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diff --git a/old/60006-0.txt b/old/60006-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a419cfa..0000000 --- a/old/60006-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3067 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan, by Fanny Parks - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan - Displaying the Scenery of the Hoogly, the Bhagirathi, and - the Ganges, from Fort William, Bengal, to Gangoutri, in - the Himalaya - -Author: Fanny Parks - -Release Date: July 29, 2019 [EBook #60006] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF HINDOSTAN *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - Asiatic Gallery, - - BAKER STREET BAZĀR, PORTMAN SQUARE. - - - - - GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF - HINDOSTĀN, - DISPLAYING THE SCENERY OF THE HOOGLY, THE BHĀGĪRATHĪ, AND THE GANGES, - FROM FORT WILLIAM, BENGAL, TO GANGOUTRĪ, - IN THE HIMALAYA. - - - BY - -[Illustration] - - _Visitors to the Diorama are allowed to inspect_ - THE MUSEUM. - - London: - PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC GALLERY, BAKER STREET BAZĀR. - _Price One Shilling._ - - - - - Entered at Stationers’ Hall. - - - - - THE DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN - - - Has been Painted by - - Mr. PHILIP PHILLIPS; - - The FIGURES and ANIMALS by Mr. LOUIS HAGHE; - - The SHIPPING by Mr. KNELL. - -The whole of the Scenes of the Diorama have been arranged by Lieutenant -Colonel LUARD, from his own original and unpublished sketches, taken -during a residence of fourteen years in India; aided by the kindness of -friends, who have placed at his disposal the original sketches of - - The late Sir CHARLES D’OYLY, Bart., - The late JAMES PRINSEP, Esq., - The late Captain PRINSEP, - The late Colonel EDWARD SMITH, - Major WHITE, - WILLIAM PRINSEP, Esq., - GEORGE CHINNERY, Esq., - WELBY JACKSON, Esq., - -and the Author of “Wanderings of a Pilgrim, during Four-and-Twenty -Years, in the East.” - - - - - LIST OF PLATES. - - - NO. PAGE - - 1 Fort William, Bengal 9 - - 2 Prinsep’s Ghāt 11 - - 3 The Fakīr 16 - - 4 Barrackpore 24 - - 5 The Elephant Establishment 27 - - 6 Sīckrī-Galī 32 - - 7 The Foolish Fakīr 35 - - 8 The Minarets 42 - - 9 The Satī 58 - - 10 Hurdwar 62 - - 11 Simla—The Conical Hill 65 - - 12 Gangoutrī 67 - - - - - INTRODUCTION. - - -In the month of October, 1589, a body of English merchants addressed a -memorial to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth, requesting licence to equip -three ships for the purpose of trading to the East Indies: this request -appears to have been favourably received, and in 1591 the first English -commercial voyage was commenced in three vessels. It proved a disastrous -one; but considerable experience was obtained, and the ardour of the -English merchants was but little damped by the result. - -In 1599 an association of merchant adventurers was formed in London, -with a capital of 30,000_l._, for the purpose of trading “_to the East -Indies and countries thereabout_;” and the royal assent was applied for -and obtained to this project, “_intended for the honour of their native -country, and the advancement of trade and merchandise within the realm -of England_.” The Charter was dated, 31st December, 1600. This -association, which may be looked upon as the foundation of the present -East India Company, led to a succession of voyages more or less -fortunate, which, before long, resulted in the Company obtaining -establishments at various places on the coast of the Peninsula, as well -as among the eastern islands. The Presidencies of Madras and Bombay were -first established; but that of Bengal, although the latest, was soon -rendered by circumstances the most important of the three, and is now -the seat of the supreme government of India. - -On the 20th December, 1687, Mr. Job Charnock, the agent for the -Kossimbazār factory on the Hoogly, finding it no longer safe to remain -at that place, moved down to the village of Chuttanuttee, on the present -site of Calcutta, with all the ships, troops, and property, where they -commenced to intrench themselves. They were afterwards forced to move -down the river to Ingellee, in which pestilential climate the whole -force would have been carried off, had not the Emperor Aurungzebe made -overtures to Mr. Charnock and allowed him to return to Chuttanuttee. In -1691 they were allowed to form a settlement there: it increased rapidly, -and was permanently fixed upon as the head-quarters of the Company’s -establishments in Bengal. - -Chuttanuttee occupied the site of the present native portion of the -city; Govindpoor stood where the new Fort William is erected; and the -European part of the city, including the site of the old Fort, is built -within the precincts of Kalleeghatta, hence originated the modern -appellation of Calcutta; and as the founder of that city, Mr. Job -Charnock’s name will probably be remembered as long as the British -Empire in India shall exist. He died in 1692, and was buried in the old -Cemetery, where his tomb is yet to be seen in the old burying-ground of -St. John’s Cathedral, being one of the few allowed to remain when that -building was erected. - -In 1695, a rebellion having broken out in Bengal, the local government -applied to the Nawāb for permission to put their factories in a state of -defence, and on the request not being positively refused, they hastened -to erect walls of masonry, with bastions or flanking towers at the -angles, round their several factories, and thus originated the -fortifications of Calcutta. In 1699, Sir Charles Eyre was re-appointed -to the charge of Bengal, which was then for the first time raised to the -rank of a Presidency. Orders were issued that the fortifications should -be strengthened and rendered regular, so as to afford a safe retreat for -all their servants and property; and it was recommended to give the -outline of the buildings the form of a pentagon, if possible, that being -at the time considered the strongest figure of defence. In 1701–2, the -court issued orders that the Fort should be made a regular pentagon with -bastions, and the works be made extensive enough to accommodate all the -establishments of the out-factories. In the year 1707–8, the rival -interests of the “Old London” and the new “English Company” were merged -into “The United Company of Merchants trading to the East Indies.” - -In 1742, the Mahrattas devastated the whole province, and sacked the -town of Hoogly. On this occasion, the English applied for and obtained -permission to dig a ditch and throw up an intrenchment round their -settlement, which, if completed, would have extended more than seven -miles. When little more than three miles of the ditch were completed, -finding that the Mahrattas did not advance, the work was discontinued: -it was, however, always known afterwards as the Mahratta Ditch; some -traces of which still remain—hence the people of Calcutta are sometimes -called the Ditchers. - -The Nawāb Sooraj-oo-Dowlah succeeded to the government of Bengal in -1756. He entertained the greatest dislike to the English, and -determined, if possible, to expel them from the country. In June, 1756, -he appeared before the factory at Kossimbazār, and the place not being -tenable, it surrendered. The Nawāb advanced with expedition and attacked -Calcutta, which surrendered on the 20th. Mr. Holwell, with a party -amounting to 146 persons, were thrown into the Black Hole—the history of -which is too well known to need repetition. The Nawāb having ransacked -Calcutta, changed its name to Alīnuggur, and flattering himself he had -for ever extirpated the English power, thought it unnecessary to follow -up the small party of refugees assembled at Fultah. In December, 1756, -an armament, under the command of Colonel Robert Clive, arrived at -Fultah, and recaptured Calcutta, where they found the greater part of -the merchandise that had been left there, it having been reserved for -the use of the Nawāb. - - - - - DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN. - - -The subject of the Diorama which we shall have the honour to explain, is -the course of the Ganges from its source to Fort William, Bengal:—its -picturesque scenery, the towns and temples on its banks, the religious -ceremonies, and the customs of the inhabitants, both Hindū and Musalmān, -will be pourtrayed. This noble river, considered the most sacred in -Hindostān, takes its rise at Gangoutrī, in the Himalaya, and issues from -the mountains upon the plains near Hurdwar. It passes within a few miles -of Meerut, flowing on to Furrackabad, Cawnpore, and Allahabad; at the -latter, it joins the Jumna, the first river of importance with which it -unites. Hence its course becomes more winding, its bed wider, and the -united streams flow past Mirzapūr, Chunar, Benares, and Ghazipūr. A -little above Chupra, the River Ghogra falls into the Ganges on the left -bank; and below Arrah, on the opposite bank, is its junction with the -Soane. At Hājīpūr, the Gunduk increases the powerful stream, which flows -on and passes Patna, Monghir, Bhagulpūr, Colgong, and Rajmahal, until it -reaches Gopalgunj, at which place a branch of the Ganges quits the main -stream, and flowing by Sooty and Moorshedabad is called the Bhāgīrathī, -until it reaches Nuddea. The main stream of the Ganges running to the -eastward, joins the Berhampootra, and after its union with that river, -falls into the Bay of Bengal. This, the main stream of the Ganges, is -not looked upon with equal veneration by the Hindūs as the branch -before-mentioned, which, flowing by Sooty and Moorshedabad, is called -the Bhāgīrathī, until it reaches Nuddea, at which place it is joined by -the Jellinghy, and the united currents flow on, passing Calcutta, to the -island of Sāgar, under the name of the Hoogly. Prior to the commencement -of the nineteenth century, the Ganges had been traced by Hindū pilgrims -from Hindostān into the snowy mountains that run in a direction -north-west to south-east on the frontiers of India. We will now ascend -the stream, stopping, as is the custom with pilgrims, at the junction of -rivers, and other sacred places, considered peculiarly holy by the -Hindūs, until we reach the last shrine, Gangoutrī, the source of the -Holy River. - - -[Illustration] - - FORT WILLIAM. - -Fort William, the citadel of Calcutta, is situated on the left bank of -the Hoogly, about a quarter of a mile below the town; it is a European -fortification, and was called Fort William in honour of his majesty King -William the Third. This Citadel was commenced by Lord Clive soon after -the Battle of Plassey, which was fought in 1757; it is capable of -containing 15,000 men, and the works are so extensive, that 10,000 would -be required to defend them efficiently. The works do not make an -imposing appearance from without, nor are they perceptible until closely -approached: this excites great surprise in the natives coming from the -interior, who always connect the idea of great strength with great -elevation. It is of octagonal form; five of the faces are regular, while -the forms of the other three next the river are according to local -circumstances. - -The Esplanade, Chowringhee, and the site of Fort William were, so late -as 1756, a complete jungle, interspersed with a few huts, and small -pieces of grazing and arable land. - -The view now presented shows a part of the rampart of Fort William; the -Hoogly flows beneath, Calcutta appears in the distance, stretching from -Chandpaul Ghāt to Chowringhee Road; the situation of the Ghāt is marked -by the high chimney of the building, containing a steam engine for -raising water. - -The next building in the back ground is the Bank of Bengal; the long -colonnade is in front of the Supreme Court of Judicature; and to the -right is the Cathedral of St. John, which stands partly on the site of -the old Cemetery. In clearing away the ground for its foundation, the -tomb of Mr. Job Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, was discovered: he -died in 1692. The tomb of Mr. Hamilton was also found, and is now placed -in the same building with that of Mr. Charnock. Mr. Hamilton was surgeon -to the embassy sent to the court of the Emperor Furrookhseer, and the -Company are indebted to him for having induced the Emperor to grant them -many privileges, and to confirm all former ones: he died in 1717. Mr. -Speke was also buried in the old Cemetery, and his tomb, with those -before-mentioned, is one of the few allowed to remain there on the -erection of St. John’s Cathedral, where they are still to be seen. The -first stone of St. John’s Cathedral, in Council House Street, was laid -on the 6th of April, 1781. On a plate of copper, graved in the stone, is -the following inscription:—“The first stone of this sacred building, -raised by the liberal and voluntary subscription of British subjects and -others, was laid, under the auspices of the Honourable Warren Hastings, -Esq., Governor-General of India, on the 6th day of April, 1784, and the -thirteenth year of his Government.” - -The architect was Lieutenant James Agg, of the Engineer Corps. On the -24th of June, 1787, the Church was consecrated and dedicated to St. -John. Sir John Zoffani, the celebrated artist, bestowed the altar-piece, -representing the Last Supper. - -The Town Hall, a fine building, is rendered conspicuous by its Doric -portico; it was erected by the inhabitants of Calcutta in 1804: the -Government Treasury succeeds it, and in the distance is the spire of St. -Andrew’s Church, in the Lall Bazār. - -The Government House, the principal building in Calcutta, was erected -about the year 1804, during the administration of the Marquis Wellesley; -the architect was Captain Wyatt, of the Engineers. The entrances, or -great gateways, are each crowned by a lion, and are continually the -resting-places of the _Hargīla_, the gigantic crane, commonly called the -Adjutant. - -The Column on the right was erected to the memory of Major-General Sir -David Auchterlony, on account of his distinguished services. It is 160 -feet in height, and stands on the Esplanade in front of the town. - -_Hargīlas_ or Adjutants are numerous in the Fort, and so tame, that they -will allow men to pass very near them and show no signs of fear; they -stalk about the Esplanade, and rest in the most picturesque manner on -the highest buildings in the city. - -The officer, with his bearer holding a _chatr_, or native umbrella, to -protect him from the sun, is watching some monkeys; and a _griffin_, as -a young cadet is called for the first year, is amusing himself with -teazing one. - - -[Illustration] - - PRINSEP’S GHĀT. - -The audience are now requested to imagine they have embarked upon the -Hoogly, off Prinsep’s Ghāt, the first landing-place of importance that -is met with on approaching the City of Palaces. James Prinsep, Esq., -died in 1840, and his fellow-citizens in Calcutta erected this ghāt to -his memory, as having been one of the leaders of science in India, the -promoter of every good work, a faithful and useful public servant, and a -warm and true friend. The building in the distance is St. Peter’s, the -garrison Church in the Fort, and the vessel passing up the river is -complimented by a salute from its battery. Beyond the flag-staff is the -Semaphore, or telegraph, a high tower from which intelligence is -conveyed by signals. - - - THE WATER GATE. - -The Water Gate of Fort William is now before you, and the horsemen are -on the Esplanade,—a road extending by the river side, from Chandpaul -Ghāt, to Garden Reach. This is the favourite ride and drive, during the -early morning and in the cool of the evening, of all the inhabitants of -Calcutta. A _dinghī_, a native boat covered with matting, is going up -the river, filled with _gharas_, or jars of coarse, red earthenware, -used for holding water. - -The Governor-General’s pleasure boat, called the _Sona makhī_, or golden -fly, is moored beyond; she has beautiful accommodations, and is -perfectly suited to the river and the climate. From this point is seen -the Government House: the edifice is a noble one, and particularly well -adapted in its plan and interior arrangements to the climate. The -external view is grand and imposing, and it is a fit and proper -residence for the supreme ruler of our Indian possessions. Its two -entrances or gateways are shown, and the line of houses, inhabited by -Europeans, in Esplanade Row, in front of which is the Auchterlony -Monument. - -The long line of vessels so closely moored off the bank, are boats, -called Budjerows; they are commanded by a native called a _Sarhang_ or -_Mānghī_, and carry 12, 14, 16, or 18 oars, and are generally used by -persons going to the upper provinces. - - - BĀBŪ GHĀT. - -This building was erected by a wealthy native gentleman, and therefore -termed _Bābū_ Ghāt—the title _Bābū_, given by Hindūs, is equivalent to -Mr. or to Esq., and is now as common as the latter terms are among us. -Numerous small boats are crowding by the steps, and a _dinghī_ has just -put off. A ferry boat with passengers is crossing from the opposite side -of the river, in which a _chaukidār_, or native policeman, is -conspicuous, with his sword and shield. The Bengālīs generally carry -_chatrs_ (umbrellas) during the heat of the day, made of matting, or -covered with red calico. - -The street now visible is Esplanade Row, which runs from Chandpaul Ghāt -by the Government House to Chowringhee Road; it is full of fine houses -belonging to Europeans. - - - CHANDPAUL GHĀT. - -The people are seen crowding on Chandpaul Ghāt; and the low, -semicircular building at the summit, is the Police Station. The -octagonal building with its long chimney contains a steam-engine, used -for raising water from the river, for the supply of the town, watering -the roads, &c.; but the water used for drinking and culinary purposes, -is brought from the tanks by water-carriers. It is believed that this -was the first steam-engine set up in Bengal. The water passes from the -engine-well into a large brick-built reservoir, and from it into -aqueducts constructed on one side of the road. The Bank of Bengal is on -the other side of the road called the Strand, and the high pillars of -its verandahs face the Esplanade. - -Colvin’s Buildings appear to great advantage; they are lofty and -spacious. Three merchant vessels are anchored off the Strand, and to -each of their chain cables a piece of wood is attached, in a manner that -prevents the water-rats from getting up them into the vessels. A native -fishing-boat with her immense net fixed upon two bamboos, is making for -the ghāt—perhaps bearing a freight of _Tapsi Mach_, or mango fish (so -called because they come in with the mango season); hence the Hindustanī -proverb, “Mangoes and fish meet of necessity.” They are the great luxury -of the Calcutta epicures, who make parties to Budge-budge down the river -to enjoy the mango fish, as those of London resort to Blackwall for -white-bait. - -From the Bankshall a red boat (No. 7) is going out with a pilot to some -vessel in the river. Bankshall is said to be a Dutch name for the chief -landing-place, which was afterwards converted into the East India -Company’s marine and pilot depôt. - - - THE STEAM MILLS. - -The fine buildings that now meet the eye are the Strand Mills, the -property of the late Mr. Smithson, who erected them for the purpose of -grinding corn by means of steam engines. It is said the speculation -proved a failure, because the natives will not send their wheat to be -ground in a mill in which it is mixed with the wheat of people of -another caste, and with that sent by Europeans. It is the custom in -Hindostan for each family to grind its own corn at home between two -circular stones called _chakkī_, and this work is usually performed by -the women. It was proposed to the King of Oude to erect steam mills for -grinding corn in his dominions; but he refused to comply with the -request, because it would throw the old women with their _chakkīs_ out -of work. - -On the right is a _daunā_ or donī, a country vessel, a coaster and -trader, commanded by a _Sarhang_;—the crew are natives; the vessel is -short, thick, clumsy, and marvellously ugly. - - - THE MINT. - -The _Taksāl_, or Mint, a fine edifice of the Doric order, was planned -and erected by Colonel Forbes, the present Mint master. The wide-ranging -buildings of the new Mint, with their tall chimneys, appear to great -advantage when viewed from the river. The Bengal Government set the -first example of introducing extensive machinery, in the erection of the -new Mint of Calcutta, which is filled with the best specimens of the -skill and genius of Messrs. Watt and Co.; and the politeness of the Mint -and Assay masters insures easy access to view the fine and ample -machinery. - -A Chinese junk on the right adds greatly to the picturesque beauty of -the river, on which Arab _grabs_, and vessels from all parts of the -world, are crowded together. An eye is painted on each side the bows of -the Chinese junk, to enable the spirit of the vessel to see her way -across the deep. - -In the foreground is the hulk of a country ship under repair, beyond -which are three vessels from Malacca. - - - BENGAL COTTAGE SCENERY. - -The scene now changes to the right bank, the opposite side of the river, -at sunset. On the landing-place are natives bathing, and every where the -margin of the water is studded with human beings. One man is filling his -_gharas_ (earthen water vessels), which he carries suspended by ropes -from a bamboo poised on his shoulder. Bengalī women are bringing empty -water jars to fill at the river side, and in the shade a woman is -returning from the holy stream on her way to some idol, bearing on her -hand a brass tray containing a small vessel filled with water, and oil, -and rice, and flowers for _pūjā_—that is, worship. A _Dhobī_ is washing -clothes by dipping them in the river, and beating them on a rough piece -of slanting board, the custom of the washermen in the East. - -The shop of a _Modī_, a grain merchant and seller of fruit, is now -before you. Oranges, melons, limes, jackfruit, pummelos, pine-apples, -all that is offered for sale in such abundance and at so small a price -in this country are displayed at various seasons most invitingly. The -fruit-seller is a very pious man, if we may judge from the pictures of -the Hindū deities stuck on the wall of his shop, but which are too much -in the shade to be very distinct. On the bamboo support of his thatch is -a painting of Hūnūmān, the monkey god, in which he is represented -bearing off on his shoulders the god Rām, and Sīta the beloved, from -Ceylon: a fac-simile of this painting is in the Pilgrim’s Museum, being -one of 32 paintings of the gods purchased at the Great Fair at Allahabad -for one rupee! - -The natives are particularly fond of pigeons: they roost during the day -on a frame-work, supported on a bamboo, as here pourtrayed; and the -great delight of the pigeon-fancier is to fly his flock against that of -another, making his birds wheel and turn, ascend and descend, and obey -his every wish, by directing their course with a long thin bamboo. You -continually see men and boys of an evening standing on the house-tops, -amusing themselves with flying their pigeons. - - -[Illustration] - - THE FAKĪR. - -The group in the foreground represents a _Bābū_, a native gentleman, -awaiting the cool of the evening before he enters his palanquin; an -attendant is supporting a _chatr_, or native umbrella, over his head, -and the bearers with the palanquin are in attendance. - -In front is a Muhammadan _Fakīr_ leading a white bull fancifully adorned -with peacocks’ feathers, cowrie shells, coloured worsted tassels, bits -of brightly-coloured cloth, and brass bells; the plume on the top of his -neck is the tail of the _yāk_, the cow of Tartary, much used in -Hindostān in the adornment of holy bulls and of horses. In the -back-ground is an Hindū temple, gilded by the rays of the setting sun. - -The portico or entrance to the house of an opulent _Bābū_, a Bengalī -gentleman, now appears; it is of native architecture, singular and -handsome; the ornaments of some of the pillars are most elaborate, and -it is remarkable that each has a separate design. - - - THE NĀCH. - -The scene now represents the interior of the building during the -celebration of the festival of the _Dūrga-pūjā_, or _Dasera_, held in -honour of the goddess Dūrga, and the performance of a _nāch_ by the -dancing-girls of Hindostān. During the _Dūrga-pūjā_ holidays, which last -eight or ten days, the Hindūs lay aside all kind of business, save what -necessity renders indispensable to pursue, and shops and offices are -shut up while that great religious ceremonial is in course of being -observed. - -The house, as is generally the case, is a four-sided building, having an -area in the middle, on one side of which the image of the goddess is -raised on a throne, and some Brahmans are in attendance. The area is -open to the sky, and a temporary ceiling is formed by fastening ropes -across from wall to wall, over which a cotton carpet of native -manufacture, called _shatranjī_, is spread, thus forming a roof; the -floor is also covered with a gay cloth of the same manufacture, and a -Persian carpet. - -The goddess Dūrga, in whose honour this festival is held, derives her -name from the giant Dūrgŭ, whom she is represented in the act of slaying -with a trident as he issues from the neck of a buffalo, whose head she -has cut off. The image is that of a yellow woman with ten arms, which -are stretched out and filled with instruments of war. This goddess has a -thousand names, and has assumed innumerable forms. - -The bright half of the month _Aswina_, the first of the Hindū lunar -year, is peculiarly devoted to Dūrga. The first nine nights are allotted -to her decoration; on the sixth she is awakened; on the seventh she is -invited to a bower formed of the leaves of nine plants, of which the -_bilwa_ is the chief. The seventh, eighth, and ninth are the great days; -on the last, the victims which are immolated to her honour must be -killed with one blow only from a sharp sword or axe. The next day the -goddess is reverently dismissed, and her image is cast into the river, -which finishes the festival of the _Dasera_. - -The black figure at the side of the goddess is that of Krishnŭ, one of -the most popular gods of the Hindū Pantheon; he is greatly worshipped in -Bengal, as well as in all parts of Hindostān, a great proportion of the -Hindū population being devoted to him, and he is especially beloved by -the women. A black marble figure of this popular deity stands in the -Pilgrim’s Museum, as well as a small brazen one of Dūrga; the latter is -very ancient. Immense sums are expended by wealthy Bengalīs during the -_Dūrga-pūjā_. - -The _Bābū_ is conversing with his European guests, and offering flowers -to one of the ladies, who, seated on a sofa, is talking to those around -her, and witnessing the _nāch_. The dancing-girls wear a very full -petticoat of fine-coloured muslin, trimmed with deep borders of gold and -silver, full satin trowsers which all but cover their naked and jewelled -feet; and the _dopatta_, a large veil worn over the head, is highly -embroidered. Various ornaments of native jewellery adorn their persons; -their anklets are formed of numerous small brass bells that sound in -time with their steps in the measured dance, and rings adorn their toes. -In the thumb ring, which is about two inches in diameter, a bit of -looking-glass is inserted, in which the nāch-girl often looks to see if -her tresses are in order, and to adjust her flowing drapery. They dance, -or rather move in a circle, attitudinizing and making the small brass -bells fastened to their ankles sound in unison with their movements. -Several men, the musicians of the party, attend each set of nāch-girls; -they play on divers curiously-shaped native instruments. - -In the hands of one of the native servants, standing near the steps, is -a silver tray containing a _gulab-dānī_ (a gold or silver vessel used in -sprinkling rose-water on departing guests), and the smaller vessel at -its side, of elegant form, contains the _’atr_ of roses, which is placed -on their hands at the same time. - -Before the temples of Dūrga thousands of animals are annually -slaughtered and offered to her image. In the portico is represented the -sacrifice of a goat; the officiating Brahman, after bathing it, either -in the river or in the house, puts his left hand on its forehead, marks -its horns and forehead with red-lead, and repeats an invocation, in -which he offers it up to the goddess thus: “O goddess, I sacrifice this -goat to thee, that I may live in thy heaven to the end of ten years.” He -then reads an incantation in its ear, and puts flowers and sprinkles -water on its head. The instrument with which the animal is to be killed -is next consecrated; the goat’s head is then put into an upright post, -excavated at the top so as to admit the neck between its forks, the body -remaining on one side the post and the head on the other; after which -the executioner cuts off the head with one blow. After all the animals -have been thus killed, and some of the flesh and the heads carried -before the image, the officiating Brahman repeats certain prayers over -these offerings and presents them to the goddess. - -The square pillars of the building are of pure Hindostānī architecture, -very singular, and elaborately carved. - - - OFFERING OF LIGHTS TO THE RIVER. - -Having witnessed the _nāch_ and some of the ceremonies of the -_Dūrga-pūjā_ festival, we now quit the illuminated area, and pass into -the beautiful, the delicious moonlight of the East. Some Bengalī huts -are beneath the trees; a _chaukīdar_, or native watchman, is standing -before his hut, formed of straw and bamboo, on which his shield is hung; -and a native beyond is cooking his evening meal. - -The soft moonlight falls upon the river, and upon its bank several -Bengalī women are sending off little paper boats, each containing a -lamp. With what earnestness they watch these little fire-fly boats, in -which they have adventured their happiness, as they float down the -stream! If at the moment the paper boat disappears in the distance the -lamp is still burning, the wish of the votary will be crowned with -success; but, if the lamp be extinguished, the hope for which the -offering was made will be doomed to disappointment. With what eagerness -does the mother watch the little light, to know if her child will or -will not recover from sickness! At times, the river is covered with -fleets of these little lamps, hurried along by the rapid stream. Even -when it is not in honour of any particular festival, natives may be seen -offering lamps to Ganga (the Ganges), the sacred river. - -A _pataīla_ (a country vessel), and two _oolāks_ are now in view; the -natives always moor their vessels during the night, it being dangerous -to proceed on the river during the hours of darkness. - - - THE MURDA GHĀT. - -We now cross to the opposite side, the left bank of the Hoogly, to a -_murda ghāt_, a spot where the funeral rites of the Hindūs are -performed. The nearest relative, as is the custom, is stirring up the -body, and pushing it into the flames with a long pole; much oil and -_ghī_ (clarified butter) is poured over the wood, to make it burn -fiercely: in all probability the son of the deceased is performing the -ceremony. We read of the Romans burning their dead, regard it in a -classical light, and think of it without disgust; but when we see the -ceremony really performed, it is very painful: nevertheless, a sort of -absurdity is mixed with it in the mind, as “Stir him up with the long -pole” flashes across the memory. On the conclusion of the ceremony, the -relatives bathe and return to their homes. The _charpāī_, or native bed, -on which the corpse is carried down to the river side, being reckoned -unclean, is generally thrown into the stream, or left on the bank. If a -large quantity of wood and _ghī_ be consumed, we may imagine the -deceased to have been a rich man; the relatives of the very poor -scarcely do more than scorch the body, and throw it into the river, -where it floats swollen and scorched—a horrible sight. The burning of -the body is one of the first ceremonies the Hindūs perform for the help -of the dead in a future state. If this ceremony have not been attended -to, the rites for the repose of the soul cannot be performed. - -Perched on the house-top are three vultures, and an _hargīla_, or -adjutant, awaiting the time that they may pounce upon the remains of the -corpse, when it is consigned to the holy river. These insatiate birds of -prey perch upon the abutting walls, waiting their opportunity to -descend; whilst others, repulsed by the attendants of the funeral fires, -fly heavily across the river, passing across the native boats, through -the tattered sails of which you might almost mark their flight. It is a -sickening sight, rendered infinitely more sickening by the abominable -effluvium which issues from the bank of death, in spite of the scented -wood and other odoriferous substances, that are placed upon the funeral -pile of a rich Hindū, and burnt with the body. This custom illustrates -the text, “So shall they burn odours for thee.” (Jeremiah xxxiv. 5.) The -Hindūs believe, that persons for whom funeral rites have not been -performed, wander as ghosts, and find no rest. - -An English gentleman travelling _dāk_ is standing on the bank; he has -just crossed over, and is watching the bearers who are getting his -palanquin out of the boat. _Dāk_ journeys are usually performed, during -the hot weather, by night, and the traveller rests at some house during -the day. Of a moonlight night a _dāk_ trip is far from being -disagreeable. - - - THE PĪPAL TREE. - -A Bengali village now appears beneath a group of cocoa-nut trees, beyond -which the _Pīpal_-tree (ficus religiosa) is seen, with its roots -exposed, the earth having been washed from them during the rains by the -rising of the river. This tree is particularly venerated by the Hindūs; -they believe its sacred branches to be the residence of the gods, and -will never cut a branch to the injury of the tree. In front, a Hindū is -sitting at worship by the side of the river; a _charpāī_, on which -probably a corpse has been brought to be burned, is near the spot, also -a skull and some bones: skulls are continually seen on the banks of the -river. - - - PANHUTTĪ. - -The picturesque and singular group of Bengalī temples that now open on -our view are at Panhuttī—a spot well known to the English as the Grove; -it is about half way between Calcutta and Barrackpore. - -The Budjerow which is coming down the stream is apparently tenanted by a -European gentleman; his _khidmutgar_ (a servant who waits at table) is -in the forepart of the vessel, and the cook-boat is astern—the sails of -the latter in the torn and worn-out state in which they are so -continually seen. - - - THE WELL, AND PALM TREES. - -The bamboo stage is erected for the purpose of watering the land. The -river water is collected in a deep pool, between two brick walls, across -which a small stage is fixed, on which a man stands, and his business is -to empty the leathern skin which comes up full of water into the -reservoir above, prepared for its reception. A long bamboo, with a large -weight of earth attached to it at one end, is poised on a stage above, -on which a native stands and causes the end towards the river to sink by -the weight of his foot; when the skin below, which is attached to a thin -bamboo from above, is filled with water, he removes his foot, which -causes the water-bag to rise to the height of the reservoir, when the -man below empties it and lets it fall again. In some parts, instead of a -skin, a basket is used, which is rendered waterproof inside by a coating -of clay and mud. Water is thus conveyed to a very great distance from -the banks of a river. The fields in India are irrigated with as much -care as is bestowed upon a garden, and three harvests are often -obtained. - -The Bengalī _jantŭ_ for watering the land happily illustrates this -passage of Scripture, “Where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it -with thy foot, as a garden of herbs.” (Deut. xi. 10.) - -The palm trees next to the well are remarkably beautiful; they are -portraits. The one displaying the broad leaves is the fan-palm, from -which the large _pankhas_ are made—one leaf alone forms the _pankha_, or -fan, of which three specimens are to be seen in the Museum. - - - THE RATHJATTRA. - -The scene represents the _Rathjattra_, or festival of the chariot, as it -took place near Serampore, on the right bank of the Hoogly; and in this -manner the ceremonies are performed in innumerable towns and villages in -Hindostān; but the place most celebrated for this worship is the Temple -of Jaganāth, in Orissa. In the scene representing a _nāch_, in the house -of a Bengalī _bābū_, you beheld the figure of “Krishnŭ the Beloved” -playing on a flute, standing by the side of the goddess Dūrga. At the -_Rathjattra_, Krishnŭ is worshipped as _Jaganāth_ or lord of the -universe. In some period of Hindū history he was accidentally killed by -a hunter, who left the body to rot under a tree where it fell. Some -pious person, however, collected the bones of Krishnŭ, and placed them -in a box, where they remained: a king who was performing religious -austerities, to obtain some favour of Vishnū, was directed by the latter -to form the image of Jaganāth and put inside these bones of Krishnŭ, by -which means he should obtain the fruit of his religious austerities. The -king inquired who should make this image, and was commanded to pray to -Vishnŭ-Kŭrmŭ, the architect of the gods. He did so, and obtained his -request; but the architect at the same time declared, that if any one -disturbed him while preparing the image, he would leave it in an -unfinished state. He then began, and in one night built a temple upon -the blue mountain in Orissa, and proceeded to prepare the image in the -temple; but the impatient king, after waiting fifteen days, went to the -spot; on which the architect of the gods desisted from his work, and -left the image without hands or feet. The king was very much -disconcerted; but on praying to Brŭmha, he promised to make the image -famous in its present shape. The king now invited all the gods to be -present at the setting up of this image: Brŭmha himself acted as high -priest, and gave eyes and soul to the god, which completely established -the fame of Jaganāth. In the Museum is a small fac-simile of this god, -which was brought from Pooree, in Orissa; and at its side is the seal -with which the Brahmans stamp the worshippers on the breast and arms, -and also a figure in black marble of Krishnŭ, highly ornamented. The -height of the _ruth_, or chariot, is forty-two feet, supported on -sixteen wheels, and the horses in front are of wood. Ropes are attached -to the bars below; and the car, with the monstrous idol within it, is -drawn by thousands of frantic devotees. Looking out from the top is seen -the head of Jaganāth. The Brahmans adorn him during the festivals with -silver or golden hands—an offering of a pair of golden ones is -considered an act of great devotion. - -One of the Hindū poets, in answer to the question, “Why has Vishnŭ -assumed a wooden shape?” (alluding to the image of Jaganāth) says, “The -troubles of his family have turned Vishnŭ into wood: in the first place, -he has two wives, one of whom (the goddess of learning) is constantly -talking, and the other (the goddess of prosperity) never remains in one -place: to increase his troubles, he sits on a snake, his dwelling is in -the water, and he rides on a bird.” All the Hindūs acknowledge it is a -great misfortune for a man to have two wives, especially if both live in -one house. - -After many ceremonies have been performed, the god is drawn forth in his -car, and at the expiration of eight days he is conveyed back to the -place whence he came. The natives dance before the car, and the -procession is accompanied with drums, tom-toms, horns, and all sorts of -discordant native music. - -Dancing is considered a religious ceremony among the Hindūs. The -Brahmans consider it an act of devotion to the god. - - - WATER CARRIERS. - -The natives of India carry water long distances in a couple of leathern -bags prepared for the purpose and hung across a bullock; the _behishtī_, -or water-carrier, by the side of the stream, is filling the skins from -his _mashk_, or water-bag, and another man is bringing up his leathern -bag for the same purpose. - -An Hindū girl is taking down a large net to the fisherman in the river, -where he has just spread his own net. On the top of his head a small -basket is fixed, into which he puts whatever he may catch; and floating -on the water, attached to his waist by a long string, is a _gharā_, an -earthen vessel, also used as a depository for the fish. - -The _oolāk_ is floating timber to Calcutta, secured to her by ropes over -the side. She is ornamented by a border of impressions of the human hand -in white paint on the side of the stern, and has also an eye painted on -each side of her bows; which the Hindūs, like the Chinese, consider -necessary, to enable the spirit of the vessel to see its way upon the -waters. - - -[Illustration] - - BARRACKPORE. - -We now cross the Hoogly to Barrackpore, called by the natives -_Achánuck_, corrupted from Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, who lived -here. In the park is the country-house of the Governor-General; and the -military cantonment affords accommodation to six regiments of native -infantry. There is nothing remarkable about the Government House; it is -a plain edifice of one story in height, with lofty rooms; the aviary, -the menagerie, the garden, and a pleasant promenade, where the society -of the station assemble, are the most attractive features of the place. -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. - -The Governor-General having come up the river in his yacht, the -_Sona-makhī_, towed by a steamer, is represented as quitting the vessel -to land at Barrackpore. The troops are drawn out awaiting his arrival; -the elephants are ready to convey him to the house; the aid-de-camps are -in attendance; and each of their horses is held by a _sāīs_, or groom, -who carries in his hand a _chaurī_, to keep flies from the animal. - -In the back-ground is a _shutur-sawār_, a man armed, and mounted on a -camel, for the purpose of carrying messages express. This animal, of a -much lighter description than the camel of burthen, can trot exceedingly -fast, and will go from sixty to eighty miles a day, without distress: -the pace is very rough, and the riders are not considered long lived. -The camel’s neck is ornamented with small brass bells—a common appendage -to couriers in many countries: it is also adorned with blue beads, -cowrie shells, and gaily-coloured cloth and tassels: a small piece of -wood is inserted in the animal’s nostrils, to which is attached a thin -cord, by which it is guided. - -The Mausoleum in the Park, of the Corinthian order, to the left of the -Government House, was erected by Lord Minto, at his own cost, to -commemorate the names of the officers who fell at Java and the -Mauritius. - - - THE TRAVELLER’S PALM. - -Some cows and a buffalo are beneath a _pīpal_ tree in the park. On the -bank is the _sarput_, or _sirkī_, high jungle-grass that often rises to -the height of sixteen feet; the bloom waves gracefully, bending to the -wind, and elegantly recovers its position. - -The next is the castor-oil plant (ricinus communis), much cultivated in -Bengal; the oil extracted from the seeds being used medicinally, as well -as for burning in lamps. - -The tree with the broad and singular leaves is called the Traveller’s -Palm: if a knife is stuck into the stem a pure water gushes out. It -grows in the most sandy tracts where no water is to be found; hence it -is called the Traveller’s Palm. Dr. Wallich mentioned this circumstance, -and at the same time he struck his knife into the tree, of which the one -before you is a portrait. - -The cart is the common _hackerī_ of the country, and the natives -belonging to it are asleep beneath it; a _chadda_, or cloth, is drawn -over their heads to protect them from the musquitoes, and their slippers -are laid on one side. - -The Muhammadan Fakīr, a religious mendicant, in front of the group, is a -picturesque personage; he wanders over the country, and supports himself -on alms. - - - PLASSEY. - -The high walls of the Nawāb’s hunting-house at Plassey are now before -you, and we cannot but regard the spot with feelings of the deepest -interest, as it is the house in which Colonel, afterwards Lord Clive -rested for a short time during the engagement. The famous battle of -Plassey, which may be said to have decided the fate of India, was fought -on the 23rd June, 1757, on the plains of Plassey, about thirty miles -south of Moorshedabad; near the spot selected for the Nawāb -Sooraj-oo-Dowlah’s entrenched camp, the river at that period made a -remarkable bend, in shape like a horse-shoe. In a mango _top_, or grove, -a little more than a mile from the enemy, Colonel Clive had taken up his -position: the trees were planted in regular rows, as is usual in the -country, and all around the _top_ was a bank of earth, which afforded a -good breast-work for the troops, and also a ditch beyond. One detachment -was stationed at Plassey House, which was made use of by Colonel Clive -during the conflict. About eight o’clock A.M. the battle commenced; and -at eleven, Colonel Clive held a conference with his officers at the -drum-head, when it was decided to maintain the cannonade during the day, -and at midnight to make an attack on the Nawāb’s camp. The fate of -Sooraj-oo-Dowlah was sealed by his flight towards the capital, mounted -on a fleet _sawārī_ camel, accompanied by about 2000 horsemen. By five -o’clock the English had taken possession of the whole intrenchment and -camp, with no other obstacle than was presented by the enormous mass of -baggage, stores, camp-equipage, and cattle, scattered around them. - -The lofty stage of bamboos in the field is erected sufficiently high to -be a refuge from wild beasts; it is thatched, and the native farmer -places a servant there to keep watch, especially during the night, at -the time the corn is nearly ripe. When a buffalo, or wild hog, comes -into the field, the keeper takes a wisp of lighted straw in one hand, -and in the other a dried skin containing broken bricks, pots, &c., bound -up on all sides; and in this manner he approaches the animal, shaking -his lighted straw and making a loud noise, on which it immediately runs -away. “The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the -field doth devour it.” (Psalm lxxx. 13.) The wild hogs and buffaloes -make great havoc in the fields of the Hindūs. - -Below the stage is a domestic buffalo and a group of Bengalī cows. The -buffalo is a very useful beast of burthen, yields a rich but strong -milk, which is generally made into _ghī_ (clarified butter). This animal -has no hump—a fact not universally known by those who have not visited -India; on the contrary, the buffalo is generally supposed to have the -hump. Those sold under the denomination of buffalo humps are from the -common bull or cow of Hindostan. - - -[Illustration] - - THE ELEPHANT ESTABLISHMENT. - -Not far distant from Plassey is the Company’s _Fīl-khana_, or Elephant -establishment, whence the animals are coming down to the side of the -river. One of the elephants in the distance is raising his _mahout_, or -driver, with his trunk, to enable him to gain his seat on his neck: -another is drinking, taking up the water with his proboscis and pouring -it into his own mouth; a third is lying in the river enjoying the -coolness, whilst his attendants are scrubbing and cleaning him. - -A group of natives, attendants on the elephants, are sitting round a -fire, baking the large cakes that form the repast of these animals, -added to a small dinner of half a _pīpul-tree_, or a hundred-weight of -grass! A _mahout_, or driver, is very fond of whispering to his elephant -some superstitious tale; which, if the animal does not understand, it is -amongst the few things this most wonderful of God’s creatures does not -comprehend. - - - MOSQUE NEAR MOORSHEDABAD. - -A beautiful _Masjid_, or Mosque (a Muhammadan place of worship), which -is on the bank forms a picturesque object; beyond which is a _ghāt_ and -some houses, near Moorshedabad, as also a long range of buildings, -belonging to the palace of the Nawāb. - - - MOORSHEDABAD—THE PALACE. - -Moorshedabad became the seat of the Bengal Government A.D. 1704. It was -transferred to this place from Dacca, by the Nawāb Jaffier Khan, who was -appointed Soubadar of Bengal by Aurungzebe. The City of Moorshedabad -continued to be the seat of the British Government until A.D. 1771, when -it was transferred to Calcutta. During the reign of Aliverdi Khan, a -palace was erected at Moorshedabad, which was ornamented with pillars of -black marble, brought from the ruins of Gour; this building is still in -existence. The new palace of the Nawāb erected by the government, is a -magnificent edifice, and reflects the highest honour on the architect, -General Macleod, C.B.: it was commenced in the time of Humaioon Jah, the -late _nizām_, who died in 1838, and was succeeded by his son, the -present Nawāb. This splendid building, which is in the European style, -and of dazzling whiteness, is a beautiful object from the river, of -which it commands a fine prospect, rendered peculiarly interesting by -the variety and elegance of the native vessels, so numerous at this -station. - -The _Mor-pankhī_, as the Nawāb’s state-barge is called, is used during -certain festivals at Moorshedabad: boats of this description are -numerous, and of different forms, some towering very high, displaying -all the colours of the peacock, and all are brilliantly painted and -highly gilt. A band of native musicians follow the state-barge in -another tastefully-decorated boat, and the scene on the river during the -festival is highly picturesque. - -Here also are seen the snake-boats: they shoot past you with great -swiftness when rowed by twenty men, from their amazing length and -extreme narrowness. - -Through the influence of Mr. Hamilton, surgeon to the Embassy sent by -the local government to the Emperor Furrookhseer, in the year 1713, the -use of the Mint at Moorshedabad was placed at the disposal of the -Government of India. - -The great object of dread to the Nawāb Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, in 1757, was -the fire of the English vessels of war, of the effects of whose -broadsides he had received exaggerated accounts; and, in the excess of -his timidity, he conceived it possible that they might proceed up the -great branch of the Ganges, and then come down the Kossimbazar river to -Moorshedabad; to guard against which, he caused large piles to be sunk -across that stream, opposite to Sooty, about twenty miles above the -city. A toll is now levied at Jungipūr for keeping open the entrance of -the Bhagirathī, as this branch of the Ganges is called. - - - THE WRECK. - -The scene now opens on the right bank of the Ganges. We quitted the -Bhagruttī (a branch of the sacred river) at Sooty, and have now entered -upon the main stream, at a point where it is of amazing breadth, the -view of it only terminating with the horizon: the waves roar, and roll, -and foam like those at sea; whilst a _tūfān_ (one of the heavy storms of -India) is blowing fiercely, accompanied by thunder, lightning, heavy -rain, and utter darkness. The impetuous stream, rushing with the force -of a torrent, undermines the banks of the river, and tears up forest -trees by their roots. A voyage at this time is particularly dangerous; -native vessels are swept along with amazing velocity, and when a _tūfān_ -is encountered, like the one now blowing, they are frequently wrecked. - -Three _dāndīs_ (native boatmen) have been swept by the violence of the -waves from the mast of their sinking vessel; they are striving to regain -their hold: the rest of the crew have sunk to rise no more. These men -are admirable swimmers; they may possibly be carried along by the -current and rescued on some turn of the river, unless from the violence -of the storm they are carried out into the middle of the stream, and -swept onwards, until, overcome by exhaustion, they sink beneath the -waves. - -During some periods of the year, a voyage on the Ganges is attended with -great risk. The natives quote the Persian saying as a consolation under -misfortune, “‘What is the use of taking precautions, since what has been -ordained must happen.’ Truly saith the proverb, ‘If the diver were to -think of the jaws of the crocodile, he would never gather precious -pearls.’” - - - A TŪFĀN. - -The Budjerow is taking in her sails; and the _sahib_, or gentleman on -board, is likely to go without his dinner, as his cook-boat, with her -torn sails, will most likely be unable to come alongside, and hand it -over to the servants. - -A voyage up the Ganges may be performed in boats, as various in shape as -in size: a Pinnace is a first-class vessel; the next is a Budjerow, -which draws very little water, and is divided into two commodious rooms, -which may be furnished according to the taste of the traveller: a -complete establishment consists of a horse-boat, a washerman’s-boat, and -a cook-boat; in this country the cooking is always performed in a -separate vessel. - -The _dinghī_, or wherry, now making for the land, is generally manned by -two rowers and a steersman: these boats are of slight construction, with -a circular awning of bamboo-work and matting, under which a person can -sit, and though in general well managed, are by no means to be -considered safe conveyances. - - - RAJMAHAL. - -The ruins of the palace of Rajmahal are on the bank. During the reign of -Akbar, about 1591, Raja Maun Singh fixed upon this city as the capital -of Bengal, and changed its name to Raja-Mahul—the Raja erected the -palace, and surrounded the town with a rampart of brick and other -fortifications. In 1608, the seat of government was removed hence to -Dacca, by Islam Khan; but in 1639, the Sultan Shah Shuja brought it back -again, and strengthened the fortifications, of which, however, few -traces are now to be seen. - -Prior to 1638 this town was the residence of the Sultan Shah Shuja, the -brother of Aurunzebe; but few vestiges of its ancient magnificence now -remain. The ruins of his palace are still standing, but have been much -injured by the encroachments of the Ganges. Cows now ruminate quietly -beneath the black marble arches that overlook the river, or seek for -shelter in its empty halls, which still present images of their former -grandeur. The marble floor of the Mosque remains, and a fine old _bāolī_ -(a large well). Around Rajmahal is a beautiful _jangal_ of magnificent -bamboos, fine clumps interspersed with date-palm trees overshadowing the -cottages, around which are a number of small cows and fowls of a -remarkably good breed: every thing has an air of comfort, and the walks -in all directions are cool and pleasant. The steamers from Calcutta take -in their coal a mile below, and therefore do not destroy the beauty of -the old ruins with their smoke, and noise, and Birmingham appearance. -The Rajmahal hills are distant about five miles inland. - -Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, after his flight from Plassey, reached Rajmahal, and -took shelter in the buildings of a deserted garden, where he was -discovered by a _Fakīr_ named Dana Shah, whose nose and ears he had -ordered to be cut off thirteen months before. This man recognized him, -made the circumstance known, and the Nawāb was carried a prisoner back -to Moorshedabad, where he was murdered by order of Meerun, the son of -the new Nawāb Meer Jaffier Khan. His mangled remains were placed on an -elephant, exposed throughout the city, and finally interred. Thus -perished Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, in the twentieth year of his age, and the -fifteenth month of his reign; a prince whose short career was connected -in a most important manner with the British interests in India, both for -good and evil. - - -[Illustration] - - SĪCKRĪ-GALĪ. - -A country vessel is being towed by her crew round a rocky point; each -man has his own _gūn_, or track-rope, fastened to a short, thick piece -of bamboo, which he carries over his shoulder. A Pinnace, or budjerow, -tracks, with ten or twelve men, upon one rope only. - -The Sīckrī-galī pass, during the Hindū and Muhammadan Governments, was -the commanding entrance from Bahar into Bengal, and was fortified with a -strong wall; however, in 1742, a Mahratta army of cavalry passed into -Bengal through the hills above Colgong. The village of Sīckrī-galī is -eighteen miles above Rajmahal at the base of a high rocky eminence, -commanding a fine view of two ranges of hills. There is here the tomb of -a celebrated Muhammadan Saint, Pīr Pointī, and a cave in limestone rock; -and higher up, at a place called Pīr Pointī, now a mass of ruins, is -another tomb of the saint. - -This pass is close upon the Rajmahal hills, and the only European -inhabitant lives in the _Bangla_, commonly called Bungalow, the house at -the foot of the hill. Wild beasts sometimes come to this place at night, -and the footmarks of the tiger are often to be seen in the garden. -Jackals roam howling through the village; bears, tigers, rhinoceroses, -leopards, hogs, deer of all kinds, abound here, and feathered game in -the hills. Elephants are absolutely necessary to enable a man to enjoy -shooting amidst the high grass and thorny thickets. The place is so much -disturbed by the people who go into the hills for wood, that the game -retreat farther into the _jangal_. When a gentleman goes out shooting on -foot, the _dandīs_ accompany him with long poles, to beat the bushes. In -the marshy plains under the hills of this pass good shooting is to be -found, but on account of tigers it is dangerous. - - - THE RAJMAHAL HILLS. - -Beyond the heavy rain which is pouring down, the hills of Rajmahal are -seen in the distance; they are beautifully wooded, and full of game of -every description. No scenes can be more picturesque than those in the -interior. The wild climbers hang from the forest trees in luxuriant -beauty, especially that magnificent one, the _cachnar_ (bauhinia -scandens)—a specimen of its leaves gathered in these hills is in the -Museum. - -The _dandīs_ from the boats that anchor at Sīckrī-galī go up the hills -in gangs to cut wood for firing, and bring it down in great quantities. - -The _byā_ birds hang their long nests from the extreme end of the slight -branches of the delicate _bābul_-tree pendant over a pool or stream for -security. The Museum also contains nests of this little bird suspended -on the broad leaf of the fan-palm. The fable declares that the “Old -birds put a fire-fly into their nests every night to act as a lamp.” For -a further account of these interesting little creatures, see “Wanderings -of a Pilgrim,” (vol. I. 220, 221, and vol. II. 74). The marshes at the -foot of the hills are full of leeches the low-lands abound with wild -fowl, hares, and partridges of a peculiar sort, said to be found only at -Rajmahal, and one other station in India. - -The hill-men are a most singular race of people; they are about five -feet high, very active, remarkable for lightness and suppleness of limb, -with the piercing and restless eye, said to be peculiar to savages. They -wear their hair drawn tight up in a knot on the very top of their head, -the ends fastened in with a wooden comb. They are good-natured, -gay-looking people. Their principal food is Indian corn, boiled and -mashed. They kill wild hogs with a poisoned arrow, taking the precaution -to cut out the flesh around the wound before they eat the animal. Their -bows and arrows are rough and wild-looking; the strips of feather on the -latter are from the wing of the vulture. They assert that they procure -the poison, into which they dip their arrows, from a remote hill-tribe, -and are ignorant of its nature: it appears to be a carefully guarded -secret. Three of these arrows are in the Museum. At the proper season -the hill-men descend into the plains to gather in the crops of uncut -rice. - -A country boat filled with bales of cotton is floating down the stream; -and the crew of a Dacca _oolāk_, which is aground, are striving to shove -her into deeper water. - -A native, sitting on the bank, is quietly watching the noisy scene, and -smoking his _nāriyal_, or cocoa-nut pipe, by the side of his _charpāī_, -or bed, which is on the bank. Native vessels are towed by the _dāndīs_, -or boatmen, most part of the way, except during the rains. These men -work from daylight till sunset in the most laborious way, frequently in -the water for hours, up to their middles, towing the vessel or shoving -it with their backs over sand banks: their labour does not cease until -the boats are _lugāo’d_ (moored) at night; then they cook on shore and -eat their daily meal of boiled rice and curry, or flour cakes, called -_chappatīs_. Occasionally, when a fair wind blows, they get some rest; -for then an immense square sail is hoisted, tacks, sheets, and -haul-yards are fast belayed: they all go to sleep except the steersman, -and the safety of the boat depends upon the rotten state of the cordage -and sails: frequently very strong and sudden squalls come on, and, -before a single rope is let go, every thing is blown to ribbons. - - -[Illustration] - - THE FOOLISH FAKĪR. - -Beneath a group of beautiful palm-trees, a half-witted young _Fakīr_, -adorned with peacocks’ feathers, is sitting and talking to the men -around him, who regard as prophetic whatever his wandering and unsettled -mind induces him to utter, and look upon him as the favourite of -heaven—the natives treat persons thus afflicted with the greatest -kindness, and supply them with food. A leaf of the fan palm, here -represented, may be seen in the Museum. The whole group, as well as the -trees, are portraits. - -On the sands below and close to the edge of the river, is an Hindū in -the last stage of illness. His friends have carried him down to the -sacred stream on a _charpāī_, (a rude native bed,) and are in the act of -making him drink the Ganges water, ere they half immerse his body in the -sacred stream. His wife, on the edge of the bed, is weeping, and her -_dopatta_ (or veil), is drawn over her face; the Brahman is offering the -prayers usual on this occasion. - -The Hindūs are extremely anxious to die in sight of the Ganges, that -their sins may be washed away in their last moments. A person in his -last agonies is frequently carried on his bed, by his friends or -relatives, in the coldest or in the hottest weather, from whatever -distance, to the river-side, where he lies, if a poor man, without a -covering day and night, until he expires. With the pains of death upon -him, he is placed up to the middle in water and drenched with it; leaves -of the shrub goddess, the sacred _tulsī_ plant, are also put into his -mouth, the marks on the pebble god, the _Salagram_ are shown to him, and -his relations call upon him to repeat, and repeat for him, the names of -Rām, Hurī, Ganga, &c. In some cases the family priest repeats some -prayers, and makes an offering to Voitŭrŭnēē, the river over which, they -say, the soul is ferried, after leaving the body. The relations of the -dying man spread the sediment of the river on his forehead and breast, -and afterwards with the finger write on this sediment the name of some -deity. If a person should die in his house, and not by the river-side, -it is considered as a great misfortune, as he thereby loses the help of -the goddess in his last moments. If a person choose to die at home, his -memory becomes infamous. - -If these unfortunate people recover, after having been exposed by their -relatives to die on the banks of the river, they take refuge in the -village of Chagdah on the left bank of the Matabangah, forty-six miles -from Calcutta, of which people who ought to be _corpses_, are the sole -inhabitants. They are considered to prefer a debased existence to a -righteous end, agreeing therein with the highest authorities. Pope’s -Homer makes Achilles in the Elysian fields say:— - - “Rather I’d choose laboriously to bear - A weight of woes, and breathe the vital air, - A slave to some poor hind that toils for bread, - Than reign the scepter’d monarch of the dead.” - -Solomon deems it better to be a live dog than a dead lion; and Job, -called by Byron “the Respectable,” says, “Why should a living man -complain?” to which Byron adds, “For no other reason that I can see, -except that a dead man cannot.” In the face of these grave authorities -the Hindostanī proverb is of a different opinion, which asserts “it is -better to die with honour, than live with infamy.” - -The passage in the Psalms, “They shall be a portion for foxes,” appears -obscure; but give it the probable rendering, “they shall be a portion -for jackals;” and then the anathema becomes plain and striking to an -Hindū, in whose country the disgusting sight of jackals, devouring human -bodies, may be seen every day. The dying who are left by the side of the -Ganges, are sometimes devoured alive by these animals in the night. - -_Lugāo’d_, or moored off a sand-bank, is a budjerow, her baggage, and -her cook-boat. The crews are cooking and eating their dinners on the -sand-bank, and will not recommence their voyage until daybreak, the -river being too dangerous to allow of their proceeding further during -the hours of darkness. On a clean dry bank in the centre of the Ganges, -covered with the finest and most sparkling sand, it is far more -agreeable to _lugāo_ your vessel for the night, than on the banks of the -river: it is cooler, and you are better defended against thieves; -nevertheless a look-out must be kept during the night. - -“Shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the -sand,” &c., (Matt. vii. 26.) The fishermen in Bengal build their huts in -the dry season on the beds of sand, from which the river has retired. -When the rains set in, which they often do very suddenly, accompanied -with violent north-west winds, and the waters pour down in torrents from -the mountains, a fine illustration is given of our Lord’s parable: “the -rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that -house, and it fell.” In one night multitudes of these huts are -frequently swept away, and the place where they stood is, the next -morning, undiscoverable. On one of these occasions a Hindū child was -carried down the stream, seated on a part of the roof of a hut, and -rescued from destruction at Allahabad. The child could not tell whence -she had been carried away by the force of the torrent, nor could the -little creature remember the names of her parents. - -In some parts of Bengal, whole villages are every now and then swept -away by the Ganges when it changes its course. This river frequently -runs over districts, from which, a few years before, it was several -miles distant. “A nation whose land the rivers have spoiled.” (Isa. -xvii. 2.) - -The rocky islands of Colgong in the distance are singular and beautiful, -there are four of them, of unequal size. Rocks on rocks, covered with -fine foliage, they rise in the centre of the river which runs like a -mill-sluice, and is extremely broad. They say that no one lives upon -these rocks; that a _Fakīr_ formerly took up his abode there, but having -been eaten by a snake (an _ajgar_), one of enormous size, and an eater -of human flesh, the people became alarmed; and no holy or unholy person -has since taken up their residence on these rocky islands. Small boats -fish under the rocks, and snakes, they say, abound upon them: when a gun -is fired the echoes awaken and startle the myriads of birds that inhabit -them. The proverb says, “The hypocrites of Bhagulpur, the _Thags_ of -Kuhulgaon (Colgong), and the bankrupts of Patna are famous.” - - - SUNSET—A WILD SCENE. - -The Ganges now presents an extraordinary picture, the expanse of water -is very great, interspersed with low sand-banks; the sun is going down, -and flocks of wild geese are passing to the other side the river. No -human habitations are to be seen, nothing but the expanse of the broad -river and its distant banks. After the heat of a day in India the -coolness of the evening is most refreshing: the traveller quits his -boats, and wanders on the banks of the Ganges, enjoying the wild, the -strange beauty, and the quietude of the scene around him, until his -attention is aroused by the yells of jackals, and the savage cry of -pariah dogs, contesting with vultures, who shriek and flap their heavy -wings, to scare the animals from their feast on some dead bullock. -Beasts of the forest and birds of prey - - “Hold o’er the dead their carnival: - Gorging and growling o’er carcase and limb, - They are too busy to look at him!” - -they eye the traveller askance: they are too busy to look at him: but -when the shades of evening fall, and the friends have left the dead, it -may be the dying Hindū, on the banks of the river, trusting, that Ganga -will receive him to eternal beatitude, then, in that solitary, that -awful hour, the dying man may be awakened from his trance by the sharp -tooth of the jackal, and the fierce beak of the vulture! Such is the -power of superstition, that the Hindū might rejoice, even at this -fearful moment, to end his days by the side of the sacred river, and -escape the infamy of seeking refuge at the village of Chagdah. - - “On Ganga’s brink it is fearful to tread - By the fest’ring side of the tombless dead, - And see worms of the earth, and fowls of the air, - Beasts of the forest all gathering there; - All regarding man as their prey, - All rejoicing in his decay.” - -“Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles (or rather the -vultures) be gathered together.” (Luke xvii. 37.) The vulture is equally -ravenous after dead bodies as the jackal; and it is very remarkable how -suddenly these birds appear after the death of an animal in the open -field, though a single one may not have been seen on the spot a long -time before. - -The jackal is considered an incarnation of Dūrga, when she carried the -child Krishna over the Jumna, in his flight from King Kansa. The -worshippers of the female deities adore the jackal as a form of this -goddess, and present offerings to him daily. Every worshipper lays the -offering on a clean place in his house, and calls the god to come and -partake of it. As this is done at the hour when jackals leave their -lurking places, one of these animals sometimes comes and eats the food. -In temples dedicated to Dūrga and other deities, a stone image of the -jackal is placed on a pedestal and daily worshipped. When a Hindū passes -a jackal, he must bow to it; and if it passes on the left hand, it is a -most lucky circumstance. - -Crocodiles are very numerous in this part of the Ganges: they show -themselves continually, swimming low in the water, peering over the edge -of a sand-bank, or basking in the sun upon it. Near this place is a -village full of a caste of people who live on the flesh of the -crocodile; the _dāndīs_ say they understand it smells rank and is very -hard. In the evening you sometimes hear a shrill peculiar scream, which -the men declare is the cry of the crocodile. When fired at, they slink -quietly into the water. The long-nosed crocodile is not so formidable as -the snub-nosed alligator: it is said the latter will attack men, the -former avoids them if possible. Human bones and ornaments are sometimes -found in the interior of these animals. To disagree with a superior, -under whose command you may be, is, the natives assert, “To live in the -river and be at enmity with the crocodile.” - - - BENARES—RAJ GHĀT. - -The appearance of Benares, from the Ganges, is very beautiful. It is -covered with buildings to the water’s edge: the architecture of some is -Hindū, of others Muhammadan; many of them are of imposing appearance and -great picturesque beauty. The magnificent flights of steps called -_Ghāts_, which descend deep into the river, are thronged at all times -with people; some fetching water, others washing, and most performing -their ablutions in the sacred stream. The view is surprisingly -picturesque, and so singular, that no city in Europe can convey an idea -of Benares. - -For a detailed account of Benares or _Bunarus_, deriving its name from -two streams, the Burna and the Ussee, you may refer to a beautiful work -by the late James Prinsep, Esq., who states that the ancient -denomination of this city was _Kashi_, “The splendid,” whereof the -fabulous wonders are fully detailed in the _Kashi-Khund_, one of the -chapters of the _Skundu-Poorana_. According to this mythological -history, Kashi is a place of most profound antiquity, sanctity, and -splendour: it has survived in age a hundred lives of Brahma, each of -whose days is equal to 4,320,000,000 of years; it stands raised from the -ground, supported upon the _trisūl_ or trident of Mahadēo, and is never -shaken by earthquakes: the whole city was once of pure gold, but has -since degenerated into stone and brick. - -Bunarus (Sanscrit, _Bàrànusee_) quasi _Burna-Ussee_, or from Raja Bunar, -who founded the town A.D. 1000. It contains about 600,000 -souls—one-fourth Musalmans. The city stands on a high ridge of _kankar_ -(nodules of lime stone), free from the floods which sometimes cover all -its suburbs. The houses are of stone, from two to six stories high, with -terraces on the summit, and open interior courts. The streets are very -narrow, from four and a half to nine feet wide, with low doors on each -side. The trade is in sugar, cotton, indigo, opium, _kimkhwab_, jewels, -&c. - -No building in the town now standing can be traced to a higher antiquity -than the time of Man Singh, who was Rāja of Jypoor in the reign of -Akbar. Both the temple and the _man mundil_, or observatory, described -by Tavernier, were erected by him. The astronomical instruments were not -added until the time of Jy Singh, 1680, more than a century later. - -The scene now before you on the left bank of the Ganges represents the -holy city commencing from Raj Ghāt, the place at which the steamers from -Calcutta are moored, as well as pinnaces and budjerows. The distance -from the latter place via the Bhagirathī is 696 miles, and by land or -_dāk_, 428. The civil and military station is about four miles inland. -Native merchants bring goods of all descriptions for sale to the -steamers and vessels anchored off this ghāt; jewellery, shawls, -portraits of the natives, &c. Provisions of all sorts, with wine and -beer, are procurable in the city. - -The house situated above Raj Ghāt is the hotel that was so recently -destroyed, when the fleet of magazine boats containing gunpowder was -blown up, the vessels having been moored off this ghāt. - -Bruhma Ghāt is ancient, and of irregular form; it derives its name from -a temple of Siva, under the title of Brumeswur, “the Lord of Brumha.” -The temple and ghāt were repaired (perhaps built) 200 years ago, by the -Marhattas, and again recently by the ex-Peshwa Baji Rāo. From the number -of Marhatta families residing in the neighbourhood, and the comparative -privacy of the spot, it is by courtesy set apart as a bathing-place for -their women. They resort hither in groups, with their children and -female servants. Their wet garments are shifted with dexterity under a -large wrapper, which is also worn over their silk dresses, in passing -through the streets. The Brahman of the ghāt is of course a privileged -person; he receives a small gratuity for taking care of the clothes, and -brass or silver water vessels; he also affixes the _tiluk_ (frontal -mark) and pronounces the _muntra_ or morning benediction upon his -spiritual daughters. - -On this ghāt wood is collected in large piles for sale: “Our wood is -sold to us.” (Lamentations v. 4.) The poor Hindū, living in the country -never purchases wood for fuel. When such a person removes to a large -town, he speaks of it as a great hardship, that he is obliged to buy his -very fire-wood. - -Benares is considered as the most holy city of India, and it is -certainly one of the most picturesque. “A little to eat and to live at -Bunarus” is the wish of a pious Hindū; but a residence at this place is -rather dangerous to any one inclined to violate the laws. - -“Kala-Bhoirāva the Tremendous, is a naked Siva, smeared with ashes; -having three eyes, riding on a dog, holding in one hand a horn, and in -another a drum. In several places in Bengal this image is daily -worshipped. Siva, under this name, is regent of Kāshī (Bunarus). All -persons dying at Bunarus are entitled to a place in Siva’s heaven; but -if any one violate the laws of the shastrŭ during his residence there, -Kalŭ-Bhoirŭvŭ after death grinds him between two millstones.” - -The dog carries Kalŭ-Bhoirŭvŭ, a form of Siva, and therefore receives -the worship of many Hindūs, whenever his master is worshipped; still he -is considered as an unclean animal: every offering which he approaches -is considered unacceptable to the gods, and every one who touches him -must purify himself by bathing. - - -[Illustration] - - THE MINARETS. - -The Madhoray Ghāt and _musjid_ or mosque, are now before you—the mosque -was erected by Aurunzebe, on the site and with the materials of the -temple of Vishnū. The mosque has little architectural beauty to boast -of, but the _minars_ have been deservedly admired for their simplicity -and boldness of execution. They are only eight and a half feet in -diameter at the base, and the breadth decreases to seven and a half -feet, while they have an altitude of 147 feet 2 inches, from the -terraced floor of the _musjid_ to the _kalsā_ or pinnacle. The terrace -is elevated about eighty feet above the river at low water level. - -The musjid and the minars were repaired by Mr. James Prinsep—a hazardous -undertaking as regarded the latter, for they were both found to incline -outwards fifteen inches from the perpendicular. One of them was struck -by lightning the very day the scaffolding was removed, but it escaped -with the displacement of a stone in the upper cornice. Several instances -have occurred of men throwing themselves from the top of the southern -minaret. One of them, a man who had gambled away his money and his wife -during the _Diwâlī_:—another, a sailor, who was killed on the -spot:—another, a _Fakīr_, who, falling through the tiles and mat-work of -a roof, scraping the flesh from his sides, alighted on the floor -beneath, with every bone safe. Such an escape was deemed miraculous; and -crowds attended to minister to one so favoured by heaven. The _Fakīr_ -disappeared immediately on recovering from his bruises, and sundry solid -moveables of his host disappeared with him. - -Men, women, and children bathe together, uniting the worship of the -Ganges or of the gods with their ablutions, washing their long hair with -mud, making clay images for _pūjā_, (worship), or pouring out libations -to their deceased ancestors, whilst the children gambol in the water, or -collect clay to assist in making the great image of Bhīm Singh the -giant, which is so frequently seen on the side of a ghāt, or that of -Hunumān the monkey god. The Hindūs pour out water to the sun, three -times a day; and to the moon at the time of worshipping her, which -illustrates a passage in Scripture, “To pour out drink-offerings to the -queen of heaven.” (Jer. xliv. 17.) - -Ghoosla Ghāt unites great solidity with a graceful and appropriate -elevation: the double-arched door case in front of the gate has a very -rich effect under the strong shadows of midday, giving an artificial -magnitude to the entrance, in just proportion to the dimensions of the -front. The river rises above the top of the doorway, entering the -staircase, and affording a comfortable bath within, where there are -convenient recesses on the sides of the steps for the accommodation of -bathers. - -The ferry-boat is crossing the river laden with camels, buffaloes, and -cows. - - - RAJRAJESWURREE GHĀT. - -On the sands in the foreground is the hut of a _Baniyā_, or grain -merchant, from whom the _dandīs_ procure _chabenī_, the parched grain of -Indian corn (maize), also flour for their _chappatīs_. A group of -pilgrims are seated on one side of the hut. - -Rajrajeswurree Ghāt, which is seen in the distance, takes its name from -an ancient temple of _Devī_, under the appellation of _Rajrajeswurree_ -(“queen of queens”). The title _Devī_, is usually applied to Bhawanī. -The façade of this building is a good specimen of the mixed style of -Hindū and Moresque architecture; the former is observable in the lower -half of the central compartment; while the projecting stone gallery, -with its parapet, _tukya mootukka_, and the domed octagonal _buruj_ at -the two corners, giving relief to the rectangular pavilion in the -centre, are seen to be essentially Moorish, from the character of the -pillar, and scalloped arch (_mehrab_). - -The man in green is one of a very fine corps of men, called Gardner’s -Horse; they were raised by the late Colonel Win. Linnæus Gardner, a most -highly distinguished and gallant officer: they are such masters of their -horses and weapons, that it is said, single-handed, nothing can resist -them; and one of these men, well known in the up-country, was considered -to be the finest horseman in India. For an account of Colonel Gardner’s -romantic, adventurous, and distinguished life, we refer you to a work -lately published, the “Wanderings of a Pilgrim during Four and Twenty -Years in the East.” - -The two men who next appear belong to Skinner’s Horse, a most efficient -irregular corps, taking its name from its gallant colonel, by whom it -was raised and stationed at Delhi. Skinner’s Horse rendered important -services in the Mahratta and Pindaree campaigns. They are well mounted -and appointed, and are an intelligent, fine body of men: with a lance of -great length, they are exceedingly expert, and excellent shots with the -matchlock, a most unwieldy fire-arm. - -A native carriage, called a _bilī_, drawn by two bullocks, stands in the -rear: these decorated carriages are principally used by women in the -higher ranks of life; and within the curtains, which are closely drawn -and fastened down, a lady is completely protected from the profane gaze -of man. - -In the distance you now behold the Dusaswumed Ghāt. The mythological -legends which give rise to the name of this ghāt and temple, are -connected with the story of Divadas’s usurpation of Siva’s kingly -authority in _Kashī_. Siva having sent from heaven the _yoginis_, or -heavenly nymphs, and tried various other stratagems in vain, to turn the -earthly monarch aside from virtue, next deputed Brumha himself, who -entered the place, disguised as an old Brahman, and obtaining access to -the king, received permission from him to perform ten (_dus_) -_aswumedha_, or horse sacrifices, upon the spot here represented. The -horse sacrifice, as described in the _purans_, is a very curious -ceremony. A horse having peculiar colours and qualities is selected, and -after a course of _pūja_ (worship), is turned loose upon the world, -followed by the sacrificing party, with an armed retinue: if stopped by -the sovereign of another country through which the animal may pass, war -must be declared, and the interrupter of the sacrifice subdued:—in this -way, after traversing the world, the horse returns, and is put to death -by suffocation. - - - THE SNAKE CHARMERS. - -The group of natives seated on the ground are a particular cast of -Hindūs, who profess to charm serpents, to reduce them to subjection, and -to prevent their poison from proving fatal. They roam about the country, -carrying a boa constrictor in a basket, which they twine around their -necks and display to the passers by. They have also a number of the -cobra di capello, which, being placed on the ground, rear themselves up, -and, spreading out their hoods, sway themselves about in a fashion which -the men call dancing, accompanied by the noise of a little hand-drum. -The snake charmers strike the reptiles with their hands, and the snakes -bite them repeatedly on their hands as well as on their arms, bringing -blood at every bite: although the venomous fangs have been carefully -removed, the bite itself must be disagreeable; nevertheless the natives -appear not to mind it in the least. At the conclusion of the _tamāshā_ -(fun), they catch the cobras and cram them all into _gharās_ (earthen -vessels), and carry the boas off in a basket. The snake charmers remind -us of the text, “They are like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ear; -which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so -wisely.” (Psalm lviii. 4, 5.) - -The two men on the left are pilgrims with holy water. In the cold season -of the year, Hindūs from all parts of Upper India, perform pilgrimages -to the sacred places on the Ganges: although the stream throughout is -considered holy, there are parts of peculiar sanctity, such as Hurdwar, -Benares, Allahabad, &c. The roads swarm with devotees; they proceed in -large groups, generally well dressed, carrying on their shoulders a -large bamboo, supporting at each end a covered basket, containing small -stumpy bottles of the thinnest green glass, having long necks: they are -filled with Ganges water at the sacred places, and sealed with the seal -of the Brahman. These people travel all over the country, selling the -sacred water at a high price at the distant stations. Some of the -bottles contain a quart; others are not above two inches high; they are -of all sizes, and the price varies accordingly. The salutation of these -people on passing is, “_Ram ram_,” or “_Bom bom Mahadēo_,”—a pilgrim of -this class is called a _Kanwar-wālā_. The men come for this water to -place it in their houses for religious and medicinal uses, and sometimes -perform a journey on the occasion of five or six months; it is also used -in the English courts of justice, in administering an oath to an Hindū. -The frames in which the baskets are carried are decorated with feathers -of the sacred peacock and small red flags; and every party appears to -have one amongst them more ornamented than the rest, with a large arched -cover, and numerous bells attached to it. - -A _jumna-pār_ goat, so called because these goats are bred on the other -side the Junma, is lying on the ground—they are of enormous size, with -very broad, long, thin, and silky ears, as soft as velvet. These animals -are better adapted for marching than the small Bengalī goat; but unless -they can go into the _jangal_ and browse, they become thin and lose -their milk. - -On the opposite side of the river is the Jellinghy flat and her steamer, -returning from Allahabad to Calcutta. The steamer herself is not the -vessel in which passengers live; but attached to, and towed by her, is a -vessel as large as the steamer herself, called a flat, built expressly -to convey passengers and government treasure. It is divided into cabins, -with one large cabin in the centre, in which the passengers dine -together. The deck is covered with an awning. - -The view on the left of the native vessel exemplifies the structure of -the ghāts on the water’s edge. The continuity of the line of steps is -interrupted by hundreds of stone piers of various forms, which may be -classed under three distinct heads: some are merely intended to give -solidity to the masonry; others are built for the accommodation of the -_ghātiyās_ (ghāt attendants), and _gangā-putras_ (sons of the Ganges), -who enjoy hereditary possession of most of the ground between high and -low water mark, and whose ancestors have resided on the spot from time -immemorial in hereditary attendance upon pilgrims; the third sort -consists of _mut’hs_ or small temples, erected at the expense of -pilgrims and others: they generally have a flat roof, which serves the -_ghātiyā_ as a _chabūtāra_ or terrace to sit and converse upon. The -large _chatrs_, or umbrellas, so numerous on the ghāts, are fixtures, to -protect the people from the intense heat of the sun in India. - -On the river’s edge are seen one or two _murhīs_—chambers into which the -sick are removed when at the point of death, that their sins, to the -last moment of existence, may be washed away by the holy stream. - -In the midst of hundreds and hundreds of temples and ghāts, piled one -above another on the high cliff, or rising out of the Ganges, the mind -is perfectly bewildered: it turns from beauty to beauty, anxious to -preserve the memory of each; and the sketcher throws down the pencil in -despair. Each ghāt presents a study: the intricate architecture, the -elaborate workmanship, the elegance and lightness of form, and the -picturesque groups of natives that crowd to their devotions, form as -fine a subject for a picture as an artist could select. - -How soon Benares, or rather the glory of Benares—its picturesque -beauty—will be no more! Since the year 1836 many ghāts and temples have -sunk, undermined by the rapid stream which now sets full upon the most -beautiful cluster of the temples on its banks: some have been engulphed, -some are falling; and ere long, if the Ganges encroach at an equal rate, -but little will remain of the glory of the most holy of the Hindū -cities. - -In the rains, some of the temples are submerged to the cornice; many -Hindūs, notwithstanding, are bold enough to swim through an impetuous -current, and to dive under the porch and doorway, for the honour of -continuing their customary worship despite of perils and personal -inconvenience. - - - JULSYN GHĀT. - -Julsyn _Ghāt_ and Raj Bulubh Shīwala are now before you. On the terrace -of the latter is a brahmanī bull: these animals walk about the buildings -with seeming indifference, ascending the steps, mixing with the crowd, -and constantly attending for their food. They are seldom disturbed; but -when molested they are vicious, and will use their horns. The rice and -flowers offered to the idols are swept up, and for the greater part -eaten by the brahmanī bulls. The proverb says:—“At Benares you should be -on guard against the women, the sacred bulls, the steps, and the -devotees.” - -The principal Hindū temples in Benares are crowded with people of both -sexes and of all ages, who daily assemble to pay their devotions to the -deity of the place, from the hour of eight in the morning until nearly -four in the afternoon. The form of worship is very simple: the votary -enters the temple and prostrates himself, praying aloud; he then rises -and strikes a bell suspended over a form of _Mahadēo_, thrice repeating -the word _bom_, or hail, at each stroke; then putting a few grains of -boiled rice, and a small quantity of milk or oil, or Ganges water, on -the Mahadēo, he strews a few flowers over it, and, repeating the same, -sometimes adorns the head of the idol with a chaplet of flowers. This -ceremony being over, the votary lays down a few cowries, and retires to -make room for others. The women generally enter with their garments -quite wet, after having performed their ablutions in the Ganges. The -quantity of milk, oil, water, and flowers, thrown about the place, -renders it dirty and wet until the evening, when, the crowd retiring, -the Brahmans clean the temple for the next day. - -The music and bells of a hundred temples strike the ear amidst the buzz -of human voices; at the same time the eye rests on the vivid colours of -different groups of male and female bathers, with their sparkling brass -vessels, or follows the holy bulls as they wander in the crowds munching -the chaplets of flowers liberally presented to them. Then, as night -steals on, the scene changes, and the twinkling of lamps along the -water’s edge, and the funeral fires and white curling smoke, and the -stone buildings lit up by the moon, present features of variety and -blended images of animation, which it is out of the artist’s power to -embody. - -The large building that now appears is on Oomraogir’s _pushta_ or -_ghāt_. On the exterior of the building is a _mut’h_, an Hindu temple, -dedicated to Ganesh, the god of wisdom, and the patron of literature. In -_pūja_ this idol is invoked ere any other god is worshipped. Ere a pious -Hindū commence any sort of writing he makes the sign of Ganesh at the -top of the page. With the simplicity of the child he unites the wisdom -of the elephant: his writing is beautiful, “Behold! he writes like -Ganesh!” Who can say more? He is called two mothered, uniting the -elephant’s head to his natural body, therefore having a second mother in -the elephant. The worshippers pour oil and the holy Ganges water over -the head of this god, who is thus bathed daily; and offerings of boiled -rice and flowers are made at the time of prayer. Around the idol are -placed the vessels used in _pūja_, brass bells, the conch shell, the -holy spoons, flowers, &c. In the Museum is a solid white marble image of -Ganesh, which weighs 3¼ cwt. For a further account of this idol, see the -frontispiece, and the Introduction to the “Wanderings of a Pilgrim -during Four and Twenty Years in the East.” - -The Fākir seated on the ghāt is one in the highest stage of exaltation, -in which clothing is almost dispensed with, and his only _garment_ is a -_chatr_, an umbrella made of basket work: his long hair and his beard, -matted with cow-dung and ashes, hang in stiff straight locks to his -waist, his body is smeared with ashes; he always remains on the same -spot, and when suffering from illness, a bit of tattered blanket is -thrown over him. Passers by throw cowries and grains of boiled rice at -his feet, he remains speechless, disregards all visible objects, asks -for nothing, but subsists on alms. He will not answer any question -addressed to him, which elucidates the proverb: “Talking to a man in -ecstasy (of a religious nature) is like beating curds with a pestle.” -Persons in this state affirm that their minds do not wander after -worldly things, that they live in a state of pleasure, abstraction, and -joy, and that they have attained to that state of perfection required by -the _shastrs_. His red flag is displayed from a bamboo, below which is a -small lantern made of coloured _ubruk_ or talc; sometimes the lamp is -formed of clay, pierced through with fret-work in remarkably pretty -patterns. The Hindūs suspend lamps in the air on bamboos in honour of -the gods during a particular month, and in obedience to the _shastrs_. -The offering of lamps to particular gods is an act of merit, so this -offering to all the gods, during the auspicious month, is supposed to -secure many benefits to the giver. Lamps suspended from bamboos are also -indicative of the ceremony in honour of Ananta, the great serpent. - -On another bamboo is displayed the _trisūl_ or trident of Mahadēo, and a -small double-headed hand-drum, shaped like an hour-glass, called -_damaru_, used by _Fakīrs_; and in front by the side of the Devotee, is -an altar, or pillar, hollowed at the top, containing the sacred _tulsī_ -plant (ocimum sanctum) purple stalked basil. This plant is worshipped in -honour of a religious female who requested Vishnu to allow her to become -his wife. Lukshmī, the goddess of beauty, and wife of Vishnu, cursed the -woman on account of the pious request she had preferred to her lord, and -changed her into a _tulsī_ plant. Vishnu, in consideration of the -religious austerities long practised by the enamoured devotee, made her -a promise that he would assume the form of the _shalgram_, and always -continue with her. If one of these sacred plants die, it is committed in -due form to _Ganga-jee_: and when a person is brought to die by the side -of the sacred river, a branch of the _tulsī_, the shrub-goddess, is -planted near the dying man’s head, and the marks upon the _shalgram_ are -shown to him. This pebble god is a small heavy black circular stone, -rather flattened on one side, with the _cornu ammonis_ strongly marked -upon it. Devotees walk round the sacred plant, pour water upon it, and -make _salām_. Of an evening a little _chirāgh_, a small lamp, is burned -before it. In the courts of justice the Hindū swears by the Ganges water -on which is placed a branch of the _tulsī_. - - - MANIKURNĪKA GHĀT. - -A brahmanī bull is going up to the idol Ganesh, expecting a share of the -flowers that are offered to the image. In the distance a band of -pilgrims are coming down to fill their baskets with holy water; and in -the foreground is a picturesque figure, also a carrier of holy water, -which is put into small sealed bottles placed in baskets suspended from -a bamboo poised on his shoulder, over which is a covering of red cloth. - -A tank of peculiar sanctity is now before you, on the steps of which men -are ascending and descending: it is called the _Chakra kunda_, and its -history is as follows:—“After one of the periodical destructions and -renovations of the world, Siva and his bride were alone in the -_ananda-vana_, or happy forest, occupying the present site of -Munikarniká, they found, as man and wife may sometimes do, that their -tête á tête was growing dull, and to vary the party, Siva created -Vishnu. After a while, the married pair wished again for privacy and -withdrew into the forest, desiring Vishnu to amuse himself by doing what -was fit and proper; which, after some consideration, he judged to be a -supply of water for the irrigation of the trees, and with his _chakra_, -or discus, he dug a hole, which he filled with the ambrosial -perspiration from his body, induced by his hard work; and the pool so -dug and filled, has remained a spot of peculiar sanctity, termed, from -the _chakra_, or discus, _chakra kunda_, or _chakra puskkarnī_, -discus-pond. When Siva returned and saw what Vishnu had done, he nodded -his head in approbation so energetically, that the jewel (_mani_) of one -of his ear-rings (_karniká_) fell off, and the place was thenceforth -called _Manikarnika_.” (See _Kasi Khand_, Part I. chap. 26). - -A Brahman sitting beneath a porch is reading aloud, with his book on his -knees, and bending his body backwards and forwards as he reads. - -Beneath the shade of a fine _pīpal_ tree (ficus religiosa) is a -four-headed and holy piece of sculpture, with the bull (_nandī_) -reposing before it; also another singularly sculptured stone -representing two heads, their bodies formed of snakes entwined. The -_pīpal_ is universally sacred: the Hindūs are seen in the early morning -putting flowers in _pūja_ at the foot of the tree, and pouring water on -its roots. They worship the idols placed beneath it in a similar manner, -and they believe that a god resides in every leaf, who delights in the -music of their rustling, and their tremulous motion. - -Near this place is the spot on which the dead are burned; it is -dedicated to Vishnu, as _Jalsāī_, or “sleeper on the waters;” and there, -many a Hindu widow has devoted herself to the flames with the corpse of -her husband. In the Museum is a brazen image of _Jalsāī_ floating on -Anantā, the great serpent. - - - THE HINDŪ SCHOOL. - -In the Bengalī schools a boy learns his letters by writing them, never -by pronouncing the alphabet, as in Europe; he first writes them on the -ground with a stick, or his fingers; next with an iron style, or a reed, -on a palm-leaf; and next on a green plantain-leaf. The Bengalī -schoolmasters punish with a cane, or a rod made of the branch of a tree; -sometimes a truant is compelled to stand on one leg, holding up a brick -in each hand, or to have his arms stretched out, until he is completely -tired. Almost all the villages contain common schools. The allowance to -the schoolmasters is very small: for the first year’s education, about a -penny a month, and a day’s provisions; when a boy writes on the -palm-leaf, twopence a month; after this, as the boy advances in -learning, as much as fourpence or eightpence a month is given. There are -no schools for girls among the Hindūs. “Jesus stooped down, and with his -finger wrote upon the ground.” (John viii. 6). Schools for children are -frequently held under trees in Bengal, and the children who are -beginning to learn, write the letters of the alphabet in the dust. This -saves pens, ink, and paper. “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of -iron.” (Jeremiah xvii. 1). The letters are formed by making incisions on -the palm-leaf: these books are very durable. - -The scene now represents the _gyan-bapī_, or the well of knowledge, -which is regarded as peculiarly sacred by the Hindūs, and it is related -that it was dug by Isana with his _trisūl_, or trident, when he was -wandering about Kashī. One of the officiating Brahmans is seen receiving -the offerings of rice, &c. from a party of pilgrims, just about to -commence the circuit of the temples. If a rich Hindū present any thing -to an inferior, the latter, as a mark of respect, puts it on his head. -An offering of cloth, for instance, received at a temple, the receiver -not only places on his head, but binds it there. The rice and flowers -were formerly thrown into the well; but they rendered the water so -putrid, that a defence of planks has been since put up to prevent it. -The man near the _gyan-bapī_ carrying a staff, is a _dŭndī fakīr_. This -name is given because these devotees receive a staff (_dŭndŭ_) when they -first enter this order. The Brahmans, on meeting one, prostrate -themselves before him. The _dŭndī_ shaves his head and beard every four -months. He travels with a staff in one hand, and an alms-dish in the -other; he does not beg or cook his food, but is a guest at the houses of -the Brahmans. The ceremonies to which this order attend, are, repeating -the names of Vishnŭ, bathing once a day, and, with closed eyes, -meditating on the attributes of the god by the side of the river. When -about to bathe, they besmear themselves all over with the mud of the -Ganges. The _dŭndīs_ do not burn, but bury their dead, repeating certain -forms of prayer. - - - THE BALANCING GOAT. - -In front of a beautiful Muhammadan Mosque a group is assembled around an -Hindostanī juggler, with his goat, two monkeys, and several bits of -wood, made in the shape of an hour-glass. The first piece he places on -the ground, the goat ascends it, and balances herself on the top: the -man by degrees places another bit of wood on the edge of the former; the -goat ascends and retains her balance: a third piece, in like manner, is -placed on the top of the former two pieces; the goat ascends from the -two former, a monkey is placed on her back, and she still preserves her -balance. The man keeps time with a sort of musical instrument, which he -holds in his right hand, and sings a wild song to aid the goat: without -the song and the measured time, they say the goat could not perform the -balance. A grass-cutter is looking on: he has just returned from cutting -a bundle of _dūb_-grass: every horse in India has his _sāīs_, or groom, -and his grass-cutter. When a beautiful _begam_ (a native princess) is -suffering from the pangs of jealousy, she often exclaims, “I wish I were -married to a grass-cutter!” because a man of that class is too poor to -be able to keep two wives. - -The man on the right is a religious mendicant, a disciple of Siva. When -this portrait was taken, his long black hair, matted with cow-dung, was -twisted like a turban round his head: he was dreadfully lean, almost a -skeleton. His left arm had been held erect so long, that the flesh had -withered, and the skin clung round the bones most frightfully; the nails -of the hand, which had been kept immoveably clenched, had pierced -through the palm, and grew out at the back of the hand, like the long -claws of a bird of prey. His skeleton arm was encircled by a twisted -stick, the stem perhaps of a thick creeper, the end of which was cut -into the shape of the head of the cobra di capello, with its hood -displayed; and the twisted withy looked like the body of the reptile -wreathed around his horrible arm. His only garment was the skin of a -tiger, thrown over his shoulders, and a bit of rag and rope. He was of a -dirty ashen colour from mud and paint; perhaps in imitation of Siva, -who, when he appeared on earth as a naked mendicant of an ashy colour, -was recognized as Mahadēo, the great god. This man was considered a very -holy person. His right hand contained an empty gourd and a small rosary, -and two long rosaries were around his neck of the rough beads called -_mundrāsī_. Acts of severity towards the body, practised by religious -mendicants, are not done as penances for sin, but as works of -extraordinary merit, promising large rewards in a future state. The -_Byragī_ is not a penitent, but a proud ascetic. - -A very small and beautifully-formed _ginī_ (a dwarf cow) was with him. -She was decorated with crimson cloth, embroidered with cowrie shells, -and a plume of peacocks’ feathers as a _jika_, rose from the top of her -head. A brass bell was on her neck, and around her legs were anklets of -the same metal. Many _Fakīrs_ lead these little dwarf cows about the -country, they are fat and sleek, and considered so holy that they will -not sell them. - -A barber sitting on a ghāt, is shaving an Hindū, he makes use of water, -but not of soap, while he shaves all round the head, leaving a tuft of -hair in the middle of the back of the head, which is commonly tied in a -knot. Shaving is usually done under a small shed or a tree, very often -in the street or road. - -We have now given as many views of Benares as it is possible to -introduce within the limits of our Diorama, and we take leave of the -holy city with regret. The _Vedas_ and _Shastrs_ all testify that -“Viswaswara is the first of _Devas_, _Kashī_ (Benares) the first of -cities, _Gangā_ the first of rivers, and charity the first of virtues.” -Vishveshvur, “Lord of the Universe,” is one of the most exalted titles -of Siva. - - - THE FORTRESS OF CHUNAR. - -The scene now represents Chunar, a fortress of considerable natural -strength, situated on an insulated rock, about 150 feet high, forming -the extremity of a low range of hills, on the right bank of the Ganges, -about eighteen miles from Benares. In December, 1765, the Company’s -troops, commanded by Major Pemble, stormed the place, and were repulsed -with severe loss. The defences were irregular, following the outline of -the eminence on which they were erected: several heavy batteries were -mounted on the ramparts; but the native garrison trusted more to the -inaccessible nature of the approach, and to the facilities it possessed -for rolling down stones upon any assailants,—of which missiles, a large -supply was always held in readiness on the ramparts. The fortress was -again invested, and on the 8th of February, 1765, the _Killadar_ of the -Fort surrendered the keys to Major Stibbert. It is an invalid station, -although not reckoned a healthy spot, owing to the great heat arising -from the stone: it completely commands the river, and is used as a place -of confinement for state-prisoners. Snakes are numerous, and boys bring -the cobra di capello for sale to boats. In the Magazine is a large black -slab, on which the deity of the Fort is said to be ever present, with -the exception of from daybreak until the hour of nine A.M., during which -time he is at Benares. Tradition asserts, that the Fort would never have -been taken by the English, but for the absence of their god Burtreenath. - -A little above the Fort is a temple: tradition states it to contain a -chest, which cannot be opened, unless the party opening it lose his -hand—four thieves having so suffered once in an attempt upon it. It is -also recorded, that the deified giant Bhīm Singh, built the fortress of -Chunar in one day, and rendered it impregnable. - -A native has just succeeded in crossing the river on a bundle of reeds; -his clothes placed on the top of his head are safe from wet, and with -one hand he paddles along. On the outskirts of the village is seen a -remarkably ancient Banyan-tree, the Ficus Indica. - -In front of the tomb of a _Pīr_ (a Muhammadan saint), three followers of -the prophet are at their devotions. A _Shāmiyāna_, or awning, screens -the tomb from the sun and rain: the standards of Hussan and Hussein are -displayed, and daily coloured lanterns are suspended from the top of -high bamboos. - - - THE PERSIAN WHEEL. - -A woman is sticking cakes of cow-dung on the wall to dry for fuel. This -article, called _oplā_, is generally used by the poorer classes; 1280 -cakes are sold for a rupee: when well prepared and dried it blazes like -wood. On the right is a fine Persian wheel: the water is brought up in -_gharas_, red earthen vessels fastened round its circumference; it is -worked by two bullocks, and gives an abundant supply. A wheel of this -sort is perhaps superior to any other method of drawing water. - - - MIRZAPŪR. - -Mirzapūr is a military cantonment, famous for its beautiful ghāts, and -noted for its carpet manufactory and cotton mart. Some remarkably -picturesque Hindū temples are on the _ghāts_, with fine trees in the -back ground. The cliff is abrupt, and the river is always crowded with -vessels full of merchandise: steamers having plenty of cargo to land are -generally detained here four or five hours. Mirzapūr is from Calcutta, -_via_ Bhagirathī, 748 miles, and by dāk route, 455. - -The scene before you is very singular; it represents the finale of the -_Kalī-pūjā_ festival: the goddess is seen on a platform in the boat in -the foreground, covered by an awning, and adorned with flags: on the -steps of the _ghāt_, a similar image is being put into a boat, and from -every part of the city the worshippers are bringing forth the idols. One -of the boats is towed by a _dinghī_, in which they are firing a _feu de -joie_ from a matchlock. - -In the house of the Bengalī _babū_ you beheld a _nāch_, and the worship -of the goddess Dūrga, a yellow woman, with ten arms. You have now before -you another form of the same Hindū deity, under the name of Kalī, the -black, the terrific. When this goddess is worshipped in the month of -May, it is called the _Phuluharī_ festival, on account of the quantity -of fruits and flowers offered to the idol at this particular season: -animals are sacrificed in her honour, and jack fruit and mangoes are -presented to her in that particular month. - -The day after the worship, the people carry the goddess in state to the -river, and place the image on a platform, between two boats; the -worshippers, attended by the discordant music of tom-toms (native drums) -and horns, row the image out into the stream, and sink her in the deep -waters: the women weep and utter lamentations on parting with the idol. - -This goddess is represented as a black woman, with four arms: in one -hand she carries a scimitar, one is bestowing a blessing, another -forbids fear, and the fourth holds the head of the giant whom she slew. - -She wears a necklace of skulls, her tongue hangs out of her mouth, her -jet-black hair falls to her heels. Having drunk the blood of the giants -she slew, her eyebrows are bloody, and the blood is falling in a stream -down her breast: her eyes are red, like those of a drunkard: she stands -trampling on her husband Siva. Kālī had a contest with the giant Ravŭna, -which lasted ten years: having conquered him, she became mad with joy, -and her dancing shook the earth to its centre. To restore the peace of -the world, Siva, her husband, threw himself amongst the dead bodies at -her feet. She continued her dancing, and trampled upon him. When she -discovered her husband, she stood still, horror-struck and ashamed, and -threw out her tongue to an uncommon length; by this means Siva stopped -her frantic dancing, and saved the universe. “The Philistine cursed -David by his gods.” A Hindū sometimes in a fit of anger, says to his -enemy, “The goddess Kalī shall devour thee; may Dūrga destroy thee!” - - - THE TIMBER RAFT. - -The picturesque _ghāt_ of Sirsya is in the distance, in front of which -is an enormous boat, called a _Kutcher_, or _Kutchuā_; the bows and the -stern are both square. A vessel of this description has frequently two -rudders, like the one before you. It is laden with bales of cotton, -which extend, supported on bamboos, far beyond each side of the boat. -The next vessel is a large _patailī_, called a _ghor-daul_, or -_ghora-wal_, because the bows are ornamented with a horse’s head. She is -laden with salt. - -In the foreground is a timber raft, one of the most picturesque objects -to be seen on the Ganges. The men who accompany the raft have a -strangely wild appearance; fresh from the _jangal_, they come down with -the floating timber for scarcely any payment, just enough to feed them. -They are small in stature, their skins are very dark, they shave the -head completely, and their bodies are all but naked. They direct the -course of the raft with long bamboos; a small thatch is erected upon -her, under which they creep, and there they sleep. A picture in itself -is the wild, strange-looking timber raft, which is generally decorated -with two or three small red flags, and is always accompanied by a very -small, narrow canoe, hollowed out of the trunk of a tree. - - - ALLAHABAD. - -The fortress of Allahabad was built by Akbar Shah in 1581. On the 11th -February, 1765, the governor of the fort, Alī Beg Khan, surrendered it -to the Company’s troops, under the command of Major Fletcher, and -marched out with his garrison, under safe conduct. Thus in one week -Chunar and Allahabad, the two most important fortresses in -Shuja-oo-Dowlah’s possession, fell without loss into the hands of the -English. - -The fortress is erected upon a point of land, stretching out into the -waters at the junction of the sacred rivers. One of the holiest places -on the Ganges is pointed out by numerous flags at the spot where it -joins the Jumna, just below the fort. The Saraswati is supposed to unite -with them _underground_, whence the junction is called _Trivenī_, or -_Tribenī_. This spot is so holy, that a person dying there is certain of -immediate _moskh_, or beatitude, without risk of further transmigration. -The blue waters of the Jumna contrast strongly at the junction with the -muddy hue of the waters of the Ganges. On the sands below the fort, the -_Bura Mela_, or great fair, is held annually; it lasts about two months, -and attracts devotees and merchants from all parts of India. At that -period, also, _lākhs_ and _lākhs_ of natives come to Prag; they make -_pūja_, shave, give money to the _Fakīrs_, and bathe at the sacred -junction. Suicide committed at the _Benī_ is meritorious in persons of a -certain caste, but a _sin_ for a Brahman! The ancient city of Prag, -acquired the name of Allahabad from the Musalmān conquerors of India. - -The buildings occupied by Shah Allum when he resided in the fort, still -retain traces of their former grandeur, and some of the apartments -command a fine view of the Jumna that flows beneath. An enormous pillar, -formerly prostrate near the gateway in the fort, has been set up on a -pedestal, under the superintendence of the late Colonel Edward Smith. -The natives call it _Bhīm Singh ké lāt_, that is, Bhīm Singh’s -walking-stick: some of the inscriptions on the _lāt_ are in unknown -characters—those of the mighty dead, who have disappeared from the -earth, leaving records imperishable, but incomprehensible. - -The steam vessels and tugs which navigate the Ganges from Calcutta -terminate their voyage at Allahabad. - - -[Illustration] - - THE SATĪ. - -The scene now before you represents a _Satī_, the burning of a Hindū -widow with the corpse of her husband. The event here represented took -place on the 7th November, 1828, near Raj ghāt, under the Mahratta -_bund_ (an embankment raised to prevent the encroachment of the Ganges). -The woman was the wife of a rich _buniyā_ (a corn-chandler), and she -determined to burn on his funeral-pile. The magistrate sent for her, -used every argument to dissuade her, and offered her money. Her only -answer was, dashing her head against the floor, and saying, “If you will -not let me burn with my husband, I will hang myself in your court of -justice.” If a widow touch either food or water from the time her -husband expires until she ascend the pile, she cannot, by Hindū law, be -burned with the body; therefore the magistrate kept the corpse -_forty-eight_ hours, in the hope that hunger would compel the woman to -eat. Guards were set over her; but she never touched any thing. A -procession of people accompanied the widow from her dwelling to the -river-side; she walked in the midst, dressed in a red garment, and the -corpse, placed on a charpaī, fixed on long bamboos, was carried on men’s -shoulders. About 5000 people were collected together on the banks of the -Ganges: the pile was built, and the putrid body placed upon it. - -After having bathed in the river, the widow lighted a brand, walked -round the pile, set it on fire, and then mounted cheerfully: the flame -caught and blazed up instantly; she sat down, placing the head of the -corpse on her lap, and repeated several times the usual form, “_Ram, -Ram, sātī; Ram, Ram, sātī_;” _i.e._ “God, God, I am chaste.” As the wind -drove the fierce fire upon her, she shook her arms and limbs as if in -agony; at length she started up, and approached the side to escape. An -Hindū—one of the police who had been placed near the pile to see that -she had fair play, and should not be burned by force—raised his sword to -strike her, and the poor wretch shrank back into the flames. The -magistrate seized and committed him to prison. The woman again -approached the side of the blazing pile, sprang fairly out, and ran into -the Ganges, which was within a few yards. When the crowd and the -brothers of the dead man saw this, they called out, “Cut her down! knock -her on the head with a bamboo! tie her hands and feet, and throw her in -again!” They rushed down to execute their murderous intentions, when -some English gentlemen and the police drove them back. The woman drank -some water, and having extinguished the fire on her red garment, said -she would mount the pile again and be burned. The magistrate placed his -hand upon her shoulder (which rendered her impure), and said, “By your -own law, having once quitted the pile, you cannot ascend again; I forbid -it.” He sent her in a palanquin, under a guard, to the hospital. The -crowd made way, shrinking from her with signs of horror, but returned -peacefully to their homes; the Hindūs annoyed at her escape, the -Musalmāns, saying, “It was better that she should escape, but it was a -pity we should have lost the _tamāshā_ (amusement) of seeing her burnt -to death.” The woman said, “I have transmigrated six times, and have -been burned six times with six different husbands; if I do not burn the -seventh time, it will prove unlucky for me!” “What good will burning do -you?” asked a bystander: she replied, “The women of my husband’s family -have all been _satīs_: why should I bring disgrace upon them? I shall go -to heaven, and afterwards re-appear on earth, and be married to a very -rich man.” - -The woman was about 25 years of age, and possessed some property: had -she performed _satī_, her relatives would have raised a little cenotaph, -or a mound of earth, by the side of the river; and every Hindū who -passed the place returning from bathing, would have made _salām_ to it—a -high honour to the family. The _shastrs_ say, “There is no greater -virtue than a chaste woman burning herself with her husband.” Mothers -collect the cowries, strewn by a satī as she walks round the pile, ere -she fires it, and hang them round the necks of their sick children, as a -cure for disease. - -The woman became an outcast: her own and her husband’s family would lose -caste, if they were to speak to her; no Hindū will eat with her, enter -her house, or give her assistance; and when she appears, they will point -at her, and give her abuse. Many years after this event took place, the -woman regained caste by giving large feasts and donations to the -Brahmans. - -In the Museum are five _kalsas_, or crowns of unglazed pottery, some of -which formerly decorated the _satī_ mounds in Alopee Bagh, near -Allahabad, and the rest were brought from Ghazipūr. There are also two -black stones, apparently very ancient, on which figures are carved, -brought from the _satī_ mound of the widow of a Brahman, at Barrah. - -About two years after this event at Allahabad, the practice of _satī_ -was abolished, by order of government. - -The fine building here represented is a _dhrum-sala_, or place to -distribute alms, at Benī Māhadēo Ghāt; it is dedicated to a form of -Māhadēo, which stands in the _shiwālā_, or little temple above. Under -the arches in the lower part, by the side of the Ganges, is an enormous -figure of Ganesh; the worshippers pour oil and Ganges water over the -image, with rice and flowers, and hang chaplets of flowers around its -neck: the idol is generally dripping with oil. The red flag, at the end -of a long bamboo displayed from the _pīpul_ tree, denotes the residence -of a _Fakīr_. The temple is very picturesque, and the foliage adds to -the beauty of the scene. - - - SULTAN KHUSRŪ’S MAUSOLEUM. - -The _sarā’e_, or caravansary, at Allahabad, built by Sultan Khusrū, is a -noble one, and the gateway through which you pass to the _bāghīcha_, or -garden bearing his name, is very fine. The garden is a large space of -ground, enclosed by a high wall, containing three tombs and a -_baithakhāna_, or pavilion. These palace-like tombs, amongst which is -that of Sultan Khusrū’s, are splendid mausoleums. Tho first and largest -monument is that of the Sultan, in which he is buried; it is a handsome -building, and within it is deposited a beautifully-illuminated kurān. -Sultan Khusrū married a daughter of the Wuzeer Azim Khan; he was the son -of Jehāngīr, and his mother was the daughter of the Rajpūt Prince -Bagwandas, of Amber. The other monuments are those of Noorjahān and the -Jodh Bā’ī; the fourth building is a pavilion, in which visitors are -allowed to live for a short time, during a visit to the garden. Around -the tombs are some of the finest and most beautiful tamarind-trees. -These trees, called by the natives _imlī_, are generally found around or -sheltering the tombs of revered or sacred characters. The natives are -impressed with a notion that it is dangerous to sleep under the -tamarind-tree, especially during the night. - -Just beyond the gates of the _sarā’e_, is a _bāolī_, a magnificent well, -with underground apartments; it is a most remarkable and curious place, -and the well is a noble one. - -A company of pilgrims, carriers of holy water, are _en route_ to the -junction, to fill their bottles at the _benī_, or bathing-place. They -are passing some of the tombs of the faithful. - -In the foreground are some aloes. In India the hedges are full of this -plant, and it flowers annually. - - - THE GRAM GRINDER. - -In front of a native village a woman is spinning, and on the right is -another Hindū woman, a gram grinder. Gram (_chāna_, _cicer arietinum_, -chick pea) is used for the food of horses in India. It is ground in a -_chakkī_, or mill, which is formed of two flat circular stones, the -lower of which is generally fixed in the earth, and from its centre a -peg passes through a hole in the upper stone, and forms a pivot on which -the upper stone works. The gram is put in through this hole in the upper -stone, and the flour works out at the edges between the two stones. When -there is much work to be done, two women will sit on the ground and -grind the same mill, which is placed between their legs. This is the -sort of mill spoken of in Scripture: “Two women were grinding at the -mill, the one shall be taken and the other left.” Matt. xxiv. 41. - -Two children are playing with some meal in a basket; one of them is -adorned with a number of charms, fastened on a string. The _ta’wīz_, or -charm, is an armlet, to ward off evil spirits, and all misfortune. The -native beds, resting against the wall on the right, serve as beds by -night, and as resting-places by day. - - -[Illustration] - - HURDWAR. - -Hurdwar, on the right bank of the Ganges, a place of great sanctity, is -celebrated as the resort of Hindū pilgrims, in amazing numbers. Hurdwar, -or _Hurīdwar_, (the gate of Hurī, or Vishnū,) is also called -_Gangū-dwāra_—as at this place the Ganges, having traversed 150 miles -from its secluded mountain birth-place, and having forced a passage -through the last barrier or gate (_dwāra_), emerges in a broad clear -stream upon the plains. Hurdwar contains many fine buildings parallel -with the course of the river, some of which have their foundations in -the sacred waters. They are generally of brick, but many are of very -fine white freestone. The bed of the river is intersected with low woody -islands, and is a full mile broad in the rainy season. - -A fair takes place annually at Hurdwar, in the month of April, lasting -nearly a fortnight; that being the period chosen by pilgrims, who flock -from all parts of India to perform their ablutions in the Ganges: it is -held in the bed of the river, which at that period is nearly dry. Two or -three hundred thousand people are attracted to this fair, and every -twelfth year, it is supposed a million of people assemble at this place. -The scene is interesting in the highest degree. Merchants from Calcutta -meet with others from Osbeck Tartary, and Cabul; and thousands of Seiks -attend the fair. Horse merchants from Bokhara and Cabul occupy the -central parts of the dry bed of the river; those from Tūrkistān encamp -at the back of the town. Elephant dealers traverse the roads of the fair -with their animals, morning and evening; and the place is crowded with -camels, mules, and shawl and jewel merchants; in fact, merchandise of -every description is collected at the fair from every part of the -Eastern world, and it is difficult to convey even a faint idea of the -swarms of living creatures, men and beasts of every description, which -occupy every foot of ground during the fair. - -The Hindūs receive from the Brahmans a certificate of having performed -the pilgrimage; and carriers of holy water attend in great numbers to -bring away the sacred stream in bottles, carefully sealed and stamped. - - - THE BATHING GHĀT. - -The principal bathing ghāt has been lately rebuilt in a most splendid -manner by the Government of Bengal, under the superintendence of an -officer of engineers; it is now both elegant and commodious, and will -prevent the destruction of so many human beings, which so often occurred -by the sudden rush of the devotees through the old and narrow ghāt to -reach the water at the propitious moment, which was often at midnight. -The auspicious moment is calculated by the Brahmans, who aver that a -great increase in the efficacy of the rite is derivable from its -performance, when Jupiter is in Aquarius, which happens every twelfth -year, or when the sun enters Aries. - -A wandering mendicant in the foreground is playing on an _ektara_, a -one-stringed instrument, formed of a gourd, surmounted by peacocks’ -feathers—the Paganini of the East! - - - BARH. - -The scene before you represents the encampment of the Commander-in-chief -at Barh, at the foot of the hills, distant about thirty miles from -Simla. Here the baggage elephants, and camels, deposit their loads, a -part of which are carried up the mountains by the hill men; the -remainder, with the carriages, palanquins, and tents, are either sent -back to the plains, or placed in _godowns_ belonging to a Simla firm at -Barh. The ladies of the party are sitting in _jampāns_, ready to ascend -“The Hills,” as these mountains are called, from being at the foot of -the Himalaya. The _jampān_ is a sort of arm-chair, with a top and -curtains to it, to afford shelter from the sun or rain; long poles are -affixed to it, and it is carried by four _Paharīs_, singular-looking -little black, hill fellows, harnessed between the poles after their -fashion. A group of them are sitting near the _jampāns_. They are little -fellows, with flat ugly faces, like the Tartar race, dressed in black -woollen coarse trowsers, a blanket of the same over their shoulders, and -a rope round their waists; a black greasy round leather cap on their -heads, sometimes decorated all round the face with bunches of freshly -gathered hill flowers. They are very honest, and very idle; moreover, -most exceedingly dirty. The women are good-looking and strong. Polyandry -is a common institution. Gentlemen ascend the hills either in a _jampān_ -or on a _gūnth_, a hill-poncy, a most sure-footed, sagacious animal, who -will carry you safely round the most dangerous places, where you have a -wall of rock on the one side, and a precipice on the other. A -_jumna-par_ goat, with its long silky ears, is lying on the ground near -a shawl goat from Cashmere. Some men of a corps of irregular horse are -in attendance on the Commander-in-Chief, and the _tom-tom wālā_, with -his drum, is seated on his blanket, on which the people throw cowries, -and sometimes _paisā_, small copper coins: a _tom-tom wālā_ is a -constant attendant on every camp. - - -[Illustration] - - SIMLA—THE CONICAL HILL. - -The view now before you represents the conical hill at Simla; it was -taken by Lieutenant-Colonel Luard from his house, called The Craigs. -Simla is about 7000 feet above the level of the sea; it is not many -miles from Rampore, the chief town in the valley of the Sutledge, and is -one of the favourite places of resort of Europeans during the hot -season. - -As the chosen retreat of Governors-General and Commanders-in-Chief, from -the burning plains of India, the place has enjoyed for some years past -many considerable advantages. A great number of residences have been -built on the hills; the roads are good; there is a church, a school, an -observatory, an amateur theatre, &c. You have a glimpse of the snowy -ranges in the distance. The conical hill is crowned by Stirling Castle; -and the house below it was then inhabited by Colonel Birch, the Judge -Advocate General. The flag-staff points out the residence of his -Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and the houses below, on the left, -are those occupied by the Aid-de-camps. Two hill men are in the -foreground, with the baskets in which they carry provisions on their -backs. - - - SIMLA. - -The view is a continuation of Simla; and one of the residences now -before you is that of Mr. Gubbins, of the Bengal Civil Service. - -The hills are covered with the finest vegetation, and the views are -beautiful. The evergreen oak flourishes in magnificence, the deodar fir -rises to enormous height, and the bright crimson-flowered rhododendron -is a _forest tree_, not a shrub, as you have it in England. Violets are -under every rock, the wild notes of the hill birds are heard in every -direction, and health, strength, and spirits are imparted by the pure, -delicious, and bracing mountain air. - - - FAGOO. - -On the Hill of Fagoo, here represented, is a Traveller’s Bungalow, -constructed of wood. A group of _Paharīs_, or hill men, are on the -right, and in the distance are the snowy ranges of the Himalaya. Water -is procured from the _khuds_, as the deep narrow valleys between the -hills are called, where it is found in little rills. - - - THE GANGES. - -This mountainous and picturesque scene represents the force with which -the holy river rushes downwards from the deep recesses in the mountains, -until it passes the last barrier of rocks, and emerges on the plains -near Hurdwar. - -The _dēodar_, Pinus dēodara, rises to a magnificent height in these -regions, sometimes measuring 100 feet: its oil, called _dēodar_, is used -by the natives as a powerful remedy in rheumatic attacks. Leopards and -bears inhabit the forests, and the musk deer is sometimes, though but -rarely found. The black and the golden eagles of the Himalaya swoop over -the precipices, and a great variety of remarkably beautiful pheasants -are found here. Specimens of all these birds may be seen in the Museum. - - - THE SNOWY REGIONS. - -As you approach Gangoutrī, you enter on the snowy regions; and in the -scene before you, the hill men, with baskets of provisions, are toiling -up the steep ascent, for which their stout and sinewy limbs are well -adapted; and pilgrims are ascending the mountain. An English gentleman, -seated beneath a small tent, is resting, refreshing himself, and -enjoying the warmth of the fire his attendants have kindled, ere he -re-commences the toilsome ascent of the snowy mountains. - - -[Illustration] - - GANGOUTRĪ. - -Gangoutrī, the source of the most sacred river in Hindostan, is now -before you. The pious Hindū believes, that in this awful solitude -Mahadēo sits enthroned in clouds and mist, amid rocks that defy the -approach of living thing, and snows that make desolation more awful. -Surrounded by gigantic peaks entirely cased in snow, and almost beyond -the regions of animal and vegetable life, an awful silence prevails, -except when broken by the thundering peals of falling avalanches. Cold, -wild, and stupendous, the dazzling brilliancy of the snow is rendered -more striking by its contrast with the dark blue colour of the sky; and -at night the stars shine with a lustre they have not in a denser -atmosphere. Gangoutrī (_Gangā avatārī_), marked 10,319 feet above the -sea, is the celebrated place of pilgrimage, near to which the Ganges -issues: its course has not been traced beyond Gangoutrī; for the stream, -a little farther, is entirely concealed under a glacier or iceberg, and -is supposed to be inaccessible. The _mandap_, or Hindū temple, built by -a Ghoorka chief, is of stone, and contains small statues of Bhāgīrath, -Gangā, and other local deities. It stands on a piece of rock about -twenty feet higher than the bed of the Ganges; and at a little distance -there is a rough wooden building to shelter travellers. The last day of -his journey the pilgrim fasts, and on his arrival at the sacred spot, he -has his whole body shaved; after which he bathes, performs funeral -obsequies in honour of his deceased ancestors, and makes presents to the -Brahmans. - -To perish by cold in the mountains during a pilgrimage, forms one of the -methods by which the Hindūs may meritoriously put a period to their -existence; it is also one of the Hindū atonements for great offences. -The pilgrim must remain seven days at Gangoutrī: when he is about to -return, he obtains some of the offerings which have been presented to -the idol or idols, and brings them home to give to his friends; these -consist of sweet-meats, _tulsī_ leaves, the ashes of cow-dung, &c. To -obtain its full benefit, the pilgrimage must be performed on foot. A -trifle is paid to the Brahman for the privilege of taking the water, -which the Hindūs believe is so pure as neither to evaporate nor become -corrupted by being kept and transported to distant places. -Notwithstanding the great efficacy attributed to this pilgrimage, -Gangoutrī is but little frequented, owing to the hardships to be -endured, and the great difficulties that are met with on the route; the -accomplishment of it is supposed to redeem the performer from many -troubles in this world, and ensure a happy transit through all the -stages of transmigration he may have to undergo. - -The snowy peaks of Gangoutrī rise in glittering whiteness high above the -clouds. Look on those mountains of eternal snow,—the rose tints linger -on them, the white clouds roll below, and their peaks are sharply set -upon a sky of the brightest, clearest, and deepest blue. Who may -describe the solitary loveliness, the speaking quietude that wraps these -forest scenes? Who can look unmoved on the coronets of snow that crown -the eternal Himalaya? - -“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain.” (John iv. 20.) In these awful -solitudes, where eternity is throned in “icy halls of cold sublimity,” -the Hindūs think “men ought to worship.” The pilgrim gazes with delight -on the aërial mountains that pour down Gangā and Yamunā from their -snow-formed caves, and enjoys those solemn feelings of natural piety -with which the spirit of solitude imbues the soul. - -We have now traced the course of the Ganges, from the branch called the -Hoogly, which flows past Fort William, Bengal, to Gangoutrï, its source -in the Himalaya. The Diorama is concluded, and we trust that -satisfaction and pleasure have been experienced by the audience who have -accompanied us on the pilgrimage. - - - THE MUSEUM - -is open for the inspection of those who have honoured with their -presence the DIORAMA OF HINDOSTAN. - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LONDON: - - GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, - - ST. JOHN’S SQUARE. - - - - - Prospectus. - - In the Spring of 1852 will be published, in One Vol., royal 8vo, - handsomely bound in cloth, - - - A HISTORY - - OF THE - - DRESS OF THE BRITISH SOLDIER, - - FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME. - - Illustrated with Fifty Drawings. - - BY - - LIEUT.-COLONEL JOHN LUARD. - - _Price_ 30_s._ 0_d._ _To Subscribers_, 25_s._ 0_d._ - _On India Paper_, 32_s._ 6_d._ _To Subscribers_, 27_s._ 6_d._ - - -The object of this work is to describe the numerous changes, which have -taken place in the Dress of Military Men; first, during the time when -armour was worn, but more particularly since it has been left off; with -a view, by accurately delineating the various changes, to induce British -Officers to reflect without prejudice on this important subject, and to -form a just estimate of what is useful, desirable, and ornamental for a -soldier’s equipment, at the smallest expense, both for officers and -privates,—taking into consideration the best mode of ensuring freedom of -action for the different arms of the service, and for health and -comfort, while enduring the various climates of our colonies. - - - - - Opinions of the Press. - - - WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM, - - During Four-and-Twenty Years in the East; with Revelations of Life in - the Zenana. - - BY - - -[Illustration] - - THE ENGLISH REVIEW. - -“The tone of bold and careless frankness in which this interesting and -instructive work is written, is singularly attractive. ‘Les Indoos -peints par eux-mêmes’ might be its title.” - - - WESTMINSTER AND FOREIGN QUARTERLY REVIEW. - -“But we must here take leave of a work in which we have felt a more than -ordinary interest; the spirit with which the various events of a -prolonged residence in the East are delineated, the beautiful -illustrations, and the graphic descriptions of scenery, will ensure for -the book a favourable reception from every reader.” - - - NAVAL AND MILITARY GAZETTE. - -“If we admire the book much for its external beauty, we admire it still -more for its internal merit—for the infinite variety, curiosity, and -interest of its contents.” - - - THE COURT JOURNAL. - -“To the authoress of the twenty-four years’ ‘Wanderings’ has been -reserved the honour of superseding the vivacious correspondent of -Alexander Pope, and of taking the first rank as the chronicler of the -scenes of the Zenana. Nothing of the kind can rival the portraiture of -the ‘Pilgrim.’ It is fresh, intelligent, and minutely interesting.” - - - BLACKWOOD’S LADY’S MAGAZINE. - -“We affirm, without fear of contradiction, that so graphic, picturesque, -and thoroughly _real_ a delineation of India as a country, and its -inhabitants as a people, has never before appeared.” - - - THE ASIATIC AND COLONIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL. - -“This, in all its phases, is a very splendid, very attractive work, and -amply meriting the exceeding favour with which it has been received; -exciting and achieving, as it assuredly has, an extended interest and -popularity throughout the reading communities of Europe and Asia; the -while, receiving Her Majesty of England’s gracious patronage, along with -that, _to its fullest extent_, of those mighty Kings of the East, the -Directors of the East India Company.” - - - THE BRITANNIA AND CONSERVATIVE JOURNAL. - -“Now, the great charm and recommendation of the ‘Wanderings’ is their -clear and perfect _truth_.” - - - THE WEEKLY NEWS. - -“She has gone forth with a determination of purpose which none of the -perils of Life in India could shake, and in a zealous pursuit of the -truth which no sophistry could check; and grasping alike at the loftiest -and minutest objects, has contrived to accumulate a mass of information -never before comprehended in a single work.” - -[Illustration] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. P. 24, changed “each side her bows” to “each side of her bows”. - 2. P. 44, changed “one side the hut” to “one side of the hut”. - 3. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 4. Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as - printed. - 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan, by Fanny Parks - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF HINDOSTAN *** - -***** This file should be named 60006-0.txt or 60006-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/0/0/60006/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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