receive from the cadet, or the parents 
 or friends of any cadet, any pecuniary present or 
 consideration, on any pretence whatever." 
 
 Extract Resolution of Court of \2th March, 1823, 
 and Military Letter to Bengal, dated 30^A of 
 August, 1826. 
 
 "That all persons nominated in future as cadets, 
 be required, as a condition to their appointment, to 
 subscribe to the military funds of their respective 
 presidencies."
 
 114 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 MEMORANDA. 
 
 The gentlemen cadets educated at the Military Se- 
 minary are eligible for the corps of engineers, artillery, 
 and infantry. Admission to the two first of these 
 branches, viz. the engineers and artillery, is only to 
 be obtained by these cadets, none others being eli- 
 gible. Those who are most distinguished are se- 
 lected for the engineers, according to the vacancies in 
 that branch. Those immediately following in order 
 of succession, are promoted to the corps of horse and 
 foot artillery. 
 
 Those cadets for whom there is no room in the en- 
 gineers, but who are reported to have attained to a 
 high degree of qualification, receive honorary cer- 
 tificates, and their names are announced to the 
 governments in India, and published in general 
 orders to the army, as meriting particular notice. 
 They have the privilege of choosing the presidency 
 in India to which they shall be stationed. The ca- 
 dets not appointed to the engineers or artillery, are, 
 when reported qualified, posted to the infantry, and 
 rank together according to the rank which they 
 obtained at the seminary. 
 
 The gentlemen cadets may pass through the semi- 
 nary as rapidly as their attainments and qualifica- 
 tions will enable them to pass after a year's residence, 
 provided that they are of the age of sixteen years on 
 or before the day of their final examination. Their 
 stay at the institution is limited to four terms. 
 
 The cadets educated at this institution take rank 
 in the army above all other cadets who are appointed 
 from the commencement of three months previously
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 115 
 
 to the date of the seminary-cadets being reported 
 quahfied; and all the time passed Ijy them at the 
 institution after they attain the age of sixteen, counts 
 as so much time passed in India in calculating their 
 period of service for retiring pensions on full pay. 
 
 ASSISTANT-SURGEONS. 
 
 Regulations for their Admission into the Company^s 
 Service. 
 
 Age. — The assistant-surgeon must not be under 
 twenty-two years, in proof of which he must produce 
 an extract from the register of the parish in which 
 he was born, or his own declaration, pursuant to the 
 Act of the 5th and 6th Gulielmi IV., cap. 62, and 
 other certificates, agreeably to forms to be obtained 
 in the office for cadets and assistant-surgeons. 
 
 Qualification in Surgery. — The assistant-sur- 
 geon, upon receiving a nomination, will be furnished 
 with a letter to the Court of Examiners of the Royal 
 College of Surgeons, to be examined in Surgery, and 
 their certificate will be deemed a satisfactory testi- 
 monial of his qualification : but should the assistant- 
 surgeon be previously in possession of a diploma from 
 the Royal College of Surgeons of London, or of the 
 Colleges of Surgeons of Dublin or Edinburgh, or of 
 the College and University of Glasgow, or of the 
 Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, 
 either of them will be deemed satisfactory as to his 
 knowledge of Surgery, without any further examina- 
 tion. 
 
 Qualification in Physic. — The assistant-sur- 
 geon will also be required to pass an examination by
 
 116 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the Company's examining physician in the practice 
 of physic, in which examination will be included as 
 much anatomy and physiology as is necessary for 
 understanding: the causes and treatment of internal 
 diseases, as well as the art of prescribing and com- 
 pounding medicines ; and Dr. Hume will then re- 
 quire liim to produce satisfactory proof of his having 
 attended at least two courses of lectures on the prac- 
 tice of physic; and above all, that he should produce 
 a certificate of having attended diligently the prac- 
 tice of the physicians at some general hospital in 
 London for six months ; or at some general hospital 
 in the country (within the United Kingdom) for six 
 months, provided such provincial hospital contain at 
 least, on an average, one hundred in-patients, and 
 have attached to it a regular establishment of physi- 
 cians as well as surgeons. No attendance on the 
 practice of a physician at any Dispensary will be 
 admitted. 
 
 The assistant-surgeon is also required, as a condi- 
 tion to his appointment, to subscribe to the military 
 or medical and medical retiring fund at his respective 
 presidency. 
 
 The assistant-surgeon is required, by resolution of 
 Court of the 21st of May, 1828, to apply at the 
 cadet-office for his order for embarkation, and ac- 
 tually proceed under such orders within three months 
 from the date of being passed and sworn before the 
 Military Committee ; he will then be furnished with 
 an order to obtain the certificate of his appointment, 
 signed by the secretary, for which he will pay a fee 
 of £5 in the secretary's office.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 117 
 
 CAVALRY OR INFANTRY CADETS. 
 
 Cadets nominated for either of the above corps 
 must be sixteen years of age, and under twenty-two, 
 unless they have held a commission in her Majesty's 
 service for one year, or in the militia or fencibles 
 when embodied and have been called into actual 
 service, or from the company of cadets in the royal 
 regiment of artillery, they are then eligible if not 
 more than twenty-five years of age ; and they must 
 procure similar certificates and vouchers to those 
 prescribed for cadets entering the seminary. 
 
 No person who has been dismissed the army or 
 navy, the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, the 
 Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, or who has 
 been obliged to retire from any public institution for 
 immoral or ungentlemanly conduct, will be appointed 
 a cadet direct for India. 
 
 No person will be appointed a cadet direct for 
 India, without producing to the Military Committee 
 a certificate, signed by two practising surgeons, that 
 he has no mental or bodily defect whatever to dis- 
 qualify him for military service. 
 
 CADETS AND ASSISTANT-SURGEONS. 
 
 At a Court of Directors, held on Friday, the 27th 
 Feb. 1818 — Resolved, that cadets and assistant-sur- 
 geons be in future ranked according to the seniority 
 of the Directors nominating them, from the date of 
 sailing of the several ships from Gravesend, by 
 Lloyd's List ; and that those who may embark at any 
 of the outports be likewise ranked upon the same
 
 118 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 principle from the date of the ship's departure from 
 such outports by Lloyd's List. 
 
 At a Court of Directors held 21st May, 1828 :— 
 Resolved, that all the cavalry and infantry cadets 
 and assistant-surgeons who shall fail to apply at the 
 Cadet Department for their orders for embarkation 
 within three months from the date of their being 
 passed and sworn before the committee, or shall not 
 actually proceed under such orders, be considered as 
 having forfeited their appointments, unless special 
 circumstances shall justify the Court's departure 
 from this regulation. 
 
 By a resolution ofCourtof the 4th Dec. 1833, all 
 direct cadets appointed or sworn in between the 10th 
 March and 10th June, or between 1 0th Sept. and 
 10th Dec. (or the days which may be fixed on for 
 the public examination of the seminary cadets), do 
 rank after the seminary cadets who may pass their 
 said examinations, provided the latter sail for their 
 respective destinations within three months after 
 passing said examinations. 
 
 After five years' absence from India, on leave in 
 the first instance, an officer, below the rank of co- 
 lonel, is removed from the service, unless satisfactory 
 proof be given that such protracted absence has 
 arisen from sickness or infirmity, or some inevitable 
 accident ; and if it be proved at any time, during the 
 service of an officer, that his original appointment 
 was obtained by purchase, or any corrupt pretence 
 whatever, on his own part or that of his friends, his 
 commission is liable to be cancelled, and himself 
 returned to England. A timely disclosure of the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 119 
 
 manner of such corruption is, however, accompanied 
 by a remission of the penalty of indirect participa- 
 tion. 
 
 The following regulations respecting the retire- 
 ment of officers from the service cannot be 
 abridged. 
 
 OFFICERS RETIRING FROM SERVICE. 
 
 Regulations respecting Military and other Officers 
 retiring from the Company's Service. 
 
 Officers who have served less than three years in 
 India, and have lost their health there, are entitled 
 to an allowance from Lord Olive's Fund, if the 
 Court of Directors shall adjudge them to be proper 
 objects of that bounty, to the extent of — 
 
 If a second lieutenant, cornet, or ensign, two shil- 
 lings a day, or £36. \Q)s. a year ; if a lieutenant, two 
 shillings and sixpence a day, or £45. 12s. Qd. a year; 
 provided they are not possessed of, or entitled to, 
 real or personal property, to the extent of, if an en- 
 sign £750, if a lieutenant, £1,000. 
 
 Officers who are compelled to quit the service by 
 wounds received in action, or by ill-health contracted 
 on duty after three years' service in India, are per- 
 mitted to retire on the half pay of their rank, viz. : 
 
 If a second lieutenant, cornet, or ensign, three 
 shillings a day, or £54. 15s. per annum ; if a lieute- 
 nant, four shillings a day, or £73. per annum, 
 
 A subaltern officer, or assistant-surgeon, having 
 served six years in India, is permitted to retire on 
 the half pay of ensign, if his constitution should be 
 so impaired as to prevent the possibility of his con- 
 tinuing in India.
 
 120 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 A lieutenant having served thirteen, or a second 
 lieutenant, cornet, or ensign, nine years in India 
 (including three years for a furlough), may retire on 
 the half j)ay of his rank, in case his health shall 
 not permit him to serve in India. 
 
 Regimental captains, majors, and lieutenant-colo- 
 nels, who have not served sufficiently long in India 
 to entitle them to retire on full pay, and whose ill 
 state of health renders it impossible for them to 
 continue to serve in India, are allowed to retire from 
 the service on the half pay of their respective ranks, 
 viz.: 
 
 Captains, seven shillings a day, or £127. 155. per 
 annum ; major, nine shillings and sixpence a day, or 
 £173. 7s. 6d. per annum; lieutenant-colonel, eleven 
 shillings a-day, or £200. 15s. per annum. 
 
 All officers who have actually served twenty-two 
 years in India, or twenty-five years (including three 
 years for a furlough), are allowed to retire on the full 
 pay of their respective ranks. 
 
 Officers are also allowed to retire on the following 
 pensions without reference to the rank they may 
 have attained, if they have served for the undermen- 
 tioned periods, viz. : 
 
 After twenty-three years' service in India (including 
 three years for a furlough), on the full pay of captain, 
 viz. £191. 12s. 6d. per annum; after twenty-seven 
 years' service in India (including three years for a 
 furlough), on the full pay of major, £292. per annum; 
 after thirty-one years' service in India (including 
 three years for a furlough), on the full pay of a lieu- 
 tenant-colonel, £365. per annum; after thirty-five 
 years' service in India (including three years for a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 121 
 
 furlough), on the full pay of colonel, £456. 5s. per 
 annum. 
 
 Members of the Medical Board, who have been in 
 that station not less than two years, and not less 
 than twenty years in India (including three years for 
 one furlough), are permitted to retire from the 
 service, and allowed £500 per annum ; or, in the 
 event of ill-health, they may retire on that pension, 
 after any period of service as member of the Medical 
 Board. If they have served ^ve years, or are obliged, 
 after three years' service in that station, to retire, 
 from ill-health, they are allowed £700 per annum. 
 
 Superintending surgeons, who have been in that 
 station not less than two years, and whose period of 
 service have been not less than twenty years (includ- 
 ing three years for one furlough), are permitted to 
 retire from the service, and allowed £300 per annum ; 
 or in the event of ill-health, they may retire on that 
 pension, after any period of service as superintend- 
 ing surgeon. If they have served five years, or are 
 obliged, after three years' service in that station, to 
 retire, from ill-health, they are allowed £365 per 
 annum. 
 
 All other surgeons and assistant-surgeons attached 
 to the military are permitted to retire from the 
 service on the pay of their rank, after having served 
 in India not less than twenty years (including three 
 years for one furlough). 
 
 When officers on furlough retire upon the pay or 
 half pay of their rank, they are only entitled to claim 
 the benefit of the rank held by them at the expira- 
 tion of one year from the date of their landing in the 
 United Kingdom.
 
 122 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 A veterinary surgeon is allowed to retire on seven 
 shillings a day after twenty years' service (including 
 three years for one furlough); five shillings and six- 
 pence a day after thirteen years' service (including 
 three years for one furlough) ; and three shillings 
 a day after six years' service, in the two last cases, 
 provided his health shall not permit him to continue 
 to serve in India. 
 
 A chaplain (appointed previously to the 1st of 
 September, 1836), after eighteen years' service in 
 India, including three years for one furlough, is al- 
 lowed to retire on the pay of lieutenant-colonel, 
 £365 per annum ; after ten years (if compelled by 
 ill-health to quit the service), on the half pay of 
 lieutenant-colonel, £200. I5s. per annum; after 
 seven years, on the half pay of major, £173. 7s. 6d. 
 per annum. 
 
 If appointed subsequently to that date, according 
 to the following scale, viz. after eighteen years' 
 service (including three years for one furlough), the 
 pay of major, viz. £292 per annum; after ten 
 years' service (if compelled by ill-health to quit the 
 service), on the half pay of major, viz. £173. 7s. 6d. 
 per annum ; after seven years, the half pay of cap- 
 tain, viz. £127. 15s. per annum. 
 
 A commissary or deputy commissary of ordnance, 
 not being a commissioned officer, is allowed to retire 
 on full pay, if he has served twenty-seven years in In- 
 dia, of which twelve must have been in the ordnance 
 department ; twenty-five years, fourteen of which in 
 that department; or twenty-two years, seventeen 
 years of which in the ordnance department. 
 
 A conductor of stores is allowed to retire on £60
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 123 
 
 per annum, after twenty-five years' actual service in 
 India. 
 
 Officers retiring from the service will be considered 
 to have retired from the date of their application for 
 leave to retire ; or from the expiration of two years 
 and a half from their quitting India, whichever shall 
 happen first. 
 
 FURLOUGH REGULATIONS. 
 
 Officers (of whatever rank) must be ten years in 
 India before they can be entitled (except in case of 
 certified sickness, and as hereafter specified) to their 
 rotation to be absent on furlough ; and the same rule 
 is applicable to assistant-surgeons and veterinazy 
 surgeons. The furlough to be granted by the com- 
 mander-in-chief at each presidency, with the appro- 
 bation of the respective governments. 
 
 Officers who have not served ten years in India, 
 but whose presence in England is required by urgent 
 private affairs, may be allowed a furlough for one 
 year, without pay. 
 
 A chaplain (appointed previously to the 1st Sept. 
 1836), after seven years' residence in India, is allowed 
 to come home on furlough and receive the pay of 
 major, £292 per annum. Should he come home, 
 from sickness, prior to this period of service, he is 
 allowed the pay of captain only, viz. £191. 125. 6d. 
 per annum. 
 
 If appointed subsequently to that date, after seven 
 years' residence in India, the pay of captain, viz. 
 £191. 12s. per annum ; and if compelled by ill-health 
 to come home prior to this period of service, the 
 half pay of captain, or £127. 15s. per annum. 
 G 2
 
 124 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 A conductor of stores is allowed furlough pay only 
 in case of coming home from sickness. 
 
 Officers coming to England on furlough, are re- 
 quired immediately to report their arrival by letter to 
 the secretary, stating the name of the ship in which 
 they came, and their address, forwarding, at the 
 same time, the certificates they received in India. 
 
 The period of furlough is three years, reckoning 
 from its date to the day of the return of the officer to 
 his presidency. 
 
 Officers are required to join the establishment to 
 which they belong at the expiration of the three 
 years' furlough, unless they shall have obtained an 
 extension of leave from the court, six months before 
 the expiration of that period. No furlough will be 
 extended, except in cases of sickness, certified in the 
 manner hereafter mentioned ; or in cases, in which 
 it shall be proved to the court that a further resi- 
 dence in Europe is indispensably necessary. 
 
 All officers finding it necessary to solicit a further 
 leave of absence on account of sickness, must, if resi- 
 dent in London or its vicinity, appear before the 
 Company's examining physician. Dr. J. R. Hume, 9, 
 Curzon-street, who will report to the Court of Di- 
 rectors his opinion on the state of such officer's 
 health. And if resident in the country, in any part 
 of the United Kingdom, they must transmit, with 
 their letter of application for such leave, a certificate 
 according to the following form, signed by at least two 
 gentlemen, eminent in the medical profession, viz. : — 
 
 / hereby certify, that I have carefully examined (state the nature 
 of the case as well as the name of the party) , and I declare, upon my 
 honour, that, according to the lest of my judgment and belief,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 125 
 
 is at present unfit for military duty, and that it 
 
 is absolutely necessary, for the recovery of his health, that he should 
 remain at least longer in this country. 
 
 Also, previously to such extension of furlough being 
 granted, such further proof sliall be adduced by per- 
 sonal examination, or by such other evidence as shall 
 be deemed satisfactory. 
 
 Officers abroad in any part of Europe, applying to 
 remain a further time from their duty on account of 
 sickness, are to furnish a certificate of two eminent 
 physicians, in the above form, with the attestation of 
 a magistrate, that the persons who signed the certi- 
 ficate are physicians. 
 
 Officers having obtained an extension of furlough 
 to a given period, must, at its expiration, apply for 
 permission, either to return to their duty or to reside 
 a further time in England. 
 
 No officer who has failed to obtain an extension of 
 furlough, will be considered eligible to return to the 
 service after five years' absence, under the Act of 33 
 Geo. III. cap. 52, sect. 70. 
 
 Every officer upon leaving India will receive a 
 printed copy of the general order on this subject, 
 pubhshed agreeably to the court's instruction, and 
 the plea of ignorance of the regulations will not be 
 admitted as any justification of the breach of them ; 
 officers therefore, who shall come home on furlough 
 and who shall not in due time apply, so as to effect 
 their return to the presidency to which they belong 
 within the period of three years from the commence- 
 ment of their furlough, will subject themselves to the 
 loss of the service, unless they shall be permitted by 
 the court to remain a further time in Europe.
 
 126 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 No officer on furlough can receive pay for more 
 than two years and a half from the period of his 
 quitting India until he returns, excepting colonels of 
 regiments, and those of the rank of lieutenant- 
 colonel regimentally, when promoted to that of 
 major-general ; the latter are then allowed to draw 
 the pay of their brevet rank beyond the above 
 period. 
 
 OFFICERS RETURNING TO INDIA. 
 
 Regulations as to the Charge of Recruits. 
 
 Whenever a detachment of Company's recruits, to 
 the extent of thirty men, shall be embarked on any 
 one ship, they be placed in charge of the senior 
 Company's officer, not exceeding the rank of a field 
 officer, who shall have obtained permission to return 
 to his duty on the ship, within at least seven days of 
 the period fixed for embarkation : — That the officer 
 proceed with the men from the depot; that, as a 
 remuneration for this service, he be granted the 
 passage-money of his rank, payable to the com- 
 mander of the ship. 
 
 LORD CLIVe's fund. 
 
 Regulations for the Admission of Pensioners. 
 
 Every petitioning officer and soldier must produce 
 a certificate from his commanding; officer of his beino- 
 an invalid, and rendered incapable of further service 
 in India, together with an approbation of such cer- 
 tificate by the governor and council of the presidency 
 where he shall have served. 
 
 Every commissioned officer must previously make 
 oath before the governor and council, viz. : A colonel,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 127 
 
 that he is not possessed of, or entitled to, real and 
 personal property to the value of £4,000. A lieut.- 
 colonel, £3,000. A major, £2,500. A captain, 
 £2,000. A lieutenant, £1,000. An ensign, £750. 
 Officers'' widows must produce proof, on affidavit, 
 that their husbands did not die possessed of pro- 
 perty as above. 
 
 Petitioners residing in England maybe admitted if 
 the Court shall adjudge them to be proper objects. 
 
 All commissioned, staff, or warrant officers, to have 
 half the ordinary pay they enjoyed whilst in service, 
 viz. 
 
 Colonels . . 
 
 Lieut, cols, and mem. med. board 
 
 Majors, senior chaplains, and sup. surgeons 
 
 Captains, chaplains, and surgeons 
 
 Lieutenants, and assistant surgeons 
 
 Ensigns . . 
 
 Conductors of ordnance . . 
 
 Their widows one-half the above, to continue 
 during their widowhood. 
 
 Serjeants of artillery to have ninepence per day, 
 and those that have lost a limb one shilling per day. 
 Gunners of the artillery sixpence per day, and those 
 that have lost a hmb ninepence per day. 
 
 All other non-commissioned officers and bom- 
 badiers to have fourpence three farthings per day. 
 
 Officers and privates to be entitled from the 
 period of their landing in England. 
 
 Pensioners neglecting to claim the pension for 
 three half years will be considered as dead ; and no 
 arrears for a largier period than two years back from 
 the date of application for admission or re-admission, 
 
 Per ann 
 
 
 Per day. 
 
 ^228 2 
 
 6 or 12s. 6d. 
 
 182 10 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 136 17 
 
 
 
 7 6 
 
 91 5 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 45 12 
 
 6 
 
 2 6 
 
 36 10 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 36 10 
 
 
 
 2
 
 128 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 as the case may be, will be allowed either to claim- 
 ants or to pensioners after admission. 
 
 The foregoing comprise the advantages conferred 
 by the Government upon their officers when un- 
 fitted temporarily or permanently for effective ser- 
 vice. The provisions, however, were manifestly so 
 insufficient, that several years ago, the officers of the 
 different armies formed military, medical, and retir- 
 ing: funds of their own, contributing certain dona- 
 tions and monthly subscriptions, in view to benefits 
 in the form of passage money, furlough allowance, 
 equipment, pensions to families, &c. All these 
 have worked well, excepting in the case of the retir- 
 ing funds, which have for the most part failed, in con- 
 sequence of the difficulty of reconciling the jarring 
 interests of officers placed in different circumstances. 
 But even the failure of the retiring funds as a 
 system, has, in a measure, been modified by the per- 
 mission accorded to officers to receive from their 
 regimental brethren a sum of money in considera- 
 tion of retirement from the service, and consequent 
 acceleration of regimental promotion. 
 
 INDIAN NAVY AND MARINE DEPARTMENT. 
 About half a century ago, when the Coromandel 
 and Malabar coasts were visited by pirates and 
 French privateers, and the trade between the Persian 
 and Arabian Gulfs and India was interrupted by 
 rovers who hoisted the black signal of the profes- 
 sional freebooter, or the scarcely less suspicious 
 blood-red flag of the ostensible Arab trader, the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 129 
 
 East-India Company kept np a flotilla of gun-brigs. 
 They were called, for the most part, cruisers; and 
 their officers and crew composed a body, then known 
 by the name of The Bomhay Marine. The men 
 were, for the most part, drawn from the merchant- 
 vessels in the harbour — the officers were sent out by 
 the Court of Directors as midshipmen, whence they 
 rose by gradation to the rank of captains. 
 
 The history of our trade in India, and of our po- 
 litical occupation of the country, presents many bril- 
 liant proofs of the skill and prowess of the Bombay 
 Marine, whether in conflict with hordes of desperate 
 pirates, or in more organized operations, in conjunc- 
 tion with other sea and land forces, against the 
 strong holds of enemies on the shores of India, 
 Persia, or Burmah. But there is no question that 
 the state of discipline on board those cruisers was 
 low ; the rank of the officers, relatively with that of 
 the members of other warlike professions, was unde- 
 termined ; the pay and allowances were insignificant; 
 and altogether there was a deficiency of that pride 
 and self-respect, without which no service can ac- 
 quire the esteem of the rest of civilized mankind, or 
 advance its own consequence amongst contemporary 
 professions. To remedy this state of things, an 
 effort was made, and with complete success, during 
 his late Majesty William the Fourth's occupancy 
 of the office of Lord High Admiral, to exalt the 
 character of the marine by giving it the title of 
 The Indian Navy, and honouring it with the control 
 of an experienced officer of the British navy. In all 
 respects — uniform, emoluments, rank — it was placed 
 upon a just level with the royal service; and although 
 g3
 
 130 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 this salutary change came at a time when maritime 
 war in the East had ceased, and steam had begun to 
 facihtate the communication of the eastern with the 
 western world, and therefore to demand of the naval 
 officer science and moral courage, in addition to, if 
 not in substitution of, prowess, there is no doubt that 
 the service very largely benefited by the experiment. 
 
 The Indian navy now consists of 150 officers, of 
 whom six are captains, twelve commanders, forty- 
 eight lieutenants, and the remainder mates, midship- 
 men, and pursers. The staff-officers, and the situa- 
 tion of superintendent, are filled, at the pleasure of 
 the home government, by experienced members of the 
 British navy, or retired officers of the famous mercan- 
 tile marine of the East-India Company of Merchants. 
 The fleet, officered and commanded by the Indian 
 navy, amounts to forty vessels, of which more than 
 one-half are armed steamers variously employed 
 in keeping up the communication between India 
 and China, India, the Red Sea, and the Persian 
 Gulf, China and the Red Sea, Bombay and Sinde, 
 and in the navigation of the Indus. The remainder 
 of the vessels are sailing-sloops, brigs, and schooners, 
 employed on surveys, or in the protection of trade 
 in the western gulfs and the Straits of Malacca. 
 Great and important service has been rendered in 
 the survey department by officers of the Indian navy, 
 amongst the most illustrious of whom stand the 
 names of Captain Lloyd and Captain Moresby ; to 
 the former, the merchant-service is indebted for some 
 invaluable charts of the dangerous approaches to the 
 shores of Bengal, and of the intricacies of the mighty 
 Ganges; while to the former belongs the honour of
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 131 
 
 having ascertained and proclaimed the full extent of 
 the perils of the Red Sea, the Maldives, and the 
 Malabar Coast, and rendered that plain sailing 
 which had previously been avoided as difficult and 
 hazardous navigation. 
 
 The pay and allow^ances of the Indian navy, and 
 the rules vv^hich regulate their furloughs, retirement, 
 &c., are subjoined. 
 
 Table of Salaries to Officers in the Indian Navy and Marine 
 Department, under the Presidency of Bombay. 
 
 Appointment. 
 
 Salaries. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Superintendent 
 Assistant Superintendent 
 Master Attendant 
 1st Assistant do. 
 2nd do. do. 
 3rd do. do. 
 
 Pilot, Senior . . 
 
 Do. 2nd Class, each . . 
 
 Do. 3rd and 4th do. each 
 
 Store Receiver and Accountant 
 
 Inspector 
 
 Master Builder 
 
 2nd do 
 
 1st Assistant .. 
 2nd do. 
 
 3rd do 
 
 Asst. Scy. Milty. Board (Ma 
 
 rine Branch} . . 
 Draughtsmen . . 
 Indian Naval Storekeeper 
 Assistant Storekeeper 
 Signal Officer at Light House 
 Sup. of Dockyard SteamEngine 
 Assistant ditto . . 
 Surgeon Indian Navy . . 
 Commodore at Surat . . 
 
 Commodore in Persian Gulf. 
 
 Persian Interpreter to do. 
 Commodore's Clerk . . 
 Superintendent of Pattemars . 
 
 Rs. 
 
 2500 
 450 
 
 1250 
 600 
 570 
 400 
 
 200 
 120 
 108 
 
 380 
 250 
 800 
 680 
 130 
 110 
 75 
 
 a. p. 
 
 In addition to the net pay of his rank. 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 650 
 
 300 
 1285 
 330 
 120 
 200 
 100 
 467 
 1390 
 
 TThe pilots residing in the Fort are al 
 
 J lowed, in addition, Rs. 80 per month 
 N house-rent, and those at Colaba, 
 
 I Rs. 50 per month, if not occcupying 
 
 l_ public quarters. 
 In addition to the pay of purser, Rs.l20 
 
 
 
 12 11 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Includes an allowance of Rs. 80 as 
 [Draughtsman of the Dockyard 
 
 Inclusive of naval pay and allowances. 
 
 Draws in addition to net pay of purser, 
 [Rs. 120 
 
 Rs. 4 per day, in addition to the pay of an 
 [invalid Lieut. 
 
 Includes Rs. 90 house-rent, 
 and Rs. 20 palankeen al- 
 lowance. 
 
 Pay 
 
 Table allowance . . 
 
 House-rent 
 
 Pay 
 
 Table allowance . . 
 
 Rs. 900 
 
 400 
 
 90 
 
 900 
 400 
 
 1390! 
 
 200 In addition to the net pay of his rank. 
 90 
 60
 
 132 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Table of Pay to Officers of the Indian Navy. 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 Rank. 
 
 Amount. 
 
 WHEN EMPLOYED AFLOAT. 
 
 Rs. 
 
 a. 
 
 p. WHEN EMPLOYED AFLOAT. 
 
 Rr. 
 
 a. p. 
 
 Captain, 1st rate') 
 Uo. 2nd do. j 
 
 A. 
 
 900 
 
 
 
 „ Assist. Surgeon in charge") 
 I of ship . . . . / 
 
 :jo6 
 
 10 
 
 Com. 3rd do. ■» 
 Do. 4th do. j 
 
 . B.{ 
 
 800 
 
 
 
 Servants' wages 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 600 
 
 
 
 Do. when unemployed 
 
 20(3 
 
 10 
 
 Do. 5th do. 
 
 
 400 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lieut. 1st fifteen 
 
 
 175 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 145 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pursers, 2nd rate 
 
 
 2-0 
 
 
 
 " WHEN UNEMPLOYED. 
 
 
 
 Do. 3rd do. 
 
 
 250 
 
 
 
 Captain 
 
 400 
 
 
 
 Clerk in charpe, pay 
 
 . Us. 50 
 
 
 
 
 Commander 
 
 300 
 
 
 
 Allowance 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 
 Senior Lieut, first fifteen on \ 
 the list .. .. J 
 
 150 
 
 
 
 
 
 100* 
 
 
 
 Mates . . 
 
 C. 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 
 
 .lunior ditto 
 
 120 
 
 
 
 Midshipmen 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pursers . . 
 
 120 
 
 
 
 Captain's Clerks 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 « 
 
 Midshipmen 1 50 
 
 
 
 Iron Steamers. 
 
 Indus Flotilla. 
 Commander 
 t Lieut. 
 
 t Assistant Surgeon . . 
 t Purser 
 
 First-class Vessels. 
 Acting Master 
 Second . . 
 
 Rs. 
 
 a. 
 
 p- 
 
 600 
 
 
 
 
 
 145 
 
 
 
 
 
 306 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 250 
 
 
 
 
 
 250 
 
 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 
 
 Second-class Vessels. 
 Acting Master 
 Second . . 
 
 Third-class Vessels. 
 
 Acting Master 
 Second . . 
 
 Rs a. p 
 
 225 
 100 
 
 200 
 100 
 
 Note. — OflScers sick on shore allowed house-rent as follows: 
 Lieut, and Purser . . . . . . 90 I Rs. 3 per day. 
 
 Midshipmen . . . . . . . . 60 | 2 do. 
 
 A. If emploved on shore .. .. . . Rs. 600. 
 
 B. Ditto ' 422. 
 
 C. In addition to the net pay of their rank. 
 * With additional half batta. 
 
 t In addition to full batta. 
 
 Regulations respecting Retirement and Furloughs in 
 the Indian Navy. 
 
 RETIREMENT. 
 
 Every officer who has actually served twenty-two 
 years or upwards in India is permitted to retire from 
 the service with the following pay : — 
 
 The master-attendant and the commodore, after having served five 
 years in either of those capacities, .£"450 ; a captain ^£'360 ; commander 
 £290 ; lieutenant ^£190; purser £190.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 133 
 
 Every officer retiring from ill-health, after ten 
 years' service, and before they have completed that 
 of twenty-two years, is granted the following retiring 
 allowance : — 
 
 A captain £200; commander £170; lieutenant £125; second 
 lieutenant £70 ; purser £125. 
 
 FURLOUGHS. 
 
 A certain proportion of the officers (to be deter- 
 mined by the government, with a due regard to the 
 exigencies of the service), are allowed to come home 
 on furlough for three years, with the pay only of 
 their rank. 
 
 No officer under the rank of captain, who has not 
 actually served ten years, can be permitted to come 
 home on furlough, unless in cases of ill-health, under 
 the like certificates as required from military officers. 
 
 If the commodore is permitted to come home on 
 furlough, he is to be allowed the pay of a captain 
 only. Half the remainder of his allowance to be 
 drawn by the senior captain in the service, who is to 
 act as commodore during his absence, in addition to 
 the pay of his rank as senior captain. 
 
 The regulations for drawing pay on furlough and 
 retirement by the officers are, as far as circumstances 
 will admit, the same as those for the military 
 officers. 
 
 The remainder of the maritime establishment of 
 the East-India Company consists of a body of 
 pilots employed to navigate the Hooghly, a master 
 attendant's establishment at Calcutta, and another 
 at Madras (with subordinates on the coasts), whose
 
 134 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 business it is to preserve beacons and landmarks for 
 navigators, assist vessels in distress, regulate trans- 
 ports in government service, control the pilots, &c.; 
 and a few steam-vessels which ply between China, 
 Arracan, Moulmein, the Malacca Straits, Madras, 
 and Calcutta, for the occasional rapid conveyance of 
 packets, treasure, stores, troops, or great state 
 officers. 
 
 THE PROTESTANT ECCLESIASTICAL ESTABLISHMENT. 
 As good morals are essential ingredients in 
 good government, and a well-endowed, active, and 
 pious body of Christian ministers necessary to the 
 maintenance and encouragement of sound morality, 
 the ecclesiastical establishment of British India is 
 properly regarded as one of the most important arms 
 and instruments of the executive. The principle of 
 protection to the Protestant church, so long recog- 
 nized by the government of Great Britain as indis- 
 pensable to the common weal, is therefore carried 
 out in India to the fullest possible extent. While 
 the British legislature limits itself to the preserva- 
 tion of Protestantism in the person of the sovereign, 
 the endowment of Protestant institutions, the selec- 
 tion of members of the Protestant persuasion to fill 
 great public offices, and the enforcement of taxes for 
 the partial support of the church, the government 
 of India builds churches at its own expense, and takes 
 upon itself the entire support of the English and 
 Scotch (established) clergy. Three bishops, as many 
 archdeacons, and upwards of one hundred Pro-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 135 
 
 testant chaplains, are spread over British India ; and 
 their several incomes, varying from £600 to £2,000 
 per annum (the Bishop of Calcutta receiving as much 
 as £4,000 per annum), are paid monthly from the 
 state coffers. The chaplains generally receive their 
 appointments at the hands of the Court of Directors 
 in England, but it is within the competency of the 
 Bishop of Calcutta to admit to holy orders young 
 men vv^ho have studied at the college on the banks of 
 the Hooghly, founded by Bishop Middleton in 1820, 
 and to nominate them to share in the duties which 
 devolve on the chaplains generally. The number 
 who have been thus admitted is, however, small, as 
 the college scarcely supplies enough to fulfil its own 
 original purpose, namely, the propagation of the 
 gospel among the heathen by means of mission- 
 aries. 
 
 The duties of the British clergy in India are by 
 no means light: excepting at the chief towns of 
 Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, and the great mili- 
 tary cantonments of Cawnpore, Meerut, Secundera- 
 bad, and Bangalore, but one chaplain officiates at 
 each station ; on him, consequently, devolves not 
 merely the performance of all the parts of divine 
 service, but the ceremonies of baptism, marriage, and 
 burial ; the duties of visiting the hospital and the 
 chamber of the sick man at places very remote 
 from head- quarters ; the superintendence of schools 
 and charitable institutions ; the assisting missionaries 
 of the Church of England in the translation and dif- 
 fusion of the Scriptures (but this is not a compulsory 
 duty) ; and generally affording co-operation in every
 
 136 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 description of good work within his spliere. These 
 combined offices severely tax the time of the 
 Christian minister, leaving him but little space for 
 reflection or recreation ; but it does not appear that 
 temperate and systematic men sink under the ac- 
 cumulation, even in so fierce a climate as that of 
 India ; and there is this comfort in store for the 
 district clergyman — that every vacancy in the senior 
 ranks places him higher on the list, and brings him 
 nearer to the enviable possession of a chaplaincy at 
 the presidency, with comparative leisure, and a 
 harvest of marriage, burial, and christening fees. 
 
 The regulations for the admission of chaplains 
 into the service of the East-India Company, are as 
 follow : — 
 
 Candidates for appointments as assistant-chap- 
 lains must have been two years in orders, and must 
 not exceed forty years of age; and at the time of 
 appointment are required to produce their letters of 
 orders, deacon, and priest, as well as testimonial, 
 signed by three beneficed clergymen, and a medical 
 certificate ; the appointments are made subject to the 
 approval of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the 
 Bishop of London. 
 
 Chaplains are required to enter into covenant, and 
 to give a bond for £oOO, jointly with two sureties for 
 the due fulfilment of the same. 
 
 Under the deed of covenant, chaplains are re- 
 quired to subscribe to the Military Fund at the 
 presidency to which they may be attached. 
 
 Chaplains must proceed to their destination within 
 six months from the date of the Court's resolution
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 137 
 
 by which they were nominated ; and in failure there- 
 of, without leave obtained from the Court, their ap- 
 pointments will lapse. 
 
 The salary of an assistant-chaplain, which position 
 is generally retained for about seven years, does not 
 exceed £600 per annum ; and for the first year 
 several deductions are made on account of donations 
 and subscriptions to certain funds from which he, or 
 his surviving family, should he die prematurely, will 
 ultimately derive particular benefit. After eighteen 
 years' service, including three years for one furlough, 
 a chaplain is permitted to retire upon the pay of a 
 major, viz. £292 per annum ; after ten years' ser- 
 vice (if compelled by ill-health to quit the service), 
 on the half pay of major, viz. £173. Is. 6d. per an- 
 num ; and after seven years, the half pay of captain, 
 viz. £127. 155. per annum. When a chaplain has 
 served seven years, he is allowed a furlough to 
 England, receiving during such absence the pay 
 of captain, viz. £191. 125. per annum; and if 
 compelled by ill-health to return to England 
 before he has served seven years, he receives 
 the half pay of captain, or £127. 155. per annum. 
 The Military Funds allow to subscribers a sum for 
 their passage money and equipment, if they are not 
 in a position to incur expenses on these accounts 
 from their own purses, or entitled to draw upon the 
 government treasury ; and to the widow of a chap- 
 lain, who is not in possession of a certain specified 
 sum, they allow passage money, and a pension, vary- 
 ing according to the presidency to which the chap- 
 lain may have belonged, from £120 to £205. 6s. 3d. 
 per annum.
 
 138 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 LAWS, POLICE, THE PRESS. 
 
 While a body of experienced lawyers and well- 
 informed civil servants are engaged in the prepara- 
 tion of a code of laws applicable to India, and pend- 
 ing the completion of their labours, procure, from 
 time to time, the passage of enactments, which pro- 
 vide for temporary difficulties, we must consider the 
 system of judicial administration in our Eastern pos- 
 sessions as in a partial state of transition. Enough 
 of the intentions of the law commissioners has, how- 
 ever, been shadowed forth, to warrant the impres- 
 sion that the great framework of the laws will be 
 left intact ; that the system of jurisprudence now 
 extant will only be modified to suit the improved 
 state of society, and that simplification will super- 
 sede the complexity which at present obtains. 
 
 The laws which prevail at this moment in India 
 are based upon the Mahomedan code, excepting 
 at the three presidencies, and the islands of Penang 
 and Ceylon, where, within certain narrow limits, the 
 British laws are administered upon precisely the 
 same principles, and regulated by the same statutes, 
 as govern our courts in England. Much of the an- 
 cient Hindoo law having reference to questions of 
 title, inheritance, succession, marriage, adoption, and 
 caste, has entered into the Mahomedan system, but 
 no separate and well-defined Hindoo code has exist- 
 ed from the date of the consolidation of the Moslem 
 power. But two distinct systems of laws are there- 
 fore current throughout the length and breadth of 
 British India.
 
 THE HAND-ROOK OF INDIA. 139 
 
 The Supreme, or Queen's Courts, at the three 
 presidencies and the islands, consist each of three 
 judges,* selected by ministers from the practising 
 barristers in Enoland. The selection has often been 
 eminently judicious. Sir William Jones, Sir James 
 Mackintosh, Sir Francis Macnaghten, Sir Edward 
 Hyde East, and Sir Charles Grey, have acquired a 
 reputation which has not died with the termination 
 of their services in the East. The advocates of the 
 courts consist of men who, having been called to 
 the bar in England, are induced, by the hope of 
 realizing an independence, to transport themselves to 
 India. They are, for the most part, men of average 
 capacity ; but there have been instances of great 
 talent adorning the courts, especially that of Calcutta; 
 and it is to the honour of the profession that when 
 public questions have arisen, in which the govern- 
 ment and the governed were antagonistic, the Bar 
 have almost invariably been found ranged on the 
 weaker side, employing their eloquence and their 
 energy to baffle oppression, and wring from the 
 executive the concession of great privileges. To the 
 brilliant exertions of Messrs. Turton, Dickens, and 
 Longueville Clarke, of the Calcutta bar, the Indian 
 community are indebted for effective resistance to an 
 iniquitous stamp act, for the liberty of the press, 
 for the free ingress of intelligent and independent 
 Europeans ; and, in point of fact, for very many ad- 
 vantages, unconnected with the laws, which have 
 
 * There are but two judges at present sitting in the Bombay Court, 
 and as no disposition has for some time past been shewn by the home 
 authorities to appoint a third, it is supposed that the number will 
 henceforth be permanently limited to two.
 
 140 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 inspired the natives with a greater degree of self-re- 
 spect, and rendered EngUshmen as secure of their 
 birthrights in India as they are in their native land. 
 The attorneys, like the barristers, have, for the most 
 part, received their education and served their ap- 
 prenticeship in London ; but of late years a good 
 many have been admitted who began as articled 
 clerks in local offices ; and it must be confessed, 
 that if they are deficient in the higher qualities 
 which distinguish a solicitor, their familiarity with 
 the character and language of the natives gives them 
 advantages which their competitors are many years 
 in acquiring. 
 
 The extent of the jurisdiction of the Supreme 
 Courts is not so exactly defined as to silence all dis- 
 cussion upon the point, but, generally speaking, their 
 respective charters have settled their powers as to 
 the nature of the law they are at liberty to adminis- 
 ter. These are extensive. Every case, which in 
 London would be heard either in the Court of 
 Queen's Bench or Common Pleas, Admiralty or Ec- 
 clesiastical Courts, Courts of Chancery, Exchequer, 
 or Insolvency, comes under the cognizance of the 
 Supreme Courts in India, and from their decision 
 there is no appeal but to the Queen in Council. How 
 far the extension of English law to every part of the 
 Indian empire would be satisfactory to the natives, is 
 a question we are not called upon to discuss in these 
 pages; but it is right to say, that wherever it pre- 
 vails, it is regarded, both in its principles and its 
 operation, as a security and a blessing. Unlike the 
 judges of the Company's courts, the administrators 
 of the law in the Queen's courts are totally inde-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 141 
 
 pendent of the local government. Brute force might, 
 in extreme cases, be opposed to the execution of 
 their decrees ; but their offices cannot be taken from 
 them, on the one hand, as a punishment for the stern 
 and upright execution of their duty ; nor, on the 
 other hand, could they be tempted by any thing the 
 highest authorities have it in their power to bestow, 
 to deviate from the straight path chalked out to 
 them by the dictates of conscience and the obligation 
 of their oath. 
 
 The Company's judicial establishments in the in- 
 terior of Hindostan consist of a great number of 
 courts, of various degrees of power and responsibility. 
 At each presidency are Supreme Native Courts, con- 
 sisting of four judges each, chosen from the most 
 experienced officers in the judicial line. At the 
 principal stations are courts of circuit ; in every 
 zillah, or district, and in each great and populous 
 city, there is a single judge. Besides these, there are 
 assistant judges, registers of zillahs, who hold courts; 
 and many native petty judges, under the appellations 
 of sudder ameens and moonsiffs, the former terra sig- 
 nifying " chief arbitrator," and the latter " a justice," 
 or one who distributes justice. From the inferior 
 courts lie appeals to the courts of circuit, and from 
 the courts of circuit to the presidency courts, in all 
 civil causes of any considerable amount, in questions 
 of real property, and even in personal actions involv- 
 ing a certain sum of money ; and from the courts of 
 circuit references are necessary to the superior tribu- 
 nal, in criminal convictions involving life or trans- 
 portation. The Mahomedan law (as we have said 
 above), modified by innumerable regulations, rules.
 
 142 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and ordinances, passed by the government from time 
 to time, is the law of all these courts ; and if it were 
 possible to carry out its provisions to the letter, the 
 people would have less ground for the complaint that 
 justice, as administered therein, exists merely in 
 name. But the obstacles to a correct administration 
 of the law are immense. The ignorance of the native 
 pleaders; the corruption of the omlah, or native 
 officers of the courts; the prevalence of perjury 
 among all classes of native witnesses ; the impossi- 
 bility of checking oppression in the execution of 
 decrees; the consumption of justice in the progres- 
 sive system of appeal from the lowest upwards, which 
 holds out a temptation to litigation by multiplying 
 the chances of success ; the imperfect knowledge 
 possessed by the Anglo-Indian judges of the multi- 
 tude of dialects, and of the customs, manners, and 
 ideas of the natives — constitute so many serious im- 
 pediments to the healthy course of law, that justice, 
 to use the words of an enlightened writer upon the 
 subject, becomes a " perfect caput mortuum, not worth 
 the having." 
 
 The causes which chiefly engage the attention of 
 the judicial officers in India arise out of failure to 
 pay revenue, disputed succession or inheritance, 
 breach of contract, debt, and trespass. The crimes 
 they have principally to try are larceny, robbery on 
 the highway, burglary, murder, forgery, piracy, and 
 perjury. The punishments which they are compe- 
 tent to inflict are death, imprisonment, labour on the 
 roads, transportation to the Straits of Malacca, and 
 confiscation of property. Juries, composed of Eu- 
 ropeans, Eurasians, and educated natives, are empan-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 143 
 
 nelled to try criminal causes only in the presidency 
 Queen's courts; but the institution is unknown in 
 the interior, excepting in the form of a jninchayat, or 
 jury of five individuals, who are occasionally called 
 in to aid the judge, as assessors, in cases of doubt 
 and difficulty. 
 
 The police in India is probably the worst preven- 
 tive or detective establishment of any in the world. 
 The activity and zeal of magistrates and superinten- 
 dents are almost entirely neutralized by the apathy, 
 cowardice, and corruption of the posse comitatus. 
 The force is sufficiently large, consisting, as it does, 
 of thousands of thannadars, chokeedars, burkun- 
 dauzes, pykes, &c. &c., with all the grades of rank 
 and pay that can stimulate activity and preserve dis- 
 cipline, and armed well enough to encounter any 
 number of brigands, and suppress any popular muti- 
 nies ; but the inherent defects in the native character, 
 minimize the utihty of the officers, and render them, 
 in many parts of the country, more of a curse than a 
 blessing to the myriads of the poorer orders. Bound 
 by the ties of caste, apprehensive of the vengeance 
 of a culprit's relatives, greedy of the douceurs which 
 can be wrung from an offender, or a reluctant wit- 
 ness, unmindful of truth, constitutionally indolent, 
 and secure, by distance, from the immediate surveil- 
 lance of their superiors, they volunteer no steps that 
 militate against their individual interests, and execute 
 no imposed duty with independence, integrity, or 
 alacrity. Thus, the difficulty experienced by the 
 judges in administering the law is materially en- 
 hanced, and the people pay a heavy tax for the 
 maintenance of an institution with which, under pre-
 
 144 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 sent circumstances, they could, with rare exceptions, 
 most easily dispense. But one remedy for this state 
 of things appears to exist, and that is, the employ- 
 ment of some hundreds of Europeans as inspectors 
 and superintendents of police in all the districts. 
 Well-disciplined and intelligent soldiers would be 
 the fittest persons for this description of office, which 
 would, at the same time, be a reward for good con- 
 duct, and a motive for the enlistment of young men 
 from the respectable classes now struggling for exist- 
 ence in England. At the presidencies there are a 
 few European constables and bailiffs, and their great 
 efficiency supplies an unanswerable argument in 
 favour of the extension of such description of control 
 to every town and populous village in the country. 
 
 So much of the improvement that has taken place, 
 and is still on the advance, in the administration of 
 the law in India, is ascribable to the newspaper dis- 
 cussions, that a notice of the Indian press may not 
 be inaptly introduced in the present section. 
 
 THE INDIAN PRESS. 
 
 The first English newspaper published in India, 
 made its appearance in Bengal on the 29th January, 
 1780. It assumed and long enjoyed a latitude of dis- 
 cussion scarcely paralleled by any part of the English 
 press at the present day. This, however, the Govern- 
 ment found it necessary to check, and a censorship 
 was established, supported by penalties, which con- 
 tinued in operation for nearly thirty years. The go-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 145 
 
 verning party, who, for a long time, were almost the 
 only European party in the state, dreaded lest the 
 communication of too much information* might 
 place a weapon in the hands of their active foes, the 
 struggling princes and their French allies, which 
 might be turned to the disadvantage of British 
 interest. The progress of conquest, however, and 
 the complete annihilation of all European power in 
 India, save that which the English possessed, dimi- 
 nished the fears arising from the general diffusion of 
 news. Accordingly, in or about the year 1816, the 
 propriety of freeing the press became the subject of 
 frequent debate. But the executive opposed any 
 alteration upon totally new grounds. It was now 
 pretended that our dominion mainly rested upon the 
 respect in which the government was held, and that 
 that respect, according to the authorities of the time, 
 could only be maintained by adding a tender regard 
 for the infirmities of public men to the pompous dis- 
 plays which the revenues were employed to keep up. 
 Regulations were therefore made, protecting from 
 public comment the acts of bishops, judges, governors, 
 commanders-in-chief, and numerous other function- 
 aries ; and by way of extending the shield of protec- 
 tion over the whole fry of employes, a clause was in- 
 geniously introduced by some governments pro- 
 hibiting all discussions which were calculated to 
 
 * Before the parliamentary committee which sat on Mr. Bucking- 
 ham's claim to compensation for the sacrifice of his newspaper pro- 
 perty by the Indian Government, curious evidence was given of the 
 nature of the orders issued to the conductors of papers from time to 
 time during the war with Tippoo Sultaun. Even the announcement 
 of the arrival and departure of ships at the Indian ports was at one 
 time prohibited. 
 
 H
 
 146 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 interfere with the harmony of society ! — a compre- 
 hensive term, the purport of which was not misunder- 
 stood. Under the operation of these restrictions, 
 the press of India was for a long time a mere re- 
 ceptacle for advertisements, innocent extracts from 
 Enghsh papers (in which police reports and trials 
 for crim. con. enjoyed a marked preference over po- 
 litical disquisitions), shipping arrivals, details of 
 hoWs, fetes, and reviews, criticisms on amateur thea- 
 tricals, the government gazettes, and occasional letters 
 deprecating some small local nuisance. About the 
 year 1820, however, the papers began to wear a new 
 aspect. The legitimate purposes of a public press 
 were first asserted, it is believed, by Mr. Bucking- 
 ham ; and influenced by his example — though not 
 approaching him in boldness of tone — the Calcutta 
 press began to question the wisdom of some of the 
 acts of government, and the immaculacy of sundry of 
 its favoured officers. The sensation occasioned by 
 this sudden assumption of moral and political power, 
 in a community of whom passive obedience to orders 
 and tacit submission to laws were from habit and 
 necessity the chief characteristics, may be imagined. 
 The Europeans, all at once reminded that freedom 
 of opinion was an inalienable birthright, hailed Mr. 
 Buckingham as a deliverer ; and in the ecstasy of 
 their delioht at beino; liberated from the shackles 
 which bound their tongues and pens, they forgot 
 that there was scarcely one amongst them who might 
 not sooner or later feel the inconvenience of too 
 much publicity. Not quite so regardless of the con- 
 sequences of this bold emancipation were the elderly 
 gentlemen who held responsible offices under the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 147 
 
 government. To them, the operation of the freedom 
 of the press presented itself in its most fearful colours, 
 and they immediately apphed the whole weight of 
 their personal and official influence to a counterac- 
 tion of the assaults of this formidable hydra. But 
 the Marquis of Hastings, then governor-general, had 
 publicly declared that a good government had nothing 
 to fear from the light; — he avowed that he courted 
 or dared investigation into his public acts ; and thus, 
 while his bearing gave no countenance to the anxious 
 endeavours of the bureaucracie and staff by which he 
 was surrounded, it animated with fresh courage the 
 spirited Buckingham and his now numerous and 
 intrepid adherents. 
 
 Mr. Buckingham, and the fate of his efforts to 
 assert the freedom of the press of India, have been 
 so often before the public, that it is needless to re- 
 capitulate them here. Suffice to say, that, after two 
 or three years of unexampled success as a journalist, 
 a timid locum tenens of the reins of government de- 
 ported him to England, and for a time checked the 
 adolescent press. But the darkness that followed was 
 not of long duration. Lord Amherst allowed the 
 editors of his day a tolerable latitude of expression. 
 Lord William Bentinck, his successor, permitted 
 them during his seven years' administration to say 
 or publish any thing they pleased, and declared that 
 he considered the press a valuable adjunct of the go- 
 vernment ; yet, with singular inconsistency and little- 
 ness, to the last moment of his rule he clung with 
 unaccountable tenacity to his power of " coming 
 down upon the press." Sir Charles Metcalfe, who 
 temporarily succeeded Lord William, at once and 
 H 2
 
 148 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 sansfacon freed the press ; Lord Auckland, the suc- 
 ceeding governor-g-eneral, not only recognized the 
 act of his predecessor (though the court of directors 
 gave him, it is said, power to annul it), but, in a 
 variety of ways, promoted its prosperty and enhanced 
 its utiUty. Lord Ellenborough's merit is negative ; 
 he does not aid the press, but he does not venture to 
 curb it. 
 
 Of the character of the Indian press, it is not 
 easy to speak in unqualified terms of satisfaction. 
 Unlike the press of other free countries, it is the 
 organ, not of the people, but of the executive and 
 (with slight exceptions) the handful of Europeans 
 scattered throughout India as merchants, trades- 
 people, lawyers, and indigo planters. Nor can it 
 well be otherwise, if the object of its conductors be 
 to increase rather than to destroy their capital. 
 Readers must be looked for amongst the intelligent 
 few — not the masses of millions to whom even their 
 own written language is a sealed book : and the 
 " intelhgent few," who betake themselves to India 
 either to make fortunes, or to eat that bread which 
 the difficulty of obtaining employment denies them 
 in England, care little, generally speaking, for the 
 interests of the country at large. It hence becomes 
 the unavoidable policy of the editorial fraternity to 
 render their columns subservient to the welfare and 
 amusement of the army, the civil service, and the 
 other classes of Europeans ; and if they do occa- 
 sionally discuss the merits of those acts of govern- 
 ment which are intended for the good of the empire 
 at large, it is not because they expect thereby ma- 
 terially to serve the thousands of tax-payers, but
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 149 
 
 because it is becoming in a public journalist at least 
 to make an effort to acquire an influence over the 
 councils of the rulers, and to appear to be alive to 
 their proceedings. A press to be powerful must 
 have a large and enlightened public at its back — or 
 (for whether it leads or follows the community is still 
 a question) it must be the representative of thoughts 
 and wishes which can ultimately ensure their own 
 realization by some constitutional — or, we had almost 
 written, brute — power. The Indian press has nothing 
 of this. It rests for support chiefly on the services 
 and the handful of Englishmen above referred to ; 
 and in proportion as it brings their interests pro- 
 minently before the government, and promotes a dis- 
 cussion of their views, its proprietors are rewarded in 
 their outlay of capital. 
 
 Notwithstanding, however, the necessity, which 
 we have thus pointed out, of the Indian press con- 
 forming to the tastes of the great majority of its 
 readers, the European inhabitants of India, it would 
 be unjust not to admit that it has done good service 
 to the natives. It is, perhaps, impossible for an 
 Englishman not to sympathize with the oppressed, 
 and our Indian editors have not only constantly 
 opened their papers to complaints of oppression from 
 all quartei's, but have also, almost uniformly, strongly 
 advocated the cause of the sufferer. In this they 
 have occasionally been misled by false statements, 
 and have, perhaps, let their indignation overrun their 
 discretion ; but in general they have exercised a suffi- 
 cient caution in receiving statements which affect 
 those in power, and a sufficient boldness in publish- 
 ing and commenting upon them, when authenticated.
 
 150 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 They have thus been of some service, in checking 
 abuses of authority, and exposing misconduct which 
 might never have reached the ear of government. 
 Their utiHty in this respect will, however, receive a 
 vast increase, when the English language is more 
 generally understood, and the people consequently 
 become able to comprehend the ready method of 
 making known their complaints which the press 
 affords them. 
 
 Having thus sketched the history and character of 
 the Calcutta press, it may be as well to present a 
 detail of its circulation, and furnish some idea of its 
 cost, profits, &c. 
 
 There are three daily papers now published in Cal- 
 cutta, the Englishman, the Hurkaru, or Messenger, 
 and the Star ; and one of these, the Hurkaru, is- 
 sues a smaller edition three times a week, under the 
 designation of the India Gazette, once a separate 
 and independent daily paper. The weekly papers 
 are six in number, viz. the Bengal Herald, the 
 Eastern Star, the Planter's Journal, the Church 
 Magazine, the Christian Advocate, and the Catholic 
 Herald. Besides these, there is a paper entitled 
 the Friend of India, published at the neighbouring 
 settlement of Serampore, but Calcutta is too glad to 
 class that journal among her own offspring, for it 
 more completely fulfils the true purposes of a press 
 than any other published in India. It ministers to 
 no interests but the interests of religion, humanity, 
 and good government. 
 
 The Madras press boasts of no daily papers. The 
 journals are published once, twice, or thrice a week. 
 They are seven or eight in number; but the Athe-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 151 
 
 nceum, the Spectator, United Service Gazette, Exa- 
 miner, and the Evening Mail, are the only ones that 
 deserve mention. At Bombay two papers are pub- 
 lished half-weekly — the Times and the Courier, and 
 one daily — the Gentleman's Gazette. A paper is 
 published at Delhi, and another at Agra (both twice 
 a week) ; while Penang, Ceylon, Singapore, Malacca, 
 and Moulmein, all have their hebdomadals. 
 
 It is difficult to compute the exact circulation of 
 all these papers, for the tendency to exaggeration on 
 the part of proprietors is as rife in India as in Eng- 
 land ; but it may be safely asserted, that the num- 
 ber of subscribers of the daiUes, weeklies, &c., com- 
 bined, does not exceed 10,000, of whom eleven or 
 twelve hundred take the Calcutta Englishman, and 
 twelve or thirteen hundred the Friend of India, and 
 about the same number the Bomhay Times.* 
 
 The character of these papers, with the excep- 
 tion of the three or four professedly in the interests 
 of religion, is pretty much the same. The editors 
 are for the most part educated and independent gen- 
 tlemen, who, having no interests but the cause of 
 truth, and the welfare and entertainment of society 
 to promote, and being perfectly unconnected with 
 the government, freely express their sentiments upon 
 every public question that may arise. The contents 
 and order of arrangement of the papers are tolerably 
 uniform. One-fourth, or rather more, of each jour- 
 nal is appropriated to advertisements ; these are 
 followed by local correspondence, extracts from con- 
 temporary publications, the government general 
 
 * Assuming that each paper circulates among five persons, there are 
 50,000 readers in India.
 
 152 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 orders announcing appointments, promotions, &:c., 
 acts of the legislative council, &c. Next we have 
 two or three columns devoted to editorial lucubra- 
 tions upon the topics of the day; and these are suc- 
 ceeded by items of Indian news, or news from China, 
 the Cape of Good Hope, New South Wales, Mauri- 
 tius, &c., winding up with copious extracts from the 
 English papers. Indeed, such is the avidity with 
 which the Indian exile devours intellio;ence from his 
 native country, that when an overland packet arrives 
 from England, the editors find it their best policy to 
 exclude almost every thing for two or three days, in 
 order to make room for abundant selections. The 
 public appetite, however, is soon satiated, and the 
 dailies then fall into the old track.* 
 
 The monthly publications in the City of Palaces 
 are seventeen in number, three of which are partial 
 reprints from the daily papers, for transmission to 
 England by the overland mail. The others are de- 
 voted to science, Christianity, commerce, and the 
 coups d'essai of unfledged scribblers, hot from the Cal- 
 cutta schools and colleges. There are, moreover, 
 an Army List, a Sporting Magazine, and a Journal 
 of Natural History, published quarterly, and half a 
 
 * As an instance of the necessity for supplying instantaneously the de- 
 mand of the public for English news, it may be mentioned that papers 
 are now printed in London, embracing the whole of the news for a 
 month, and despatched by hundreds, via Bombay, to the address of the 
 country subscribers to the principal Indian papers, and to a large num- 
 ber of persons who do not separately receive the latter. Of these Lon- 
 don papers, the Monthly Times, well conducted by Mr. John Black- 
 burn, is deservedly at the head. The agents of the proprietary, Messrs. 
 James Barber & Co. , present it gratis to all subscribers to the separate 
 agency of the latter firm.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 153 
 
 dozen Guides, Souvenirs, and Directories, issued 
 annually. There are thus six-and-thirty periodicals, 
 of all denominations, published in Calcutta in the 
 English language. At Madras and Bombay there 
 are only two or three monthlies, chiefly scientific and 
 religious. 
 
 There are several presses in India which limit 
 themselves, almost exclusively, to the printing of 
 books, pamphlets, &c. ; and as they are chiefly di- 
 rected by experienced Englishmen, they seldom turn 
 out works inferior in their typography, paper, &c., 
 to the best offspring of the London publishers. Of 
 these establishments the Bishop's College Press, at 
 Calcutta, unquestionably stands at the head. It 
 was originally set up for the purpose of reprinting 
 the Holy Scriptures in the native languages, and 
 other works tending to the enlightenment and con- 
 version of the Hindoos ; but as these did not occupy 
 the entire time of the printers, an extension of its 
 business was suggested, and it now prints books and 
 periodicals, provided their tendency be not immoral. 
 
 The native papers constitute a remarkable feature 
 of the Calcutta press. They owe their origin to Mr. 
 Marshman, the son of the celebrated Dr. Marshman, 
 who, some twenty or thirty years ago, started the 
 Sumachar Durpun, a weekly paper, in the vernacular 
 language. The large support which it immediately 
 received from the natives led to its publication in 
 the Bengalee and English languages (each alternate 
 column being a translation of its neighbour) ; and in 
 the year 1837, the proprietor was encouraged to put 
 it forth three times a week. But in the meanwhile 
 other native papers had started into existence. Some 
 h3
 
 154 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 attacks upon the Hindoos, in the columns of the 
 Durjmn, originated the Cowmoody, of which the late 
 Rajah Rammohun Roy was one of the editors. It 
 defended the Hindoos, while it endeavoured to in- 
 struct them. But the Rajah was not sufficiently 
 orthodox for his colleagues : he soon began to oppose 
 himself to some of the rites and ceremonies of the 
 Hindoo religion, which, if not actually enjoined by 
 the shasters, or sacred books, had been hallowed by 
 custom. Amongst other usages, he assailed the 
 suttee, or self-immolation of widows upon the fune- 
 real pile. This led to the withdrawal of one of the 
 staunchest oi\i\Bcollahorateurs,v!\\o immediately esta- 
 blished a third paper, the Chundrika, having for its 
 object that pure conservatism which resists the pro- 
 gress of intelligence, and maintains the worst ab- 
 surdities and most odious tyrannies in all their time- 
 honoured integrity. The Coiomoody expired on the 
 departure of Rammohun Roy for England. The im- 
 pulse, however, had been given to the native press, and a 
 multitude of journals were consequently soon ushered 
 into existence, some of them originating with the 
 ex-students of the Hindoo college, who had been 
 imbued with rather extravagant notions of political 
 freedom ; and others springing from the orthodox 
 party, or from sycophants who had learnt that some- 
 thing was to be gained by publicly chanting the 
 praises of sundry rajahs ; or from libellers who panted 
 for a channel of vituperation ; or from the necessi- 
 tous, who found, in the circulation of a paper, the 
 means of subsistence and the opportunity of literary 
 distinction. About twenty papers, which sprung 
 into existence under such auspices, have since ex-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 155 
 
 pired, after a brief and unsatisfactory career. Eight 
 only are now before the pubhc, circulating, weekly, 
 about 2000 copies altogether. This is, indeed, 
 but a very small drop of civilization in the vast 
 ocean of ignorance and superstition, but it is idle 
 to suppose that it is altogether without its bene- 
 ficial effects. From the extreme parsimony of the 
 natives, it may be conjectured that all these papers 
 are subscribed for by clubs, and that, consequently, 
 the 2000 copies have, on an average, 20,000 
 readers. To inoculate this number with habits of 
 reflection, to draw their attention to higher objects 
 than the accumulation of money, the indulgence in 
 sensual pleasures, or the study of the superstitions 
 and ceremonials of a misguiding religion, is some- 
 thing gained to the cause of humanity. The charac- 
 ter of the native press, setting aside the heats and 
 personalities of controversy, is creditable to its con- 
 ductors. There is an evident anxiety on the part of 
 each journalist to render service to the cause of good 
 government. The honest, and active, and philan- 
 thropic civil functionary receives his due meed of 
 praise, while the iniquities of the unjust steward, and 
 his crowd of corrupt omlah,* are boldly exposed and 
 animadverted upon in the strongest terms permitted 
 by the law of libel. That more of the purposes of a 
 press are not fulfilled by the native editors, is owing 
 principally to the poverty of the young men who 
 have embarked in the journalists' profession. There 
 can be no doubt, however, that, in process of time, the 
 wealthier classes will become alive to the great im- 
 
 * The native officers of the courts of law and revenue.
 
 156 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 portance of supporting the press ; and we shall find 
 large capitalists yielding the means of establishing 
 correspondence with all the districts in India, of 
 translating large proportions of the best English 
 journals for transference to the columns of the native 
 papers, and of maintaining the integrity and inde- 
 pendence of the editors. 
 
 There are a considerable number of native presses 
 extant, which are limited to the printing of almanacs, 
 books, catalogues, handbills, &c. Of these no par- 
 ticular account is necessary. 
 
 There are also several lithographic presses, one of 
 which belongs to the government, and is used to 
 multiply copies of official correspondence, maps, &:c. 
 The others are private property, and are kept in con- 
 stant employ ; but we are not aware that they have 
 hitherto yielded their proprietors good returns. 
 
 The native papers at Madras and Bombay are 
 very few in number and insignificant in circulation 
 and influence. 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR THE OUTWARD VOYAGE IN A 
 SAILING VESSEL, VIA THE CAPE. 
 
 As a person unacquainted with Indian shipping, 
 that is to say, with the vessels which habitually sail 
 between England and India, will have considerable 
 difficulty in making a good selection, and may, more- 
 over, be too much occupied with bidding farewell to 
 friends, to be able to spare time for the superintend- 
 ence of all the details connected with the embarka-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 157 
 
 tion of baggage, fitting-up a cabin, &c., it is advisable 
 that he should at once betake himself, either to 
 Messrs. James Barber & Co., the East-India agents ; 
 or to Messrs. Grindlay & Co., and enter himself as a 
 subscriber to their agency ; or to any of the agents 
 whose address is at the end of this volume. This 
 proceeding will save him a world of trouble. Cap- 
 tain James Barber, the head of the first-named house, 
 has had large experience of the Indian trade, and is 
 personally acquainted, not only with the qualities of 
 each desirable vessel, but with the characters, tempers, 
 and savoir faire of their respective commanders. We 
 would, however, earnestly recommend passengers de- 
 sirous of quiet and comfort, to give injunctions to the 
 agent to select a cabin on the lower deck of a ship ; 
 for though not so light and airy as the upper cabins, 
 especially in bad weather, there is no disturbance 
 from the continual walking and shuffling over-head, 
 the dropping coils of rope, &c.; and, besides, the 
 cost of the lower cabins is somewhat less. On the 
 homeward voyage the upper cabins are preferable in 
 every way, as the vessels are then deeply laden, and 
 it is scarcely safe to open the port-holes of the lower 
 deck for the admission of air and light. 
 
 The passage being engaged, and the average price, 
 £100,* duly paid, the next object which engages 
 attention is the purchase of cabin furniture and the 
 outfit. In the selection of these, the passenger will 
 
 * A single man in a side-cabin below seldom pays more, though 
 ^120 is generally asked. An upper, or poop-cabin, costs, for one per- 
 ■ son, ^150, and the stern cabins, which accommodate a married couple 
 and a child, pay in proportion to the number of persons.
 
 158 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 be prudent always to keep in mind the possibility of 
 converting them to useful purposes in India. Thus, 
 a sofa, with drawers beneath it, is preferable to a 
 swing-cot, because it can be rendered serviceable in 
 a house, whereas the uses of the latter terminate 
 with the voyage. But, perhaps, the following list, 
 applicable to almost any condition of life, will suffi- 
 ciently indicate the absolute necessities of the tra- 
 veller. We will merely premise, that it will be good 
 economy to require of the agent that the cabin 
 furniture and fittings-up shall be procured of the 
 upholsterers at the East-India Docks, in preference 
 to any of the professional outfitters : — 
 
 A sofa, with mattress, pillow, and a chintz covering for the day-time. 
 
 A folding-chair, or camp-stool. 
 
 A wash-hand stand, complete, with ewer, basin, soap-dish, &c. 
 
 A hanging lamp. 
 
 A looking-glass, with sUding cover. 
 
 A swing-tray. 
 
 A chest of drawers, in two pieces, the upper part having a ledge 
 around the top, for the purpose of holding a small collection of books, 
 or preventing articles from faUing off. 
 
 A foul-clothes bag. A cylindrical cane basket is better, but it gene- 
 rally occupies too much room in a side cabin. 
 
 An oil-cloth, or carpet, for the cabin. This is merely for the sake 
 of appearances. The bare deck is cleaner, cooler, and offers a firmer 
 footing when the ship is rolling or pitching. 
 
 Equipment of a single man for one hundred and 
 twenty days, something above the computed duration 
 of a voyage : — 
 
 Ten dozen shirts. 
 
 Four dozen night ditto. 
 
 Eighteen pairs of sheets (size of the sofa). 
 
 One dozen and a half of pillow-cases.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 159 
 
 One blanket. 
 
 One counterpane. 
 
 Six dozen towels. 
 
 Three dozen silk pocket-handkerchiefs. 
 
 Six pairs of loose cotton drawers, for sleeping or bathing in. 
 
 A couple of brown hoUand blouses. 
 
 A blue camlet jacket. 
 
 Two pairs of merino, camlet, or gambroon trowsers. 
 
 Two dozen pairs of white jean trowsers. 
 
 Two dozen white jean jackets. 
 
 Two dozen white jean waistcoats. 
 
 Three dozen pairs of cotton socks. 
 
 Cloth coats, trousers, and waistcoats, at discretion. The stock in 
 possession of a passenger when he is leaving England wUl suffice. 
 
 A hat, in leathern box, for Indian wear. 
 
 A straw hat. 
 
 A blue cloth forage-cap. 
 
 Two black silk stocks, or cravats. 
 
 A dozen pairs of white kid gloves. (These articles are very dear in 
 India : those which may be obtained for Is. 6d. in the Strand, cost three 
 rupees in Calcutta.) 
 
 A couple of morning gowns. 
 
 Two pairs of shoes. 
 
 Two pairs of boots. 
 
 One pair of slippers. 
 
 A boat-cloak, of cloth or camlet. 
 
 A dressing-case and Russian leather writing-case, suitably filled. 
 
 Three pounds of Windsor soap. 
 
 Six pounds of short wax candles. 
 
 A bucket and rope (serviceable in drawing up salt water whenever 
 wanted). 
 
 A brush-case and blacking, boot-hooks and shoe-horn. 
 
 A sponge and sponge-bag. 
 
 A japanned jug, basin, soap-dish, and tooth-brush tray. These are 
 preferable to a China set, which is hable to break, or to pewter vessels 
 which soon look dirty and are not easily cleaned. General instructions 
 to the tradesman from whom the wash-hand stand may be bought, will 
 ensure its being fitted up with every convenience. 
 
 The foregoing list embraces the actual necessaries
 
 160 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of a bachelor on the voyage to India by a sailing 
 vessel. For purposes of pastime or study numerous 
 additions may be made, suitable to the means and 
 inclinations of passengers. Fowling-pieces, rifles, 
 fishing-tackle, colour-boxes, musical instruments, 
 books, scientific instruments, telescopes, cards, 
 chess and backgammon boards, are taken, and an 
 outline map of the route, published by Messrs. W. 
 H. Allen k Co., Leadenhall Street, is often added;* 
 but were it considered expedient to enumerate all 
 the articles that fancy, taste, artificial wants, or pe- 
 culiar pursuits may suggest, our list may be swelled 
 inimitably. 
 
 Some guide-books recommend that water, soda- 
 water, brandy, lucifer-matches, raspberry-vinegar, 
 jams, and a score of similar superfluities be carried ; 
 but there can be no occasion for any of these in a 
 well-found ship. Abundance is the ordinary charac- 
 teristic of the supplies on board ; prompt and 
 obliging attention the distinguishing feature of the 
 domestics. 
 
 The trunks in which clothes for the voyage may 
 be packed, should depend upon the capacity of the 
 traveller. If he be a military or medical man, and 
 therefore liable to march about the country, bullock- 
 trunks, specially made and sold at the outfitters', are 
 preferable, as they are permanently useful. But for 
 persons in the civil service, indigo-planters, mer- 
 chants, clergymen, &c,, the portmanteau or tin box, 
 
 * Marking the track and progress of the voyage on this map every 
 day, after the captahi has taken his observation and made it ticelve 
 o'clock, is a common and by no means uninstructive amusement.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 161 
 
 eighteen inches square, would answer all purposes. 
 The tin boxes can be carried in India by the bunghy- 
 bearers, or running-porters, who accompany palan- 
 keen travellers across the country. 
 
 Of the money which a passenger may carry with 
 hira, sovereigns should always be preferred, even to 
 the extent of the £200 required at first starting in 
 India. For all beyond that, if any be necessary, a 
 letter of credit had better be taken. 
 
 Letters of introduction, to which so much impor- 
 tance was once attached, are now of comparatively 
 httle account in India. The establishment of hotels 
 and boarding-houses has rendered persons on their 
 first arrival less dependent than they formerly were 
 upon the accommodating spirit of the resident com- 
 munity. Add to this, the great ease with which 
 people of respectability get acquainted with one 
 another at those places of entertainment, and at 
 other public reunions; to say nothing of the entree 
 to the government-house, which is promptly ac- 
 corded to all who are entitled by their rank in the 
 social scale to leave their cards ; and it will be 
 readily understood that even for the purposes of 
 agreeable intercourse no introductions are essential. 
 Those who imagine that letters of recommendation 
 will tend to their professional advancement, form an 
 erroneous estimate of their utility. Neither gover- 
 nors, judges, nor commanders-in-chief, are much in 
 the habit of paying attention to the particular re- 
 quests of absent friends, unless the latter are very 
 anxious to see their proteges put forward, and have 
 the means of reciprocating the civility of the authori-
 
 162 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ties abroad. A prime minister, perhaps, would not 
 ask a favour of a governor in vain ; nor would a 
 wealthy merchant in the city be likely to have his 
 injunctions disregarded by his own agent. 
 
 In the above instructions regard has only been 
 had to the wants of a single man proceeding to India. 
 To a certain extent the same suggestions will apply 
 to the other sex, for there can be little variety in 
 cabin furniture, and the principal accessories to the 
 toilette. But in regard to costume, distinct details 
 are obviously necessary, as there is scarcely any thing 
 in the attire of one sex which corresponds with the 
 garments of the other. The following, therefore, may 
 be regarded as a fair and reasonable wardrobe for a 
 lady, but can be augmented, if necessary, according 
 to the affluence or wishes of the party : — 
 
 Six dozen chemises. 
 
 Four dozen night ditto. 
 
 Four dozen pair of drawers. 
 
 Four dozen pair of thin cotton stockings. 
 
 Two dozen, &c. of silk stockings. 
 
 Eight flannel petticoats. 
 
 Three pairs of stays.* 
 
 Six white dressing gowns. 
 
 Six coloured ditto. 
 
 Two dozen night-caps. 
 
 Five dozen pocket-handkerchiefs. 
 
 One dozen of net neckerchiefs. 
 
 Four dozen of towels. 
 
 Six pairs of black silk stockings. 
 
 Four printed morning dresses, worn at breakfast. 
 
 * A visit to Mrs. Wise, 31, Saville Row, Conduit Street, Bond 
 Street, will insure to the lady passenger some valuable advice, and a 
 description of corset of inestimable utility in a relaxing cUmate.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 163 
 
 A black silk dress at dinner. 
 
 A slight coloured silk, or any cheap material, for dress on Sundays: 
 as these dresses generally become unfit for wear after the voyage, the 
 less cost in the purchase the better. 
 
 Black silk or cotton petticoat for every day's wear. 
 
 An ordinary cloak, and common straw bonnet, to wear on deck. 
 
 Shoes and dressing slippers. 
 
 SmaU silk neckerchiefs. 
 
 Collars, caps, gloves, and mittens, according to taste. 
 
 QuiUing-net and piece-net ; ribbons of low price and different colours ; 
 hair powder ; pins of various sizes ; needles, buttons, hooks and eyes, 
 tape and bodkins, cotton-reels, scissors ; a good supply of papillote 
 paper. 
 
 Windsor-soap and wax-candles, pomatum, smelling-bottle, harts- 
 horn, aromatic-vinegar, aperients, and a case of Cologne-water. 
 
 A dressing-case and writing-desk, both properly furnished. 
 
 The pastimes and employments of ladies depend 
 so much upon taste that it is impossible to offer any 
 but general hints regarding the implements of enter- 
 tainment most suitable to the leisure of a voyage. 
 Knitting and netting,* carpet and crochet work, 
 drawing, books, and music, constitute the ordinary 
 occupations, which, however, may be varied ad libi- 
 tum. Musical practice will much depend upon the 
 presence of a piano-forte. If there be not one in 
 the vessel, belonging to the captain, we do not re- 
 commend a female passenger to allow of her own, 
 supposing her to possess one, being unpacked for 
 cabin use. The damp sea air and the motion of the 
 vessel are calculated to seriously damage the delicate 
 machinery of a Broadwood or Zeitte, even though it 
 be clamped and fastened and clothed, to suit the cli- 
 mate of the tropics. 
 
 * For these purposes silver needles are recommended, as the mois- 
 ture of the fingers at a high temperature is calculated to rust the im- 
 plement.
 
 164 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 THE VOYAGE TO INDIA. 
 
 The prospect of an imprisonment on board a ship 
 for three or four montlis, with no more agreeable 
 view, externally, than a vast expanse of sea and sky, 
 is to many minds perfectly appalling. Those who 
 have been accustomed to much confinement in town 
 or country, from the nature of their business or the 
 inclemency of the season, have still found time pass 
 lightly in the midst of profitable occupation, the com- 
 panionship of books, or the centre of a happy 
 family circle ; but in the narrow limits of a trading 
 vessel, cast amongst strangers, deprived of the neces- 
 sity for labour, and oppressed with the painful feel- 
 ings attending a separation from home and valued 
 friends and relatives, they anticipate a wearisome 
 and monotonous existence. The picture which fancy 
 draws is, however, found, on close inspection, to be 
 much less charged with gloomy objects than it ap- 
 pears to be in the distance. The excitement and 
 bustle ever attendant upon the business of a ship, 
 the common interest and sympathy which draw 
 people together who, otherwise, would maintain to- 
 wards each other the characteristic reserve of 
 Englishmen, the evanescent nature of the griefs 
 which assail the youth of both sexes at the com- 
 mencement of a career replete with hope and novelty, 
 rapidly create a favourable change in the views of 
 the outward-bound, and prepare the mind for a cheer- 
 ful endurance of the inconvenience of a protracted 
 voyage. Few, indeed, are the men and women, who 
 in their after-life do not look back upon the voyage
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 165 
 
 to India as one of the greenest spots in memory's 
 waste. For the devotee of science, there is per- 
 petual entertainment in tracing the progress of the 
 vessel, in observing the practical use of the compass, 
 in taking lunar and solar observations, marking the 
 changes of climate, the phenomena of the sea's phos- 
 phorescence, the uses of the complex machinery of a 
 ship, &c. The sportsman will find ample employ- 
 ment for his gun when the gigantic albatross and 
 the sportive Cape pigeon career around and about the 
 vessel in search of prey, and the fish-hook and the 
 harpoon may not unprofitably be brought into re- 
 quisition to snare the monster shark or slay the 
 brilliant dolphin. He who is either a votary of 
 science or of sport will resort to books, cards, 
 music, and the various games which exercise in- 
 genuity and produce gentle excitement. These will 
 pleasantly while away many hours of the day ; and a 
 walk on the quarter-deck, or a merry quadrille, when 
 the presence of a band and of a suflficient number of 
 lady passengers admits of such an enjoyment, will 
 often consume a long evening in the tropics, and 
 stimulate health while they promote good fellowship. 
 Meals, on board ship, are also more a matter of 
 entertainment than of business, and are prolonged 
 beyond the ordinary duration, because they con- 
 tribute to the exhaustion of leisure. Then amateur 
 theatricals serve occasionally to diversify existence, 
 and the accidental rencontre of a vessel homeward- 
 bound awakens family recollections and associa- 
 tions, and sends the passenger to his writing-desk to 
 report progress, and proclaim all's well. It some- 
 times happens that either from previous arrange-
 
 166 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ments, connected with the landing of passengers and 
 cargo, or with the embarkation of fresh accessions 
 of both, or from stress of weather, deficiency of 
 water or provisions, the vessel puts into the port of 
 Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope, or any of the 
 islands which stud the route between the Azores 
 (inclusive) and the Indian coast. There are pleasant 
 breaks in the voyage which may be turned to pro- 
 fitable account by an observant traveller, and at all 
 events serve as a brief recreation and an agreeable 
 souvenir for the irreflective. At Cape Town, Cape 
 of Good Hope, there are hotels and boarding-houses, 
 where accommodation may be obtained at the rate 
 of about a guinea a day, including the expense of a 
 carriage to the villages and vintages within a few 
 hours' drive of the town. There are no " lions," so 
 to speak, at the Cape. A public library offers the 
 means of whiling away an hour; and a ramble about 
 the streets, amidst a motley population of Dutch 
 colonists, British officers, Negroes and Indians, 
 affords entertainment to the eye unaccustomed to 
 diversified costumes and complexions. The ascent 
 of Table jNIountain is a feat which some adventurous 
 visitors take pleasure in accomplishing; and if a fine 
 view of the bay and surrounding countiy is deemed 
 an object of interest, it is certainly to be obtained by 
 the mere trouble of the ascent.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 167 
 
 THE OVERLAND PASSAGE TO INDIA. 
 
 The passage to India, via the Mediterranean and 
 the Red Sea, has been rendered so facile of late 
 years by the construction of magnificent steamers, 
 the property of the Oriental and Peninsular Steam 
 Navigation Company, that great numbers of persons 
 give it a preference to the route round the Cape of 
 Good Hope. It has the advantage of being an in- 
 finitely more expeditious method of reaching India, 
 and of being less wearisome by reason of the per- 
 petual change of scene which it presents between 
 England, passing the coast of Spain, Gibraltar, 
 Malta, Egypt, Aden (and if bound to Calcutta), 
 Ceylon and the continent of India. In point of ex- 
 pense, there is but little diiference in the two routes, 
 for what is saved in passage-money via the Cape, is 
 spent in the additional outfit rendered necessary by 
 the length of the voyage. One hundred and forty 
 pounds (£140) is the lowest sum paid for a single 
 berth in a cabin in any of the great steamers to 
 Alexandria, for a passage across the desert to Suez 
 in one of the vans, and thence in another magnificent 
 vessel to Ceylon, Madras, or Calcutta. If the party 
 is proceeding to Bombay, a passage is secured (in- 
 cluding the trip over the desert) to Suez, and there a 
 Government steamer is monthly in waiting to pro- 
 ceed directly to Bombay. The cost of this partial 
 voyage is about £60 ; and £60 more, payable at Suez, 
 is the charge of the Bombay steamers for the re- 
 maining half. The steamers of the Oriental and 
 Peninsular Company leave Southampton upon the
 
 168 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 1st of each month, and passages may be engaged 
 on apphcation at their office, No. 51, St. Mary- 
 Axe, or to Captain James Barber, No. 17, St. 
 Mary Axe. The passage money includes an ex- 
 cellent table, wines, liquors, servants' fees, and the 
 carriage of five hundred-weight of personal baggage. 
 Upon the subject of the quantity of baggage, we may 
 be allowed, in extracting the following hints from the 
 Asiatic Journal, to repeat ourselves, and to assure 
 the traveller, that a little attention to them will be 
 advantageous to his purse in more ways than one. 
 
 "These equipments are always overdone; and as 
 it often happens that what is purchased in London is 
 unserviceable in Calcutta, and the reverse, the tra- 
 velling public cannot be sufficiently warned against 
 a needless outlay. I will state what I consider 
 would be a very complete bachelor's wardrobe, &c. • 
 premising that, under the present arrangements in 
 the large steamers of the Peninsular and Oriental 
 Company, there is no occasion for bed or table linen, 
 a sofa, washhand-stand, looking-glass, boot-hooks, 
 jugs, tumbler, blacking and brushes, writing-desk, 
 or books : all these are provided in the steamers. 
 Take with you only six dozen shirts, three dozen 
 pairs of socks, a couple of brown Holland blouses, 
 two dozen pairs of white pantaloons, a couple of pair 
 of merino or gambroon trousers, six dozen pocket- 
 handkerchiefs, three dozen pairs of long drawers, a 
 forage-cap, a straw hat, shoes, slippers, and your 
 razors and tooth-brushes. I say nothing of waist- 
 coats, boots, cloth coats and trousers, cloak or great- 
 coat, because the stock which a man may have with 
 him when he engages his passage will generally
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 169 
 
 suffice ; but it will be prudent to be provided with a 
 mat or rug, a pillow, and a quilted counterpane (or 
 resai), for it is very probable that, when the passen- 
 ger gets into a warm climate he will prefer sleeping 
 on deck, and the steamer bedding is not allowed to 
 be used for that purpose. The best packages are, 
 beyond all question, portmanteaus and a carpet bag; 
 for besides being more easily stowable in a cabin, 
 {one may generally be kept there), they can bear a 
 good deal of tumbling about in holds and baggage- 
 rooms, on camels' backs, and in river-steamers, 
 while the wooden chest or trunk is very liable to get 
 knocked to pieces or wetted through." 
 
 Ladies who may proceed by the Southampton 
 steamers to Alexandria, en route to India, will pro- 
 portion their equipment accordingly. If they will 
 go back a few pages to the list of articles suggested 
 for the sea voyage, and divide that list by two, they 
 will arrive at something like a reasonable conclusion 
 as to what may be really necessary for them. 
 
 Some parties prefer going through France and 
 Italy on their way to India. There is no doubt that 
 the pleasure of the trip is greatly heightened by tak- 
 ing such a route, if the countries have not been visited 
 upon any previous occasion, though it is not unat- 
 tended by inconvenience. In the event of the adop- 
 tion of such a route, all the baggage requisite for 
 the sea trip, upon the Red Sea side of the isthmus of 
 Suez, should be sent previously by the Southampton 
 steamer, consigned to some reputable house at Alex- 
 andria. There is a material difference in the charge 
 for luggage, if it is understood that the Indian half 
 of the journey will be accomplished in one of the
 
 170 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Oriental and Peninsular Steam Navigation Com- 
 pany's vessels. After going through France, if the 
 traveller purposes terminating his land journey at 
 Marseilles, he will find French steamers leaving 
 every ten days, or more frequently, for Malta, whither 
 he can proceed to await the Southampton steamer, 
 or go on at once in the French vessel to Alexandria. 
 In the event of a possible detention at either place, 
 and he has his option, we would recommend his pro- 
 ceeding to Egypt without delay, as the time of deten- 
 tion there may be more profitably spent, though pos- 
 sibly not more agreeably, for an introduction to any 
 respectable parties at Malta insures the visitor much 
 hospitality. Should the outward-bound traveller 
 extend his journey to Italy, he may calculate on 
 finding Neapolitan steamers either at Genoa, Leg- 
 horn, or Naples, once, or oftener, every ten days, and 
 in one of these he will obtain a quick and comfort- 
 able passage to Malta, touching at one or more of 
 the ports in Sicily. The cost of the passage for a 
 single man from Marseilles to Malta is about £10 ; 
 from Naples to Malta about £4; a French steamer 
 charges £11 more, independently of the table, from 
 Malta to Alexandria ; and the Oriental and Penin- 
 sular Company £17. 10^. for the latter trip, the En- 
 glish vessel supplying a liberal table and wines 
 without further charge. 
 
 If persons who are on their way to India, having 
 at some previous time seen Italy and France, are 
 now desirous of extending their knowledge of 
 Europe in another direction, it will be competent for 
 them, on paying the whole amount of their passage 
 to India to the Oriental and Peninsular Steam Na-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 171 
 
 vigation Company, to proceed free of charge in the 
 Company's weekly Peninsular steamers, to the coast 
 of Spain and Portugal, visiting Vigo, Oporto, Lis- 
 bon, Cintra, Cadiz, Seville, (fee, joining the Alexan- . 
 dria steamer at Gibraltar. 
 
 No description of places so weW known as Malta 
 and Gibraltar can here be necessary ; but as some 
 particulars of the attractions of Egypt, the manner 
 of getting across the desert, and of proceeding from 
 Suez to India, may be of interest and value, we will 
 again draw from the Asiatic JouTnal a portion of the 
 description of an Overland Trip, recently written by 
 the author of this compilation, immediately after the 
 journey had been completed. To render it more in- 
 telligible to the outward traveller, the order of the 
 paper has been somewhat reversed : — 
 
 " Arrived at Alexandria, we proceeded, a-donkey- 
 back, to the Hotel de V Europe. There are two 
 tolerable hotels at this place — the Hotel de T Orient 
 and the Hotel de V Europe. The charges are much 
 the same (fifty piastres per day, wine not included,) 
 at each ; but at the former the style of living is 
 French ; at the latter, things are conducted more 
 upon English principles. Dismissing your donkeys, 
 do not pay their drivers (we foolishly did), neither 
 should you do so going from Boulac to Cairo. 
 These charges are borne by the Transit Company ; 
 it is part of the contract for the ' right-through ' 
 passage to England. At Alexandria — where, when 
 you have seen Pompey's Pillar, Cleopatra's Needle, 
 the Pacha's palace and dockyards, and useless ves- 
 sels of war, you have seen all — you will prepare for 
 embarkation in the long, narrow, covered boat, in 
 i2
 
 172 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 which you will be towed up the Mahmoudie canal 
 by a small steamer, fitted with the Archimedean 
 screw, to Alexandria. This is the only part of the 
 whole trip from India that is positively disagreeable. 
 There is no room for lying down in the canal boats, 
 unless you take possession of the narrow tables or 
 the floor beneath the tables, and then you are as- 
 sailed by vermin. With this uninviting exception, 
 it is your doom to sit bolt upright, on a hard seat, 
 and keep yourself awake with talking, or get a crick 
 in your neck by falling asleep without a support for 
 your head. 
 
 " At Atfe you are transfixed to one of the little 
 steamers navigating the Nile, and carried, in twelve 
 hours, to Grand Cairo. 
 
 " We dismounted at the * Great Eastern Hotel,' 
 the head-quarters of the Egyptian Transit Company, 
 who own the vans, horses, and boats, which trans- 
 port passengers to and from Suez and Alexandria. 
 Two-thirds of the passengers remained at this hotel, 
 the remainder betaking themselves to Colombe's 
 Hotel de I'Europe. The latter is on every account 
 to be preferred by future travellers. The rooms are 
 cleaner and more spacious — the table is more sump- 
 tuously provided — the attendance infinitely better. 
 The charges are, in the aggregate, the same at 
 both hotels. Fifty piastres (the piastre is 2^d.) per 
 diem include breakfast, luncheon, dinner, tea, and 
 bed, with caft noir in the morning. Candles are 
 charged ten piastres, and five piastres (a shilling) are 
 included in the bill for porterage. The wines are 
 good, of their kind, and not very expensive. Mar- 
 sala, the best and most commonly drank, costs fifteen
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 173 
 
 piastres per bottle ; claret, thirty piastres ; cham- 
 pagne, fifty piastres. Bottled ale (Bass's and Hodg- 
 son's) is drank at ten piastres the bottle. 
 
 " The opportunity for sight-seeing in Cairo varies 
 with the arrival of the steamer which is to carry the 
 traveller the other half of his trip. If you find, on 
 your arrival at Alexandria, that the steamer from 
 India awaits you on the other side of the isth- 
 mus, the time allowed you by the Transit Com- 
 pany for running about is limited to the few hours 
 which the camel will occupy in carrying your bag- 
 gage across the strip of desert, in anticipation of your 
 journey in the Cairo mail-coach ; and vice versa, on 
 your reaching Suez from India, the English steamer 
 being in waiting at Alexandria. On the other hand, 
 if you are some days in Egypt in advance of the relay 
 steamer, you may visit the pyramids, the Pasha's 
 palace at the citadel, and his gardens at Shoubra, 
 the petrified forest, the slave-market, the mosque of 
 Sultan Hassan, the mint, manufactories, chicken- 
 ovens, &c., at a cost of fifteen piastres per diem, the 
 donkey which bears you and the bakshish to the 
 guides included. A journey to the pyramids is par- 
 ticularly good fun, apart from the antiquarian enthu- 
 siasm which a man insensibly gets up on these occa- 
 sions. The ride thither occupies two hours and a 
 half; and should you fortunately be in Egypt while 
 the corn is growing, the scene of your journey is 
 particularly cheerful. Every inch of the ground to 
 within two or three hundred yards of the base of the 
 pyramid of Cheops, at Djeeza, is cultivated. The 
 perfume of the crisp, fresh air is delicious ; the lark 
 rises from beneath your feet, the grasshopper (the
 
 174 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 locust ?) disports across your path. As you approach 
 the pyramid, Arab cultivators are seen running from 
 different quarters of the field to offer you their 
 services as guides to the summit. Keep them at 
 arm's-length, or your purse and your pocket-hand- 
 kerchief will speedily change owners. Your drago- 
 man, or servant and interpreter, will select a proper 
 escort when you have reached the termination of 
 the journey. 
 
 " The first view of the Great Pyramid is rather dis- 
 appointing. It does not augment in size as distance 
 diminishes, nor can one form any correct notion of 
 its stupendous bulk by comparison with any other 
 neighbouring object * upreared of human hands.' 
 Its neighbours, Cephrenes, Philista, and Mycerinas, 
 approach it too nearly in magnitude, and bear too 
 close a family resemblance for purposes of contrast. 
 They form a cluster of solitary monuments, insignifi- 
 cant in proportion to the vast extent of the desert 
 cemetery which lies beyond and around them ; and 
 when the visitor reaches the base of * Cheops,' the 
 impression of its grandeur vanishes altogether, for 
 the passage to the summit slopes so much, that little 
 is visible beyond the first few stones, which invite, 
 by their resemblance to a flight of steps, the ascent 
 of the adventurers. 
 
 " It is advisable, if you are bent on mounting to the 
 summit, to disencumber yourself of all but your shirt 
 and a pair of hose trousers, for the journey upwards 
 must be taken rapidly, and cannot easily be accom- 
 plished with warm and tight clothing. A couple of 
 Arabs leap on to the stones immediately above you, 
 and offer you each a hand, while a third follows to
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 175 
 
 give you an impetus from behind, and catch you in 
 case of a slip. Up you go, panting and toiling, as 
 you mount step after step (each three feet in height), 
 and stopping every four or five minutes to take 
 breath and receive the cheering congratulations of 
 your rude guides. ' Good, good, Inglese, herry 
 good!' and then, in an under tone, and with an im- 
 pudent grin and extended hand, ' Baksheesh /' 
 Arrived at the top, and relieved from your fatigue, 
 for it does try the sinews and disarrange the bellows, 
 you sit to contemplate the prospect. Now you begin 
 to be sensible of the altitude of the pyramid. From 
 the apex of no insignificant building could you behold 
 so much of the works of nature and the efforts of 
 man. Before you lies Grand Cairo, with its cupolas, 
 fortifications, minarets, and cypresses ; beneath you, 
 and to the very walls of the town, is spread a carpet 
 of softest green, fringed by the silvery Nile. To the 
 extreme right, and to the left, and for the whole 
 space behind you, is the vast and apparently illi- 
 mitable world of sand, where myriads of minute 
 crystals glitter and sparkle in the sun, relieving 
 the dead and dreary monotony of the boundless 
 expanse. You insensibly fall into a reverie, while 
 the scenes of the mighty past flit before you, like 
 so many ' dissolving views.' The history of the 
 twelve kings, the discovery of Moses in the bul- 
 rushes, the adventures of Joseph and his brethren, 
 the loves of Antony and Cleopatra ; the more mo- 
 dern events, in which Napoleon and the French army, 
 Mahomed Ali and the Mamelukes, have figured, 
 successively occupy your musings. In a moment, 
 the vision is dissipated, your guides are at your
 
 176 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 elbow, and while one whispers the eternal ' bak- 
 sheesh,' with a leer, another draws from his bosom a 
 rude porcelain imitation of a mummy, and hints, 
 'Antique! antique! you huy? Bedouin berry yoodJ 
 
 "The descent from the summit of the Great Pyra- 
 mid is rather more fatiguing than the ascent. Per- 
 haps neither the one nor the other w^ould weary an 
 athletic man of temperate habits; but a month's 
 confinement in a steamer, and its concomitant animal 
 indulgences, do somewhat impair the climbing facul- 
 ties. The intending traveller in Egypt should bear 
 this wholesome fact in mind, and carefully resist the 
 wiles and blandishments which, in the form of basins 
 of mock-turtle and flagons of iced champagne, woo 
 him to obesity. 
 
 " At the foot of the pyramid, on the slope of a hill, 
 are certain subterraneous excavations, which answer 
 the purpose of resting-places, refectories, and dormi- 
 tories, for the visitor. The Bedouins, who people a 
 village in the neighbourhood, have established a pro- 
 prietary right to these desert hotels, and claim a few 
 piastres for permitting you to lodge therein. Pay 
 the sum asked, and keep the fellows and their sheiks 
 from your threshold, or you may hunt, and hunt in 
 vain, for the silver fork and spoon which you have 
 probably brought in your pocket, to assist at the 
 breakfast and luncheon table. 
 
 " There is another pyramid, popularly called Bel- 
 zoni's, in the immediate neighbourhood of that which 
 bears the name of Cheops. A few yards from the 
 apex of this second monument, the stones are glazed, 
 which renders the ascent a feat of dexterity very few 
 travellers can boast of accomplishing. The Arabs will
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 177 
 
 undertake to reach the top in five minutes, for the 
 bonus of half a dollar. Of the two, it will, perhaps, 
 be more agreeable to let these gentlemen scale the 
 height, at the cost proposed, than to attempt it your- 
 self, unless you particularly wish to say you have 
 been at the summit; and even in such case Tom 
 Sheridan's advice conveniently comes to your aid. 
 
 " After bivouacking a couple of hours in the rocky 
 hollows, consuming half a dozen of the minute 
 chickens and diminutive doves, which form the tou- 
 jours perdrix of a Cairo dinner, we strolled out to 
 see the Sphynx, and some recently-discovered sarco- 
 phagi. The Sphynx is said, by certain travellers, to 
 wear a peculiarly benignant expression of counte- 
 nance, and to retain many traces of the beauty of the 
 original sculpture. There is no ascertaining, at this 
 date, whether the travellers who so spoke of this 
 remnant of antiquity were gifted with powerful ima- 
 ginations, or adhered religiously to matter of fact : it 
 is certain, however, that age, or that neglect which 
 imparts, in time, a vinegar aspect to the countenance 
 of the most comely belle, has bereft the Sphynx of her 
 benignity. To my perception, the colossal head (all 
 that now remains) very closely resembles, when seen 
 in profile, a cynical doctor of laws, with wig awry, 
 suffering strangulation per tight cravat. 
 
 " Seven or eight miles beyond the pyramids of 
 Djeezah, lie the smaller pyramids of Sercara, and 
 the celebrated mummy-pits. These tempted some of 
 our party to linger another day in the desert, while 
 the rest returned to Cairo. For the peculiar guidance 
 and information of those who may wish to creep into 
 mummy-pits, and to wander in darkness and foul 
 i3
 
 178 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 air, amidst dust, and slime, and ordure, saluted with 
 occasional flaps from the wings of disturbed owls and 
 confused bats, I would beg to refer to Mr. St. John's 
 interesting book, Egypt and Mahomed All. The 
 other siohts of Cairo and its neighbourhood, after 
 the pyramids, are the Pasha's palace, in the citadel 
 (where rich damask curtains and satin hangings, a la 
 Franfaise, are associated with coarse arabesques and 
 wretched attempts at perspective by a Greek, and 
 divans and sofas, a la Turque), the country-seat at 
 Shoubra (where myrtles under severe restraint, box 
 disciplined to represent ships and peacocks, and 
 pavilions built in humble imitation of the Trianons, 
 remind one of the French gardens, siecle Louis XIV.), 
 the Mint, the chicken-ovens, Joseph's Well, Hassan's 
 Mosque, the hospital, the slave-market, the petrified 
 forest, and the obelisk at Heliopolis. All these, and 
 other points of attraction, including Mahomed AH 
 himself, have been so frequently described, that it is 
 unnecessary to speak particularly of them in this 
 place. The Mint, intended to shew how far the 
 Pasha of Egypt is in advance of other Oriental 
 potentates, merely demonstrates how much his ma- 
 chinery for coining is in arrear of that in use in 
 England and in India. Joseph's Well, curious for 
 its depth, confuses people who associate it with an 
 incident in the history of one or other of the Scrip- 
 tural Josephs, instead of ascribing its construction to 
 the vizier Yusuf, who lived in a.d. 1100; while the 
 chicken-ovens leave the curious traveller in amaze 
 that such a hatching process should be resorted to 
 when the natural course could be adopted with 
 smaller risk and cost, and the certainty of a larger
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 179 
 
 and better breed of birds being produced. To the 
 other objects of interest at Cairo, accessible to those 
 who will be at the trouble of soliciting the privilege 
 of inspection, I may add the private museum of Dr. 
 Henry Abbott, the secretary to the Egyptian Literary 
 Association. There are many curious antique re- 
 mains in this collection; coins, gems, household 
 deities, implements of daily use among the Egyptians, 
 MSS., ornaments, &;c., which would be a prize in the 
 British Museum, and for which the French govern- 
 ment would pay any equivalent. Amongst the re- 
 liques, the doctor shews his visitors a piece of virtu, 
 evidently of Greek origin, for the Egyptians never 
 could conceive of any thing so perfectly natural and 
 beautiful. It consists of two bronze figures of lizards, 
 as large as life, engaged in mortal combat. One has 
 seized the other by the middle of the body, pressing 
 down his head with a fore-paw, and the root of his 
 tail with a hind-paw, while the lower parts of the 
 two rival tails are entwined and distended by mus- 
 cular exertion. Nothing- can be more true to nature 
 than the representation of the sinews of the animals 
 in the fury of the contest. The prostrate lizard's head 
 and neck, however, exhibit helplessness and suffer- 
 ing. Pressed by the vigorous claw of his antagonist, 
 his upper extremities appear quite paralyzed, and it 
 is obvious, that if he can be held in that attitude for 
 many minutes, the victory is assured. The convolu- 
 tions of the bodies of these figures, and the develop- 
 ment of the muscles in a state of violent action, are 
 worthy of a comparison with the famous Laocoon. 
 
 " The slave-maket at Cairo will disappoint the visitor 
 who expects to behold ranges of romantic Circassians,
 
 180 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 poetical Greeks, and voluptuous Georgians, inviting 
 purchasers by the display of their charms and the 
 glances of their black eyes, or exciting sympathy by 
 the cruel helplessness of their condition. Instead of 
 this interesting spectacle, the stranger will be fortu- 
 nate if he sees half a dozen forbidding Nubians and 
 Abyssinians, as black as jet, and possessing no other 
 recommendation than their obvious capacity to un- 
 dergo the drudgery to which they may be subjected 
 by their future proprietors. 
 
 " A bath at Cairo, after a voyage, is an agrtment 
 which few will deny themselves. It is neither as ela- 
 borate nor as effective an affair as a Persian bath, 
 but, like Mercutio's wound, ' it will serve.' The soft 
 coir, or fibrous matter, which is used instead of flan- 
 nel or the hair-glove, is not by any means so efficacious 
 as the latter in removing the sodden matter, ov papier 
 mache, which covers the human cuticle. Then there 
 is neither shampooing, nor joint-cracking, nor mus- 
 tachio-dying ; nevertheless, it is pleasant to get Into 
 hot water after a month's exclusion from the indul- 
 gence, even though some of the accessories to the 
 
 hummaum are wanting;. 
 
 * # # * * 
 
 " Our baggage having been sent forward to Suez 
 on camels, we prepared to cross the desert. The un- 
 initiated reader will doubtless picture to himself a 
 complete Oriental cortege^ such as we find in the 
 illustrations of the works of Buckingham and Burck- 
 hardt, turbaned travellers, long strings of camels, 
 rude tents, guards bristling with arms, a flaring sun, 
 drought, privation, a single palm-tree, and the apex 
 of a pyramid in the distance. Ah, nous aeons change
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 181 
 
 toutcela! Thanks to the exertions of the British 
 agents and associations, who make it their business 
 to promote the intercourse with India, there is Httle 
 difference now between travelling seventy miles over 
 a post-road in England and going over the same 
 space of ground on the isthmus of Suez. Forty 
 vans, each drawn by four good horses, and driven 
 by an Egyptian jehu, carrying from four to six inside 
 and none out, transport the living contents of two 
 crowded steamers across the arid and desolate plain 
 which divides Cairo from the Red Sea. Some of the 
 vans have arched roofs, like those of common wag- 
 gons, waterproof, and painted green. They are all 
 light, but very strong, and capable of bearing, without 
 damage, the violent coUisions with lumps of stone 
 and rock, to which they are exposed in some parts 
 of the road. The passengers sit, omnibus-fashion, 
 at the sides of the vehicles, entering at the back; an 
 arrangement, that is unavoidable from the height of 
 the wheels (a single pair), which reach half-way up 
 the body of the van. The seats are carpeted, and 
 the whole thing is roomy and commodious. At the 
 end of every ten or twelve miles, horses are changed 
 at a sort of road-side stable-inn, erected for the pur- 
 pose; at two or three of which the traveller will get 
 a capital dinner, or breakfast, or luncheon, of eggs, 
 mutton-chops, roast pigeons, stewed fowls, potatoes, 
 bread, and good bottled ale, with tea or coffee, if he 
 prefer them. Midway, and at the halting-place, 
 twenty miles from Cairo, there are divans, or sofas, 
 all round the chief apartment, and bed-rooms for 
 ladies and married people. At one of these it is as 
 well to sleep for a fe\^' hours, for sixteen hours' con-
 
 182 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 tinual travelling in the vans will be found de trop by 
 people unaccustomed to great fatigue. From all this 
 it is obvious that the day has gone by for grand de- 
 sert, or, as they call it, overland preparations. Let 
 the traveller, therefore, shun the tempting advertise- 
 ments of outfitters and guide-books. All the urgent 
 recommendations, that people should provide them- 
 selves with camel-saddles, canteens, bottles of water, 
 parasols, braces of pistols, green veils, carpets, &c., 
 are superfluous. Dress yourself lightly for the day, 
 carrying a cloak or great-coat for the night. Put a 
 tooth-brush, a clean shirt, and a couple of dollars 
 into your pocket, and you are completely equipped 
 for the trip. 
 
 " Suez is not very inviting externally, and when you 
 get fairly within its walls you are satisfied that its 
 exterior has not deceived you. Every thing, ex- 
 cepting the court-yard of the Caravanserai, which 
 does duty for a custom-house, and contains numerous 
 bales of silks, diugs, grain, &c., denotes poverty and 
 wretchedness. The houses, built of rough-hewn 
 lumps of rocks cemented by mud, or a clay com- 
 posed of sand, water, and coarse lime, have a dun- 
 coloured exterior, in capital keeping with the dirty 
 faces of the people and the soil on which the town 
 is built. Still, there is enough in Suez to interest, at 
 the first view, a traveller who has never before beheld 
 a purely Mahoraedan town. The place is thickly in- 
 habited by Arabs, Egyptians, Copts, and a few Turks. 
 Caravans of camels, which have just arrived, laden 
 with merchandize from Cairo, or awaiting recumbent 
 their loads of wealth from the farther East ; mules 
 and donkeys saddled for travellers ; an occasional
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 183 
 
 horse covered with gay trappings; the long dark 
 bazaar and the lofty minaret ; the veiled and masked 
 female, and the swarthy, bearded male, present a 
 picture nearly new even to the man who has just left 
 Cairo. 
 
 " A six days' trip from Suez, with fine weather and 
 pleasant breezes, carries you to Aden, and you have 
 now had a good opportunity of judging of the ac- 
 commodation and capabilities of the steamer. The 
 Hindostan is a very fine steamer, of nearly 2000 tons 
 burthen, with engines of 500-horse power. She has 
 a magnificent saloon, or cuddy, where eighty persons 
 can dine with comfort in cool weather. They might 
 be equally at their ease in warm weather if the space 
 now consecrated to fanciful pictures of the Nile were 
 devoted to port-holes. The cabins are numerous, 
 and in each of these are two berths and a horse-hair 
 sofa (convertible into a third berth), a wash-hand 
 stand, a mirror, and a pair of boot-hooks. When 
 one person has a cabin to himself, it is only very 
 disagreeably warm and confined ; when two are lo- 
 cated in the same closet, it is unspeakably hot and 
 inconvenient ; and when there are three * cribbed 
 and confined ' in the same endroit, it is — but the 
 thing may be conceived by persons who have been 
 accustomed to dwell upon the sufferings of the cap- 
 tives in the Black Hole. There is a shower-bath 
 and a plunge-bath on the starboard side of the vessel, 
 and you may stand upon the grating near the paddle- 
 boxes and be deluged with buckets of salt-water by 
 an obliging seaman. The two former are the most 
 agreeable methods of performing an ablution, but 
 when you have sixty male fellow-passengers all
 
 184 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 equally anxious with yourself to dabble and splash in 
 the cool fluid, it is sometimes unavoidably necessary 
 to have recourse to the third process. The larboard 
 side of the Hindostan, from the end of the cuddy to 
 the gangway, is appropriated to the ladies, who have 
 cabins, baths, and a small saloon to themselves. 
 The library on board is select, and well adapted to 
 the instruction and entertainment of the traveller in 
 Egypt, Syria, India, &c. And as for the table ! — I 
 have here transcribed the bill of fare on one single 
 day, and will trouble the greatest gourmet of the City 
 of London Corporation to say if he could add any 
 thing to the carte : — 
 
 "Mock turtle soup and bouilli — boiled legs of 
 mutton — roast ditto — ^jugged hare — roast capons — 
 corned pork — pigeon pies — roast geese — stewed 
 breast of mutton and green peas — boiled and roast 
 turkeys — ham — roast shoulder of mutton and onion 
 sauce — harricot — boiled capons and tongues — stewed 
 ducks and green peas — roast beef — curried mutton 
 and chickens — rice — potatoes, boiled and baked — 
 pickles and sauces of every description — jam pud- 
 dings — gooseberry, plum, currant, and cherry tarts 
 — stewed pippins — maccaroni and cheese — rice 
 puddings. A dessert of almonds, raisins, brandy — 
 fruits and preserves, oranges, plaintains, biscuits. 
 At dinner, sherry, claret, champagne, ale, and porter. 
 At dessert, port, madeira, and sherry. — The wine well 
 iced. The breakfasts were (and are still, I dare say) 
 on the same scale of liberality. Then there was 
 luncheon, and tea and coffee in the morning while 
 decks were washing, and a fusillade of soda-water 
 kept up from nine a.m. until nine p.m. In truth.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 185 
 
 meals were so numerous, and blended into each 
 other SO felicitously, that Hfe on board the Hindostan 
 was one vast monstre refection. In a word, if she 
 were better ventilated, and every two cabins thrown 
 into one, and lighted, the Hindostan would be an 
 unexceptionable vessel. No steamer can be easier 
 and smoother on the water ; the action of her ma- 
 chinery is almost inaudible — there is no tremulous 
 motion perceptible when the paddles are at work — 
 the crew and engineers understand their duty, and 
 do it, and Captain Moresby is an excellent man. 
 It may be added, that abundance of steam-water is 
 allow ed the passengers for washing purposes, and the 
 bed-linen, towels, &c., required on board, being found 
 by the Oriental Steam-Navigation Company, there 
 is no occasion to take any with you. The Bentinck 
 is, if possible, a finer vessel than the Hindostan, 
 certainly cooler and more roomy. 
 
 " Aden presents us with one of those phenomena 
 which the giant ' steam ' is every day and every- 
 where achieving. Barren rocks, and a few yards of 
 sandy shore, once tenanted only by the sea-gull and 
 the crab, are now covered by cheerful domiciles, and 
 animated by a small but busy and contented popu- 
 lation, who live by unloading the fuel-ships, storing 
 and protecting the coal, and embarking it upon the 
 steamers. Upon the shore of a little bay, formed 
 by a small belt of rocks, stands a spacious and com- 
 modious building of wood, wattle, and dab, covered 
 within and without by whitewash, and duly matted 
 and thatched, which serves the purposes of an hotel. 
 Some enterprising Parsees from Bombay started and 
 maintain this establishment, where the steam-boat
 
 186 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 traveller will find an excellent and (all things consi- 
 dered) not expensive table and cellar, clean beds, 
 white linen, and excellent attendance. Fire-wood 
 and sweet water, being brought from a considerable 
 distance, must necessarily be dear ; but they do not 
 constitute special items in the bill, unless you in- 
 dulge in a fresh bath, when four shillings, or two ru- 
 pees, are payable. Donkeys and their attendant 
 vagabond owners are available by scores, and it is 
 usual to hire one for a ride to the Arab town of 
 Aden, four miles from the anchorage, and inspect the 
 scene of many a bloody strife, before our troops es- 
 tablished their present footing on the soil of the 
 Ishmaelite. We were regaled with excellent fish, 
 including oysters, during our stay at Aden. But, 
 indeed, there was no deficiency of any of the neces- 
 saries of life. Every thing that reasonable men can 
 desire is obtained in abundance from the interior ; 
 and, judging from the specimens of grain and vege- 
 tables daily brought in on camels' backs, there can 
 be no doubt of the richness and fertility of the soil 
 of Arabia. It was singular to see every Arab in and 
 about Aden unarmed. On the opposite coast, and 
 on the shores of the Persian Gulf — nay, from Bus- 
 sorah to Constantinople, from Bushire to Tabreez — 
 you rarely meet a man without his matchlock, his 
 kundjur, or his scimitar, and sometimes with all 
 three, and a lance and pistols into the bargain ; but 
 here you would fancy that the Moslem had ceased 
 to war with his fellow, for if his hand he against 
 every body, it is at Aden an empty hand ! This re- 
 striction upon the use of arms has originated with 
 the political agent, and is no doubt intended as a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 187 
 
 protection against treachery. There is not, however, 
 much of that to be apprehended now. The people 
 are evidently more than reconciled to British autho- 
 rity, for they flock to Aden in numbers totally un- 
 known during the government of the Sultan. From 
 six hundred to a thousand souls inhabited the town 
 before our conquest and occupation : at this moment 
 there are not less than 20,000 living there !" 
 
 From Aden the steamer goes to Ceylon, en route 
 to Madras and Calcutta. If, however, the tra- 
 veller is bound to Bombay, he embarks at Suez in 
 one of the smaller steamers belonging to the East- 
 India Company, and proceeds to his destination 
 direct. The Bombay steamers are neither so commo- 
 dious nor so expeditious as those belonging to the 
 Oriental and Peninsular Company, but they are suf- 
 ficiently comfortable for a short trip, and are seldom 
 crowded with passengers. 
 
 We now arrive in India ; for a description of the 
 principal places in which, the reader is referred to the 
 Itinerary. 
 
 TRAVELLING IN INDIA.— LAND TRAVELLING. 
 
 There are but two methods of travelling by land 
 in India, on horseback or in a palanquin. The former 
 method is tedious if only one or two horses be used, 
 and even with relays can only be safely and com- 
 fortably prosecuted during the mornings before sun- 
 rise, or in the evenings when the sun has much de- 
 clined, while the latter enables the traveller to
 
 188 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 pursue his journey unintermittiiigly throughout the 
 twenty-four hours. Nevertheless, the horse is very 
 generally used for economy's sake, by officers pro- 
 ceeding to join their regiments, and often from the 
 necessity of accompanying detachments of corps on 
 duty; and in very short trips it is frequently adopted 
 from choice, especially when the distance can be ac- 
 complished with a single halt, if relays of horses 
 are provided by friends. In marching — as the 
 travelling on horseback by daily stages of twelve, 
 fifteen, or twenty miles is called — it is customary 
 to send on your servants one march in advance, 
 with tent, bedding, tent-furniture, canteen, &:c. &c., 
 so as to give time for your tent to be pitched 
 and your breakfast to be prepared by the time you 
 may reach the ground yourself. In the different 
 villages, no difficulty is experienced in procuring 
 fowls, eggs, milk, rice, and the common vegetables 
 of the country ; but every thing else, such as tea, 
 coffee, dried or preserved meats, sauces, spices, wine, 
 beer, &c., must be procured at one of the principal 
 towns in sufficient quantities to last a week, or even 
 much longer ; for though these things can be obtained 
 on the route, they are necessarily more expensive, 
 owing to the cost of carriage from the presidency- 
 Food and fodder for your cattle are always available, 
 at prices varying with the character or fertility of 
 the country in which the halt may be made. Having 
 arrived at your ground, and refreshed yourself with a 
 nap or a meal, or both, you may, if the sun be not 
 too powerful, proceed, gun in hand, to a neighbour- 
 ing jheel or tank (lake or pond), or piece of stubble- 
 land, and shoot for a few hours. Snipe, wild fowl.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 189 
 
 quail, partridges, and hares, abound (according to the 
 season) in most parts of India, and not unfrequently 
 the sportsman's toil is rewarded with a florican, a 
 jungle- cock, or even a bustard. No particular cos- 
 tume, differing from the dress of every-day life in 
 India, is requisite on the march, but it will be pru- 
 dent to wear a sola topee, or hat composed of the 
 soft pulp of a tree, or a straw hat covered with 
 white cotton cloth or feathers ; and a pair of jack- 
 boots will be serviceable as protecting" the legs while 
 ridine', and also in wandering in covers or alonLi; 
 the edges of swamps or tanks. Should the traveller 
 possess nothing of the sportsman's ardour, he may ad- 
 vantageously spend a little time beyond the walls of 
 his tent, in inspecting the temples, serais, and other 
 works of art in the neighbourhood, or in observing 
 the usages of the people in the surrounding villages. 
 He must be scrupulously careful, however, of com- 
 mitting any act of aggression, or of violating any of 
 the prejudices of caste or religion ; for though the 
 people are, generally speaking, civil, if not obse- 
 quious and timid, they will not scruple to assemble 
 in a body and assault a solitary and unprotected in- 
 dividual, if provoked thereto by an offensive inter- 
 ference with their usages. Injury done to a cow, 
 the death of a monkey or a peacock, or entrance 
 into a temple booted and spurred, are amongst the 
 outrages of which the Hindoo, in different parts of 
 India, is peculiarly intolerant. Travelling by dawk, 
 or post, as the trip in a palanquin is designated, in- 
 volves more fatigue and expense than the method of 
 moving across the country just described, and is by 
 no means so independent, seeing that all the stop-
 
 190 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 pages must be settled beforehand and adhered to ; 
 but it has the advantage of very superior expedition. 
 Preparatory to setting out on a journey, a palanquin 
 must be purchased, and fitted up so as to enable its 
 tenant to have a few books, his shaving and washing 
 apparatus, a canister of biscuits, a bottle and glass, a 
 drinking-cup, a little additional night clothing — a few 
 books and his writing materials always at hand. A 
 good strong palanquin may be procured for less than 
 100 rupees (£10), and can always be disposed of at 
 the end of the journey, if the owner have no further 
 occasion for it. The clothes of the traveller and such 
 articles as he does not immediately require, are car- 
 ried in tin boxes, or wicker baskets, called petta- 
 rahs, by separate bearers, who run ahead or along- 
 side of the palanquin ; and these pettarahs may be 
 procured in any number at the chief towns and 
 stations at a very slight cost. Of money it will 
 be necessary to carry in silver as much as will 
 be required for the expenses of the entire jour- 
 ney, especially if the route lies through different 
 territories, for the civil officers of the respective 
 presidencies, and the residents (envoys) at na- 
 tive courts, have no pecuniary relations with each 
 other. It will be also advisable to carry a consider- 
 able number of the smaller coins of eight and four 
 annas, as gratuities to boatmen who ferry you across 
 the small nullahs or rivers, and to the palanquin- 
 bearers (called hammals at Bombay), at each stage ; 
 for in many parts of the country these latter people 
 are paid so irregularly, or kept so much in arrears, 
 that their very subsistence depends upon the bounty 
 of the dawk traveller. Eight annas (one shilling) at
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 191 
 
 each stage for the entire set of bearers, is, however, 
 as much as is ever expected in the way of bonus. 
 When the traveller is prepared to set out, his first 
 business is to write to the postmaster-general, stat- 
 ing how many bearers he would like to have (twelve 
 is the usual number, but it is sometimes reduced to 
 eight when no great expedition is requisite), how 
 many banghy-bearers for his pettarahs, where he 
 proposes to stop, and for how many hours. The 
 postmaster then writes to the different villages and 
 post stations, ordering relays to be posted at the 
 appointed hours, and intimates to you the amount 
 to be paid to the limits of the presidency, including 
 a deposit (afterwards refunded), on account of pos- 
 sible demurrage. A mussaul (called in Bengal a 
 mussalchee), or torch-bearer, is added to the number, 
 and his duty is to carry a flambeau during the night. 
 The flambeau is composed of twisted hemp, fed with 
 oil from a hollow bamboo, likewise carried by the 
 mussaul. 
 
 RIVER TRAVELLING. 
 Although several of the rivers in India are navi- 
 gable for boats of considerable burthen, those alone 
 on which Europeans are accustomed to travel are 
 the Ganges and its tributaries (the Hooghly, the 
 Bhauguruttee, the Jumna) and the Indus. Running 
 as does the first through a populous and most im- 
 portant section of the British dominions in India, it 
 connects many of the principal civil and military sta-
 
 192 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 tions with the seat of the Supreme Government; 
 while the Indus affords an easy channel of com- 
 munication between the extreme point of the north- 
 west possessions and the island of Bombay, passing 
 the provinces and chief towns in Scinde. The traffic 
 on these rivers is immense. By the Ganges the entire 
 produce of Europe, Southern India, the Eastern Ar- 
 chipelago, and China, is distributed upwards between 
 Calcutta, Benares, and Allahabad, and carried from 
 the latter town to the great north-western cities of 
 Lucknow, Agra, Delhi, and the stations of Cawn- 
 pore and Meerut, &c., &c. ; while the return boats 
 convey to the capital and the cities on the river's 
 banks the raw cotton, piece goods, rich stuffs, grain, 
 horses, indigo, sugar, and the thousand smaller com- 
 modities and fabrics produced in the interior. The 
 boats on the Indus are freighted, on their voyage 
 from the mouth of the river to the frontier station 
 of Ferozepore, with the commerce of the Persian 
 and Arabian Gulfs, Cutch, Western India, and so 
 much of the products of Europe and of China, pro- 
 curable in the Bombay market, as are available to 
 Scinde, the Punjaub, and Upper India. The down- 
 ward cargoes consist of the produce of the three 
 latter states and provinces, and of Affghanistan and 
 Cashmere. There are two methods of travelling on 
 the Ganges, namely, the flat-bottomed vessels towed 
 by iron steamers, and by pinnaces or budgerows, 
 constructed much after the fashion of the royal or 
 civic barges which float on the Thames, but with the 
 addition of a mast and sails, and sometimes boasting 
 a schooner rig, or the more ambitious equipment of 
 a Lilliputian brig. The rapidity with which the
 
 THE HANDBOOK OF INDIA. 193 
 
 steamer-led flats effect their voyages gives them a 
 preference over the saiHng-boat, a preference which 
 is somewhat strengthened by the attractions of so- 
 ciety ; but where great expedition is not a material 
 object, and where it may be of importance, or a 
 matter of inclination, to visit the principal stations 
 on the river-route, or necessary to convey a fiimily 
 and a large quantity of baggage, the budgerow or 
 pinnace should be selected. 
 
 The flats, or accommodation-boats, consist of six- 
 teen cabins ranged on either side of the vessel. 
 These are divided into three classes, and cost re- 
 spectively for the entire trip from Calcutta to Alla- 
 habad (at the confluence of the Ganges and Jumna), 
 three hundred, two hundred and fifty, and two 
 hundred rupees. The charge for the downward trip 
 is much less, because the course of the stream assists 
 the progress of the vessel and essentially shortens 
 the voyage. Besides the sum paid for the cabin, the 
 passenger is charged three rupees per diem for his 
 table, which consists of a substantial breakfast, a 
 luncheon, dinner, and tea. All wines, beer, spirituous 
 liquors, &c., are paid for separately, and at rather 
 exorbitant rates. The baggage and furniture re- 
 quisite for the trip (there is none of the latter to be 
 found in the government boats), must be carried in 
 the cabin ; the remainder, to the extent of five cwt. 
 only, is placed below in a species of hold, and is not 
 available until the end of the voyage. The superior 
 cabins, however, are sufficiently spacious to contain 
 all that the traveller may require, those of the first 
 class being between twelve and a half feet long, the 
 second nine and a half, and both eight and a half in
 
 194 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 breadth. The third class cabins are but five feet 
 and a half in length, and are consequently only 
 adapted to persons of an inferior grade of life. Everv 
 passenger is allowed to take with him one servant 
 free of cost for his passage; his diet, if he be a Mus- 
 sulman, being paid for to the master of the flat, at 
 the rate of four annas (sixpence) per diem. Hindoo 
 servants diet themselves, to which end they disem- 
 bark every evening when the vessel comes to an 
 anchor. The ordinary length of the entire passage 
 of these boats is three weeks. They stop every 
 three or four days at different stations on the river's 
 banks to take in coal, which is carried in the steam 
 tug only, and deliver and receive packages. This 
 affords the passengers a brief opportunity of seeing a 
 little of the countiy beyond what can be discerned 
 from the deck of the vessel during the trip. The 
 steam tugs attached to the accommodation or flat 
 boats are of iron, and propelled each by two engines 
 of thirty-horse power ; they are connected with the 
 flat by hawsers and a beam, five-and-twenty feet in 
 length, and a foot in width, which answers the 
 double purpose of a medium of communication be- 
 tween the two vessels at all hours, and a protection 
 from the risk of collision when the steamer happens 
 to ground or to slacken her speed too suddenly. The 
 greater part of these steamers and their attendant 
 flats are the property of the government, at the 
 office of whose superintending officer passages should 
 be engaged ; but the great demand for conveyance to 
 the interior by vessels of this kind, and the enormous 
 prices charged by the government for freight and 
 passage, has led certain private individuals to place
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 195 
 
 other steamers upon the same line, which will doubt- 
 less be less expensive. The experiment of competi- 
 tion has been too recently tried to enable us to say 
 if it has succeeded, or to mention the cost of travelling 
 by such means ; there can be no difficulty, however, 
 in ascertaining these points upon the spot. 
 
 Parties who, for the reasons given above, prefer 
 effecting their voyage to their appointed station in a 
 budgerow or pinnace, will do well to address them- 
 selves to any of the boat-agents in Calcutta, Messrs. 
 Kemp, Strickland and Co., or Holmes and Co., 
 stating the number of persons requiring accommoda- 
 tion (more than three will be inconvenient), the dis- 
 tance to be travelled, the quantity of baggage to be 
 taken. The expense varies with the number of oars 
 required. A twelve-oared budgerow costs three ru- 
 pees eight annas per day : — 
 
 Fourteen oars 
 Sixteen oars 
 Eighteen oars 
 
 Two or three officers engaging the largest descrip- 
 tion of boat will find the cost of the native trip, 
 whithersoever they may be bound, fall short of the 
 boat-allowance granted them by the government. 
 The clubbing together is, therefore, not merely agree- 
 able, as ensuring social intercourse during a long 
 and somewhat wearisome pilgrimage, but commend- 
 able as a piece of economy. In addition to the 
 budgerow, a dinghy, or covered native row-boat, is 
 required as an attendant kitchen ; for the culinary 
 process on board the budgerow would be both dis- 
 agreeable and inconvenient. 
 K 2 
 
 Rupees. 
 4 
 
 Annas. 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 
 6 
 
 4
 
 196 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The furniture of the boat should be of a perma- 
 nently valuable quality; that is to say, it should 
 consist of articles convertible to useful purposes after 
 the voyage has been completed. Accordingly, the 
 soldier would do well to provide himself with a camp- 
 table, a camp-stool or folding-chair, a charpoy or 
 bedstead, the bottom of which consists of broad 
 tape or sacking, laced and stretched crosswise, and, 
 therefore, not only less liable to injury than a cane 
 or wooden bottom, but more easily replaced when 
 worn out, and at all times susceptible of washing; a 
 copper basin (called a guindy at Bombay, and a 
 chiliumchee in Bengal), and folding tripod for its 
 support ; a narrow carpet, or rug ; a hanging lamp 
 (that which he had on board of ship, if he had gone 
 to India in a sailing vessel, will do) ; a canteen; bul- 
 lock or camel trunks, a chaise percte,"^' and one or 
 two morahs, or stools. All articles beyond these, in 
 the furniture way, are positive superfluities. Of the 
 articles requisite for the table, the toilet, and the 
 pastime of the voyageur, it is not easy to give general 
 instructions, because, beyond the mere necessaries of 
 life, the quantity and description of these things will 
 so materially depend upon individual taste and means. 
 A good head-servant, or lihit)nut<jhar, will take care 
 to provide poultry, eggs, milk, rice, spices, and 
 vegetables, as the boat reaches towns and villages 
 on the river's banks ; but every thing else must be 
 procured at the starting place; and it should be 
 borne in mind, by persons going upwards from Cal- 
 
 * H. Pratt, of New Bond-street, has fabricated a light and compact 
 article of this description, which will be found of great utility on the 
 march.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 197 
 
 cutta, that it is good economy to lay in store for the 
 entire voyage, inasmuch as all articles, the produce 
 of Europe, augment in price in proportion to the 
 distance from the metropolis whence they are carried. 
 Wines, malt and spirituous liquors, preserves, cheeses, 
 pickles, &c., sealed meats, hams, tongues, pickles, 
 &c., cost, at Benares, double the price paid at the 
 presidency, treble when they are sold at Cawnpore, 
 and so on. The ennui consequent upon the confine- 
 ment on board a budgerow, during the entire day, 
 makes the possession of certain articles, otherwise 
 luxuries and superfluities, a matter of essential im- 
 portance to the traveller. Thus, a good double- 
 barrelled fowling-piece will be requisite to ensure a 
 little sport on shore before sunrise and after sunset. 
 Drawing materials will serve to while away a few 
 hours in sketching the scenery on the banks, the 
 costumes of the people, the boats in the river. 
 
 Books, a chess and backgammon board, and mu- 
 sical instruments, supply endless entertainment; and 
 it will be no bad plan if the beginner were to apply 
 himself to the study of the language of the country, 
 with the help of Gilchrist and Shakespear. The 
 boatmen and native servants do not speak the purest 
 Hindostanee nor the least exceptionable Bengalee ; 
 but there is nothing lost by acquiring a familiarity 
 with a patois, which, in the common intercourse of 
 life, is perhaps of more importance than the undefiled 
 language taught by the best philologists, and used 
 at courts, and in the transaction of public business. 
 
 With respect to costume, money, and the attention 
 which it is important to pay to native prejudices and 
 customs, the same remarks hold good as have been
 
 198 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 offered in tlie section of liiiits for dawk travellers 
 and persons on the march ; it is needless, therefore, 
 to repeat them. One word only : in the treatment of 
 native servants on the river voyages, it is advisable 
 to combine the greatest strictness with the most per- 
 fect forbearance. Look well into the khitmutghar's 
 accounts ; trust him with no more money than is 
 really wanted at the different halting-places ; insist 
 upon the most deferential and respectful demeanour, 
 neither permitting familiar speech nor a disregard of 
 cleanliness and propriety of costume ; require a cor- 
 rect return every evening of your plate, table-linen, 
 and dusters, and exact payment for every piece of 
 crockery or glass carelessly broken, and every article 
 or other fabric alleged to be lost. The neslect of 
 these matters at the commencement renders servants 
 dirty, impertinent, and dishonest, and involves more 
 serious loss than would at first thought be conceived. 
 On the other hand, be careful of striking a servant 
 for any offence he may commit \ for, in the first place, 
 it is cowardly to raise a hand to one who is incapable 
 of physical retort ; and, in the second, it places the 
 offending servant in the advantageous position of a 
 prosecutor for a species of assault which is always 
 severely visited by the Company's courts of law. 
 Another disadvantage attending a resort to the argu- 
 mentum haculinum is the tolerable certainty of the 
 servant's quitting the boat under cover of the night, 
 leaving the inexperienced traveller perfectly helpless, 
 at a great distance from any station where the ser- 
 vices of the man can be replaced. You must bear 
 patiently with the offending domestic on the occasion 
 of misconduct, reserving vengeance for a suitable
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 199 
 
 opportunity of appealing to a local magistrate and 
 of supplying the place of the discarded servant. 
 
 A voyage up or down the Indus is accomplished, 
 at present, with less comfort and facility than a trip 
 on the Ganges, by reason of the ignorance of the 
 boat-owners of European ideas of comfort, the com- 
 parative rarity of the trip, the destitute state of the 
 scattered villages upon either bank, and the free- 
 booting propensities of the people of Scinde and the 
 Punjaub. Small steamers now and then ply on the 
 Indus ; but, apart from their occasional detention on 
 the business of the government by whom they are 
 maintained, they are liable to get upon some of the 
 numerous sand-banks with which the river abounds, 
 and to remain there for a considerable time. A 
 resort to the Sutledge boats (when the voyage is to 
 be made downwards) is, therefore, prudent, if not 
 unavoidable. These are long and clumsy, and are 
 not propelled at a greater rate than one mile an 
 hour, if so much, while the current carries them two 
 miles per hour. A late author, who made the voyage 
 down in one, describes their form as resembling that 
 of a Thames coal-barge. The stern, however, is 
 greatly elevated, and the steersman stands thereon 
 working a broad paddle as a rudder, assisted by two 
 men, who use oars. The passenger occupies the 
 entire length of the boat between the stem and the 
 stern, in a rude apartment made of bamboos and 
 strong grass, thirteen or fourteen feet in length, and 
 rather more than half that space in breadth. The 
 boats carry one mast and a sail, removable at plea- 
 sure, and when the wind is foul, they are tracked
 
 200 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 along shore by the boatmen ; a usage, by the way, 
 equally common upon the Ganges. The boat-hire 
 averages five-and-forty rupees per mensem, and it is 
 always made a condition by the owners, that the 
 boat be engaged for a period sufficiently long to 
 enable her to return to her starting-point : thus, a 
 voyage of a fortnight's duration will cost as much as 
 if it lasted three months ; and if it be engaged down 
 to the sea, it is charged for at the rate of a six 
 months' trip. The price paid includes the charge 
 for the crew, and, " indeed, every expense but the 
 thatching, which costs the traveller twenty rupees in 
 addition." In respect to the supplies requisite dur- 
 ing the voyage, rather more foresight will be requisite 
 than in the case of a Ganges trip, for, excepting 
 Bhawulpore, Sukker, and Hyderabad, there is not a 
 place on either side of the rivers Sutledge and Indus 
 where any thing can be procured. Rice, eggs, flour, 
 oil, milk, and butter, must, in the Sutledge, form 
 part of the traveller's original stock, as they are not 
 to be obtained at the miserable villages of Scinde and 
 the Punjaub. In respect to the furniture of the 
 boats, and the articles generally requisite, the sug- 
 gestions offered above may be considered entirely 
 applicable, with this addition, that when on the Sut- 
 ledge and Indus fire-arms are perhaps useful; on the 
 Ganges they are by no means necessary.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 201 
 
 TRAVELLING BY SEA. 
 
 The occasion for this mode of transit from one 
 part of India to another is so rare that it scarcely 
 seems necessary to offer any special advice. 
 
 It is only when gentlemen are proceeding from 
 port to port on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts 
 that it becomes essential, in the absence of a steamer, 
 or a saiHng free-trader, or country ship, to engage a 
 pattamar, or large sea-going boat. When such are 
 resorted to, the provision to be made will resemble 
 that which has been recommended for the river voy- 
 ages, though on a much more moderate scale, as the 
 trips along the coast seldom occupy many days. 
 The amount of passage-money will materially depend 
 upon the circumstances of the vessel. If the patta- 
 mar be already laden with cargo for the coasts, the 
 proportion of accommodation set apart for the pas- 
 sengers will not cost so much as if the boat had been 
 specifically engaged to carry a party from one port 
 to another. Water and fuel are always included in 
 the charge for the passage in either case, but all else 
 must be taken on board. 
 
 In proceeding by a sailing vessel or steamer to 
 join a regiment or a civil employment (the only 
 occasion on which duty will call any public servant 
 from the continent of India), at Moulmein, Arracan, 
 Penang, Malacca, or Aden, the officer will be fur- 
 nished with a passage by the government, and this 
 will include cabin, table, &:c., in the same degree, 
 and after the same manner, as in the case of a 
 voyage from England in a sailing vessel. The sole 
 K 3
 
 202 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 care of the passenger will be to furnish himself with 
 such articles as may be scarce and dear at the station 
 to which he is ordered, more especially those which 
 are produced in England ; for the prices thereof, al- 
 ways high at the several presidencies, become exor- 
 bitant when the charges of further exportation and 
 the profit of the retailer come to be added. 
 
 SOCIETY, SOCIAL HABITS, AND DOMESTIC EXPENDI- 
 TURE IN INDIA. 
 
 In the great majority of instances, it happens that 
 those of our countrymen who go to India to seek 
 their fortunes, do so at a period of life too early to 
 have allowed of their seeing much society at home, 
 and consequently with too little experience of it to 
 have formed any judgment that can enable them to 
 compare it with the social system which they find 
 established in the land of promise to which they 
 have been led. But to those who do visit India in 
 the maturity of life, and who have been accustomed 
 to move in the good circles of England, the contrast 
 must be striking, and, we apprehend, unfavourable 
 to the Anglo-Indian community. The stranger's 
 eye will at first, indeed, be dazzled by a showiness 
 and profusion, which have the semblance of grandeur, 
 but he will speedily miss the elegance and comfort 
 of an English gentleman's establishment, and above 
 all he will miss, at the })residencies, that cordial hos- 
 pitality which in our own land ever follows a proper 
 introduction. In fact, it is not speaking too strongly
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 203 
 
 to say that, in the acknowledged sense of the word 
 in England, there is no society in India. People 
 meet together, it is true, and dine together; but the 
 nameless charm is ever wanting, and this deficiency 
 is, in our opinion, as easily accounted for, as to the 
 observant eye it is early visible. 
 
 The men and women who chiefly compose the so- 
 ciety leave home in their immaturity. The condi- 
 tions of the Company's service render this, for the 
 most part, indispensable, as regards their own ser- 
 vants ; and the residents, whose daughters are being 
 educated in the parent country, have a double in- 
 ducement for getting them quickly out ; first, the 
 great cost of maintaining them at home, and se- 
 condly, the fear that, if they are old when they ar- 
 rive, there will be " nobody coming to marry them ;" 
 and that, consequently, the life-provision, which was 
 looked forward to, will have passed beyond their 
 reach for ever and for ever. The men and women of 
 Indian society, then, may be said to leave the home 
 of their fathers as merely boys and girls, green in 
 mind though blooming in person, and almost totally 
 deficient in the knowledge of society, and what con- 
 stitutes either its conveniences or its charms. Then, 
 there is no such thing in India as a class of persons 
 of easy fortune, who depend not on any kind of 
 daily labour for their bread, and who need only con- 
 cern themselves in public business as far as it suits 
 their dispositions or their fancy so to do, but who 
 have the means of commanding the literary and 
 social agrtmens of life, and the talent to thoroughly 
 appreciate the former mental luxury, and even of 
 adding to the abundance of its supply.
 
 204 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 But ill all that we have said, it must be borne in 
 mind that we are comparing the Indian presidencies 
 with London, and that they must lose most grievously 
 in the comparison. Rarely revisiting their native 
 land (though the power of steam is gradually obvi- 
 ating that disadvantage), residents in India neces- 
 sarily degenerate, in an intellectual sense, and also 
 in what are regarded as good manners and social 
 habits in England, and their minds and judgments 
 become contracted by a life of monotonous routine, 
 in respect to European subjects of mental cultiva- 
 tion, so that they are at last not only backward, 
 but bigoted, in many such respects ; and are looked 
 upon, whenever they do revisit their native land, as 
 conceited and ill-informed beyond what they really 
 are. From having long ceased to see and know the 
 best of every thing in sciences, arts, and the minor 
 elegancies of life, they come to have an incompe- 
 tent standard by which to estimate things in these 
 various departments ; and thus the best painter, the 
 best singer, the best actor, the best scholar, the best 
 horseman, the best musician, the best speaker, the 
 best any thing, in fact, in India, is taken to be the 
 best of the kind respectively in the world ; and we 
 have known old Indians, by no means deficient in 
 understanding, who, even after a visit to London, 
 could not bring their minds to see the superiority of 
 really superior things, because they had been so 
 long accustomed to meaner criteria of perfection. 
 
 Another circumstance which prevents the tone of 
 the Anglo-Indian's mind from acquiring strength 
 or his mind itself from preserving its elasticity, 
 is the humdrum nature of the only society he has.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 205 
 
 Dine where you will in Calcutta, Madras, or Bom- 
 bay, you are sure to meet either the paine people, or 
 some of the same people, or, all in all, the same 
 description of people ; so that your faculties have no 
 new exercise, nothing to polish or to keep them keen; 
 no new range, or species, of intellect to encounter ; 
 and thus they become either rusted, or stiffened, or 
 worn, by one kind of constant use, into such un- 
 whetstonable bluntness, that they are past all renew- 
 ing by the time they come into collision with the 
 better-exercised minds of England, and are be- 
 wildered, or soured, or stupified, by the too-late dis- 
 covery. The intending adventurer, therefore, who 
 shall peruse these passages, may lay his account in 
 meeting with but a second-rate society, in regard to 
 manners, customs, and even intellect (save in respect 
 to local affairs), on his arrival in India ; but there is 
 this comfort in store for him, namely, that he will in- 
 evitably get used to it, and, without greater exertion 
 than is usually employed, he will find his English 
 mind subsiding to the Anglo-Indian level ; and, for- 
 getting the standards of excellence which he leaves 
 behind him, will in time, like the rest of his expa- 
 triated countrymen, deem that the best which is the 
 best he knows. 
 
 Regarding those divertisements of society which 
 are strictly social without being strictly private, and 
 without which mere private society would languish 
 to the death in any quarter of the world, Calcutta, 
 at least, is not without its variety, and even its 
 abundance. Of these, the re-unions, held during the 
 cold season in the Town-Hall, are the first in rank, 
 as being the most exclusive. Subscribers to them
 
 206 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 must belong to the Government-House list — a range 
 of admission which varies under every new reign 
 — or be passed by the "Committee of Reference," 
 which is empowered to decide upon all claims, and 
 which is rigid in its scrutiny. Besides these, there 
 occur in the course of every cold season some events 
 which are deemed important enough to deserve es,- 
 pecial celebration. Some locally great personage is 
 going away, or some new governor is arriving, or 
 some domestico-political anniversary is coming round, 
 or the bachelors think the ladies should have an 
 entertainment, or something or other there is sure to 
 be, which will serve as a peg to hang a public dinner 
 or a public ball upon. Then there are the races, 
 and the amateur theatre, and concerts, and fancy 
 fairs ; and as these shows are always well attended 
 by the temporary visitors, whose new faces also 
 serve to allure the listless residents of pseudo ton to 
 the same haunts, the city may be said to be a scene 
 of great vivacity and amusement between November 
 and March — indemnifying people, in some measure, 
 for the lethargic in-door lives they have led during 
 the previous months of caloric, and re-energizing 
 them to aoain sustain the same infliction during; the 
 season which is approaching. At Bombay, the 
 pastimes of the cold weather nearly correspond with 
 those of Calcutta, excepting that they have no ama- 
 teur theatre. At Madras, the entertainments, bating 
 the races, are purely private. 
 
 Recurring to the agrtmens of private life, we may 
 comprise them in one word — a dinner; and as to that 
 chief auxiliary to society, they are, in India, far be- 
 hind the home cuiaine in every material respect. The
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 207 
 
 native servants have no inherent taste, and no con- 
 ception of elegance of arrangement. Their sole idea 
 of a good dinner is a yjlentiful and a coarse one ; and 
 a joint of meat between every two people would be, 
 in their eyes, a festival which the late Lord Sefton 
 himself would be a perfect madman to turn up his 
 nose at. During the past few years, the kitchen 
 schoolmaster has somewhat improved this hecatomb 
 system into comparative elegance ; but the tout en- 
 semble is still, in the majority of instances, far re- 
 moved from the perfection attained to in the " tight 
 little island." The beautiful table-cloth, the brilliant 
 glasses, the highly-polished silver, which adorn the 
 tables of almost every private family in England, and 
 not only of the wealthy, are almost unknown in India, 
 and the fault of never changing the glasses on the 
 removal of the cloth, is so much a part of the system, 
 that it is no more considered as a solecism there, 
 than would be the appearance of the most delicate 
 oyster patty as a part of the refection. In little ap- 
 pertaining to the table, in fact, is the comme il faut 
 thoroughly understood ; the wines in use are inferior 
 in quality to the same wines in England (the long 
 sea voyage being detrimental to the finer French 
 wines), and there is nothing like the variety of them 
 which characterizes every good cellar in the mother- 
 land. 
 
 In India, almost every man is a man of business 
 — of laborious daily business, so great, that it amounts 
 almost to a physical miracle how in such a climate 
 the work can be performed by the natives of other 
 lands — and he at last becomes so mentally inter- 
 woven with his official duty, that he can think of no-
 
 208 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 thing else in the hours when he is disengaged from 
 the drudgery of his desk ; thus, " the shop " forms 
 the staple of his social converse, and virtually 
 banishes the superior orders of intellectual recrea- 
 tion. At the presidencies, there are two distinct 
 classes of society, though each have various inter- 
 mingling branches ; those are the persons having the 
 right or privilege of public entree to the Government 
 Houses, and those who neither possess the right, nor 
 are allowed the privilege. All persons in the civil 
 and military services of the Queen or East-India 
 Company have the right here mentioned, without 
 any reference to their several ranks or salaries ; and 
 the jn'ivilege is more or less extensively disseminated 
 throughout the principal merchants, the law pro- 
 fession, the gentlemen of the Press, the uncovenanted 
 servants, the East-Indians, and the natives them- 
 selves. This grand line of demarcation, however, has 
 no avowed practical influence in the arrangements 
 of the general society ; where individuals constantly 
 meet at private tables, who can never see each other 
 at the Government-House assemblies. Again, the 
 gentlemen of different classes meet on terms of in- 
 timacy in cases where the ladies of the higher grade 
 will not mingle with the wives of their husbands' oc- 
 casional companions in the lower — an exception 
 which holds in London as well as in Calcutta, and 
 which necessarily arises out of the intercourse of 
 business. But the " trail of the serpent," which is 
 all over Indian society, is the official hauteur of men 
 who in England would be esteemed as very ordinary 
 persons, but who have the weakness to imagine that 
 the extrinsic circumstance of their being counsellors,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 209 
 
 secretaries, judges, magistrates, or staff officers, is 
 sufficient to exalt them in the social scale, and to 
 command a deference to which their intrinsic qualities 
 would give them no extraordinary title. 
 
 But it must be confessed that, even where society 
 is not infested by these important personages, it falls, 
 intellectually, far below the festive or other social 
 re-unions, which render London and continental 
 society in various ways so charming. The labours 
 of the day have wearied the body, and there is no 
 new stimulus to invigorate the mind. No critical 
 political question in agitation, on the decision of 
 which hangs the fate of a minister, and which for 
 the time excites the hopes and fears of some and the 
 curiosity of all, and flings a dash of manly energy 
 into the evenino- discussion where men do cono;re- 
 gate. No delightful new novel, or biography, just 
 steaming from the press, and forming the cynosure 
 of tongues in acute criticism or pleasing compliment. 
 No enlivening anecdote of the day, or current piece 
 of wit, or gay badinage, or unpedantic disquisition. 
 No learned leisure, or " lettered ease," and no lion 
 to be seen or discoursed of. The pursuits of the 
 official day are uppermost in all men's minds ; and 
 opium, indigo, or banking ; Government regulations, 
 decrees, or correspondence ; military orders, appoint- 
 ments, or allowances ; or something or other imme- 
 diately connected with the political or commercial 
 proceedings of the period, form the heavy staple of 
 after-dinner talk, bringing the honey-heavy dew of 
 slumber on the weary lids of the new arrival, and 
 sending him home convinced or informed of nothing 
 but that the party had been dull, and that the inter-
 
 210 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 course of tongues had not added one grain of wheat 
 to his intellectual granary. Subjects of light con- 
 versation are of great rarity. Exhibitions, operas, 
 plays, fair debutantes, literary or fashionable gossip, 
 and the encounter of wit which these topics call 
 forth, are nearly all wanting to the Indian commu- 
 nity, every one of whom is known to every one in 
 such a degree as to leave nothing tellable about men 
 in any way locally eminent which all do not know 
 already, or which the few who happen not to be on 
 a par with the rest in that species of knowledge care 
 much to know, because they are familiar — by sight 
 and name at least, and generally by acquaintance, 
 or constant official or other business intercourse 
 with the parties referred to, and have no longer that 
 curiosity about them with which the eminent charac- 
 ters of London society inspire the mass of the con- 
 versational community. There is nothing, in fact, 
 to dissipate the languor which is induced by the 
 drudgery of the day, and the constitutional depres- 
 sion which is a consequence of the climate, for the 
 monthly packet of overland news from Europe 
 brings seldom any thing to long interest the public 
 mind of India ; and of books, the novelty and fresh- 
 ness are worn off before they reach India, by the re- 
 views and other criticisms which always precede 
 them, and make them appear stale to the trans- 
 oceanic reader before he has an opportunity of giv- 
 ing them a perusal. 
 
 Yet, with all this characteristic (for, alas ! it is not 
 merely occasional) dulness and uninstructiveness of 
 social life, it need not appear paradoxical to the re- 
 flecting reader if we assert, tliat in no community of
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 211 
 
 like numerical proportion, is a greater amount of ge- 
 neral ability, strong sense, and individual cleverness 
 to be found, than exists among the European gentry 
 of our eastern capital. 
 
 Almost every one who comes to India, in the rank 
 of life to which alone our observations are to be 
 understood to apply, has the means of procuring in- 
 troductions to one or other of the regular inhabitants, 
 and these introductions will always serve to procure 
 him one or more opportunities of making his obser- 
 vations on the social habits of the new people among 
 whom he has been cast. He will be invited to din- 
 ner by those to whom his letters are addressed (he 
 may find exceptions, however, even to this rule of 
 hospitality), and according as they chance to be mar- 
 ried men or bachelors, so will be the phase of the 
 social life which he will for the most part see. If 
 his introduction be to a bachelor " well to do," his 
 fortune will be greater than if he carry credentials to 
 married people only ; for, in the former case, he will, 
 in all probability, be offered a domicile, which in 
 general means a corner-room, were he will have to 
 bring his own bed, and be attended by his own ser- 
 vants ; but in the latter event, he will be almost 
 sure to be left at one of the hotels, or in his bare- 
 walled and unfurnished barrack-room, as the case 
 may happen to be ; and if he be invited by his 
 friend's friend to dinner, he will most likely be very 
 glad to get back to his temporary home again, and 
 will care little how seldom the honour may be re- 
 peated. If he be an officer in the Queen's or Com- 
 pany's service, his sojourn at the capital will neces- 
 sarily be brief — say a month at the utmost, unless
 
 212 TUE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 his regiment be stationed there — and in that case it 
 would be lost labour to endeavour by a round of 
 visits (nine-tenths of which would never be returned) 
 to establish himself among the permanent residents 
 on terms of equal sociality. He will, even if he 
 have no introductions, soon form acquaintances 
 among those of his own class, and will receive the 
 hospitality of the mess in the barracks,* or of some 
 brother sub, who will instruct him in cigar-smoking, 
 auction and bazaar purchases, horse-flesh, dogs, and 
 the coarser species of local scandal — in the " life," 
 in fact, of that warm-hearted, careless, and practi- 
 cally philosophical section of the Anglo-Indian people. 
 If he be of the class who are at once permanently 
 settled at the presidencies, and who are at the same 
 time admissible to the well-defined, yet apparently 
 confused, circle of society to which we are adverting — 
 if, for example, he be a member of the bar, and pro- 
 perly introduced as such, he will make his round of 
 calls (for the stranger, excepting at Bombay, must 
 call on the residents, by way of a beginning) on the 
 principal inhabitants, and will in due course find the 
 civility returned, and that again followed by the for- 
 mal procedure of an invitation to dinner; after which 
 he will naturally fall into a mixed society of his own 
 professional kith, and the less constantly busy, and 
 consequently more accessible, persons of the various 
 services, the merchants, &c., and may lead " a very 
 merry, hey down derry, sort of life enough," and yet 
 one which shall not interrupt his proper pursuits of 
 business. Strictly speaking, there are no " idlers " 
 
 * At each presidency there is a fortress containing barracks for two 
 or three thousand men.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 213 
 
 at either Calcutta, Madras, or Bombay, unless it be 
 the few officers who are on leave of absence, and the 
 young writers who are studying the language ! 
 
 The Indian hospitahty, in its olden phase, has 
 almost totally disappeared, and consequently there 
 are not now any of those sheep-and-bullock dinners, 
 round which from forty to eighty guests assembled, 
 and which certainly had an air of grandeur to the 
 unaccustomed eye, and which was supported at an 
 expense totally incompatible with the more modern 
 system of living, and, alas ! of means. No\v-a-days, 
 a party of twenty (excepting at a mess) is consi- 
 dered laroe, and the usual number varies from ei^ht 
 to sixteen — the medium quantity being, perhaps, the 
 one oftenest collected. Nor are even these so unlike 
 angels' visits as the traditionary belief in England of 
 Indian munificence might lead the reader to suppose. 
 They are rife enough, it is true, contrasted with simi- 
 lar demonstrations in any other civilized quarter of 
 the British empire; but, compared to the almost 
 ceaseless and open-door hospitality of the olden 
 time, they are, it must be confessed, not so plentiful 
 as blackberries, where blackberries ca^e plentiful. 
 
 The wane of hospitality, which introduced re- 
 spectable hotels, made at the same time an opening 
 for boarding and lodging houses — things unheard of 
 even in Calcutta twenty years ago ; but they are not 
 (or the exceptive cases are extremely rare) made sub- 
 servient to the purposes of the permanent inhabi- 
 tants, among whom the practice is for even bache- 
 lors to keep house, each for himself, the chumming 
 system occasionally varying the monotony; while 
 the " publics " above mentioned are, as elsewhere,
 
 214 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the resort of the occasional visitants, who find good 
 accommodation in them, on reasonable terms, and 
 are thus saved " a world of woe " in establishin"- 
 themselves on their own accounts for the few months, 
 or perhaps weeks, of their oppidan existence. The 
 interiors of the private houses are all so alike, in the 
 arrangement of the rooms, the verandahs, and the 
 portion of furnishing, that he who has seen two or 
 three of the medium size and style will find scarcely 
 any variety in an inspection of the rest, though great 
 novelty, and, to the unaccustomed eye, discomfort, 
 and even the uneasiness arising from a mixture of the 
 fine and the shabby, when his mind's eye contrasts 
 what is before him with his recollections of the ele- 
 gance and comfort of home domestic arrangement. 
 The houses of the richer classes may contain better 
 chairs and couches than those of their less affluent 
 fellow-citizens — mahogany instead of imitative toon, 
 jackwood or blackwood, or the lighter-coloured but 
 polishable and well-grained teak ; and the punkahs 
 of Dives may be more elaborately gilded than those 
 of the poorer householder; while the silk or damask 
 of his couches may parade it somewhat more finely 
 than the chintz of the inferior. The wall-shades, too, 
 may be better (probably not proportionately more 
 numerous), by having drops to them, or double 
 branches, and richer chandeliers may aid in illumi- 
 nating the rooms of the wealthier inhabitant ; but 
 the way of dolruj the thing \'s> the same in all, and the 
 want of what in England is considered perfect ele- 
 gance is as observable in the Government-Houses as 
 in the more limited mansion of him whose monthly 
 income (for in India all incomes, whether yearly or
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 215 
 
 otherwise, are paid by the month) may vary from five 
 hundred to a thousand of the Company's rupees. 
 
 Works of art, as the term is properly understood 
 in Europe, can hardly be said to exist in our eastern 
 cities. The prints which are hung up to hide the 
 nakedness of the " whitened w^alls " are seldom of 
 the higher class of engravings — the best impressions 
 not always finding their way out to India ; and of 
 pieces of vertu, ornaments in bronze and alabaster, 
 or even beautiful japan- ware, there is a plentiful 
 lack, though the best which are on the spot appear 
 in the eyes of the possessors as good as the best 
 which are anywhere else. Every person who keeps 
 house has his service of plate — more or less exten- 
 sive, according to his station ; but well-cleaned 
 plate is a thing not to be met with among high or 
 low. We do not mean to insinuate that it is dirty, 
 but the servants have not the method of imparting 
 to it that brilliancy of polish which causes it in Eng- 
 land to add so greatly to the beauty of a dinner- 
 table ; and the same remark is applicable to the 
 glass-ware, which, generally speaking, is in all re- 
 spects inferior to that in use in England, even among 
 the humbler-fortuned classes of the gentry. So 
 much for an outline sketch of the domestic economy. 
 
 In regard to apparel, a few remarks will suffice. 
 From March till October, the European clothes him- 
 self in white cotton jacket, like a barber's or a foot- 
 man's in the morning — and decorates himself in 
 broad-cloth for the remainder of the twelvemonth, 
 though there are some gentlemen who have been so 
 thoroughly sun-dried, that they can wear the woollens 
 all the year round without serious exudation. As to
 
 216 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the general nature of his other habits, if he reside in 
 town, or at one of the large stations, it is pretty 
 accurately as follows: — He rises early — the lark 
 having no start of him — and in the cold season pro- 
 ceeds to take a fresh air gallop, or, if he be a sub- 
 scriber to a hunt, he " goes to the dogs" in that way. 
 In the warm weather, as he must return home soon 
 after the sun is up, he usually undresses, puts on his 
 pajamas (the loose Turkish trouser), drinks iced 
 soda-watei", lies down on the couch, novel or news- 
 paper in hand, and in all human probability goes to 
 sleep, in spite of all the cawing of crows (for India is 
 as full of them as a rookery is of rooks), the creak- 
 ing of wheels, the shrill cry of kites, and the general 
 native bustle; rises, bathes, and dresses, so as to 
 have breakfast over by ten — the said meal consist- 
 ing, at all seasons, of rice, fried fish, eggs, omelette, 
 preserves, tea, coffee, &c., more in the fashion of a 
 Scotch than an English matutinal recreation — and 
 soon after goes to the counting-house or office, and 
 there labours assiduously till four or five o'clock in 
 his vocation, when he returns home and undresses 
 himself (after a little more lounging on the couch 
 than is really necessary for his bodily refreshment), 
 to prepare, by a new course of bathing and toiletting, 
 for the evening drive, to see " the order of the course." 
 Every one keeps a horse, and most men a plurality 
 of that various quadruped, which is to be had of all 
 sorts, sizes, and prices, from the pony (familiarly 
 called tat — corruption of the native name for the 
 small animal, tattoo), at from thirty up to two hun- 
 dred rupees, to the horse, par excellence, of which 
 the price varies from the last-mentioned sum, or, by'r
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 217 
 
 lady, even less, up to two, five, and even ten thousand 
 rupees, according to his quaHties and the uses for 
 which the purchaser may intend him. Also do all 
 men keep buggies, at the least — a buggy being a 
 one-horse vehicle, combining something of the ad- 
 vantages and appearance, with but little of the style, 
 of the Stanhope cabriolet — and, in addition to this, 
 a singly-blessed merchant, or government official, 
 keeps unto himself a palankeen carriage (called, at 
 Bombay, a shigrampo), which carries him to and 
 from office, and is just a larger (not always even a 
 larger) sort of palankeen, mounted on wheels, and 
 drawn by one horse, or by two horses, instead of 
 being carried upon four men's shoulders. Married 
 persons of even minor condition keep their carriages, 
 which are not thirty pounds per annum more expen- 
 sive than the buggy, and which are constantly to be 
 had for private sale, or at auctions, horses and all, 
 for from about a hundred and fifty to three hundred 
 pounds. The evening drive has no recommendation 
 beyond that of passing the most disagreeable hour 
 of the day in inhaling coolish air, for you meet the 
 same faces, the same equipages, and receive and 
 make the same formal bows, almost every evening, 
 and the mind derives no refreshment, save what goes 
 to it through the body. The drive is succeeded by a 
 languid sort of dinner, and the whole community are 
 asleep before eleven. 
 
 In England, where business of every kind — poli- 
 tical, commercial, and miscellaneous — is in so great 
 a measure (as is known to be the case) carried on by 
 means of oral communications, it will excite surprise 
 to learn how little is thus transacted in the metro- 
 
 L
 
 218 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 polis of India ; and any mercantile man arriving there 
 and at once entering upon his vocation, would at 
 first not comprehend the necessity for the apparently 
 time-wasting system which we are going to describe, 
 and which we shall denominate the chit-system. 
 The word chit does not signify in India, as it does in 
 England, we believe, a saucy little girl, but is a cor- 
 ruption of the Hindee term chit hee (loosely pro- 
 nounced chitty), which in English means " a letter," 
 be the same short or long, for they have no such 
 epistolary distinction there as corresponds with our 
 " notes," " letters," &:c., all kinds of letters being 
 indicated by the one common epithet. Througliout 
 the British eastern territories, then, verbal messages, 
 by servants, are almost totally unknown, and wholly 
 so on matters of any importance; so that chits are 
 flying about the town all day, and a particular class 
 of servants, called peons, or sepoys, are kept in 
 very constant employment as the bearers of these 
 despatches. Written generally in haste, not com- 
 monly on matters of consequence, many having to 
 be written every day, and the bearers being unable 
 to master their contents, a slovenly habit has been 
 naturally fallen into of despatching them carelessly 
 folded, written on scraps of paper, and despatched 
 unwafered or unsealed ; whence it happens that per- 
 sons in the way of receiving a multitude of them 
 daily sometimes open the chits designed for other 
 people, which the stupidity of the peon, or the care- 
 less directions of his master, may have been the 
 means of leading to the unintended house; and in 
 this way curious secrets have sometimes been arrived 
 at in a very innocent spirit. The system itself is, we
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 219 
 
 apprehend, inevitable, for the climate does not admit 
 of the constant running about of Europeans them- 
 selves : their Eurasian clerks cannot go a hundred 
 yards without incurring the cost of a palankeen. 
 The English can rarely speak the native language 
 well enough to enable them to intercommunicate 
 by means of native servants, and there would be 
 various objections to trusting a native with the 
 purport of such communications, even where 
 some of the baboos, sircars, purvoes, and others 
 of that genus, can converse with sufficient com- 
 prehensiveness in English for the purpose. In 
 the cold season, more, of course, is done by per- 
 sonal intercourse than in the housing times of the 
 year; but even shopping of all kinds is principally 
 carried on by chits, and for borrowing a book, as 
 much as for borrowing a thousand rupees, a c/«e7has 
 to be written, and a chit answer returned, in the 
 event of the loan not being accorded. Where a chit 
 requires no answer, or where an affirmative rejoinder 
 needs no explanation (such as where one accepts a 
 friendly invitation to dinner), then the word salaam, 
 sent by the messenger to his master, serves the 
 several purposes of an acknowledgment of, or a 
 receipt for, the chit, and an acquiescence in the 
 request it contained ; but so firmly based in usage 
 and social convenience is the old system of chit cir- 
 culation, that although an anna post, on the principle 
 of the London twopenny one, was made a speculation 
 of by a sanguine individual in Calcutta, it was not 
 found in any degree to supersede the use of private 
 peons ; and, indeed, no such establishment could be 
 effectual for its purpose, which had not a " delivery" 
 L 2
 
 220 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 every quarter of an hour, at the scldomest rate of 
 transaction.* 
 
 We have hitherto been speaking: of the gentleman 
 chit affairs ; those of the ladies are the same in prin- 
 ciple, but, oh ! how dissimilar in practice ! We think 
 we do not exaggerate when we say that every lady 
 of ton at either presidency has to write, on an 
 average, two thousand c/riis per annum ,• but in theirs 
 is observable none of the slovenliness which cha- 
 racterizes the bulk of the masculine dealings in the 
 same industrious line. Neatly written, neatly folded, 
 on pretty paper, and either sealed with all the dis- 
 cretion of Donna Julia's own, or else so cunningly 
 implicated into cocked hats, twists, and other sacred 
 involutions, that to make wax itself " render up its 
 trust " would be far less trouble than the unfolding 
 of such missives by unpractised fingers. 
 
 But the stranger will long be sorely perplexed by 
 that branch of the system (and it is a most important 
 branch) which concerns the name and whereabout 
 of the particular gentleman with whom he wishes to 
 communicate. A Johnson, Smith, Brown, Jones, or 
 Robinson will be as so much caviare to the multitude 
 of peons, if referred to under the principles of 
 English orthoepy. The identification, to be of any 
 utility, must be made thus : — Janseen, Ismitt, Bur- 
 roon, June, or Rabbyseen ; and as these are among 
 the easiest specimens of our nomenclature, let the 
 bewildered exile judge, ex pede, of the difficulties 
 
 * Men of business send their chits, for the most part, in a book, in 
 which is written the name of the sendee, who puts his initials opposite 
 thereto, and thus supplies a voucher of the safe delivery, in case he 
 answers not the communication on the instant.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 221 
 
 which await him, when he shall come to encounter 
 the various tailed Macs, Os, Fitzes, and the poly- 
 syllabic and crackling designations which Britons 
 are wont to hold, and some of which are not inferior 
 to the Russian breakers. 
 
 Of twelve consonants apiece. 
 
 Then, as to the localities; albeit there are some 
 streets with pure English specifications, not only 
 have almost all such got a native denotement 
 also, but the others have aboriginal distinguishments 
 only, and unless the tongue and memory of the new 
 inhabitant can master them, he may as well whistle 
 for his correspondent as attempt to send a servant to 
 his " local habitation," and in a knowledge of his 
 " name." His only resource must otherwise be some 
 of the old stagers, or their servants, until custom 
 shall have familiarized him with these peculiarities. 
 
 Another usage, which cannot fail to strike a newly- 
 arrived emigrant to Calcutta with surprise, but 
 which he will find to be in many respects con- 
 venient, and scarcely at all perplexing, is the extent 
 and variety of street-traffic which will be forced 
 upon his notice as he lolls in his palankeen. In 
 London, there is a species and degree of this retail 
 trade, to be sure, in the shape of fruit-stalls, stick- 
 exhibitions, oyster-stands, old-book temptations, and 
 wandering Jews ; but they are only tolerated by the 
 municipality ; whereas in Calcutta there is no right 
 of interference with the out-door race, and as re- 
 gards " Europe " articles, they are all perambulatory. 
 Hats, stocks, boots, shoes, books of all descriptions 
 — new and old, standard and ephemeral, costly and
 
 222 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 cheap ; prints, boxes of every species of the Geneva 
 writing-desk, tea-caddy, and work-box ; jewellery, 
 forest-birds, looking-glasses, toys, guinea-pigs, foot- 
 stools, dogs, ivory articles, whips of all sorts, fringe- 
 work, shells, pedlary, perfumery — in a word, almost 
 every portable thing, after its kind, is to be had 
 from the street-venders, at rates which seem to 
 baffle all doctrines of production-cost, and as good 
 as the same kind of wares, &c., can be had in the 
 native shops. The very centre of the street is the 
 part where they most do ply, and they are so civil, 
 patient, and insinuating, that it is rather an amuse- 
 ment than an annoyance, as you go along, palkee- 
 borne, to haggle in a quiet way for whatever takes 
 your fancy; and as the venders all smatter English, 
 they are as acceptable to the grifF on that score as he 
 is to them, on account of the inexperience whence 
 they can extract three rupees for the article which 
 the old hand could obtain for eight annas, or just 
 one-sixth of that amount. 
 
 As we speak of the sporting amusements of Calcutta 
 in the portion of the Itinerary devoted to that capital, 
 we shall in this place only mention one or two of the 
 recreations which belong to the class called pic-nics, 
 and which occasionally break through the business 
 monotony of a Calcutta life. A day at Barrackpore 
 Park, which is a lovely piece of ground, and in which 
 the Government keep up a menagerie and aviary, 
 allows the mind a holiday which it often stands in 
 need of; and as the settledness of the weather be- 
 tween November and March is uniform enough to 
 almost insure a party of this kind against the con- 
 tretems of a ducking, and tlie temperature so pleasant
 
 THE HAND-r.OOK OP INDIA. 223 
 
 as to involve no other risk to health from the unusual 
 exposure of the skyey influences, there is a great 
 deal of cordial cockney enjoyment derivable from 
 such excursions, where the party is well assorted, 
 and where it is understood that a spinster may be 
 spoken to more than once by a bachelor without his 
 being thereby involved in the inferential " offer," 
 which, on more formal occasions, would be taken to 
 be comprised, or at the very least intended, in such 
 very deep familiarity. The party can go by land and 
 return by water, or vice versa, and thus obtain a 
 variation of travel which, in returning especially from 
 these exciting excursions, is well adapted to keep the 
 mind from flagging, or feeling jaded, by its long and 
 unusual state of joyous excitation. In the opposite 
 direction — to wit, doivn the river Hooghly — the Com- 
 pany's Botanic Gardens are a favourite resort of all 
 classes of the community upon Saturdays and Sun- 
 days. 
 
 But what are termed the Doorga Pooja holidays, 
 which usually commence about the middle of Sep- 
 tember, and last eight or ten days, form the period 
 of time which admits extended excursions of almost 
 all classes of men of business from the metropolis, and 
 there is as much deadness then in Calcutta as there 
 is in London at or near the same time of the year. The 
 Hindoo natives lay aside all kind of business, save what 
 daily necessity renders it indispensable to pursue, 
 and shops and offices are shut up, or their tradeful 
 hum and bustle all but stagnated, while that great 
 religious ceremonial is in course of being observed. 
 Then the European merchant, the clerk, the official, 
 the lawyer, the shopkeeper, and artisan, all absent
 
 224 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 themselves ; some for several days, and some for a 
 few weeks, in the certainty that competition cannot 
 be active while they are gone, and that the general 
 stagnation is sucli, that little could be profited by 
 their remaining at their business. Pinnaces and 
 budgerows are then hired for trips into the Mofussil, 
 and tlie exploring citizen, who gets a hundred miles 
 inland, feels from that hour at hberty to relate, vrhen 
 he revisits England, that he has travelled into the 
 interior of India, and surveyed men and manners in 
 the ruralities of our empire ! At all times and sea- 
 sons there are recreative lounges, fit to occuj^y an 
 hour or two, within the precincts of the city, and 
 which a justly-proud or good-natured ''Ditcher" 
 will, like his compeer of London, occasionally take a 
 Mofussil " Cousin " to behold, or, as Pierre expressed 
 it to Jaffier, to " gaze with wonder at, and envy." 
 Such are the rooms and museum of the Asiatic 
 Society, where you will see strange armours of 
 Oriental and savage people, the sight of which would 
 do good to the eyes of Sir H. Meyrick, and the pos- 
 session of which would gladden his heart for ever; 
 and where curious birds, beasts, and fishes are in a 
 state of admirable preservation. Then there is the 
 Mint, with its fine and ample machinery, to which 
 the politeness of the Mint and Assay Masters 
 insures easy access ; a visit to some rich argosy in 
 the river, or a ship-launch at Kidderpore, together 
 with the fancy fairs and other devices, which assist 
 greatly in their employment those whose labour it 
 is to kill the time, or who, in a pure love of employ- 
 ment, are hunters of the lions in every part of the 
 world.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 225 
 
 The holiday amusements of the residents at Bom- 
 bay are more Umited than those of the inhabitants 
 of Calcutta; but they are very delightful of their 
 kind. The island of Elephanta, and its curious sub- 
 terranean temples, the islands of Salsette, Gorabun- 
 der, and Bassein, all abounding with picturesque 
 scenery, antiquities, and remains of the Portuguese 
 dominion, are reached in two or three hours' sail, or 
 in a land journey of the same duration. Livery- 
 stable-keepers supply excellent carriages and horses 
 to those who have not cattle of their own; and 
 beautiful roomy boats, called bunder-boats, are ob- 
 tainable at the piers, by application over-night. At 
 Madras, the cold weather brings the opportunity for 
 rural trips into the interior, where the diversions of 
 shootino- and huntine; aflbrd the toil-worn man of 
 business a pleasant annual relaxation. 
 
 The important question of general morals, which 
 in a disquisition on the social states should not be 
 wholly overlooked, may be justly decided in favour 
 of an Indian residence over a London one, as regards 
 a young man just entering into life in search of his 
 own subsistence. In our Oriental cities there are 
 none of those lures and haunts which prove so 
 attractive and fatal to the young Londoner. His 
 Indian contemporary almost must spend his evenings 
 in a decorous manner, for not only would he soon 
 become marked if he frequented such scenes of de- 
 bauchery as tliere are, which are of the very lowest 
 description, and where common soldiers, sailors, and 
 the absolute blackguards of the place resort; but 
 there is not that field for " lark " which tempts the 
 London spruce apprentice, and youths of higher 
 l3
 
 226 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 degree, to take to the streets in search of such 
 adventures. Drinking, too, is a practice not at all 
 encouraged or countenanced in the Anglo-Indian 
 community. It used to be so, but its pernicious day 
 has long gone by, and the very, very few who are 
 still victims to its brutifying power, are looked upon 
 with mingled pity and contempt by all other classes 
 of their fellow-citizens, and are morally mischievous, 
 not from any bad influence which their vice can 
 exercise over their own countrymen, but from the 
 degree to which their sad propensity risks the degra- 
 dation of the English character in the eyes of the 
 native community, among all but the dregs of whom 
 (and even among them the crime is rare compared to 
 its spread among our own lower orders) drunkenness 
 is looked upon with detestation and disgust. On the 
 whole, whatever bugbear-born apprehension fond 
 parents may entertain of sending their junior off- 
 spring to India, on account of fever, liver, cholera, 
 sun-strokes, and Thugs, we may conscientiously 
 assure them, that, whether in the Company's service 
 or the mercantile or miscellaneous line of adventure, 
 their morals are in infinitely less danger of contamina- 
 tion than they are in life in England ; and other 
 portions of this work, relating to the climate, and to 
 the constitutional effect which it has upon foreign 
 residents, will be sufficient, we think, to calm the 
 fears of maternal hearts upon that score, and to 
 convince them that Englishmen can live long com- 
 fortably and respectably in India, unless their own 
 impropriety shall nullify their advantages. 
 
 Although we shall now lay down a full establish- 
 ment, such as is kept up by a person of local rank
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 227 
 
 or mercantile affluence at the presidencies, yet our 
 details will be designed for the information and 
 guidance of those who go to India to seek their for- 
 tunes, and whose mode of living must, or in prudence 
 should, be rather in accordance with their immediate 
 means and near prospects, than with any air-located 
 castles which they may amuse themselves with rais- 
 ing, or even with any certain prospective advantages 
 which many of them (writers, cadets, &c.) must pos- 
 sess — if they only live long enough, and continue in 
 the service. 
 
 The few persons who are sent to India at years of 
 discretion, and with their fortunes, rank, and stations 
 ready cut out for them — such as members of council, 
 commanders-in-chief, bishops, judges, law commis- 
 sioners, and a few more of the same description — 
 are at no loss about their domestic settlements ; nor 
 will it inchoate their ruin to expend a few rupees 
 more than an accurate calculation of comforts might 
 allow ; whereas if the cadet, the merchant's clerk, or 
 the tradesman were to legin imprudently, the conse- 
 quences to them would be the " bread of sorrow " 
 in after-days, when reflection, coming too late, could 
 only serve for punishment. Young men who enter 
 the civil service, and cadets, have a fixed and regu- 
 larly-paid monthly salary from the day of their 
 landing — the former having Rs. 300 and the latter 
 Rs. 200 per mensem ; with this farther difference, 
 that the former, if a diligent student of the native 
 languages, may in two years, or even less, acquire a 
 material addition to his original income, while the 
 latter may, and usually does, remain from six to 
 twelve years in rank and emolument exactly where
 
 228 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 he started. They who come out in a good mercan- 
 tile connection are also generally provided for at 
 once, as clerks or assistants ; but the tradesman or 
 mechanic has to rely on the produce of his brow's 
 sweat from the beginning, unless he chooses to eat 
 into his little capital, which is just the last sort of 
 meal we should advise him to make. 
 
 With reference to the mention of the local coin 
 which the nature of this section will render it necessary 
 for us to make, we may state at once that, although 
 the rupee fluctuates in exchangeable value (in re- 
 mittances to England) from Is. lid. to 2s. Id., and 
 is sometimes lower and higher than these two points, 
 respectively ; yet it will give the reader a sufficiently 
 correct estimate of our price-current observations, to 
 consider it, in round numbers, as representing two 
 shillings sterling. This scale will keep him, com- 
 mercially and arithmetically speaking, very nearly 
 right; but it will not (and nothing but local expe- 
 rience will) make him accurately acquainted with 
 the great difference in what we may call the moral 
 value of money in England and in India. A rupee 
 is constantly given where even one shilling would be 
 hesitated about by the better home economist, and 
 is very frequently expended where even a sixpence 
 would serve the turn in Enoland : but the oroundins: 
 of the adventurer in this description of unconveyable 
 knowledge must be the work of experience and ob- 
 servations on the spot. Book learning will not 
 assist him. If the " young gentleman " get into a 
 Mess, or to chum with an old hand, it will be finan- 
 cially much the better for him at the outset, if he 
 have common sense and ordinary prudence ; but if
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 229 
 
 circumstances so shape his lot that he shall have to 
 keep house for himself, he will then find some be- 
 nefit from remembering the information we design to 
 supply. As a general rule, we recommend to him 
 worthy Mrs. John Gilpin's accomplishment — " a fru- 
 gal mind" — and with that aphorism, we shall pro- 
 ceed to set out a list of the expenses attending an 
 Anglo-Indian establishment upon an entire scale, 
 and subsequently point out the reductions in it 
 which are applicable to inferior conditions of white 
 mankind in the East. The cost named is the monthly 
 cost. 
 
 ANGLO-INDIAN ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 BOMBAY. 
 
 CALCUTTA. 
 
 MADRAS. 
 
 
 
 House 
 
 House 
 
 House 
 
 Rs. 30 to Rs 
 
 ;. 600, 
 
 Butler 
 
 Khansama 
 
 Dobash 
 
 Rs. 10 toRs 
 
 ;. 50. 
 
 Boy 
 
 Khidmutgar 
 
 Boy 
 
 Rs. 6 to Rs. 
 
 8. 
 
 Mussal 
 
 Musalchee 
 
 Musalchee 
 
 Rs. 4. 
 
 
 
 Cook 
 
 
 Rs. 7 to Rs. 
 
 20. 
 
 Bearer 
 
 Sirdar-bearer 
 
 Head-bearer Rs. 6. 
 
 
 
 Mate-bearer 
 
 Bearer 
 
 Rs. 5. 
 
 
 Hammals 
 
 Palkee -bearers 
 
 
 Rs. 4 each. 
 
 
 Puckaulie 
 
 Bheesty 
 
 Puckally 
 
 Rs. 5. 
 
 
 Jaroo -wallah 
 
 Mihtur 
 
 
 Rs. 3 to Rs. 
 
 4. 
 
 
 Dhobee 
 
 Washerman 
 
 Rs. 0. 
 
 
 
 Tailor 
 
 Durzee 
 
 Rs. 6. 
 
 
 Sepoy 
 
 Peon or chupprassy Peon 
 
 Rs. 5. 
 
 
 Gora-wallah 
 
 Syce 
 Grasscutter 
 
 Ghirawallah 
 
 Rs. 5. 
 Rs. 3. 
 
 
 
 Coachman 
 
 
 Rs. 8 to Rs. 
 
 20. 
 
 
 Ayah 
 
 
 Rs. 7 to Rs. 
 
 16. 
 
 
 Mihturanee 
 
 Tarry catch 
 
 Rs. 5. 
 
 
 
 Abdar 
 
 
 Rs. 8 to Rs. 
 
 12. 
 
 
 Hookahburdar 
 
 
 Rs. 8. 
 
 [th 
 
 Purvoe 
 
 Sircar or baboo 
 
 Dobarh 
 
 Rs.W— up 
 
 to i 
 
 any 
 
 Now we shall endeavour to give such a description
 
 230 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of each of these human items as shall convey to the 
 tyro an intelligible, if not a very vivid, notion of 
 their several duties and peculiarities ; but before 
 entering upon the " humanities," let us offer two or 
 three hints concerning the domicile. As in almost 
 every town "where men do congregate," so at the 
 presidencies, there are houses in as great variety, in 
 size, situation, and rent-charge, as there were dogs, 
 after their kinds, in Islington, at the time Oliver 
 Goldsmith classified the canine species of that an- 
 cient place into 
 
 Mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound. 
 And cur of low degree ; 
 
 and, of course, in this variety of dwelling-places, 
 the purse may be suited even at the lowest ebb 
 which will allow its possessor a roof over his un- 
 happy head at all ; but it is not easy for any re- 
 spectably-situated person to procure a tenement 
 which will insure him the lowest degree of comfort, 
 with reference to the skyey influences, for a less 
 rentage than fifty rupees a month ; and such a house 
 will probably be deficient as to convenience of site 
 for any one whose daily business requires his pre- 
 sence in the town. Certainly, two, or even more, 
 young men may take a house among them, even if 
 circumstances should not allow of their living to- 
 D-etlier throuahout : but the adventurer who comes 
 to India in a state of double-blessedness, or who 
 imprudently gets into such a state too soon, finan- 
 cially speaking, afterwards will find himself com- 
 pelled to put up with but sorry accommodation, 
 compared with what the lowest Calcutta or Madras 
 rent for a decent European — say thirty rupees a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 231 
 
 month, or nearly forty pounds per annum — would 
 obtain for him in most parts of England. Houses, 
 in fact, are very dear at each presidency, the higher 
 class letting, without an atom of furnishing, at from 
 £400 to £800 per annum, and no really respectable 
 abode being to be had, in a convenient position, 
 under £250 or £300 per annum (paid, like every 
 thing else connected with the " domicile," in rupees, 
 monthly), though without the addition, to the renter, 
 of any description of municipal taxes. And now for 
 the menials. 
 
 The khansama, or butler, acts the part which, in 
 a moderate English establishment, is acted by the 
 mistress and the cook together ; that is to say, he 
 markets, prepares the pastry and the made dishes, 
 makes preserves, superintends the whole kitchen ar- 
 rangement, and in general leaves nothing to the 
 cook but the actual cooking. It is the custom to 
 think him a rogue, and the theory is discreet, inas- 
 much as it induces a strict scrutiny of his accounts ; 
 but to infer from it that he is less honest than an 
 English servant would be under like facilities, were 
 to libel the khansama. In the first place, a poor or 
 only a middling rich man — one of the happy juste 
 milieu, — has no business to have this functionary 
 upon his establishment at all. He is a luxury for 
 the rich, and in their houses he has such scope 
 for "knavish tricks," that his not plundering his 
 employer on a large scale is to be noted to his credit, 
 under the head of the virtue denominated absti- 
 nence. He is entitled by prescriptive right to charge 
 the round rupee for any thing which falls but a little 
 short of it: thus, as there are sixteen annas in the
 
 232 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 rupee, he would debit " master " with the integral 
 coin, thouoh he mioht have obtained the article for 
 fourteen annas ; and, in addition to this, he obtains, 
 as a matter of course (the rule in all native dealings), 
 what is termed dustooree, which means ' custom ;' 
 and this is levied from the vender at the rate of half 
 an anna out of every rupee, so that, in every thirty- 
 two rupees, the purchaser gains one, — being upwards 
 of three per cent., — and we believe there are cases 
 where the exaction is extended to double that 
 amount. Scarcely any but the lower orders of An- 
 glo-Indians go to market for themselves. In even 
 the humblest establishments, where a butler, as 
 such, is no more dreamt of than any other philo- 
 sophy of grandeur, the solitary khidmutgar, or boy, 
 will dub himself, and be dubbed by his inferiors, by 
 that much-usurped culinary title ; but in houses of 
 degree, where he is an avowed functionary, his 
 wages are according to his cunning in his art, and 
 one who is an Ude amony; the numerous members 
 of his tribe will get fifty rupees a month, though 
 that rate is rare : ten, twelve, and sixteen rupees 
 may be taken as the running averages of the species. 
 They are always intelligent, respectful, and well- 
 mannered men — Mussulmans, or Parsees — and have 
 much influence in the house, being treated very fa- 
 miliarly (within perfectly becoming bounds) by their 
 masters and mistresses, of whose interests they are 
 usually watchful against all depredators but them- 
 selves. 
 
 The khidmutgar, or boy, is of the khansama 
 genus, and often assumes the title, where no regular 
 one is kept. His own business, however, is (in a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 233 
 
 full establishment) solely to lay the table, bring up 
 the dinner, and wait during the meal. A couple 
 " well to do " would probably keep three or four of 
 these menials, and more than that if the domestic 
 quiver were full, for the children of such magnates 
 have servants of their own. General honesty, amid 
 much temptation and many facilities for a lapse 
 from virtue, cannot but be conceded to them; for 
 they have constant access to the plate, wines, tea, 
 table linen, and similar valuables, and might decamp 
 with various spoons under all reasonable chances of 
 impunity, as the police is rather inferior to that of 
 Paris when Fouche had its management. The khid- 
 mutgar is a clean and smart-looking servant, not at 
 all mal-adroit in the practice of waiting, though 
 inferior in nimbleness to the true English waiter, to 
 whom, however, it must be remembered, there is no 
 necessity for his being equal, because, as at all Indian 
 parties every guest brings his or her own attendant 
 (and seldom so few as one apiece), the entertainer's 
 servants have little or nothing to do with that part 
 of the convivial business. Small people, if bachelors, 
 are for the most part content with one khidmutgar, 
 and dream not of a khansama; but whether there 
 be one or half a dozen, the breakfast and dinner 
 table exhibits the same fanciful neatness of arrange- 
 ment. All the spoons in the house are displayed in 
 the centre of the table, in various tasteful ways, and 
 are interspersed with wine-glasses, flowers, silver 
 forks, (fee, while in the midst rises the butter-pot — 
 of cut glass or silver, as the case may be — in which 
 the butter appears like a piece of beautiful carved 
 work, and, with the appliance of sparkling ice, is
 
 234 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 really tempting to behold. Indeed, the khidmutgar 
 contrives to lay out a very enchanting breakfast with 
 sufficiently simple means. The snowy whiteness of 
 the daily-clean cloth, the green chillies floating in 
 the clean water of the half-filled wine-glass, the eye- 
 refreshing mustard and cress, the silver (which might 
 be brighter), the pots or glass-ware recipients of va- 
 rious preserves, and lastly, the substantials — the ome- 
 lette, the rice, the fish, the muffins, the chitnee, the 
 cold meats, and the fresh and fragrant tea — all have 
 a tendency to create an appetite beneath the ribs of 
 death, and to render gaunt famine, or penurious 
 scarcity, quite impossible visitants. 
 
 Next in descent to the above-described " obedient 
 humble servant " comes the musalchee (at Bombay 
 called a mussal), who is like unto the scullion in 
 British households, but who looks to being one 
 day a khidmutgar, and who has even attained, 
 though in rare instances, the khansamaship itself — 
 just as a clerk in the treasury might rise to be a lord 
 of it, or the cook of the home old bachelor get 
 exalted into ruling the whole roast of the establish- 
 ment. The analogy between the musalchee and the 
 scuUion, indeed, is not complete in all its parts; for 
 the former cleans knives, plates, spoons, glasses, &c., 
 and does, in a word, the underwork of the butler's 
 pantry, which is somewhat above the performances 
 of the nymph of the scullery. 
 
 The cook, or bawurchee, called hohberjee by the 
 English, who are the vilest corrupters on earth of 
 both foreign languages and their own, is in a rank 
 by himself, and composed of himself solely, unless 
 he has a mate (not meaning a vv^ife), as in large
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 235 
 
 houses he has. To the establishments of the smaller 
 orders he is not essential, for the khidmutgar and 
 musalchee will there manage that business very 
 creditably between them; and where he is kept, 
 he is paid according to his excellence. Pity 'tis 
 that neither he nor any of the rest, who have a 
 hand in the preparation of the meals, will ever taste 
 any thing, though, under that disadvantage, it is 
 " most wonderful, and after that out of all whoop- 
 ing," to see how accurate they are in the flavourings 
 of the various dishes. Still, it bars them from attain- 
 ing to that delicacy of touch and variety of savour 
 which the cook at the Clarendon knows well 
 enough : but if the said Clarendon cook were sud- 
 denly, by fairy power, wafted to, and set down 
 in, an Oriental kitchen, and there told to pre- 
 pare a dinner, consisting of every delicacy in fish, 
 flesh, and pudding, for twenty people, by seven 
 o'clock P.M., his first emotion would have a direct 
 tendency to suicide, and his eventual calmness would 
 be nothing more comfortable than a settled despair. 
 Nothing that he would call a spit, a grate, an oven, 
 or any one convenience would meet his wildered 
 eye ; and he might as well go to the Highlands to 
 look for knee-buckles, as there to search for a drip- 
 ping-pan, or a roller; sieves, dredgers, cullenders, 
 and such like would be just as plentiful as black- 
 berries are in Hyde Park, and even a dishclout would 
 be very difficult to procure. Yet the indigenous 
 cook will, out of this nettle, deficiency, pluck the 
 flower, good dinner. 
 
 But, leaving the culinary precincts, let us proceed 
 into the body of the house, and there we meet, at
 
 236 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Calcutta at least, with the dignitary called the sirdar, 
 or chief of the bearers, who is the person equivalent 
 to that European functionary in whose eyes no man 
 seems a hero — so levelled are we all by our mortal 
 imperfections ! The sirdar-bearer, called sirdar, in 
 brevity, is, among other things, the valet-de-chambre. 
 He prepares — he and his mate, if a mate be kept — 
 the evening lights, a duty which naturally involves 
 the furbishment of the candlesticks, glass shades, 
 and snuffers, and which, at Bombay, is performed by 
 the mussal, and at Madras by the matee. He also 
 polishes the shoes, boots, straps, and so forth, of 
 his master. Moreover, he rubs tables into bright- 
 ness, with coco-nut shell and wax-cloth, makes the 
 beds (for housemaids are things unknown), and per- 
 forms a variety of little nameless items, which need 
 not to be enumerated. 
 
 Among the upper classes (the upper in point of 
 salary we mean), there are four or six palankeen- 
 bearers retained, besides the sirdar and mate ; but 
 the two latter are to be found in almost every house, 
 and may be considered indispensable. The former 
 of these carries an immense bunch of keys at his 
 girdle, and whether his master have boxes enough to 
 demand a large bunch or not, such bunch there is 
 sure to be, for the dignity of the office. 
 
 The bheesty (properly bihishtee) provides the water 
 for the use of the whole establishment; hanging a 
 sheepskin on his recreant hip, and carrying it along 
 with apparent awkwardness, though with real ease. 
 The duty, at Bombay, devolves on a puckalee, who 
 carries the water in copper vessels, attached to a 
 bamboo sluns; across the shoulders.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 237 
 
 The mihtur — a word signifying "a prince!" — is 
 the pariah of the estabHshment, but has no small 
 opinion of himself, and is wise enough to eat of the 
 crumbs (a phrase including every good thing) which 
 fall from his master's table. He sweeps the house, 
 cleans out the bathing-room, and does all the dirty 
 work, in fact, as well as takes care of a dog or two, 
 if necessary, and is usually the happiest and often 
 the sprucest and the most prettily-wived of all the 
 domestics. 
 
 The dhobee, or washerman, is fully explained to 
 the English reader by his English name, though he 
 differs in some respects from the English washer- 
 woman, as well as in being of a different sex. For 
 instance, while she is up to her elbows in a wash- 
 tub, he is up to his knees in a tank, or may be in a 
 river ; while she rubs her knuckles into a shrivelled 
 and blistery-looking skin, he bangs the linen raiment 
 of master, mistress, and child, against a serrated log, 
 or a roughened stone; while she is all suds, the 
 frothy article is scarcely known to him, and yet he 
 is well off for soap, but the modus operandi is unfa- 
 vourable for the accumulation of the frothy pile; 
 while she mangles, he is ironing, with an enormous 
 brazen iron, of which the weight has an effect equi- 
 valent to mangling, on the cloth ; and finally, while 
 she brings home her linen as yellow as saffron, he 
 brings his home as white as snow. The dhobee of a 
 bachelor gets the pay opposite to his name in the 
 foregoing list ; but where there is a lady in the case, 
 his wages are at least doubled, and increased also by 
 a rupee or two for every child. 
 
 The durzee, or tailor, is an indispensable adjunct.
 
 238 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 his business being to mend the clothes as fast as the 
 dhobee tears them, and for this purpose, chiefly, he 
 works daily from morn till dewy eve — from nine 
 o'clock till five, at the presidency, but from sunrise 
 till sunset in the upper provinces, or (more compre- 
 hensively) in the Mofussil. A lady's tailor gets 
 from eight to ten rupees a month, and has no very 
 quiet life of it ; but the scolding is systematic, and 
 he cares little about the matter, though he never 
 may have " heard great ordnance in the field." But 
 the bachelor's tailor hath a life of ease and pleasure, 
 working half the time for the servants, who pay him 
 for that same. 
 
 The peon, chuprassy, peada, sepoy, or messenger, 
 carries letters, runs by palankeens, stands behind 
 carriages, and is altogether a functionary of con- 
 sequence. When forming part of the official esta- 
 bHshment of a civil servant, he is feared, hated, and 
 outwardly reverenced, by the natives of the district 
 — for then he acts as bailiff, process-server, and all 
 manner of hateful things ; and invariably turns his 
 power into a source of unlawful profit, from exac- 
 tions and general corruption. 
 
 The syce, or groom, does what his translated 
 name denotes ; but in a way very different from his 
 English namesake. Smart and vigorous grooming 
 is unknown in India, and, judging from the fair con- 
 dition of the horses, would not appear to be needed. 
 He, moreover, runs behind the horse, or vehicle, as 
 the case may be ; and will keep up with the latter 
 for miles, without any apparent effort, as also with a 
 horse going at an easy canter. He is a good and 
 generally trustworthy servant.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 239 
 
 The grasscutter is, nowadays, more a Mofussil 
 appendage than a Presidency one ; for in the latter 
 place, grass or hay is purchasable ; whereas in the 
 former regions the grass has to be daily rooted up 
 for the horses, and this labour is, in the dry and hot 
 months, especially severe. 
 
 The coachman (in native corruption, coachioaun) 
 would be out of his element in the crowded streets 
 of London, or in a throng at the Opera, but he is 
 sufficiently expert for his vocation in the East, where 
 crowds of carriages are almost unknown, and where 
 all cart-drivers, &c., are forced to get out of the way. 
 He has no great delicacy of m«-touch, and not the 
 smallest pride in his harness or other appointments, 
 which, if the master chooses, will go dim and dirty 
 enouo;h. Indeed, the best Anglo-Indian turn-out is 
 but a poor affair compared to the second-best Lon- 
 don one. The entire cost of a carriage and pair — 
 including not only the above-named stable-servants, 
 but the periodical repairs, varnishings, kc. — is cal- 
 culated to come within a hundred rupees a month, 
 or about £100 sterling per annum. 
 
 The abdar (literally *' keeper of the water ") is he 
 who used to cool the wines, w^ater, &;c., with salt- 
 petre, before the enterprise of the Americans afforded 
 the delightful luxury of ice ; and his services are still 
 called into requisition when the non-timely arrival 
 of the ice-ships throws back the citizens upon their 
 old resources. The abdar now manages the ice, but 
 it is only in wealthy establishments that such a 
 servant is retained, as the khidmutgar and sirdar- 
 bearer, between them, can manage well enough. 
 
 The hookah-burdar is a domestic fast going out, in
 
 240 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 consequence of the gradual, or indeed fast, superses- 
 sion of the hookah by the cigar. 
 
 The ayah, or lady's maid, lias no innate taste for 
 dressing, but can usually plait hair well, and con- 
 trives to fasten a hook, and to stick in a pin so that 
 it shall soon come out again. She is often the wife 
 of one of the khidmutgars, and then the double 
 wages make the service valuable to the worthy 
 couple. Frequently, she is an Indo-Portuguese 
 woman, and though a sad and ugly drab, is in most 
 respects superior to the Mussulman women. 
 
 The mihturanee is usually the sweeper's wife, is 
 more intelligent than the ayah, and does the slop- 
 work of " my lady's chamber;" but is often, where 
 there are no children, the only female on the esta- 
 blishment ; in which case her wages are raised a rupee 
 or so, and the arrangement answers very well. 
 Where children are, then the women of both classes 
 are multiplied in a concatenation accordingly. 
 
 The sircar, baboo, purvoe, or whatever he may be 
 called, is the chancellor of the exchequer, and it is not 
 unseldom (in the olden time it was always the case) 
 that his master is his debtor — and then the master- 
 ship is but iivox. They are a shrewd, intelligent race, 
 of most respectable appearance and demeanour, talk 
 English, and manage every thing for you so easily 
 and so delightfully, that where you feel you can always 
 meet the day of reckoning, a sircar or purvoe is the 
 most delightful servant you can have. They are 
 almost always honest, in the sense of never abscond- 
 ing with your money, even where they give no se- 
 curity ; because their great profit is made by com- 
 missions and small surcharges upon every thing you
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 241 
 
 buy, and dustooree, or custom (per-centage, taken 
 from the native seller), upon every payment you have 
 to make. All men in business have sircars, but a 
 mere private family, such as that of a mihtary man, 
 for example, seldom retains and does not require 
 them. They are a strange compound of easiness 
 and strictness, usuriousness and liberality, honesty 
 and fraudulence, patience and importunity. 
 
 Such is an Indian household ; a motley assemblage, 
 and yet harmoniously enough conducted. Hindoo 
 and Mussulman pull well together, and where good 
 service is not done, it is oftener the fault of the em- 
 ployers than the employed. 
 
 M
 
 242 
 
 DESCRIPTION AND ITINERARY 
 
 THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN INDIA. 
 
 Departing from the plan usually adopted by ga- 
 zetteers, who give the names of places alphabetically, 
 and necessarily mention a great many which are of 
 very small account, we have in the following con- 
 fined our descriptions to towns, villages, stations, 
 &c., to which the business of Europeans will carry 
 them, or which they may be induced by curiosity to 
 visit. Almost every locality will be named, and their 
 relative distances duly set down, but such only will 
 be minutely described as present some peculiar fea- 
 tures of interest. 
 
 Taking the presidencies of India in the order of 
 their importance, we begin with 
 
 CALCUTTA. 
 General DEscRiPTiON.-/-The first view of Ben- 
 gal-India gives the longing voyager a dreary pang of 
 disappointment, owing to the low, ugly, and inhos- 
 pitable shores of Saugor Island, with scarcely a sign 
 of cheering civilization, or any tokens of a thickly- 
 populated land. This desolate appearance, and the 
 corresponding sensation which it excites in the 
 stranger's breast, arise from the peculiar circum-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 243 
 
 stance of there being no town at the mouth of the 
 river, nor any mark of one as far as the eye can 
 reach./ Arriving at Madras, for instance, the city, 
 fortifications, and all oppidan appurtenances, burst 
 upon you while you are yet at sea, and you at once 
 feel that you are cast among a civilized community; 
 but Bengal frowns upon you, and you experience no 
 temptation to explore her farther. / Sail on, however, 
 in the true hope which should always sustain those 
 adventurous spirits who go down to the sea in great 
 ships, and you will be richly rewarded for your pri- 
 mary disappointment. Viewed from the magnificent 
 bend of the river, denominated Garden Reach, 
 where the town first opens on the approaching ves- 
 sel, the cou]} d'ceil is one of various and enchanting 
 beauty. /Houses like palaces are studding the bank 
 on the proper left of the river, and a verdure like 
 that of an eternal summer, renovates the eye, so 
 long accustomed to the glitter of the ocean. Anon, 
 on your left, appears the semi-gothic Bishop's Col- 
 lege ; and in front of you, every moment growing 
 more distinct, are beheld a forest of stately masts, a 
 noble and beautiful fortress, a thousand small boats, 
 of shapes new and undreamt of by the visitant, 
 skimming over the stream ; the larger vessels of the 
 country, pleasant to look upon even for their strange 
 dissymmetry and their consequent unwieldiness ; the 
 green and goose-shaped budgerow, lying idly for 
 hire, and the airy little bauleahs, with their light 
 Venetian 'd rooms, which seem fitted for the water- 
 bowers of lovers on some of the lakes of those sunny 
 isles which poets are wont to sing of, and where the 
 breezes are never stronger than can be borne by 
 M 2
 
 244 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 silken sails. There cannot be a scene more beauti- 
 ful, connected with the bustle and business of life, 
 and the heart of the traveller feels light within him 
 as he views it. He experiences undefi\jal)le emotions 
 of joy, and he imagines he is in a c&(imn[ in which 
 he could dwell unrepiningly for ever, voluntarily de- 
 barred from the prospect of ever again beholding the 
 "loomier shores of Enoland. 
 
 In the year 1757 occurred the memorable capture 
 and plunder of Calcutta by Sooraj-ool-Dowlah, the 
 Nawab of Bengal, and the attendant atrocity of the 
 Black Hole sacrifice ; an event with which even 
 English children are familiar, and the horrors of which 
 need not be detailed or farther alluded to here. The 
 fate of his countrymen was signally revenged by the 
 great Lord Clive ; and from that period may be 
 dated the stable foundation of our Indian empire, 
 with the growth of which Calcutta has to this day 
 kept pace in every description of metropolitan pro- 
 sperity. The original boundaries of the city, indeed, 
 continue as they were ; because the circumscribed 
 area was not for a long period, nor can it scarcely 
 yet be said to be, occupied with urban fulness or re- 
 gularity ; for in the olden time there was no rule by 
 which to guide the buildings, but every one was 
 allowed to erect his residence where and how he 
 pleased, so that there was never a uniformity in 
 position or architecture, nor any unity of general de- 
 sign ; a negligence of which the city will probably 
 never get rid of the ill effects. As the inhabitants 
 thickened, however, by births or immigration, much 
 was gradually done in remedy of the evil, though 
 probably not at first with that particular intent, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 245 
 
 thus the greater portion of the originally allotted 
 space has been formed into streets and squares ; and 
 though the houses are in general considerably apart 
 from each other, and spots of unoccupied ground 
 still here and there exist, yet Calcutta may be de- 
 scribed as having long been completed, — that is, no 
 change can be made in its external character or its 
 construction as a city, — and, like other overgrown 
 towns, to have flowed over into its suburbs. It is 
 built on an almost dead level, which is the character 
 of the far-surrounding country, so that it is calcu- 
 lated to be raised hardly so much as one foot above 
 the mean of high water, though there is a slight fall 
 from the bank of the river to the eastward, in the 
 direction of the already mentioned salt-water lake. 
 The soil is a rich alluvium, mixed with micaceous 
 sand, and resting, at some depth below the surface, 
 on a blackish clay ; and such is its aptitude for im- 
 bibing and retaining moisture, that in spite of the 
 heat of the climate, the earth is always damp, and 
 the air in general humid. 
 
 This metropolis of British India, and emporium of 
 eastern commerce, is situated in lat. 22° 33' 54" N., 
 long. 88° 20' 17" E., on the eastern bank of the river 
 Hooghly, which is merely a branch, being the most 
 westerly one, of the Ganges, and is at the distance of 
 nearly one hundred miles from the sea. The breadth 
 of the stream, which is deep, muddy, and rapid, 
 is about equal to that of the Thames at Gravesend, 
 and ships of from twelve to fourteen hundred tons 
 anchor abreast of the city, either in six or seven fa- 
 thoms, near mid-channel, or at the chain moorings 
 within a few yards of the shore, where they are fas-
 
 246 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 tened, head and stern, so as not to swing with the 
 tide. 
 
 Topography. — We have said that the coup d'ceil 
 from tlie river impresses the beholder with an idea 
 of magnificence in regard to the width of the 
 streets and the splendour of the houses in exter- 
 nal architecture ; but although the bare facts which 
 justify the inference remain, upon a nearer view 
 of the objects, which have still the characteristic 
 grandeur of spaciousness in their respective ways, 
 yet the first impression, which is derived from the 
 mind's belief in the existence of unqualified splen- 
 dour, is, on the nearer view, discovered to be in a 
 great measure illusory. The houses continue, indeed, 
 to be justly considered by the stranger superior " in 
 complement extern" to the great majority of the 
 town residences in the principal capitals of Europe ; 
 but the eye is soon offended, and that grievously, by 
 the admixture of mean and dirty huts, which abound 
 in some of the finest streets, and come almost into 
 contact with the colonnaded mansions j or as a hu- 
 morous poet once described it : — 
 
 " Where the palaced house stands, cheek by jowl, 
 By the hut from the dunghill plaster'd ; 
 Like the china vase by the crockery bowl, 
 And taste is by gain o'ermaster'd." 
 
 These mean and wretched-looking buildings are 
 occupied, principally, during the daytime only, as 
 shops, by the native venders of commodities con- 
 nected with the consumption, or the petty handi- 
 crafts of the people ; but as the ground belongs, for 
 the most part, to native landholders, and yields a 
 lucrative rent when thus parcelled out into small
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 247 
 
 allotments, for the purpose above specified, it is 
 likely to continue the sordid cause of the solecisms 
 we have alluded to in the architectural character of 
 the town. 
 
 For municipal purposes, the city of Calcutta is 
 quartered out into four divisions as follows : — 
 
 1st, or Upper North Division, bounded on the north by the Mah- 
 ratta Ditch ; south by the Mutchooa Bazaar-road and Cotton-street, 
 to Meerbhur Ghaut ; east by the Circular-road, and west by the river 
 Hooghly. 
 
 2nd, or Lower North Division, bounded on the north by the 
 Mutchooa Bazaar-road and Cotton-street, to Meerbhur Ghaut ; south 
 by the Boitakhanna-road, Bow Bazaar, and Loll Bazaar, to the Custom 
 House Ghaut, and east and west as above. 
 
 3rd, or Upper South Division, bounded on the north by the Boita- 
 khanna-road, Bow Bazaar, and Loll Bazaar, to Custom House Ghaut ; 
 south by DhurrumtoUah-street and Esplanade- row, to Chandpaul 
 Ghaut, and east and west as above. 
 
 4ith, or Lower South Division, bounded on the north by the Dhur- 
 rumtoUah-street and Esplanade-row, to Chandpaul Ghaut ; south by the 
 Lower Circular-road, to Kidderpore-bridge, and Tolly's Nullah, to the 
 river Hooghly, and east and west as above. 
 
 To each of these divisions a magistrate is appointed, 
 who, however, does not reside, nor even hold his sit- 
 tings, within the precincts of his beat, as the only 
 police-office in the place is situated in the Loll 
 Bazaar, near the north-western extremity of the 
 English part of the town. 
 
 The conventional divisions of the city, which are 
 but two, are tolerably well defined, and are describ- 
 able as follows : — A line drawn from Beebee Ross's 
 Ghaut, on the river-bank, due east, to the Upper 
 Circular-road, and from Hastings's-bridge, on the 
 Tolly's Nullah, in a north-easterly direction, to the 
 Lower Circular-road, will include the whole of the
 
 248 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 space occupied by the Christian part of the commu- 
 nity ; while a similar process of demarcation, com- 
 mencing at Beebee Ross's Ghaut and running east- 
 ward as above mentioned, including all the streets 
 northward as far as Chitpore-bridge and the boun- 
 dary of the Mahratta Ditch (a now useless and un- 
 seemly excavation, commenced in the middle of the 
 eighteenth century, and encircling the city from its 
 northern extremity to a point on its opposite boun- 
 dary, called Bridgetullow), will comprehend the 
 greater portion of the city which is occupied by 
 natives. There is, however, this material difference 
 to be observed in the two localities, namely, that a 
 considerable part of the European division is occu- 
 pied by natives — chiefly Mussulmans and the lower 
 castes of Hindoos — while very few Christians have 
 their abode in the native quarter. In this latter, 
 with but a few exceptions, the streets are, like those 
 of most Oriental towns, exceedingly narrow, and the 
 houses lofty, the lower apartments being used for 
 shops or store-rooms, v/hile the more strictly domi- 
 ciliary parts of the building, above, are primitively 
 garnished with loop-holes instead of windows, and 
 the backs of the houses are for the most part to the 
 streets. Some dwellings, indeed, there are which 
 have the convenience of windows, and even of balco- 
 nies, but even those are, in general, most sorry 
 imitations of the European style, and from being 
 commonly unpainted, and never kept in good repair, 
 present that mean and dilapidated appearance which 
 is a characteristic of the native architectural con- 
 structions, both public and private — the dwelling- 
 house, the temple, the ghaut, serai, and bridge.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 249 
 
 And from this sweeping condemnation of the thrift- 
 lessness and want of taste of the people of Hindostan, 
 can be excepted only the very few houses belonging 
 to certain opulent natives in Calcutta, who have 
 grafted the European customs on their own, and 
 whose residences are fitted up with considerable 
 elegance and judgment ; and there are many, also, 
 among the native upper classes, generally, who, though 
 they cannot totally wean themselves from the cus- 
 toms of their country, are ambitious of having their 
 houses furnished and decorated in the English way, 
 which, however, ill assimilates with the confined 
 dimensions and dark interiors incidental to the style 
 of eastern architecture. Hence an incongruity which 
 makes apartments, thus bedizened, look paltry amid 
 magnificence, and tawdry and disarranged, though 
 every article in them may be costly and, in its indi- 
 vidual character, free from meretriciousness ; and 
 hence, too, a manifest and a certain sign that such 
 apartments are intended rather for show than for 
 enjoyment. But to revert to our topography. 
 
 The business part of Calcutta, or what in England 
 would be termed " the city," and which in India is 
 known by the designation of " the town," is com- 
 prised between Chandpaul Ghaut and the New Mint, 
 on the river-bank, eastward ; and from the former 
 to the head of Cossitollah-street, at its junction with 
 the Dhurrumtollah and Chowringhee roads; and in 
 a similar direction from the New Mint to the Burra 
 Bazaar, a line drawn from the latter to the Cossitol- 
 lah completing the definement. The fashionable, or 
 what may be figuratively, though not geographically, 
 called the west end, is at Chowringhee; but as Cal- 
 M 3
 
 250 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 cutta is made up of an official and a mercantile 
 comnmnity, and can boast of no exclusive circle in 
 resemblance to the " fashionable " one of London, 
 the distinctive appellation bestowed on the quarter 
 just mentioned has originated more in the circum- 
 stance of its being locally apart from the " busy hum 
 of men," about the traffic-hives of warehouses, and 
 yet near enough to the scenes of both commercial 
 and official business, to render it a convenient resi- 
 dence for high functionaries and wealthy merchants, 
 than from any difference in their social modes of life 
 from the practice of their fellow-exiles. 
 
 A few of the streets in the European town are of 
 great dimensions ; as the Chowringhee-road, for in- 
 stance, which is nearly two miles long, and in average 
 width not less than eighty feet ; but, as its name of 
 " Road " would import, it has houses on only one 
 (the eastern) side, facing the extensive plain, or 
 maidan, which separates it from the river. The 
 Dhurrumtollah is nearly equal, in dimensive cha- 
 racter, to this J and being on each side bordered by 
 a row of houses of good elevation, and many of them 
 even splendid in their outward appearance — with 
 but comparatively fevv native hut-edifices on its line 
 — it would claim to be considered a first-rate street 
 in any western capital. A short way down this road 
 is the Chandny Bazaar, where the street is usually 
 much crowded by retailers of cloth and various other 
 articles, who seriously encroach on the pubhc 
 thoroughfare, and obstruct the free passage of ve- 
 hicles to and fro, as the police make no effort to 
 vindicate the public right of way either there or in 
 any other part of the town, — a fact than which there
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 251 
 
 is no other single one more demonstrative of ineffi- 
 ciency in the named department, in whatever town 
 the remark can be rightly made. Wellesley-road 
 would be acknowledgedly a fine street, were it not 
 lined, almost continuously, with native huts, and ex- 
 posed to the greater nuisance of the Kalassee, or 
 native seamen's quarter, which is situated about the 
 middle of it — near the spot at which it intersects 
 the Jaun Bazaar-street — and is inhabited by a de- 
 bauched and otherwise totally demoralized mass of 
 people, composed chiefly of those who are out of 
 employment, or who live on the fruits of barefaced 
 prostitution. The Upper and Lower Circular roads, 
 which nearly encompass the city on its eastern or 
 landward side, are long and of noble proportions ; 
 but the paucity of houses gives it a straggling and 
 here and there a desolated appearance ; while that 
 before-named opprobrium of the city, the Mahratta 
 Ditch, with much jungle in the back-ground, forms 
 a drawback to its perfection, which, until the whole 
 line of road shall be cleared, to the extent of some 
 hundred feet beyond the boundary, and the ditch it- 
 self filled up, will tend to retain it in that stationary 
 condition (while improvement is elsewhere active) 
 in which it has now for so many years continued. In 
 the Chowringhee quarter, there are many fine though 
 not long streets ; among which the one called Russell- 
 street, debouching at either end into Park and Mid- 
 dleton streets, respectively, takes rank among the 
 best. Camac-street is also a very good street, but 
 has as yet few buildings, and towards its southern 
 extremity has numerous huts, and much unoccupied 
 ground ; both of which circumstances are destructive
 
 252 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of true town beauty, and give an appearance of 
 mingled wretchedness and desolation, which detracts 
 from the effect of even adjacent completeness. Park- 
 street is a somewhat long, but disproportionately 
 narrow street, having some good houses on its line, 
 and has always been considered an abiding-place of 
 the first respectability. But it has one great disad- 
 vantage in being the thoroughfare for funerals to the 
 English Protestant cemetery, which is situated at 
 its eastern termination ; and as the cortege on these 
 solemn and sombrous occasions is always consider- 
 able, and in general beyond what in England would 
 be deemed commensurate with the rank in life of the 
 deceased; and, moreover, as the processions occur, 
 alas ! almost every day, the place is objected to as a 
 residence by many people, who think they should not 
 enjoy such frequent intimations that they are in the 
 high road to the grave, or who care not to be re- 
 minded, like the ancient monarch, once in every 
 four-and-twenty hours, of their mortality. For 
 although it may be tacitly admitted, upon pure 
 ethical authority, that — 
 
 "Death is the privilege of human nature, 
 And life without it were not worth the taking ;" 
 
 yet it is surprising what a disposition there is prac- 
 tically evinced, on the part of mankind, to postpone 
 the use of the " privilege " to an indefinite and far- 
 off" period, and to rest satisfied with its long remain- 
 ing, unappropriated, in the distance ! Loudon-street, 
 which is near the eastern end of that just delineated, 
 has several good houses of recent erection ; but it, 
 too, is disfigured by unseemly and barbarous hovels.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 253 
 
 Until recently, Calcutta was destitute of one ar- 
 chitectural feature which marks all towns in Eng- 
 land (and in various other parts), in which the 
 national mass of commerce is circulated through the 
 whole body-social by the veins which are kept open 
 for it in the system of retail. We allude to the plan 
 of regular shop-fronts, which distinguish the place 
 of business from the private abode, and which, when 
 tastefully designed, and sample-adorned, as in Lon- 
 don, yield an ornament to the streets, and eloquently 
 proclaim the prosperity of the country. Calcutta is 
 still deficient, when compared to English towns, in 
 this pleasing and convenient system, and from cli- 
 matic difficulties must probably remain so ; for goods 
 exposed to the heat and glare in a window would 
 speedily deteriorate, and meanwhile there would be 
 no pedestrian customers to be attracted by the dis- 
 play. But of late, there have been shop-fronts added 
 to the lower stories of several of the houses in Council 
 House-street, Cossitollah, and other streets, and the 
 propensity towards this kind of improvement is daily 
 increasing among the European tradesmen. Still, 
 however, the fenestral exhibition, above alluded to, 
 is wanting, and the shops must be entered ere goods 
 can be beheld ; and thus the place, though in reality 
 the theatre of a most extensive commerce, has not, 
 as far as the exterior of the trades houses is con- 
 cerned, any thing of the bustling and busy look, and 
 none of the " busy hum," which are characteristics 
 of European seaports. Another cause of this out- 
 ward dulness consists in the isolation of the houses, 
 as contrasted with the contiguity of buildings in, for 
 instance, a London street ; and from each traffical re-
 
 254 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 sidence having its warehouses, or godoicns, inside a 
 court-yard, which is closed with gates, so that the 
 passenger is little aware, from any mark or likeli- 
 hood which meets his eye, of the ceaseless activity 
 which is going on within. To a person, however, of 
 very ordinary power of observation, the number of 
 vehicles, describable and indescribable, which navi- 
 gate the streets (for the " rules of the road " are in 
 desuetude in India), including quantities of laden 
 bullock-carts ; and the concourse of employed natives 
 which on every side he must perceive, would be ade- 
 quate proof of the place being an emporium of first- 
 rate consequence, even did not the abundance of 
 shipping, and the shoals of concomitant small craft 
 of every form and pressure, sufficiently of themselves 
 give assurance of the fact. 
 
 Calcutta has no walls, barriers, or other outward 
 appliances of a fortified town — for the circumvalla- 
 tion, called the Mahratta Ditch, merits no such 
 rank ; nor is there need of such defences, not only 
 in the improbability of its ever being attacked, but 
 from the vicinity of Fort AVilliam, which commands 
 the circumjacent country, and which, on an emer- 
 gency, could contain the whole Christian popu- 
 lation, and in the face of which no enemy could re- 
 tain a footing in the town. Its principal defect, as a 
 place besieged, would consist in its being, from in- 
 ternal resources, unsupplied with drinkable water, 
 save from a tank, or pond, on the southern glacis, 
 within only a few hundred feet of the ramparts. 
 
 There are several neat, yet spacious religious edi- 
 fices, and other buildings devoted to public purposes, 
 the principal of which are the Town Hall, the Hin-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 255 
 
 doo and Madrissa colleges, the Metcalfe Building, 
 the Sans Souci Theatre, and the Supreme Court ; and 
 though, like other capitals, it can boast its bazaars, 
 yet the reader who pictures these mart-places in his 
 mind, according to any pattern taken from the Pan- 
 theon, Baker-street, Soho-square, or other similar 
 establishments in London, will be no nearer a correct 
 conception of the reality than if he were to imagine 
 a house in the Chitpore-road from his inspection- 
 derived impression of Buckingham Palace. True, 
 there are various articles sold by various retail 
 traders, congregated, yet independent of each other, 
 in both bazaar institutions ; just as there is a river in 
 Macedon and a river in Wales ; 
 
 " But there all likeness ends between the pair," 
 
 who then become fairly representable by the classi- 
 cal illustration of Hyperion and the Satyr ; — the 
 English bazaar being a place of beautiful arrange- 
 ment, defined charges, delicate merchandize, and 
 respectable conduct; and the Indian one being a 
 scene of riot, knavery, prostitution, and filthiness, 
 exhibiting, moreover, the mercantile incongruity of 
 the costliest manufactures in the merest dens, and 
 the often disgusting necessaries of the native culi- 
 nary department, such as rancid and uncleanly 
 ghee,* and bad and bitter oil, attainting the air, 
 which is at the same time impregnated by the Sa- 
 baean odours of uttur, frankincense, and aromatic 
 spices. With shame also it is that we feel compelled 
 to proclaim that the City of Palaces is, with rare and 
 recent exceptions, most wretchedly lighted by means 
 
 * Clarified butter.
 
 256 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of sordid oil-lamps, supplied with material of so in- 
 ferior a description that even the inside of the lamp 
 is scarcely illuminated, and placed at the respectable 
 distances of the corners of streets, or other wide 
 intervals, which make them appear as few and far 
 between as did the angels' visits of the poet's illus- 
 tration. Neither is the city watched, or paved, or 
 efficiently regulated in its municipal relations, in all 
 pertaining to which it is considerably behind a second- 
 rate English provincial town. Within the limits of 
 the city itself there are no bridges, for the sufficient 
 reason that there is no intersection of the place by 
 running streams ; but it is by this circumstance de- 
 prived of one of the most effective sources of archi- 
 tectural ornament — the magnificent bridge — which, 
 wheresoever viewed from, presents a beautiful ob- 
 ject to the eye; and which, by joining together 
 the water-severed sections of the spreading town, is 
 the apparent means of a union in partition, and of a 
 safe and easy intercourse. 
 
 There are, however, some very neat suspension 
 bridoes — a description of pontifice which must, in 
 the first instance, have imbued with astonishment 
 even the Hindoo's apathetic mind — over the creeks 
 and canals (at either end of the town) which debouch 
 into the river Hooghly. 
 
 The city of Calcutta is supplied with good drink- 
 ing-water from a considerable number of large ponds 
 (called tanks), for the most part situated towards the 
 Chowringhee quarter; but the one which gives the 
 name to Tank-square lies in the business part of the 
 town, and contains a fine reservoir of water, which 
 covers an area of about three acres, and which is
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 257 
 
 twenty feet deep at the place of its greatest depth. 
 It is, unfortunately, however, liable to be rendered 
 occasionally brackish, in consequence of its vicinity 
 to the river, from which, in dry seasons, it is now 
 and then replenished; and this deterioration is the 
 more to be lamented, as the tank in question forms 
 the only local source of supply to a very thickly- 
 peopled portion of the city. In these junctures, 
 most of the European families, and several of them, 
 indeed, uniformly, procure the water for their table 
 uses from the tanks on the plain, of which there are 
 several, and all containing water of excellent quality ; 
 but that which bears away the elemental palm from 
 the rest of the temperance fountains, is a tank in the 
 Free School grounds, which has the advantage of 
 land-springs. All the tanks obtain " annual supplies" 
 from the periodical rains ; and therefore, in seasons 
 when these happen to be scanty, much distress is 
 endured, ere their recurrence, by the general popula- 
 tion ; and this distress is especially great during the 
 ensuing hot months, when the ponds come to their 
 lowest ebb, and their then remnant of water becomes 
 turbid, in consequence of the incessant drain which 
 is made on it at that parching period. 
 
 Calcutta has extensive, irregular, and thickly na- 
 tive-peopled suburbs ; but the Europeans, there- 
 abouts, are few, and their houses far apart. Of these 
 suburbial localities, that of Garden Reach, about 
 four miles to the south of the town, is by far the 
 most important, and, indeed, magnificent ; some of 
 the buildings being on a scale of much grandeur and 
 elegance, and surrounded by extensive grounds, laid 
 out in miniature representations of the beautiful
 
 258 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 parks of England. These used to be the residences 
 of the tUte of the metropohs ; but latterly, in conse- 
 quence of the place's salubrity having been said to 
 be impaired, but perhaps more owing, in reality, to 
 the greater activity of both official and mercantile 
 life, brought about by the more stirring character of 
 the times, the locality has come to be less and less 
 frequented, excepting at the driest periods of the 
 year, when every house has its tenant. 
 
 Eastward of Garden R.each, are Allipore and Bal- 
 ligunge, both considered healthy spots, and the latter 
 having a few good houses round an extensive plain, 
 in which are placed the lines of the Governor-Gene- 
 ral's body-guard. After a long interval, and in a 
 northerly direction, comes Entally — a suburb branch- 
 ing out from the eastern side of the Circular Eoad, 
 opposite its junction with the Dhurrumtollah. It 
 contains many houses, which are inhabited, princi- 
 pally, by the middling classes, and which, being on 
 the outer side of the Mahratta Ditch, have the ad- 
 vantage, in common with the other suburbs, of being 
 exempt from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court 
 of Judicature in cases of civil process. Still farther 
 to the north, at the head of the Boitaconnah or Bow 
 Bazaar Road, lies the Sealdah or Baliaghaut Road, 
 leading to the Salt-water Lake, where there are a 
 few good residences; and thence, stretching to a 
 great extent to the north-west, are Simlah and other 
 suburbs, entirely occupied by natives, and inter- 
 spersed vvitli the garden-houses, or suburban retreats, 
 of the wealthy merchants and other men of fortune 
 among the aborigines. 
 
 In regard to climate, Calcutta may be described
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 259 
 
 as subject to the extremity of moisture, and nearly 
 to that of heat ; which atmospheric characteristics, 
 joined to that of a tolerable degree of cold, divide 
 the " rolling year," into the seasons sufficiently well 
 defined to be classified with that distinctness. But 
 upon this point, and in regard also to the diseases 
 peculiar to India, we have said enough in preceding 
 pages. 
 
 Population. — A belief had long been prevalent, 
 that Calcutta was a thickly-populated town, and 
 some estimates made the number of inhabitants 
 amount to nearly half a million, while, in the looser 
 language of conversation, we have known double that 
 number mentioned as being within the truth. Re- 
 cent and accurate surveys, however, have sufficiently 
 established the fact, that its resident population does 
 not much exceed two hundred and twenty thousand, 
 comprised within the proper limits of the city, which 
 stretch for a distance of four miles along the banks of 
 the river, and to about one mile and a half, at the 
 greatest extension, inland. The old errors upon this 
 subject, whence flowed so much exaggeration, arose, 
 no doubt, from an observation on the part of the cal- 
 culators of the immense number of day-sojourners, 
 whom they uninquiringly took for regular inha- 
 bitants, instead of discovering them to be the result 
 of the vast influx of people from the adjacent villages, 
 who have employment in town, or who attend the 
 bazaars with the produce of their gardens or fields, 
 and to procure for themselves those necessaries 
 which, in the first instance, are all swept into the 
 Calcutta markets. From this cause the place appears 
 to be swarming with population ; and as, besides.
 
 260 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the men who liappen to be unemployed are more in 
 the habit of lounging or lying about the streets than 
 of keeping within their houses, the observer, who 
 trusted to his eyes merely for the formation of a 
 census, would arrive at a far higher calculation than 
 the more systematic investigator into censual truth. 
 The following tabular estimate, made not long since, 
 upon the recognized principles, by the superintendent 
 of police, exhibits at one view the number and classi- 
 
 iescription ot 
 
 the tl 
 
 len population 
 
 I : — 
 
 English 
 
 
 
 3,138 
 
 Eurasians 
 
 
 
 4,746 
 
 Portuguese 
 
 
 
 3,181 
 
 French 
 
 
 
 160 
 
 Chinese 
 
 
 
 362 
 
 Armenians 
 
 
 
 636 
 
 Jews 
 
 
 
 307 
 
 Western Mahomedans 
 
 
 . 13,677 
 
 Bengal Mahomedans 
 
 
 . 45,067 
 
 Western Hindoos 
 
 
 
 17,333 
 
 Bengal Hindoos 
 
 
 
 . 120,318 
 
 Moguls 
 
 
 
 527 
 
 Parsees 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 Arabs 
 
 
 
 351 
 
 Mugs 
 
 
 
 683 
 
 Madrassees 
 
 
 
 55 
 
 Native Christians 
 
 
 
 49 
 
 Low Castes . . 
 
 Total 
 
 
 . 19,084 
 
 
 .. 229,714 
 
 Among this great variety of the human race, there 
 is little or no collision in the important struggle for 
 the obtainment of subsistence; and hence, in a great 
 measure, arises the blessing of internal public tran- 
 quillity, which is uniformly experienced in this mag- 
 nificent, yet motley-peopled capital. No one class
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 261 
 
 interferes in any objectionable way with the pursuits 
 of another, but, on the contrary, the course of occu- 
 pation causes each class to assist the others, for the 
 promotion of its own individual interest ; and caste, 
 climate, and prejudice, effect as true and politic a 
 division of labour as meditation and design have 
 been able to do in England. In India the system 
 has its evil as well as its good. The evil is, the 
 prevention of comj)etition and improvement in the 
 different professions to which the natives incline. In 
 England, every man can follow any trade he pleases; 
 but in India, the son of the tailor may not become a 
 shoemaker ; nor must the family of the blacksmith 
 recruit the ranks of the carpenter. If a washerman 
 were starving for want of employment, he would 
 never dream of turning barber, though in his neigh- 
 bourhood there might be a paucity of the chattering 
 tribe; nor would a starving barber seek a livelihood 
 by starting as a water-carrier. We have here spoken 
 of the classes of tribes ; but among the tribes them- 
 selves there is nearly the same separation of pursuits, 
 and the same variation of means for attaining the one 
 great and common end — subsistence. 
 
 The Calcutta English, who are not in the East- 
 India Company's service, may be divided into the 
 three main classes of the mercantile, the retail 
 dealers, and the artisans. The numerically minor 
 bodies belonging to the church and the law, several 
 of each of these last sections being also in the Com- 
 pany's employment, it is not necessary, for the pur- 
 pose of the present exposition, to notice particularly ; 
 and the seafaring persons form, of course, properly, 
 no portion of the residentiary British community.
 
 262 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Of these three major divisions of our own peculiar 
 people, the artisans are those whom the uninitiated 
 reader might, at the first blush, suppose inevitably 
 instrumental in causing a clash with the native arti- 
 ficers, and thus demonstrating the fallacy of our pro- 
 position on that subject. But the fact is, that the 
 British mechanics in Calcutta are all in the capaci- 
 ties of master-workmen, and are not, in the English 
 understanding of the term, actual labourers in their 
 crafts at all. The tailors, shoemakers, house-builders, 
 coach-makers, carvers and gilders, cabinet-makers, 
 and the like, are practically no more than supervisors 
 of the work (including instruction to some extent), 
 in the laborious part of which, or what is literally 
 the manufacturing department, natives are employed 
 as journeymen ; and thus, instead of being jostled 
 out of employment by the introgression of Europeans, 
 they have employment secured to them at a better 
 rate of wages than their own master-manufacturers 
 could afford to bestow. On the other hand, the 
 native master-artisans lose little or no custom by the 
 similar speculations of their pale-faced brethren ; for 
 the shoes and clothes of the aborigines are of a 
 peculiar kind and quality, and such as the emigrants 
 would be incapable of producing at the uniform 
 market price ; while of such articles as are suitable 
 for European wear or other use, many are sought by 
 our countrymen from the native on account of the 
 immediate cheapness, as it is often more convenient 
 to renew a cheap article, at comparatively frequent 
 intervals, than to pay largely down for such as may 
 last you longer. Of many English trades there are 
 no branches at all in India, Hatters, saddlers, gun-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 263 
 
 makers, cutlers, hosiers, brewers, perfumers, and an 
 infinity more, are unknown in India ; though the 
 several commodities produced by them are on sale 
 there as importations, and by persons, sometimes, 
 who belong to the particular trade (such as gun- 
 making), though their Indian work in it is confined 
 to repairing, and that chiefly by natives under their 
 inspection.* 
 
 To the English trader, manufacturer, or vender, 
 we recommend Europeans invariably to apply in 
 preference to resorting to the natives. " Europe 
 shops," as they are called, are so nearly on a level 
 with those of the China bazaar, that there is little to 
 be gained, where there used to be much, by having 
 recourse to native dealers, especially if we take into 
 account the extra trouble of the process, and the 
 higgling about the cost. Moreover, among the 
 tradesmen of Calcutta, as a body, there is much real 
 
 * It was anticipated by the friends of free trade and colonization, 
 that the abrogation of the East-India Company's monopoly and of the 
 proliibition of European resort to India, would cause an influx of 
 British capital and skdl ; and many thought that the immigration of 
 labourers and artisans would take place to an extent to interfere with 
 the pursuits and happiness of the natives. Few of these anticipations 
 have been fulfilled. Tiiat trade has increased to a very considerable 
 extent, since the abolition of the monopoly, is beyond all question, but 
 in no other respect have the provisions of the present charter been of 
 much service to India. Scarcely a single practical agriculturist, with 
 money enough to cultivate a hundred acres, has made his appearance ; 
 while the artisans remain numerically about the same. The only people 
 who have resorted to India in considerable numbers have been composed 
 of that very useless class (colonially considered) who have followed the 
 occupation of clerks and gentlemen's servants in England — people who 
 have no qualifications for employment beyond those possessed, per- 
 haps in a superior degree, by the Eurasians and Hindoos already 
 on the spot.
 
 264 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 liberality of dealing, and a spirit of great indulgence 
 towards those whose extravagance or misfortune 
 may have placed them in their legal power; and 
 when it is considered how often their just and deco- 
 rous applications for payment are either treated with 
 silent contempt or replied to in terms of ill-mannered 
 arrogance, the wonder should be, that they are sys- 
 tematically so forbearing, instead of that they occa- 
 sionally retaliate upon combined rudeness and neg- 
 lect, through the medium of a document from the 
 sheriff^s sanctum. 
 
 Of the entire mass of Mahomedans and Hin- 
 doos, exclusively of the degraded castes of the latter, 
 which forms a recognized portion of the inhabitants 
 of Calcutta, and which may be estimated in round 
 numbers at two hundred thousand, it is probable 
 that a full moiety are in the service of the Europeans 
 and Armenians, and that of this moiety the far 
 greater division may be ranged under the head of 
 domestic servants, and the remainder described as 
 employed in the government and mercantile offices, 
 in the capacity of under-clerks, messengers, and the 
 like inferior, yet trustworthy employments. The 
 other half of the entire number subsist themselves 
 by what may be termed street or river labour, in 
 contradistinction to that which is rural, and find 
 employment in carrying palanquins as bearers, and 
 parcels as coolies, or porters. The employments are 
 perfectly distinct, and though each is pursued by 
 Hindoos, yet neither would interchange the modus 
 operandi — it being against the prejudice of caste for 
 a bearer to carry any weight upon his head, or for 
 a coolie to do so on his back or shoulder. The
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 265 
 
 honesty of the coolie is proverbial over India. Paid 
 at a rate not exceeding at the utmost threepence 
 sterling a day, and often at a lower rate than that ; 
 and employed to convey parcels of value and of easy 
 appropriation from place to place, vi'e are not aware 
 of many instances of a coolie having been found 
 guilty of a breach of trust, even in circumstances 
 where detection was next to impossible and the 
 temptation great. You may employ one of these 
 men (and they constantly are employed) to carry 
 packages of about half a maund — that is forty 
 pounds — weight, for a distance of a thousand miles, 
 and for a six weeks or two months' journey, and they 
 are rarely known to fail ; nor even, weather and 
 health permitting, to be otherwise than punctual to 
 their covenanted time of arrival, calculating the 
 average daily progress, with the burden borne on 
 the head, at about two and twenty miles ! As a 
 body, they are under no sort of police regulation, 
 being^ neither bado;ed nor ticketed, nor havino; their 
 hire adjusted by municipal law. On a rumoured 
 attempt to arrange them, in those respects, they all 
 left Calcutta, and would not have returned to it had 
 the design not been abandoned. Formerly, the pa- 
 lanquin-bearers were equally uncontrolled, and they 
 soon struck work, on the introduction of a regu- 
 lating system ; but as they could have been done 
 without, and their places supplied by the rival body 
 of up-country bearers, the plan was persevered in, 
 the bearers had to yield, and now the hack, or as 
 they are called teeka, palanquins, are regulated in 
 like manner, and in principle as are the hackney 
 coaches and similar vehicles in London. Such as
 
 266 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 remain to be mentioned, after the deduction of these 
 two principal classes from the aggregate, gain their 
 livelihood as boatmen, dealers in grain, oil, cloth, and 
 other articles of every-day consumption by the popu- 
 lation at large; and as workmen in the various 
 trades which are requisite to supply the household 
 demands of their multifarious fellow-citizens. 
 
 The rest of the inhabitants of Calcutta are suffi- 
 ciently described in the section appropriated to the 
 population of India generally. 
 
 Public Buildings. — From the high reputation 
 Calcutta has acquired for the palatial character of 
 her buildings, it might be supposed that the city 
 boasted of many noble public edifices. This, how- 
 ever, is far from the fact. It is upon the number of 
 superb private mansions that Calcutta must rely 
 to bear out the character she enjoys, for it is only 
 within the last half-century that her inhabitants 
 have considered it incumbent upon them to erect 
 buildings for particular public objects. The practice 
 has been, when an institution has been formed, to 
 locate it in the first instance in a spacious private 
 dwelling, and only to give it a special habitation 
 when the purposes of the establishment have been 
 extended or the funds increased to an amount that 
 would admit of the extra outlay. Thus, there are 
 not more than eighteen erections, not including 
 places of worship, in the town, which deserve to be 
 called " public," on the score of their having been 
 originally built for the reception of a public establish- 
 ment ; these are : — 
 
 The Government House, the Town Hall, the 
 Writers' Buildings, the Metcalfe Hall, the Hindoo
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 267 
 
 College, the Madrussa or Mahomedan College, the 
 General Assembly's Institution, the Sans Souci 
 Theatre, the Medical College, the Mechanics' Insti- 
 tute, the Orphan School, the General Hospital, the 
 Ice House, the Ochterlony Monument, the Mar- 
 tiniere, the Race Stand, the Asiatic Society's Rooms, 
 and the Mint. 
 
 The Government House. — The Government 
 House was built about the year 1804, at the in- 
 stance of the late Marquis of Wellesley, then Go- 
 vernor-general. The architect was Captain Wyatt, 
 of the corps of engineers, and the expense of erec- 
 tion about thirteen lacs of rupees, or about (in those 
 days) one hundred and fifty thousand pounds ster- 
 ling. The building with all its faults may be con- 
 sidered a noble one, and particularly well adapted in 
 its plan and interior arrangements to the climate. 
 The external view is grand and imposing, notwith- 
 standing its numerous windows and its want of 
 height. The same altitude, divided between a base- 
 ment and two floors, would doubtless have had a 
 better appearance, but this would not have been 
 effected except at a great sacrifice of interior space, 
 which, it is presumed, the architecture would not 
 admit of. The verandahs are rather mean for so 
 large a building. The columns have angular Ionic 
 capitals. The grand entrance is on the northern 
 side, by a handsome flight of steps leading to the 
 first floor. It is seldom used, owing to its being 
 entirely exposed, the entrance underneath the stairs 
 being preferred by those who have occasion to go to 
 the house. The position of the dome has often been 
 objected to, and not unjustly : it is situated between 
 n2
 
 268 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the southern wings, and excepting when seen from 
 the south it always appears out of place, from not 
 being in the centre of the whole building. The 
 ■wings on the southern side are surmounted by the 
 royal arms: those on the northern are ornamented 
 by the Honourable Company's. The greatest credit 
 appears due to the architect for the interior accom- 
 modation. It may be considered perfect, as far as 
 convenience is concerned, and splendid in every 
 respect, with the exception of the staircases, as a fit 
 and proper residence for the supreme ruler of our 
 Indian possessions. Had the staircases been im- 
 proved, the accommodation would have been less, 
 and the architect did wisely in sacrificing splendour 
 to comfort. The centre of the building consists of 
 three large rooms. The ground-floor, being low, is 
 chiefly occupied with offices, &c. The centre of the 
 first floor is a grand marble hall, formed by the three 
 rooms, the entrance of which has a row of columns. 
 They are used on occasions of entertainment as the 
 dining and supper rooms, according to the extent of 
 the company. Above them are the ball-rooms. The 
 floors are of varnished teak neatly laid ; the ceilings 
 are ornamented and covered, so as to conceal the 
 beams ; the gilding is tasteful and neat. From the 
 roof are suspended numerous chandeliers, while the 
 sides of the rooms and between the windows are 
 lined with handsome mirrors. The coup d'oeil, when 
 lighted and filled with company, is certainly splendid, 
 and would do credit to any country. 
 
 The four wings, which may be considered as dis- 
 tinct houses, are connected in the centre by means 
 of commodious galleries. They are every way con-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 269 
 
 venient and comfortable, and are occupied by the 
 Governor-general and his suite. All the out-offices 
 are detached and in no way interfere with the view 
 of the room. Upon the whole, the building may 
 justly be viewed as doing gieat credit to the architect. 
 That it has faults, in architectural purity, must be 
 allowed ; but these faults are counterbalanced by the 
 conveniences which proceed from them, and were 
 doubtless known to the architect, and a decision to 
 this effect made. The place altogether is a splendid 
 conception, and few men forty years ago (at any 
 rate, in India), excepting the architect himself, would 
 have elicited from their own invention any thing so 
 complete and satisfactory. 
 
 Hindoo College. — This excellent and highly in- 
 teresting institution was projected near the close of 
 the year 1815. It owes its origin to a most zealous 
 advocate for native education, the late Mr. David 
 Hare. He it was who first conceived the idea of 
 such an establishment, which occurred to his mind 
 in the course of a discussion, at the house of the 
 celebrated Rammohun Roy, on the best means of 
 improving the moral and intellectual condition of the 
 people of India. Having written down his thoughts 
 on the subject, the paper was shewn to several in- 
 dividuals, amongst whom was a native gentleman, 
 who without communicating his intention to Mr. 
 Hare, handed it directly to Sir Edward Hyde East, 
 then Chief Judge of the Supreme Court, soliciting 
 his patronage and support of the scheme under con- 
 sideration. The learned judge was so much pleased 
 with Mr. Hare's suggestion, that he entered imme- 
 diately into almost all his views, and after having
 
 270 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 proposed a few trifling alterations in that gentle- 
 man's plan for the establishment of the college, he 
 convened a meeting of respectable natives at his own 
 house on the 5th of May, 1816, for the purpose of 
 carrying so happy and noble a design into speedy 
 execution. As Sir Hyde East has been very gene- 
 rally regarded as the sole originator of the Hindoo 
 College, it has been thought due to Mr. Hare's 
 memory to make especial mention of his share in 
 the undertaking. 
 
 After various meetings upon the subject, it was 
 resolved " that an institution for promoting educa- 
 tion be established, and that it be called the Hindoo 
 College of Calcutta, and that the Governor-general, 
 and the members of the Supreme Council for the 
 time being, be requested to accept the office of pa- 
 trons of this institution." It was also resolved, that 
 Sir Edward Hyde East should be requested to accept 
 the office of president, and the then chief j udge of 
 the Court Sudder Dewanny and Nizamut Adawlut, 
 that of vice-president. A committee was appointed, 
 consisting of both native and European gentlemen, 
 and to these were added an English and a native 
 secretary. 
 
 The primary object of the institution was the tui- 
 tion of Hindoo children in the English and Indian 
 languages; and in the literature and science of 
 Europe and Asia. The committee hired a building 
 in a populous part of the town as a temporary school- 
 house, and on the 20th January, 1817, the school 
 was opened. On that day there were but twenty 
 pupils, but a learned native who was present ex- 
 pressed his hopes that the Hindoo College would
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 271 
 
 resemble the hur, the largest of trees, which yet at 
 first was but a small seedling. In less than three 
 months the number of boys was sixty-nine, in- 
 cluding sixteen free scholars, all of whom made 
 English their principal study. The funds of the 
 college amounted at this time to upwards of 70,000 
 rupees. Notwithstanding, however, this auspicious 
 commencement, the expenses connected with the 
 establishment not being regulated with a due regard 
 to economy, were soon discovered to be much be- 
 yond the means at the disposal of the management, 
 and, as a consequence, some appointments that were 
 almost sinecures were abolished, and certain extra- 
 vagant expenditures were reduced. Though so much 
 active interest had been exhibited in the early infancy 
 of the college, the novelty, however, soon began to 
 wear away, and if it had not been for the indefatiga- 
 ble labours and persevering expostulations of Mr. 
 Hare, the founder, the whole undertaking might 
 gradually have dwindled into nothing. The school 
 had been removed from one house to another, and 
 began to exhibit any thing but a flourishing ap- 
 pearance, when the few individuals who still had its 
 success at heart appealed to the government for 
 assistance. Pecuniary aid was immediately granted ; 
 and the Governor-general in Council having deter- 
 mined to found a Sanscrit College in Calcutta, for 
 the special purpose of reviving native literature, it 
 was deemed advisable to erect a large and handsome 
 building that might accommodate all the classes 
 of both institutions. A lac and twenty thousand 
 rupees was allotted to the purpose. The foundation 
 stone of this edifice was laid on the 25th of Feb-
 
 272 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ruary, 1824, The present building was opened for 
 the reception of the classes of the two institutions in 
 the month of May, 1827. The centre part of the 
 building was to be devoted to the Sanscrit students, 
 and the two wings to the senior and junior depart- 
 ments of the Anglo-Indian school. The two institu- 
 tions have been kept totally distinct. The Sanscrit 
 College has always been entirely under the superin- 
 tendence of Government, but the Hindoo College, 
 until the erection of the common edifice, was under 
 the superintendence of native management. With 
 the consent of the native managers, the government 
 appointed Mr. Horace Hay man Wilson, Vice-presi- 
 dent of the committee and visitor of the college, and 
 at the same time nominated sundry lecturers and 
 teachers, selecting them from the ablest men whose 
 services were available. The government likewise 
 presented an excellent library to the Hindoo College, 
 and have for some years contributed two thousand 
 rupees per mensem towards the general expenses of 
 the college. A wealthy Rajah presented a donation 
 of 20,000 rupees, which was devoted to the insti- 
 tution of scholarships, the object of which was, by a 
 monthly bursary of sixteen rupees, to induce the 
 pupils of the first class, who would otherwise be 
 obliged to quit college in search of a livelihood, to 
 remain longer and finish their education. 
 
 In 1829, the failure of the house of agency, in 
 which the college funds, to the amount of 60,000 
 rupees, had been placed, plunged the college into 
 great embarrassment ; but by the excellent arrange- 
 ments of Dr. Wilson, the institution was rescued from 
 the very serious injury which so great a loss was
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 273 
 
 expected to occasion. There was an increase in the 
 number of boys, all of whom paid five rupees per 
 mensem for their education (with the exception of 
 those of the first class who had received scholar- 
 ships), and by enforcing a more regular system of 
 payment of the monthly bills for instruction, and a 
 proper attention to economy, the college soon reco- 
 vered, in a great measure, from this heavy blow. 
 An unhappy drawback from the popularity of the in- 
 stitution occurred about this period. A Mr. Derozio, 
 an East-Indian, who had acquired some degree of 
 local celebrity as a poet, was one of the masters, 
 and being fond of conversing with the students, he 
 sometimes touched on rehgious questions with too 
 much freedom, and alarmed the parents of the 
 youths. It was asserted that he taught them atheism, 
 and also insisted upon the necessity of disobeying 
 their parents on all matters connected with liberty of 
 discussion. He positively denied the truth of these 
 charges, and of several others of a similar nature ; 
 but as many of the parents had indignantly removed 
 their children, and there was a general impression 
 amongst the natives that the Hindoo faith was the 
 subject of ridicule of the Hindoo College, and that even 
 the great principles of morality and natural religion 
 were attacked by Mr. Derozio, the native manage- 
 ment thought it absolutely necessary, as a matter of 
 policy, to dispense with his services as a teacher. 
 The visitor and founder of the college were both of 
 opinion that the charges against Mr. Derozio were 
 unfounded, but they were obliged to give way to the 
 native managers in a matter so peculiarly affecting 
 their own feelings and the interests of the college. 
 n3
 
 274 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Soon after Mr. Derozio left, the excitement ceased, 
 and the institution recovered the confidence and 
 good-will of the native community. 
 
 In 1831, the government authorized the appoint- 
 ment of a Professor of Law and Moral Philosophy, 
 and the General Committee of Public Instruction 
 engaged a gentleman who was a Protestant minister 
 to fill that office ; but the native managers expressed 
 their decided objection to the appointment of a 
 clergyman. In consequence of this objection, to 
 which the government attached due weight, as ac- 
 cording with their policy of non-interference with 
 the religious prejudices of the natives, the office was 
 changed to that of lecturer on law and political 
 economy, and assigned to a practising barrister of 
 some eminence. On this gentleman's resignation of 
 the office, as incompatible with his practice, it de- 
 volved successively on others of less capacity. 
 
 In 1835, owing to the retirement or resignation of 
 some of the professors, and the difficulty of filling 
 their places satisfactorily, a new distribution of du- 
 ties took place. The office of lecturer on mathe- 
 matics and English literature, which had hitherto 
 been united, was now divided. Subsequently, a prin- 
 cipal was appointed in the person of Captain David 
 Lester Richardson, author of" Literary Leaves," &c. 
 The system works well ; and if the college cannot be 
 said to have attained the maximum of perfection, it 
 certainly never was in a higher state of prosperity 
 than at the present moment. 
 
 The Hindoo College is one of the handsomest build- 
 ino-s in Calcutta. It is of the plain Grecian Ionic 
 order. The grand entrance is on the north, and a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 275 
 
 flight of stone steps leads to a portico supported by 
 four lofty columns. The portico leads into a square 
 open court, on the east and west sides of which are 
 colonnades, which form the entrance into the lower 
 apartments devoted to the Sanscrit classes. At the 
 south-west corner of the western colonnade is the 
 principal staircase, which leads to the large upper 
 hall of the centre building. This hall, as well as the 
 one beneath it, measures eighty-four feet by twenty- 
 six. In the upper colonnades, east and west of the 
 court, are galleries forming passages into the several 
 side apartments, one of which is devoted to the col- 
 lege library, which contains a large supply of the 
 best works on the literature and science of Europe, 
 with many of the most approved translations from 
 the Greek and Roman classics. A book, in which 
 the titles of the works borrowed and the names of 
 the borrowers are kept, affords an interesting illus- 
 tration of the taste and acquirements of the students. 
 European visitors are often greatly surprised, on in- 
 specting this record, to observe how much works 
 demanding serious thought, the closest study, and an 
 exertion of the highest faculties of the mind, are 
 voluntarily sought after by these aspiring boys, most 
 of whose parents are as ignorant as their forefathers 
 five thousand years ago. On the south side of the 
 building is a large portico, supported by six columns, 
 on a well-raised pediment. The two wings are of 
 the same order as the centre building, but of one 
 story only. The eastern wing is occupied with the 
 junior department or lower classes of the Hindoo Col- 
 lege, and the western wing is devoted to the upper 
 classes. The professors deliver their lectures in the
 
 276 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 upper apartments of the centre building. The entire 
 edifice, including numerous out-offices, stands on an 
 area of 470 feet by 190 feet. Within the enclosure, 
 which is defined by a handsome iron rail, is a large 
 circular tank and neat lawn. 
 
 Thus much of the college and its purposes. It 
 would be agreeable to follow the student from its 
 portals, and trace the effects of the instruction he 
 has received upon the society with which he thence- 
 forth mingles. But it is much to be apprehended 
 that, at present, the advantage stops short with the 
 student himself. 
 
 Many of the students in the first and second 
 classes of the Hindoo College are enabled to procure 
 respectable situations under government, and all of 
 them who require employment find a college educa- 
 tion of most essential advantage to them. The cer- 
 tificate of character and acquirements which each 
 boy obtains on quitting the institution, when very 
 favourable, is regarded as an invaluable document, 
 and esteemed of higher importance and utility than 
 any private letter of introduction. Even the more 
 wealthy students who do not seek for employment 
 are proud of the honour of a good college certificate. 
 It is amongst these in rather dependent circum- 
 stances that the love of learning; is longest cherished. 
 Amongst those who have to spend every entire day 
 in official toil or the pursuits of trade, and return 
 exhausted to the idle converse of their families, the 
 desire for intellectual pleasure very speedily cools, 
 and they lose all that generous ambition to distin- 
 guish themselves by their talents or their attainments, 
 which they evince in association with their class-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 277 
 
 fellows. But those who are not doomed to a per- 
 petual struggle for the means of existence often 
 continue to study very sedulously the books recom- 
 mended to them when at college ; and they some- 
 times contrive to prolong an acquaintance with their 
 teachers by occasional visits, or even letters. They 
 are, however, in an awkward and unencouraging po- 
 sition, for their parents and immediate associates 
 rarely smile upon their studies, and the English in 
 India are, generally speaking, even yet too aristocra- 
 tic to meet the advances of the natives in a true 
 spirit of sociality. There is too often a proud con- 
 descension on the one side and a humiliation on the 
 other. We cannot expect the natives of India to 
 advance much in the scale of society until we hold 
 out the ready hand of fellowship to all who distin- 
 guish themselves by their talents or their virtues. 
 
 The Sanscrit College. — The Sanscrit College is 
 supported entirely by the government, and about 
 twelve hundred rupees per mensem are drawn for its 
 expenditure. This institution was established for 
 the encouragement of Oriental learning ; but a few 
 years ago a teacher was employed to teach the stu- 
 dents reading and writing the English language. 
 Little progress, however, was made in their occi- 
 dental studies, and English instruction has been for 
 some time discontinued. But a disposition is again 
 evinced to renew the attempt to introduce the study 
 of the English, and also of the vernacular language, 
 both of which had been very injudiciously neglected. 
 At one period there were about a hundred stipendiary 
 scholars, some of whom got eight rupees, and others 
 five rupees, per mensem ; and at the period alluded
 
 278 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 to, there were about 250 students ; but when these 
 stipends were ordered to be gradually discontinued, 
 the number of students fell off considerably. There 
 are now only about fifty stipendiaries, and there are 
 not at this period more than 140 or 150 students 
 altogether, and these include a late addition occa- 
 sioned by the introduction of the study of the verna- 
 cular language, which is of more use to the sons of 
 the poor than the Sanscrit. As at the Hindoo Col- 
 lege, with the exception of a very few stipendiary 
 scholars in the first and second classes, all the boys 
 pay five rupees per mensem for their instruction, 
 which is a considerable sum of money to many of 
 the parents, and the continued and increasing pros- 
 perity of that college is a proof of its great popula- 
 rity amongst the natives. The students at the San- 
 scrit and other colleges under government superin- 
 tendence at present contribute nothing towards the 
 expenses of the education. The immediate manage- 
 ment of the Sanscrit College is under a native secre- 
 tary of great respectability. 
 
 The institution next in degree to the Hindoo 
 College, as being particularly adapted to the in- 
 struction of natives in the higher branches of learn- 
 ing, though by no means approaching it in point of 
 utility, is 
 
 The Madrussa, or Mahomedan College. — 
 This institution was founded in the year 1780, by 
 Warren Hastings, who, at his own expense, erected 
 a building for the college, and obtained from go- 
 vernment, for the support of the establishment, a 
 grant of land, estimated at 29,000 rupees per annum. 
 The object of the founder was to encourage the culti-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 279 
 
 vation of Arabic learning, and to prepare persons 
 with perfect knowledge of Mahomed an law, to act 
 as public officers in the courts of justice. Yet this 
 plan, however wisely conceived or generously sup- 
 ported, failed in effecting the object intended; for in 
 the year 1812, a representation was made to govern- 
 ment, that the revenue dedicated to the support of 
 this institution was wasted by indolent and ignorant 
 professors and profligate students, and, that " the 
 institution was wholly useless as to all purposes of 
 education." Some partial alterations were then in- 
 troduced. But apathy, the child of fatality, and vice, 
 the offspring of idleness, soon triumphed over these 
 temporary expedients, and in the year 1820, govern- 
 ment, fully convinced that such an institution would 
 never produce any useful results while under the 
 control of natives, appointed a committee of Com- 
 pany's servants, with a secretary, to direct the studies 
 and enforce the rules which they might deem neces- 
 sary to establish. From that period the college 
 rapidly improved; learned professors were sought, 
 and the studious were rewarded ; the revenue of the 
 college fixed at 30,000 rupees per annum, instead of 
 the original jaghir; and a new building was erected 
 on the north side of Wellesley Square, at the charge 
 of 1,40,537 rupees. In 1829, an English school was 
 attached to the Madrussa ; but from the jealousy 
 with which the Mahomedans view English literature 
 and science, and from a belief" that the school was 
 formed to undermine their religion and render Arabic 
 literature less pre-eminent, it has been rather op- 
 posed than supported by the native influence in the 
 college. Very few of the Arabic students availed
 
 280 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 themselves of this new source of information, and 
 generally those that attended, did it more as a 
 matter of form than from inclination. Out-students 
 were admitted and dismissed as changes took place 
 in the committee, and nothing seemed certain but 
 that whatever was done one year would be altered 
 the next. A radical reform was, however, introduced, 
 yet not without violent opposition from the most ce- 
 lebrated oriental scholars in the education committee. 
 These gentlemen considered the Madrussa as found- 
 ed purely for the cultivation of Arabic, and that it 
 would be unjust to divert any part of its funds from 
 the direct track pointed out by its founder ; and so 
 indignant did they feel at the proposition of a radical 
 change, that all of them who were on the Madrussa 
 committee resigned, rather than have any thing to 
 do with what they termed the spoliation of a vested 
 right. The general committee paid little attention 
 to this sudden burst of passion, and orders were 
 issued according to their declared intention. These 
 orders were certainly harsh and uncompromising, 
 but they have not proved eventually so pernicious as 
 their opponents had anticipated. If the intention 
 of the general committee was to divert the funds of 
 the Madrussa to the support of other institutions, it 
 must be admitted to have been unjustifiable ; but if 
 their object was to give a more extended range of 
 information to the Mahomedan community, it was a 
 measure fraught with benevolence and supported by 
 sound policy. Be that as it may, orders were issued 
 declaring that no stipends should be allowed to 
 students admitted after a specified day, and that 
 when vacancies occurred in professorships, none
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 281 
 
 should be filled up in departments where well in- 
 formed and large classes did not exist. These 
 alterations excited alarm in the breasts of the Ma- 
 homedan community; they considered them as in- 
 dications of a political attack on the independence 
 and rights of their body in general, and on their 
 learned institutions in particular. A general meet- 
 ing took place, a memorial was prepared, signed and 
 presented in due form, but without producing any 
 other result than a promise that it should be trans- 
 mitted to Eno-land for the consideration of the 
 authorities in that country. In the report of the 
 general committee of public instruction for the year 
 1835, it is stated : — " Till lately every boy receiving 
 a stipend from the Arabic department was obliged 
 to learn English an hour or two in the day, and those 
 who did not receive stipends had to pay two rupees 
 a month for the privilege of being allowed to join the 
 English class. The result of this arrangement was 
 that the Enghsh school was filled with unwilling 
 scholars, who were too old to acquire correct pro- 
 nunciation, and devoted too short a time to the study 
 to be able to make more than a very limited progress 
 in it. Under these circumstances the school lan- 
 guished until lately, when a change of system was 
 resolved upon. The Arabic students were no longer 
 compelled to learn English, and any other Maho- 
 medan youths who wished it were allowed to do so 
 without any payment being required from them. 
 The result has been satisfactory. The school is now 
 filled with boys who pursue the study of English 
 with zeal and success equal to any of their Hindoo 
 compeers." From this period the affairs of the
 
 282 THE HAND-UOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 college proceeded without any obstruction ; opposi- 
 tion died away gradually, and business soon flowed 
 into the common routine. In a late report there ap- 
 peared to be forty-two paid and seventy-two unpaid 
 students in the Arabic department, and one hundred 
 and fifty unpaid scholars in the English school. The 
 English department would be a great advantage to 
 the higher order of Mahomedan inhabitants of Cal- 
 cutta, if the Arabic establishment would cordially 
 unite with it in the search after and the diffusion of 
 knowledge, and if the people themselves, so deeply 
 interested, would meditate upon the benevolent ef- 
 forts of government to place them in as advantage- 
 ous a position as that of the learned part of the 
 Hindoo population. Unhappily, however, the lead- 
 ing members of this great body, as well as the 
 native functionaries of the college, are hostile to the 
 introduction of western literature and modern science, 
 so that few except the children of indigent parents 
 avail themselves of an establishment, introduced 
 solely for the general benefit of their community. It 
 seems to be a matter of doubt, whether the altera- 
 tion introduced by the committee is justifiable or not, 
 or whether a power existed, by which new studies 
 might be introduced and old ones modified according 
 to the fashion of the times. But if reform be the 
 order of the day, and utihty the principle of action, 
 the only question that can arise is, whether it is more 
 profitable for the Mahomedan people still to pore 
 over the dark pages of imperfect translations from 
 Aristotle, or at once to direct their steps towards 
 light, truth, and modern science. These people 
 would be eminently successful if they would dedicate
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 283 
 
 their minds to any pursuit, for they can readily con- 
 ceive and easily remember, and although fickle in 
 the extreme, still upon any excitement they can 
 study with intense application. In the Arabic de- 
 partment there are four principal preceptors and four 
 assistants. The course of study includes, in Arabic, 
 general literature, logic, rhetoric, philosophy, Ma- 
 homed an law, and mathematics. 
 
 In the English, there are three masters and six 
 monitors, the course of study in English embrac- 
 ing grammar, geography, astronomy, history, ma- 
 thematics, natural philosophy, and general litera- 
 ture. 
 
 The Town Hall. — This edifice was raised in pur- 
 suance of a resolution passed by the inhabitants of 
 Calcutta, in February, 1804. It is a superb building, 
 applied to the purposes of public meetings, balls, 
 public dinners, concerts, dramatic performances, 
 fancy fairs, annual examinations of schools, &;c. 
 
 The plan was formed principally from the consi- 
 deration that such a fabric required a grand double 
 staircase to admit numbers at the same time. The 
 stairs are so placed as not to obstruct the air in the 
 hot season. They are therefore situated to the north, 
 a point from which the wind seldom blows, except 
 in the cold weather. In their construction they are 
 spacious, easy of ascent, and well lighted, so that 
 the projection of these stairs serves as a measure, 
 in a certain degree, to determine the proportions of 
 all the other parts of the building. The whole 
 effectually answers, affording every accommodation 
 likely to be required on a liberal and extensive scale, 
 but nothing useless or superfluous.
 
 284 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The vestibule or entrance, together with the two 
 flights of stairs (which commodiously admit two 
 hundred persons to pass at one time), occupy the 
 space of one hundred feet in length by twenty-seven 
 feet in breadth, forty of which are given to the en- 
 trance, and thirty to each of the stairs. The breadth 
 is divided into three parts, two for the steps of the 
 ascent, and one in the centre between for music, 
 affording ample space for two large bands. On the 
 side walls ascending the stairs, there are places for 
 two large pictures meant to afford a choice situation 
 and good light : similar blanks could not be left in 
 other parts without impeding the current of air, to 
 obtain which, in the greatest possible degree consis- 
 tent with strength and appearance, ought to be the 
 first object of an architect in a hot climate. 
 
 To the northern front is added an open portico, 
 under which carriages may drive, and set down their 
 company in rainy weather. Over it is contrived an 
 open verandah or colonnade, which would render the 
 principal apartments dark if it were closed. 
 
 On each side of the stairs are two rooms of 
 twenty-one by twenty feet, and adjoining to each of 
 them a bath. At the north-west corner, a spiral 
 staircase to the music gallery renders it unnecessary 
 for the musicians to enter any other part of the 
 house. 
 
 Near the western end, at about five feet distant 
 from the centre window of the large dining room, is 
 the statue of Marquis Cornwallis, and at the oppo- 
 site end that of the Marquis Wellesley. This situa- 
 tion was particularly pointed out by Mr. Bacon, the 
 statuary, in preference to the upper floor, under the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 285 
 
 consideration that the statues ought not to be set up 
 in an assembly or dancing room ; and also that from 
 the great weight of the marble it would be absolutely 
 impossible to secure the floor without building a 
 solid mass of masonry under the statues, if they were 
 placed above stairs; thereby shutting out a great 
 deal of air and light from the dining apartment, and 
 spoiling two rooms, by placing in the upper story 
 what would possibly be considered an unappropriate 
 ornament, and better situated below. 
 
 The great saloon, being 162 feet in length and 
 sixty-five in breadth, will conveniently dine eight 
 hundred persons in the lower floor, and accommodate 
 the same number at public entertainments for ladies, 
 on the other story. 
 
 The southern front consists of two corner rooms, 
 each very nearly a double cube, being forty-three feet 
 in length by twenty-one in width; and a centre 
 portico, eighty-two feet by thirty. The first-men- 
 tioned apartments serve as committee rooms be- 
 low, and as card-rooms above. The centre forms the 
 grand entrance for those who use palanquins, car- 
 riages passing round to the northern front : above 
 stairs it aftbrds a spacious roomy promenade, with a 
 beautiful view of the river, fort, &c. The building is 
 raised six feet in the southern front, and flued 
 throughout. An almost imperceptible slope from 
 the outer gates leads to the northern front, in order 
 to facilitate the entrance into the vestibule of the 
 great staircase. On the south it is formed by twelve 
 stone stairs leading into the lower verandah. The 
 height of the rooms from this level is twenty-three 
 feet under the beam, and paved with marble. The
 
 286 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 upper apartments are boarded with a teak floor 
 throughout, and twenty-seven feet in height. The 
 ceiHng is covered, and all the wood work is of teak. 
 An iron nucleus is placed in the centre of the co- 
 lumns in both the floors, in order to strengthen the 
 building, and render the work secure. On the lower 
 floor it is composed of a cylinder of five inches dia- 
 meter, of two pieces, each eleven feet in length, to 
 screw into each other, and on the upper story the 
 diameter is diminished to 4}r inches, to screw through 
 the floors into the irons of the lower apartments, 
 which necessarily keep all the columns perpendicular 
 and greatly add to the strength of the building. 
 
 The order of the architecture is Doric. It maybe 
 observed that the style is very simple, the parts of 
 which it is composed few, but large, and particularly 
 calculated to strike at a distance, and to ornament 
 the town. The plan was not copied from any other 
 edifice, but was composed expressly for the purpose 
 mentioned. It exceeds in height that of the Govern- 
 ment House by several feet. The amount which was 
 set apart to build the Town Hall appears to have 
 been seven lacs of rupees. 
 
 Writers' Buildings form a handsome row of 
 houses, connected, as in England. They are of two 
 stories high, with one room on a floor, a kitchen, and 
 entrance yard. They were applied, until very late 
 years, to the reception of the writers in the East-India 
 Company's Civil Service during the first year after 
 their arrival in England, but they are at present let 
 as lodgings or counting-houses to private indi- 
 viduals. 
 
 The Metcalfe Hall. — When Sir Charles Met-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 287 
 
 calfe, the present governor of the Canadas, was about 
 to return from India to reside permanently in Europe, 
 the numerous members of the Calcutta community, 
 who had long benefitted by his boundless liberalities, 
 his munificent hospitality, and the wisdom and mild- 
 ness of his rule as temporary Governor-General of 
 India, determined to pay a tribute of gratitude to 
 their benefactor, by raising a monument that should 
 perpetuate the recollection of his many public and 
 private virtues, and more particularly signalize the 
 last great act of his Indo-political life — the emanci- 
 pation of the Indian press. Various methods of 
 effecting this great object suggested themselves — 
 the erection of a statue, the foundation of scholar- 
 ships, the placing a bust, or a picture, with a mural 
 inscription in letters of gold, in some conspicuous 
 public building, &c. ; but all gave way to the happier 
 conceit of erecting an edifice which, while it sub- 
 served purposes of great utility, should, by its title, 
 commemorate the worth of the excellent Sir Charles. 
 A public library had been for some time in existence, 
 but it had no better local habitation than the lower 
 rooms of the private residence of a friend to the in- 
 stitution. The Agricultural and Horticultural So- 
 ciety was equally destitute of a building adapted to 
 the purposes of official meetings, and the depository 
 of curious models of agricultural implements, seeds, 
 specimens of produce, &:c. To combine the objects 
 of these institutions under one edifice, and to give to 
 it the name of the statesman who had long patronised 
 both, appeared to be a rational proceeding, accept- 
 able alike to the public who were interested in them, 
 and to Sir Charles Metcalfe himself. A laroer sum
 
 288 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of money was, however, necessary, for the erection 
 of a building of fitting dimensions and external 
 beauty, than that subscribed exclusively for com- 
 memorative purposes. The deficiency was accord- 
 ingly made up from the funds of the Agricultural 
 Society and the Public Library, and a piece of 
 ground for The Metcalfe Hall having been ap- 
 plied for, the government granted a site fronting the 
 Strand Road and river on the west. Hare Street on 
 the north, and opposite to the Bankshall, Master 
 Attendants' Office, and Post Office. The foundation 
 stone having been laid, with Masonic honours, in 
 January 1841, the Hall is now rapidly erecting. 
 
 The order of architecture is from the portico of the 
 Temple or Tower of the Winds, at Athens, which 
 was chosen for its lightness and durability. A broad 
 flight of steps leads to the portico or colonnade on the 
 west or river front, and there is a covered colonnade 
 entrance on the east, with another and similar flight 
 of steps, which lead up to the lobby and internal 
 staircase. 
 
 The building is raised on a solid but ornamented 
 basement of ten feet in height, in which there are 
 no openings, and the columns, thirty in number and 
 thirty-six feet high, rise from this basement and 
 support the general entablature of the building, 
 giving it, externally, much the appearance of a 
 Grecian temple of one lofty story. 
 
 The columns and colonnade nearly surround the 
 whole building. They would have been carried en- 
 tirely round, and a more temple-like form thereby 
 given to the building, but the funds would not admit 
 of it ; indeed, the limited amount of the subscription.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 289 
 
 and the necessity for so much internal accommoda- 
 tion, rendered curtailment of the ornament and out- 
 ward decoration necessary. 
 
 Internally there are two stories ; the lower one is 
 to be occupied by the Agricultural Society, and will 
 consist of a hall, sixty-three feet by thirty feet ; a 
 seed and specimen-room, thirty-six feet by twenty- 
 four; a museum, or room for agricultural and horti- 
 cultural implements, thirty- six feet by twenty-four ; 
 a secretary's room, twenty-four feet by twenty-four; 
 and a corridor, or passage leading to the main hall, 
 thirty-six feet by twelve. All these rooms are twenty- 
 two feet high in the roof. 
 
 The upper floor, to be occupied by the Calcutta 
 Public Library, is reached by a handsome teakwood 
 flight of stairs, in a staircase seven feet wide ; and 
 opposite to the secretary's room there are the same 
 rooms above as below, only they are more thrown 
 into one by arches, and the roof will be twenty-six 
 instead of twenty-two feet high, which will admit of 
 galleries and side-lights above. 
 
 The lower story, or portion appropriated to the 
 Agricultural Society, will have a colonnaded veran- 
 dah nearly all round, and the principal hall above 
 will have an iron rail on the river-side, inside the 
 pillars. 
 
 In the interior of the building there is to be placed 
 a bust of Sir Charles Metcalfe, which, with an 
 appropriate inscription, will intimate the reasons for 
 the erection of the hall and perpetuate the recollec- 
 tion of the many noble qualities which distinguished 
 the Indian career of the worthy baronet. 
 
 o
 
 290 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The Medical College. — This institution was 
 founded in February, 1834, by Lord William Ben- 
 tinck. It was one of the last acts of that nobleman's 
 administration in India, and one of the most useful. 
 For some years previous to the establishment of the 
 Medical College, a school of instruction for native 
 doctors, as it was termed, had existed under the suc- 
 cessive superintendence of Messrs. Breton and Tytler, 
 two gentlemen of great ability, and much distin- 
 guished as Oriental scholars. In that school a 
 number of young men were educated for the service 
 of the government in the capacity of native doctors, 
 a very subordinate and inferior grade of medical 
 assistants. The institution was carried on entirely 
 in the Hindostanee language, aided by a few trans- 
 lations in Arabic. The extent of education was very 
 limited, and in no department was it in the slightest 
 degree practical, except in the mere drudgery of 
 dressing wounds and compounding medicine. There 
 was only one teacher for all the branches of medical 
 science, and the students had received no previous 
 education beyond the accomplishments of reading 
 and writing in their own tongue. They were utterly 
 ignorant of the English language and all European 
 knowledge, and for the most part were young men 
 not above the rank of common servants, often of the 
 meanest class. Besides this school, an attempt was 
 made to convey some instruction in medicine to a 
 few students in the Hindoo and Mahomedan col- 
 leges in the shape of a lecture twice a week. The 
 means of instruction were in this instance also con- 
 fined to plates and books. No great progress could
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 291 
 
 be expected to occur from such desultory instruc- 
 tion, although the teachers were gentlemen of great 
 eminence. 
 
 The inefficiency of these native schools soon be- 
 came apparent. It would, indeed, have been impos- 
 sible to produce better work with such materials as 
 the teachers had at their disposal, and they certainly 
 deserved much credit for the progress they made 
 with such limited means. In consequence of the 
 failure of these institutions, and urged, perhaps, by 
 some papers upon the possibility of improving the 
 scheme of medical education in India, which were 
 laid before him by one or two gentlemen in the 
 medical service, Lord William Bentinck appointed a 
 committee to inquire into the subject and report to 
 him upon the feasibility of establishing a more im- 
 proved method of instruction in this department of 
 knowledge. At the end of two years, after con- 
 siderable labour and very patient investigation, a 
 most masterly report upon the subject shewed the 
 utter impossibility of imparting medical instruction, 
 according to the system of translations, without any 
 means of practical illustration, then pursued in India. 
 It urged upon the government to establish, forthwith, 
 a college of medicine, formed upon a very extended 
 basis, wherein instruction might be conveyed, in the 
 English language, by a number of lecturers having 
 each a separate branch of study under his charge ; 
 and it suggested that these teachers should be directed 
 to make their instruction as practical as possible, 
 after the model of similar establishments in Europe, 
 more especially with reference to anatomy and the 
 treatment of diseases. 
 
 o 2
 
 292 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The report also recommended that a superior class 
 of pupils should be selected who had previously 
 received a good English education, and that the 
 scale of remuneration for government appointments 
 should be increased so as to offer encourajrement to 
 these young men to exert themselves. Tt was urged 
 that such an institution would not only supply the 
 government with well-educated medical assistants, 
 but would be the means of improving the wretched 
 state of medicine among the natives generally, by 
 distributing over the country skilful practitioners in 
 lieu of the miserable quacks who had previously 
 formed the physicians of the native community. 
 
 The government, though much gratified with this 
 report, and determined upon adopting its principles, 
 considered the scale upon which it was recommended 
 to form the new college, to be too expensive, and 
 Lord William resolved upon commencing with a 
 more limited establishment, which might afterwards 
 be increased as occasion required. 
 
 The following extract from the government order 
 creating the college will exhibit what were his lord- 
 ship's views : — 
 
 That a new college shall be formed for the instruction of a cer- 
 tain number of native youths in the various branches of medical 
 science. 
 
 That this college shall be under the control of the Education 
 Committee, assisted by certain medical officers. 
 
 That instruction be given through the medium of the English lan- 
 guage. 
 
 That a certain number of native youths, whose ages shall not ex- 
 ceed twenty years, or be less than fourteen years, shall be entered 
 upon the foundation as foundation pupils of the Institution. 
 
 That all candidates for admission as foundation pupils shall be 
 required to present respectability of connections and conduct ; shall
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 293 
 
 be able to read and write English and Bengalee, or English and Hin- 
 dostanee, and with these qualifications, all natives, between the age 
 of fourteen and twenty, shall be equally eligible, without exception to 
 creed or caste. 
 
 That the number of the foundation pupils shall be limited to 
 fifty. 
 
 That the foundation pupils shall each receive a monthly stipend 
 from the government of seven rupees, which may be increased accord- 
 ing to certain rules. 
 
 That the foundation pupils shall be expected to remain at the 
 Institution for a period of not less than four years, and not exceeding 
 six years. 
 
 That all foundation pupils be required to learn the principles 
 and practice of medical sciences in strict accordance with the mode 
 adopted in Europe. 
 
 That all the pupils who shall have completed their studies ac- 
 cording to the form prescribed shall be entitled to have certificates, 
 signed by the Superintendent, to enable them to present themselves for 
 final examination. 
 
 That such pupils as shall be deemed qualified to practise sur- 
 gery and medicine shaU receive certificates of qualification, signed by 
 the President of the Committee of Education, and countersigned by the 
 Secretary of that Committee and the Superintendent of the Insti- 
 tution. 
 
 That the public service shaU be supplied with native doctors 
 from the Institution, and with a view to this object, whatever appoint- 
 ments may happen to fall vacant during the period which intervenes 
 two examinations shall be offered for the acceptance of the students 
 who pass at the examination next ensuing. The selection shall be re- 
 gulated by the extent of professional acquirement. 
 
 That the Superintendent shall be supplied, under the direc- 
 tion and management of the Education Committee, with a certain 
 monthly allowance of stationery for the use of the Institution. 
 
 That the formation of a plan of medical education, and the rules 
 and discipline of the Institution, shall be intrusted to the Education 
 Committee. 
 
 That in addition to the pupils on the foundation, the benefits 
 of this College shall be open to all classes of native youths, between the 
 age of fourteen and twenty, without exception to creed or caste, pro- 
 vided they possess respectable connections and conduct, and can read 
 and write English and Bengalee, or EngUsh and Hindostanee ; and
 
 294 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 that all thus qualified shall, at the discretion of the Committee of Edu- 
 cation, be permitted to attend the instruction at the College, subject to 
 its discipline and regulations. 
 
 That the Superintendent shall draw a pay bill for the establish- 
 ment of the Institution, which shall be countersigned by the Secretary 
 of the Education Committee, and shall annex it to a nominal roll of the 
 youths on the foundation of, and establishments attached to, the Native 
 Medical Institution, and the voucher for the payment of the house- 
 rent, both signed by the Secretary of the Education Committee. 
 
 A superintendent and an assistant were appointed, 
 on handsome salaries, and required to instruct the 
 pupils in anatomy, surgery, medicine, and pharmacy, 
 and to qualify them for medical charges, civil and 
 military. After the death of the first superintendent 
 or principal, the government altered the arrangement 
 by abolishing the office, and appointing four or five 
 additional professors to the college. 
 
 The establishment was at first placed in a house 
 adjoining the Hindoo College, but in the meantime, 
 the present commodious building was preparing for 
 its reception, and the institution, in May, 1835, was 
 located on the site it now occupies. This is situated 
 in the centre of the native town, and covers a con- 
 siderable space of ground. 
 
 The buildings comprise a very spacious and hand- 
 some theatre, capable of containing five hundred 
 persons — apartments for the purpose of practical 
 anatomy, a laboratory, museum, and a library and 
 hospital. The grounds are extensive, and afford a 
 fine site for additional buildings, for the reception 
 of midwifery patients, and for the general enlarge- 
 ment of the hospital. 
 
 A visit to the Medical College will well repay the 
 curiosity of the stranger. The materiel for ana-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 295 
 
 tomical pursuits is abundantly obtained, and is kept 
 in perfect preservation by the injection of arsenical 
 solutions into the veins — a method which enables 
 the lecturers and students of anatomy to carry on 
 their labours, during the hot season and the rains, 
 without the least offensive smell being generated in 
 the apartments. 
 
 The Museum. — It cannot be expected that the Mu- 
 seum, of which, in 1837, there did not exist a single 
 rudiment, should be very extensive. Yet, in the 
 very short space of time which has elapsed from its 
 commencement, a number of most valuable prepara- 
 tions have been accumulated, and already it presents 
 many highly interesting features. The great industry 
 and zeal of the first Curator, Mr. Evans, enabled 
 him to surmount difficulties of no insignificant cha- 
 racter, and the shelves of this infant collection amply 
 attest the importance of that gentleman's services. 
 The department of pathology may, perhaps, be re- 
 garded as the best furnished portion of this museum. 
 Amongst the rest are some preparations and casts 
 of enormous tumours, which have been removed from 
 natives of this country. There are many mag- 
 nificent speciments of neerosis and eostosis, and 
 a collection of urinary calculi, almost unrivalled 
 in any country. There are many remarkable ex- 
 amples of tropical diseases of the viscera, ulcera- 
 tions of the intestines, alterations and derangements 
 of the biliary organs, &c., and one most striking pre- 
 paration of the stomach of an individual poisoned by 
 arsenic, together with a large number of aneurisms, 
 diseases of arteries, and some fine preparations of 
 monstrosities, more particularly one of a complete
 
 296 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 double foetus, which lived for some hours after its 
 birth. The purely anatomical preparations are less 
 numerous, but many of them very excellent. There 
 is a fine collection of wax models and numerous full- 
 sized figures of dissected parts of Auzoun, &c. &c. 
 The osteological branch of this department is well 
 furnished, and it is especially rich in skulls of various 
 nations and characters ; amongst others, two crania 
 of Suttee women are very interesting to the stranger. 
 The Laboratory contains, among numerous in- 
 teresting articles, a magnificent series of galvanic 
 batteries, presented to the college by a public sub- 
 scription in 1837. These instruments consist chiefly 
 of a set of twelve troughs, each exposing forty-three 
 feet of superficial zinc surface to an equal area of 
 copper. The ignoting and magnetic effects of this 
 battery, when excited by solutions of sulphate of 
 soda and sulphate of copper, are of the most splendid 
 and astonishing kind. 
 
 2. A series of 100 cells, each fifteen inches square, 
 adapted to a steam chamber, so that the battery can 
 be heated to the boiling point. This is considered 
 to be the finest instrument in existence for the exhi- 
 bition of the intensity of the electric fluid, as dis- 
 played by its deflagration of metals, the production 
 of the galvanic magnet of flame, and its powers over 
 the living system. 
 
 3. A series of 300 galvanic cases of copper and 
 zinc in jars, for the demonstration of the laws of 
 voltaic electricity. 
 
 Besides the preceding instruments, the laboratory 
 possesses an enormous electro-magnet, the bars of 
 which are three inches in diameter, by six feet long ;
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 297 
 
 and some very curious models illustrative of the ap- 
 plication of electro-magnetic forces to the movements 
 of machinery, propulsion of boats and carriages, and 
 effecting of telegraphic communications. 
 
 Fifty pupils are maintained on monthly stipends, 
 ranging from seven to twelve rupees, according to 
 their seniority and deserts. Besides these youths, 
 there is a numerous supplementary class of candi- 
 date pupils — natives, East Indians, and members of 
 the subordinate medical department. 
 
 On leaving college, the native graduates are em- 
 ployed as sub-assistant surgeons, on salaries ranging 
 from sixty to one hundred rupees per month, in the 
 discharo-e of the duties of medical attendant on laro;e 
 dispensaries, established in different parts of the 
 country. 
 
 That the institution is well calculated to fulfil the 
 objects proposed at its formation, and that the la- 
 bour of the teachers has not been thrown away upon 
 the undeserving, have been amply proved by the result 
 of the last seven years' instruction, as shewn in the 
 examinations which have annually taken place since 
 November, 1838, for the purpose of granting diplo- 
 mas. Practical proofs of the advantage and capa- 
 bilities of the college have been oiven on each occa- 
 sion, and it can now be no longer doubtful that 
 Hindoos are as able to master the difficulties of 
 medical science as their European brethren. 
 
 In June (1838) the government having called upon 
 
 the college council to furnish a number of students 
 
 for employment as surgeons to dispensaries in the 
 
 upper provinces, a list of candidates was submitted 
 
 o 3
 
 298 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 by the latter to the authorities, with a request that 
 they would appoint a committee of examiners to de- 
 cide upon the qualifications of the students. The 
 college council at the same time reminded the go- 
 vernment that the full period of instruction prescribed 
 at the commencement of the institution had not been 
 completed by many months — scarcely three years 
 having elapsed since these pupils began the study of 
 medicine. 
 
 In November, a committee of professional men, 
 unconnected with the college, having been appointed 
 by the government, the examinations commenced, and 
 after a very severe trial, which lasted the greater part 
 of six days, five students out of eleven who presented 
 themselves were declared to have passed their ex- 
 amination. These examinations, which were held 
 publicly in the college, were as strictly practical as 
 possible. The candidates were obliged to demon- 
 strate their knowledge of anatomy upon the dead 
 body in the dissecting room, where they also per- 
 formed many of the capital operations of surgery in 
 •the presence of the committee. In chemistry and 
 materia medica the ordeal was equally practical, and 
 the oral part of the examination in the various 
 branches of medical study was minute and searching 
 in the extreme. Indeed, nothing could be a more 
 complete test of the student's professional knowledge 
 than these trials, and the reports of the examiners 
 speak in the highest strain of the acquirements of 
 the young men who were placed before them. 
 
 In January, the diplomas were conferred upon 
 the successful candidates by the president of the 
 committee of public instruction, in the presence of a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 299 
 
 large concourse of spectators — Europeans and na- 
 tives. 
 
 The complete success which has thus crowned the 
 efforts of the professors must be a source of high 
 gratification to them. Theirs is, indeed, a situation 
 of which they may be proud. By the triumphal re- 
 sult of their exertions in developing the resources 
 thus placed at their disposal a new era in the science 
 of medicine has commenced in India. The blessing-s 
 of European medical knowledge will be gradually 
 extended over the land ; and the ignorant, chicaning 
 empirics, who have for so many years served the office 
 of physicians in India, will be supplanted by a race of 
 men who possess the requisite ability and scientific 
 acquirement to treat disease with a reasonable pros- 
 pect of success. At the same time, some of the most 
 deeply-rooted prejudices of the native mind have 
 been completely overthrown, and a new road has 
 thus been opened for the progress of civilization in 
 India. 
 
 La Martiniere. — This magnificent institution 
 was erected and is maintained by means of property 
 bequeathed for the purpose by Major General Claude 
 Martine, whose name it bears. The founder was a i 
 native of France, having been born at Lyons on/ 
 the 5th day of January, in the year 1735. He 
 appears to have arrived in India at an early age, 
 and to have been led by the political circumstances 
 of the country to try his fortune at Lucknow, the 
 capital of the kingdom of Oude, and the royal 
 residence. At this place he died on the 13th of 
 September, 1800, leaving behind him a most princely 
 fortune, which he had accumulated with a rapidity
 
 300 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 by no means singular in those days, but far from 
 common in these less troublous and better adminis- 
 tered times. 
 
 The sum which General Martine set apart for en- 
 dowing this noble charity was, as appears from the 
 published extract of his will, 3,50,000 sicca rupees, 
 but this having been placed at interest, had, in Oc- 
 tober, 1832, reached the amount of 9,62,825 sicca 
 rupees, or nearly £100,000 sterling. The precise 
 objects of tile charity were only indistinctly defined 
 by the founder, while no attempt whatever was made 
 by him to fix its internal economy. He acknow- 
 ledges, indeed, in his will, that " he is little able to 
 make any arrangement for such an institution," and 
 expresses a hope that either the government or the 
 Supreme Court will devise the best institution for 
 the public good. The chief and almost the only 
 points specified by him in his brief reference to the 
 subject are, that it shall be for the good of the town 
 of Calcutta ; that children of either sex shall be ad- 
 missible to it, and, after having been educated, shall 
 be apprenticed to some trade, or married ; that it shall 
 bear the title of La Martiniere ; and that an in- 
 scription in large legible characters, bearing that it 
 was established by him, shall be fixed on some part 
 of the building. This vagueness of specification was 
 probably the principal reason why thirty-two years 
 were allowed to elapse before any steps were taken 
 to carry his benevolent design into effect. It ought 
 to be mentioned to the honour of Sir Edward Ryan, 
 the late chief justice of the Supreme Court, that he, 
 when second Puisne Judge, was the first who seri- 
 ously grappled with the difficulty, and that he drew
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 301 
 
 up the decree, bearing date the 22nd October, 1832, 
 in accordance with which the rules and regulations 
 of the institution were afterwards framed. In terms 
 of this decree, the building was erected. It was com- 
 pleted on the 31st December, 1835, and thrown 
 open for the reception of the wards on the 1st of 
 March, 1836. 
 
 The objects of La Martiniere, as appears from the 
 published rules, are two-fold, viz. : — To provide gra- 
 tuitous board, education, &c., to a certain number of 
 indigent children of both sexes, and to furnish a 
 superior education to boys in more favoured circum- 
 stances, who may be admitted either as boarders, day 
 boarders, or day scholars, on the payment of a fixed 
 monthly fee. 
 
 The number of children on the foundation is never 
 to be under fifty. At present it is greatly beyond 
 that number, and it is supposed the boys' depart- 
 ment will gradually receive additions, as the funds 
 are found to admit of them. The foundation children 
 are elected from the Christian population of Calcutta 
 without respect to the religious denomination with 
 which they are connected. They are selected on ac- 
 count of their indigent circumstances; but the selec- 
 tion is made from those who are above the lowest 
 class of the population, both because children of this 
 class are amply provided for in the charitable insti- 
 tutions which already exist, and because, as is ap- 
 prehended, the boarders and other scholars would 
 not so readily or so harmoniously associate with 
 them. The boys are eligible between the ages of 
 four and ten years, and are allowed to remain till 
 they reach the age of sixteen, though they may be
 
 302 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 apprenticed before that time with the approbation of 
 the acting governors ; the girls are ehgible between 
 the ages of four and twelve years, and unless they 
 are apprenticed or married, they may remain for life. 
 The education given to the foundation children is of 
 the most liberal and comprehensive character. The 
 boys are taught English, English grammar, writing, 
 arithmetic, geography, the general outlines of history, 
 particularly of the histories of Great Britain and 
 British India, the Hindustani and Bengali languages, 
 and the elements of mathematics, natural history, 
 mechanical philosophy ; and, in the case of any of 
 them who discover superior talents, it is competent 
 for the head master to instruct them in such addi- 
 tional branches as shall fit them for holding in after- 
 life a higher situation than that of apprentice to a 
 trade. The girls, again, are educated in all the 
 branches which have been specified, with the ex- 
 ception of mathematics and mechanical philosophy, 
 and are besides taught plain and ornamental needle- 
 work, knitting, and straw-plaiting. It may be worth 
 while to subjoin the reason assigned by a committee 
 of the governors for having sketched such an ex- 
 tensive course of education, as it brings into view 
 one of the indirect ends which La Martiniere may 
 eventually subserve. " The course of instruction 
 sketched out for the boys and girls on the founda- 
 tion is, your committee are fully aware, more liberal 
 and comprehensive than is in general deemed either 
 necessaiy or expedient for children in their rank of 
 life ; but they have been induced to recommend it, 
 partly by the eager desire which they feel to see in- 
 troduced into this noble institution many of those
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 303 
 
 improvements on the old educational systems which 
 have been adopted in some parts of the continent of 
 Europe, and which are slowly but surely finding 
 their way into favour in Great Britain, and partly by 
 the conviction which they have that no mean ad- 
 vantage will be obtained if in this way a model of 
 education can be presented to the other schools 
 which either now exist, or may hereafter be opened 
 on this side of India." 
 
 The boarders, day boarders, and day scholars at 
 present amount to between sixty and seventy ; and, 
 as the number has steadily increased since the open- 
 ing of the institution, there is every reason to think 
 that it is far from having reached its highest point. 
 The inducements for parents to place their children 
 there are partly the superior character of the educa- 
 tion imparted, and partly the comparatively cheap 
 rate at which it is afforded ; — the charge for day 
 scholars being only six Company's rupees, and for 
 boarders twenty-five Company's rupees, per mensem. 
 The greatest care is taken to avoid every thing like 
 an invidious distinction between them and the 
 foundation children. They take their meals at the 
 same table and share the same fare, are taught in the 
 same classes, when they have reached the same rate 
 of progress, and associate in their play-hours. The 
 only difference between them is, that they occupy 
 separate dormitories, though these are equally spa- 
 cious, well-aired, and commodious. 
 
 The general management of the affairs of the in- 
 stitution is vested, by the decree of the Supreme 
 Court, in ex-officio governors and in four additional 
 governors selected on account of their presumed
 
 304 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 qualifications. The ex-officio governors are the Go- 
 vernor-General, the Members of Council, the judges 
 of the Supreme Court, the Bishop of Calcutta, and 
 the Advocate-General. 
 
 The four additional governors are chosen annually, 
 and, while they hold office, have equal power and 
 authority with the former. They, along with any of 
 the ex-officio governors, are intrusted with the chief 
 superintendence of the charity, and to them belongs 
 the right of filling up any vacancy that may occur 
 in the foundation department. They meet for the 
 transaction of the current business on the first Tues- 
 day of every month, and each of them in turn, in the 
 capacity of monthly visitor, visits the school, exa- 
 mines the classes, and makes a general inspection of 
 the establishment. A general meeting of the gover- 
 nors is held twice every year, when a report of the 
 affairs of the institution for the previous half-year 
 is drawn up, laws are made to meet any emer- 
 gencies that may have occurred, and all other mat- 
 ters brought before them are considered and deter- 
 mined upon. 
 
 The business of the school is conducted by three 
 masters whose several departments are carefully de- 
 fined in the rules. They are required to possess su- 
 perior qualifications, and especially an aptitude for 
 teaching, receive higher salaries than are given in any 
 other educational establishment in India, and have 
 apartments in the school. In addition to them, a 
 Moonshee and Pundit are retained for teaching the 
 native languages ; and provision besides is made for 
 engaging other teachers and lecturers, whenever the 
 acting governors may deem them necessary for ren-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 305 
 
 dering' the system of instruction more efficient and 
 complete. The girls' department, which is kept quite 
 distinct from the boys, is taught and superintended 
 by a head mistress and assistant teacher. 
 
 The anniversary of General Martine's death, the 
 13th day of September, is, in terms of his will, 
 observed with peculiar honours. An appropriate 
 sermon is preached to the children in the chapel of 
 the institution by one of the clergymen of Calcutta 
 appointed by the governors; when the service is 
 closed, a silver medal is given to the most deserving 
 boy and girl in the school; and then all adjourn to 
 the dining-room, where they partake of a sump- 
 tuous dinner and drink a toast to the memory of the 
 founder. 
 
 The most distinctive circumstance connected with 
 the internal arrangements of La Martiniere is the 
 system of religious instruction which prevails in it. 
 A general idea of this system may be gathered from 
 the following resolution which was unanimously 
 adopted by the governors — as a compromise, it is 
 understood, between two other views which almost 
 equally divided them ; — " that the public religious 
 instruction given to the children of the school be in 
 conformity with the principles held in common by 
 the English, Scotch, Roman, Greek, and Armenian 
 churches ; but that the school be not placed under 
 any particular denomination of Christians, and that 
 no points which are in controversy between the 
 said churches be touched upon in the course of pub- 
 lic instruction." A course of religious instruction and 
 a form of prayer for family devotional exercises were 
 framed in conformity with these principles by the
 
 306 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Protestant Bishoji of Calcutta, the Roman Catholic 
 prelate, and the principal Presbyterian minister. 
 The plan recommended by them and carried into 
 operation consists of two parts, viz. the public reli- 
 gious instruction and the private supplementary. In 
 the former are embraced the fundamental truths of 
 Christianity, as they are held by the five great exist- 
 ing divisions of Christendom enumerated in the re- 
 solution just cited, and which are summed up in the 
 following particulars : — " 1. The Being of a God, his 
 unity and perfections. 2. The Holy Scriptures of 
 the Old and New Testaments, — a revelation inspired 
 by the Holy Ghost. 3. The mystery of the adorable 
 Trinity. 4. The Deity, Incarnation, Atonement, and 
 Intercession of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 5. The fall and corruption of man, his accountable- 
 ness and guilt. 6. Salvation through grace, by the 
 meritorious sacrifice and redemption of Christ. 7. 
 The Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, and 
 his operations and grace in the sanctification of 
 men. 8. The indispensable obligation of repentance 
 towards God, faith in Christ, and continual prayer 
 for the grace of the Holy Spirit. 9. The moral du- 
 ties which every Christian is bound to perform 
 towards God, his neighbour, and himself, as they are 
 summed up in the ten commandments, and enlarged 
 upon in other parts of the Holy Scriptures • all based 
 upon the doctrines above specified, and enforced as 
 their proper fruits." Catechisms embodying these 
 doctrines are publicly taught in the school, and the 
 Bible is read as a class-book by all the children, 
 Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic; 
 the English authorized version being used by the two
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 307 
 
 former classes, and the Douay version by the latter, 
 as often as they learn lessons or receive direct in- 
 structions from the Scriptures. 
 
 The private or supplementary religious instruction 
 relates to discipline, church government, the sacra- 
 ments, and other matters on which differences more 
 or less important exist, and is communicated by 
 the ministers of different denominations whom the 
 parents or guardians of the respective children may 
 select, and who attend at the school for the pur- 
 pose. The fullest latitude is given to them in re- 
 gard to the catechisms to be used by their respective 
 classes, and doctrines, or tenets, to be imparted to 
 them. 
 
 All the foundation children of both sexes, and 
 also the boarders, assemble every morning and even- 
 ing in the chapel of the institution, when a portion 
 of Holy Scripture and prayers are read by the head 
 master, from a form of prayer extracted from different 
 ancient liturgies. At these family devotional exer- 
 cises all the masters and mistresses, with all the 
 Christian members of the household, are required to 
 attend. 
 
 On Sunday mornings, the foundation children are 
 conducted to their respective churches and chapels, 
 as often as the state of the weather permits them ; 
 and in the evenings they meet in the chapel of the 
 institution, when the ordinary family devotions are 
 read with the addition of a suitable sermon approved 
 of by the governors. 
 
 The building of the institution, which is near 
 the Circular Road, was commenced in June, 1833, 
 and the entire edifice was completed in 1835. It
 
 308 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 cost about two lacs and Rs. 30,000, and is two- 
 storied, with a large dome, which is employed as a 
 library. Immediately under this — that is, in the 
 centre of the building — is the chapel, on each side of 
 which are the following accommodations for the chil- 
 dren, viz. four large halls on each floor, making in 
 all sixteen, employed as class-rooms, dormitory, and 
 refectory. In addition to these, there are apart- 
 ments (viz. two rooms on each floor with an ante- 
 chamber and conveniences) at each extremity or wing 
 of the building intended for the teachers. There are 
 two porticoes, north and south, both leading into the 
 chapel. There are besides three rooms on the 
 ground-floor running the whole length of the south 
 portico, the middle of which is the antechamber of 
 the chapel, and the other two the domicile of one of 
 the masters. Lastly, there are three rooms above 
 these, two of which form the residence of one of the 
 masters, and the third is the office of the secretary. 
 
 The Sans Souci Theatre stands in Park-street, 
 Calcutta. It was erected in May, 1840, and opened 
 in March, 1841. The cost of the building, including 
 scenery, wardrobe, chandeliers, &c. &;c., was not 
 much under £8000, of which sum the public sub- 
 scribed about £1600, the remainder falling upon the 
 lady who undertook the erection of the theatre. 
 The Sans Souci is one hundred and ninety-nine feet 
 in length and fifty-two in breadth. A splendid 
 portico in front, covering a magnificent flight of 
 steps, leads into a spacious saloon, whence the entry 
 into the boxes. The area of the audience part of 
 the house comprises a pit and one tier of boxes, in 
 which are five rows of arm-chairs raised above each
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 309 
 
 other amphitheatrically. Behind the boxes runs a 
 lobby or gallery. The stage occupies within the 
 proscenium twenty-eight feet of breadth and nearly 
 fifty of depth. The space concealed from the audi- 
 ence, above and below, is appropriated to green- 
 rooms, dressing-rooms, wardrobes, &c. The house 
 is admirably ventilated, but in the warm weather 
 punkahs are suspended, so that performances con- 
 tinue throughout the year. The gentlemen per- 
 formers are for the most part amateurs ; the ladies 
 are paid handsome salaries, and one of them, Mrs. 
 Leach, was, for talent and personal attractions, 
 without a rival even in England. 
 
 Mechanics' Institution. — This is a small edifice 
 of an oblong form, with a frontage resembling an 
 Egyptian sarcophagus. It was built by subscription, 
 with the view of inoculating the natives and the 
 East Indians with a taste for mechanics. A few 
 lectures were given by different gentlemen, but the 
 means of insuring a continuance of such services 
 have latterly been wanting, and the institution now 
 exists simply as a drawing-school. 
 
 The Ochterlony Monument. — A column one 
 hundred and sixty feet in height, with a Turkish 
 capital and an Egyptian base. It stands on the 
 esplanade in front of the town, and was erected to 
 commemorate the public worth of Major-General 
 Sir David Ochterlony, who distinguished himself by 
 his political and military services. The pillar is by 
 no means an ornament to the town; but it furnishes 
 an opportunity to him who will be at the trouble of 
 ascending by the circular staircase, of beholding
 
 310 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 from the summit an interesting panorama of Cal- 
 cutta. The cost of the edifice was £3500. 
 
 The Bengal Military Orphan Institution 
 at Kidderpore, about two miles from Calcutta, is an 
 ornament to the place, as much from the excellent 
 and benevolent intentions of its founders, as from the 
 beauty of its architecture. It was established to 
 afford a home to the orphan children of officers and 
 soldiers ; and as its affairs have always been managed 
 by a select committee of officers, who have a bro- 
 therly interest in its success, it has been most pros- 
 perous. Children are not, however, merely housed, 
 clothed, and educated ; their advancement in life is 
 cared for, and sums varying according to circum- 
 stances are assigned as portions to girls marrying, or 
 as premia to set boys forth in the world. 
 
 The Presidency General Hospital. — The pre- 
 mises now denominated the General Hospital, were, 
 in their original state, occupied as a garden-house 
 by an individual, from whom they were purchased 
 by the government in the year 1768, and converted 
 into a hospital. They were subsequently enlarged 
 and surrounded by a wall, and now afford ample ac- 
 commodation, in separate buildings, for patients and 
 for the medical officers and establishment attached 
 to the institution. The situation of the hospital is 
 airy and healthy, and it is sufficiently far from the 
 city without being inconveniently distant from Fort 
 William, the soldiers from which are its principal 
 mmates. 
 
 Strictly speaking, the General Hospital is a mili- 
 tary establishment, it having been transferred to the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 311 
 
 military department in the year 1786, when the 
 medical board was instituted ; but besides the sick 
 of the European corps in garrison, on their first 
 arrival from Europe, who are received until their 
 own regimental hospitals are prepared for them, the 
 sick of European recruits, supernumeraries, and in- 
 valids of the Queen's and Company's army, the hos- 
 pital is open for the reception of seamen belonging 
 to her Majesty's or the Company's service, or to 
 private and foreign ships, and also to European 
 paupers. Nor, indeed, are Europeans in any other 
 class of life refused admittance. To those who can 
 afford to defray their own expenses, and for sick 
 men belonging to her Majesty's or the Company's 
 ships or other vessels, a charge of one rupee per 
 diem is made on account of each patient. 
 
 The management of the hospital is conducted 
 under the fixed military regulations. The imme- 
 diate charge of it is intrusted to a surgeon of the 
 establishment, and two assistant surgeons, who are 
 permanently attached to it, and which latter reside 
 on the spot. 
 
 The General Assembly's Institution, which 
 stands on the outskirts of the city,, on the road to 
 Barrackpore, was, as its title imports, founded at the 
 instance of the General Assembly of the Kirk of 
 Scotland, for the education and consequent conver- 
 sion of the Hindoos. It is a plain but spacious and 
 well-contrived building, arranged as a school, having 
 large apartments for the purposes of instruction, 
 illustration, &c., and quarters for the teachers. The 
 missionaries of the Church of Scotland have the 
 superintendence of the establishment, and their
 
 312 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 system is deservedly so popular, that there are 
 seldom less than one thousand youths receiving 
 education at one and the same time. 
 
 The Great Jail is a large, airy, and healthy 
 building, situated upon the eastern side of the race- 
 ground. The debtors are accommodated in lofty 
 apartments, and the prisoners on the criminal side 
 in apartments upon a ground-floor in the centre of 
 a walled enclosure, sufficiently wide to afford the 
 means of healthful exercise. There is a neat little 
 chapel within the jail where service is performed by 
 one of the government chaplains. 
 
 The Asiatic Society's Rooms, Park-street. — 
 The Asiatic Society of Bengal was instituted by Sir 
 William Jones, on the 15th January, 1784, during 
 the administration of Mr. Warren Hastings, who 
 became its first patron. 
 
 The objects of inquiry, for which this noble society 
 was created, were (to use the words of its distin- 
 guished founder) " man and nature," or whatever is 
 performed by the one or produced by the other, con- 
 fined within the geographical limits of Asia. 
 
 On the 19th August, 1796, the first proposition 
 was made to provide an edifice, the expenses of 
 which were to be defrayed by entrance-fees of mem- 
 bers, and by a quarterly subscription ; also by 
 voluntary contributions ; and as the estimates for 
 the present building are dated in 1806, it is probable 
 that it was about that period erected. In 1839, the 
 apartments being found too small for the proper 
 display of the greatly-accumulating objects of na- 
 tural history and other curiosities, two wings were 
 added to it. A third outer apartment has since been
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 313 
 
 added. There are now ten rooms of various sizes 
 on the ground-floor, including the entrance-hall, in 
 which are the stairs, and five on the upper. The 
 grand or assembly-room extends from end to end of 
 the building, which is very wide, with a fine ve- 
 randah on its southern face. The museum contains 
 many beautiful objects of natural history, chiefly 
 birds, reptiles, and fishes. There are but few speci- 
 mens of quadrupeds. There is a fine collection of 
 prepared skeletons of various animals, such as the 
 elephant, rhinoceros, camel, horse, ox, ass, tiger, 
 bear, hog, &c. The largest or centre hall of the 
 lower floor being too dark and damp for other pur- 
 poses, is devoted to the osteological collection. The 
 museum is particularly rich in both minerals and 
 fossils, all of which have their particular gallery. 
 
 There is a great collection of fragments of sculp- 
 ture found in India, of various ages, the most remark- 
 able objects amongst which are Budhist fragments, 
 and some of Grecian origin. One in particular re- 
 presents Silenus, supported by a group of well- 
 executed figures, male and female, but much muti- 
 lated. It was discovered at Muttra by Colonel Stacy. 
 The sculpture is divided into classes, viz. the Budhist 
 and Brahminical, or Hindoo. In addition to the 
 foregoing are various inscribed slabs, some of very 
 great antiquity ; amongst these is a fragment of one 
 of Asoka's pillars, brought from Delhi, which is up- 
 wards of two thousand years old, the deciphering of 
 which will immortalize the name of James Prinsep, 
 the late secretary to the society. 
 
 In the upper apartments is a great variety of wea- 
 pons of all Indian nations, and of the South-Sea
 
 314 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Islanders, also many curious relics, musical instru- 
 ments, &c. There is a fine gallery of pictures ; but 
 few of these, however, belong to the Society : they 
 are merely deposited for exhibition and security's 
 sake. 
 
 The library is considered very valuable. Besides 
 many hundred volumes of European publications in 
 all languages, both modern and ancient, there is a 
 fine collection of Oriental works, both printed and in 
 manuscript; some of the latter are rare and of great 
 value. There are also numerous volumes of Thibetan, 
 Chinese, and Burman manuscripts : the former are 
 very curious, and chiefly printed in large characters 
 with wooden blocks. In the hall are the portraits 
 of Sir W. Jones, Mr. Colebrook, and Mr. H. H. 
 Wilson, the works of Chantrey. 
 
 The society holds its meetings every month. 
 
 The foregoing comprise all the public edifices, ex- 
 cepting the Mint and the churches, which have been 
 raised for the purposes which they now fulfil. But 
 they do not comprehend a tithe of the institutions 
 which the philanthropy, the policy, the taste, and 
 the ambition of Englishmen in India have, at dif- 
 ferent times, founded, and which now flourish, to the 
 honour of the city of Calcutta and the great ad- 
 vantage of India at large. We will present a list 
 of them, and afterwards describe such as are not 
 sufficiently indicated by their titles. 
 
 Religious. — Diocesan Committee of the Society 
 for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Diocesan Com- 
 mittee of the Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Bible Association,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 315 
 
 Auxiliary Bible Society, Church Missionary Associa- 
 tion, Christian Institution of the London Missionary 
 Society, Auxiliary Church Missionary Society, Cor- 
 responding Committee of the Church Missionary 
 Society, Bengal Missionary Society, Seamen's Friend 
 or Bethel Society, Christian Instruction Society, 
 Christian School-book Society, Baptist Female 
 School Society, Juvenile Society, Christian Tract 
 and Book Society, Baptist Missionary Society, La- 
 dies' Baptist Missionary Society, Native Christian 
 Protection Society. 
 
 Charitable. — The Native Hospital, the European 
 Female Orphan Institution, the Sailor's Home, the 
 Leper Asylum, the Howrah Native Hospital, the 
 District Charitable Society. 
 
 Colleges, Schools, &c. — Established either hy Go- 
 vernment or the Voluntary Contributions of Charitable 
 Individuals. — Bishop's College, the College of Fort 
 William, Calcutta High School, the Parental Aca- 
 demic Institution, the Armenian Philanthropic Insti- 
 tution, the Free School Institution, St. Xavier's 
 College, St. James's Schools, the Benevolent Insti- 
 tution, the Principal Catholic Free School, the 
 Branch Catholic School, the Oriental Seminary, the 
 Union Schools, the Indian Academy, the Hindoo 
 Benevolent Institution, the Infant School, the En- 
 tally Native Institution, the Lorretto House. 
 
 Literary, Scientific, &:c. Societies. — The Me- 
 dical and Physical Society, the Agricultural and Hor- 
 ticultural Society, the Public Library. 
 
 Commercial, &c. — The Chamber of Commerce, 
 the Indigo Planters' Association, the Bank of Ben- 
 gal, the Union Bank, the Agency of the Agra and 
 p 2
 
 316 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 United Service Bank, the Assam Tea Company, the 
 Bengal Salt Company, the Calcutta Docking Com- 
 pany, the Steam-Tug Association, the Bengal Steam 
 Fund, the Landholders' Society, the Bengal Bonded 
 Warehouse Association, the Trade Association. 
 
 Funds, Insurance Societies, &:c. — The Civil 
 Fund, the Civil Service Annuity Fund, the Me- 
 dical Retiring Fund, the Uncovenanted Service 
 Family Pension Fund, the Universal Life Assur- 
 ance Society, the Oriental Life Assurance Society, 
 the Indian Laudable and Mutual Assurance Society, 
 the Bengal Mariners and General Widows' Fund, 
 the Bengal Provident Society, and upwards of 
 twenty Marine Insurance Societies. 
 
 Considering the extent of the commercial com- 
 munity, the precarious tenure of human existence in 
 Calcutta, and the necessity which a large proportion 
 of the public is under of providing creditors with 
 security against casualties, the number of Insurance 
 Societies, though considerable, is not too great for 
 the demand. There are but four whose operations 
 are confined to life assurance, the Universal, the 
 Oriental, the Indian Laudable and Mutual Assur- 
 ance, and the Bengal Provident Society. They are 
 all profitable and substantial institutions, owing in a 
 great measure to the diminished decadence of human 
 life among the Europeans. Since the actuaries first 
 regulated the premiums upon policies, with reference 
 to the rate of mortality in India, so much has been 
 done to render the presidency of Bengal more salu- 
 brious, and to regulate diet and habits by climate, 
 that the per-centage of deaths has very materially 
 decreased. The three oflices differ in their rules
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 317 
 
 and in their scales of premiums ; but the advantage 
 offered by one is so exactly counterbalanced by the 
 benefits held out by another, that it is difficult to 
 say which merits the preference. 
 
 The Marine Insurance societies are between 
 twenty and thirty in number; two of these, the Union 
 and the Alliance, confining themselves entirely to 
 the assurance of boats and goods proceeding up the 
 river Hooghly ; the remainder taking risks upon 
 vessels and cargoes proceeding to all parts of the 
 world. To most, if not to all, of these latter offices 
 a marine surveyor is attached, whose report of the 
 condition of a vessel is generally taken before a policy 
 is granted. It must be confessed, however, that 
 either the societies or their surveyors are occasionally 
 chargeable with a little looseness in their manner 
 of doing business, or we should not so often hear of 
 vessels springing leaks just as they are getting out 
 to sea, or foundering on their voyages, without leav- 
 ing a single man of the ship's company, or even a 
 stray spar, to tell the tale of their disappearance. 
 The consequence of this laxity has been visible of 
 late years in the accounts of the societies, the debit 
 side of which exhibits heavy total losses, and no in- 
 considerable number of smaller averages. The 
 affairs of the societies are conducted by four or five 
 directors, with a secretary, the latter office being ge- 
 nerally held by a commercial firm, who render ac- 
 counts half-yearly. 
 
 There is not a single Fire Insurance Office in Cal- 
 cutta. Conflagrations, excepting amongst the native 
 huts, have invariably been so rare that an attempt 
 (originating in the upper provinces of Bengal) to
 
 318 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 establish such an office, failed from the absence of 
 any apparent necessity for precaution. 
 
 Law. — The Supreme Court of Judicature ; the 
 Sudder Devvany Adavvlut; the Allipore magistracy ; 
 the Calcutta Police Office ; the Court of Requests. 
 
 Masonic Lodges. — ^The Grand Lodge of Bengal; 
 Star in the East ; Industry and Perseverance ; True 
 Friendship ; Humility with Fortitude ; Marine 
 Lodge ; Anchor and Hope ; Courage with Huma- 
 nity; Saint John's. 
 
 We proceed to notice the most prominent of the 
 institutions named above. The College of Fort Wil- 
 liam comprehends a class of examiners only, for it 
 has ceased to offer a residence to the civil servants, 
 who commence the study of the Persian and Ben- 
 galee languages on their arrival. The schools are 
 for the most part devoted to the education of Eura- 
 sian, Armenian, and English children, but three or 
 four, conducted by natives, assisted by English mas- 
 ters, receive only Hindoo pupils. St. Xavier's Col- 
 lege and the Lorretto House are appropriated to the 
 instruction of the Portuguese and Eurasian children 
 of the Roman Catholic persuasion, though Protes- 
 tants and others are admitted, and no attempt is 
 made at proselytism. These last-named institutions 
 are conducted by Jesuits and nuns, imported direct 
 from the mother-country. 
 
 Bishop's College. — The first stone of Bishop's 
 College was laid by Bishop Middleton, on the 15th 
 of December, 1820, on a spot of ground presented 
 by the government for the purpose, at the distance 
 of about four miles from Calcutta, on the opposite
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 319 
 
 bank of the river, and immediately to the eastern 
 extremity of the Honourable Company's Botanic 
 Garden. 
 
 Bishop's College is an elegant Gothic structure, of 
 a quadrangular form, like most of the buildings of 
 the same character in Oxford and Cambridge, but 
 not joined at the angles, the southern side of the 
 square being also open towards the river ; thus exhi- 
 biting the buildings of the northern side as the most 
 conspicuous object from the opposite bank. The 
 side of the building is composed of a central tovi^er, 
 which is in height sixty-five feet; in depth from 
 east to west, thirty feet ; in depth from north to south, 
 twenty-four feet. The right or western side of this 
 tower is occupied by a building of equal depth, but 
 whose height is but forty feet, and its length from 
 east to west sixty feet, the ground-floor of which is 
 the hall. The upper floor is the library of the col- 
 lege. The left, or eastern side of the central tower, 
 is occupied by the chapel, a building of the same di- 
 mensions with the preceding, but in every other 
 respect altogether dissimilar; being, of course, a 
 single compartment, with an arched roof, in its ex- 
 terior figure and decorations approaching to a minia- 
 ture resemblance of that superb structure. King's 
 College Chapel, in Cambridge. The ground-floor of 
 the central tower forms an entrance both to the 
 chapel and the hall ; the first floor is the vestibule of 
 the library, communicating also with the organ-loft 
 of the chapel ; the second floor is the council-room, 
 or visitors' chamber, and opens to the terraced roof 
 of the library. The two wings, extending from north 
 to south, to the length of 150 feet (equal to that of
 
 320 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the northern side described above), are allotted to 
 the residence of professors, pupils, and domiciliaries. 
 The edifice cost above £13,000. 
 
 The college is founded for a principal and two 
 other professors from the English universities, and 
 as many students as can be maintained, either on 
 the proper foundation of the Incorporated Society, 
 or on the endowment of any other religious society 
 of the established church, or of the local govern- 
 ments, or individuals. The students are educated 
 either as missionaries for the extension of Chris- 
 tianity in its present form, and in the mode of an- 
 cient discipline and order which is alone recognized 
 by the Church of England, or as schoolmasters for 
 the dissemination of general and useful knowledge. 
 The District Charitable Society is a noble in- 
 stitution. It. owes its origin to the benevolent and 
 zealous exertions of the late Bishop Turner. At the 
 period of its organization, the distribution of the 
 public charitable funds was chiefly intrusted to the 
 select vestry of St. John's Cathedral; but as the city 
 had greatly enlarged its dimensions, and much diffi- 
 culty was experienced in determining who were proper 
 objects of public bounty, committees were formed 
 in the different districts, with power to form sub- 
 committees and appoint visitors and inspectors. The 
 system has worked admirably. Many hundreds of des- 
 titute people of all classes, colours, and castes, are now 
 liberally relieved from the ample resources of the 
 society, which have progressively augmented through 
 the spontaneous bounty of many individuals of rank 
 and worth ; at the head, however, of whom stands 
 the well-known and esteemed Dwarkanath Tagore.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 321 
 
 Almshouses and the leper establishment have been 
 formed from the funds of the District Charitable 
 Society. 
 
 The Agricultural Society of India. — This in- 
 stitution was founded by the late Rev. W. Carey, 
 D.D., who directed attention to the benefits likely to 
 arise from the united efforts of a society, in an ad- 
 dress from Mission-House, Serampore, dated 15th 
 April, 1820, which was circulated, and followed up 
 by a meeting at the Town-Hall on the 14th Septem- 
 ber of the same year. 
 
 On that occasion the names of thirty-two indivi- 
 duals were enrolled as members, under the patronage 
 of the Marquis of Hastings and Lady Hastings ; and 
 the following among other resolutions were passed : 
 
 " That a society be formed to be denominated ' The 
 Agricultural Society of India,' of which the follow- 
 ing rules should form the basis : 
 
 " That the promotion of horticulture in India be 
 considered as a branch of its' main object. 
 
 "That gentlemen of every. nation be eligible as 
 members ; and that all members, after the formation 
 of the society, be admitted by ballot of a majority of 
 the members then present. 
 
 " That gentlemen in every part of India be re- 
 quested to communicate their observations upon the 
 cultivation of the different districts in which they 
 reside, pointing out their merits or defects, and sug- 
 gesting those improvements which may occur to 
 them. 
 
 "That the transactions of the society be published 
 in English, and in two, at least, of the languages of 
 p3
 
 322 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 India, as often as a sufficient quantity of information 
 be collected." 
 
 The society in its primitive state, devoted its at- 
 tention and means almost exclusively to horticulture, 
 by awarding medals and high pecuniary rewards to 
 the most successful native gardeners, who were re- 
 quired to give evidence of the locality of their ground, 
 and the extent of cultivation. As a further en- 
 couragement, seeds were imported from England and 
 other parts at the expense of the society, and dis- 
 tributed gratis to those who undertook to cultivate 
 veo;etables for the Calcutta market. 
 
 These measures were attended with very successful 
 results ; the natives zealously competed for the prizes, 
 and a surprising improvement soon became visible in 
 cauliflower, cabbage, peas, and most of the principal 
 vegetables of England. 
 
 Although the society's means were chiefly devoted 
 to the improvement of the kitchen garden, their at- 
 tention was called to a higher standard of utility, in 
 a series of queries drawn up by the zealous founder, 
 then adopted, and circulated to such individuals in 
 many parts of India as were likely by their intelli- 
 gence to contribute information. These queries had 
 especial reference to the then existing state of hus- 
 bandry throughout India, and were eminently cal- 
 culated to draw out information, as a groundwork 
 for the exercise of future improvement ; but it was 
 premature, and, with reference to the general posi- 
 tion of those who could answer such queries, made 
 little or no impression. 
 
 In 1822, the society appears to have had in con-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 323 
 
 templation to form a joint stock of their informa- 
 tion with the science of botany ; and we find that, in 
 prosecution of this object, an estabhshment was pro- 
 posed and authorized by government to be formed 
 at Tittyghur, near Barrackpore, as an appendage to 
 the botanical garden, for the general purposes of ex- 
 perimenting and rearing young men as gardeners 
 on scientific and practical principles ; but this esta- 
 blishment does not seem to have been ever properly 
 matured. 
 
 In the early part of 1824 we find the society's 
 funds did not keep pace with the zeal of the society 
 to promote the objects they had in view, and it was 
 necessary to become less liberal, and call upon no- 
 minal ordinary members, who had forgotten to con- 
 tribute, for the amount of their respective dues. 
 This movement gave rise to a series of salutary 
 rules J but they do not appear ever to have been en- 
 forced, for in 1826 a resolution passed not to enforce 
 payment. 
 
 A Mr. C. K. Robison, one of the members, now 
 projected the establishment of a splendid garden, 
 which was very properly opposed by wiser men j but 
 the novelty of the garden, holding out the prospect 
 of recreation, seemed to have more weight than the 
 sound arguments of the opponents, and a garden was 
 accordingly determined upon, on a site above all 
 others the worst calculated for the purpose, and gold 
 medals were given to commanders of ships for bring- 
 ing out apple and pear trees from England. 
 
 This useless incubus was nearly the ruin of the 
 society, and gave general disgust to all who were
 
 324 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 really alive to the objects of the society. In April, 
 1829, after the funds of the society had been ex- 
 hausted, without sanction, it was resolved that the 
 constitution of the society itself should be improved. 
 This report was adopted, and new office-bearers 
 were elected. 
 
 It was thought at this epoch, by many, that the 
 attention of the society had been hitherto too much 
 confined to the introduction of what, with refer- 
 ence to the climate of Lower Bengal and the resi- 
 dence of the majority of the subscribers, might 
 be termed exotics ; they conceived that the efforts 
 and the funds of an Indian agricultural society 
 might be far better applied, and more in consonance 
 with the original draft of proposals for its formation, 
 than they liad hitherto been ; and that the sugar, 
 cotton, cofiee, silk, and other great staples of com- 
 merce, were far more legitimate objects of its special 
 encouragement, deriving, as it did, and hoped still 
 more to do, its chief support from the commercial 
 and agricultural community, than the introduction, 
 at a heavy expense, of European fruit-trees, and 
 other similar pursuits. 
 
 In November, 1829, the government granted the 
 society the sum of 20,000 rupees, and authorized the 
 society to establish an experimental farm, allowing for 
 the maintenance of such an establishment the annual 
 sum of 10,000 rupees, exclusive of rent, and 4500 
 rupees for buildings and stock for the first year. 
 
 Some difficulty was experienced in finding an area 
 sufficient for these experiments near Calcutta; but 
 at length five hundred beegahs offered at Akra,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 325 
 
 about sixteen miles below Calcutta, and the society 
 were obliged, rather from necessity than choice, to 
 adopt that as their site. 
 
 Here the society grew cotton from seed sent out 
 by the Honourable the Court of Directors, sugar- 
 cane of the Otaheite species, and various other pro- 
 ducts ; but the soil proved bad, being the site of old 
 salt-works, and that misfortune, added to seed of four 
 years' standing, gave very unsatisfactory results. 
 Upon the whole, however, enough was done to shew 
 that although Akra could not produce cotton equal 
 to that in America, the raw material was infinitely 
 superior to what was produced in the most favoured 
 districts from indigenous seed; and the report of the 
 society, upon experiments made at Akra, satisfied 
 the Court of Directors that the money had not been 
 fruitlessly applied. 
 
 In the meantime the health of the president called 
 him to the Cape of Good Hope, and we find the 
 society gradually falling to decay. The crisis which 
 shook the commercial credit of Calcutta to its foun- 
 dation, diverted attention from every other subject, 
 and the money paid into the hands of one of the 
 great firms, for the benefit of successful competitors 
 in sugar, cotton, tobacco, silk, &c., was swept away 
 with the fall of that house. At this crisis a Mr. John 
 Bell was appointed secretary and collector, who, on 
 taking office, found accounts and the general state of 
 the society's affairs in a deplorably depressed condi- 
 tion. Nothing daunted, he set to work and called 
 in all outstanding debts, striking out all those names 
 who refused to pay up their arrears. This was in 
 June, 1835, and when his accounts were made up.
 
 326 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and the names of paying members registered, the 
 society was found to be composed of only forty-three 
 members good and true. 
 
 A bold and regular publication of its monthly 
 proceedings in the newspapers soon brought in an 
 influx of new members, and enabled the society to 
 recommence the publication of its transactions ; one 
 volume and part of the second only having been 
 printed since 1820. In the space of three years, 
 good paying members increased to 350 ! This 
 great additional numerical strength, and the in- 
 creasing interest excited by the society's transac- 
 tions, enabled the directors to appropriate 12,000 
 rupees (£1200) annually as premiums. On all 
 hands, the cause of agricultural improvement gained 
 ground ; branch societies sprang up in every direc- 
 tion; and a spirit of generous emulation animated 
 the sister presidencies of Madras and Bombay. 
 
 When matters had reached this prosperous point, 
 Mr. John Bell, to whose application and judgment, 
 as secretary to the society, the altered state of affairs 
 was mainly owing, died, and he was succeeded by Dr. 
 Henry Harpur Spry. To great zeal in the cause of 
 agriculture and horticulture. Dr. Spry added an 
 agreeable, good-natured manner, which attracted 
 friends to the institution in the shape of members 
 and contributors; and if he had pursued the beaten 
 track, its prosperous career would have continued 
 uninterrupted. But about a month before his de- 
 mise, which occurred in the early part of 1842, 
 Dr. Spry caused to be carried into effect an altera- 
 tion in the manner of publishing the transactions of 
 the society, which involved an additional expense to
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 327 
 
 each member, without affording a corresponding 
 advantage. This excited considerable disgust; and 
 when, subsequently, a meeting of the Calcutta mem- 
 bers passed a resolution that no residents in the 
 interior should have a voice in the election of a new 
 secretary, the vexation of the latter class reached 
 such a height, that many withdrew their names 
 from the list of members. Whether the parties at 
 present directing the affairs of the institution have 
 succeeded in restoring good feeling, and augmenting 
 the finances (which appear by the latest report to 
 have declined materially), we do not know. They 
 have the cordial good wishes of every friend of 
 India for success ; as no one can be insensible to the 
 vast benefits which the well-regulated operations of 
 the society are calculated to confer upon the country 
 at large. 
 
 In connection with the Agricultural and Horticul- 
 tural Society, we give some account of 
 
 The Botanical Gardens. — If it required a very 
 extensive knowledge of the profound yet fasci- 
 nating science of botany, in all its range of prac- 
 tical application, to qualify a writer for the task of 
 giving an external description (so to say) of the 
 magnificent seat and nursery of the art, which is 
 kept at the expense of the Honourable Company 
 within a few miles of their capital, then we should 
 have to forego the attempt upon which we are now 
 entering, and leave our book less perfect than we 
 originally designed. But it is not for scientific in- 
 struction that the readers of this work will examine 
 its pages ; but only for that fulness and accuracy of 
 topographical, municipal, and social description,
 
 328 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA 
 
 which may be calculated to familiarize them with a 
 country and a mode of life with which their fortunes 
 may connect them, and in which most of them will 
 feel an interest, arising from family or other per- 
 sonal associations. We have already mentioned, 
 that among the places of pleasurable resort in the 
 vicinity of Calcutta, the Botanic Gardens were in 
 much favour with the holiday pleasure-hunters ; and 
 of all localities for carrying out that difficult and 
 oft-failing adventure denominated a picnic, we 
 should say that the above-named one is that least 
 likely to witness a disarrangement of the project; 
 for if rain should fall, the gardens afford various and 
 effectual shelter ; and if the sun should visit the 
 world too hotly, there are trees in that part of it 
 under which the party who have migrated can be 
 defended from its " strokes," as effectually as if under 
 a canopy of tenfold umbrellas, or a score of para- 
 sols. But let us at once get over the unavoidably 
 dry historical account of these splendid and pleasant 
 gardens. 
 
 It is now about half a century ago, since the late 
 General Kyd, of the Bengal Engineers, who chanced 
 to be a great personal favourite of the then Sooba- 
 dar of Bengal, that " Paradise of Nations," as one 
 of the emperors entitled it, was presented by his 
 highness with the extensive ground on the right 
 bank of the Hooghly, about four miles seaward from 
 the city, which now forms the gardens. Kyd was a 
 man of refined taste and scientific acquirement, and 
 especially delighted in horticultural and agricultural 
 pursuits; an inclination which he encouraged, not 
 merely because of his innate love for the study, but
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 329 
 
 in the philanthropic anxiety to improve a country of 
 which he beheld the great capabilities very much 
 neglected. In this spirited and laudable excitement, 
 he began by expending large sums of money in 
 laying out and clearing the jungly and obstructed 
 ground ; hiring, and (v^hat required both skill and 
 patience) instructing native gardeners; and pro- 
 curing plants from all parts of India, China, and 
 other immediately accessible countries; and in the 
 year 1793, having advanced his project sufficiently 
 to demonstrate its feasibility, he recommended the 
 Company's government (Sir John Shore being Go- 
 vernor-general) to occupy the ground as a public 
 botanical garden, and disinterestedly offered it to 
 them, on condition that it should be accepted as a 
 free gift from himself, and perpetually appropriated 
 to the purposes in question. He farther stipulated 
 for the introduction and cultivation of every thing 
 that could tend to the agricultural improvement of 
 the land, as distinct from what is implied in the 
 mere botanical branch of the general undertaking; 
 and his offer was accepted by the government on 
 the terms and in the spirit in which it was laid 
 before them. They immediately sent round to Ma- 
 dras for Dr. Roxburgh, then high in the medical 
 service of that presidency, and justly celebrated for 
 his acquirements as a botanist, and placed him in 
 charge, as " superintendent " of the gardens, on a 
 munificent, but not an extravagant, salary of fifteen 
 hundred rupees per mensem, and built for him a 
 magnificent residence, such as the climate and situa- 
 tion required, which, originally of but two stories 
 high, though covering what in England would be
 
 330 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 deemed a very large surface, he was eventually au- 
 thorized to raise another story, as it was considered 
 of importance that he should constantly reside there, 
 and as the locality was deemed unhealthy in the 
 rainy season, especially when there was no such ad- 
 vantage as a high and airy dwelling. Dr. Roxburgh 
 forthwith set to work (with the skill and diligence of 
 one who understood and took pleasure in his voca- 
 tion), cutting, grafting, planting, and otherwise fur- 
 thering and perfecting the object had in view by his 
 appointment, and in a short time laid the foundation 
 of what may be termed the richest garden in the 
 world, spoken with reference to such of the produce 
 of the earth as does not require artificial cultivation. 
 In Europe, the deficiencies, and even positive hos- 
 tility, of climate are supplied or baffled, as the case 
 demands, by buildings, of which the temperature is, 
 without much difficulty, regulated, by scientific ap- 
 pliances, throughout the year; whereas, in India 
 there are no adequate means of overcoming similar 
 difficulties, and hence a greater degree of credit is 
 due to the successful endeavours of the practical 
 Indian botanist. 
 
 The supreme government allowed for the general 
 purposes of the establishment about sixteen hundred 
 rupees (then equal to two hundred pounds sterling) 
 a month ; and continued that rate down to the year 
 1830, when it fell, like many other efficient and cre- 
 ditable establishments, under the indiscriminating and 
 most injurious economical fervour of Lord William 
 Bentinck, and was reduced to within eleven hundred, 
 which has crippled it exceedingly. Dr. Roxburgh 
 died in 1813, and his friends erected a monument to
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 331 
 
 his memory about ten years subsequently — in 1823. 
 This memorial is composed of Chunar stone, a very du- 
 rable material, and bears an elegant Latin inscription, 
 and is in the form of a truncated column, surmounted 
 by an urn, a favourite monumental ornament of An- 
 glo-Indians. In 1837, his son, Captain Roxburgh, 
 of the Company's military service, with filial piety, 
 caused a very chaste and elegant structure, some- 
 what in the style of a Grecian temple, to be erected 
 over it, so as to at once protect and adorn the monu- 
 ment ; and the whole now forms an object of great 
 beauty, and attracting ornament in the gardens — its 
 very appropriate locality. 
 
 On the death of Dr. Roxburgh, the celebrated 
 H. T. Colebrooke was nominated to the temporary 
 charge of the post, and held it till Dr. Francis 
 Hamilton, who had been appointed regular successor 
 to Roxburgh, but had been detained to complete 
 certain statistical inquiries, should be enabled to 
 assume the office, which was not until the close of 
 1814. This justly-celebrated naturalist and extraor- 
 dinary man (Hamilton), remained but a few years in 
 a situation which his genius so well qualified him to 
 improve and to adorn, when he was necessitated by 
 an impaired constitution to return to England ; and 
 was succeeded by Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, of whom 
 it is but bare justice to say, that he was a worthy 
 successor of those gi-eat precursors. He is known 
 to the scientific world as the author of PlantCB 
 AsiaticcB Rariores, a work of infinite labour, ele- 
 gance, and research ; and he also assisted the late 
 Reverend Dr. Carey in editing the Flora Indica of 
 Roxburgh. Carey, in speaking of the labours of
 
 332 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 his learned coadjutor, says, he " feels gratified in 
 bearing testimony to the disinterested and highly 
 liberal manner in which Dr. Wallich has contributed 
 his assistance throughout the whole of this work ; 
 and to his generosity in enriching it with a number 
 of plants described by himself. The amount of these 
 especially among scitaminese and grasses, would have 
 been much more considerable had there been time 
 to insert the recent vast accessions of plants which 
 the garden has received from all parts of India, and 
 which, from his earnest solicitude to promote the in- 
 terests of this pleasing and important science, may 
 be reasonably expected to bear a far greater pro- 
 portion to the whole, in each succeeding volume." 
 
 This completes the general outline (which suffices 
 for the purposes of this notice) of the garden's 
 history, e'en from its rudest days ; and here will be a 
 fitting place to mark the death of its founder. Ge- 
 neral Kyd, which occurred soon after the munificent 
 donation which he made of it to the state. A monu- 
 ment to his memory stands opposite the principal 
 river entrance to the garden, at the termination of 
 an avenue of sissoo trees (one of the staple timbers 
 of India) which leads through a plantation of teak, 
 the extremity of which, reaching the river, is faced 
 by the famous dock-yard, on the opposite bank, built 
 and for a series of years conducted by his son, the 
 excellent and accomplished James Kyd, and his 
 father. This monument, the work of Bacon, is of 
 marble, and typifies the agricultural taste and phi- 
 lanthropic purposes of him whom it is designed to 
 commemorate. 
 
 If the importance of this establishment, in a purely
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 333 
 
 scientific point of view — the notice it has attracted 
 from, and the benefits it has conferred on, learned so- 
 cieties in Europe — and the interest taken in it by 
 the natives of India themselves — together with the 
 undoubted letter and spirit of the conditions on 
 which it was made over to the Company's govern- 
 ment — should not suffice to induce the restoration 
 of its former efficiency, we do earnestly hope that 
 such considerations may prove powerful enough to 
 save it from farther deterioration at the hands of 
 parsimony; and that among the few solid benefits 
 we have as yet conferred upon the country, one of 
 the most important may not be rendered nugatory, 
 as it has begun to be duly appreciated by our native 
 population. India is most rich in all botanic ma- 
 terials. Dyes, plants, timbers, fruits, flowers, are 
 all abundantly supplied from nature's munificent 
 storehouse, and only require skill to bring them to 
 most profitable perfection ; while the discoveries of 
 late years, in various parts of the country, have 
 brought to light productions and capabilities of the 
 soil, which were never before suspected to have 
 existence, and which prove that our empire in the 
 East may be made to produce a more abundant re- 
 venue than ever it has done yet, by means far surer 
 and more creditable than the rack-rent system hither- 
 to relied on, though it is one so utterly unworthy of 
 a great and civilized nation. The Finance Committee, 
 appointed by Lord William Bentinck, appears to 
 have wrought very much in the narrow spirit of its 
 founder; and it must be recorded to its eternal dis- 
 grace, that of these magnificent and useful, and even 
 cheap, botanical gardens (for what was their whole
 
 334 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 charge — viewing their use to science — in the ex- 
 penditure of our empire ?), its official report was to 
 the effect that " although botany, as a science, had 
 been benefited by their existence, nothing really use- 
 ful had otherwise emanated from the establishment." 
 This is a line of observation most truly in the sordid 
 spirit of a most sordid mind. 
 
 The committee could not perceive that the general 
 improvement of the science of botany must inevitably 
 lead to practical improvement in the cultivation of 
 the vegetable world, and that all esculent roots — on 
 which the poor of the country, nay, nearly all the 
 population, from religious observances, are support- 
 ed — must be rendered more plentiful, cheaper, and 
 more nutritious, by the application of sound botani- 
 cal skill to the purposes of daily and seasonal culti- 
 vation. It is astonishing to us, how these sages 
 could have so far forgotten their own experience 
 during their years of service, as not to have been 
 struck with the improvement of the vegetable, and 
 mainly as an effect of that advancement, the animal, 
 food upon which they themselves were in the habit 
 of subsisting ; for we cannot conceive them being 
 aware, or mindful, of that improvement, and yet 
 being so lamentably ignorant, so incomprehensive, 
 as not to perceive that it was an inevitable conse- 
 quence of that practical skill, which the natives had 
 derived from our botanical appliances under their 
 immediate observation. Such men as these (may 
 they be few in their generation, and their shadows 
 become less !) would strongly object to the expenses 
 of Sir John Herschel's astronomical discoveries at 
 the Cape, and indeed to the practice of every pursuit
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 335 
 
 which, in the wisdom of their peculiar mode of rea- 
 soning, should only tend to improve science, as 
 science; — prohjmdor! It is a well-known fact, at- 
 testable by Dr. Wallich upon official knowledge, 
 that the natives of India have of late years directed 
 their attention most assiduously to the practice of 
 English agriculture as shewn by the garden system. 
 They constantly apply for plants and seeds, which 
 are furnished gratis ; and we have it on the best 
 authority, that in one year only (not selected as a 
 remarkable one), sixteen thousand plants were dis- 
 tributed among three hundred applicants, of all 
 classes, and in all parts of the country ; besides 
 forty-two thousand tea plants raised in the garden 
 for Assam. But for the existence of the garden, 
 Indian horticulture would know no advancement; 
 for there could be no private nurseries of efficiency 
 formed in India as there are in England, and there- 
 fore, if the government did not uphold a public one, 
 the art of cultivation would remain almost barbaric. 
 The imbuing the native population with a taste 
 so pure and useful as agriculture, is of itself most 
 useful as a state policy; for thus, while' the im- 
 perfect cultivation of the fields is advanced to 
 greater skill in the hands of the ryots, the landlords 
 themselves — the wealthy zumeendars — are led to en- 
 courage, in themselves, a fondness for the garden 
 cultivation, which tends to expand their knowledge 
 of the subject generally, as well as to add imme- 
 diately to their personal enjoyments both of sense 
 and subsistence. In our sincere belief, there is no 
 single science so worthy of encouragement in an em- 
 pire, such as our Eastern one, as the science of agri-
 
 336 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 horticulture ; and it is our equally sincere belief that 
 no process could so rarely tend to deteriorate the 
 country, as a following out, by governments, of such 
 sentiments as those of their narrow-minded finance 
 committee, in their intellectual endeavour to pro- 
 nounce upon utility as disjoined from science. 
 
 To the new arriver in India, male or female, the 
 Botanic Gardens will afford unalloyed pleasure, as 
 often as they can be visited, and especially between 
 the months of October and April, but at any time of 
 the year rather than they should not be visited at 
 all. The beauty of their site, the grandeur of their 
 extent, the perfectness of their order, the magnifi- 
 cence of their trees, the very life that is in them, and 
 which English gardeners encourage not, birds, squir- 
 rels, and so forth — and the feeling of buoyant plea- 
 sure in the escape from the town, with a delightful 
 party ; all these elements of pleasure combine to 
 make a day passed there, but especially a day in 
 December, January, or February, a day to be al- 
 ways remembered in an exile's life, when he shall be 
 far out of the reach of a repetition of the enjoyment. 
 
 The Sailors' Home. — This institution has been 
 in existence since July, 1837. Its object was to sup- 
 press crimping, and all the evils arising from it, to 
 which owners, commanders, officers, and crews of 
 vessels were subject in the port of Calcutta. This 
 object was sought to be attained, by providing board 
 and lodging for the officers and crews, cashing their 
 advance notes, supplying slops of the best materials 
 and at the lowest rate, and affording a safe place of 
 deposit for the savings of seamen during their stay in 
 Calcutta. We believe that the institution has in
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 337 
 
 many instances realized the purposes for which it 
 was formed; but owing to disagreements amongst the 
 committee, impositions practised upon them by men 
 who made the " Home " a refuge from labour, and the 
 discontinuance of the annual subscriptions of many 
 of the first founders, who have died or left Calcutta, 
 it is not now in a very flourishing state. There is 
 hope, however, that some energetic and philanthropic 
 secretary will make an attempt to revive its droop- 
 ing fortunes ; for there is not a class of men in the 
 wide world who stand so much in need of protection 
 from frauds and artifices as the unsuspecting sailor, 
 who, landing in a foreign country with a handful of 
 money, soon becomes too intoxicated to be on his 
 guard against the designs of the low rascals who 
 haunt the scenes to which " Jack ashore " is most 
 likely to resort. 
 
 The Medical and Physical Society was formed 
 for the pupose of promoting intercourse among medi- 
 cal men. Meetings are held once a month, where 
 questions interesting to the faculty are discussed, 
 and papers on remarkable cases read and recorded. 
 The papers are afterwards published in a volume. 
 
 The Public Library was established at the in- 
 stance of the author of this " Hand-Book," with the 
 view of affording to the town the advantages of a 
 library of reference and a circulating library. Nu- 
 merous donations of books, maps, &c., formed a 
 nucleus, and regular subscriptions and proprietory 
 premia have since contributed to enrich the institu- 
 tion. There are between one and two hundred sub- 
 scribers to the library. 
 
 The Native Hospital, as its title imports, affords 
 Q
 
 338 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 relief to indigent natives afflicted with disease or en- 
 countering accidents. About one hundred patients, 
 male and female, are generally found within its walls. 
 The establishment is supported partly by government, 
 and partly by the interest upon bequests, and cha- 
 ritable donations. 
 
 The Police Hospital is somewhat of the same 
 character. 
 
 The General Hospital and the Howrah Sea- 
 men's Hospital afford medical treatment and an 
 asylum to sick seamen of the navy or merchant 
 service ; but the former, as the larger establishment, 
 and enjoying government support, receives soldiers 
 whose regiments are not part of the garrison of Fort 
 Wilham, and poor Europeans of all descriptions. 
 
 The Chamber of Commerce is a sort of court of 
 arbitration, when disputes arise among mercantile 
 men. It likewise forms a channel of communication 
 between the government and the trading community, 
 and otherwise aids the merchants to act in concert 
 upon points involving a common interest. 
 
 The Trade Association serves, among tradesmen 
 and shopkeepers, the purposes which the Chamber 
 of Commerce effects for the higher classes of com- 
 mercial men. The Trade Association was originally 
 formed to check the system of unlimited credit which 
 had filled the books of shopkeepers with bad debts ; 
 and it is only just to say that it has worked to a good 
 and useful end. 
 
 Besides the public establishments mentioned above, 
 there are several of vast importance which belong 
 exclusively to the government, and others the pro-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 339 
 
 perty of private companies ; but, as they have no 
 pecuharly attractive exterior, they have not been 
 classed with the buildings. These are — the Arsenal 
 of Fort William and the Cossipore Foundry, the 
 Docks of Kidderpore and Howrah, the Gloster 
 Mills, &c. 
 
 The Arsenal. — The foundations of Fort William, 
 as we have elsewhere said, were laid during Lord 
 Clive's government, immediately after the battle of 
 Plassy, in the year 1757. We cannot tell when the 
 fortifications were actually completed. 
 
 The Fort mounts 619 guns of various calibres, from 
 12 to 32-pounders, exclusive of mortars, viz.: — the 
 bastions and redans, 205 ; flanks of bastions, 89 ; 
 redoubts, ravelins, and counter-guards, 197; lunettes, 
 122 ; and faussebraie, 6. 
 
 The earliest records we can find belonging to the 
 Arsenal are for the year 1777. In that year the 
 arms were arranged by order and under the auspices 
 of Warren Hastings, then Governor-General of India, 
 as notified, in gold letters, over the interior of the 
 entrance-door of the armoury. The area within the 
 Arsenal buildings is nearly a square, being 234 feet 
 by 232. The dimensions of the room set apart for 
 the armoury are 315 feet long by 60 feet wide, and it 
 contains about 60,000 stand of fire-arms and 20,000 
 swords. The store-rooms are extensive, and contain 
 large quantities of camp equipage, entrenching tools, 
 saddlery for cavalry, horse-artillery harness, elephant 
 harness, small-arm equipments, together with dif- 
 ferent descriptions of stores required for engineering, 
 fitting out ordnance for land and sea service, &c., as 
 well as various descriptions of tools and materials 
 Q 2
 
 340 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 required by artificers in the different departments, 
 and for the supply of field-magazines and depots at 
 out-posts ; besides which there are sheds containing 
 a supply of field and siege gun-carriages, which are 
 ready for service at a moment's notice. Attached to 
 the Arsenal there is a work -yard, called the Artificer's 
 Bankshall, in which there are at present thirty forges 
 constantly at work. The gunpowder-magazines of 
 Fort William are all bomb-proof, and, independent 
 of the Grand Magazine, are made to contain some- 
 thing more than 5,000 barrels, or 500,000 pounds of 
 powder. There are, also, branch or expense maga- 
 zines in the outworks, also bomb-proof, to hold 200 
 barrels each. So large a quantity, however, is not 
 deposited within the Fort, the principal depots being 
 at Duckinsore and Pultah, situated on the left bank 
 of the river above Calcutta ; the former at the dis- 
 tance of eight and the latter seventeen miles. The 
 Grand Magazine is appropriated entirely to the 
 reception of small-arm ammunition, and, as before 
 stated, is not included among those (four in number) 
 intended for powder in barrels. The proportion of 
 ready-made small-arm ammunition lodged in the 
 Grand Magazine is 1,200,000 rounds. 
 
 The ordnance-yards generally contain, independent 
 of the guns mounted on the works, between 3,000 
 and 4,000 pieces of iron and brass ordnance, includ- 
 ing many heavy mortars. The quantity of shot and 
 shell for the different calibres seldom falls short of 
 1,800,000 rounds, ready-prepared grape and case 
 shot included, but exclusive of more than 14,000,000 
 loose shot, of various diameters, for grape and 
 canister.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 341 
 
 The Cossipore Foundry. — The new foundry, es- 
 tablished by the Hon. the Court of Directors, for the 
 supply of brass ordnance for the whole of India, was 
 commenced in 1832, and completed in 1834. 
 
 This large and important public establishment is 
 situated upon the banks of the Hooghly, at Cossi- 
 pore, about four miles above Calcutta, and presents 
 a chaste and simple fafade of the Tuscan order, 178 
 feet in length. On ascending a flight of steps, the 
 entry is into the instrument-room, in which are ar- 
 ranged the various boring bars, bits, and knives, Sec, 
 used in the process of boring and turning the ord- 
 nance. Here is also preserved a model of the old 
 boring machinery of four laths, wrought by bullocks, 
 forming a striking contrast with the present exten- 
 sive and beautiful steam machinery. Right and left 
 of the instrument-room is a suite of rooms for the 
 office, model and pattern department, &c. 
 
 Adjoining and extending along the whole length 
 of those rooms is a magnificent boring-room, 170 
 feet long by fifty feet wide, and forty feet high, light- 
 ed by numerous elevated windows, throwing a strong 
 and steady light upon the work to be executed. 
 The roof of this room has been much admired for 
 its lightness and novelty, being formed of iron 
 trusses, covered with planks and copper sheathing. 
 Down the east side of the room is arranged the 
 beautiful mill-work and machinery, sent out by the 
 Hon. Court, consisting of twelve boring and turning 
 lathes for ordnance divided into two parts, which 
 can be worked either together or separately by two 
 small steam-engines in adjoining rooms. Down the 
 west side a range of lighter lathes have been put up
 
 342 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 for all the small miscellaneous work which the 
 foundry has now to execute. 
 
 The ordnance boring and twining lathes are of an 
 entirely novel self-acting principle, by which the 
 piece of ordnance is turned as well as bored by the 
 machinery itself; an invention which reduces the 
 amount of manual labour two-thirds, whilst it ensures 
 a greater accuracy of the line of metal. On the 
 north and south of the boring-room are the rooms 
 for the vice-men, carpenters, and finishing depart- 
 ments. 
 
 The water for the supply of the steam-engines is 
 brought from a tank in another yard, at a distance 
 of more than 200 feet, by means of a siphon of five- 
 inch bore made in the foundry, which is believed to 
 be the first instance known of a siphon having been 
 successfully used upon so large a scale. 
 
 At a short distance from the boring-room, con- 
 nected by a covered passage, is situated the casting 
 or smelting-house, furnished with cupola blast fur- 
 naces for the smelting of iron, of which a good deal 
 is now manufactured in the foundry, and the large re- 
 verberatory furnaces for the smelting of the gun metal, 
 in the construction of which a great improvement has 
 been made, the metal being now melted in about half 
 the time formerly required in the usual description 
 of air furnaces. Adjoining the smelting-house are 
 the moulding sheds and blacksmith's department, 
 together with other store-rooms, forming a spacious 
 square enclosure around the principal building. 
 
 The Docks, Ship-Building, &c. — In India, ship- 
 building for foreign voyages was scarcely known, 
 until the settlement in it of Europeans, under whom
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 343 
 
 it made great progress ; the architectural parts being 
 supplied by them, and the principal part of the ma- 
 nual labour performed by native artificers, under the 
 instructions of the former, as in the present day. 
 
 Prior to the year 1780, Bengal was almost entirely 
 dependent on Surat, Bombay, Demaun, and Pegue, 
 for shipping. The first vessels built on the river 
 Hooghly were the Amazon and Minerva cruisers, 
 for the Bengal government service; the former, 138 
 tons, was launched in 1769, and the latter, 180 tons, 
 in 1770. 
 
 The earliest specimen of a regular Calcutta-built 
 ship was produced in the year 1781, by the late ce- 
 lebrated Colonel Watson, and named the Nonsuch, 
 measuring 483 tons, and so constructed as to answer 
 as a vessel of war, or a merchant ship : she was lost 
 while heaving into dock at Sulkea, in 1802. 
 
 About fifty years ago, a large and successful ship- 
 building establishment (Gillett's) existed on the site 
 upon which the old Mint was afterwards erected. 
 Other yards were established in Clive Street ; but all 
 were removed at the formation of the Strand Road. 
 
 From 1781 to 1800, twenty-seven ships, measur- 
 ing 14,714 tons, were built at Calcutta. In 1801, 
 eighteen ships, measuring 9,670 tons (calculated to 
 carry about fifty per cent, more than that tonnage), 
 and the same number of ships in 1813, measuring 
 8,463 tons. Including the above from 1801 to 1821, 
 there were built at Calcutta and adjacent to it, 223 
 ships, measuring 101,908 tons, which, reckoned at an 
 average cost of two hundred rupees per ton, makes 
 the enormous sum of two crores of rupees and up- 
 wards ; a considerable part of which sum was ab-
 
 344 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 sorbed in the payment of wages to native artificers 
 and labourers, to the great benefit of the country. 
 
 Since the last-mentioned period, ship-building has 
 greatly declined in Bengal. This is accounted for 
 by an increased influx of ships from Great Britain, 
 in consequence of the free trade, which ships are for 
 the most part constructed and sailed at a cheaper 
 rate than ships built in India, and manned with las- 
 cars. The cost of building ships at Calcutta was some 
 years ago calculated at about Rs. 200 per ton ; but 
 many large ships cost much more in proportion ; the 
 charge has latterly been reduced, owing to a great 
 fall in the price of iron, copper, and other European 
 articles, and to the effects of active competition. 
 
 The first dry dock constructed at Calcutta was a 
 small one at the Bankshall, in 1790, for the go- 
 vernment pilot vessels ; subsequent to which, several 
 large docks were built at Howrah and Sulkea ; in 
 1 803, the Kidderpore dock was founded. Previous 
 to the construction of these dry docks, ships were 
 hove down at Calcutta when their bottoms required 
 repair. 
 
 Since the formation of the Strand Road, ship- 
 building has been confined, with the exception of 
 the extensive dock-yard at Kidderpore, belonging to 
 the Joint Stock Company, to the western side of the 
 river at Howrah and Sulkea; at either of these 
 places ships and vessels, of different descriptions and 
 magnitude, may at all times be seen in the various 
 stages of completion, and others in dock undergoing 
 repair. 
 
 There is no wet dock in Calcutta of dimensions 
 adapted to the admission of vessels of large burthen,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 345 
 
 but such a thing is at present understood to be in 
 contemplation. 
 
 Religious Edifices. — With the Hst of these we 
 shall complete the enumeration of all the public 
 estabhshments and edifices in Calcutta. 
 
 The Cathedral (St. John's), now about to be su- 
 perseded by a larger edifice erecting at the south end 
 of Chowringhee; the Scotch Church, the Old (mission) 
 Church, St. James's Church, the Free School, or St. 
 Thomas's Church, St. Peter's Church (Fort William), a 
 pretty Gothic building, with a beautiful painted win- 
 dow; St. Thomas's Church, Howrah; the Cathohc Ca- 
 thedral, the Roman Catholic Church (Durrumtollah), 
 the Roman Catholic Church (Boitaconnah), the Greek 
 Church, the Armenian Church of Calcutta, the Loll 
 Bazar Baptist Chapel, the Circular-road Baptist 
 Chapel, the Independent Union Chapel (Durrumtol- 
 lah), the Hindostanee Church (now building), the 
 Simlah Church (about two miles from Calcutta, 
 where a converted and ordained Hindoo officiates), 
 the Mahomedan Mosque (in Durrumtollah), the 
 Orphan Refuge Church, on the left bank of the 
 Hooghly. 
 
 Such is an outline of the prominent public features 
 of the metropolis of British India. Of what concerns 
 the private life of the resident much has been said in 
 the portion of this work appropriated to a description 
 of society, social habits, and domestic expenditure ; 
 but much remains to be told of the minor features of 
 Calcutta, which have more or less a bearing upon 
 civilized existence. It is difficult to classify them, or 
 arrange them in any particular natural order ; they 
 Q 3
 
 346 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 are, therefore, given in the sequences in which they 
 occur to us. 
 
 Traders, Shopkeepers, &c. — Some idea may be 
 formed of the quantity of business done in Calcutta, 
 and of the extent to which the wants of civihzed 
 residents are supplied, from the following list of 
 people in trade, &:c., within the town : — 
 
 Of English houses of agency there are 27 ; French 
 ditto, 8; Italian ditto, 1 ; and Armenian ditto, 16. 
 Commission-agents, 22. Corn and oil millers, 3. 
 Greek merchants, 4. Jew merchants, 21. Mogul 
 merchants, 12. Arab merchant, 1. Parsee mer- 
 chants, 7. Banian merchants, 8. Principal Hin- 
 dostanee shroffs, 26. Principal Bengalee shroffs, 10. 
 Native agents and ship captains' Banians, 33. There 
 are 16 presses (English), besides others of inferior 
 note, with 8 native presses. There are, also, 5 
 English lithographic presses, not including those 
 worked by natives. Almost all the presses exe- 
 cute copper-plate printing. There are 4 circulat- 
 ing libraries. Of booksellers, 10, with many native. 
 Of bookbinders, 4, with many native. Of paper 
 manufactories, 3. Of public auctions, 3. Of house 
 and land registry offices, 2. Of silk and indigo 
 marts, 4. Of bakers, 8, with many native. Of 
 surgeons (unconnected with the service), 5. Of sur- 
 geon-apothecaries, 7. Of surgeon-dentists, 2. Of 
 chemists and druggists, 8. Of midwives, 8, with 
 numerous native. Of soda-water manufactories, 8, 
 with a few native. Of artists, 7. Of musical instru- 
 ment repairers, 12. Of professors of music (violin), 
 5 ; guitar teachers, 2 ; violoncello ditto, 2 ; piano-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 347 
 
 forte ditto, 5. Of dancing-masters, 4. Of band sup- 
 pliers, 3, with several others of an inferior grade. Of 
 music warehouses, 3. Of ship-builders, 6. Of engi- 
 neers, millwrights, &c., 2 (civil). Of ship-chandlers 
 and rope-manufactories, 4. Of house-builders, 8, 
 with numerous native. Of coach-makers, 14, with 
 many native. Of cabinet-makers, 4, with many 
 native and Chinese. Of general shopkeepers, 14, 
 with a host of native. Of general hardware stores, 1, 
 very many native. Of wine merchants, 27, with a 
 very great many native. Of bakers, provisioners, 
 oilmen, &c., 14, with numerous native. Of cigar 
 manufacturers, 7, with very many native. Of board- 
 ing-houses and hotel-keepers, 18, besides a vast 
 number of private, and those of inferior note. Of 
 chop-houses, 5. Of jewellers, silversmiths, &:c., 5, 
 with very many native. Of watchmakers, 15, with 
 several native. Of gun-makers, 3. Of carvers and 
 gilders, 8, with a few native. Of milliners and dress- 
 makers, 14. Of tailors and habit-makers, 10, with 
 many native. Of hairdressers and perfumers, 3, with 
 very many native. Of boat-agents, 3, with a few 
 native. Of veterinary surgeons and stable-keepers, 
 12, with many native of the latter. Of boot, shoe, 
 and harness makers, 18, with very many Christian 
 Chinese and native. Of leather manufacturers, 5, 
 Of undertakers and stonemasons, 8. 
 
 Steam Machinery. — Formerly the exportation of 
 machinery from Great Britain was prohibited ; but 
 for some years past articles of this nature have been 
 freely imported into India. Steam-engines of dif- 
 ferent powers, with all their appurtenances, and 
 various other machinery imported from Great Bri-
 
 348 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 tain, for the manufacture of sugar, oil, saltpetre, 
 paper, and other purposes, are now procurable in 
 Calcutta at reasonable prices. 
 
 The Bengal government set the first example of 
 introducing extensive machinery, in the erection of 
 the new Mint at Calcutta, which is filled with the 
 best specimens of the skill and genius of Watt. 
 
 The first steam-engine set up in Bengal (it is 
 believed) was that on the bank of the river, 
 at Chaundpaul ghaut, for the purpose of raising 
 water from the Hooghly, to lay the dust of some of 
 the principal streets of the city contiguous to the 
 Government-House. The fluid passes from the 
 engine-well into a large brick-built reservoir, and 
 from it into aqueducts constructed on one side of 
 the road. 
 
 On approaching Calcutta, the smoking chimneys 
 of steam-engines are now seen in every direction, on 
 either side of the river, presenting the gratifying 
 appearance of a seat of numerous extensive manu- 
 factories, vying with many British cities. The 
 principal establishments on the banks of the river, 
 where steam-engines are in use, are the Akra Farm, 
 the Cotton Screws, the foundries of Messrs. Jessop 
 & Co., and Mr. Calder, the biscuit bakery and flour 
 mills on the Strand and at Cossipore, the Gloster Silk 
 Mills, the paper manufactories at Serampore, &c. 
 
 The Sports of Calcutta. — The English have 
 been famous throughout the civilized world for 
 carrying with them, as the snail does his shell, their 
 own country sports and amusements, nor does the 
 City of Palaces, despite all obstacles of climate, form 
 an exception to the general rule. Accordingly, Cal-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 349 
 
 cutta can boast of its race-course and its hunt; 
 cricket, archery, and rackets also have their vo- 
 taries. Regattas occasionally enliven the banks of 
 the Hooghly, and a four-in-hand or tandem varies 
 the monotony of the evening drive. Of these sports, 
 however, the turf is pre-eminent in popular estima- 
 tion ; and, as such, a short sketch of its origin and 
 present state may not be unacceptable in the present 
 work. 
 
 The first record of the existence of racing in Cal- 
 cutta may be dated from the origin of the Bengal 
 Jockey Club, in 1808, from which time, until the 
 cessation, caused by the general stagnation of every 
 thing owing to the great failures in the year 1832, 
 there were annual race meetings in December of 
 each year, a continuation of which was held at Bar- 
 rackpore, in January following. In 1832, however, 
 they entirely ceased, until their regeneration in 1836, 
 since which period one, and in some instances a 
 second, meeting has been held annually. The total 
 absence in India of the class " black-leg," or indeed 
 of any class of persons who look to turf speculations 
 as a means of livelihood, v^^hich is the bane of all 
 racing in Europe, contributes not a little to enhance 
 the general popularity of the races ; and in fact the 
 supporters of the Indian turf are composed exclu- 
 sively of gentlemen, either members of the civil or 
 military services, or wealthy individuals whose plea- 
 sure it is to encourage sport. The race-course itself 
 forms part of the esplanade surrounding the glacis 
 of Fort William, and is adorned with a handsome 
 race-stand, where, on a cold race morning in January, 
 the beauty and fashion of Calcutta delight to con-
 
 350 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 gregate, and around which the motley groups may 
 vie in point of singularity, though not in number, 
 with Epsom on a Derby day. The wealthy Hin- 
 doos in their carriages, and the stately, sedate-look- 
 ing Mussulmaun, are alike present to view the tu- 
 masha, as it is called : strange contrasts indeed are 
 there, as in one corner may be seen the slim wasted 
 form of a Newmarket jockey, elbowing a fat ghee- 
 fed Baboo ; in another, the grandson of Tippoo Saib 
 conversing familiarly with the owner of a favourite. 
 
 The races, like other amusements in the East, 
 commence at sunrise ; and unless retarded by the 
 fogs, which occasionally during the cold season en- 
 velope the whole plain until dispersed by the sun's 
 rays, are usually over by ten o'clock; thus enabling 
 all classes, from the Governor-General to the sircar, 
 to attend and enjoy the sport without trenching upon 
 their daily avocations, — a circumstance which, in a 
 place where none are idle, contributes mainly to the 
 support of the turf. In former years, racing was 
 discountenanced by the higher authorities, even to 
 such an extent that any servant of government en- 
 gaged in the turf was compelled to adopt a nom de 
 guerrCy to prevent his being a marked man ; and so 
 it remained until the administration of Sir Charles 
 Metcalfe, who, with that liberality extended alike to 
 all classes, took off the ban, and in the year 1835-36 
 the handsome gift of a piece of plate by the Go- 
 vernor-General was announced. This example was 
 annually followed by Sir Charles's successor. Lord 
 Auckland, who, with his family, made a point of at- 
 tending the races. 
 
 The class of horses most generally employed on
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 351 
 
 the turf is the Arab, of which numbers are annually 
 imported from the Persian Gulf to Bombay, and 
 thence to Madras and Calcutta. Their chief cha- 
 racteristic as race-horses is their bottom and powers 
 of endurance, rather than actual speed, rendering 
 them peculiarly adapted for the description of races 
 in vogue in Calcutta, which are seldom less than 
 two miles, and often extend to three-mile heats. 
 Of imported English cattle, there are but few speci- 
 mens, but little encouragement being held out for 
 their importation, as a succession of years has proved 
 them so superior with any weights or distances to any 
 other class of horse in the country, that competition 
 with the slightest chance of success is nearly useless. 
 From the Cape of Good Hope, horses are also occa- 
 sionally imported, though very rarely with sufficient 
 success to warrant repetition of the experiment. 
 New South AVales has also furnished a few competi- 
 tors, and from the general progression of all matters 
 in that colony, it appears probable that India will be 
 indebted to it for horses inferior only to the imported 
 English. 
 
 The breeding of horses in an Indian climate for 
 turf purposes has been attempted in various instances 
 by private individuals, though with very rare suc- 
 cess ; the transitory nature of the residence of gentle- 
 men in that country being obviously opposed to the 
 success of an undertaking which, to bring it to per- 
 fection in the Indian climate, would consume many 
 years ; the necessity also for constant renewal of the 
 blood, whether English or Arab, without which the 
 breed degenerates into weeds, renders the affair ex- 
 pensive, while its necessary tediousness forbids hope
 
 352 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of reimbursement within a reasonable time. From 
 the government studs of Haupper, Ghazeepore, Sec, 
 horses occasionally make their appearance on the 
 turf, though from the impurity of the blood, which is 
 never pure through more than three generations, 
 they generally fail in endurance, though instances 
 have been seen of extraordinary speed, for short dis- 
 tances. The uncertainty of temper, of which all 
 horses bred in the country more or less partake, is 
 also against them. Maugre all these obstacles, a 
 large breeding stud has been maintained for a con- 
 siderable period by Mr. Sawers (a gentleman who 
 lately retired from the medical service), though not 
 with the success so enthusiastic a votary of the sport 
 of the turf deserved ; this gentleman having regularly 
 run horses both at Calcutta and in the province for 
 the last thirty years. The Indian turf has also 
 numbered among its supporters a gentleman well 
 known as one of the best gentlemen race-riders in 
 England, — Colonel, now Major-General, Gilbert, 
 whose judgment in the selection of Arabs, and in 
 matching them, was allowed to be unrivalled. Mr. 
 James Barvvell, for many years sub-treasurer of the 
 presidency of Fort William, was also a staunch friend 
 to the sports of the turf, as his brother, Mr. C. Bar- 
 well, was of the hunt. General Sir Robert Steven- 
 son, K.C.B., was also celebrated, and justly so, for 
 the excellence of the country-bred horses he pro- 
 duced — though of late years his attention has been 
 confined to the meetings in Upper India. In later 
 days, the late much-lamented Captain Cockerell 
 stood forth pre-eminently as a munificent patron of 
 the turf; indeed, the re-establishment of the races
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 353 
 
 in 1836 was mainly owing to his influence and 
 support. 
 
 Hunting, properly so called, on the footing of fox- 
 hunting in England, is, though a complete exotic in 
 the East, extensively pursued throughout Bengal. 
 Every large station, whether in Bengal itself or the 
 Upper Provinces, usually boasts its pack of hounds. 
 To the " Calcutta hunt," however, the palm of su- 
 periority has been awarded, both from the better 
 adaptation of the country about Calcutta for hunting, 
 and from the style in which the hunt club is main- 
 tained. The hunt itself has existed since the year 
 1820, and is composed and managed, like the turf, 
 exclusively by amateurs. The kennels, situated at Ali- 
 pore, the southern suburb of Calcutta, both in conve- 
 nience, extent, and appearance, might vie with the 
 best in the mother-country : thirty couples of hounds, 
 selected from the drafts of the best kennels in England, 
 are annually imported at a cost of 200 to 250 rupees 
 (£20 — £25) per couple ; the management is vested 
 in a committee of three gentlemen, with the usual 
 adjuncts of huntsman, a gentleman selected from 
 the club, and secretary. The hunting season com- 
 mences in November, and is considered to end in 
 April ; but during the first month of the rainy season, 
 June, the pack regularly meet. It would surprise 
 the denizens of the chase in England, who proceed 
 leisurely to the eleven o'clock meet, to hear that their 
 brethren in the East conclude their day's sport ere 
 theirs is begun. Such, however, is the fact : the 
 chase-loving Anglo-Indian rises by candlelight, drives 
 himself to cover, either at Dum Dum or Gowripore, 
 a distance of eight or nine miles, where the hounds
 
 354 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 having also performed their journey on a spring van, 
 throw off at sunrise, half-past five, and probably 
 finish their second jackal by nine o'clock, returning 
 home to breakfast by ten. The substitute for the 
 English fox is the jackal — somewhat larger in size, 
 and when fairly put to a stretch nowise inferior in 
 speed ; his nature too is similar, as he partakes of 
 the love for poultry so strongly displayed in his Eng- 
 lish prototype. The country, technically so called, 
 consists of plains or generally cultivated gardens, 
 raised to avoid the inundation consequent on the 
 rainy season ; jungles of bamboos densely planted, 
 on which the Indian village is situated, and which 
 require no small skill on the part of the rider to 
 hounds to thread when going the pace. The fences 
 chiefly comprise bank, or rather mud-wall, — a kind 
 of raised embankment usually from three to four feet 
 high, with large ditches on either side, — being the 
 boundaries of the respective gardens, — or bamboo- 
 rails, about the height of an English sheep-hurdle ; 
 and almost the only drawback to Eastern hunting is 
 the frequency of patches of jungle which occasion 
 either a check or a change of jackal; and the diffi- 
 culties of pushing the jackal through the villages, 
 unless the hounds be close at his brush, frequently 
 mar the best prospects of a run. 
 
 Horses of all descriptions make their appearance 
 at the course side, from the little wiry Arab to the 
 imported hunter ; and it is frequently found that the 
 former is the better adapted to a country where the 
 ground is occasionally of the consistency of baked 
 bricks, than the latter, whose feet were never meant 
 to be battered; for this reason, the light weights
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 355 
 
 usually have the best of it, and the pluck of the little 
 Arab, which carries him over ditches large enough to 
 engulf himself, rider and all, cannot be too much ad- 
 mired. The breeding of hounds, though attended 
 with some success on the hills, has been found quite 
 impracticable in Calcutta ; and indeed there would 
 appear something in the climate inimical to the very 
 constitution of the Enghsh fox-hound, as it is with 
 difficulty their lives are preserved through the hot 
 and rainy season, and it seldom happens that out of 
 the previous year's importation nine or ten couples 
 remain to greet their new brethren on their arrival. 
 That terrible scourge, the dil-i-baz, or palpitation of 
 the heart, makes great havoc ; diseased liver is also 
 among the frequent curses of the kennel, insomuch 
 that those hounds, who may, by dint of the apothe- 
 cary's shop, bring their blue-pilled carcases to the 
 cover side, after the second season in India, never 
 manifest the dash and eagerness by which the 
 English fox-hound is so pre-eminently distin- 
 guished. 
 
 The Calcutta hunt has numbered among its mem- 
 bers many sportsmen of no mean reputation, among 
 whom the gentleman who officiated as huntsman for 
 several years previous to his departure for Europe, 
 the Hon. J. E. Elhot, M.P. for Roxburghshire, stands 
 pre-eminent ; his reputation as a sportsman is known 
 in three quarters of the globe, and it may be said to 
 be owing to his popularity and savoir-faire that the 
 Calcutta hunt was saved from the general downfal 
 of every amusement, at the period of the great 
 mercantile failures in 1832-33. Other sportsmen of 
 lesser note from the East have distinguished them-
 
 356 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 selves in the field in England, and it may be safely 
 said, that a man, who can go well for half an hour 
 over the Gowripore country, need not fear to make 
 his appearance at any cover side in Europe ; indeed, 
 it is a well-authenticated fact, that no men ride 
 harder, or in a more bruising style, than Indians 
 when returned from exile; witness Capt. Lamb, the 
 spirited owner of Vivian, Mr. T. B. Bayley, and 
 some few others, who astonished the natives not a 
 little at Leamington. 
 
 All field sports, with the exception, of course, of 
 tiger-hunting, &:c. may be attained easily at a short dis- 
 tance from Calcutta — hog-hunting parties frequently 
 beset the jungles at Budge Budge, though since the 
 days of the lamented Tent Club, great success has 
 seldom attended the shikar parties, chiefly from the 
 want of elephants to drive out the game ; nevertheless, 
 when a holiday, and proh pudor ! a Sunday, come 
 conveniently together, various adventurous youths 
 take the field. Capital snipe-shooting may be had 
 by crossing the Hooghly, at almost any time of the 
 year ; and by going a couple of days' journey into the 
 country, the determined sportsman may meet with 
 plenty of buffaloes, and taste the sweets of an en- 
 counter with a leopard. Fishing, save angling in 
 the tanks preserved by wealthy natives, exists not 
 in or about Calcutta : — no purling streams contain 
 trout, and the best fish, the " rooe," is caught much in 
 the same fashion as carp and tench in England. 
 The cricket and racket clubs are both most popular 
 in Calcutta; the former amusement is pursued re- 
 gularly throughout the cold season, i. e. from Octo- 
 ber to April — and a very promising eleven can be
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 357 
 
 mustered when the duties of office will permit ; in- 
 deed, such as would do no discredit to Lord's and the 
 Marylebone. The ground appropriated to cricket is 
 also part of the esplanade, parallel with the river 
 Hooghly, and is kept in excellent order. Every cold- 
 weather evening, during the drive, may be seen the 
 practice going on, i. e. master hitting and bowling, 
 and blackey fagging. The native holidays afford time 
 to the amateurs for playing matches, which constantly 
 take place with the Dum-Dum and Chinsurah ele- 
 vens: they are usually well contested, the rival 
 eleven chiefly consisting of officers and private sol- 
 diers of the artillery or Queen's regiments, and it 
 must be a poor regiment that cannot muster an 
 eleven ; failing these adversaries, the Civil Service 
 or the Etonians versus the Calcutta Club furnish 
 materials for a contest. The Racket Club, as may 
 be supposed, consists but of a limited number of 
 members, and the game is played the whole year 
 round, during the hot season and rains (when dry 
 enough) in the afternoon, and, during the cold sea- 
 son, early in the morning. The court is situated at 
 the end of the Chowringhee Road, and is divided 
 into two separate courts to the east and west, com- 
 modious and in good order. Among the votaries of 
 the game, which, owing to the severity of the exer- 
 cise, can be played constantly by those only who 
 enjoy a state of health approximating as near as can 
 be in an Indian climate to the robust, Mr. Oakes, 
 a gentleman high in the civil service, stands pre-emi- 
 nent; his eye and hand would be difficult to match 
 in any quarter of the globe, and here he is unrivalled; 
 tolerable players there are in abundance, but none
 
 358 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 able to compete even longo intervallo with him. 
 Regattas or other rowing matches, between the boats' 
 crews of the different vessels in the port, frequently 
 take place during the cold weather, and the mono- 
 tony of the evening drive is varied by the contest. 
 The immense strength of the current in the Hooghly 
 renders it unfitted for rowing parties, notwithstand- 
 ing there have been crews formed both for pulling 
 and sailing, though the amusement has never at- 
 tained general popularity. Tandems and an occa- 
 sional four-in-hand are seen now and then; and great 
 was the astonishment of the aborigines, on first be- 
 holding Mr. Thomas Holroyd's drag : this gentleman, 
 whose enthusiasm for the road was only equalled by 
 his excellent driving, imported a real Brighton coach, 
 and many an old withered Qui Hye screamed with de- 
 light on seeing the article, which was driven for a few 
 days neat as imported, with the item " Brighton and 
 London," in the pannel, bowhng along the Strand. 
 Mr. Holroyd also sported that most ticklish and 
 rarely seen vehicle, a really well-put-together tan- 
 dem, and right merrily his chesnuts stepped ; others 
 are occasionally seen, the produce of some ambitious 
 writer, or a regular regimental turn-out from Fort 
 William, betraying its aspirations to the name of 
 tandem solely by the fact of having one horse before 
 the other. 
 
 Hotels and Hotel Charges. — There are several 
 hotels in Calcutta, the first of which are Spence's 
 and The Auckland. The charges in all are pretty 
 much alike, the difference in economy being generally 
 attended by a material difference in comfort. An- 
 nexed are Spence's rates of charge, to which are
 
 \ 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 359 
 
 appended those in force at popular private boarding 
 establishments, of which there are several : — 
 
 spence's family hotel charges. 
 
 Co.'s Rs. As. 
 A gentleman occupying a 
 
 single room, per month 100 
 Per three weeks . . . . 90 
 Per fortnight . . . . 70 
 
 Per week 40 
 
 Per day 6 
 
 The above includes break- 
 fast, cold tiffin, dinner, 
 tea and coffee at the 
 table d'hote. 
 Gentlemen ordering hot 
 tiffin pay an additional 
 
 charge of 2 
 
 Gentlemen inviting their 
 friends to the table 
 d'hdte pay as follows : 
 
 Breakfast 1 8 
 
 Cold tiffin 10 
 
 Hot tiffin 2 
 
 Dinner 2 8 
 
 A lady and gentleman, or 
 a single gentleman, oc- 
 cupying a private sit- 
 ting and bed room, 
 with separate table, per 
 
 month 250 
 
 Per three weeks . . . . 225 
 Per fortnight .. ..175 
 
 Per week 100 
 
 Per day 15 
 
 A gentleman occupying a 
 private sitting and bed 
 room, and dining, &c. 
 at the table d'hote, per 
 month 200 
 
 Co.'s Rs. As. 
 Per three weeks . . . . 180 
 
 Per fortnight 140 
 
 Per week 80 
 
 Per day 12 
 
 For every additional room, 
 
 per month 100 
 
 Families inviting their 
 friends to dine, and 
 giving previous notice, 
 are charged for each 
 
 guest 5 
 
 When no previous notice 
 is given, the charge 
 is the same as at the 
 table d'hote. 
 Claret, Istgrowth, per hot. 3 
 Ditto, 2nd „ ,,2 8 
 
 Vin de Grave, Bar- 
 sac, and Sauterne ,, 2 8 
 Hock „ 4 8 
 Champagne ,, 5 
 Burgundy ,, 5 
 Hermitage ,, 4 8 
 Sherry ,, 2 
 Sherry (superior) ,, 3 
 Port „ 3 
 Madeira ,, 3 
 Brandy, Gin, and 
 
 Whiskey „ 2 8 
 
 Pale Ale and Porter ,, 10 
 
 Soda Water ,, 8 
 
 Four annas per bottle are 
 charged for cooling wines of every 
 description.
 
 360 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 REGULATIONS. 
 
 Wines, beer, spirits, &c., are invariably furnished by the proprie- 
 tors at the rates above mentioned, and no private supplies are admit- 
 ted for consumption into the hotel. It is particularly requested that 
 gentlemen will not smoke cigars, except in their own apartments, or at 
 the table d'hote after dinner. No servant is allowed to leave the 
 premises, after meals, until the butler has counted his plate. No ser- 
 vant belonging to the establishment to be sent with letters or messages. 
 Breakage of glass, crockery, furniture, &c., by servants, will be charged 
 to their masters. Cards, games of chance, or gambling of any descrip- 
 tion, is prohibited. As the servants leave the premises at half-past ten, 
 no suppers or refreshments of any description can be had after that 
 hour ; and it is expected that gentlemen at the table d'hote wiU retire 
 before eleven o'clock. It is requested that ladies and gentlemen, on 
 leaving the hotel, will not give presents to the servants. Bills deli- 
 vered at the end of the month, and to weekly and daily boarders every 
 week. 
 
 PRIVATE BOARDING ESTABLISHMENT TERMS. 
 
 Co.'s Rs. 
 
 Permanent residents per month . . . . . . . . 80 
 
 Temporary ditto ditto . . . . . . . . . . 90 
 
 Per fortnight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 
 
 Per day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 
 
 A lady and gentleman occupying a private sitting-room, with 
 
 bed-room and separate table, per month . . . . 230 
 
 The same, per week . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 
 
 The same, per month, without separate table . . . . 180 
 
 The same, ,, with bed-room and use of drawing-room 150 
 
 Parties inviting their friends to pay as foUows : — 
 
 Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 
 
 Tiffin I 
 
 Dinner . . . • . . . . . . . . . . 2 
 
 Parties may find their own wines, &c., or be supplied from the 
 house. Breakages of servants to be charged to the accounts of their 
 respective employers ; and no servants allowed to leave the premises 
 until the plate, &c., be reported correct. 
 
 Bengal Club-House. — There is a handsome es- 
 tablishment under this denomination in the Chim-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 361 
 
 ghee-road. Gentlemen are elected by ballot; and 
 the entrance and annual subscription entitle them to 
 occupy rooms, to take their meals, play cards or 
 billiards, read newspapers, &c. Of course, separate 
 payments are made for the use of the apartments 
 and for the different refections. The subscriptions, 
 &c., cover house-rent, furniture, servants' wages, 
 breakage, purchase of books, periodicals, newspapers, 
 &c. The house is elegantly furnished, and the best 
 male society is met within its walls. 
 
 PUBLIC CONVEYANCES. 
 
 Palanquins, kc. — The following are the rates and 
 hire of Teeka palanquins and Teeka bearers, which 
 have been fixed by the magistrates : — 
 
 PALANauiNS. 
 
 As. 
 
 For a whole day, to be considered as consisting of fourteen hours 4 
 For half a day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 
 
 Half a day to be considered any time exceeding one hour and 
 not exceeding five. 
 
 BEARERS. 
 
 For a whole day, to be considered as consisting of fourteen hours, 
 allowing reasonable time for rest and refreshment . . . . 4 
 
 Half a day, to be considered any time exceeding one hour and 
 not exceeding five . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 
 
 Palanquins or bearers employed for a less period than one hour, to 
 be paid for at the rate of one anna per bearer and one anna per 
 paJanquin. 
 
 Any breach of the above rules will be, on conviction, punished as the 
 law directs. 
 
 Carriages, buggies, horses, &c., obtainable at either 
 of three livery-stables.
 
 362 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 A buggy and horse, per month . . 
 
 Ditto, jier day 
 
 A carriage and pair, per month . , 
 
 Ditto, per day 
 
 A landau or barouche, per month 
 
 Ditto, per day 
 
 A saddle or buggy horse, per month 
 
 Ditto, per day 
 
 150 
 
 8 
 250 
 
 16 
 300 
 
 20 
 100 
 
 Boats. — Wherries, or dinghees, manned by two 
 rowers and a steersman, are to be found in numbers at 
 all the wharfs ; they are of a slight construction, 
 spoon-bottomed, with a circular awning of bamboo- 
 work, under which a person can sit ; and though in 
 general well managed, are by no means to be con- 
 sidered safe conveyances. They are used for going 
 off to the shipping or across the river, and the usual 
 fare for a European is an anna, equal to three- 
 halfpence ; but if to return or wait for the party, from 
 two to four annas are considered reasonable ; all 
 depending on time. For trips up and down the 
 river, within a day or two's journey of Calcutta, 
 hauleahs and hudgerows are to be had at all times. 
 These have been elsewhere described. 
 
 Coolies. — In every street are to be found coolies, 
 or porters, who carry burdens on their heads, how- 
 ever light or heavy the load may be, provided it do 
 not exceed one maund, or eighty-two pounds weight 
 avoirdupois. Their rates of remuneration would 
 make one of the "fellowships" in London stare, 
 being about one anna, or three-halfpence, per mile ; 
 for short distances, half that sum. 
 
 For the conveyance of heavy goods, hackries, or 
 bullock- carts, are available. The rate of hire, for
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 363 
 
 short trips within the town, is about four annas, or 
 sixpence ; for longer ones, from six to eight annas. 
 These vehicles do not usually carry above half a ton, 
 except of commercial produce, when they are limited 
 to fifteen hundred, the utmost they can safely bear. 
 
 Bazaars. — There are two markets in Calcutta for 
 the supply of butchers' meat, poultry, fish, vege- 
 tables, and fruits, chiefly for the consumption of 
 Europeans and other Christians. The oldest is 
 Tiretta's Bazaar (now the property of the Rajah of 
 Burdwan), situated on the east side of Chitpore 
 road, near the northern extremity of that part of the 
 city occupied by Christians, and, consequently, in 
 an inconvenient situation. It is kept in bad con- 
 dition, and very dirty ; so that few respectable per- 
 sons seldom visit it, servants being deputed to make 
 purchases; indeed, few people in Calcutta attend 
 personally to such matters. The other bazaar is 
 situated at the south-west corner of Dhurrumtollah- 
 street, the northern extremity of the Chowringhee- 
 road, an eligible site for the purpose. This ba- 
 zaar has recently been remodelled and enlarged at 
 considerable expense by the present proprietor. 
 The stalls for meat, fish, and vegetables are well 
 built, with square brick pillars, supporting lofty 
 and substantial raftered and tiled roofs, the whole 
 well drained and kept clean; the pathways with 
 which it is intersected being somewhat convex, 
 they are dry, so that people traverse this market 
 with a degree of comfort not met with in other 
 Calcutta bazaars; and, consequently, many re- 
 spectable persons are seen there every morning. 
 There are a sreat number of other bazaars in dif- 
 r2
 
 364 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ferent parts of the city for edibles for the nativt. 
 population, and the streets abound with petty shopj- 
 of a similar nature, to the great disfigurement oi 
 many of the, otherwise, best parts of the city. 
 
 Municipal Government — Police. — So far back 
 as 1803, the Supreme Government declared itself 
 sensible of the importance of paying strict attention 
 to a system of watching, draining, warding, lighting, 
 &c., the city of Calcutta. Arrangements were made 
 for the formation of a proper conservancy com- 
 mittee, and the establishment of an improved po- 
 lice ; and from that time to the present, changes, 
 generally supposed to be for the better, have been 
 introduced, but still the town is far from being well 
 protected, or kept in a proper state of cleanliness. 
 It has already been stated, that there are four ma- 
 gistrates and a superintendent of police, to detect, 
 investigate, and punish such crimes as lay within 
 their competency. Offences beyond their cogni- 
 zance are sent up to the Supreme Court. For the 
 suburbs there is a separate magistracy, whose power 
 corresponds with that of the city officers. The 
 posse comitatus, under the orders of these gentlemen, 
 consists of a few European constables and some 
 hundreds of native police, whose duties correspond 
 with those of police officers in other parts of the 
 world, but these duties are discharged in a manner 
 peculiar to India. Serious crimes are fortunately 
 not rife in Calcutta ; about two thousand cases per 
 annum are heard by the magistracy, and these are 
 chiefly larcenies, burglaries, and petty assaults. To 
 the chief magistrate, some native gentlemen, and 
 the members of the military board, the conservancy
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 365 
 
 6f the town is intrusted ; and this conservancy duty 
 'omprises the charge of every thing which relates to 
 the cleanUness and health of the population, the 
 watering and lighting of the town. The funds 
 whence the means of the conservancy department 
 are derived consist of the assessment on houses, the 
 liquor licenses, &;c. It is a mistake, therefore, to 
 pretend that the inhabitants are exempt from taxa- 
 tion, for no one can occupy a house without feeling, 
 in the rent he pays, that his landlord is a large con- 
 tributor to the coffers of the state. 
 
 A VOYAGE FROM CALCUTTA TO ALLAHABAD. 
 
 The hints offered in the section headed " River 
 Travelling " having been taken, the traveller sets 
 forth in a budgerow, or steamer, as the case 
 may be. 
 
 A curious and interesting scene is that wdiich the 
 right bank of the Hooghly, between Calcutta and 
 Cossipore, presents to the river traveller. It is well 
 worth the passage against the tide, to mark the 
 strange dioramic sights which are to be seen, in- 
 stinct with life and motion, and telling a history of 
 past Indian grandeur, as well as of present desola- 
 tion. Embarking at Bankshall ghaut, you are in- 
 stantly among the shipping, which crowds the river 
 before Calcutta. Passing beneath the tall sides of 
 the unladen vessels, the boat threads its way, now 
 coming alongside of a British craft, now passing 
 under the stern of an American, and now of an
 
 366 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Arab trader; whilst the curious eye will observe the 
 various crews at work on board — the clean and 
 healthy-looking British seamen, the uncouth-looking 
 lascars, and here and there, sitting at the stern- 
 windows of some empty vessel from Bombay, a 
 little group of Parsees, high-turbaned and white- 
 vested. 
 
 But the lofty masts of the shipping are soon left 
 behind, and the boat passes the wide-ranging build- 
 ings of the Mint, with their tall chimneys, " grand 
 against the sky." Steering through a forest of 
 shapeless pariah brigs, and large, unwieldy salt- 
 boats, we soon come to a spot suggestive of more 
 painful thoughts, for there are the ghauts, where the 
 dying are left to die — the Puttarah Ghaut, the Jora 
 Bagan Ghaut — where the last ceremonies of the 
 Gunga are performed, and then the Shussan, or 
 place of cremation, where the bodies of the dead are 
 burnt. 
 
 A strange, wild scene is this ! Standing back at 
 some distance from the river is a high blackened 
 wall with flanks of masonry at either end, abutting 
 upon the bank, which slopes, in a gentle descent, 
 towards the river. In the centre of this wide black 
 wall is an aperture, with a screen of masonry on the 
 hither side, which shuts out the revolting scene from 
 the road on the other side of the wall ; and at each 
 angle of the curtain which we have described, is 
 built up a shapeless hut of mats to receive the 
 poorer class of dying Hindoos, who cannot afford 
 to pay the tax of the neighbouring ghauts. But 
 turn you from the building, which is in itself, indeed, 
 scarcely more than a great screen, erected to shut
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 367 
 
 out the hideous scene of cremation from the road 
 which passes it to the bank which slopes towards 
 the river, black with the burnt ashes of the dead. 
 Two or three fires are burning there, sending forth a 
 dim red flame, whilst the spiral smoke ascends 
 slowly, and one or two almost naked men crouch 
 over the scanty pyres. There, too, are the char- 
 poys, or rude native beds, on which the corpses have 
 been brought forth ; and hovering above are count- 
 less vultures, eager to glut themselves on the half- 
 burnt corpses. Scores of these insatiate birds of 
 prey are perched upon the abutting walls of the 
 death-screen, waiting their opportunity to descend, 
 whilst others, temporarily repulsed by the guardians 
 of the funeral fires, fly heavily across the river, 
 passing across the native boats, through the tattered 
 sails of which you might mark their flight. Others 
 again are feasting, a little way apart from the hu- 
 man death-place, upon the carcase of an animal 
 there exposed, and contending eagerly with the huge 
 adjutant-birds and ravenous pariah dogs. Alto- 
 gether, it is a sickening sight, rendered infinitely 
 more sickening by the abominable effluvia which 
 issue from the bank of death. 
 
 But these are soon passed. The bank again is 
 densely lined with native boats, their rude sterns ar- 
 ranged in thick serried lines, and their strange oar- 
 rudders far projecting. These, you may see, are the 
 homes of hundreds of human beings, who spend 
 their lives there ; in each boat some ten or more 
 strong men may be seen lying lazily about, cooking 
 or eating their dinners, whilst on the banks which 
 these shapeless vessels skirt, are numberless natives.
 
 368 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 men and women, the inhabitants of the far-spreading 
 suburbs of Calcutta. Motley and inconsistent rows 
 of dwelling-houses stretch along the river bank, cot- 
 tage and palace strangely commingled. Here a 
 small group of miserable mat-huts, there a stately 
 but somewhat dilapidated edifice, with lofty pillars 
 and wide colonnades — remains of a former state of 
 grandeur — towering above a line of salt-golahs, 
 shapeless, matted structures, erected on scarp walls 
 of masonry, which form, in some places, the em- 
 bankment of the river. Then you see a crowded 
 ghaut, perhaps of recent erection, or, far more pro- 
 bably, one fallen into decay, the lower steps of 
 which have sunk into the bed of the river, whilst 
 numberless chasms, as though made by an earth- 
 quake, are discernible in the upper flights. Here, 
 again, is a large, rambling house, overhanging the 
 stream, with a long verandah above, and beneath an 
 arched passage, through which the inhabitants of 
 these strange abodes communicate with the river, 
 and there a Mahommedan mosque, with its domed 
 cupolas, rising in a picturesque manner above a 
 group of more humble edifices. Among these vari- 
 form buildings, strangely interspersed, are here and 
 there huge masses of heavy foliage, thick-leaved 
 trees overhanging the water, with, in some places, 
 their bare roots exposed to view, projecting beyond 
 the bank. Everywhere the margin of the water is 
 studded with human beings, some coming down to 
 the river to bathe, others to fill their vessels with 
 water, whilst many boys and men are sitting on the 
 banks, fishing with the rude tackle of the country. 
 It is altogether a strange and interesting scene.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 369 
 
 At a distance of about twenty miles from Calcutta, 
 after passing Cossipore, its villas, foundries, and fac- 
 tories, the village of Ishera, where there is a sugar 
 and a rum manufactory, the Orphan Refuge and its 
 pretty church, Tittaghur and its sylvan dwellings, 
 we reach the park of Barrackpore on the right, and 
 the town of Serampore on the left. 
 
 Barrackpore, called by the natives Achanuck 
 (corrupted from Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, 
 who abided here), consists of a large park and a mi- 
 litary cantonment, in the former of which is the spa- 
 cious country-house of the Governor-General, while 
 the latter affords accommodation to six regiments of 
 native infantry, and the full proportion of officers. 
 There is nothing; remarkable about the Government- 
 House ; it is a plain edifice of one story in height, 
 with lofty rooms and very ordinary furniture. Its 
 accessories are the best features it can boast of ; an 
 aviary and a menagerie, though neither are very 
 thickly tenanted ; a garden and a pleasant prome- 
 nade, where the society of the station assemble, 
 while one of the regimental bands plays upon 
 the green sward, constitute the chief agremens of 
 the place. Lord Auckland established a native 
 school at Barrackpore, and left funds for its support. 
 The regiments here, with the artillery at Dum-Dum 
 (seven miles from Calcutta), and the troops in Fort 
 William, constitute the presidency division of the 
 army, which is commanded by a general officer, who 
 resides at Barrackpore. A brigadier immediately 
 under him commands the station. The position of 
 the troops is convenient for immediate service to the 
 R 3
 
 370 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 eastward of Bengal, and for the performance of mi- 
 litary duties at Calcutta, where a large guard mounts, 
 and is relieved once a month. There is a race- 
 ground at Barrackpore, but races have not taken 
 place there for some years. The sports of the place 
 are confined to an occasional steeple-chase, a run 
 with the Calcutta hounds, and a few balls and public 
 dinners. 
 
 Serampore. — This little settlement belongs to the 
 Crown of Denmark. A governor, with a secretary, 
 a judge, a magistrate, and a small detachment of 
 troops, form the administrative and protective force 
 of the place, which is now only remarkable as the 
 residence of a body of missionaries, the site of the 
 printing establishment of the best newspaper in India, 
 and of an excellent paper manufactory, conducted by 
 Mr. John Marshman. The college founded here by 
 the celebrated missionary, Carey, has fallen to decay, 
 though it still presents, as seen from the river, re- 
 mains of architectural beauty. Many old gentlemen, 
 pensioners of the East-India Company's government, 
 reside at Serampore, as do several widows and poor 
 families, from motives of economy. Serampore is the 
 Alsatia of Calcutta and Barrackpore — the writs of 
 the Supreme Court, for debts contracted at those 
 places, do not run in Serampore, where the unfortu- 
 nate debtor consequently resides in security, and is 
 enabled there to make arrangements with his credi- 
 tor for the indulgence refused him when within the 
 operation of the law. 
 
 After passing Serampore, the banks of the river 
 again present the varied scene described above,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 371 
 
 dotted here and there with small towns and factories, 
 now in a partial state of decay. These latter occur 
 in the following order : — 
 
 Chandernagore. — A small French settlement 
 with a governor, staff, and a judicial administration. 
 
 Chinsurah. — Formerly one of the Dutch settle- 
 ments, and now a barrack for a single European re- 
 giment. 
 
 Bandel. — Once a Portuguese settlement, and still 
 famous for a Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Santipore. — Erst the site of one the East-India 
 Company's factories, and now the situation of a rum 
 distillery and sugar manufactory. 
 
 KuLNA. — Remarkable for indigo and sugar facto- 
 ries. Numerous boats are here seen at the ghauts, 
 ready to carry the produce to distant marts. 
 
 Augerdeep, Dewangunge, Kutwa, Rungamat- 
 TEE. — Small villages exhibiting remains of commer- 
 cial importance, but now only used as fuel depots. 
 In the neighbourhood of any of these places, the 
 sportsman will find abundance of game to reward 
 his pursuit, if he takes the trouble to step ashore 
 with his gun. 
 
 Berhampore and Moorshedabad. — In its out- 
 ward aspect, there is no European station which can 
 bear any comparison with Berhampore ; it is situ- 
 ated on the left bank of the Hooghly, and is ar- 
 rayed with the utmost splendour of foliage; the 
 flowering trees attaining a gigantic size, and the 
 more common offspring of the forest, the banian, 
 tamarind, neem, peepul, and bamboo, occurring in 
 great profusion, and seeming to riot in rich luxu- 
 riance.
 
 372 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The cantonments of Berhampore are well laid out 
 and handsomely built; the quarters of the officers 
 being of brick covered with cement, like the puckha 
 palaces of Calcutta, and forming uniform ranges of 
 considerable extent. The grand square, a spacious 
 quadrangle, encloses an excellent parade-ground ; 
 and stately houses, belonging to civilians and other 
 permanent residents, arise in convenient spots in the 
 neighbourhood, giving to the whole station an air of 
 importance not usually found in garrisons, where the 
 pompous array of fortresses and bristling bulwarks 
 is wanting. To contrast with all this beauty, and to 
 shew the deceitfulness of outward appearances, a 
 large arena, filled with monumental stones, gives 
 mournful evidence of the unhealthiness of the atmo- 
 sphere, and of the grim dominion of death in the 
 midst of the most lavish productions of nature. 
 Berhampore lies low, and has not been sufficiently 
 drained before its occupation by European troops. 
 Every breath of air which visits it comes over swamps 
 and marshy lands ; it abounds with ditches and stag- 
 nant pools, and its too redundant vegetation is rank 
 and noisome. Commodious as the European quar- 
 ters appear, they have not been constructed with a 
 proper regard to the health of the inhabitants. It 
 was formerly the custom in Bengal, and one which 
 unfortunately has not been universally relinquished, 
 to glaze the houses only upon what sailors would 
 term the weather-side; close wooden shutters, or 
 glass doors, not being supposed necessary except to 
 keep off the storms of rain brought by the hurricanes 
 from the north-west. Under this idea, the more 
 sheltered parts of the house are merely furnished
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 373 
 
 with Venetians which never can be made to close so 
 exactly as to keep out the damp air. 
 
 There are no fire-places in those summer resi- 
 dences; and persons compelled to dwell all the 
 year round in them must undergo every change of 
 atmosphere, without the possibility of preventing 
 their exposure to diseases which are generated by 
 sudden transitions from heat to cold. 
 
 There is a manufactory of silk at Berhampore, 
 which furnishes the bandana handkerchiefs so much 
 prized in England, together with taffetas and wash- 
 ing silks. Beautiful pieces of workmanship of va- 
 rious kinds in carved ivory are also brought for 
 sale from the neighbouring city of Moorshedabad. 
 Though the artisans of the native capital of the pro- 
 vince of Bengal cannot support any comparison with 
 the delicate performances of the Chinese, they ex- 
 hibit considerable skill in the delineations of men 
 and animals. The common kinds of chessmen, 
 boards furnished with richly-cut pegs for the game 
 of solitaire, paper-presses, and wafer-seals, are ex- 
 ceedingly well executed, and cheap, compared with 
 the European prices for similar articles. 
 
 The amusements of Berhampore are considerably 
 increased by its proximity to Moorshedabad, a city 
 which was once the capital of Bengal, and which is 
 still the residence of the pensioned descendant of its 
 former rulers. The dominion which Jaffeer Khan, 
 the founder of the family of the Nawab of Bengal, 
 maintained against the will of the Moghul emperors, 
 who vainly attempted to supersede him, faded away 
 after the famous defeat at Plassy : not a single
 
 374 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 vestige of power now remains, and the princes of the 
 present day are content to support an outward show 
 of magnificence upon an income of sixteen lacs 
 (£160,000) a year, allowed them by the East-India 
 Company. The city of Moorshedabad is well 
 situated, and forms a pleasing object from the river, 
 but contains nothing worthy of notice, except the 
 modern palace of the Nawab, which is a splendid 
 building in the European style, of dazzling whiteness, 
 and rising in glittering splendour amid stately groves 
 of flowering trees. 
 
 During the life-time of the late Nawab, magni- 
 ficent entertainments were given at his palace, in 
 which the European residents were always invited to 
 share. The great Mahomedan festivals, especially 
 that of the Bhearer, were also celebrated with great 
 pomp and splendour, more from a love of display on 
 the part of the prince than from any particular devo- 
 tion to the principles of his faith. But since his 
 demise, matters have assumed a different aspect. 
 The present Nawab is a minor, placed under the 
 care and tutorship of a discreet officer, in the hope 
 that when he is of an age to manage his own affairs, 
 he will have learnt to make a rational use of the 
 ample income at his command. 
 
 There is abundance of sport in the neighbourhood 
 of Berhampore. The Rajmuhal hills upon the op- 
 posite side swarm with larger game, and the low 
 lands around are alive with partridge, wild fowl, and 
 hares, according to the season. 
 
 The scenery now resumes the aspect which it 
 wore at the earlier part of the trip — ghauts, tem-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 376 
 
 pies, villages, alternately decorate the banks. A 
 late writer thus pleasantly and accurately describes 
 the villages in Rajmuhal : — " I was greatly struck 
 with the ' exceeding density,' with the ' boundless 
 contiguity of shade,' in which the natives appeared 
 to reside with such comfort. Place the rankest 
 weeds — the most filthy, green, fat-scummed pools 
 — the most umbrageous clumps of low, spreading 
 bamboos, sprouting pollards, towering palms, tall 
 feathery dates, and low dead or high living fences 
 together — ' mingle, mingle, all that mingle may' — and 
 through them cast a stench the most villanous and 
 nauseating, whether proceeding from decomposition of 
 substances, animal or vegetable — put all these toge- 
 ther in your imagination, and you will have a slight 
 idea of the agrtmens of the shady suburbs and village 
 of Rajmuhal! But enter the village as an artist, 
 and how massive, rich, and varied is the foliage ! 
 What exquisite foregrounds for Ruysdael or Hobima ! 
 What splendid lights and solemn murky shades for 
 Rembrandt ! What brutal, filthy clowns for Teniers ! 
 And what villanous, hairy faqueers, rugged stumps, 
 mouldering ruins, and shocking old women, for Sal- 
 vator ! Large masses of the palace are now lying in 
 the river. The Hindoo has not here left a vestige 
 of his political power. The Mussulman is to be 
 traced by his noble ruins." 
 
 SiCKRiGULLEE. — Eighteen miles above Rajmuhal 
 we come to Sickrigullee, a village at the base of a 
 high rocky eminence, commanding a fine view of 
 two ranges of hills. There is at this place the tomb 
 of a celebrated Mahomedan saint, Peer Pointie, and 
 a cave in a limestone rock, both of which are worthy
 
 376 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 inspection. Higher up is a place called Peer Pointie, 
 now a mass of ruins, where another tomb of the 
 saint is found. 
 
 CoLGONG. — Three picturesque rocks covered with 
 verdure. A few Hindoo devotees reside upon them, 
 in wretched huts, surrounded by, and almost em- 
 bedded in, vegetation as noxious as it is picturesque. 
 
 Bhaugulpore. — The Ganges is here of great 
 breadth. In the rainy season, when the waters have 
 risen, the river is not less than eight miles across ! 
 The situation of Bhaugulpore is pretty and healthy. 
 It commands a distant view of Mount Mandar, an 
 insulated conical hill, renowned as a place of Hindoo 
 pilgrimage. There are some silk manufactories here, 
 which produce a coarse stuff, called baftah, and a 
 lighter silk, termed tusser, much used, when stretched 
 upon a frame, for room-punkahs, and also for gentle- 
 men's blouses and ladies' morning-dresses. The sta- 
 tion is a civil one; but a corps of Hill Rangers, com- 
 posed of the Puharees, or hill men, is kept up in an 
 excellent state of discipline, to protect the country 
 from banditti, and otherwise to act as the magistrate 
 may occasionally require. The Puharees, who in- 
 habit the neighbouring hills, are not many degrees 
 removed from the savage race. They live chiefly by 
 the chase, and always go armed. They are hos- 
 pitable and honest in their intercourse with one 
 another, though accustomed to make predatory in- 
 roads upon their neighbours or hereditary foes. 
 Their probity is remarkable, and they are faithful 
 when employed as servants. They believe in a Su- 
 preme Being, to whom they offer up sacrifices, and 
 have adopted the doctrine of metempsychosis.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 377 
 
 JuNGHEERA. — Of tlie interesting places which He 
 between Rajniuhal and Monghyr, the most cele- 
 brated is the rock of Jungheera. It consists of 
 several masses of grey granite, rising boldly from the 
 river. It is supposed to have formerly been a point 
 of land projecting from the shore, but it is now com- 
 pletely isolated by the violence of the current. Trees 
 have imbedded their roots amid the crevices of this 
 picturesque rock, and on its terraces several small 
 temples are erected. It has been, during many ages, 
 considered one of the most sacred places in the 
 Ganges, and is a great resort of Hindoo devotees, 
 who crowd to it, not only on account of its reputed 
 sanctity, but to offer their homage at the shrine of 
 Naragan, an idol of great celebrity at this place, 
 whose figure is preserved in one of the pagodas, and 
 sculptured upon several parts of the rock, together 
 with those of Vishnu, Suree, and Sirooj. Jungheera 
 is inhabited by Hindoo fakeers, who are not above 
 asking charity of the European voyagers on the 
 river. 
 
 Between the two rocks there is a ghaut, or land- 
 ing-place, gently sloping into the water. From 
 this ghaut the ascent to the summit is by flights of 
 steps cut out of the solid rock. In the temple which 
 crowns this height, the principal fakeer is usually to 
 be seen sitting on a tiger-skin, by way of carpet, and 
 having the skull of one of these animals by his side. 
 
 Monghyr, when our possessions were more 
 limited than they now are, formed one of the prin- 
 cipal military stations of the British army. When 
 it was selected for the depot for ammunition, it en- 
 joyed all the honours of a frontier fortress ; but, in
 
 378 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 consequence of the immense portion of territory 
 which now divides it from tlie boundaries of our pos- 
 sessions, it has been suffered to fall into decay. A 
 few invalided soldiers garrison the dismantled citadel, 
 and several invalid officers have selected it as a resi- 
 dence, on account of its cheapness and salubrity. 
 
 Monghyr is situated upon a rocky promontory 
 abutting into the Ganges ; and the walls of the fort, 
 raised upon a sharp angle, have a fine effect, al- 
 though they are rapidly wearing away. The point 
 on which these walls stand, when the river is full 
 and the current strong, renders the navigation diffi- 
 cult and dangerous to boats, which can only pass 
 with a favourable wind, and run great risk of being 
 driven against the rocks. The Ganges at this place 
 is extremely wide, and vessels being often detained 
 by contrary winds at the ghauts of Monghyr, when 
 a change takes place, the whole surface of the water 
 is covered with barks of every description. The re- 
 mains of the fort are very striking ; the plain is di- 
 versified by ridges of rock richly wooded ; and upon 
 some of the most favourable sites, the European re- 
 sidents have erected those palace-like houses, which 
 give a regal air to the splendid landscapes of Bengal; 
 some of the residences are painted a bright orange 
 relieved with white. The native town is irregular, 
 and in many parts extremely picturesque, several of 
 the bazaars stretching ia long lines beneath the um- 
 brageous shelter of magnificent groves. The place 
 of worship in most repute amongst the Mahomedans, 
 is the monument of Peer Shah Lohouni, which is 
 held in great reverence by all classes of the people; 
 the Hindoos making frequent offerings at the shrine
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 379 
 
 of this saint, so highly is his memory venerated 
 throughout the district. 
 
 A considerable trade is carried on at Monghyr 
 from the manufactories of the place ; the workmen 
 possess considerable skill, and construct palanquins, 
 European carriages, and furniture, in a very credit- 
 able manner. Under the inspection of persons well 
 acquainted with these arts, they can produce goods 
 of a very good description, and at an astonishingly 
 low price. The most famous of its manufactories is 
 that of the blacksmith, who works up steel and iron 
 into a great variety of forms ; these goods are coarse, 
 but they are useful, especially to the natives, and re- 
 markably cheap. Double-barrelled guns are sold 
 for thirty-two rupees each, rifles at thirty, and table- 
 knives and forks at six rupees per dozen. Upon the 
 arrival of a budgerow at Monghyr, the native ven- 
 ders of almost innumerable commodities repair to 
 the water side in crowds, establishing a sort of fair 
 upon the spot. Cages filled with specimens of rare 
 birds from the hills, or with the more interesting of 
 the reptiles, small deer, Seetakoond spring water, 
 chairs, tables, work-boxes, baskets, and cutlery of all 
 kinds, are brought down to tempt the new arrivals. 
 It is perhaps safest to confine the purchases to iron 
 goods of native construction ; spears, which are ne- 
 cessary articles in the upper country, are of the best 
 kind, and are sold at a rupee and a quarter each ; 
 and the ungeetahs, iron tripods in which charcoal is 
 burned, are excellent. The guns and rifles con- 
 structed here are dangerous implements, from the 
 worthlessness of the screws and brittleness of the 
 barrels. Since the importation of European fashions.
 
 380 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 a vast number of new articles have been introduced 
 into the shops of the natives ; tea-kettles, tea-trays, 
 toasting-forks, saucepans, and other culinary vessels, 
 unknown in the kitchens of the Moslem or Hindoo, 
 are exhibited for sale. 
 
 The fort of Monghyr occupies a large portion of 
 ground, and, though no longer affording any idea of 
 a place of defence, is both striking and ornamental. 
 It has not, like Allahabad, been ever modernized, or 
 adapted to the prevaiUng system of warfare, but re- 
 tains all its Asiatic character. Within the walls 
 there is a plain of considerable extent, sprinkled 
 with some majestic trees, and having two large tanks 
 of water. 
 
 The European society at Monghyr is rather li- 
 mited; and in consequence of the major part being 
 composed of persons belonging to the invalid esta- 
 blishment, who seek it as a place of retirement, the 
 station is never a scene of gaiety ; there are, how- 
 ever, appointments which are held by civil and mili- 
 tary servants of the Company, who form a little cir- 
 cle amongst themselves, which is enlivened, occa- 
 sionally, by the visits of strangers passing up and 
 down, and officers upon military duties, surveys, &c., 
 from Dinapore, which is situated at an easy distance. 
 The attractions of Monghyr, as a residence, are 
 confined to the scenery, which combines every 
 beauty that the rich and fertile provinces on either 
 side can produce. About five miles from Monghyr, 
 there are some hot springs, which few people fail to 
 visit who touch at the town. They are situated at 
 Seeta-coond, " well of Seeta," and though not pos- 
 sessing any medicinal properties, the water is much
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 381 
 
 sought after on account of its great purity. The 
 springs are enclosed in a cistern of brick, eighteen 
 feet square. The temperature is so hot (maximum, 
 163°), that the hand cannot be retained in it for many- 
 seconds. Large quantities of gas are continually 
 disengaged from the basin. Rice, when thrown in, 
 swells, and floats on the surface. The well is sacred, 
 and several Brahmins are established in its neigh- 
 bourhood, who are not above receiving a few copper 
 coins for regenerating the pilgrims, who resort hither 
 to bathe in a neighbouring pool. 
 
 The ground in the neighbourhood of these springs 
 is exceedingly rocky, and furnishes manycurious geo- 
 logical specimens; fluor and mica are plentiful, and 
 uhrue, talc, or lapis specularis, also is very common. 
 It is found in large masses, which divide easily into 
 tough, thin laminse, perfectly transparent. Formerly 
 this substance was in much request with Europeans 
 as a substitute for window-glass, but it is not now 
 ever used for that purpose. It still forms the deco- 
 rations at native festivals ; and when painted with a 
 variety of colours, and illuminated, it is often em- 
 ployed in the construction of mimic palaces, rivalling 
 that of Aladdin in splendour. The hills in the dis- 
 tance are chiefly composed of lime-stone, far ad- 
 vanced in decomposition ; they are exceedingly wild 
 in their appearance, and inhabited by numerous 
 tribes of savage animals. 
 
 In the cold season, Monghyr may be truly de- 
 nominated a paradise, since there is nothing at other 
 periods, save the heat of the climate, to detract from 
 its enchantments. On the frontiers of Beno-al and
 
 382 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Behar, and scarcely belonging to either, the district 
 in which it stands, and which is known by the natives 
 under the name of Jungleterry, partakes of the cha- 
 racteristics of the upper and lower provinces; the 
 verdure of Bengal lingers on the borders of Hindos- 
 tan Proper, while the low, flat plains of the former 
 yield to the undulations which diversify the high 
 table-land stretching to the Himalaya, and which is 
 intersected by numerous valleys or ravines, present- 
 ing passes full of romantic beauty. 
 
 Agriculture, as well as manufactures, flourishes in 
 the neighbourhood of Monghyr ; grain of all kinds, 
 sugar, and indigo, are in great abundance, and the 
 country is celebrated for its opium. Immense fields 
 of poppies, which, though they have been not un- 
 justly described as all glare and starch, have a gay 
 appearance — their flowers varying in colours, like the 
 tulip or the anemone, and changing with every breeze 
 that sweeps across them — render part of the culti- 
 vated district one wide parterre. Cotton plantations 
 abound ; the paths are strewed with pods full to 
 bursting, which disclose the soft treasure within, ap- 
 pearing like a lump of wool intermixed with a few 
 black seeds. There are also large tracts of indigo. 
 Cocos are not supposed to grow luxuriantly except 
 in the vicinity of the coast ; but their cultivation in 
 many inland situations in India shews that a little 
 care alone is necessary for their introduction into the 
 most remote parts of Hindostan. 
 
 The natives of Monghyr are a quiet, industrious 
 race, rarely participating in the crimes which are so 
 frequently perpetrated in the upper and lower country.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 383 
 
 Like all other natives, however, they are exceedingly 
 litigious, and the attention of the public courts is 
 taken up by suits of the most frivolous nature. 
 
 Above Monghyr, on the opposite bank of the 
 Ganges, a work has been constructed, which has ex- 
 cited the admiration of those who are capable of ap- 
 preciating the importance of the benefit which it 
 has conferred. 
 
 This is a bund (in its average dimensions forty- 
 five feet wide at the base, ten in width at the top, 
 and nine feet in height), forming an elevated road, 
 on which carriages of any description may safely be 
 driven. It was constructed to check the incursions 
 of the river, which threatened to inundate the pro- 
 vince. Another cross bund, supplied with sixteen 
 sluices for the purpose of irrigation, is constructed in 
 the same neighbourhood ; and in the opinion of com- 
 petent judges, the solidity of the construction is such, 
 as to defy the utmost force of the river for many 
 ages to come. 
 
 From Monghyr to Patna there is httle of any 
 interest upon the banks, in the shape of picturesque 
 scenery or busy town. The places successively passed 
 are Rassalpore, Soorajgurra, Deeriapore, Bar, Phool- 
 barrea, and Futwa. Much grain grows upon and in 
 the vicinity of the banks, but the major part of the 
 country is meadow land, interspersed with villages 
 and trees. Indeed, as Bishop Heber remarked, if the 
 palm-trees were away, the prospect would pretty 
 much resemble an English prospect. Fruit-trees are 
 cultivated in the gardens of the village, especially 
 the mango, the walnut, and the tarea palm. Nu- 
 merous oxen (buffaloes) and cows — so sacred in the
 
 384 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 estimation of the Hindoo — are seen grazing near the 
 river; and the lanky black pig of the country like- 
 wise contributes his presence to enliven the scene. 
 At Bar there are a good many boats, and the ap- 
 pearance of an active trade. Beggars also sv^rarm 
 there, and are troublesomely importunate in their de- 
 mands for alms. Futwa, a little beyond which the 
 Pompon falls into the Ganges, is celebrated for the 
 good quality and cheapness of the table-linen manu- 
 factured there. About ten miles higher up we come 
 upon the suburbs of Patna, where remains of old 
 walls, towers, and bastions, attest the original im- 
 portance of this celebrated town, — celebrated for one 
 of Clive's most gallant actions, and a law case, which 
 occupies no trifling place in the early history of 
 British occupation. 
 
 Patna is the first native city of wealth and im- 
 portance on the Ganges. It stands on the right 
 bank of the river, and here the marshy soil of Bengal 
 is exchang-ed for the arid sands of Hindostan : camels 
 seldom penetrate farther, and from this point the hot 
 winds cease to be felt. 
 
 Patna, though it does not contain any single build- 
 ing of great celebrity or peculiar beauty, is rich in 
 the remains of Mussulman splendour, and its appear- 
 ance from the river is highly picturesque. The houses 
 of the wealthy classes are handsome buildings, flat- 
 roofed, and surrounded by carved balustrades. The 
 intermixture of these residences with perfect, broad 
 ghauts, the remains of Gothic gateways of dark-red 
 stone, and the numerous temples devoted to Hindoo 
 and Mussulman worship, produces a striking effect. 
 
 Upon the first subjection of the upper country to
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 385 
 
 the Company, the city of Patna became the residence 
 of the civilians employed by the government ; but 
 it has long been abandoned, in consequence of a 
 treacherous attack made upon them by Cossim AH, 
 and they have now established themselves at Banki- 
 pore, a convenient spot by the river side, a short 
 distance beyond the suburbs. The houses of the 
 civil servants who belong to the Behar district are 
 built in the style of those of Calcutta, and are chiefly 
 jnicliah; many are very stately edifices, having broad 
 terraces overlooking the Ganges, and being sur- 
 rounded with luxuriant plantations. 
 
 The situation of Patna possesses many advantages. 
 Being placed on the border of Bengal, it commands 
 an easy communication with the upper and lower 
 provinces ; supplies are rapidly procured from Cal- 
 cutta by the river, and the earliest choice of articles 
 may be obtained from the cargoes. 
 
 The society in every part of India must always 
 be susceptible of great fluctuation ; but so extensive 
 a district as Behar cannot, at any period, fail to pos- 
 sess a very fair proportion of the talent and intelli- 
 gence of the country. It is not, therefore, surprising 
 that the head-quarters, Bankipore, should generally 
 be distinguished for the intellectuality of its principal 
 residents. 
 
 The military cantonments of Dinapore are only a 
 few miles distant, and at favourable periods contri- 
 bute not a little to the gaiety of the district. The 
 garrison of Dinapore is commanded by a brigadier- 
 general, and, in addition to the native force, is usually 
 the station of one royal regiment. The cantonments 
 are handsome and well laid out; and the performances 
 
 s
 
 386 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of the military bands in the evening, upon the parade- 
 ground, attract the whole population to the spot. 
 
 Dinapore has the advantage of its neighbour in 
 the beauty of the surrounding country ; it is better 
 wooded, and more picturesque ; but it may be said 
 with truth of almost every part of Hindostan, that 
 the face of the country bears two aspects, being ex- 
 ceedingly ugly in the dry season, and very beautiful 
 in the rains. 
 
 There are portions of the suburbs of Patna, parti- 
 cularly the view from a Mussulman cemetery of con- 
 siderable extent, which are exceedingly interesting. 
 No person should halt at Patna without paying a 
 visit to this family burial-ground, which, excepting 
 at one season of the year, is left to perfect solitude. 
 
 Patna is a stronghold of Mahomedanism, and 
 the disciples of the prophet who dwell within its 
 walls are far more fanatic and intolerant than their 
 brethren of Bengal. The riches of the city enables 
 it to celebrate the obsequies of the young martyrs, 
 Hossein and Houssien, in a very splendid manner; 
 and their noble square is selected for the final depo- 
 sitory of the tazuhs, or tombs, which are carried 
 about in commemoration of the funeral honours paid 
 by the followers of Ali to his slaughtered sons. 
 
 Patna carries on an extensive trade, and is famous 
 for its manufactories of table-linen, wax candles, 
 lackered toys, and talc pictures. It also possesses 
 very expert workmen in every department of me- 
 chanical art. Amongst the minor branches are bird- 
 cages, constructed with great ingenuity and even 
 elegance, the frames of some being delicately inlaid 
 with ivory, while the wires of others are strung with
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 387 
 
 coloured beads. The natives of India are fond of 
 keeping birds as domestic pets. The beautiful little 
 avadavats, or lolls, as they are commonly called by 
 the natives, on account of their bright ruby colour, 
 are in great request; these, together with many 
 other kinds, are easily procurable at Patna. This 
 city is a grand mart for opium. The soil is also 
 favourable to the growth of potatoes, a vegetable 
 which is much cultivated for native consumption in 
 India. 
 
 The streets of Patna can only be traversed on 
 horseback, or upon an elephant, being too narrow to 
 admit of any wheel-carriage superior to the native 
 rhut, a creaking vehicle, composed of wood and rope, 
 in which the ladies of the country, concealed from 
 public view by thick curtains, huddle themselves 
 when they travel or pay visits ; and the ecka, a light 
 pony-gig, on two wheels, covered with cloth. The 
 best houses face the river ; many of these have a 
 dismal appearance on the side of the street, shewing 
 only a high blank wall, perforated with a few small 
 windows in the upper story. Other mansions are 
 enclosed in large walled courts ; and in passing along 
 the principal street, many porticoes are visible peep- 
 ing out of recesses, or small quadrangles, which seem 
 to be the entrances to buildings belonging to people 
 of rank. The houses tenanted by the middhng 
 classes are exceedingly crazy, and have somewhat of 
 a Chinese air, each story lessening in size, and stand- 
 ing in the verandah of the one below. They are 
 removed a little from the public path, crowded 
 during the day with men and animals, by being 
 raised upon a platform about a foot high from the 
 s 2
 
 388 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 street. The houses occupy the centre of this plat- 
 form, a margin being left all round, which some- 
 times stretches beyond the verandah, and forms a 
 shelf, or counter, on which the goods of the inferior 
 shopkeepers are displayed in baskets, none of the 
 richer and more elegant articles being exposed to ' 
 public view in India. The shop of the hukeems, or 
 apothecaries, make the best appearance: they are 
 furnished in the primitive style, with herbs of various 
 kinds neatly arranged. 
 
 Amidst much that is unsightly, there is a some- 
 thing to admire in the long avenue which stretches 
 from gate to gate of the city, every few yards bring- 
 ing some picturesque object to view; lofty open 
 cupolas, in the most elegant style of Mogul archi- 
 tecture, surmounting mosques, or contrasted with 
 solid towers of the dark-red stone, which seems to 
 have been the favourite material in former times. 
 One of these latter is a singular building, somewhat 
 resembling a glass-house ; it was intended for a 
 granary, but has never been used for that or any 
 other public purpose, excepting as an occasional 
 powder magazine. 
 
 On the opposite bank of the river, at Hadjeepore, 
 or in its neighbourhood, at Sonepore, a fair is held 
 annually, which attracts a vast concourse of people, 
 both native and European, to its festivities. The 
 period is regulated by the changes of the moon. 
 The natives come in thousands to bathe at the con- 
 fluence of the Ganges and the Gunduck, which of 
 course possesses a double virtue. Duty carries some 
 of the civil servants to the scene of action, and others 
 proceed thither in order to recreate themselves, during
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 389 
 
 a brief period, with the amusements which the assem- 
 blage of famiUes from various parts of the country 
 seldom fails to occasion. The fair takes place at a 
 convenient season — the commencement of the cold 
 weather. The visitors pitch their tents on the plain, 
 and, when there is a full attendance, form extensive 
 camps. Horse-races, balls, dinner-parties, concerts, 
 and private theatricals, constitute the principal 
 amusements of the Europeans. 
 
 The actual fair is, of course, a very secondary 
 object; they, however, who have enough cash to 
 make extensive purchases, may provide themselves 
 with the richest productions of the East — shawls, 
 pearls, gold ornaments, and precious stones. Ele- 
 phants, horses, singing-birds, &c., are likewise obtain- 
 able in numbers. Many of the tents are extremely 
 splendid, those of the wealthy natives, in particular, 
 being bordered with scarlet cloth, cut into fanciful 
 patterns. The double-poled tents of the civilians 
 are scarcely, if at all, inferior in their external deco- 
 ration, and the interiors are furnished with great 
 elegance. Rich carpets are spread over the settringees 
 which cover the floor, and small chandeliers are sus- 
 pended from the roof. The walls are hung with 
 some gay-patterned chintz, and the sideboards glitter 
 with plate. No privations are felt by the dwellers 
 under canvas : the repasts being equally well served 
 in the midst of a sandy waste as in the kitchen 
 attached to a magnificent mansion. 
 
 The city of Patna was formerly inhabited by na- 
 tives of great rank and wealth, but there are now 
 few of the former. Throughout the district there 
 are men of every caste to be found. The lowest
 
 390 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 castes met with are the Chumar and Dome. These 
 do not mingle with any other castes, and are consi- 
 dered so despicable that they are prohibited from en- 
 ering the different villages. They make mats and 
 baskets. 
 
 The Mahomedans, who consist of Syuds, Sheikhs, 
 Moguls, and Patans, form a large part of the 
 population of the city of Patna, which embraces 
 about 300,000 souls. The Mohurrum festival is ce- 
 lebrated by them with great pomp, but the proces- 
 sion is joined by both Hindoos and Mussulmans. 
 The principal Akhanas are the Ponjar Kutra and 
 Chaneroo Durriah, which take the lead in each year, 
 alternately, and upwards of 3,000 Tazuhs are car- 
 ried in procession at this festival before the Imaum- 
 baiah. The Syuds and Sheikhs intermarry, but no 
 other castes do. All marriages are contracted 
 through the parents, and they are usually celebrated 
 in the months of January and February. There are 
 many mosques or musjids in Patna, but the princi- 
 pal place of actual worship is the monument of 
 Shah Arzani, about the middle of the western sub- 
 urb. Adjacent to the tank is an Imaumbarah, 
 where 100,000 people assemble, with the pageantry 
 used in celebrating the Mohurrum, in commemora- 
 tion of the grandsons of the prophet. The only 
 places of worship at all remarkable among the fol- 
 lowers of the Brahmins, are the temples of the great 
 and little Patanadevi, Pataneswari, or the guardian 
 of Patana, i. e. tiie city. The building is small, but 
 avowedly recent, and has been erected at the expense 
 of the priests. 
 
 Passing Dinapore and Deegah, once an extensive
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 391 
 
 farm, but now a provisioner's store, where every variety 
 of cured pork and beef may be had in great abundance 
 and of good quality, we pass the embouchure of the 
 river Soane, or golden river, which rises in the distant 
 mountainous country of Gundava. This river affords 
 millions of beautiful pebbles and petrifactions, which 
 are cut and sold for bracelets, &c. Above the 
 mouth of this river are many Moslem and Hindoo 
 ruins, but they are not visible unless the traveller 
 lands. 
 
 Chuprah. — This is a civil station, the capital of 
 Sarun. The town, which consists of one large and 
 several small streets, contains a great many large 
 native houses, and some mosques and pagodas. It 
 extends for about a mile or more along the bank of 
 the Gano;es. The district of Sarun is one of the 
 healthiest in India, but the roads are bad, and there 
 is little or no game to reward the toil of the sports- 
 man. The town of Chuprah contains 50,000 souls, 
 which is about a twentieth part of the entire popula- 
 tion of the district. 
 
 To the east of Chuprah lies the district of Tir- 
 hoot, where immense quantities of indigo are grown. 
 The civil station of Tirhoot is Mozufferpore. This 
 district is separated from the kingdom of Nepaul by 
 a jungly swamp, called the Terai, which affords ex- 
 cellent cover for game, but is so unhealthy as to be 
 impassable at certain seasons. 
 
 After passing Revelgunge, famous for the number 
 of boats built there, and the villages of Boujpore and 
 Bhulea, we reach Buxar, where the river runs rather 
 narrow.
 
 392 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 BuxAR. — This place, celebrated in the history of 
 British India as the scene of the battle which con- 
 firmed us in possession of Bengal and Behar, is a 
 laroe Mussulman town. A few invalid soldiers re- 
 side in the fort, but the circumstance which chiefly 
 imparts importance to the place, is the Company's 
 stud which is kept up here and at Koruntadhee, on 
 the opposite side of the river. These studs produce 
 the finest horses for cavalry and artillery purposes in 
 India. The country round about is rich in grain, 
 wheat, oats, and barley. Here the thatched houses 
 of the natives begin to disappear, and the tiled roofs, 
 common to the upper provinces, to make their ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 Nothing further of interest presents itself on 
 either bank beyond a ruined fort or two, and some 
 indigo factories (where the river traveller always 
 finds a welcome), until we get to 
 
 Ghazeepore. — A military cantonment v^'here one 
 royal regiment is generally quartered, a civil station, 
 another stud depot, and a celebrated place for the 
 manufacture of rose-water. The appearance of the 
 town, as seen from the river, is rather pleasing than 
 otherwise. The houses are chiefly built of a flesh- 
 coloured stone, procurable at the neighbouring sta- 
 tion of Chunar, which gives them an imposing ex- 
 terior. The most remarkable edifices are the palace 
 of Cossim Ali Khan, a new fort, crumbling to decay, 
 and the cenotaph to the memory of the Marquis of 
 Cornwallis. This latter stands about 100 paces 
 from the banks of the Ganges, in the rear of the 
 barracks, and is built in imitation of the Sybil's tern-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 393 
 
 pie. At the end of a grove is a circular enclosure, 
 fenced by handsome iron railings eight feet high. 
 In the centre of this is the tomb. 
 
 On passing through the gate, a noble flight of se- 
 venteen steps presents itself, for the purpose of as- 
 cending to the top of the casement, which may be 
 reckoned as risino- eioht or nine feet above the 
 ground. The periphery of the casement is eighty 
 paces, and from its margin rise twelve Doric 
 pillars, supporting an elegant entablature. These 
 pillars are without pedestals, as was usual among 
 the ancients, and each is composed of seven blocks 
 of beautiful freestone : — the plinth, tori, cavetto, 
 and cimbia, taking one piece, the shaft five pieces, 
 and the upper cimbia and capital one piece. The 
 girth of the column at the bottom is eleven feet ! conse- 
 quently the semi-diameter is about twenty-two inches. 
 Between the base of the pillars and the wall of the 
 central apartment, is a piazza fifteen feet in width, 
 paved with large flags of freestone, of which material 
 the building is composed. The walls, which are 
 about four feet thick, are perforated in four places : — 
 fronting the steps is a doorway eight feet wide by 
 fourteen or fifteen high ; on the opposite side is a 
 corresponding opening, and to the right and left are 
 apertures, perhaps five or six feet square, the tops 
 of which are level with the summits of the portals. 
 This room is about twenty-seven feet in diameter, 
 and is paved with square slabs of dark grey or mo- 
 numental marble. In the midst stands a marmo- 
 rean monument almost of pearly whiteness, which has 
 risen from beneath the masterly chisel of Flaxman. 
 The body of the monument is about five feet square, 
 s 3
 
 394 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and, arching gently at the top, is surmounted with 
 the coronet of a marquis. On the face fronting the 
 main entrance (or rather the only one, for the door- 
 way farthest from the river opens only into the co- 
 lonnade, there being no steps on that side for de- 
 scending to the ground), between two natives, a Hin- 
 doo to the right and a Mahomedan to the left — in 
 attitudes of lamentation, is a large medallion charged 
 with a profile of Lord Cornwallis in bas lelief. Be- 
 neath this, is the following legend : — 
 
 Sacred to the Memory of 
 
 Charles MARauis Cornwallis, 
 
 Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, 
 
 General in His Majesty's army, 
 
 Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in India, 
 
 Sf'c. &fc. Sfc. 
 
 His first Administration, 
 
 Commencing in September, 1786, and terminating in October, 1793, 
 
 Was not less distinguished, by the successful operations of war. 
 And by the forbearance and moderation with which he dictated the 
 
 terms of peace. 
 
 Than by the just and hberal principle, which marked his internal 
 
 government ; 
 
 He regulated the remuneration of the servants of the State 
 
 On a scale calculated to ensure the purity of their conduct. 
 
 He laid the foundation of a system of revenue 
 
 WTiich, while it limited and defined the claims of government. 
 
 Was intended to confirm hereditary rights to the proprietors, 
 
 And to give security to the cultivators of the soil. 
 
 He framed a system of judicature 
 
 Wliich restrained within strict bounds the powers of public 
 
 functionaries. 
 
 And extended to the population of India the effective protection of 
 
 laws 
 
 Adapted to their usages, and promulgated in their own languages. 
 
 Invited, in December, 1804, to resume the same important station, 
 
 He did not hesitate, though in advanced age, to obey the call of his 
 
 country.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 395 
 
 During the short term of his last administration, 
 
 He was occupied in forming a plan for the pacification of India, 
 
 "\i\Tiich, having the sanction of his high authority, was carried into 
 
 effect 
 
 By his successor. 
 
 He died near this spot, where his remains are deposited, 
 
 On the 5th day of October, 1805, in the 67th year of his age. 
 
 This monument, erected by the British Inhabitants of Calcutta, 
 
 Attests their sense of those virtues. 
 
 Which will live in the remembrance of grateful millions. 
 
 Long after it shall have mouldered in the dust. 
 
 The reverse side of the monument is occupied by 
 a shield emblazoned with the Company's arms, on 
 one side of which is a British grenadier, and on the 
 other a native sepoy, both resting on their arms re- 
 versed. Below, is a long inscription in the Persian 
 character, and on each side of the monument is a 
 large wreath of laurel. 
 
 The roof of this apartment is a shallow dome, 
 springing from the level of the cornice ; but outside 
 the building is carried up about ten feet, and then is 
 rounded off, to the hemispherical form required. The 
 apex of the dome rises about sixty feet above the 
 ground level. 
 
 The palace of Cossim AH Khan will, on inspection, 
 repay the admirer of Saracenic architecture for the 
 time he may bestow upon it. The English church 
 is also a fine building, and the school and the jail 
 are worth a brief visit. The celebrity of Ghazeepore 
 for its rose-u^ater justifies our giving some minute 
 particulars of its manufacture, from a popular 
 authoress who has spoken of it at large. 
 
 " The precious incense of the rose, the atta-gool, 
 so celebrated throughout all the civilized parts of
 
 396 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the world, is produced in considerable quantities in 
 the gardens round Ghazeepore. 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ Tt* 
 
 " The Indian rose, though its very name seems to 
 imply distinction, can only sustain a comparison 
 with its European sisters in the fragrance which it 
 yields. It is beautiful, but, excepting at Agra, it 
 does not attain to the magnificent size common in 
 England, nor does it present the infinite varieties 
 which adorn our gardens. The cultivators of India 
 are content to take what the hand of nature has given 
 them, and resort to few aids for the improvement of 
 her lavish beauties ; to a large majority, the rose ap- 
 pears to be too valuable a plant to be made the mere 
 embellishment of a bouquet, and for commercial 
 purposes, that which they have found indigenous to 
 the soil proves quite sufficient. * * * The roses of 
 Ghazeepore are planted formally in large fields, oc- 
 cupying many hundred acres of the adjacent country. 
 
 *Jl. Ji. M- M. 
 
 •TV* ^ TS- •?!• 
 
 " The first process which the roses undergo, is that 
 of distillation. They are put into the alembic with 
 nearly double their weight of water. The goolaabee 
 pmnee (rose-water) thus obtained is poured into 
 large shallow vessels, which are exposed uncovered 
 to the open air during the night. The navnes, or 
 jars, are skimmed occasionally ; the essential oil 
 floating on the surface, being the precious concentra- 
 tion of aroma so highly prized by the worshippers of 
 the rose. It takes 200,000 flowers to produce the 
 weight of a rupee in atta. This small quantity, 
 when pure and unadulterated wath sandal-oil, sells 
 upon the spot at 100 rupees (£10), an enormous
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 397 
 
 price, which, it is said, does not yield very large pro- 
 fits. A civilian having made the experiment, found 
 that the rent of land producing the above-named 
 quantity of atta, and the purchase of the utensils, 
 alone, came to £5 ; to this sum the hire of labourers 
 remained still to be added, to say nothing of the 
 risk of an unproductive season. The Damascus, or 
 rose of Sharon, is the flower in most esteem in some 
 parts of India ; in others, the common cabbage or 
 hundred-leaved rose is the favourite. The oil pro- 
 duced by the above-mentioned process is not always 
 of the same colour, being sometimes green, some- 
 times bright amber, and frequently of a reddish hue. 
 When skimmed, the produce is carefully bottled, 
 each vessel being hermetically sealed with wax, and 
 the bottles are then exposed to the strongest heat 
 of the sun during several days. 
 
 ,i^ .it, ^ -^ M, 
 
 TS* -TS* TV" "Tv* TS* 
 
 " Rose-water which has been skimmed is reckoned 
 inferior to that which retains its essential oil, and is 
 sold at Ghazeepore at a lower price ; though, accord- 
 ing to the opinion of many persons, there is scarcely, 
 if any, perceptible difference in the quality. A seer 
 (a full quart) of the best may be obtained for eight 
 annas (about one shilling). Rose-water enters 
 into almost every part of the domestic economy of 
 natives of India : it is used for ablutions in medi- 
 cine, and in cookery. Before the abolition of nuz- 
 zurs (presents), it made a part of the offering of 
 persons who were not rich enough to load the trays 
 with gifts of greater value. It is poured over the 
 hands after meals ; and at the festival of the Hoolee,
 
 398 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 all the guests are profusely sprinkled with it. Euro- 
 peans, suffering under attacks of prickly heat, find 
 the use of rose-water a great alleviation. Natives 
 like it internally for all sorts of complaints; they 
 consider it to be the sovereignest thing on earth 
 for an inward bruise, and eau-de-Cologne cannot be 
 more popular in France than the gooldabee jjaanee 
 in India. Rose-water, also, when bottled, is exposed 
 to the sun for a fortnight at least." 
 
 The environs of Ghazeepore are planted with fine 
 forest trees. Birds abound, the branches are loaded 
 with the pendulous nests of the crested sparrow, and 
 the blue jay sports in dangerous proximity to the 
 Ganges, being selected at a barbarous Hindoo festi- 
 val as a victim to the cruel Doorga. There are 
 some fine old banian-trees in the neighbourhood of 
 Ghazeepore \ one in particular, which overshadows a 
 ghaut in an adjacent village, may be styled the 
 monarch of the Ganges. This tree, as well as the 
 peepul, is sacred ; and when a Brahmin takes up his 
 abode under its boughs, it becomes an asylum for all 
 sorts of animals : the fine old patriarch of the woods 
 near Ghazeepore is the haunt of innumerable mon- 
 keys, which actually crowd the branches, and gambol 
 along the steps of the ghautj perch upon its balus- 
 trades, and play their antics with the bathers in 
 perfect security, and in multitudes which remind the 
 gazer of rabbits in a warren. Snakes are very nu- 
 merous in this part of the country, and their deadly 
 enemy, the mungoose, is frequently seen on the 
 watch for his victims, which he pursues with unre- 
 lenting animosity.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 399 
 
 Village and cultivated field, temple and factory, 
 ghauts and stately trees, now greet the eye until the 
 boat approaches the holy city of 
 
 Benares. — Here Hindoo superstition has its 
 chosen abode. Rank intolerance to this moment 
 characterizes the bearing of its inhabitants towards 
 people of all persuasions. In external appearance, 
 Benares is a miniature Naples, being built upon a 
 curve washed by the Ganges, which thus resembles 
 a little bay. The city rises from the river ; spires, 
 temples, ghauts, with long flights of steps, balconies, 
 lofty houses, intermixed with trees, walls, minarets, 
 &:c., all in close contiguity, giving it the air of a 
 populous and densely-built town. The aspect within 
 verifies the view from without. The streets are so 
 narrow, that wheeled carriages cannot pass ; an ele- 
 phant will occupy the entire width, and make sad 
 havoc with the wares placed a foot or two from the 
 shop fronts. The most remarkable building is an 
 observatory, originally erected for the use of the 
 Hindoo astronomer, but now completely disused. 
 The view from its summit is most striking. Oriental 
 learning flourishes at Benares, and its wealth, con- 
 siderable from the operations of commerce, is much 
 enhanced by the frequent visits of pilgrims of the 
 highest rank, who not only make propitiatory offer- 
 ings, but spend considerable sums in their own 
 pleasures. The trade of the town consists chiefly 
 in shawls, precious stones, gold and silver brocades, 
 called Kincauhs, gold and silver tissue, lace, and 
 fringes. There are two military cantonments here, 
 one at Secrole, four miles distant, where three in- 
 fantry regiments and a proportion of artillery are
 
 400 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 quartered, and one at Sultanpore, a little higher up 
 the river, where a regiment of light cavalry is sta- 
 tioned. At Secrole, there is a church, pretty theatre, 
 and a racket-ground. The bungalows of the Euro- 
 pean officers are commodious buildings, and as the 
 society of the station consists of some forty or fifty 
 individuals, life glides away pleasantly enough ; 
 especially if the general officer who commands the 
 division and the judge of the district are on har- 
 monious terms, and seta good example of hospitality. 
 The population of the district consists of nearly 
 520,000 souls, 174,000 of whom reside in the city. 
 
 The Hindoo population may be divided into the 
 four great divisions of the Hindoo Shasters. The 
 present Rajahs of Benares claim to be " Bhoomijas 
 Brahmins," or Brahmins cultivating the soil. They 
 represent themselves to be of the higher castes of 
 pure descent. 
 
 Among the higher classes of the Hindoos, the 
 strictest appearance of morality is maintained ; and 
 infidelity involves the penalty of loss of caste, ruin, 
 and disgrace to the female — the husband being, like- 
 wise, an outcast, till he has performed certain reli- 
 gious atonements, and purchased restoration to his 
 caste by feeding his brethren, or Brahmins. The 
 lower classes wear the marriage tie lightly ; but they 
 are faithful, for the time, to the persons with whom 
 they may be united, whether he be a husband or 
 protector. Among these, the Domes, Passees, and 
 Bhurs, are apparently the aboriginal possessors of 
 the country; but they now perform the lowest 
 offices, being burners of the dead, watchmen, and 
 scavengers. They are regarded as most impure by
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 401 
 
 the higher classes of the Hindoos, and to touch or 
 approach them is defilement. They are much given 
 to theft and pilfering. 
 
 The Pagans may be considered as amounting to 
 457,417, and the Mahomedans to 62,486. In 
 Benares and its vicinity there may be from 200 to 
 300 Christians, and the missionaries have many 
 schools and chapels throughout the city. The Hin- 
 doo temples are extremely wealthy in endowments, 
 and are in good repair, while the Mahomedan 
 mosques are in many instances ruinous and deserted. 
 
 A few miles higher up the river stands Chunar, 
 a fortress and a station, the latter composed of 
 pretty villas within their separate compounds, and 
 the former built in the native style, and kept up as a 
 place of confinement for state prisoners. The garri- 
 son consists of some native invalids, a detachment of 
 artillery and native infantry. Chunar is celebrated 
 for its tobacco and its quarries of free-stone, which 
 form an article of commerce throughout Bengal and 
 Behar. 
 
 MiRZAPORE, a trading town of considerable con- 
 sequence, is next reached. It is large and populous, 
 not unlike Benares in its general aspect as well as in 
 its position upon the river. The Mirzapore carpets 
 are famous all over India ; but the importance of the 
 town is chiefly derived from its position as the empo- 
 rium of all the cotton grown in the interior. Many 
 hundred boats are employed to convey this staple, in 
 its raw condition, to Calcutta, whence it is shipped 
 to Europe and China, or worked up for consumption 
 in the country. There is an establishment of civil 
 officers here, and a regiment occupies the cantonment.
 
 402 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The river now winds considerably ; the high lands, 
 called the Bingie Hills, hitherto in view, are entirely 
 lost sight of, and the banks become uninteresting as 
 far up as the Dooab, where the junction of the waters 
 of the rivers Jumna and Ganges takes place, and at 
 the extremity of which stands Allahabad. 
 
 Allahabad, or " the abode of God," acquired this 
 name from the INIussulman conquerors of India, who 
 have left memorials of their splendour in a fortress 
 once unequalled in beauty, and now gaining in 
 strength what it has lost in external appearance. 
 The city itself does not display those remains of 
 magnificence which might have been expected in a 
 place once favoured by the presence of royalty. It 
 now retains few vestiges of the Mogul conquest, 
 save the appellation and the buildings before men- 
 tioned, its Mussulman inhabitants behig limited in 
 numbers, and of little importance as regards their 
 wealth, rank, or talent. The city is almost wholly 
 given up to idolatry, and has ever been celebrated 
 for the pilgrimage of pious Hindoos, attracted to a 
 spot blessed by the junction of two sacred rivers. 
 
 The principal object of curiosity and attraction at 
 Allahabad is the fort, which is erected upon the point 
 of land stretching into the waters of the Ganges and 
 Jumna, whose broad currents are united beneath its 
 walls. Though injured in its appearance by the 
 alterations and additions necessary to transform an 
 ancient Mogul castle into a place of strength, 
 according to the modern art of fortification, it still 
 retains somewhat of its oriental and feudal air, rising 
 in majestic grandeur from the river, whence it may 
 be espied at a very considerable distance.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 403 
 
 There are low posterns leading to the glacis facing 
 the river ; but the principal entrance of the Fort of 
 Allahabad is landward, and is not to be paralleled in 
 magnificence by any building intended for a similar 
 purpose. A noble arched hall, in the Gothic style, 
 surmounted by adome, and enriched with " arabesques 
 of gold and flowers," appears beyond the ample portal, 
 an entrance worthy of the finest citadel in the world. 
 The interior, containing ranges of buildings not 
 entirely divested of the beauty of their original 
 architecture, affords, at least during two seasons of 
 the year, some of the most delightful residences to be 
 found in India. A suite of apartments, intended for 
 the use of the Governor, but which is sometimes occu- 
 pied by an inferior officer, commands a splendid view 
 of the Jumna, with its craggy heights and wild sandy 
 shores. From a balcony perched near the summit 
 of a tower on which the windows of one of the cham- 
 bers open, a prospect of singular beauty is obtained. 
 The spectator looks down upon a grove of mango- 
 trees, flanking a fine esplanade, and peopled with 
 innumerable ring-necked paroquets. Above, upon 
 pediment and pinnacle, other inhabitants of the air 
 erect their nests, and plume their wings. Along the 
 thickly-wooded shores of the Allahabad bank, build- 
 ings of various degrees of interest are interspersed on 
 the small islands which rear their sandy platforms 
 above the surface of the river ; and the opposite 
 shore of Bundelkund, rising in towering cliffs, 
 crowned with pagodas or the remnants of hill forts, 
 forms a noble back-ground. 
 
 The cantonments of Allahabad are beautifully pic- 
 turesque, having a greater diversity of hill and dale
 
 404 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 than is usually seen upon the plains of India, and 
 being finely wooded in every direction. Two or three 
 regiments of Native Infantry and some artillery, 
 commanded by an officer of rank, form the garrison 
 of Allahabad. 
 
 The undulating surface of the country round 
 Allahabad afibrds numerous advantafjeous sites for 
 bungalows, many of which are erected in very excel- 
 lent situations, commanding views of great beauty. 
 
 The station has never been remarkable for its 
 festivities ; yet its balls and parties sometimes attract 
 visitors from the smaller and duller military posts 
 of Chunar, Mirzapore, and Pertaubghur in Oude. 
 There is a theatre at Allahabad, where amateurs 
 occasionally perform : but the chief resource for the 
 gentlemen appears to be the billiard-table. Atolerably 
 well-supported book-club furnishes the floating lite- 
 rature of the day, to the many who seek for amuse- 
 ment only in the pages of a book. The rocky 
 character of the bed of the Jumna affords to geolo- 
 gists a field for their pursuits, which they would seek 
 in vain in the muddy alluvial soil watered by the 
 Ganges. Amidst pebbles of little value, interesting 
 and curious specimens of cornelians, and stones even 
 more precious, are occasionally found. The opposite 
 district of Bundelkund is famous for diamonds, equal- 
 ling in value and splendour those of the Golconda 
 mines, and in some particular spots they are found 
 in considerable quantities. All below a certain 
 weight are the property of the persons who may 
 chance to gather them; the larger sort belong to 
 a rajah, who is bound to give a certain price in the 
 event of his claiming the privilege of purchase. The
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 405 
 
 native method of gathering diamonds, which is the 
 least expensive, and, perhaps, on that account, the 
 best, is very simple. A few labourers clear a conve- 
 nient space on a rocky surface, and when it is laid 
 bare, they bring buckets of earth from the places sup- 
 posed to be the most thickly sown with the gems, 
 and sifting it through their hands, easily find the 
 diamonds, which, even in their rough state, are ex- 
 tremely luminous. The hire of the workman com- 
 prises the whole of the outlay, and diligent seekers 
 frequently gather a rich harvest. 
 
 The situation of Allahabad is said to be healthy ; 
 but either from its proximity to the two rivers, or the 
 quantity of wood which gives the surrounding coun- 
 try so luxuriant an appearance, it is more humid 
 than any other place in the Dooab, and is stated to 
 possess a peculiar character of its own, the hot winds 
 being considerably mitigated, and rain falhng at 
 seasons when other parts of the country are dry. 
 The gardens are, in consequence, very productive ; in 
 those belonging to the British residents, artichokes 
 in particular flourish, attaining a size unknown in 
 less favourable soils in the neighbourhood. The rich 
 tapestry of the jungles, those splendid creepers, which 
 hang their fantastic wreaths upon every adjacent 
 bough, are the great ornament of the pleasure- 
 grounds of Allahabad. The native gardeners train 
 them somewhat formally upon erect bamboos, whence 
 they trail their magnificent gardens down to the 
 ground, forming huge conical mounds. 
 
 Allahabad affords a mournful example of the want 
 of pubhc spirit in the Mussulman population of its 
 neighbourhood. A noble caravanserai, built by Sultan
 
 406 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Khosroo, which forms a superb quadrangle, entered 
 by four Gothic gateways, and surrounded by clois- 
 ters running along the four sides of a battleniented 
 wall, the usual accommodation for travellers offered 
 by an Indian hostel, has been permitted to fall into 
 a state of deplorable decay. The garden adjoining, 
 finely planted with mango-trees, is also in a neglected 
 and deteriorated state. Three tombs, erected accord- 
 ing to the fine taste displayed by the Mahomedans 
 in the selection of the site of their mausoleums, in 
 this garden, have, from the extraordinary solidity of 
 their construction, escaped the destroying hand of 
 time. Chaste, magnificent, and solemn, they are 
 peculiarly adapted for the purpose to which they 
 have been dedicated, and put to shame the diminu- 
 tive monuments raised to kings and princes in the 
 cathedrals of the western world. Splendid terraces, 
 forming stately platforms, which are furnished with 
 several apartments below, form the basement story. 
 The central chamber in each contains a stone sarco- 
 phagus, in which the mortal remains of the dead are 
 deposited. Above, and occupying the middle of each 
 platform, a circular, dome-crowned hall, finely pro- 
 portioned and profusely ornamented with rich sculp- 
 turing, delights the gazer's eye, who, in these palace- 
 like tombs, sole survivors of the splendour of the 
 Moguls, is impressed with one of the most amiable 
 traits in the Moslem character — its reverence for the 
 dead, and desire to perpetuate the memory of objects 
 beloved in life. 
 
 Allahabad, or at least the confluence of the rivers 
 which belong to it, is held in high estimation by the 
 Hindoos, being a place of pilgrim-resort. When a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 407 
 
 pilgrim arrives here, he sits down on the brink of the 
 river, and has his head and body shaved, so that 
 each hair may fall into the water; the sacred writings 
 promising him one million of years' residence in 
 heaven for every hair thus deposited. After shaving, 
 he bathes, and the same day, or the next, performs 
 the obsequies, or skraad, of his deceased ancestors. 
 Many persons renounce life at this holy confluence, 
 by going in a boat, after performing certain solemni- 
 ties, to the exact spot where the rivers unite, when 
 the devotee plunges into the stream, with three pots 
 of water tied to his body. Occasionally, also, some 
 lose their lives by the eagerness of the devotees to 
 rush in and bathe at the most sanctified spot, at a 
 precise period of the moon, when the expiation pos- 
 sesses the highest efficacy. The Bengalees usually 
 perform the pilgrimage of Gya, Benares, and Allaha- 
 bad, in one journey, and thereby acquire great merit 
 in the estimation of their countrymen. Allahabad is 
 the permanent station of a court composed of a body 
 of judges, whose office is the same, with regard to 
 these provinces, as that of the SudderDewannyAdaw- 
 lut, in Calcutta, is for the more eastern portions of 
 the empire. This court makes circuits during the 
 months which permit travelling, generally pitching 
 their tents near towns, and holding their courts under 
 trees ; an arrangement extremely agreeable to native 
 prejudices, especially those of the lower classes, who 
 always feel afraid, and are under a constraint in a 
 house, particularly if furnished after the European 
 fashion, where they can neither tell their story well, 
 nor attend to what is going on.
 
 408 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The steam-vessels which navigate the Ganges from 
 Calcutta terminate their voyage at Allahabad, as 
 there is not at all times sufficient water for a pro- 
 tracted trip. Since their establishment, the com- 
 merce of Allahabad has much increased, and esta- 
 blishments have sprung up which expressly provide 
 for the comfort of the traveller about to proceed 
 downward in the steamer, or higher up the country 
 by boats (on the Jumna) or land conveyance. We 
 close the river sketch here, as all other points may 
 be reached by dawk, and it will be more convenient 
 to trace land journeys, as distances can then be ac- 
 curately given. 
 
 Calcutta to Ferozepore hy Dawk {palanquin), in- 
 cluding the trip to Cawnpore, Allyghur, Etawah, 
 Agra, Delhi, Kurnaul, Urnhalla, Loodiana. 
 
 The distance from Calcutta to Ferozepore is about 
 1100 miles. It is divided into stages varying from 
 ten to fifteen miles each. 
 
 CALCUTTA TO BURDWAN. 
 Ms. F. 
 
 Calcutta to Cox's Bunga- 
 low 10 
 
 Ghyretty Ghaut . . . . 9 
 
 Hooghly* .. ..8 4 
 
 Terragorea . . ..11 
 
 Boindhee 
 Dular Bagar 
 Burdwan 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 
 73 4 
 
 * It is not unusual to proceed thus far in a buggy — a hooded con- 
 veyance between a gig and a cabriolet.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 409 
 
 After passing through the native part of the town 
 of Calcutta, the palanquin proceeds along the Bar- 
 rackpore road, an extensive avenue of trees skirted 
 by villages, gardens, and rice-fields. Cox's Bunga- 
 low, the site of a building now used as stables for 
 relays of horses, is on the right-hand side of the 
 road, and here the first change of bearers takes 
 place. This relay proceeds onwards through the 
 cantonment of Barrackpore (already described), to 
 Pultah Ghaut (or landing-place*), where the palan- 
 quin is placed in a boat and ferried across to Ghy- 
 retty. An excellent road then conducts the traveller 
 to Hooghly, a civil station thickly inhabited, not far 
 from which is the town of Chinsurah, once the pro- 
 perty of the Dutch, but latterly ceded to the East- 
 India Company. At Chinsurah, there is a barrack, 
 where a single British regiment is generally quar- 
 tered. The country between Hooghly and Burdwan 
 is level and extensively cultivated. The roads are 
 good, the small rivers are crossed at Satgaon and 
 Muggra ghauts by suspension-bridges ; and there are 
 buno-alows at convenient intervals, and bazaars where 
 supplies are plentiful. Burdwan is another civil sta- 
 tion, where abide a revenue collector, a judge, and 
 magistrate, with their assistants, a surgeon, two or 
 three indigo planters, and a couple of missionaries. 
 The town and surrounding zemindaree (or estate) was 
 formerly governed by a Rajah, but the title only 
 
 * Ghauts are generally composed of broad flights of steps, to facili- 
 tate the landing or embarkation of river travellers. Here, too, the 
 natives assemble in numbers early in the morning to bathe in the 
 Ganges and offer up their prayers to Vishnu. 
 
 T
 
 410 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 of the sovereignty has descended to his heirs, who 
 for some years past have lived under the British 
 Government as simple landholders. A letter of in- 
 troduction will insure the traveller the hospitable at- 
 tentions of any one of the residents, but failing this, 
 or in case of the necessity or the inclination for a 
 rapid journey, the dawk bungalow affords accommo- 
 dation. A dawk, or staging bungalow, is a small 
 house standing generally a few yards off the high 
 road at intervals of about fifteen miles in those 
 parts of the country most frequently traversed, and 
 at greater intervals in less frequented districts. It 
 usually consists of a thatched or tile-roofed house of 
 one floor, raised a few feet from the ground, and di- 
 vided into two small rooms, to each of which a 
 bathing-room is attached. A verandah runs round 
 three sides of the building, and there are out-offices 
 for cooking, &c. Two servants constantly reside at 
 each bungalow, one acting in the double capacity of 
 khitmutoar, or table servant and cook, and the other 
 as a bearer or mussalchee. While the former pre- 
 pares such a repast as his farm-yard and private 
 stores will allow, the latter procures jars of cold 
 water, and assists the traveller to perform his toilette. 
 These bungalows are under the control of some go- 
 vernment officer at a neighbouring station, and a 
 book is kept in which the visitor (who pays one 
 rupee for the use of a bungalow for any time short of 
 twenty-four hours) records any complaints he may 
 have to make of the attendance of the domestics, 
 the state of the building, &c.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 411 
 
 BURDWAN TO BENARES. 
 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 To Burdwan 
 
 .. 73 4 
 
 Churparun* 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Surool 
 
 .. 11 4 
 
 Bulwar . . 
 
 ..90 
 
 Bood bood 
 
 .. 11 4 
 
 Surwah . . 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Gopalpore 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Sheerghattee 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Undal . . 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Mundunpore 
 
 .. 16 
 
 Bograh , . 
 
 ..12 
 
 Nowninga 
 
 .. 14 
 
 Neamutpore 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Baroon . . 
 
 .. 14 
 
 Neersa . . 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Dharee . . 
 
 ,.3 
 
 Gobinpore 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Sasseram 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Rajafuta .. 
 
 .. 12 
 
 Jeparabad 
 
 .. 16 
 
 Paopon . . 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Mohuneaf 
 
 .. 14 2 
 
 Doomree 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Nobulpore 
 
 .. 14 4 
 
 Bagada . . 
 
 .. 11 
 
 Mogul Serai 
 
 .. 15 4 
 
 Uthka . , 
 
 .. 10 
 
 Benares Cantonment 
 
 .. 12 2 
 
 Dhowrara 
 Burhee . . 
 
 ..11 
 .. 13 
 
 
 
 
 420 4 
 
 From Burdwan to Benares, soon after entering 
 the Bancoorah| district (Bograh), the road runs, for 
 upwards of two hundred miles, though a jungle 
 skirted by a chain of hills of no great altitude, which 
 
 * At this stage a road branches off in a northerly direction to the 
 holy city of Gyah, which is likewise a civil station. The road is sandy 
 and heavy. From Gyah the road runs north-easterly to Patna. 
 
 t At Acoree, in this neighbourhood, there is a branch road which 
 leads to Ghazeepore, tlience to Azinghur, and further on in a north- 
 easterly direction to Goruckpore. Azinghur and Goruckpore are civil 
 stations, but a regiment is generally stationed at the latter, to act in 
 case of emergency against the people on the Nepaulese frontier. 
 
 J West of Burdwan, at a distance of 30 miles, is Bancoorah, a 
 small military station. It is exactly 102 miles from Calcutta; and 
 continuing the same road, parallel with the present route to Benares, 
 we reach, at a distance of 240 miles, the salubrious liiU-station of 
 Huzareebagh, which has barracks for a European regiment. 
 T 2
 
 412 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 constitute the country and the fastnesses of the Coles. 
 Scarcely a building, beyond the occasional bunga- 
 low, is to be seen. The places whence the stages 
 take their name are, for the most part, either invisi- 
 ble villages, solitary chowkies (post houses), or little 
 temples. The bearers stand out upon the road or at 
 its edge, awaiting the arrival of the palanquin at the 
 appointed hour, and receive it upon their shoulders 
 from the others, whom they relieve without deposit- 
 ing it upon the ground, unless desired to do so by 
 the party within. The scenery along the road is 
 more interesting than that which characterizes the 
 dead level of Bengal and the provinces beyond 
 Benares, but as there are no striking objects (except- 
 ing a mosque at Sasseram) to arrest attention, the 
 traveller, if he does not admire scenery too wild to be 
 very picturesque, and not lofty enough to be mag- 
 nificent, and if he cannot read in the palanquin, will 
 do well to go over his ground at night, halting at 
 bungalows between nine a.m. and four p.m. to rest, 
 bathe, dress, and take his meals. In fifty-eight 
 hours' continual travelling, the Benares cantonment, 
 already described, is reached, and, as at every place 
 indeed where a European is to be found, the door of 
 the resident is always open to the dawk traveller. 
 Two or three days may be advantageously spent 
 here in forming acquaintances and in visiting the 
 Holy City and other remarkable places.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 413 
 
 BENARES TO ALLAHABAD. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 To Benares . . 
 
 ..420 
 
 4 
 
 Sydabad . 
 
 Mokun Serai 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 Jhoosee . 
 
 Jamashabad 
 
 .. 11 
 
 4 
 
 Allahabad 
 
 Goseah . . 
 
 .. 10 
 
 4 
 
 
 Ooji Chowke 
 
 .. 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 Ms. F 
 
 .. 13 4 
 
 .. 13 6 
 
 ..4 6 
 
 495 2 
 
 Leaving Benares, we proceed along an admirable 
 road through a succession of villages, lagoons, and 
 cultivated lands. In the months of October and 
 November but little, however, is to be seen of the 
 country, for the hajra, a grain much used in feeding 
 cattle, is now at maturity, and as it grows to the 
 height of six or seven feet, and is cultivated to the 
 very edge of the made road, it necessarily veils the 
 level land beyond it from the sight of a person in a 
 palanquin. But from the month of December to 
 the end of March the lands are sown with wheat, 
 barley, vegetables, grass, &:c., and the aspect is then 
 green and pleasant to the eye, the horizon being ge- 
 nerally terminated by groves of mango-trees, which 
 are extremely numerous and abundantly fruitful. A 
 little beyond Goseah, we pass through Gopeegunge, 
 a large village and bazaar, which, if it happens to be 
 market hours, is worthy inspection, as exhibiting the 
 character of mofussil (provincial) commerce, and the 
 products of the district. Further on, at Jhoosee, 
 opposite Duragunge, the Ganges is crossed. The 
 river is here one mile wide, but as the stream oc- 
 cupies during the dry season but one-third of the 
 bed, the remaining space (sand) is traversed with 
 difficulty. Soon after crossing the river we come
 
 414 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 to Allahabad, of which mention has already been 
 made. 
 
 ALLAHABAD TO CAWNPORE. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 To Allahabad 
 
 ..495 
 
 2 
 
 Futtehpore 
 
 .. 13 
 
 
 
 Moofti 
 
 
 
 Mulwa . . 
 
 .. 10 
 
 
 
 Ka Poona 
 
 .. 13 
 
 4 
 
 Avung 
 
 .. 12 
 
 2 
 
 Kussea . . 
 
 .. 15 
 
 4 
 
 Mahingpore 
 
 .. 13 
 
 
 
 Lynee 
 
 .. 10 
 
 
 
 Cawnpore 
 
 .. 12 
 
 G 
 
 Katanghung 
 
 .. 12 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thurrias . . 
 
 .. 11 
 
 4 
 
 
 G19 
 
 2 
 
 The road from Allahabad to Cawnpore is as mo- 
 notonous as that to Allahabad, which, in all that 
 respects scenery, it much resembles, with probably 
 somewhat less of picturesque effect. At the town of 
 Futtehpore, however, the curious in old buildings, of 
 no very great antiquity, will be interested by the nu- 
 merous remains of mosques, houses, serais of the 
 Mussulman era, and of the severest kind of Maho- 
 metan architecture. Futtehpore is a civil station, 
 where two or three judicial and revenue functionaries 
 reside, any one of whom will be glad to receive the 
 passer-by if he prefers social intercourse to the soli- 
 tude of the bungalow. Four stages from Futteh- 
 pore, one night's journey, lies Cawnpore, a large 
 civil and military station. 
 
 The description given by the late Miss Emma 
 Roberts of this station is so exact, and applies, with 
 slight variation, to so great a number of military 
 stations throughout India, that we cannot do better 
 than quote a portion from her interesting work on 
 Hindostan.* It will save the necessity for much 
 * Scenes and Characteristics of Hindostan. 2 vols.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 415 
 
 repetition, inasmuch as the " bungalow," the " com- 
 pound," and the " encampment," described by her, 
 are nearly the same in every cantonment. 
 
 " Cawnpore is one of the principal stations of the 
 mofussil, and is situated upon the right bank of the 
 Ganges, about 600 miles from Calcutta. 
 
 " Nature has done little for Cawnpore ; but the 
 sandy plain, broken occasionally into ravines, which 
 forms its site, has been so much embellished by the 
 hand of man, that any one but a soldier, not sub- 
 jected to the miseries of field days, will say that it 
 possesses much picturesque beauty. 
 
 " The great objection to the station is its want of 
 concentration ; the lines of the various regiments 
 straggle to the distance of five miles along the river's 
 bank, and it is inconvenient to travel so far to visit a 
 friend, but the scene is thereby agreeably diversified, 
 and the compounds (a corruption of the Portuguese 
 word compania), which surround the bungalows, are 
 laro;er than could be the case if its limits were more 
 circumscribed. Many of those compounds are beau- 
 tifully planted, and have a very park-like appearance, 
 particularly during the rainy season, when the culti- 
 vated parts of the plain have put on their green 
 mantle. The prickly pear are greatly in request for 
 fences ; and the tall pagoda-like aloe, with a base 
 resembhng the crown of a gigantic pine-apple, fre- 
 quently intervening, forms a magnificent embellish- 
 ment to the plantations. The houses at Cawnpore 
 are, with very few exceptions, cutcha, that is, built 
 of unbaked mud, and either chopperd (thatched) or 
 tiled ; but they are, generally speaking, extremely 
 large and commodious. The plans of bungalows are
 
 416 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 various, but the most common consist of three centre 
 rooms ; those opening on the front and back veran- 
 dah being smaller than the one occupying the inte- 
 rior, which is called the hall : these rooms commu- 
 nicate with three others, much narrower, on each 
 side, and at the four corners are bathing rooms, 
 taken off the verandah, which stretches all round. 
 The centre and largest room, has only the borrowed 
 light permitted by eight, ten, or twelve doors, lead- 
 ing out of the surrounding apartments ; these doors 
 are always open, but some degree of privacy is ob- 
 tained by a curtain attached to each, of a sort of 
 gauze-work, formed of bamboo split very fine, 
 coloured green, and called chick ; these also serve to 
 keep out the flies, while they admit air and all the 
 light considered necessary by an Anglo-Indian, who 
 excludes glare, on the principle that it communicates 
 heat to the apartment. Many of the Cawnpore 
 houses are handsomely furnished, the chairs, tables, 
 and sofas, being of valuable wood, richly carved 
 with cushions and coverings of damask, or of Ba- 
 reilly manufacture, black, with gold flowers, resem- 
 bling the japanned chairs, fashionable in England 
 forty years ago. The floors, which are of chunam 
 (finely tempered lime), are covered in the first in- 
 stance with a matting, and in the second with a 
 settringee, a peculiar manufacture of the country, of 
 an exceeding thick texture, and usually worn in 
 shaded blue stripes ; or with calico printed in Brus- 
 sels patterns, and so closely resembling a carpet, as 
 to deceive all our practised eyes. This forms the 
 general decoration of houses in the upper provinces. 
 The exterior of a bungalow is usually very unpictu-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 417 
 
 resque, bearing a strong resemblance to an over- 
 grown barn ; the roof slopes down from an immense 
 height to the verandah, and whatever be the cover- 
 ing, whether of tiles or thatch, it is equally ugly ; in 
 many places the cantonments present to the eye a 
 succession of large conical roofs resting upon low 
 pillars ; but in Cawnpore the addition of stone fronts 
 to some of the houses, and of bowed ends to others, 
 gives somewhat of architectural ornament to the sta- 
 tion. 
 
 " The gardens rank amongst the finest in India. 
 In consequence of there being so many settled resi- 
 dents, they are much cultivated and improved; all 
 the European vegetables, with the exception of 
 broad beans, come to great perfection during the 
 cold season, and the grapes and peaches, which are 
 not common to other stations, are particularly fine. 
 The pine-apple does not grow in the upper provinces, 
 but the mangos, plantains, melons, oranges, shad- 
 docks, custard-apples, limes, and guavas, are of the 
 finest quality. These gardens, intermixed with forest 
 trees, give Cawnpore a very luxuriant appearance ; 
 it is an oasis reclaimed from the desert, for all 
 around wastes of sand extend to a considerable 
 distance. 
 
 " In the centre of the cantonments, and on the 
 highest ground, are two stone buildings of a very 
 imposing exterior — the assembly-rooms and the 
 theatre; the latter a long oval, surrounded by a 
 colonnade of pillars of the Roman Doric order, orna- 
 mental to the station, though not very well adapted 
 to the purpose for which it was intended. 
 
 " Beyond the theatre, the road leads to the race- 
 t3
 
 418 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 course, which is approached by an avenue well 
 planted on either side, and watered during the dry 
 season. This avenue forms the evening drive, and 
 at sun-set it is thronged with the society of the 
 station. 
 
 "The course, as it is termed, skirts a wide plain, 
 bounded to the right by the native city, which, 
 though possessing nothing worthy of a visit, forms 
 a pretty object in the distance. The plain also 
 affords a busy, and, to the stranger's eyes, an inter- 
 esting scene. Groups of natives are to be seen 
 seated round their fires, cooking, eating, or singing 
 after a repast; and elephants and strings of home- 
 bound camels, loaded with forage, likewise occupy 
 the ground. 
 
 "Cawnpore, though usually a gay station, is, of 
 course, subject to the vicissitudes produced by the 
 fluctuating state of Indian society. It cannot, how- 
 ever, be so much afi'ected by party spirit, or the in- 
 disposition of leading residents to enter into amuse- 
 ments, as smaller places ; and amongst so many 
 families, an agreeable circle must always be found. 
 In its best days the entertainments were various, 
 and suited to the different seasons. 
 
 " During the cold season all the infantry corps 
 forming the garrison of Cawnpore usually encamp 
 upon a wide plain in the vicinity, for the convenience 
 of better ground for the performance of military 
 evolutions than is to be found in the cantonments. 
 An Indian camp affords a very striking and curious 
 spectacle, and though the admixture of trees adds 
 much to its beauty and heightens its effect, yet, 
 when, as at Cawnpore, it arises in the midst of an
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 419 
 
 uncultivated desert, the singularity of the scene it 
 presents compensates for the loss of the more pleas- 
 ing features of the landscape. 
 
 " Regular streets and squares of canvas stretch 
 over an immense tract; each regiment is provided 
 with its bazaar in the rear, and far beyond the lines, 
 the almost innumerable camp-followers of every 
 description form their bivouacs. The tents of the 
 commanding officers are indicated by small red 
 flags ; but in no place is it so easy for strangers to 
 lose their way, there is so much uniformity in the 
 various avenues, and the natives make such strange 
 havoc of English names, that an hour may be spent 
 in wandering, before the abode of a friend can be 
 found. All the mofussilites are accustomed to spend 
 a large portion of their time under canvas, and in 
 consequence of the necessity of providing a moveable 
 habitation, there are tents which do not boast more 
 comfort than can be easily imagined by those who 
 are only acquainted with a European marquee. All 
 are double, the interior and exterior covering being 
 about a foot and a half apart ; those which are 
 double- poled contain several commodious apart- 
 ments, and are furnished with glass doors to fit into 
 the openings. They are usually lined with some 
 gaily-coloured chintz ; the floors are well covered 
 with settringes, and they have a convenient space en- 
 closed at the rear by kanauts (a wall of canvas), for 
 out-offices and bathing-rooms. Moveable stoves 
 are sometimes provided for the cold weather, but 
 there is a better contrivance, inasmuch as smoke is 
 thereby avoided, in an imitation of the Spanish 
 brassora. A large brass or copper basin, in common
 
 420 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 use called a chillumchee, mounted on an iron tri- 
 pod, is filled with red wood embers, and fuel thus 
 prepared, without having the deleterious effect of 
 charcoal, diffuses a general warmth throughout the 
 tent, and is very necessary in the evening; for 
 though, during the cold season, the sun is still too 
 fierce at noon-day to confront without shelter, as 
 soon as its rays are withdrawn, intense cold suc- 
 ceeds, a sharp piercing wind sweeps along the 
 plains, and the thermometer sinks below the freezing 
 point. 
 
 " Cawnpore is well supplied with every article of 
 European manufacture necessary for comfort, or 
 even luxury, though it must be confessed that things 
 are frequently too high-priced to suit subalterns' al- 
 lowances. The bazaars are second to none in India, 
 beef, mutton, fish, and poultry being of the finest 
 quahty : vegetables of all kinds may be purchased 
 by those who have not gardens of their own, there 
 being a sufficient demand to induce the natives to 
 cultivate exotics for the market. In addition to the 
 shops kept by Europeans, there are many ware- 
 houses fitted with English and French goods, be- 
 longing to Hindoo and Mussulman merchants ; 
 and the jewellers are scarcely inferior to those of 
 Delhi. 
 
 *' Cawnpore is celebrated for the manufacture of 
 saddlery, harness, and gloves; though less durable 
 than those of English make, the cheapness and 
 beauty of the two former articles recommend them 
 to the purchaser ; and the gloves offer a very re- 
 spectable substitute for the importations from France. 
 Prints of fashions supply the mantua-makers and
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 To Cawnpore 
 
 ..619 
 
 2 
 
 Goorsaigaye 
 
 Kullianpore 
 
 .. 7 
 
 
 
 Chiberamore 
 
 Chobeepore 
 
 .. 9 
 
 
 
 Buvur 
 
 Poorah . . 
 
 .. 10 
 
 6 
 
 Bowgory . . 
 
 Urroul . . 
 
 .. 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 Meerun, Ke Serai 
 
 .. 9 
 
 4 
 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 421 
 
 tailors with ideas, and as there is no lack of mate- 
 rials, the ladies of Cawnpore are distinguished in 
 the Mofussil for a more accurate imitation of the 
 toilettes of London and Paris than can be achieved 
 at more remote stations." 
 
 CAWNPORE TO MYNPOOREE. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 .. 14 
 
 .. 15 
 
 .. 13 2 
 
 .. 7 6 
 
 719 
 
 Quitting Cawnpore, we proceed through a level 
 country, tolerably well cultivated, and dotted with 
 jheels, which swarm with wild fowl and great varie- 
 ties of the stork tribe. Turtle-doves are also seen in 
 great numbers, and their natural enemy the kite, 
 which in these parts is grey, with a whitish head, 
 and a straight bill or beak. Many remains of mag- 
 nificent serais (caravanserais) here attest the splen- 
 dour of the Mahomedan dynasty. They are capa- 
 cious, and chiefly of red brick, but have fallen into 
 decay, the British Government having taken no 
 pains to repair and preserve them for the uses of 
 native travellers, who are obliged to resort to very 
 small modern serais, constructed of earth and bam- 
 boos. A methranee, or female sweeper, generally has 
 the custody of these serais; and a bunneeah, or grain- 
 seller, within the building, or in close vicinity thereto, 
 disposes of pulse, atta, tobacco, and firewood to the 
 applicant. The well-water at these rude hostelries
 
 422 THE IIAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 is sweet and good ; and if the edifices themselves are 
 not inviting, there are usually a few neem and peepul 
 trees about them which afford an agreeable shade. 
 At all the stages mentioned above there are small 
 bazaars, well supplied, and good water. The road 
 through the country is indifferent, owing to the 
 sandy nature of the soil. Bowgory is close to Myn- 
 pooree, a station for a judge and a magistrate and 
 half a regiment of sepoys. 
 
 MYXPOOREE TO ALLYGHUR. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 To MyBpooree 
 
 ..719 
 
 
 
 Secundrario 
 
 . 9 
 
 4 
 
 Korowlee 
 
 .. 16 
 
 
 
 Akbarabad 
 
 . 10 
 
 4 
 
 MuUow . . 
 
 .. 10 
 
 1 
 
 Coel 
 
 . 1 
 
 6 
 
 Etah 
 
 .. 12 
 
 2 
 
 Allyghur Cantonment 
 
 . 12 
 
 6 
 
 Budwas . . 
 
 .. 10 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 802 5 
 
 Etah is a large dirty village in a low dirty situa- 
 tion, surrounded by a mud wall, and, in the rains, 
 nearly encompassed by a deep jheel. Supplies are 
 plentiful. 
 
 The station of Coel is exceedingly like all other 
 civil stations, but derives interest from its contiguity 
 to the once famous fortress of Allyghur, which fell 
 to Lord Lake's arms during the wars with Holkar, 
 for whom the fort was held by a French officer, 
 named Pedron. Our troops took it, by a vigorous 
 assault, at day-break. Great numbers were killed 
 in the attack, and the names of the officers of the 
 76th Foot, which bore the brunt of the action, are 
 engraven on the entablature of a small monument 
 erected to the memory of the slain.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 423 
 
 As Allyghur lies in the direct road to Loodianah, 
 we have gone on so far uninterruptedly ; but to avoid 
 going over much of the same ground, we may here 
 retrace our steps to Cawnpore for a moment, and 
 take the route thence to Agra by way of Etawah. 
 
 ALLYGHUR TO AGRA. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 To Cawnpore 
 
 ..619 
 
 2 
 
 Teswsabad 
 
 Secundra 
 
 .. 50 
 
 
 
 Etimadpore 
 
 Etawah 
 
 .. 50 
 
 
 
 Agra 
 
 Mooreedun Ke Serai 
 
 .. 14 
 
 4 
 
 
 Shekoabad 
 
 .. 8 
 
 4 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 12 
 
 4 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 782 4 
 
 Going westerly from Cawnpore to Secundra, about 
 forty miles, and then north-westerly for fifty more, 
 Etawah is reached. This was once a flourishing- 
 place, the abode of omras and grandees of the Mo- 
 gul empire, but it is now a mass of ruin and decay. 
 Standing upon the banks of the Jumna, it possesses 
 a splendid ghaut, which rather serves, by contrast 
 with all else, to indicate the present poverty, than to 
 illustrate the ancient importance of the place. A 
 few bungalows scattered over a wide sandy plain, 
 nearly destitute of trees, intermixed with other build- 
 ings of an inferior kind, announce the presence of 
 civil and military residents. These are, however, 
 few in number — the one being limited to a collector 
 and magistrate, with their subordinate officers, and 
 the other to the wing of a corps of Native Infantry ; 
 and as the civilians are only here occasionally, and 
 the military detachment is frequently relieved, no 
 one appears to have a motive for rendering the houses 
 comfortable. Nothing can be imagined more dreary
 
 424 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and desolate than this place as a residence ; but for 
 the naturalist it possesses attractions of no common 
 order, the result, in a great measure, of the abun- 
 dance of vegetation, arising from the absence of a 
 large European population. 
 
 In no other part of India, with the exception of 
 the hill-districts, are more brilliant and interesting 
 specimens of birds and insects to be seen ; extremely 
 small brown doves, with pink breasts, appear amid 
 every variety of the common colour; green pigeons, 
 blue jays, crested woodpeckers, together with an in- 
 finite number of richly-plumed birds, glowing in 
 purple, scarlet, and yellow, less familiar to unscien- 
 tific persons, flock around. The tailor-bird and the 
 fly-catcher are also inliabitants of the gardens, which 
 are visited by miniature birds resembling those of 
 Paradise. Nothing can be more beautiful than the 
 effect produced by the brilliant colours of these birds, 
 which congregate in large flocks ; and by the flight 
 of the ring-necked paroquets, and the byahs, or 
 crested sparrows. Numbers of aquatic birds, too, 
 feed upon the shores of the neighbouring Jumna. 
 
 The roads around Etawah are bad ; they are the 
 highways leading to the neighbouring stations, Myn- 
 pooree, Futtyghur, Agra, and Cawnpore, and afford 
 no picturesque views within the range of a day's 
 excursion. There is little temptation to drive out in 
 the evening, the favourite method of taking air and 
 exercise in India; a few mango-groves, skirting vil- 
 lages surrounded by high walls of mud, probably as 
 a security against the incursions of wild beasts, alone 
 diversify the bare and arid plains, while the ruts
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 425 
 
 threaten dislocation, and the dust is nearly suffo- 
 cating. The gardens afford a more agreeable me- 
 thod of passing the short period of daylight which 
 the climate will permit to be spent in the open air. 
 They are large and well planted; but the mallees 
 (gardeners) are extremely ignorant of the European 
 methods of cultivation, not having the same oppor- 
 tunity of acquiring knowledge as at larger stations. 
 The pomegranate is of little value, except for its 
 rich red flowers ; for the fruit, when ripe, is crude and 
 bitter. Sweet lemons, limes, oranges, and citrons, 
 offer fruit of the finest quality; and grapes afford a 
 grateful banquet, at a period of the year (the hot 
 winds) in which they are most acceptable. The 
 melons, which grow to a large size, and are abun- 
 dant in the season, are chiefly procured from na- 
 tive gardens, on the banks of the Jumna, as they 
 flourish on the sands which border that river. Man- 
 goes and jacks occupy extensive plantations, exclusive 
 of the gardens, and are left, as well as custard, 
 apples, plantains, guavas, to the cultivation of the 
 natives, the ground in the neighbourhood of a bun- 
 galow being chiefly appropriated to foreign produc- 
 tions. The seeds of European vegetables are sown 
 after the rainy season, and come to perfection during 
 the cold weather. Green peas, cauliflowers, and cos 
 lettuce appear at Christmas, sustaining, without in- 
 jury, night-frosts which would kill them in their 
 native climes ; but celery, beet-root, and carrots 
 never attain to their proper size, and are frequently 
 deficient in flavour. The oleanders, common all 
 over India, are the pride of the jungles, spreading 
 into large shrubs, and giving out their delicate per-
 
 426 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 fume from clusters of pink and white flowers. The 
 hauhool also boast scent of the most exquisite na- 
 ture. The sensitive plant grows in great abundance 
 in the gardens of Etawah, spreading itself over 
 whole borders. 
 
 Other flowers of great beauty and variety bespan- 
 gle the plains and decorate the jungles. Butterflies 
 of singular brilliancy, grasshoppers, beetles, with 
 golden coats ; insects, in short, of almost all the 
 species known to the entomologist, swarm in the 
 district. The jackal and the wolf prowl at night, 
 and afford sport to the huntsman during the early 
 part of day. Game of all kinds is likewise abun- 
 dant. The river Jumna is well stocked with fish, 
 and these, with excellent beef and mutton, leave the 
 Etawah residents without excuse for an ill-furnished 
 table. 
 
 At Shekoabad we get into the former route from 
 Cawnpore, and twenty-five miles further on stands 
 Agra. 
 
 The city of Agra, once the capital of the renowned 
 Akbar, is situated on the left bank of the Jumna, in 
 north latitude 27° 12', and east longitude 78° 17'. 
 The appearance of the city from the river is pictu- 
 resque, without being imposing ; the houses on the 
 banks having a mean appearance, whilst their regu- 
 larity is broken by trees and jutting banks. A fine 
 strand road was constructed by the labour of the 
 destitute poor during a famine that prevailed in 
 1838. It is eighty feet wide, and affords a noble 
 promenade for crowds of pedestrians, who resort 
 there in the evening, and is very convenient also for 
 the landing of goods, &c. Several of the more opu-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 427 
 
 lent natives have adorned it with stone ghauts, which 
 in the rainy season afford the inhabitants an easy 
 access to the stream, and enable them to enjoy the 
 luxury of bathing, offering libations, &:c. &c. During 
 the hot months, however, the bed of the river, next 
 the town, is entirely dry ; the channel being on the 
 opposite bank, distant nearly half a mile. The city 
 extends about four miles in length, and about three 
 in depth ; the houses are built chiefly of the red 
 sandstone, which is procured in abundance from 
 some neig-hbourins: hills to the south. There is one 
 fine broad street, which runs through the middle of 
 the city, extending from the fort to the Padree tank: 
 several of the houses in it are three and four stories 
 high ; most of the other streets are very narrow, but 
 they are for the most part kept very clean. During 
 the day the main street is thronged with passengers, 
 and there is an appearance of much bustle and bu- 
 siness, but, with the exception of a few merchants 
 and bankers, the inhabitants are generally very poor. 
 The shops contain very few articles ; many of them 
 are small cabins of about eight feet square, and con- 
 tain goods in proportion. In the centre of the city 
 is the cutwallee, police office, which is in a very effi- 
 cient state, so that there are rarely any disturbances, 
 whilst order, safety, and a cheerful tranquillity ap- 
 pear to prevail. From the fort there is a good road, 
 though somewhat steep, leading to the cantonment, 
 both considerably elevated above the level of the 
 river. Here the military and the greater proportion 
 of the Christian residents are located, whilst the 
 civilians and writers in the public offices are in an 
 opposite direction, with an intervening space of at
 
 428 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 least three miles, and in some instances five. Very 
 few Europeans choose to live in the city on account 
 of its closeness and insalubrity. The cantonments 
 on the other hand are very open, and the bungalows 
 are situated in the midst of extensive compounds, 
 some of which are converted into beautiful gardens ; 
 these gardens, however, are rendered as useful as 
 they are ornamental, for almost all the vegetables 
 obtainable in the place are of our own produce. 
 There is no regular market for the sale of these neces- 
 saries. A few greens (turai), melons, cucumbers, and 
 occasionally cauliflowers, are produced, but there is 
 no dependence upon regular supplies ; and as for peas, 
 asparagus, turnips, beans, and other table vege- 
 tables, they are scarcely ever cultivated by the native 
 mallees (gardeners). The great obstacle, however, 
 to the more general culture of gardens is the scarcity 
 of good water. With but few exceptions the wells in 
 Agra contain brackish water, and this proves fatal to 
 all but a very few vegetable productions. But even 
 when good water is procurable, the expense of wa- 
 tering and gardening is very considerable. A pair of 
 bullocks and their keepers cost ten or twelve rupees 
 a month ; three or four mallees cost as much more ; 
 and as an individual family can seldom consume one- 
 hundredth part of what it produces, there is much 
 waste as well as much expense. The unsettled life, 
 too, which many of the residents lead, precludes them 
 from laying out so much money in ?i fixture like a 
 garden ; few tenants at will are so ultra generous as 
 to make gardens for their landlords ; the consequence 
 is, their number is very few, and they belong chiefly 
 to those who are likely to be more permanent set-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 429 
 
 tiers in the place. There is an equal want of farm 
 produce, such as poultry, eggs, butter, butcher's 
 meat ; the latter article is generally so inferior that 
 almost every individual kills his own mutton, — all 
 these evils might, in a great measure, be obviated 
 by 2l joint stock farm. 
 
 The roads of Agra have been much improved 
 within the last few years — limestone, instead of 
 pounded brick, being now used. It makes a hard 
 and durable road, which resists the pressure of car- 
 riage wheels, and becomes more compact by rain. 
 There are laroe beds of this material found in the 
 neighbourhood ; in fact, it is largely distributed over 
 a considerable portion of the Dooab. Agra abounds 
 in noble ruins. The old walls, which still remain, 
 define the extent of the ancient city, which must 
 have occupied at least ten times the space which 
 it now does; portions, which are now productive 
 fields, were formerly crowded with houses ; remains 
 of hammaums, or baths, and subterraneous rooms 
 are often to be met with in the midst of ravines ; 
 the whole space opposite the river from the fort 
 to the Taj was occupied by a series of noble pa- 
 laces. Amidst these stupendous ruins a road has 
 been cut to the Taj : the walls are sometimes eight 
 and ten feet of solid masonry, and the cement by 
 which they are held together is so firm that they re- 
 sist the ordinary means of disintegration : another 
 fine range of buildings including tombs, mosques, 
 and Hindoo temples, extended from the present 
 civil lines to Secundra. Two of the tombs being 
 large and commodious, and not much decayed, have 
 been appropriated as receptacles for orphan boys and
 
 430 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 girls — whilst a once beautiful villa adjacent to the 
 girls' school is occujDied by the superintendents of 
 the female branch. It has two stories with balco- 
 nies in the upper one, the whole of one side elabo- 
 rately carved, and inlaid with slips of white marble 
 and variegated stones. The cupolas surmounting 
 the balustrades have still remains of that beautiful 
 mazarin blue enamel which decks all the principal 
 ruins, but the composition of which is now unknown. 
 On the same road, a little to the right, is a spacious 
 tank, now dry. It measures at least between three 
 and four hundred feet square, and in the centre of 
 each of the sides, a flight of steps leads to the bed ; 
 over these piazzas are constructed, and at each corner 
 small towers of an octagonal form. The style of ar- 
 chitecture of the generality of the Agra buildings is 
 very heavy and destitute of grace. There is often 
 exquisite beauty and elaboration in the details, but a 
 sombre massiveness in the tout ensemble which would 
 seem to insinuate that their design was less for com- 
 fort than durability, — less for enjoyment than for 
 fame. 
 
 The trees, although not numerous are many of 
 them truly venerable, and the cool shade which they 
 offer to the passing traveller renders them objects 
 of peculiar interest. The tamarind-tree is particularly 
 admired, not only for its shade, but for the beauty 
 and delicacy of its foliage ; whilst under the broad 
 covering of the peepul leaves, which, whilst they 
 effectually screen the fiery rays of the King of Day, 
 also produce, by their motion, a most refreshing 
 coolness. The baubool is abundant, and is much 
 used for hackery wheels, carts, and sometimes for
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 431 
 
 rough furniture, as it is not liable to split. A species 
 of wine is also made from its bark, which is much 
 drank by Kaiths and some other castes. The sissoo 
 is a highly valuable wood for doors and windows, 
 but is very scarce, and yields to the more abundant 
 saul. The climate of Agra, during the hot winds 
 which prevail from April to July, is truly distressing; 
 but the rains which fall, and which in regular sea- 
 sons continue till October, cool the air most refresh- 
 ingly. From the 1st of October, the misty mornings 
 usher in, though by slow degrees, the cold season. 
 In December, fires are hghted, and afford to cold 
 subjects, not only comfortable warmth, but still more 
 grateful reminiscences of home. Every one at this 
 season of the year seems cheerful and revived. The 
 scenery of nature is also irradiated with brightness 
 and verdure. The holyoak, the balsam, and the 
 refulgent marigold enliven the gardens, whilst beds 
 of mignonnette and rows of the Indian myrtle per- 
 fume the atmosphere. Vegetables are now nearly 
 fit for the table. Early peas, carrots, turnips, aspa- 
 ragus, artichokes, cauliflowers, French beans, are 
 all in season, but in January they become more 
 abundant. In February the air is most bland and 
 balmy ; it is the spring weather of England, and the 
 lovely peach and apple blossoms unfold their deli- 
 cate petals to the breeze. There are very few birds 
 remarkable for the beauty of their plumage or the 
 sweetness of their song. Parrots, minas, pigeons, 
 doves, swallows, avadavats, piddis (a little bird 
 similar to the last), kites, crows and sparrows, ad- 
 jutants, vultures, and the petted peafowls, nearly
 
 432 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 make up the whole of the specimens of the winged 
 tribe. 
 
 Public Edifices. — The desire of posthumous 
 fame seems to be quite a passion among the inhabit- 
 ants of the East. This feeling is chiefly gratified in 
 the structure of magnificent tombs and temples. 
 India abounds with them, and in the district of Agra 
 there are some of the choicest specimens. Amongst 
 these, surpassingly pre-eminent is the Taj Mehal, 
 built by Shah Jehan, the King of the World, for his 
 beautiful Queen, Noor Jehan, the Light of the 
 World. 
 
 Every peer has his tomb, and they are numerous 
 in and about Agra ; they are often found in the com- 
 pounds of our bungalows, and any attempt to remove 
 them would be followed by a remonstrance from the 
 Emaums. 
 
 The taj seems as fresh and almost as perfect as 
 when it was just finished. The joinings of the mar- 
 ble slabs of which the exterior is composed are so 
 close and compact, that not a fibre of vegetation is 
 to be seen pressing from between them, nor does the 
 rain or atmosphere have any effect in staining its 
 polished surface. Another striking feature in this 
 building is the admirable finish with which every 
 thing about it is executed : every device is chaste and 
 appropriate. The arches of the doors are neither 
 pure Saxon nor Gothic, but allow of greater breadth 
 than either, and are yet equally susceptible of 
 strength. Under the central dome is a kind of oc- 
 tagonal palisade richly fretted, and within this are 
 the tombs of the emperor and his empress ; both ex-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 433 
 
 ceedlngly beautiful, and covered with a profusion of 
 flowers — ornaments composed of various coloured 
 stones let in — they are chiefly agates, cornelians, and 
 blood-stone. Underneath these tombs is a vault 
 where there are two other tombs of a plainer con- 
 struction — on these garlands of flowers are constantly 
 placed, and generally a light burning : on the pa- 
 nels or lower parts of the walls, flowers are carved 
 in alto relievo. Nothing can be more graceful or 
 perfect than the forms of these flowers ; all is waving 
 and natural, there is not the slightest degree of stiflT- 
 ness or bad drawing in them. The natives are, with 
 good reason, proud of this unique specimen of the 
 fine arts, but it is scarcely a matter of doubt that the 
 entire design and superintendence were those of 
 Italian artists. Bishop Heber immediately recog- 
 nized, in the fretwork especially, pure Florentine art; 
 and that there were Italians at Agra at the time, 
 and even long before, is evident from their tombs 
 being still extant in the Roman Catholic burying- 
 ground : the dates of some still legible are within 
 1600 and 1650. 
 
 The beauty of this mausoleum has attracted the 
 attention of many visitors, but none have done it 
 such perfect justice as the author of the following 
 sketch, published six years ago in the East-India 
 United Service Journal.: — 
 
 " I have been to visit the taj. I have returned, 
 full of emotion. My mind enriched with visions of 
 ideal beauty. When first I approached the taj, 
 eleven years ago, I was disappointed. In after days, 
 when my admiration for the loveliness of this build- 
 ing had grown into a passion, I have often inquired, 
 
 u
 
 434 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 why this should have been. And the only answer 
 1 can find is, that the symmetry is too perfect to 
 strike at first. It meets you as the most natural of 
 objects. It therefore does not startle, and you re- 
 turn from it disappointed that you have not been 
 startled. But it grows upon you in all the harmony 
 of its proportions, in all the exquisite delicacy of its 
 adornment; and at each glance, some fresh beauty 
 or grace is developed. And, besides, it stands so 
 alone in the world of beauty. Imagination has never 
 conceived a second taj, nor had any thing similar 
 ever before occurred to it. 
 
 " View the taj at a distance ! It is as the spirit of 
 some happy dream, dwelhng dim, but pure, upon the 
 horizon of your hope, and reigning in virgin supre- 
 macy over the visible circle of the earth and sky. 
 Approach it nearer, and its grandeur appears un- 
 lessened by the acuteness of its fabric, and swelling 
 in all its fresh and fairy harmony, until you are at a 
 loss for feelings worthy of its presence. Approach 
 still nearer, and that which, as a whole, has proved 
 so charming is found to be equally exquisite in the 
 minutest detail. Here are no mere touches for 
 distant effect. Here is no need to place the beholder 
 in a particular spot to cast a partial light upon the 
 performance, — the work which dazzles with its ele- 
 gance at the coup d'ceil will bear the scrutiny of the 
 -microscope. The sculpture of the panels, the fret- 
 work and mosaic of the screen, the elegance of the 
 .marble pavement, the perfect finish of every jot and 
 iota, as if the meanest architect had been one of 
 those potent Genii, who were of yore compelled to 
 ^dorn the palaces of necromancers and kings.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 435 
 
 " We feel, as our eye wanders around this hallowed 
 space, that we have hitherto lavished our admiration 
 and our language in vain. We dread to think of it 
 with feelings, which workmanship less exquisite has 
 awakened, and we dare not use, in its praise, lan- 
 guage hackneyed in the service of every-day minds. 
 We seek for it a new train of associations, a fresher 
 range of ideas, a greener and more sacred corner in 
 the repository of our heart. And yet, wherefore 
 should this be, since no terms applying to other 
 works of beauty, excepting the most general, can 
 be appropriated here? For those, there be phrases, 
 established by usage, which their several classifica- 
 tions of style render intelligible to all acquainted 
 with similar works of art. But in the taj, we fall 
 upon a new and separate creation ; which never can 
 become a style, since it never can be imitated. It is 
 like some bright and newly discovered winged thing, 
 all beauteous, in a beauty peculiar to itself, and re- 
 ferable to no class or order on the roll of zoology, 
 which the whole world flocks to gaze upon with 
 silent delight — none presuming to designate the 
 lovely stranger, nor to conjecture a kindred for it 
 with the winged things of the earth. Suffice it — 
 Love was its author, — Beauty its inspiration. 
 
 " Now take your seat upon the marble pavement, 
 beside the upper tombs. Lie at full length upon 
 your back, and send your companion to the vault 
 underneath, to run slowly over the notes of his flute 
 or guitar. Was ever melody like this ? It haunts 
 the air above and around. It distils in showers 
 .from the polished marble. It condenses into the 
 mild shadows, and sublimes into the softened hal- 
 u 2
 
 436 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 lowed light of the dome. It rises, it falls ; it swims 
 mockingly, meltingly, around. It is the very ele- 
 ment with which sweet dreams are builded. It is 
 the melancholy echo of the past, — it is the bright 
 delicate harping of the future. It is the atmosphere 
 breathed by Ariel, and playing around the fountain 
 of Chindara. It is the spirit of the taj, the voice of 
 inspired love, which called into being this peerless 
 wonder of the world, and elaborated its symmetry 
 and composed its harmony, and eddying around its 
 young minarets and domes, blended them without a 
 line into the azure of immensity." 
 
 The garden of the taj is also an object of great at- 
 traction ; it is intersected by wide paths, paved with 
 flag-stones, and even those are arranged in fanciful 
 devices. The avenue of cypress-trees, with a row of 
 fountains between them, which still play on Sundays, 
 is particularly fine ; there is besides, in the centre 
 of this avenue, a marble reservoir about forty feet 
 square, in which there are five additional fountains, 
 one in the centre and one at each corner. There are 
 but few flowers in the garden, and but a scanty sup- 
 ply of fruit-trees, the vine being the principal ; but 
 there is a collection of noble trees of gigantic size 
 which afford a delightful shade, and admit of a plea- 
 sant walk even in the middle of the day. 
 
 The Ram Bhag garden, which is across the water, 
 is nearly of the same size as that of the taj, but it 
 is not so regular nor elaborate. Many, however, 
 prefer it on this account, and on account also of the 
 greater variety of fruit and flowers, and particularly 
 of groves of orange-trees, with which it abounds. 
 At both these public gardens there are plain accom-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 437 
 
 modations for invalids, and such as are in search of 
 the picturesque. Parties often spend an agreeable 
 week at these places. 
 
 The fort is one of the grandest in India. It occu- 
 pies a large space of ground on the banks of the 
 river, and within its lofty embattled walls are the 
 palace, the Motee Musjid, the arsenal, and numerous 
 compartments for all the paraphernalia of war. The 
 fort, however, is far from being strong, and would 
 soon fall under an assault from a few long sixteen- 
 pounders. 
 
 The remains of the palace, with its gilded cupolas, 
 and the rich tracery in gold and blue enamel on the 
 walls and roofs of the principal rooms, shew what 
 they must have been when occupied by royalty. 
 The arsenal is very tastefully adorned with warlike 
 instruments. An officer is daily on duty in the fort, 
 with a company of sepoys. The depot for medicines 
 is also within the walls, and the treasure belonging 
 to the collector's office is deposited here for safety. 
 There is a broad wet ditch with drawbridges at con- 
 venient stations around the outer wall. There are 
 also two terraces of considerable breadth, where a 
 large body of troops might be paraded. The Motee 
 Musjid, or Pearl Sanctuary, is one of the most 
 unique things of the kind ever witnessed. It is 
 made of pure marble, and has a dazzling white ap- 
 pearance : the floor of the musjid is paved with 
 rows of slabs, each of which constitutes an altar on 
 which the faithful sons of the prophet present their 
 offerings of praise. Just outside of the fort, there is 
 another immense pile called the Jumma Musjid, 
 whither also the Moslems resort for prayer. The
 
 438 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 architecture of this buikling is described as possessing 
 much merit. It has three domes of nearly the same 
 size, and the terrace is surmounted with towers and 
 minarets at the centres and corners ; but the whole 
 building is rapidly decaying, and immense pieces of 
 Stone appear ready to fall from their giddy heights. 
 
 Secundra is a part of the suburbs of Agra, and de- 
 rives its name from the celebrated Alexander. In this 
 spot is the mausoleum of the most celebrated of the 
 Mahomedan kings, the great Akbar. This remark- 
 able edifice is still in a high state of preservation ; the 
 foundation is supported on large massive arches 
 twelve feet thick. The ground-floor rests on a plinth 
 of immense area, and a piazza of prodigious strength 
 runs all round the building : here in the cold season 
 parties frequently resort to enjoy the salubrious air, 
 and the pleasures of an English garden. 
 
 There are at Agra very few modern public buildings 
 of any note; the only ones that have been built for 
 public purposes are two extensive offices for the po- 
 litical and revenue departments, and two wings to 
 the Government-House. To the above works of the 
 executive officer may be added a handsome new 
 steeple to the church, the conversion of the Nya 
 Kee Mondee Hospital, an old native building, into a 
 decent modern-looking house, and last, though not 
 least, the Metcalfe Testimonial, which, although de- 
 ficient in many architectural points, possesses con- 
 siderable beauty of exterior. 
 
 The most striking of all the public buildings is the 
 College, situated in the civil lines, and at a short dis- 
 tance from the town. It is a noble quadrangle, and 
 in the Gothic style, with jutting corners, having four
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 439 
 
 turrets at each of the corners, and two loftier ones 
 flanking the two principal entrances. There are 
 arched verandahs on each side, four handsome en- 
 trances, and four corner quadrangular rooms. A 
 passage runs from north to south through the build- 
 ing, and on either side there are seven spacious 
 rooms, including the centre hall, which is divided 
 into two parts. The southern side of the building is 
 appropriated to the vernacular department, and the 
 northern to the English. The number of pupils at- 
 tached to the former exclusively is about 120, to the 
 latter 140. The Oriental languages taught are Sans- 
 crit and Hindee, Arabic, Persian, Urdu; and arith- 
 metic. The English instruction embraces history, 
 poetry, morals, political economy, natural philosophy, 
 mathematics, &c. The funds for the support of the 
 colleoe are derived from a number of villa2;es be- 
 queathed by a wealthy Zemindar, and yield about 
 2,000 rupees a month, or near 25,000 rupees a year; 
 the monthly expenditure, independently of the prin- 
 cipal's salary, is about 1,200 rupees. 
 
 The Government-House is about three miles and a 
 half from the cantonments, but conveniently situated 
 in the vicinity of the principal public offices. Sir 
 Charles Metcalfe caused two handsome and commo- 
 dious wings to be added ; one is used for the officers, 
 and the other for the accommodation of the private 
 secretary. 
 
 Besides the offices of the Political and Revenue de- 
 partments, there is the Civil Auditor's office, the 
 Judge's Cutcherry, and that necessary appendage to 
 social existence, the jail. The magistrate's Cut- 
 cherry is situated between the civil lines and canton-
 
 440 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ments. Nearly opposite is the Agra press. One 
 of the most useful and most prosperous institutions 
 in Agra is the bank. For a considerable time its 
 operations were very limited, and confined chiefly to 
 loans to the military; but its transactions have since 
 been much extended, and it is now called the Agra 
 and United Service Bank. 
 
 The Metcalfe Testimonial, in honour of Sir Charles 
 Metcalfe, who was for some time Lieut. -Governor of 
 Agra, is but one of the many tributes that have been 
 paid to one of the most experienced and popular 
 governors of India. There are two long and beauti- 
 ful halls for dancing and supper, and a library inter- 
 vening. 
 
 The Church is a spacious and handsome building, 
 calculated to hold from 800 to 1,000 persons. The 
 carpentiy displayed in the structure of the pulpit, 
 &c., is exceedingly coarse, owing to the absence of 
 good workmen ; but the masonry as well as the de- 
 sign are unexceptionable. A noble arch divides the 
 altar from the court of the congregation. The larger 
 part of the court is appropriated to the European 
 soldiers, when a regiment is stationed in the place. 
 The choir is usually composed of the band of the 
 regiment. There are two Catholic chapels j divine 
 service is performed in the morning at one, and in 
 the evening at the other. There is also a Baptist 
 chapel, which is generally well attended, but chiefly 
 among the East-Indian community, and a chapel of 
 ease is building. 
 
 Agra boasts of several charitable institutions. The 
 Benevolent Institution supports and educates 
 nearly three hundred native children, who are taught
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 441 
 
 various arts, such as carpet-making, weaving, sew- 
 ing, carpentry, smithery, shoemaking, gardening, 
 &c. The Relief Society afFords alms to the blind, 
 lame, and indigent poor. The Government Dis- 
 pensary supplies medical aid to the native sick. 
 There is a Church Missionary Society at the station, 
 supported by the Parent Society in England. It 
 has originated several native schools, in and about the 
 town, where instruction is given in the vernacular lan- 
 guages, the Bible being the principal class-book. 
 
 Agra is the seat of the government of the North- 
 West Provinces. The district itself, by survey mea- 
 surement, is only 1,862 square miles, containing 
 1,270 villages and hamlets, and a population of 
 509,700 souls ; but the authority of the Governor 
 extends much beyond the limits of the district itself. 
 The climate of Agra is not unhealthy, as may be in- 
 ferred from the fact of the mortality amongst the 
 European troops having rarely exceeded, during the 
 past fifteen years, three per cent. The seasons vary, 
 as in other parts of India, excepting that the rains 
 do not last so long here as elsewhere : they gene- 
 rally commence at the end of June and terminate in 
 the middle of September. 
 
 In a direct line west of Agra lie the small native 
 states of Bhurtpore, Jeypore, and Ajmeer, of whose 
 dimensions and political status mention has already 
 been made. Ajmeer is somewhat to the south of 
 the Shekawrittee country, an extensive desert, divided 
 into several chieftainships, which have sworn alle- 
 giance to the British Government, but which inva- 
 riably exhibit a " moody frontier " when the time 
 arrives for the payment of the usual tribute. The 
 u 3
 
 442 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Shekawrittee country extends to Bhutseer, which 
 borders the protected Seikh states upon the left 
 bank of the Sutlege. 
 
 There are pohtical officers at Ajmeer, Jeypore, 
 &c., and a brigade of irregular troops, to act against 
 the Shekawrittee chieftains when occasion calls for 
 the exercise of force ; but we have no regular troops 
 nearer to the country than at Nusserabad, a large 
 cantonment south-east of Ajmeer, where a regiment 
 of cavalry and three or four infantry corps are 
 quartered . 
 
 AGRA TO DELHI. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 To Agra . . . . 782 4 
 
 Furrah 
 
 Muttra 
 
 C'osee . . . . ..00 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 Pulwal 
 
 Boolundshur . . . . 
 
 Goorgaon .. ..134 
 
 916 4 
 
 Proceeding from Agra to Delhi, the route runs paral- 
 lel with the right or western bank of the river Jumna. 
 The distance is 134 miles, through a flat, cultivated 
 country, over which the debris of Mahomedan great- 
 ness are scattered. Muttra w^as once a military can- 
 tonment, but of late years it has been abandoned by 
 the Government, to the infinite loss of the officers, 
 who had built or purchased houses there, and were, 
 consequently, obliged to sacrifice them (no successors 
 appearing), the Government making them no com- 
 pensation for the loss. 
 
 Delhi. — As the ancient seat of the Mogul em- 
 pire, and the modern residence of the pensioner who 
 still rejoices in the empty title of King, this is one of 
 the most interesting towns in India. It stands in
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 443 
 
 the middle of a plain, surrounded on every side with 
 the ruins of the ancient metropolis, and the tasteful 
 villas of the Europeans, who now exercise the busi- 
 ness of local government. The site of these latter 
 was once occupied by the famed gardens of Shalimar. 
 Couched under a ridge of sand-stone rocks, called 
 the Mljnoon Pahar, lie the military cantonments — • 
 an alternation of bungalows, huts, and groups of 
 gaudy trees. The city of Delhi is enclosed by a 
 wall, or rampart of red granite, battlemented and 
 turreted, and wearing, in the distance, a more formida- 
 ble appearance than is borne out by closer inspection. 
 Mosques, minarets, and cupolas, enamelled and 
 gilded, intermingle with clusters of cypresses, and 
 present a pleasing and perfectly oriental aspect, 
 when the town is contemplated from the distance. 
 Within the city, the magnificence of the ancient 
 edifices realizes the conception formed from the view 
 without. The spacious regal palace — the marble 
 hall of audience (now stripped of its former gilding 
 and the peacock throne), bearing the inscription 
 immortalized in Moore's " Lalla Rookh* — the Jumma 
 Musjid, or principal mosque, &c., — all vouch for the 
 splendid conceptions and exquisite taste of the Em- 
 perors of the olden time. The principal street, or 
 Chandney Choke, is a Regent-street in its way : it is 
 broad and handsome; the architecture of the houses 
 is varied, and fronted by trees, which form a beautiful 
 avenue. As the King keeps up a certain degree of 
 state, and maintains the royal privilege of conferring 
 
 * And, oh, if there be an Elysium on earth, 
 It is this — it is this ! 
 Not quite an accurate translation, by the way.
 
 444 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 khillauts, or dresses of honour, the wealthier natives 
 affect the airs of an aristocracy, and attempt, by 
 gaiety of costunae and a swaggering indifference, to 
 impress people with an idea of their importance. 
 They are also active in their endeavours to imi- 
 tate the chiefs and Omrah of old by the practice of 
 petty political intrigues, in which they find active 
 participators amongst the corrupt inhabitants of the 
 imperial palace. His Majesty, the pensioner, some- 
 times emerges from his residence on his elephant, 
 attended by a rabble of retainers ; and on these occa- 
 sions largesse is distributed to the crowd, and his 
 name and titles are shouted by those who precede 
 and surround him. 
 
 The works of the Europeans at Delhi are confined 
 to a magnificent canal, an arsenal, where the imple- 
 ments and munitions of war are prepared, when 
 occasion requires, on a grand scale ; a church, a 
 college, and a printing-press. The principal political 
 officer is a sort of envoy or resident, ostensibly 
 representing the British Government at the court of 
 the Mogul ; but, in point of fact, his business is 
 rather to watch the straw sovereign, pay him his 
 pension, and regulate his intercourse with strangers 
 who may visit the city. There is a collector, a 
 magistrate, and other lesser officers, at the station ; 
 and two or three regiments of infantry and a park of 
 artillery compose the usual military force. 
 
 The manufactures of Delhi, for the most part, 
 refer to the ornaments of life. Gay scarfs, embroi- 
 dered shawls, pictures of buildings, jewellery, minia- 
 ture paintings in ivory of the various Mahomedan 
 emperors, swords, shields, ivory chess-men, horse
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 445 
 
 and elephant trappings, &:c., are obtainable in any 
 quantity and at reasonable prices. Carriages of the 
 European fashion are seen about the streets, and the 
 contents of the shops, with their English placards 
 and boards, indicate the introduction of articles of 
 western manufacture. 
 
 The great objection to a residence at Delhi is the 
 dust, which, from the exposed position of the town 
 and the sand which covers the flat country for many 
 miles around, renders the visitation of a gust of wind 
 a most unpleasant affair. The accomplished tourist, 
 to whom we are indebted for several passages in 
 other parts of this volume, has felicitously described 
 the effect of this and other climatic visitations ; and 
 as the same may be written of almost every other 
 station in Upper or Lower India, similarly exposed 
 to the hot winds and temporary dry storms, we may 
 appropriately quote her sketch in this place : — 
 
 " The hot winds prevail between the middle of 
 March and the whole of April and May. The wind 
 usually rises about eight o'clock in the morning, 
 and if coming from the right point (the west), and 
 strong enough to cause sufficient evaporation, the 
 tatties are put up — thick mats, made of the roots of 
 a fragrant grass (cuscus), upon bamboo frames, 
 fitting into the doors or windows ; all the apertures 
 in the contrary direction being closely shut. These 
 tatties are kept constantly wet by men employed to 
 throw water upon them on the outside, and the wind 
 which comes through them is changed into a rush 
 of cold air — so cold, sometimes, as to oblige the 
 party within to put on additional clothing. While 
 the wind continues steady, the only inconveniences
 
 446 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 to be borne are the darkness, common to Indian 
 houses, and the confinement; for those who venture 
 abroad pay dearly for their temerity. Exhaustion 
 speedily follows, the breath and limbs fail, and, if 
 long exposed to the scorching air, the skin will peel 
 off. Yet this is the period chosen by the natives for 
 their journeys and revelries; they cover their faces 
 with a cloth, and with this simple precaution brave 
 the fiercest blasts of the simoom. These winds 
 usually subside at sunset, though they sometimes 
 blow to a later hour, and are known to continue all 
 night. If they should change to the eastward, the 
 tatties are useless, producing only a hot damp 
 steam. In this event, the only means of mitigating 
 the heat is to exclude the wind by filling up the 
 crevices, hanging thick curtains {purdahs) over the 
 doors, and setting all the punkahs in motion : inef- 
 ficient expedients, for, in despite of all, the atmo- 
 sphere is scarcely bearable; excessive and continual 
 thirst, languor of the most painful nature, and irri- 
 tability produced by the prickly heat, render exist- 
 ence almost insupportable. Every article of furniture 
 is burning to touch ; the hardest wood, if not well 
 covered with blankets, will split with a report like 
 that of a pistol, and linen taken from the drawers 
 appears as if just removed from a kitchen fire. The 
 nights are terrible, every apartment being heated to 
 excess. Gentlemen usually have their beds placed 
 in the verandahs, or on the chtihootiar, or terrace on 
 the top of the house, as they incur little risk in 
 sleeping in the open air at a season in which no 
 dews fall, and there is scarcely any variation in the 
 thermometer. Tornadoes are frequent during the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 447 
 
 hot winds ; while they last, the skies, though cloud- 
 less, are darkened with dust, the sun is obscured, 
 and a London fog cannot more effectually exclude 
 the prospect. The birds are dreadful sufferers at 
 this season ; their wings droop, and their bills are 
 open, as if gasping for breath ; all animals are more 
 or less affected. The breaking-up of the hot winds 
 affords a magnificent spectacle; they depart in 
 wrath, after a tremendous conflict with opposing 
 elements. The approaching strife is made known 
 by a cloud, or rather a wall of dust, which appears 
 at the extremity of the horizon, becoming more lofty 
 as it advances. The air is sultry and still, for the wind, 
 which is tearing up the sand as it rushes along, 
 is not felt in front of the billowy masses, whose 
 mighty ramparts gather strength as they spread. At 
 length the plain is surrounded, and the sky becomes 
 as murk as midnight. Then the unchained thunder 
 breaks forth, but its most awful peals are scarcely 
 heard in the deep roar of the tempest ; burst suc- 
 ceeds to burst, each more wild and furious than the 
 former ; the forked lightnings flash in vain, for the 
 dust, which is as thick as snow, flings an impene- 
 trable veil around them. The wind having spent 
 itself in a final effort, suddenly subsides, and the 
 dust is as speedily dispersed by torrents of rain, 
 which in a very short time flood the whole country. 
 The tatties are immediately thrown down, and 
 though they may have previously rendered shawls 
 necessary, the relief experienced when breathing the 
 fresh air of heaven, instead of that produced by 
 artificial means, is indescribable. All the animal 
 creation appear to be endued with fresh life and
 
 448 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 vigour, as they inhale the cooHng breezes ; the songs 
 of the birds are heard again, and flocks and herds 
 come forth rejoicing. Before the watery pools have 
 penetrated into the parched earth, so rapid is the 
 growtli of vegetation, patches of green appear along 
 the plain, and those who take up their posts in the 
 verandah for an hour or two may literally see the 
 grass grow. In the course of a single day the 
 sandy hillocks will be covered with verdure, and in 
 a very short time the grass becomes high and 
 rank." 
 
 The chief buildings in the neighbourhood of Delhi, 
 remnants of Moslem antiquity, are the Khotub Minar, 
 a lofty column of red granite ; the tomb of the Em- 
 peror Humayoon ; the remains of a gigantic astrono- 
 mical observatory ; and the Path'an fortress, a place 
 of resort for the amateurs of picnics, as well as for 
 the curious in Saracenic architecture. 
 
 ALLYGHUR TO FEROZEPORE. 
 
 14 
 
 Ms. 
 To Allyghur . . 802 
 
 AUyghur to Somnagunge 1 
 Khoonja . . 
 Bolundshur 
 Golauttee 
 Haupper 
 Kurkowda 
 Meerut . . 
 Sirdana . . 
 
 11 1 
 
 20 
 
 Kurnaul . . . . . • 50 
 
 Thanesir 20 
 
 Umballa 40 
 
 Sirhind 15 
 
 Loodiana . . . . 35 
 
 Ferozepore 
 
 40 
 
 1105 2 
 
 Meerut, Kurnaul, Umballa, Loodiana, and 
 Ferozepore. — In bringing the travellers to Agra 
 and Delhi from Allyghur, we have somewhat tra- 
 velled out of the usual dawk route on the direct trip 
 to Calcutta. We now go back to Allyghur to give
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 449 
 
 the stages thence to Ferozepore, although there are 
 no places on the route which call for any particular 
 description. Bolundshur is a purely civil station. 
 Haupper is the seat of a government stud, or esta- 
 biishmentfor the breed of horses. Meerut is a large 
 military station, possessing all the characteristics of 
 Cawnpore, but in a greater degree. Slrdana, for- 
 merly the residence of the famous Begum Sumroo, 
 possesses a Catholic cathedral. i^Twr/iaMZ was another 
 Meerut, but the unhealthiness of the station has 
 lately induced the government to abandon it as a 
 large military cantonment, and to quarter the Eu- 
 ropean regiments at Umballa, Loodiana, and Kowul- 
 sir, in the lower Himalaya range of mountains. 
 Loodiana was, until the commencement of operations 
 against the Affghans, the frontier station in the 
 North-West of India, but Ferozepore is now the 
 limit of our military occupation, though there seems 
 good reason to suppose that even that will soon 
 be crossed. The features of all the places named 
 above, and the country which lies between them, 
 correspond essentially with those of the cantonments 
 and routes between Allahabad and Allyghur. Level 
 land, mud villages, ruined serais, decayed mosques 
 and temples, plots of cultivation, groves, &;c., occur 
 at frequent intervals ; while strings of laden camels, 
 howda-burdened elephants, gaily-caparisoned horses, 
 detachments of troops, mark an activity of life pe- 
 culiar to a military state, where the arts of peace have 
 not been extensively cultivated. 
 
 To complete our information for the guidance of 
 persons whose fate may carry them to the North- 
 West of India, we subjoin an itinerary of the routes
 
 450 THE HAND-ROOK OF INDIA. 
 
 from the principal stations to places of lesser ac- 
 count. 
 
 Calcutta to Seharunpore, Dehra, I^arelUy, Shah- 
 
 jehanpore, PiUihheet, Moradabad, Kumaon, <^c. 
 
 To Seharunpore, as far as Meerut, see above. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 ..12 5 
 
 ..8 5 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Meerut to Douralla 
 
 .. 8 
 
 2 
 
 Kujoorwalla 
 
 Kuffowlee 
 
 .. 12 
 
 
 
 Seharunpore 
 
 Muzuffemuggur 
 
 .. 15 
 
 
 
 
 Deobund 
 
 .. 15 
 
 4 
 
 
 72 
 
 The country is open, and pretty well cultivated ; 
 the roads good. A civilian or two will be found at 
 MuzufFernuggur, and at Seharunpore several are 
 stationed, together with a regiment of infantry. The 
 chief object of interest at Seharunpore is the Botanic 
 Garden, where the hardier plants, and the productions 
 of Europe, are cultivated with much skill and good 
 effect. At Deobund the Kolee Nuddee is crossed 
 by a good bridge ; but there is a nullah or small 
 river at Muzuffemuggur, which a large detachment 
 can only cross conveniently by a temporary bridge 
 erected for the purpose. 
 
 Calcutta to Dehra. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 Seharunpore to Hurowrah 8 
 
 Kheree 8 2 
 
 Mohun Chokee . . . . 10 4 
 
 Shorepore 
 Dehra . . 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 41 G 
 
 Dehra is the principal place in the valley of the 
 Dhoon. It is one of the most salubrious spots in 
 India. Cultivation of the staples of India is here 
 carried on upon an extensive scale ; and many retired
 
 THE EIAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 451 
 
 and invalid officers make it their place of residence, 
 in preference to returning to England. The Sirmoor 
 battalion of Goorka sepoys generally has its head- 
 quarters here. Immediately above Dehra, on a 
 ridge of the outer Himalaya, stands the canton- 
 ment, or depot, of Landour. It was established in 
 1827, as a sanatarium for European troops, and the 
 consequences have been most beneficial. Sick officers 
 and soldiers sent there are speedily renovated, the 
 climate in the winter and the hot months being re- 
 markably salubrious. Near Landour is Mussooree, 
 another elevated spot, studded with bungalows, and all 
 appliances of comfort. Many of the officers stationed 
 in the upper provinces resort to it in the warm weather. 
 
 Calcutta to Shahjehanpore. 
 
 (From Calcutta as far as Cawnpore already given.) 
 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Cawnpore to 
 
 Meerun Ke 
 
 
 Merutpore 
 
 Serai '. , 
 
 , , 
 
 .. 9 
 
 4 
 
 Jellalabad" 
 
 Jellalabad 
 
 
 .. 10 
 
 4 
 
 Kant 
 
 Khadagarge 
 
 
 .. 9 
 
 2 
 
 Shahjehanpore 
 
 Futtehghur 
 
 
 .. 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 Husseinpore 
 
 Ghaut, 
 
 left 
 
 
 
 bank of Ganges 
 
 .. 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 15 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 102 1 
 
 Four rivers are crossed in the course of this trip ; 
 supplies are abundant in the villages, and the road is 
 generally good. One or two regiments are usually 
 quartered at Shahjehanpore. 
 
 To Bareilly. 
 
 Ms. F. I Ms. F. 
 
 Shajehanpore to TiUber. . 13 4 I Bareilly .. .. .. 12 2 
 
 Futtehgunge .. ..11 1 | • 
 
 Furreedpore .. .. 10 7 i 47
 
 452 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 The roads are tolerably good ; the bazaars at each 
 place well supplied, and the two rivers which inter- 
 sect the route (the Bhagool and Nukter) are crossed 
 by bridges of masonry. Bareilly is a military canton- 
 ment, and a place celebrated for the manufacture of 
 elegant furniture. 
 
 Bareilly to Pillihheet. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 Bareilly to Rhentora . . . . . . ..Ill 
 
 Nuwabgunge .. .. .. .. ..102 
 
 Pillibheet 12 
 
 33 3 
 
 Villages rich in supplies, good roads, and four 
 small rivers, easily forded, or crossed by bridges. 
 
 Bareilly to Moradahad. 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 Bareilly to Futtehgunge.. 12 4 
 
 Meergunge . . . . 9 1 
 
 Kumna Damora . . ..11 4 
 
 Guness Ghaut 
 Moradabad 
 
 Ms. F. 
 
 11 5 
 
 14 4 
 
 59 2 
 
 Good water from wells or rivers, supplies in abun- 
 dance at the village bazaars, and tolerably good 
 roads, are the characteristics of this march. 
 
 Bareilly to Kumaon, Almorah. 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Bareilly to Sunka Nuddee 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 Bheem Tal 
 
 Shahee . . 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 Ramghur 
 
 Seesghur 
 
 14 
 
 2 
 
 Purah 
 
 Manpore 
 
 13 
 
 7 
 
 Almorah 
 
 Tundah 
 
 13 
 
 3 
 
 
 Bhamaurie 
 
 15 
 
 3 
 
 
 Ms. 
 
 F. 
 
 11 
 
 6 
 
 11 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 119 1 
 
 A varied road, through cultivated plain, jungle,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 453 
 
 and forest, intersected by streams, across which are 
 fascine or suspension bridges. Supphes are plentiful 
 in some places ; in others they are not procurable at 
 all. The plan is to obtain enough at the well-fur- 
 nished bazaars to serve where scarcity prevails. 
 
 Almorah is the principal military station in this 
 part of the Himalayan range. When we first took 
 these hills, a considerable force was stationed at Al- 
 morah, with a permanent commandant and a major 
 of brigade ; but it is now diminished to one wing, 
 and the head-quarters of a native regiment, and the 
 magazine, artillery, &c., have been altogether abo- 
 lished. There is not now even a brigade of six- 
 pounders, with a detail of native artillery attached, 
 they having been finally taken away in 1829. 
 
 There was also, formerly, a company of pioneers, 
 all hill-men, stationed here, and good and numerous 
 roads were made, one from the foot of the hills at 
 Bhamaurie (four marches) to this place ; another to 
 Havil Bagh, the cantonment of the Kumaon (civil) 
 local battalion, which is about six miles from Almo- 
 rah ; another to Lohooghat, four marches, and on, 
 through that place, three more to Petora-Ghur; also 
 one from Lohooghat to Birmdeo, the pass by which 
 the hills are entered from Pillibheet, three marches, 
 besides roads for taking air and exercise about 
 Almorah. 
 
 The other wing of the native corps stationed at 
 Almorah is divided in equal proportions, two com- 
 panies at each, between the two out-posts of Lohoo- 
 ghat and Petora-Ghur, which were formerly garri- 
 soned by a Goorka corps, the second Nusseree 
 (military) local battalion.
 
 454 THE HAND-nOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 There are forts at eacl) of the military stations in 
 these hills, one at Almorah, called " Fort Moira;" 
 one at Lohooghat, " Fort Hastings ;" and one at 
 Petora-Ghur, denominated " Fort Loudon," as, like- 
 wise, at the latter place, a small fortified house, or 
 tower, designated " Wilkie-Ghur," after Major James 
 Wilkie, who had the building of the forts at Petora 
 and Lohooghat. In a military point of view, how- 
 ever, these forts are all worthless, none of them con- 
 tainino- water, or even commandinp- that near them. 
 
 There are stage-bungalows belonging to govern- 
 ment all the way from Bhamaurie to Almorah, for 
 the use of which travellers pay one rupee per diem. 
 At each of them there is a bunniah ; but, excepting 
 such articles as he can supply, nothing, saving and 
 excepting firewood, is procurable. The names of the 
 stages are, first, Bhamaurie; second, Bheemtal; third, 
 Ramghur; fourth, Pewra ; fifth, Almorah. There 
 are, likewise, similar bungalows on the road from 
 Almorah to Lohooghat, and thence to Petora-Ghur, 
 but these do not belong to government. One rupee 
 per diem is paid for accommodation in these, the 
 same as for the use of the government bungalows. 
 
 The names of the stages from Almorah to the out- 
 posts are, first, Dale ; second, Dhee ; third, Furka ; 
 fourth, Lohooghat ; and, from Lohooghat to Petora, 
 first, Durgurrah ; second, Kunta-Gong; third, Pe- 
 tora-Ghur. At these bungalows there is no bunniah, 
 and, consequently, nothing but firewood to be got. 
 Travellers are, therefore, obliged to carry their own 
 supplies of every sort, including grain. 
 
 The stages from Birmdeo to Lohooghat, on which 
 road there are no bungalows, are as follows : first,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 455 
 
 Birmdeo; second, Belkate ; third, Malik Chaur, or 
 Chaura Paunie ; fourth, Lohooghat ; and as no sup- 
 plies are procurable at any of these places, travellers 
 will do well to provide themselves accordingly. The 
 wing of the regiment which is destined for Lohooghat 
 and Petora-Ghur, and which should separate from 
 the wing going to Almorah at Bareilly, goes by this 
 route, it being much the nearest, and, consequently, 
 least expensive in carriage, which, being entirely 
 hill-coolies (no other kind of carriage is known in 
 the hills), is very exorbitant. The usual quantum 
 of carriage allowed to a regiment marching on the 
 hills is four coolies to a subadar, three to a jemadar, 
 one to non-commissioned officers, and one between 
 every two sepoys ; and this, as each man carries 
 from twenty-five to thirty seers, pucka weight, should 
 be sufficient. 
 
 The Kumaon local corps stationed at Havil-Bagh 
 is, as well as all the other hill-corps, armed with 
 fuzils, and dressed in green, with black facings. 
 
 At Almorah there are five bungalows, called sick 
 bungalows, belonging to government ; these are kept 
 in good repair, and are exclusively for the use of 
 such officers as may come up on sick leave, who are 
 furnished with one to live in, free of all cost, on 
 application, through the executive officer, in whose 
 charge they are, to the officer commanding. It is 
 only surprising, considering this, that more officers 
 do not go there for their health, where they not only 
 get a house (and that a good one) to live in, and 
 medical attendance gratis, but also every thing else 
 they can require very much cheaper than at Simla. 
 These sick-houses are, of course, totally unfurnished.
 
 456 TnE IIAND-nOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 As to climate, thoii<2;h not so cold as at Simla, 
 Almorah is sufficiently cool and pleasant, and it is, 
 unquestionably, a very healthy, renovating one. In 
 regard to society, likewise, there is a sufficiency. 
 
 Those who visit Almorah on leave, merely for 
 their own pleasure, can always procure bungalows 
 for hire, to live in, there being more than are needed 
 for the accommodation of the officers of the regiment, 
 and others permanently residing at the place, and 
 the rent charged is extremely reasonable. 
 
 The military cantonments are at the western ex- 
 tremity of, and close to, the city of Almorah, which 
 is the capital of the province, and, in fact, the only 
 place in the hills that can be called a city. Prior to 
 our invasion and conquest of Kumaon, Almorah was 
 the place of residence of the Goorka Viceroy, who 
 was appointed from Katmandoo ; and previous to the 
 Goorka invasion, it was the seat of government of 
 the Rajahs of Kumaon. It is situated in latitude 
 29° 24', longitude 79° 39', and is built on the top of 
 a ridge, running east and west, at an elevation of 
 5,400 feet above the level of the sea. From the 
 nature of its situation, the city of Almorah is princi- 
 pally composed of one long street, of nearly a mile 
 in length, though there are suburbs which extend 
 down a long way on both sides of the hill. It is 
 paved with stone throughout, and the houses are 
 generally very good, none being under two stories, 
 and many three and four stories high ; the houses, 
 even of the poorest people, in this part of the hills, 
 are all built of stone, and have slated roofs, so that 
 they are remarkably substantial. Indeed, those in 
 the town of Almorah, are unlike any thing one ever
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 457 
 
 sees in the plains of India, and reminds one some- 
 what of England, to a small town in which country 
 Almorah has altogether a greater resemblance than 
 to one in Hindostan. The officer commanding at 
 Almorah has, also, the general command of all the 
 troops in the district. 
 
 Before proceeding further, it may be as well to 
 give an outline description of the Himalaya chain, of 
 which Almorah forms a link. 
 
 The range of the Himalaya embraces an area of 
 500,000 to 600,000 square miles. It consists of nu- 
 merous ridges running parallel to the direction of the 
 whole range from south-east to north-west, which 
 are connected in many places by transverse ridges, 
 and in others separated by deep and narrow ravines 
 and glens, in which the different branches and tribu- 
 tary rivers of the Indus and Ganges run. The entire 
 chain, from the Hindoo Koosh, near Cabul, to the 
 easternmost valleys of Assam, is overtopped by an ele- 
 vated range covered with eternal snow. The lowest 
 chain of the mountains, immediately skirting the 
 plains of India, is extremely picturesque and diver- 
 sified. The sides of the mountains are covered with 
 dwarf trees, or cultivation on small patches of table- 
 land, formed by cutting the sloping earth into a 
 series of terraces, resembling vast flights of steps. 
 The valleys are extremely narrow, consisting of little 
 else than the bed of a rivulet, or a rude road, and 
 the habitations of the people, generally on elevated 
 ground, few and far between. As we advance, by 
 roads cut in the mountain sides, the hills assume a 
 bolder and severer aspect. Steep sides, sometimes 
 wooded by the pine and the oak, but more frequently 
 
 X
 
 458 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 composed only of vast faces of naked rock, dip down 
 abruptly, forming huge chasms and ravines, through 
 which the torrent forces itself over rude fragments, 
 which have toppled from the summits to the deep 
 abyss. The roads now become narrow paths, wind- 
 ing along the edges of precipices, and the rustic 
 bridge is supplanted by rude sangas, or planks, or by 
 jhulaSy formed by ropes stretched across, constituting 
 a species of loose parapet, and supporting a light 
 ladder for the feet to rest upon. These mountains 
 are seldom crossed by Europeans. The Tibetan 
 traders visit Upper India by the northern passes, and 
 intercourse takes place with the valley of Nepal, 
 and the countries of Assam and Bhootan ; but in all 
 other respects, the mountains are regarded as the 
 natural frontier of the British possessions, and are 
 only penetrated as far, or as high, as may be requi- 
 vsite for purposes of health. Next to Mussoorie, 
 spoken of above, the favourite places of resort are 
 Simla, not many miles from Rampore, the chief 
 town in the valley of the Upper Sutledge ; and Dar- 
 jeeling to the south-east, in the vicinity of the Nepa- 
 lese territory. Almorah and Simla are about 7,000 
 feet above the level of the sea. We shall speak of 
 Darjeeling hereafter. On the hills of Simla there 
 are upwards of one hundred residences, built after 
 the fashion of English cottages. As the chosen re- 
 treat of governors-general and commanders-in-chief, 
 from the burning plains of India, the place has en- 
 joyed for some years past many considerable advan- 
 tages. The roads to the residences, and for some 
 distance beyond them, are spacious and elegant. 
 Shopkeepers have been induced to establish them-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 459 
 
 selves and form emporiums of all the creature com- 
 forts. There is a reading-room and billiard-table, 
 an amateur theatre, a church, a school, an observa- 
 tory, and a pretty valley called Annandale, whose 
 beauties owe something to the taste of a late resi- 
 dent ; fancy fairs and races are held, and contribute 
 to the embellishment of existence. As Simla and 
 the neighbouring hills are the property of certain 
 small chieftains, who reside in small townships, a 
 political agent is stationed at the former place to re- 
 gulate the respective responsibilities, and do the 
 honours in behalf of the British government. The 
 people of the hills are poor, simple, and tractable, 
 subsisting entirely by the produce of their lands. 
 They are Hindoos, and 400,000 in number. Though 
 polygamy prevails in some parts, polyandry is a 
 more common institution, for the insufficiency of the 
 products of the soil renders it advisable to check the 
 increase of the human race. It is by no means un- 
 common for one woman to reside in the same house 
 with four or five men, and to fulfil the duties of a 
 wife towards all. The women are good-looking and 
 strong ; they wear a slight cloth covering for the 
 head, not concealing the face as in the plains, a che- 
 mise of coarse cloth, and trousers. The commercial 
 products of these hills are iron, wax, honey, borax, 
 musk, wool, ginger, and opium. The fruits are apri- 
 cots, walnuts, strawberries, raspberries, quinces, 
 greengages, red and black currants, rhubarb, wheat, 
 grain, barley, rice, &c.; and in the kitchen gar- 
 dens may be found peas, beans, potatoes, cabbages, 
 lettuces, parsnips, &:c. 
 
 The process of manufacturing iron by the hill peo- 
 X 2
 
 460 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 pie is rude and primitive — a description of it may 
 interest the English reader. 
 
 The first step is to dig at random a hole, or shaft, 
 about four feet wide and six feet deep, which, if no 
 vein of ore is perceivable on its sides, they abandon 
 or fill up, as the fancy strikes them, and go to another 
 spot. If, on the contrary, they light upon a vein, 
 they work it slanting downwards ; but, from being 
 so near the loose earth, and from want of regular 
 supports, by the time they have got eight or ten feet 
 horizontally into the earth, the mine falls in, and all 
 further woik there is relinquished. Two men are 
 employed in each mine ; the one, with a heavy 
 pointed hammer, picks out the ore in small pieces, 
 the largest beins; smaller than one's fist, whilst the 
 other, with burning splints of pine-wood, chosen 
 for the quantity of turpentine they contain, shews a 
 light to the workman. The ore is next removed to 
 large flat stones, where, being extremely friable, it is 
 reduced to powder by repeated blows from smaller 
 stones. The dust is then sifted in a sieve, which re- 
 tains the larger particles of earth or rock, and yields 
 a passage to the iron ore. When this has been per- 
 formed, the ore is carried to a running stream in the 
 neiglibourhood, in which it is allowed to remain some 
 time, that the water may wash away so much of 
 the finer particles of impure earth that have escaped 
 through the sieve, as will come away. This opera- 
 tion being concluded, the ore has the appearance of 
 black-lead or steel-filings, and is very ponderous. 
 The smelting furnace is the next sta^e. Each forge 
 contains three or four furnaces, which are of sun-dried 
 clay, about five feet high, by a foot wide, and are
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 461 
 
 raised on a platform, three or four feet from the 
 ground. At the bottom of the furnace is a plate 
 made of charcoal, dust, and clay, dried in the sun, 
 perforated with numerous holes to let off the dross. 
 Just above this place, on each side, is a hole for the 
 nozzle of a pair of bellows, made out of a goat-skin, 
 tanned with the hair on, which are worked by 
 women as well as by men. The fire is lighted early 
 in the morning, and the bellows are set to work to 
 ignite the charcoal properly; when this is accom- 
 plished, small quantities of the mineral are strewed 
 on the surface of the fuel, more of which is added as 
 required. Three people attend to each furnace; 
 two at the bellows, and one to keep up the fire, and 
 supply it with ore, and also to see that the grate at 
 the bottom does not get choked ; the holes being kept 
 clear by continually thrusting an iron rod through 
 them. The furnaces are kept burning for nine or ten 
 hours at a time, when the plate at the bottom is 
 broken by a sharp blow from beneath, and the iron 
 falls out in a lump, at a white heat, accompanied by 
 a stream of burning scoria, which gives, on a small 
 scale, the idea of an irruption of lava from the crater 
 of a volcano. In one day a single furnace will 
 smelt from six to eight seers of iron, which, on com- 
 ing out, is taken to a stone, no matter of what shape, 
 ordained to do the duty of an anvil, and is cut into 
 pieces of three or four seers each, which are left to 
 cool. The following day these pieces are placed in a 
 common forge, and submitted to a strong fire until 
 they become red-hot, when each is hammered into 
 something like a shape, and when again cold is in a 
 fit condition for sale. Iron thus prepared is sold at
 
 462 THE HAND-BOOK OF IXDIA. 
 
 tlie rate of about four rupees the maund ; but the 
 people generally, by preference, exchange it for 
 cloth, grain, or any other article of which they may 
 be in need. By means of a rude description of steel- 
 yard, the weight and value of each mass is ascer- 
 tained. The next thing being to apportion the pro- 
 duce of the forge then in hand amongst the proprie- 
 tors, the iron is divided into four equal parts, of 
 which the renter or owner of the ground, who is also 
 the miner, receives one ; the man who prepares the 
 charcoal in the woods, and brings it to the forge, re- 
 ceives two ; and the smelters and smiths, with their 
 bellows-blowers, &c., receive the remaining share. 
 The iron prepared in the hills is very good and soft. 
 With a few Europeans, experienced in veining, the 
 veins might be made much more profitable, for they 
 are rich. The hills teem with ore ; but the natives 
 are not able to extract it so advantageously as they 
 might, for by the time a vein is fairly opened the 
 falling in of the mine claps an extinguisher on any 
 further benefit. 
 
 The smelters are most wretched-looking objects, 
 grimed, squalid, and miserable ; they are of very low 
 caste, a fact which is amply testified by their free use 
 of swine's flesh. A breed of filthy, ugly, misshapen 
 pigs, roam about the village, thrusting their un- 
 ringed snouts into every place they can intrude 
 themselves, in search of the wherewithal to assuage 
 their hunger. 
 
 Access to Simla from the plains is very easy. A 
 palanquin dawk from the stations of Kurnaul or 
 Umballa brings the traveller to Bhar, at the foot of 
 the hills, which is distant about thirty miles from
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 463 
 
 Simla; there are three stage bungalows situated at 
 Chumbul, Hurreepore, and Syree, which lead to 
 Simla. The ascent from Bhar to the first of these 
 stages is considerable ; the road winds up the face of 
 an immense mountain, and brings the traveller to the 
 summit, where he finds the first bungalow. From 
 Chumbul to the Khutwar river, the descent is steep 
 but not dangerous ; the course of the traveller is for 
 some miles along its banks through a well-cultivated 
 valley, when by a sharp turn of the road he is sud- 
 denly brought to a chasm, flanked by perpendicular 
 rocks about 800 or 1,000 feet in height, through 
 which the river Gumber rolls. Passing through this 
 gap along the banks of the Gumber, the traveller at 
 length advances half a mile up a gentle ascent to 
 the Hurreepore bungalow, and thence continuing 
 gradually the ascent by a barren but good road, he 
 reaches Syree, whence he proceeds to Simla. The 
 roads are excellent and well fenced in. 
 
 Previous to ascending the hills, the traveller, as is 
 usual, deposits his carriage, palanquin, or tent, &c. &c., 
 in godowns belonging to a Simla firm at Bhar, and 
 proceeds upwards with such indispensable articles of 
 furniture only as are absolutely necessary. The 
 usual mode of travelling is by ^^jampauns'^ — a con- 
 veyance not unlike a large clumsy chair, having a 
 top from which curtains are suspended. They are 
 carried by four men by means of poles fixed to the 
 sides, and are supplied by the agents of the firm, 
 together with bearers and porters. Every necessary 
 advice and assistance is given at their Kurnaul esta- 
 blishment. 
 
 At about one-third the ascent we reach Subatoo,
 
 464 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 a tolerably extensive piece of level land, where the 
 head-quarters of the Nusseree battalion of Goorka 
 sepoys are situated. 
 
 We now leave the Himalayas, and resume notice 
 of the remarkable places on the plains. Due south 
 of Deyra, on the western bank of the Ganges, and 
 a little below the spot where, receiving tribute from 
 another stream, it enters upon the level of Hindos- 
 tan, lies Hurdwar, a place of great sanctity, whi- 
 ther Hindoo pilgrims resort in prodigious numbers. 
 During the first fortnight in April of each year, a 
 fair is held which attracts many thousands of people, 
 who contrive to render their visit subservient, at one 
 and the same time, to business and to devotion. 
 Above Hurdwar is Khunkul, another sacred town. 
 These two places have been recently described by 
 Colonel Davidson, late of the Bengal Engineers, from 
 whose graphic sketch we are tempted to borrow a 
 few paragraphs : — 
 
 " Khunkhul is a teerut, or place of Hindoo pil- 
 grimage, on the banks of the Ganges ; on the sides 
 or banks of which, are many very handsome cut 
 free-stone ghauts, or landing places, for the con- 
 venience of prayer and ablution. The town consists 
 of a very handsome principal street, running north 
 and south, parallel with the course of the river, and 
 is composed of a number of magnificent houses (for 
 Hindoos) belonging to rich Brahmins and merchants 
 from all parts of India. To have a house at Khun- 
 khul, is at once a mark of the proprietor's piety and 
 wealth or importance. Most of them are built of 
 brick and mortar, and the road front is generally 
 painted in the pu re Hindostanee taste — that is, in
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 4(l5 
 
 the taste of English children, of from eight to twelve 
 years of age. Manj^, if not all of the houses, rent 
 out their lower apartments to dirty bunnias, or still 
 filthier hulwaees, or confectioners, who project nu- 
 merous grass roofs or choppers, which seem to have 
 been attacked by the white ants, and to require, if 
 not renewal, at least a fresh coating. Crowds of 
 monkeys (who very soon find o\xt a city where they 
 are adored) crowd all parts of the houses, playing 
 the most diverting tricks ; the females hopping about 
 with their young ones clinging firmly to their backs, 
 and occasionally descending with a pounce to snatch 
 either grain or sweetmeats from the shops. The old 
 fat males have a most ludicrous gravity of expression, 
 until menaced, when their countenances are imme- 
 diately distorted, and converted into the most hide- 
 ous and amusing grins of rage and malice. 
 
 " To accommodate the immense number of pilgrims 
 who visit Khunkhul, there are long, low, brick-and- 
 mortar serais, built in a uniform manner, in which, 
 in one promiscuous herd, are lodged wives, bullocks, 
 husbands, cows, calves (come to be blessed), don- 
 keys, boys, mules, camels, and tattoos (small ponies). 
 
 " Although the houses were tastily decorated, no 
 Hindoo ever thought that the roads or streets should 
 be made passable. They were broad enough, but so 
 dreadfully heavy, from an accumulation of rich black 
 mud, that it was a difficult matter to pass them in a 
 buggy. The old road from Khunkhul to Hurdwar 
 runs along the bank of the Ganges, and was lined 
 with a parapet on each side of five feet high, with 
 ornamented platforms at short distances, on which 
 the Brahmins and their gulls used to sit; but these 
 X 3
 
 466 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 are now ruined and neglected, and covered over with 
 weeds and rubbish. 
 
 "The new road, which has been recently made by 
 our government, is in excellent order, and runs 
 direct to Hurdwar. On each side of it, for a couple 
 of miles, are pitched the large and comfortable tents 
 belonging to the military and civil officers who visit 
 the fair, either on duty, to purchase horses for the 
 Honourable Company's Service, or to pass a week in 
 the enjoyments of this celebrated fair. Rich natives, 
 also, have their country-seats amongst the large 
 mango groves, with their little jungly gardens filled 
 with rare and fragrant exotics, such as marigolds, 
 tulsu, cock's-combs, and sun-flowers. 
 
 " The view from Khunkhul, from any of the tops of 
 the low hills on its west, is strikingly beautiful; the 
 muddy streets and the filthy natives being out of 
 sight. 
 
 "Hurdwar is built in a nearly similar manner, but 
 is apparently older, and certainly even dirtier than 
 Khunkhul. It lies close on the western bank of the 
 Ganges, and many of the finest houses have their 
 foundations in the bed of the sacred waters. They 
 are generally of brick, but many have their lower 
 stories of very fine white freestone. The bed of the 
 river is here also intersected with low woody islands, 
 and is a full mile broad in the rainy season. On the 
 west bank are hills rising 600 feet high, covered witli 
 thick brushwood and low trees; now, after the 
 winter, regaining a green and leafy appearance. 
 There are but very few deciduous trees in Hindostan, 
 and I suspect that they are nearly all exotics. The 
 sides of these hills are divided with rugged ravines.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 467 
 
 which afford ample cover both to the leopards, or 
 tigers, and wolves, who descend at night to inspect 
 the gram-fed sheep or lambs of the English visitors. 
 Lime-stone of a good quality is found in the bed of 
 the river, both here and at Khunkhul, and is manu- 
 factured at a moderate price. 
 
 ^ # ^ ^ * 
 
 "This ghaut (the principal bathing ghaut) has been 
 lately rebuilt in a most splendid manner by the go- 
 vernment of Bengal, under the superintendence of 
 an officer of engineers. It is now at once elegant 
 and commodious ; and the horrid waste of human 
 Hfe which had so often occurred by the sudden rush 
 of the devotees through the old and narrow ghaut to 
 reach the water at the propitious minute, often at 
 midnight, is, it is to be hoped, for ever prevented. 
 
 *M. ^ 4L AC. 
 
 ^ "TS* "TV* ^S* 
 
 " From Hurdwar towards Khunkhul, and thence to 
 Hurdwar, for a mile on each side, with an average 
 breadth of four hundred yards, is occupied with per- 
 haps ten thousand horses, and nearly half a million 
 of people. I am not aware that any census has ever 
 been taken, and nothing is more difficult than to 
 give a correct guess of a large widely-scattered mob. 
 In every twelve years the number increases to nearly 
 a million, and the fair is then called the Coons. It 
 is even now a living swarm of cows, horses, bullocks, 
 camels, elephants, tattoos or ponies, and mules from 
 Osbeck Tartary to Benares, and pilgrims are found 
 from Calcutta. 
 
 " The scene is in the highest degree interesting and 
 diverting. The horse-merchants from Bokhara and 
 Cabool occupy the stony central parts of the dry
 
 468 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 bed of the river, with their powerful and handsome, 
 but generally old and blemished horses ; while those 
 from Toorkistan squat in the small compounds be- 
 hind the houses of Hard war, separated from each 
 other by dry stone walls. These men bring what 
 are well known in India by their great power, and 
 are chiefly galloways and ponies, called toorkies ; 
 their prices vary from 250 to as high as 800 rupees, 
 according to their shapes, colours, and paces. They 
 have all been previously taught to amble, a pace 
 thoroughly unpleasant to most Enghshmen, but de- 
 lightful to all black men. 
 
 " The elephant-dealers incline to Khunkhul for the 
 sake of fodder, but traverse the roads of the fair with 
 their animals during the mornings and evenings, 
 with large bells attached to their necks, to give 
 warning to passengers, and for the better alarming 
 of horses. The buneeas, hutwaus, cloth, toy, and 
 shawl merchants, occupy the road-side close to the 
 town, and have low cotton tents with two poles, and 
 of a roof shape. Every here and there are large 
 heaps of barley and wheat-straw, or bhoosa (troddur), 
 surrounded by dead thorn hedges, on sale, for the 
 bullocks of travellers. 
 
 " On the sides of the hill to the west are thousands 
 of Seik families, with their huts, tents, camels, bul- 
 locks, mules, and horses, all pell-mell in the most 
 astonishing confusion. 
 
 " The Seik women are awfully ugly, of dark-brown 
 complexions, and wear their hair formed back into a 
 conical shape, over which, when abroad, they throw 
 their bhee, or white chaddurs, which give them a 
 very picturesque and not ungraceful air. The men
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 469 
 
 are hideous, and wear ear-rings. The Seiks bring 
 only a few barren mares and mules. 
 
 " You will very often see two or three very snug 
 and handsome huts, surrounded by bylees, with 
 large well-fed, sleek, snowy bullocks, with gilt or 
 brass-tipped horns ; and generally lounging about 
 the door either a shrivelled old hag, or lurcher- 
 looking blackguard, with nicely curled and oiled locks 
 hanging over his neck, who sufficiently indicate the 
 naughty profession of its inhabitants. 
 
 " The pious rajah (who first of all bargains for his 
 absolution from some holy Brahmin), with his large 
 luskur of vagabonds, and their tag-rag and bob-tail 
 assortment of animals, has generally a couple of 
 tents, one for a dormitory, and the other for sitting 
 under during the heat of the day ; and also a sort of 
 awning, supported by four poles, the fringes of both 
 being tastefully ornamented with red khurwa, stars, 
 crosses, and peacocks, enclosed within a compound 
 of one hundred yards square. Amongst the horse- 
 dealers some capitalists have a few select Persian 
 horses, which they keep warmly clothed in a most 
 handsome manner under spacious tents, which, on 
 inquiry, will be found valued at from five to fifty 
 thousand rupees ; but which are, if sold at all, sold 
 for eight hundred to one thousand rupees. The 
 greatest attention is paid by a native horse-dealer in 
 fattening his horse, till he resembles a stall-fed bul- 
 lock, which is accomphshed by cramming him with 
 cordial stimulants, such as pounded ginger and sugar, 
 or cardamums and treacle, with his boiled vetches ; 
 a man stands on each side of the horse stuffing large 
 balls of the composition down his throat.
 
 470 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 *Jt M. Ji, M, 
 
 TP W -7^ TP 
 
 Hugh masses of assafoetida in bags, from the moun- 
 tains beyond Cabool ; tons of raisins of various sorts ; 
 almonds, pistachio-nuts ; sheep, with four or five 
 horns; Balkh cats, with long silken hair of singular 
 beauty ; faqueers begging, and abusing the uncha- 
 ritable with the grossest and most filthy language ; 
 long strinsis of elderly ladies proceeding in a chant 
 to the priests of the Lingum to bargain for bodily 
 issue ; ghaut priests presenting their books for the 
 presents and signatures of the European visitors ; 
 groups of Hindoos surrounding a Brahmin, who gives 
 each of them a certificate of his having performed 
 the pilgrimage, fill up various spots, and infuse liveli- 
 ness and spirit into the scene. 
 
 "The natives who supply the horse-dealers with 
 grass (half of which is dried up, and half green), are 
 a race of spurious hill people, who call themselves 
 Brahmins and Chuttros. They are strikingly unlike 
 the dwellers in the plains, being generally broad and 
 lean, low and muscular. In their personal habits 
 they are amazingly filthy. In summer and winter 
 they wear a coarse blanket frock, which, however 
 incredible it may appear, is never removed from their 
 skins. But even out of this evil springs good, for 
 this is the foundation of their personal chronology ; 
 they do not say, I am twenty or thirty years old, 
 but, I have worn so many jackets ! It is strictly 
 true that the jackets are allowed to drop off from filth 
 and rottenness." 
 
 Returning to Seharunpore, a few miles west of 
 Hurdwar, and proceeding thence south-westerly, via 
 Kurnaul, we come, at the distance of 120 miles, to
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 471 
 
 Hansi, once a place of some importance. It is not 
 a very regularly built town ; the principal street 
 leading from the gate opposite the small lake to the 
 esplanade of the fort is wide, and is intersected by 
 another at rig-ht angles, which forms the Chouk. 
 The by-lanes are crooked and numerous ; dusty in dry 
 weather, and ankle-deep after a heavy shower of rain. 
 The population of the town is said to be 4,000 of all 
 castes, Mahomedans and Hindoos, residing in houses 
 of both brick and mud. It is surrounded by a brick 
 wall, but of no stability, the ends of which terminate 
 on the fort ditch. Hansi is of some antiquity ; it 
 was founded by Rajah Pethora of Delhi, and was 
 captured by Mahomed of Ghizni, in the year 1035, 
 809 years ago. In recent days the celebrated ad- 
 venturer George Thomas made it the capital of his 
 short-lived independent state. The fort is an oblong, 
 but slightly departing from the quadrangle, and is 
 protected by a lower fort, or fausse hraye, and a deep 
 ditch, which can easily be filled by turning the canal 
 into it. On the side next the town the glacis is 
 short; but on other sides it is more prolonged. The 
 entrance is from the town side, and is covered by 
 bastions ; at each corner of the fausse hraye, also, 
 there are bastions enfilading the ditch. The parapet 
 of the upper fort is low, and the guns are fired en 
 barbette. In the magazine-yard are many stone 
 shells and balls, of the description used by native 
 gunners, when iron projectiles are not forthcoming. 
 Besides the magazine, the fort contains a couple of 
 houses for the conductor in charge of the ordnance, 
 and one formerly devoted to the oflScer on fort duty; 
 a small powder-magazine, bomb-proof, a sunk store-
 
 472 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 room, and the remains of some Mahomedan erections. 
 Amono'st the latter is the tomb of one of the defenders 
 of the fort on a former occasion, who, it is said, fought 
 from the gate of the fort up to the place where he 
 was interred, without Ids liead! Great numbers as- 
 semble here every Thursday evening to pray, who 
 firmly believe the legend, and would stigmatize 
 as heterodox any one who ventured to doubt its au- 
 thenticity. Supposing the fort in a state of siege, 
 or blockade, the garrison would have had one well 
 to depend on for water ; this is situated within the 
 fausse hraye, near the gate, and is about 120 feet deep. 
 There are two wells in the upper fort, but one of 
 them is dry, and the other turned out bad, the 
 water being brackish. In the centre of the fort is a 
 cistern for receiving rain-water that could be filled 
 from below ; it is tiled over, and is about forty feet 
 long by thirty feet broad, and is more than twenty- 
 five deep, so that it would contain a pretty good 
 supply, about one hundred and eighty-four thousand 
 gallons ; there is now six feet of water in the cistern, 
 or about forty- four thousand gallons. The canton- 
 ment is to the south of the fort, and contains lines 
 for the Hurriana Light Infantry, and the 1st Local 
 Horse. Through most of the streets run channels 
 from the canal for supplying water to the bunga- 
 lows, as it is too expensive to sink wells, from the 
 depth of soil to be cut through ere the springs rise. 
 Hansi used to be an extremely healthy station. 
 
 After leaving Hansi, no places of any consequence 
 occur north of Agra that have not been described 
 above. Due south of Agra, distant seventy-four 
 miles, stands Gvvalior, the seat of the ancient sove-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 473 
 
 reignty of Scindia. The recent death of the Maha- 
 rajah, and the serious disruption which has resulted 
 therefrom, has rendered it necessary for the Go- 
 vernor-General of India to march a large force to 
 the frontier of the state ; and while we pen these 
 pages, it is quite impossible to say whether the self- 
 appointed regent, who has seized the reins of power, 
 has been confirmed in his authority, or whether the 
 British Government has intervened, and placed the 
 country on the footing of other states enjoying our 
 protection. By the latest accounts, all was anarchy 
 and confusion. We must, therefore, in this place, 
 content ourselves with a brief description of the 
 town and fortress. The city is approached by a 
 footpath, over some trifling clay and sand-stone 
 heights, from which it is seen to advantage, lying 
 under the wing of the giant stronghold, which rises 
 in a complete precipice from its very bosom ; and in- 
 terspersed with trees and minarets, after the usual 
 fashion of native cities. The suburbs are somewhat 
 scanty, and there is no wall of defence to the town j 
 which, however, by means of strong portals connect- 
 ing the parallel streets, and opening or closing the 
 communication at the pleasure of the inhabitants, as 
 well as by the aid of the external gates, is capable of 
 making a brief defence against any irregular attack. 
 These gateways are singularly elegant, although a 
 jumble of modern and Hindoo architecture. They 
 are built of sand-stone. The gateway itself is an 
 architrave of stone, supported upon ornamented 
 columns of the same. Above this rises the pointed 
 Saracenic arch, and above that are elegant arabesque 
 bas-reliefs, the roof of the structure being; flat.
 
 474 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 The Jumma Musjid is a handsome building, in the 
 style of those at Lucknow. On turning the flank of 
 the defences, we come upon the grandest and most 
 imposing exhibition of military architecture ever be- 
 held. We doubt if the world contains any thing so 
 magnificent as this long line of Gothic towers, scarped 
 by an overhanging precipice; poised in mid-air, dig- 
 nified by the impress of the ages that have passed 
 over their heads, yet unimpaired in strength and 
 beauty, and presenting, not the blind aspect of mere 
 holds of power, in which a garrison is pent up and 
 excluded from the outer world, but that of the fittest 
 possible residence for a mighty sovereign, the object 
 of all regards, raised above the world by his grandeur, 
 and gazing down, from its unapproachable eminence, 
 upon the kingdom submitted to his rule. It is im- 
 possible to imagine this noble mass of architecture 
 designed for the vile purposes for which its isolated 
 position afterwards rendered it convenient. But in 
 exact proportion to our admiration of the structure 
 is our indignation at the tyranny, the cruelty, the 
 barbarous and murderous policy, for which no lan- 
 guage has epithets suflliciently severe, of which Gwa- 
 lior was the theatre, and continues the memorial J 
 and as we gaze upon its lofty battlements, and recal 
 to memory the hundreds of unhappy captives, con- 
 demned to waste away in perpetual imprisonment, or 
 to escape this prolongation of misery, only by the 
 slow o})eration of a poison, that destroys by sapping 
 all the fountains of life, and poisoning all the springs 
 of enjoyment, and breaking down the firmness of a 
 heart that would have defied, in its health, the ex- 
 tremity of torture ; thus reducing the noblest to the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 475 
 
 quality of the vilest, and making him, previous to his 
 end,* the scorn even of himself; — when, we say, we 
 reflect, how many victims to royal jealousy, have 
 here rotted away into oblivion, their only crime that 
 of having hung at the same breast with their mur- 
 derer, or, perchance, of having a better claim than 
 his to the throne, or of having ex'celled him in virtue, 
 or, being beloved by their fellow-men, we turn shud- 
 dering from the grandeur which had so greatly 
 excited our admiration, and mourn that infamy 
 should have been permitted so unsuitable a shrine. 
 Had those towers been clad in some of the gloomy 
 horrors which their interior has witnessed, they would 
 have been a beacon of terror to the world. To the 
 thoughtful they yet hold out an humbling lesson of 
 the vanity of outward appearance, and the madness 
 of any ambition that has not virtue for its aim. 
 
 It is not possible to give any thing like an adequate 
 idea of this surpassing fortress without the aid of the 
 pencil and colours. The cliff upon which it stands 
 is perfectly perpendicular, formed, apparently, of 
 sand-stone, and it extends round the entire circuit of 
 the fortified height. The defences, which, on the 
 other sides, though adequate to their object, are 
 dwindled into comparative insignificance by imme- 
 diate contrast with the massive hill on which they 
 
 * The gallant, accomplished Suleiman, nephew to Aurungzebe, when 
 delivered up to his murderous uncle by the treachery of the Rajah of 
 Sininagurh, entreated the tyrant, in the most solemn manner, to award 
 him any death rather than this slow and fearful consumption of life 
 and spirit ; to which his uncle answered, in the same solemn terms, 
 that no evil was intended him. His apprehensions were too well 
 founded ; and if he ever believed the assurance of the monster, it 
 must have added an additional pang to his lingering tortures.
 
 476 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 stand, are here of tlie noblest dimensions and the 
 most graceful form, being a long series of circular 
 towers, closely connected by curtains of nearly 
 similar height, and roofed-in with small domes of 
 masonry; the whole having, in addition to shot- 
 holes, embrasures, &c., an abundance of glazed win- 
 dows, betokening the dwelling of rational creatures; 
 while the masonry itself is adorned with glazed tiles, 
 which, whatever their effect when recent, retain, at 
 present, only those tints which become a venerable 
 fabric, and that fabric of the Gothic style. The 
 entire circuit of these defences appeared to me about 
 three miles, their form an oblong rectangle. The 
 summit of the height, as is usual in the sand forma- 
 tion, is nearly flat. The height of the precipice is 
 about 200 feet, and the height from the foot of the 
 precipice to the level of the town about 200 feet 
 more, making a total height of about 400 feet. 
 
 In the steepest face of the cliff", at the north aspect 
 and north-east angle, are several caves, probably 
 communicating by subterranean galleries with the 
 interior. One, in particular, contains a gigantic 
 image of Pars Nath, distinctly visible from beneath. 
 These caves may be convenient to the garrison during 
 siege, but are extremely dangerous to the safety of 
 the place, as a single ten-inch shell, would, by ex- 
 ploding within the cavity, in all probability, bring 
 down the whole of the north-east angle, which is, 
 even now, overhanging the perpendicular. They 
 appear, however, to be intended as temples, rather 
 than posts of observation. 
 
 The great facility of breaching, by means of mines, 
 a fort thus constructed, renders it, in the hands of
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 477 
 
 most native states, a mere bugbear in the face of an 
 enterprising enemy. Tlie Jats, however, would make 
 a gallant defence in the breach of such a lofty emi- 
 nence ; and, in the hands of the English, famine 
 alone, or failure in military supplies, could render it 
 untenable ; for the extent is too great to afford much 
 fear from shells, and any imaginable breach in that 
 cliff, with a crowd of armed Britons at the summit, 
 would be an awful ladder to renown. These are con- 
 siderations too much neglected by us in the present 
 day. We find these forts yield to our arms almost 
 without a struggle, and we attribute to defect of con- 
 struction what is really due to the cowardice of the 
 besieged. It is true that the plunging fire from their 
 walls is not much to be dreaded, and that, without 
 trenches, the operation of mining may at once be 
 commenced beneath the cliff; but, on the other hand, 
 the garrison are exempt from all molestation by the 
 fire of the besiegers, excepting in the instance of 
 their shells, and would thus be enabled to preserve 
 their strength unbroken for the breach. Upon that 
 breach not a gun could be brought to bear from 
 below ; and the neighbouring heights, all considera- 
 bly depressed beneath the level of the works, and at 
 no inconsiderable distance from them, would afford 
 no position from which an effectual fire could be 
 maintained, or from which a shot could be ventured 
 during the assault ; while the breach itself would, in 
 all probability, be a steep hill-side, encumbered with 
 massive fragments, sufficiently ditficult to surmount 
 in the absence of danger, and almost hopeless in the 
 face of a determined enemy, who could not be mo- 
 lested in entrenching it. A sap carried up such a
 
 478 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 height would be a most arduous and desperate un- 
 undertaking, and, unless some means of nightly 
 escalade could be devised, the efforts of the besiegers 
 would be sufficiently hopeless. We have seen and 
 felt what it is to surmount a lofty wall of soft sand 
 in the case of Bhurtpore, which is a mere mole-hill in 
 comparison. So that, if the Government is desirous 
 of preserving a few strongholds in the country, which 
 were no unwise policy, it could scarcely do better 
 than retain such hill forts as Gwalior, when they 
 chance to fall into its hands. Of the city of Gwalior 
 little need be said. With every facility for building 
 at hand, it possesses few edifices that can attract the 
 attention, and, for the capital of a large state, is very 
 far below mediocrity in every respect, whether we 
 regard the narrowness of its limits, the poverty of its 
 streets and buildings, or the almost entire want of 
 that appearance of busy traffic, which characterizes 
 all important towns under the British Government. 
 Indeed, there is little temptation to the import of 
 merchandize into a country so infested with open 
 robbers, and with every species of extortion, under 
 the plea of customs. 
 
 The residency at Gwalior is a mean building, and 
 scarcely, any sort of state has been kept up by the 
 British representative. It has only been on the oc- 
 casion of a visit of ceremony from the Governor- 
 General to the Maharajah that the place has pre- 
 sented any scenes of pomp. Scindia kept up an 
 army of semi-disciplined troops, 30,000 strong, 
 officered by Portuguese and Eurasian gentlemen ; 
 but how this will stand after the present chaos has 
 been reduced to order it is difficult to say.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 479 
 
 Two hundred and sixteen miles to the north-east 
 of Gwahor, and fifty-three miles from Cawnpore, is 
 Lucknow, the capital of the decayed kingdom of 
 Oude. It is a fine old Mahomedan town, where 
 some vestiges of ancient pomp may still be traced, 
 and when the king sits in state, a scene is presented 
 not unlike that already described as occurring at 
 Delhi. A resident, or ambassador, here represents 
 British interests, and a force is kept up, officered 
 from the line of the Bengal Army, which is charged 
 upon the revenues of the Oude territory. There are 
 very few made roads in the country, excepting a 
 military road which connects Cawnpore with Luck- 
 now. The cantonment of Oude is called Sultanpore, 
 and is most easily accessible by the river Ghoomtee 
 from Lucknow, on the north-west of Ghazepore; 
 Benares and Juanpore on the south-east. The 
 manners and customs accord with those of other 
 parts of Hindostan. Wealthy Zemindars present 
 small rent-free lands to Brahmins, sufficient to in- 
 sure them the necessaries of life, which cost them 
 little expense. These grantees do not cultivate the 
 ground, but employ field labourers, being restricted 
 by their caste from so doing. They are kind and 
 indulgent masters, and usually assist their depend- 
 ents with small pecuniary advances, especially at 
 the celebration of marriages, which are conducted 
 in the following manner: — The procession consists 
 of the bridegroom's friends, the officiating pundit, 
 and a set of dancing women, and on the third day 
 accompanies the bridegroom to the bride's house, 
 where the party remains three days. The bride- 
 groom is carried in a palkee, either bought or bor-
 
 480 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 rowed ; the whole ceremony occupies seven or eight 
 days, and the expenses are divided equally between 
 the fathers of the couple, who are about thirteen 
 years of age, and sometimes older, but never below 
 nine. The population of the towns and principal 
 villages of Oude may be estimated at 650,000 souls, 
 consisting of Hindoos and Mussulmans ; the former 
 of whom are in the proportion of three to two of the 
 latter. The natives are naturally humane, and ex- 
 hibit a love for justice and forbearance ; but the 
 principle of government, both in its protective and 
 judicial functions, gives scope for cupidity, personal 
 dislike, envy, vindictiveness, and all the worst pas- 
 sions of human nature. 
 
 Having now disposed of the whole of the places 
 of any importance lying north-west of Calcutta, we 
 bring back the reader to the British-Indian metro- 
 pohs, and proceed thence to stations lying to the 
 north, the south, the east, and the direct west, 
 whither duty, business, or pleasure may carry him. 
 It seems needless, however, to mention the names of 
 all the intermediate stages, which consist of merely 
 a village, or often of a single hut, the distances and 
 the remarkable objects being the utmost that can 
 possibly interest or serve the traveller. 
 
 Calcutta to Malda (180 miles), through Dum Durriy 
 Barraset, Kishiaghur, Berhampore. 
 
 Dum Dum, eight miles from Calcutta, is the head- 
 quarters of the Bengal Artillery. It is a spacious 
 cantonment, with an extensive maidaun, or espla- 
 nade, for purposes of parade, artillery practice, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 481 
 
 review. Two thousand men can here be accommo- 
 dated. There is an arsenal and laboratory, where 
 the gunners are taught their duty, and where the 
 ammunition, stores, implements, (fee, required by 
 the service, are prepared. The church is an elegant 
 building, and contains the monuments of some offi- 
 cers who have distinguished themselves. The mess- 
 house, to which is attached a spacious library and 
 ball-room, is the finest building of the kind in India. 
 The officers frequently entertain their Calcutta and 
 Barrackpore friends here in unexampled good style. 
 All artillery cadets, on their arrival in Bengal, pro- 
 ceed to Dum Dum, and underoo a certain amount 
 of drill before they are detached to the Mofussil. 
 Barraset was once a depot for infantry cadets, but 
 has long been abandoned, and is now a salt manu- 
 factory. Kishnaghur is a civil station. Many in- 
 digo factories are established here and in the neigh- 
 bourhood; and missionary labour has found among 
 the native population a fruitful soil. Printed mus- 
 lins of a superior kind are manufactured here, though 
 of a uniform colour, and these artisans have likewise 
 acquired a reputation for their excellent models of 
 figures illustrative of the great variety of castes and 
 classes of the population of Hindostan. The figures 
 are composed of rags and straw, covered with a 
 coating of cement. Malda is a civil station ; there 
 are few residents, excepting the government officers 
 and some planters. A few miles to the south of 
 Malda, the antiquary will find matter of interest in 
 the ruins of Gour, once the capital of Bengal. Its 
 decline and abandonment were caused by the de- 
 sertion of the Ganges, which formerly flowed beside 
 
 Y
 
 482 THE HAXD-BOOK OF INDIA, 
 
 its walls. About two hundred years ago, the course 
 of the river took a new direction, turning off to a 
 considerable distance from the place to which it had 
 brought wealth and sanctity. To no part of the city, 
 occupying a space of twenty square miles, does the 
 Ganges now approach nearer than four miles and a 
 half, and places formerly navigable are now twelve 
 miles from the stream, which so unaccountably and 
 capriciously forsook its ancient bed. The wild luxu- 
 riance of vegetation which characterizes Bengal 
 has nearly choked up the magnificent remains of 
 Gour ; and the splendours of the city can only be 
 estimated by a few majestic remains of mosques, 
 towers, and gateways, which still exist to shew how 
 deeply it was indebted to architectural taste and 
 skill. The buildings of Gour were very solidly con- 
 structed of brick and stone. Vast quantities of the 
 materials have been carried away and sold for build- 
 ing in the neighbouring towns and villages; but 
 there are still masses of strong masonry scattered 
 over the surface of the ground, which have been so 
 completely covered with brushwood, and so inter- 
 mixed with the gigantic roots of trees, forcing them- 
 selves through the rifts made by time and the ele- 
 ments, as more to resemble huge mounds of earth 
 than the remains of human habitations. 
 
 Calcutta to Purneah (271 miles). 
 
 The usual route is to Malda in the first instance, 
 whence the road is west for a few miles, then ab- 
 ruptly proceeding to the north. There is nothing 
 remarkable in the scenery or places passed. Pur-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 483 
 
 neali is a civil station, and much indigo is manu- 
 factured in its vicinage. Much sport is afforded to 
 the hog and tiger hunter of the station, and, in fact, 
 the whole district swarms with game. 
 
 Calcutta to Dinagepore (356 miles). 
 
 To Purneah in the first instance, whence, eight 
 stages across roads only moderately good. Small 
 rivers occur at every stage, and are crossed by ferries 
 or temporary bridges. 
 
 Calcutta to Darjeeling. 
 
 The dawk traveller may go as far as Dinagepore 
 in the first instance, whence he may proceed due 
 north, vda Jarbarry and Titalya. But as Darjeeling 
 is more a sanatarium for sick people from Calcutta 
 who resort to it for a change of air, than a station, 
 it is better to proceed by water up the Hooghly and 
 Jellinghee, via Kishnaghur, to Beuleah, and thence 
 to Berhampore. From Berhampore to Titalyah 
 there is a carriage-road, and at the latter place a 
 person in the employ of the Darjeeling Association 
 supplies a palanquin, carriage, and ponies, which take 
 the traveller to the foot of the hills. Here chairs 
 borne by the Lepchas, a hill people, or ponies, are 
 procurable for conveyance all the way to Darjeeling. 
 It is advisable, however, to stop at Kursiong, to rest 
 for a day or two. There is a hotel at Kursiong, and 
 the scenery is sufficiently beautiful to tempt the 
 visitor to finger for a time. Darjeeling is upwards 
 of 7,000 feet above the level of the sea. The mean 
 temperature is 24° below that of Calcutta. During 
 y2
 
 484 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the hot season of the plains it is a dehghtful place 
 of resort, independently of its invigorating effects 
 upon the sick. The scenery is superb; vegetation is 
 so luxuriant, that the whole of the country, from 
 the base of the hills to their summit, forms a forest, 
 and the snowy range of the Himalayas is visible at 
 no great apparent distance. There are a good many 
 private residences built at Darjeeling, and an excel- 
 lent hotel ; but the comforts of life are necessarily 
 expensive, as most of the supplies are obtained from 
 Calcutta and the adjacent plains. 
 
 Calcutta to Rungpore. 
 
 Vide the route to Dinagepore, whence, in an 
 easterly direction, the route runs for forty-three 
 miles. Rungpore is one of the most northerly sta- 
 tions under the Bengal Presidency. The revenue 
 and judicial duties are administered by three Euro- 
 pean covenanted and half a dozen native uncove- 
 nanted officers, of the extent of whose duties some 
 idea may be formed when we mention that the dis- 
 trict is 118 miles long, and 60 broad, containing 
 6,526 villages, and a population of 1,214,300 Mus- 
 sulmans and Hindoos, chiefly the former. The manu- 
 factures are numerous, consisting chiefly of carpets, 
 silk, indigo, and sugar. There are not less than 
 fifty large and 400 small indigo factories. 
 
 East and east-north-east of Rungpore, a post and 
 banghy road leads to Assam, where a commissioner 
 with an adequate number of assistants, a large police 
 force, and a small body of troops, maintains the in- 
 tegrity of the British frontier in that direction. The
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 485 
 
 usual mode, however, of proceeding to Assam from 
 Bengal, is by water, as there is a free communica- 
 tion between the Berhampooter and the Ganges, and 
 boats of the largest burthen easily pass from one 
 into the other. The valley of Assam consists of a rich 
 soil covered with verdure and abundantly watered. 
 Too much of the country, however, is still covered 
 with jungle; and it will probably be many years be- 
 fore European capital and skill have cleared away 
 the noxious vegetation and developed the wealth of 
 the land. At present, European enterprise confines 
 itself to the search for coal and caoutchouc, which 
 are found in great abundance, and to the cultivation 
 of the tea tree. The exports of the Assam Tea Com- 
 pany to England have already been considerable, 
 and the quality of the tea has been well spoken of 
 by the London tea-brokers. 
 
 Calcutta to Dacca (186 miles.) 
 
 The post and banghy road is in a straight line to 
 the north-east of Calcutta, via Dum Dum, skirting 
 the district of Kishnaghur, then passing through that 
 of Jessore, crossing the Ganges at a place called 
 Hurryranpore. There are nineteen stages on the 
 route. The road is good, excepting from the ninth 
 to the twelfth stages, and supplies are procurable 
 the whole way in abundance. But land travelling 
 is only practicable between the months of November 
 and June ; the inundations and the rise of the vari- 
 ous rivers which intersect the road, rendering it im- 
 passable during the rains. 
 
 The trip from Calcutta is effected by means of
 
 486 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 boats of large burthen at all periods of the year. 
 Dacca is both a civil and a military station, and 
 many indigo-planters likewise reside there, or in the 
 neighbourhood. The following is the best descrip- 
 tion of the place that we have fallen in with : — 
 
 " The city of Dacca, with its minarets and spacious 
 buildings, appears, during the season of inundation, 
 like that of Venice in the West, to rise from the sur- 
 face of the water, and, like the generality of native 
 towns, presents an irregular appearance. 
 
 " The works and places of public utility, public 
 buildings, institutions, and establishments, in the 
 city and suburbs, are, ten thannahs or police stations, 
 ten bridges across the Dallye creek, and its branch, 
 which intersects the town ; thirteen ghauts or land- 
 ing places ; seven ferry stations ; twelve bazaars, in 
 which the common articles of food are sold daily ; 
 three endaras or wells ; the Magistrate's Cutcherry ; 
 the Judge's ditto ; Collector's ditto ; Revenue Com- 
 missioner's ditto ; Moonsiff's ditto ; Post-office (hence 
 five branch mails are sent to Calcutta, also mails to 
 Chittagong and Arracan; to Mymunsing, Jumalpore 
 and Assam; to Sylhet, Cherra Poonjee, and to Bur- 
 risaul) ; the Cotwallee ; the Jail ; Jail Hospital ; 
 Lunatic Asylum ; Native Hospital ; Vaccine Esta- 
 bhshment; Charitable Fund; St. Thomas's Church ; 
 Baptist Mission Meeting House ; Roman Catholic 
 Church; Armenian Church; Greek Church; one 
 hundred and nineteen Hindoo places of worship ; Go- 
 vernment School ; eleven Baptist Mission Schools ; 
 fourteen Hindoo and Mahomedan Schools; one 
 hundred and eighty Mahomedan places of worship ; 
 Commissariat department ; English, Armenian, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 487 
 
 Greek Cemeteries; Executive ofBcer's Establishment; 
 Commissariat office ; Military Orphan Station Com- 
 mittee ; Cantonment ; Elephant depot. 
 
 " Within an enclosure 200 yards square, and called 
 the Chowra, are congregated the majority of the 
 trades of Dacca j and innumerable petty shop- 
 keepers here dispose of their caps, cotton and chintz 
 dresses, hardware, fish-hooks, betel-nut-crackers, 
 looking-glasses, seetul pattee, or cool mats for sleep- 
 ing on, cane petarrahs for travellers, shoes of an in- 
 finite variety of patterns, cocoa-nuts prepared for 
 hookahs, and the usual &c., &c. 
 
 *.]/. .u. •u. .u. 
 
 ■tF TV* W -TV* 
 
 " The principal part of the commerce of the city is 
 confined to this square, which is perfectly surrounded 
 by shops, and to the roads leading from it towards 
 the southern part of the town, occupied by the mili- 
 tary and civilians ; a comparatively small space, 
 running from the river backwards, not more than 
 350 yards. 
 
 " Such is the extreme unhealthiness of the canton- 
 ments, that fever is now an almost certain conse- 
 quence of a residence within its boundaries ; and 
 hence officers attached to the corps on duty at 
 Dacca, are permitted to live within the city. The 
 houses of the Europeans were principally, if not 
 wholly, built while Dacca contained the celebrated 
 muslin factory ; and although large, commodious, 
 and upper-roomed, can only command a rent of from 
 60 to 135 rupees per mansion. Pretty little gardens 
 are attached to most of them, and such as face the 
 river Booree are certainly most desirable and plea- 
 sant residences.
 
 488 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 " There is an Armenian church at Dacca. The 
 floor of the interior of the building is divided into 
 three parts: one enclosed by a railing, for the altar; 
 a central portion, into which two folding-doors open ; 
 and another railed off, which is exclusively occupied 
 by the women and children, has a gallery over it. 
 The walls are disfigured by wretched prints of the 
 Virgin Mary, &c. The altar stands in a semicircle, 
 about four feet distant from the wall : it appears 
 to be made of wood, and is raised, to the height of 
 about ten feet, by steps. These steps sustain twenty- 
 four wax-candles, each three feet long, and also a 
 number of small crosses, of some gilt or shining 
 metal. 
 
 " The floor of the verandah contains many tomb- 
 stones, in memory of departed Armenian Christians, 
 who formerly abounded in the city of Dacca, where 
 they are still an influential and wealthy body. Within 
 fifteen feet of the church, but quite separated, stands 
 a coarse square tower, having four spiracles at its 
 summit. At the base, within the square of the four 
 walls, a few feet from the ground, a marble tablet 
 has been placed in the wall, with an inscription, both 
 in the Armenian and English languages, signifying 
 that this superb and magnificent steeple was dedicated 
 to the honour and glory of God, &c. 
 
 " Within the military cantonments are several very 
 handsome upper and lower-roomed spacious houses, 
 for which no tenants can be found. A large marsh 
 diffuses deadly malaria close to the very edge, if not 
 actually within the lines ; and there are several tanks, 
 which, no doubt, contribute their portion of the 
 poison. During the rains, there is a quantity of
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 489 
 
 stagnant water to the north of the cantonments, 
 which dries up slowly during the cold weather. 
 
 " But the chief cause of the destruction of the city 
 of Dacca is to be traced to the loss of the muslin 
 trade, which has almost entirely disappeared. It is 
 true that, by giving a commission, an extremely 
 delicate article may be still procured, at the rate of 
 150 rupees, or £15 for ten yards; but at that rate, as 
 may be readily imagined, little can be sold, as the 
 demand must be necessarily very small. 
 
 " The working of shawl-scarfs with flossed silk is 
 carried to great perfection, and many are despatched 
 by banghy to Calcutta. Beautiful ear-rings and 
 other ornaments, made of the purest silver, and of an 
 infinite variety of patterns, can be supplied at a very 
 short notice, and at reasonable prices. 
 
 " The suburbs of Dacca were formerly inhabited 
 by thousands of families of muslin-weavers, who, 
 from the extreme delicacy of their manufacture, were 
 obliged to work in pits, sheltered from the heat of 
 the sun and changes of the weather ; and even after 
 that precaution, only while the dew lay on the 
 ground, as the increasing heat destroyed the ex- 
 tremely delicate thread. When the manufacture 
 ceased, these pits were wholly deserted, and they 
 are now filled with rain after every shower, which 
 speedily becomes putrid, and favours the production 
 of the rankest vegetation. 
 
 " The maj ority of the weavers have long since de- 
 serted Dacca, to seek employment in agriculture. 
 The vacant ground has been in vain offered at the 
 lowest rates to capitalists, who assert that the ex- 
 pense of bringing it into cultivation is so great, that 
 y3
 
 490 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 they cannot secure any chance of profit. The conse- 
 quence is, that within half a mile of the city there 
 exists one of the most pestilential jungles in India; 
 nay, the skirts of the city itself are beginning to bear 
 the same appearance, from the scantiness of its 
 rapidly diminishing population. 
 
 " The city contains a few rich and respectable in- 
 digo-planters, who, in addition to that manufacture, 
 speculate in government lands, which they rent out to 
 zemindars and ryots. A considerable time has elapsed 
 since they introduced the coffee-plant ; but they meet 
 with innumerable difficulties and unforeseen obsta- 
 cles in its culture, finding it almost impossible, by 
 any arts of persuasion, to induce the natives to pay 
 it the requisite attention in weeding, so as to make 
 it a paying crop. There is no fault in the soil or 
 climate, for the plant bears very abundantly, and the 
 berry is of fair quality. 
 
 " The betel-nut trees produce very heavy crops, 
 and they form one of the staples of the country. 
 Many of the areas attached to native houses near 
 the city may be seen almost choked with them. Its 
 slender elegance commands admiration. 
 
 " Dacca has now but three manufactures worthy of 
 the name, but they are very curious ones. The most 
 important is that of violins. Great numbers are 
 made and sold at the low rate of two rupees, or four 
 shillings sterling ! Few manjees, or steersmen of 
 boats, leave the city without purchasing some, either 
 on speculation or for their own private enjoyment 
 during their tedious voyages. The sounds of the 
 violin may be heard at all hours of the day and 
 night. The Bengalees are, in fact, a highly musical
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 491 
 
 people, as any one may discover by frequenting the 
 streets of Dacca during the night ; when, if you 
 peep into a shop where an industrious mechanic is fol- 
 lowing his trade, you will most probably find another 
 recreating himself, after his daily labour, either with 
 a violin or a sarwegee, and occasionally singing to 
 his own music, but never English airs. Groups may 
 be also seen walking along, and singing to the 
 utmost pitch of their voices. 
 
 " The second manufacture consists in the formation 
 of bracelets, of different diameters, both for children 
 and women ; being sections of a sea-shell, called 
 * sunk,' evidently because they are found under 
 water ! Necklaces, called krantas, are also formed of 
 the thick part of the same shell, enough to furnish 
 almost the whole of the Bengal army. The former 
 are cut by a half-moon-shaped saw, about three feet 
 long, worked by the right hand, having a moveable 
 edge, which is replaced when destroyed by long use. 
 The shells are a species of univalve, strongly resem- 
 bling, if not the murax tulipa, procured from Cal- 
 cutta, where they are purchased at the cheap rate of 
 two and a half annas per hundred. They are from 
 four to seven inches long, vary in diameter, from two 
 inches to two inches and a half thick, are very heavy, 
 and in whiteness far exceed ivory. More than three 
 hundred mechanics are constantly employed in this 
 curious manufacture. The tribe occupy a whole 
 street of the most picturesque and ancient houses in 
 Dacca, running behind the Kotwallee, towards the 
 area formerly the site of the Honourable Company's 
 Presidency. The single houses in this street vary 
 from ten to fifteen feet in breadth, and are from two
 
 492 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 to three stories. The narrow ones appear as if built 
 of cards, and all are curiously decorated with Ionic, 
 Doric, and Corinthian pilasters, supporting nothing, 
 and such-like heathenish devices. 
 
 " The third manufacture, in a mercantile point of 
 view, is hardly worthy of record ; it is merely that 
 of idols ! They are made of a certain black stone, not 
 quite three feet long, and very nicely polished. After 
 receiving consecration from some priestly Brahmin, 
 they are set up for public worship, as a rival to the 
 living God. So accustomed are Englishmen to see 
 such objects of worship, that they hardly ever elicit 
 a remark." 
 
 From Dacca there is a post road to Sylhet, on the 
 borders of Assam, where a political officer, supported 
 by a couple of regiments, resides, for the conduct 
 of the relations with the Munniporeans and other 
 neiohbourino- chiefs. Due east of Svlhet are Cachar 
 and Munnipore, states taken under British protection 
 during the Burmese war, the former now constitut- 
 ing part of our possessions, and the latter in close 
 and friendly alliance with our government. Above 
 Sylhet rise the Cossya hills, the chief station in which, 
 Cherrapoonjee, has become a sanatarium for sick 
 people from Calcutta. Cherra, the station, is 4,200, 
 and Cherrapoonjee, the village, 4,500 feet above the 
 level of the sea. The climate is as salubrious and 
 invigorating as that of Great Britain. Proceeding by 
 dawk from Calcutta, the sanatarium may be reached 
 in five or six days, but the voyage by water through 
 the Soonderbunds occupies upwards of three weeks. 
 The natives of the hills are a very savage race, but 
 no molestation is ever offered by them to the Euro-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 493 
 
 pean residents. The chief products of the country- 
 are fir-trees and limestone ; but there are groves of 
 orange-trees, the fruit of which is so abundant 
 that two hundred may be obtained for a rupee. 
 
 Calcutta to Chittagong, Arracan, Sfc. 
 
 The results of the war with the Burmese placed 
 the coast on the upper eastern side of the Bay of 
 Bengal entirely in our possession ; but it has not 
 been deemed necessary to occupy more than four sta- 
 tions with troops. Communication with these sta- 
 tions is generally effected by sea, as the land route 
 is circuitous. The latter runs via Dacca, whence 
 the traveller proceeds southerly and westerly, cross- 
 ing the Megna, at Bhowanygunge, and reaching 
 Chittagong after a journey of 144 miles and four fur- 
 longs. The road is excellent, supplies profuse, and 
 only two nullahs intersect the way. A commissioner 
 resides at Chittagong, and one or two regiments are 
 generally stationed there. 
 
 The possession of the province of Arracan has 
 been of the utmost importance to the British Go- 
 vernment, in a commercial and political point of 
 view. The exports of rice and salt to Bengal, the 
 Coromandel Coast, and the Tenasserim provinces, 
 give employment to seven or eight hundred small 
 vessels annually ; while the position of the troops at 
 Akyub and Khyonk Phoo enables us to watch and 
 check the operations of the Burmese, when the ca- 
 price or bad faith of the sovereign of Ava threatens 
 a descent, or other disturbances of existing relations. 
 The manner in which Arracan is reached by sea is
 
 494 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 described in another part of this work, treating of 
 sea travelUng in India generally. 
 
 The population of Arracan, which includes two 
 millions and a half of souls, may be divided into 
 three classes : the Mughs, or proper Arracanese, and 
 Burmahs ; the Mussulmans and the hill tribes, the 
 chief of which are the Koonrees ; the Tong Moos, the 
 Keangs, and Karains. There are also a considerable 
 number of recent settlers from Bengal, both Hin- 
 doos and Mussulmans, but chiefly the latter. The 
 kings of the country before the Burmese invaded it, 
 about the year 1783, were Mughs, but in 1784 the 
 royal family were carried off to Ava, from which 
 time the country remained subject to the Burmese, 
 until 1825, when they were expelled by the British 
 forces sent from Bengal. 
 
 In disposition the Mughs and Burmese are frank, 
 manly, and straightforward ; they are also kind and 
 hospitable, with much more of independence and 
 good-nature than sycophancy or meanness in their 
 bearing, and they are of an obliging and forgiving 
 nature, but improvident and averse to labour, much 
 given to gambling and drinking, and extremely pas- 
 sionate ; the Burmese are particularly so, and very 
 sanguinary ; perhaps the greatest blemish in the cha- 
 racter of both races is the unmerciful manner in 
 which, when excited, they beat their wives, not un- 
 frequently endangering their lives ; nevertheless, 
 they are not without affection, and both sexes are 
 very fond of their children. The women are reckoned 
 faithful, and are allowed to go about without any re- 
 straint — they are as industrious as the men are idle. 
 The whole labour of the house falls upon them : they
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 495 
 
 go to market, fetch the food, the water, and every 
 necessary ; they beat out the rice, cook the meals, 
 make cloth for the whole family, and even assist 
 their husbands in the field and in looking after the 
 cattle. 
 
 The marriage tie is, however, held in but slight 
 respect amongst the Mughs, and divorces for trifling 
 causes are common. The Burmese regularly court 
 their wives, and after the consent of the parents has 
 been obtained, a day is fixed for the wedding, and all 
 the friends and relatives of the parties are invited to 
 a feast at the house of the bride's father ; after 
 the dowry has been settled, they all sit down to the 
 feast, the bride and bridegroom eat out of the same 
 dish, which binds the contract, and they are declared 
 to be man and wife; the son-in-law often remains 
 a member of the family till his wife desires a house 
 of her own and he can afford one. The Mughs go 
 through the same ceremony, with this difference, 
 that when young, the match is made for them by 
 their parents, and they never see each other till the 
 marriage day ; but widowers or grown-up lads do not 
 attend to this, but generally choose for themselves. 
 
 When a divorce is sought for by both parties, 
 nothing more is requisite than that they should go 
 before a village assembly, and make a declaration of 
 their wishes. Their property is then equally di- 
 vided, and they separate, probably to rejoin as soon 
 as some little feeling of anger subsides. When the 
 husband wishes to separate from his wife against her 
 will, he must give up all the property, and take upon 
 him all her debts, and leave the house with nothing 
 on but his gombong and dhootie ; but should a wo-
 
 496 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 man seek a divorce from her husband, she has only 
 to tender to him, before a competent judicial autho- 
 rity, the sum of twenty-five rupees, which by law he 
 is in ordinary cases bound to accept, or at the ut- 
 most she returns her husband the ornaments he may 
 have given her, also repays the sum of money he 
 gave her parents on the wedding, which is usually all 
 the cost to him of the marriage, and then the release 
 is effected by the wife breaking a paun-leaf in two, 
 eating one half herself, and giving the other to her 
 husband. 
 
 Should there be any children, they are in all cases 
 divided according to their sexes, the boys being 
 given to the father, the girls to the mother. They 
 are considered far from a burthen in a country 
 where food is abundant, and a livelihood so easily 
 obtained. 
 
 The Mughs have no fixed method of disposing of 
 their dead ; the more orthodox plan is to burn ; the 
 poor, however, usually bury them. The coffins, 
 which are used alike in burning and burying, of per- 
 sons of any substance, are in the shape of a sarco- 
 phagus, and if the family can afford it they are often 
 richly ornamented with tinsel and so forth : in this 
 the corpse, dressed in a new suit of clothes, is laid 
 face downwards, a piece of gold or silver coin, or a 
 jewel, being put in the mouth, the great toes and the 
 thumbs are tied together, and if a female, six pieces 
 of wood are laid on the back, if a male, only three. 
 
 When a female dies pregnant, she is not burnt, but 
 buried, the child being first cut out of the womb and 
 interred alongside of the mother ; lepers, temple- 
 slaves, suicides, victims of cholera, criminals, and all
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 497 
 
 those considered unclean, ought to be buried, not 
 burnt. The chief priests and men in power are ge- 
 nerally embalmed, and their bodies preserved for 
 some years, after which they are burnt with great 
 ceremony; quicksilver is the principal ingredient 
 used in cleaning the intestines ; music and dancing 
 take place at the funerals of those who can afford to 
 pay for it, and a feast is given to the neighbours 
 seven days afterwards, at which, although Bhuddists 
 are prohibited the use of liquor on any occasion, it 
 often happens that a scene of much dissipation and 
 riot takes place. The day after the funeral, the 
 family repair to the spot where the body has been 
 burnt or buried, and spread food for the deceased. 
 
 The children are usually named three or four 
 months after their birth. The astrologers fix the 
 name and the day, and the parents give a feast, at 
 which there is music, dancing, and great revelry. 
 
 At boring the child's ears, which takes place when 
 ten or twelve years of age, the whole family and re- 
 latives also assemble, and there is great carousing 
 and festivity ; and when the boy goes to school with 
 the priests, the whole family, and the majority of the 
 villagers accompany him in procession, gaily dressed 
 out in their very best, and attended with music. On 
 the following day a feast is given to the priests and 
 neighbours ; but this is almost the only occasion on 
 which intoxicating liquors are not introduced. On 
 all these occasions those who can afford it give thea- 
 trical entertainments, which consist of an exhibition 
 of puppets, who go through all the action of a play 
 in the most natural and correct manner, whilst per- 
 sons concealed behind the scenes deliver the dialogue,
 
 498 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the action being admirably adapted to the same ; a 
 band of native music attends, and a stage, with foot- 
 lights, is erected for the performance. 
 
 The people of Arracan, of whatever class or deno- 
 mination, all live in houses, built of posts and bam- 
 boo mat walls, the flooring being raised four or five 
 feet from the ground, and the roof made of bamboos 
 and leaves. 
 
 Young men who are bachelors do not sleep in 
 their fathers' houses, but each village has a separate 
 building for the young men, where they sleep by 
 themselves. They are fond of wrestling, dancing, 
 and various games, especially of a kind of foot-ball, 
 played with a spherical rattan wicker-basket, which 
 they kick from one to another, or hit with any part 
 of the body except the hands. Four or five good 
 players will keep it in the air without its falling to 
 the ground for several minutes. 
 
 Although forbidden to take the life of any animal, 
 the Mughs and Burmahs pay as little attention to 
 this commandment as to that against drinking. 
 They are luxurious, but at the same time dirty in 
 their eating, and there is scarcely any species of 
 animal, from the elephant to the frog and snake, that 
 the poorer classes will not eat, except dogs, cats, and 
 rats, and even these the hill tribes eat readily, and 
 it matters not whether the animal has died a natural 
 death or been killed. Fish and the flesh of the 
 superior animals, such as bullocks, deer, goats, &c., 
 are much sought after ; rice is the staple article of 
 food with all classes, and the mess is rendered 
 savoury by the addition of salt, agapee, or bala- 
 choung (which is a compound of decayed shrimps
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 499 
 
 and other small fish), chillies, ginger, turmeric, and 
 numerous kinds of vegetables. These are arranged 
 around the large dish of rice, in small China cups, 
 and give to the repast a rather refined appearance ; 
 milk, oil, or ghee, are rarely partaken of. The 
 favourite drink of the Mughs and Burmese is tarry, or 
 the juice of a species of the palm, which also furnishes 
 the leaves used in thatching their houses. It is 
 sweet, slightly intoxicating, but harmless ; strong 
 spirits are also distilled from rice ; all classes chew 
 the paun and betel-nut mixed up with khut, tobacco, 
 and lime ; and so universal is the habit of smoking 
 tobacco, that even children of four years old may 
 constantly be seen with a cigar in their mouths. 
 
 Both men and women are robust in form, but they 
 are not a handsome race ; they are, however, fond of 
 finery. The men usually wear a head-dress, or gom- 
 bong, composed of book muslin twisted round, but 
 not over the head, and it is often gracefully en- 
 twined with their long hair, which they prize so much 
 that it is not uncommon for them to wear false hair; 
 a jacket which is tied at the throat and closed over 
 the chest and reaches half-way down the thigh, and 
 a dhootie, often of brilhant-coloured silk, complete 
 their costume. The women go with the head bare, 
 but the hair is neatly braided off and tied in a knot 
 behind ; a red cloth is wrapt tightly round the bosom, 
 from which descends a petticoat, which, in the case 
 of Burmese, is generally very gaudily coloured, and 
 open up one side, so that in walking, much of the 
 leg and even thigh is often exposed. The petticoat 
 of the Mugh women is usually less gaudy and more 
 decent in its dimensions. They also wear a loose
 
 500 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 muslin jacket reaching to the middle, with tight 
 sleeves and a gay cotton handkerchief thrown care- 
 lessly over the head or shoulder. The young girls 
 are sometimes very pretty and always merry-looking. 
 
 The Mussulmans of Arracan are supposed to be 
 the descendants of slaves imported from Bengal by 
 the great people in early times, and one portion of 
 them, called Kumauchees, chiefly resident in Ram- 
 ree, were formerly the body-guard archers of the 
 Rajahs of Arracan ; these have no knowledge of the 
 use of the bow, and have become dyers in indigo, 
 merchants, (fee. The Mahomedans have retained the 
 language and customs of their forefathers, but have 
 adopted the dress of the country, particularly the be- 
 coming gambon, or head-dress, and wear their hair 
 long, tied in a knot on the top of the head, like the 
 Mughs and Burmese. They resolutely resist all 
 attempts to make them shave their heads, but wear 
 very goat-like beards, which the Mughs do not. 
 They are respectable and industrious, and much 
 more provident than the Mughs. All the regular 
 fishermen are Mahomedans, and are generally 
 wealthy. 
 
 The Koonrees, Taugmros, Kyengs, and Karains, 
 are mountaineers living in a state of barbarism ; they 
 build their houses entirely of bamboos, and very 
 hio;h from the ground, and live in communities of 
 from fifteen or twenty to forty or fifty families. They 
 change the site of their village every second or third 
 year as the soil on the hill sides in their neighbour- 
 hood becomes exhausted. They are frequently at 
 war with each other, but such as have descended 
 into the low country, and there occupy the isolated
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 501 
 
 ranges of small hills, are very quiet and inoffensive 
 people, though much addicted to drunkenness, for 
 the gratification of which vice they distil a very 
 potent liquor from rice. They are of a very roving 
 disposition, and on the occurrence of any unusual 
 sickness or misfortune, immediately remove the 
 whole village to a new site. Their attachment to 
 their native mountains is, however, very strong ; and 
 those who have been driven by the oppression of 
 other tribes to seek a residence in the islands or the 
 plains, even collect the ashes of their dead, and on 
 the first opportunity, be it years afterwards, convey 
 them back to their native country. Nothing will 
 induce them to intermarry with any other people, or 
 inhabit a Mugh village. In language, and indeed in 
 every respect, they are a distinct people : they wear 
 scarcely any clothing beyond a rag round the loins, 
 and another round the head, and in cold weather the 
 rich have a cotton wrapper or chudder over the 
 shoulders ; they have no religion, but worship nature 
 and perform various ceremonies to propitiate the 
 Nats or demons ; they are not litigious, but very re- 
 vengeful ; and although in some instances a compro- 
 mise may be effected for any injury, yet in general 
 the loss of life can only be satisfied by taking the 
 life of the offender. The women appear to have 
 formerly set a high value on chastity, for they still 
 adhere to a singular custom of making their faces 
 quite blue by tattooing them in a frightful manner, 
 which is supposed to have originated in a desire to 
 disfigure their beauty, for which they are said to 
 have been so celebrated, that they were eagerly 
 sought after, and seized, as slaves and concubines,
 
 502 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 by their more powerful neighbours, who greatly 
 esteemed them. The custom is said to have much 
 declined since the introduction of British rule, and 
 may certainly be very safely abandoned, for the 
 mountain population are extremely ugly and abomi- 
 nably dirty : they eat and drink every thing that 
 comes in their way, and are most perfect savages. 
 
 Amongst the Mughs and Burmese, slavery and 
 bondage were tolerated in all shapes, but a few years 
 ago every thing of the kind was abolished in Arra- 
 can ; now all persons are free, or may be so on ap- 
 plying for release. 
 
 The established religion of Arracan, under the 
 native sovereigns, was Bhuddism, and of Mughs and 
 Burmese Bhuddists there are now about 206,000 in 
 the province. They reject the immortality of the 
 soul and the existence of a living God. They be- 
 lieve in the influence of superhuman powers, both of 
 good and of evil, and expect after death repeated 
 transmigrations, either for better or for worse, ac- 
 cording to their conduct in this life, and ultimately 
 entire absorption and cessation from all future 
 troubles. They have no castes, and are free from 
 bigotry ; still, were a Bhuddist to eat with some of 
 the lower castes of Hindoos, such as Dooms, 
 sW'Cepers, washermen, barbers, bearers, and some 
 particular classes of their own creed, lepers, temple 
 slaves, and unclean persons, they would be expelled 
 from all society. All persons except the unclean are 
 eligible to the priesthood, which is entered volun- 
 tarily and for indefinite periods ; it is only necessary 
 that votaries should renounce the world, assume the 
 sacred garb, present the priests with fruits, kc, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 503 
 
 obtain their permission to take up their abode in the 
 Keoung or monastery ; after which, they must lead 
 the hfe of strict ascetics, eschewing all female con- 
 nection and interference with secular affairs. The 
 priests, or phoongees, trust entirely to charity for their 
 daily subsistence : they cook, no food for themselves, 
 lest in so doing they should take the life of any 
 animal, but they will eat food dressed by others. 
 They do not actually beg, but they go forth daily into 
 the streets and thoroughfares, which they traverse ge- 
 nerally without stopping ; and if food is given to them 
 as they expect it will be, it is put into a basket 
 usually carried by one of their pupils, and they pass 
 on, counting their beads, without returning thanks or 
 inquiring what caste person gave it. They are pre- 
 cluded taking money or any thing not purely 
 essential to their support, or the ornament of the 
 Keoung ; they are usually followed by a string of 
 youths, their disciples or scholars, some of whom 
 carry the lacquered baskets for the reception of alms. 
 They are clothed in a large yellow mantle, some- 
 times of silk or satin, folded loosely around them, 
 passing over the left shoulder, and leaving the right 
 arm and breast uncovered. They shave their heads 
 and beards, wear no ornaments, and go barefooted. 
 They are usually clean, remarkably civil, and well 
 conducted, kind and hospitable to strangers, and 
 are reputed to have more learning than any other 
 class. They are, in fact, the gratuitous teachers of 
 the land ; all the boys being placed under them for 
 the purpose of being taught to read and write. The 
 priests generally act well up to their tenets in all 
 their austerity ; and as they may at any time leave
 
 504 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the convent and marry, which is frequently done, it 
 rarely happens that any scandal befalls them, for 
 should a brother prove frail, he is quietly dismissed, 
 and returns to the world without notice being at- 
 tracted. 
 
 The Keoungs are usually most substantially and 
 often beautifully built, and as a mark of distinction 
 they have two or three roofs raised one above the 
 other. Any person may visit the interior ; they are 
 generally well stocked with numerous images of 
 Gautama of all sizes and materials, white and black 
 marble, alabaster, wood, stone-clay, or copper, most 
 ofwhich are, either wholly or partially, gilt with gold 
 or silver. Glass and metal vessels, with real and arti- 
 ficial flowers, and various other simple articles of or- 
 nament, are also seen arranged in front of the images : 
 immediately over them there is usually a canopy of 
 fine cloth ornamented with gold leaf and tinsel : and 
 black wooden cases, the panelling of which is inlaid 
 with little squares of glass of all colours surmounted 
 by images of Gautama, and in which the priests keep 
 their books and sacred records, occupy the back 
 ground, and other parts of the hall. Hanging lamps, 
 wall shades, crystal decanters, and such things, are 
 also much sought after for the ornament of the 
 Keoung. 
 
 In all the mountains and forests of Arracan, the 
 elephant, tiger, leopard, tiger-cat, bear, deer of va- 
 rious kinds, and the wild hog, are to be found. The 
 elephant is, however, scarce on the islands, and nei- 
 ther it nor the tiger is to be found on Cheedooba. 
 The bos-gaurus, the wild buffalo, the sha, an animal 
 something like the chamois, and a kind of wild dog
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 505 
 
 or wolf, also a species of racoon, the wild cat, the 
 balla soor, and a kind of civet, are found in the hills. 
 There are no jackals, hares, or foxes, but asses and 
 monkeys of numerous kinds inhabit the jungles. 
 Of birds, there are nearly all that are common to 
 Bengal, with some beautiful kinds of pheasants, in- 
 cluding the argus species. The snakes and other 
 reptiles seem, also, to be much the same as in other 
 parts of India, but are not particularly numerous or 
 troublesome; and offish there is an abundance of all 
 tlie kinds usually found in tropical seas and rivers — 
 the shark, crocodile, alligator, saw-fish, turtle, sole, 
 pomfert, mullet, rock-cod, skate, sword-fish, bumaloe, 
 cockup, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, oysters, cockles, 
 periwinkles, and various others, are in great perfec- 
 tion. The Mughs enumerate more than 200 kinds 
 offish. 
 
 The botanical productions of Arracan are but little 
 known. The bamboo everywhere covers the hills 
 and the lower ranges of mountains ; teak and a spe- 
 cies of oak are also found amongst the hills, but both 
 are rendered valueless, as are many other magnificent 
 timbers, the names of which are unknown, from the 
 distance at which they grow from good water-car- 
 riage; the red and white jarrool, praing (a kind of 
 iron wood), the toon, sissoo, telsur (which yields 
 dammer), gurjun (from which oil is extracted), the 
 semel or cotton (silk) tree, peepul, and all the com- 
 mon trees of India, abound ; likewise several kinds of 
 palms, from one of which (the nippah) the liquor 
 called tarree is extracted ; sugar, also, may be made 
 from it, and the leaves are universally used as cover- 
 ing to the houses. The mangrove, which is valuable as 
 
 %
 
 506 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 fuel, especially for steam purposes, is most abundant, 
 and long grass covers the waste plains. Iron is 
 found on the island of Ramree, and so are coal and 
 lime. 
 
 Calcutta to Cuttack (247 miles). 
 
 Cuttack is the southernmost station under the Ben- 
 gal Presidency. The road, which is a continuation of 
 the great Benares line, leads to Pooree, the seat of 
 the Temple of Juggernauth, and a delightful place of 
 resort for sea-bathers from Calcutta. Cuttack, from 
 its vicinity to the sea, and the total absence of all 
 vegetation, is one of the most agreeable and healthful 
 stations in India. The society is small, consisting, 
 as it does, of a few civilians and a small proportion 
 of military ; but the contiguity of Cuttack to other 
 small stations renders a considerable re-union of 
 visitors a matter of no great difficulty. The finest 
 salt in India is manufactured on the coast of Cut- 
 tack, yielding the Government a revenue little short 
 of eighteen lacs of rupees. The produce, distin- 
 guished for its whiteness and purity, before it has 
 passed into the hands of the merchant, is of the spe- 
 cies called pangah, procured by boiling. The process 
 observed by the molunghees, or manufacturers, is 
 rude and simple to the last degree. The sea-water, 
 which is brought up by various small channels to the 
 neighbourhood of the manufacturing stations, or 
 khalaries, is first mixed up and saturated with a 
 quantity of the salt earth, or efflorescence, which 
 forms on the surface of the low ground all around, 
 after it has been overflowed by the high tides, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 507 
 
 which, being scraped off by the mokmghees, is 
 thrown into cyHndrical receptacles of earth, having* a 
 vent underneath, and a false bottom made of twigs 
 and straw. The strongly impregnated brine filtering- 
 through the grass, &c., is carried, by a channel dug- 
 underground, to a spot at hand, surrounded with an 
 enclosure of mats, in the centre of which a number 
 of oblong earthen pots, generally about two hundred, 
 are cemented together by mud in the form of a dome, 
 under which is a fire-place, or oven. The brine is 
 poured into this collection of pots, or choolas, and 
 boiled until a sufficient degree of evaporation has 
 taken place, when the salt is taken out, as it forms, 
 with iron ladles, and collected in heaps in the open 
 air. The heaps are afterwards thatched with reeds, 
 and remain in this state until sold or removed by the 
 officers of the agency. 
 
 There is little trade carried on from Cuttack ; but 
 in seasons of great scarcity, and on the occurrence 
 of the furious gales and inundations to which the 
 coast is peculiarly exposed, large importations of 
 grain, rice, &c., take place. 
 
 The great Temple of Juggernauth, at Pooree, pre- 
 sents, from the sea-view, an imposing appearance ; 
 it is, on a close inspection, neither remarkable for its 
 architecture nor the materials of which it is com- 
 posed, the latter being rough stone, overlaid with a 
 coating of coarse chunam. The Khek, chief tower, 
 and other minor buildings connected with it, are 
 comprised within a wall surrounding a platform, 
 raised high above the ground, and no less than 650 feet 
 in length : the height of the tower is 200 feet. Ac- 
 cording to ancient Brahminical records preserved in 
 z 2
 
 508 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the building, the Temple of Sri Jeo, or Juggernauth 
 (some writers spell the word without the h), existed 
 many centuries before Christ ; was destroyed and 
 rebuilt sundry times, and was lastly restored A.D. 
 1198, by Rajah Bhim Deo of Orissa, who is said to 
 have expended nearly £500,000 on the work ! Within 
 its holy precincts many inferior deities are provided 
 with lodgings and attendants ; but the most revered 
 of the divine occupants are Juggernauth (the Lord of 
 the World), an alias of the many-named Vishnu, 
 Buldeo (his brother), and their sister, the saffron- 
 coloured Subhadra. 
 
 The average number of pilgrims who annually re- 
 sort to Pooree is said to be 120,000; many of whom 
 are destined never to return. Thousands of these 
 poor wretches die from famine or over-fatigue during 
 the journey. Many of these fanatics actually craivl 
 from great distances to this, the Mecca of their hopes. 
 
 Immense numbers are also destroyed by the per- 
 nicious climate of the rainy season; and their corpses, 
 which are thrown on the sands, near the English 
 station, are either burnt or left to be devoured by 
 the troops of Pariah dogs, jackals, and vultures, 
 with which this place, so rich in food for them, 
 swarms. It is said, that in the space of half an acre 
 of ground, as many as 150 bodies have been seen, 
 with twice as many of the before-mentioned scaven- 
 gers fighting over their horrid feast. The grand 
 ceremony of the installation of the idol on his 
 triumphal car (which is called Rath Jatra) takes 
 place in June. The usual influx of pilgrims at this 
 epoch is enormous ; but their numbers decrease 
 yearly, and the sanctity of Juggernauth wanes in
 
 THE HAXD-BOOK OF INDIA. 509 
 
 proportion to the progress of civilization in India. 
 The mad fanaticism which formerly led hundreds of 
 voluntary victims to immolate themselves beneath 
 the wheels of the idol's car is now much sobered 
 down. 
 
 The temple is enclosed by a high stone wall, 
 square, about 250 yards each way ; gates are in the 
 middle of each face, which look to the cardinal 
 points. The eastern, or lion door, is the principal 
 entrance, and is guarded by two stone animals, 
 which the most depraved imagination has deno- 
 minated lions. The gateways all rise in a pyramidal 
 shape, with rude sculpture and the portraiture of 
 hideous figures. On looking through the eastern 
 gate, the entrance for pilgrims, the only thing to be 
 seen is a broad flight of steps, which leads to the tem- 
 ple. A handsome black stone pillar, the shaft of one 
 piece and twenty-five feet long, stands immediately 
 before the entrance. It is one of the most chaste 
 and elegant pieces of art ever seen, and is said to be 
 equal in design and proportion to any pillar of the 
 Corinthian order. 
 
 The grand temple in which the idols are lodged is 
 a very high tower in the middle of the square, and, 
 as before observed, from its great elevation, it forms 
 a conspicuous landmark to sailors coming from 
 different parts of the world. Its form is square 
 for the distance of two-thirds, from whence it de- 
 creases by a slight curve to the top ; thus it follows 
 the usual configuration of Hindoo temples ; it is also 
 fluted in this part. On the top of this is a large cir- 
 cular, flat, black stone, cut like a melon. On the 
 summit of this stone is the chucher, or wheel — the
 
 510 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 distinguishing symbol of Vishnu, and precisely re- 
 sembling the wheel of a ship's rudder. The whole is 
 surmounted by flags and pennons of the appro- 
 priate colours of the god in whose honour they are 
 displayed. 
 
 The modes are various by which the devotees con- 
 ceive they render their piety more striking and 
 propitiatory. 
 
 The great ceremony is that of the Rath Jatra ; 
 but a minor and prefatory ceremony is that of bath- 
 ing the idols. Their godships are formed up in line, 
 on an elevated terrace within the enclosure, and pro- 
 tected from the night dews by an extensive and 
 gaudy canopy of many-coloured cloths. They con- 
 sist of three frightful wooden faces, of the respective 
 colours of black, brown, and yellow ; the lower por- 
 tions of the figures being closely swathed in cloth 
 wrappers. 
 
 The following day the idols are consigned to 
 their respective niches in the temple. Upon this 
 occasion it is the annual custom for Juggernauth to 
 declare himself to be en petite santc, from the effects 
 of a severe cold, consequent, probably, upon his 
 bath, which continues to afflict him until the day of 
 the gi'and ceremony, when, by the wise treatment 
 of his physicians, he is restored to his usual good 
 health ! 
 
 To such a length as this is carried the blind super- 
 stition of this simple people; and it is carefully nou- 
 rished and fostered by the crafty Brahmins, who 
 doubtless secure to themselves a large share of the 
 offerings paid at the shrine of the idolized but help- 
 less King Log. At the festival of the Rath Jatra,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 511 
 
 the idols are conducted in state to visit their country- 
 seat, one mile and a half from Pooree; a journey of 
 three days. By all accounts, the matter of inducting 
 their worships from the temple to their raths or cars 
 is not remarkably ceremonious. Ropes being fas- 
 tened round their throats, they are dragged " neck 
 and heels " down the grand steps through the mud, 
 and are finally hauled by the same gallows-like 
 process into their respective vehicles, where they are 
 decorated by the priests, and welcomed by shouts of 
 admiration and triumph from the fanatical multi- 
 tude. The raths on which the monster-deities are 
 drawn are of lofty and massive dimensions and 
 clumsy architecture ; that of Sri Jeo is nearly forty- 
 five feet in height, has a platform of thirty-five feet 
 square, and moves upon sixteen wheels of solid 
 timber. 
 
 The Black Pagoda is situate sixteen miles north 
 of Pooree, near the village of Kauarac. It was 
 built by Narsing Deo Langora, Rajah of Orissa, in 
 A.D. 1241 ; but other writers attribute its erection 
 to a much earlier date. In its ancient days of cele- 
 brity it was designated the Temple of the Sun, and 
 was dedicated to his worship, under the title of Su- 
 riga, in consequence of that deity having cured the 
 son of Vishnu of leprosy, with which he was in- 
 fected as a punishment for having seen (accidentally) 
 some young ladies of the palace (but whose palace 
 the record saith not) during the operation of bathing. 
 What remains of the building is the pagoda, or 
 square building, the sides to the cardinal points ; 
 the walls are fifty feet high, and of amazing thick- 
 ness. From thence upward the roof is an exact
 
 512 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 pyramid, on the apex of which are the remains of 
 some symbol of the god. Tlie pyramidal part is 
 divided into compartments, each overhanging the 
 other, hke the roof of a Chinese temple, flat and de- 
 creasing to the top. The part still most perfect is 
 the inferior tower, and is called the Jug Mohun. 
 
 The sanctuary in which the idol was lodged is 
 almost destroyed ; what does remain marks a freak 
 in the operations of time, or whatever is the de- 
 stroying power. The sanctuary was in the shape of 
 a tall tower, exceeding in height the other part of 
 the temple. From half-way down it had a slight 
 curvature and terminated in a point. Only one 
 quarter of this building is still erect ; the other three 
 are prostrate in indistinguishable ruin ; it seems as 
 if the tower had divided in half and then cross-wise, 
 cutting it into four pieces. When the three parts 
 fell it was difficult to account for the fourth retaining 
 its perpendicular ; but the time is not far distant when 
 it will soon follow the others, now at its feet. From 
 the altitude of the Black Pagoda, and its contiguity 
 to the sea, it is a conspicuous landmark for seamen. 
 
 The temple is chiefly formed of a stone easily af- 
 fected by time and the elements ; though about the 
 doorways there is a remarkably hard greenish stone 
 used. The eastern, or principal, entrance has had 
 the greatest share of ornamental labour. There is 
 an entablature over this gateway, sculptured in the 
 most excellent manner, both in design and exe- 
 cution. 
 
 Foliage is springing up in its crevices, and will 
 soon lay its glories in the dust. A complete shrub- 
 bery has grown upon the summit of the temple,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 513 
 
 which was once graced with the Leer Chucker, or 
 blue wheel of Vishnu. An absurd notion prevailed 
 among the Hindoos of the temple having a load- 
 stone on its top, which attracting the ships passing, 
 drew them to destruction. Some desperate foreigners, 
 having suffered a like catastrophe, stormed the pa- 
 goda and carried away the magnet. The sanctuary 
 being thus defiled, the shrine was deserted by the 
 Brahmins, and many of its ornaments removed to 
 the temple of Juggernauth. 
 
 In the north-west of Cuttack lie certain districts 
 inhabited by hill tribes, who were in a state of revolt 
 against the authority of the British Government so 
 far back as 1832-33, but who are now obedient sub- 
 jects. The country is termed the Colehan — the 
 people the Coles. A political commissioner resides 
 in the territory, and a corps of local infantry is 
 placed at his disposal. The upper boundary of this 
 tract of country forms the south-west frontier of the 
 possessions subordinate to the Supreme Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 BOMBAY. 
 
 Although secondary to Madras in respect to the 
 extent of territory subordinate to the local govern- 
 ment, and consequently inferior in the magnitude of 
 its public establishments, army, revenue, &;c., Bom- 
 bay has become, since the estabhshment of a regular 
 monthly communication with England via the Red 
 z3
 
 514 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Sea, a more important presidency than its neighbour. 
 We therefore assign precedence to it in our order of 
 description. 
 
 Externally, Bombay is particularly attractive. As 
 the bay is entered, the passenger beholds on either 
 side mountains rising apparently at no great distance 
 marking the western boundaries of the vast continent 
 of India. To the left, and within half a mile of the 
 ordinary anchorage, is the island of Bombay, fronted 
 by a fortress bristling with guns, and forming the 
 enclosure to the town. The steeples of two churches, 
 a Protestant cathedral and a Scotch chapel, are the 
 only architectural objects that rise above the mass of 
 buildings, but sufficient is seen of the private houses 
 running landward to indicate the wealth and popu- 
 lousness of the place. Large and commodious boats 
 resembling the famous Deal boats, and here called 
 bunder (or pier) boats, quickly come off for the con- 
 veyance of passengers ashore, and if the new arrival 
 has been expected, and his or her reception ar- 
 ranged, it does not unfrequently occur that a head 
 servant, or purvoe, is the bearer of a note con- 
 taining a special invitation to the house of some 
 respectable resident. As yet, Bombay has made 
 but little progress towards the establishment of 
 good hotels or boarding-houses. The hospitality 
 for which British India was at one time proverbial, 
 therefore continues in full force on this picturesque 
 island. It does, however, happen that a party ar- 
 rives at the presidency without the introductions that 
 will ensure him a reception within a private domicile, 
 or, having them, he may find the spare rooms of his 
 friend pre-occupied, or the host himself absent from
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 515 
 
 town. Under such circumstances, he has only the 
 choice of an indifferent hotel (even while we write it 
 may, such is the progress of improvement, have 
 become a comfortable establishment), or of a tent 
 upon the esplanade. Between the south-western- 
 most point of the Fort and the seashore, a corner of 
 the esplanade, or plain, which stretches across the 
 entire land-face of the fortifications, is appropri- 
 ated to an encampment for the accommodation of 
 strangers, or residents who prefer the sea breezes 
 and a canvas habitation to the stifling heat of the 
 close and dusty town. A word to one of the du- 
 bashes, a superior sort of valet de place and cice- 
 rone, who presents himself on board most newly ar- 
 rived vessels, will ensure to the passenger, within 
 twenty-four hours, a comfortably furnished tent and 
 a small retinue of servants, at an expense not 
 greater than will be incurred at the hotel, and with 
 the advantage of perfect seclusion and independence. 
 The cadet or the Queen's officer, however, whether 
 introduced or not, is relieved of these cares for his 
 personal comfort, as the superintending oflacer who 
 has charge of the former provides immediate quarters 
 for the newly arrived, and the latter invariably re- 
 ceives an invitation from the regiment quartered in 
 the town, or Fort George Barracks, to accept the 
 hospitalities of the mess, and is put into appropriate 
 apartments by the barrack-master. Once landed, 
 the stranger commences life in India, and as we 
 have spoken of this very fully at pages 202 to 227, 
 little need be said upon that score in this place. 
 Still, as every town in India has its peculiarities and 
 distinctive features, it may not be amiss, in view to
 
 ol6 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 the completeness at wliich a guide-book should aim, 
 to give a portion of the latest description that has 
 been published of a city which is now resorted to 
 each month by scores of persons from England, who 
 either proceed thither to take up their residence, or 
 to join the services to which they may have been ap- 
 pointed. A writer in the Asiatic Journal, speaking 
 of " Bombay in 1843," gives a sketch of manners 
 and customs which does not essentially vary from 
 the usages of Europeans at Calcutta ; but the article 
 proceeds to depict the shops, &c., in a style so graphic 
 that it is worth transplantation here : — 
 
 " There is neither a theatre nor a concert-room in 
 Bombay ; this, perhaps, is fortunate, as late hours 
 are destructive to health in a tropical climate. Still, 
 much time might be agreeably passed, if music, as 
 an accomplishment, were more cultivated — for it 
 would increase sociability, and win many from less 
 graceful pastimes ; but, unfortunately, all the ma- 
 chinery of the fine arts is procured with difficulty, 
 and it is therefore only among persons of extraordi- 
 nary energy that their practice is continued. Bom- 
 bay, indeed, possesses shops, and they deserve notice 
 as a portion of its physiognomy; but the high 
 charges and paucity of supplies, confined also to 
 what is most commonly on demand, render them ill 
 calculated to give a stimulus to the arts. In proof 
 of this, let us imagine ourselves to have entered one 
 of the principal shoj)s, and the scene will afford a 
 fair sample of their contents, and will also shew how 
 inefficient they are to gratify taste, or to satisfy the 
 numerous wants of civilized life. 
 
 " The Parsee master, attired in a white cotton gar-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 517 
 
 ment, and pointed head-dress of glazed chintz, meets 
 the visitor at the door, and with something more 
 grave than a nod, yet scarcely graceful enough to be 
 called a bow, ushers him along between a double 
 row of glass cases ; less, certainly, but of the same 
 form as those which English gardeners use for rais- 
 ing cucumbers. These are locked ; but as soon as the 
 article sought for is supposed to be seen, the Parsee 
 produces from a large pocket in the side of his dress 
 a small bunch of keys, when something remembered 
 to be in fashion or invented ten years ago is laid be- 
 fore the purchaser. Nothing of the kind can carry 
 disappointment farther than a Parsee shop, where, in 
 lieu of the improvements of modern times, where the 
 highest degree of convenience is the object desired 
 by the manufacturer, are to be found articles only of 
 the most cumbrous kind ; the mechanism, where any 
 exists, totally deranged, and the intrinsic value con- 
 sequently lost. The poor Parsee, however, knows 
 little of all this, and prices his various goods with 
 amusing inconsistency, making all pay for his bad 
 debts and damaged wares. 
 
 " A very excellent chemist's shop is established in 
 the fort, which disseminates the blessing of soda- 
 water over the whole presidency. But the most im- 
 portant want is that of a boot and shoe maker, not- 
 withstanding that there are two well-meaning but 
 very incapable persons, father and son, natives of 
 the Celestial empire, who wander from house to 
 house, with white coats, red slippers, straw-hats, flat 
 features, and long plaited hair, holding in their 
 hands little bundles, containing silk and satin shoes 
 intended to fit everybody, and consequently fitting
 
 518 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 nobody. These worthy Crispins receive orders, and 
 with bad leather, coarse linen, and paste in abun- 
 dance, essay their execution, the result being, that 
 the public pay for their want of skill, in the penalty 
 of uneasy or distorted feet. 
 
 " Two or three Portuguese have libraries in the fort 
 — dark, dismal places, containing a few standard and 
 elementary works that no one ever reads, and which 
 certainly cannot rank with either cheap or entertain- 
 ing literature ; but then, for reference, there is the 
 splendid library of the Town Hall ; and for purchase, 
 the scattered volumes of a Borah's basket, purchased 
 at the sale of an officer's effects, or perhaps bartered 
 by a new arrival for a packet of Windsor soap, or a 
 new bridle for his cream-coloured tattoo. The Bo- 
 rah, like the reader of a circulating library, values 
 books according to the lateness of their date of pub- 
 lication ; he learns the title-pages by rote, and sets a 
 store upon illustrations, quite indifferent whether 
 they are of John Gilpin or the Book of Beauty. 
 
 " In olden times, before steamers brought out 
 crowds of ladies attired in Parisian fashions, and be- 
 fore it was considered necessary to send to England 
 for regular supplies of tasteful attire, the Borahs, who 
 purchased vast quantities of goods strangely thrown 
 together in the lots of a hurried auction, arranged at 
 the instigation of the master of a Liverpool brig, 
 were looked to for all that was required, from a paper 
 of pins to a ball dress. But things have changed, 
 and Borahs are daily becoming of less repute ; their 
 taste is questioned, their fashions laughed at, and 
 their self-importance shaken; still, one or two retain 
 their entrie to the morning room, and many beautiful
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 519 
 
 women in Bombay still owe much of their attire to a 
 ' Borah's basket.' 
 
 " One Borah was accustomed almost daily to make 
 his appearance in a bullock-garee (cart), well covered- 
 in, and containing three or four parcels of rich 
 merchandize. In one was displayed a rich pile of 
 Cashmere shawls and Delhie scarfs ; in another, fine 
 muslins and pretty China silks ; in a third, chintzes, 
 calicoes, crapes, and woollens. Very probably you 
 care not for any of these things : the fat Borah wipes 
 his brow and beckons to a cooley, whispering a word 
 in his ear ; the man disappears, but soon returns ; in 
 his hand is a small mahogany box, which he hands 
 to his master ; the Borah seeks a key, it opens, and 
 a blaze of jewels, some of great value, glitters before 
 the eyes of the sorely-tempted ; rubies, emeralds, 
 sapphires, and diamonds, some well set, others in 
 their native state. Sometimes, with humbler aim 
 and smaller capital, laces and bobbins form the stock 
 in trade of a simple-minded Borah ; but sometimes, 
 again, the itinerant trader deals largely in pearls, 
 bringing with him a capacious box, containing 
 thousands, loose and undrilled, large and small to- 
 gether, selling them by weight ; you take up a hand- 
 ful, and the owner looks calmly on, as if they were 
 grains of corn. 
 
 " Next appears the vender of coral, jasper, and cor- 
 nelian ; of ivory boxes and inlaid watch-stands ; but 
 only the newly-arrived or the speedily-departing pa- 
 tronise them much. It is otherwise, however, with 
 the general or "chow chow" Borah, as he is called, 
 for his soap, pickles, whips, vinegar, cotton socks,
 
 520 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 eau-de-cologiie, essence of ginger, and orange mar- 
 malade, find ready |)urchasers everywhere. 
 
 " As I have said, the time is at hand when the trade 
 of the Borahs will cease. They are a distinct feature 
 in the physiognomy of Bombay, however, and as 
 such their loss will be regretted ; for though their 
 eau-de-cologne is little better than spirits of wine, 
 their calico too often rotten, and their Scotch mar- 
 malade the production of Surat, yet the Borah is a 
 character, and one often possessing a great fund of 
 drollery and good-nature. This is particularly dis- 
 played at times when the Borah is required to ex- 
 change, as well as to sell goods ; this arrangement 
 being also part of his calling, and commonly con- 
 ducted in a way that is replete with amusement to 
 the looker-on. The Borah will purchase any thing, 
 animate or inanimate — blankets, mathematical in- 
 struments, goats, or horses. Occasionally, an old 
 pony is exchanged for a pair of pistols, or a much- 
 worn copy of Chaucer for a new tandem whip, when 
 a great deal of raillery is frequently carried on be- 
 tween the buyer and seller; for public indulgence 
 allows much latitude to the Borah among those to 
 whom his character and calling afford constant 
 amusement during the leisure hours of a hot day in 
 India. 
 
 "The horse-dealers are also among the characteris- 
 tics of Bombay. In the centre nearly of the great 
 bazaar, the stranger observes a long row of thatched 
 buildings, surrounded by a mud wall ; these are the 
 Arab stables, and here is centred a considerable 
 portion of the happiness of the male community.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 52] 
 
 Lounging on benches outside the wall, are to be seen 
 the dealers, chatting with their Persian friends, who 
 are usually moonshees, in the employ of the Euro- 
 pean officers, or merchants in the town ; the costume 
 of the horse-dealers consists of under-garments of 
 white cotton, over which are robes with hanging 
 sleeves, in colour either pale, blue, or orange, with 
 handsome waist-shawls and crimson slippers ; their 
 turbans are commonly of striped silk and cotton, tas- 
 selled like the handkerchiefs of the Bedouins, and 
 beneath these, gleam eyes radiant with the cunning 
 which accompanies an intimate knowledge of their 
 peculiar calling. 
 
 " When a boat-load of horses arrives fresh from the 
 Persian Gulf, nothing can exceed the excitement 
 produced amongst the racing members of the Bom- 
 bay Society, with that of the hunting portion of the 
 world generally who may chance to be for the time 
 at the presidency. The horses, from having been 
 stowed closely together, much as the poor Africans 
 are described to be on board a slaver, with little food, 
 less water, and no exercise, lose all their beauty of 
 appearance, and are commonly reduced to mere bone 
 and muscle ; the experienced eye, however, judges 
 better of them in this state, roundness of form being 
 quite unnecessary for shewing the real power or 
 symmetry of a high caste Arab ; therefore, as soon 
 as the ' dow' discharges its cargo, the sporting men 
 hurry to the stables, and make an immediate selec- 
 tion, frequently paying three or four hundred pounds 
 for what, to an unskilled eye, might seem but the 
 diseased frame-work of a horse. After this, the Arab 
 dealers exert all their skill to pass oft' at the best
 
 522 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 prices the nags that are considered unworthy to con- 
 test the glories of either the turf or the 'jungle-side,' 
 and this they effect with admirable j ockeyship. Being 
 all excellent riders (for clinging to a horse seems not 
 a matter of acquirement, but of nature, with an Arab, 
 like a sixth sense), a servant of the stables will fling 
 himself on the bare back of the most vicious animal 
 in his master's possession, perhaps, and with tangled 
 locks, and garments wildly flowing, gallop him back- 
 wards and forwards, while the uninitiated and hoped- 
 for purchaser wonderingly looks on, convinced that the 
 heavy-shouldered,hatchet-headed, zebra-striped brute 
 before him must be the perfection of high caste and fine 
 temper, to be so managed with a single rope-bridle 
 and the spur of a bare heel ; and in this spirit the 
 dealer persuades his victim to give a large sum for a 
 horse that runs away with him the first day he 
 mounts him, and kicks him off the second. The 
 deluded purchaser seldom likes to acknowledge this, 
 and the dealer, therefore, hears no more of him : the 
 dupe of his skill hastens to barter the ill-conditioned 
 animal with a friend, and, as ' doing business,' as it 
 is called, is a great amusement among the young 
 men in India, the matter is soon arranged, and the 
 original purchaser gets rid of the horse for, perhaps, 
 a clever pony, a ' Macintosh,' and a dozen or two 
 of pale ale, and, after all, when in experienced hands, 
 the horse often turns out a valuable hunter, and earns 
 great reputation. 
 
 " The sportsman ever dislikes Bombay ; for, beau- 
 tiful as the island is, with its rocky mountain scenery^ 
 and dense jungles along the coast, studded with the 
 cave temples of an ancient superstition, it is not a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 523 
 
 country that can be ridden over ; and although some 
 species of game are to be found in abundance about 
 the underwood of Salsette, and the back of the island 
 itself, yet the marshy character of the ground, and 
 its ill reputation for malaria, cause shooting to be 
 avoided, even by the most zealous sportsman. Bom- 
 bay itself, before our occupation of it, was a mere 
 swamp, covered with jungle, abounding with wild 
 beasts, and studded with magnificent temples, carved, 
 like those of Petra, in the living rock, while it was 
 inhabited by a class of Hindoos of whom little is now 
 known; in the present day it is well drained, and 
 rice is abundantly grown in its low grounds ; yet 
 Nature will sometimes prove herself the stronger, and 
 so in Bombay, about the woods of Mahim, the jun- 
 gles of Salsette, and even nearer still, around the very 
 bazaar itself, in the outskirts of the native town, the 
 same original character exists. In healthy situations, 
 in Bombay, Europeans appear to retain their health 
 better than at out-stations, which may, perhaps, be 
 attributed to good water, and the refreshing influence 
 of the sea-breeze ; but it is remarked, that they soon 
 lose the healthy look which those have been able to 
 retain who remain at the out-stations, while they 
 have a more generally delicate and pallid appearance. 
 " The damp,re]axingclimate,and the comparatively 
 luxurious habits of living at the presidency, may 
 have something to do with producing this effect; for 
 although part of the green, near the Esplanade, forms 
 a cricket-ground, and there is a good racket-court at 
 the entrance of the bazaar, few of the old residents 
 avail themselves of such means of exercise, being 
 content with that afforded by an easy palanquin or
 
 524 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 well-appointed carriage; while, at an out-station, 
 horse-exercise and hunting form the chief recreation 
 of life, and tend to balance the evils of hot winds, 
 sand-storms, and other miseries to which people are 
 there subject. 
 
 " Few things can afford more interesting or pic- 
 turesque effects than the great bazaar, beginning 
 with the gay, open Esplanade, its pretty bungalows 
 and animated groups, with the fort and bay in ad- 
 vance, and ending with the dark cocoa-nut woods, 
 speckled with the handsome villas of the European 
 gentry. 
 
 " The beautiful Parsee women, with their gay green 
 and orange-coloured sarees, chatting at the wells to 
 the graceful, handsome sepoys, whose high caste 
 compels them to draw water for themselves ; the 
 crowded ways, peopled with professors of almost 
 every known creed, and natives of almost every 
 land ; the open shops, filled with goods to suit all 
 tastes, * corn, and wine, and oil,' in their literal 
 sense, with women's bracelets (a trade in itself), cu- 
 linary utensils, and fair ivory work ; the gorgeous 
 temples, beneath whose porticoes young girls weave 
 blossoms of fresh flowers ; the quaint, though barba- 
 rous, paintings that deck many of the exteriors of 
 the houses;* the streets devoted to the cunning 
 
 * Colonel Davidson has given a most amusing and just description 
 of these paintings : — 
 
 " The fashion of this painting is something as follows, though I fear I 
 shall not be able to give a good idea : — An Englishman, of immense bulk 
 (' for that,' as Dousterswivelsays, ' is essential ') is impaled on the edge of 
 an English-built chair, in a grotesque military caricature dress of black, 
 red, and brown, with a round hat, and smart black cockade, holding a 
 stick in both hands, in the most resolute and determined manner ; or,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 525 
 
 work of gold and silver; the richly-carved decora- 
 tions : the variety of costumes that meet the eye, 
 and the languages that fall upon the ear ; the native 
 procession that stops the way; thedevotee, performing 
 his unnatural penance; the harmonies of light and 
 colour; the rich dresses; the contrasts of life and 
 character — such as the stately yet half-nude Brah- 
 min, the intoxicated English sailor, the dancing-girl, 
 and the devotee, with the intermediate shades — each, 
 and all, to the reflecting mind, are full of interest; 
 and although, towards twilight, the bazaar is deeply 
 shadowed, and the fresh breeze reaches it not, — 
 although the dust rises in clouds, the air is stagnant, 
 
 he has a stick in one hand, and a wine-glass half-full of red wine in the 
 other ; with a row of three or four servants, all gradually ascending 
 into the air, with yak for Tartarian cow) tail in their hands, and one of 
 them insinuating a hooka snake through -the arm-chair elbows ; or, 
 a band of nautch-girls, of terrific beauty, with large black eyes, each 
 three inches long, surrounding a well-dressed and mustachioed rajah, 
 over whose head are flying tremendous nondescript animals, half-carp 
 £md half-scorpion ! The rajah is seated on a large square charpoy, or 
 bed, the fore-feet of which are on the ground and the hind in the sky, 
 and is evidently smitten, not only with the nautch-girls, but also with 
 the music of a gentle swain, who discharges a torrent of sound through 
 a fife with two holes, which he holds in his hands from right to left. 
 The huzoor's countenance, however, is as immovably tranquil as that 
 of Boodh ; and he appears to enjoy the most serene complacency of 
 mind, while two of his faithful sepoys in the rear are killing an enor- 
 mous tiger, with a fuU mouth of teeth, in the most masterly and inge- 
 nious manner ; one kneeling, and covering his head with a shield, 
 while the other, seeing the brute's attention thus happily diverted, 
 leaps on his back, and coolly cuts him up to kabobs ! Meanwhile, 
 peacocks, monkeys, alligators, and carps, are hovering in mid-air, with 
 the most wasteful profusion ! The lower-story windows and gateways 
 are painted in flowers, and compartments to resemble mosaic, and 
 have a very lively and pretty eflect. The favourite colours are bright 
 yellow, crimson, pea-green, and blue."
 
 526 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 and the native drivers care nothing for the right of 
 road, pressing to either side as suits them best, caus- 
 ing irritation, suspense, and danger to all whom they 
 encounter ; still, the Bombay bazaar outbalances, in 
 interest, all its worst annoyances, and is, in its pecu- 
 liarities, unique. 
 
 " The number and variety of persons who now 
 arrive monthly at the Bombay presidency lessen most 
 materially the interest of new arrivals. Bachelors, 
 weary of their state, no longer hurry down to catch 
 the first glimpse of a new belle ; nor does the solitary 
 officer, on outpost duty, pen an elaborate proposal of 
 marriage to a lady he has never seen, lest some hap- 
 pier man anticipate his hopes. A ship may arrive 
 from London, and some individual, who has a box of 
 millinery or of saddlery on board, is charmed at the 
 news, and by the same day's post writes to his 
 agents about her ; but here it ends ; there is no 
 general interest felt. A Liverpool brig comes into 
 port, and no kind husband hurries on board to secure 
 the prettiest bonnet in the captain's cargo for his 
 wife ; nor do ladies' hearts beat more quickly at the 
 prospect of seeing London fashions of only six months' 
 date ; all this is changed, or changing : steam is 
 exerting its influence on the whole character of India, 
 and of its European society. There is now no longer 
 a want of interest on literary or other subjects. 
 English periodicals and newspapers arrive in Bom- 
 bay almost damp from the press. 
 
 " Such is some portion of the good which rapid 
 communication is effecting for the European society 
 of India, and of Bombay particularly; but the 
 greatest and most valuable is that which we may
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 527 
 
 expect it to produce on the opinions of the native 
 population. 
 
 " The Parsees are the most progressive and also 
 the most positively enlightened people among the 
 natives of Western India, owing to their freedom 
 from the shackles of caste, and the commercial zeal 
 which brings them more acquainted with foreign 
 habits and society ; and the effect is, that several of 
 the Parsee gentlemen, with the exception of their 
 costume, and some strict ideas about the seclusion 
 of their women, difter little from Europeans in the 
 liberality of their views and their anxiety for public 
 good." 
 
 Of the government of Bombay, the army at its 
 disposal, &c., we have already (pages 67 and 99) 
 given a full account. Its police establishment, mu- 
 nicipal laws and regulations, &c., differ in scarcely 
 any respect from those of the metropolis of Eastern 
 India. We have likewise spoken of its press, ecclesi- 
 astical establishment, &c. A few words upon the sub- 
 ject of the state of native education may be added. 
 
 The advantages of rapid communication between 
 Europe and Asia do not end by merely affording 
 with readiness the means and appliances for gratify- 
 ing private tastes, or presenting materials for agree- 
 able converse. They awaken that powerful, neces- 
 sary, and mutual interest between the countries, 
 which the enormous distance which separated them 
 by the olden track, seemed to render hopeless. Our 
 men of science in the East may now be speedily as- 
 sisted and encouraged in their labours from home ; 
 and the savcms of Europe be instructed and delighted 
 with discoveries, the necessary energies required for
 
 528 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 which being excited and strengthened by a ready 
 correspondence with the learned communities of 
 Europe. Our Indian branch societies are thus 
 nourished and protected by the parent roots ; without 
 .whose support thev must long have languished in 
 their original weakling condition. The native so- 
 ciety is elevating itself, by means of newly-acquired 
 intelligence, to a point which must soon lead to the 
 desirable object of mutual appreciation between 
 European and native talent, and a desire on the 
 part of the most intelligent among the people, that 
 their sons should obtain, by means of an English 
 education, similar information to that which, through 
 the medium of unreserved intercourse with us, they 
 discover we possess.* 
 
 The groundwork for so desirable a superstructure 
 as the perfect civilization of the native gentry, is 
 already laid by the college and schools which have 
 lately been so w^armly protected by the general so- 
 ciety of Bombay. 
 
 These institutions (the Elphinstone College and 
 Native Education Society's Schools) are at present 
 the great fountains from which it may be expected 
 that the blessings of education will flow for the peo- 
 ple of Western India. Both are yet in an infant 
 state, more particularly so the college, as its progress 
 and objects have been impeded by an internal schism 
 tending materially to interrupt the circulation of its 
 benefits. 
 
 The Native Education Society's Schools are 
 situated near the great bazaars, at the extreme end 
 
 * This and several of the following pages are derived from Mrs. 
 Postans' "Western India."
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 529 
 
 of the esplanade. Committees and examinations are 
 held in the library, a splendid apartment fitted with 
 a good collection of useful works, with globes, maps, 
 and papers, and adorned at either end with full-length 
 portraits of the great benefactor of the institution, 
 Sir John Malcolm, and the Hon. Mountstuart El- 
 phinstone. 
 
 The number of boys admitted to the society's 
 schools is about four hundred ; with fifteen hun- 
 dred in branch and infant schools connected with the 
 institution ; the only qualification for admission 
 being a knowledge by the applicant of the vernacular 
 dialect. Eighteen scholarships, endowed by Lord 
 Clare and Sir Edward West, are in the gift of the 
 society; the lads who enjoy these distinctions are 
 allowed a grant of ten rupees a month ; but at the 
 expiration of three years it ceases, although clever 
 boys are frequently retained as monitors after that 
 period, and their services rewarded with good salaries. 
 The regulations require that four endowed scholars 
 should leave the school annually, when two fresh 
 candidates are admitted. Pupils from the schools 
 of Dharwar and Poona are eligible for scholarships, 
 but applications for them are not frequently made. 
 
 After public examinations, prizes are annually ad- 
 judged to the best scholars ; these consist of two 
 gold medals, with handsome chains attached ; and 
 six, bearing a similar device, in silver. The gold 
 medals, which are intrinsically valuable, are usually 
 awarded to proficients in the mathematical classes. 
 Modern times having rendered the elements of know- 
 ledge, comparatively speaking, very easy of acquire- 
 2 A
 
 530 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 merit, it is still with unmixed surprise that one first 
 witnesses the kind and degree of information pos- 
 sessed by the students of the school. 
 
 There can remain but little doubt that, in the early 
 epochs of Indian history, seminaries and colleges 
 existed for the education of youth. The Viharas of 
 the Buddhists were probably connected with such 
 objects ; and the Brahmins of Central India were 
 doubtless the supporters of such preparatory mea- 
 sures as were required to train the younger members 
 of the priestly caste in the paths of learning, at that 
 period untrodden but by the exclusive few. The lads 
 who now form classes in the society's schools are 
 many of them Brahmins by caste ; the descendants 
 of men, whose tenets, religious and moral, formed 
 the very acme of intolerance, and who would have 
 been considered polluted for days, had the mere sha- 
 dow of an European fallen across their path. Yet 
 now, a Brahmin youth, still wearing the triple cord, 
 his garments of a fashion similar to those worn by 
 his forefathers some centuries since, stands with 
 folded arms, and eyes sparkling with all the eager- 
 ness of newly awakened curiosity, to receive instruc- 
 tion from his European master, and become initiated 
 into those mysteries of science of which his fathers 
 dreamt not. 
 
 Such changes in human feeling, all working to a 
 particular end, as inevitable as the progress of time 
 itself, are curious and attractive to the intelligent 
 observer, and few places can afford higher gratifica- 
 tion to such, than the examination rooms of the so- 
 ciety's schools. English history, mental arithmetic,
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 531 
 
 mathematics, and English literature, are the fa- 
 vourite objects of study, and in which, consequently, 
 the greatest proficiency is achieved. 
 
 This energetic desire for improvement is highly 
 encouraging to the masters, and affords proof that 
 the natives of India cannot be by nature a mentally 
 indolent race, however condemned by circumstances 
 to leave unexercised their higher faculties, and seek 
 recreations of a merely sensual order. Mathematics 
 is undoubtedly the most valuable science to which 
 the native youth could be attracted, inasmuch as it 
 is that most eminently calculated to prepare and edu- 
 cate the judgment, for weighing and appreciating 
 the facts with which physiology and physic will as- 
 say to bear down the ramparts of prejudice, which 
 have stood the attacks of time, and rendered null 
 every attempt to innovate or change. 
 
 A medical college has been established in Bombay, 
 and proves a magnificent and well-chosen monument 
 to the memory of the amiable man, the late Sir Robert 
 Grant, whose anxiety to advance the best interests of 
 the natives of India it is designed to commemorate. 
 
 Objections are frequently made to the description 
 of studies pursued in the schools; general opinion 
 seeming to support the idea, that abstract learning 
 might be well exchanged for information of a more 
 practical and useful kind. These objections would 
 seem more important, but for the existence of the 
 infant branches of the institution, where reading, 
 writing, and the common rules of arithmetic are 
 taught, together with the vernacular dialects, and the 
 rudiments of the English language. 
 
 The aim of education must be to civilize, and, 
 2 a2
 
 •532 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 through the medium of civilization, to christianize 
 the natives of India. If so, the first object would 
 seem to be, to prepare the mental faculties of the 
 students to judge and reason of such facts as a know- 
 ledge of the various branches of natural science will 
 place under their consideration. The pupils of the 
 society's schools are members of the native aristo- 
 cracy ; were they tradesmen or artizans, the fea- 
 tures of the case would alter ; but these are the lads 
 who, endowed with wealth and influence, in after 
 years may effect much by example and opinion over 
 all the classes who form the general native commu- 
 nity of Western India. 
 
 Many amiable and excellent persons also desire 
 that the Scriptures should be made a considerable 
 study in the schools, with a view of introducing a 
 knowledge of their truths and a conviction of their 
 value. To this the natives object with a veiy mild and 
 rational argument : " We," say they, " make no effort 
 to introduce our bedas and puranas ; why, therefore, 
 do you urge the study of your holy books ? — let this 
 matter alone, make us as learned as yourselves, but do 
 not seek to instruct our youth to despise the religion 
 of their ancestors." 
 
 There is little doubt but that the present genera- 
 tion of these educated natives will become deists ; 
 but having taken one step away from the altars of 
 Paganism, we may hope that their posterity, having 
 no prejudices of priestcraft to combat, may arrive, 
 assisted by a higher influence, at the fair truths of 
 our Christian faith. 
 
 The principal public buildings within the town of 
 Bombay are, the Town Hall, the Docks, the Go-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 333 
 
 vernment-House, now used as the office of the Secre- 
 taries to Government, the two churches before- 
 named, the Mint, the Barracks, and the Castle, 
 which contains the Arsenal. All these are upon a 
 large and handsome scale. The rest of the edifices 
 devoted to public purposes were formerly private 
 dwellings, but, like the residences at present in use, 
 they are capacious buildings, wanting only the flat 
 roofs, terraces, and balustrades peculiar to Calcutta, 
 to render them ornamental. The Governor of Bom- 
 bay resides either at Parell, a mansion prettily 
 situated in the midst of gardens four miles from the 
 Fort, or at Malabar Point, a bungalow erected upon 
 a rock projecting into the sea at the extreme westerly 
 point of the island. 
 
 The scenery in and about the island of Bombay 
 is extremely beautiful, because of the admixture of 
 rice plains, gardens, handsome bungalows, and 
 wooded hills, with occasional peeps of the seashore, 
 and the open main or land-locked bays. The climate 
 is, perhaps, superior in point of salubrity to that of 
 Bengal ; but the cold season scarcely merits the 
 name, for there is nothing like the bracing weather 
 experienced at the same period of the year in the 
 neighbouring presidency. One peculiarity of Bom- 
 bay consists in the wind blowing hot and cold at the 
 same time, an alternation attended with the incon- 
 venience of afflicting with temporary rheumatism 
 those persons who being lightly clad to resist the one 
 are suddenly assailed by the other. 
 
 The population of Bombay is computed at 400,000 
 souls, not more than 450 of whom are European and 
 East-Indian residents, not in the civil or military
 
 534 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 service of the East-India Company. The European 
 society of Bombay, which includes all persons, 
 whether in or out of the service, eligible for recep- 
 tion at the Government-House, amounts probably to 
 about 600 persons, 150 of whom are ladies. The 
 natives of the place are Mussulmans, Parsees, and 
 Hindoos. 
 
 Of merchants, traders, shopkeepers, &c., there are 
 31 English merchants and agents; 1 Portuguese 
 mercantile firm ; 1 Armenian ditto ; 2 Jew, 1 Arab, 2 
 Mogul, 52 Hindoo, and 14 Parsee merchants; 13 
 brokers ; 4 auctioneers and wine merchants ; 25 shop- 
 keepers and wine dealers ; 4 booksellers ; 4 bakers ; 
 4 horse-brokers ; and 4 apothecaries and druggists. 
 The rest of the trades are distributed amongst an 
 infinite number of very small establishments. 
 
 The European and Parsee community of the 
 Western Presidency have done much for the civiliz- 
 ation of the place, and the advancement of great 
 objects, independently of the formation of the edu- 
 cational institutions alluded to above. There is an 
 excellent club, corresponding in character with that 
 of Calcutta ; a branch of the Asiatic Society, with a 
 capital library and museum ; two banks, several In- 
 surance Societies, a Chamber of Commerce, a Medi- 
 cal and Physical Society, an Agricultural and Hor- 
 ticultural Association, an Exchange Room, a Bene- 
 volent Society, several Bible Auxiliary and other Re- 
 ligious Institutions, a Sailors' Home, &c. 
 
 The manufactures of Bombay, which, as we have 
 elsewhere said, is rather an emporium for the pro- 
 ducts of other countries than fruitful in itself, are 
 very few in number. Perhaps the most remarkable
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 535 
 
 offspring of the ingenuity of its inhabitants are the 
 inlaid or Mosaic work-boxes, card-cases, writing- 
 desks, (fee. 
 
 The Mosaic is sometimes used as a sort of veneer 
 over the whole surface of an article, and at others, 
 simply as an inlaid bordering on cedar or ivory, being 
 frequently enriched by the addition of silver to the 
 varied and beautiful colours which compose the 
 Mosaic. This art is of Sindhian origin, now, how- 
 ever, exercised to a very considerable extent in Bom- 
 bay, the ivory-cutters pursuing their labours in the 
 open shops of the bazaars. Two planes of ivory, 
 silver, or whatever it is desired should form the ex- 
 treme edges of the bordering, are placed, by means 
 of a frame constructed for this purpose, one above 
 the other, at a given distance. Small rods of vari- 
 ously-stained ivory are first dipped in strong colour- 
 less glue, and then placed horizontally between the 
 planes, with such arrangements as shall hereafter 
 form the desired pattern. The whole is submitted 
 to heavy pressure until perfectly dry. Bordering 
 being required, the ivory-cutter severs from either 
 end of the prepared planes a portion of about half 
 a quarter of an inch thick, when the most perfect 
 pattern of Mosaic bordering is obtained. By this 
 ingenious method, two six-inch planes of ivory will 
 afford patterns for a considerable number of pretty 
 articles, which are sold at a third of the price which 
 would be required, were each strip of the Mosaic 
 bordering arranged expressly for the purpose. The 
 value of a handsome desk or work-box of the Bom- 
 bay work is about six guineas, but an ornamented
 
 536 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 watch-stand or card-case may be obtained for a few 
 shillings. 
 
 At page 225, mention has been made of the holi- 
 day agremens of Bombay, the chief of which are a 
 trip to the island of Elephanta and to Gora Bunder. 
 Of the remarkable features of the former, its cavern 
 temples, particular mention is made in Moor's Pan- 
 theon. They are curious works of art, but are now 
 falling rapidly to decay. 
 
 The Gora Bunder river flows between lofty hills, 
 beautifully wooded, and studded here and there with 
 antique ruins, and huge masses of dark rock, which, 
 fringed with luxuriant creepers, start from amid the 
 rich and glossy underwood, while the graceful bam- 
 boo, crowned with tasselled creepers, form vegetating 
 arches of brilliant blossoms, decorating the river's 
 banks. Above the landing-place, embedded among 
 the summits of luxuriant and lofty trees, is an age- 
 stained and many-turretted monastery, at the foot of 
 which, reached by a narrow, wooded, and rocky 
 pass, it is customary for the picnic visitor to pitch a 
 tent. A double-poled tent forms a commodious 
 dining-room; the marching cots are placed in a 
 smaller one beyond it, while the humble bechober is 
 laid out with Bath and toilette table; and the at- 
 tendant servants, in a routie apart, make the ne- 
 cessary preparations for the approaching meal. The 
 doors of the large tents open into each other ; carpets 
 spread over the well-swept ground give an air of 
 comfort to the whole ; and green checks, suspended to 
 the outer door, shade from the eye the glare of the 
 neishbourins; soil.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 537 
 
 The Portuguese monastery of Gora Bunder has 
 been fitted with a Mahomedan dome. It contains 
 several excellent apartments, lighted by large win- 
 dows, barred with wood, and commanding mag- 
 nificent views of the surrounding scenery. On one 
 side maybe observed the picturesque windings of the 
 beautiful and placid river, its rocks, and trees, and 
 mountain scenery ; while on the other, a wide plain, 
 covered with fine plantations of rice and sugar-cane, 
 stretches away to a considerable distance, where the 
 river, forming a natural boundary on the one side, on 
 the other washes the extensive walls of the city of 
 Bassein. 
 
 A Parsee tower, and trifling ruins of cloistered 
 avenues, are scattered about the uneven ground on 
 which the monastery stands : while the rich and 
 tangled underwood, flourishing in wild luxuriance 
 among the massy rocks, affords shelter to innume- 
 rable sojourners of the tiger and serpent class, who 
 find abundant lairs in the fastnesses of such a 
 home. 
 
 The city of Bassein has been long forsaken; a few 
 fishermen and shikarries alone occupy a spot once 
 replete with luxury and power, and still containing 
 magnificent evidences of taste, in the application of 
 great and national wealth. The market-place, 
 cloisters, and churches, are in a state of ruin and 
 desolation, embedded in rich verdure, and garlanded 
 with parasitical plants, hastening their decay. 
 
 The city contains about eight churches, of con- 
 siderable size and great architectural beauty; their 
 square towers and ruined galleries surmount the 
 dense masses of foliage which shade the lower por- 
 2 A3
 
 538 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 tions of the buildings, and from every point of view 
 which the traveller can select, present exquisite 
 studies for <^raphic delineation. 
 
 But thirty-five years have elapsed since the city 
 of Bassein was inhabited ; and still in one church, 
 the human sympathies of the observer may be ex- 
 cited by the whitened remnants of mortality exposed 
 in an open grave, doubtless desecrated, from the 
 opinion commonly received among the natives, that 
 individuals blessed with the goods of fortune often, 
 with selfish anxiety, desire that their treasure should, 
 rather than pass to other hands, be deposited with 
 themselves, where corruption hastens unto dust. 
 
 The most perfect and handsome churches now 
 remaining at Bassein are those of St. Paulo and 
 St. Francis : both have square towers, with cloisters 
 and priestly residences attached ; but the most ex- 
 quisite remnants of the past are to be found in the 
 interiors of beautiful chapels, where, through a vista 
 of ruined arches, the eye dwells on the richly wooded 
 scene beyond, and nature, in her sunniest dress, con- 
 trasts with the dark and mouldering stone, which 
 she, like a laughing child, decking its gray and aged 
 sire with summer blossoms, hangs with bright lichens 
 and many-coloured weeds. In one of these pictu- 
 resque and beautiful buildings, a lofty arch remains, 
 supporting the roofless walls, worn in unequal turrets 
 by the season's change : a single and slender stem 
 of the graceful banyan, springing from the fertile 
 soil, has shot upwards to the centre of the roof, like 
 a graceful column, whose capital of sunny leaves 
 crowns the high arch with its umbrageous shade. 
 
 In strolling among the ruins of Bassein, the foot
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 539 
 
 of the traveller will occasionally strike against a flat 
 and humble block, or his eye rest on a richly chiselled 
 tomb, whose inscriptions afford abundant matter for 
 philosophic meditation, on the decline of the eastern 
 power of Portugal and the changed and humbled 
 character of her chivalrous and daring sons. Tra- 
 dition and romance have shed a charm of enchanting- 
 interest around the ancient history of that singular 
 people, which is here touchingly recalled, as the 
 traveller's eye traces many names which he at once 
 must recognize as claiming ancestry with the noble 
 blood of the first among those who fought for and 
 established their country's power on the Indian soil. 
 The names of Don Lorenco,* of Alfonso Albu- 
 querque,t of many of the greatest and noblest heroes 
 whom the policy of Portugal selected to fix her em- 
 pire in the East, cannot be read without emotion ; 
 the more so when, surrounded by ruin and desola- 
 tion, the relics of a power itself tottering in decay. 
 Of the immense oriental empire of Portugal, little 
 now remains but Goa, its ancient capital ; still, in- 
 deed, a fine and curious city, but inhabited by a 
 class far different from those, the early delegates of 
 their sovereign's power. Hondura and Severndroog, 
 with the important chain of forts once guarding the 
 shores of the Southern Concan, look desolate and 
 bleak, amid the dash and roar of old Ocean's surges; 
 while the great fortress of Diu, which the chivalrous 
 Nuno de Cunha first gained for an ungrateful 
 
 * Don Loren50 encountered first the Turkish armada near Diu. 
 f In 1515 Albuquerque took the important seaport of Goa, and 
 established it as the seat of the Portuguese government.
 
 540 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 master,* has become a comparatively small and un- 
 important spot : and the churches of St. Paulo and 
 St. Francis, with the lovely chapels of Bassein, in 
 whose aisles, perhaps, the descendants of the great 
 Apostle of India-f- lifted up their voice in prayer for 
 the idolatrous nation among whom they dwelt, will 
 soon be noted but as a heap of rubbish, resounding 
 with the unearthly yell of the hyena, delighting in 
 its wild shelter of desolation. 
 
 Besides Gora Bunda and Bassein, the caves of Kar- 
 lee, on the island of Salsette, the villas at Ambolee, 
 on the same island — which, by the way, is connected 
 with Bombay by a superb causeway — afford subjects 
 of interest and pleasant places of resort to holiday- 
 people and strangers. 
 
 Connected with Bombay by another causeway, at 
 the south-westerly corner of the island, is the smaller 
 island of Colaba, where there is a gun-carriage ma- 
 nufactory, an observatory, a lighthouse, and barracks 
 for a regiment of infantry. 
 
 We have mentioned, in connection with our sketch 
 of Calcutta, the Sanataria at Darjeeling and the Cas- 
 syah Hills, places to which sick people retire for the 
 benefit of a healthful and invigorating climate. Bom- 
 bay, too, has its Sanatarium — the Mahabaleshwur 
 Hills, which are situated in 17° 56' north latitude, 
 and in longitude 73° 30' east, and are distant twenty- 
 five miles due east from the sea, and sixty-nine miles 
 from Bombay, which bears north 29° west. They 
 form a portion of the extensive chain of mountains 
 
 * John the Third of Portugal, 1546. 
 f Francis Xavier.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 541 
 
 known under the name of the Western Ghats, or 
 Syhadree mountains. On their western side they 
 rise with an abrupt and precipitous ascent from the 
 Concan, which separates them from the sea, while 
 their eastern face presents a somewhat less rapid and 
 steep descent into the table-land of the Deccan. 
 
 The general elevation of the station is 4,500 feet 
 above the level of the sea, while its highest summit 
 attains an altitude of 4,700 feet. It is elevated up- 
 wards of 4,000 feet above the subjacent country on 
 the Concan side, and about 2,300 feet above the gene- 
 ral level of the Deccan at its eastern base. Its great- 
 est breadth at the northern extremity is about fifteen 
 miles, and about eight at its southern boundary. 
 The average direct length north and south does not 
 exceed five miles, though from north-east to south- 
 west it extends diagonally seventeen miles. 
 
 Excellent roads have been made in almost every 
 direction. These already extend over a space of up- 
 wards of forty miles, more than one-half of which 
 are carriage-roads, and the remainder bridle-paths, 
 and have been so laid-out as to open up to the visitor 
 a varied succession of mountain scenery, which, for 
 grandeur and beauty, it is believed, can be equalled 
 in few parts of the world. 
 
 The soil consists principally of a red clay (formed 
 by the disintegration of cellular ferruginous clay- 
 stone, which constitutes the surface rock), intermixed 
 with the debris of trap-rock, and in many places with 
 a considerable portion of decayed vegetable matter, 
 forming a brown mould, which is found to be very 
 productive. An abundant supply of excellent water 
 is at all seasons procurable, either from wells, which
 
 542 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 vary from twenty to forty feet in depth, or from the 
 small streamlets which traverse the hills, some of 
 which retain their water during the whole of the hot 
 season. An extensive artificial lake, which is now 
 being constructed, will add materially to the supply 
 of water already available, whether for cultivation or 
 for domestic use. 
 
 The most striking feature in the vegetation of 
 these hills is the profusion of the common brake 
 (pterio aquilina), which serves to recall the associa- 
 tion of a more northern clime. A species of cur- 
 cuma, the root of which yields an excellent descrip- 
 tion of arrowroot, grows everywhere in the greatest 
 abundance. There is a considerable variety of para- 
 sitic orchidave, some of which possess great beauty; 
 and the trunks and branches of many of the trees 
 are covered with a variety of lichens and musei. 
 
 Potatoes of excellent quality are cultivated very 
 extensively, both for the consumj)tion of the station 
 and for the supply of the Bombay and Poona mar- 
 kets. A plentiful supply of all the conmion culinary 
 vegetables of the best description can be procured 
 at reasonable rates. The excessive heaviness of the 
 rains prevents the successful cultivation of European 
 fruits. 
 
 The village of Malcolm Peth (so named by the 
 Rajah of Sattara in honour of the late Sir John Mal- 
 colm, the distinguished founder of the station) con- 
 tains several European shops, where European sup- 
 plies of almost every description are procurable at the 
 same rates as at Poona, and very little higher than 
 at Bombay. The station is also visited by numerous 
 itinerant hawkers (Borahs) from Bombay, whose
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 543 
 
 baskets are usually filled with a varied assortment 
 both of European and Indian goods. The Malcolm 
 Path Bazaar is a tolerably large one, and is well 
 supplied with all articles of consumption, which are 
 the produce of the country, and generally at moderate 
 rates. The mutton, which is small, but of excellent 
 quality, is sold at one and a half annas per pound ; 
 beef at one anna per pound ; fowls at three or four 
 annas each. Grain is principally imported from Wye 
 (a distance of twenty miles), and is usually about 
 eight or ten per cent, higher than in the Deccan, 
 Firewood is abundant and cheap ; grass is of rather 
 inferior quality. A monthly nerrik, or price current, 
 is circulated for the information of visitors; but, 
 under existing regulations, its observance cannot be 
 enforced on the dealers, though they almost invaria- 
 bly conform to it. 
 
 Mahabaleshwur is easily accessible both from 
 Bombay and from the principal stations of the 
 Deccan and Concan. The visitor from Bombay, by 
 sailing down the coast to Bancoote, and thence up 
 the Sawitree river to Mhar (a distance of seventy 
 miles by sea and thirty by river), is brought within 
 twenty-seven miles land journey from the hills ; or, 
 should he object to even this short sea-trip, he can 
 cross the harbour to Nagotna (which is effected in 
 one tide), from which the distance by land is only 
 seventy miles, along an excellent road, with a public 
 bungalow at each stage. The distance from Poona, 
 by an indifferent hilly route, is seventy miles, and 
 from Sattara only thirty miles, by a very good car- 
 riage-road. The approach, both from the Concan and 
 from the Deccan side, is at all times safe, as there is
 
 544 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 no intervening jungle, and no danger to be appre- 
 hended from attacks of fever or other diseases of 
 malarious origin. 
 
 This station was ceded to the British Government, 
 by the Rajah of Sattara, in exchange for another village, 
 and was subsequently annexed to the Zillah of the Con- 
 can. Its European establishment consists only of a 
 chaplain and a medical officer. The former visits Da- 
 poolee once a month, and Rutnagherry once in two 
 months, during the fair season; and during the rains he 
 performs the duties of chaplain at Malligaum. The 
 medical officer is also superintendent of the station and 
 a first assistant to the magistrate, and has charge of 
 a treasure-chest for the payment of sick officers and 
 their famihes. A detachment of fifty sepoys, under 
 the command of a jemadar, is kept up to supply the 
 usual guards. 
 
 The public buildings consist of a sanatarium, con- 
 taining eight sets of quarters, and five detached bun- 
 galows, for the accommodation of sick officers and 
 their families; a church, which was built by private 
 subscription, and accommodates 180 people; a 
 small subsidiary gaol, containing sixty Chinese con- 
 victs, who are employed in the construction and 
 repair of roads, a chowrie, and a Dhurumsallah for 
 native travellers. There is a subscription library, 
 containing many hundred volumes, and a hotel, on 
 a very small scale, has recently been completed. 
 
 The private dwelling-houses are seventy in num- 
 ber; of which fifty-three are substantially built of 
 hewn stone and lime, and the remainder of rough 
 stone and mortar, sun-dried bricks, or wattle-work. 
 The greater number of them are thatched, tiles having
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 545 
 
 been found not to resist the monsoon rain. Allot- 
 ments of ground, for building, are granted by Govern- 
 ment, on a twenty-one years' lease, the principal 
 provisions of which are, that the lessee shall pay an 
 annual rent, at the rate of a rupee an acre ; that he 
 shall build a substantial bungalow, and erect suitable 
 landmarks on the boundaries of his allotment ; that 
 he shall not be permitted to cut down trees which 
 are close to the public road ; and that he shall obey 
 all regulations existing in the Mofussil, so far as they 
 are not of a personal nature, but are incidental to 
 the possession of immovable property, and so far, 
 also, as they affect the health, safety, and conve- 
 nience of the other inhabitants of the station. The 
 average size of individual allotments, granted during 
 the last three years, is six acres. 
 
 The agency of the climate of the hills, in the pre- 
 servation of health and the prevention of disease, is 
 probably greater and more beneficial than its direct 
 therapeutic efficacy, more particularly in relation to 
 females and children. The practice, which is now so 
 prevalent in the Bombay presidency, of withdrawing 
 children from the pernicious influence of the exces- 
 sive heat of the low country during the hot season, 
 and of transferring them, during these months, to 
 this temperate and equable climate, has the incalcu- 
 lably beneficial effect of warding off" many of the 
 acute attacks incident to childhood, and more espe- 
 cially to the period of dentition ; of supporting the 
 energies of their constitution on a nearer level with 
 the European standard during the first years of their 
 growth, when such constitutional invigoration is of 
 vital importance; and of lessening the liability to
 
 546 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 future disease and future delicacy of constitution, to 
 which children, born and reared for some years in 
 this country, are more or less liable. 
 
 Bomhay to Calcutta, via Poona, Hyderabad, ^c. 
 
 At page 73, the limits of the territories subordi- 
 nate to the Bombay Government are indicated. 
 Within these, the most important places are Poona, 
 Sattara, Baroda, Surat, Ahmedabad, Mhow, Booj (in 
 Cutch), Hyderabad in Lower, and Sukkur in Upper, 
 Scinde. The methods of reaching them are various, 
 and often depending upon the will of the traveller. 
 Those stations which lie to the east, north-east, or 
 south-east of Bombay, are connected with the presi- 
 dency by good roads ; in proceeding thither, there- 
 fore, the traveller has the choice of marching or 
 going by dawk. With the north and south stations 
 the communication is generally by water, in steamers, 
 pattamars, or occasional ships. But we will take 
 each station separately hereafter, referring the reader 
 to the instructions given in a foregoing page for set- 
 ting forth and accomplishing each journey with ease. 
 Meanwhile, for the convenience of those who, ar- 
 riving at Bombay, have their ultimate destination on 
 the other side of India, we will sketch the routes to 
 Calcutta. 
 
 Dawk from Bombay to Hyderabad. 
 
 Sending over the palanquin, &c., to Panwell, the 
 nearest station on the continent, where the first set 
 of bearers is posted, the traveller proceeds thither in a
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 547 
 
 small steamer, and thence commences his journey to 
 Poona, four stages.* 
 
 The first stage to Khalapoor over a lovely country 
 is only interesting to the stranger from its contrast 
 with the crowded city aspect of Bombay. The alter- 
 nation of jungle with paddy (rice) fields and poor 
 but picturesque villages constitutes the main features 
 of the scenery for the first eighteen miles ; but when 
 at Khalapoor, the foot of the ghaut, or mountain, is 
 reached, the sublime begins to take precedence of the 
 beautiful. It is advisable, if travelling in the cool 
 season, from October to March, to leave Panwell at 
 about three in the morning, for the first stage is then 
 accomplished by eight a. m., and the ascent of the 
 ghaut can be commenced at an hour when the mag- 
 nificence of the scenery can be contemplated to ad- 
 vantage. The varied foliage which covers the moun- 
 tains' sides ; the deep, rocky ravines ; the lofty ascent 
 by a well-constructed road ; the occasional rencontre 
 of the laden elephant and burthened camel ; the song 
 of birds ; the costumes of the native pedestrian tra- 
 veller, or the equipment of the wealthier merchant, 
 squatted in his singularly constructed car ; the pen- 
 sioned or tributary Mahratta chieftain, with his little 
 band of retainers, bristling with arms, constitute a 
 varied picture which pleasantly beguiles the wayfarer 
 of his fatigue. At Karlee, at the top of the ghaut, 
 one-half of the journey to Poona has been accom- 
 phshed, and here it may be as well to halt and take 
 
 * If the trip is to be limited to Poona, there will be no occasion to 
 go to the trouble of providing palanquin, &c., as there is a mail 
 curricle running between Panwell and Poona.
 
 548 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 breakfast. The bungalow, or resting-house, at Kar- 
 lee is advantageously situated, commanding a superb 
 view of a part of the western ghauts on the one side, 
 and of the table-land to the eastward. At the bun- 
 galow are two servants, one of whom will immediately 
 kill a fowl, and cook a curry or a grill, and set the 
 kettle on the fire, while the other prepares a refreshing 
 cold water bath, and attends to the unpacking of the 
 pettarahs (if necessary), or the arrangement of the 
 toilette of the stranger. Paying a gratuity of one 
 rupee, and inscribing, in a book kept for that pur- 
 pose, his contentment, or otherwise, with his treat- 
 ment, he resumes his journey in the evening. Tulli- 
 gaon, and the country on either side, are thus passed 
 during the night; but it may be as well to mention, 
 for the guidance of those who may prefer travelHng in 
 the day-time, that excepting an occasional temple, 
 a tank constructed by devotees, there is not a single 
 object worthy of particular inspection. The road 
 lies through a gently undulating country, extensively 
 cultivated, and the atmosphere is wonderfully clear 
 and pure, by reason of the elevation of the land. At 
 Tulligaon there is a bungalow corresponding in all 
 respects with the one at Karlee. We reach Poona 
 at the end of a nine hours' journey, and proceed at 
 once to the dawk bungalow, or to the residence of 
 any one to whom letters of introduction may have 
 been previously sent. 
 
 Poona, once the capital of the dominions of the 
 Peishwa (now a prisoner at Benares), is one of the 
 largest and healthiest military stations in India. 
 There are seldom less than six or seven infantry re-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 549 
 
 giments cantoned there, with a brigade of horse ar- 
 tillery. At the distance of five or six miles from 
 Poona is Kirkee, where are barracks for a regiment 
 of British dragoons. The governor of Bombay fre- 
 quently resides at Poona during the summer season, 
 at a place in the neighbourhood, called Dapooree, 
 where there is a botanic garden. The description 
 given of the Cawnpore cantonment, in a former part 
 of this work, applies, with little variation, to that of 
 Poona, the only difference being that the climate of 
 the Deccan is more salubrious than that of Cawn- 
 pore, the scenery more attractive, the dust of the sta- 
 tion less offensive, and the buildings less scattered. 
 
 Poona was, at the early period of the British 
 possession of the country, most famous for field- 
 sports. The wild boar, familiarly called the hog, 
 was then so common, that whole sounders have 
 been known to dash through the camp in mid- 
 day. The clearing away of jungle, the occupation of 
 a large extent of land, and the great industry of our 
 Nimrods, have now thinned the vicinage of the sta- 
 tion of its ancient wild inhabitants ; but the Deccan 
 is still very celebrated as a sporting country, and 
 affords the resident many an opportunity of whiling 
 away leisure in an exciting and noble pastime. The 
 hog is pursued in India in a much more manly way 
 than in any other country in the world. Disdaining 
 the aid of dogs and the use of fire-arms, the Indian 
 hog-hunter saddles his little Arab, and, vaulting into 
 his seat, spear in hand, rides to the cover with a 
 few companions, all equally eager for the honour of 
 inflicting the first wound. Sometimes native rustics 
 are employed to beat the jungle, the sugar-cane
 
 550 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 plantations, or other haunt of the grizzly boar, and 
 drive him into the plain ; but in some places this 
 process is unnecessary, as " the pigs " come out of 
 their own accord, to take the air or wallow in some 
 neighbouring jheel. The moment they are seen, the 
 hunters make for them at a killing pace. Away 
 goes the boar, over rocky ground, swamps, nullahs, 
 and jungles. The chase is prolonged, over a wide 
 extent of country, for half an hour or more : some- 
 times the boar gets away ; sometimes, driven to his 
 last shifts, he turns about and gallantly charges his 
 foes. Then comes the critical moment. If the Arab 
 swerves, or the spear is untrue, a fearful gash in 
 the belly or a leg of the horse assures the boar 
 escape, at least from one opponent ; if otherwise — 
 if the horse obeys tlie bridle, maintains his stand, 
 and enables the huntsman to deliver his spear just 
 above the shoulder of the boar, the grey monster 
 dies, and while his tusks adorn the tent or bungalow 
 of the victor, his fat sides furnish forth a repast with 
 which domestic pork-chops will bear no kind of 
 comparison. In some parts of India our sportsmen 
 throw the spear — in others they thrust or joh it. 
 Controversies upon the relative merits of these sys- 
 tems were rife in the Bombay and Bengal Sporting 
 Magazines ; but it is difficult to say which plan is 
 admitted to be the most efficacious. 
 
 Leaving Poona, whence a new dawk must be laid 
 by the Poona post-master, the road runs south- 
 easterly to Sholapore, nine stages, averaging sixteen 
 miles each, through a fertile, well-governed country. 
 Sholapore is another military station, at the eastern 
 boundary of the dominions of the Rajah of Sattara.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 551 
 
 A very small military force is kept up here, as the 
 country is in a settled state, and large military can- 
 tonments are within a few days' march of the place. 
 
 Two stages from Sholapore we get to Nuldroog, 
 beyond the territories of the East-India Company. 
 Here it will be necessary to wait for eight days, 
 unless the dawk traveller took the precaution, when 
 at Bombay or Poona, to give that number of days' 
 notice to the Resident at Hyderabad, whence the 
 bearers will have to be sent. If he has been suffi- 
 ciently provident, he will find the bearers awaiting 
 him, and can proceed on his journey. The distance 
 from Nuldroog to Secunderabad, the military can- 
 tonment of Hyderabad, is about 160 miles, through 
 a fertile but ill-governed country, belonging to the 
 Nizam. The distance is divided into eight stages, of 
 about twenty miles each in length. 
 
 In the centre of a valley surrounded by hills of 
 moderate height, diversified by the bold, rugged 
 aspect of some, and the picturesque and romantic 
 appearance of others, stands Hyderabad, the Maho- 
 medan capital of the Deccan. The view of the city 
 from the hill through which the road, from the 
 military cantonment of Secunderabad leads to the 
 British residency, is commanding and extensive. 
 Due south, and immediately in front, is seen the 
 city, expanded over a considerable space and gra- 
 dually losing itself in the perspective distance. 
 From this hill appears a rich variety of mosques, 
 palaces, houses, and other edifices, interspersed with 
 trees, which give to the whole the character of a city 
 built in the midst of an immense garden. The most 
 prominent objects which engage the attention are
 
 552 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Char Minar, or four minarets ; the Musjicl Juma, or 
 great mosque ; and the Barra Dan, or palace, with 
 twelve gates, of the late prime minister of the Nizam. 
 To the west, at the distance of about eight miles, 
 stands the strong fortress of Golconda, on a rock of 
 some eminence, in the adjacent plain of which are 
 six or seven noble mausolea, built in the Saracenic 
 order of architecture, the sepulchres of the Kutb 
 Shahi dynasty of the kings of Golconda, Descend- 
 ing the hill and proceeding towards the city, the 
 view becomes gradually less extensive until the tra- 
 veller arrives at the suburbs, a great part of which is 
 cdWedi, par eminence, "the Residency," as containing 
 the establishment of the Company's Resident at the 
 court of his Highness the Nizam. Between this part 
 of the suburbs and the city runs a small stream, which, 
 in the rainy season, however, swells to a river of con- 
 siderable width and rapidity of course. Here is seen 
 the massive stone wall which surrounds Hyderabad, 
 supposed to have been built by Kooli Kootb Shah, 
 the fourth monarch of that dynasty. This wall, in 
 some places, owing to the unevenness of ground, 
 reaches the height of forty feet ; but its average 
 altitude on the outside is about twenty feet, and its 
 thickness ten feet. The height of the side within the 
 city is much less. There is a rampart sufficiently 
 broad for four persons to walk abreast, and a para- 
 pet, about five feet high, through which loop-holes 
 are pierced for musquetry. This, if properly de- 
 fended, must have been a strong protection to the 
 city from the attacks of a native army. The stream 
 just mentioned is called Musi, by the natives, and 
 winds its course about half round the city. From
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 553 
 
 the rampart is a fine view of this river and the sur- 
 rounding country, particularly on that part of the 
 wall to the right of the Dehli gate in entering the 
 city, when an interesting and picturesque sight pre- 
 sents itself, of elephants, with their variegated how- 
 dahs, rich caparisons, and gorgeously painted trunks; 
 native, Persian, Patan, Turkoman, AfFghan, and Arab 
 horsemen, together with camels and their riders, pa- 
 lanquins, and foot-passengers continually passing to 
 and from the city, and crossing the ford, as there is 
 no bridge over this part of the river. 
 
 Within the city of Hyderabad are some extensive 
 edifices and gardens, laid out in a tasteful and 
 elegant manner. Of these, the most remarkable are 
 the hurra daree, a word applied to the palaces and 
 mansions of the newabs and rajahs, as they were 
 originally erected with twelve gates to them. They 
 consist of a range of buildings of stone and wood, 
 generally detached from each other and separated 
 by quadrangular areas, some of which are flower- 
 gardens ; in some are reservoirs of water, containing 
 rare fishes, and in others a variety of playing foun- 
 tains and jets-d'eau. At one end of others, again, 
 are artificial cascades, constructed in such a manner 
 as to be capable of having their falling waters either 
 accelerated or retarded according to pleasure. Most 
 of the edifices are two or three stories high, and have 
 verandahs round the compartments of the ground- 
 floor, with slight pillars, painted green and occa- 
 sionally gilt. 
 
 The administration of the civil affairs of Hydera- 
 bad rests exclusively with the Nizam himself, and it 
 is, therefore, needless to say that it is characterized 
 2 B
 
 004 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 by all the vices which distinguished native rule in 
 the olden time. Some British troops, forming a 
 portion of the Madras army, garrison Secunderabad ; 
 but the Nizam has a separate force of his own, 
 chiefly officered from the British army. This service 
 (the Nizam's) is composed of five regiments of 
 cavalry, four companies of artillery, one company of 
 sappers and miners, or engineers, as they are some- 
 times called, eight regiments of infantry, one garri- 
 son, and one invalid battalion. 
 
 The horse, or, as it is termed, the reformed 
 horse, are a fine body of men (Moors, of course, in 
 the greatest ratio), four corps of which are similar in 
 most respects of duties, discipline, and interior eco- 
 nomy, to the Bengal local horse corps. The re- 
 maining, or fifth, regiment is disciphned and con- 
 ducted on the plan of regular native cavalry corps, 
 and on this account is not held in very high esteem 
 by their "brethren of the jack-boot." The men 
 also are, we are told, by no means such exclusives 
 in caste and Bahaduri (pompousness of manner) as 
 in the irregular corps. 
 
 The arms and accoutrements of the cavalry are 
 similar, in most respects, to the Bengal and Bombay 
 local corps. They consist of sword, spear, and 
 pistols; black leathern belts and jack-boots j dress 
 uniform, in the native fashion, of dark green;* a 
 
 * The uniform of the four first corps is green, and white facings 
 with gold lace. The style of embroidery on the officers' jackets cor- 
 responds with that of the Madras horse artillery. The fi/ih regiment, 
 which, as has been said, is a regular cavalry corps, is clothed like the 
 Hon. Company's regular cavalry, their jackets, however, being green 
 and their facings yellow. The officers and men wear helmets.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 555 
 
 red turban generally; but on these points the 
 general orders are not very strict, as amongst some 
 of the men, and in one or two of the regiments, va- 
 riety is considered pleasing. The regidar regiment 
 of horse is accoutred similarly to troopers of native 
 cavalry. The Silladari and Bargheer system pre- 
 vails in all the regiments. There are eight troops, 
 and about sixty men per troop, giving a complement 
 of four hundred and eighty per corps, besides non- 
 commissioned officers, native jemadars, the great 
 man in each corps — the rissaldar — and European 
 captain-commandant, adjutant, and now and then a 
 captain and subaltern officer attached.* It is under- 
 stood that there ought to be three officers to each regi- 
 ment; but staff appointments, absence, and other 
 duties, do not always allow this number to be com- 
 plete. 
 
 Two complete regiments of this branch are always 
 kept at Mominabad, the head-quarters of the cavalry 
 division, for scientific instruction in a part of the 
 cavalry movements. The other corps are stationed 
 at the remaining division head-quarter posts of his 
 highness 's army. 
 
 The reliefs occur every second year, all visiting in 
 turn the "Alma Mater" (Mominabad), where they 
 have the benefit of the immediate superintendence 
 of the brigadier, to whom alone, next to the com- 
 mander-in-chief, the resident, are they responsible 
 
 * The rissaldar gets 500 rupees per month pay. The horses are 
 chiefly Deccan and Arab, valued at the rate of from 300 to 450 and 
 500 rupees per horse. The rissaldars are generally rich, and having 
 considerable landed property, and other sources of wealth, are incited 
 by the glory of arms to service. 
 
 2 B 2
 
 556 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 for their interior economy, orders, &c., and through 
 whom alone are all duties, &c., transacted. 
 
 The two corps not at divisional head-quarters are 
 visited by the cavalry brigadier annually, for the 
 purposes of review, inspection, &c. 
 
 The artillery consists of several companies, dis- 
 tributed over the country. Their strength and equip- 
 ment differ according to the quantum of ordnance 
 belonging to each. It is understood, however, that 
 the zeal and shoukh (fancy) of the commandants have 
 much to do with these departments. Every company 
 has, nevertheless, four six-pounders and a brace of 
 eighteens, to which are occasionally added a mortar 
 and one or two howitzers ; and when this is the 
 case, the ordinary strength of each company is en- 
 larged. The usual complement of a company is 
 about sixty-five or seventy men. Two conductors 
 and a quarter-master's serjeant assist the artillery 
 captain-commandant, besides the soobadar and je- 
 madar of the company. The clothing, accoutre- 
 ments, and discipline are exactly similar to those 
 adopted in the Company's service, and his Highness 
 the Nizam allows plenty of powder and a few rounds 
 of ammunition balled to practise. The command- 
 ants of the artillery, at stations where there is no 
 engineer officer (and of whom there are only two, 
 always, at Bolarum), are generally called upon to 
 shew their agility in managing the duties of com- 
 missary of stores, and executive officer also. At Bo- 
 larum, the commandant of artillery does the duty of 
 commissary of stores, and the commandantof thesmall 
 company of sappers and miners officiates as execu- 
 tive engineer. There is a very extensive store-house
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 557 
 
 and magazine, under the superintendence of the 
 former officer, at this station, which is furnished by 
 the arsenal of Fort St. George (Madras) with all mili- 
 tary stores, and for which it is understood his highness 
 makes acknowledgment by no small per-centage on 
 the articles in proportion to value. 
 
 The small company of sappers and miners is a 
 most useful and efficient body, stationary at Bola- 
 rum, under a commandant and an adjutant. The 
 companies of artillery are also stationary, and never 
 relieve each other. 
 
 Come we next to the infantry, which are all regu- 
 lar, and assimilate closely in respect to duties, dress, 
 &c., to the Madras native infantry. Each regiment 
 has its captain-commandant, and the usual comple- 
 ment of officers, four in number, including the adju- 
 tant, who is allowed to hold charge of companies in 
 turn, and according to seniority. There is also a ser- 
 jeant-major and quarter-master-serjeant attached to 
 each regimentjUpon the same footing as in the Madras 
 native infantry corps ; the former being generally con- 
 sidered an assistant to the adj utant in his office and 
 not at parade duties ; the latter attending chiefly to the 
 internal economy of the regimental magazine or store- 
 room. There is also a surgeon to each corps, assisted 
 by three dressers, two of whom are generally Indo-Bri- 
 tons, and the third a native. Like the system in the 
 Madras army, the chief aid to the adjutant in parade 
 duties is afforded by a "native adj utant, "selected from 
 the jemadars. The corps are efficient and well dis- 
 ciplined, recruited from all quarters, but chiefly from 
 the south. There are, however, many Hindoostan
 
 558 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 men in the ranks, and these are much prized, es- 
 pecially if of a good height for a grenadier. The ge- 
 neral run of the corps in height is much the same as 
 through the Madras army, and of comparatively 
 small stature after looking at Bengal corps. They are 
 not the less smart and active for this though, and are 
 certainly not inferior to any Company's troops. The 
 regiments relieve each other occasionally, and remain 
 three years, or sometimes a shorter period, at a station. 
 The dress of the infantry is according to the Madras 
 regiments, and differs little from the other presidency 
 soldiery. The collars of the coatees are deeper, and 
 there is much more tape on the breast than in Ben- 
 gal. The havresack (made of strong white cloth, 
 bleached and washed) is also worn as an article of 
 accoutrement, in light and heavy marching order. 
 The pattern of the turban is any thing but becoming, 
 especially to those accustomed to the neat ones of 
 the Bengal presidency, but it much resembles the 
 Madras pattern. The hot weather costume (of 
 the Nizamites) looks any thing but cool and pleasant. 
 The white jacket is an ungreka, or native cut of 
 that garment, which does not look military when 
 united with buff belts, knapsacks, and " linen pan- 
 taloons, dyed black," which latter are worn through- 
 out the year (except on occasions of dress or full 
 dress, when white is substituted), hot weather and 
 cold ; for the Nizam's government do not think pro- 
 per to issue woollen trowsers to the poor fellows. 
 Coats are issued once in two years. 
 
 Musters are taken once in two months, by the 
 major of brigade at each division head-quarters, and
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 559 
 
 the intervening months have a regimental muster on 
 the first of each. The system on this point is quite dif- 
 ferent from that of the Bengal presidency, and would 
 appear to be of minor importance as a military duty. 
 
 Each division station has a capital mess-house 
 and store-room attached to it, for the use of the offi- 
 cers. Supplies are chiefly procured from Bombay. 
 Donations and subscriptions to this establishment 
 are reasonable enough ; fifty rupees donation (which 
 is returned to the subscriber when leaving the station 
 with his regiment), and a monthly subscription of 
 three or four rupees, or ad libitum, for keeping up 
 the papers, periodicals, &c., of the different presiden- 
 cies. It is quite optional with an officer to become 
 a member or not. The government (Nizam's) also 
 grant an allowance per mensem of 150 or 160 rupees 
 in support of the establishment. 
 
 Misdemeanours are tried in the regimental house 
 by Punchayet, and the other branches by courts- 
 martial — division, line, and regimental. Furloughs 
 (annual) are granted to the troops; and a pension 
 establishment for soldiers wounded in the service, 
 and meritorious servants after twenty years' service, 
 is provided. The business of the army is conducted 
 through the resident's military secretary, through 
 whom are issued general orders on the part of the 
 Nizam's government from time to time. All officers, 
 after twelve years' service in India, are promoted to 
 the rank of captain, and medical officers (if only as- 
 sistant-surgeon) to that of surgeon after ten years' 
 service. King and Company's officers are entitled 
 to draw the " pay proper" of their grade in their 
 own service, independent of Nizam's allowances.
 
 560 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Officers must pass an examination in Hindostanee 
 before they are eligible for an adjutancy or interpre- 
 tership. The allowance, however, for the latter 
 is no great incentive to work a little harder 
 for the latter examination, which is somewhat 
 stricter than that required for the former. But, 
 thrown so much more, as is an officer in the Nizam's 
 service, amongst the natives, we suspect there are 
 very few who, as far as this qualification is consi- 
 dered, are not fully competent for either situation. 
 Pure Hindostanee is, however, not generally spoken 
 in the Hyderabad service, from the great mixture of 
 men from both coasts and other southern districts, 
 and the consequent jumble of Tellinghoo, Tamul, 
 Canarese, Mahratta, and Guzrattee, with the pure 
 northern dialect, or Oordoo. The Hindostanee of 
 southern India is often a strange jargon, a compound 
 of many tongues, well worthy of Babel. All pa- 
 tronage in the Nizam's service is in the hands of the 
 Governor-General, and we believe the situation of 
 captains-commandant, and brigade-major or pay- 
 master, cannot now be directly conferred by the Re- 
 sident, without the form of a recommendation to the 
 Supreme Government. Local officers cannot now 
 enter the service, their admission having been put a 
 stop to by Lord William Bentinck. 
 
 The regular portion of the service — i. e. engineers, 
 artillery, and infantry — are directed to be guided by 
 the regulations, standing orders, &c., for the Madras 
 army. The pay and allowances are higher than 
 those in the Company's service, but they are not is- 
 sued with the same regularity. 
 
 The purely Oriental character of the state kept up
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 561 
 
 at Hyderabad, and the hospitality of the British offi- 
 cers, will amply repay the traveller for a few days' 
 stay at the cantonment. 
 
 Seven stages, of about twelve miles each in length, 
 carry the traveller to Soonipet, the limits of the Ni- 
 zam's territories, and eighteen miles further on he 
 gets to Monegalah, in the Company's territory. 
 From this place to Masulipatam, bearers are pro- 
 vided by the collector of the latter station, on due 
 notice being given to him. From Masulipatam, on 
 the Coromandel coast, the trip to Calcutta may be 
 made by boat, or any ship touching there, or by 
 dawk through Rajamundry, Vizagapatam, Berhara- 
 pore (Gangam) to Cuttack, of which we have already 
 spoken, and whence the journey to Calcutta is 
 brief. 
 
 If a traveller leaves Cuttack at five o'clock in the 
 afternoon, he will arrive at Bhareepore, half-way to 
 Balasore, about eight or nine o'clock the next morn- 
 ing, where there is a bungalow for the accommoda- 
 tion of travellers. He can remain at Bhareepore 
 during the heat of the day, start again in the evening, 
 and reach Balasore to breakfast ; proceed again in 
 the cool of the evening, and arrive at Dantoon, half- 
 way to Midnapore, early next morning ; where there 
 is a comfortable house for the accommodation of 
 travellers. In like manner, if he goes on again in the 
 evening to Midnapore, another night will take him 
 to Tumiook, where he gets into a boat and proceeds 
 up the Hooghly to Calcutta. 
 
 A traveller with one set, consisting of 8 bearers, 2 
 bangy burdars, and 2 mausals, pays 8 annas per 
 mile, agreeably to regulation, and pays 2 annas per 
 2 B 3
 
 562 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 man per diem for detaining the bearers on the road ; 
 or he may pay 3 annas per man for each stage from 
 Tanohee to Khutnao;hur. 
 
 During the monsoon it is recommended to tra- 
 vellers from Midnapore to run to Tumlook, which is 
 51 miles — viz. via Debrah and Purtabpoor — and em- 
 bark there on the Roopnarain river, a branch of the 
 Hooghly. The passage is about 15 hours to Calcutta. 
 The expense from Jellasore to Tumlook, 12 stages, 
 is 2Q\ rupees for bearers, and If rupees for oil, being 
 for 12 bearers, 2 bangy burdars, and 1 mussaljee. 
 
 The following is an abstract of the expenses of the 
 trip. 
 
 Rs. A. P. 
 
 massal, 
 
 Poona range, 259 miles, costs for 12 hamals and 1 massal 
 
 at each stage 
 Oil and Muckadums, fees perhaps additional 
 Nizam's Territory, 257m. 4f. for 12 hamals, 
 
 would cost 
 Masulipatamcollectorship,105m. 4f. costs 
 Rajamundry ditto 100m. 4f. suppose ^r, 
 Vizagapatam ditto 122m. If. costs 
 
 Chicacole ditto 125m. If. 
 
 Cuttack ditto 112m. Of. 
 
 JeUasore ditto 126m. Of. 
 
 326 2 50 
 
 20 
 
 700 
 
 33 
 mile .. 55 
 
 24 
 
 31 
 
 34 2 
 42 1 
 
 Jellasore, through Midnapore to Tumlook, 95 miles, cost 26 1 
 
 Total 1,320m. 6f. Expense, Rs. 1,292 2 50 
 
 The distance by sea from Bombay to Panwell, 
 about 20 miles, and from Tumlook to Calcutta, about 
 90 miles, should be added to make the whole distance 
 from Bombay to Calcutta. The distance by land, 
 however, from Tumlook to Calcutta, is only 50 miles. 
 
 Good hammals will go four miles an hour, some- 
 times more, but the time occupied in the journey de-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 563 
 
 pends principally on the traveller himself. From 
 twenty to twenty-two days is a reasonable allowance 
 for the journey to a stout man. 
 
 There is another and more direct route from Bom- 
 bay to Calcutta, but it lies for the most part through 
 an almost uninhabited, and in many parts unhealthy, 
 country, and is therefore seldom selected by dawk 
 travellers, although it is the regular route for the 
 public post. This road branches off at Poona in a 
 north-easterly direction, and passing through Seroor 
 and Ahmed nuggur, stations for Bombay troops, 
 enters the Nizam's territory a little to the south of 
 Aurungabad. Thence, traversing the territory at its 
 entire northern breadth, we enter upon the Nagpore 
 state, where a British resident and an auxiliary force 
 ensure to the people the blessings of tolerably good 
 government, peace and security. The road there 
 takes a direction due east, across an insalubrious, 
 jungly country, governed by different petty rajahs, 
 and successively passing the unnoticeable stages of 
 Raepore, Jumbulpore, and Jotepore, the traveller 
 reaches Midnapore eighty miles from Calcutta. 
 
 The third route from Bombay to Calcutta, or 
 rather to the north-west stations subordinate to the 
 Supreme Government, is through the Northern Con- 
 can, Deccan, various native states. Central India, 
 Bundlecund, &:c. The advantage of a knowledge of 
 this route to Bombay, Madras, and Bengal officers, 
 arriving in the first instance at Bombay, consists 
 in the circumstance of its embracing many stations 
 belonging to the different presidencies which may be 
 the more readily reached from Bombay. 
 
 The traveller proceeds in the first instance from
 
 564 THE HAND-BOOK OP INDIA. 
 
 Bombay in a north-eastevly direction to Nassuck, 
 174 miles along a good-made road, with plenty of 
 supplies accessible. Nine miles further on he reaches 
 the cantonment of Malligaum, occupied by Bombay 
 troops. Here he enters the district of Kandeish, 
 under the Bombay Government, and proceeds without 
 interruption for 105 miles to Mundlaisir, a town on 
 the right bank of the river Nerbudda, where an 
 assistant political agent resides. The scenery along 
 this road is particularly interesting. The undulating 
 nature of the ground lends variety to the landscape, 
 and the eye is pleasantly relieved by an agreeable 
 alternation of rock and jungle, ruined towns and 
 pagodas, old fortresses, kc, which we do not see in 
 any other part of Hindostan. Still, the country is 
 not easily traversed by troops or by officers march- 
 ing with their own baggage. The road is in many 
 places rocky and bad, the jungle thick and infested 
 with wild animals ; the fords and ferries over small 
 rivers indifferent. Leaving Mundlaisir behind us, we 
 make for Mhow, due north, the principal station in 
 Central India, where a considerable body of troops 
 is always to be found, commanded by a general 
 officer. To compress within the narrow compass of 
 this work even a faint outline of Central India were 
 impossible. We refer the reader, therefore, to Sir 
 John Malcolm's interesting work upon a country so 
 rich in resources, the scene of so much strife and 
 political intrigue, and the theatre of British triumphs 
 over its most gallant foe. Indore, the seat of the 
 political agency, lies a few miles north of Mhow. 
 This country is the property of Holkar, a native 
 chief. The route now takes an easterly direction
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 565 
 
 through the territories of the Dewas chief, Scindia 
 and the Bhopal Nawaub, until we reach Ashta (a 
 large town and fort on the right bank of the Par- 
 buttee river, distant from Mundlaisir 87 miles), 
 whence we incline northerly, passing across the terri- 
 tories of the Bhopal Nuwaub, and arrive at Sehore. 
 Between this place and Saugor, where a British 
 commissioner resides, supported by some Madras 
 troops and a strong police force, recently organized 
 to check freebooters and enforce the payment of 
 revenue and tribute by the petty and turbulent 
 chiefs, the distance is 135 miles. The face of the 
 country is essentially the same as that spoken of 
 above ; an alternation of rocky hill, deep jungle, 
 nullah and cultivated country. 
 
 From Saugor to the cantonment of Mirzapore, 
 north-east, is 285 miles, through the various native 
 territories of Dummow, Punnah, the rich valley of 
 Bundlecund,Ooncheria, Sohawul, and Rewah — terri- 
 tories which have, until very recently, been the scenes 
 of much discord, calling for the armed interference 
 of the British Government, and an alteration in some 
 of our political relations with the chieftains. Dawk 
 travelling is not difficult in times of peace and during 
 the prevalence of good order; but marching is ren- 
 dered disagreeable by the character of the roads, of 
 which no native governments take sufficient care, 
 and by the occasional scarcity of water and the neces- 
 saries of (sepoy) life. Saugor is a desirable station 
 for military men and young civilians, as, indeed, are 
 most of the places in our occupation in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the Nerbudda. The sports of tiger- 
 hunting and fishing are enjoyed in great perfection
 
 566 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 there, and the number of persons congregated at 
 Saugor afford opportunities for the various pastimes 
 and pleasant social reunions common to civilized 
 life. 
 
 To return to Bombay. The stations garrisoned 
 by the forces of this presidency are few, though the 
 tract of country under the direction of its civil officers 
 is extensive. The places of the greatest consequence 
 are (to the south as far as Goa, the last remnant of 
 the Portuguese territories), Dapoolee, Severndroog, 
 Rutnagherry, Malwan, Vingorla (all reduced for- 
 tresses in the Southern Concan), to Belgaum in the 
 east ; and to the north, Surat, Broach, Baroda, 
 Kaira, and Ahmedabad, in Guzerat, as far as Palun- 
 pore, on the southern border of the Shekawuttee terri- 
 tory. Baroda is under the Guicowar, a native prince, 
 long on a friendly footing with the British Govern- 
 ment, at whose court we have a resident and a sub- 
 sidiary force. East of Palunpore, distant about one 
 hundred miles, lies Neemuch, the most westerly 
 cantonment belonging to the Supreme Government, 
 and occupied by Bengal troops. West of Baroda is 
 the peninsula of Kattewar, where a political agent 
 resides, with a small body of troops at his bidding, 
 in the central cantonment of Raj cote. The treaty 
 with the chieftain of Kattewar is offensive and de- 
 fensive. He has the right to claim protection, inter- 
 nal and external, from the British, and we do not 
 interfere in the management of his own affairs, 
 though bound to assist him in realizing; his claims 
 from his own subjects. A similar treaty exists with 
 the Guicowar of Baroda. 
 
 Separated from Kattewar by a gulf is the Runn
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 567 
 
 and territory of Cutch, bordering upon Scinde, 
 Cutch, governed by a Rao, who is supreme in his 
 own territory, has long been tributary to the British 
 authority, which has retained a resident and a pro- 
 portion of troops at Bhooj . Its chief importance, as a 
 friendly state, has arisen from the circumstance of its 
 having formed a species of barrier between our pos- 
 sessions in Western India and the territory of Scinde. 
 Of the condition of this latter country it were diffi- 
 cult to speak at the present moment, and in a book 
 aspiring to a permanent utility, for a few months 
 may produce some changes in its political condition. 
 It exists now as a portion of the British empire, won 
 by the sword, and maintained at a terrible cost of 
 life, through sickness among the troops who occupy 
 the principal stations of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shikar- 
 pore, &c.; but the sympathies which have been 
 excited in favour of the dethroned Ameers may lead 
 to the country's being placed upon the same footing 
 with other native states ; a small subsidiary or other 
 force, detached from the Bombay army, occupying a 
 part of the country, as a guarantee for our preserva- 
 tion of the free navigation of the Indus, and certain 
 political objects in reference to our North-Western 
 neiohbours. 
 
 MADRAS. 
 
 This presidency, the most important in the early 
 part of British Indian history, from the brilliant cam- 
 paigns of which it was the theatre, now ranks low in 
 the scale, for the very satisfactory reason, that the
 
 568 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 country which forms its hmits is in a settled state, 
 abundantly fertile, and making a pleasant progress 
 towards civilization. The town of Madras, which is 
 a place of great resort, owing to its position as the 
 port of arrival for all those persons who are nomi- 
 nated to the civil and military service of the 
 Government, and to its commercial importance, 
 is in every respect most uninviting. The land is 
 low, and no range of mountains fills up the back- 
 ground and relieves the landscape. A heavy 
 swell rolls on to the shore, and this, as ren- 
 dering the navigation of boats a matter of some 
 difficulty and hazard, lends to the scene the only 
 excitement of which it is susceptible. Large boats, 
 called mnssoolahs, and diminutive rafters, formed of 
 two logs of wood and termed catamarrans, are the 
 only objects that float upon the billows and dare the 
 hazard of a landing. The latter, paddled by two 
 men, stripped to the skin, usually come oflf to vessels 
 arriving in the roads. The boatmen bear chits (or 
 notes) in their little conical caps, and are thus the 
 emissaries from the hospitable residents, whose doors 
 are open to the introduced stranger. We land in 
 the broad mussoolah boat, ingeniously rowed by a 
 gaily-attired native crew, whose song, like that of 
 the gondoHer, keeps time to the plash of oars. As 
 the shore is approached, they watch the action of 
 the waves, and seizing the happy moment when a 
 lofty billow rolls towards the stern, they pull a 
 vioorous stroke, and the boat is borne on the bosom 
 of the surf to the appointed landing-place, whence it 
 is dragged high and dry before another wave can 
 swamp or even wet the passengers.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 569 
 
 The beach at Madras is lined with houses, many 
 of them places of business. They are lofty and well 
 ventilated, better looking than the generality of the 
 town residences at Bombay, but far inferior in ele- 
 gance of exterior to those of Calcutta. The hotels, 
 to which the touters, who go off to the ships or line , 
 the shore, invite the stranger, are wretched places, 
 affording but little accomodation, and abounding 
 with dirt, bad viands, and worse wines. If, there- 
 fore, the newly arrived visitor is destitute of personal 
 friends, or those credentials which ordinarily ensure 
 an invitation to a private dwelhng, he will do well to 
 present himself at the Madras Club, and seek his 
 election as a member. This club is an admirable in- 
 stitution. Without insisting upon an aristocratic 
 exclusiveness, it is nevertheless strictly an asylum for 
 gentlemen. It is well and liberally conducted, and the 
 charges come within the means of most persons in 
 the upper circle of society. If the stranger is not 
 likely to be a permanent resident at Madras, a good 
 word from his fellow-passengers to influential mem- 
 bers on shore will procure him reception as an hono- 
 rary member. Living at the club costs about a 
 guinea (ten rupees) per diein, or something more- 
 The accounts of honorary members are settled 
 weekly. 
 
 The Fort and the Black Town are the most strik- 
 ing objects on the shore. In the former is an arsenal 
 and several of the Government offices ; the latter, as 
 its title imports, contains the residences of the na- 
 tives, and the shops of Europeans and natives. The ^ 
 choice place of residence for the more respectable 
 orders of Europeans is the Mount Road, a magnifi-
 
 570 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 cent road, six miles in length, bordered by trees and 
 villas. This and the South Beach are the fashion- 
 able places of resort during the evening drive. At St. 
 Thomas's Mount, at the end of the Mount Road, the 
 artillery are quartered, and near this place is the race- 
 course, where two race meetings are annually held. 
 
 We have been so precise in our descriptions of the 
 governments of India, the Courts of Law, the usages 
 of English society, and the manners and characters 
 of the natives of India, that the task of describing 
 the features of the third presidency is essentially nar- 
 rowed. There is nothing to add to what has been 
 said of the army, the civil service, the clei'gy, &c. 
 It only remains to mention the chief institutions 
 and establishments. 
 
 The Government-House claims precedence, rather 
 from the importance of its purpose than from its 
 magnificence. It is comparatively a poor building^ 
 not better than those occupied by many private gen- 
 tlemen ; but it contains some good suites of rooms ; 
 and a banqueting-room, some eighty yards or so 
 from the building, is the scene of many a brilliant 
 ball. The College Hall consists of a library, a hall 
 where concerts and public meetings are held, a mu- 
 seum, (fee, but the rooms are all in a dilapidated 
 condition. There are barracks, hospitals, and a 
 handsome church, within the fort, which is called 
 Fort St. George, and a monument to the Marquis 
 Cornwallis. On the Mount Road is another cenotaph 
 to the memory of that nobleman, and between the 
 fort and the Government-House, a beautiful eques- 
 trian statue of Sir Thomas Munro, for several years 
 the enlightened governor of Madras. These, with
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 571 
 
 an ice-house and a light-house, constitute all the 
 public edifices of any note. 
 
 Churches, &;c. — St. George's Church, Mount 
 Road ; St. Mary's Church, in the Fort ; the Vepery 
 Church ; the Black Town District Church ; the 
 Church Mission Chapel ; the Trinity Chapel ; St 
 Andrew's Church (Scotch) ; the Armenian Church of 
 St. Mary ; the Church of St. Thome (Roman Ca- 
 thohc) ; the London Missionary Society's Chapels ; 
 the Wesleyan Missionary Chapels ; the Unitarian 
 Chapels. 
 
 Religious Societies. — The Society for Promot- 
 ing Christian Knowledge ; the Incorporated Society 
 for the Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts ; 
 the Church Missionary Society; the Wesleyan Mis- 
 sionary Society ; the London Missionary Society ; 
 the Indian Missionary Society ; the Armenian 
 Board of Missions ; the Armenian Baptist Missions ; 
 the British and Foreign Bible Society ; the Madras 
 Religious Tract Society ; the Hindoo Christians' Re- 
 ligious Book Society. 
 
 The titles of most of the above bespeak their uses. 
 By some of them native schools are maintained, and 
 there is no concealing the fact that the course of 
 preparation therein pursued is more calculated to 
 produce Christian converts than the most zealous 
 efforts of missionaries bestowed upon the adult, 
 " wedded fast to some dear falsehood." 
 
 Charitable Institutions, Schools, &c. — The 
 Military Male Orphan Asylum ; the Military Fe- 
 male Orphan Asylum ; the Vepery Mission Institu- 
 tions ; the Protestant Charity School ; the Vepery
 
 572 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Free School; the Church Endowment and Build- 
 ing Society; the General Assembly's School; the 
 Armenian Orphans' Fund ; the Armenian School ; 
 the Infants'* Schools ; the London Missionary So- 
 ciety's Free Schools; the Native Education Society; 
 the Garrison Girls' Day School ; Bishop Corrie's 
 Grammar School ; the Union Free School ; the Ro- 
 man Catholic Seminaries ; the Ladies' Institution 
 for the Education of the Daughters of Europeans 
 and their descendants ; the Madras School-Book 
 Society ; the Madras Philanthropic Association ; the 
 Moneygar Choultry ; the Madras Friend in Need 
 Society ; the Madras Temperance Society ; the 
 Home and Temperance Rooms ; the South Indian 
 Temperance Rooms. 
 
 We conceive it to be impossible for any English- 
 man to behold the above array of admirable institu- 
 tions without strong emotions of pride and pleasure. 
 They furnish magnificent evidence of the noble pur- 
 poses to which various classes of our countrymen 
 appropriate a portion of their wealth in India, and 
 give the lie to the insinuation that they resort to 
 the country to pluck the golden fruit from its trees, 
 and leave it bare and miserable. The orphan, the 
 native female, the outcast, the illiterate, the desti- 
 tute, all are cared for, provided with asylums, 
 clothed, fed, and taught. Were we to be driven out 
 of India to-morrow, we should have left behind us, 
 in the results of instruction and in the moral ex- 
 ample set to successors, more enduring monuments 
 of worthy rule than the finest productions of the 
 sculptor's chisel or the architect's ingenuity.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 573 
 
 Of other societies existing at Madras for useful 
 purposes, we have only to mention the Literary, and 
 the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies ; and of 
 commercial institutions there are but the Madras 
 Bank, chartered two years ago, the Savings Bank, 
 and the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 The European and Eurasian population of Ma- 
 dras is considerable. Independently of those who 
 are in the Government service, there are about 400, 
 whose avocations are various. There are of com- 
 mercial houses, 13 ; of architects and sculptors, 1 ; 
 of auctioneers and commission salesmen, 8 ; of 
 cabinet makers, 9 ; of chemists and druggists, 4 ; 
 of jewellers, 6 ; of wine merchants, 5 ; of watch 
 and clock makers, 6 ; of tailors, 6 ; of tanners and 
 boot makers, 7; of undertakers, 4; besides a num- 
 ber of milliners, musical instrument repairers, 5 
 coach makers, 3 saddlers, numerous missionaries, 
 merchants' clerks, booksellers, gentlemen of the 
 press, kc. 
 
 There are four masonic lodges at Madras, to 
 which the most distinguished men at the presidency 
 belong. 
 
 The cost of living at Madras, the manner in which 
 police and municipal affairs are conducted, &c., cor- 
 respond so materially with the charges and usages 
 at the other presidencies, that a separate detail of 
 them need not occupy space here. We will, there- 
 fore, merely add in this place some particulars re- 
 specting rates of wages that may be useful to the 
 future resident. 
 
 The following is the rate of cart and cooly hire 
 from the Fort to the new custom-house : —
 
 574 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 A. P, 
 
 A bandy drawn by four bullocks . . . . 9 11 
 
 Ditto two ditto .. .. 4 11 
 
 A cooly load . . . . . . . . . . 12 
 
 A cooly load is to consist of 18 quart bottles of 
 wine, or any other liquor, or 72 lbs. weight of any 
 other article. 
 
 A carriage bullock load is three dozen of quart 
 bottles, or 144 lbs. weight of any other article. 
 
 A cart load is to consist of 12 dozen quart bottles 
 of wine, or any other liquor, and 125 lbs. weight of 
 any other article, or altogether 720 lbs. weight of 
 any article. 
 
 One driver is to attend each cart, and one driver 
 is to attend from one to three carriage bullocks, and 
 so on in proportion to an increase in the number. 
 
 Batta. — If a person in the course of a journey 
 remains at a place, he must for the first three days 
 pay each cooly one anna and three pice batta; 
 each carriage bullock one anna and ten pice for the 
 first five days. If he remains more than the days 
 before specified, he shall pay each cooly three annas 
 and nine pice; each carriage bullock three annas 
 and three pice ; each cart seven annas a day. If a 
 person hire a cooly, carriage bullock, or cart, and 
 afterwards not employ either, he shall pay the cooly 
 and carriage bullock at the rate of three annas and 
 nine pice, and the cart fourteen annas each day for 
 the time he may have detained either. Half the 
 hire to coolies and carriage bullocks, and three- 
 quarters to a cart, to be paid in advance, and the 
 remainder when arrived at the place of destination. 
 
 Field Pay. — A cooly seven rupees ; a carriage
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 575 
 
 bullock with a driver twenty-six rupees and four 
 annas per month, no batta. A day's journey for a 
 cooly and carriage bullock is twenty English miles, 
 a cart fifteen miles. The hire of a double cart is 
 one- half more than the hire of a single one. 
 
 Rates of hire of Artificers, Coolies, Sfc. 
 
 BRICKLAYERS. 
 
 Maistry 
 
 Good workman 
 
 Medium 
 
 Common 
 
 Monthly 
 Pay. 
 
 17 8 
 
 14 
 
 12 4 
 
 10 8 
 
 Daily 
 Pay. 
 
 R. A. P. R. A. P. 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 CARPENTERS. 
 
 Maistry 
 
 Good workman 
 
 Mediiun 
 
 Common 
 
 Hand Sawer, common 
 
 Great ditto, exclusive of tools 
 
 Maistry 
 Good workman 
 Medium 
 Common 
 Hammer-man 
 Bellows -boys . . 
 
 17 8 
 
 14 
 
 12 13 4 
 
 10 8 
 
 11 10 8 
 11 10 8 
 
 17 8 
 
 14 
 
 12 13 4 
 
 10 8 
 
 8 12 
 
 3 8 
 
 9 4 
 
 7 6 
 
 6 10 
 
 5 7 
 
 6 3 
 
 6 3 
 
 9 4 
 
 7 6 
 
 6 10 
 
 5 7 
 
 4 8 
 
 1 3 
 
 BRAZIERS. 
 
 Maistry 
 Good workman 
 Medium 
 Common 
 Hammer-man, &c. 
 
 17 8 
 
 14 
 
 12 4 
 
 10 8 
 
 8 2 8 
 
 9 4 
 
 7 6 
 
 6 10 
 
 5 7 
 
 4 4
 
 576 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 
 
 Monthly 
 Pay. 
 
 DaUy 
 Pay. 
 
 
 
 R. A. P. 
 
 K. A. P. 
 
 
 PAINTERS. 
 
 
 
 Maistry 
 
 
 14 
 
 7 6 
 
 Good workman 
 
 
 12 4 
 
 6 6 
 
 Medium 
 
 . 
 
 10 8 
 
 5 7 
 
 Common 
 
 
 9 5 4 
 
 5 
 
 STONE CUTTERS. 
 
 Maistry 17 80 094 
 
 Good workman, exclusive of tools .. 14 7 6 
 
 Medium 12 40 066 
 
 Common 10 80 057 
 
 TANK DIGGERS. 
 
 Maistry 954 051 
 
 Coolyman .. 700 033 
 
 Ditto woman 414 023 
 
 COOLIES. 
 
 Maistry 954 050 
 
 Man 700 031 
 
 Woman 414 022 
 
 Boy and girl 3 8 1 10 
 
 CHUCKLERS. 
 
 Good workman 11 10 8 6 3 
 
 Medium 950 051 
 
 Common 700 039 
 
 CHINA CARPENTERS. 
 
 Good workman .. .. .. 44 15 7 17 9 
 
 Medium 29 15 9 15 11 
 
 TAILORS. 
 
 Good workman, tent workman .. 14 7 6 
 
 Medium 10 8 5 7 
 
 Common 700 039 
 
 For shoeing a horse, 14 annas and 11 pice. 
 
 Artificers go to work in the Black Town and Fort 
 St. George at seven o'clock in the morning, rest
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 577 
 
 from twelve to two o'clock in the middle of the day, 
 and then leave off work at six o'clock in the evening. 
 Working at the gardens, they commence at half- 
 past seven, rest until half-past two in the middle of the 
 day, and leave off work at six o'clock in the evening. 
 
 The wages of maistries and superior workmen, 
 who may be entitled to higher rates than the above, 
 will be settled by the superintendent of police on 
 application. 
 
 We have said, in a previous page, that each presi- 
 dency has its sanatarium, or neighbouring hills, 
 where health and invigoration may be sought. Cal- 
 cutta has its Darjeeling, Bombay its Mahabulesh- 
 war ; to Madras belong the beautiful Neilgherry hills. 
 
 The Neilgherries, situated in the south of India, on 
 the confines of Coirabatoor and Malabar, extend 
 from 11° 10' to 11° 32' north latitude, and from 76° 
 59' to 77° 31' east longitude. Their greatest oblique 
 extent from south-west to north-east is from thirty- 
 eight to forty miles, and their extreme breadth fifteen. 
 Their superficial area may be computed equal to 
 700 square miles. Four stations are at present occu- 
 pied, viz. Ootacamund, Kotagherry, Dimhutty, and 
 Coonoor. 
 
 Ootacamund is the principal station, and is situated 
 nearly in the centre of the table-land of Mysore, 
 about ten miles from the southern edge of the range, 
 and seven from the northern, immediately at the base, 
 and on the western side of Dodabetta, and is open 
 only towards the W.N.W., the other three sides 
 being completely sheltered by this mountain. Its 
 elevation is 7,400 feet above the level of the sea, and 
 it is the best locality amongst the other stations. 
 2 c
 
 578 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 It has decidedly the most perfectly European ch- 
 mate of any in these hills, and is less affected by the 
 changes of monsoons, rains, &c., than any other, 
 which arises from its forming the line of separation 
 between the north-east Madras monsoon and the 
 south-west Malabar monsoon. 
 
 Kotagherry is situated sixteen miles distant from 
 Ootacamund, on the eastern division, and is inferior 
 in elevation, being 6,571 feet above the level of the 
 sea. The climate is much milder, and the extreme 
 and daily range less. The minimum is 43°, and the 
 maximum 76°, a range of 5° less than the extreme of 
 Ootacamund. The air is moister and the nights less 
 cold. In June, July, and August, the weather is 
 clear, bright, and fair at this station, whilst at Oota- 
 camund there is pretty constant fog, drizzle, or rain 
 during this time. This difference arises from the 
 former place being less subject to the influence of 
 the south-west monsoon. It is also reckoned a more 
 eligible residence during the monsoons for delicate 
 people, whereas Ootacamund is decidedly preferred 
 for those in tolerably confirmed health. 
 
 Less rain falls at this place, and it is generally 
 dry here when it rains at Ootacamund, from being 
 affected by a different monsoon. 
 
 Dimliutty is situated on a plateau between Kota- 
 gherry and the Orange Valley, the latter of which 
 rises at the north-east angle of Dodabetta, and is so 
 named from the number of wild orange and lime 
 trees found in it. The elevation of Dimhutty above 
 the sea is 4,500 feet, and its temperature is much 
 higher than that of the two former stations. 
 
 Coonoor, which is ten miles distant from Ootaca-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 579 
 
 mund and the head-quarters of the pioneer corps, is 
 situated south of the range, close to the edge of the 
 hills, and rises 5,806 feet above the sea. Its mean 
 temperature is probably 6° warmer than that of 
 Ootacamund ; and from its proximity to the ghaut it 
 is subject, at particular seasons, to fogs; on the 
 other hand, it has the advantage of being on the 
 direct road to Ootacamund, and is well adapted for 
 sick travellers. 
 
 Over the whole extent of the table-land, and on 
 the summit of the hills, the soil is exceedingly rich 
 and of considerable depth, caused by swamps of 
 various extent ; but situation, exposure, command of 
 water, and other less obvious circumstances, confine 
 the cultivation to the extremity of the hills and to 
 the south and east of the range. 
 
 The different natural products are coarse barley, 
 keeree-mow, poppies, garhc, and onions. The fol- 
 lowing have been introduced by European visitants ; 
 viz. wheat, oats, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, sa- 
 voys, French beans, spinage, peas, lettuces, beet-i'oot, 
 radishes, celery, turnips, carrots, &c. See, sea-kale, 
 asparagus, tomatas, plums, peaches, nectarines, ap- 
 ples, citrons, loquats. Oranges and limes grow wild. 
 Brazil cherry, commonly known as the topara, goose- 
 berry, capers, strawberry, raspberry, blackberries. 
 The Orchis mascula, from the root of which the 
 salpi misree is obtained, is in abundance, and several 
 other plants, resembling the genus Orchis Lucerne. 
 Tobacco is also found. 
 
 From the elevated position of the hills, the cura- 
 tive and restorative powers of the climate on Indian 
 diseases must be apparent to all. An important 
 2 c 2
 
 580 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 consideration, also, connected with them, is the pre- 
 ventive powers of their cHmate, which has not yet 
 met with the attention it deserves. A transfer at 
 once to the chmate of the hills of those suffering 
 from various diseases and ailments is highly recom- 
 mended. 
 
 The bazaar at Ootacamund is exceedingly well 
 supplied, and the prices are a little higher than those 
 of the low country. There are two excellent Parsee 
 shops, containing every thing in the way of liquors, 
 Europe supplies, cheese, pickles, preserves, kc. Sec, 
 which are good and at reasonable prices ; but those 
 who are particular in the choice of their port wine 
 and beer are recommended to take a small stock 
 with them. Salt provisions of very good quality, 
 cured on the hills, are to be had in considerable 
 quantities in the bazaar. Cattle and swine might be 
 procured to any extent in the low country round the 
 hills, and fruits and vegetables of every description 
 have advantageously been cultivated. 
 
 In Kotagherry there is a deficiency of supplies, 
 owing to the want of a regular bazaar, a market being 
 held only once a week. There are only twelve or 
 thirteen houses, besides the quarters at Dimhutty, at 
 the disposal of the public, whilst at Ootacamund 
 there are upwards of seventy habitable houses. At 
 Coonoor there is no accommodation for travellers, 
 except the public bungalow, which is forbid to them 
 for upwards of three days. 
 
 Good men-servants of every description (except, 
 perhaps, head-servants and dressing-boys) are avail- 
 able at Ootacamund. Female servants are seldom 
 found, and should be brought up.
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 581 
 
 Beds, chairs, tables, carpets, may be easily had on 
 the hills. Crockery may be arranged for with the 
 Parsee shopkeepers. The essential requisites to be 
 taken are plate, bed and table linen, and warm 
 clothing. 
 
 The following distances shew the convenience of 
 these mountains from the principal points on the 
 south side of India, and the dawk expenses incident 
 to a visit to them : — 
 
 Miles. Expenses. 
 
 393 
 
 200 Rs 
 
 332 
 
 150 
 
 385 
 
 150-70 
 
 153 
 
 60 
 
 176 
 
 80 
 
 156 
 
 60 
 
 130 
 
 50 
 
 From Madras via Trichinopoly 
 
 Ditto ditto via Salem . . 
 
 Ditto ditto via Bangalore 
 From Trichinopoly 
 
 Ditto Bangalore 
 
 Ditto Calicut . . 
 
 Ditto TeUichery (Cannanore) 
 
 In marching or travelling by stages, the expense 
 is, of course, much less. 
 
 We may conclude this notice of these hills with 
 some hints to invalids. 
 
 Warm clothing is of vital importance on the hills, 
 and even in the low country, a light flannel banian 
 (jacket or shirt) is of service; every invalid, as he 
 values life, should be provided with a good stock of 
 flannel banians, flannel cummerbunds (belts, made 
 so as to have strings to be firmly tied round the 
 middle and double over), drawers, and worsted stock- 
 ings, and a stock of stout shoes and boots. Avoid 
 exposure to the night air, and never be out after sun- 
 set. Early rising is neither necessary nor prudent ; 
 the invalid should wait till the sun has attained suf-
 
 582 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 ficient height to drive away the cold and moisture of 
 the night; care should be taken to return home 
 before nine a.m., so as to avoid the powerful effects 
 of the sun. Diet must, of course, be regulated by 
 circumstances. In general, however, adhere to light 
 animal food, with bread or biscuit, and vegetables, 
 pastry, cheese, &c. Port or sherry is preferable 
 to the lighter wines ; beer unnecessary. Invalids 
 should diminish their usual quantity of these stimu- 
 lants until acclimatized, and observe early hours for 
 diet. Exercise should be taken so as to produce a 
 gentle action on the skin, and not fatigue, but avoid 
 exposure to the sun. Riding is to be preferred 
 to walking, it being less exciting. When acclima- 
 tized, exercise should be gradually increased, and 
 when fairly recovered, as much daylight in the open 
 air as strength will permit should be passed. Those 
 who have suffered from fever should be cautious to 
 avoid the jungle at the foot of the hills, and if un- 
 fortunately detained there, a course of purgatives, 
 followed by small doses of quinine, should be pur- 
 sued. Cold feet (a general complaint with new 
 comers, especially females) are remedied by adopting 
 lambs'-wool or worsted stockings, which should 
 form the stock of people in good or indifferent 
 health. 
 
 The climate of Madras is considered to be less 
 sultry than that of Bengal ; those stations which are 
 situated on the highest ground of the table-land en- 
 joy a very agreeable temperature. The large can- 
 tonment of Bangalore is three thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea, and the thermometer rarely rises
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 583 
 
 above eighty degrees ; but the duties of the civil and 
 military servants of the presidency often call them to 
 less favoured places, and those who Iiave suffered 
 under the prostrating effects of a Mysore fever have 
 no reason to rejoice that their destinies did not lead 
 them to Bengal. 
 
 In spite, however, of its pestilential climate, there 
 are few places in the peninsula more attractive to a 
 visitor than the scene of the splendid victory gained 
 by the British arms in 1799. The island of Seringa- 
 patam, which is surrounded on every side by the 
 Cavery, a wide and rapid river, to which the Carna- 
 tic owes its agricultural wealth, is a place of great 
 beauty and fertility ; but the reminiscences connected 
 with it are of a nature too overpowering to permit 
 the mind to dwell upon minor circumstances. 
 
 The goodar-houses and pavilions of Tippoo Saib 
 are now frequently occupied by European officers, 
 whom military duty or curiosity leads to Seringapa- 
 tam, and who, of course, receive the most courteous 
 attentions from the heads of the reigning family. A 
 large mansion in the Dowlut Baugh, amongst other 
 decorations, is ornamented with a painting repre- 
 senting the defeat of Colonel Baillie ; in which the 
 artist, more intent upon pleasing his patron than in 
 giving a faithful delineation of the scene, has taken 
 care not only to depict the conquering Hyder after 
 the most triumphant fashion, but to exaggerate the 
 disasters and distresses of the enemy. 
 
 Few persons can now indulge in a sojourn in the 
 Dowlut Baugh without experiencing some injurious 
 attack of disease ; the whole island retains its fatal 
 power over European constitutions, and from time
 
 584 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 immemorial it has only been the natives of the soil who 
 could successfully resist the deleterious effects of the 
 climate. We are told that out of many thousand 
 natives, compulsorily brought by Hyder and his son 
 from the Malabar coast, and forced to settle in the 
 new territory, only five hundred survived at the end 
 of ten years to relate the story of their tragic expul- 
 sion from their own homes ; and five years sufficed 
 to reduce the number of European officers and arti- 
 ficers in the sultan's service, imported from the Isle 
 of France, from five hundred to twenty-five. 
 
 Bangalore, though not equalling in aspect the 
 luxuriant, though deleterious beauty of the adjacent 
 territories, is prettily situated in a moderately- 
 wooded and well-watered country ; there are bar- 
 racks for two Royal regiments, one of cavalry and 
 one of infantry ; and, in addition, the garrison con- 
 sists of three native infantry and one cavalry regi- 
 ment, with a proportionate number of battalions of 
 artillery, the requisite staff, &c. 
 
 Bangalore has always been distinguished through- 
 out the Madras presidency for its festivities. It pos- 
 sesses very handsome assembly-rooms, and a theatre, 
 in which the amateur performances are often above 
 par. 
 
 The fancy balls are upon a grand scale ; and when 
 the society happens to be composed of choice spirits, 
 amusements of this nature go off with great tclat. 
 The superior size and loftiness of reception-rooms in 
 India render them much better adapted for large as- 
 semblages than those belonging to the same class of 
 society in England ; and even in the most sultry 
 seasons, less inconvenience is sustained from the
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 585 
 
 heat, the nights being always comparatively cool, 
 and a free circulation of air secured by the multi- 
 tude of open doors. During the cold season, the 
 European residents of Bangalore amuse themselves 
 with pic-nic parties, as there are numerous objects 
 of curiosity in the vicinity to attract the visitant. 
 There is nothing throughout Hindostan to equal the 
 remains of Southern India ; the pagodas of Benares, 
 and even those of Bunderabund and Muttra, are 
 mean in comparison to the splendid temples which 
 are spread along the plains of Mysore and the Car- 
 natic. Those in the neighbourhood of Bangalore do 
 not yield in magnificence to the most celebrated pa- 
 godas of the peninsula, and they are the favourite 
 resort of all who possess any taste for architectural 
 beauty ; while, to the less intellectual portion of the 
 community, the music, dancing, the banquet, and 
 perhaps above all, the feats of jugglers, offer high 
 gratification. 
 
 The Madras jugglers are famous all over the 
 world ; and though the exhibition of similar acts of 
 dexterity is often more extraordinary than pleasing, 
 the display of legerdemain in India would almost in- 
 duce the belief that the age of necromancy had not 
 passed away. A man who, in 1828, seated himself 
 in the air without any apparent support, excited as 
 much interest and curiosity as the automaton chess- 
 player, who astonished all Europe a few years ago ; 
 drawings were exhibited in all the Indian papers, 
 and various conjectures formed respecting the secret 
 of his art, but no very satisfactory discovery was 
 made of the means by which he effected an apparent 
 impossibiUty. The bodies of the Madras jugglers 
 2 c 3
 
 586 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 are so lithe and supple, as to resemble those of ser- 
 pents, rather than men. 
 
 Swallowing the sword is a common operation even 
 by those who are not considered to be the most ex- 
 pert; and they have various other exploits with 
 naked weapons of a most frightful nature. A more 
 agreeable display of the lightness and activity 
 which would enable the performers to tread over 
 flowers without bending them, is shewn upon a piece 
 of thin linen cloth stretched out slightly in the 
 hands of four persons, which is traversed without 
 ruffling it, or forcing it from the grasp of the holders. 
 The lifting of heavy weights with the eyelids is 
 another very disgusting exhibition. Some of the op- 
 tical deceptions are exceedingly curious, and in- 
 quirers are to this day puzzled to guess how plants 
 and flowers can be instantaneously produced from 
 seeds. 
 
 The Madras jugglers travel to all parts of India, 
 but it is not often that the most celebrated are to be 
 found at a distance from the theatre of their educa- 
 tion. Snake-charmers are common everywhere ; 
 they belong to a peculiar cast of Hindoos, and 
 though their reputation is upon the wane, they 
 still excite considerable curiosity in Southern 
 India. 
 
 The cohra capella is the dancing-snake of the 
 East, and the production of the snake-stone is exclu- 
 sively confined to this species. There is not, it is 
 said, much difficulty in extracting the poison of a 
 serpent, which is contained in a very small reservoir, 
 running along the palate of the mouth and passing 
 out at each fang. The natives are supposed to be
 
 THE HAND-EOOK OF INDIA. 587 
 
 very dexterous in forcing their captives to eject this 
 venom, and are then enabled to handle them without 
 the least danger. Some persons, how ever, w^ell ac- 
 quainted with the habits of snake-charmers, deny 
 that they extract the poison, and attribute the im- 
 punity with which they handle these dangerous rep- 
 tiles to their accurate knowledge of the temper and 
 disposition of the animal, and their ready method of 
 soothing down irritation. The natives boast the pos- 
 session of various antidotes to the bite of a snake, 
 and often pretend to have imbibed the venom and 
 effected a cure. There is a plant which goes by the 
 name choudraca, in which considerable confidence is 
 placed ; and arsenic, which enters very largely into 
 the composition of the celebrated Tanjore pill, is often 
 employed as a counteracting power. Volatile alkalies 
 are most generally tried by European practitioners, 
 and very often prove successful ; but the different 
 degrees of strength in the venom of snakes render it 
 doubtful whether, in the worst cases, they would 
 have any beneficial effect. Some medical men aver, 
 that the bite of a cohra capella in full vigour, and 
 in possession of all its poisonous qualities, is as 
 surely fatal as a pistol-ball ; and that it is only when 
 this poison is weakened by expenditure that medicine 
 can be of any avail. 
 
 For the distances of the various stations under the 
 Madras Presidency, from Madras itself, we refer the 
 reader to the Appendix, where they are stated mi- 
 nutely. The method of reaching them is by dawk 
 or pattamar, of which we have already spoken very 
 fully in former pages, which may be traced on refer- 
 ence to the Index.
 
 588 
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 Beyond the continent of India there is the station 
 of Moulmein, on the Tenasserim coast, and the 
 islands of Penang and Malacca, which are supplied 
 with troops from Madras, Moulmein is kept up for 
 the double purpose of protecting the trade between 
 British India and Burmah, and furnishing a point of 
 rendezvous in the event of hostile measures against 
 the Burmese government being at any time neces- 
 sary. The Tenasserim provinces extend about from 
 17° 30' to 10° 10' north latitude, between the pa- 
 rallels 97° 30' and 99° 20' east longitude. Their 
 length is about five hundred miles, varying in breadth 
 from eighty to forty ; bounded on the north by the 
 Thoungyeen river, on the south by the Pak-Chan, 
 on the east by the Siamese mountains, and on the 
 west by the sea. The superficial area is about thirty 
 thousand square miles, of which, probably, not more 
 than one-tenth is under cultivation. The territory is 
 divided into four provinces, viz. Amherst, Ye, Tavoy, 
 and Mergui ; these again are divided into districts, 
 under the superintendence of Goung-Gyaups. The 
 only towns are those known by the same names as 
 the provinces, and Moulmein, the chief civil and 
 military station on the coast. 
 
 The appearance of the country is extremely bold 
 and mountainous, numerous ranges of hills running- 
 through it, chiefly in a direction from north to south, 
 except in the northern part of Amherst province, 
 where successive ranges, rising one above the other, 
 may be seen stretching from west to east. Extensive 
 plains intervene usually between the rivers and the 
 bases of the hills, and, from an elevated position, 
 present the appearance of a dead flat, broken only
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 589 
 
 by very remarkable isolated rocks of limestone for- 
 mation, rising perpendicularly from the plains, in 
 some instances to a great height. The soil in the 
 plains is admirably adapted to paddy cultivation, to 
 which it is almost exclusively applied ; whilst the 
 banks of the rivers and the islands above the influence 
 of the tide, which are annually inundated and thus 
 receive periodical deposits of rich alluvium, present 
 a soil suited to the growth of cotton, tobacco, indigo, 
 and a variety of vegetables. The islands within the 
 influence of the tides are chiefly occupied by cocoa- 
 nut and areka trees ; and the banks of the nullahs 
 with nepah trees. 
 
 Many of the woods in the teak-forests of Tenas- 
 serim are admirably adapted for ship and house- 
 building, but from their never having been employed, 
 there is a prejudice against them. Of this descrip- 
 tion is the thengan, which might be had in any 
 quantity, especially in the Tavoy province, and which 
 is little, if at all, inferior to teak itself: there are 
 also the pema, the padouk, and numerous others. 
 The teak, however, is the only timber which attracts 
 speculators, or is at all exported. 
 
 This timber is found only in Amherst province. 
 The forests are chiefly situated on the banks of the 
 Attaran, commencing about fifty miles from Moul- 
 mein, and extending perhaps 100 miles along both 
 banks of the river : never having been surveyed, their 
 actual extent is not known. By order of Govern- 
 ment, these forests were thrown open to the public in 
 1829 ; since which, Europeans and natives have been 
 vieing with each other who should fell the largest
 
 590 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 
 
 quantity ; every patch of forest has long since been 
 occupied, and many of the smaller patches have been 
 exhausted. The only qualification required to obtain 
 a permit to cut, has been the expression of the wish 
 to do so, and the subscribing to a few regulations 
 restricting the felling of trees to such as were four 
 and a half feet in circumference, and to such as were 
 duly seasoned; and engaging to pay a duty of 15 
 percent, to Government on the arrival of the timber 
 at Moulmein. 
 
 The trees are usually killed by barking them all 
 round in the months of February and March, when 
 the sap is down. After standing in this state from 
 one and a half to two years, they are felled and 
 floated down during the rains : without being thus 
 seasoned, the timber will not float. 
 
 There are also some forests on the northern fron- 
 tier river ; but there were obstacles just below the 
 junction of that river with the Salween, which have 
 until lately deterred wood-cutters from engaging in 
 them. There also, however, they are now hard at 
 work. 
 
 We have now endeavoured to convey to our 
 readers a tolerably correct notion of those parts of 
 the continent of British India which are the principal 
 places of resort of Enghshmen proceeding from this 
 country to enter the service of the Government, or 
 embark in commercial, agricultural, or other pur- 
 suits. Much has been left unsaid that we should 
 have been glad to have included, especially as re-
 
 THE HAND-BOOK OF INDIA. 591 
 
 gards the islands of Penang and Singapore, and the 
 new acquisitions in Scinde, but the indulgence of 
 our inclination to enter into fuller details would have 
 swollen this volume to a size totally inconsistent 
 with the title which it bears. The reader who would 
 desire to know more than we have told him must 
 consult some of the manifold works from which we 
 have derived some portion of our materiel, and to 
 which we have made special and thankful reference 
 in our preface.
 
 593 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM CALCUTTA TO SOME OF 
 THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN INDIA. 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 Adoni, S.W 
 
 1030 
 
 Canoge, W.N.W. 
 
 824 
 
 Ajmere, W. N.W. 
 
 1030 
 
 Cashmere (capital of). 
 
 
 Agra, W.N.W 
 
 839 
 
 N.W 
 
 1564 
 
 AUahabad, W.N.W. 
 
 544 
 
 Cuttack, S.W 
 
 251 
 
 Amedabad, W. . . 
 
 1234 
 
 Cawnpore, W.N.W. 
 
 700 
 
 Amednughur, W. 
 
 1119 
 
 Chatterpour, W.N.W. . . 
 
 698 
 
 Anjengo, S.W. 
 
 1577 
 
 Cheitore, W.N.W. 
 
 1063 
 
 Arracan, S.E. 
 
 475 
 
 Chittagong, E 
 
 317 
 
 Arcot, S.W 
 
 1070 
 
 Chunargur, W.N.W. 
 
 469 
 
 Assam (Ghergong, capital 
 
 
 Cliicacole, S.W. .. 
 
 490 
 
 of), N.E 
 
 660 
 
 Comorin Cape, S.W. 
 
 1770 
 
 Attack, N.W 
 
 1700 
 
 Condavir, or Guntoor, S.W. 
 
 491 
 
 Ava, E 
 
 1150 
 
 Corah, W.N.W 
 
 655 
 
 Aurungabad, W. . . 
 
 1022 
 
 Dacca, N.E 
 
 177 
 
 Bahar, N.W 
 
 297 
 
 Delhi, N.W 
 
 976 
 
 Balasore, S.W 
 
 141 
 
 Dellamcotta, N. . . 
 
 344 
 
 Bareilly, W.N.W. 
 
 910 
 
 Dinagepore, N. . . 
 
 233 
 
 Broach, W. 
 
 1220 
 
 Dinapore, N.W. . . 
 
 350 
 
 Basseen, W. 
 
 1317 
 
 Dowlatabad, W.S.W. .. 
 
 1020 
 
 Beder, W.N.W 
 
 980 
 
 Ellichpour, W 
 
 844 
 
 Bednore, N.W. . . 
 
 1290 
 
 Ellore, S.W 
 
 719 
 
 Benares, W.N.W. 
 
 460 
 
 Etawah, W.N.W. 
 
 768 
 
 Bilsah, W 
 
 867 
 
 Furruckabad, N.W. 
 
 755 
 
 Beerbhoom, N.W. 
 
 131 
 
 Futtyghur, N.W. 
 
 730 
 
 Bisnagiir, S.W 
 
 1120 
 
 Gangpour, W. 
 
 393 
 
 BogUpore, N.N.W. 
 
 255 
 
 Ganjam, S.W. 
 
 369 
 
 Bombay, W. 
 
 1301 
 
 Gazypour, N.W. , . 
 
 450 
 
 Bopaltol, W 
 
 892 
 
 Goa, W.S.W 
 
 1300 
 
 Berhampore, W. . . 
 
 978 
 
 Gohud, W.N.W 
 
 783 
 
 Buxar, N.W 
 
 408 
 
 Golconda, S.W 
 
 907 
 
 Cabul, N.W 
 
 1815 
 
 Guntoor, see Condavir . . 
 
 491 
 
 Calberga, W.S.W. 
 
 1018 
 
 Gwalior, W.N.W. 
 
 805 
 
 Calingapatam, S.W. 
 
 480 
 
 Hurdwar.N.W 
 
 975 
 
 Calpee, W.N.W 
 
 699 
 
 Hussingabad Ghaut, W. . . 
 
 909 
 
 Cambay, W. 
 
 1253 
 
 Hydrabad, W.S.W. 
 
 902 
 
 Candahar, N.W. 
 
 2047 
 
 Indore, W. 
 
 1030
 
 594 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 
 British Wiles. 
 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 Jagarnaut, S.W. .. 
 
 .. 311 
 
 Ongole, S.W. 
 
 .. 829 
 
 Joinagur, or Jaepour, 
 
 W. 
 
 Oude, N.W. 
 
 .. 562 
 
 N.W 
 
 .. 975 
 
 Ougein, W. 
 
 .. 997 
 
 Lahore, N.W. . . 
 
 .. 1356 
 
 Patna, N.W. 
 
 .. 340 
 
 Lassa, N.N.E. .. 
 
 .. 850 
 
 Pondicherry, S.W. 
 
 .. 1130 
 
 Lucknow, N.W. . . 
 
 .. 649 
 
 Poona, W.S.W. .. 
 
 .. 1208 
 
 Madras, S.W. . . 
 
 .. 1030 
 
 Purneah, N. 
 
 ., 263 
 
 Madura, S.W. ,. 
 
 .. 1336 
 
 Rajahmundry, S.W. 
 
 .. 665 
 
 Masulipatam, S.W. 
 
 .. 764 
 
 Ramghaut, N.W. 
 
 .. 879 
 
 Meerta, W.N.W. . . 
 
 .. 1092 
 
 Ruttumpour, W. 
 
 .. 493 
 
 Midnapore, W. . , 
 
 .. 72 
 
 Sagur, W. 
 
 .. 806 
 
 Mindygaut, N.W. 
 
 .. 713 
 
 Sattarah, S.S.W. 
 
 .. 1232 
 
 Mirzapore, N.W. 
 
 .. 493 
 
 Seringapatam, S.W. 
 
 .. 1170 
 
 Monghyr, N.W. 
 
 .. 275 
 
 Sindy, or fatta, W. 
 
 .. 1602 
 
 Moorshedabad, N. 
 
 .. 118 
 
 Sirong, W. 
 
 .. 849 
 
 Moultan, W.N.W. 
 
 .. 1470 
 
 Sumbulpour, W.S.W 
 
 .. 438 
 
 MundiUa, W. 
 
 .. 634 
 
 Surat, W. 
 
 .. 1238 
 
 Multra, W.N.W. 
 
 .. 875 
 
 Sylhet, N.E. 
 
 .. 325 
 
 Mysore, S.W. .. 
 
 .. 1178 
 
 Tanjore, S.W. 
 
 .. 1235 
 
 Nagpour, W. 
 
 .. 722 
 
 Trichinopoly, S.W. 
 
 .. 1238 
 
 Napaul, N.N.W... 
 
 .. 591 
 
 Vizagapatam, S.W. 
 
 .. 557 
 
 Narwah, W.N.W. 
 
 .. 817 
 
 Viziapour, W.S.W. 
 
 .. 1183 
 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM MADRAS TO SOME OF 
 THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN INDIA. 
 
 British MUes. 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 Adoni, N.W. 
 
 .. 310 
 
 Bellary, N.W. . . 
 
 . 317 
 
 Ajmere, N.N.W. 
 
 .. 1152 
 
 Benares, W. 
 
 . 1103 
 
 Agra, N. 
 
 .. 1158 
 
 Bisnagur, N.N.W. 
 
 . 386 
 
 AUaliabad, N. 
 
 .. 1055 
 
 Bombay, N.W. . , 
 
 . 774 
 
 Amedabad, N.W. 
 
 .. 1049 
 
 Berhampour, N.N.W. . 
 
 . 675 
 
 Anjengo, S.W 
 
 .. 476 
 
 Cabul, N.N.W. . . 
 
 . 2134 
 
 Arcot, W.S.W. .. 
 
 73 
 
 CaUcut, W.S.W. 
 
 . 423 
 
 Arnee 
 
 81 
 
 Calberga, N.W. 
 
 . 422 
 
 Aurungabad, N.W. 
 
 .. 689 
 
 Cambay, N.W. 
 
 . 998 
 
 Balasore, N.E. 
 
 .. 689 
 
 Cannanore, W.S.W. 
 
 . 418 
 
 Bancapore, W.N.W. 
 
 .. 416 
 
 Canoge, N. 
 
 . 1141 
 
 Bandamalanka, N.N.E. 
 
 .. 358 
 
 Canoul, N.W. . . 
 
 . 279 
 
 Bangalore, W. 
 
 .. 208 
 
 Carangooly, S.W. 
 
 . 49 
 
 Broach, N.W. . . 
 
 .. 947 
 
 Cashmere, N.N.W. 
 
 . 1882 
 
 Beder, N.N.W. .. 
 
 .. 470 
 
 Cuttack, N.E. . . 
 
 . 812 
 
 Bednore, W. 
 
 .. 445 
 
 Chandegherry, W.N.W. . 
 
 . 991 
 
 Belgaum . . 
 
 515 
 
 Chatterpur, N. .. 
 
 . 75
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 595 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 Cheitore, N.N.W. . . 1065 
 
 Chicacole, N.N.W. . . 566 
 
 Chingleput, S.W. . . 36 
 
 Chittledroog, W.N.W. . . 345 
 
 Chittoor 99 
 
 Coimbatore, S.W. .. 332 
 Combam, or Commum, 
 
 N.N.W 228 
 
 Combacanum, S.S.W. .. 179 
 
 Comorin Cape, W. S. W, . . 440 
 
 Condapilly, N 278 
 
 Condavir, or Guntoor, N. 255 
 
 Conjaveram, W.S.W. .. 45 
 
 Corah, N. . . . . 1080 
 
 Cuddalore, S.S.W. .. 104 
 
 Cuddapah, N.W 165 
 
 Calmacherry, W.N.W. .. 115 
 
 Delhi, N 1295 
 
 Dindigiil, S.W 271 
 
 Dowlatabad, N.W. .. 655 
 
 Ellichpour, N.N.W. .. 751 
 
 EUore, N. .. .. 314 
 
 Ganjam, N.N.E 697 
 
 Goa, S.S.W 589 
 
 Golconda, N.N.W. . . 358 
 
 Gooty, N.W 264 
 
 Guntoor, see Condavir - . 255 
 
 Gurramconda, W.N.W. .. 149 
 
 GwaUor, N 1078 
 
 Hurryhur, W.N.W. . . 400 
 
 Hyderabad, N.N.W. . . 388 
 
 Jargamaut, N.E. .. 719 
 
 Jaulnah . . . . . . 668 
 
 Indore, N.N.W 902 
 
 Ingeram, N.N.E. . . 390 
 
 Innacondah, N. .. .. 237 
 
 Lahore, N.N.W 1675 
 
 MaddepoUam, N. .. 233 
 
 Madura, S.S.W 289 
 
 Mangalore, W 446 
 
 MasuUpatam, N.N.E. . . 265 
 
 Mirzapore, N 1074 
 
 Moorshedabad, N.E. .. 1148 
 
 Mysore, W 294 
 
 Naggery, W.N.W. .. 57 
 Nagore, S. .. ..174 
 
 Nagpore, N 704 
 
 British '. 
 Narsingapatam, N.E. 
 Negapatam, S. . . 
 NeUore, N.N.W. 
 Nundydroog, W. . . 
 Ongole, N. 
 
 Oude, N 
 
 Ougein, N.N.W. . . 
 Palamcottah, S.S.W. 
 Palaveram 
 Patna, N.N.E. .. 
 Paulghautcherry, S.W. 
 Pondicherry, S.S.W. 
 Poona, N.W. 
 Poonamalee, W.S.W. 
 Pulicat 
 Quilon 
 
 Rachore, N.W. . . 
 Rajahmundry, N. 
 Ramnad . . 
 Raolcondah, N.W. 
 Ruttumpore, N.N.E. 
 Ryacottah, W.S.W. 
 Salem, S.W. 
 Sankerrydroog, S.W. 
 Sattara, N.W. . . 
 Secunderabad 
 Seringapatam, W. 
 Siccacollam , N. 
 Sindy, or Tatta, N.W. 
 Sirong, N.N.W. .. 
 St. Thomas's Mount 
 Surat, N.W. 
 Tanjore, W.S.W. 
 TeUicherry, W.S.W. 
 Timerycottah, S. 
 Tinnevelly, S.S.W. 
 Tranquebar, S. 
 Travancore, S.W. 
 Trichinopoly, S.S.W. 
 Tripassore, W. .. 
 Tutacorin, S.S.W. 
 Vellore, W. 
 Visiapore, N.W. . . 
 Vizagapatam, N.N.E. 
 Wallajahbad, S.W. 
 Warangole, N.
 
 596 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM BOMBAY TO SOME OF 
 THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN INDIA. 
 
 Ajmere, N.N.E. . . 
 Agra, N.E. 
 AUahabad, N.E. ,. 
 Amedabad, N. 
 Amednugur, E. . . 
 Anjengo, S.S.E. .- 
 Arcot, S.E. 
 Aurungabad, E. . . 
 Broach, N. 
 Baroda, N. 
 Basseen, N. 
 Beder, E.S.E. .. 
 Bednore, S.S.E. .. 
 Benares, N.E. 
 Bisnagur, S.E. 
 Berhampour, N.E. 
 Calberga, E.S.E. . . 
 Calcutta, E. 
 Callian, N.E. 
 Calpee, N.E. 
 Cambay, N. 
 Canoge, N.E. 
 Cashmere, N. 
 Cuttack, E. 
 Chatterpour, N.E. 
 Cheitore, E.N.E. 
 Cochin, S.S.E. . . 
 Corah, N.E. 
 Delhi, N.N.E. . . 
 Dowlatabad, E. . 
 
 Goa, S 
 
 Golconda, E.S.E. 
 Gwalior, N.E. 
 Hussingabad Ghaut, 
 Hyderabad, E.S.E 
 
 British Miles. 
 
 .. 650 
 
 .. 848 
 
 .. 977 
 
 .. 321 
 
 .. 181 
 
 .. 900 
 
 .. 722 
 
 .. 260 
 
 .. 221 
 
 .. 260 
 
 27 
 
 .. 426 
 
 .. 452 
 
 .. 950 
 
 .. 398 
 
 .. 340 
 
 .. 386 
 
 .. 1301 
 
 32 
 
 .. 821 
 
 .. 281 
 
 .. 889 
 
 .. 1277 
 
 .. 1034 
 
 .. 747 
 
 .. 547 
 
 .. 780 
 
 .. 853 
 
 .. 880 
 
 .. 258 
 
 .. 292 
 
 .. 475 
 
 .. 768 
 E.N.E. 500 
 
 . 480 
 
 British IMiles. 
 
 Jansi, N.E 728 
 
 Jargamaut, E 1052 
 
 Jesselmere, N. . . . . 680 
 
 Indore, N.E 456 
 
 Joinagur, or Jaepour, N.. 740 
 
 Lahore, N 1070 
 
 Lucknow, N.E 923 
 
 Madras, S.E 758 
 
 Mangalore, S.S.E. .. 518 
 
 Masulipatam, E.S.E. . . 686 
 
 Mirzapour, E.N.E. . . 952 
 
 Moorshedabad, E.N.E. . . 1259 
 
 Moultan, N 950 
 
 Mysore, S.S.E 630 
 
 Nagpour, E.N.E. . . 552 
 
 Narwah, N.E 721 
 
 Onore, S.S.E 398 
 
 Oude, N.E 1013 
 
 Ougein, N.E 480 
 
 Patna, E.N.E 1145 
 
 Pawangur, N. . . . . 286 
 
 Pondicherry, S.E. . . 805 
 
 Poona, S.E 98 
 
 Ruttumpour, E.N.E. . . 772 
 
 Saler Mouler, N.E. .. 182 
 
 Sattara, S.E 146 
 
 Seringapatam, S.S.E. . . 622 
 
 Sindy, or Tatta, W.N.W. 741 
 
 Sirong, N.E 595 
 
 Sumbulpour, E.N.E. . . 826 
 
 Surat, N. .. •• 177 
 
 TeUicherry, S.S.E. .. 615 
 
 Viziapour, S.E 234 
 
 Vizrabuy, N.N.E. . . 48 
 
 [The foregoing three Tables are extracted from the East-India 
 Register.]
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 597 
 
 LENGTH OF SOME INDIAN RIVERS. 
 
 
 MUes. 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Indus (to the Sea) 
 
 . 1700 
 
 Nerbudda 
 
 . 700 
 
 Brahmapootra . . 
 
 . 1650 
 
 Mahanuddy 
 
 550 
 
 Ganges . . 
 
 . 1500 
 
 Taptee . . 
 
 460 
 
 Godavery 
 
 850 
 
 Cauvery . . 
 
 470 
 
 Kistna 
 
 . 700 
 
 Sutledge (to Indus) 
 
 . 900 
 
 Jumna (to Ganges) 
 
 780 
 
 Thylum .. 
 
 750 
 
 Gunduk (ditto) . . 
 
 450 
 
 
 
 General Abstract Statement of the Population of the Provinces 
 under the Madras Governinent, with the exception of Madras, 
 estimated at about 600,000. 
 
 Districts. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Districts. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Arcot, N.D... 
 
 506,831 
 
 MasuUpatam 
 
 332,039 
 
 Arcot, S.D. . . 
 
 . 530,239 
 
 Mysore 
 
 2,271,754 
 
 Bellary 
 
 . 1,112,839 
 
 Nellore 
 
 846,572 
 
 Canara 
 
 759,776 
 
 Rajahmundry 
 
 578,529 
 
 Chingleput . . 
 
 . 336,219 
 
 Salem 
 
 905,190 
 
 Coimbatore . . 
 
 . 807,964 
 
 Tanjore 
 
 1,128,730 
 
 Coorg 
 
 20,000 
 
 Tinnevelly . . 
 
 850,891 
 
 Cuddapah . . 
 
 . 1,063,164 
 
 Travancore and Cochin 1,128,000 
 
 Ganjam 
 
 . 588,079 
 
 Trichinopoly 
 
 554,730 
 
 Guntoor 
 
 . 519,318 
 
 Vizigapatam 
 
 1,047,414 
 
 IVTarliiT^sj 
 
 1 135 411 
 
 
 
 Malabar 
 
 *. lil40i916 
 
 Total . 
 
 18,184,605
 
 398 APPENDIX. 
 
 PRECEDENCE IN THE EAST INDIES. 
 
 The Governor-General. 
 
 The Vice-President, or Governor for the time being. 
 
 The Governor of Madras for the time being. 
 
 The Governor of Bombay for the time being. 
 
 The Governor of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore, and Malacca. 
 
 The Chief Justices of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. 
 
 The Bishops of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. 
 
 Members of Council, according to their situations in the Council of 
 their respective Presidencies. 
 
 The Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature. 
 
 The Recorder of Prince of Wales' Island, &c. 
 
 The Commander-in-Chief of her Majesty's Naval Forces, and the 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Army, at the several Presidencies, accord- 
 ing to relative ranks in their respective services. 
 
 Military and Naval Officers above the rank of Major-General. 
 
 All other persons to take place according to general usage. 
 
 The Archdeacon to be considered as ne.vt in rank to the Senior 
 Merchants. 
 
 All Ladies to take place according to the rank assigned to their 
 respective husbands, with the exception of Ladies having precedence 
 in England, who are to take place according to their several ranks, 
 with reference to such precedence, after the Wives of the Members of 
 CouncO, at the Presidencies in India.
 
 599 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Addiscombe College (rules) . 108 
 Agra described ... .•• 426 
 Agricultural Society of India 321 
 
 Ajmere 
 
 Allahabad ... 
 
 AUyghur 
 
 Almorah 
 
 Army, the Indian 
 
 Arracan 
 
 Arsenal of Calcutta 
 
 Assam 
 
 Assistant Surgeons 
 
 441 
 402 
 422 
 453 
 99 
 493 
 339 
 484 
 108 
 
 Bandel 
 
 371 
 
 Bangalore ... 
 
 Bareilly 
 
 Barrackpore 
 Bassein 
 
 584 
 451 
 369 
 537 
 
 Bazaars, Boats, &c. (Cal- 
 
 
 cutta) 
 
 Benares 
 
 362 
 399 
 
 Ditto to Allahabad 
 
 413 
 
 Berhampore 
 Bhaugulpore 
 Bolundshur 
 
 371 
 376 
 449 
 
 Bombay 
 Ditto Territories 
 
 514 
 
 566 
 
 Ditto to Hyderabad 
 Ditto to Calcutta 
 
 546 
 562 
 
 Botanical Garden, Calcutta . 
 
 327 
 
 Borahs ... 
 
 518 
 
 Bungalows (stage) ... 
 Burdwan 
 
 410 
 409 
 
 Ditto to Benares 
 
 408 
 
 Burmese, their manners and 
 
 
 customs 
 
 494 
 
 Buxar 
 
 392 
 
 Cairo 
 
 172 
 
 Calcutta described 
 
 242 
 
 Cantonments 
 
 414 
 
 Cawnpore ... 
 
 Ditto to Mynpooree ... 
 Chandernagore 
 
 ib. 
 421 
 371 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Charitable Institutions (Cal- 
 cutta) 315 
 
 Cherrapoonjee ... .., 492 
 
 Chaplains ... ... ... 136 
 
 Chinsurah ... ... ... 371 
 
 Chittagong 493 
 
 Chronology, Indian ... 1 
 
 Chuprah 391 
 
 Civil Service ... ... 88 
 
 Climate 27 
 
 Coel 423 
 
 Colleges, Schools, &c. (Cal- 
 cutta) 315 
 
 Commerce ... ... ... 52 
 
 Currency ... ... ... 62 
 
 Cuttack 506 
 
 Ditto to Calcutta ... 561 
 
 Dacca 
 
 Darjeeling ... 
 Dawk Travelling ... 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Dehra, route to 
 
 Delhi 
 
 Dinagepore, route to 
 Division of the Day (Maho- 
 medan) ... 
 
 Ditto (Hiudoo) 
 
 Dock-yards, Calcutta 
 Domestic Expenditure 
 
 East Indians 
 Etawah 
 Europeans ... 
 
 Ferozepore, journey to 
 Foreign Relations ... 
 Foundry of Cossipore 
 Furlough Rules 
 
 Ghazeepore 
 Gour, ruins of 
 Government of India 
 Gwalior 
 
 Haileybury College 
 Hansi 
 
 486 
 483 
 187 
 412 
 450 
 442 
 483 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 342 
 227 
 
 47 
 
 423 
 
 50 
 
 408 
 
 85 
 
 341 
 
 123 
 
 392 
 
 481 
 
 67 
 
 472 
 
 89 
 471
 
 600 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Hauper 449 
 
 Himalayan Range ... ... 457 
 
 Hindoo Castes ... ... 35 
 
 Hindoo College (Calcutta) . 2G9 
 
 History of British India ... 11 
 
 Hooghly, scene on the river 365 
 
 Horse-dealers of Bombay ... 520 
 
 Hotels, Boarding-Houses, &c. 359 
 
 Hot Winds 445 
 
 Hurdwar 466 
 
 Hyderabad, Nizam's territo- 
 ries) ... ... ••• 551 
 
 Indian Navy 128 
 
 Indian Jugglers 585 
 
 Indus, voyage on ... ... 199 
 
 Institutions in Calcutta ... 315 
 Insurance Offices in Calcutta 316 
 Iron, manufacture of ... 415 
 
 Juggernauth, temple of ... 
 
 507 
 
 Khunkul 
 
 464 
 
 Kishnaghur... 
 
 481 
 
 Kulna 
 
 371 
 
 Kumaon 
 
 452 
 
 Kurnaul 
 
 449 
 
 Land Travelling 
 
 187 
 
 Laws 
 
 138 
 
 Lucknow ... 
 
 479 
 
 Mahabuleshvsrar 
 
 540 
 
 Madras 
 
 567 
 
 Malda 
 
 481 
 
 Manners and Customs 
 
 34 
 
 Masulipatam 
 
 561 
 
 Medical College (Calcutta).. 
 
 290 
 
 Meerutt 
 
 449 
 
 Mirzapore ... 
 
 401 
 
 Monetary System ... 
 
 62 
 
 Monghyr 
 
 377 
 
 Moorshedabad 
 
 371 
 
 Moradabad, route to 
 
 452 
 
 Mosaic "Work 
 
 535 
 
 Mugs (manners and customs^ 
 
 494 
 
 Native Education 
 
 527 
 
 Native States 
 
 82 
 
 Navy, Indian 
 
 128 
 
 Neilgherries 
 
 577 
 
 Nizam's Army 
 
 554 
 
 Overland Passage to India... 167 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Painting in India ... 524 
 
 Patna 384 
 
 Pension Regulations ... 119 
 
 Police (Calcutta) 138 
 
 Poona 548 
 
 Population, character of In- 
 dian 34 
 
 Population of Calcutta ... 259 
 
 Portuguese of India ... 44 
 
 Press, the Indian ... ... 144 
 
 Productions... ... ... 30 
 
 Public Buildings in Calcutta 266 
 Public Conveyances in Cal- 
 cutta ... ... ... 361 
 
 Purneah, route to ... ... 482 
 
 Rajmahal ... 374 
 
 Religious Institutions (Cal- 
 cutta) 214 
 
 River travelling ... ... 191 
 
 Do. steamers ... ... 193 
 
 Do. equipments ... ... 196 
 
 Rungpore ... ... ... 484 
 
 Salt, manufacture of ... 506 
 
 Santipore ... ... ... 371 
 
 Seharunpore, route to ... 450 
 
 Serais 412 
 
 Serampore ... 370 
 
 Seringapatam ... ... 583 
 
 Servants, Indian 229 
 
 Shahjehanpore, route to ... 451 
 
 Simla 458 
 
 Sirdana 449 
 
 Social habits in India ... 202 
 
 Society ... ... ... ib. 
 
 Sports of Calcutta ... ... 348 
 
 Sylhet 492 
 
 Taj Mahal, Agra 433 
 
 Tenasserim Provinces ... 589 
 
 Topography of Calcutta ... 246 
 
 Travelling in India by land 187 
 
 Do. by sea ... 201 
 
 Voyage outveard to India, 
 preparations ... ... 156 
 
 Do. described ... 164 
 Do. overland ... 167 
 Do. from Calcutta to 
 AUahabad 365 
 
 Weights and Measures 
 
 67
 
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