Chapter XIII: Part 13

Now, the greater part, we may say nine in ten, of those who domiciliate with Europeans, being Mussulmans, and, in many cases, very scrupulous in the observance of whatever forms are ordained respecting viands, contact, ablution, &c., it may be reasonably concluded, that they rather deem themselves to be united according to a tolerated extension of the foregoing licences, than as retained prostitutes. Therefore, when we consider received opinions, and local peculiarities, we may admit, that, even in what we term concubinage, there may be some traits exempting individuals from being confounded among that mass of prostitution, of which we are apt to form our judgments by what we see of that depravity, from which it appears to be, among Europeans, nearly inseparable! Without at all entering upon the defence of whatever may be inhibited by the Christian religion, or be inimical to that superiority so justly yielded by society at large, as well as by the legislature, to married women, it may be permitted me to state a few matters which will, in the minds of the liberal, appear to be some excuse for what might else be deemed libidinous, or licentious. The number of European women to be found in Bengal, and its dependencies, cannot amount to two hundred and fifty, while the European male inhabitants of respectability, including military officers, may be taken at about four thousand. The case speaks for itself; for, even if disposed to marry, the latter have not the means. It is easy enough to say, that if marriages were more frequent in India, more ladies would adventure thither; but the impediments that stand in the way of ‘a consummation devoutly to be wished,’ will not be found to yield so readily to our desires. It should be understood, that the generality of young ladies, though they may certainly comply with the will of their parents, are by no means partial to visiting India. The out-fit is not a trifle: no lady can be landed there, under respectable circumstances throughout, for less than five hundred pounds. Then, again, she should have friends to receive her; for she cannot else obtain even a lodging, or the means of procuring subsistence. It is not like a trip, _per hoy_, to Margate, where nothing but a well-lined purse is requisite; and where, if you do not meet with friends, you may easily form acquaintances. Further, some allowance must be made for the climate; which by no means suits every constitution, and invariably oppresses all whose minds are ill at ease, or who have not the means of withstanding that influence, so particularly hostile to persons newly importing from Europe.

Let us, however, suppose all these things to be done; and that some worthy dame welcomes the fair adventurer to her house, with the friendly intention of affording an asylum, until some stray bachelor may bear away the prize. We have known some instances of this, and, in particular, of a lady making it, in a manner, her study to replenish her hospitable mansion with objects of this description; thereby acquiring the invidious, or sarcastic, designation of ‘Mother Coupler’. But such characters are rare; and it generally happens, that those who have the will, do not possess the means, of thus rendering the most essential of services to young women, who, we may fairly say, are, in this case, transported to India, there to take their chance! That several have been thus sent, or, have thus adventured, round the Cape, cannot be denied; in any other country they would have experienced the most poignant distress, both of body and of mind; but, such has ever been the liberality evinced towards this class of unfortunate persons, that, in most instances, prompt, and effectual, relief, has been administered. It would be easy to adduce cases, wherein the most bountiful subscriptions have been made in behalf of ladies; who, by obeying the summons of husbands, or of parents, have, on arriving in the river, found themselves to be widows, or orphans! Surely, where these distressing events are by no means uncommon, there will ever exist a certain reluctance, even among such as may have relatives in India: a reluctance which will rarely be decreased by the additional consideration, that, when the vessel may arrive, the parent, &c., though alive, may be full a thousand miles distant from the metropolis, and be unable to reach it under two or three months! Here we see formidable objections against a lady’s proceeding to India; but one, not less powerful, remains to be stated, namely, the immense expence ever attendant upon wedlock in that quarter. Such is the encrease of domestics, of cloathing, of accommodation and, particularly, in keeping a carriage, without which no comfort can be expected, that it is utterly beyond the means of full four persons in five to receive an European lady into their houses. Even on a penurious scale, the difference will amount to full three hundred pounds yearly; but if, as is certainly desirable, it be conducted on a more appropriate footing, double that sum must be allowed. Add to this, the peremptory necessity that exists, for sending every child to Europe at a very early age; the expence of which is never to be computed under a hundred and fifty pounds. To complete the difficulties attendant on the occasion, it is a thousand to one, but, that, at the end of a few years, the mother is compelled, by those peculiar infirmities inseparable from her situation in that climate, to accompany her infants to Europe; there to seek the restoration of health, and to console herself among her little offspring, until the father may, notwithstanding those heavy demands created by the wants of his family, be able to save sufficient money to repair to the objects of his affection. This is no exaggeration: it is to be witnessed annually; and may be seen attended with the most distressing effects to most meritorious individuals, who unfortunately allow love to walk in at the door, without observing that poverty is treading upon her train.

I trust this detail will convince, even the sceptic, that matrimony is not so practicable in India as in Europe; and that, (unless, indeed, among those platonic few whose passions are unnaturally obedient,) is impossible for the generality of European inhabitants to act in exact conformity with those excellent doctrines, which teach us to avoid ‘fornication, and all other deadly sins.’ There are certain situations, and times, in which the law must be suffered to sleep; since its enforcement would neither be easy nor wise: such is the instance now before us. Should it be argued, that, rather than retain a concubine, it were more proper to marry a native of India, I must then adduce the great discouragement wisely held out by government against such a practice; observing, that the Court of Directors long ago set their faces against the transmission of native orphans, (_i.e._ those born of native mothers,) and, that they allow no native of India to be taken as a passenger on board any vessel proceeding to England, without a deposit of 500 sicca rupees, or security to that amount, lest the party should become a burthen to the Company. Further, no lady, native of India, even though her father should have been of the highest rank in the King’s or Company’s service, and though she be married to a person of that description, is ever invited to those assemblies given by the governor on public occasions. Hence, such women, whatever may be their merits, come under the censure of public characters, and, of course, are in a manner proscribed. This, however, does not extend to the European soldiery, who are allowed to marry native women; many of whom conduct themselves, when thus situated, in the most unexceptionable manner. Whether married, or not, each soldier is generally provided with a companion, who takes care of his linen, aids in cleaning his accoutrements, dresses his hair, and sometimes proves no bad hand at a beard! These doxies do, certainly, now and then, kick up a famous _row_ in the barracks; but, on the whole, may be considered highly serviceable; especially during illness, at which time their attendance is invaluable.

Very few European women are to be seen with the regiments in India; such as adventure thither, soon fall victims to the climate, which nothing but the most vigorous constitutions, backed by temperance and uncommon prudence, can enable the sex to resist. Hence, the few that survive, though they present rather a masculine appearance, find it expedient to confine themselves much within the barracks; keeping out of the sun, and avoiding the use of strong liquors. The children of such women usually prove remarkably hardy; whereas, the issue of an European father by a native woman, is usually of an effeminate, weakly constitution, and of a disposition by no means entitled to commendation.

It is peculiarly unfortunate, that a very great portion of these creoles, mestees, or what not, cannot be provided for in some manner serviceable to the state. Their numbers are considerable, especially of females, who are allowed to remain with the orphan institution, often to a very mature age: some are, to be sure, disposed of in services, where they become attendants, or ladies’ maids, in respectable families; but, for the most part, no certain provision is made for them. Probably it is owing to reflection, as much as to their arriving at puberty, that so many of these unfortunate girls become insane. This does not occur among the boys; who are either apprenticed to some good business, if of the upper school, (in which only the children of officers are admitted,) or, if of the lower school, (wherein the children of the non-commissioned and privates are brought up,) are draughted, at a proper age, to the several regiments, both native and European, there to serve as drummers and fifers. While upon the subject, I shall offer to my readers the outline of the Orphan Institution, now so intimately blended with the military establishments throughout India, that the Company make it a part of their regulations, for all persons admitted into their military service, to become, _ipso facto_, subscribers to the orphan fund.

This charitable institution, which does singular honor to the Company’s army, owes its origin to the assiduity of a few officers, who, in 1782, framed a code, founded upon the result of voluntary subscription, for making due provision for the children of such officers as might demise, without leaving sufficient property to provide for their children, whether legitimate or otherwise. Among the gentlemen who suggested this undertaking, the present Colonel William Kirkpatrick was conspicuous: he was at that time secretary to the late General Giles Stibbert, who then commanded the Bengal army, and aided the institution by every public means, as well as by his private influence and bounty.

The following were among the preliminary articles. ‘1st. That each subaltern, and assistant surgeon, contribute monthly the sum of three rupees; each captain, and surgeon, six rupees; and each major, nine rupees.’

‘2dly. That, to prevent difficulty and expence in the collections, as well as to secure their amount against all accidents, the officers do consent, _irrevocably_, to the deduction of the specified contributions from their monthly pay.’

‘4th. That a governor, deputy-governor, and twelve managers, be appointed to conduct the business of the society.’

‘12th. That no orphan be admitted on the foundation, who shall be possessed by inheritance, bequest, or otherwise, of a sum exceeding 5,000 sicca rupees.’ (£425.)

‘l3th. That the trustees, or guardians, of all orphans making application for their admission on the foundation, be required to make affidavit, before a justice of the peace, touching the true amount or value of the monies, or estate, which they hold in trust for such orphans; to the end, that the management, besides being satisfied that they are proper objects for the institution, may be enabled to judge what assistance they will need from the society, when, their education being completed, the period shall arrive for settling them in the world: these affidavits to be transmitted to the management, along with the application for admission.’

‘15th. That all orphans now in the country, coming under the description set forth, be admitted on the foundation, so soon as the management may judge the state of the fund equal to their maintenance.’

‘19th. That the orphans be assembled together at the presidency, either in one or more houses, as the management shall find necessary; and, that proper servants be appointed to attend them.’

‘25th. That, on the female orphans attaining the age of twelve, they be placed apprentices to creditable milliners, mantua-makers, stay-makers or otherwise, as the management, or their agents, shall determine; and, that, after serving their time, they shall obtain from the society the necessary help towards enabling them to set up in business. That should they, at the period of their engaging in business, be disposed to enter into the matrimonial state, they shall be further entitled to receive such marriage portions, or dowries, as the management, or their agents in England, (whose approbation of the connexion shall be previously yielded,) may think proper to grant.’ In the year 1789, it was resolved, that ‘when the orphan daughters of officers, under the protection of the society, are addressed by persons in independent circumstances, such persons be required to make a settlement, as a condition; without which the managers’ consent is not to be given, even if the offer should be, in other respects, unexceptionable.’

Notwithstanding the institution was placed under the guidance and control of men highly respectable, and perfectly qualified for the charge, and that the whole of the officers, (with the exception of, I believe, not more than six,) subscribed towards its support, the object would have been defeated, had not the Company contributed liberally towards its efficiency; and, after all, it would most certainly have been subject, either to diminution, or, eventually, to bankruptcy, about the year 1796, had not the army been newly modelled, and an immense addition been made to the funds, by an unprecedented promotion and the ascent of the superior ranks to subscribe in proportion to their pay: otherwise, all above the rank of major would have been exempt. The Company had, in former times, allowed for each child born to an European soldier, the sum of five rupees monthly; but that indulgence was, at one period, wholly done away: afterwards, when the institution was extended to the non-commissioned and privates, three rupees were allowed monthly for every child retained with the parents, according to the liberty granted of retaining them until completing their third year; after which, they were peremptorily taken to the lower school, where they were at first allowed for by the Company at the rate of three rupees, but subsequently at five rupees each, per mensem. It is not easy to describe those affecting scenes which present themselves, when the children are taken from their parents, in order to be sent to the foundation! It is true, the latter know full well that every justice will be done to their offspring, and they cannot but express their sense of the kind intention of their benefactors; but, to part from a child, whatever may be its complexion, is a most painful struggle between duty and nature! I have repeatedly witnessed the distress of mothers, on such occasions, and lamented that the case admitted of neither consolation nor relief!

The good policy of making some provision for the children of the soldiery, is indisputably good; they could not, with propriety, be sent to Europe, both because the expence would be disproportionate to the means of their parents; and, that, in time, a very extensive importation of persons of color would take place among us. The boys are now amply provided for; but the situation of the girls is truly lamentable. It is wonderful, that the Society have never established any factory, in which their minds, as well as their hands, could be employed, while their maintenance would be paid for by the produce of their industry. The only argument I ever could hear urged against such a measure, was, that the price of labor being so cheap throughout India, there could arise but little profit from the exertions of the orphans. My opponents forgot, that where labor is cheap, provisions must be cheap also; consequently, that, under proper guidance, enough might be earned to defray the expence of provision for the whole establishment. I am confident, that, if the refuse, or _ferret_ cloths, manufactured for the Company, were to be handed over, in such quantities as might be in demand, to the female orphans, for the purpose of being worked up into wearing apparel, such as shirts, under-shirts, drawers, pocket-handkerchiefs, neck ditto, upper and under waistcoats, small-cloaths, &c. there would always be so extensive a sale, especially among the lower classes of inhabitants, the sea-faring people, and the fresh arrivals from Europe, that no stock would remain on hand. It is a notorious fact, that if raw silk, after being wound off from the _cocoons_, or pods, were to be given to the orphans to finish, and to reel properly for the Europe market, there would be an immense saving both of the article itself, and of the expences in every part of the adventure; while the institution could not fail to derive the most solid advantages. To prove this, look at the number of mills established in various parts of England, for preparing raw silk for the throwster, &c.: in all these, a portion of refuse is found; on which, however, as well as on the perfect quantity, a very heavy duty has been paid, whereby the commodity is considerably enhanced in price, without being a benefit to the merchant; who is, indeed, rather injured, by the necessity he is under of demanding more for his fabrics, and thus, either deterring purchasers altogether, of enabling the traders of other countries to under-sell him.

But, in Calcutta, a city carrying on so large a trade, surely there must be an infinite variety of speculations open to the choice of the management: the lighter classes of sails for the shipping and small craft, the making of hammocks, beddings, &c., dresses for patients in the hospitals, sheets, pillow-cases, book-binding to a certain extent, and a number of other employments, might be peremptorily claimed, as exclusive privileges for the orphans. Let it not be said, that such would interfere with the natives following similar professions; on the contrary, let us endeavor to have our whole establishment, of every description, exempted from their aid, or interference. I would have every cartridge-case, and the greater part of the army cloathing, together with all, excepting the leather, and heavy canvas-work of tents, performed at the orphan school; the Company making due remuneration for the work thus performed. The fact lies in a nut-shell! If, with such extensive concerns, requiring so much manual labor, the Company do not give employ to five or six hundred girls, from three to twenty years of age, the fault must assuredly lie rather among the management than with Government; to which the making some provision for the maintenance of that portion of the establishment dependant entirely upon the Company for support, must be a desideratum: it can only require to be pointed out, to insure both acquiescence and encouragement.

The Court of Directors very prudently objected to some of the original articles, wherein the founders appear to have been rather too sanguine, and to have waived several considerations of a political nature. Thus, the Company declined to warrant admission into their service of such boys as might appear eligible as cadets; the measure was incompatible with the patronage of the Court; and, being indefinitely expressed, would have subjected the Company to a pledge, that even the sons of the native women might be considered eligible. It was, therefore, prudently resolved, that ‘the children to be sent to Europe for education, should be the legitimate offspring of European parents only.’

The salaries of the several persons employed in the charge of those on the foundation, are munificent. The house at Kidderpore, about a mile and a half from Fort-William, is paid for at the rate of £675. per annum, and the monthly disbursements for school-masters and mistresses, with their assistants, and the several servants employed about the premises, in various capacities, amount to full £l2,000. yearly. The children are boarded at the following rates: The sons of officers at about £14. yearly, on average; the daughters of officers at about the same rate; the master and mistress having, respectively, always a certain number daily at their own tables. The children of non-commissioned officers and soldiers are maintained at an average expence, for diet, of about £5. each. The secretary is allowed £450. for salary, house-rent, candles, and, other petty charges.

With respect to making provision for the sons of officers, there seems but little doubt: the great encrease of mercantile establishments in Calcutta, and in general throughout the country, has opened a wide field for the employment of numbers conversant with the Hindui and Bengallee languages, (which the orphans acquire habitually,) and with common accounts. It is to be lamented, that so few, if any, are sent on board the pilot-schooners, according to a clause in the original institution, or as mates on board the country-traders. They certainly would be far better qualified, for such situations, than Europeans, who are totally ignorant of the vernacular tongue, and whose constitutions are by no means so well adapted to the climate. With respect to placing creoles of any description in authority, whether civil or military, there can be but one opinion; since their admission, into either the one or the other, could not fail to lessen that respect, and deference, which ought most studiously to be exacted, on every occasion, from the natives of every rank.

The expences attendant upon sending children from India to Europe, are very considerable: few commanders of Indiamen will take a child for less than 800 sicca rupees, equal to £100.; and, even then, some attendant must be provided, whose passage will probably amount to as much more. The best mode is, for several parents to hire a small cabin between decks, and to send a woman in charge of their united families, to the number, perhaps, of five or six little ones; all of whom may be thus duly attended, at far less expence than if each were sent under a separate charge. Few Europeans’ children are kept in India beyond their third or fourth year; and it is generally an object that the small-pox, or vaccination, the measles, and the hooping-cough, should have been passed previous to embarkation; lest infection should take place on board, in consequence of the seamen, &c., having been among persons laboring under those complaints. It is, indeed, likewise a matter of policy, considering the heavy expence, and the trouble attendant, to have all those dangerous diseases out of the way, previous to shipping the children for England; where they might else, on landing, be carried off by them, thus rendering all their parents’ anxiety, and possibly their ill-spared disbursements, of no avail.

Vaccination was expected to have made a very powerful impression on the Hindus, who, it was supposed, would eagerly embrace a preventive arising from that animal, held so sacred by their whole sect. It was, nevertheless, found extremely difficult to induce the Bramins to adopt a practice obviously so beneficial to mankind, although the latitude was thereby given them of augmenting the attributes of their idol, and to claim a preference in its behalf, even over the whole of the Christian world. Those who were sanguine in their expectations, of vaccination being instantly adopted among the Hindus at large, had entirely forgot, that the people did not possess the smallest liberty, either of conscience, or of conduct: they forgot that the priesthood had become possessed of the most arbitrary power, over the minds of their peaceful and timid communicants; and, that the practice of inoculation was prescriptively confined to that priesthood: further, that, notwithstanding the veneration in which the cow was held among them, a serious objection existed, on account of the matter being taken from any but a Hindu of the highest cast.

The vaccine inoculation was effected with great difficulty in India; an immense number of experiments failed, chiefly owing to the _virus_ having been destroyed on the way from Constantinople, whence matter was repeatedly forwarded by Lord Elgin to Dr. Short, at Bagdad. A whole year was passed under the most mortifying disappointments; but in June, 1802, a successful inoculation was made at Bombay, on a healthy child, about three years of age; which furnished a supply for every port of India. By shipping several children, who had never experienced the variolous inoculation, a succession of subjects was happily secured, which enabled Dr. Anderson to transmit the blessings afforded by this mitigated disease, even to Port Jackson. The greatest apprehensions entertained, arose from the danger of not being always provided with a succession of infective matter; for it was soon discovered, that the _virus_ was highly volatile, and often made its escape in conveying the _pus_ from one house to another. This, added to the necessity, which soon became apparent, for the formation of some depôt, and for the establishment of certain principles necessary towards the desired success, caused the Governor-General to nominate Mr. William Russell, of the Bengal Medical List, whose abilities and zeal peculiarly qualified him, to the important situation of Superintendant of the Vaccine Institution. A series of ill health, which ultimately compelled that gentleman to return to Europe, caused the records of the first months to be somewhat inaccurate, notwithstanding every exertion on his part. His assiduity, however, enabled him to register almost every child, born of European parents, at that time in the settlement, among those who received this benign and inoffensive substitute for the most malignant, loathsome, and fatal disease that ever afflicted the human race.

In aid of what was doing at the Presidency, several of the surgeons attached to the civil stations, and to divisions of the army serving at great distances, and in various directions, were interested to promulgate the happy issue of what had been attempted by Mr. Russell, and by his successor, Mr. Shoolbred, Surgeon to the Native Hospital. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such excellent precautions, the matter was at times very nearly extinct; more than once the establishments at the several country stations were completely destitute, and were obliged to obtain a fresh supply from the Presidency: however, during the first eighteen months, no less than 11,166 persons were vaccinated; a matter of great importance, when it is considered, that, in India, at least one in sixty dies of those inoculated with the small-pox. About the year 1787, an order had been issued, that all the European soldiers in the Company’s service, who bore no marks of having had the disease, should be inoculated, and be lodged in the Artillery Hospital at Dum Dum. A few years after, (the former operation having proved highly successful,) the order was repeated; the result was, however, very unfavorable; as full one-sixth of the patients were carried off. It is to be hoped, that, in due time, when the natives at large may be thoroughly convinced of the security afforded by vaccination, the small-pox will be but little known. Its communication by insertion being now very strictly prohibited in Calcutta, and its neighbourhood, will, no doubt, pave the way for the progress of vaccination, and weaken the influence of the Bramins, who are interested in variolous inoculation. It is singular, that, at the very moment when this crafty tribe were endeavoring to depreciate, or rather to explode, vaccination, there started up among them a claim to the knowledge, and practice, of the latter at Bareilly, where inoculation was almost unknown. An attempt was made to prove, on the authority of a very ancient Sanscrit book, entitled, ‘_Sud’has Angraha_,’ and written by a physician, whose name was _Mahadeva_, that vaccination was practised in India many centuries back. On examining other copies of the work, it was found, that the passage quoted from that produced at Bareilly was wanting; this, added to other circumstances, rendered the tale rather doubtful, and led to such an investigation as proved fatal to the imposition.

It is a great pity the deception was ever discovered; since nothing could have aided the views of government better, than the testimony of such an ancient authority, of the practice having been formerly common in Hindostan! We were certainly wrong in publishing that refutation, which deprived us of the best weapon we could have employed for the extension of our pursuit. In lieu of decrying the work in question, as ‘an impudent forgery, interpolated into a Sanscrit-book, by one of those frauds so commonly, and so dexterously, committed by the Hindu literati, for the purpose of supporting the claims of the Bramins to the prior possession of all kinds of science,’ we ought to have assented fully to that imposition; allowing the priests to enjoy the supposed antiquity of their knowledge, and contenting ourselves with the contemplation of those immense benefits produced by the concurrence in, or adoption of, our practice, by those infatuated foster-fathers. But the struggle for reputation caused us to quit our hold, in the most impolitic, and thoughtless manner!

It may not be unpleasing to my readers, to be informed as to the manner in which the _Bramins_, or Hindu priests, who are the only persons of that sect allowed to inoculate, perform the operation: the following extract from Mr. Shoolbred’s treatise shews, that no alteration has taken place since Mr. Holwell, from whom Mr. S. quotes, gave the public an account of their practice, viz.

‘Inoculation is performed in Hindostan by a particular tribe of _Bramins_, who are delegated annually for this service, from the different colleges of _Bindoobund_, _Allahabas_, _Benares_, &c., over all the distant provinces. Dividing themselves into small parties, of three or four each, they plan their travelling circuits in such wise, as to arrive at the places of their respective destinations some weeks before the usual return of the disease. They arrive commonly in the Bengal provinces early in February; although, in some years, they do not begin to inoculate before March, deferring it until they consider the state of the season, and acquire information of the state of the distemper. The inhabitants of Bengal, knowing the usual time when the inoculating Bramins annually return, observe strictly the regimen enjoined, whether they determine to be inoculated or not: this precaution consists only in abstaining for a month from fish, milk, and _ghee_ (a kind of butter, made generally from buffalo’s milk). The prohibition of fish relates only to the native Portugueze and Mahomedans, who abound in every province of the empire. When the Bramins begin to inoculate, they pass from house to house, and operate at the door, refusing to inoculate any who have not, on a strict scrutiny, duly observed the preparatory course enjoined them. It is no uncommon thing for them to ask the parent how many pocks they choose the children should have. They inoculate indifferently on any part, but, if left to their choice, they prefer the outside of the arm, midway between the wrist and the elbow, and the shoulders of females. Previous to the operation, the Bramin takes a piece of cloth in his hand, (which, if the family is opulent, becomes his perquisite,) and with it gives a dry friction on the part intended for inoculation, for the space of eight or ten minutes; then, with a small instrument, he wounds by many slight touches, about the compass of a silver groat, just causing the smallest appearance of blood. Then opening a double linen rag, which he always keeps in a cloth round his waist, he thence takes a small pledget of cotton, charged with the variolous matter, which he moistens with two or three drops of the Ganges water, and applies to the wound; fixing it on with a slight bandage, and ordering it to remain on for six hours without being moved: the bandage is after that time taken off, but the pledget remains until it falls off of itself. The cotton, which he preserves in a double calico rag, is saturated with matter from the inoculated pustules of the preceding year; for they never inoculate with fresh matter, nor with matter from the disease caught in the natural way, however distinct and mild the species. Early in the morning succeeding the operation, four pots, containing about two gallons each, of cold water, are ordered to be thrown over the patient from the head downwards, and to be repeated every morning and evening, until the fever comes on, which usually is about the close of the sixth day from the inoculation, then to desist until the appearance of the eruption, (about three days,) and afterwards to pursue the cold bathing, as before, through the course of the disease, and until the scabs of the pustules drop off. They are ordered to open all the pustules with a sharp-pointed thorn, so soon as they begin to change their color, and whilst the matter continues in a fluid state. Confinement to the house is absolutely forbidden; and the inoculated are to be exposed to every air that blows; the utmost indulgence they are allowed, when the fever comes on, is, to be laid on a mat at the door. Their regimen is to consist of all the refrigerating things the climate and the season produce; as plantains, sugar-canes, water-melons, rice, gruel made of white poppy seeds, and cold water, or thin rice gruel, for their ordinary drink. These instructions being given, and an injunction laid on the patients to make a thanksgiving, (_poojah_,) or offering to the goddess, on their recovery, the operator takes his fee, which, from a poor person, is a _punn_ of _cowries_, (in number eighty, and in value about a half-penny,) and goes on to another door, down one side of the street, and up the other; and is thus employed from morning till night, inoculating sometimes eight or ten in a house.’

Mr. Shoolbred observes, on the authority of Mr. Glass, the surgeon at Boglepore, that, in that district, inoculation is performed by the lowest casts. This is certainly true among the _Pahariahs_, or Hill people, inhabiting that mountainous country lying between Boglepore and Nagpore. There, inoculation is performed in a very rough manner, merely by means of a blunt instrument, which, with some labor to the operator, and abundance of pain to the patient, is made to draw blood: the matter is then rubbed in with the finger!

These same _Pahariahs_ perform other surgical operations in the rudest way, but with most extraordinary success; thus, they cut capons with a blunt clasp knife, made of iron; which, having a ring passed through the butt of the haft, or sheath, is always suspended by a cord passing round the waist. With this instrument, they make the necessary incision, so as to introduce a finger; when, having extracted the _testes_, the wound is rubbed with a little _ghee_ and turmeric, and almost invariably heals in a very few days. It may be considered curious, that among the _D’hangahs_, (as the people who appear to be the aborigines of Tamar, Chittrah, Puchate, are designated,) very few instances, in proportion to the bulk of their population, are to be found, of persons marked with the small pox; I should be disposed to attribute this entirely to the simplicity of their manner of living; in which plain rice, with a few vegetables, stewed, much the same as for a _curry_, but without its catalogue of spices, compose the ordinary bill of fare. It cannot be owing to any thing favorable in the climate, which is peculiarly unhealthy.

The hospital for the reception of natives requiring surgical assistance, now supported in Calcutta by voluntary contribution, was founded about the year 1793; before which time, those unfortunate persons who met with accidents had no asylum, wherein they could find either solace or remedy. The establishment is, as yet, rather limitted; but, it is to be hoped, will, in the course of a few years, rise superior to the disadvantages under which it labors, in consequence of the great expence incurred in lodging the patients, many of whom labor under complaints purely clinical; contrary to the first intention, and indeed, to the first proposal for such a charity, which was started about 1791, in a letter published in ‘the World,’ (a Calcutta weekly paper,) addressed to the Reverend ——— Owen, one of the chaplains at the Presidency.

In that letter was suggested the expediency of causing all those deformed persons who infest the streets of Calcutta, in quest of eleemosynary aid, to be sent to some hospital, which should likewise accommodate such natives as might be injured by accidents within the city. The proposal was founded on the peremptory necessity for conducting all upon the cheapest plan; and contained a calculation of the expences incident to the construction of thatched ranges of huts, similar to barracks, to be erected on a piece of ground to be granted by government for that purpose. The whole expence, it appeared, would not have amounted to more than £1,500., or £2,000. yearly, yet full accommodation, and subsistence, would have been afforded for three hundred patients.

The idea of permanence, which is usually supposed to carry with it cheapness, was, I understand, the plea for deviating from the proposed economical estimate: the consequence has been, that the number of patients is extremely limitted. That original expence will, in most countries, be found far cheaper than a flimsy beginning attended with constant demands for repair, cannot be doubted; but, where there is no capital, at least a very small one, it is absurd to act upon the former scale; since it must, of necessity, counteract the whole intention. Further, we should consider local circumstances: thus, in Calcutta, the same money that will cover in accommodations for a thousand persons, under a substantial thatch, laid over mud, or mat walls, adequate to the ordinary purposes of the inhabitants at large, and similar to at least ninety-nine in the hundred, of those habitations which shelter the bulk of the population; would not suffice to provide fifty, of the same description, with apartments formed of masonry, timber, &c., according to the scale on which Europeans build houses for their own residence, within that city. It is likewise a well-known fact, that, what is called a _puckah-house_, that is, one built of bricks, lime, and timber, will, at the end of ten years, cost as much in repairs, as the thatched edifices built for an equal number of inhabitants. This being the case, it will forcibly strike the reader, that, in departing from the original suggestion, the managers likewise departed from the best principle.

It has been vain-gloriously asserted, within my hearing, by many natives, that, although the institution in question was founded by Europeans, yet, that it has been principally upheld by the liberality of opulent natives. This may, perhaps, be in some measure correct; allowing it, however, to be so to the fullest extent, I cannot see that the natives have done more than an ordinary duty, in affording assistance to their own countrymen, and that too, after being urged, or guided, to the measure; while, on the other hand, the European inhabitants may certainly claim the palm, both as original founders, and subsequent benefactors, in a case, where their own countrymen were not to be benefitted. The present state of the funds is not the most flourishing; and its utility is too great to allow its falling from deficiency of means. Would it not be advisable, to collect a very small assessment at every house inhabited by a native within the Maharrattah Ditch, (which limits the jurisdiction of the police,) either according to extent, or to its rent? This assessment should be paid into the hands of the magistrates, to be by them disbursed, according to proper regulations, through the medium of native agents, to be elected annually by all who should contribute either a certain gross sum, or by regular yearly donation, towards the support of the institution. This would produce a stabile, and adequate, revenue; while it would likewise induce many natives, some from pride, others from hope, and a few from fear, to add their mites to such as should result from that spontaneous flow of genuine humanity, with which the Hindu code is replete; and, of which the Hindus at large make so great a boast. Possibly the day is not far off, when, in lieu of building immense houses, richly endowed, for the maintenance of an idle, haughty, ignorant, and insolent, gang of priests, some rich natives, reflecting on the want of their more industrious, and more meritorious, poor, may bequeath liberally towards the formation of such establishments, as may rescue them from that variety of sufferings, to which they become subjected, by the accumulation of years, the visitations of disease, and the pressure of misfortune!

The style of building in use among the natives, is very different from what we should expect to find adopted in so hot a climate; experience is, however, in its favor, and sanctions that which, no doubt, resulted from observation, more than from experiment. The walls of such edifices as are intended to be permanent, are usually constructed of mud; which, being laid in strata, of perhaps 18 or 20 inches in depth, each being suffered to dry before another stratum is added above, becomes extremely firm, and far more durable, though not quite so neat, as unburnt bricks laid in mud cement. The thickness of the wall is proportioned to the intended height; probably about 26, to 30, inches at the base, may be considered a fair average; tapering above to about three fourths of the breadth below. I have seen some _bungalows_ run up with mud walls, which, after being chipped down to an uniform thickness, and properly plastered with fine sand, mixed with chaff, were neat enough: but all mud walls invariably crack considerably while drying; consequently, are apt to harbor centipedes, scorpions, and even snakes, within their fissures. This is a most serious defect; completely counter-balancing the advantages obtained, by that facility and cheapness with which they can be run up to a great height, provided due attention be paid to the perpendicular.

Few of the peasantry, even though possessing some property, carry their walls higher than 8 or 10 feet; indeed, the generality of huts may be set down at 7 feet exteriorly, though they will rise near a cubit more inwardly, when filled up to the under part of the thatch. It is rare to see any window in the front; and, in such as have enclosed areas, (by us called ‘_compounds,_’ but by the natives designated ‘_ungnahs_’,) the _cricky_, or door, which is always very low, obliging even short persons to stoop considerably, is commonly in some part of the environing wall, and partly concealed by an angle, so as to preclude the possibility of seeing any thing of the interior when the door is thrown open. Every door has a frame, composed of strong wood, of which the side pieces, or uprights, are tenoned into mortices, made in the threshold and the upper limb. The superincumbent part of the edifice is supported by a strong plank, or by several pieces of timber, laid parallel, and secured by thorough-pins, for the whole breadth of the wall. No arch is turned to keep off the dead pressure of the enormous weight, that, in many instances, is thus borne up entirely by the door-plate. On the top of the wall, a stout piece of timber is laid, whenever the rafters are fastened, each by one or more nails, but projecting at least a foot beyond the exterior, for the purpose of sustaining the thatch, which is made to hang over, with the intention to throw off the rain, that, falling in torrents during many months, would else wash away the mud, and endanqer the building.

The thatches are usually made of the _kuss_, or common wild grass, whose roots furnish that fibrous substance called _kuss-kuss_, already spoken of while describing the formation of _tatties_. Immense plains are covered with this kind of grass, glowing commonly about two or three feet high: though, in some places, it may be seen full five feet; serving as an asylum for every species of game; causing many gentlemen, on first entering the country, to admire, what they at first take to be ‘the prodigious fine crops of hay.’ It is commonly burnt down every year during the hot season, when perfectly dry: the ashes thus tendered to the soil, being washed in by the succeeding rains, occasion the grass to shoot forth, from the apparent ruin, with incredible freshness and vigor! At such times, nothing can be more acceptable to the herds, which, during the preceding months, are often obliged to be sent to great distances, where a little herbage may be found; or they are, perhaps, subsisted upon chaff made from straw, millet-stalks, and the refuse of the thrashing floor. For several months, the grass in question is relished by every description of cattle; but, after the sun has crossed the Line, on his return to the opposite tropic, it becomes harsh and dry, proving so injurious to their mouths as to cause their rejecting it, except when severely oppressed by hunger.

From the end of February, probably to the setting in of the rains in June, great numbers of persons are employed in cutting the _kuss_, or _khur_, as it is indiscriminately called, with a kind of sickle, and tying it up into _haunties_, (or handfuls,) usually about six inches thick. These are conveyed on _hackeries_ to the several markets, and especially to the military cantonments, where they sell at various prices, according to the distance they may have been conveyed, the scarcity or abundance of the article, the time of the year, and the pressure of the demand. From 1000 to 1200 bundles for a rupee, may be taken as a fair medium; though, during the rains, when thatches must often be made, or replaced, cost what they may, I have often known them sold at a rupee for every hundred: on the contrary, they are often so cheap as 3000, or even 4000, for that sum. The manner of constructing a thatch according to the best principle, both for neatness and durability, is as follows. The whole side of the building, intended to be covered in, is measured, and that measurement is exactly represented on some level spot, by means of four cords, fastened to as many stakes; which thus exhibit the form and extent of the thatch to be constructed. Each side of a quadrangular, or other building, must be thus laid down. All hands set to work in placing either whole bamboos of the large kind, or bundles of three and four of the small kind, parallel, and about a foot asunder; all directed by the base line, towards which they stand at right angles; so that, when ready, they would be in the same line with the fall of the ‘_chupper_,’ (or thatch). These being duly prepared, are crossed at about five, or six inches asunder, by battens of split bamboo, which are fastened down, at every intersection, with strong twine made of a finer kind of grass, called the _moonje_; which is very strong, especially when wetted. Each frame being thus formed, is raised into its place by the joint efforts of perhaps fifty or sixty men; some laying hold of the frame, others pushing upwards with forked poles of various lengths, thereby to facilitate the ascent, and to prevent that friction which must attend upon any continued contact between the frame, and the several ready-laid rafters on which it is to lie, and to which it is to be firmly lashed.

The several frames being duly fitted at the corners, are properly secured in their places, and to each other; after which, a slender kind of scaffolding is made under the eaves of the respective frames, to enable the _grammies_, or thatchers, to commence their operations in laying on the coating of grass. The eaves are first brought to the thickness of at least a foot, by placing very large bundles, previously well compacted, and squared at their ends, in a line between the frame, and a succession of very strong bamboo laths: each bundle is pressed as close as possible to its neighbour, and thus the whole of the lower tier is completed.

The rest of the thatch is laid on in small portions, the several bundles being spread open, and having their butts, or lower ends, compressed between two bamboo laths, which are tied in several places, so as to secure their contents perfectly. Each parcel is then handed up, and laid with the butt downwards, at about two or three inches above its lower neighbour; causing the whole thatch to appear in over-laps from bottom to top, like so many ridges, of about an inch high, and running parallel for the whole breadth of the work.

The several corners are now covered with immense trusses of refuse grass, bound very firmly together, reaching the whole extent of the angle, or _gore_, and full two feet in diameter. These trusses being bound down very firmly to their adjacent sides, are ultimately covered with layers of _seerky_, placed so as to over-lap about a foot above each other, and, in their turn, duly tied to the trusses: a similar truss is laid along the ridge pole. This _seerky_ is composed of the stems of the _surput_, or tassel grass, which grows to the height of ten feet, or more: it is found to be a larger species of the celebrated Guinea grass, formerly introduced as a supposed novelty into the East, but which proved to be nothing more than the common _bainseah_, or buffalo grass, that grows wild, in the greatest luxuriance, all over Bengal. The stems of the _surput_, when arrived at their full size, are as thick as a swan’s quill, and bear a remarkable gloss: in the dry season they are cut, and, after being stripped of the parched remains of their leaves, are laid parallel on a board, their ends being previously brought even to a line; a long wire needle is then passed through the several stems, as they lie contiguous, leading after it a piece of packthread, which is afterwards knotted at both ends, to prevent its withdrawing either way. Four or five of these stitches are made in the same parcel of _seerky_; after which, it is rolled up breadthwise, for sale. Each parcel may be from two feet to a yard in breadth, and the stems composing it may be about four feet in length. The ordinary mode of selling this commodity is by the hundred pieces, for which from three to ten rupees are given, according to circumstances.

It is perhaps singular that I should have seen _seerky_ in use among a groupe of gypsies in Essex: in India, those itinerants, whose habits and characters correspond with this intolerable species of banditti, invariably shelter themselves under _seerky_; which, being remarkably light, and, when doubled or trebled, completely water-proof, enables them to construct a very comfortable cabin in a few minutes. It often happens, during the rainy season, that part of a thatch sinks, or rots, and admits the passage of water to the interior; in such case, a piece of _seerky_, properly placed, causes the water to flow over the defect: when that article cannot be had, it is found expedient to throw a few pecks of chaff, or straw cut very small, upon those parts requiring relief; the chaff is drawn in by the percolating fluid, but, being obstructed in its passage, swells in consequence of the continued moisture, and thus, in a short time, usually stops the leaks. The mode of putting on a thatch above described, is confined to certain parts of the country; in other places, they put the grass on in a reversed position, as we do our wheat stubble thatches, the part which grew uppermost being placed lowest. But throughout the country, all thatching is done horizontally, and not vertically, as among us: the Indian thatcher begins at the bottom; whereas we commence at the side of a thatch: we thatch with skewers and rods of hazel, &c.; they with bamboo laths and twine made of grass; the latter being passed to and fro by means of long needles, made extemporaneously of bamboo, &c.