A Woman's Journey Round The World, From Vienna To Brazil, Chili, Tahiti, China, Hindostan, Persia, And Asia Minor By Ida Pfeiffer
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Near Culna (358 miles from the sea), we entered the Gury, a
considerable tributary of the Ganges, which it flows into below
Rumpurbolea.
The jungles here recede, and their place is occupied
by beautiful plantations of rice, and other vegetables. There was,
too, no scarcity of villages, only the huts, which were mostly built
of straw and palm-leaves, were small and wretched. The appearance
of the steamer soon collected all the inhabitants, who left their
fields and huts and greeted it with loud huzzas.
15th December. This evening we struck, for the first time, on a
sandbank. It cost us some trouble before we could get off again.
16th December. We had entered the Ganges yesterday. At a late hour
this evening we hove to near the little village of Commercolly. The
inhabitants brought provisions of every description on board, and we
had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the prices of the
various articles. A fine wether cost four rupees (8s.); eighteen
fowls, a rupee (2s.); a fish, weighing several pounds, an anna
(1.5d.); eight eggs, an anna; twenty oranges, two annas (3d.); a
pound of fine bread, three beis (ld.); and yet, in spite of these
ludicrously cheap prices, the captain charged each passenger three
rupees (6s.) a-day for his board, which was not even passable! Many
of the passengers made purchases here of eggs, new bread, and
oranges, and the captain was actually not ashamed to let these
articles, which were paid for out of our own pockets, appear at his
table that we all paid so dearly for.
18th December. Bealeah, a place of considerable importance, noted
for the number of its prisons. It is a depot for criminals, {158a}
who are sent here from all parts. The prisoners here cannot be so
desirous of escaping as those in Europe, for I saw numbers of them,
very slightly ironed, wandering about in groups or alone, in the
place itself and its vicinity, without having any gaolers with them.
They are properly taken care of, and employed in various kinds of
light work. There is a paper manufactory, which is almost entirely
carried on by them.
The inhabitants appeared to possess a more than usual degree of
fanaticism. I and another passenger, Herr Lau, had gone to take a
walk in the place, and were about to enter a small street in which
there was a Hindoo temple; but no sooner, however, did the people
perceive our intention, than they set up a horrible yelling, and
pressed on us so closely, that we held it advisable to restrain our
curiosity and turn back.
19th December. Today we perceived the low ranges of the Rajmahal
Hills, the first we had seen since we left Madras. In the evening,
we were again stuck fast upon a sandbank. We remained tolerably
quiet during the night, but, as soon as it was morning, every
possible means were adopted to get us off again.
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