A Hindoo boy
brought a box for one of the travellers, and asked for a small
payment for his trouble; he was not listened to. The boy remained
standing by, repeating his request now and then. He was driven
away, and as he would not go quietly, blows were had recourse to.
The captain happened to pass accidentally, and asked what was the
matter. The boy, sobbing, told him; the captain shrugged his
shoulders, and the boy was put out of the ship.
How many similar and even more provoking incidents have I seen? The
so-called "barbarian and heathen people" have good reason to hate
us. Wherever the Europeans go they will not give any reward, but
only orders and commands; and their rule is generally much more
oppressive than that of the natives.
26th December. The custom of exposing dying people on the banks of
the Ganges, does not appear to be so general as some travellers
state. We sailed on the river for fourteen days, during which time
we passed many thickly populated towns and villages, and did not
meet with a single case until today. The dying man lay close to the
water, and several men, probably his relations, were seated round
him, awaiting his decease. One dipped water and mud out of the
river with his hands, and put them to the nose and mouth of the
dying man. The Hindoos believe that if they die at the river with
their mouths full of the holy water, they are quite certain to go to
heaven. His relations or friends remain by the dying man till
sunset, when they go home, and leave him to his fate. He generally
falls a prey to crocodiles. I very seldom saw any floating corpses;
only two during the whole journey. Most of the corpses are burnt.
27th December. Ghazipoor is an important place, and is remarkable
at a distance for its handsome ghauts. Here stands a pretty
monument erected to the memory of Lord Cornwallis, who conquered
Tippoo Saib in 1790. Very near is a large establishment for
training horses, which is said to turn out remarkably fine ones.
But Ghazipoor is most remarkable for its enormous rose-fields, and
the rose-water and attar prepared here. The latter is obtained in
the following manner: -
Upon forty pounds of roses, with the calixes, sixty pounds of water
are poured, and the whole is distilled over a slow fire. From this,
about thirty pounds of rose-water are obtained. Another forty
pounds of roses are again added to this, and, at the utmost, twenty
pounds of water distilled off. This is then exposed during the
night to the cold air in pans, and in the morning the oil is found
swimming upon the surface and is skimmed off. Not more than an
ounce and a half of attar, at the utmost, is obtained from eighty
pounds of roses.
