Western India, in 1838

Introduction

. A well known eastern traveller has re corded his opinion, " That it is impossible for an individual, many years resident in India, to write a book fit for the public taste of England ; and, moreover, that all Indian customs, et cetera, have become, through the medium of history and ro mance, so common, that they possess no materials of interest." I cannot by any means agree in this remark. It is true, that different habits of mind, different trains of interest, and the difficulty of remaining " courant de jour " with the

INTRODUCTION.

. VI changes in the literary taste of England, may unfit an author, resident in India, from producing a purely imaginative work, of sufficient interest to amuse the reading portion of the English public; but that Indian customs have become by any me dium common or well known, I unhesi tatingly deny. Of the great and varied beauties of the natural scenery of India, some vague ideas may have been formed ; but of its social condition, of its agricultural capabilities, of its vegetable productions, of its geological formations, of its necessities as an empire, or of its value as a colony, little indeed is generally understood ; and as it is by recorded facts alone, that opinions can be formed, and good arise, it is, I think, to be regretted, that so few among us chronicle our experiences of Indian life. Every in dividual who visits India, whether his so journ is fora brief, or a lengthened period;

INTRODUCTION.

. VII whether he possess the pen of an accom plished writer, or a more humble talent, that of careful observation, may yet afford some valuable information, if he but faith fully describe all that may have interested or attracted his attention ; and this, without any reference to the degree of literary ability which he may possess, inasmuch as facts resemble gems, which although improved by a graceful setting, are yet recognises*. as jewels of intrinsic worth, even when surrounded by the most rough and un polished metal. India is making very rapid advances in general improvement ; and although the mass of the people yet unhappily remain sunk in the deepest barbarism, a change is taking place among the gentry, which will produce results of the highest interest. In the present work, I have endeavoured to sketch the commencement of this change, and to represent some portions of

INTRODUCTION.

. Western India, as I have seen them; leaving it to the pens of others, more capable for the task, to follow up the work, and by tracing the causes and effects of such a change, to afford a valuable addition to our present knowledge of India, and of the means by which her condition may be efficiently improved. The gratifying consideration which has attended my recently published work, on " Cutch," will, I trust, be extended to the following pages ; which I now venture to present to the reader, in the simple form in which they were originally written ; claim ing for them, the sole merit of possessing some novel information, which I imagined might prove interesting, and which in some cases, moreover, could only have been afforded, through the medium of a lady's pen. London, November \st, 1839.

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. VOL. I. Toddy Tree . . . frontispiece Hindostan Sepoy . . . Page 137 Wagheries . . . .193 Abdool Kureem Shirazee . . . 256 VOL. II. Girnar from the Uparkote . . frontispiece Rock and Ancient Inscriptions . . Page 46 Russaldar of the Poonah Auxiliary Horse . . WESTERN INDIA IN 1838.

Chapter I. Modern Bombay

" So sweet a spot of earth, you might, I ween, Have guessed some congregation of the Elves, To sport by summer moons, had shaped it for them selves." After a protracted residence in the Mofussil, a visitor from an outstation to the Presidency of Bombay is delighted with its beauty, enlivened by its gaiety, and dazzled by the brilliant displays of shops and warehouses, which, on his first arrival from Europe, he had condemned as dusty, dark, and ill plenished. Such im- VOL. I. B pressions are the result of very opposite comparisons ; and the newly arrived is, perhaps, as unfair in his expectations as the Jungle Wallah, who, having lost sight of a superior standard of taste, is too readily delighted with everything around him. Few places have undergone greater change and improvement, than the Pre sidency of Western India, during the last six years; and if we venture to become prophetic on the present appearance of political affairs connected with the east, its career of progress promises to be even yet more singularly rapid.

If the affairs of Sindh, Kandahar, and Caubul, termi nate as all such affairs have terminated when British force has been employed, and if the great and splendid object is attained, of navigating the noble Indus, and thus establishing commercial intercourse with the potentates of Upper Asia, Bombay will spring at once into the important po sition for which late events have so well prepared her. The work of improvement has been gradually, but surely, progress ing, and the tone of society is changed. The native gentry now form a recognised, and important part of the community ; their sons are educated to fit them for any mercantile or political appointment, to which they may be called; the English merchants are daily considered as form ing a more valuable class. Men of science are organizing branch Societies, which offer every encouragement to en quiry and research; the doating palaces of the merchant kings have been succeeded by vessels efficient, but second-rate in their appointments and accommodation ; and the fine Government steamers, with their six weeks news from England, now ride in the harbour, which wanderers of the olden time were glad to make after the dangers and delays of a twelvemonth's voyage.

Without anticipating what may result from our immediate political acts, the preb sent rapid communication which exists between Europe and Western India, must render the Presidency of Bombay interesting to many ; and I am not aware that since the clever descriptions of Mrs. Gra ham, much has been said of its internal economy, notwithstanding the change which the power of circumstance has wrought in its general characteristics. The Harbour scenery of Bombay is justly considered the most lovely in the world, the fairest of all " the Isles that gem Old Ocean's purple diadem." To detail the particular features which com pose its beauty, were impossible. The deep smooth waters, the bright blue cloud less sky, the clustering islands, gleaming in still dreamy indistinctness, fringed with the dark feathers of the palm trees, which seem so jealously to conceal the line where the fair elements unite; the pale purple Ghauts, towering, higher and higher, in pdes of varied form, their lofty summits dim in the misty distance, blend ing with the soft haze of a tropic sky, form a picture, which fascinates the eye, and spell-binds the imagination, as com pletely as it baffles the power of language to pourtray.

To afford to those who may not look upon this glorious scene, a bird's-eye glimpse of its general coup d'œil, is all that can be attempted, and the elegant pen of Bishop Heber has well performed that task ; objections have been made to his descriptions, as too Italianized and florid, but critics of taste, whom opportunity may have enabled to study the various combinations of pictorial effect among these lovely scenes, must acknowledge, that neither poetry, or painting, can pos sibly do justice to the peculiar and exqui site beauty of the "Isle of Palms." Where the inducements which the fair face of nature presents, are so great, it is not remarkable that yachting should be, as it is, a very favorite recreation ; or that the gay streamers of the " Lovely Lucy," and the "Lalla Rookh," should be seen so frequently floating in bright relief against the dark masses of rich foliage which clothe, to the water's edge, the time-hal lowed island of Elephanta, and the beautifully wooded scenery of Salsette.

The modern town of Bombay, how ever, (for to such a distinction the march of progress entitles it) deserves description ; and however charming may be the bright and sparkling bay, the palm - tasselled islets, the varied craft, and the pretty latteen sails which swell in the fresh breeze, a stranger yet desires to step firmly upon land, and mix in the bustling interests of his fellow-men. The general appearance of Bombay from the harbour, is certainly not attractive. Little can be seen of it but the wads of the fort, flanking the water's edge, the tents of the esplanade rising in white and gleam ing clusters, and the Island of Colabah, stretching out towards the west, covered with palm trees, and crowned at its ex treme end by the Bombay light-house. The bundahs, or landing-places, are commonly surrounded by singular-looking boats, whose crews ply among the ship ping with passengers or cargo.

Moored in a busy knot, may be observed the crazy little canoe, laden with cocoa nuts and plantains ; the miniature barge, covered with the gay purdah (awning), to screen the fat Parsee, who sits cross-legged in her stern; and the more important bundah boat, with its comfortable cabin lined with soft cushions, and surrounded with smart green Venetians, awaiting an engagement to convey a party to the spot selected for a pic-nic, or to stretch down the coast to the various beautiful and sea-girt stations of the southern Concan. On landing at either the new Apollo or the Custom-house bundahs, hummalls bear ing palankeens, rich in green paint and silken curtains, entreat the custom of the new arrival ; and half-denuded coolies press forward in dozens, to seize upon and con vey all such articles of the stranger's worldly goods, as are not formed to sub side conveniently on the shelf of the se lected palki.

If the object of these atten tions is a cadet, an individual readily to be distinguished by an experienced eye, some half dozen dirty-looking Mussulmen run along by the open door of the palankeen, crying out, as they vehemently jostle each other, " I master's servant — I get master every thing ! " This, if allowed, the selected villain readdy does, charging most impu dently for the same, robbing his employer by means of accomplices, and leaving him at the particular juncture at which his ser vices are most required. The first objects which attract attention, are the innumerable pdes of tightly screwed cotton bales, which flank the bundah, awaiting exportation, and the ponderous cranes and screws used in their compres sion. This dusty, noisy, mercantde scene, is soon, however, exchanged for an attractive view, including a fresh peep of the beautiful bay, with the snowy tents, and pretty bungalows, which adorn the cheerful es planade.

This fine road, situated parallel to the sea, and receiving its freshest breezes, forms the fashionable Bombay drive, and is thronged every evening by all the pretty women and gay gallants of the island ; some displaying their equestrian talents, and the most luxurious reclining in elegant and various equipages, of the best London make. The small Arab steeds which draw these vehicles, appear, to an eye accustomed to our splendid English carriage-horses, deficient in size, ragged, thin, andaltogether ill-proportioned ; neither is the general effect improved by the singular attire of the coloured menials. The coachmen and grooms wear a coarse cloth dress, of whatever colour may have been selected for the family livery, with a cummerbund, and flat turban, of the form of a plate, B consisting of entwined folds of orange, blue, or crimson broad cloth, adorned with crossed bands of gold or silver lace.

This costume, combined with bare legs and na tive slippers, appears as incongruous a melange of personal decoration as can well be imagined. Separated from the road by a slight wooden railing, is an extensive space covered with short grass. This spot is a favourite lounge for the respectable classes of Jews, Persians, and other graceful looking Asiatics ; who, in full and sweeping robes, converse in the language most familiar to them, and criticise the fashionable crowds who recreate on the more dusty road, or occasionally draw off and chat at a military band, which twice during the week forms an additional at traction to the evening exercise. The roads are so excellent, and the scenery of the island so very beautiful, that it seems matter of surprise that the esplanade should be so constantly favoured; but, unfortunately, the more rural drives, which lie at the back of the island, can be gained only by the way of crowded, long, and dirty bazaars, seldom passed except on Sundays, when a charming sea side drive, called the "Breach Candy," is preferred, for the occasion, to the deserted esplanade.

In the centre of a crossway, leading from this great prado to the fort, is a fine statue of the Marquis Wellesley, executed by Chantrey; his lordship is placed in the noisiest and busiest spot, and seems to look down with placid dignity on the hundreds of miserable buggies standing here for hire, or the curious little two wheeled dirzi carts, which their owners leave in this convenient spot, until the con clusion of the day's work affords the op tunity to reclaim them. Cruickshank would produce an amusing enough volume, illustrative of the varied equipages of Bombay ; from the sumptu ous barouche of the rich Parsee, to the green and battered buggy, which the English tar, in his best attire, hires to rattle through the native town, and in troduce him to all the toddy stores of the great Bazaar.

An hour's drive from the port to the suburbs, will exhibit a curious variety of taste, and entertaining specimens of how readily a worn-out appendage to some great man's state, may be revivi fied and rendered available to far different uses to those which marked its prime. Then may be seen the English landau fresh from Long-acre ; the smart dennet of the military aspirant, marked by its high cushions and dashing Arab; the roomy buggy of the mercantile Parsee, adorned with green and gold, rattling by with a fast trotting Persian horse, valued according to his speed; the small, un assuming, doubled-bodied phaeton, drawn by a handsomely-mottled Pegue poney ; the native shigram or palkee carriage ; the richly gilt chariot of a high cast Hindoo, with its silken reins, and emblazoned panels; and last, the humble bullock hackerie, either laden with goods, or curtained to screen a smiling group of native children.

During the hot season, the Esplanade is adorned with pretty, cool, temporary residences, erected near the sea; their chuppered roofs and rustic porches half concealed by the flowering creepers and luxuriant shrubs, which shade them from the mid-day glare. These bungalows are situated in line, with spaces between each, at a convenient distance from the road ; the material of which they are made is simply bamboo and plaster, lined with strained dungaree,* dyed a pale straw colour; the offices are placed at a short distance from the bungalow ; and the whole is enclosed with a pretty compound, filled with fine plants, arranged in tubs, round the trellised verandahs : in this situation the shrubs flourish well, despite their vicinity to the sea, usually considered so inimical to the labours of horticulturists. * A coarse kind of unbleached cloth.

The expense of erecting a comfortable bungalow varies from about six to eight hundred rupees; at the approach of the monsoon, the occupants of these fragile residences take down and house such of the building materials as may be avadable for the following season, and retire to more substantial dwellings ; these are to be found either within the fort, or at Girgaum, Byculla, Chintz Poogly, and other places beyond the bazaars, where European residents have erected groups of pucka* built, and handsome houses, with excellent gardens and offices attached. The rents of well situated residences of this description are usuady very high, and persons of limited means are constrained to retire to smaller dwell ings, many of which are scattered about among the cocoa nut woods, at the distance of about four miles from the port; these are considered feverish localities, and * Built of stone and mortar. moreover swarm with insects of every description.

It is difficult to imagine any thing more agreeable than a late dinner in an esplanade bungalow, after returning from the evening drive. • The clean smooth China matting which covers the floors ; the numerous lamps shedding their equal light from the snowy ceilings ; the sweet perfume of the sur rounding plants, and die fresh sea breeze, blowing through the trellis-worked ve randahs, render them delightful retreats after the heat and lassitude endured throughout the day. Elegance combines with comfort, in making these pretty abodes so truly pleasant ; and a fine-toned piano, and a good bdliard table, are the usual additions to varied articles of luxury and convenience. The upholsterers and cabinet makers of Bombay are too good workmen to allow any want to be unpro vided for, in the decorations of a drawing room or boudoir.

The j ack wood in common use is a good material, resembling ma hogany ; and the blackwood, when hand somely carved and well polished, is little inferior to dark coloured rose-wood. It is true, that a very unfurnished effect is produced by the unadorned walls of a drawing-room in India, wall shades being a bad exchange for either handsome paintings, or richly framed mirrors : yet, when the fitness of things is considered, a stranger soon recognises the advantages of cool, well strained dungaree walls, which afford no attraction to the depredating presence of loathsome insects seeking what they may devour.* The esplanade forms a continual resort * The white ants are most destructive on the esplanade ; trunks are never safe unless placed on frames at some distance from the ground, or elevated on four bottles, driven necks downwards into the soil ; but great as are their ravages in a wardrobe, the pillages of these mischievous little animals in a library are yet more to be feared.

The most valuable books become dust in their paths ; for as it was once facetiously observed, not only do the termes, like for all classes of itinerant merchants, who travel from tent to bungalow, and from bungalow to tent, finding many well dis posed to trifle away an hour in turning over their goods ; and among them many visitors from the Mofussil, who are so dazzled by the novel display, as to become ready and advantageous purchasers. The Borahs rank first among this class, and daily may be encountered on the same rounds ; the Banian master, arrayed in red turban and snowy vest, bearing his well varnished chitree, or Chinese umbrella, and followed by a group of three or more coolies, bearing tin cases, or circular baskets, covered with coarse blankets to pro tect the enclosed goods. Some of these are cloth merchants, stored with coloured muslins, chintzs, and jaconet, "all new fashion, lady;" others abound in plated, sdver, and Sheffield ware, of the corncommon book worms, skip through a work, but devour and digest it, and in so doing, as good critics, pull it speedily to pieces. monest workmanship, accompanied, per haps, by a pair of worn-out pistols, or a good-for-nothing dressing case ; and the lowest order carry about baskets fud of chow chow, as it is called, being a melange of bridles, pickles, lavender water, Seid litz, bonbons, and curry-combs, with a few second-hand blankets, and a piece or two of damaged trow serin g. Next in order, are the stone merchants of Ceylon, Cambay or Surat, with a pocket-book bursting with certificates for respectability and just dealing, and a cas ket full of cornelians, j aspars, blood-stones, and inferior gems.

A vender of fruit suc ceeds the superior trader, bearing the fine black grapes of the Deckan; and others laden with shaddocks, pine apples, and Aurungabad oranges — the last an inferior fruit, having a thick peel and little juice. The shaddock of Bombay, or, as it is usually called, the Pumellow, is unrivalled in Western India for size, juiciness, and re freshing flavour; for, like the mangoe, the shaddock only flourishes in perfection in the sod and climate of the Presidency. The Meiwa Waller, or fruitseller, has scarcely left the tent, before an oilman craves admission, laden with cheeses, pickles, vinegar, and rotten hams; all these gentry in turn, demand six times what they will eventually rejoice to gain; and it requires considerable judgment to se lect anything of a really good and useful kind.

A poor Borah is at present in Bombay, whose stock in trade simply consists of a few pins, needles, knives, and tapes. He has been totady blind from his youth, yet walks in safety through the most crowded bazaars, and the most secluded bye streets of the fort. Some benevolent person has taught him a little English; and nature, in depriving him of one sense, has been so pro digal in her grants of others, that he seems almost unconscious of his sad affliction. His goods are all wrapt in separate papers, and stored carefully in a little box ; on an application being made for a particular article, the blind merchant immediately seeks, unrolls, and presents it. If an ob jection is made to its size or quality, a second is instantly produced, free from the alleged imperfection ; like a keen chap man, he points out the uses and beauties of his wares, and being well known in Bombay, his affliction has gained him many friends.

The Fort is divided from the esplanade by a moat, crossed by bridges leading through its principal gates. The houses which face the walls, are lofty and hand some, having wide verandahs on the first floor, broad staircases, and spacious apartments. The streets are close, dusty, and narrow; and the eaves of the houses pro ject over them, to the exclusion of ad breeze, or general circulation of air. No thing can well be imagined more fatiguing than a shopping excursion to the fort, par ticularly if a palankeen be the chosen ve hicle ; from this, no Kuskus Tattee, however well watered, can exclude the burn ing and oppressive heat. * The Fort contains three of those at tractive places known as ruination shops; they are filled with very a tolerable collection of haberdashery, which is replenished on the arrival of any French or English ships.

The stock is secured in glass cases, and the prices are enormous, long credit being required; and the goods disposed of being expected to remunerate the dealer for such as are destroyed by climate or bad pack ing. A yard of gauze ribbon is charged at half a rupee ; and silks worth about three shillings in Europe, are disposed of readily at eight. Like the Borahs, how ever, these tradesmen make great reduction in the price first demanded ; this custom is universal, for I imagine a native never existed, who understood the conve- * It is customary to place a mat of this sweet scented grass over the top of a palankeen ; it is watered by the bearers, and the coolness and evapora tion is most grateful. nience or respectability of a prix fixe. Both plain and figured China silks are to be obtained at a low price, of very beautiful colour and fine texture ; but it is not considered good taste to appear in any but those of European manufacture.

In addition to the mercers, the fort con tains two good chymists, two booksellers, a musical circulating library, and an English jeweller's. The Parsee shops, or Ducahns, are innumerable. The best is kept by Jangerjee Nasserawanjee, who vends goods of all descriptions, from pur ple velvet to raspberry jam. A sketch of this particular store may afford an idea of such repositories in general ; the goods on sale being similar at all, varying, of course, in quantity and quality, according to the wealth of the dealer. On either side of Jangerjee's open door, are fixed benches, where may usually be seen, couchant, a pair of fat Parsees, the trader and his accountant. The shop is large and dark ; the walls surrounded with glass cases, filled with fine French china, bijouterie, gold lace, sauces, brandied fruits, riding whips, and other European super fluities.

A central avenue is flanked with cases containing jewellery, French clocks, and all descriptions of nicknackery. On the floor have subsided Cheshire and Gruyere cheeses, hams, cases of sardines, salmon, and other edibles; and from the ceiling depend bird cages, lamps, and coloured French lithographs, in handsome frames. Large go-downs, or store rooms, are attached to the premises, containing beer, wine, brandy, and liqueurs of ad qualities, with mess supplies of every de scription. Such is a Parsee shop ; and it is un necessary to say, that immense fortunes are realized by the owners, the profits on the goods being regulated by rules quite op posed to ad principles of fan . dealing. It is moreover customary for a Parsee shop keeper, on making out a bill which has remained long unpaid, to add a sum as interest on the amount of the whole ; this, however, the Court of Requests neither acknowledge or protect, unless an agree ment is proved, by which the debtor con sented to such a charge on his purchase of the goods.

If a Parsee trader purchases goods from a private individual, and im mediate payment is required, the wily pur chaser deducts a certain per centage for " ready money ;" in short, daily experience will assure every person who has any mer cantile transactions with this class of traders, that there are no people more keenly alive to, or better acquainted with the various channels by which capital may be accumulated, than the Parsee shop keepers of Bombay. Auctions in the fort are of daily occurrence, and damaged goods of every de scription are sold for a mere trifle, the principal bidders being Borahs, whose bas kets are replenished by this means. Horses and carriages are frequently disposed of in the same way, and fall into the hands of Parsees, who resell them with infinite ad vantage. Within the Fort are two large bazaars ; the China bazaar, as it is called, being one, and the Thieves' bazaar, the other.

The first contains all sorts of curiosities, with store rooms full of China satins and tea boxes; the second is crowded with ware houses, filled with European articles, to be disposed of at a small profit. Many of these premises are far more extensive than the Parsee shops ; and superb dinner and breakfast services, glass ware, and table supplies are to be purchased at little more than prime cost. It is pleasant from these narrow, crowded and dusty ways, to emerge on the Bombay green, a spacious area, surrounded by public offices. On an enclosed portion stands a fine statue of the Marquis Cornwallis, protected by arches of masonry, and surmounting a suitable inscription ; around the rails stand numerous palankeens, the bearers sleeping vol. i. c beneath their shade, or engaged in netting, or winding thread.

The town hall, library, and council chambers, which ornament, in one fine building, the side of this green, are well worthy attention ; and with the exception of the British Museum, and the Biblio th£que du Roi, are not inferior to any of the same description. The library contains a varied and large collection of standard and modern works; and a museum seems only now required, to render the institution one of great and encreasing value. A vesti bule at the end of the grand staircase, is adorned with a fine statue of Sir John Malcolm, by Mr. Chantrey ; and another of Mr. Elphinstone, by the same artist, graces a spacious hall, set apart for public meetings. It was originally suggested that this superb apartment should be casually used for holding subscription balls ; but it proved that the expenses of lighting would absorb too large a proportion of the allotted means.

Business is never commenced, either in the shops or offices of the Fort, until eleven o'clock ; before this period the roads are watered, and individuals of all classes, in all varieties of demi - toilette, and by all sorts of means, take their con stitutionals, retiring about eight, when the Bombay sun becomes intolerable, and con tinues so during the oppressive lull which precedes the setting-in of the sea breeze. Complaints are common, of the sun produ cing more acute and sudden headache by exposure to it at all times in the Presidency than at outstations ; but it is difficult to account for this peculiarity of effect, whde a fine sea breeze is felt on every side ; and the constant watering of the roads would seem to cause an agreeable coolness, by means of rapid evaporation. The establishment of an efficient police force is one of the great modern improvements of the Presidency.

Puggees * are stid retained * A Puggee is one of a band of thieves, who en gages at a certain salary to secure his employer from c2 for the protection of property ; but the highways and bazaars are now orderly and quiet, and robberies much less frequent. The dress of the men is a dark blue coat, with a black belt, and yellow turban; they are a respectable, well-con ducted body, on all occasions civil and obliging, where their services are required. Pomflets and rice at ten o'clock, form the usual Bombay breakfast ; after which visiting commences, and continues until one, when the tiffin, and the siesta (its supposed successor) renders every house sacred from foreign intrusion. The dinner tables are now admirably supplied ; hecatombs of slaughtered animals have robbery or loss. These watchmen receive about fourteen shillings a month; and for this, prowl about the compound, and round the bungalow, during the night, coughing, and roaring at intervals, to warn any predatory stragglers of their presence and en gagement.