Chapter LXIX: Preface: TO SECOND EDITION xi (66)

c. 1020.—"... thence to the tree of BARĀGI, 12 (parasangs). This is at
the confluence of the Jumna and Ganges."—_Al-Birūnī_, in _Elliot_, i. 55.

1529.—"The same day I swam across the river Ganges for my amusement. I
counted my strokes, and found that I crossed over at 33 strokes. I then
took breath and swam back to the other side. I had crossed by swimming
every river that I had met with, except the Ganges. On reaching the place
where the Ganges and Jumna unite, I rowed over in the boat to the PIÂG
side...."—_Baber_, 406.

1585.—"... Frõ Agra I came to PRAGE, where the riuer Jemena entreth into
the mightie riuer Ganges, and Iemena looseth his name."—_R. Fitch_, in
_Hakl._ ii. 386.

PRACRIT, s. A term applied to the older vernacular dialects of India, such as were derived from, or kindred to, Sanskrit. Dialects of this nature are used by ladies, and by inferior characters, in the Sanskrit dramas. These dialects, and the modern vernaculars springing from them, bear the same relation to Sanskrit that the "Romance" languages of Europe bear to Latin, an analogy which is found in many particulars to hold with most surprising exactness. The most completely preserved of old Prakrits is that which was used in Magadha, and which has come down in the Buddhist books of Ceylon under the name of PALI (q.v.). The first European analysis of this language bears the title "_Institutiones Linguae_ PRACRITICAE. _Scripsit Christianus Lassen_, Bonnae ad Rhenum, 1837." The term itself is Skt. _prākṛita_, 'natural, unrefined, vulgar,' &c.

1801.—"_Sanscrita_ is the speech of the Celestials, framed in grammatical
institutes, PRACRITA is similar to it, but manifold as a provincial
dialect, and otherwise."—_Sanskrit Treatise_, quoted by _Colebrooke_, in
_As. Res._ vii. 199.

PRAYA, s. This is in Hong-Kong the name given to what in most foreign settlements in China is called the BUND; _i.e._ the promenade or drive along the sea. It is Port. _praia_, 'the shore.'

[1598.—"Another towne towards the North, called Villa de PRAYA (for PRAYA
is as much as to say, as strand)."—_Linschoten_, Hak. Soc. ii. 278.]

PRESIDENCY (and PRESIDENT), s. The title 'President,' as applied to the Chief of a principal Factory, was in early popular use, though in the charters of the E.I.C. its first occurrence is in 1661 (see _Letters Patent_, below). In Sainsbury's _Calendar_ we find letters headed "to Capt. Jourdain, president of the English at Bantam" in 1614 (i. 297-8); but it is to be doubted whether this wording is in the original. A little later we find a "proposal by Mr. Middleton concerning the appointment of two especial factors, at Surat and Bantam, to have authority over all other factors; Jourdain named." And later again he is styled "John Jourdain, Captain of the house" (at Bantam; see pp. 303, 325), and "Chief Merchant at Bantam" (p. 343).

1623.—"Speaking of the Dutch Commander, as well as of the English
PRESIDENT, who often in this fashion came to take me for an airing, I
should not omit to say that both of them in Surat live in great style,
and like the grandees of the land. They go about with a great train,
sometimes with people of their own mounted, but particularly with a great
crowd of Indian servants on foot and armed, according to custom, with
sword, target, bow and arrows."—_P. della Valle_, ii. 517.

" "Our boat going ashore, the PRESIDENT of the English Merchants,
who usually resides in Surat, and is chief of all their business in the
E. Indies, Persia, and other places dependent thereon, and who is called
Sign. Thomas Rastel[225] ... came aboard in our said boat, with a
minister of theirs (so they term those who do the priest's office among
them)."—_Ibid._ ii. 501-2; [Hak. Soc. i. 19].

1638.—"As soon as the Commanders heard that the (English) PRESIDENT was
come to Suhaly, they went ashore.... The two dayes following were spent
in feasting, at which the Commanders of the two Ships treated the
PRESIDENT, who afterwards returned to _Suratta_.... During my abode at
_Suratta_, I wanted for no divertisement; for I ... found company at the
_Dutch_ PRESIDENT'S, who had his Farms there ... inasmuch as I could
converse with them in their own Language."—_Mandelslo_, E.T., ed. 1669,
p. 19.

1638.—"Les Anglois ont bien encore vn bureau à Bantam, dans l'Isle de
Jaua, mais il a son PRESIDENT particulier, qui ne depend point de celuy
de _Suratta_."—_Mandelslo_, French ed. 1659, p. 124.

" "A mon retour à _Suratta_ ie trouvay dans la loge des Anglois
plus de cinquante marchands, que le PRESIDENT auoit fait venir de tous
les autres Bureaux, pour rendre compte de leur administration, et pour
estre presens à ce changement de Gouuernement."—_Ibid._ 188.

1661.—"And in case any Person or Persons, being convicted and sentenced
by the PRESIDENT and Council of the said Governor and Company, in the
said East Indies, their Factors or Agents there, for any Offence by them
done, shall appeal from the same, that then, and in every such case, it
shall and may be lawful to and for the said PRESIDENT and Council, Factor
or Agent, to seize upon him or them, and to carry him or them home
Prisoners to England."—_Letters Patent to the Governor and Company of
Merchants of London, trading with the E. Indies_, 3d April.

1670.—The Court, in a letter to Fort St. George, fix the amount of
tonnage to be allowed to their officers (for their private investments)
on their return to Europe:

"PRESIDENTS and Agents, at Surat, Fort
St. George, and Bantam 5 _tonns_.

_Chiefes_, at Persia, the BAY (q.v.),
Mesulapatam, and Macassar: Deputy at
Bombay, and Seconds at Surat, Fort
St. George, and Bantam 3 _tonns_."

In _Notes and Exts._, No. i. p. 3.

1702.—"Tuesday 7th Aprill.... In the morning a Councill ... afterwards
having some Discourse arising among us whether the charge of hiring
Calashes, &c., upon Invitations given us from the Shabander or any others
to go to their Countrey Houses or upon any other Occasion of diverting
our Selves abroad for health, should be charged to our Honble Masters
account or not, the PRESIDENT and Mr. Loyd were of opinion to charge the
same.... But Mr. Rouse, Mr. Ridges, and Mr. Master were of opinion that
Batavia being a place of extraordinary charge and Expense in all things,
the said Calash hire, &c., ought not to be charged to the Honourable
Company's Account."—_MS. Records in India Office_.

The book containing this is a collocation of fragmentary MS. diaries. But this passage pertains apparently to the proceedings of President Allen Catchpole and his council, belonging to the Factory of Chusan, from which they were expelled by the Chinese in 1701-2; they stayed some time at Batavia on their way home. Mr. Catchpole (or Ketchpole) was soon afterwards chief of an English settlement made upon Pulo Condore, off the Cambojan coast. In 1704-5, we read that he reported favourably on the prospects of the settlement, requesting a supply of young WRITERS, to learn the Chinese language, anticipating that the island would soon become an important station for Chinese trade. But Catchpole was himself, about the end of 1705, murdered by certain people of Macassar, who thought he had broken faith with them, and with him all the English but two (see _Bruce's Annals_, 483-4, 580, 606, and _A. Hamilton_, ii. 205 [ed. 1744]). The Pulo Condore enterprise thus came to an end.

1727.—"About the year 1674, PRESIDENT Aungier, a gentleman well qualified
for governing, came to the Chair, and leaving Surat to the Management of
Deputies, came to _Bombay_, and rectified many things."—_A. Hamilton_, i.
188.

PRICKLY-HEAT, s. A troublesome cutaneous rash (_Lichen tropicus_) in the form of small red pimples, which itch intolerably. It affects many Europeans in the hot weather. Fryer (pub. 1698) alludes to these "fiery pimples," but gives the disease no specific name. Natives sometimes suffer from it, and (in the south) use a paste of sandal-wood to alleviate it. Sir Charles Napier in Sind used to suffer much from it, and we have heard him described as standing, when giving an interview during the hot weather, with his back against the edge of an open door, for the convenience of occasional friction against it. [See RED-DOG.]

1631.—"Quas Latinus Hippocrates _Cornelius Celsus_ papulas, Plinius
sudamina vocat ... ita crebra sunt, ut ego adhuc neminem noverim qui
molestias has effugerit, non magis quam morsas culicum, quos Lusitani
_Mosquitas_ vocant. Sunt autem haec papulae rubentes, et asperae
aliquantum, per sudorem in cutem ejectæ; plerumque a capite ad calcem
usque, cum summo pruritu, et assiduo scalpendi desiderio
erumpentes."—_Jac. Bontii, Hist. Nat._ &c., ii. 18, p. 33.

1665.—"The Sun is but just now rising, yet he is intolerable; there is
not a Cloud in the Sky, not a breath of Wind; my horses are spent, they
have not seen a green Herb since we came out of _Lahor_; my _Indians_,
for all their black, dry, and hard skin, sink under it. My face, hands
and feet are peeled off, and my body is covered all over with PIMPLES
THAT PRICK ME, as so many needles."—_Bernier_, E.T. 125; [ed.
_Constable_, 389].

[1673.—"This Season ... though moderately warm, yet our Bodies broke out
into small FIERY PIMPLES (a sign of a prevailing _Crasis_) augmented by
MUSKEETOE-Bites, and _Chinces_ raising Blisters on us."—_Fryer_, 35.]

1807.—"One thing I have forgotten to tell you of—the PRICKLY HEAT. To
give you some notion of its intensity, the placid Lord William (Bentinck)
has been found sprawling on a table on his back; and Sir Henry Gwillin,
one of the Madras Judges, who is a Welshman, and a fiery Briton in all
senses, was discovered by a visitor rolling on his own floor, roaring
like a baited bull."—_Lord Minto in India_, June 29.

1813.—"Among the primary effects of a hot climate (for it can hardly be
called a disease) we may notice PRICKLY HEAT."—_Johnson, Influence of
Trop. Climates_, 25.

PRICKLY-PEAR, s. The popular name, in both E. and W. Indies, of the _Opuntia Dillenii_, Haworth (_Cactus Indica_, Roxb.), a plant spread all over India, and to which Roxburgh gave the latter name, apparently in the belief of its being indigenous in that country. Undoubtedly, however, it came from America, wide as has been its spread over Southern Europe and Asia. On some parts of the Mediterranean shores (_e.g._ in Sicily) it has become so characteristic that it is hard to realize the fact that the plant had no existence there before the 16th century. Indeed at Palermo we have heard this scouted, and evidence quoted in the supposed circumstance that among the mosaics of the splendid Duomo of Monreale (12th century) the fig-leaf garments of Adam and Eve are represented as of this uncompromising material. The mosaic was examined by one of the present writers, with the impression that the belief has no good foundation. [See 8th ser. _Notes and Queries_, viii. 254.] The cactus fruit, yellow, purple, and red, which may be said to form an important article of diet in the Mediterranean, and which is now sometimes seen in London shops, is not, as far as we know, anywhere used in India, except in times of famine. No cactus is named in Drury's _Useful Plants of India_. And whether the Mediterranean plants form a different species, or varieties merely, as compared with the Indian _Opuntia_, is a matter for inquiry. The fruit of the Indian plant is smaller and less succulent. There is a good description of the plant and fruit in _Oviedo_, with a good cut (see Ramusio's Ital. version, bk. viii. ch. xxv.). That author gives an amusing story of his first making acquaintance with the fruit in S. Domingo, in the year 1515.

Some of the names by which the _Opuntia_ is known in the Punjab seem to belong properly to species of _Euphorbia_. Thus the _Euphorbia Royleana_, Bois., is called _tsūī_, _chū_, &c.; and the _Opuntia_ is called _Kābulī tsūī_, _Gangi sho_, _Kanghi chū_, &c. _Gangi chū_ is also the name of an _Euphorbia_ sp. which Dr. Stewart takes to be the _E. Neriifolia_, L. (_Punjab Plants_, pp. 101 and 194-5). [The common name in Upper India for the prickly pear is _nāgphanī_, 'snake-hood,' from its shape.] This is curious; for although certain cactuses are very like certain _Euphorbias_, there is no _Euphorbia_ resembling the _Opuntia_ in form.

The _Zaḳūm_ mentioned in the _Āīn_ (_Gladwin_, 1800, ii. 68; [_Jarrett_, ii. 239; _Sidi Ali_, ed. _Vambery_, p. 31] as used for hedges in Guzerat, is doubtless _Euphorbia_ also. The _Opuntia_ is very common as a hedge plant in cantonments, &c., and it was much used by Tippoo as an obstruction round his fortifications. Both the _E. Royleana_ and the _Opuntia_ are used for fences in parts of the Punjab. The latter is objectionable, from harbouring dirt and reptiles; but it spreads rapidly both from birds eating the fruit, and from the facility with which the joints take root.

1685.—"The PRICKLY-PEAR, Bush, or Shrub, of about 4 or 5 foot high ...
the Fruit at first is green, like the Leaf.... It is very pleasant in
taste, cooling and refreshing; but if a Man eats 15 or 20 of them they
will colour his water, making it look like Blood."—_Dampier_, i. 223 (in
W. Indies).

1764.—

"On this lay cuttings of the PRICKLY PEAR;
They soon a formidable fence will shoot."
_Grainger_, Bk. i.

[1829.—"The castle of Bunai ... is covered with the _cactus_, or PRICKLY
PEAR, so abundant on the east side of the Aravali."—_Tod, Annals_,
Calcutta reprint, i. 826.]

1861.—"The use of the PRICKLY PEAR" (for hedges) "I strongly deprecate;
although impenetrable and inexpensive, it conveys an idea of sterility,
and is rapidly becoming a nuisance in this country."—_Cleghorn, Forests
and Gardens_, 285.

PROME, n.p. An important place in Pegu above the Delta. The name is Talaing, properly _Brun_. The Burmese call it _Pyé_ or (in the Aracanese form in which the _r_ is pronounced) _Pré_ and _Pré-myo_ ('city').

1545.—"When he (the K. of _Bramaa_) was arrived at the young King's
pallace, he caused himself to be crowned King of PROM, and during the
Ceremony ... made that poor Prince, whom he had deprived of his Kingdom,
to continue kneeling before him, with his hands held up.... This done he
went into a Balcone, which looked on a great Market-place, whither he
commanded all the dead children that lay up and down the streets, to be
brought, and then causing them to be hacked very small, he gave them,
mingled with Bran, Rice, and Herbs, to his Elephants to eat."—_Pinto_,
E.T. 211-212 (orig. clv.).

c. 1609.—"... this quarrel was hardly ended when a great rumour of arms
was heard from a quarter where the Portuguese were still fighting. The
cause of this was the arrival of 12,000 men, whom the King of PREN sent
in pursuit of the King of Arracan, knowing that he had fled that way. Our
people hastening up had a stiff and well fought combat with them; for
although they were fatigued with the fight which had been hardly ended,
those of PREN were so disheartened at seeing the Portuguese, whose steel
they had already felt, that they were fain to retire."—_Bocarro_, 142.
This author has PROM (p. 132) and PORÃO (p. 149). [Also see under AVA.]

1755.—"PRONE ... has the ruins of an _old brick wall round it_, and
immediately without _that_, another with _Teak Timber_."—_Capt. G.
Baker_, in _Dalrymple_, i. 173.

1795.—"In the evening, my boat being ahead, I reached the city of
_Peeaye-mew_, or PROME, ... renowned in Birman history."—_Symes_, pp.
238-9.

PROW, PARAO, &c., s. This word seems to have a double origin in European use; the Malayāl. _pāṛu_, 'a boat,' and the Island word (common to Malay, Javanese, and most languages of the Archipelago) _prāū_ or _prāhū_. This is often specifically applied to a peculiar kind of galley, "Malay Prow," but Crawfurd defines it as "a general term for any vessel, but generally for small craft." It is hard to distinguish between the words, as adopted in the earlier books, except by considering date and locality.

1499.—"The King despatched to them a large boat, which they call PARÁO,
well manned, on board which he sent a Naire of his with an errand to the
Captains...."—_Correa, Lendas_, I. i. 115.

1510.—(At Calicut) "Some other small ships are called PARAO, and they are
boats of ten paces each, and are all of a piece, and go with oars made of
cane, and the mast also is made of cane."—_Varthema_, 154.

1510.—"The other Persian said: 'O Sir, what shall we do?' I replied: 'Let
us go along this shore till we find a PARAO, that is, a small
bark.'"—_Ibid._ 269.

1518.—"Item; that any one possessing a zambuquo (see SAMBOOK) or a PARAO
of his own and desiring to go in it may do so with all that belongs to
him, first giving notice two days before to the Captain of the
City."—_Livro dos Privilegios da Cidade de Goa_, in _Archiv. Port.
Orient._ Fascic. v. p. 7.

1523.—"When Dom Sancho (Dom Sancho Anriquez; see _Correa_, ii. 770) went
into Muar to fight with the fleet of the King of Bintam which was inside
the River, there arose a squall which upset all our PARAOS and LANCHARAS
at the bar mouth...."—_Lembrança de Cousas de India_, p. 5.

1582.—"Next daye after the Capitaine Generall with all his men being a
land, working upon the ship called Berrio, there came in two little
PARAOS."—_Castañeda_ (tr. by N. L.), f. 62_v_.

1586.—"The fifth and last festival, which is called _Sapan Donon_, is one
in which the King (of Pegu) is embarked in the most beautiful PARÒ, or
boat...."—_G. Balbi_, f. 122.

1606.—Gouvea (f. 27_v_) uses PARÒ.

" "An howre after this comming a board of the hollanders came a
PRAWE or a canow from Bantam."—_Middleton's Voyage_, c. 3 (_v_).

[1611.—"The Portuguese call their own galiots Navires (_navios_) and
those of the Malabars, PAIRAUS. Most of these vessels were Chetils (see
CHETTY), that is to say merchantmen. Immediately on arrival the Malabars
draw up their PADOS or galliots on the beach."—_Pyrard de Laval_, Hak.
Soc. i. 345.

1623.—"In the Morning we discern'd four ships of Malabar Rovers near the
shore (they called them PAROES and they goe with Oars like our Galeots or
Foists."—_P. della Valle_, Hak. Soc. ii. 201.]

[1666.—"Con secreto previno Lope de Soarez veinte bateles, y gobernandolo
y entrando por un rio, hallaron el peligro de cinco naves y ochenta
PARAOS con mucha gente resuelta y de valor."—_Faria y Sousa, Asia_, i.
66.

1673.—"They are owners of several small PROVOES, of the same make, and
Canooses, cut out of one entire Piece of Wood."—_Fryer_, 20. Elsewhere
(_e.g._ 57, 59) he has PROES.

1727.—"The _Andemaners_ had a yearly Custom to come to the _Nicobar_
Islands, with a great number of small PRAWS, and kill or take Prisoners
as many of the poor Nicobareans as they could overcome."—_A. Hamilton_,
ii. 65 [ed. 1744].

1816.—"... PRAHU, a term under which the Malays include every description
of vessel."—_Raffles_, in _As. Res._ xii. 132.

1817.—"The Chinese also have many brigs ... as well as native-built
PRAHUS."—_Raffles, Java_, i. 203.

1868.—"On December 13th I went on board a PRAU bound for the Aru
Islands."—_Wallace, Malay Archip._ 227.

PUCKA, adj. Hind. _pakkā_, 'ripe, mature, cooked'; and hence substantial, permanent, with many specific applications, of which examples have been given under the habitually contrasted term CUTCHA (q.v.). One of the most common uses in which the word has become specific is that of a building of brick and mortar, in contradistinction to one of inferior material, as of mud, matting, or timber. Thus:

[1756.—"... adjacent houses; all of them of the strongest PECCA work, and
all most proof against our Mettal on ye Bastions." _Capt. Grant, Report
on Siege of Calcutta_, ed. by Col. Temple, _Ind. Ant._, 1890, p. 7.]

1784.—"The House, Cook-room, bottle-connah, godown, &c., are all
PUCKA-built."—In _Seton-Karr_, i. 41.

1824.—"A little above this beautiful stream, some miserable PUCKA sheds
pointed out the Company's warehouses."—_Heber_, ed. 1844, i. 259-60.

1842.—"I observe that there are in the town (Dehli) many buildings
PUCKA-built, as it is called in India."—_Wellington_ to Ld. Ellenborough,
in _Indian Adm._ of _Ld. E._, p. 306.

1857.—"Your Lahore men have done nobly. I should like to embrace them;
Donald, Roberts, Mac, and Dick are, all of them, PUCCA trumps."—_Lord
Lawrence_, in _Life_, ii. 11.

1869.—"... there is no surer test by which to measure the prosperity of
the people than the number of PUCKA houses that are being built."—_Report
of a Sub-Committee_ on Proposed Indian Census.

This application has given rise to a substantive PUCKA, for work of brick
and mortar, or for the composition used as cement and plaster.

1727.—"Fort William was built on an irregular Tetragon of Brick and
Mortar, called PUCKAH, which is a Composition of Brick-dust, Lime,
Molasses, and cut Hemp, and when it comes to be dry, it is as hard and
tougher than firm Stone or Brick."—_A. Hamilton_, ii. 19; [ed. 1744, ii.
7].

The word was also sometimes used substantively for "_pucka pice_" (see CUTCHA).

c. 1817.—"I am sure I strive, and strive, and yet last month I could only
lay by eight rupees and four PUCKERS."—_Mrs. Sherwood's Stories_, 66.

In (Stockdale's) _Indian Vocabulary_ of 1788 we find another substantive use, but it was perhaps even then inaccurate.

1788.—"PUCKA—A putrid fever, generally fatal in 24 hours."

Another habitual application of PUCKA and CUTCHA distinguishes between two classes of weights and measures. The existence of twofold weight, the PUCKA ser and the CUTCHA, used to be very general in India. It was equally common in Medieval Europe. Almost every city in Italy had its libra _grossa_ and libra _sottile_ (_e.g._ see _Pegolotti_, 4, 34, 153, 228, &c.), and we ourselves still have them, under the names of _pound avoirdupois_ and _pound troy_.

1673.—"The MAUND PUCKA at _Agra_ is double as much (as the Surat
_Maund_)."—_Fryer_, 205.

1760.—"Les PACCA cosses ... repondent à une lieue de l'Isle de
France."—_Lett. Edif._ xv. 189.

1803.—"If the rice should be sent to Coraygaum, it should be in
sufficient quantities to give 72 PUCCA seers for each load."—_Wellington,
Desp._ (ed. 1837), ii. 43.

In the next quotation the terms apply to the temporary or permanent character of the appointments held.

1866.—"_Susan._ Well, Miss, I don't wonder you're so fond of him. He is
such a sweet young man, though he is CUTCHA. Thank goodness, my young man
is PUCKA, though he is only a subordinate Government Salt
Chowkee."—_Trevelyan, The Dawk Bungalow_, 222.

The remaining quotations are examples of miscellaneous use:

1853.—"'Well, Jenkyns, any news?' 'Nothing PUCKA that I know
of.'"—_Oakfield_, ii. 57.

1866.—"I cannot endure a swell, even though his whiskers are
PUCKA."—_Trevelyan, The Dawk Bungalow_, in _Fraser_, lxxiii. 220.

The word has spread to China:

"Dis PUKKA sing-song makee show
How smart man make mistake, galow."
_Leland, Pidgin English Sing-Song_, 54.

PUCKAULY, s.; also PUCKAUL. Hind. _pakhālī_, 'a water-carrier.' In N. India the _pakhāl_ [Skt. _payas_, 'water,' _khalla_, 'skin'] is a large water-skin (an entire ox-hide) of some 20 gallons content, of which a pair are carried by a bullock, and the _pakhālī_ is the man who fills the skins, and supplies the water thus. In the Madras Drill Regulations for 1785 (33), ten PUCKALIES are allowed to a battalion. (See also Williamson's _V. M._ (1810), i. 229.)

[1538.—Referring to the preparations for the siege of Diu, "which they
brought from all the wells on the island by all the bullocks they could
collect with their water-skins, which they call PACALS
(_Pacais_)."—_Couto_, Dec. V. Bk. iii. ch. 2.]

1780.—"There is another very necessary establishment to the European
corps, which is two BUCCALIES to each company: these are two large
leathern bags for holding water, slung upon the back of a
bullock...."—_Munro's Narrative_, 183.

1803.—"It (water) is brought by means of bullocks in leathern bags,
called here PUCKALLY bags, a certain number of which is attached to every
regiment and garrison in India. Black fellows called PUCKAULY-BOYS are
employed to fill the bags, and drive the bullocks to the quarters of the
different Europeans."—_Percival's Ceylon_, 102.

1804.—"It would be a much better arrangement to give the adjutants of
corps an allowance of 26 rupees per mensam, to supply two PUCKALIE men,
and two bullocks with bags, for each company."—_Wellington_, iii. 509.

1813.—"In cities, in the armies, and with Europeans on country
excursions, the water for drinking is usually carried in large leather
bags called PACAULIES, formed by the entire skin of an ox."—_Forbes, Or.
Mem._ ii. 140; [2nd ed. i. 415].

1842.—"I lost no time in confidentially communicating with Capt. Oliver
on the subject of trying some experiments as to the possibility of
conveying empty 'PUCKALLS' and 'MUSSUCKS' by sea to Suez."—_Sir G.
Arthur_, in _Ellenborough's Ind. Admin._ 219.

[1850.—"On the reverse flank of companies march the PICKALLIERS, or men
driving bullocks, carrying large leather bags filled with
water...."—_Hervey, Ten Years in India_, iii. 335.]

PUCKEROW, v. This is properly the imperative of the Hind. verb _pakṛānā_, 'to cause to be seized,' _pakṛāo_, 'cause him to be seized'; or perhaps more correctly of a compound verb _pakaṛāo_, 'seize and come,' or in our idiom, 'Go and seize.' But _puckerow_ belongs essentially to the dialect of the European soldier, and in that becomes of itself a verb 'to _puckerow_,' _i.e._ to lay hold of (generally of a recalcitrant native). The conversion of the Hind. imperative into an Anglo-Indian verb infinitive, is not uncommon; compare BUNOW, DUMBCOW, GUBBROW, LUGOW, &c.

1866.—"Fanny, I am CUTCHA no longer. Surely you will allow a lover who is
PUCKA to PUCKERO!"—_Trevelyan, The Dawk Bungalow_, 390.

PUDIPATAN, n.p. The name of a very old seaport of Malabar, which has now ceased to have a place in the Maps. It lay between Cannanore and Calicut, and must have been near the Waddakaré of K. Johnston's Royal Atlas. [It appears in the map in Logan's _Malabar_ as _Putuppatanam_ or _Putappanam_.] The name is Tamil, _Pudupaṭṭana_, 'New City.' Compare true form of PONDICHERRY.

c. 545.—"The most notable places of trade are these ... and then five
marts of Malé from which pepper is exported, to wit, Parti, Mangaruth
(see MANGALORE), Salopatana, Nalopatana, PUDOPATANA...."—_Cosmas
Indicopleustes_, Bk. xi. (see in _Cathay_, &c. p. clxxviii.).

c. 1342.—"BUDDFATTAN, which is a considerable city, situated upon a great
estuary.... The haven of this city is one of the finest; the water is
good, the betel-nut is abundant, and is exported thence to India and
China."—_Ibn Batuta_, iv. 87.

c. 1420.—"A quâ rursus se diebus viginti terrestri viâ contulit ad urbem
portumque maritimum nomine PUDIFETANEAM."—_Conti_, in _Poggio, de Var.
Fort._

1516.—"... And passing those places you come to a river called
PUDRIPATAN, in which there is a good place having many Moorish merchants
who possess a multitude of ships, and here begins the Kingdom of
Calicut."—_Barbosa_, in _Ramusio_, i. f. 311_v_. See also in Stanley's
Barbosa PUDOPATANI, and in _Tohfat-ul-Mujahideen_, by Rowlandson, pp. 71,
157, where the name (_Budfattan_) is misread BUDUFTUN.

[PUG, s. Hind. _pag_, Skt. _padaka_, 'a foot'; in Anglo-Indian use the footmarks of an animal, such as a tiger.

[1831.—"... sanguine we were sometimes on the report of a _bura_ PUG from
the SHIKAREE."—_Orient. Sport. Mag._ reprint 1873, ii. 178.

[1882.—"Presently the large square 'PUG' of the tiger we were in search
of appeared."—_Sanderson, Thirteen Years_, 30.]

PUGGRY, PUGGERIE, s. Hind. _pagṛī_, 'a turban.' The term being often used in colloquial for a scarf of cotton or silk wound round the hat in turban-form, to protect the head from the sun, both the thing and name have of late years made their way to England, and may be seen in London shop-windows.

c. 1200.—"Prithirâja ... wore a PAGARI ornamented with jewels, with a
splendid _toro_. In his ears he wore pearls; on his neck a pearl
necklace."—_Chand Bardai_ E.T. by _Beames, Ind. Ant._ i. 282.

[1627.—"... I find it is the common mode of the Eastern People to shave
the head all save a long lock which superstitiously they leave at the
very top, such especially as wear TURBANS, Mandils, Dustars, and
PUGGAREES."—_Sir T. Herbert_, ed. 1677, p. 140.]

1673.—"They are distinguished, some according to the consanguinity they
claim with Mahomet, as a Siad is akin to that Imposture, and therefore
only assumes to himself a Green Vest and PUCKERY (or
Turbat)...."—_Fryer_, 93; [comp. 113].

1689.—"... with a PUGGAREE or Turbant upon their Heads."—_Ovington_, 314.

1871.—"They (the Negro Police in Demarara) used frequently to be turned
out to parade in George Town streets, dressed in a neat uniform, with
white PUGGRIES framing in their ebony faces."—_Jenkins, The Coolie_.

PUGGY, s. Hind. _pagī_ (not in Shakespear's Dict., nor in Platts), from _pag_ (see PUG), 'the foot.' A professional tracker; the name of a caste, or rather an occupation, whose business is to track thieves by footmarks and the like. On the system, see _Burton, Sind Revisited_, i. 180 _seqq._

[1824.—"There are in some of the districts of Central India (as in
Guzerat) PUGGEES, who have small fees on the village, and whose business
it is to trace thieves by the print of their feet."—_Malcolm, Central
India_, 2nd ed. ii. 19.]

1879.—"Good PUGGIES or trackers should be employed to follow the dacoits
during the daytime."—_Times of India_, Overland Suppt., May 12, p. 7.

PUHUR, PORE, PYRE, &c., s. Hind. _pahar_, _pahr_, from Skt. _prahara_. 'A fourth part of the day and of the night, a watch' or space of 8 _ghaṛīs_ (see GHURRY).

c. 1526.—"The natives of Hindostân divide the night and day into 60
parts, each of which they denominate a _Gheri_; they likewise divide the
night into 4 parts, and the day into the same number, each of which they
call a PAHAR or watch, which the Persians call a _Pâs_."—_Baber_, 331.

[c. 1590.—"The Hindu philosophers divide the day and night into four
parts, each of which they call a PAHR."—_Āīn_, ed. _Jarrett_, iii. 15.]

1633.—"PAR." See under GHURRY.

1673.—"PORE." See under GONG.

1803.—"I have some JASOOSES selected by Col. C's brahmin for their
stupidity, that they might not pry into state secrets, who go to Sindia's
camp, remain there a PHAUR in fear...."—_M. Elphinstone_, in _Life_, i.
62.

PULÁ, s. In Tamil _pillai_, Malayāl. _pilla_, 'child'; the title of a superior class of (so-called) Śūdras, [especially CURNUMS]. In Cochin and Travancore it corresponds with _Nāyar_ (see NAIR). It is granted by the sovereign, and carries exemption from customary manual labour.

1553.—"... PULAS, who are the gentlemen" (_fidalgos_).—_Castanheda_, iv.
2.

[1726.—"O Saguate que o Commendor tinha remetido como gristnave amim e as
PULAMARES temos ca recebid."—_Ratification_, in _Logan, Malabar_, iii.
13.]

PULICAT, n.p. A town on the Madras coast, which was long the seat of a Dutch factory. Bp. Caldwell's native friend Seshagiri Śāstri gives the proper name as _pala-Vêlkāḍu_, 'old Velkāḍu or Verkāḍu,' the last a place-name mentioned in the Tamil Sivaite _Tevāram_ (see also Valentijn below). [The _Madras Gloss._ gives _Pazhaverk-kādu_, 'old acacia forest,' which is corroborated by Dr. Hultzsch (_Epigraphia Indica_, i. 398).]

1519.—"And because he had it much in charge to obtain all the lac
(_alacre_) that he could, the Governor learning from merchants that much
of it was brought to the Coast of Choromandel by the vessels of Pegu and
Martaban which visited that coast to procure painted cloths and other
coloured goods, such as are made in PALEACATE, which is on the coast of
Choromandel, whence the traders with whom the Governor spoke brought it
to Cochin; he, having got good information on the whole matter, sent a
certain Frolentine (_sic_, _frolentim_) called Pero Escroco, whom he
knew, and who was good at trade, to be factor on the coast of
Choromandel...."—_Correa_, ii. 567.

1533.—"The said Armenian, having already been at the city of PALEACATE,
which is in the Province of Choromandel and the Kingdom of Bisnaga, when
on his way to Bengal, and having information of the place where the body
of S. Thomas was said to be, and when they arrived at the port of
PALEACATE the wind was against their going on...."—_Barros_, III. vii.
11.

[1611.—"The Dutch had settled a factory at PELLACATA."—_Danvers,
Letters_, i. 133; in _Foster_, ii. 83, POLLICAT.]

1726.—"Then we come to _Palleam Wedam Caddoe_, called by us for shortness
PALLEACATTA, which means in Malabars 'The old Fortress,' though most
commonly we call it _Castle Geldria_."—_Valentijn, Chorom._ 13.

" "The route I took was along the strip of country between PORTO
NOVO and PALEIACATTA. This long journey I travelled on foot; and preached
in more than a hundred places...."—_Letter of the Missionary Schultze_,
July 19, in _Notices of Madras_, &c., p. 20.

1727.—"POLICAT is the next Place of Note to the City and Colony of Fort
St _George_.... It is strengthned with two Forts, one contains a few
Dutch soldiers for a Garrison, the other is commanded by an Officer
belonging to the _Mogul_."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 372, [ed. 1744].

[1813.—"PULECAT handkerchiefs." See under PIECE-GOODS.]

PULTUN, s. Hind. _palṭan_, a corruption of _Battalion_, possibly with some confusion of _platoon_ or _péloton_. The S. India form is _pataulam_, _patālam_. It is the usual native word for a regiment of native infantry; it is never applied to one of Europeans.

1800.—"All I can say is that I am ready primed, and that if all matters
suit I shall go off with a dreadful explosion, and shall probably destroy
some CAMPOOS and PULTONS which have been indiscreetly pushed across the
Kistna."—_A. Wellesley_ to _T. Munro_, in _Mem. of Munro_, by
_Arbuthnot_, lxix.

[1895.—"I know lots of Sahibs in a PULTOON at Bareilly."—_Mrs Croker,
Village Tales and Jungle Tragedies_, 60.]

PULWAH, PULWAR, s. One of the native boats used on the rivers of Bengal, carrying some 12 to 15 tons. Hind. _palwār_. [For a drawing see _Grierson, Bihar Village Life_, p. 42.]

1735.—"... We observed a boat which had come out of _Samboo_ river,
making for _Patna_: the commandant detached two light PULWAARS after
her...."—_Holwell, Hist. Events_, &c., i. 69.

[1767.—"... a Peon came twice to Noon-golah, to apply for
POLWARS...."—_Verelst, View of Bengal_, App. 197.]

1780.—"Besides this boat, a gentleman is generally attended by two
others; a PULWAH for the accommodation of the kitchen, and a smaller
boat, a PAUNCHWAY" (q.v.).—_Hodges_, p. 39.

1782.—"To be sold, Three New Dacca PULWARS, 60 feet long, with Houses in
the middle of each."—_India Gazette_, Aug. 31.

1824.—"The ghât offered a scene of bustle and vivacity which I by no
means expected. There were so many budgerows and PULWARS, that we had
considerable difficulty to find a mooring place."—_Heber_, ed. 1844, i.
131.

1860.—"The PULWAR is a smaller description of native travelling boat, of
neater build, and less rusticity of character, sometimes used by a single
traveller of humble means, and at others serves as _cook-boat_ and
accommodation for servants accompanying one of the large kind of
boats...."—_Grant, Rural Life in Bengal_, p. 7, with an illustration.

PULWAUN, s. P.—H. _pahlwān_, [which properly means 'a native of ancient Persia' (see PAHLAVI). Mr. Skeat notes that in Malay the word becomes _pahlāwan_, probably from a confusion with Malay _āwan_, 'to fight']. A champion; a professed wrestler or man of strength.

[1753.—"... the fourth, and least numerous of these bodies, were choice
men of the PEHLEVANS...."—_Hanway_, iii. 104.

[1813.—"When his body has by these means imbibed an additional portion of
vigour, he is dignified by the appellation of PUHLWAN."—_Broughton,
Letters_, ed. 1892, p. 165.]

1828.—"I added a PEHLIVÂN or prize-fighter, a negro whose teeth were
filed into saws, of a temper as ferocious as his aspect, who could throw
any man of his weight to the ground, carry a jackass, devour a sheep
whole, eat fire, and make a fountain of his inside, so as to act as a
spout."—_Hajji Baba in England_, i. 15.

PUN, s. A certain number of cowries, generally 80; Hind. _paṇa_. (See under COWRY). The Skt. _paṇa_ is 'a stake played for a price, a sum,' and hence both a coin (whence FANAM, q.v.) and a certain amount of cowries.

1554.—"PONE." (See under PORTO PIQUENO.)

1683.—"I was this day advised that Mr. Charnock putt off Mr. Ellis's
Cowries at 34 PUND to ye Rupee in payment of all ye Peons and Servants of
the Factory, whereas 38 PUNDS are really bought by him for a
Rupee...."—_Hedges, Diary_, Oct. 2; [Hak. Soc. i. 122].

1760.—"We now take into consideration the relief of the menial servants
of this Settlement, respecting the exorbitant price of labor exacted from
them by tailors, washermen, and barbers, which appear in near a quadruple
(pro)portion compared with the prices paid in 1755. Agreed, that after
the 1st of April they be regulated as follows:

"No tailor to demand for making:

1 JAMMA, more than 3 annas.
* * * * *
1 pair of drawers, 7 PUN of cowries.

No washerman:

1 corge of pieces, 7 PUN of cowries.

No barber for shaving a single person, more than 7 gundas" (see
COWRY).—_Ft. William Consns._, March 27, in _Long_, 209.

PUNCH, s. This beverage, according to the received etymology, was named from the Pers. _panj_, or Hind. and Mahr. _pānch_, both meaning 'five'; because composed of five ingredients, viz. arrack, sugar, lime-juice, spice, and water. Fryer may be considered to give something like historical evidence of its origin; but there is also something of Indian idiom in the suggestion. Thus a famous horse-medicine in Upper India is known as _battīsī_, because it is supposed to contain 32 ('_battīs_') ingredients. Schiller, in his _Punschlied_, sacrificing truth to trope, omits the spice and makes the ingredients only 4: "_Vier_ Elemente Innig gesellt, Bilden das Leben, Bauen die Welt."

The Greeks also had a "Punch," πενταπλόα, as is shown in the quotation from Athenaeus. Their mixture does not sound inviting. Littré gives the etymology correctly from the Pers. _panj_, but the 5 elements _à la française_, as tea, sugar, spirit, cinnamon, and lemon-peel,—no water therefore!

Some such compound appears to have been in use at the beginning of the 17th century under the name of LARKIN (q.v.). Both Dutch and French travellers in the East during that century celebrate the beverage under a variety of names which amalgamate the drink curiously with the vessel in which it was brewed. And this combination in the form of BOLE-PONJIS was adopted as the title of a Miscellany published in 1851, by H. Meredith Parker, a Bengal civilian, of local repute for his literary and dramatic tastes. He had lost sight of the original authorities for the term, and his quotation is far astray. We give them correctly below.

c. 210.—"On the feast of the Scirrha at Athens he (Aristodemus on Pindar)
says a race was run by the young men. They ran this race carrying each a
vine-branch laden with grapes, such as is called _ōschus_; and they ran
from the temple of Dionysus to that of Athena Sciras. And the winner
receives a cup such as is called 'FIVE-FOLD,' and of this he partakes
joyously with the band of his comrades. But the cup is called πενταπλόα
because it contains wine and honey and cheese and flour, and a little
oil."—_Athenaeus_, XI. xcii.

1638.—"This voyage (Gombroon to Surat) ... we accomplished in 19 days....
We drank English beer, Spanish sack, French wine, Indian spirit, and good
English water, and made good PALEPUNZEN."—_Mandelslo_, (Dutch ed. 1658),
p. 24. The word PALEPUNZEN seems to have puzzled the English translator
(John Davis, 2nd ed. 1669), who has "excellent good sack, _English_ beer,
_French_ wines, _Arak, and other refreshments_." (p. 10).

1653.—"BOLLEPONGE est vn mot Anglois, qui signifie vne boisson dont les
Anglois vsent aux Indes faite de sucre, suc de limon, eau de vie, fleur
de muscade, et biscuit roty."—_De la Boullaye-le-Gouz_, ed. 1657, p. 534.

[1658.—"Arriued this place where found the Bezar almost Burnt and many of
the People almost starued for want of Foode which caused much Sadnes in
Mr. Charnock and my Selfe, but not soe much as the absence of your
Company, which wee haue often remembered in a bowle of the cleerest
PUNCH, hauing noe better Liquor."—_Hedges, Diary_, Hak. Soc. iii. cxiv.]

1659.—"Fürs Dritte, PALE BUNZE getituliret, von halb Wasser, halb
Brantwein, dreyssig, vierzig Limonien, deren Körnlein ausgespeyet werden,
und ein wenig Zucker eingeworfen; wie dem Geschmack so angenehm nicht,
also auch der Gesundheit nicht."—_Saar_, ed. 1672, 60.

[1662.—"Amongst other spirituous drinks, as PUNCH, &c., they gave us
Canarie that had been carried to and fro from the Indies, which was
indeed incomparably good."—_Evelyn, Diary_, Jan. 16.]

c. 1666.—"Neánmoins depuis qu'ils (les Anglois) ont donné ordre, aussi
bien que les Hollandois, que leurs equipages ne boivent point tant de
BOULEPONGES ... il n'y a pas tant de maladies, et il ne leur meurt plus
tant de monde. BOULEPONGE est un certain breuvage composé d'arac ... avec
du suc de limons, de l'eau, et un peu de muscade rapée dessus: il est
assez agréable au gout, mais c'est la peste du corps et de la
santé."—_Bernier_, ed. 1723, ii. 335 (Eng. Tr. p. 141); [ed. _Constable_,
441].

1670.—"Doch als men zekere andere drank, die zij PALEPONTS noemen,
daartusschen drinkt, zo word het quaat enigsins geweert."—_Andriesz_, 9.
Also at p. 27, "PALEPUNTS."

We find this blunder of the compound word transported again to England, and explained as a 'hard word.'

1672.—Padre Vincenzo Maria describes the thing, but without a name:

"There are many fruites to which the Hollanders and the English add a
certain beverage that they compound of lemon-juice, aqua-vitae, sugar,
and nutmegs, to quench their thirst, and this, in my belief, augments not
a little the evil influence."—_Viaggio_, p. 103.

1673.—"At Nerule is the best _Arach_ or _Nepa_ (see NIPA) _de Goa_, with
which the _English_ on this Coast make that enervating Liquor called
PAUNCH (which is _Indostan_ for Five), from Five Ingredients; as the
Physicians name their Composition _Diapente_; or from four things,
_Diatessaron_."—_Fryer_, 157.

1674.—"PALAPUNTZ, a kind of Indian drink, consisting of _Aqua-vitae_,
Rose-water, juyce of Citrons and Sugar."—_Glossographia_, &c., by T. E.

[1675.—"Drank part of their boules of PUNCH (a liquor very strange to
me)."—_H. Teonge, Diary_, June 1.]

1682.—"Some (of the Chinese in Batavia) also sell Sugar-beer, as well as
cooked dishes and Sury (see SURA), arak or Indian brandy; wherefrom they
make _Mussak_ and FOLLEPONS, as the Englishmen call it."—_Nieuhoff, Zee
en Lant-Reize_, ii. 217.

1683.—"... Our owne people and mariners who are now very numerous, and
insolent among us, and (by reason of PUNCH) every day give
disturbance."—_Hedges, Diary_, Oct. 8; [Hak. Soc. i. 123].

1688.—"... the soldiers as merry as PUNCH could make them."—In _Wheeler_,
i. 187.

1689.—"Bengal (Arak) is much stronger spirit than that of Goa, tho' both
are made use of by the Europeans in making PUNCH."—_Ovington_, 237-8.

1694.—"If any man comes into a victualling house to drink PUNCH, he may
demand one quart good Goa _arak_, half a pound of sugar, and half a pint
of good lime water, and make his own PUNCH...."—_Order Book of Bombay
Govt._, quoted by _Anderson_, p. 281.

1705.—"Un bon repas chez les Anglais ne se fait point sans _bonne_ PONSE
qu'on sert dans un grand vase."—_Sieur Luillier, Voy. aux Grandes Indes_,
29.

1771.—"Hence every one (at Madras) has it in his Power to eat well, tho'
he can afford no other Liquor at Meals than PUNCH, which is the common
Drink among Europeans, and here made in the greatest
Perfection."—_Lockyer_, 22.

1724.—"Next to _Drams_, no Liquor deserves more to be stigmatised and
banished from the Repasts of the _Tender_, _Valetudinary_, and
_Studious_, than PUNCH."—_G. Cheyne, An Essay on Health and Longevity_,
p. 58.

1791.—"Dès que l'Anglais eut cessé de manger, le Paria ... fit un signe à
sa femme, qui apporta ... une grande calebasse pleine de PUNCH, qu'elle
avoit preparé, pendant le souper, avec de l'eau, et du jus de citron, et
du jus de canne de sucre...."—_B. de St. Pierre, Chaumière Indienne_, 56.

PUNCH-HOUSE, s. An Inn or Tavern; now the term is chiefly used by natives (sometimes in the hybrid form PUNCH-GHAR, [which in Upper India is now transferred to the meeting-place of a Municipal Board]) at the Presidency towns, and applied to houses frequented by seamen. Formerly the word was in general Anglo-Indian use. [In the Straits the Malay _Panc-haus_ is, according to Mr. Skeat, still in use, though obolescent.]

[1661.—"... the Commandore visiting us, wee delivering him another
examination of a Persee (PARSEE), who kept a PUNCH HOUSE, where the
murder was committed...."—_Forrest, Bombay Letters, Home Series_, i.
189.]

1671-2.—"It is likewise enordered and declared hereby that no Victuallar,
PUNCH-HOUSE, or other house of Entertainment shall be permitted to make
stoppage at the pay day of their wages...."—_Rules_, in _Wheeler_, iii.
423.

1676.—Major Puckle's "Proposals to the Agent about the young men at
Metchlepatam.

"That some pecuniary mulct or fine be imposed ... for misdemeanours.

* * * * *

"6. Going to PUNCH or RACK-HOUSES without leave or warrantable occasion.

"Drubbing any of the Company's PEONS or servants."

* * * * *

—In _Notes and Exts._, No. I. p. 40.

1688.—"... at his return to Achen he constantly frequented an English
PUNCH-HOUSE, spending his Gold very freely."—_Dampier_, ii. 134.

" "Mrs. Francis, wife to the late Lieutenant Francis killed at
Hoogly by the Moors, made it her petition that she might keep a
PUNCH-HOUSE for her maintenance."—In _Wheeler_, i. 184.

1697.—"Monday, 1st April ... Mr. Cheesely having in a PUNCH-HOUSE, upon a
quarrel of words, drawn his Sword ... and being taxed therewith, he both
doth own and justify the drawing of the sword ... it thereupon ordered
not to wear a sword while here."—In _Wheeler_, i. 320.

1727.—"... Of late no small Pains and Charge have been bestowed on its
Buildings (of the Fort at Tellichery); but for what Reason I know not ...
unless it be for small Vessels ... or to protect the Company's
Ware-house, and a small PUNCH-HOUSE that stands on the Sea-shore...."—_A.
Hamilton_, i. 299 [ed. 1744].

1789.—"Many ... are obliged to take up their residence in dirty
PUNCH-HOUSES."—_Munro's Narrative_, 22.

1810.—"The best house of that description which admits boarders, and
which are commonly called PUNCH-HOUSES."—_Williamson, V.M._ i. 135.

PUNCHAYET, s. Hind. _panchāyat_, from _pānch_, 'five.' A council (properly of 5 persons) assembled as a Court of Arbiters or Jury; or as a committee of the people of a village, of the members of a Caste, or whatnot, to decide on questions interesting the body generally.

1778.—"_The Honourable_ WILLIAM HORNBY, Esq., _President and Governor of
His Majesty's Castle and Island of Bombay_, &c.

"The humble Petition of the Managers of the PANCHAYET of Parsis at
Bombay...."—_Dosambhai Framji, H. of the Parsis_, 1884, ii. 219.

1810.—"The Parsees ... are governed by their own PANCHAÏT or village
Council. The word PANCHAÏT literally means a Council of five, but that of
the Guebres in Bombay consists of thirteen of the principal merchants of
the sect."—_Maria Graham_, 41.

1813.—"The carpet of justice was spread in the large open hall of the
durbar, where the arbitrators assembled: there I always attended, and
agreeably to ancient custom, referred the decision to a PANCHAEET or jury
of five persons."—_Forbes, Or. Mem._, ii. 359; [in 2nd ed. (ii. 2)
PANCHAUT].

1819.—"The PUNCHAYET itself, although in all but village causes it has
the defects before ascribed to it, possesses many advantages. The
intimate acquaintance of the members with the subject in dispute, and in
many cases with the characters of the parties, must have made their
decisions frequently correct, and ... the judges being drawn from the
body of the people, could act on no principles that were not generally
understood."—_Elphinstone_, in _Life_, ii. 89.

1821.—"I kept up PUNCHAYETS because I found them ... I still think that
the PUNCHAYET should on no account be dropped, that it is an excellent
institution for dispensing justice, and in keeping up the principles of
justice, which are less likely to be observed among a people to whom the
administration of it is not at all intrusted."—_Ibid._ 124.

1826.—"... when he returns assemble a PUNCHAYET, and give this cause
patient attention, seeing that Hybatty has justice."—_Pandurang Hari_,
31; [ed. 1873, i. 42].

1832.—Bengal Regn. VI. of this year allows the judge of the Sessions
Court to call in the alternative aid of a PUNCHAYET, in lieu of
assessors, and so to dispense with the FUTWA. See LAW-OFFICER.

1853.—"From the death of Runjeet Singh to the battle of Sobraon, the Sikh
Army was governed by 'PUNCHAYETS' or 'PUNCHES'—committees of the
soldiery. These bodies sold the Government to the Sikh chief who paid the
highest, letting him command until murdered by some one who paid
higher."—_Sir C. Napier, Defects of Indian Government_, 69.

1873.—"The Council of an Indian Village Community most commonly consists
of five persons ... the PANCHAYET familiar to all who have the smallest
knowledge of India."—_Maine, Early Hist. of Institutions_, 221.

PUNDIT, s. Skt. _paṇḍita_, 'a learned man.' Properly a man learned in Sanskrit lore. The Pundit of the Supreme Court was a Hindu LAW-OFFICER, whose duty it was to advise the English Judges when needful on questions of Hindu Law. The office became extinct on the constitution of the 'High Court,' superseding the Supreme Court and Sudder Court, under the Queen's Letters Patent of May 14, 1862.

In the Mahratta and Telegu countries, the word _Paṇḍit_ is usually pronounced _Pant_ (in English colloquial _Punt_); but in this form it has, as with many other Indian words in like case, lost its original significance, and become a mere personal title, familiar in Mahratta history, _e.g._ the Nānā Dhundo_pant_ of evil fame.

Within the last 30 or 35 years the term has acquired in India a peculiar application to the natives trained in the use of instruments, who have been employed beyond the British Indian frontier in surveying regions inaccessible to Europeans. This application originated in the fact that two of the earliest men to be so employed, the explorations by one of whom acquired great celebrity, were masters of village schools in our Himālayan provinces. And the title _Pundit_ is popularly employed there much as _Dominie_ used to be in Scotland. The _Pundit_ who brought so much fame on the title was the late Nain Singh, C.S.I. [See Markham, _Memoir of Indian Surveys_, 2nd ed. 148 _seqq._]

1574.—"I hereby give notice that ... I hold it good, and it is my
pleasure, and therefore I enjoin on all the PANDITS (_panditos_) and
Gentoo physicians (_phisicos gentios_) that they ride not through this
City (of Goa) or the suburbs thereof on horseback, nor in ANDORS and
palanquins, on pain of paying, on the first offence 10 _cruzados_, and on
the second 20, _pera o sapal_,[226] with the forfeiture of such horses,
ANDORS, or palanquins, and on the third they shall become the
galley-slaves of the King my Lord...."—_Procl._ of the Governor _Antonio
Moriz Barreto_, in _Archiv. Port. Orient._ Fascic. 5, p. 899.

1604.—"... llamando tãbien en su compania los PÕDITOS, le presentaron al
Nauabo."—_Guerrero, Relaçion_, 70.

1616.—"... Brachmanae una cum PANDITIS comparentes, simile quid iam inde
ab orbis exordio in Indostane visum negant."—_Jarric, Thesaurus_, iii.
81-82.

1663.—"A PENDET Brachman or _Heathen_ Doctor whom I had put to serve my
Agah ... would needs make his Panegyrick ... and at last concluded
seriously with this: _When you put your Foot into the Stirrup, My Lord,
and when you march on Horseback in the front of the Cavalry, the Earth
trembleth under your Feet, the eight Elephants that hold it up upon their
Heads not being able to support it_."—_Bernier_, E.T., 85; [ed.
_Constable_, 264].

1688.—"Je feignis donc d'être malade, et d'avoir la fièvre; on fit venir
aussitôt un PANDITE ou médicin Gentil."—_Dellon, Rel. de l'Inq. de Goa_,
214.

1785.—"I can no longer bear to be at the mercy of our PUNDITS, who deal
out Hindu law as they please; and make it at reasonable rates, when they
cannot find it ready made."—Letter of _Sir W. Jones_, in Mem. by _Ld.
Teignmouth_, 1807, ii. 67.

1791.—"Il était au moment de s'embarquer pour l'Angleterre, plein de
perplexité et d'ennui, lorsque les brames de Bénarés lui apprirent que le
brame supérieur de la fameuse pagode de Jagrenat ... était seul capable
de resoudre toutes les questions de la Société royale de Londres. C'était
en effet le plus fameux PANDECT, ou docteur, dont on eût jamais oui
parler."—_B. de St. Pierre, La Chaumière Indienne._ The preceding
exquisite passage shows that the blunder which drew forth Macaulay's
flaming wrath, in the quotation lower down, was not a new one.

1798.—"... the most learned of the PUNDITS or Bramin lawyers, were called
up from different parts of Bengal."—_Raynal, Hist._ i. 42.

1856.—"Besides ... being a _Pundit_ of learning, he (Sir David Brewster)
is a bundle of talents of various kinds."—_Life and Letters of Sydney
Dobell_, ii. 14.

1860.—"Mr. Vizetelly next makes me say that the principle of limitation
is found 'amongst the PANDECTS of the Benares....' The Benares he
probably supposes to be some Oriental nation. What he supposes their
Pandects to be I shall not presume to guess.... If Mr. Vizetelly had
consulted the Unitarian Report, he would have seen that I spoke of the
PUNDITS of Benares, and he might without any very long and costly
research have learned where Benares is and what a Pundit is."—_Macaulay_,
Preface to his _Speeches_.

1877.—"Colonel Y——. Since Nain Singh's absence from this country
precludes my having the pleasure of handing to him in person, this, the
Victoria or Patron's Medal, which has been awarded to him, ... I beg to
place it in your charge for transmission to the PUNDIT."—_Address_ by
_Sir R. Alcock_, Prest. R. Geog. Soc., May 28.