Chapter 14

The idea of permanence, which is usually supposed to carry with it cheapness, was, I understand, the plea for deviating from the proposed economical estimate: the consequence has been, that the number of patients is extremely limitted. That original expence will, in most countries, be found far cheaper than a flimsy beginning attended with constant demands for repair, cannot be doubted; but, where there is no capital, at least a very small one, it is absurd to act upon the former scale; since it must, of necessity, counteract the whole intention. Further, we should consider local circumstances: thus, in Calcutta, the same money that will cover in accommodations for a thousand persons, under a substantial thatch, laid over mud, or mat walls, adequate to the ordinary purposes of the inhabitants at large, and similar to at least ninety-nine in thehundred, of those habitations which shelter the bulk of the population; would not suffice to provide fifty, of the same description, with apartments formed of masonry, timber, &c., according to the scale on which Europeans build houses for their own residence, within that city. It is likewise a well-known fact, that, what is called apuckah-house, that is, one built of bricks, lime, and timber, will, at the end of ten years, cost as much in repairs, as the thatched edifices built for an equal number of inhabitants. This being the case, it will forcibly strike the reader, that, in departing from the original suggestion, the managers likewise departed from the best principle.

It has been vain-gloriously asserted, within my hearing, by many natives, that, although the institution in question was founded by Europeans, yet, that it has been principally upheld by the liberality of opulent natives. This may, perhaps, be in some measure correct; allowing it, however, to be so to the fullest extent, I cannot see that the natives have done more than an ordinary duty, in affording assistance to their own countrymen, and that too, after being urged, or guided, to the measure; while, on the other hand, the European inhabitants may certainly claim the palm, both as original founders, and subsequent benefactors, in a case, where their own countrymen were not to bebenefitted. The present state of the funds is not the most flourishing; and its utility is too great to allow its falling from deficiency of means. Would it not be advisable, to collect a very small assessment at every house inhabited by a native within the Maharrattah Ditch, (which limits the jurisdiction of the police,) either according to extent, or to its rent? This assessment should be paid into the hands of the magistrates, to be by them disbursed, according to proper regulations, through the medium of native agents, to be elected annually by all who should contribute either a certain gross sum, or by regular yearly donation, towards the support of the institution. This would produce a stabile, and adequate, revenue; while it would likewise induce many natives, some from pride, others from hope, and a few from fear, to add their mites to such as should result from that spontaneous flow of genuine humanity, with which the Hindu code is replete; and, of which the Hindus at large make so great a boast. Possibly the day is not far off, when, in lieu of building immense houses, richly endowed, for the maintenance of an idle, haughty, ignorant, and insolent, gang of priests, some rich natives, reflecting on the want of their more industrious, and more meritorious, poor, may bequeath liberally towards the formation of such establishments, as may rescue them from thatvariety of sufferings, to which they become subjected, by the accumulation of years, the visitations of disease, and the pressure of misfortune!

The style of building in use among the natives, is very different from what we should expect to find adopted in so hot a climate; experience is, however, in its favor, and sanctions that which, no doubt, resulted from observation, more than from experiment. The walls of such edifices as are intended to be permanent, are usually constructed of mud; which, being laid in strata, of perhaps 18 or 20 inches in depth, each being suffered to dry before another stratum is added above, becomes extremely firm, and far more durable, though not quite so neat, as unburnt bricks laid in mud cement. The thickness of the wall is proportioned to the intended height; probably about 26, to 30, inches at the base, may be considered a fair average; tapering above to about three fourths of the breadth below. I have seen somebungalowsrun up with mud walls, which, after being chipped down to an uniform thickness, and properly plastered with fine sand, mixed with chaff, were neat enough: but all mud walls invariably crack considerably while drying; consequently, are apt to harbor centipedes, scorpions, and even snakes, within their fissures. This is a most serious defect; completely counter-balancing the advantagesobtained, by that facility and cheapness with which they can be run up to a great height, provided due attention be paid to the perpendicular.

Few of the peasantry, even though possessing some property, carry their walls higher than 8 or 10 feet; indeed, the generality of huts may be set down at 7 feet exteriorly, though they will rise near a cubit more inwardly, when filled up to the under part of the thatch. It is rare to see any window in the front; and, in such as have enclosed areas, (by us called ‘compounds,’ but by the natives designated ‘ungnahs’,) thecricky, or door, which is always very low, obliging even short persons to stoop considerably, is commonly in some part of the environing wall, and partly concealed by an angle, so as to preclude the possibility of seeing any thing of the interior when the door is thrown open. Every door has a frame, composed of strong wood, of which the side pieces, or uprights, are tenoned into mortices, made in the threshold and the upper limb. The superincumbent part of the edifice is supported by a strong plank, or by several pieces of timber, laid parallel, and secured by thorough-pins, for the whole breadth of the wall. No arch is turned to keep off the dead pressure of the enormous weight, that, in many instances, is thus borne up entirely by the door-plate. On the top of the wall, a stout piece of timber is laid, whenever the rafters arefastened, each by one or more nails, but projecting at least a foot beyond the exterior, for the purpose of sustaining the thatch, which is made to hang over, with the intention to throw off the rain, that, falling in torrents during many months, would else wash away the mud, and endanqer the building.

The thatches are usually made of thekuss, or common wild grass, whose roots furnish that fibrous substance calledkuss-kuss, already spoken of while describing the formation oftatties. Immense plains are covered with this kind of grass, glowing commonly about two or three feet high: though, in some places, it may be seen full five feet; serving as an asylum for every species of game; causing many gentlemen, on first entering the country, to admire, what they at first take to be ‘the prodigious fine crops of hay.’ It is commonly burnt down every year during the hot season, when perfectly dry: the ashes thus tendered to the soil, being washed in by the succeeding rains, occasion the grass to shoot forth, from the apparent ruin, with incredible freshness and vigor! At such times, nothing can be more acceptable to the herds, which, during the preceding months, are often obliged to be sent to great distances, where a little herbage may be found; or they are, perhaps, subsisted upon chaff made from straw, millet-stalks, and the refuse of the thrashing floor. Forseveral months, the grass in question is relished by every description of cattle; but, after the sun has crossed the Line, on his return to the opposite tropic, it becomes harsh and dry, proving so injurious to their mouths as to cause their rejecting it, except when severely oppressed by hunger.

From the end of February, probably to the setting in of the rains in June, great numbers of persons are employed in cutting thekuss, orkhur, as it is indiscriminately called, with a kind of sickle, and tying it up intohaunties, (or handfuls,) usually about six inches thick. These are conveyed onhackeriesto the several markets, and especially to the military cantonments, where they sell at various prices, according to the distance they may have been conveyed, the scarcity or abundance of the article, the time of the year, and the pressure of the demand. From 1000 to 1200 bundles for a rupee, may be taken as a fair medium; though, during the rains, when thatches must often be made, or replaced, cost what they may, I have often known them sold at a rupee for every hundred: on the contrary, they are often so cheap as 3000, or even 4000, for that sum. The manner of constructing a thatch according to the best principle, both for neatness and durability, is as follows. The whole side of the building, intended to be covered in, is measured, and that measurement isexactly represented on some level spot, by means of four cords, fastened to as many stakes; which thus exhibit the form and extent of the thatch to be constructed. Each side of a quadrangular, or other building, must be thus laid down. All hands set to work in placing either whole bamboos of the large kind, or bundles of three and four of the small kind, parallel, and about a foot asunder; all directed by the base line, towards which they stand at right angles; so that, when ready, they would be in the same line with the fall of the ‘chupper,’ (or thatch). These being duly prepared, are crossed at about five, or six inches asunder, by battens of split bamboo, which are fastened down, at every intersection, with strong twine made of a finer kind of grass, called themoonje; which is very strong, especially when wetted. Each frame being thus formed, is raised into its place by the joint efforts of perhaps fifty or sixty men; some laying hold of the frame, others pushing upwards with forked poles of various lengths, thereby to facilitate the ascent, and to prevent that friction which must attend upon any continued contact between the frame, and the several ready-laid rafters on which it is to lie, and to which it is to be firmly lashed.

The several frames being duly fitted at the corners, are properly secured in their places, and to each other; after which, a slender kindof scaffolding is made under the eaves of the respective frames, to enable thegrammies, or thatchers, to commence their operations in laying on the coating of grass. The eaves are first brought to the thickness of at least a foot, by placing very large bundles, previously well compacted, and squared at their ends, in a line between the frame, and a succession of very strong bamboo laths: each bundle is pressed as close as possible to its neighbour, and thus the whole of the lower tier is completed.

The rest of the thatch is laid on in small portions, the several bundles being spread open, and having their butts, or lower ends, compressed between two bamboo laths, which are tied in several places, so as to secure their contents perfectly. Each parcel is then handed up, and laid with the butt downwards, at about two or three inches above its lower neighbour; causing the whole thatch to appear in over-laps from bottom to top, like so many ridges, of about an inch high, and running parallel for the whole breadth of the work.

The several corners are now covered with immense trusses of refuse grass, bound very firmly together, reaching the whole extent of the angle, orgore, and full two feet in diameter. These trusses being bound down very firmly to their adjacent sides, are ultimately covered with layers ofseerky, placed so as to over-lap about a footabove each other, and, in their turn, duly tied to the trusses: a similar truss is laid along the ridge pole. Thisseerkyis composed of the stems of thesurput, or tassel grass, which grows to the height of ten feet, or more: it is found to be a larger species of the celebrated Guinea grass, formerly introduced as a supposed novelty into the East, but which proved to be nothing more than the commonbainseah, or buffalo grass, that grows wild, in the greatest luxuriance, all over Bengal. The stems of thesurput, when arrived at their full size, are as thick as a swan’s quill, and bear a remarkable gloss: in the dry season they are cut, and, after being stripped of the parched remains of their leaves, are laid parallel on a board, their ends being previously brought even to a line; a long wire needle is then passed through the several stems, as they lie contiguous, leading after it a piece of packthread, which is afterwards knotted at both ends, to prevent its withdrawing either way. Four or five of these stitches are made in the same parcel ofseerky; after which, it is rolled up breadthwise, for sale. Each parcel may be from two feet to a yard in breadth, and the stems composing it may be about four feet in length. The ordinary mode of selling this commodity is by the hundred pieces, for which from three to ten rupees are given, according to circumstances.

It is perhaps singular that I should have seenseerkyin use among a groupe of gypsies in Essex: in India, those itinerants, whose habits and characters correspond with this intolerable species of banditti, invariably shelter themselves underseerky; which, being remarkably light, and, when doubled or trebled, completely water-proof, enables them to construct a very comfortable cabin in a few minutes. It often happens, during the rainy season, that part of a thatch sinks, or rots, and admits the passage of water to the interior; in such case, a piece ofseerky, properly placed, causes the water to flow over the defect: when that article cannot be had, it is found expedient to throw a few pecks of chaff, or straw cut very small, upon those parts requiring relief; the chaff is drawn in by the percolating fluid, but, being obstructed in its passage, swells in consequence of the continued moisture, and thus, in a short time, usually stops the leaks. The mode of putting on a thatch above described, is confined to certain parts of the country; in other places, they put the grass on in a reversed position, as we do our wheat stubble thatches, the part which grew uppermost being placed lowest. But throughout the country, all thatching is done horizontally, and not vertically, as among us: the Indian thatcher begins at the bottom; whereas we commence at the side of a thatch: we thatch with skewersand rods of hazel, &c.; they with bamboo laths and twine made of grass; the latter being passed to and fro by means of long needles, made extemporaneously of bamboo, &c.

The doors used by the natives are generally made of such wood as the neighbouring country may afford, and consist of a few vertical planks, kept together by two, or more, horizontal battens; the fastenings are, for the most part, made by staples and hooks, into which strong wooden bars slip, and unslip, with ease. The windows are always very small, perhaps not more than two feet square, and are closed by means of wooden shutters, having exteriorly ajaump, made of bamboo battens and mats; which, being firmly put together, and suspended at their upper borders by hooks, or rings, fastened into the wall, or into the wooden plate covering the aperture, may be raised, as though on hinges, to any desired elevation, and preserved therein, by bamboo stilts, made either with forked ends, or having small blocks of wood nailed to them, to prevent their points from passing through the mats. The same kind of defence is used for doors in general, but of a much larger size than for windows; when raised, they certainly are extremely useful in keeping off the sun and rain; when lowered, so as to lie parallel with, and close to, the wall, they are an admirable defence against wind anddust; though both will find their way through the several small apertures in sufficient quantity to prove highly unpleasant at certain times. In houses constructed by the natives, the windows are placed very high up; sometimes scarcely allowing a person to look out. This is done for the sake both of privacy, and of coolness; as the rarefied air is better enabled to make its escape, than when the apertures are low. Thus, most of the houses built by the French at Chandernagore, &c. are far cooler than those formerly built in Calcutta; owing to the windows of the former being carried nearly to the tops of the rooms, while the latter have often seven or eight feet of wall above them. It has several times happened, that persons sent up to work at the timbers supporting the flat roof above, have fallen from their ladders, or scaffolds, in consequence of the air in the upper part of the room being unfit for respiration. As to chimnies, they are utterly unknown among the natives: though, in some cottages, an aperture is left for the escape of smoke, but rather by neglect than by design. The smoke must escape when and how it can; but, it does not incommode a native a thousandth part so much as it does an European, who must suffer some inconvenience at the best of times, when a fire is lighted within the sitting room; but, when green wood is put on, the latter cannot standits effects. The former will, even at such moments, often be seen smoking hisgoorgoory, as though the atmosphere were not sufficiently burthened with fuliginous particles to amuse his lungs. Victuals are rarely cooked within the house, when the weather permits of that operation being performed in the open air; indeed, few persons, who are not extremely poor, are without some little shed, under which it may be carried on at all times.

The exterior surface of the wall is rarely plastered, even with mud; it being an object to preserve it rough, in order that the large cakes of cow-dung, intended for fuel, may be stuck up against them, and there be thoroughly dried by the sun; which is generally effected, in exposed situations, and in fair weather, in one, or two, days, at the utmost. These cakes, calledgutties, burn admirably well; making a fire not unlike that resulting from good peat. The interior is usually smoothed all the way up, or at least for about three feet from the floor, and smeared with a solution of cow-dung, as is the floor itself, which is rarely made of any thing but clay, well rammed down, or perhaps of tarras; but, the latter is too costly for most individuals, and, though indicating riches, does not give so much satisfaction to the proprietor. In some houses, a few joists of rough wood are thrown across from the top of one, to thatof the other, wall; perhaps at a yard or more asunder: some few instances may be adduced, perhaps, in each village of note, of a slight kind of flooring, either of rough planks, not fitted together, or of bamboo laths, being made above the joists, for the accommodation of luggage, or for the dormitory of some of the family; but, with such exceptions, the only use made of the upper part is for the lodgement of brush-wood, bamboo poles, ladders, farming utensils, mats, nets, &c. &c., according to the occupant’s profession.

The private apartments are commonly separate from what we should call the ‘keeping room,’ and have a separate entrance, if under the same roof; it is, however, very common to allot some detached building, having acompounddivided off, and perfectly sequestered from the other accommodations, set apart for thezenanah, or female part of the family. The horses, oxen, cows, &c., are commonly picketted out in the open air when the weather permits; having a large trough of mud to receive their chaff. During great heats, or heavy rains, they are sheltered under sheds made for that purpose, and for the preservation of thepalanquin,dooly,r’hut, or other vehicle the occupant may possess. Sometimes the kine are kept under the same roof with the major-domo, and all his family. Candles are not used in the houses of thenatives, especially of the Hindus, who would consider the presence of a lump of tallow within their areas, as sufficient to pollute whatever they might contain. All use oil, which, being poured into a small earthen vessel, nearly in the shape of a heart, or of apeepulleaf, called achurraug, is placed in one of the numerous niches made in every wall, at perhaps four feet above the floor: the wicks are chiefly made of slips of rag, about a foot long, rolled up to the thickness of a goose-quill. For more immediate use, thechurraugis often placed on a stem of wood, having a broad base, or a cross, to support it, and a small block at its summit, hollowed out to receive the bottom of the lamp. Some use brass apparatus, and, in a very few instances, the stems, or pillars, are made with a slide, so as to vary the height of thechurraug; which, in such case, assumes the more dignified appellation ofpilsoze: the ordinary height of the lamp from the floor, including the plinth, pillar, and capital, may be from twenty to twenty-six inches. Snuffers are unknown; their place is sometimes supplied by the fingers, but more generally by a pair of scissors, or a pair ofduspannahs, (i.e.tongs,) such as are used byhookah-burdars. The oil in use for lamps is that already spoken of, extracted from thesesamum, of which the refuse cake is given to favorite oxen, &c.

Althoughcharpoys, or small beds, are in useamong all classes, the generality prefer sleeping on mats, which are infinitely cooler than any beddings. The whole of the apparatus for a dormitory may be comprised in a very short catalogue; namely, adurmah-mat, made from coarse reeds split open and laid flat, with the glossy surface uppermost; perhaps asatrinje, or small cotton carpet, achudder, or sheet, to wrap round the body, and atuckeah, or pillow, stuffed very hard. In cold weather, agoodry, or quilt; perhaps, indeed, two, may be added. Curtains are out of the question, as are all those paraphernalia which luxury has introduced among us. Apeek-daun, or spitting pot, made generally ofphool, which is a very tolerable kind of tutenagne, is always placed at the bed side, and is ever resorted to when chewing thepawn, or beetle. The vine bearing the aromatic leaf so called, is most carefully cultivated in many parts of the country; the whole being supported on trellisses made of reeds, and small bamboos, to the height of about five feet. The situation must be very dry; hence, the banks of old tanks, and other such elevated sites, are chosen for cultivating thepawn, of which it is said abigahwill produce, in the vicinity of any populous city, full two hundred rupees yearly; provided the vines be of thesunҫhah, or true sort; which is easily known by the yellowness of the borders, and ramifications, of the leaf. This species isfar more pleasant to the palate than the common green kind; which is, besides, tough, and possesses a certain acrid quality.

Beetle, orpawn, is prepared by carefully picking out any defects in the leaves, and by removing the stalks up to their very centres; four or five leaves are then laid one above the other, when the upper one is smeared with shell-lime, a little moistened with water. The seeds of theelatchee, or cardamom, are added, together with about the fourth part of abeetle-nut, (that is, of theareca,) and, the whole being lapped up by folding the leaves over their contents, the little packet is kept together in its due form, which is usually triangular, by means of a slice ofbeetle-nut, cut into a thin wedge, so as to transfix it completely. It is common to see a whole family partaking ofpawns, the chewing of which occasions the saliva to be tinctured as red as blood: they certainly are fragrant, and excellent stomachics; but their too frequent use produces costiveness, which, in that climate, ever induces serious illness.

The saliva will not be tinctured, if thechunam, (i.e.the lime,) be omitted; hence, it is evident that the alkali produces the color from the juices contained in thepawn. The color thus obtained does not stain linen. Some use thek’hut, which is the same as ourTerra Japonica, and isprocured by bleeding various kinds of trees, principally the mimosa, abounding in most of thejungles(or wildernesses): a small quantity, about the size of a pea, broken into several pieces, is mixed with the other ingredients, before the leaves are lapped over, and transfixed with the spike of beetle, or, perhaps, with a clove. Thek’hutis not, in my opinion, any thing in favor of thepawn, and certainly adds to that noxious quality above mentioned. Some persons attribute the blackness of the teeth, in both males and females, throughout India, to the use ofpawn; under the opinion, that the discoloration is effected by the lime blended therein. Such is, however, wide of the fact:pawnis found to be highly favorable to the gums, when the lime is omitted; and so sensible are those who chew it of the bad effects produced by the alkali upon the enamel of the teeth, that, in order to preserve them from corrosion, they rub them frequently with the preparation calledmissy; thereby coating them with that black substance which does not readily give way, even to the most powerful dentifrice. I strongly suspect, however, that, in thus shielding the teeth from the alkali, some injury is done to the enamel by the supposed preservative; though by no means to that extent the former would speedily effect, but for the use ofmissy. The natives only chew thepawn, rejecting themasticated ingredients when their flavor has been extracted; some reject even the saliva tinctured by thepawn, spitting it out into thepeek-daun. A few, not content with the compound already described, absolutely mix tobacco, previously reduced to a coarse powder, by rubbing the dried leaves with the thumb in the hollow of the other hand! One would think that ‘potent weed’ must supersede all its companions, and cause them to be as little tasted, as though they had not been crowded into the jumble of flavors.

I have already explained, that earthen pipes, such as those we call ‘Dutch pipes’, are not known in India; but that thehookah,kaleaun, andgoorgoory, are in general use, among the several classes respectively. The lowest classes of Europeans, as also of the natives, and, indeed, most of the officers of country-ships, frequently smokecheroots, exactly corresponding with the Spanishsegar, though usually made rather more bulky. However fragrant the smokers themselves may considercheroots, those who usehookahs, hold them to be not only vulgar, but intolerable! Hence, we sometimes see a whole congregation of the latter put to the route by some one unlucky visitor, who, either from ignorance, of from disregard to the feelings of his more delicate participators in ‘the cloudy regale’, mounts hischeroot; thusabrogating all distinctions of musk, cinnamon, rose-water, &c. in a trice.

The natives smokecherootswithout any precaution whatever to guard the lips and teeth from the highly acidulated fumes derived from the burning tobacco, but when, as has sometimes been the case,cherootswere brought into fashion, though but for a while, it was found expedient to have small silver or earthen sockets made, to receive the end of thecheroot; thereby avoiding contact with the tobacco.

The natives, whether male or female, never use any sort of dentifrice, nor have they any idea of hair-brushes; which could not, indeed, according to their tenets, be admitted within the mouth. The only apparatus employed for cleaning the teeth, is a short piece of stick, commonly the branch of some bush, pulled at the moment for the occasion: this is either beat or chewed, for a short time, until the fibres, for about half an inch at the end, separate, and form a kind of stiff brush, which is applied at right angles to the teeth. This is not a very delicate implement, but, when aided by a plentiful supply of water, answers tolerably well; though it certainly can never prevent the accumulation of tartar within the teeth. Necessity has made me sometimes use thedauntwun, as it is called, but not without leaving considerable soreness about my gums.

The ladies of Hindostan smoke theirgoorgooriesin very high stile; as do those of inferior rank theirnereauls, or cocoa-nuts, with no less glee. It would, perhaps, be difficult to decide which of the sexes were most addicted to this habit: they both begin at a very early age, and are never so happy as when engaged in its practice. After a while, we become reconciled to seeing females smoking; though I must confess, that, however delicate the preparation of the tobacco may be, and however elegant the apparatus, still a certain idea, not very conformable to feminine propriety, creeps into our minds, when we see an European lady thus employed. We revolt at a habit not authorized by what we have been accustomed to in our early youth, and consider it an intrusion upon masculine characteristics. Several ladies have gone yet further, by adopting the entire costume of the natives; a circumstance which, however gratifying it may have been to themselves, by no means raised them in the estimation of those whom they imitated; while, at the same time, it gave birth to opinions, and occasionally toexperiments, by no means favorable to their reputation. The same kind of ridicule attaches equally to gentlemen, who at times allow their whiskers to grow, and who wear turbans, &c., in imitation of the Mussulmans of distinction. Their countrymen, thoughperhaps tacitly, censure such imitations, when arising from caprice; and the Mussulmans regard these renegadoes in costume much the same as we do such of the natives, as, being smitten with our general character, and partaking of our pastimes, lay aside their appropriate garments in favor of jackets, jockey-caps, boots, and leather inexpressibles! Some, indeed, do more; they sit at table, and devour, with no small degree of eagerness, the viands prepared according to English fashion; washing them down with copious libations of Claret and Madeira, to the utter degradation of their persons, and reputation, in the eyes both of their new, and of their old, companions.

But there is a certain happiness apparently attendant upon this species of infatuation; what is lost in public opinion being invariably gained in self-sufficiency; while every little ironical compliment is construed into superlative eulogium. The present Nabob Vizier of Oude,Saadut Ali, many years ago, when compelled to reside at the Presidency, under serveillance of the Bengal government, in consequence of the jealousy entertained by his brother, the lateAsoph ul Dowlah, affected to enter upon this kind of apostacy. I believe, every one saw through the veil, though he hunted with fox-hounds in our style, and assimilated in many other points; but the essentials were carefully preservedfrom metamorphosis. Many characters, such as I have described, could be quoted, but the most particularly appropriate to my subject is that ofMirza Abu Taleb Khan, who embarked in the same ship with me, for the purpose of proceeding from Bengal to England, where he was at first received as a general and prince; merely owing to an empty title conferred on him at the Nabob Vizier’s court, about as important as that of a Windsor Knight. This hero did not, it is true, adopt our costume altogether, though he became a kind of ‘half and half, like the sea-calf at Sir Ashton’s;’ but he had the impudence to assert, that his paltry lodgings inGresse-Street, (above all places under the sun,) were graced by the nocturnal visits of several Peeresses of the most exalted character; many of whose names he most scandalously, and ungratefully, disclosed! I say, ungratefully, because it was impossible for me to believe that ladies of such character could have stooped to such conduct; although, in consequence of suitable introductions, they had received him at their houses in that hospitable manner ever adopted in favor of respectable foreigners. TheMirza, very probably, may have been imposed upon by some low women, who made him the Falstaff of their drama; and, by assuming the titles of our nobility, flattered his vanity to an extreme! Yet, supposing this tohave been the fact, how are we to find an apology for that open boast he made of the supposed intimacy! But vanity was his motto; he studied singularity in many instances; he studied also celebrity; and would willingly have impressed us with an opinion, that, fromHafizdown to thePlenipo’, his abilities were triumphant. Let us compare him with the former, whose poetry charmed his countrymen!

ODE BY HAFIZ.

Sweet maid, if thou wouldst charm my sight,And bid these arms thy neck infold;That rosy cheek, that lily handWould give thy poet more delightThan all Boҫara’s vaunted gold,Than all the gems of Samarcand.Boy, let yon[A]liquid ruby flow,And bid thy pensive heart be glad,Whate’er the frowning zealots say:Tell them their Eden cannot showA stream so clear as Rocnabad,A bow’r so sweet as Moselláy.Oh! when these fair, perfidious maids,Whose eyes our secret haunts infest,Their dear destructive charms display,Each glance my tender breast invades,And robs my wounded soul of rest,As Tartars seize their destin’d prey.In vain with love our bosoms glow;Can all our tears, can all our sighsNew lustre to those charms impart?Can cheeks, where living roses blow,Where nature spreads her richest dies,Require the borrow’d gloss of art?Speak not of fate—ah! change the theme,And talk of odours, talk of wine,Talk of the flow’rs that round us bloom:’Tis all a cloud, ’tis all a dream;To love and joy thy thoughts confine,Nor hope to pierce the sacred gloom.Beauty has such resistless pow’r,That ev’n the chaste Egyptian dame[B]Sigh’d for the blooming Hebrew boy:For her how fatal was the hour,When to the banks of Nilus came[C]A youth so lovely and so coy!But ah! sweet maid, my counsel hear,(Youth shall attend when those adviseWhom long experience renders sage);While music charms the ravish’d ear,While sparkling cups delight our eyesBe gay; and scorn the frowns of age.What cruel answer I have heard!And yet, by heav’n, I love thee still:Can aught be cruel from thy lip?Yet say, how fell that bitter wordFrom lips which streams of sweetness fill,Which nought but drops of honey sip?Go boldly forth, my simple lay,Whose accents flow with artless ease,Like orient pearls at random strung;Thy notes are sweet, the damsels say,But oh, far sweeter, if they pleaseThe nymph for whom these notes are sung!

Sweet maid, if thou wouldst charm my sight,

And bid these arms thy neck infold;

That rosy cheek, that lily hand

Would give thy poet more delight

Than all Boҫara’s vaunted gold,

Than all the gems of Samarcand.

Boy, let yon[A]liquid ruby flow,And bid thy pensive heart be glad,Whate’er the frowning zealots say:Tell them their Eden cannot showA stream so clear as Rocnabad,A bow’r so sweet as Moselláy.

Boy, let yon[A]liquid ruby flow,

And bid thy pensive heart be glad,

Whate’er the frowning zealots say:

Tell them their Eden cannot show

A stream so clear as Rocnabad,

A bow’r so sweet as Moselláy.

Oh! when these fair, perfidious maids,Whose eyes our secret haunts infest,Their dear destructive charms display,Each glance my tender breast invades,And robs my wounded soul of rest,As Tartars seize their destin’d prey.

Oh! when these fair, perfidious maids,

Whose eyes our secret haunts infest,

Their dear destructive charms display,

Each glance my tender breast invades,

And robs my wounded soul of rest,

As Tartars seize their destin’d prey.

In vain with love our bosoms glow;Can all our tears, can all our sighsNew lustre to those charms impart?Can cheeks, where living roses blow,Where nature spreads her richest dies,Require the borrow’d gloss of art?

In vain with love our bosoms glow;

Can all our tears, can all our sighs

New lustre to those charms impart?

Can cheeks, where living roses blow,

Where nature spreads her richest dies,

Require the borrow’d gloss of art?

Speak not of fate—ah! change the theme,And talk of odours, talk of wine,Talk of the flow’rs that round us bloom:’Tis all a cloud, ’tis all a dream;To love and joy thy thoughts confine,Nor hope to pierce the sacred gloom.

Speak not of fate—ah! change the theme,

And talk of odours, talk of wine,

Talk of the flow’rs that round us bloom:

’Tis all a cloud, ’tis all a dream;

To love and joy thy thoughts confine,

Nor hope to pierce the sacred gloom.

Beauty has such resistless pow’r,That ev’n the chaste Egyptian dame[B]Sigh’d for the blooming Hebrew boy:For her how fatal was the hour,When to the banks of Nilus came[C]A youth so lovely and so coy!

Beauty has such resistless pow’r,

That ev’n the chaste Egyptian dame[B]

Sigh’d for the blooming Hebrew boy:

For her how fatal was the hour,

When to the banks of Nilus came

[C]A youth so lovely and so coy!

But ah! sweet maid, my counsel hear,(Youth shall attend when those adviseWhom long experience renders sage);While music charms the ravish’d ear,While sparkling cups delight our eyesBe gay; and scorn the frowns of age.

But ah! sweet maid, my counsel hear,

(Youth shall attend when those advise

Whom long experience renders sage);

While music charms the ravish’d ear,

While sparkling cups delight our eyes

Be gay; and scorn the frowns of age.

What cruel answer I have heard!And yet, by heav’n, I love thee still:Can aught be cruel from thy lip?Yet say, how fell that bitter wordFrom lips which streams of sweetness fill,Which nought but drops of honey sip?

What cruel answer I have heard!

And yet, by heav’n, I love thee still:

Can aught be cruel from thy lip?

Yet say, how fell that bitter word

From lips which streams of sweetness fill,

Which nought but drops of honey sip?

Go boldly forth, my simple lay,Whose accents flow with artless ease,Like orient pearls at random strung;Thy notes are sweet, the damsels say,But oh, far sweeter, if they pleaseThe nymph for whom these notes are sung!

Go boldly forth, my simple lay,

Whose accents flow with artless ease,

Like orient pearls at random strung;

Thy notes are sweet, the damsels say,

But oh, far sweeter, if they please

The nymph for whom these notes are sung!

A. Amelted rubyis a common periphrasis for wine in the Persian poetry. See Hafiz, ode 22.

B. Zoleikha, Potiphar’s wife.

C. Joseph.

Now for my friend, theMirza; who while in England, published a small collection of poetry he had addressed, in the Persian language, (most ably translated by George Swinton, Esq.) to a young lady, of whom we are to suppose he was deeply enamoured. In this rhodomontade, which conforms exactly with Indian hyperbole, there are certainly some figures which cannot fail to strike an European; yet are they mere common-place expressions, familiar to every native who has been introduced to that labyrinth of poetical absurdity, so delectable among Asiatics.

Take the following extracts from the poems at large, as a specimen of the author’s talents.

Praise of her Ornaments

‘Upon this ear hangs a cloud surcharg’d with lightning;Or is it Venus sits enthroned in her ear-ring?On that ear, behold Jupiter augments her beauty;In one morning who ever saw both constellations?Since the lobe of the ear is the polar-star of the world of elegance,Her ear-rings are the Greater and Lesser Bears which revolve around!’

‘Upon this ear hangs a cloud surcharg’d with lightning;

Or is it Venus sits enthroned in her ear-ring?

On that ear, behold Jupiter augments her beauty;

In one morning who ever saw both constellations?

Since the lobe of the ear is the polar-star of the world of elegance,

Her ear-rings are the Greater and Lesser Bears which revolve around!’

Here we have fustian for metaphor, and a most un-astronomical dissertation on Jupiters, Venuses, Polar-Stars of elegance, together with big and little Bears revolving around them! How will Herschell stare when he reads of this new system!

Praise of her gait and stature.

‘From the extreme fineness of her waist,The shadow of her ringlets is a burthen to her stature.Her stature is a cypresswhen she walks,But it bears, however, the fruit of seedless pomegranates.She moves more gracefully than the water of life.Like me, the pheasant and partridge are lost in astonishment.Although she should tread on the pismire at her feet,Its smallest hair would receive no injury.Yes, it is for this that she treads so lightly,Under every step lie a hundred souls!’

‘From the extreme fineness of her waist,

The shadow of her ringlets is a burthen to her stature.

Her stature is a cypresswhen she walks,

But it bears, however, the fruit of seedless pomegranates.

She moves more gracefully than the water of life.

Like me, the pheasant and partridge are lost in astonishment.

Although she should tread on the pismire at her feet,

Its smallest hair would receive no injury.

Yes, it is for this that she treads so lightly,

Under every step lie a hundred souls!’

The following may be considered the very acmé of absurdity!

‘When they wash’dpearlsand themoonpureWithBIRDS’ MILK, they have modell’d the globes of her breast!’

‘When they wash’dpearlsand themoonpure

WithBIRDS’ MILK, they have modell’d the globes of her breast!’

And again,

‘Her chin is not an apple of the garden,It is aWELLfull of the water of life!’

‘Her chin is not an apple of the garden,

It is aWELLfull of the water of life!’

And, once more, again,

‘Her lip demands tribute from sugar-candy,TheBLOOD OF WINEis its only nourishment!’

‘Her lip demands tribute from sugar-candy,

TheBLOOD OF WINEis its only nourishment!’

Why, really, if some other parts of the work did not assure us that the object of adoration possessed every virtue, and every agreeable quality, the world might be induced, by the foregoing lines, to consider her a most incorrigible toper! Let not these samples serve forallthe poets of Hindostan, though they may suffice to exhibit that fantastic illusion which characterizes them in general: some authors, natives of India, have afforded proofs of genius, such as leave us to lament that their talents were not duly cultivated and patronized. The following little canzonet, translated from the poems of Yuqueen, a celebrated Hindostanee author, happens to lie open before me, seeming to offer itself for quotation. I think my readers will admit, that, though it does not indicate inspiration, yet that it breathes the spirit of pathetic numbers.

THE DAFFODIL.

One day among the tombs I stray’d,Where many slighted lovers lay:A daffodil I there survey’d,Which seem’d in grief to pine away!Enquiring why it hung its head?And why in grief it seem’d to pine?‘I am the eyes of him,’ it said,‘Who lies beneath this lowly shrine!’Like me, sad emblems of despair,Still seek they to behold againThat cruel, that relentless fair,Who wrought his death by her disdain!It does, alas! from this appear,That Love admits of no release;Torments its vot’ries while they’re here,Nor can the grave afford them peace!

One day among the tombs I stray’d,

Where many slighted lovers lay:

A daffodil I there survey’d,

Which seem’d in grief to pine away!

Enquiring why it hung its head?

And why in grief it seem’d to pine?

‘I am the eyes of him,’ it said,

‘Who lies beneath this lowly shrine!’

Like me, sad emblems of despair,Still seek they to behold againThat cruel, that relentless fair,Who wrought his death by her disdain!

Like me, sad emblems of despair,

Still seek they to behold again

That cruel, that relentless fair,

Who wrought his death by her disdain!

It does, alas! from this appear,That Love admits of no release;Torments its vot’ries while they’re here,Nor can the grave afford them peace!

It does, alas! from this appear,

That Love admits of no release;

Torments its vot’ries while they’re here,

Nor can the grave afford them peace!

Without upholding this little production as a prodigy, it may, perhaps, be safely adduced as a contrast to those beauties I have selected from theMirza’slittle book of great wonders.

The frequency of fires, occasioned by the common practice of thatching houses, has caused many regulations to be adopted, in regard to what Europeans commonly call the ‘Black Town’ at Calcutta. About twenty years ago, the principal streets were considerably widened, and the whole of the new tenements were ordered to be tiled. This created some dissatisfaction at the time, yet has not only been of great advantage to the inhabitants at large, but is now confessed, by the natives, to have been highly beneficial, both to their health, and to their convenience. Formerly, it was common to see immense piles of grass all along the banks of the river, brought thither for the purpose of supplying persons who might have occasion to thatch; of late years, however, the quantity has been considerably reduced; there being not a twentieth part of the former demand. Many of these stacks doubtless contained full 20,000,or 25,000 cubic feet, and would have formed a diminutive representation of the infernal regions, had they taken fire; to which accident they were subject equally with any part of the town. Owing to the cheapness of bamboos and mats, as well as to the immense value of land at Calcutta, most of the natives build their huts chiefly of those materials; the whole of the uprights, rafters, &c., being of bamboo, and the walls, partitions, &c., being of mats, supported by bamboo laths. The roofs are first covered with mats, orseerky, and then tiled, generally with that kind callednullies, which are about eight inches in length, representing the half of a truncated hollow cone, whose base may be about four inches in diameter.

Thesenulliesare commonly laid upon roofs, at an angle of about 30° of elevation from the horizon; but thechuppers, or grass-thatches, usually are constructed at full 40°. At the military stations, where grass is invariably in use for the covering in of the cabins of the sepoys, &c. it is usual to order the surfaces of all thatches to be smeared with mud; from about November, to the setting in of the rains. Many very extensive lines owe their safety to this precaution; whereby not only are sparks prevented from communicating with the grass, which usually is as prompt as tinder in takingfire, but even when the thatch is partially kindled, the flames are greatly impeded, and more easily subdued.

The walls of huts being very frequently made of grass, tied in between bamboo laths; (like those fences we sometimes see put to folds in yeaning time, to keep the lambs warm during the night;) require to be well coated with mud: otherwise, they would be constantly subject to accension, in consequence of the too common practice of making thechoolah, or fire-place, very near thereto; thus endangering both from the flame, and from the embers. As to putting out a fire that has once got firm hold of a plain thatch, it is a hopeless business: the only chance of saving the street, is to pull down all the neighbouring huts. This is not attended with that loss to which our European towns would be subjected by such a preventive; since, generally speaking, a very tolerable hut, fit for the accommodation of a moderate family, may be built, complete, for about the value of a guinea, or even much less.

Although water is generally at hand, there being abundance of wells, or tanks, or puddles, in the vicinity of every village, still it is deemed necessary, by gentlemen whosebungalows, &c., are contiguous tobazars, (or markets,) or to the lines of native troops, &c. where thatches are numerous, to have large vessels fastenedalong the ridge-poles of their stables, and other out-offices. These being constantly kept full of water, prove an immense aid towards the preservation of those buildings on which they are placed: since, in case of any neighbouring conflagration, it is easy for one or more persons to wet the thatch very thoroughly; or they may reserve the water until the moment of exigency, to be thrown upon any part that may be in immediate danger. If the thatch should have taken fire, so as to render it imprudent for persons to ascend to the pots, they, being rather brittle, may always be broken to pieces by throwing bricks, or clods, &c. at them. Some gentlemen adopt the precaution, above described, of plastering the thatches of their out-offices with mud; but, such a procedure is highly impolitic, in respect to edifices intended to be durable; as the white-ants never fail to visit such plastered thatches, and to destroy the grass entirely: sometimes they even eat the timbers. Tiles certainly offer greater security than thatches, but they are insufferably hot; causing every thing placed under them to warp, crack, and otherwise to perish: tiled stables are found to be very injurious to the health of cattle. The best plan I ever saw, was to have a coating of tiles, laid in mortar on a thatch; but, for such a mode of construction, very substantial timbers were requisite. This not only insured fromfire, but from leaks also; and rendered the interior remarkably cool during the hot season.

The long continuance of the periodical rains, which often fall in torrents for whole days, and frequently keep drizzling for near a week, with little or no intermission, renders it necessary to protect all exterior walls by copings, either of tiles, or of thatch. The former mode is effected by small tiles, laid in the usual manner, but cemented with lime mortar; or by immense large ones, nearly semi-cylindrical, whose curve may measure full a yard, and whose breadth may be from fifteen to twenty inches; the thickness, perhaps, an inch and a half. These last are merely slung over the top of the wall, which is formed so as to retain them firmly, and are overlapped about two or three inches. The thatches are generally made with a double pent, each face being about a yard in depth: they are secured by being fastened together at their junction above, and by means of stakes passing through the wall; to these their eaves are tied with grass, or coarse hempen twine.

Nothing can be more uncomfortable than a leakybungalow! The water trickles down the walls, dissolving the coat of mud, or sand plaster, and greatly disfiguring the interior. It often happens, that the outer walls are so far damaged by heavy rains, accompanied by a driving wind, as to be rendered unserviceable in the course ofa night; the whole being completely sapped through. After such weather, the damages are frequently extensive; the walls surrounding gardens, &c. though substantially built, and duly coped, are seen to give way for scores of yards; falling with a tremendous crash. This is usually occasioned by some ditch near their bases, which, being filled by the heavy rains, that soak into the banks, in a few hours yield to the great weight on their borders. Fortunately, such damages are speedily repaired at no very great expence; a rod of wall about eight feet high, and averaging two feet in thickness, being generally built for about ten shillings: in some places for half that sum.

Most of thebungalowsbuilt by Europeans are run up with sun-dried bricks; usually of a large size, eight of them making a cubic foot; each being a foot long, six inches broad, and three inches thick. With these, in a proper state for building, work proceeds at a great rate, but much care must be taken that the mortar, that is, the slime used for cement, be of a proper consistence, and be well filled in. Bricks are generally made in wooden moulds, which, being laid on some level spot, previously swept, so as to remove stones, &c., are filled with mud; the surface is then levelled, either with the hand, or with a strike, when the mould is raised, by means of handles, and washed in a large pan ofwater, and then placed on a fresh spot, contiguous to the brick already formed. An expert laborer in this avocation, will, if duly supplied with mud, and water, make from 2000 to 2500 bricks daily of the above dimensions: it will usually require one laborer to mix the soil, one to supply water, and two hand-barrow men, to keep one brick-maker in constant work: the whole expence may be about sixteen or eighteen pence: the same quantity of work done in England would cost full as many shillings.

Some of therauz, or bricklayers, in India, are very clever, so far as relates to mere practical operations; but they have not the smallest idea of planning from paper, or on paper; or of computing the quantities of materials, or the amount of labor. They work with a small trowel, much the same as that in use with us, and chip their bricks, whether sun-dried or burnt, with a small hammer, having either one, or both, its face, of a wedge form, and about three or four inches long from the insertion of the handle. They preserve the perpendiculars by means of a bell-shaped weight, commonly of free-stone, or of lead, or iron, to which a long cotton cord is attached, having on it a piece of wood exactly as long as the diameter of the weight’s base. This being pierced in the centre, and applied endwise to any part, preserving it, at the same time, as nearly horizontal as possible,points out the exact spot which is perpendicular to the corresponding edge of the weight.

Supposing a wall to be run up to any height, if the stick be applied to the upper tier of bricks, and the weight swings so as just to come in contact with the ground tier, the wall will be perpendicular. The method is simple, and the apparatus portable; therefore I may safely recommend their adoption to our workmen; especially when a large plumb-bevil is not at hand. It is true, that many of the bricklayers, employed under regular architects, may be seen to use our tools of every description; but this takes place only under such guidance: in all other instances, the native bricklayer resorts to the practices of his ancestors; though, to say the truth, they are by no means so unwilling to change for better, as the opinionated British mechanic; who, I am obliged to confess, must yield the palm for sobriety, cheapness, ingenuity, and docility, to the unlettered artisan of the East. Nevertheless, I am sensible that one English workman will ‘knock off’ more work than two, or perhaps three, Asiatics of the same profession, and finish that work in higher style; but, if we take into consideration, that the latter employs tools such as the former would pronounce to be useless, and, that he learns all by rote, without the smallest idea of figures, proportions, or computations, we must, howeverunwillingly, give a verdict by no means partial to our countrymen.

Another point greatly in favor of the poor Hindu, is, that he exercises not only the profession of bricklayer, but of plasterer, tarras-maker, &c. In like manner, we find the two professions oflooaur(blacksmith) andburrye(carpenter) often exercised by the same individual. I once built a phaeton at Cawnpore, solely with the aid of areputedblacksmith, who wrought every part of the iron work in a very superior manner, and constructed the whole of the wood-work in an excellent style. Nay, he made the head, and lined it with woollen very neatly; and, after all, lent a hand towards the painting. His wages were only eight rupees (twenty shillings) monthly, and he never had been concerned in constructing any kind of vehicle, except thehackeryin common use; which has already been described.

The natives are extremely negligent regarding the strength of their floors; they seem to be fully satisfied when the places where they lie down on their mats are tolerably dry; though it is by no means uncommon to see the whole interior so extremely damp, that, if any seeds, such as wheat, peas, rice, &c., happen to fall, and to be swept to the skirts of the apartments, such are sure to vegetate; frequently exhibiting a very promising blade, before they fall, rather in consequence of accident, than of designon the part of the tenants. Whatever the flooring may consist of, whether clay, or tarras, that of the eating apartment is, almost invariably, smeared with a solution of cow-dung; which certainly gives a freshness, and may probably tend to salubrity; nor is it so devoid of neatness as an European would imagine; but the scent is by no means agreeable. Some ornament both the interior, and the exterior, of their houses, by dipping the palms of their hands, horizontally, into solutions of ochre, chiefly red, and then imprinting the walls with their hands thus colored. These prints are put on irregularly, by no means proving the taste of the operators, who, nevertheless, consider their huts to be, (in the language of church-wardens,) ‘beautified;’ the great consideration is, however, to typify the infinite power of the Creator, whose hands are supposed to be innumerable, and perpetually in action. Even horses, especially if white or dun colored, are very frequently marked in the same manner, by means ofmindy, (orhinnah;) which, being reduced to a pulp, is applied to the part in such form as it may be intended to appear. This plaster, for I know not what else to call it, is allowed to remain until perfectly dry; when it commonly cracks and falls off, leaving a richbarrécolor; though, if not allowed, either by the animal’s restlessness, or from want of time,to impart its coloring matter duly, the stain will shew much fainter; perhaps not unlike a light mahogany color.

The natives rarely omit to tinge about ten inches, or a foot, of the extremity of the tail of every light-colored horse withmindy: sometimes, also, at about two inches asunder, one or two rings are stained in the same manner. Nor is this herb restricted solely to the ornamenting, or, rather, the disguising of horses, oxen &c.; the Hindostanee ladies generally stain the whole of the interior of their hands, including the fingers, as well as the soles of their feet, withmindy; the tips of all the nails are sure to undergo the operation; which often compels the party sustaining this gratifying penance, to sit motionless for hours; in order that the dye may take a firm hold of the skin. When properly managed, the stain will remain for at least a month; resisting every endeavor to wash it out, and seeming only to yield to the constant growth of the outer skin.

It has often occurred to me, that, possibly, an excellent dye for woollens might be obtained from thehinnah, which, being inspissated, or reduced to an extract, could be imported among our dyers with peculiar advantage. The plant, which is not unlike myrtle, is indigenous throughout Hindostan, where it is principally employed in making garden hedges, much thesame as yew, box, &c., are among us; but, owing to its not proving a defence against cattle, and being of slow growth, the exterior hedges, in lieu of being formed ofhinnah, are usually made ofbaubool, a species ofmimosa, yielding some gum, and otherwise extremely serviceable; both from the excellence of its wood, for all circular or angular work, requiring great strength, durability, and toughness; and for its bark, which is at least equal to that of the oak for tanning. The natives consider the application ofmindyto be attended with good effects; they say it is cooling, but I should rather apprehend it were the reverse, it being certainly an astringent, and contributing to check perspiration: hence, the hands of such as apply it commonly have a harsh, dry feel. That it may be a corrective of that scent sometimes attendant upon an habitual discharge from the feet, may be true; but, it remains still to be questioned, whether the obstruction of such a discharge can be reconciled to prudence: it is, however, a complaint very rarely to be met with in India; doubtless owing to frequent washing, and to that abundant and general perspiration which shews itself very conspicuously.

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