children, to affix the badge of slavery immediately, and to cause it to
be worn by the unfortunate being, thus devoted to tyrannical authority
during life. This type of dependance consists simply of an iron ring,
similar to those on light fetters, which is worn on either of the
ankles, generally on the left: there it is rivetted in the usual manner,
with the intention of being always seen. To remove the ring, is
considered highly criminal on the part of all concerned, and should the
slave be thereby enabled to abscond, would subject the abettors to
payment of his or her value.
In every part of India the profession of a prostitute is devoid of that
stigma annexed to it in Europe: persons following it are protected by
law in certain privileges, and their persons are far from being held in
abomination, such as we should suppose must be generated towards so
impure a character among the moralists of the East. This is entirely
owing to the profession being hereditary, the same as other sects, and
not promiscuous, or arising from vicious propensities, as we see daily
the case among us.
It is true the term _kusbee_ is used as a reproach; but that seems
rather to refer to such as, like our wantons, degenerate in consequence
of their libidinous dispositions, and are not attached to the two great
divisions, the _meerasseens_, and the _puttareahs_, both of which have
claims on the bounty of princes, and to exemptions from certain taxes;
though, to make up for such indulgences, the _cutwals_, and other native
officers, under whose authority they may reside, not only demand their
attendance, whether to sing, dance, or what not, gratis, but impose upon
them heavy assessments, in proportion to their repute and prosperity.
With the view to prevent the encrease of a certain disorder, which
proceeds with rapid strides in that hot climate, it is customary to
appoint a committee every month, at each great station, for the
inspection of such dulcineas as may be resident within the bounds of the
cantonments: such as appear to be diseased, are instantly confined to a
small hospital, appropriated to their reception: a salutary measure,
which doubtless prevents much mischief, and is superior to our Lock
Institution, which only offers, but does not coerce to, a proper course
of medicine.
Such women as, being married, or living _under the protection_ of any
person, are found to indulge in variety, are designated _chinauls_, and
are held in far greater disrepute than the professed _kusbee_, or common
prostitute. As predestinarians constantly contradict, by their evasions
of danger, the main principle of their creed, so do the good folks of
Hindostan deviate widely from their system of ethics on this head; for,
although adultery, under any circumstances whatever, is held up as a
mortal sin, to be atoned for by death only; nevertheless, we find the
males of all ages particularly bent on that kind of gallantry which
comes within the letter of the law, and generally produces the contact
of two persons whose _casts_ are thereby respectively polluted. In a
former part, I explained more fully the deceptions practised by native
women retained by European gentlemen; it remains for me to add, that
such is the spirit of intrigue prevalent among the people at large, that
we may at least conclude the ladies in that quarter to keep pace with
_the most enlightened_ of our own population!
When a native, especially a Hindu, of high _cast_, suspects that his
wife is guilty of infidelity, he generally proceeds to repudiate her in
the most public manner; but it often happens that he is saved that
trouble, either by the intervention of her father, brother, &c., who,
under pretence of conducting her home, leads the offender to some lone
spot, where, with his _tulwar_, he severs her head from her body, and
deliberately leaves both to be devoured by jackals, &c. This office is
likewise occasionally performed by the husband himself; who must,
however, be careful not to betray his intention, lest a powerful dose,
mixed among his _takorry_, (vegetable _curry_,) should prevent the
completion of his design, or, possibly, cause him to fall a sacrifice to
the lover’s resentment.
A very curious instance of this occurred in 1789, wherein a sepoy, of my
own company, was principally concerned. He had long been in the good
graces of a woman who was married to a _sonaar_, (goldsmith,) then
absent in another part of the country. The lady’s father, who had no
other child, on learning the particulars of the intrigue from one of her
servants, remonstrated, but in vain. He then determined to sacrifice
her, and ordered that she should quit her own home, for the purpose of
being conducted to his house, which was in a village some miles distant.
Suspecting his intention, the adultress communicated the circumstance to
her lover, who advised her to follow her father, and promised to prevent
his doing her any injury. Accordingly, she allowed her parent to precede
her, as usual, (for no woman ever walks before a man, especially if it
be her husband, or any relative,) until they arrived at a small jungle,
when, as he was about to draw his _tulwar_ to _sauf-kur_ (literally, ‘to
make clean,’ but, in the accepted sense, to kill, or destroy,) her, the
lover darted forth, and, at one blow, took off his head.
The lady and her lover were both apprehended, and tried before the
_zemindary court_ at Benares, within whose jurisdiction the crime was
perpetrated: against the woman nothing could be urged, she was therefore
acquitted; the man was convicted, and condemned; but the woman, being
next of kin to the deceased, and having the right, according to the law,
of pardoning his murderer, instantly gave him her absolution in open
court, and, to the great surprize and mortification of the whole court,
returned homewards with her paramour, to persevere in the adulterous
intercourse.
It was in vain that Marquis Cornwallis, on receipt of the intelligence,
used every endeavor to obtain a revision of the proceedings: the Court
were inflexible, and the parties could not, legally, be apprehended. His
Lordship was, therefore, left without that redress he thought due to the
public, and could only cause the sepoy to be dismissed from the
Company’s service, and to be banished from the Company’s dominions.
Where the law gives so absurd a power, it might be expected that scarce
a husband would be safe; but that is not the case; for they, in general,
act very decidedly, whenever they are made acquainted with the existence
of offences against conjugal propriety. The caution used in conducting
an amour is not always very great, but there is, in fact, only one
difficulty to be overcome, viz. the obtaining admission to the interior
while the husband is absent: that being effected, detection is not very
easy, because, the immured state in which women are kept, offers the
best screen against the curiosity of prying neighbours.
What with the dark color of the mud walls, the sombre complexion of the
people themselves, and the shade commonly cast by heavy foliages,
standing in the vicinity of villages in general, as well as by the
over-hanging thatches, &c., it is not very easy, even for a neighbour,
to ascertain, after night-fall, whether a person, having a cloth on the
head, entering the sacred enclosure, be male or female.
About the year 1786, a laughable story was current, regarding a young
officer who had a very pretty Hindoo girl in keeping, but who, being of
a very salacious disposition, always endeavored to prevail with such
young women as came to vend fruits, or to sell _choories_, &c., to be
his inmate. One of these daily visitors held out against every
temptation, which so roused the youth’s passions, that he resolved to
obtain that by force which money could not purchase. The struggle made a
terrible discovery; the supposed damsel proving to be a young Portugueze
drummer!!!
The ordinary mode of conveyance adopted by the generality of
_nautch-taffahs_, is the common _hackery_, called a _g’horry_, which has
two wheels, with a square body, as has been already described; in one of
these, four or five crowd together, sitting almost back to back, and
allowing their legs to hang down on every side. The generality are of
very decent behavior, but, when they get a little _majoom_ (a sweatmeat
prepared with _b’haug_) into their noddles, it is not uncommon to see
them proceed in high style, singing away in full chorus, and,
occasionally, exhibiting specimens of their profession, by attitudes
corresponding with the words of songs purely Cyprian!
The baggage, if any, is commonly carried on some hired bullock, or in a
_hackery_; some _sets_ are, however, so opulent, as to be able to keep
one or two camels, and to purchase a tolerably good Hindostanee tent,
that is, without walls, and supported by two bamboo poles, each about
eight or nine feet long.
The baggage of Europeans is, ordinarily carried on elephants, camels,
bullocks, _hackeries_, or _coolies_: of late years, a great improvement
has been made, by taking off the body of a gig, with its shafts, and
substituting a frame, made on such a plan as may serve to contain
several trunks and liquor chests below, while a cot, with all the
necessary bedding, having over them a painted canvas canopy, covers the
whole, and keeps every part compact and dry. Such a conveyance, with a
tolerably stout horse, is found to get on far more expeditiously than
any of the others.
With respect to elephants, it may be said, that they are either the
best, or the worst, carriage: in the low countries, where the soil is
often soft for the greater part of the year, the elephant is certainly a
most useful animal; his feet being broad, and his power so great as to
enable his acting with decision and energy at the moment of difficulty,
qualify him, almost exclusively, for the transportation of tents, and
heavy baggage, in such parts of the country as remain heavy or swampy
during the more settled part of the year.
Though we may suppose, that, previous to the plains of Bengal being
cultivated, they were over-ran with elephants, the same as other parts
of India, of which that animal is a native, still it should seem, that
their principal haunts must have been along that hilly wilderness in
which they are now found in a gregarious state. It is well known that
the elephant thrives best near the sea, that in its vicinity he attains
his greatest bulk, and is exempt from various diseases, especially the
opthalmia and the dropsy, both of which attack at least four in five of
such as are removed to dry soils. This circumstance, as well as the
peculiar formation and substance of the foot, appear to render the
elephant peculiarly appropriate to the use of such persons as have
occasion for carriage-cattle (_i.e._ cattle that bear burthens) in the
lower provinces.
Endued with wonderful sagacity, the elephant will only proceed on soils
which bear him up to a certain extent: so soon as he feels a peculiar
vibration, that indicates a want of firmness below, he instantly
declines further progress, and, turning round, or receding, with more
activity than his clumsy form may indicate, hastens to quit the
apprehended danger; and, without regard to things or persons, makes the
best of his way to _terra firma_.
Sometimes, however, this majestic animal gets bogged, and,
notwithstanding his immense strength, becomes completely incapable of
self-extrication. On such an occasion, nothing more is necessary than to
supply him with abundance of straw, or cut grass, tied in bundles; these
he forces down with his proboscis, till they are under his feet
respectively; and, by their accumulated resistance, afford the means of
gradually bearing up, and of raising him to the surface. His egress is
ensured by an ample stock of the same materials, together with faggots,
&c., thrown before him, in number sufficient to form a kind of path-way,
along which the elephant moves with wondrous caution: on such an
occasion, he should, like a mule on a mountain, be left to himself, as
he will manage with perfect prudence; whereas, if actuated by a
_mohout_, (or driver,) he might be again plunged into difficulty.
The stature of elephants, in general, may be rated between seven and
nine feet: the former is the standard at which they are admitted upon
the Company’s establishment, at the value of five hundred sicca rupees
each (£65). Provided the animals be stout, and competent to carry a
proper burthen, such blemishes as would depreciate them considerably
among the natives, who entertain many prejudices in this particular, are
not considered.
The principal defects, in the eye of a native merchant, are,
1. A broken tail; or a deficiency of the forked hair at its termination.
The former arises from the habit the elephants are in, of laying hold of
their opponent’s tails with their trunks, and of twisting them so, that,
occasionally, they are absolutely snapped, or, perhaps, tumefy, and, in
the end, sphacelate.
2d. An uneven number of claws to the feet: there should be five on each
fore, and four on each hind foot.
3d. Bad tusks; that is, such as are decayed, or, having been broken in
contests, cannot be rendered ornamental: an elephant born with only one
tooth, or tusk, is highly prized, as being sure to overwhelm its owner
with good fortune.
4th. Having a black, or spotted palate; either of which is supposed to
be an indication of bad health, as well as of misfortune.
5th. Bad eyes; though sometimes we see very serviceable elephants
totally deprived of sight, which travel admirably with burthens, but are
unfit for the _howdah_; these are extremely careful to put their trunks
forward as they proceed, whereby they are warned of any hollows, &c.
Blind elephants are peculiarly attentive to the words of command given
by their drivers.
6th. The want of hair on the forehead, lean jaws, small jagged ears,
narrow feet, thin legs, short bodies, and a contracted barrel, or
carcase, are all objectionable, and become serious objects of attention
in the purchase of this animal. An European, not accustomed to view
elephants critically, would conclude that little variety, in the above
respects, would be found; but there are certainly as many estimable, or
agreeable, points in a fine elephant, as in a fine horse; though we
rarely look so narrowly into the perfections of the former, on account
of being less in the habits of cherishing, or of driving, them in
person.
According to the regulations, an elephant ought to be able to carry
twenty-five maunds, which is within a twenty-sixth part of being a ton;
but, although the several contractors stipulate, without hesitation,
that their elephants should be able to carry that weight at all times,
not one in a hundred of those in the service, or in the possession of
individuals, could bear it even for one day’s ordinary march, which
should not exceed eight _coss_, (sixteen miles,) all beyond that being
considered a forced march.
The elephant is furnished with two pads, of which the under one, called
a _guddaylah_, is commonly made of red _karwah_, stuffed to the
thickness of an inch and a half with cotton, and well quilted. The upper
pad, called a _guddy_, is made of _tawt_, which is a narrow kind of very
coarse canvas, and is stuffed very hard with straw to about the
thickness of six inches. These are put on, the one over the other, and
firmly secured to the body by means of stout ropes passing round the
whole, as well as under the tail, by way of crupper.
Such a thickness may appear too great; but it is to be considered that
an elephant ought, by the contract, to carry either four common
marquees, each weighing, when dry, 425lb., and, when wet, 597lb.; or six
private tents, each weighing, when dry, 275lb., and, when wet, 426lb.
Therefore, when I take the medium at twenty-five maunds, it is but
striking a fair balance.
An ordinary elephant requires two servants; namely, a _mohout_, or
driver, who sits upon his back, and guides, by means of a crooked
instrument of iron, called a _haunkus_, aided by words of command, and
the application of his toes behind the animal’s ears. The other servant,
called a _cooly_, or grass-cutter, performs all the more menial offices,
such as taking the elephant out for _charrah_, _i.e._ fodder, of which
it can carry as much as will suffice for two, or, if well laden, for
three days.
The feet of an elephant require considerable care; they being extremely
apt to chafe, and wear away, at the soles, so as to render him
completely unserviceable for a time. This generally happens where the
soil is dry and harsh, as throughout the upper country, but may be, in a
great measure, prevented by _paying_ them with astringent applications,
so that the skin may be rendered harder, and the foot, in general,
somewhat callous.
When an elephant is chafed on the back, the part is usually rubbed with
_ghee_ and turmeric, and the pad cushioned so as to raise the spot under
which the excoriation may be: if suffered to continue in a state of
irritation, the smallest sore will speedily assume a most formidable
appearance, owing to the peculiarly cellular formation of an elephant’s
flesh.
The mode of catching elephants for the public service is very simple,
requiring more perseverance than skill, yet attended with a heavy
expence. In those wildernesses near Chittagong, Tipperah, &c., along the
eastern boundary, some hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of villagers are
assembled, who form a circle around those herds they may find, and
gradually frighten them into a kind of trap, called a _keddah_, of which
the entrance is of a crescent form, leading to a large area, properly
enclosed by an immense trench, and by large piles well bound together.
After a while, the animals are driven, or induced, into a smaller area,
from which they are taken into a narrow passage, for the purpose of
being secured, and led away to the stands, at which they remain until
completely tamed.
It was formerly the practice to break their spirit by privations and
severity; but, of late years, it has been found preferable to sooth as
much as possible; a change which has been attended with the most happy
results. So far has this plan succeeded, that many elephants are now
better reconciled in one month than they formerly were in four or five;
while, at the same time, many inconveniences, especially those severe
ligatures, which invariably made desperate sores about the ankles, &c.,
are almost wholly avoided.
The practice of decoying the large single males, which separate from the
herds, and are called _sauns_, or _goondahs_, is extremely curious: two
or three females are generally sent out for the purpose of inveigling
the ferocious males thus ranging about. Such female elephants, which are
called _k’hoomkies_, are highly valuable, especially if they be large,
and attached to their _mohouts_, whom they will protect to the last
moment, if accidentally discovered by their intended prize while passing
the ropes around his legs. For a particular account of this, which can
scarcely be rendered distinct but by the aid of plates, I refer my
readers to ‘THE WILD SPORTS OF THE EAST,’ published from my designs and
memoirs by Mr. Edward Orme, of Bond Street, and Messrs. Black, Parry,
and Kingsbury, of Leadenhall Street.
Contrary to the opinion formerly current, it has been ascertained that
elephants copulate in the same manner as other quadrupeds. This has been
certified by Mr. John Corse, the resident Surgeon at Tipperah, who
established a breed of elephants at that place; whereby much insight has
been obtained regarding the natural history of this noble animal. When
Mr. Corse transmitted that account which may be seen in the third volume
of the Asiatic Researches, he had not the opportunity of ascertaining
the period of gestation, which has since been found to give an average
of about twenty-two months.
That less time could not be required, was evident from the incipient
portion of that gentleman’s researches; as a female elephant, taken in
January, 1788, did not produce her calf, which was thirty-five inches
high at his birth, and grew four inches in as many months, until the
16th of October, 1789.
Elephants are invariably measured at the shoulder, and not on the arch
of the back, the want of which is to be considered as indicative of age.
Elephants are to be found along the whole extent of frontier, ranging
from the Chittagong district, to the very borders of Thibet. They become
more scarce, and are, besides, less robust, and of smaller stature, in
proportion as they recede from the sea coasts. Those sent yearly, by way
of compliment, or of tribute, from the Rajah of Napaul, are by no means
to be compared with the _coomaeeahs_, and _mooknahs_ of Tipperah, and
Chittagong, whose form and bulk certainly entitle them to superior
estimation. Some of these are, occasionally, sold for immense sums to
the native princes in the upper parts of Hindostan. Two thousand rupees
are held to be but a low price for a male of nine feet in height,
provided his teeth are large, even, and of regular curves: sometimes
elephants, of extraordinary bulk, and of remarkably fine points, have
reached to eight or ten thousand rupees.
The expence of keeping an elephant will vary according to the situation,
and to the general services wherein it is employed: in the Dacca
district but little expence is incurred, unless hard labour is to be
performed, there being abundance of _d’hul_, (grass,) and of foliage, of
which the animal can always obtain an ample supply gratis. There, a
_mohout_ rarely receives more than three rupees monthly, and a
grass-cutter more than two. I have shewn, in describing the servants
necessary to be retained in a gentleman’s suite, that the wages of these
menials are generally much higher; which, when added to the average
charges for food, chiefly _badjra_, or millet stems, which must be paid
for, and rice, or barley, perhaps to the extent of 30lb. daily, will
cause the expence of maintaining an elephant in the upper provinces, to
amount to full thirty, or thirty-five, rupees per mensem; and that, too,
exclusive of the wear and tear of gear of all kinds. On the whole, we
may compute that an elephant, well kept, will cost full forty rupees
(£5.) monthly. When we consider that, in England, few gentlemen keep
their horses for much less, and that an elephant performs so much
essential drudgery, indeed, equal to a team of three stout cart horses,
also that the value of money in India is not half so great as with us,
we may deem the above aggregate to be very moderate: the misfortune is,
that an elephant is not, like a horse, promptly or generally useful; and
that, owing to the nature of the climate, as well as of the soil, months
often elapse before the proprietor of the former may be able to avail
himself of the valuable powers of his sable property.
Camels are very generally kept by the officers of the army throughout
the upper provinces, that is to say, above the Delta of the Ganges,
where the soil is more appropriate to their form, than those muddy,
slippery, tracts, in which these animals are extremely subject to fall.
When such an accident happens, it is a great chance but the animal is
rendered useless; as, owing to the great length of the hind legs, and to
the want of any membranes, or muscles, calculated to prevent their easy
divergence in diametrically opposite directions, the pelvis is extremely
apt to split, and the power of extrication, or even of support itself,
is entirely lost to this very valuable quadruped.
Though we generally attach the term ‘_camel_’ to that species of the
_camelus_ found in India, where great numbers are bred by persons who
make a very large profit from their labors, the animal under
consideration, having but one hump, or bunch, on its back, should,
properly, be called a ‘_dromedary_.’ Whatever may be the true
designation, the utility of the animal in a climate, and on a soil, to
which it is so admirably suited by nature, is indisputable; but, with
regard to its powers, as described by naturalists, or by travellers, I
must beg leave to enter a partial dissent.