LIFE IN THE MUFASSIL.
“PLANT A TREE, DIG A WELL, WRITE A BOOK, AND GO TO HEAVEN[28].”
First Visits in the East—Papamhow—Runjeet Singh’s
illness—Death of Lord Hastings—Lord Amherst created Earl of
Arracan—Marriage of a neem to a peepul—The Bacäin—A Koord
Arab—Visit to Lucnow—His Majesty Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder—Lord
Combermere—Kywan Jah—Presents not allowed to be accepted—Fights
of Wild Beasts—Quail—Departure of Lord Combermere—Skinner’s
Horse—Return to Prāg.
_January 1827._—It is usual in India for those newly arrived to call
upon the resident families of the station; the gentleman makes his call,
which is returned by the resident and his family; after which, the lady
returns the visit with her husband. An invitation is then received to
a dinner-party given in honour of the strangers, the lady being always
handed to dinner by the host, and made the queen of the day, whether or
not entitled to it by rank.
Our _début_ in the Mufassil was at the house of the judge, where we met
almost all the station, and were much pleased that destiny had brought us
to Prāg. Prāg was named Allahabad when the old Hindoo city was conquered
by the Mahomedans. We were very fortunate in bringing up our horses and
baggage uninjured, and in not having been robbed _en route_. Lord Amherst
has lost two horses, and his aide-de-camp three: guards are stationed
around the Governor-general’s horse-tents and baggage night and day,
nevertheless native robbers have carried off those five animals. His
lordship is at present at Lucnow.
We have spent the last three weeks most delightfully at Papamhow. Every
sort of scientific amusement was going forward. Painting in oil and
water colours, sketching from nature, turning, making curious articles
in silver and brass, constructing Æolian harps, amusing ourselves
with archery, trying the rockets on the sands of an evening, chemical
experiments, botany, gardening; in fact, the day was never half long
enough for our employment in the workshop and the grounds.
Papamhow is five miles from our own house, standing on higher ground and
in a better situation, on the Ganges; when we can make holiday, we go up
and stay at _our country house_, as our neighbours call it.
The old moonshee is cutting out my name in the Persian character, on the
bottom of a Burmese idol, to answer as a seal. What an excellent picture
the old man, with his long grey beard, would make! I have caught two
beautiful little squirrels, with bushy tails and three white stripes on
their backs; they run about the table, come to my shoulder, and feed from
my hand.
_May._—Our friend at Papamhow is gunpowder agent to the Government, and
manager of the rocket manufactory; his services are likely to be fully
exerted, as it is reported that Runjeet Singh is not expected to live
four months, being in the last stage of a liver complaint, and that his
son, it is thought, will hoist the standard of rebellion. What gives
foundation for this, is, that Lord Combermere is about to make the tour
of the Upper Provinces, and that a concentration of forces is to take
place on the frontier, under the pretext of a grand military inspection
and review. There is no doubt as to who will go to the wall.
We have just received news of the death of Lord Hastings, and learn from
the same papers, that Lord Amherst has been created an earl, and Lord
Combermere a Viscount.
We have been occupied in planting a small avenue of neem-trees in front
of the house; unlike the air around the tamarind, that near a neem-tree
is reckoned wholesome:—according to the Guzrattee Proverb, we had made
no advance on our heavenward road until the avenue was planted, which
carried us on one-third of the journey. No sooner were the trees in the
ground, than the servants requested to be allowed to marry a neem to
a young peepul-tree (ficus religiosa), which marriage was accordingly
celebrated by planting a peepul and neem together, and entwining their
branches. Some pooja was performed at the same time, which, with
the ceremony of the marriage, was sure to bring good fortune to the
newly-planted avenue.
The neem is a large and beautiful tree, common in most parts of India
(melia azadirachta), or margosa-tree; its flowers are fragrant—a strong
decoction of the leaves is used as a cure for strains.
Oil is prepared from the berry of the neem, (neem cowrie, as they call
it,) which is esteemed excellent, and used as a liniment in violent
headaches brought on by exposure to the sun, and in rheumatic and
spasmodic affections. The flowers are fragrant: any thing remarkably
bitter is compared to the neem-tree; “yeh duwa kŭrwee hy jyse neem:” this
medicine is bitter as neem.
The bacäin, or māhā nimba, (melia sempervirens,) a variety of the
neem-tree, is remarkably beautiful. “The neem-tree will not become sweet
though watered with syrup and clarified butter[29].”
My pearl of the desert, my milk-white Arab, Mootee, is useless; laid
up with an inflammation and swelling in his fore-legs; he looks like a
creature afflicted with elephantiasis—they tell us to keep him cool—we
cannot reduce the heat of the stable below 120°!
I feel the want of daily exercise: here it is very difficult to procure a
good Arab; the native horses are vicious, and utterly unfit for a lady;
and I am too much the spoiled child of my mother to mount an indifferent
horse.
_August 28th._—Last week we made our sālām to the Earl of Arracan and his
lady, who stopped at Allahabad, _en route_, and were graciously received.
The society is good and the station pretty and well-ordered; the roads
the best in India, no small source of gratification to those whose
enjoyment consists in a morning and evening drive: a course is also in
progress, round which we are to gallop next cold weather, when we have,
indeed, the finest of climates, of which you, living in your dusty, damp,
dull, foggy, fuliginous _England_, have no idea.
About the middle of April the hot winds set in, when we are confined to
the house, rendered cool by artificial means; after this come four months
of the rains, generally a very pleasant time; then a pause of a month,
and then the cold weather.
_Sept. 20th._—I have just received a most charming present, a white
Arab, from Koordistān: he is a beautiful creature, and from having been
educated in the tents of the Koords, is as tame as a pet lamb. His colour
grey, his mane long and dark; his long white tail touches his heels;
such a beautiful little head! he looks like a younger brother of Scamp,
the Arab I sold on quitting Calcutta. I hear that when a lady was riding
Scamp the other day, he threw her, and nearly fractured her skull. She
was for some time in danger, but has recovered.
_Oct. 27th._—The weather is now very pleasant, cold mornings and
evenings; the end of next month we hope to begin collecting the ice,
which is quite a business in this country. The next four months will be
delightful; March will bring in the hot weather, and in April we shall be
roasted alive.
_Dec. 31st._—For the last three weeks I have been gadding about the
country, the gayest of the gay. A friend at Lucnow invited me to pay her
a visit, at the time Lord Combermere was to stay at the residency. Having
a great desire to see a native court, and elephant and tiger fights, I
accepted the invitation with pleasure.
Accompanied by an aide-de-camp who was going to see the tamāshā, I
reached Lucnow after a run of three nights. Mr. Mordaunt Ricketts
received me with great kindness; I spent a few days at the residency, and
the rest with my friend.
On the arrival at Lucnow of his excellency the commander-in-chief, the
king of Oude, Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder, as a compliment to that nobleman,
sent his son, prince Kywan Jah, with the deputation appointed to
receive his lordship, by whom the prince was treated as the walī-uhd, or
heir-apparent.
The first day, Lord Combermere and the resident breakfasted with the king
of Oude; the party was very numerous. We retired afterwards to another
room, where trays of presents were arranged upon the floor, ticketed with
the names of the persons for whom they were intended, and differing in
their number and value according to the rank of the guests. Two trays
were presented to me, the first containing several pairs of Cashmere
shawls, and a pile of India muslin and kimkhwāb, or cloth of gold. The
other tray contained strings of pearl, precious stones, bracelets, and
other beautiful native jewellery. I was desired to make my sālām in honor
of the bounty of his majesty. As soon as the ceremony had finished, the
trays were carried off and placed in the Company’s treasury, an order
having arrived, directing that all presents made to the servants of the
Company should be accepted,—but for the benefit of the state.
That night his majesty dined at the residency, and took his departure
at ten P.M., when quadrilles immediately commenced. The ladies were not
allowed to dance while his majesty was present, as, on one occasion,
he said, “That will do, let them leave off,” thinking the ladies were
quadrilling for his amusement, like nāch women. The second day, the king
breakfasted with Lord Combermere, and we dined at the palace.
During dinner a favourite nāch woman attitudinized a little behind and to
the right of his majesty’s chair; at times he cast an approving glance
at her performance. Sometimes she sang and moved about, and sometimes
she bent her body _backwards_, until her head touched the ground; a
marvellously supple, but not a graceful action.
The mornings were devoted to sports, and quadrilles passed away the
evenings. I saw some very good elephant fights, some indifferent tiger
fights, a rhinoceros against three wild buffaloes, in short, battles of
every sort; some were very cruel, and the poor animals had not fair play.
The best fight was seen after breakfast at the palace. Two battaire
(quails) were placed on the table; a hen bird was put near them; they
set to instantly, and fought valiantly. One of the quails was driven
back by his adversary, until the little bird, who fought every inch of
his forced retreat, fell off the table into my lap. I picked him up and
placed him upon the table again; he flew at his adversary instantly. They
fight, unless separated, until they die. His majesty was delighted with
the amusement. The saying is, “Cocks fight for fighting’s sake, quails
for food, and the Lalls for love.” It appeared to me the quails were
animated by the same passion as the Lalls:
“Deux coqs vivaient en paix: une poule survint,
Et voilà la guerre allumée.
Amour, tu perdis Troie!”
On quitting the presence of his majesty, a harrh, a necklace of silver
and gold tissue, very beautifully made, was placed around the neck of
each of the guests, and atr of roses put on their hands.
The resident having sent me a fine English horse, I used to take my
morning canter, return to cantonments, dress, and drive to the presidency
to breakfast by eight A.M. The horse, a magnificent fellow, had but one
fault,—a trick of walking almost upright on his hind legs. It was a
contest between us; he liked to have his own way, and I was determined to
have mine.
The dinners, balls, and breakfasts were frequent. Lord Combermere was in
high good humour. His visit lasted about eight days, during which time he
was entertained by the resident in Oriental style.
My journey having been delayed for want of bearers for my palanquin
from Cawnpore, I arrived at Lucnow too late to see the ladies of the
royal zenāna. The lady of the resident had been invited to visit their
apartments the day before my arrival. She told me they were very fine, at
least the dopatta (veil) was gay in gold and silver, but the rest of the
attire very dirty. They appeared to have been taken by surprise, as they
were not so highly ornamented as they usually are on a day of parade. I
felt disappointed in being unable to see the begams; they would have
interested me more than the elephant fights, which, of all the sights I
beheld at Lucnow, pleased me the most.
I returned home at the end of December. The resident had the kindness to
give me an escort of Skinner’s horse, to protect my palanquin, and see me
safely out of the kingdom of Oude, as far as Cawnpore, which, being in
the Company’s territories, was considered out of danger; and during the
rest of the journey I was accompanied by two gentlemen.
Colonel Luard thus speaks of Skinner’s horse: “This is a most effective
irregular corps, taking its name from its gallant colonel. An
extraordinary feat is performed with the lance: a tent-peg is driven into
the ground, nearly up to the head; and the lancer, starting at speed some
distance from the peg, passes it on the near side, at his utmost pace,
and, while passing, with considerable force drives his lance into the
tent-peg, allowing the lance instantly to pass through his hand, or the
shock would unhorse him; then, by a dexterous turn of the wrist, forces
the peg out of the ground at the point of his lance, and bears the prize
in triumph over his shoulder.”
In my vanity I had flattered myself dulness would have reigned triumphant
at Prāg; nevertheless, I found my husband had killed the fatted calf, and
“lighted the lamp of ghee[30];” _i.e._ made merry.
I sent a little seal, on which this motto was engraved, “_Toom ghee ka
dhye jalāo_,” to a lady in England, telling her ghee is clarified butter.
When a native gives a feast, he lights a number of small lamps with ghee.
If he say to a friend, “Will you come to my feast?” the answer may be,
“Light thou the lamp of ghee;” which means, “Be you merry, I will be
there.” Therefore, if you accept an invitation, you may use this seal
with propriety.