They are allowed to visit one another very seldom,
and that only in well-closed litters. They have neither public
baths nor gardens in which they can meet.
{114} The leaves of this gathering are plucked with the greatest
care by children and young people, who are provided with gloves and
are bound to pick every leaf separately.
{116} 173 dollars the chief cabin, 117 the second (34 pounds 12s.
and 23 pounds 8s.)
{118} These steamers carry the mails, and make the voyage from
Canton to Calcutta once a month, touching at Singapore on their way.
{120a} Horses cannot be bred here; they have all to be imported.
{120b} The East India Company, to which the island belongs, have a
governor and English troops here.
{125} The mangostan is unanimously pronounced the finest fruit in
the world.
{128} One of the four had been removed from the first cabin, because
it was asserted that he was somewhat cracked, and did not always
know what he said or did.
{150} The finest and most costly muslin is manufactured in the
province of Dacca, and costs two rupees (4s.), or even two rupees
and a half the ell.
{153} The hurgila, a kind of stork, that eats dead bodies, and is
frequently to be seen near the rivers in India.
{158a} At the period of my visit there were about 782 of them.
{158b} Rajmahal was, in the seventeenth century, the capital of
Bengal.
{160a} Monghyr is termed the Birmingham of India, on account of its
extensive manufactories of cutlery and weapons. Its population is
about 30,000 souls.
{160b} Patna is the capital of the province of "Bechar," and was
once celebrated for the number of its Buddhist temples. Near Patna
was situated the most famous town of ancient India, namely,
"Parlibothra." Patna contains a great many cotton and a few opium
factories.
{161} In all Indian, Mahomedan, and in fact all countries which are
not Christian, it is a very difficult task to obtain anything like
an exact calculation of the number of inhabitants, as nothing is
more hateful to the population than such computations.
{162} I landed with two travellers at Patna, and rode on to
Deinapore in the evening, where our steamer anchored for the night.
{170} If a Hindoo has no son, he adopts one of his relations, in
order that he may fulfil the duties of a son at the funeral of his
adoptive father.
{173} The dislike which the Hindoos evince towards the Europeans, is
chiefly in consequence of the latter showing no honour to the cow,
of their eating ox-flesh, and drinking brandy; and that they spit in
their houses, and even in the temples, and wash their mouths with
their fingers, etc. They call the Europeans "Parangi." This
disrespect is said to make the Hindoos dislike the Christian
religion.
{177} Many of the more recent Indian towns were built by the
Mongolians, or were so much altered by them that they altogether
lost their original character.
