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JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
A POPULAR ACCOUNT
OF THE
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF INDIA.
Illustrated with Numerous Anecdotes.
BY THE
REV. CHARLES ACLAND,
LATE CHAPLAIN AT POOREE, CUTTACK, AND MIDNAPORE.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1847.
London: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street.
PREFACE.
The author of the present work was a clergyman, who, along with his
wife, quitted England about the beginning of the year 1842, leaving
behind him several young children, to whom, as appears from the
letters he constantly addressed to them, he was most affectionately
attached.
They left the country full of hope that they should all be reunited
at some future period; but, before he had been three years exposed
to the climate of India, he fell a victim to it. It is somewhat
melancholy to find him at the outset rejoicing in the very
circumstance which in some measure perhaps occasioned his death. The
first destination selected for him was little in accordance with
his own taste; and when it subsequently was altered from Assam to
Cuttack, he expresses himself delighted with the change, though the
first-named province was much more remarkable for its healthfulness
than that to which he at length proceeded.
Mr. Acland felt the warmest interest in the education of his
children, and, to improve their minds, determined, on quitting
England, to send home, from time to time, accurate accounts of his
progress, that they might be made acquainted with all he beheld--the
places through which he passed, the aspect of the country, its
climate, productions, flowers, trees, shrubs, and wild animals.
Many an interesting adventure is related in these pages which the
author met with in the jungle; the beating of which by the hunting
parties, who go forth in bands for that purpose, is described with an
animation calculated to awaken much interest.
The letters addressed by Mr. Acland to his children have now been
thrown into the form of a Journal, as this method was considered best
suited to the general reader. The Editor has, however, been careful
to preserve throughout the easy familiar style in which the father
first wrote them, that to the children of others they may be equally
acceptable and useful.
The books hitherto published on India have been in general, from
their bulk, confined to persons arrived at a more advanced period of
life; and the Editor of the present volume hopes in some measure to
familiarise the subject by bringing it down nearer the comprehension
of the youthful reader. This work is intended to describe Indian
manners in an interesting way, and will in some measure, it is hoped,
supply a portion of the want that has long existed in our literature
in this respect. To render the subject more attractive, Mr. Acland
was careful to introduce anecdotes and short narratives throughout,
which are calculated to amuse, while instruction is at the same time
conveyed.
One distinguishing feature may be observed in the whole--viz. a
fervent spirit of devotion, which breathes through every page of the
original manuscript. Such passages the Editor has thought it better
to omit, as the advice from a father to his children, clothed in the
simple language he considered it best to employ, though beautiful
and touching in itself, would scarcely appear interesting to the
general reader. For this reason the substance of his counsel has been
compressed into the present brief Preface.
He impresses upon his children the necessity of living ever in
brotherly love, of sustaining and comforting one another, and of
seeking the Divine aid in every emergency of life, whether great or
small. He shows them how, by trusting implicitly in God and acting
according to His commandments, they will attain a peace of mind
above all the happiness which an indulgence in the pleasures of this
life can bestow. He explains to them, in the gentlest terms, how
necessary it is for their welfare here and hereafter that they should
act ever in accordance with the expressed wishes of the Almighty;
and that they must never cease to remember that He moves about them
everywhere, and sees their every action, hears each passionate word,
beholds each unbecoming gesture, and will reward or punish according
as they indulge in or abstain from evil. In several beautiful
passages he portrays the unceasing watchfulness of the Almighty in
providing for our daily wants, in supplying us with every necessary
of life; and inquires, with truth, Ought not every little heart to
be daily grateful to Him, without whose will the sun cannot shine,
or rise, or set; without whose will the refreshing showers could
not force and raise up around us the beautiful and necessary things
of life? Then he inquires, How can we better show our gratitude for
these blessings than by acting in accordance with the wishes of Him
who is the cause of so much good?
These words were spoken by a father to his own children; but I would
ask those of my young friends into whose hands this little volume may
fall, does it not equally touch them? Do they not feel the truth of
these sentences? Coming over the many thousand miles which stretch
between India and this country, these letters were cherished the more
by the three little children to whom they were addressed; and now
that the hand is cold which traced the lines, how much more will they
be prized!
Whatever may be the fate of the volume with the public, to those
whom it more intimately concerns it will be a lasting remembrance of
their father, and of the melancholy circumstances connected with his
early death. For their sake, the Editor trusts that the present work
may meet with at least a moderate share of success; and that, in the
endeavour to render more familiar to the youthful mind the names and
habits of some of the inhabitants of India, he may not altogether
fail.
_London, Sept. 1847._
CONTENTS.
Page
MADRAS, _June, 1842_.
Departure from England in March--Tremendous storm off Ushant--Ship
becalmed at the equator--Great heat--Danger of sleeping in
moonlight in hot climates--Storm off the Cape--Great speed of the
vessel--Thunderstorm at the equator--Arrival at Madras--The
mungoose; its usefulness in houses--Mother-of-pearl--Contrivances
for abating the heat--Fakirs--Curious disease--Salutation of
Europeans by natives--Employment of time
1
_July 1._
Native wedding--Visit to the Newab--Jugglers
6
CALCUTTA, _July 15_.
Voyage up the Hoogly--Waterspout--The bishop's palace--Appointment
to the province of Assam--Great number of tigers at Calcutta--Mode
of voyaging--Language of natives--Number of servants necessary
7
_August 6._
Change of appointment from Assam to Cuttack--Dangers of
travelling--Mode of living--"Bore" in the Hoogly
9
MIDNAPORE, _September 12_.
Leave Calcutta--Accident on the Hoogly--Dâk-travelling--State
of the road--Arrival at Midnapore--A bungalow--Trees and
plants--Mode of providing animal food--Destructiveness of
ants--Snakes--Monkeys--Encounter with a buffalo--Soil, climate,
and productions of Midnapore--Expenses of living--List of servants
10
_September 15._
"Poujah of tools:" a rustic festival
17
_October 9._
Thunderstorms--Mode of taking birds--Costume--Coins--Insects--
Dinner-parties--Language--Strictness of caste regulations among
servants--Employment of women--Disposal of the body after
death--Dustoorie--The white ant
17
_November 11._
Antics of the monkey--Parrots--Fierceness of the hyæna--Small
grey squirrel--Narrow escape from a cobra--Its bite seldom
cured--Vegetable productions--Usefulness of the bamboo--Dishonesty
of servants
21
_November 12._
Earthquake--Population of India--Religions--Money--Designations
of Europeans by natives--Mode of life
26
_December 13._
Hiring of hackeries--Importunacy of natives--Encounter with a
bear--Goats
29
_December 14._
Birds'-nests--Cost of dress--Weather--Temperature
31
_December 16._
Anonymous reptile--Destruction of serpents by the mungoose
32
BALASORE, ORISSA, _December 30_.
Balasore--Volcanic hills--Hill of the large white ant--Human
skulls--Beautiful plumage of birds
32
_January 2, 1843._
Legend of the origin of the hills at Balasore--Immense number of
ants'-nests; their mode of building--Great abundance of these
insects
34
_January 3._
Journey from Midnapore--Mode of travelling--Danton--Jelasore--The
fort--Ancient inscription--India-rubber tree--Attack by a
tiger--A hungry bear--Paucity of furniture--Palanquin-bearers'
songs--Fuel--False alarm--Jackals and crows the scavengers of the
country
36
CUTTACK, _February 2_.
Journey from Balasore--Barripore--Gratuities to bearers--
Fruit-trees--Alligators--Mortality of Juggernat'h pilgrims--Sleeping
arrangements--The Mohurrun--Position of Cuttack--Sea-breezes--Mode
of irrigation--Ancient fort--Origin of the Mohurrun--Furious
winds
43
_February 13._
Proposed new village--Depredations of tigers--Gold-dust
50
_March 4._
Excursion to Chogga--Sporting--Human skeleton--Wild bull--The
village--Converts--Mode of starting the game--Assembly of native
Christians--"Inquirers"--Conversation on religion--Baptism--
Degradation and loss of caste on embracing Christianity--Return to
Cuttack--Comet--Remarkable weather
50
_April 13._
Narrow escape from a snake--Hindu festival--Chena poojah, or swinging
festival--Elephant-riding--Sporting
60
_April 15._
Domestic arrangements--Furniture--Old Cuttack--Degeneracy of modern
Indians
64
_April 17._
Chena poojah--Self-torture of devotees--Cotton-tree
67
JUGGERNAT'H, _May_.
Pooree--Pleasant temperature--The temple--Danger from sharks in
bathing
68
CUTTACK, _August 7_.
Mofussil society--Morning visits--Costume--Dinner-parties
69
_August 29._
Ourang-outang--Monkeys--Bachelor's party--The Commissioner--Tiger
story--Power of the human eye over the lower animals--Bats--Plan
to improve society--A "good gardener"--Cruel treatment of
servants by Europeans--Milder punishment adopted by the author
73
_October 12._
Return from Midnapore--Heavy rain--Description of a palanquin
84
_November 8._
Bengal tiger--Mode of hunting the boar--Anecdotes of tigers--Poison
of the cobra--Chanderpore--Sea-scorpions--Relief-fund
86
BARRIPORE, _November 28_.
Solitude--Power of Europeans over natives--Their social
relations--Rapid progress of disease
89
CUTTACK, _December 10_.
Elephant-hunting--Juggernat'h festival--Its support by
Government--Pilgrims--Mode of expression in the East--A grateful
servant--Number and names of servants--Their generally unkind
treatment--Gratitude and honesty of natives: instances--Rajah Bheere
Singh--His testimony to personal security in the Company's
territory--An unexpected meeting
92
_December 25._
Choudwar--Sporting--Hyæna chase--Pariah-dog
99
_January 2, 1844._
Military sportsmen--A false alarm--Moral--Costume regulations of
Hindus--Mode of evasion
102
BARRIPORE, _January 5_.
Mirage at Pooree
103
GUZZEEPUDDEE, _January 12_.
Journey from Balasore--Scenery--A water-race--Encampment--A
nocturnal visitor
105
BARRIPORE, _January 16_.
Excursion to the Neilghur hills--Change of temperature and
scenery--Skeleton of a boa constrictor
109
MIDNAPORE, _February 1_.
Excursion to Bhohoneswar and Cundeegurree--Temples--Inscriptions--
Attack of inflammation of the liver
111
_February 15._
Second visit to the Neilghur hills--A beyraghee and his
enclosure--Encampment at Bengwharrie--Hunnamun monkeys--Game--Peafowl
shooting--Bhohoneswar: its temples--Magnificence of the principal
temple--Cundeegurree--Inscriptions--Caves--Devotees--Palace of the
ancient Rajahs--Statue: considerations suggested by its
costume--Anecdote of an elephant
112
POOREE, _May 26_.
A thunderstorm--Peculiarly fearful at Pooree
122
_May 29._
Temperature at Pooree and at Cuttack--Modes of conveyance--Ponies--
Arrangements for sleeping in comfort--The Rajah of Neilghur--His
interview with the Commissioner--Costume and appointments--
Elephants--Hunting-party--Arrival at Neilghur--Adventure with a
boar--Uncivil treatment of Rajahs
122
CUTTACK, _July 4_.
Salt-monopoly--Unjust treatment of the manufacturers--Juggernat'h--
Religion of the Brahmins--The idol--The procession--Immense number
of pilgrims--Numerous deaths--Evil omen
131
_August 10._
Brindabund monkeys--Indian marriages--Frequent results--Peacocks
136
_September 14._
Plague of insects--A night's rest--The bath
138
_October 13._
Government doctors--Monkeys--Goats--Electric phenomenon
139
_November 14._
Rapid vegetation--Early maturity and decay of natives--Necessity for
employment of the mind--Mode of passing time--Flower and kitchen
gardens--An armadillo--A whale on shore
141
KHOUTAH, _December 16_.
Antiquity of Indian religions--Manner of disposal of the dead
144
JENKIA, _January 4, 1845_.
Mr. G., the collector and magistrate of Pooree--Departure for
Khoordagurree--Regularity of seasons
145
TANGHI, _January 5_.
Manner of travelling--Soonercollee--Splendid scenery--Chelka
Lake--Islands--Water-fowl--Flamingo
146
MIDNAPORE, _February 14_.
Sporting on the banks of the Chelka Lake--Chase by a bear
150
CUTTACK, _April 2_.
Travelling--Hunting antelopes--Snaring game--The sportsmen chased
by pigs
152
POOREE, _April 26_.
Fatal illness of author
155
_May 8._
Abrupt conclusion
155
A POPULAR ACCOUNT
OF THE
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF INDIA.
Madras, June, 1842.
We quitted England in the course of March, 1842, and reached Madras
in the month of June of the same year. I shall give but a brief
sketch of our voyage.
Soon after leaving England, having arrived near Ushant, situated
on the north-west coast of France, a tremendous storm came on; the
waves rose high and washed the deck, while the ship itself pitched
to such a degree that the very dinner rolled off the table; in the
night my wife was tossed out of bed, and thrown to the other side of
the cabin. We were in the greatest danger of being drowned. I started
out of my hammock, but was unable to stand upright. Towards morning,
however, the wind abated.
After this storm had passed, the ship went forward rapidly until
we reached the equator, where she lay becalmed for several days.
The heat at this point of our voyage was excessive; we used to lie
about on the deck almost all night, taking care, however, to cover
our faces if the moon was shining; for it is said that, in these hot
climates, if any one goes to sleep under its light, he is in danger
of losing his sight, and even his life.[1]
We now proceeded more slowly until we had rounded the Cape of Good
Hope, where another storm came on. Every sail was taken in; yet,
without their assistance, we ran, in two days, 545 miles. The waves
rose as high as mountains, and the ship seemed to toil up one side,
and to send the bowsprit up into the air, then, plunging down again,
seemed to bury it in the sea. I was standing with my wife at the door
of the dinner cabin when a large wave burst in through the upper part
of the ship, flooded the room, and shivered one of our large boats to
atoms.
As we were passing the equator, too, we suffered from a tremendous
thunderstorm. The heat was excessive: not a breath of wind stirred
the air. About twelve o'clock a little cloud, about the size of
a man's hand, rose in the horizon: gradually it spread until it
hung like a huge black mass over the ship. I stood and watched its
increase, when suddenly a vivid flash of lightning shot from the
heavens, and almost blinded me. At the same moment a crash of thunder
bellowed round the ship like the noise of a thousand cannons. The
lightning slightly struck one of our passengers and the mate, but did
not inflict any serious injury. The rain now descended: not a sharp
thick shower, such as you may witness in England, but as it were all
in one mass, and soon every trace of the storm passed away; the sun
burst forth, and the ship and sails were dried in the course of a few
minutes.
Calm weather was ours now until we reached Madras. During our voyage
we observed many curious kinds of birds, the principal of which
was the stormy petrel. These creatures quit the land, and fly many
thousand miles over the sea in the track of ships, following them by
night and by day. The whale-bird is about the size of a thrush, white
in colour, and may be seen hovering about the great fish from which
it derives its name.
[Sidenote: CAPE PIGEON.]
The Cape pigeon is a very beautiful creature, about the size of our
own pigeon, white, with black spots on its body, and a blue, glossy
head. We several times amused ourselves with catching them; and the
way we contrived was, to let fly from our hands a piece of thread
several yards in length, which was carried out by the wind, and the
pigeon, flying across it, became entangled in it. In fluttering
about in the endeavour to extricate itself, it became only more
firmly secured; and then, drawing the string towards us, we caught
the bird, and, placing it on the deck, suffered it to walk about. The
legs of this pigeon are so peculiarly formed that they are unable
to spring up from the ground, and can only rise from the crest of a
wave, or throw themselves from the edge of a rock. The albatross is a
large white bird, which has been known to measure fourteen or sixteen
feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. We used to
catch them sometimes by casting out a hook and line, as for a fish.
The Cape hen, which follows the ship in flocks, is large and black,
measuring about ten feet from wing to wing. Occasionally we caught
a glimpse of the tropic-bird, called by the sailors the boatswain,
because of its long pointed tail resembling the pigtail which these
men used formerly to wear.
[Sidenote: PILOT-FISH, ETC.]
The booby is a large brown bird, about as big as a common hen. I must
not forget to tell you something about the pilot-fish. Every shark,
whether old or young, is accompanied by a little fish about twelve
inches long, and striped like a zebra, which keeps always near the
nose of the shark, and seems to guide him to his food.
As I have in this place said so much about birds and fishes, I may
as well tell you a little about the animals here in Madras. The
first I shall mention is the cow, by which all the carts and many of
the carriages are drawn along--sometimes, too, very swiftly. They
are much smaller than English cows, and have a hump on their backs.
Camels may be seen in the streets patiently carrying heavy loads of
goods: the people, however, treat them very cruelly.
As I was going to the cathedral last Sunday I saw a mungoose, a
little green and yellow animal, something between a ferret and a
squirrel. It is said that when bitten by a snake it runs and rubs the
place over with the juice of a certain plant, which immediately cures
it.
My samee, or native manservant, who is a Malay, gave me one about as
large as a kitten, and quite as playful. It will attain to the size
of a cat; it follows me about, sleeps on the foot of the bed, and if
a snake comes into the room will instantly kill it. When an Indian
mother wishes to go out, she need only just tell the mungoose to mind
the cradle, and then he lies down by it, and suffers neither man nor
reptile to approach. This creature, once tamed, is quite wretched out
of human society.
The cobra de capello is one of the most poisonous snakes with which
we are acquainted. I saw a girl playing with some of them the other
day, but their fangs had been extracted.
There are a great number of beautiful birds here; and green paroquets
can be purchased for three pence, while an avadavad costs only one
penny. The cock avadavad should, when kept, be confined along with
twelve hens in a cage.
The large carrion-crow is as common here as the sparrow is in
England, and is so tame that they fly close to the houses, and even
look in at the windows. Nobody is allowed to shoot or hurt them,
because they make themselves useful in carrying away all the dirt
from the town. Large vultures are almost as numerous.
I must not forget to mention the mosquito, which is a gnat exactly
like those you see in England. Great numbers fly about all the night,
and some people suffer much from their bite, but they never touch me.
The flowers here are beautiful, and some smell exceedingly sweet.
There are two tall trees, as large as elms, covered with red and
yellow flowers about the size of a plate. In the hedges, too, we see
very splendid cactuses. I shall be able, however, to tell you more
about these things when I have been here longer.
The fruits are exquisite, but it is dangerous to eat them in any
quantity. For a pine-apple nearly as big as your head we pay only two
anas--that is, three pence; but they are not exactly like those you
buy in England. Here they are quite sweet, and soft and juicy as a
peach. The mango is a yellow fruit about the size of a large orange,
the inside of which is full of a very rich sort of custard. The
plantain resembles a dahlia-root, and has very much the same taste
as cheese. The guava is in appearance like an apple, but possesses
the flavour of a strawberry. There are several other kinds of fruit,
but I have not time to describe them now. I am very fond of the
pine-apple and the orange, but do not care for any of the others.
[Sidenote: HEAT.]
Mother-of-pearl may be bought very cheap here. It is found in a
particular kind of oyster-shell, of which I can get three or four
for a halfpenny. Though the heat here is excessive, I do not suffer
from it: the thermometer in the large room where I am sitting is now
93-1/2°. The heat causes a kind of rash called the prickle-heat,
which is very disagreeable. The sensation to which it gives rise
is much the same as would be caused by running needles into the
body. In every room, hanging from the ceiling, is a large fan,
called a punkah, about four times the size of the door, and a boy is
continually employed in swinging it backward and forward, and the
current of air thus created cools the whole room. The windows are
without glass. Venetian blinds serve instead, and sometimes mats,
which are kept constantly wetted. The water soon turns into steam,
and, evaporating very fast, carries off with it the latent heat.
When my wife goes to sleep, the little black boy, with no covering
but a pair of drawers and a cap, stands near and fans her, while
every now and then he sprinkles her face with water as she reclines
on the sofa.
[Sidenote: FAKIRS.]
The people here are nearly all black, and wear very little clothing.
The population is extensive. At dinner we have generally eight or ten
men to wait upon us, but they are slow in their movements, and very
lazy. The Arabian Nights mentions the fakirs. I have seen some here
that have let their feet grow in one position until they cannot move
them.
[Sidenote: CURIOUS DISEASE.]
Some of the inhabitants of Madras are afflicted with a curious kind
of disease, in which one leg swells to the size of a man's body,
while the other is no thicker than the limb of an infant.
When you meet in the street with a native who is at all acquainted
with you, or who wishes to express his thanks for anything, instead
of merely saying "Thank you," or "How do you do?" he presses his
hands upon his eyes, and says "Salaam, sahib." Some English persons,
on going out for a walk, may be seen to carry a whip, with which,
if the natives are at all troublesome, they lash them; but this
is a cruel practice. Ladies are prevented by the heat from walking
abroad here, and gentlemen seldom do so, but go about in what are
called palanquins, which I will describe hereafter. When we ride out,
however swiftly we go, a man called a coolie runs by the side of the
carriage. We are obliged to get up here at about half-past five in
the morning, and then we go out for a drive, or in the palanquin; at
half-past seven the sun is too powerful even for that exercise: we
then return home, take a cold bath, and breakfast. At half-past six
in the evening we are enabled to go out again a little. In the middle
of the day we take a nap.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] It is doubted whether the injury does not rather arise from the
damp night-air than from the effect of the moon-beams.
July 1st.
A few days ago I saw a native wedding. At about nine in the evening I
was disturbed by a noise of drums and squeaking trumpets. Looking out
of the window, I saw a large party with torches conducting the bride
to her husband's home. She was entirely covered by a white veil, and
walked in the midst of her relations.
I went to pay a visit to the Newab, a native prince of these parts,
but did not succeed in obtaining an interview. He is about fifteen
years of age, and generally goes out in a carriage drawn by seven
horses. His uncles ride by his side on elephants, while his cousins
run with the carriage.
The natives are a fine athletic race of men, with every appearance of
possessing talent and intellect. The tricks of the jugglers are very
entertaining: they will swallow swords, throw up three or four knives
or cannon-balls, and catch them on their necks, and pull balls of
cotton out of their throats, and make snakes dance.
Bishop's Palace, Calcutta, July 15.
[Sidenote: WATERSPOUT.]
Here we are arrived safely at this place, after a very disagreeable
voyage, the worst part of which was the travelling up the river
Hoogly. We were becalmed for some time, and merely drifted up a few
miles a-day with the tide. However, I was much interested one day
by watching a cloud, which, after moving and whirling about for a
little time, began to send down a little thin point towards the
river. Presently the column increased in size, while underneath the
waves seemed to rise to meet it; and when they had done so a great
quantity of the water was sucked up by the cloud, which grew larger
in consequence, and then steered away towards the land: this was a
waterspout.
The place in which we live--that is, our hotel--is a large house,
three stories high, surrounding a square, and on each side are
forty-two windows in a row.
Immediately after landing I went to pay my respects to the
archdeacon, and to inform him of my arrival. Not finding him at
home, I proceeded to the bishop, who treated me very hospitably, and
invited us to his house.
[Sidenote: BISHOP'S PALACE.]
On returning home I found that during my absence the archdeacon's
wife and daughter had been calling on my wife, for the purpose of
inviting us to their house; but having already accepted the offer of
the bishop, we, of course, were compelled to decline this. In the
bishop's palace we have two very large apartments assigned to us,
besides a bath-room, and a verandah, about three hundred yards long,
to walk in. I was scarcely located here, however, before I received
an order to proceed to Gowhattie, in Assam, and to assume the
clerical superintendence of the whole province. At Gowhattie there is
one European lady, and there are five European gentlemen, who are the
only ones within two hundred and seventy miles. My parish, if such
it can be called, is about twice the size of England, and I shall be
continually travelling about.
But I must now tell you something about this place. The principal
animals here are buffaloes, elephants, and tigers, of whose numbers
you may form an idea by the fact of the Government having offered a
reward for every tiger's head. Last year, in the province of Assam,
the number of heads brought in was two thousand six hundred, and yet
these animals seem to be as numerous as ever.
We shall have to travel in a little boat, called a budjeon, with two
cabins, up to Gowhattie. The boatmen are black, and we shall be the
only passengers on board. We must be provided besides with two other
boats, the one with the fowls and goats in it for cooking, and the
other with the luggage. We shall be rather more than two months on
the voyage, and must take with us enough provisions for a year. When
we reach Gowhattie the boat must serve us for a home until we have
built one with mats and reeds.
There are some large birds here called adjutants, about five feet
high, with long white legs, black bodies, bare necks, and a beak like
pelicans. They are generally seen perched on the tops of houses. The
fire-flies are very pretty: on a fine night a number of them are seen
flitting about the lanes and gardens glittering like stars.
The bull-frogs make a noise at night almost as loud as the bark of a
dog. A pretty brown and white bird is to be found here, singing much
like a blackbird; it is called a miner.
Calcutta is well termed the city of palaces, since every house is a
noble mansion. Most of the rooms are at least fifteen feet high and
twenty-six feet square, and along every story there is a verandah,
supported by stone columns. The language of the people here seems to
have retained many traces of the Portuguese, who were here before the
English. For instance, the bishop is called de Lord Padre, and I go
by the name of Padre Sahib.
[Sidenote: NATIVE SERVANTS.]
We have no bells by which to summon the servants, who lie on the mat
outside the room door; when we require them we call out, without
rising from the sofa, "Qui hi?" (who is there?) then the sirdar,
or valet, runs in. We give him our orders, which he reports to the
others. Although I am staying at the bishop's, and dine at his
table, and use his carriage, I am obliged to have five servants. I
have one kitmajar, or waiter, who does nothing but attend at table.
The bishop's kitmajars will wait only upon their own master. Then
I have one ayah, or lady's-maid, for my wife; a sirdar, or bearer;
and a matee-sirdar, or assistant-bearer. These men make the beds
and assist me to dress. I have also a punkah-bearer--that is, a man
who sits outside the room, and is constantly employed in pulling
a string fastened to a punkah, or enormous fan, without which no
Englishman could live in India. Besides these I pay a pooney-bearer,
or water-carrier, and a matranes. When I go up the country I shall
be obliged to have a consummar, or head servant; a dobee, or
washerwoman; a dugay, or tailor; a syce, or grass-cutter; and one or
two others. We cannot do with less, because, if I were to ask the
kitmajar to fetch my coat, he would twist his mustachios, and say,
"Me no sirdar;" or if I were to ask my sirdar to wait at table, he
would say, "Kitmajar no do dat."
August 6, 1842.
[Sidenote: CUTTACK.]
The bishop has changed my appointment from Assam to Cuttack. The
different towns I shall have under my jurisdiction are Midnapore,
Balasore, and Poonee. Midnapore is situated eighty miles south of
Calcutta, and Cuttack two hundred and forty. Poonee stands on the
coast a little to the south of the great plain of Juggernat'h, which
forms a part of my district.
We expect to leave Calcutta next week, and shall go down the river
as far as Ooloberriab. Here we shall quit the boat for palanquins,
and shall travel by night, it being too sultry to proceed by day. At
Midnapore we shall stay for a few days at the judge's house, whilst
I look about for one. Here we shall probably remain about three
months, and shall then proceed to Poonee. Whichever of the two towns
I discover to be the pleasantest and most agreeable I shall make my
permanent abiding-place, only travelling occasionally to each of the
others. Every one tells me my station is one of the healthiest in
Bengal. Midnapore, standing on a high hill, will be best for the wet
weather; Poonee, on the sea, for the hot months; and Cuttack, with a
nice sea-breeze, for the winter.
The principal dangers we have to apprehend on our journey to
Midnapore are the dacoits, or mountain robbers, the tigers, and the
sudden swelling of the rivers from the rains.
Now, I must tell you a little of our mode of life here. At half-past
five in the morning we have a cup of coffee, and then go out for a
ramble. It is the only hour in the day in which it is possible to
walk. If we were to go out for half an hour in the middle of the day
it would most likely cause our death. At seven we take a cold bath,
and pour great jars of water over our heads. I used to enjoy bathing
in England, but here it becomes the greatest possible luxury. After
this is over we read or write until nine, and then breakfast. At two
we have tiffin, which is lunch, with plenty of meat. At five in the
afternoon we have an hour's drive, at half-past seven we dine, at
nine tea, and to bed at ten. These are the regular Indian hours, but
as soon as I have a house of my own I mean to dine at three.
When on any occasion I ask for a glass of cold water it is brought
to me with a lump of ice in it. This is excessively refreshing in a
country like this, where the thermometer is at 90°. It is brought in
shiploads from America. At new and full moon there is what is called
a "bore" in the river Hoogly, that is, the tide, instead of coming up
gradually, swells up in one large wave. When I saw it the other day
it rose thirty feet in height.
Midnapore, September 12, 1842.
[Sidenote: JOURNEY TO MIDNAPORE.]
On the 14th of August I sent two boats full of furniture to
Midnapore, and on the 16th we started ourselves in a boat with two
large cabins and one small. I had nine Indians to manage it. Another
smaller boat contained our palanquins, two servants, and a little
sort of kitchen.
In going down the Hoogly river we met with an accident, and were
nearly overturned; the wind drove us with great force against a large
ship in a severe squall. We however reached Ooloberriab, a native
village on Hoogly, in safety. Here we turned into a canal, up which
we journeyed for some miles, and then anchored for the night. The
next morning, having slept on board, we proceeded on our course, and
reached the Khatah Ghat, or landing-place (pronounced gaut), at about
twelve o'clock. Here we remained until four in the afternoon, entered
our palanquins, a kind of square boxes, which are carried on men's
shoulders, handsomely painted outside, with soft cushions inside,
and lamps like a carriage. In this sort of thing we move about
everywhere, and in crossing a river do not wet our feet. To each
palanquin there are eight bearers, four of whom are employed at a
time; one mussuaulchee, or torch-bearer, runs by the side, along with
one baugh-whaller, to carry boxes made of tin, and called patarahs.
Each man carries two slung to a stick over his shoulder.
My wife travels in one palanquin, and I in another. We had taken care
to write beforehand that a dâk, or men, might be in readiness to
carry us on at each stage; and we therefore proceeded rapidly through
the whole night.
[Sidenote: ARRIVAL.]
Soon after leaving Khatah Ghat we found the road for two miles under
water, which reached far above the men's knees; and at one time,
indeed, I was afraid it would have entered the palanquin; but the
only accident that actually happened was the breaking of one of the
baughley-whaller's sticks, and the tin patarah, containing clothes,
floated away, but, after some trouble, was again secured. We slept
most comfortably in our palanquins during our journey, and arrived at
Midnapore early in the morning. Here we stayed at the house of the
judge until I could choose a home for myself, in which we are now
at last settled. Everybody here is most kind and hospitable, and,
indeed, it is necessary it should be so, for, excepting in Calcutta,
there are no inns, and travellers would fare very badly were the
houses of the principal people closed against them. But when you go
on a visit you must be careful to take your own servants, sheets,
towels, and soap. My house is called a bungalow, which I chose as
being the most economical. A bungalow is a thatched cottage, with
only one ground story.
The floors of the rooms are not made of wood, but a sort of cement
which looks like stone. The house stands in the midst of a large
field called a compound, which belongs to me, and the servants'
dwellings are scattered around.
I have a flower and kitchen garden, fowl-house and place for goats,
kitchen, stable, cowhouse, and a banyan-tree. The pathways through
the grass are of fine gravel, and the hedges are composed almost
entirely of aloes and cactuses, mixed with a very sweet-smelling
flowering shrub, and here and there a bamboo, which is a most
beautiful tree, resembling a very tall weeping-willow. The
sensitive-plant grows wild about the compound, and bears a very pink
flower resembling that of the red cloves.
The banyan-tree is abundant here. Each branch projects stalks
downwards, which take root in the earth, and after a few years one
tree resembles a cluster, and covers a large space of ground. I have
several aloes in my garden, which are just flowering. They have
thrown up a straight stalk about twenty feet high. A large cactus is
now in bloom. It is about ten feet high, and each stem or leaf is
thicker round than my leg. This kind bears a very beautiful large
white flower, which opens only at night. In my kitchen-garden are the
mango, the plantain, Indian corn, pine-apple trees, and many others.
Carpets are not used here, but the floors are covered instead
with India matting. In each room is a punkah, which I have before
described.
We procure water for drinking from a large tank or pond; and as we
cannot purchase meat, I have provided myself with thirty-five ducks,
sixty fowls, four goats, and three kids, which last are almost ready
to eat; the goats we shall keep for their milk. The judge made me a
present of a beautiful fawn of the spotted deer, which is becoming
very tame. I am just going to join a mutton-club. Four persons enter
into partnership, and agree to keep a small flock of sheep; one of
which is killed twice a week, and then each partner is provided with
a quarter of mutton, and each in turn has the liver, heart, and head.
A gentleman yesterday sent me four guinea-fowls, and another has
promised me six pigeons as soon as I have a place to keep them in.
[Sidenote: INSECTS.]
I have just begun to make a collection of insects, snakes, and
butterflies and moths, of the most beautiful kind. The chameleon is
very common, and changes its colour according to the temper it is in.
I have one which is generally of a brilliant green; but if its anger
be roused, it becomes covered with large black spots, and when hungry
with white spots. These are the only changes in its colour I have as
yet observed: but I have seen others yellow; others, again, black,
with yellow spots. It is said that each chameleon has ten different
variations of colour. There is to be seen here a light-brown lizard,
called the bloodsucker, which is constantly running about the walls
in the rooms. Whenever we take up a paper or a book, we are sure to
find two or three cockroaches under it--not such cockroaches as you
may see in England, but great ones three or four inches long. The
grasshoppers come into the house in numbers, and grow to an uncommon
size. You may hear them chirruping half a mile off. The ants, of
which there are three sorts, are a great nuisance. Every house swarms
with them; and unless the legs of tables, drawers, &c., are kept
constantly standing in jars of water, they attack the dinner-cloths,
and in fact everything they can reach: 1st, there is a very small red
ant, whose bite causes a very hard red swelling, which continues very
painful for some days; 2nd, a great black ant, about the size of an
English wasp, which bites, but does not sting; 3rd, the white ant,
rather larger than the common English ant, which come in a swarm, and
in one night will devour a table or a shelf full of books. You may
come down in the morning and find your table and books apparently all
right, but no sooner do you touch them than they all crumble away to
powder.
[Sidenote: REPTILES.]
There are a great number of snakes about here, though I have not yet
seen one. I suspect that my mungoose or ichneumon keeps them away,
as he is an inveterate enemy to all vermin. A venomous lizard, about
a foot long, black, with yellow stripes down the sides, often comes
into our verandah, but as soon as it hears the mungoose it disappears
with all possible despatch; as do also the poisonous centipedes, of
which there are several in the house. The noise of the mungoose is
very peculiar, generally purring like a cat, but when angry it barks
short and snappishly, while every hair on its long tail stands on end.
I have already mentioned to you that there are here the tiger, the
lion, the monkey, the leopard, the buffalo, the elephant (tame), the
spotted deer, the jackal, the flying fox: all these I shall describe
as the opportunities offer; now I shall tell you something about the
monkey.
I was walking out early in the morning, and reached a very large
pepul-tree, covered with its red berries. Presently I heard some one
chattering over my head, and looking up beheld an enormously long ape
as tall as myself, with a white face and great whiskers. He gazed
at me for a moment, and then chattered again. The noise becoming
louder and louder, I ran from under the tree, and soon saw a great
number of these animals of different sizes come leaping down, and,
after a stare, as much as to say "don't follow us," they made a few
tremendous leaps, and escaped into the jungle.
The Indian buffalo has no hump on its back. It is like an immense
black cow, but exceedingly fierce. As yet I have seen only tame
ones. A gentleman who lives here was walking out in the jungle the
other evening, with the intention of shooting some birds, when he
saw before him a large bull buffalo. When alone these creatures are
much more fierce than when with the herd. He did not, therefore,
much relish his close acquaintance; and, turning round, strove to
creep quietly away. Hearing a loud roar behind him, he looked back,
and beheld the buffalo in full chase after him, tossing his head
most furiously. The gentleman scarcely knew what to do, as there
was no tree near into which he might climb; but he was surrounded
by low bushes. Turning suddenly round, therefore, he stood still,
and, looking steadfastly at the buffalo, loaded his gun. On came the
animal, nearer and nearer, looking fiercer and fiercer. At last, when
about twenty yards off, he stopped one minute as if in hesitation,
and then, with a loud roar, turned his head, and, tearing up the
ground with his hoofs, was on the point of rushing onward, when the
gentleman raised his gun as a last resource, and fired. The ball
entered through the eye into the brain, and the monster rolled over
the plain.
I have since seen the skull and the horns, which are of great size.
The elephants are very large, and there are none but tame ones here.
The major of the regiment quartered at this place has offered to lend
us one whenever we are inclined for a ride.
The jackals are a source of great annoyance at night: they come into
the compound and howl round the house, and make a dreadful noise,
but are not dangerous. There are swarms of wild dogs too here,
called pariah dogs--quite harmless. They resemble a hairy greyhound
with a fox's head. The flying-fox is a sort of bat. Its large black
wings are nearly four feet from tip to tip, and the body is like a
small fox. They fly about the trees at night, and pick the fruit and
berries. The birds are very beautiful. There are many sorts of doves
and pigeons. One sort of the last-named is quite green; as is also
the fly-catcher, which has a long single feather in the middle of his
tail. The mango is about the size of a pigeon, yellow, with green
stripes. There are also the pretty little amadavad, and many others.
I am making a collection of large beetles.
[Sidenote: SOIL--CLIMATE.]
Midnapore is situated on a high table-land, or flat-topped hill,
about six miles across, and is much cooler than the greater part of
India. The soil is about a foot deep, and underneath it is a volcanic
rock, so porous that the rain soaks into it as soon as it falls, thus
rendering the place dry and healthy. From the middle of June to the
middle of October there are tremendous storms of rain almost every
day. Then it is cool and pleasant till February. After that time the
heat increases, and the weather is quite dry until April; from which
time until June it is intensely hot, with occasional hurricanes and
thunderstorms, of which we have had several most magnificent ones
lately; and from the height of the hills we seem almost to be in the
midst of them.
[Sidenote: PRODUCTIONS.]
Indigo, rice, and grain are plentiful. The first is obtained by
soaking the leaves of the plant in water until they are rotten, when
they deposit a thick blue sediment, which is formed into cakes, and
is used for dyeing cloths.
We have some wild silkworms, from which the natives manufacture a
coarse sort of silk. The rice grows in fields which are under water,
and looks like barley. These fields beautifully illustrate the
expression in the Bible about casting your seed upon the waters, and
after many days you shall find it again.
The greatest expenses here are servants and house-rent. I pay for
my house, which is one of the cheapest in Midnapore, forty rupees
a-month; a rupee is two shillings. I keep as few domestics as I can;
but am obliged to have eleven men and one woman. The men are--
1 consummar, or headman.
1 kitmajar, or waiter at table.
1 sirdar, who attends to lamps, furniture, &c.
1 bearer, who works the punkah and helps the sirdar.
1 dirgee, or tailor, who mends stockings, and makes gowns, coats,
shirts, &c.
2 maistrees, or carpenters.
2 mollees, or gardeners.
1 motee, who sweeps the rooms and keeps them in order.
1 beastee, or water-carrier.
We neither feed nor clothe them: indeed their food consists of
nothing but rice, except the consummar and kitmajar, who are
Mussulmans. Their pay varies from three to ten rupees a-month. Many
people keep forty or fifty men. The sirdar, or bearer, sleeps on a
mat in the verandah; the others in houses in the compound. They are
all forbidden by their religion to do the work of any other; their
fathers and grandfathers performed the same duties, and so will their
sons and grandsons also. They are a thievish set, and we dare not
leave anything in their way that they can steal.
There is at this moment a little grey squirrel hopping about in
the verandah,--facing the gate of the compound are several tame
buffaloes,--and a little beyond is an elephant lying down basking in
the sun and lashing his trunk about upon the grass.
There is an insect here called the flying-bug; it resembles in
appearance a very large ant with wings, and, if one of them flies
through the room, it leaves so disagreeable a smell that it can
hardly be borne for an hour afterwards.
September 15.
[Sidenote: THE "POUJAH OF TOOLS".]
To-day is a rustic festival; the carpenters and all other workmen
have a holiday, and, daubing all their tools with red paint, cover
them with flowers, and then kneel down and worship them, and beg them
to work well and not to break during the next year. This is called
the "poujah of tools."
October 9, 1842.
[Sidenote: STORM.]