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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
 
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VIEWS IN INDIA, 
 
 CHIKFLY AMONG THE 
 
 HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. 
 
 BY 
 
 LIEUT. GEORGE FRANCIS WHITE, 
 
 OF THE 31st REGT. 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 EMMA ROBERTS. 
 
 " I HAVE BEHELD NEARLY ALL THE CELEBRATED SCENERY OF EUROPE, WHICH POETS AND PAINTERS HAVE 
 IMMORTALIZED, AND OP WHICH ALL THE TOURISTS IN THE WORLD ARE ENAMOURED; BUT I HAVE SEEN IT 
 SURPASSED IN THESE UNFREQUENTED AND ALMOST UNKNOWN REGIONS." 
 
 CAPT. SKINNER'S JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. 
 
 
 FISHER, SON, AND CO., LONDON & PARIS. 
 
LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Runjeet Singh's Encampment at Roopur, on the river Sutlej . vignette 80 
 
 Rocks at Colgong on the Ganges frontispiece 1 1 
 
 Janghera, or the Fakeer's Rock on the Ganges 14 
 
 Suwarree of Seiks, and View near the Sutlej River . . . . . . 16 
 
 Entrance to the Keeree Pass, leading to the Valley of Deyrah Dhoon . .19 
 
 The Ganges entering the Plains near Hurdwar 23 
 
 Part of the Ghaut at Hurdwar .26 
 
 Mussooree, from Landour ........... 31 
 
 The Snowy Range, from Landour ......... 34 
 
 The Abhey and Hills, from near Mussooree ....... 36 
 
 The Snowy Range, from Tyne, or Marma ........ 38 
 
 Village of Mohuna, near Deobun ,,..,.,.. 40 
 
 View near Jubberah ,........,,. 43 
 
 The Village of Naree 48 
 
 The Bridge at Bhurkote ......,,,,. 50 
 
 View near Kursalee ..... . . , . . , . 51 
 
 The Village of Kursalee ... 53 
 
 Crossing by a Sangha, near Jumnootree ........ 54 
 
 Source of the Jumna 56 
 
 Falls — and View near the Source — of the Jumna (two plates) .... 59 
 
 Gungootree, the Sacred Source of the Ganges ....... 60 
 
 View near Deobun 63 
 
 Crossing the river Tonse by a Jhoola, or Rope Bridge ...... 64 
 
 Village of Khandoo, on the Ascent of the Choor 67 
 
 Crossing the Choor Mountain 69 
 
 Village of Koghera and Deodar Forest, near the Choor .... f 70 
 
 View at Simla 72 
 
 The City of Nahun, viewed from the North ....,,. 76 
 
 Valley of the Dhoon, with the Ganges in the distance, from the Landour Ridge . 78 
 
 Borro Boedoor 85 
 
 A Suttee 86 
 
 Fortress of Bowrie, in Rajpootana . 87 
 
 Bombay Harbour, Fishing-boats in the Monsoon 88 
 
 View of Sassoor, in the Deccan 89 
 
 The celebrated Hindoo Temples and Palace at Madura 91 
 
 Scene in Kattiawar, or Katteawar, Travellers and Escort 92 
 
 Tombs of the Kings of Golconda 93 
 
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. 
 
 The Himalaya mountains, signifying the abode of snow, form that tremendous barrier, 
 which, stretching from the Indus on the north-west to the Bramaputra on the south-east, 
 divides the plains of Hindostan from the wilds of Thibet and Tartary. This chain of 
 mountains comprises numerous ranges, extending in different directions west of the 
 Indus ; one of its ramifications, running in a still more westerly direction, is known to 
 the Afghans by the name of the Hindoo Kosh, the whole stupendous range being merely 
 broken by the Indus. From the north-east point of Cashmere, it takes a south-eastern 
 course, stretching along the sources of all the Punjab rivers, except the Sutlej, where it 
 separates the hilly portion of the Lahore province from those tracts which have been 
 designated in modern geography, Little Thibet. Still pursuing the same direction, it 
 crosses the heads of the Ganges and Jumna, and compels their currents towards a south- 
 ward channel. Farther east, the chain is supposed to be less continuous, it being the 
 generally received opinion that it is penetrated by the Gunduck, the Arun, the Cosi, 
 and the Teesta. Beyond the limits of Bootan, the course of the chain, extending into 
 an unexplored country, can be traced no longer ; but the supposition is in favour of its 
 running to the Chinese sea, skirting the northern frontier of the provinces of Quangsi 
 and Quantong, and lessening in height as it advances to the east. The portion of this exten- 
 sive chain which borders Hindostan, rises to an elevation far exceeding that of any other 
 mountains in the world, in some places forming an impassable barrier to the countries 
 beyond, and rendering their extent a matter for conjecture only. The breadth of the 
 snowy chain varies in different parts between the Sutlej and the Ganges ; it has been 
 estimated at about eighty miles from the plains of Hindostan to those of Thibet. The 
 heights of this splendid barrier are unassailable by man, but in some places the beds of 
 rivers which intersect it afford access to its wild fastnesses ; and as a few penetrate the 
 mighty mass, there is a possibility that the unceasing efforts of scientific persons may 
 force a passage through the rocks and snows of these desert wastes. The ranges of hills 
 extending in a southerly direction from the Himalaya, are divided into numerous princi- 
 palities, to the eastward of the Sutlej — Sirmoor, Gurwall, Kumaon, Nepaul ; and many 
 others are to be found, several of which were unknown to the European inhabitants of 
 India, previous to the Ghoorka wars of 1815, an event which has led to our present 
 acquaintance with this highly interesting country. 
 
Vlll PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON 
 
 plan, seat themselves in a large, shallow, circular, brass basin, called a chillumchee, the 
 common apparatus for washing the hands in India ; and thus, protected from too rough 
 encounters with the ruggtd sides of the steep, glide down the snow with indescribable 
 rapidity. 
 
 The Bruang pass is 15,296 feet in height, the ascent frightfully steep, and, in conse- 
 quence of the rarefied nature of the air, it is impossible to proceed many yards without 
 pausing to draw breath. The snow in the month of September is in many places a foot 
 in depth, and the torrents rushing into the river Paber from the mountain's side are full 
 of icicles, clinging to the frost-bound stones. In nearing the crest, very few persons are 
 unassailed by a sensation of qualmishness, accompanied by great weakness and dizziness 
 in the head. At the summit, tne samar, or icy wind, blows furiously ; and the pass, 
 shut in by precipitous walls, affords the most dreary prospect imaginable. The descent 
 being abrupt, and leading down icy precipices stretching for a quarter of a mile, is very 
 distressing, and must be slipped and slid, few places admitting of a walk — baggage, 
 every thing, in fact, being usually rolled down to the bottom. The Hungrung pass, 
 14,800, is less difficult, and there are not so many complaints from those who cross it, of 
 the rarefication of the air. In the month of August, a pool a few yards in length, upon 
 the summit, on the northern side, was frozen hard, and the adjacent dells exhibited con- 
 siderable quantities of snow. The climate, of course, differs very greatly at different 
 periods of the year, and in different parts of the mountains, and, according to their several 
 aspects, vegetation is found higher or lower, some of the elevations having, in conse- 
 quence of their more genial situation, trees a thousand feet above those which are to be 
 found elsewhere. The extreme height of cultivation on the southern slope of the Snowy 
 Range, is 10,000 feet, and it is frequently necessary, at this altitude, to cut the crops 
 before they are ripe. The habitations of men are not carried above 9,500 feet, and at 
 1 1 ,800 the forest ceases ; bushes are found at the height of 1 1 ,400 feet, and in ravines 
 and sheltered spots, dwarf birch and bushes creep up to 13,000 feet. On the northern 
 side, in the valley of the Baspa river, we meet with villages at 11,400 feet, and cultiva- 
 tion at the same height, while the forest stretches to 13,000 feet. Advancing farther, 
 villages are found at the same height, cultivation 400 feet higher, fine birch trees at 
 14,000 feet, and furze bushes, affording excellent fuel, at 17,000 feet above the level of 
 the sea. Farther eastward, towards lake Ranasa Rovaro, we are assured, upon the 
 authority of the Tartars, that vegetation reaches a much higher elevation. In the exterior 
 chain to the south, where the heat is only reflected from one side, there is much less 
 warmth than in the interior cluster, where it is given out on all sides. 
 
 We may vainly seek throughout the history of the world, for any thing approaching to a 
 parallel with the British occupation of India; a dominion so extraordinary, that but for 
 the stubborn nature of facts, we might almost be justified in deeming it incredible. At 
 the beginning of the present century, the existence of the Himalaya was very imper- 
 fectly known ; and at a still later period, its gigantic ranges of mountains were supposed 
 to be inferior to those of the Andes, while so rapidly has our acquaintance with this 
 interesting region been extended, that in the course of the last fifteen years their altitudes 
 have been measured, and every approachable recess explored. 
 
 
 • 
 
THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. IX 
 
 Great Britain owes its territories in the Himalaya to the same cause which has given 
 it dominion over the rest of India — the aggressions of native states against each other, 
 The Nepaul hills were tenanted by a martial race, who, better acquainted with the art of 
 war than the method of improving the agricultural condition of their country, sought to 
 enrich themselves by foreign conquests, and turned their arms against districts inhabited 
 by a timid people, who, living in small communities, isolated from each other, proved an 
 easy conquest. The Ghoorkas, under an enterprising chieftain, Ammeer Singh Theppa, 
 possessed themselves of very considerable tracts of country between the Ganges and the 
 Sutlej ; the princes of all the intermediate petty states, jealous of each other, and accus- 
 tomed to continual aggressions, omitting to make common cause against the invaders, 
 and allowing themselves, notwithstanding the great natural strength of the country, to be 
 beaten at every point. Several of the sovereigns, thus driven out, sought refuge in the 
 British territories : and we were made aware, by other circumstances, of the state of 
 affairs in the hills ; for the invaders, growing bold by success, attacked our out-posts, 
 and seemed inclined to extend their conquests to our possessions in the plains. In our 
 first attempts to repel the intruding Ghoorkas, we probably underrated their strength 
 and talents, for the troops sent against them proved unequal to the contest, and the 
 attacks upon the hill-fortresses were attended by very unlooked-for results. It became, 
 therefore, necessary to undertake the war in earnest; and in 1815 Sir David Ochterlony, 
 an experienced and able officer, assumed the command ; and after a series of brilliant 
 exploits, which added to his other titles of honour, that of " the Hero of Malown," com- 
 pelled Ammeer Singh to capitulate, and accede to the terms proposed by the victorious 
 party. By a subsequent treaty, the peace of the hill districts was established, the 
 Ghoorkas abandoned the whole of the territory west of the Kelee, which, with some few 
 exceptions, a portion of Kumaon, the Deyrah Dhoon, &c, was restored to the represen- 
 tatives of those families who had possessed it before the Ghoorka invasion. Some of the 
 families of the original rulers, however, had become extinct, and the lands were in 
 consequence bestowed upon chieftains who had co-operated bravely with their British 
 allies in the recovery of the country. 
 
 The Ghoorkas, unacquainted with the true art of government, made a very unge- 
 nerous use of the power gained by their conquests, levying the most cruel taxations 
 on an impoverished people, and selling whole tribes into slavery. The result of this 
 barbarous policy was such as might be expected : the oppressed mountaineers eagerly 
 desired to place themselves under British protection ; and, as far as their limited means 
 extended, and their unwarlike disposition would permit, aided the attempts made to drive 
 the Ghoorkas out of the country. The invaders, though greatly superior in intelligence, 
 and in moral as well as physical qualities, were not sufficiently advanced in point of civi- 
 lization to be other than a frightful scourge to the conquered country ; and, degraded as 
 the mountain tribes must at this period be considered, their condition would have been 
 still more deplorable under the continued rule of a people who treated them with the 
 utmost barbarity. The British government pursued a very humane policy towards those 
 Ghoorkas who were either unwilling or unable to return to their own country. They 
 were invited to take service under the conquerors, and were embodied in several batta- 
 lions engaged to occupy stations in the hill districts, and to maintain the quietude of the 
 
 c 
 
X PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 country. They have proved faithful and ahle soldiers, their resolute defence of the places 
 entrusted to them proving the best pledges for their future good conduct. Many, even 
 where resistance was most hopeless, regretted having been induced to surrender, a strict 
 sense of duty inspiring the belief that they ought to have died at their posts rather than 
 have yielded. The Asiatic notion of honour is exactly similar to that of the European 
 mercenaries of the middle ages. The troops make no scruple of changing masters after 
 the performance of any stipulated service; but while receiving pay, " eating the salt," 
 of their employers, consider themselves bound to perish in the cause which they have 
 espoused. 
 
 The present series of views belong to the scenery which occurs in that portion of 
 the Himalayan regions lying between the rivers Sutlej and Kelee, having for its boundary 
 on the north and north-east the snowy chain of the Himalaya, and, to the south and south- 
 west, the plains of Hindostan. Within this tract of country are comprised the provinces 
 of Sirmoor, Gurwall, and Kumaoon, besides several other inferior states, the whole of 
 which are either annexed to the British possessions, or have become allies or tributaries 
 to that government. With the exception of the copious information to be found in 
 Mr. Frazer's able volume, and the animated descriptions given of flying tours through the 
 hills, by Major Archer and Captains Skinner and Mundy, there are only brief notices 
 extant respecting this exceedingly interesting region. The journals, note-books, and 
 diaries, kept by the numerous Anglo-Indian travellers flocking to the hills, have not in 
 many instances found their way to Europe, and it therefore may be confidently expected 
 that the vast quantity of new and higlily-authenticated matter, relative to the Himalaya, 
 which has been placed at the disposal of the Editor, will render the present work 
 extremely acceptable to the general reader. 
 
VIEWS IN INDIA, 
 
 CHIEFLY AMONG 
 
 THE HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS. 
 
 ROCKS AT COLGONG ON THE GANGES. 
 
 This beautiful cluster of rocks occurs at about a day's sail below Janghera, on the river 
 Ganges, amid exceedingly picturesque scenery of the loveliest kind, yet varied in cha- 
 racter. In the rainy season the river runs roaring through these rocks with fearful 
 turbulence, spreading its broad waters like an ocean, the projecting points of Colgong 
 and Patergotta forming an extensive and beautiful bay, surrounded by an amphitheatre 
 of hills, from which it is difficult to fancy that a river has supplied the floods that reach 
 from shore to shore. 
 
 These rocks are esteemed holy by Hindoo devotees, and have been sculptured in many 
 places with the effigies of their gods ; a variety of wild garlands, the luxuriant creepers 
 of the soil, fling down their rich wreaths over the rugged masses of these crags, and 
 tangled shrubs spring wherever a shallow bed of earth permits them to take root. In 
 fact, the luxury of foliage cannot be seen to greater perfection than from the rocky islets 
 of Colgong, which overlook the lovely woods spreading in all directions on the opposite 
 shore ; while beyond, the Rajmhal hills gleam with the purple glory of the amethyst. 
 
 These lovely crags are the haunt of numerous birds; pigeons nestle in the trees, and, 
 at the slightest alarm, myriads of small water-fowl rush out in snowy flocks, adding, by 
 their hurried flight, to the animation of the scene ; while the numerous flotillas of native 
 craft, of strange but highly picturesque construction, serve also to heighten the beauty 
 of a landscape, which, in despite of their superior utility, we must regret should ever be 
 disturbed by the smoke and paddles of steam- vessels. 
 
 Colgong forms the occasional habitation of a fakcer, but does not appear to be the 
 settled residence of any recluse of great celebrity. There are no regular temples, 
 although a rude shrine has been shaped out of one of the largest blocks of granite 
 which crown the summit of the rock to the westward of the group. There are also 
 caverns in these islands, and it is seldom that either a living or dead specimen of 
 the religious mendicants, who are established in such places over the whole of India, 
 
12 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 is not to be found here. A nameless tomb occurs upon the summit, probably that 
 of a Mohammedan saint, for the Hindoos do not usually bury their dead. This 
 personage, whoever he may be, having received his apotheosis, would be equally vene- 
 rated by the professors of both religions. The Mohammedans of India, and especially 
 of Bengal, forgetful that their creed assures them that there is but one God, have no 
 objection to worship at the shrine of some holy person deified in the imaginations of his 
 votaries ; while the Hindoos are of so idolatrous a nature, that they will not pass any 
 altar without dropping a flower upon it by way of offering. The reverence for the dead, 
 which is a distinguishing trait of the natives of India, is strongly manifested in the lonely 
 tombs which occupy great numbers of the heights in the vicinity of Rajmhal. Wherever 
 the traveller comes upon one of those mausoleums, however neglected and apparently 
 deserted the place may be, he is certain to find the traces of pious care from human hands. 
 The precincts of the tomb may, perhaps, be the haunt of a solitary jackal, or other beast 
 of prey, too little accustomed to man's intrusion to be alarmed at his approach ; and yet 
 even when it would seem that the prowling savage was sole tenant of the wild, the newly- 
 swept pavement, strewed with fresh flowers, shews that some human being has recently 
 performed a daily task. Frequently it is impossible to guess who has been at the pains 
 to keep the shrine free from the pollutions of bats and birds ; but occasionally, scarcely 
 more human in his outward form than the savage denizens of these deep solitudes, the 
 attendant fakeer will appear upon the scene, his long, matted locks, and the distinguish- 
 ing marks of his caste and calling, chalk and dirt, forming his sole attire. Money would 
 appear to be perfectly superfluous to personages so independent in the way of clothing, 
 lodging, and, in all probability, food ; but though in some cases it is not solicited, it is 
 generally acceptable, and the offered rupee disappears in a marvellous manner, since, 
 there being no garments, there can be no pockets. 
 
 All the mooring-places within a day's sail of Colgong, are distinguished for their 
 surpassing beauty ; and indeed the whole voyage down to Calcutta conducts the traveller 
 through scenes of the softest enchantment. Rajmhal, in particular, excites the attention 
 of all who have any taste for picturesque scenery, the ruins of its once splendid palaces 
 now adding a melancholy interest to the landscape. The origin of this royal city, 
 stretching into remote antiquity, is lost in the obscurity which hangs over the early 
 history of the Hindoo dynasties of India, but retaining its dignity and importance after the 
 Mohammedan conquests, it remained the capital of Bengal during a splendid succession 
 of princes, who embellished it with the tasteful architecture for which they were famed. 
 The stone principally found in these interesting remains is a red granite, and its colour, 
 decayed by age, harmonises well with the lichens and weeds which have flung themselves 
 over every " coigne of vantage," and the trees that now spread their umbrageous foliage 
 over quadrangle and court. Occasionally we find a mixture of marble, the favourite 
 material of the luxurious Moguls, and brought into fashion about the reign of Acbar. 
 A hall of noble dimensions, erected by the sultan Shujah, the unfortunate brother 
 of Aurungzebe, lined throughout with marble, a product rare in Bengal, has been 
 advantageously, though not very happily, employed as a receptacle for coals, for the 
 supply of the steamers which are now common upon the Ganges : — " to what base uses 
 may we come at last !" This hall, one of the few remaining evidences to attest the 
 
HOCKS AT GOLCONG ON THE GANGES. 13 
 
 grandeur of the kings and princes who reigned and revelled in Rajmhal, is visited by 
 every European traveller voyaging on the Ganges, many finding a pensive pleasure in 
 musing over those vicissitudes of fortune which have reared the red-cross banner of 
 St. George over the fallen glories of the crescent. While some persons consider the 
 conversion of the marble hall into a depot for coals a shocking desecration, others 
 are of opinion that the element of this new power, which is changing all the moral, 
 political, and physical relations in the world, and is working a revolution more stupen- 
 dous and radical than any that history records, is well lodged in a palace. The hall, 
 once filled with courtiers blazing in diamonds, now contains the true diamond ; while 
 the emblem of that astonishing power, whose gigantic resources it is impossible to 
 calculate, lying at anchor under the buttresses of the ancient towers of Rajmhal, in the 
 shape of a steam-vessel, can scarcely fail to fill the contemplative mind with gorgeous 
 visions of the future. 
 
 A voyage on the Ganges, interesting even when made under all the disadvantages 
 attending the slow and clumsy craft in which travellers ascending the stream were, when 
 the wind was against them, towed by the crew, perhaps at the rate of five or six miles 
 per day, is now performed in the most delightful manner possible in the government iron 
 steamers. The arrangement of these commodious vessels is very judicious and conve- 
 nient. The cuddy, a cheefful apartment, with a sky-light above, and four large windows 
 on either side, stands athwart-ship, about the centre of the vessel, with eight cabins 
 abaft, and six before it ; a narrow passage runs between each range of cabins, and 
 terminates in the cuddy, which thus enjoys the most ample ventilation. The vessel, 
 which is in technical language denominated a flat, is towed by a steamer, also of iron ; 
 and in consequence of the difficulties which at present attend the navigation of a river 
 beset with shifting sand-banks, the whole concern is brought to anchor at sunset every 
 evening, the commandant not being allowed to put the steam up until sunrise the fol- 
 lowing morning. As Government despatches treasure by these boats, they are accom- 
 panied by a guard of soldiers who live and mess in the steamer, but at eight bells post a 
 sentinel on the flat ; thus enabling the passengers to throw open their windows at night 
 with the strongest feelings of security — feelings which they would not otherwise enjoy, 
 the thieves of India being exceedingly expert, and frequently committing great depre- 
 dations on the river, by means of the small boats, in which they glide noiselessly to 
 any unguarded vessel, which they speedily strip of every thing valuable. 
 
 Native pilots are stationed along the river, who are taken on board at different 
 points ; they receive eighteen rupees (thirty-six shillings) a month, for which they 
 have to provide a small dingee (wherry) and crew, to sound all the depths and shoals of 
 the river. These men are at the present period exceedingly useful in pointing out the 
 hidden sand-banks which lie perdu at every angle of the stream, and in time, under the 
 discipline of a good system, may be made invaluable. The roof or deck of the flat 
 is covered with an aw;iing, and affords a delightful promenade during those periods of 
 the twenty-four hours, and that season of the year, in which Anglo-Indians may venture 
 to emerge into open air. The eve of the cold weather is certainly the best time for river 
 travelling, since, while enjoying a gentle and balmy breeze, the voyager can, without the 
 slightest personal inconvenience, look out upon the rapid succession of villages, groves, 
 
 D 
 
14 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 and trees, temples, towers, and widely-spread ghauts, which form the beautiful pano- 
 rama through which he is gliding. As yet the novelty of this extraordinary method 
 of navigating the Ganges has not worn off in the eyes of the native population on its 
 banks ; crowds are drawn up to survey the marvellous spectacle, and every employment 
 is suspended while the fire-ship shoots rapidly along. 
 
 JANGHERA, OR THE FAKEER'S ROCK ON THE GANGES. 
 
 The river Ganges, in its progress through the plains, waters many spots of remark- 
 able beauty, but in the whole course of its brilliant career it can scarcely boast a more 
 splendid landscape than that in which the rocks of Janghera form so prominent a 
 feature. Standing boldly out in the stream, near a place called Sultangunge, in the 
 province of Behar, this picturesque pile forms a grand and beautiful object ; it consists of 
 several masses of grey granite heaped one upon the other in a very picturesque manner, 
 and forming ledges and terraces which are the sites of several small temples. In some 
 places a crevice in the rock has afforded room for the roots of a magnificent tree to 
 expand, and to crown with bright foliage the romantic height. 
 
 Janghera is supposed, in former times, to have been united by an isthmus to the 
 shore ; but the rapid river continually rolling down, has worn a passage for itself 
 between, and the rock is now completely isolated. This place has been considered, 
 during many ages, to be particularly holy; and, accordingly, from time immemorial 
 fakeers have established themselves upon it, deriving a considerable revenue from the 
 donations of the pious voyagers of the river. A ghaut or landing-place has been con- 
 structed at the back of this rock, and rude stairs conduct the pilgrims who are desirous 
 to perform their orisons at the hallowed shrine, to the pagoda at the summit dedicated 
 to Naryan, who figures as the principal deity of the place. There is an idol of him in 
 the temple that crowns this beautiful pile, and his image, together with those of Vishnu, 
 Sceva, and others, is carved in different parts of the rock. 
 
 The leading fakeer preserves a dignified seclusion, and is to be seen as silent and as 
 motionless as the idol himself, seated on a tiger skin, and unencumbered with any cover- 
 ing except the chalk and ashes with which he is plentifully dedaubed : he has, how- 
 ever, more active followers in his train, who are at the trouble of collecting the tribute 
 which he endeavours to exact from all the passers-by, whatever their religious persuasion 
 may be. These fellows push out from the rock whenever the state of the water will 
 permit, and follow the voyagers with their importunities. But when the river is full, 
 and the current, strengthened by the melting of the snow, comes down in one sweeping 
 flood, there is no loitering under the rock of Janghera, and a vessel sailing up with a 
 strong wind, against this tide, makes rather a perilous navigation as it stems the rapid 
 waters. In going down the Ganges at such a period, we pass the rock like an arrow 
 shot from a bow, only catching a transient glance of its picturesque beauty ; but when 
 the river is low, and the current flows gently, we may pause to view it at our leisure, 
 many persons landing to pay a visit to the grim occupant of the pagoda. 
 

 
 y 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 
JANGHERA, OK THE CAKEERS ROCK OF THE GANGES. 15 
 
 Janghera stands at the very portal of Bengal, a district differing very widely from the 
 high table-land of Hindostan proper. We leave the arid plains and bare cliffs — which, 
 except during the season of the rains, give so dreary an aspect to the upper pro- 
 vinces — for fields of never-failing verdure. The damp climate of Bengal maintains vege- 
 tation in all its brilliance throughout the year, the period of the rains being only marked 
 by a coarser and ranker luxuriance, proceeding from a redundance of plants, which 
 actually appear to cumber and choke up the soil. Janghera, thus happily placed 
 between the rugged scenery of the upper provinces, and the smiling landscapes of 
 Bengal, partakes of the nature of both : the Ganges spreads itself like a sea at the foot 
 of the rock, which on the land-side overlooks a wide expanse of fertile country, having 
 for a back-ground the low ranges of hills which separate Behar from Bengal. These 
 hills, though rendered exceedingly interesting by their breaking the monotony of the 
 vast extent of plain which spreads itself on either side, have not until very lately 
 attracted much attention from the European residents of India. Circumstances, how- 
 ever, have led to the development of resources which may open a new era in their 
 history. Veins of coal have been discovered, a circumstance of great importance since 
 the introduction of steam navigation upon the Ganges. At present the exceeding 
 unhealthiness of the climate of these fastnesses, for such the hilly districts in this neigh- 
 bourhood may be deemed, proves a great barrier to research. Cutting roads through 
 them, and the attempt to bring them into cultivation, we may hope, will lead to improve- 
 ments which will enable the scientific traveller to penetrate their recesses, and pursue in 
 their own haunts his studies of the animal creation, hitherto existing in profound soli- 
 tudes scarcely trodden by the foot of man. The ornithologist has found a considerable 
 accession to the catalogue of birds : a splendid animal of the bovine genus, the gaour, 
 feeds in the valleys, and the hippopotamus is supposed to inhabit the lonely rivers of 
 Gundwana ; the gaour differing considerably from the bison, or any other known spe- 
 cimen of the class, is altogether new in the records of zoology, and prevailing opinion 
 confines the hippopotamus to Africa ; it is therefore a matter of some importance to 
 establish the existence of the one, and to render the other useful in a domestic 
 capacity. Specimens of the gaour have found their way to the general mart in India, 
 the fair at Hurdwar, but the attempts hitherto made to tame this fine animal have 
 proved unsuccessful : those individuals that have been exhibited measured upwards of 
 sixteen hands in lieight. The gaour somewhat resembles the buffalo in form, but has a 
 much finer coat ; it is distinguished by an excrescence running down the back, which by 
 casual observers has been mistaken for the hump found in the common Indian bullock ; 
 and its appearance is so rare as to excite great curiosity among the native community, 
 who crowd eagerly to gaze upon it when taking its place among the curiosities of 
 Hurdwar. 
 
16 VIEWS IN INDIA 
 
 SUWARREE OF SEIKS, AND VIEW NEAR THE SUTLEJ RIVER. 
 
 A native Suwarree, or train of a great personage, in India always forms a picturesque 
 and splendid pageant, but in the present dwindled state of Asiatic pride, none can stand 
 a comparison with that of Runjeet Singh. In addition to all the glittering groups which 
 the king of Oude can bring in support of his dignity, the chief of Lahore displays a 
 martial host of followers, who have added many broad lands to his dominions, and ren- 
 dered numerous warlike tribes tributary to the state. 
 
 Runjeet Singh, in the centre of a brilliant cavalcade, composed of superb-looking 
 men, mounted upon stately elephants or gallant steeds, and shining in all the panoply of 
 polished weapons, jewels, and gold, realizes the beau-ideal which the most vivid imagi- 
 nation can have formed of the gorgeous splendours of an Asiatic prince. The scene 
 represented in the accompanying Plate was sketched upon the river Sutlej, near a for- 
 tified Seik town, commanding a view of the snowy peaks of the Himalaya mountains, at 
 the distance of a hundred and twenty miles. 
 
 Runjeet Singh, like other native potentates, when appearing in public, is attended 
 by hawk and hound, his falconers bearing the regal birds upon their wrists, and a pack 
 of dogs being led before him : his elephants, camels, and horses are of the finest breed, 
 and amongst the latter, he is particularly pleased with a specimen presented by Lord 
 William Bentinck — a noble, though what is esteemed in his native land a clumsy animal, 
 employed only as a beast of draught in the great brewing establishments in England, but 
 which has sometimes the honour of carrying the maha-rajah himself, and has had the 
 title of hathee-sa-ghora bestowed upon it, (elephant-horse.) Runjeet Singh himself is a 
 slim, active personage, and would probably have even been considered handsome, but for 
 the ravages of the small-pox, which has deprived him of the sight of one eye. He dresses 
 richly, and is upon state occasions distinguished for a remarkably fine diamond, called 
 the kohi hoot, or hill of light, which is said to be unique, and to exceed in size and 
 splendour any specimens of the gem known in Europe. The manner in which the 
 maha-rajah is stated to have possessed himself of this jewel is not greatly to his credit. 
 
 In September, 1812, the queens of Shah Sujah, and Zeman, Shah, of Cabul, took 
 refuge from the troubles of their country, and were received in Lahore with every 
 demonstration of respect. Sujah, the deposed king, having been made prisoner by 
 treachery, was conveyed by the governor of Attock to his brother, who at this period 
 ruled over Cashmere. Two grand objects of the Seik's ambition and avarice, the pos- 
 session of the celebrated valley, and of the hill of light, appearing now to be brought by 
 fortuitous circumstances within his grasp, he determined, if possible, to make the attain- 
 ment of the one, a pretence for the concession of the other. With this view he gave the 
 queen to understand, that he was resolved to espouse the cause of her husband in the 
 most chivalrous manner ; to liberate him from his confinement, and bestow upon him 
 the fort of Rotas, together with a sufficient territory for the maintenance of his dignity. 
 The afflicted lady, overjoyed and gratified, expressed a deep appreciation of the intended 
 

 «fl 
 
 u 
 
 c=a _v 
 
 
 
 5 N 
 
 = 
 
* 
 
8UWARREE OF SEIKS, AND VIEW NEAR THE SUTLEJ RIVER. 17 
 
 kindness, and it was then delicately hinted, that, in order to stimulate her friend to the 
 enterprise, it would he advisable to present him with the kohi noor, a gem which he 
 was very anxious to possess. The queen, who was no bad diplomatist, declared herself 
 quite certain that the moment her husband found himself at liberty, he would be but too 
 happy to gratify the wishes of the invaluable friend who had started up in his distress, 
 but that at present the diamond was in pawn at Candahar, for two lacs of rupees. 
 Runjeet Singh believed as much of the representation as he pleased ; but having shewn 
 his desire to obtain the diamond, it was necessary to prevent it from being despatched to 
 a place of security ; and, therefore, entirely losing sight of the chivalric character which 
 he had lately assumed, he threw the confidential servants of the unfortunate princesses 
 into close confinement, and surrounded their abode with sentinels, who had strict 
 orders to search every person who should attempt to pass. This measure not having the 
 desired effect, he determined to resort to one still more disgraceful, and deprived the 
 ladies and their household of all supplies, either of food or water, for two days. These 
 heroic women still holding out, the Seik was ashamed of continuing a system likely to 
 end in the death of the parties who had claimed his hospitality, and was fain to be 
 content with a promise of the jewel, to be redeemed when the imprisoned monarch 
 should be put in possession of Rotas. Runjeet Singh now set seriously to work, and 
 having entered into an alliance with the ruler of Affghanistan, they agreed to send 
 a large force into Cashmere, which had rebelled, to subdue the country, and to obtain 
 the person of Shah Sujah. 
 
 The expedition was successful, but it cost Runjeet rather dearly, many Seiks perishing 
 in the snow; and his ally, Futty Khan, deriving the greater share of the benefit. This 
 chieftain installed his brother in the government of the valley, and the Seiks were for 
 the present obliged to remain content with the custody of the royal captive, who was 
 conveyed to his family at Lahore. The success of the expedition furnished a fair pretext 
 for the renewal of the inhospitable demand for the great diamond ; and the king vainly 
 endeavoured to evade the sacrifice, by professing his willingness to fulfil the promise 
 given by his wife, when the restoration of the territory should enable him to redeem the 
 precious kohi noor now in pledge for two lacs. Runjeet Singh was not so easily cajoled; 
 he therefore proceeded to extremities, imprisoned his unhappy guests, threatened them 
 with perpetual incarceration, and kept them without food for several days. Perceiving 
 resistance to be useless, Shah Sujah at last came to terms, stipulating for a sum of money 
 and a month's time, to recover the diamond, and pay off the loan upon it ; but this 
 attempt to gain something in exchange was not successful. Runjeet Singh, too wary to 
 be outwitted, and well knowing how easily he could repossess himself of money advanced 
 to a prisoner, produced the two lacs without hesitation, and a day was appointed for the 
 surrender of the coveted jewel. 
 
 Shah Sujah, the representative of a race of kings, sat in dignified silence opposite to 
 the mean-spirited oppressor, whose family, raised to power by a freak of fortune, could 
 only trace their descent from thieves. It is said, that for a whole hour the exiled monarch 
 gazed impressively upon the robber chief without speaking, and that Runjeet Singh, 
 whom this mute eloquence failed to move, desired somebody acquainted with the Persian 
 language to remind his majesty of the purpose for which they nad met. The shah, 
 
IS VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 without opening his lips, " spoke with his eyes" to an attendant, who, retiring, returned 
 with a small parcel, which he placed between the great men. The envelopes were 
 speedily removed, and the jewellers, who were stationed behind, recognising the diamond, 
 assured their master, that it was the veritable kohi noor. 
 
 Nothing now remained but the repossession of the two lacs ; which was speedily 
 accomplished. Runjeet despatched a picked body of his satellites to the residence of his 
 unfortunate guests, with orders to bring away, without any reservation, the money and 
 jewels belonging to the party. These commands were literally obeyed ; not only every 
 ornament being taken, but rich dresses also, together with the swords, shields, and 
 matchlocks, which were mounted in gold or silver. The maha- rajah appropriated 
 every thing which he thought worthy of retention to his own use, sending back those 
 articles which he considered to be of little or no value, observing to his courtiers, that it 
 was useless to get a bad name for such rubbish. Nothing more being procurable, and 
 some feeling of policy or remorse preventing him from taking the lives of those whom 
 he had so shamefully pillaged, Runjeet Singh allowed the females to escape to Loodianah, 
 where they were some time afterwards rejoined by their husbands, on whom the British 
 government settled 50,000 rupees, (five thousand pounds a year,) which they continue to 
 enjoy. The Mogul and Affghan horse-dealers, who frequent the fair at Hurdwar, (if their 
 reports may be relied upon,) would give us reason to believe that the situation of the 
 ex-king of Cabool excites great interest and compassion, and that the tributaries of 
 Runjeet Singh would be delighted, were the British to restore Shah Sujah to the throne. 
 These men seem to be much puzzled to guess the reason that the English do not invade 
 the maha-rajah's territories ; they abhor the Seiks, because they are gradually seizing the 
 Affghan dependencies, and they fancy that the Lahore chieftain pays six cowries in the 
 rupee to the Company, for permission to hold the countries he has conquered, and to 
 receive their revenues, our non-interference system being otherwise unaccountable. 
 
 Runjeet Singh, though owing the greater portion of his acquisitions to craft of the 
 lowest kind, and of the most unjustifiable nature, is possessed of talents of no common 
 order, which, if properly cultivated, would have secured for him an ascendancy based 
 upon a more honourable foundation ; but with too many of the vices of the Asiatic cha- 
 racter, he has also a very large proportion of those ridiculous notions which are obsolete 
 in countries illuminated b) the light of science. The Seik ruler is a great believer in 
 omens, and not only consults the stars, but also the chirpings of birds, previous to any 
 measure of importance. He has lately suffered from ill health, but the remedies pre- 
 scribed by European physicians have been neglected, for the advice of soothsayers. 
 These personages took upon themselves to discover the cause of the malady of the 
 sovereign, which some old beggar-woman had naturally enough attributed to the 
 oppression of his people. Upon consulting the stars, they found Saturn in the 
 ascendant, a planet which, according to general belief, always exerts a baleful influ- 
 ence. There was no difficulty now in tracing the liver complaint and dysentery of the 
 lion of the Punjab, to its true source: but what was to be done in such an emergence? 
 the dislodgment of a planet from the sky being beyond the power of the maha-rajah, 
 great as he undoubtedly is. Nevertheless, it was necessary to hit upon some method to 
 get rid of the malignant influence, and it was determined to transport the planet in 
 

f» 
 
 s 
 
 « ■ 
 
 
 
ENTRANCE TO THE KEEREE PASS. 19 
 
 effigy out of the Seik dominions into the British territory, in the expectation, that on its 
 arrival on the coast, the Governor-General would evince his friendship by transporting 
 Saturn beyond the kalapance, or salt ocea i. The credit of this ingenious device is due 
 to Mudhsoodun Pundit, and other learned men, who, according to the statement in the 
 Lahore ukhbars, recommended his highness to cause an effigy of the planet Saturn to 
 be made of gold, set with sapphires, and to give tbe same, with a black shawl, to a 
 brahmin of some other country, who should be placed in a rath, or car, of a dark colour, 
 drawn by buffaloes instead of bullocks, and transported along with the image across the 
 river, when, wit'i the blessing of Providence, the maha-rajah would speedily recover. 
 
 This notable expedient was instantly adopted, and a golden effigy of the planet 
 speedily constructed. When it was finished, a brahmin of the Chobal class, a native 
 of Mutah, was found, to undertake this novel charge, who, after being bathed in oil, and 
 his person blackened from head to foot, was clad in sable garments ; when the effigy in 
 question, with a pair of gold bracelets, five hundred rupees in cash, and a black horse, 
 with a black saddle, were given, according to the rite called Sung-fduss. After being 
 placed in a covered rath, drawn by a pair of buffaloes, the brahmin, accompanied by 
 two battalions of soldiers, was ordered to be carried across the river. It is needless to 
 add, that the instant that Saturn left Lahore, the maha-rajah nearly recovered ; the 
 arther progress of the planet was not stated, but it was supposed that his highness 
 vould be quite well before it reached Loodianah. 
 
 Runjeet Singh entertains crowds of dancing-girls at his court, and has, in his old 
 age, scandalized the more fastidious portion of the community, by raising one of these 
 ladies to the throne. The celebrated dancer, Gool-bahar, having frequently attracted 
 the attention of her lord, at length obtained sufficient influence over him to induce him 
 to make her his wife. The marriage was solemnized with all the pomp and splendour 
 consistent with the rank and dignity of the bridegroom, made happy in the possession of 
 a beauty, whose charms are stated to be transcendent. It is said that no report can 
 possibly exaggerate the attractions of the lady, whose loveliness far surpasses any idea 
 that can be formed of it. 
 
 Not content with the usual number of female attendants, Runjeet Singh has a 
 band of amazons armed, and equipped as a guard to the Zenana; these women are 
 splendidly dressed, and many are said to be very handsome, and great favourites of their 
 sovereign. 
 
 ENTRANCE TO THE KEEREE PASS, LEADING TO THE 
 VALLEY OF DEYRAH DHOON. 
 
 A visit to the Hills, the common term applied in India to the inferior ranges of the 
 Himalaya mountains, forms one of the most agreeable diversities which can occur in the 
 lives of the European residents of Hindostan. Many are compelled to try the effects 
 of a more bracing climate for the recovery of health ; but the love, of the picturesque, 
 and a desire to seek amusement in change of scene, prove the principal incentives to 
 a great number of travellers. 
 
20 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 In a tour of pleasure to the hills, made by a party from whose journals the following 
 notes have been taken, the route pursued lay through the district of Saharunpore, a part 
 of the province of Delhi, which at one period was said to have formed the granary of 
 the upper country. Though portions of the land are still very fertile, its condition at the 
 present time is not so flourishing ; the devastating influence of the Ghoorka invasions 
 having been very severely felt A new era, however, is opening for India; and, as we 
 surveyed the magnificent prospect around us, our hearts warmed with the hope that the 
 lapse of a quarter of a century would add to their sublimity attractions of another kind — 
 those which will arise from the skilful application of science in aid of the natural 
 resources of the country. 
 
 The view of the Himalaya from a spot in the vicinity of Saharunpore, is of that 
 dreamy, poetical description, which, though full of beauty, presents little that is definite. 
 Two inferior belts, divided from each other by deep intersecting vales, appear tier above 
 tier, the pyramidal snow-capped heights, which seem to lift themselves into another 
 world, crowning the whole with almost awful majesty. From this site, the mountain 
 ranges have all the indistinctness which belongs to the land of faerie, and which, leaving 
 the imagination to luxuriate in its most fanciful creations, lends enchantment to the scene. 
 The pure dazzling whiteness of the regions of eternal snow, give occasionally so cloud- 
 like an appearance to the towering summits, as to induce the belief that they form a part of 
 the heaven to which they aspire ; while in other states of the atmosphere they stand out in 
 bold relief, either catching the rays of the sun, and reflecting a golden tint, or rearing 
 their lofty points, white with the unsullied snow of ages, against a darkened sky, shewing 
 that while all else on earth is liable to change, they endure immutable and for ever. 
 
 The northern part of the district of Saharunpore lies within the influence of the hills, 
 and rain occasionally falls throughout the year along the Sewalik range, at the distance 
 of a few miles ; but notwithstanding that it is traversed by streams which take their rise 
 from springs in these hills, it suffers from want of water ; and there is every reason to 
 believe that Artesian wells might be formed with great success, and much advantage to 
 the district. 
 
 The city of Saharunpore is of very ancient date, but possesses few or no remains 
 of interest : a fortress strengthened for the purpose of resisting the incursions of the 
 Ghoorkas, and a religious institution in the neighbourhood, being the only places worthy 
 of a visit, with the exception of the botanical garden, which forms, indeed, its principal 
 attraction. Though not so great a pet of the government as the Calcutta establishment, 
 the garden at Saharunpore is kept in excellent order, the most being made of the compa- 
 ratively small sum allowed for its maintenance. Common report states, that this useful 
 and ornamental work owes its existence to the family of Zahita Khan, a former chief; 
 but it must have undergone great changes since its early formation, being laid out in 
 serpentine walks, which, with their flower-borders, and shrubs of foreign growth, render 
 it truly English in its aspect. Divested of the formality which characterises native 
 plantations, the garden at Saharunpore may be said to combine all the advantages of a 
 highly embellished pleasure-ground with the interest of the nursery, and on this account 
 to excel many of the most celebrated specimens of landscape-gardening at home. There 
 are rides and drives through this beautiful enclosure, which, being secluded, and free from 
 
ENTRANCE TO THE KEEREE PASS. 21 
 
 dust, become the favourite places of rendezvous for the European residents of the station. 
 Amongst the splendid creepers, denizens of a tropic clime, arising in verdant pomp, there 
 is a more humble stranger, the ivy, which grows with the utmost luxuriance, and by its 
 association with home scenes, the ancient village church, and old baronial hall, awakens 
 a thousand tender recollections in the breast of the traveller : here, too, is to be found the 
 violet, betraying itself by its delicious odour, and bringing with it thrilling remembrances 
 of our loved and distant native land. Amid a large collection of hill trees and shrubs, 
 which shew the possibility of inuring the hardy denizens of the north to the heat of the 
 Indian plains, there are splendid specimens of the flora of Hindostan. The plants are 
 generally cultivated in the first instance at Mussooree, a station in tbe hills, and the expe- 
 riments made at Saharunpore have been confirmed at Bareilly, where a fir-tree may be 
 seen thirty feet in height, together with the walnut, cherry, barberry, hawthorn, and 
 apricot, which grow without much care being taken in their cultivation. Bareilly, how- 
 ever, seems to possess a soil peculiarly favourable to foreign products : it is celebrated for 
 the excellence and abundance of its strawberries, a fruit which, though growing freely in 
 some parts of India, cannot always be cultivated with success. 
 
 Saharunpore may be called the threshold of the hill districts ; and, in addition to its 
 garden, the scientific traveller finds other objects of interest, some gentlemen-residents 
 having opened a rich and inexhaustible mine of fossil remains in the Sewalik hills. This 
 range abounds with relics of a former world, and is also said to be favourable to the 
 growth of the tea plant, which the inhabitants of Sukroudah affirm, upon traditional 
 authority, to have been brought there in former times by a fakeer, but subsequently lost 
 in consequence of neglect. The religious establishment mentioned as being one of the 
 lions of Saharunpore, consists of a body of Gosseins, one of the numerous tribes of Hindoo 
 devotees. This class distinguish themselves by dyeing their hair yellow, and substituting 
 oil and ashes for more decent covering ; they present one of those anomalies so frequently 
 found among the people of India, many of them practising the most frightful austerities, 
 for the sake, it would appear, of worldly wealth ; for these deformed, miserable-looking 
 wretches are said to be rich, and to indulge occasionally in all the luxuries of life. The 
 Gosseins of Saharunpore are great patrons of monkeys — animals which are held sacred all 
 over India, but are in some places peculiar objects of veneration. It is said that in one of 
 the battles of a favourite god against a powerful enemy, the giant, Humaoon, led an army 
 of monkeys to the assistance of the nearly-worsted deity, and thus turned the tide of 
 fortune in his favour — a service for which they have been ever afterwards tolerated, and, 
 in many instances, worshipped, by the idolatrous portion of the natives of India. Where 
 monkeys reside under the protection of a fraternity like this of Saharunpore, they are 
 subjected to a very necessary degree of control, and learn to conduct themselves with as 
 much propriety as their natural propensities will admit. There are certain limits assigned, 
 which they are not allowed to pass with impunity, whatever may be the temptation to 
 commit a trespass. Every day at noon, one of the Gosseins on whom this duty devolves, 
 rings a bell, which causes the whole of the monkeys attached to the establishment to assem- 
 ble in front of the temple, where they await their diurnal meal with all the gesticulation 
 and grimace which such a crowd would naturally exhibit. The moment that the priest, 
 bearing an earthen pot filled with grain, is descried, the whole party is on the qui vive, 
 
 F 
 
22 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 pressing forwards to the utmost limit, and endeavouring to get before their brethren, and 
 thus secure the greatest share of the provant. Should any unlucky wight, in his eager- 
 ness to approach the tempting vase, overstep the bounds assigned, he is beaten and turned 
 out. The grain being scattered amongst the expectant crowd, a general scramble takes 
 place ; each strives to fill his pouch at the expense of his neighbour, and, while biting, 
 scratching, and tearing, is intent upon the grand object of the fray. Amid this fierce 
 contention, the grain speedily disappears, the largest possible quantity being bagged in 
 the shortest possible time ; and at the sound of a second bell the monkeys make their 
 exit. There are, however, festival days, on which, in addition to their usual allowance, 
 they are regaled with fruit ; the whole scene affording much entertainment to the 
 by-standers, who, whatever their religious creed may be, are allowed to witness it without 
 scruple. 
 
 On leaving Saharunpore, on our march to the valley of the Dhoon, our road conducted 
 us through the Keeree Pass ; and this lovely portal to a new country gave delightful 
 promise of the scenery beyond. The distant view which we had caught of the true 
 Himalaya, the birth-place and abode of the gods of Hindostan, was lost, and the scene 
 became one of the softest beauty imaginable, the devious valley winding through rocky 
 eminences, and richly clothed with stately trees. At every step of our progress, the 
 landscape changed its features, and, though the character remained the same, presented so 
 great a variety of forms, of crag and precipice, wild rock, deep forest, and smiling valley, 
 that we paused continually in delightful amazement — now recognising, with that joy which 
 the exile alone can feel, in suddenly encountering some well-known object, points of 
 resemblance between our northern homes — and now struck with wonder by some splendid 
 production of an Indian soil. Here, in all its native luxuriance, may be seen the giant 
 creeper, which, with justice, is denominated the monarch of its tribe — the scandent 
 bauhinia. This enormous parasite winds its snake-like stem, which attains the size, and 
 somewhat resembles the body of the boa-constrictor, round the trunk of the forest-trees, 
 either mingling its flowers with their foliage, or flinging them from the festoons which it 
 forms from branch to branch as it travels along. The rich scent of these superb blossoms, 
 together with that of the baubool, filling the air with perfume, and gratifying at once the 
 sight and smell. 
 
 The elevation of these low hills, composing, as it were, the outworks of the Himalaya, 
 varies from five to nine hundred feet above the plains, and about two thousand five 
 hundred above the level of the sea. Geologists describe them as being composed chiefly 
 of sandstone of different degrees of destructibility, of indurated clay, and beds of rounded 
 pebbles and gravel, circumstances which characterise them throughout the range, from 
 Hurdwar to its termination. The thick forest and brushwood are full of peacocks, and, 
 amid game of less importance, the tiger is to be found, while hares, and the black and 
 gray partridge, literally swarm in the neighbourhood. There are two halting-places in 
 the Keeree Pass, one the Mohun Chokee, at the entrance, and the Shoupore Cbokea 
 within the pass, which extends to a length of upwards of six miles. Our party consisted 
 of several persons, and we had with us a numerous cortege, comprising horses, elephants, 
 and bullocks, for the conveyance of the baggage ; our encampment, therefore, was 
 extensive and picturesque, and rendered animated by groups of our people assembled 
 

 
 =s 
 
 (3 
 
 2g 
 
 
THE RIVER GANGES. 23 
 
 round their fires, the horses and elephants picketed under the trees, with the bullocks 
 reposing on the ground. In looking out on this scene, we all experienced an exhilaration 
 of spirits which the cool and bracing air, and the anticipation of pleasures still to come, 
 were so well calculated to produce. It is not, however, at all times and seasons that 
 travellers journeying through these low passes, of which there are several, to the Valley 
 of the Dhoon, can rejoice in the climate ; for at some periods of the year, few can 
 encounter the malaria, which comes laden with jungle fever, with impunity. Vegetation, 
 in the thickly- wooded regions which form the outer belt of the Himalaya, riots in the 
 strength given to it by the extensive swampy places which intersect the forests, and the 
 exceeding heat of the solar rays. Nurtured in this hot and damp atmosphere, the coarser 
 weeds and grasses exhale a rank steam, which impregnates the whole air, warning the 
 traveller to pass onward without delay, and to guard by every means in his power against 
 the attacks of the insidious enemy. Unfortunately, it is at the most deleterious season of 
 the year that the sportsman, in India, is tempted, by the abundance of the nobler kinds 
 of game, to try his fortune in these pestiferous jungles. The ardour and excitement of 
 the pursuit, the active employment of the mind, for ever upon the alert to make the most 
 of some favourable circumstance, and the unyielding spirit which defies all hazards, and 
 seems to delight in danger, certainly in many instances prove great preservatives. An 
 old sportsman, one who has survived his early training, enduring, without the natural 
 consequences of fever and ague, long field-days against the tiger in the hottest weather, 
 may set all the physical ills which flesh is heir to at defiance ; but there are many who 
 break up in this dangerous attempt, some speedily finding a grave, while others return 
 home with impaired health or ruined constitutions. Three young officers returning from 
 a tour of pleasure in the hills, and incautiously exposing themselves to the malaria of the . 
 forests, which skirt their bases, were struck down with fever, and, though living to reach 
 a spot where medical aid could be obtained, speedily fell victims to their temerity. 
 
 There are parts of these woody ranges so strongly infected with poisonous exhalations, 
 that at the worst season they are deserted even by the brute creation ; monkeys, tigers, 
 every species of quadruped, together with the birds, urged by some instinctive warning, 
 quit the deadly spot, and seek a resting-place in distant and more healthful scenes. 
 
 THE GANGES ENTERING THE PLAINS NEAR HURDWAR. 
 
 After journeying for some days through an inland country, the sight of a river always 
 affords gratification, and at all times and seasons European travellers, possessing the 
 slightest degree of sensibility, share in the enthusiasm with which the natives hail a view 
 of the Ganges. At the spot in which we now beheld it, the sacred river was peculiarly 
 interesting : it had already traversed in its winding course over a hundred and fifty miles, 
 from its secluded mountain birth-place, amid mighty labyrinths of rocks ; and, now, 
 having forced a passage through the last barrier, fairly emerged in a broad clear stream 
 upon the plains. No longer opposed by difficulties, the rage and fury of its rush has 
 
24 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 subsided, tranquillity characterizing the torrent which came foaming and dashing from 
 its source, now leaping a precipice, and now wearing away the solid rock in the impe- 
 tuosity of its progress. 
 
 Beyond the point in wliich the Ganges enters the plains, to its final junction with the 
 ocean, a distance of twelve hundred miles, it flows smoothly and placidly along, occa- 
 sionally vexed and ruffled by the tempest, or, assuming an alarming degree of velocity, as 
 swelled by the melting of the snows, its strong current flies with the speed of an arrow. 
 There are, however, no cataracts in its long descent towards the sea, the fall being some- 
 what less than a foot a mile, through a channel which varies in width very considerably 
 in particular places and at particular seasons, until, as the mighty river approaches the 
 ocean, it spreads out its waters afar, pouring them forth in a flood ten miles broad. 
 The Ganges is not fordable below its conflux with the Jumna; but though it may be 
 crossed by men and animals at several places previous to its junction with this majestic 
 tributary, the navigation is never interrupted from the spot in which it runs into the 
 plains. Its rise is seldom above thirty-two feet, and when it reaches this height, it 
 spreads over the adjacent country like a sea, inundating the low land, and frequently 
 destroying whole villages, those that remain rising like islands in the midst of the 
 flood. 
 
 The road by which we travelled was skirted on one side by a precipitous craggy 
 range, clothed with lichens and creepers of various descriptions, and crowned occa- 
 sionally with a tree spreading its delicate foliage against the sky, a ladder of bamboo 
 here and there aiding the ascent. Beautiful wild flowers, some of them highly odorous, 
 were springing from the clefts, while the bright river which glided beside us blushed 
 with the pink of the lotus blossoming on the surface. 
 
 The Ganges, at this place, abounds with fish of all kinds ; and, amongst them, the 
 king of the finny tribes, the noble mahaseer, or great-head, which by many persons is 
 esteemed the most delicious fresh -water fish which ever gratified the palate of an 
 epicure. It rises to the fly, affording excellent sport to the angler, sometimes attaining 
 the size of a large cod, and is taken with considerable difficulty, even by those who 
 have been accustomed to salmon-fishing in the most celebrated rivers of Scotland. The 
 mahaseer is sent to table in various ways, Indian cooks being famous for their fish-stews 
 and curries ; but it does not require any adventitious aid from the culinary art, as it is 
 exquisite when plain-boiled, being, according to the best gastronomic authority, luscious 
 but yet unsatiating. In India, fish can only be eaten in perfection on the banks of the 
 stream where it is caught ; it must be cooked immediately upon its capture, for it will 
 not bear salt, and after boiling can only be kept for a few hours in a pickle composed of 
 vinegar, chilies, and green ginger. With respect to this latter adjunct, those who 
 possess any philanthropic feeling will unite in the hope that at some not very distant 
 period the root which produces it may be made to flourish in European gardens, for 
 there can be nothing that enters more generally into the composition of every dish, 
 whether savoury or sweet. The warm aromatic flavour differs widely from the harsh 
 biting heat of the dried root, while the stewed slices possess a degree of richness and 
 delicacy which are highly agreeable to the taste. This digression in favour of the 
 
THE RIVER GANGES. 23 
 
 maliaseer, and green ginger, though characteristic of Indian travellers, may be considered 
 by some readers out of place at an approach to one of the most sacred spots throughout 
 Hindostan. 
 
 We were journeying to the gate of Huna, or Vishnu, the most popular of the Hindu 
 triad : the town of Hurdwar, or Hurrudwar, a scene chosen from time immemorial for 
 the concourse of pilgrims from every part of the Eastern world. To behold the Ganges 
 at the moment in which, having forced a passage through the mountains, it glides in one 
 broad stream along the plain, seems to the exhausted devotee, who has suffered every 
 fatigue and privation consequent upon a long and painful journey, aided by very scanty 
 means, as more than a recompense for all his toils. He gazes, enraptured, on the holy 
 river, and, gathering up his failing strength to the task, presses onward, but too happy 
 to yield up life with the first plunge of his body in the hallowed wave. A blessed 
 immortality is, according to universal belief amongst the followers of Brahma, secured 
 to the person who thus has ended his career on earth ; and many, wearied of life, and 
 anxious to enter scenes of purer enjoyment, will either commit suicide, or, if too feeble 
 to perform the act themselves, prevail upon their friends to hasten the moment of dis- 
 solution, leaving their bodies to float down the Ganges, while their souls are absorbed in 
 the divine essence. 
 
 It is at this place that persons journeying from a great distance are anxious to fill 
 their jars with water, in order that they may carry a portion of the sacred element to 
 their homes. Sometimes these water-pots are conveyed in a very picturesque manner, 
 being slung upon bamboos resting upon the shoulders of long files of men, and gaily 
 decorated with flowers and peacocks' feathers. Rich and pious Hindoos, who inhabit 
 the Deccan and other remote provinces, spend large sums of money in procuring the 
 holy-water of the Ganges, which is brought to them by a class of persons who obtain 
 their livelihood by their long journeys. They are, however, content to take the water 
 at the nearest point, and, if not basely maligned, are said to have little scruple about 
 supplying any deficiencies, occasioned by breakage and leakage on the road, at the first 
 river or well which they pass on their way. Some precautions are taken to prevent 
 these frauds : in order to prove that the water has in reality been brought from the 
 Ganges, the bearers obtain a certificate to that effect, together with a seal, with which 
 the proper official at the place where it is filled, closes the vessel. The jars are enclosed 
 in a frame-work of bamboo slung at either end of a pole of the same, which is carried 
 across the shoulder, and is borne in this manner many hundred miles. The bearers of 
 the Ganges water, though having literally nothing to tempt the plunderer, have been 
 frequently murdered of late years by those frightful bands of assassins, the Thugs, who 
 consider it to be an act of duty towards their goddess Bhowanee, who represents the 
 destructive power, to sacrifice all the victims which she throws in their way, and there- 
 fore murder the most poverty-stricken wretches, in the hope of being rewarded by a 
 richer booty. 
 
 An acquaintance with a tithe of the horrors, the shocking waste of human life, the 
 fearful sum of human suffering, produced by the most barbarous as well the most incon- 
 sistent religion which the distempered imagination of man has ever framed, suffice to call 
 forth melancholy feelings in the breast of the Christian spectator, as he gazes upon the 
 
26 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 bright waters, subjected to so many and such dreadful pollutions. Recognizing the 
 Supreme Power in the blessings which a benignant Deity lavishes upon the objects of its 
 creation, an untutored mind may be forgiven, if, ignorant of the Source whence the benefit 
 is derived, adoration and homage should be paid to the tree affording shade, or to the 
 river, whicli supplies the element so necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of life. 
 But the Hindoos have, with the blindest perversity, departed from the early simplicity of 
 their creed, and have reared, throughout scenes of tranquil beauty, altars cemented with 
 human blood, desecrating the pure waters of the Ganges with the swollen corses of the 
 dead, who have been murdered on its banks, in obedience to the most horrid superstition. 
 It is deemed incumbent upon the relatives of a dying person to hurry the unfortunate to the 
 side of some sacred river, there to breathe the last sigh ; and when death is protracted, 
 and exposure to cold dews or a burning sun fail to accomplish the object desired, the 
 sufferer is relieved from his miseries by a more summary mode, the mouth and nostrils 
 being stopped with the mud of the Ganges, which is supposed to possess purifying qua- 
 lities. There can be no doubt that the death of multitudes is hastened by this process : 
 for when once a patient is brought down to the water to die, recovery is deemed dis- 
 graceful, inasmuch as it proves that the person thus escaping is rejected by the gods. 
 
 In consequence of the expense of burning a corse upon a funeral pile, wood being in 
 India both scarce and dear, individuals belonging to the poorer classes are after death 
 thrust into the river with very little ceremony, affording a shocking spectacle to unac- 
 customed eyes, as they float down generally with the ghastly head above the water. 
 People who can afford it, obtain wood for the performance of the last sad rites ; but, 
 generally speaking, they grudge the cost of a quantity sufficient for the purpose of 
 reducing the body to ashes ; it is merely scorched a little, and then consigned to the 
 Ganges. When incremation is completed, the traveller who is so unfortunate as to 
 pitch his tent or moor his boat near the scene of action, suffers very considerable annoy- 
 ance from the effluvia arising from the burning corpse, while at the same time his 
 eyes may be shocked by the sight of some huge carrion-bird, wafted down the river by 
 the prey which it has seized and is devouring, a corpse being frequently indicated by the 
 vulture whicli has perched upon it. 
 
 These are some of the sights which deform a river, whose calm and heavenly beauty 
 few can behold unmoved by admiration. Cold indeed must be the person who could 
 refuse to acknowledge the loveliness of the scene presented in the accompanying Plate; 
 and every step of the road there delineated, constructed by Government into the valley of 
 the Dhoon, leads to some region equally gratifying to the eye of taste. 
 
 PART OF THE GHAUT AT HURDWAR. 
 
 A fair takes place annually at Hurdwar in the month of April, lasting nearly a fort- 
 night, that being the period chosen by the pilgrims, who flock from all parts of India, to 
 perform their ablutions in the Ganges. The auspicious moment is calculated by the 
 brahmins, who aver that a great increase in the efficacy of the rite is derivable from its 
 performance when Jupiter is in Aquarius or the sun enters Aries, which happens every 
 twelfth year. 
 
© 
 
PART OF THE GHAUT AT HTJHDWAR. 27 
 
 The immense concourse of persons drawn to Hurdwar by religious motives, has 
 attracted others, who take advantage of this promiscuous meeting, to dispose of mer- 
 chandise brought from the uttermost parts of the world, and which thus finds its way to 
 every accessible place throughout India. There are, of course, purchasers as well as 
 sellers, who resort to the fair for the purpose of buying cattle, shawls, and jewels, either 
 for their own use, or to dispose of again. Many, also, visit the fair purely from motives 
 of curiosity, this portion of the spectators being chiefly composed of Europeans and rich 
 Mohammedans, who travel, particularly the latter, in great splendour. The peace in this 
 promiscuous multitude is kept by a large detachment from the Sirmoon battalion of the 
 Hill-rangers, who come down from their quarters at Deyrah Dhoon, and garrison an 
 island in the centre of the river, where they are out of the way, and yet at hand to pre- 
 vent disturbance ; while there are magistrates present, with a very considerable body of 
 police, to enforce the rules and regulations necessary for the pr'eservation of order in an 
 assembly composed of such heterogeneous materials. 
 
 The climate of Hurdwar during the early part of April is exceedingly variable : from 
 four in the afternoon, until nine or ten o'clock on the following day, the wind generally 
 blows from the north or east over the snowy mountains, rendering the air delightfully 
 cool ; during the intermediate hours, however, the thermometer frequently rises to 94°; 
 and the clouds of dust arising from the concourse of people, together with their beasts 
 of burden, collected at this place, add considerably to the annoyance sustained from 
 the heat. 
 
 The principal road to Hurdwar lies through the town of Khunkul, which is also a 
 Teerut, or place of Hindoo pilgrimage, overlooking the Ganges : it is very well built, 
 and adorned with several commodious ghauts, constructed of cut freestone, landing- 
 places descending by long flights of steps into the river. This town chiefly consists of 
 one principal street, running north and south parallel with the course of the water, and 
 composed of handsome houses belonging to rich merchants and brahmins from every 
 part of India. In fact, the ownership of a house at Khunkul, shews the proprietor to 
 be a man of great wealth, and considerable importance in society. It is like possessing 
 a place at Melton Mowbray. The greater number of these mansions are unhappily 
 disfigured by paintings, executed in a very barbarous manner in the most glaring 
 colours, without, of course, the slightest attention either to shadow, proportion, or per- 
 spective. The house-tops are covered with troops of monkeys, animals sufficiently 
 sagacious to discover those places in which their species is held in reverence. These 
 creatures are sacred in every stronghold of Hindoo superstition, and from their multi- 
 tudes become perfect nuisances, it being difficult to prevent their invasion into every 
 apartment of a private residence. There are at Khunkul numerous serais for the 
 accommodation of the people who resort to it at the time of the fair ; and when full, 
 these long quadrangular buildings, furnished all round with suites of small apartments, 
 present a very singular appearance— men, women, and children, in large families, being 
 thrust into an exceedingly circumscribed space, with cattle of every kind, bullocks, 
 horses, camels, donkeys, and mules, together with other live - stock, biped and 
 quadruped. 
 
28 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The new road, which runs direct to Hurdwar, and for which the old one on the back 
 of the river is entirely deserted, forms a very amusing drive. On either side, for the 
 distance of two miles, are to be seen the large and handsome tents belonging to the civil 
 and military officers of the Company, who visit the fair upon duty, either to assist in 
 keeping the peace, or for the purchase of horses for the cavalry regiments; while others, 
 who have nothing save pleasure in view, establish themselves in the same encampment. 
 These canvass dwellings are diversified by the more substantial country abodes of rich 
 natives, occurring amid large mango groves, and having showy gardens pranked with 
 flowers. So great is the necessity for temporary habitations during the fair, that 
 artificers resort to the neighbourhood of Hurdwar from a considerable distance, in order 
 to construct them of thatch and grass-mats upon a bamboo frame. These houses, or 
 huts, are rendered both sun and water proof, and add considerably to the picturesque 
 effect of the scene. The town of Hurdwar bears a striking resemblance to that of its 
 neighbour Khunkul, but is apparently of more ancient date ; it completely skirts the 
 Ganges, many of the best houses having their foundations in the bed of the sacred 
 river. These are generally constructed of brick, the lower stories of a great number 
 being of very fine white free-stone, a material which is found in the neighbourhood, 
 while lime-stone of good quality is met with close at hand, in the bed of the stream. 
 The Ganges, during the rainy season, is a mile in width at Hurdwar, pursuing its course 
 between low woody islands, some of which afford very commodious encamping 
 ground. On the west bank the eye rests upon a ridge of hills rising to the height of 
 six hundred feet, covered with thick brushwood, mingled with trees. These hills 
 are cleft in many places into rugged ravines, which afford ample cover to numerous 
 wild beasts. The back-ground of the landscape is formed of part of the range of blue 
 mountains, from six to eight thousand feet in height, which conceal the base of the 
 Himalaya, or snowy region, and fill up the distance in the most magnificent manner 
 possible. 
 
 It is difficult to afford any idea of the grandeur and beauty of the inanimate objects 
 which render Hurdwar one of the places best worthy of a traveller's attention in India, 
 but still more so to convey even a faint notion of the swarms of living creatures, men 
 and beasts of every description, which occupy every foot of ground during the time of 
 the fair, multitudes of cows, horses, bullocks, camels, elephants, ponies, and mules from 
 Osbeck Tartary to Benares, are crowded together, rendering the scene in the highest 
 degree animated and interesting : every thing is to be found at the fair, though horses 
 form its principal attraction. The horse merchants from Bokhara and Cabool occupy 
 the stony central parts of the river, while those from Torkistan take up their quarters in 
 small enclosures behind the houses of the town. These men are famed for their ponies and 
 galloways, animals of great power, called Toorkies, some of which bear very high prices. 
 The elephant dealers incline to Khunkul, for the sake of fodder, but traverse the roads of 
 the fair with their studs during the mornings and evenings, each elephant having a large 
 bell attached to the neck, for the purpose of giving warning to passengers of their 
 approach. The buneeas, or grain-sellers, hulwaees, or confectioners, cloth, shawl, and 
 toy merchants, occupy the road-side close to the town, their dwelling-places being inter- 
 
PART OF THE GHAUT AT HURDWAR. 29 
 
 spersed with small enclosures containing piles of barley and straw, heaped up, and ready 
 for sale. 
 
 On the sides of the hill to the west, thousands of Seik families are to be seen, with 
 their huts, tents, camels, bullocks, mules, and horses, thrown together, as it were, with- 
 out order or method. Then come the tents of the better order of visitors, formed into 
 groups of two or three, and constructed of white or striped canvass, gaily fringed, and 
 ornamented with scalloped borderings of scarlet cloth. Then, again, are the tents of the 
 superior horse-dealers, Arab or Persian merchants, who have brought splendid animals 
 of the purest breed, for which they demand enormous prices ; men, also, with bears, 
 leopards, tigers, deer of all kinds, monkeys, Persian greyhounds, beautiful cats, and rare 
 birds, for sale. Then there are heaps of assafoetida in bags from the mountains beyond 
 Cabool, sacks of raisins of various kinds, pistachio nuts, almonds, and boxes of pre- 
 served apricots, and stalls filled with merchandise of every description, brazen vessels of 
 all kinds, bead necklaces of many colours, rosaries, mouth-pieces for pipes, of agate, cor- 
 nelian, lapis-lazuli, and different kinds of marble, pearls, black and white chowries, or 
 implements for keeping off flies, formed of the long bushy tail of the yak, the cow of 
 Thibet; stones for seals if all descriptions; bangles, bracelets, armlets, and ornaments for 
 the ankles, of silver or pewter; sable, tiger, leopard, ounce, and other skins; stuffed birds, 
 the argus-eyed, golden, and other varieties of pheasant ; idols of all kinds, together with 
 their brazen stands, real and mock coral, garlands and necklaces of tinsel, looking- 
 glasses framed in ivory, with mosaic work in imitation of fruits and flowers from Delhi ; 
 richly embroidered scarves, scull-caps, and slippers, toys executed in mother-of-pearl, 
 bales of shawls, and jewels of high prices; broad-tloth, stationery, and cutlery, from 
 England ; perfumes from Paris, eau de Cologne, and many other articles too tedious to 
 mention. 
 
 The crowd and co;i fusion of buyers and sellers, the native groups in every imaginable 
 costume, some shining in cloth of gold, and surrounded by followers splendidly arrayed, 
 others less expensively but picturesquely dressed, and many half naked, or wildly clad, 
 all mixed up with priests, soldiers, and religious mendicants, half beggar, half bandit, 
 with here and there a cluster of Europeans mounted upon elephants, exhibit all together 
 a concourse which no other place in the word can shew. 
 
 The noise baffles all description ; the shouts and cries of men come mingled with the 
 neighing of horses, the trumpeting of elephants, the grunts of camels, the lowing of 
 cattle, the bellowing of bulls the screams of birds, and the loud sharp roars of the wild 
 beasts; and, as if the?e were not enough, there are gongs and drums beating, trumpets 
 blaring, conch-shells blowing, and bells ringing, which never cease for a single instant. 
 In the midst of all this discord, regular musicians perform to groups assembled in different 
 parts of the city or fair, the whole population coming out in the evening to enjoy them- 
 selves, and, amid the more melodious snatches which are caught here and there, the 
 bugles of the British battalion may be heard, playing some well-remembered air, recall- 
 ing, perhaps in " Ye banks and braes of bonny Doune," in the neighbourhood of the 
 valley of that name, recollections of that northern land, which is the regretted birth- 
 place of so many of the civil and military servants of the Company. 
 
 H 
 
30 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 Frequently a large congregation of the magnates of the land are assembled at Hurdwar; 
 the Begum Sumroo, during her lifetime, would make her appearance with a thousand 
 horse, and fifteen hundred infantry ; here also might be seen the Nuwab of Nujibabad, 
 the Rajas of Ghuosgarh, Uchet, and Sadwa, the Putteeala Rajah and his Vakeel, whose 
 attendants might be distinguished by their light yellow turbans and kumurbunds, or 
 sashes, and another distinguished Hindoo, the Rajah of Balespore in the mountains ; all 
 of whom, the latter especially, making it a point to traverse the fair mornings and even- 
 ings. The Balespore Rajah made his appearance seated on a remarkably tall elephant, 
 in a large howdah, overlaid with plates of solid silver, glistening in the sun, and covered 
 with a pointed dome-like canopy of scarlet, supported on four silver pillars richly 
 embossed. He wore a large white conical turban, and amid the jewels which adorned his 
 person were two enormous pearls, set as ear-rings, the hoops being of gold three inches 
 in diameter. A servant sate behind him, waving slowly backwards and forwards, over 
 his head, one of the splendid chowries before mentioned, as an emblem of rank. Many 
 of his relatives followed upon elephants, caparisoned in various degrees of splendour, 
 surrounded by horsemen, not particularly well mounted, but showily dressed, capering 
 and curvetting about, and decorated with gaudy housings. Besides these, were the usual 
 rabble-rout on foot, the constant attendants upon Eastern sovereignty, crowding in the 
 rear, heedless of the vicious animals rearing and leaping on all sides, as their riders fired 
 off muskets, matchlocks, and pistols, making the adjacent hills reverberate with the sound. 
 These wild pageants, with their mixture of pomp and meanness, are truly Oriental in their 
 character, and in strict keeping with the barbaresque style of the buildings, and the 
 untamed nature of the surrounding scenery. 
 
 Rhuts, four-wheeled carriages, abounded at the fair, the roofs covered with white 
 linen, or scarlet cloth, and either terminating in a point with a gilt ornament, or perfectly 
 flat: they were chiefly filled with women, of whom six or eight were crowded into one 
 conveyance, small openings in the sides enabling them to reconnoitre the multitude, 
 without becoming themselves visible. There were other vehicles also, two-wheeled cars, 
 with sometimes as many as three roofs, united, of conical shape, and hung with tassels 
 and costly fringe ; these carriages were open, and drawn by bullocks, which had their 
 horns painted of gaudy colours, the harness and housings studded with bells, and the 
 small cowrie shell, and otherwise richly embroidered. 
 
 Troops of dancing girls had established themselves at Hurdwar during the fair, and 
 were to be seen performing, either in front of the houses of rich persons, or in the 
 interiors, all thrown open, and lighted up every evening. The whole of the river, town, 
 and inhabited parts of the forest, presented a series of illuminations as soon as darkness 
 commenced ; this brilliant display being enlivened by occasional bursts of fireworks. 
 Nothing could be more pleasing than the effect of the lamps sparkling and gleaming 
 between the trees, while the islands and woody shores of the river were distinctly seen 
 by the light of innumerable small vessels of oil, kindled and sent floating down the 
 stream. Such are a few of the features of this extraordinary place ; a few it may well be 
 said, since it would be utterly impossible to note down a tenth part of the strange sights 
 and scenes which greet the eye of the European traveller at this Oriental congress. 
 
I 
 
 
 
 
 
MUSSOOREE, FROM LANDOUR. 31 
 
 The whole of the battlements, terraces, and platforms, erected in the water, lining the 
 side of the river, are covered with dense throngs of pilgrims, spectators, and priests, the 
 European portion of the audience pushing their elephants into the water, in order to view, 
 without inconvenience from the crowd, the bathing of the numerous devotees. The 
 ceremony is simple enough, consisting merely of an offering of money, according to the 
 abilities of the bather, to the officiating priest. Every separate ablution, and several are 
 deemed essential, must be separately paid for, and when the pious worshipper of Gunga-jee 
 has left the river, he is obliged to run the gauntlet through the priests of the temples 
 on the banks, who assail every passer-by, whether Christian or pagan, with equal impor- 
 tunity. All the brahmins say, whether truly or not, that Lord William Bentinck, the 
 late governor-general, honoured the holy land of Hurdwar by making a present of a 
 thousand rupees to its priests, — a very injudicious method of attempting to obtain popu- 
 larity, since it is construed into a secret recognition of the superiority of the Hindoo gods, 
 and cannot fail to exalt the brahminical faith in the eyes of its professors, while at the 
 same time it brings that of the rulers of the land into contempt. The Hindoos are exces- 
 sively anxious to exact this mark of homage to their favourite deity, and endeavour to 
 persuade the Christian visitors to deposit an offering, assuring them that Hurdwar is a 
 holy place, and that they will not fail to procure some advantage in return. 
 
 MUSSOOREE, FROM LANDOUR. 
 
 Upon leaving Hurdwar, we travelled up the valley of the Dhoon to the village 
 of Rajpore, at the foot of the secondary chain of the Himalaya. Part of our journey con- 
 ducted us through a thick forest of lofty trees, amid which we found the rhododendron 
 in full bloom, together with other strangers to the plains of Ipdia. The underwood was 
 composed of richly flowering plants, and the air came loaded with the fragrance of the 
 corunda, whose white starry blossoms are redolent with perfume, which is sometimes 
 almost oppressive to the sense. The fruit of the corunda, which in its wild state 
 resembles that of the black currant, is sweet and well-flavoured, affording abundant and 
 delicious food to wild hogs and paroquets, the former feeding eagerly upon it; when over- 
 ripe, the berries fall, and cover the ground. 
 
 In some places, the road formed itself into an avenue, the branches of the trees 
 meeting over-rhead ; near the inhabited portions, however, the jungle has been cleared, 
 and even where it has been left to its natural state, the utmost variety of scenery is to be 
 found in this beautiful valley, part of which is watered by a clear stream shaded by 
 alders, while the turf is enlivened by the amaranth, a bright scarlet and pink flower, and 
 several species of the ranunculus. Here, too, maybe found large bushes of sage springing 
 from a carpet of thyme, which gives out its aromatic odour to every breeze. The valley 
 of the Dhoon has been selected for the residence of the political agent of the province, 
 who, however, takes refuge in the hills during the hottest period of the year — an example 
 followed by all who have it in their power to escape to a better climate while the ther- 
 mometer is at its highest altitude. 
 
32 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The town of Deyrah, the station of the Ghoorka battalion of hill-rangers, has many 
 advantages to recommend it, and is celebrated for a temple sacred to the memory, of a 
 Hindoo devotee who was its founder. The pagoda is constructed of stone, embellished 
 with ornaments formed of a peculiar kind of chunam, made from the shells of cowries, 
 and resembling variegatjd marble. The holy person who built this temple has also won 
 for himself the gratitude of the people of the neighbourhood, by the construction of a 
 handsome stone tank, which occupies an acre of ground, and forms an ornamental, as 
 well as a most acceptable bequest. 
 
 The ascent from Deyrah to Rajpore is so gradual as to be scarcely perceptible, but at 
 this point it becomes more abrupt, and is in some places exceedingly steep. Being pro- 
 vided with ghoonts, or hill-ponies, we left our less useful cattle below, and, mounting 
 these rough but sure-footed animals, gave ourselves up to their guidance. Our road led 
 us up the sides of precipices of the most romantic character, craggy with rocks, and richly 
 clothed with trees, descending to the bottom of deep and almost unfathomable ravines, 
 whence, however, the ear can detect the sound of murmuring streams pursuing their 
 course through some unseen channel. 
 
 The summit of this ridge is elevated eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, 
 and from its utmost height a glorious burst of view is obtained ; the plains below stretch- 
 ing far and wide, and bounded on either side by the Jumna and the Ganges, which, at 
 the distance of forty miles apart, pursue their tortuous career, until their silvery traces 
 are lost in the meeting skies. After winding for several hundred miles in a south- 
 easterly direction, these beautiful rivers unite, the Jumna throwing itself into the Ganges 
 at Allahabad, thus enclosing a very extensive tract of country called the Doaab, and by 
 their fertilizing waters rendering it one of the most productive districts in India. 
 
 Turning in another direction to the mountain scenery, the view is awe-inspiring ; 
 height rises above height, the intersecting valleys seem to be interminable, and the mind 
 is almost overpowered with astonishment, which, as we survey the gigantic wonders of the 
 scene, is not wholly unmixed with a sensation allied to fear. Mussooree, the site of a 
 station which is now one of the chief resorts of the visitors from the plains, stands at an 
 elevation of seven thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is situated 
 on the southern face of the ridge, called the Landour range, and overlooking the village 
 of that name, which has been chosen for the establishment of a military depot, or sani- 
 torium for thos^ officers and privates belonging to the Bengal army who have lost their 
 health in the plains. The barracks are roomy and comfortable, and there are commodious 
 bungalows for the residence of the officers upon duty. The neighbouring station, distin- 
 guished by the name of Mussooree, is daily increasing in size, in consequence of the great 
 resort of invalids to this salubrious spot ; but the houses differ very much in appearance, 
 and are inferior in elegance to those at Simlah, the more fashionable hill-settlement. 
 The dwellings erected by the European residents have been compared, not inaptly, to 
 gull's nests on the side of a cliff. There is so little table-land — the level places, composed 
 of a few square yards, being chiefly cut out of the rock— that the foundation of many of the 
 cottages are built up with masonry at the edge of precipices, and there is scarcely an 
 enclosed piece of ground round any dwelling. The roads are narrow, and in many places 
 scooped out of the sides of steeps of the most fearful -looking nature, yet so speedily does 
 
. MUSSOOREE FROM LANDOUR. 33 
 
 the eye become accustomed to the appearance of danger, that ladies gallop along them 
 without experiencing any apprehension. Accidents, however, and those of a very 
 frightful nature, do sometimes occur ; but in consequence of the extraordinary activity 
 and sagacity of the mountain ponies, when fatal, they are usually occasioned by some 
 injudicious act on the part of the rider, for, if left to themselves, they are wonderfully 
 successful in scrambling up the steep sides, or holding on at roots or other projections 
 until assistance can be afforded them, 
 
 Mussooree is not at present much indebted to the hand of art : the roads are glaringly 
 white, and the appearance of the houses is bare and ugly, even the scenery in the 
 immediate neighbourhood owes its attractions more to space than any thing else : the 
 distant prospects are splendid, but the home scenes want that exquisite beauty which is 
 to be seen to so much perfection in many of the villages of these hills. There are no 
 billiard-tables or reading-rooms at present in Mussooree, which is composed entirely of 
 private houses, and is usually termed the Civil, as Landour is the Military station. 
 The bazaar, though small, and not tenanted by a single European tradesman, is well 
 supplied with necessaries, and even luxuries, wine and beer excepted ; but it is enlarging, 
 new demands being created as the station increases in size, while a more picturesque 
 style of building may render it equal in exterior attraction to its military neighbour. 
 The traveller who comes suddenly upon a view of Landour is struck with its beauty, 
 and the picturesque appearance of its scattered houses : being higher up, it is sometimes 
 preferred to Mussooree, but is scarcely at the present period so agreeable as a residence ; 
 and the perpetual descent and ascent to and from the latter-named place, which pos- 
 sesses the best bazaar, and engrosses all the life and bustle of the community, are found 
 to be inconvenient. The Mussooree heights are composed of transition limestone, very 
 craggy and bold, and argillaceous schistus, the slate exceedingly crumbling : there is 
 also a large vein of trap in its valleys, for though geologists did not expect to find vol- 
 canic rocks in the Himalaya, trappean rocks have been discovered in some hundred 
 places on this side of the gneiss, mica, slate, and granite country. 
 
 No great expense is incurred in the building of the houses at Mussooree, the abun- 
 dance of timber, (though it has recently been cut down with too unsparing a hand,) 
 affords beams and all the wood -work, in its immediate vicinity: the oak and rhodo- 
 dendron, the latter attaining the size of a forest tree, supply these materials. Bricks 
 may be made close at hand, should a preference be accorded to them over the stone, 
 which is only to be dug from the adjacent quarries. Some Europeans have been rather 
 unfortunate in the site of their houses ; others are more happily placed, sheltered from 
 the north wind, which, passing over the snowy mountains, exercises a chilling influ- 
 ence over every thing exposed to its keen blasts : the trees on the northern side of the 
 range are stunted and withered, but luxuriance and beauty characterize the south ; 
 the one being covered with rhododendron rich with flowers, while the other is gloomy 
 with pines. 
 
 The splendid tree mentioned in the foregoing paragraph bears a magnificent crimson 
 flower, and forms one of the most beautiful, as well as the most prominent, features of 
 the scene ; the cherry, pear, and barberry are also found. The neighbouring valleys and 
 ridges afford, to the lovers of field-sports domiciled at Mussooree, abundant opportunities 
 
34 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 of procuring every sort of game, although there may be some difficulties in the pursuit: 
 pheasants are exceedingly numerous, and of great size and beauty, and those who are 
 fond of the study of natural history in any of its departments, will find an ample field 
 for their labours, in a country abounding with objects of interest. 
 
 The first European mansion constructed at Mussooree belonged to Colonel Young, who 
 commanded a Ghoorka corps stationed in the Dhoon ; it was called the Potato Garden, 
 in consequence of a plantation of that useful vegetable, and remained for some years the 
 only habitation of the kind upon the hill. It is very prettily situated, perched upon the 
 summit of one of the lower eminences, or rather knolls, clustering together, and rising 
 one above the other from the Mussooree range. This hill is wooded with scattered trees, 
 looking, so judiciously are they placed, as if they were planted for effect ; it is less steep, 
 and better adapted for garden ground, than many of the hanging terraces attached to 
 the more recent erections. 
 
 THE SNOWY RANGE FROM LANDOUR. 
 
 The plains of India may with justice be deemed one vast prison, in which the sun, 
 aided at o.e period of the year by the hot winds, acts the part of jailor. It is only 
 during a brief interval in the morning and evening that exercise can be taken with 
 impunity, except during the cold season, and even then we require a carriage or a horse. 
 Emancipation therefore from these restraints, the power of wandering at will in the open 
 air, and the invigorating influence of the bracing atmosphere upon our frames, rendered 
 the party on their arrival at Mussooree like captives newly liberated from a dungeon, or 
 schoolboys breaking loose from their desks. 
 
 A road has been cut at the elevation of seven thousand feet above the level of the sea, 
 which completely encircles the height chosen for the sanitarium of Landour, permitting 
 the residents to make an easy excursion of four miles, either on horseback or on foot, 
 every step of the way being fraught with objects of beauty and interest. Here we find 
 mingled with the standard apricot, which grows in great abundance over the hills, the 
 oak, the pine, the holly, the walnut, and cherry ; raspberries, strawberries, and black- 
 berries appear in the most delightful luxuriance ; daisies, primroses, and violets enamel 
 the ground ; and the wild rose flings down its silken leaves in crimson showers. Here 
 objects comparatively humble continually arrest the attention, even in the midst of 
 the imposing scenery which meets the eye at every point. 
 
 In no place can the snowy range of the Himalaya be seen to more advantage than 
 from the western side of Landour ; the distance, thirty miles, being that which is best 
 calculated to produce the finest effect. From this point they rise with a majesty and 
 distinctness which is in some measure lost, when the traveller at a nearer approach gets 
 shut in as it were amid lofty peaks, which circumscribe his view ; and in consequence of 
 the extraordinary purity of the atmosphere, they appear to tne eye to be much nearer than 
 they are in reality, especially immediately after sunrise. The intermediate country is 
 then veiled in mist spreading like a lake, and the snowy eminences beyond, arising on its 
 margin, when lighted up by the slanting rays of the sun, seem as if they could be gained 
 by an easy effort ; and it is not until these silvery mists have cleared away, and the sun 
 
I 
 
 m 
 

 
SNOWY RANGE FROM LANDOUR. 35 
 
 shines out with hroader splendour, revealing the true state of the case, that the illusion is 
 dispelled. Dhawallaghiri, the white mountain, in which the river Ghunduck has its source, 
 is considered to he the most lofty of these peaks, its height has not been exactly deter- 
 mined, but those accounts which are esteemed to be the most accurate, render it twenty- 
 seven thousand four hundred feet above the level of the sea. Jumnoutri and Gungoutri, 
 whence the Jumna and Ganges have their birth, are next in succession, both exceeding 
 twenty-four thousand feet, and the latter-named is the most highly honoured by the 
 natives, who affirm that on its topmost summit Mahadeo has erected his throne; while 
 others reverence the whole mountain as a god. 
 
 Villages are to be found at an elevation of fourteen thousand feet, but a site of this 
 altitude is not healthy, and the inhabitants have a very wretched appearance : cultivation 
 has been carried five hundred feet farther, and vegetation does not totally cease until 
 stopped, at sixteen thousand feet, by that eternal barrier of snow which asserts supreme 
 dominion over the sublime wastes above. From another point the eye embraces that 
 splendid range of mountains, through which the sacred river forces its impetuous course, 
 now fretting along a narrow channel which it has worn amid the rocks, and now flinging 
 itself down in glittering volumes from height to height, until, at length emerging to the 
 view, it is seen winding and wandering along the level country, a thread of silver which 
 the eye follows till it is lost in the distance. 
 
 Dazzled by the attempt to distinguish minute and distant objects, we turn with delight 
 to the rich yet sober tints of the surrounding hills, their splendid purples and browns, 
 with here and there the sun bringing out some brighter foliage, while below the landscape 
 assumes a different style of beauty. A series of undulations, diversified with plain and 
 valley, thickly wooded, and shewing in its patches of cultivation, its towns, villages, and 
 isolated buildings, that man holds empire o'er the soil. Here we may trace the windings 
 of many roads, and the courses of those fertilizing streams which go gently murmuring 
 along in every direction. 
 
 From the crest of the Sowa Khola ridge, at a short distance from this place, the whole 
 valley of Deyrah Dhoon, the small Sewalik range which encloses it to the south, and the 
 dim plains of Saharunpore still farther in the distance, bursts upon the delighted gaze ; 
 the snowy mountains forming the magnificent back -ground, and the monarch of the 
 secondary belt, the sublime Choor, standing out beyond the rest ; while in the vast expanse 
 of plain, the silver lines of the Ganges and Jumna come shining through the haze. 
 
 In our eagerness to reach Mussooree, we had neglected the beauties of Rajpore, which 
 is really an exceedingly pretty village, sufficiently elevated to admit of a clear and unob- 
 structed view of the ever-beautiful Dhoon : beyond it there are some natural objects worth 
 visiting, one being the dripping rock of Shansa Dhare. From a precipitous height of 
 overhanging rock, a stream descends in continual showers, each drop producing a petri- 
 faction. The cliff being worn away by the perpetual action of the water, has assumed a 
 cavernous appearance, formed entirely of spar, here and there presenting basins for 
 the reception of the element, which is cool, clear, and agreeable to the taste. A brahmin 
 has of course established himself in a place which may be called a natural temple, and 
 it is accordingly dedicated to Mahadeo. Opposite, in another direction, we come to a 
 spring containing sulphureous particles, rising out of a mass of limestone, which tinges 
 
36 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 the surrounding stones with its colouring matter. At Mala Pani the attention is attracted 
 to an object of a very different description, but one which can scarcely fail to excite a 
 strong degree of interest in the breast of every British traveller ; it is a monument erected 
 to the memory of General Gillespie, and the officers who fell before the fortress of Kalunga. 
 This mausoleum stands on a platform of table-land, on the summit of a hill near the scene 
 of action. The attack of Kalunga cost a sea of blood, for the Ghoorka invaders so 
 resolutely defended the country, of which they had forcibly possessed themselves, that 
 even practised troops found great difficulty in their subjugation. The walls of this once 
 formidable fortress were razed to the ground, after it fell into our hands, and its situation 
 is now only indicated by a rude cairn of brick, with a staff in the centre. 
 
 THE ABBEY AND HILLS FROM NEAR MUSSOOREE. 
 
 Although the general appearance of Mussooree might have been much improved by 
 more tasteful arrangements on the part of the early residents, yet there are many habita- 
 tions which possess a very considerable portion of picturesque beauty ; and amongst these, 
 the mansion which has, with greater regard for early associations than for local appropriate- 
 ness, been entitled the " Abbey," stands conspicuous. We ought not perhaps to quarrel 
 with a name ; and it is always pleasing to surround ourselves in a foreign country with 
 memorials of our loved and distant home, but the term Abbey is so closely connected with 
 the monastic institutions of a Christian land, and in England usually serves to perpe- 
 tuate the memory of some pious brotherhood, established, in times long passed, upon the 
 soil, that we can scarcely be reconciled to its transplantation to a scene to which it is so 
 singularly ill-adapted. 
 
 Travellers of any taste or feeling have continually to quarrel with the names given by 
 European settlers to places in foreign countries, since they are frequently extremely 
 barbarous, and nearly always ill-chosen. India from numerous causes has suffered less 
 from this kind of desecration than other scenes of European adventure ; Barrackpore 
 and Fort Hastings being the only places throughout the British presidency which bear 
 an anglicised name. Not wishing, however, to be hypercritical, we pass over many cir- 
 cumstances which might be alleged against the appellation of the Abbey, and proceed 
 to say, that it stands apart from all other habitations, occupying a very commanding 
 site on the extreme summit of a rugged mountain. During the fine weather, the 
 prospects attainable from this elevated situation much more than compensate for any 
 disadvantage, but there is a season of rains in which it is completely enveloped in mist, 
 and in which the clouds penetrate through every aperture. The entrance of fog into a 
 house is sufficiently disagreeable, but in these altitudes the clouds take the same liberty, 
 and suddenly, if sitting in an apartment with the door or window open, the inhabitants 
 may find themselves wrapped in a very poetical, but a very inconvenient garment. The 
 storms also which are experienced in these exposed situations are exceedingly terrific ; 
 occasionally they rage below the residence chosen upon some sublime peak, but at other 
 times they pour their fiercest fury on the devoted mansion, thunder and lightning occur- 
 ring in the midst of a snow-storm, while a tremendous hurricane at the same time threatens 
 destruction to every thing it meets in its sweeping progress. The noise of the thunder, 
 
m 
 
 
 
 s£ 
 
ABBEY AND HILLS NEAR MUSSOOREE. 37 
 
 as it peals and reverberates through the hills, affords a very forcible idea of the crack of 
 doom, seeming indeed as if the globe itself must be shattered, and falling to pieces, while 
 the lightning, if possible more terrific, flashes out in broad sheets, or flies like winged 
 arrows through the sky, assuming that beautiful but appalling shape which in its zigzag 
 course brings deadly havoc wherever it alights. 
 
 The extent of mischief occasioned by these frightful contentions of the elements is 
 often very great ; and it is with fear and trembling that, after the storm has passed away, 
 the owners of live-stock go out to survey the ravages it has made; — trees torn up by the 
 roots, rocks precipitated from their foundations, the soil and the vegetation having been 
 borne along with them in their descent to some dark abyss, and sheep or poultry lying 
 dead upon the ground — are among the usual casualties ; while sometimes there is added 
 the still more heart-rending destruction of human life. 
 
 During the months of July and August the rain falls almost incessantly, and the 
 inhabitants of Mussooree being only able to take short walks and rides between the 
 showers, must find amusement for themselves within their houses. At this period the 
 view from the Abbey is extremely circumscribed, but good fires will impart a glow of 
 genial warmth and comfort to the weather-bound, and whenever the sky clears up, the most 
 beautiful effects are visible in the scenery either wholly or partially unveiled by the 
 sunbeams breaking through the clouds. A lover of nature, domiciled in one of these 
 altitudes, will always find something to interest and engage the attention, in the 
 numerous changes which take place in different states of the atmosphere, giving end- 
 less variety to scenery always sublime. Sunrise is accompanied by the highest degree 
 of splendour in these alpine regions, lighting up the mountain-brows with gold, and 
 flinging over the snowy range those gorgeous hues which the hand of nature alone can 
 create. Then, as the mists curl upwards and disappear, how beautifully do the distant 
 towns and villages come out, shewing scenes of loveliness which seem like fairy-land! 
 
 Mussooree assumes a very interesting appearance at night, with the lights from its 
 numerous houses, and the fires which native servants always kindle on the ground 
 wherever they can find space, marking the site of each homestead. Many of the 
 builders of these mansions have been influenced in the choice of a site almost wholly 
 by the prospects it commands, but there are other considerations which the prudential 
 have kept in view. Amid these is the accessibility of water, for though it may be heard 
 and even seen meandering through the bottom of the ravine which the house overlooks, 
 yet it is not always easily attainable, and becomes very costly on account of the expense 
 of the carriage. The neighbourhood of the bazaar is also advantageous, but a spring of 
 water is always the great desideratum. The materials for building, as we have before 
 remarked, are close at hand; and speculative workmen from the plains, better versed in 
 the art of constructing houses for European residents, than the mountaineers, may be 
 procured at a moderate rate. Estates are purchased or rented upon lease from the 
 rajah of the district, who is very willing to let land to strangers, which has hitherto 
 contributed little or nothing to the revenue. Spots thus taken are indicated by a board 
 bearing the proprietor's name, who thus frequently possesses himself of a large and ' 
 beautiful estate, consisting perhaps of a whole hill covered with forest trees, and stocked 
 with abundance of game, of which he is sole master, subject only to some regulations 
 which have been lately found necessary to prevent the wanton demolition of timber. 
 In the dearth of amusement, the cutting down trees, either for fuel, or merely for the 
 purpose of watching their fall, formed the employment of vacant minds, whose organs 
 of destructiveness were strongly developed ; but such pastimes have been restricted, and 
 
38 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 those who would have disregarded the suggestions of the more tasteful, are obliged to 
 abide by the orders of government. In consequence of the frequent mutations of Ano-lo- 
 Indian society, the Abbey has more than once changed its master, and has always been 
 considered a desirable property, notwithstanding its exposure to all the winds of heaven. 
 It is scarcely possible to have a finer or more extensive view than that which is com- 
 manded from the windows. The gigantic Choor is visible to the right, capped with 
 snow, which remains unmelted during the greater part of the year, while it looks down 
 upon hills and valleys in endless succession, flourishing villages surrounded with wide 
 cultivation, scattered hamlets, and thick forests ; a partial glance of the Dhoon, and the 
 plains beyond, closing in the prospect to the left, while in the distance the river Jumna 
 may be seen threading the mazes of the champaing country, and marking its course in 
 silver. 
 
 THE SNOWY RANGE FROM TYNE, OR MARMA. 
 
 All adventurous persons who take up their head-quarters at any of the hill -stations, 
 make excursions through the mountain passes beyond, and many penetrate to the 
 sources of the Ganges and Jumna. We, who had travelled for the purpose of exploring 
 as much as we could of this vast and most interesting region, made preparations, as soon 
 as we had satisfied ourselves with the scenery and society at Mussooree, to continue our 
 journey. 
 
 Our party consisted of three European gentlemen, each taking ten servants, while 
 our coolees, or porters, amounted to eighty at the least. We provided ourselves with 
 four tents, three sure-footed ponies, and two chairs, which in the plains are called 
 taun jauns, but which in these hills obtain the name of jhampans, while the bearers, 
 who carry them on their shoulders on poles, are called jhampanis. It is not always 
 easy to induce the natives to engage in these expeditions, they consider the Feringis, 
 who are not content with the comforts which they might enjoy under a good roof, to be 
 little better than madmen, and have no idea of submitting, with patience, to hardships 
 and privations brought on solely from a most absurd admiration of mountains, rocks, 
 trees, and horrid snows. Accordingly, the instant that any disastrous circumstances 
 occur, when food and fuel are scarce, the cold intense, and the prospect threatening, a 
 general strike is almost certain to take place, and these mutinies are only suppressed by 
 returning fine weather, the opportune attainment of a fat sheep, or the materials for a 
 good fire — discontent gradually subsiding under the genial influence of sunshine, roast 
 mutton, or even the blaze without the meat. 
 
 We knew beforehand all the perils which we had to encounter from cold, hunger, 
 and the rebellion of our followers, but our ardour in the pursuit of the picturesque led 
 us to think lightly of such things, and we started in high spirits, determined upon the 
 accomplishment of our object. Without noting the events of every day's march, it will 
 merely be necessary to say, that the commencement of our travels brought us to the 
 place whence the accompanying view is taken. Marma, or Tyne, stands at an elevation 
 of about ten thousand feet, and on the morning on which we reached this spot, the 
 weather being remarkably clear, we had an opportunity of enjoying, to full perfection, 
 the sublimity of mountain scenery. The foreground was composed of a rich ridge, 
 covered with timber, the growth of ages, — and contrasting, by its dark foliage, with the 
 barer eminences around, which, rising in all directions, appeared as if the tumultuous 
 waves of a stormy ocean had suddenly been converted into earth, while the forest, stand- 
 ing forth in the midst, looked like a peninsula stretching far into the billows. Beyond 
 
m 
 
 
 & 
 
 
SNOWY RANGE FROM TYNE, OR MARMA. 39 
 
 this wild and confused sea, arose in calmer majesty, those towering piles of unchanging 
 snow, which, from whatever point they may be viewed, can never fail to inspire senti- 
 ments of awe and admiration. The higher cluster of white peaks near the centre, are 
 those of Bunderpooch, above Jumnootree, the source of the Jumna, which form conspi- 
 cuous objects at a very considerable distance, and which had previously greeted our 
 sight at Saharunpore; to the right are the Rudra Himala, near Gungootree, whence 
 springs the Ganges ; and still further to the east, the loftiest of the peaks, the Dwawa- 
 lagiri, may sometimes be discovered, although the distance is two hundred and fifty miles, 
 rearing its snowy coronet, and looking down, at the height of twenty-seven thousand feet, 
 upon the pigmy world below ; while far to the east and west extend the hoary tributaries 
 of the giant, until their snowy eminences melt into air, and are lost to the straining 
 sight. Although the distance, in a direct line, from the spot on which we stood, to the 
 nearest mountains of the snowy range, is inconsiderable, not more than thirty miles, it 
 requires a fatiguing journey of many days to reach it, in which the traveller has at least 
 ninety miles of ground to go over. Several persons have succeeded in forcing a passage 
 to the northward of these hills, but the peaks themselves are still untrodden by human 
 foot. This snowy barrier divides us from the plains of Thibet and Chinese Tartary, and 
 at the narrowest part may be penetrated by long and tedious journeys through sterile 
 scenes, deserts of rock and snow. Thibet stands at an elevation of fifteen thousand feet 
 above the level of the sea, and the descent on this side is easy, compared with the diffi- 
 culties which must be encountered in climbing the southern face of the snowy range. 
 
 In the progress of our journey, the scene became wilder and wilder at every 
 march, the valley narrowing as we advanced, and the rocks on either side rising with 
 greater abruptness : the stream which flowed along our path, sometimes boiling over 
 rocks, making a sea of foam, at others diving into darkness, and gurgling beneath impe- 
 netrable brushwood. Occasionally the savage landscape was relieved by spots of a 
 calmer and quieter nature, the castle of some chieftain crowning with picturesque 
 beauty a lofty rock, with the greensward beneath sloping downwards to the water, 
 embellished with scattered trees, and approached over a carpet of sage and thyme, inter- 
 mixed with flowers of every hue. Then, again, we were surrounded with crags, the 
 level space being circumscribed to a few yards, and cascades roaring and tumbling 
 around in every direction. One day's march, though all presented some peculiar attrac- 
 tion, struck us as particularly romantic and beautiful. 
 
 The first part conducted us through a narrow gorge, walled on either side by fan- 
 tastic rocks, and wooded with fine alders, the stream rolling deep beneath our feet, 
 while the path was overhung by dreadful precipices, toppling crags now and then 
 threatening to follow some of the huge fragments which had already fallen ; then the 
 scene widened a little, and a natural terrace, shaded by some splendid mulberry-trees, 
 offered rest and repose, the rocks scattering themselves around, traversed at one place by 
 a foaming cataract. Ascending a steep and rugged eminence, we toiled on our weary 
 way up rock and crag, until we came to another halting-place of table-land, adorned with 
 fine chesnut trees, and commanding an extensive view, backed by the snowy ranges, 
 while we looked down upon a splendid confusion of waterfalls, wild precipices, and 
 luxuriant forests. The air was delightfully cool and bracing, and, as it may be supposed, 
 we enjoyed the meal that awaited us in this glorious halting-place. In addition to the 
 foreign articles of luxury which we had brought with us, we regaled ourselves with 
 mountain mutton, a hill-pheasant, some of the delicious wild honey for which the place 
 is famed, and oeaches of no despicable size and flavour. Our appetites, sharpened by 
 
40 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 exercise and the invigorating breeze, enabled us to do full justice to the meal, while we 
 were at no loss for subjects for conversation, the adjacent scenery being sufficient to 
 inspire the most prosaic mind with poetical ideas. 
 
 Every body who has visited the hills regrets the absence of those large bodies of water 
 which alone are wanting to fill up the coup-d'oeil. Illusion, however, often cheats the 
 eye with the semblance of the element, the valleys being frequently covered with mist, 
 which assumes the appearance of a sea, whence the higher land rises, till at length the 
 snowy range starts up, and bounds the scene. The grandeur of these peaks, and their 
 infinite variety, in the varying light and shade, would seem to leave nothing to wish for, 
 did not the craving nature of man insist upon absolute perfection. Early in the morning, 
 before a single sunbeam has illumined the dark deep twilight of the sky, they rise in 
 solemn majesty, the icy outline being distinctly defined, while they stand out from the 
 grey atmosphere around — anon a tint of amber spreads over them, and, divested of their 
 chilling grandeur, they come out warm and glowing : again they shew like cold bright 
 silver in the sun, while in the evening they are all crimsop with the rose that flushes 
 through the sky : a single mile, nay, even a single turn of the road, sufficing to invest 
 them with new shapes and new peculiarities. 
 
 From this point, we might be said to traverse a land whose savage aspect was seldom 
 redeemed by scenes of gentle beauty, the ranges of hills crossing, and apparently jostling 
 each other in unparalleled confusion, being all rugged, steep, and difficult to thread, some 
 divided from its neighbours by wide but rough valleys, their summits crowned with forests 
 of venerable growth, while others, more sharp and precipitous, are nothing more than 
 ravines, descending suddenly to a dreadful depth, bare solid rocks several hundred feet 
 in height, or dark with wood, and apparently only formed by the torrents which have 
 worn a passage for themselves through these fearful passes. In such a country, cultiva- 
 tion is difficult, nay, almost impossible ; small pieces of ground can alone be reclaimed 
 from the wilderness, and agriculture is carried on with unremitting toil for very inefficient 
 results. 
 
 Every step as we recede from the plains becomes more and more fatiguing, while 
 the faint-hearted would look upon an advance as totally impracticable, it being necessary 
 to scramble along over rugged and rocky pathways, climbing at every step, or forcing 
 a passage through the beds of rivers, or trusting to some frail and perilous bridge, which 
 must be crossed before another yard of the journey can be gained. 
 
 VILLAGE OF MOHUNA, NEAR DEOBUN. 
 
 Mohuna is built upon a high ridge in the secondary Himalaya, stretching between 
 the Tonse and the Jumna, which at this place is called Deobun, and gives its name to 
 the tract lying to the north-westward of Landour. The ridge itself is characterized by 
 the peculiar beauties of these mountain scenes, and presents a succession of rugged rocks 
 piled grandly upon each other, entwined with lichens and creepers of every kind, and 
 affording at intervals large clefts whence spring the giant wonders of the soil, magni- 
 ficent trees of immense girth and redundant foliage. We pitched our tents upon one of 
 a series of terraces which, according to the mode of cultivation necessary to be pursued 
 on the steep sides of these mountains, are cut for the purpose of affording a level surface 
 to the husbandman. 
 
 The lofty, precipitous, and almost impracticable rocks above, are the favourite haunts 
 of the musk deer, a denizen of these mountains, which is highly prized, and which 
 

THE VILLAGE OF MOHUNA, NEAH DEOBUX. 41 
 
 attracts the pursuit of hunters, who climb the apparently inaccessible crags, risking life 
 and limb for the purpose of securing this valuable species of game. In many parts of the 
 Himalayas, the musk deer and the hawk are the property of the state, and in Bussaher 
 particularly, and many other principalities between the Sutlej and the Jumna rivers, 
 they are claimed by the chieftain, who gives a reward for those brought to him, while 
 any person convicted of having otherwise disposed of these regal tributes is liable to a 
 heavy fine. 
 
 The petty barons offer hawks and musk-bags to the princes to whom they are feudatory, 
 and many of the assessed villages make up a deficiency in their revenue by presenting 
 their musk-bags, which are received at a certain valuation. They are sold throughout 
 the hills, and are particularly vendible at the Rampoor fair, the drug being exceedingly 
 acceptable to those luxurious nobles, who can afford to mix it with the tobacco and other 
 ingredients of the highly-perfumed chillum. Musk-bags may be purchased of a good 
 quality, that is, tolerably pure, in the hills, at about ten or twelve rupees each ; but it is 
 difficult to get the drug any where in its pristine state, and by the time it reaches the 
 plains, and travels to Europe, it becomes a vile adulteration. The rustooree, or musk- 
 deer, is rather larger than the common red or ravine deer of the plains ; its colour is 
 very dark brown approaching to black, and it is distinguished by a peculiarity which it 
 requires a scientific zoologist accurately to describe ; the skin being covered with a very 
 singular texture, more resembling short soft thin quills than hair or fur, neither of which 
 it can be said to possess. It has tusks which turn downwards, and a sort of apology for a 
 tail ; the musk-bag only occurs in the male, and as there is little or no difference between 
 the sexes, in size or figure, to direct the pursuit of the hunter, a great deal of trouble 
 is sometimes taken to secure an animal, which, if a female, proves valueless. The flesh 
 is eaten by the mountaineers, but Europeans consider it to possess too spicy a flavour. 
 
 English sportsmen often obtain a fair shot, but the natives have another and surer 
 method of securing the game. No sooner is a musk-deer espied, than the people of the 
 nearest village are made acquainted with the circumstance, and the whole population are 
 aroused by the intelligence, and convey it with extraordinary celerity to their next 
 neighbours. The country being up, a cordon is formed round the destined victim, 
 heights are climbed which appear to be perfectly impracticable, and men are to be seen 
 perched like eagles upon the steepest points and pinnacles. The moment that the whole 
 party have taken up their position, the assault is commenced by hurling down large 
 fragments of stone ; and the deafening cries and shouts of the hunters so bewilder the 
 affrighted animal, that he knows not where to turn. Meantime he is wounded, the ring 
 closes round him, he seeks vainly for some opening, and in the desperation of his 
 despair would plunge madly down some steep abyss, but there also he is mocked by 
 horrid shouts, and now, struck to the earth by some overwhelming blow, he sinks 
 to rise no more*. The musk-deer are seldom met with lower than eight thousand feet 
 above the level of the sea : when taken young, endeavours have been made to rear them 
 in a domesticated state, but the attempt has failed— they die speedily in captivity. 
 
 The hawk of the Himalaya is very highly prized ; it is taken alive for the purpose 
 of training, and carried down into the plains for sale, where, if of the best description, 
 it fetches a high price, a hundred rupees, that is, ten pounds, being given for one of these 
 chivalric birds. 
 
 Mohuna, the village in the neighbourhood of our tents, is very beautifully situated, 
 the sites of the small hamlets of these mountain districts being generally judiciously 
 situated, it would be difficult, however, to make an unfortunate choice, and the people 
 
 L 
 
42 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 seemed a quiet harmless race, happy in the enjoyment of the few necessaries which 
 formed the sum total of their wants. The natives of these districts are good-natured and 
 obliging, and may be easily managed by kindness, by those who endeavour rather to 
 humour than to force them out of their prejudices ; a practice to which the scornful 
 European is rather too strongly addicted. The women were particularly civil and kind- 
 hearted ; and indeed, from our earliest occupation of these hills, they have manifested a 
 very amiable attention to the comfort of those white strangers who have invaded the most 
 remote districts. At first the apprehension of danger from persons of so extraordinary a 
 colour, rendered them anxious to conceal themselves, but speedily discovering that in 
 reality they had nothing to dread, they dismissed their fears, and came forward with all 
 the little services which their limited means enabled them to offer. In passing through a 
 village, the women will frequently bring out, unasked, milk and fruit for the refreshment 
 of the travellers; and although, according to the custom of all semi-barbarous countries, 
 they are looked upon with great contempt by the other sex, we found them generally 
 more intelligent, as well as more communicative, than the men ; and they are certainly 
 quite as industrious, taking their full share, or even a greater proportion, of the manual 
 labours of the field. A love of flowers seemed to be the most elegant taste manifested by 
 the people of these hill-districts ; they were fond of adorning themselves with the wild 
 garlands which grew profusely around. They did not appear to regard with any deep 
 feeling of admiration those splendid prospects so eagerly sought by the lovers of the 
 picturesque ; and beyond those local attachments which render the inhabitants of hill- 
 districts more unwilling to quit the homes of their children than any other race of people, 
 they seemed to take little interest in scenery which threw us into raptures. Contrast is 
 perhaps necessary for enjoyment of any kind, and it was impossible to make them com- 
 prehend the motives that induce Englishmen to wander through strange lands for the 
 mere purpose of seeing the country, and admiring the prospects. 
 
 In every part of the Himalaya which we visited, we were surprised by the abundance 
 of fruit trees, and berries of every description. In some places the strawberries com- 
 pletely carpet the ground, which appears crimson with the multitudinous offspring of this 
 prolific plant. The neighbourhood of every village absolutely teemed with the almond, 
 the peach, the apricot, the plum, and the cherry; in some places we found walnuts and 
 chesnuts in great quantities. Many deserted villages are now only indicated by the 
 apricot trees which still remain to shew " where once a garden smiled," and it is said that in 
 consequence of their great abundance all over the country, scientific men find it difficult 
 to ascertain whether they are indigenous to the soil, or have thriven so luxuriantly in 
 consequence of transplantation to so congenial a clime. The natives of the Himalaya 
 frequently feed their cattle with apricots, and obtain an oil from the kernels which is 
 highly esteemed throughout India. In Caubool, a country much farther advanced in 
 civilization and refinement, where the apricot also abounds, it is said to be preserved in 
 fourteen different ways ; the finest of these preparations finding a ready sale in distant 
 kingdoms. In India, particularly, the preserved apricot, having an almond substituted 
 for the stone, is reckoned a great delicacy, and always figures at the banquets of rich 
 natives. The cherry requires cultivation to render it an acceptable guest at the dessert, 
 but it makes excellent cherry brandy ; and upon the first occupation of the hills by the 
 servants of the Company, their friends in the plains were agreeably surprised by presents 
 of apricot jam, cherry brandy, and sacks of walnuts. 
 
 Some of our party, though unprepared to imitate the native hunters in their pursuit 
 of the musk deer, took their guns in search of smaller game, following through an 
 

VIEW NEAR JUBBERAH. 43 
 
 almost endless flight of fields — which, from their very peculiar construction, have been 
 aptly described as a fitting staircase for the Titans of old — the black partridge, the phea- 
 sant, and the hill-chikor. The former-named bird is in great favour, in consequence of 
 making an excellent figure on the table, with the sojourners of the hills ; the male is a 
 beautiful creature, with a glossy star-spangled breast ; he is to be seen in all the grassy 
 ridges wliich intersect the fields, and the calls of his fellows may be heard on all sides — a 
 peculiar creaking note. The hill-chikor also abounds, and of this species there are 
 several varieties, larger, but resembling in plumage the red-legged partridges of France ; 
 it is also followed by its call, which bears a strong similarity to the low cluck of the hen 
 of the poultry-yard as she leads out her young brood. 
 
 Marching along a country like that described in the accompanying plate, has a pic- 
 turesque, and, not to speak it profanely, somewhat of a melo-dramatic effect. The zig- 
 zag nature of the road, winding along" the steep side of a mountain, affords curious views 
 of the cavalcade : the more active and adventurous may be seen advancing above with 
 unabated vigour, the body of the servants and baggage toiling steadily on below, while 
 still lower the rear guard, weary and straggling, follow " with fainting steps and slow." 
 The sighing of the wind through the trees, the call of a bird, or the murmuring of some 
 far-off stream, alone breaks the solitary stillness, until, while absorbed in the sublime 
 reveries which the scene is so well calculated to produce, we are suddenly startled by 
 the crack of a rifle, fired by the most determined of the sportsmen at some wild animal, 
 presenting itself in too tempting a situation to be resisted. 
 
 VIEW NEAR JUBBERAH. 
 
 The village of Jubberah lies to the north of the Mussooree and Marma ridges, on the 
 route from the latter towards the source of the Jumna. The hills at this place have the 
 regular Himalaya character, a three-quarter perpendicular slope, to a hollow, from which 
 at once a similar hill strikes up. From the summit of a neighbouring promontory we 
 obtained one of those striking views which so much delight the lovers of the picturesque, 
 but which, though they fill the bosom with strange and thrilling emotions, would be 
 unfitted for canvass. The pure white pyramid of one of the highest of the snowy range, 
 towering in bold relief to the clear heaven, which it seemed to touch, contrasted finely 
 with the dark hills in front, yet with so abrupt a transition, that persons who never 
 beheld so novel an effect, would fancy any attempt to portray it, to be some wild 
 vagary on the part of the artist. Indeed, it has been very justly remarked, that the 
 most common Oriental sky is often thought to be an exaggeration, when its mellowed 
 beauty is represented on paper or canvass at home, and yet no painting can afford a just 
 idea of its peculiar glory. 
 
 The skies of England, though not without their charms, and producing occasionally 
 some fine effects, do not afford the slightest notion of this mountain hemisphere, with its 
 extraordinary variety of colours, its green and scarlet evenings, and noon-day skies of 
 mellow purple, edged at the horizon with a hazy straw-colour. It is impossible, in fact, 
 to travel through the Himalaya, without perpetually recurring to the rich and changeful 
 hues of its skies ; every day some hitherto unnoticed state of the atmosphere producing 
 some new effect, and calling forth the admiration of the most insensible beholder. 
 This is particularly the case at dawn; for while the lower world is immersed in the 
 deepest shade, the splintered points of the highest range, which first catch the golden 
 
44 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 ray, assume a luminous appearance, flaming like crimson lamps along the heavens, for as 
 yet they seem not to belong to earth ; all below being involved in impenetrable gloom. 
 As the daylight advances, the whole of the chain flushes with a deeper dye, the grand 
 forms of the nearer mountains emerge, and night slowly withdrawing her obscuring veil, 
 a new enchantment decks the scene : the effects of the light and shadows are not less 
 beautiful than astonishing, defining distant objects with a degree of sharpness and accu- 
 racy which is almost inconceivable : and until the sun is high up in the heavens, the 
 lower ranges of the mountains appear to be of the deepest purple hue, while others, 
 tipped with gold, start out from their dark back-ground in bold and splendid relief. 
 A new and sublime variety is afforded when a storm is gathering at the base of the snowy 
 chasm, and dark rolling volumes of clouds, spreading themselves over the face of nature, 
 give an awful character to the scene. 
 
 Our day's march to Jubberah was peculiarly agreeable ; we had risen as usual with 
 the sun, enjoying the sweetness and freshness of the mountain air, and, after a steady 
 advance of some hours, in which a great part of our journey was performed, came to a 
 peculiarly beautiful spot, where we found our breakfast laid out, our people having gone 
 forward, as usual, to prepare it. It was a platform of rock, scooped by the hand of 
 nature in the precipitous side of a shaggy mountain : above our heads crag piled itself 
 upon crag, the interstices being richly clothed with foliage, forest trees springing from 
 the rifts, while creepers threw down their wild garlands to our feet. In front, and all 
 around, we looked upon a chaotic confusion of hills, some separated from us and from 
 each other by narrow and deep ravines, and some running in long ridges, throwing out 
 what appeared to be endless ramifications. 
 
 While seated at our repast, we observed another European traveller at a considerable 
 distance, pursuing the path which we had just trodden, and, having the day before us, 
 we awaited his approach. We found in this gentleman a very acceptable addition to our 
 party, he being well acquainted with the mountains, and having spent a considerable 
 period in places out of the common route of the tourist, and where, previous to his 
 arrival, the English were only known by name. In looking over the notes of my 
 fellow-travellers, I found none so copious or interesting as those which he made during 
 his wanderings through the valley of the Baspa, and, as they form a very agreeable 
 variety to each day's itinerary, little apology need be made for inserting some interesting 
 extracts in this place. 
 
 " The Baspa derives its source from a lofty range of mountains, shutting in the 
 valley to which the river has given its name, to the east, and forming the boundary of 
 Koonawar, a small and fertile district, situated between the Sutlej and the Jumna in that 
 direction. The Baspa runs nearly east and west in a stream of considerable volume, 
 expanding occasionally over a broad bed of stone, and assuming at these times a tranquil 
 character, as its shallow waters glide calmly along. In many places, however, the 
 stream narrows, as it is girt in on either side by rocky banks, and then it pursues its 
 course with headlong fury, rushing over its rugged bed in a sea of foam, and with a 
 velocity which defies all comparison. At length, thres miles below Sungla its savage 
 beauty is completed, as, suddenly contracting in breadth, it forces its passage through a 
 frightful chasm, so narrow as to admit of one of the rude native bridges being thrown 
 across it, and, bounding from rock to rock, it flings itself in fearful torrents over the 
 gigantic obstructions which chafe, but cannot delay it in its rapid flight. From this 
 point, until it throws itself into the Sutlej, its waters are perfectly ungovernable, dashing 
 madly down a steeply inclined plane, and forming cataracts as they leap over the ridges 
 
VIEW NEAR JUBBERAH. 45 
 
 of rock which continually cross the bed. The river gathers foam as it goes surging 
 along, and while flinging up dense masses of spray, which descend again in silvery 
 showers, roars and rages with terrific violence, sending forth wrathful sounds like the 
 angry messages of some incensed deity, which tell of impending ruin. 
 
 " Those who liave brains and nerves to bear the frightful whirl, which may assail the 
 steadiest head, plant themselves on the bridge that spans the torrent, and from this 
 point survey the wild and awful grandeur of the scene, struck with admiration at its 
 terrific beauty, yet, even while visions of horror float before them, unable to withdraw 
 their gaze. On the right, the snowy ranges shoot up their hoary peaks to a tremendous 
 height, while to the left the inferior chains extend far and wide, shewing an endless 
 variety of forms, all clothed in a mantle of green, the luxuriant herbage darkening into 
 forests of pine, and the whole fertilized by innumerable streams. Imagination, however 
 vivid, can scarcely figure to the mind a prospect so grand and thrilling, and the most 
 gifted pencil would fail in the attempt to delineate its savage splendours : lying out of 
 the common track, it is not often visited by Europeans, although perhaps no portion of 
 the Himalaya affords so many attractions to those who delight in contemplating the more 
 wondrous works of nature." 
 
 Arriving at Sungla, our friend was just in time to be present at one of the religious 
 festivals celebrated annually by the natives of the valley, at which, according to the custom 
 prevailing throughout Asia, a fair was also held. The people who attended were congre- 
 gated in a small plain about a mile from Sungla, having brought out their gods in whose 
 honour the assembly was convened. They consisted of four images, two of Narayan, one 
 of Nagus, or the snake god, and one of Budrinath : these were placed upon a moveable 
 throne, not unlike the rath or car of Juggernaut, draperied with gay-coloured tissues, 
 and placed upon a circular platform of stone, which upon other occasions served for the 
 purpose of treading out and winnowing corn. The images, though frightful enough, were 
 less barbarous than some which are exhibited in the plains ; each was furnished with a 
 considerable number of faces, carved in gold and silver, and of no mean execution. They 
 were crowned with enormous plumes of the silken hair of the cow of Thibet, dyed in 
 purple and red, and profusely garlanded with the flowery products of the neighbouring 
 jungles, many of great beauty and fragrance, and some of the splendid blue which is the least 
 common of the varieties which the floral wreath exhibits. Around these idols, weapons of 
 various kinds, and the ornaments belonging to the different temples, were piled, forming 
 altogether a most fantastic group, and shewing the perversity of the human mind, in 
 preferring such grovelling objects of worship in a scene so strongly indicative of the 
 power and grandeur of the Creator of all things. One of these monsters, who figured as 
 the principal divinity, and who mounted eighteen heads, six of gold and twelve of silver, 
 was honoured by the imperial chattha or umbrella, a mark of sovereignty said to have been 
 bestowed upon it by a pious rajah, who having made a pilgrimage to one of the most 
 sacred places in the mountains, brought away the image of Narayan, which now bears the 
 name of Budrinath in honour of his former residence. 
 
 The religious ceremonies consisted of a peculiar, frantic kind of dance, performed by 
 persons of both sexes, and of all ranks, who formed themselves into a ring, holding 
 each other's hands, and moving round to the music which should have marked the time. 
 This dance was led by one of the chief attendants of the temples, who regulated the move- 
 ments somewhat in the way of the conductor at the Italian Opera, using a silver-handled 
 chowrie, instead of the roll of paper ; and the musicians, who performed upon various 
 instruments, all more or less barbarous, likewise made the circle with the dancers. Never 
 
 M 
 
4G VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 were deities -welcomed with greater noise and clamour, or more horrid dissonance. Time 
 and measure were equally set at nought, each striving to make himself heard above the 
 rest ; drums beating, trumpets blowing, cymbals clashing, mixed with the shriller blasts of 
 the clarions, and an indescribable twangling and jangling besides. Some of the instruments 
 were of considerable value, being formed of silver, and purchased by a subscription from 
 the chieftain of the neighbouring district, and the inhabitants, who seemed to delight 
 exceedingly in the noise, that reverberated in an astounding manner through the hills, 
 returning upon the ear in prolonged echoes, which would have been not unpleasing 
 at a greater distance. 
 
 As the dancers flagged, or deemed it expedient to allow others to take a share in the 
 rites, their places were supplied by new performers, the ring being composed of about 
 fifty persons at a time, of a very motley character — rich and poor, the ragged and the 
 splendidly attired, joining together in great amity. Every body appeared in their best 
 garments, and all were adorned with flowers ; but notwithstanding these beautiful decora- 
 tions, the costume was any thing but attractive, while many individuals made a very 
 sorry and squalid appearance. Many of the women had extremely long hair, but this 
 natural beauty, though plaited and adorned with considerable care, had not the greater 
 charm of cleanliness to recommend it ; the long black braids, descending nearly to the feet, 
 were surmounted by caps of black and scarlet woollen cloth, exceedingly dirty, and raising- 
 disagreeable ideas in the mind. The women wore silver and gold ornaments across the 
 forehead, rich and fantastical, but not particularly becoming ; and those who were wealthy 
 enough, loaded themselves with a great variety of tasteless incumbrances — chains and bells 
 of precious metals, a profusion of ear-rings, and silver fringes pendent over the eyes, while 
 their bracelets, necklaces, amulets, nose rings, finger rings, and clasps of various kinds of 
 coloured stones, were innumerable. 
 
 Petticoats of woollen dyed in stripes, generally red and blue, formed the principal 
 garment of the women, and to this a boddice was added, sometimes of coloured chintz, 
 the favourite material of the richer classes ; — the costume which would have been pretty 
 had it been clean, and worn by persons of less offensive habits, being finished by a mantle 
 folded gracefully over the left shoulder, and fastened in front by an enormous clasp made 
 of brass, grotesquely carved and exceedingly heavy, some of them weighing nearly two 
 pounds. 
 
 Part of the company were of a very tatterdemalion description, having little covering 
 except of dirt, and such clothing as they had, hanging about them in shreds and patches. 
 — This poverty-stricken appearance did not prevent them from meeting with a good 
 reception, and the poorest and the dirtiest mingled freely in the dance, linking themselves 
 with the rich and the gay, whose expensive clothing and superabundance of ornaments 
 contrasted strangely with their rags. Contrary to the general custom throughout the 
 Himalaya, where every village sends out its troop of professional dancers, there were no 
 public performers at this meeting, the whole promiscuous assembly assisting at the 
 ceremonials. The scene was certainly animated and picturesque, the principal group 
 revolving round the centre, while others were scattered about, some resting under the 
 shade of noble walnut-trees, others lying down upon the grass, after the manner of the 
 ladies and gentlemen depicted in the illustrations of the Decameron. 
 
 On one side, a belt-like range of wooded hills, backed by the more lofty Kylass towering 
 in eternal snow, formed a part of the magnificent amphitheatre, the open valley sloping 
 down to the Baspa, which went dashing and foaming along, swollen and turbid with the 
 melting of the icy glaciers above. Worn out perchance by the wasteful exertions of their 
 
VIEW NEAR JUBBEHAH. 47 
 
 lungs, a sudden pause took place amongst the instrumental performers ; the instant 
 the music ceased, the dancers broke up, and the whole assembled multitude made a 
 simultaneous rush to the spot in which the deities were enthroned ; the inhabitants of 
 each village, seizing upon their god, carried him off without further loss of time ; and 
 thus the whole concourse dispersed, as if by enchantment. 
 
 Bending their steps to Sungla, the party found the people of the village assembled in 
 an open area in front of the temple, dancing in the same order as before, that is, joining 
 hands, and advancing and receding instead of making the round. They accompanied 
 themselves with their own voices, singing or rather chanting in a wild but not unpleasing 
 manner, completely suited to the occasion : the females were the principal performers 
 here, as well as in other places, the sex manifesting a great predilection to arts which 
 men, both civilized and uncivilized, sometimes regard with disdain. Meantime both 
 men and women indulged very freely in the juice of the grape, drinking deep of the 
 wine, which is imbibed without scruple by these unorthodox Hindoos. The dance, under 
 these circumstances, degenerated into a romping - match, which was kept up until 
 strength and steadiness failed, many measuring the ground in a hopeless state of intoxi- 
 cation, which prevented every effort to rise. 
 
 The village of Jungla is small and scattered, in consequence of fires, which on two 
 several occasions committed great havoc among the houses ; it is situated on the Thibet 
 side of the snowy chain, and, at the base of the range, at an elevation of nearly nine 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea. The houses are constructed of stone and cedar, 
 the upper story overhanging the road in the peculiar manner which characterizes native 
 architecture in the Himalaya. The air is humid, and unfavourable to several kinds of 
 cultivation, especially that of the grape, which is, however, extensively grown in 
 Koonawar, for the purpose of making wine; while other intoxicating liquids are obtained 
 from different species of grain, the process employed being very effective in procuring 
 a potent spirit. A quantity of dough being prepared and baked, is immersed in wooden 
 vessels with half its weight of water, and buried in the earth for six days in the warm, 
 and nine days in the cold season. Another ingredient is then obtained from grain sown, 
 and plucked up as soon as it appears above the ground ; which being dried in the sun, 
 and reduced to powder, is mixed with four times its weight of dough, and then boiled 
 over a slow fire, when it yields a spirit, which is doubled in value if submitted to the 
 boiling process a second time. 
 
 Peas and beans thrive very tolerably, but the turnip does not succeed so well, on 
 account of the quantity of rain which falls at this place. The valley of the Baspa is 
 considered to be without the influence of the periodical rains, but though not exposed to 
 the torrents which fall elsewhere, it is visited by such frequent showers, that the ground 
 is kept constantly wet. The tobacco, like all that is at present grown in the hills, is of 
 an inferior quality; the natives improve it for smoking by a mixture of an intoxicating 
 drug, obtained from the leaves and seeds of a plant which exudes a glutinous substance : 
 black cummin is a product of the valley, which the cultivators export to the plains of 
 India ; and two descriptions of dye are obtained from the Indian madder ; the red sort 
 is in great request, both for giving a vivid colour to the wool which is woven into 
 garments, and as a substitute for the more delicate preparations of rouge used by 
 foreign belles. So efficacious is this root considered in India as a beautifier, that the 
 women, who are particularly anxious to improve their charms, swallow it under the idea 
 that it will heighten the complexion, and add brilliance to their whole appearance. The 
 fruit-trees attain, at this elevation, a very luxuriant growth ; and walnuts, nectarines, 
 
48 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 and apricots, the latter especially, are found in great abundance. The kernels of this 
 fruit form the principal fare of many of the neighbouring inhabitants, in addition to a 
 kind of spinach, and the coarser descriptions of grain. 
 
 THE VILLAGE OF NAREE. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the occupation of the Himalaya by the British, and the 
 gradual introduction of a more scientific method of cultivating the native products of the 
 country, together with the development of its numerous resources, will tend greatly to 
 improve the condition of the native inhabitants. Their poverty is wholly the effect of 
 ignorance, for though there are a great many natural disadvantages, against which the 
 husbandman must contend, yet a superior degree of skill, and a better acquaintance with 
 the principles of agriculture, would speedily counterbalance these drawbacks, and render 
 the soil quite equal to the support of a much larger population, while its exports might 
 be very materially increased. The mountaineers, or Puharies, as these hill -people are 
 called, though perhaps not equal in mental capacity to the inhabitants of the plains, 
 exhibit no want of intelligence, and may be easily made to comprehend the means of pro- 
 curing additional comforts ; but there is one quality essentially necessary to render them 
 agreeable to their British visitants, which is unteachable — and that is, cleanliness. 
 
 It is extraordinary how very small a portion of the human race seem to comprehend 
 the blessing of that cheap luxury attainable by all, and how difficult it is to make people 
 who have indulged in dirt and slatternliness, to comprehend the offensive nature of their 
 habits, and to induce them to adopt a better system. Example appears to have no effect; 
 the old Scottish saying, " the clartier the cosier," if once established, remains an incon- 
 trovertible dictum, notwithstanding its obvious fallacy, since nothing can be more con- 
 ducive to warmth, as well as to health, than the cleansing of the pores, and the exchange 
 of dirty garments for clean ones. _ 
 
 Every march throughout the Himalaya affords some proof of the inveterate nature of 
 the preference manifested for dirt, and all its odious concomitants ; and while admiring 
 the picturesque appearance of the villages, the ingenuity displayed in the construction of 
 the houses, and the convenient arrangement of some of the interiors, we were deterred 
 from any thing approaching to close contact, either to men or dwellings, by the vermin 
 and bad smells which invariably accompanied both. 
 
 The number of houses composing the village of Naree is small, and the primitive 
 hamlets of the hill -districts do not usually exceed twenty-five or thirty, the families 
 being in the same proportion ; the advantages of division of labour not yet being under- 
 stood, all the mechanical arts belonging to one trade, are carried on by the same 
 individual, who transmits his occupation to his descendants. The greater number of the 
 mountaineers call themselves Rajpoots, but they are unable to shew any legitimate claim 
 to the title, so degenerate a race seldom springing from warlike ancestry. From what- 
 ever circumstance it may be caused, they do not exhibit the intrepidity, hardihood, 
 and enterprise which usually characterize the people who inhabit alpine regions ; but 
 their timidity and apathy are not so offensive as their total want of sentiment. Notwith- 
 standing the absence of refinement of feeling in the Hindoo character generally, the 
 people of the plains manifest a high sense of honour : their marriages may be contracted 
 without respect to that mutual affection which seems so requisite for the security of 
 domestic happiness ; but they regard female chastity as an essential, and, if not so easily 
 roused to jealousy as the Mohammedans, will not brook dishonour, and will sacrifice 
 
' *b 
 
THE VILLAGE OF NAREE. 49 
 
 themselves, as well as those nearest and dearest to them, rather than see their women 
 degraded. In the hills, no sort of respect is paid to the sex. Women are looked upon 
 as expensive articles, since every man must purchase his wife ; and in order to diminish 
 the sum spent upon the acquisition and the support of this domestic slave, four or five 
 brothers will be content with a revolting partnership in her affections. The demand being 
 ^>o small, it is generally supposed that the infanticide common to many of the Rajpoot 
 tribes is practised with regard to daughters, it being difficult to dispose of a large family 
 to advantage ; at least, no satisfactory reason is given for the paucity of females, — who are 
 not found unmarried in the houses of their parents, as would be the case if their num- 
 ber bore any proportion to that of the men. Such a wretched state of things cannot 
 fail to retard the progress of civilization, which in all countries is more easily carried on 
 by means of the women and children, who are of course influenced by their mothers, 
 than by the adult male portion of the community. Women, on account of the greater 
 liveliness of their imaginations, are readily induced to adopt novel modes of thinking, 
 and, wherever they are in sufficient numbers to have any weight, will, notwithstanding 
 every effort to depress and degrade them, obtain a very considerable degree of influence 
 over the other sex. Thus, even amongst the American Indians, the squaws, though 
 looked upon with contempt and disdain by their lordly masters, have contrived to intro- 
 duce many innovations, both in religion and manners, in several of the tribes, which they 
 have adopted from their European associates, while there are histories of the heart to be 
 found in the annals of the wildest and most barbarous of these untamed savages. The 
 Hindoo of the plains, though sunk in sensuality, occasionally evinces some finer feeling, 
 and will, in the pursuit of a romantic attachment, afford materials for the poet ; but 
 nothing of the kind can exist amid a people who can neither understand or appreciate 
 the charm of femaje purity; while the women, so long as the abominable system of 
 polygamy prevails, which has been from time immemorial established in the Himalaya, 
 must remain in their present wretched and most contemptible condition. In speaking 
 thus of the native character, we must deplore the melancholy circumstances which have 
 produced it, rather than inveigh against the people themselves, on account of the inevit- 
 able result of some inexplicable notions which prevailed in a remote antiquity, and of 
 which they have never yet been taught the fallacy. It is impossible, in passing through 
 a foreign country, not to speak with reprehension of systems and customs which militate 
 against the ideas of persons farther advanced in morality and civilization ; but we ought 
 to be cautious in our censures, to pity while we condemn, and, moreover, (when, as in 
 India, we have the opportunity,) to use our best endeavours to introduce a better code of 
 morals, and to try the effects of instruction, before we stigmatize a whole race as inimical 
 to all improvement. The language employed in commenting upon native vices of every 
 kind, usually exhibits more of indignation, than of that discriminative justice which 
 ought always to accompany inquiries into national character. It has been truly said, that 
 we have thrown more odium on the faults of the natives than they deserve, and that in 
 our reprobation of crimes and follies, which we have little or no temptation to commit, 
 we forget how often we err on the score of benevolence, justice, courtesy, and charity, 
 towards those who have so much right to expect all the Christian virtues at our hands. 
 Never, perhaps, were the lines of Hudibras more strongly exemplified than in India, 
 since most certainly there, we 
 
 Compound for sins we are inclined to, 
 By damning those we have no mind to. 
 
50 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 THE BRIDGE AT BHURKOTE. 
 
 In travelling through the hill-districts, we are continually surprised into a remark 
 respecting the changeful nature of the scenery on our line of march, and it is impossible 
 to attempt to give even the most brief description of the country, without a constant repeti- 
 tion of the observations to which these sudden alterations in the landscape give rise. The 
 transitions from heat to cold, and vice versd, are frequently very sudden, as we ascend 
 and descend ; sometimes dreadfully annoyed by the incumbrance of our clothes while 
 passing through a deep and sunny valley, and envying the freedom of our followers, who 
 make no scruple of divesting themselves of every superfluous garment — and at others 
 shivering with cold. 
 
 The features of the landscape are subjected to equally striking mutations : a horrid 
 region of barren rocks, bare and bleak, without a trace of vegetation, surmounted by 
 beetling cliffs frowning in unreclaimed sterility, afford an awful portraiture of desolation 
 and famine ; no living creature is to be seen in these dismal solitudes, neither bird nor 
 beast intruding on the rugged wild. The pass threaded, we mount some steep and rocky 
 pathway, and, gaining the summit of a ridge, look down for several hundred feet upon 
 a tangled scene, trees scattering themselves between the rocks, and an impetuous torrent 
 running through them with dash and foam ; anon, we emerge into green and smiling 
 pastures, enamelled with flowers and shaded by fruit-trees, and showing some interesting 
 memorial of the ingenuity and industry of man, such, for instance, as the bridge at Bhur- 
 kote, which is, in its way, a perfect specimen of the architecture of the Himalayan 
 engineers. 
 
 When the stream is too wid« to be spanned by single trees, the banks are brought 
 nearly to a level by the means of stone buttresses erected on either side ; these are sur- 
 mounted by rows of stout beams, laid close to each other, one end projecting about one- 
 fourth of their length across the river, and the other secured to terra firma. Over them 
 another row of beams is placed, projecting still further, and supported by those below ; 
 and in this manner the sides are raised, floor above floor, until the vacant space between 
 may be crossed by single planks. The whole is very skilfully put together, neither glue, 
 rope, or nails being employed ; the absence of these articles, and the tools which an 
 European workman would consider necessary for any structure of the kind, being 
 supplied in a very ingenious manner by contrivances which are quite sufficient for the 
 purpose. Even the masonry is occasionally bound together with a frame-work of wood 
 employed as a substitute for mortar, and so admirably managed as to give great strength 
 and security to the fabric. The platform across is furnished on either side with rails ; but 
 although they afford some appearance of safety, the springing motion of the planks, and 
 the rapidity of the current which hurries along the rocky bed beneath, render considerable 
 steadiness of brain necessary in crossing. The bridge of Bhurkote is constructed of a 
 species of larch, and the river is shaded by some very fine alders, which here attain a 
 gigantic size. 
 
 Our sportsmen filled their game-bags, after a very exhilarating pursuit of the furred 
 and feathered race, most beautiful to the eye, and certainly excellent eating. The 
 antelopes which they succeeded in killing emulate in speed the swiftest of their kind. 
 At the slightest alarm they begin their flight, for such it may be called, doubling up 
 their limbs close to the body, and bounding along with such graceful and elastic springs, 
 that they scarcely appear to touch the earth, and seem towing their way bird-like 1h rough 
 

#' 
 
VIEW NEAR KUR9ALEE. 51 
 
 the air. When closely pursued, the speed increases ; fleet as thought, they bound across 
 astonishing distances at a time, springing over very considerable heights, and , but for the 
 fatal bullet, would leave pursuit far behind, since horses and dogs would have no chance 
 against them. The monal, or hill-pheasant, a most superb bird both in size and plumage, 
 affords a very acceptable regale for the hungry traveller ; and though the fish of these 
 mountain-streams, usually the leather-mouthed kind, are not particularly good, they 
 form a welcome variety to the daily fare. Sometimes the shikarrees, native-hunters, 
 bring in a wild sheep for sale in our camp ; the specimens we have seen are large animals 
 with short horns, and superior in flavour to the common sort of the hills, at least we thought 
 them so ; but gastronomical opinions, given under the influence of sharp appetites in these 
 mountainous regions, are not always to be relied upon as infallible. When too much 
 fatigued to enjoy a meal, or suffering from heat or indisposition, we are apt to pronounce 
 the mutton coarse, rank, or flavourless, which under other circumstances we should extol 
 as the finest it had ever been our fortune to banquet upon. The existence of wild sheep 
 was not known until our occupation of these hills placed the matter beyond a doubt ; 
 many flocks have established themselves in inaccessible regions, where they tantalize the 
 traveller by their appearance upon some green slope, so effectually encircled by impassable 
 ravines, as to defy the intrusion of man, and completely out of the reach of the shot 
 which many persons in mere wantonness would fire at them. 
 
 VIEW NEAR KURSALEE. 
 
 At our halting-place near the village of Ozree, on the road to Kursalee, the immense 
 assemblage of mountains, range swelling upon range, again forcibly brought the image 
 to our minds of the waves of a mighty ocean lashed into fury, and rearing their billows 
 on high, until, suddenly checked by an all-powerful hand, they ceased their wrath, and, 
 stilled into sullen majesty, became gigantic masses of earth and rock. The clothing of 
 these hill-sides favours the idea, adding considerably to their wave-like appearance, and 
 presenting altogether a chaotic mass of wild and singular grandeur. 
 
 Kursalee is a large and flourishing place, full of temples and brahmins, the latter- 
 named gentry establishing themselves in great abundance near the scenes most in repute 
 with the numerous pilgrims resorting to the sacred sources of the Ganges and Jumna, 
 from whose pockets these wily priests contrive to pick a very pretty subsistence. The 
 brahmins who are attached to the temples have certainly the best of it, for the numbers 
 resorting to the hills for the purpose of making as much as they can of their sacred caste, 
 render it necessary that some should toil for their support. Occasionally we find them 
 populating a whole village, and settling down as cultivators ; and many who are not so 
 fortunate as to establish themselves as proprietors of land, travel to and fro from the hills 
 to the plains, with jars of the holy water, which obtain a ready sale among the pious who 
 are unwilling or unable to make the pilgrimage themselves. During their journeys, the 
 sanctity of the order is sufficient to procure board and lodging gratis ; to refuse a meal 
 to a brahmin would, indeed, be a heinous offence, for wftich no punishment, either in 
 this world or the next, could be considered too great. Some of the temples are said to 
 have been miraculously raised by the gods themselves, and of course derive superior 
 holiness from that circumstance : they are adorned according to the revenues of the 
 neighbouring devotees, with ornaments of various descriptions, musical instruments, and 
 images of different degrees of value. 
 
52 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The horns of numerous species of deer are very favourite decorations, both of temples 
 and tombs, the natives attaching some peculiar virtue to these sylvan trophies, and 
 believing that they exercise a mysterious influence over their present and future fortunes. 
 In addition to the worship of the numerous deities introduced by the brahmins of the 
 plains; it is supposed at no very remote antiquity; the people of the hills have a very 
 extensive catalogue of superstitions exclusively their own, performing religious worship 
 to the symbolical representations of good or evil beings, which their imaginations have 
 invested with supreme power. The cow is, however, reverenced by the most degenerate 
 followers of the brahminical faith ; and when we first occupied the hills, the very poorest 
 persons have refused to sell one of these sacred animals to a purchaser of a different 
 persuasion, even though he engaged to respect a life so highly venerated, and offered 
 gold in exchange. 
 
 The sacred character of the cow does not secure it from hard work, it being employed 
 in the laborious departments of agriculture, in the same manner pursued by the more 
 orthodox Hindoos of the plains, but it is better treated, being fed and tended with much 
 greater care than the ill-used animal mocked by the worship of those who often prove 
 cruel task-masters. 
 
 Some fine pieces of land attached to the neighbouring villages are wholly appropriated 
 to the maintenance of the temples and their priests, and the images in some of these 
 pagodas are remarkably well executed. The five brothers of the Pandoo family, who 
 make so conspicuous a figure in the cave-temples of Ellora, have a religious edifice 
 dedicated to them at Lakha Kundul, a beautiful village in this district, where is also to 
 be found a bullock couchant, of black marble, as large as life, and sculptured by no mean 
 hand. Our road to this lovely place, which deserves more than a passing remark, led 
 through a noble forest, in which the oak and the rhododendron mingled freely with the 
 pine, and on emerging from these woody labyrinths, we came at once upon the Jumna, 
 as it swept round the base of a lofty mountain, covered with wood to its topmost height. 
 Presently we reached a little valley, our march taking us along the side of gentle 
 eminences in a high state of cultivation, and there, shaded by a grove of fruit-trees, stood 
 a temple, in one of the most beautiful situations imaginable, an opening between the 
 neighbouring hills affording a view of the snowy mountains, and a cascade, which forms 
 their welcome tribute to the plains. This valley, in addition to its natural beauties, wore 
 a trim appearance, the evidence of human occupation ; the apricots attained their largest 
 size, and the enclosures of flowering hedge-rows were neatly kept. 
 
 The scenery of the glen of the Jumna is universally allowed to be exceedingly 
 beautiful ; some, however, of our party preferred that of the Rupin and Pabar rivers, 
 where the precipices close in over the gradually rising bed of the stream, steeper and 
 still more grand at every march, and where the forests which clothe the bases of these 
 cliffs assume an aspect of more purely alpine character than those in their neighbourhood, 
 the dark yews, cedars, and firs, and the silver birch, occurring in greater profusion than 
 in the vicinity of Kursalee, though at so much higher an altitude. It is difficult to 
 decide between the various claims to beauty which these striking scenes possess. One of 
 our fellow-travellers was particularly delighted with a march along a steep ascent througli 
 woods of oak and rhododendron, which lasted a whole mile. Upon reaching the summit, 
 an exceedingly grand prospect of the snowy peaks, from Bundurpooch to the right, and 
 Bachunch on the left, was obtained, the lower view being wide and varied, shewing the 
 course of the Jumna to the south-west, until it was lost in a distant range. The moun- 
 tain he traversed was white with recent snow, but many of the surrounding peaks, which 
 
64 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The rocks from which it issues are all quartz, surrounded by gneiss and mica schist 
 on every side, except one, down which the torrent rushes, wearing the rock as smooth 
 as marble in its fierce descent. 
 
 This spot is considered by the Hindoos to be exceedingly holy, and they are rapt in 
 religious ecstasy, happy in the belief that they have secured the road to heaven, while the 
 European surveys with admiration and wonder the sublime features which the great 
 Creator of the universe has here assembled. The width of the channel allowing the river 
 to spread at this place, renders the stream not so tumultuous as above and below, and its 
 comparatively tranquil surface forms a pleasing contrast to the furious tributary which 
 rushes into it. The rocks, piling themselves one above another in fantastic confusion, are 
 peopled by thousands of pigeons, which, when disturbed, flock out in clouds ; and here, a 
 fitting scene for such a guest, the gigantic elk of these mountains finds a favourite haunt. 
 The country round about partakes of the same wild, sublime, and savagely romantic 
 character. Paths, rough, rocky, and dangerous, ascending and descending across the 
 sides of steep precipices, down to deep ravines, and then winding upwards, lead to a 
 halting-place on a ledge or terrace, where the hunter may take his stand, and watch for 
 an opportunity to slay the musk deer, which, though scarce and shy, are sometimes attain- 
 able ; while the traveller in search of the picturesque looks down heights of many hundred 
 or even thousand feet, watching the course of some neighbouring rill, which flings itself 
 in cascades to the dark abyss below. The foliage of these tremendous solitudes har- 
 monizes well with the character of the scene, it is sombre, luxuriant, and heavy ; but in 
 his wanderings the pilgrim comes upon rich clusters of white roses, while the innumer- 
 able family of ferns, mingled with a bright variety of flowers, spring beneath his feet. 
 
 CROSSING BY A SANGHA NEAR JUMNOOTREE. 
 
 It is not always that the traveller in the Himalaya will find himself accommodated with 
 such a bridge as we passed at Bhurkote, and repairs being considered as works of supere- 
 rogation throughout the greater part of Asia, the chances are strongly against his being 
 equally fortunate with ourselves, in crossing even that, while in good condition. 
 
 The most common contrivance in these hill-districts, when the stream is sufficiently 
 narrow to admit of its employment, is the sangha, the rudest bridge imaginable. No one 
 being at the trouble to repair a work which is not at any time very secure, these sanghas 
 are usually in an exceedingly crazy and precarious condition, and side-rails being deemed 
 superfluous, the narrow footway, only sufficient to admit of the passage of one traveller 
 at a time, forms a method of crossing a torrent neither very easy nor very agreeable. 
 Where two projecting rocks are found facing each other, they are employed as the support 
 of a couple of fir-trees which rest on either side, a narrow platform being constructed 
 by the boughs cut from the neighbouring forests, and placed crosswise : this is often per- 
 formed in a careless and slovenly manner, without any endeavour to prevent gaps of an 
 inconvenient width, and without any fastening whatever. So long as the traveller can 
 keep in the centre, he is tolerably safe, but the moment that he plants his foot either to 
 the right or left, he is in danger of being precipitated into the torrent by the boughs on 
 the opposite side tilting up. Persons possessing the very steadiest head find their brains 
 severely tried in these difficult passes; few can look upon the impetuous current below, and 
 preserve any accuracy of vision, the best plan being to fix the eyes upon some object on 
 shore, and to pass firmly and steadily along, for there is no parapet, no guiding rail, and 
 

 
 2 
 
 
 
 
CROSSING BY A SANGHA NEAR JUMNOOTREE. 5 r > 
 
 in a high wind the frail bridge is so fearfully swayed, that even the mountaineers them- 
 selves refuse to cross it ; many accidents of course occur ; but that they are not more 
 numerous is wonderful, considering that not men only, but baggage of various kinds, is 
 conveyed across. Our Mussulman servants, and the people from the plains, looked upon 
 these tottering sanghas with great horror, and a sense of shame, and the dread of our 
 ridicule, alone induced them to attempt the passage. Not participating in our delighted 
 admiration of the romantic characters of the scene, they had nothing but a point of 
 honour to console them under its terrors. 
 
 It is not every European who goes forth from the hill-stations on an exploring 
 expedition, that fulfils his original intentions ; many find the difficulties and dangers of 
 the enterprise too great to be compensated by the wild beauties of the landscape, and 
 turn back, some on the very threshhold of the undertaking, and others before they have 
 proceeded half-way. We were obliged to dispense with our ponies at a certain point, and 
 they were sent away under proper care to an appointed place, which we intended to 
 pass on our journey to Simlah, where they would be available. We did not make any 
 extraordinary use of our jhampans either, performing the greater portion, and all the 
 perilous parts of our journey, on foot. We were now nearing the source of the Jumna, 
 and though the ascent of its wild and rocky valley was any thing but easy, we moved 
 forward steadily and with unabated ardour. The cold in the early part of our march 
 from Kursalee was excessive, the thermometer in the shade being below the freezing 
 point ; but our exercise was of a description to render the circumstance of little 
 importance. 
 
 The glen of the Jumna became narrower and narrower at every step, and the preci- 
 pices on either side steeper, more lofty, and of a still more awful character. The 
 brahmins, who never fail to make some advantage of their sacred calling, volunteered 
 their services as cicerones ; we had our own coolies besides, who having come afar 
 with us, of course determined to avail themselves of all the benefits of the pilgrimage ; 
 together with a numerous train of fakeers, who are always ready to travel at the 
 cheapest rate, and regarded the burra buxies' great present, which the head brahmin 
 would receive from us, as a sufficient remuneration for the whole party: — thus we 
 mustered strong. 
 
 Up we went, emulating the monkeys as we scrambled upon hands and knees with 
 every possible contortion of body, while clinging and climbing the very steepest ascent 
 that it seemed possible for human beings to achieve. Upon gaining a breathing-place, 
 we found that we had reached a spot accounted very holy, being the portal as it were to 
 the sacred source. A small shrine or temple is erected at this place, dedicated to Bhyram 
 Jee, and called Bhyram Ghati, and here we found a brahmin ringing a bell ; we paused 
 to recover our breath, and to survey the prospect, which was inexpressibly grand. The 
 glen of the river lay under our feet, and we could trace the lofty ridges which enclose it 
 nearly as far as the plains. Opposite, bare and bleak precipices arose, rearing their lofty 
 and sterile peaks to an astonishing height, while to the north-east we caught a view of the 
 western angle of Bunderpooch, glittering in snow ; and nearly in front, immense masses 
 of frozen snow, whence the Jumna derives its source, were piled in icy grandeur. 
 
 While recovering our breath and enjoying the prospect, the devotees of the party 
 employed themselves in gathering the flowers which adorned the wild and desolate 
 spot, as an offering at the shrine. The difficulties of the approach precluded the pious 
 architects of this place from any great attempt, and this altar is in consequence of a very 
 rude description, being merely a collection of loose stones, put clumsily together, and 
 
56 VIEWS IN INDIA.. 
 
 enclosing a few wretched idols of the most trumpery description. Strange it is, that men 
 having so grand a shrine, so wonderful a temple, made by the Deity himself, in the midst 
 of the sublimest portion of his creations, should disregard the fitness of the scene for that 
 instinctive homage which the least religiously inclined person must pay to the mighty 
 Author of the surrounding wonders, and stoop to offer adoration to the mishapen works 
 of his own hands. 
 
 Though the distance from Kursalee to Jumnootree is only eight miles, the difficulties 
 and dangers of the route render it a very arduous journey. From our last resting-place, 
 Bhyram-ghati, we scrambled up and down, sometimes finding nothing but a notched tree 
 for a path, and wandering backwards and forwards through the river, which was very 
 cold, as either side offered the better footing ; occasionally traversing the projecting stones 
 arising from the midst of the stream. This devious way led us to a series of exceedingly 
 beautiful cascades, the Jumna being in some places joined by tributary streams tumbling 
 from immense heights, the precipitous masses of rock on either side attaining a still 
 greater degree of nobleness and grandeur. Completely shut in by these mountain ranges, 
 which rose abruptly on both sides of the narrowing stream, we could only catch glimpses 
 of the snowy peaks beyond. The course of the river at this place is indeed a mere chasm 
 cut in the rock, and worn by the action of the water in its continual flotv. In some places the 
 solid rocks on either side run up in a perpendicular height, rendering the opening as narrow 
 at the top as at the base, and forming a dark pass, the foliage of the trees springing from 
 clefts, and shallow beds of earth meeting at the summit. At each step the path became 
 more difficult and laborious ; deep pools obliged us to mount to the top of a precipice, 
 and to leap down again from heights too steep to be mastered in any other way, while 
 there was some danger of precipitation into the rapid waters boiling below. Then we 
 clambered up loose fragments of a gigantic size, which seemed to have fallen from above 
 purposely to block the way, and anon scrambled through a sort of sea of crumbling stones 
 bedded in quag, and exceedingly difficult to pass, where the trees, occasionally laid along 
 to serve as a pathway, are wanting. 
 
 SOURCE OF THE JUMNA. 
 
 By dint of untiring perseverance, and no small exertion of bodily strength, we at last 
 found ourselves on the confines of eternal snow. As we approached Jumnootree, which 
 is not accessible until the month of May, we found the river gliding under arches of ice, 
 through which it had worn its passage, and at length, these masses becoming too strongly- 
 frozen to yield and fall into the current, the stream itself could be traced no longer, aud, 
 if not at its actual source, we stood at the first stage of its youthful existence. It is quite 
 impossible to prevent a feeling of exultation from springing up in the mind, at the com- 
 pletion of a pilgrimage to a place so deservedly celebrated ; an enterprise which few 
 people have an opportunity of achieving, and still fewer the nerve to undertake. We had 
 deemed it impossible that the awful grandeur of the preceding scene could have been 
 heightened, yet standing on the snow which now completely covered the bed of the river, 
 and beholding it from the place whence it emerged, we were as much struck with the 
 sublimity of the landscape, as if we had come upon it suddenly and without previous 
 preparation. The glen is not more than thirty or forty feet in width, and the rocks on 
 either side are of the noblest dimensions, and crowned with dark luxuriant foliage, while 
 the impenetrable region beyond — solemn, majestic, and wonderfully beautiful — seems abs<>- 
 

 
 3 
 
 ft 
 
SOURCE OF THE JUMNA. 57 
 
 lutely to strike upon the soul, so strange are the sensations which it produces in the 
 craving heart of man, as it defies the farther intrusion of his adventurous footsteps. 
 
 The most holy spot is found upon the left bank, where a mass of quartz and silicious 
 schist rock sends forth five hot springs into the bed of the river, which boil and bubble 
 at a furious rate. When mingled with the icy-cold stream of the Jumna, these smoking 
 springs form a very delightful tepid bath, and the pilgrims, after dipping their hands in 
 the hottest part, perform much more agreeable ablutions, where the temperature offers 
 the desirable medium between the scalding water above and the chilling stream below. 
 It is usual with the devotees to make an offering of money to the divinity of the river, 
 an offering which of course finds its way to the pocket of the officiating priest, who prays 
 over the bathers, and marks them on the forehead in the most orthodox fashion with the 
 sacred mud of the place. 
 
 European travellers pay the tax, for they feel that they owe something to the brahmin 
 for his attendance ; but they, at least those who are acquainted with the prevailing feeling 
 of the Hindoos, dispense with the distinguishing badge of idolatrous worship, and make 
 no scruple of standing beside the holy spring with their shoes on. The approach with 
 bare feet is an acknowledgment of the sanctity of the place, which no Christian ought to 
 give, and the natives of India do not insist upon it from those who differ from them in 
 religious belief, preventing them only from penetrating to the interiors of a few temples. 
 If we offer an insult to the religious feelings of a Hindoo by refusing this mark of respect 
 to their deities, we ought to remain at the prescribed distance from their sacred places, 
 since it has been very justly remarked, that no native would understand why a Christian 
 should take off his shoes, or in any other way mark the holiness of any particular spot, 
 unless he really considered the spot to be holy.* 
 
 The height of the snow bed at Jumnootre is about ten thousand feet, and in the 
 month of October, when all the snow that ever melts is melted at this place, it is possible 
 to advance somewhat nearer to the real source than at any other period of the year. 
 Crossing the snowy bed whence the water emerges at Jumnootree, is a work of some diffi- 
 culty, and when accomplished we find that the infant river is divided into three streams, 
 each forming a separate waterfall, and flowing over steep green hills. The lower of these 
 are surmountable, but with great difficulty and some danger, as the stones are loose, and 
 slip from under the feet : in process of time, however, we may look forward to such an 
 improvement in the roads of these hills as will allow the traveller to reach the utmost 
 extent which human means can render possible. 
 
 Those persons who have proceeded as far as the present circumstances will admit, 
 that is, about a mile beyond Jumnootre, have ascertained that the most direct stream 
 
 • It may be, perhaps, necessary to state, that in making these observations there is no wish to countenance the 
 disdain of native opinion, which it is, but too frequently, the practice of Europeans to display. Many, who from their edu- 
 cation and intelligence should know better, insist upon forcing their way with their shoes on into places considered holy 
 by the Hindoos ; a wanton act of sacrilege, for which there is no excuse : all that is here advocated, is a determination not 
 to shew a degree of homage which is liable to misinterpretation, and to keep aloof from places which involve an acknow- 
 ledgment of reverence to pagan gods. There is great reason to fear that the influx of European travellers to the hills is 
 doing much to impress the natives of those districts with the same opinion which the haughty superciliousness, arrogance, 
 and contemptuous conduct, too characleristic of Anglo-Indians, have rendered so prevalent in the plains. Instead of exert- 
 ing the superior knowledge, virtue, wisdom, science, &c, of which we make so great a vaunt, in gaining the respect of, and 
 affording an example to the less fortunate people of India, we disgust them by the display of all our bad qualities, while 
 they cannot possibly, by intuition, know that we have any good ones. Few, indeed, there are who regard the estimation 
 in which they may be held by the natives, caring not a farthing what "those black fellows" may think of them ; and yet 
 there are no better judges of manners. 
 
 P 
 
58 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 of the river does not arise from any part of Bundurpooch, but from the range that runs 
 off it to the westward. As we stand at Jumnootree, these small streams are perceptible 
 before their junction into one fall, which loses itself under a mass of snow, whence it 
 issues near the hot springs before mentioned. 
 
 The forest stretches at least fifteen hundred feet above the snowy bed of the Jumna, 
 before vegetation is entirely forbidden by the frosts of the giant heights beyond. The 
 geologist may make a very interesting collection at Jumnootree ; beautiful specimens 
 of garnet, shorl, and tourmaline crystals being to be found : there is a considerable 
 quantity of talcose gneiss rock, but the greater proportion is a coarse gneiss, while 
 the granite summits of the mountain peaks rise to the height of ten thousand feet 
 above. 
 
 The brahmin who accompanied the party was a good-looking, intelligent man, who 
 had made the pilgrimage very frequently before, in company with other European tra- 
 vellers, whose motives in performing the journey he can now pretty well comprehend ; 
 and the congratulations which he offered upon the accomplishment of our toilsome and 
 perilous march, were of a different character to those bestowed ujaon the pious, who had 
 the greater satisfaction of feeling that they had found the way to heaven. 
 
 After we had indulged in the gratification which the sublime prospects of this inte- 
 resting place afforded, we proceeded to satisfy some of the cravings of appetite, which 
 had very forcibly reminded us of our terrestrial nature. We might have caught and 
 cooked our fish in the same stream, had we not been otherwise provided ; but one of the 
 first things which a native of India undertakes, at a halting place, is to kindle a fire, and 
 commence the preparations of the meal. Some of the Hindoos, who had brought rice 
 with them, boiled it over the hot springs, by enclosing the grain in a cloth which they 
 tied to the end of a stick. In the vent of the principal spring, which issues with great 
 force from a fissure in the rock, the temperature of the water is about 194°, which at 
 that elevation is near the point at which water is converted into steam ; and at the same 
 time the mercury, when placed in the bed of the river, has been known to sink as low 
 as 37°. The water itself is exceedingly pure, transparent, and tasteless, without any 
 kind of sulphureous smell. There are several hot springs to be found along the course of 
 the Jumna, for which, according to general belief, the traveller is indebted to an 
 exceedingly pious person, favoured by the gods with the gift of causing hot water to 
 flow whenever he found that of the river too cold for the comfortable performance of 
 his ablutions. 
 
 After invigorating ourselves with a due proportion of food, we prepared to set forth 
 upon our return. The prospect of the difficulties which it must be our fate to encounter, 
 in getting back to Kursalee, were rather dispiriting, being most assuredly equal, and 
 perchance still greater, than those which we had surmounted upon our approach. 
 In the course of the day's journey we crossed the Jumna more than thirty times, and 
 having to slide down the places which we had previously scrambled up, and to leap 
 many gaps which had been more easily passable on the other side, it was necessary to 
 summon all our energy to the task. The spots on which we occasionally rested offered, 
 in their soft loveliness, a pleasing contrast to the rugged horrors of many portions of the 
 scene — the beautiful mingling with the sublime. Sometimes we seated ourselves upon 
 banks of violets of the richest blue, and surrounded by luxuriant vegetation of fruit and 
 flowers, the strawberry spreading itself far and wide, and raspberry, blackberry, and 
 black currant bushes forming a perfect garden. Another turn of an angle brought us 
 almost in immediate contact with the snow, which in some places lies smooth and hard, 
 


 I 
 

■ 
 
 . 
 
 SQURCI 
 
VIEWS NEAR THE SOURCE OF THE JUMNA. 59 
 
 unbroken and glittering in its unsullied purity, while in others it occurs in rougher 
 masses, darkened by stains of earth, and, anon, we traced its course in long tracks 
 descending into the nullahs and valleys below. 
 
 VIEWS NEAR THE SOURCE OF THE JUMNA. 
 
 The glen of the Jumna, a deep and winding valley, sunk amid a most chaotic con- 
 fusion of mountains, is inconceivably wild and grand throughout the whole of its course to 
 the plains. In many places the river struggles through narrow passages formed by the 
 angles which project into its bed ; and the torrent, when circumscribed in spaces scarcely 
 twenty feet in width, boils and foams so fearfully, that to gaze upon it causes the brain 
 to whirl; and sight and sense would fail, if contemplated for many minutes without some 
 strong feeling of security. The accompanying sketch represents a remarkable fall of the 
 Jumna a short distance below its source, the point at which it receives a very considerable 
 tributary stream. This beautiful accession may be traced to its mountain birth-place, 
 winding over the rocky platform in graceful undulations, noiselessly, for its gentle mur- 
 murings, together with those of other rivulets, speeding onwards to the same point, are 
 lost in the roar of the Jumna, which comes raging and thundering along, falling with 
 prodigious force into a basin which it has worn for itself in the solid rock, whence it 
 springs again in a sea of foam, and pursues its turbulent course, precipitating a raging 
 torrent down an abyss yawning frightfully below. 
 
 The Jumna flows in a southerly direction through the province of Gurwhal, where, at 
 Kalsee ghaut, in latitude 30° 30' north, it is joined by the Tonse, which, though a much 
 more considerable stream, loses its name at the point of junction. Notwithstanding the 
 rocks and rapids which impede the course of these rivers, some of our party were of 
 opinion that timber could be floated down them — an undertaking which, if accomplished, 
 would render the hills exceedingly profitable to any enterprising person : so thickly 
 wooded are the surrounding regions in many places, that one single square mile would 
 furnish a navy with timber ; and the growth of a hill, all the navies in the world. 
 
 At the junction of the Banal with the Jumna, the latter is a very broad and rapid 
 stream, flowing over scattered rocks. Throughout its whole mountain course, this fer- 
 tilizing river constantly presents some beautiful or inspiring scene, its banks, though 
 rocky and precipitous, and of the wildest character, being diversified with splendid 
 foliage, while in some places the smiling stream glides along the bases of green slopes, 
 rich with cultivation, and of the brightest verdure ; and continually crossed by ravines, 
 beautiful valleys may be approached on either side, teeming with every product that 
 nature has given for the use or the enjoyment of man. 
 
 In the course of the tours made by the party throughout the province of Gurwhal, 
 they frequently came upon the Jumna, and always with delight, although, as it has 
 before been remarked, some awarded the preference to the scenery of the Rupin and 
 Pabar rivers. The choice is, however, one of comparative beauty, and one which may 
 be accorded to all the thousand streams which spring from the rocks and snows of these 
 giant mountains, with the exception perhaps of the Sutlej, which does not possess the 
 various charms of landscape which render the other views so interesting. 
 
60 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 GUNGOOTREE, THE SACRED SOURCE OF THE GANGES. 
 
 Having recovered from the fatigues and bruises attendant on our journey to the 
 source of the Jumna, to the great dismay of a portion of our followers, we determined to 
 proceed to Gungootree, whence the sacred Ganges takes its rise. The nearest route 
 from Kursalee to Gungootree may be traversed in four days, but the natives always 
 endeavour to dissuade travellers from taking it at any season of the year, recommending 
 in preference a lower, more circuitous, and therefore longer way. The more direct road 
 leads over a great arm of the Bundurpooch mountain, which separates the valleys, or 
 rather channels, through which the sacred rivers hurry from their icy birth-place. 
 The greater part of this tract is desert, and uninhabited, conducting the wayfarer 
 through regions of rock and snow, destitute of the dwellings of man, or of supplies for 
 his use ; there is danger also that fuel may be wanting for that necessary solace to the 
 weary, a blazing fire, while the necessity of dispensing with every thing like superfluous 
 baggage must oblige the party to rest at night in caves and clefts of the rock. 
 
 Amid the most formidable evils reported of this route is the bis-kokowa, or poison- 
 ous wind, said to blow over the highest ridge, and to exhale from noxious plants on the 
 borders — a very natural supposition among a race of people ignorant, of the effects pro- 
 duced on the atmosphere at so great an elevation. Yielding to the universal clamour, 
 we consented to take the longer and safer path ; but some friends, wlio were obliged to 
 forego the journey to Gungootree, crossed into the valley of the Ganges by a very 
 difficult and romantic route. After parting company at Banass, they descended to the 
 banks of the Bhim, a roaring torrent, rushing beneath precipices upwards of two thou- 
 sand perpendicular feet from the river ; the eagles, wheeling through the sky from their 
 eyries near the summit, appearing not larger than crows. The ascent then led over 
 a mountain covered with cedars, a noble forest, not uncheerful, though marked with 
 sombre grandeur. 
 
 The next day's march conducted the party along the banks of a torrent which poured 
 down the face of a mountain from a bed of snow near its summit. The day was cold, the 
 ground hard with frost, but the air bracing, and the scenery wild and magnificent. A long 
 and toilsome ascent over Unchi-ghati followed : scrambling up the bed of a stream over 
 rough stones, rendered slippery from being cased in ice, they reached the limit of the 
 cedar -forest, and subsequently came to birch and small rhododendron. The scene 
 then assumed a very wintry aspect, and soon every thing like foliage was left behind ; 
 attaining the crest of the pass, which was covered with snow, and at an elevation of some 
 hundred feet above the limit of the forest, on looking back on Bundurpooch, Duti 
 Manji, and Bachuncha peak and ridge, few scenes of more sublime grandeur could be 
 found throughout the whole of these stupendous regions. The prospect of range after 
 range to the south and east was very extensive ; an ocean of ridges in one wide amphi- 
 theatre, closed in by the line of the snowy mountains resting their fantastic peaks against 
 the dark blue sky. Below, the course of the Bhagirati could be traced, which, after 
 issuing from its gigantic bed of snow, rejoicing in its escape from the wintry mountains 
 and their rugged and awful approaches, flows in tranquil beauty through a peaceful valley. 
 In descending the south-east side of the pass, the birch which had clothed the previous 
 path gave place to pines and evergreen oaks, which grew in great abundance in advance of 
 the cedar ; the rhododendron, which near the crest was merely a creeper, became a tree, 
 

 
 o 
 
 
 
QUNGOOTBEE, THE SACRED SOURCE OF THE GANGES. 61 
 
 a change in the nature of vegetation marking the different heights, which is exceedingly 
 interesting to the traveller. 
 
 The descent of this mountain to Nangang was long and painful, and to Europeans 
 a new route, the generality of travellers crossing the ridge from the Jumna to the Ganges 
 either higher up or lower down ; but the next day's march compensated for all the 
 fatigue incurred in its approach. Descending to the Bini-ke-Garh, a torrent rushing 
 down a high ridge to the northward, the glen which it watered proved of surpassing 
 beauty ; nothing could exceed the loveliness of the foliage which clothed this summer 
 valley, or rather vista ; for, opening on a view of the precipitous heights of the Unchi- 
 ghati, it contrasted its romantic attractions with the sublimer "features of the mountains 
 beyond. Reaching the junction of the Bini and the Bhagirathi, the holy name given to 
 the sacred river, the travellers found the Ganges a noble stream, much wider and deeper 
 than the Jumna at the same distance from its source, but not so tumultuous. 
 
 Descending to Nangang by a different route to that mentioned in the foregoing 
 notes, we also were compelled to encounter many difficulties ; the prospects, however, 
 repaid them. Equally grand, though different in character to those last described, at a 
 very considerable depth below, we looked upon a cultivated scene, the hanging ter- 
 races, common to these hills, waving with grain, and watered by winding streams, and 
 running along the bases of high woody ridges, sometimes shooting up into peaks, 
 crowned with pine-trees. Beyond, again, were the eternal mountains, iu all their 
 varieties; snow resting on the crests of some, others majestically grouped with 
 venerable timber, and others bleak, bare, and barren, rising in frowning majesty 
 from the green and sunny slopes which smiled below. Between these different 
 ranges, ran deep ravines, dark with impenetrable forests, rendered more savage by the 
 awful music of the torrents roaring through their fastnesses, while presently their 
 streams, issuing forth into open day, were seen winding round green spots bright with 
 fruit-trees. Such, or nearly such, for every traveller sees them under a different 
 medium, were the prospects which beguiled us as we slipped and slid down the steep side 
 of the mountain pass. Nangang formed our halting-place ; several days' march still lay 
 before us; and there were more mountains to climb, more forests to thread. We now 
 observed a diversity in the timber, chesnuts of magnificent growth being the prevailing 
 tree. Our sportsmen found plenty of game : the monal, the feathered wonder of the 
 Himalaya, and other varieties of the pheasant-tribe, peopled these vast solitudes, and paid 
 tribute to the guns of the invading strangers. 
 
 We met with some delightful halting-places on the line of march— grassy terraces 
 carpeted with strawberry and wild flowers, where the cowslip, the primrose, and the 
 buttercup brought the pranked-out fields of our native country strongly to the mind. Many 
 of the travellers in the Himalaya are moved even to rapture at the sight of the first 
 daisy which springs spontaneously on their path ; as an exotic in some garden of the 
 plains, it excites deep emotion, but growing wild, spangling the meadow-grass with its 
 silvery stars, it becomes infinitely more interesting, and the home-sick pining exile will 
 often gather its earliest-encountered blossom weeping. 
 
 Leaving this luxuriant vegetation, we arrived at a wild spot, the summit of a ridge of 
 peaks covered with snow ; and though the prospect was more circumscribed, and of 
 greater sameness, we enjoyed it amazingly. We seemed to be hemmed in on all sides 
 with thick-ribbed ice, transported to antarctic snows, imprisoned amid icebergs, vast, 
 freezing, and impassable. Presently, however, we emerged, and, descending through the 
 snow, reached the boundary line between the districts of the Jumna and the Ganges. 
 
62 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The extreme limit of the^e river territories were marked in the manner usually employed 
 in rude and desolate places, by heaps of stone — many raised by Europeans, who thus 
 commemorate their pilgrimage. These cairns being destitute of an inscription, it is im- 
 possible to say who the adventurous architects were, since no European name has any 
 chance of being retained in its primitive form by a native. 
 
 The next point of great interest is the summit of a ridge whence the first view of the 
 Ganges is obtained ; a sight which never fails to raise the drooping spirits of the Hindoo 
 followers, and which excites no small degree of enthusiasm in the breast of the Christian 
 travellers. The sacred river, as seen from this height, flows in a dark, rapid, and broad 
 stream, and, though at no great apparent distance, must still be reached by more than one 
 toilsome march. From a height about two miles from Gungootree, the first glimpse, and 
 that a partial one, is obtainable of that holy place, wliich lies sequestered in a glen of the 
 deepest solitude, lonely and almost inaccessible, for few there are who could persevere 
 in surmounting the difficulties of the approaeh. Considerable distances must be traversed 
 over projecting masses of rough stones, flinty, pointed, and uncertain, many being loose, 
 and threatening to roll over the enterprising individual who attempts the rugged way. 
 Sometimes the face of the rock must be climbed from cliff to cliff; at others, where there 
 is no resting-place for hand or foot, ladders are placed in aid of the ascent ; while awful 
 chasms between are passed on some frail spar flung across. These horrid rocks would 
 seem indeed to form invincible obstacles to the approach of the holy place, but religious 
 enthusiasm on the one hand, and scientific research stimulated by curiosity on the other, 
 render the barrier inadequate for the purpose of resisting the invasions of man. The 
 difficult nature of the access, however, prevents the concourse of pilgrims, who resort to 
 more easily attainable spots esteemed sacred on this hallowed river. 
 
 The grandeur of the scene which opened upon us, as we at length stood upon the 
 threshold of Gungootree, cannot be described by words. Rocks were piled upon rocks 
 in awful majesty, all shivered into points, which rise one upon another in splendid con- 
 fusion, enclosing a glen of the wildest nature, where the Ganges, beautiful in every haunt, 
 from its infancy to its final junction with the ocean, pours its shallow waters over a bed 
 of shingle, diversified by jutting rocks, and even here shadowed by the splendid foliage 
 of some fine old trees. The devotee who undoubtingly believes that every step that he 
 takes towards the source of that holy river, which from his infancy he has been taught to 
 look upon as a deity, will lead him into beatitude, is content to seek its origin at 
 Gungootree, but the true source of the sacred stream lies still higher, in still more 
 inaccessible solitudes : and it was reserved for the ardour of those who measured the alti- 
 tudes of the highest peaks, and penetrated, to the utmost limits of man's dominion, to trace 
 the exact birth-place of the holy river. Captains Hodgson and Herbert, in 1818, found, at 
 the height of thirteen thousand eight hundred feet above the sea-level, the Bhagarati, or true 
 Ganges, issuing from beneath a low arch at the base of a vast mass of frozen snow, nearly 
 three hundred feet in height, and composed of different layers, each several feet in thick- 
 ness, and in all probability the accumulation of ages. Neither here, nor at Gungootree, 
 is there any thing resembling a cow's mouth, to support the popular fable, which must 
 have been invented by persons utterly unacquainted with the true features of the scene 
 in which the sacred river gladdens earth with its ever-bounteous waters. 
 
 A pilgrimage to Gungootree is accounted one of the most meritorious actions which 
 a Hindoo can perform ; and in commemoration of his visit to this holy place, a Ghoorka 
 chieftain has left a memorial of his conquests and his piety, in a small pagoda, erected in 
 honour of the goddess on a platform of rock, about twenty feet higher than the bed of 
 
VIEW NEAR DEOBUN. 63 
 
 the river. The brahmins who have the care of this temple are accommodated with 
 habitations in its close vicinity, and there are a few sheds for the temporary residence of 
 pilgrims, many of whom, however, are content with such shelter as the neighbouring 
 caves afford. The usual ceremonies of bathing, praying, and marking the forehead, are 
 gone through at this place, the officiating brahmin taking care that the fees shall be 
 duly paid. Notwithstanding the stern and sullen nature of his retreat, at some periods of 
 the year he may be said to lead a busy life, conversing with devout pilgrims, and 
 carriers of water to distant lands, who require his seal to authenticate their burdens ; 
 and making the most out of all his visitors, whatever their country or their creed may 
 be. Though dispensing with his orisons, we paid him for his services ; and it seemed a 
 matter of indifference to him on what account he received the cash. 
 
 VIEW NEAR DEOBUN. 
 
 The traveller in the Himalaya must accustom himself to the most dangerous and 
 slippery bridges imaginable : habituated from their infancy to the sight of the steepest 
 precipices in the world, the mountaineers are indifferent to circumstances which produce 
 giddiness in the heads of those who have hitherto traversed comparatively level ground. 
 Strange to say, the cattle of the mountains, guided by some extraordinary instinct, can 
 make their way in safety over the frail and crazy bridges which at some places span 
 rapid streams, and at others are thrown across deep ravines. Morning and evening the 
 flocks and herds may be seen passing these narrow footways, and, accustomed to this 
 mode of transit, they will cross on their way home, or to their distant pastures, without 
 any human being to direct them. There can, however, be no doubt that the difficulties 
 of communication between the inhabitants of neighbouring hills must often be very 
 severely felt, and that to this cause the low intellectual state of the mountaineers of the 
 Himalaya may in a great measure be attributed. 
 
 Living in isolated circles, apart from each other, the hill-people can acquire little or 
 nothing from an interchange of ideas, and grovel on through life without a single 
 attempt to improve their condition, or to increase the facilities of access with the neigh- 
 bouring districts. The materials being close at hand, safe and commodious bridges 
 might be constructed in all parts of the hills ; but with very inadequate tools, and no 
 conception of the extent of the advantages to be derived from improvements of the kind, 
 it can scarcely be expected that the natives, accustomed to live as their fathers had done 
 before them, should, without the example and assistance of strangers, attvmpt under- 
 takings which belong to a higher degree of knowledge, and a more advanced state of 
 civilization. It is, perhaps, only in periods of famine and pestilence that they feel the 
 miseries of their situation — the impossibility of obtaining assistance from those poor 
 neighbours, who would willingly accord it if they possessed the means; and the scanty 
 population being kept down by dreadful mortality, which sometimes sweeps away the 
 inhabitants of a whole village at once, and by the wretched customs and marriage laws 
 which have been universally adopted, it can scarcely be expected that any improvement 
 should emanate from the natives themselves. 
 
 At present the number of Europeans who seek health or amusement in these hills 
 is too small to effect much in the way of example, except in the immediate vicinity of 
 the stations which they nave established. The tourists, who, considering the sum total 
 of visitors, may be called numerous, cannot fail to requite the services of the simple 
 
64 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 mountaineers, whom they employ on their line of march, with practical lessons of 
 greater value than the wages which they pay ; but it may be doubted whether they take 
 a sufficiently strong interest in the welfare of these poor people. It requires a very 
 philanthropic spirit to induce men, in search of their own gratification, to pause upon 
 the road for the purpose of imparting useful knowledge, to distribute tools, and teach 
 the method of their employment — labours which might not be immediately rewarded 
 by success, or properly appreciated by those who are to benefit from them, but which 
 nevertheless should be persevered in as a duty which the intelligent man owes to his less 
 fortunate brother. Something, however, must be learned even in our harum-scarum 
 progress through the country — our incessant demands for supplies of all kinds, which, 
 though at first reluctantly brought into the camps of those extraordinary bipeds, who 
 must be possessed with some restless demon to wander thus far, are found to be more 
 advantageously disposed of than if stored up for family use. At present an acquaint- 
 ance with native opinion would not be very flattering to the European visitor, who, 
 though he himself, in consequence of the kindness he has shewn, may have obtained a 
 high character with the mountaineers, consider him to be at least crazy, and, for want of 
 any other motive sufficient to account for his travels, suppose that his own country must 
 be the most desolate place in the world. The notions entertained respecting England are 
 exceedingly diverting, notions which can only be removed by ocular demonstration of 
 their fallacy, that is, by a visit to the country, where, much to their astonishment, 
 Asiatics find wealth and comfort beyond all their previous experience. 
 
 CROSSING THE RIVER TON&E BY A JHOOLA, OR ROPE BRIDGE. 
 
 Having crossed the rivers of these districts, as we thought, in every sort of way; that 
 is, by fording, wading, swimming, on the trunk of a tree, by means of a sangha, and the 
 more commodious edifice at Bhurkote, we were destined to be initiated into a new 
 method of getting over the stream. The natives, who would form excellent materiel for 
 rope-dancers, perform the operation with great apparent ease, by holding on with hands 
 and feet, and making a sort of loop of their bodies ; but, for people who are unaccus- 
 tomed to such exercise, there is a wooden slide attached to the rope stretched across the 
 water, which is at this place too broad to be spanned by any bridge of native construc- 
 tion, being about seventy or eighty yards in width. The left bank is considerably more 
 elevated than the one opposite, and from this side, a three-stranded rope, about as thick 
 as a man's wrist, was attached to a log of wood, secured among the rocks. The rope 
 being then stretched across the river, was passed through the prongs of a fork, or 
 wooden prop, planted firmly in the ground, and the rope, now divided into three strands, 
 was secured to the trunk of a tree kept in its place by a heavy weight. Upon this rope, 
 which is well twisted and greased, is placed a semicircular slide of hollowed wood, with 
 two handles, to which a loop is attached ; the passenger seats himself in this novel convey- 
 ance, taking hold of the handles, and is launched from the higher to the lower bank with 
 considerable celerity ; a thin cord at the same time remaining attached to the slide, from 
 either side of the river, for the purpose of recovering it, or of pulling the traveller from 
 the lower to the higher bank, in which event the passage is more slowly made. 
 
 Other jhoolas in the mountains vary a little in their construction : half a dozen stout 
 worsted ropes are stretched across the river, and fastened to a projecting buttress on 
 
Iff, 
 Q 
 
 63 
 
 ■b 
 
 * •♦ 
 
 • 
 
VIEW NEAR DEOBUN. 65 
 
 each bank. On these ropes runs a block of wood, which is drawn backwards and for- 
 wards by persons stationed on either side of the stream, by means of strings attached 
 to it. There are other loops, which pass round the body of the passenger, who, thus 
 secured, swings off from the buttress, and is dragged across. In this manner, goats and 
 sheep are conveyed one by one; and though the jeopardy appears to be considerable, it is 
 only occasioned by the danger of trusting to a rope which has seen too much service. 
 If the apparatus be new, and sufficiently strong to bear the weight placed upon it, there 
 is no sort of danger in this method of getting across the deep and rapid rivers of the 
 Himalaya ; but such circumstances are not to be depended upon, and several fatal acci- 
 dents have attended the fragile state in which these jhoolas are but too often permitted 
 to remain. It is, perhaps, necessary that the rope should break, and drown one or two 
 passengers, in order to enlighten the people in the neighbourhood with the necessity of 
 repairs — for they are seldom at the trouble to take the length of time in which it has 
 served their purpose, the fragile nature of the materials, and their liability to injury from 
 exposure to the weather, into consideration. 
 
 The existence of the river Tonse was not known to Europeans until the year 1814. 
 Too soon losing its name in that of the Jumna, which it trebles in size previous to its 
 junction with the more celebrated stream, it is one of the most considerable of the 
 mountain torrents. When it issues from its bed of snow at an elevation of twelve 
 thousand seven hundred and eighty-four feet above the level of the sea, it flows in a 
 grand volume, thirty feet wide and three deep, maintaining its dignity of character until 
 its confluence with the river, which should, if rivers had their just rights, have been 
 considered its tributary. During its comparatively short career, the Tonse receives into 
 its bosom the waters of several other beautiful streams; the Rupin is one of the most 
 interesting. Descending in the course of our tour to its left bank, we passed through 
 a forest of intermingled birch, cedar, and rhododendron, crossing the river by one of 
 the numerous arches of snow, which afforded a safe bridge, and ascending some hun- 
 dred feet to a high crag, thickly wooded, we obtained a view which, accustomed as we 
 now were to mountain scenery, struck us with admiration and surprise. The precipices 
 overhanging the torrent were grand beyond all conception; one, at least two thousand 
 feet in height, rose perpendicularly like a wall, and above it mountain was piled upon 
 mountain like gigantic ladders piercing into heaven : the river thundered at a fearful 
 depth below, while the surrounding rocks were draperied with foliage, every cleft 
 holding the roots of some luxuriant shrub or magnificent tree. A rugged path led us 
 again to the bed of the Rupin, and our journeys always consisting of a series of ascent 
 and descents, we afterwards mounted upwards through forests of enormous filberts, 
 walnut, elm, ash, cedar, and fir. Here our march was diversified by crossing a sangha 
 forty-four feet in length, flung over this tumultuous stream, which led us into softer 
 scenery, through wood and brake, and, after passing another torrent, along a path which 
 commanded a beautiful succession of cascades silvering the side of the opposite mountain, 
 we arrived at our encamping ground for the night. 
 
 However varied, delightful, and exciting to the traveller a tour in the Himalaya may 
 be, the descriptions given of each day's march must necessarily appear monotonous; 
 there is no possibility of conveying to the mind of the reader the gratification which we 
 have experienced in some new burst of scenery, when, emerging from the sombre laby- 
 rinths of a thick forest, we come suddenly upon one of those glorious landscapes which 
 fill the whole soul with ecstasy. It is even more than realizing the early dreams of 
 youth, inspired by the perusal of Shakspeare's beautiful description of the forest of 
 
66 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 Ardennes, while thus living under the greenwood tree — thus enjoying the contemplation 
 of nature in her wildest and most magnificent solitudes. The winter and rough weather 
 which we encounter occasionally in our progress, only serve to heighten the enjoyment of 
 the heavenly serenity which we so frequently experience, while the necessity, sometimes 
 existing, of depending upon our guns for the supply of the table, gives a new interest to 
 the day's march. 
 
 Our Mohammedan attendants take care that the most and the best shall be made 
 of every thing ; for in our case certainly his satanic majesty has not provided the cooks. 
 No sooner have they arrived on the encam ping-ground, and they do not loiter idly on the 
 road contemplating the scenery, than they set earnestly to work. A fire is kindled in a 
 hole in the earth, and a sort of oven, or hot-hearth, constructed, with which the most 
 delicate operations of the cuisine may be accomplished. If we have no charcoal to roast 
 withal, our birds are braised ; if milk is obtainable, it is speedily converted into butter ; 
 and these thrifty fellows, foreseeing the difficulties of procuring the materiel for a fry, will, 
 when they get a sheep, carefully preserve the suet for future consumption. 
 
 If time and opportunity permit, we may find our cold partridges at breakfast em- 
 bedded in savoury jelly, formed of the head and feet of the animal that feasted ourselves 
 and our followers the day before ; wherever there are eggs, there are omelettes ; our soup 
 is flavoured with fresh herbs and roots ; and sometimes, when our spirits have failed at 
 the too strong chance of being obliged to rest content with a cake of meal for breakfasti 
 we have been most agreeably surprised by a broiled jungle-fowl appearing on the table 
 almost by magic. These jungle- fowls, which are the domestic poultry in their wild state, 
 are excellent eating, finer and of a better flavour, perhaps, than any game bird, with the 
 exception of the florikin. They are shy, and run very swiftly through the bushes, so that 
 it is difficult to procure them, even where they abound ; but we had a shikaree (native 
 hunter) in our suite, who was always successful where success was possible. There is one 
 great advantage in having Indian servants ; the better class, and it is useless to employ 
 any other, thoroughly understand their business, and set about it with an earnestness that 
 nothing but the most adverse circumstances can damp. It is their duty to get a dinner 
 for their master, and they consider their honour concerned to make it the best that the 
 nature of affairs will admit. Every kind of spice and condiment which may be wanted 
 in a long journey, is carefully provided for the occasion ; and whenever it is possible, a 
 feast is spread, and little luxuries produced, as unexpected as they are welcome. In fact, 
 travelling in the Himalaya combines all the pleasures of savage life, and all the conve- 
 niences of the highest state of civilization, subject, of course, to the accidents and 
 mutations which journeying over so rough a road must necessarily produce. 
 
 One of the least agreeable vicissitudes of a mountain tour consists of a continued 
 succession of rain, in which event the spirit and energy of our followers are literally 
 drenched out of them ; wet to the skin, the tents wet, and every thing wretchedly damp 
 and uncomfortable around, they have little or no vigour left to meet the exigencies of the 
 case. Happy to find a dry cavern, or the shelter of some overhanging rock, they cower 
 round a miserable fire of wet sticks, looking the very pictures of wo. Our friend who 
 had traced the course of the Baspa in Kannowar, had suffered exceedingly from the 
 frequent duckings and deluges to which the party had been subjected, and narrated with 
 glee the joyful change which took place when he and his people, dripping and discon- 
 solate, were accommodated by some friendly villagers with lodgings in an old temple. The 
 shelter of a dry roof, and a good floor, after damp ground and wet canvass, can only be 
 fully appreciated by those who have enjoyed them. Fires were kindled, garments dried ; 
 

 © 
 
 
 
 
VILLAGE OF KHANDOO. 67 
 
 and faces, elongated to the most doleful length, expanded in the blaze, and became cheery 
 again. Our meeting with this gentleman has been already mentioned, and an extract 
 from the diary kept by him while wandering in Hungrung, a district bordering upon the 
 Chinese territories, will shew how frequently Anglo-Indians encounter each other in 
 these mountain tours. " Two days after our return to Nako, there arrived three officers 
 
 of the dragoons, the first Europeans we had seen for a long time ; and as they were 
 
 pleasant fellows, the meeting proved very agreeable. At Hango, on the 2d, we found 
 Dr. W. and Capt. A., and in the Rurang pass, fourteen thousand feet high, we came 
 
 upon the Rev. Mr. B, chaplain at ." 
 
 To proceed, however, with our own travels. We pursued our route to the south bank 
 of the Tonse, opposite to the spot where the Rupin, (having come 10,000 feet, 350 feet 
 per mile of descent, in less than thirty miles,) joins the larger stream. We crossed the 
 Tonse at this place by a sangha, and commenced our descent down a tremendous preci- 
 pice, which led to a gorge even more awful than any we had yet passed. Emerging, we 
 obtained a noble view of a snowy mountain, and, climbing again, entered a forest of pines 
 which led us along a high ridge overhanging the river, and afforded at every opening the 
 most enchanting views possible, the mountains being wooded to their summits, and shew- 
 ing every rich variety of foliage as they swept along in graceful undulations, now in dark 
 shadow, and now glittering in sunshine. Some of our party were of opinion that this 
 part of the country would be most desirable as the site of a new station, since it forms a 
 kind of frontier, or neutral ground, between the tamer and the sublimer scenery, and 
 commands every variety of prospect which either can yield ; while, if the notion which 
 they entertained concerning the capability of timber being floated down the Tonse 
 and the Jumna could be realized, the proprietors would be speedily enriched by the 
 speculation. 
 
 VILLAGE OF KHANDOO, ON THE ASCENT TO THE CHOOR. 
 
 During our travels we had frequently obtained glimpses of the Choor mountain, and 
 we were now approaching it in earnest : it is the most lofty eminence belonging to the 
 secondary Himalaya, running south of the great snowy range, and, from whatever point 
 it may be seen, it forms a grand and prominent object, towering majestically amid a host 
 of satellites. Marching from the south-east, we came to the village of Khandoo, which 
 occupies ground about nine thousand feet above the level of the sea. The principal 
 building in this village, a religious edifice, occupying the right in the accompanying 
 engraving, differs little in character from the generality of temples dedicated to the 
 numerous deities of the Himalaya. It is rather more lofty than the rest of the houses ; 
 the cornices are decorated with a fringe of wooden bobbins, and the timber employed in 
 its construction is rather elaborately carved. Generally it is not difficult for European 
 travellers in want of such accommodation to obtain a lodging in the outer vestibule of a 
 temple, but in some places the villagers will not permit these holy shrines to be thus 
 desecrated. The religious worship chiefly consists in offerings of flowers, sweetmeats, 
 and grain upon the altars, with occasional dancing, when the gods are dragged forth for 
 adoration. 
 
 We were now in the haunts of several species of deer, which are never found below 
 six thousand feet, and generally range considerably higher ; these agile and beautiful 
 animals are often to be seen dashing at full speed down the sides of some steep precipice, 
 
68 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 which few could even look over without feeling dizzy, and their appearance in such 
 situations tends greatly to heighten the effect of the scene. They are found in the 
 greatest abundance in almost inaccessible places, far into the interior, where " hill on 
 hill, and alps on alps arise." We have not met with any tigers in our travels ; this 
 monarch of the plains seldom mounts to any great elevation, and is only occasionally to 
 be seen at the height of eight thousand feet. Tigers are sufficiently plentiful at the 
 bases of the hills, and parties are continually setting forward from the Dhoon in pursuit 
 of this royal game. It is only in something like a level or open country that they can 
 be encountered in a sportsmanlike manner, urged to the spirit-stirring charge which 
 they frequently make in so gallant a style. In stealing along the sides of a mountain, or 
 plunging into the pine forests, the tiger can only be killed ingloriously, and usually falls 
 a victim to some concealed adversary. The leopard, and other mountain cats, are very 
 common in the inferior ranges of the hills, and the hyaena is also very frequently to be 
 found ; but the great potentate of the Himalaya forests and fastnesses is the bear. This 
 monster attains a great size, and would be very formidable, were he as bold as he is 
 savage : the usual colour is black, but specimens are found in some parts of the country 
 of a much lighter colour, and in the alpine districts a pure white : the common kind make 
 their dens in the deepest and most sequestered dells, shunning the day, and haunting 
 spots of such profound gloom, that it would seem as if the sun's beam had never enlivened 
 their solitudes. We did not see the wolf in the hills: the jackal goes up as high as seven 
 thousand feet, and the family appears to be gradually mounting, as, according to the best 
 accounts, they were never seen formerly beyond two, or, at most, three thousand feet 
 above the level of the sea. Wild hogs are very plentiful in the hills, being found at very 
 high elevations, but, to the great horror of the pig-stickers, men who were wont to ride 
 at the brindled monster spear in hand, they can only be slain by what is contemptuously 
 termed a pot-shot, that is, they are merely killed for the sake of the pork. Elks of 
 enormous size are occupants of the rocky fastnesses of the Himalaya, but, numerous as 
 are the different specimens of deer which the traveller sees in his journeys through these 
 mountains, there are many with which he only becomes acquainted by means of the skins 
 brought to the Itampore fair for sale or barter. These belong to the shyest of the race, 
 which must be sought in remote haunts by the patient and persevering native hunters. 
 
 In pursuing game in the mountains, it is especially necessary to guard against pro- 
 miscuous shooting ; and the sportsman should decide, before starting, whether he will try 
 for furred or feathered game, for, should he attack birds and deer indiscriminately, he 
 will not have much success with either ; both require considerable caution, the ground 
 being so favourable for their escape. The cher, one of the varieties of pheasant most in 
 request, does not descend lower than seven or eight thousand feet above the level of the 
 sea, and is generally found on the summits of the most naked mountains, avoiding those 
 which are thickly clothed with forest trees or brushwood : early in the morning, or late 
 in the evening, they are invariably at feed on the crest of the hills, and during the heat 
 of the day hide in the grass under projecting crags. They are decidedly less numerous 
 than any of the other mountain pheasants, and the excitement of a trudge after these 
 beautiful birds is, to a true sportsman, considerably augmented by their comparative 
 rarity. Another beautiful variety frequent the most shady and secluded dells, sheltered 
 by overhanging rocks festooned with ivy and creepers, and diversified by clumps of holly 
 and wild cherry ; here and there an open space of greensward, a few yards in circum- 
 ference, surrounded by patches of wild rose, scenting the fairy dell with their delicious 
 perfume. A little silvery stream bubbles from the rocks above, and trickles over the 
 

 

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 • * 
 
 ** 
 
CROSSING THE CHOOK MOUNTAIN. 69 
 
 elastic turf, its murmuring course defined by a belt of violets and cowslips, whilst ferns 
 of every variety are dancing gracefully in the breeze, and dipping their feathered heads 
 in the tiny wave as it sparkles on its way. 
 
 CROSSING THE CHOOR MOUNTAIN. 
 
 The height of the loftiest peak of this magnificent mountain is ascertained to be 
 twelve thousand one hundred and forty-nine feet above the level of the sea, being the 
 most considerable of the range south of the Himalaya, between the Sutlej and Jumna 
 rivers. From its commanding position it turns and separates the waters of Hindostan, 
 the streams rising on the southern and eastern face being forced into the direction of the 
 Pabar, the Giree, the Tonse, and the Jumna, which find their way over the great plain 
 into the bay of Bengal ; while those that have their sources to the north and the west are 
 compelled toward tlie Sutlej and the Indus, and, uniting in the last, pour their waters 
 into the Arabian ocean. 
 
 During a considerable part of the year, the Choor is hoary with snow, and in bad 
 weather intense cold may be experienced at the elevation which we had reached, a short 
 distance below the loftiest peak. We here found ourselves in a region of ice ; and when 
 moonlight came and lit up the scene, we were charmed by the novel effect produced by 
 the floods of molten silver which shed their soft radiance over the snow. Moonlight, 
 ever beautiful, amid these snowy masses assumes a new and more exquisite charm. The 
 rugged peaks, stern and chilling as they are, lose their awful character, and become 
 brilliant as polished pearl ; the trees, covered with icicles, seem formed of some rich spar, 
 and the face of nature being wholly changed, we may fancy that we have reached another 
 world, calm and tranquil, but still and deathlike. The storms, however, which fre- 
 quently rage and roar through these solitudes, effectually disturb the serenity of the 
 landscape, and frequently the whole scene is enveloped in clouds, which, upon some 
 sudden change of the atmosphere, will draw off like a curtain, revealing the cold bright 
 and pearly region beyond. To be overtaken by a snow-storm in crossing the Choor> 
 proves one of the least agreeable varieties in a tour through these hills. 
 
 Hitherto our journey had proceeded very prosperously, but we were not destined to 
 complete it without sustaining considerable inconvenience from inclement skies. While 
 marching rather wearily along, the aspect of the heavens changed, the clouds darkened 
 over our heads, and presently down came a heavy storm of hail, which was quickly 
 followed by snow falling fast and thick. On reaching our tents, we found them loaded 
 with snow, which lay several feet in depth upon the ground, while the on'ly wood attain- 
 able was not to be procured without great difficulty and toil. There was no fire, conse- 
 quently no cookery, and the night was passed in a miserably freezing condition. Morning 
 dawned only to shew a fresh fall of snow, and the prospect of more, for if the fleecy 
 shower ceased for a few minutes, the change merely developed a sullen black canopy 
 above, threatening to overwhelm us with its fierce discharge. Loud rose the cries of 
 mutiny in our camp ; many were the groans uttered by our followers, the native coolies 
 not scrupling to vent their feelings in words, while our Mohammedan servants, paralyzed 
 and aghast at a predicament so new to them, looked unutterable things. As long as the 
 snow lasted, there was no possibility of doing any thing to effect an improvement in our 
 comfortless condition, patience being the sole resort — and that, it was vain to expect to 
 teach men dragged against their own consent into so disagreeable a dilemma. At length 
 
 8 
 
70 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 we began to fancy that their predictions might be accomplished, and that there was a 
 chance of our being buried in the snow. The wind blew very cold, adding for a time to 
 our sufferings ; but presently, about noon, the clouds began to break away, and to reveal 
 patches of blue sky and welcome glimpses of sunshine ; in another hour the heavens 
 became clear and glorious, and then we made an attempt to render our situation more 
 comfortable. Persuasion, threats, and tempting promises of. reward, at length induced 
 our half-frozen followers to bestir themselves in real earnest. They braced their energies 
 to the encounter, and, having procured sufficient fuel, fires again blazed in our camp ; and, 
 though the cold was still intense, its bitterness was alleviated by the influence of the 
 warm potations which we were now enabled to imbibe. The weather still continuing to 
 improve, we rose in the morning with renovated spirits, and notwithstanding the fierce 
 intensity of the coldj and the difficulties which the large masses of snow encumbering 
 our path threw in our way, proceeded vigorously onwards. We were sometimes up to 
 the waist, and frequently knee-deep in the snow, which concealing the danger of a road 
 over rough and rugged blocks of granite, occasionally threatened precipitation into some 
 treacherous abyss, in which life and limb would have been perilled. We ourselves got 
 on tolerably well, but our people, loaded with baggage, lagged far behind, and we were 
 obliged to be content with a sort of canvass awning rather than a tent, only a portion of 
 our usual habitation being forthcoming at night, and to make a scanty meal of tea and 
 hastily-kneaded cakes of flour. 
 
 The servauts who had accompanied us from the plains looked in these emergencies 
 the very images of despair ; they were completely at fault, knowing not what to do in so 
 unaccustomed a difficulty, and feeling perfectly incapacitated from the effects of the frost, 
 which seemed to shoot bolts of ice into their hearts, and to freeze the very current in 
 their veins. It was impossible not to sympathize with them in their distress, as we lay 
 upon the cold ground, and recollected how active these men had been during the burning- 
 hot winds, which peeled the skins from our faces, and obliged us to take shelter under 
 the leather aprons of our buggies from its scorching blasts, whilst respiration seemed to 
 be on the very eve of suspension. If we found the cold difficult to endure, how much 
 more sensibly must it affect people who, habituated to heat which affords to Europeans 
 very lively notion of a dominion which must not be named " to ears polite," bask delight- 
 edly in the beams of a sun which heats the earth like a furnace, and to whom in the most 
 sultry weather a fire never appears to be unacceptable. 
 
 VILLAGE OF KOGHERA AND DEODAR FOREST, NEAR THE CHOOR. 
 
 This pretty and picturesque village is distinguished for the remarkable height and 
 luxuriance of a species of larch, which botanists designate as the pimis deodora. The 
 group represented in the accompanying engraving affords a good specimen of the character 
 of this fine tree, which attains an almost incredible height in some parts of the hill-districts ; 
 the tallest of those delineated, measuring one hundred and sixty feet, while very good 
 authorities assert that some are to be found a hundred and eighty feet in height. 
 
 The Choor mountain, from its great altitude and peculiar situation, presents every 
 variety of vegetation which these mountainous regions afford, and it is scarcely necessary 
 to proceed further, in order to make ourselves acquainted with the leafy products of the 
 hills. The bases of the mountains are carpeted with flowers, anemones and ranuncu- 
 luses mingling themselves with the violet, the cowslip, and the daisy, while the forest scenery 
 
m 
 
 
 (A 
 
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VILLAGE OF KOGHERA AND DEODAR FOREST, NEAR THE CHOOR. 71 
 
 is rich and luxuriant to the highest degree. The rhododendron, with its profuse and 
 superb scarlet blosoms, is succeeded by oak, walnut, birch, elm, and lastly pines, for the 
 highest of the two peaks being covered for a considerable period of the year with snow, 
 is destitute of verdure ; and the second, composed of immense granite blocks, is also bare 
 of trees. Where the snow had melted, it revealed stunted shrubs of juniper and currant, 
 and a little lower down, at an elevation of eleven thousand five hundred feet, the most 
 splendid pines in the world rear their majestic heads. The ferns of these ranges are 
 peculiarly beautiful, and in great variety, while fruit of every kind abound ; and the 
 appearance of a species of bamboo at an elevation of seven thousand feet, affords reason 
 to believe that many of the products, now exclusively confined to the plains, might be 
 cultivated with success. 
 
 We only observed two species of monkeys, but they were exceedingly numerous ; one 
 a magnificent lungoor, the other the common brown monkey. The first is upon a much 
 larger scale, and decidedly superior to the lungoor common to many parts of Hindostan. 
 His face is extremely black, and he has a fine wig of silvery white hair to contrast with 
 it. The rest of the body is nearly pure white, with dark fore and hind legs, and, when 
 standing upright, may at a distance be taken for one of the human denizens of these hills. 
 He is a fearless and powerful beast, condescending perhaps just to give the wall to his biped 
 superior ; and, if attacked, especially when backed by his companions, proving a very 
 formidable adversary. These lungoors have all the fantastic tricks of their race, and, in 
 the dearth of other occupations, their antics afford considerable amusement. Monkeys, 
 though not objects of veneration in these hills, are tolerated, notwithstanding the mischief 
 which their depredations occasion to the husbandman. Large troops are continually to 
 be seen in the cornfields, and the crops, never too abundant for the wants of the 
 people, must suffer very serious diminution from the reckless nature of the havoc com- 
 mitted. 
 
 Emulating monkeys in the rapidity of their motions, the flying squirrels dart down from 
 the branches of the trees, and skip about with astonishing agility. The species is numer- 
 ously scattered throughout the hills, and some attain a very large size ; their fur is a 
 pleasing colour, and as soft as velvet, and will probably, when the value of the hill- 
 products become better known, be sought after as an article of commerce. The otter, 
 though not numerous, is found in the mountain-streams ; one caught in the Pabar was 
 nearly white, and much smaller than the common kind. The game as well as the fish 
 have to contend with many enemies ; and amid those which prey upon the former, is the 
 pine marten, an animal armed with all the destructiveness common to the species in other 
 parts of the world. We have seen them in small packs, and hence infer that they hunt 
 in company. The more solitary depredator, the fox, a quadruped exceedingly deficient in 
 what phrenologists term the organ of adhesiveness, is very plentiful upon these mountains ; 
 the wisdom imputed to the species, teaching it never to quit so secure an asylum, even 
 for a flying visit to the Dhoon, where it would be inevitably hunted, though it prowls 
 amongst the rocks immediately overhanging the valley. The fox of the Himalaya diners 
 considerably from the beautiful little animal of the plains, whose delicate blue fur is so 
 much in request at home. The mountain species is much larger in size, and though the 
 colour varies, it is usually a reddish gray with dark occasional patches, nearly approaching 
 to black ; the brush, which is very handsome, is a foot long, and the fox itself generally 
 measures three feet eleven inches in its entire length. It is a very fine creature, and, did 
 the nature of the country permit, would doubtless occasion excellent sport. The Nimrods 
 of the East vainly speculate upon the noble bursts which these foxes would afford to 
 
72 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 a pack of hounds upon the plains, could the breed he established in such capital hunting- 
 grounds ; as, however, so notable a design is not feasible, they are fain to be content with 
 slaying tliem whenever an opportunity is given for a fair shot. 
 
 VIEW AT SIMLA. 
 
 Simla deservedly takes rank as the superior European station of the hill-districts ; the 
 spot which it occupies has risen to its present rank and importance in consequence of its 
 having been chosen for the summer residence of the political agent, stationed at Subathoo 
 for the purpose of maintaining a good understanding among the various potentates in the 
 neighbourhood. Visited in his encampment under the cedars, by several friends, anxious 
 like himself to escape from the heat of the plains, it seemed desirable to erect a mansion, 
 which was expeditiously accomplished, and, the example being followed, considerable 
 numbers of picturesque and commodious dwellings have sprung up in all directions. 
 The Earl of Amherst, governor-general of India, as early as the year 1827, was tempted 
 to pay a visit to Simla. Lord Combermere made it for some time his head-quarters ; and, 
 to the strong interest taken by this public-spirited commandant in the prosperity of the 
 infant settlement, it is indebted for a great many improvements, especially for an excellent 
 road, broad, safe, and not possessing any unpleasant acclivities ; a bridge, represented in 
 the accompanying engraving, spanning a ravine which it crosses in its progress. This 
 road encircles the principal hill, and is about two miles in circumference, thus affording 
 an agreeable ride or drive to the inhabitants ; but there is another, which stretches to a 
 very considerable distance, of sufficient breadth, and sufficiently level to ride along with 
 rapidity and safety. Bungalows, or post-houses, have been erected at the end of each 
 stage, varying from eight to twelve miles in distance, for the accommodation of travellers 
 proceeding into the interior ranges of the Himalaya, on the road to Chinese Tartary ; and 
 this route affords great facilities for persons who have no desire to penetrate so far, to 
 make themselves acquainted with the character of the country, without being exposed to 
 the hardships and dangers which they must encounter in following the primitive tracks 
 with which the natives have been content. 
 
 The greater number of houses at Simla range from seven to eight thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea; a very considerable portion of wood enters into their construction, 
 the walls being strengthened by stout beams introduced at intervals ; some of the roofs 
 are nearly flat, having just sufficient slope to allow the rain to run off, and are formed of 
 chunam, a peculiar kind of stucco used in India, intermixed with wood, and closely 
 cemented to the rafters ; others, however, are sloping with gable-ends, (Major Kennedy's 
 being of this description,) and rather Chinese in their appearance : many, indeed all the 
 situations, are exceedingly beautiful ; the summit of a small green knoll, sheltered by a 
 steeper hill at the back, and looking down upon a valley, being usually chosen, every part 
 magnificently wooded with pines of various kinds, the larch and the cedar, evergreen 
 oak, and rhododendron, the two latter not bearing the same proportion as the former. 
 
 The gardens are numerous and thriving; potatoes, cabbages", and other vegetable 
 esculents grow very freely, and beautiful parterres of flowers may be obtained by the 
 mere trouble of transplanting the numerous wild varieties which wreathe the side of every 
 hill; while the seeds procured from the plains are easily matured. The greensward is 
 at Simla enriched with the. violet, the primrose, red and white roses, some double and 
 some assuming the form of a creeper, convolvoli of many kinds, the whole family of 
 geraniums, the orchis, and others of great beauty peculiar to the hills. The rose may 
 

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* 
 
 * 
 
VIEW AT SIMLA. 73 
 
 be seen climbing to the summit of a tall tree, and mingling the profusion of its perfumed 
 flowers with the dark foliage of the larch. Fruit is abundant, but the quality requires 
 the improving hand of cultivation ; pears and apples inhabit the deep glens, and would 
 doubtless, by transplantation and grafting, be rendered very superior to their present 
 condition; in their wild state they are hard and tasteless. At Mussooree, an English 
 apple-tree having been successfully introduced, has already furnished several grafts. This 
 plant came from Liverpool, and proved the only one which survived the long journey to 
 the upper provinces of India, whence being transferred to the hills, it was preserved from 
 the heat and rains of the plains, which are found to be so destructive to European plants. 
 This single apple-tree cost upwards of seventy pounds before it was planted in the botanic 
 garden at Mussooree, where it flourishes luxuriantly, and will in all probability be the 
 means of bringing its congeners of the hills to perfection. The walnuts are excellent 
 and abundant, and the peach and apricot, being cultivated in the villages, are of good 
 quality ; these, together with the strawberries, form a very acceptable dessert. Extremely 
 fine grapes are imported from the countries beyond the Sutlej ; and the bazaar is very 
 well supplied with mangoes, oranges, and plantains from the plains. It has not been 
 thought advisable hitherto to shock the prejudices of the natives by slaughtering beef in 
 the hills, and butcher's meat is therefore confined to mutton and pork, the station being 
 indebted to the political agent of Subathoo for the establishment of a piggery. A differ- 
 ence of opinion exists respecting the comparative excellence of the mountain mutton, free 
 to browse on the grass that clothes the thymy hills, and the gram-fed sheep of the plains ; 
 and where high authorities disagree, it is very difficult to determine : game is of course 
 abundant; but there was at first some difficulty in raising domestic poultry, which became 
 diseased and blind; doubtless, this inconvenience will in future be obviated. 
 
 The abundance of game at Simla has been disputed by sportsmen of great authority ; 
 but the disappointments of which they complain, were in all probability the results of 
 imprudence arising from their want of acquaintance with the right way of going to work : 
 determined sportsmen have found it possible to employ dogs with success, and they enjoy 
 opportunities of woodcock-shooting which can never be gratified in the plains. Dogs are 
 frequently essential in getting up the birds, the woodcock can very seldom be flushed 
 without them, for on the beaters coming down a nullah, the game will run up the bank 
 unperceived, and will of course elude them, but the dog, which of necessity accompanies 
 the beaters, immediately acknowledges the scent, and when the bird stops, comes to a 
 point : some descriptions of pheasant can scarcely be made to move by the beaters, who 
 have been known to pitch large stones into a bush where a dog had come to a point, 
 without getting them out; the dog has been blamed, when, behold, the moment the dis- 
 appointed party have turned away, out would scud three or four birds, running and 
 threading the jungle like hares. Other descriptions of game-birds are more easily attain- 
 able with dogs, and the dog is indispensable in securing birds which on being shot have 
 fallen into thick jungle. The pointer suffers considerably from his rough encounters with 
 thorns and jungle, and therefore should be well fed, carefully treated, and hunted only 
 two days in the week ; if proper attention be paid to him, he will thus be enabled to keep 
 the field during the whole season. It is also very necessary to maintain a vigilant eye 
 over our canine favourites at Simla, when not employed in the chase, for the hyena and 
 the leopard are their deadly enemies ; the former prowls about at night, and will sometimes 
 in the dusk of the evening rush at a solitary dog, and walk off with him with the greatest 
 ease, occasionally carrying one away from the very door of a European dwelling. The 
 leopard will make the attack in open day, and when pursued, these animals manage to 
 
74 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 conceal themselves with so much adroitness as to lead the party to helieve that they take 
 to earth. They do not attempt to attack the large hill-dogs belonging to the natives, and 
 the latter sometimes assemble a pack together, and hunt the cat-a-mountain to his very 
 lair, or rouse him in his den. A solitary tiger will occasionally straggle up to the neigh- 
 bourhood of Simla, and the natives, though not distinguished for their bravery, will on 
 such an emergence attack him very boldly. A shikarie, or huntsman, surprised one in 
 the act of pulling down a cow ; he shot him through the head with a bullet from his 
 matchlock, and, following up the victory, closed upon him, and divided the spine with 
 his sword. To those persons acquainted with the danger of approaching a tiger, however 
 severely wounded, such an instance of personal courage will be justly estimated. 
 
 An excellent bazaar is established at Simla, which is well supplied with foreign 
 products and provisions from the plains — the former, of course, on account of the length 
 of carriage, at rather an expensive rate. Hitherto, though much wanted, nothing in the 
 shape of a house of public entertainment has been attempted. It is rather surprising that 
 while Europeans are always found ready to embark in indigo speculations, and to waste 
 their lives in some horrid solitude, half the year compelled to the most dangerous super- 
 intendence of the labours of the factory under a climate fraught with disease, and the other 
 half condemned to miserable inactivity ; no one has been found to take up a project which 
 could not fail to produce an excellent return for the capital laid out, and which would 
 prove a pleasurable employment of time. 
 
 Three thousand pounds would suffice for the purpose of establishing an hotel at Simla, 
 which, with proper care, must be rendered very productive, since the high rent of houses, 
 and the expense of building them, deter many families and vast numbers of single men 
 from visiting the hills, who would otherwise gladly make them their summer resort. 
 A commodious family dwelling-house averages, in building complete, from three to 
 five hundred pounds ; and the hotel premises would, of course, cost the proprietor 
 a proportionate sum, according to their extent. The ground is to be obtained on applica- 
 tion to the political agent, at a trifling annual rent paid to Government ; and there are 
 various spots in Simla admirably calculated for the purpose of an hotel ; one in particu- 
 lar on the entrance, and one at a higher elevation, comprising a succession of terraces, 
 which would afford ample room for spacious buildings, out-houses, &c, and excellent 
 garden -ground. Besides the families who seek health in the hills, numerous parties 
 would run between return-days from Meerut, Loodianah, Kurnaul, and the adjacencies, 
 if they had a place in which they could be accommodated without the necessity of carrying 
 every thing with them excepting their wearing apparel. The landlord might also keep 
 a number of goonts, and let them out to the public at considerable advantage ; these 
 ponies are procurable at exceedingly low prices at the annual fair at Rampore, and they 
 may be fed upon barley, which is cheap in the hills. The hotel-keeper, besides the profits 
 of his house, would have an opportunity of setting up, unrivalled, as general provisioner 
 and farmer, and, in a very short time would be dependent only upon foreign supplies of 
 wine and brandy. There is no doubt that brewing* might be very successfully undertaken 
 
 • The experiment of making beer has been tried at Meerut, and failed, but the causes which prevented success upon the 
 plains, would not operate in the hills. The hop plant could be freely cultivated, and what is still more essential, as a substi- 
 tute can be found for hops, the manufacture of malt might be carried on, which requires an equable temperature unattain- 
 able in the plains. In addition to the large consumption by Europeans, good beer would find a ready sale amongst the 
 richer classes of natives, who are not fettered by the restrictions imposed upon more orthodox Hindoos. Amongst other 
 customers, the brewer might reckon upon Runjeet Singh himself, for we are informed by the Delhi Gazette, that the Lion of 
 the Punjab having heard that Furtee Allee, shah of Persia, had derived great benefit from the use of beer, sent to Loodianah 
 for a hundred bottles of Hodgson's best. 
 
VIEW AT SIMLA. 75 
 
 at Simla, and he could supply the whole station with beer, butcher's meat, poultry, butter, 
 and cheese. Pickling, preserving, and confectionary might be carried on upon a large 
 scale ; the candles and lamps supplied from the oil and wax which the hills produce in 
 abundance ; and when the visitors quit the station, which is usually about November, the 
 return taking place in March, the winter months might be very profitably employed. 
 Wax, honey, cherry -brandy, preserves of all kinds, the skins of the numerous wild 
 animals properly prepared, shawls, which may be purchased great bargains, and the soft, 
 light, warm, excellent blankets made from the coarser portions of the wool of Thibet, 
 would, with many other articles, prove excellent investments for sale upon the plains, 
 Labour is cheap, and there would be no difficulty in procuring the services of excellent 
 cabinet-makers from Bareilly, or other towns in India, to manufacture furniture upon 
 the spot. The same plan might be adopted at Mussooree with equal advantage ; billiards 
 and reading-rooms forming a portion of the establishment, while a garden, carefully 
 attended by a regular resident, would be equally profitable with the nursery grounds of 
 England. The hill-stations are rapidly increasing in size ; and families intending ulti- 
 mately to build, would gladly put up in the first instance at an hotel, while, until their 
 gardens and farm-yards had considerably progressed, they would seek their supplies from 
 the general provisioner. In a climate so healthy, employments so exciting, and such con- 
 stant communication with strangers arriving from distant places, the occupations of 
 a family keeping an hotel at Simla must necessarily be exceedingly beneficial to both body 
 and mind ; while, as a matter of course, if conducted on a liberal scale, and for moderate 
 profits, they would speedily lead to wealth. 
 
 Simla boasts a theatre and assembly-rooms, and is often, when visited by the rich and 
 the fashionable portion of the Company's civil and military servants, the scene of great 
 gaiety. During the sojourn of Lady Barnes and Lady Bryant, a fancy-fair was held in 
 a romantic glen, named Annandale from the lady who first graced its solitude. The 
 talents of both ladies and gentlemen were put into requisition to furnish drawings, and 
 fancy articles of every kind, while there were many goods for sale, for use as well as 
 ornament ; the proceeds being collected in aid of a native school, to be established at 
 Subathoo, for the purpose of affording mental instruction, needle-work, and other useful 
 arts, to the female Ghoorka children ; a boy's school at the same place having been 
 found to answer. A fete of this nature seemed particularly adapted both to the features 
 of the scene, and the talents of the subordinates employed : native genius always appear- 
 ing to great advantage in the open air, tents were pitched amid the pine-groves of this 
 romantic spot, and the interiors spread with productions of great taste and elegance, 
 drawings and sketches of the magnificent scenery around," forming a very appropriate 
 contribution. The most interesting, however, of the numerous objects of interest, was a 
 profusion of garlands, wreathed of the flowers of the Himalaya, and brought to the fair 
 by the first class of the boys of the Subathoo school, attended by the old Gooroo, their 
 superintendent. These were offerings of gratitude to the ladies who had so benevolently 
 sought to extend the advantages of instruction to the whole of the native community, 
 whether male or female, who were so fortunate as to be within the circle of their influ- 
 ence. Between seventy and eighty pounds were collected, very high prices having been 
 cheerfully given for the articles put up for sale, the drawings especially being in great 
 demand. 
 
76 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 THE CITY OF NAHUN, VIEWED FROM THE NORTH. 
 
 Nahun is the capital of Sirmoor, that is, the chief town of a small raj, and, though 
 diminutive, is considered one of the best planned and best built cities in India. It is 
 approached through a very picturesque, well-watered, and finely- wooded valley, and, 
 occupying the summit of a rock, it commands on all sides most extensive and beautiful 
 views. The country round about is intersected with valleys and ravines, clothed in the 
 richest luxuriance of foliage and verdure, the Deyrah Dhoon stretching out in the 
 distance to the south-east, and the comparatively low belts of hills in the neighbourhood 
 affording very pleasing specimens of mountain scenery. The road leading to the town is 
 exceedingly steep and narrow, cut inconveniently up a very precipitous ascent, which 
 elephants, however, contrive to mount, even when laden with baggage. The streets 
 have somewhat the appearance of stairs, so numerous are the steps occasioned by the 
 unevenness of the rock on which they are built ; and though accustomed to the native 
 disdain of obstacles of this kind, we were surprised to see the principal inhabitants 
 riding about on horseback and mounted on elephants, as if the place were adapted for 
 such recreations. 
 
 The rajah, who is indebted to British aid for the rescue of his dominions from the 
 Ghoorkas, is exceedingly polite and attentive to Europeans passing his way, affording 
 them all the assistance in his power. He is rather in an impoverished condition, his 
 territories consisting chiefly of the thinly peopled and scantily cultivated mountain 
 regions between Deyra and Pinjore ; but while complaining, and with some reason, of 
 the scantiness of his revenues, he contrives to cut a figure, which he trusts will impress 
 his European visitants with a due notion of his consequence. 
 
 There are few things more absurd than the interviews which occasionally take place 
 between native potentates and the civil or military European travellers who may chance 
 to pass through some remote principality. The latter are usually in a most deplorable 
 state of dishabille — fortunate if they have a decent coat to mount upon the occasion. 
 A long journey, in all probability, has sadly deteriorated the appearance of the cattle 
 and the followers, and the tourist would willingly relinquish the honours which are 
 thrust upon him. The rajah, on the other hand, is anxious to exhibit as a person of 
 importance, and, having given due notice of his intended visit, pays his respects to the 
 representative of Great Britain with all the pomp and circumstance which he can com- 
 mand. The cavalcades on these occasions are generally exceedingly picturesque, and 
 afford an imposing display -of elephants handsomely caparisoned, ornamented litters, 
 gaudily dressed troopers, and crowds of men on foot, brandishing swords, silver maces, 
 and rusty matchlocks ; while the deep and rapid sounds of the kettle-drums, and the 
 shrill blast3 of the trumpets, come upon the ear in wild and warlike melody. It is 
 necessary, notwithstanding the numerous discrepances appearing in the shape of ragged 
 followers, and the consciousness of the unfitness of travelling costume for the reception 
 of a visit of state, to preserve a steady countenance, since laughter would appear 
 unseemly, and certainly would not be attributed to the right cause. The rajah of 
 Nahun is rather proud of his killar, or fortress, and never fails to invite European 
 strangers to pay him a visit in it, and to inspect his troops. The latter are neither very 
 numerous nor highly disciplined, and their appearance readily accounted for the facility 
 with which the more martial Seiks and Ghoorkas possessed themselves of the territories 
 of the raj. Within view of the town is the hill-fortress of Tytock, four thousand eight 
 
3 
 
 Z 
 
 U 
 i-J 
 
THE CITY OF NAHUN, VIEWED FROM THE NORTH. 77 
 
 hundred and fifty-four feet above the level of the sea, which cost the lives of four 
 British officers in its capture during the Ghoorka war. The fall of these brave men is 
 commemorated by a lofty obelisk, which marks their graves, dug on the bank of a 
 spacious tank in the very centre of the town of Nalmn ; a scene full of melancholy 
 interest to those who, in their wanderings, come suddenly upon the remote resting- 
 place of men who wrested these hills from the frightful tyranny of their previous 
 conquerors. 
 
 Nahun is situated in latitude 20° 33' north, longitude 77° 16' east, forty-six miles 
 north-by-west of Saharunpore. There is a tolerably good road from this place to 
 Subathoo, the ostensible residence of the political agent, and there are bungalows upon 
 this road for the accommodation of travellers. Nahun is considered to be healthy, but 
 it is rather inconveniently warm, notwithstanding its elevated position, upwards of three 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea ; it is also exposed to the influence of the hot 
 winds, and during one period of the year the jungles in the neighbourhood are impreg- 
 nated with malaria. 
 
 Subathoo, which is the most northerly European settlement in India, excepting 
 Khotgur, is situated at the distance of four marches from Nahun, near the banks of the 
 Sutlej river ; and our party were induced to pay a visit to the fair at Rampore, so often 
 mentioned in the preceding pages. Rampore is the capital of the country of Bussahir, 
 which lies for the most part within the Himalaya, and is exceedingly rugged and 
 mountainous ; the town occupies a narrow stripe of land on the left bank of the Sutlej. 
 This place consists chiefly of one broad street, containing about a hundred and fifty 
 houses, and forming a crescent, the palace of the rajah, a substantial but gloomy-looking 
 building, standing in a commanding position. Rampore boasts four temples, dedicated 
 to Mahadeo and Kalee, the deities chiefly worshipped throughout these mountains, 
 though under different appellations. On account of its confined situation, this oddly 
 placed city only receives the sun during six hours of the day, a circumstance which occa- 
 sions great variation of temperature. There is a considerable manufacture of blankets and 
 woollen cloths carried on at Rampore, and, strange to say, the men use the spindle, 
 sitting comfortably at home employed in their easy task, while the women not only 
 perform all the household drudgery, but labour also in the fields. 
 
 The breadth of the Sutlej at Rampore is two hundred and eleven feet, and during the 
 summer months is crossed by a jhoola, or swing bridge, which is erected in May, and 
 employed until the early part of September. The river begins to swell in March, and 
 during June, July, and August the stream reaches its height, and, rendered turbid by 
 the dissolution of vast fields of snow in the Himalaya, rolls along in a dark flood. 
 A gradual commencement of the subsiding of the waters takes place by the end of Sep- 
 tember, and the stream is low and clear until the close of February. There is no bridge 
 during these months, but the passage across the river is effected upon the hide of a 
 buffalo or bullock, inflated with air, on which a single person, together with the ferry- 
 man, can be conveyed. The latter throws himself on his breast athwart the skin, and 
 directs its course by the rapid action of his feet in the water, assisted by a paddle three 
 feet in length, which he holds in his right hand. He thus crosses the stream with ease, 
 but it is sometimes necessary to launch two or three skins together, in order more 
 effectually to stem the force of the current. The passenger sits astride, across the back 
 of the ferryman, resting his legs on the skin, and, the tail and legs of the bullock being 
 left entire, serve to support and prevent him from being wetted. There is some danger 
 of the bursting of the skin, in which event the passenger would be in a disagreeable 
 
 u 
 
78 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 predicament, for the velocity of the current is so great, and the river so full of rocks, 
 that an expert swimmer would scarcely succeed in reaching the shore. When natives 
 of rank cross the ferry, a seat is prepared by lashing two or more skins together, and 
 then placing a charpoy, or common bedstead, across them. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE DHOON, WITH THE GANGES IN THE DISTANCE, FROM 
 
 THE LANDOUR RIDGE. 
 
 Returning to Mussooree, we were again gratified with a view of the ever-beautiful 
 valley of Deyrah stretching out before us, with the Ganges hastening towards the plains 
 through its devious windings. 
 
 After our long sojourn under canvass, we found the houses at Mussooree, though 
 neither so spacious nor so elegant as those at Simla, exceedingly convenient and agreeable. 
 Upon cold evenings we particularly enjoyed a fire, the companion always so acceptable 
 to an Englishman : it is true, we had managed to warm our tents, when fuel was plentiful, 
 by means of wood embers, which were placed, while in a red heat, in large brass basins, 
 and which diffused a genial glow throughout the apartment, but this contrivance lacked 
 the blaze which the lover of the fire-side always delights to provoke. We found very 
 - excellent society at Mussooree, the station being greatly on the increase ; and though our 
 experience might have rendered us somewhat fastidious, we thought the scenery charming. 
 Unsatiated by our forest wanderings, we followed with fresh zest the rugged and intricate 
 footpaths which led to the different points, whence the view sometimes embraced romantic 
 glens, and small amphitheatres of rocks ; and at others ranged boundlessly over an illi- 
 mitable space, the distance being softened into the tint of the atmosphere, and rendering 
 it impossible to distinguish the heavens from the earth. 
 
 The close vicinity of the valleys of Kearda and Deyrah Dlioon to Mussooree, renders 
 the station particularly agreeable to parties who are fond of going out in search of tigers 
 the surrounding forests abound with bears, leopards, and wild elephants, but they live in 
 comparative safety, since the coverts are so heavy, and so completely cut up by ravines, 
 that they are inaccessible to the mounted sportsman. Lower down, however, where the 
 tiger chiefly roams, elephants may be brought against the tawny monarch. A battue 
 of this kind, when tliere are several elephants in the field, and a proportionate number 
 of scouts and beaters, affords a wild and picturesque group, in strict keeping with the 
 jungle scenery. The men upon the look-out usually climb the neighbouring trees, 
 whence they can give advices concerning the whereabout of the savage, who, though 
 often charging with great gallantry, even when first aroused, more frequently endeavours 
 to make his way to some place of greater security. Having received intelligence that 
 three tigers had taken possession of a particular spot, we beat down the banks of the 
 ravine for several hours without finding any trace of them, and were beginning to fancy 
 that we had been misinformed, when, coming to a patch of very tall jungle grass, we 
 stumbled upon a bullock half eaten, and bearing marks of having been newly killed, 
 and of affording so recent a repast, that we might hope to follow very closely on the 
 track of the destroyer. Accordingly advancing, our leading elephant trumpeting and 
 shewing signs of uneasiness, assured us that we were not far off. Several deer got up 
 about three hundred yards ahead, evidently in great terror — another certain indication : 
 so, forward we went, and, catching a distinct view of the gentleman as he crossed the 
 ravine, one of the party fired a long shot, which had only the effect of accelerating his 
 
(J 
 (J 
 
 eg 
 
VALLEY OF THE DHOON. 79 
 
 pace. The elephants now pushed on, two more shots were fired, and suddenly the tiger 
 made across the open space full in front of us, but at too great a distance to bring him 
 to the charge. We followed as rapidly as possible, crossing and crashing through the 
 bed of a nullah, to which our friend had betaken himself. While in full chase, two 
 fresh tigers got up almost under our feet, and, receiving a few shots, made for cover. 
 The glare of an eye gleaming through some brushwood betrayed the retreat of one, and 
 a ball aimed with fatal precision went through the brain, and he fell, never to rise again. 
 The second was despatched in a very short time, though it took two or three shots to 
 stretch him on the ground : the third was still abroad, and apparently unhurt, and, 
 arousing him for the third time, he went off in good style, but considerably ahead. 
 At length a long shot from a rifle told ; the noble animal turned and charged, coming 
 down gallantly, and offering too fair a mark to be missed : before it could spring upon 
 the leading elephant, a well-aimed bullet stopped his career, and he, too, bit the dust. 
 This day the party returned to camp in great triumph, with three tigers padded on the 
 baggage elephants, the whole cavalcade being such as Landseer would not have disdained 
 to paint, and which, combined with the beautiful scenery and the picturesque cluster of 
 tents, would have made a very effective group upon canvass. 
 
 The next day we proceeded along the Dhoon, without much expectation of finding 
 tigers, and with some intention of looking after deer on the way to the encamping 
 ground, but in beating some lemon bushes, a large tiger broke cover, going off, however, 
 before we could get in good range of him : a considerable space of open country inter- 
 spersed with swamps, and bounded by a thick forest, formed the hunting ground, which, 
 if we could succeed in turning the tiger should he make for the forest, was the best that 
 could have been selected ; the pedestrians were therefore directed to climb the trees, and 
 to shout with all the power of their lungs, if our friend should come their way. Meantime 
 we had lost sight of him, but were guided to the probable place of his retreat; by a flock 
 of vultures which were perched upon a tree ; a pretty certain sign that there was a dead 
 carcase below newly slain, which the tiger would return to devour. The cover was 
 exceedingly heavy, and we found some difficulty in beating, but a glimpse of a tawny, 
 stripe, assuring us that we were on the right track, and the trumpeting of the elephants 
 increasing, we pushed forward, warned at the same time by the shouts of our people in 
 the trees, that lie was making for the forest. Turned at all points, the tiger doubled 
 back, and was now in a long narrow strip of high jungle grass, which was separated from 
 the dense wood on the right by nothing more than twenty yards of bare bank, being 
 divided from the heavy covers he had just left by a pool of clear water. We immediately 
 beat up this strip, taking care to have an elephant on the bank, to prevent a retreat to the 
 forest. Presently the tiger again got up about two hundred yards ahead, and again doubling 
 back, one of the party got a fair shot which brought him on his haunches ; another ball 
 made him move to some broken ground, where he took up his position. Advancing, 
 we saw him in the grandeur of his rage, lashing his tail, roaring, and grinding his teeth, 
 as he prepared to charge. Firing again, the provocation was completed. With a roar 
 that made the whole dell ring, down he came upon us, and fell at length from a volley 
 fired simultaneously by the whole party, under the very feet of the elephants. 
 
90 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 VIGNETTE. 
 
 RUNJEET SINGH'S ENCAMPMENT AT ROOPUR, ON THE RIVER SUTLEJ. 
 
 His Highness the maha-rajah, Runjeet Singh, the great Seik chieftain, who is Lord of the 
 Punjab, or Country of Four Rivers, the conqueror of Cashmere and Moultan, and undis- 
 puted master of the most fertile country of India, and of revenues to the amount of two 
 crores (millions) a year, may be styled the only independent prince throughout the whole 
 peninsula. It has always been the policy of the British government to conciliate this 
 potentate, who, notwithstanding some strange notions, the offspring of superstition, is 
 a very able person, and one with whom, though we may not fear him, it is considered 
 advantageous to keep upon good terms. 
 
 During the period in which Lord William Bentinck held the reins of government in 
 India, a tour which he made throughout the Bengal territory, and into the hills, afforded 
 an opportunity of a meeting with the chief of Lahore, which it was supposed had some 
 great political object in view. It was deemed expedient to induce our powerful neigh- 
 bour to enter into a defensive alliance with our government, and to gain, by treaty, the 
 navigation of the Indus, for the more speedy transport of troops by steam from Bombay, 
 in case of the necessity of strengthening the defences on our north-west frontier. The 
 spot selected for the interview might be called classic, since it has been made memo- 
 rable by affording a passage across the Sutlej to Nadir Shah in his invasion of India, 
 while the river itself is still more celebrated as being the Hyphasis of Alexander the 
 Great, and the boundary of his Eastern conquests. Roopur is beautifully situated among 
 the lower skirts of the Himalaya, where the Sutlej first waters the plains, and the splen- 
 did encampment on either side of the river shewed to great advantage amid the low ranges 
 of hills and woody valleys of the landscape. 
 
 Runjeet Singh's army occupied the right bank, and probably equalled in magnificence 
 any display ever made by the gorgeous satraps of the East. The spot chosen for the tem- 
 porary palace of the chieftain exhibited to great advantage the peculiar ingenuity of 
 native talent, which is never so favourably employed as in the conversion of some desert 
 waste into a scene which looks like the work of the fabled genii of the soil. A space of 
 about eight acres of sand having been marked out, the interstices between the intended 
 erections were sowed with a quick-growing herb, and kept constantly watered ; when, 
 therefore, the pavilions and tents were raised, they appeared to be surrounded by par- 
 terres of the brightest green. Nothing could exceed the splendour of these tents, which 
 gleamed with the richest draperies of crimson, purple, scarlet, and gold, supported on 
 gilt pillars, and having awnings embroidered, and fringed, and tasselled, in the most 
 costly manner. A wall of kanauts, as they are called in India, on which crimson with 
 a lining of yellow satin was substituted for canvass, enclosed the pavilions on three sides, 
 having openings in the shape of lofty gateways, with towers at each angle ; the river 
 
RUNJEET SINGH S ENCAMPMENT AT ROOPUR. 81 
 
 running in front, and reflecting the whole of this barbaric pomp upon its polished 
 surface. Above, upon a ledge of rock, the highly gorgeous scene was crowned by a 
 pavilion formed of panels of wood plated with silver, and all around were splendid 
 groups of caparisoned elephants, war-horses, and camels. Beyond, the several camps 
 of the maha-rajah's army occupied picturesque positions among the hills, which opened 
 to a view of the snowy range bounding the distance. 
 
 Runjeet Singh's entrance into his own camp, in point of pomp and circumstance, will 
 bear a comparison with the most ostentatious display of Asiatic magnificence upon 
 record. The troops were drawn up to receive him, superbly arrayed : a squadron of 
 lancers, wearing yellow satin vestments, richly embroidered with gold, and headed by 
 officers glittering with jewels; the infantry, comprising six battalions, each eight hundred 
 strong, wore handsome uniforms in the European style, and the artillery, which consisted 
 of forty guns, was well served and appointed ; the most interesting portion, however, to 
 a stranger being one which is so strongly characteristic of a native army, the Surwar 
 camels, two hundred in number, each decorated with housings of crimson and gold, and 
 carrying a swivel. Then there were the principal officers, sumptuously arrayed, mounted 
 upon elephants, and affording, as they stood in clusters of three or four, between the 
 long files of soldiers, horse and foot, a sort of solid buttress, which had a very imposing 
 appearance. The lines of soldiers were further diversified by groups occupying the 
 centre, consisting of the chiefs of battalions, all gems and gold. Presently a gun was 
 fired, announcing the appearance of the maha-rajah, and a swarm of elephants appeared 
 upon the scene, the stately phalanx surrounded on all sides by irregular troops, lancers, 
 and matchlock men, who, upon their spirited but well-trained horses, careered along 
 with headlong speed, apparently in the most disorderly manner, tilting, jousting, and 
 curvetting, as they hurried wildly on, though, when necessary, drawing up their horses 
 in the midst of a charge, and turning aside, with extraordinary ease and dexterity, when 
 upon the point of encountering some formidable obstacle. This wild pageant having 
 passed, a grave-looking personage, most splendidly attired, appeared upon a prancing 
 steed, ringing with gold and silver ornaments, then another troop, some in chain armour, 
 and all in fanciful but superb costumes, and then, at least a hundred yards behind, like 
 the hero of some scenic display, in the midst of a small group of elephants, and occupying 
 a howdah of gold, placed upon the tallest and most majestic of these animals, came the 
 mighty satrap himself. His approach was the signal for a discharge of artillery on both 
 sides the river, which made the distant echoes ring. 
 
 The splendour of the outward garnishing of Runjeet Singh's temporary abode was 
 not shamed by any discrepancy in the interior arrangements, every thing belonging to the 
 establishment of this barbaric lord being in keeping. The two principal tents were 
 formed of scarlet and purple broad-cloth, one lined with yellow satin and the other with 
 shawls, and edged and decorated with gold ; their superb draperies being supported upon 
 massy poles plated with gold, and richly chased. Two of the smaller pavdions were 
 formed of crimson velvet, embroidered with gold in a rich pattern of lotus leaves; all 
 the awnings were of scarlet cloth, the ropes of crimson silk, and the ground spread with 
 carpets of the most costly description, some being of shawls, and others of yellow velvet, 
 embroidered with crimson and gold. 
 
 x 
 
82 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 The British camp, of course, shewed poor in comparison with that of a chief who 
 seemed to have brought all Bokhara's vaunted gold, and all the gems of Samarcand, to 
 the display ; nevertheless, it was of a character befitting the representatives of a nation 
 boasting more of internal riches than of outward show ; and Runjeet Singh himself, in 
 the midst of his glittering array, seemed much impressed with the appearance made by 
 his British allies. The number of Europeans present, two king's corps, the 16th 
 lancers, and the 31st regiment, being in the governor's train, appeared to give him both 
 surprise and pleasure. He regarded these troops with evident astonishment, and 
 remarked to those persons about him, that they were all so fair and young, they looked 
 like gentlemen, comparing them to the sahibs of his acquaintance. He expressed himself 
 also highly delighted with the whole of the troops, and with their movements as they 
 went through the several evolutions after the most approved system of military tactics ; 
 and the review being ended, he ordered a largess, consisting of several mule-loads of 
 rupees, to be distributed among the soldiers. However rapacious the maha-rajah may 
 be in his character of sovereign, upon this occasion he displayed a truly prince-like 
 liberality, presenting shawls and silk to every body who paid their respects to him. He 
 also occasioned several of the soldiers and camp-followers, who had been induced by 
 curiosity to reconnoitre the precincts of his tented fields, to be called before him, and 
 dismissed them with handsome presents. He was much pleased with the equipments of 
 the British soldiers, especially the lancers ; and though it is impossible to say whether 
 ears so well accustomed to the din and dissonance of native music could relish the more 
 subdued harmony of our instrumental performers, he gave a thousand rupees to each of 
 the bands accompanying Lord William's escort. 
 
 llunjeet Singh is at the head of the most warlike nation of the East, the Seiks being 
 a brave and adventurous race, equalling the Rajpoots in their spirit and enterprise, and 
 more fortunate in the independence of their sovereign, which permits them to follow 
 the bent of their inclination in the pursuit of foreign conquests. The Seiks, or Singhs, are 
 a modern sect of Hindoos, differing considerably from their more orthodox brethren, since 
 they will eat the flesh of any animal, excepting that of the cow. These people are 
 followers of Baba Nanuk, who several centuries ago founded the sect, into which he 
 admitted converts of all denominations. The doctrines promulgated by this person have, 
 however, been lost sight of in the lapse of ages, for he insisted upon the renunciation of 
 idolatry, and the abolition of caste, directing the attention of his followers to the precepts 
 of a book compiled by persons entering into these views, called the Adi Grunth. Baba 
 Nanuk's converts were in the first instance denominated Seiks (disciples), and were a 
 peaceable race, but being persecuted, their high-priest Govind, the tenth in descent, 
 changed the appellation to that of Singh (lion), and called upon them to resist their 
 oppressors, and take up the sword. Becoming warlike, and spreading themselves over 
 the Punjab, they obtained possession of the whole country ; but their religion has dete- 
 riorated. They now pay respect to caste, and, so far from retaining their former tole- 
 ration, look scrupulously at the descent of those Hindoos with whom they eat. 
 
 Could Runjeet Singh transmit his dominions to a successor whose talents equalled his 
 own, we might find our neighbours of the Punjab rather troublesome, but in all proba- 
 bility the government will fall to pieces as soon as the present head of it shall sleep with 
 
runjeet singh's encampment at roopuk. 83 
 
 his fathers. Notwithstanding his apparent desire to maintain a good understanding with 
 the Christian rulers of India, it is confidently asserted, that during the panic that pre- 
 vailed in the north-western portion, when our army was before Bhurtpore, Runjeet Singh 
 consulted the French officers in his service respecting the policy of invading the Com- 
 pany's provinces, and co-operating with the other native powers to drive the British 
 out of India. In the event of a Russian invasion, he would in all probability take a 
 decided part against us ; but circumstances will change greatly upon his death, an event 
 that may be expected at no very remote period. The decease of Runjeet Singh will give 
 rise to three great parties ; namely, that of the legitimate son, Kanuck Singh, that of 
 Sheir Singh, governor of Cashmere, and that of Dahan Singh, the favourite. Possibly 
 two of these parties will unite, but, at all events, great confusion and anarchy must 
 prevail for a considerable period ; every petty chief will turn marauder, and encroach- 
 ments will take place on the territory of the protected states. The Indian government 
 will have the choice of either taking possession of the Punjab, or keeping up an army 
 of ten thousand men on the left bank of the Sutlej. 
 
 The army of Runjeet Singh has been disciplined under the command of two French 
 officers of very distinguished merit, who have introduced the tactics and system of their 
 own nation ; and, in consequence, the French legion of cavalry, and the regular infantry, 
 are said to be in a high state of field efficiency. Besides these troops, the Ghora Churrahs 
 of the body guard, are, perhaps, the most effective regulars in India ; their men are all 
 Seiks of good family, and receive liberal pay ; they are splendidly equipped, their arms, 
 consisting of swords and matchlocks, being mounted in silver. There is also a Ghoorka 
 battalion, and about four thousand irregular cavalry attached to the army. The artil- 
 lery consists of sixty pieces of horse, and a hundred and twenty heavy guns ; most of 
 the latter being in the different forts. The Seik army moves rapidly, and all baggage is 
 conveyed on camels, elephants, horses, and mules. The French legion of cavalry was 
 entirely formed by General Allard, their system being that of the French lancers ; the 
 men are much attached to their commandant, and these troops only require a few more 
 European officers, to be nearly on a par with our regular native cavalry. General Allard, a 
 man of high character and conciliatory manners, was a distinguished officer in the imperial 
 army of France ; he adopted the Seik costume, allowed his beard to grow, and married a 
 native woman. The regular infantry are under General Ventura, and are also disciplined 
 in the French drill, the words of command being chiefly French ; they are armed with 
 firelocks and bayonets, and are regularly paid and clothed. General Ventura served 
 under Eugene Beauharnois in Napoleon's Russian campaign ; he is a brave, intelligent 
 officer, but violent in his temper, and not popular in his manners. 
 
 Runjeet Singh's own personal body-guard consists of a kind of legion of honour, com- 
 posed of picked men, arrayed in gorgeous dresses and rich armour, and considered to be the 
 elite of the army. These troopers are all tried shots, and at eighty yards very seldom fail 
 to hit a small brass pot with a matchlock. The horse artillery of Runjeet's army consists of 
 guns of small calibre, and their field equipment resembles that of our late fort batteries, 
 and consequently such field-pieces would be utterly unable to cope with our horse artil- 
 lery ; still, as these guns are drawn by horses, their fire would be always available, which 
 is not the case with bullock artillery. 
 
84 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 Runjeet Singh does not place implicit confidence in his European officers, keeping a 
 watchful eye over them, and not unfrequently displaying marks of distrust. The ukh- 
 bars, or native newspapers of the Upper Provinces, are continually reporting misunder- 
 standings said to have occurred between him and these gentlemen, and some authorities 
 state that French influence is on the decline at Lahore, though others, again, lamenting 
 over the prevalence of European opinions, say that Runjeet Singh, instead of being 
 independent, is controlled by his own general, M. Allard. In fact, the fall of Bhurtpore 
 has impressed the native mind with a belief that nothing can now withstand the British 
 power — a conviction much strengthened by the courtesies shewn at Roopur by Runjeet 
 Singh to the Company's Governor-General, which seemed to give an assurance that, 
 notwithstanding the strength of his position, and the state of his army, he would do 
 nothing to oppose the universal rule. 
 
 The Seik prince, though he has for some time languished in a precarious state of health, 
 still holds out ; but in consequence of the general expectation that the complaints which 
 he labours under must shortly terminate his life, the disaffected chiefs, comprising all 
 over whom he holds dominion, are believed to be secretly buckling on their armour for a 
 struggle to regain the rights of which they have been deprived. The British government 
 might take advantage of so favourable an opportunity to annex the Punjab to its terri- 
 tories, an object which could be effected without much cost of blood or treasure ; but in 
 all probability the India Company's rulers will recognize the eldest son as the rightful 
 heir ; and, in requital of a throne which he could not otherwise retain or keep, they might 
 easily induce him to cede Cashmere, and the posts required on his portion of the Indus, 
 in payment of a perpetual subsidy. 
 
 General Abstract of the Forts, Ordnance, and Army, of Maha-rajah Runjeet Singh. 
 
 Forts ' . . . . • . . 10 
 
 Guns in ditto ..... 108 
 
 Guns in Horse Artillery, commanded by Natives . 58 
 
 Guns in Foot Artillery, commanded by Natives . . 142 
 
 Mortars ...... 9 
 
 Toombrorahs, or swivel-guns, mounted on camels " . . 305 
 
 Irregular Cavalry, commanded by Natives . . 43,300 
 
 Regular Cavalry, commanded by General Allard . 5,200 
 
 Infantry commanded by three other French Officers . 6,000 
 
 Infantry commanded by Native Officers . . 17,000 
 
 Golundauze ..... 1,500 
 
 Grand total of the Army . 73,000 
 
m 
 

 |UJ 
 
85 
 
 BORRO BOEDOOR. 
 
 The Bhoodist religion has, in the island of Java, wholly given place to the doctrines 
 of Brahma ; and so little is known concerning the era in which it flourished, that opinions 
 are divided respecting the period of its introduction ; some authors supposing that it 
 preceded the present prevailing system of faith, while others maintain that it had a later 
 origin. Amid the numerous Bhoodist monuments still in existence in places where the 
 religious worship formerly performed in them has disappeared, none possess a greater 
 degree of interest and beauty than the temple at Borro Bocdoor. It is situated eighteen 
 miles to the north-west from Yngyacarta, and is very extensive, and solidly built. The 
 image of Bhood, in the contemplative attitude, which is always the characteristic of 
 this deity, is placed in each of the series of niches stretching along the edifice, which is 
 altogether strikingly dissimilar to the remains to be found upon the continent of India, 
 dedicated to the same purpose. 
 
 The interior of Java, though the island has been so long in the possession of a 
 European power, is little known. Whatever information the Dutch colonists may have 
 obtained concerning the country of their residence, is kept to themselves, the jealousy of 
 the government rendering it unwilling that the attention of the civilized world should be 
 called to a scene which it has been the policy of the authorities to render as little attractive 
 as possible. The antiquities of the island of Java are altogether very interesting, and, 
 during the period in which it was in the possession of the British, were visited by many 
 gentlemen of learning and research ; the numerous avocations, however, which employed 
 the time and attention of those who held appointments under the government, and the 
 brief interval of our occupation, prevented the most anxious inquirers from taking more 
 than a cursory glance. 
 
 The changes now in progress in the Eastern archipelago, will, in all probability, lead 
 to some alteration in the internal government of Java, which cannot much longer exist 
 under the present system. The Dutch must, sooner or later, consent to forego many 
 of their favourite doctrines, and either relinquish the monopolies to which they cling so 
 fondly, or lose the remnant of their possessions in India. 
 
 There is perhaps no place in the world more easily susceptible of improvement than 
 Java, whether we regard the extent and value of its natural products, or the spirit and 
 industry of its native inhabitants. Oppressed in every way, they have been compelled, 
 after a few vain struggles, to submit to a despotism which admits not a hope of advantage 
 to the multitude; but this short-sighted policy in a government whose true interest it is 
 to make the people subservient to its rule, rich and happy, must be changed for a more 
 liberal system. Free ports, upon the same principle as that at Singapore, will be 
 springing up in all directions in the archipelago; and the total loss of its trade, already 
 declining, will oblige the Dutch authorities either to adopt the changes which circum- 
 stances so loudly call for, or to cede the country to others. 
 
 The drawing from which this engraving was made was taken by a Dutch officer 
 before the restoration of the island of Java by the English to its former government, 
 and was sent to Sir Alexander Johnston by his friend the late Colonel Mackenzie, who 
 was at that time the chief engineer in the British service, for the purpose of being placed 
 in a collection of drawings which Sir Alexander Johnston was employed in forming, 
 The object which Sir Alexander had at heart, was the gathering together of drawings and 
 
86 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 ground-plans of the most celebrated Hindoo and Bhoodist temples in India, and on the 
 islands of Ceylon and Java, with a view of illustrating a history of the rise, progress, and 
 influence of these two systems of worship in different parts of Asia ; and also with a view 
 of collecting materials for a history of the state of the Hindoo and Bhoodist systems of 
 architecture in ancient and modern times. This drawing is of the more importance at the 
 present period, as it is understood that a communication has recently taken place between 
 the Prince-Royal of Bavaria and Sir Alexander Johnston, relative to the best mode of 
 sending out to India a commission composed of persons conversant in different branches 
 of science, for the purpose of carrying into effect the plan formed by Sir Alexander 
 Johnston, so far back as the period in which he was President of His Majesty's council 
 assembled for the purpose of examining into the state and condition of Ceylon. A detailed 
 description of the ruins of the temple Borro Boedoor may be found in the second volume 
 of Crawford's work on the islands of the Eastern archipelago, and also in the second 
 volume of the octavo edition of Raffles' History of Java. 
 
 A SUTTEE. 
 
 Formerly the European traveller in India, who saw, on approaching one of those 
 numerous ghauts or landing-places which form so striking and so peculiar a feature of its 
 rivers, a more than usual concourse of people assembled, might entertain the disgreeable 
 expectation of finding the preparation for a Suttee. The abolition of this dreadful rite 
 throughout the Company's territories, has prevented the enactment of many hideous 
 scenes, which are still common in the states under native jurisdiction. Though the 
 sacrifice may be performed in any convenient place, the banks of a river are always 
 chosen in preference, bathing being one of the preliminary observances enjoined to the 
 victim. 
 
 The Suttee commemorated in the accompanying engraving, was performed in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of Baroda, during the period in which Sir James Carnac, then 
 a major in the Company's service, was political resident. The circumstances connected 
 with the immolation now recorded, which are related by Capt. Grindlay, who was present 
 at the last sad scene, are of a very romantic nature, and calculated to invest what is 
 generally a mere brutal exhibition, with a high degree of interest. The Suttee was a 
 young Brahminee woman from the Deccan, married to a person of her own caste, holding 
 an appointment as writer under one of the military chiefs of Dowlah Rao Scindiah, and 
 absent from his home at the time. One night the death of her husband was communi- 
 cated to her in a dream; and, strongly impressed with the truth of the revelation, she 
 became a prey to anxiety and grief. Shortly afterwards, as she was returning to her 
 cottage with a pot of water upon her head, an occupation always performed by females 
 of her class, a circumstance happened which confirmed her worst apprehensions. She 
 had placed her necklace, the symbol of her married state, on the top of the jar, and, a 
 crow alighting, flew away with it. This dreadful omen produced a conviction amounting 
 to certainty, that the fatal event had taken place. Throwing down the vessel, and 
 loosening her hair, she returned to her desolate home, declaring her intention to join her 
 husband in the grave. 
 
 The circumstance being reported to the British resident, he immediately repaired to 
 the house of the presumed widow, with the humane intention of dissuading her from her 
 rash resolution. Finding his efforts unavailing, he engaged the assistance of the native 
 
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FORTRESS OF BOWRIE. 87 
 
 prince, who also readily undertook the benevolent mission, appearing with a large retinue 
 at the door ; and when his representations failed to produce the desired effect, he 
 surrounded the avenues with his attendants, in order to prevent the unhappy woman 
 from flying to persons who would encourage her in her design. Aware that the abject 
 state of poverty to which a Hindoo widow, who can inherit nothing, must be reduced upon 
 the death of her husband, is often the true cause of her sacrifice, the prince generously 
 offered the means of future subsistence, urging at the same time the duties which she 
 owed to her family, whom she would leave unprotected ; and the uncertainty of the loss 
 which she deplored. The widow remained unmoved and unconvinced, and, on being 
 assured that she would not be permitted to ascend the fatal pile, drew a dagger from 
 her side, and, with all the vehemence which passion could lend, declared, that her blood, 
 the blood of a Brahmin woman, should be upon the head of him who offered to prevent 
 the sacrifice. Few Indians are proof against fear of the consequences of driving an 
 enthusiast to this act of desperation. The curse is supposed to be almost immitigable ; 
 and, perceiving her determination, the prince withdrew. 
 
 Self-sacrifice is considered so honourable among every class of Hindoos, that the 
 widow, although rushing almost companionless to the ghaut, was soon surrounded by 
 thronging multitudes of kindred, friends, and spectators. She formed a small image of 
 rice, to represent the body of her husband ; the pile was prepared ; and, having gone 
 through the usual ceremonies and ablutions, she repaired to the fatal place, immediately 
 in front of the arch, in the centre of the plate, and resigned herself to the devouring 
 flame. In the course of three weeks the tidings arrived of the death of the husband, 
 which, strange to say, corresponded with the date of the dream. 
 
 FORTRESS OF BOWRIE, IN RAJPOOTANA. 
 
 The name of Rajpoot is connected with military enterprise, every man, so calling 
 himself, feeling compelled to support his claim to the proud title by wielding a sword. 
 In consequence of the warlike disposition of the inhabitants, and the difficult nature of 
 the country, Rajpootana never was thoroughly subdued by those victorious Moguls, who 
 carried their conquests throughout many well-defended provinces, down to the more easy 
 acquisition of Bengal. At feud with each other when not engaged in combating an 
 invading stranger, the chieftains fortified themselves upon heights which they deemed 
 inaccessible to a hostile force. The native idea, founded upon a code of military tactics 
 now exploded, that safety was best to be found at great elevations, has much improved 
 the appearance of the country in all hilly districts. Whatever modern fortifications may 
 have gained in strength, they have lost in picturesque effect; and most persons who have 
 had any opportunity of contemplating the bastions and towers of feudal times, will 
 sympathize with the disappointment experienced by Sir Walter Scott when he first beheld 
 a modern citadel. 
 
 Ruined villages, of which there are abundance in India, are not more plentiful than 
 the fortresses to be met with immediately as the upper provinces are gained, and we 
 approach a country capable of being defended from a height. Every little rajah, or 
 petty chief, climbs an eminence, and entrenches himself within walls of mud or stone, 
 according as his means will afford : these eagles' nests are garrisoned by troops of retainers 
 armed with spears, and bows, and rusty matchlocks, and bearing the defensive weapon so 
 long out of use in Europe, namely, the shield. The country comprehended under the 
 
88 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 name of Rajpootana, is comprised of so many districts, that every variety of scenery is to 
 be found in it; but though the valley of Oodipore and other equally beautiful portions 
 are celebrated for the exquisite loveliness of the landscape, the general character is that 
 of sterility. The country, therefore, represented in the plate, surrounding the fortress of 
 Bowrie, must be considered as a favourable specimen : wood and water, which fail in 
 many other tracts, are here abundant ; the banian affords an umbrageous foliage to the 
 scene, and the one delineated in the accompanying engraving will give the reader 
 an accurate idea of the manner in which a whole grove is produced from the parent stem. 
 Each of the pendent fibres, upon reaching the ground will take root, affording support to 
 the branch whence it has descended, and enabling it to push out farther, and fling down 
 other pillars, until at length a wide area all round is formed into avenues, some of these 
 trees covering several acres. A native, who regards this beautiful product of nature with the 
 greatest veneration, will never, with his own consent, permit a banian-tree to be cut down 
 or mutilated ; few, however, are allowed to spread themselves to their greatest extent, 
 as the ground is in many places too valuable to be thus occupied. The small fig produced 
 by the banian furnishes nutritious food to immense multitudes of animals — monkeys, 
 squirrels, peacocks, and various other birds, living amid its branches ; and, indeed, so great 
 are the advantages to be derived from its shade, and from the protection it affords to the 
 inferior classes of the animal creation, that it is not surprising that the Hindoos should 
 look upon it as a natural temple, and be inclined to pay it divine honours. 
 
 There is a tree of this description on the banks of the Nerbudda, which, though 
 exposed to the devastating influence of high floods which have washed a portion away, 
 measured two thousand feet in circumference, the principal stems, three hundred and 
 fifty in number, being only included. Travellers seek shelter in these magnificent 
 pavilions, and the religious tribes of Hindoos are particularly fond of resting beneath their 
 umbrageous canopy. Under many, a resident Brahmin is often to be found, and few 
 are without their attendant priesthood in some shape or other — the Jogeis, Byragees, 
 Gossaens, Sunyesses, or other denomination of Fakeers. 
 
 BOMBAY HARBOUR —FISHING-BOATS IN THE MONSOON. 
 
 The Harbour of Bombay presents one of the most striking and beautiful views that 
 ever delighted the eye of a painter. The splendour and sublimity of its scenery offer 
 such numerous claims to admiration, that it is by many considered to bear the palm from 
 the far-famed bay of Naples. During the best season of the year, the water is smooth, 
 while the breeze blowing in from the sea through the greater part of the day, the very 
 smallest boats are, with the assistance of the tide, enabled to voyage along the beautiful 
 coast, or to the various islands which gem the scarcely ruffled wave, and to return with 
 the returning flood, without experiencing any of the dangers which must be encountered 
 in less secure places. Even during the monsoon, when many other places of the Indian 
 coast are unapproachable, when the lofty and apparently interminable mountains which 
 form the magnificent back-ground are capped with clouds, and the sea-birds that love 
 the storm, skim betweeu the foam-crowned billows, the fishing-boats breast the waves, 
 and pursue their occupation uninterruptedly. At this season, although the reality of the 
 danger is nothing to experienced sailors, the aspect of the harbour becomes wild, and 
 even terrific — darkness envelopes the sky, and the woody promontories and bold romantic 
 cliffs, rising above village, town, and cottage, are obscured by the dingy scud which 
 
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BOMBAY HARBOUR. SASSOOR. 89 
 
 drives along. When, however, the monsoon has expended its utmost fury, and fine 
 settled weather and clear skies return, the harbour is to be seen in all its luxuriance 
 and beauty. 
 
 Bombay is situated in the latitude 18° 56' north, and consists of a small island, not 
 more than twenty miles in circumference, that gives its name to the British presidency, 
 which now comprehends within its jurisdiction many provinces of Western India. 
 Though not distinguished for the splendour of its buildings, the favourable nature of the 
 site gives to many an imposing effect; while the fortifications, and the wharfs stretching 
 down unto the water, form exceedingly picturesque objects, and add greatly to the 
 striking nature of the whole scene. We owe the establishment of a European colony at 
 Bombay to the Portuguese, who, on account of the great excellence of its harbour, 
 established a small community upon the island, their principal settlement, and the seat 
 of their government being at Goa. From the earliest times it was a very considerable 
 emporium for the commerce of the interior, and it is now the great mart for cotton and 
 many other articles connected with the China trade. The island itself, originally 
 consisting of isolated ranges of rocks covered with a forest of cocoa-nuts, is partly arti- 
 ficial, being now connected by causeways, while large pools of stagnant water, being filled 
 up, are brought under cultivation. Great numbers of cocoa-trees have been cut down, 
 but still sufficient remain to give a character to the groves. The whole of the adjacent 
 continent and the neighbouring islands present rich masses of wood, every kind of timber 
 common to the clime flourishing in a soil blessed with the richest fertility. Here the 
 majestic banian spreads its sylvan temple; here the prolific mango sheds its golden 
 fruitage ; and the gardens teem with limes, citrons, tamarinds, grapes, plantains, bananas, 
 custard-apples, and all the varieties of nuts yielded by the palm. 
 
 Bombay is furnished with an abundant supply of vegetables from the neighbouring 
 island of Salsette, with which it is connected by means of a causeway ; those of European 
 origin grow freely, and it is particularly celebrated for the potato, and for the finest 
 onions to be found throughout the whole peninsula. The sea is equally productive with 
 the land ; the inhabitants of many villages scattered along the harbour and its numerous 
 islands, subsisting entirely from the profits of their nets. In addition to the pomfret 
 and the sable, which, with other varieties of the fishy tribe belonging to Indian seas, are 
 found in many parts of its shores, Bombay is visited by a fish peculiar to this coast, 
 called the bumbalo, a species of sand-eel, which is of a very nutritive quality. It is eaten 
 in large quantities when fresh, and is by many considered a great delicacy, while others 
 only regard it as a mass of flavourless jelly. Immense numbers, dried in the sun, form 
 an article for exportation, and furnish the principal part of the food eaten by the lascars. 
 Shell-fish also abound, and turtle are sometimes caught. 
 
 SASSOOR, IN THE DECCAN. 
 
 The most remote and secluded places in India frequently display to the astonished 
 eyes of the Enropean traveller scenes of beauty and of splendour, which, if situated in any 
 other country, would attract crowds of tourists to the spot. Imagine the surprise of a 
 party journeying through a tract of country of no great celebrity, when suddenly coming 
 upon a scene like this which is represented in the engraving. There splendid ghauts, 
 shrines, and temples arise at the confluence of two inconsiderable streams ; a circumstance 
 which in the eyes of the Hindoos always invests the spot in which it occurs with peculiar 
 
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90 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 sanctity. This junction takes place near the fortified hill of Porrundah, to the south-east 
 of Poonah. The principal temple is dedicated to Mahadeo, under another name, and 
 is surrounded by several shrines, sepulchral monuments, and memorials of the immolations 
 of widows on the funeral piles of their husbands. Although very few Hindoo castes 
 bury their dead, in many instances the ashes are collected, and preserved in buildings 
 prepared for their reception ; while the burning of widows is esteemed so honourable, 
 that it seldom fails of being properly commemorated. The valley of Sassoor is a sort 
 of oasis in the desert, the adjacent country being singularly rocky and barren ; the 
 contrast therefore of its splendid buildings, its cool transparent waters, and the fine trees 
 which have been carefully planted in the surrounding gardens, produces a striking 
 effect upon the eye. The adjacent walled building is a palace of one of the great 
 Brahmin family of Prorundhuxee, whose fortunes for upwards of a century have been 
 closely connected with those of the Peishwas, princes who have made a very conspicuous 
 figure in the affairs of the Deccan. Like many other buildings of the same description, 
 this palace is strongly fortified, and in 1818 its garrison held out for ten days against a 
 division of the British army. The covered carriage in the foreground is a representation 
 of a native equipage, much in request with females of rank, called a Rhat, or Rheta ; it 
 is drawn by two milk-white bullocks, the favourite colour of these animals, and the 
 canopy of fine scarlet cloth is ornamented at the top with a gilt pine-apple, while two 
 Mahratta horsemen form the escort. 
 
 The usual idlers of an Indian ghaut, are to be seen bathing, praying, gossiping, or 
 drawing water, together with the never-failing Gossain, who may be distinguished by 
 the flowing drapery, which he holds up over his right arm. Beyond the steps of the 
 ghaut, under the spreading foliage of some pine-trees, the small camp of the European 
 party, to whom we are indebted for a sketch of this beautiful scene, appears a proof 
 of the excellent taste shown by the servants of an Anglo-Indian establishment, who 
 generally contrive to pitch the tents in some peculiarly delightful place. 
 
 The neighbouring town of Sassoor contains a considerable number of substantial 
 brick and stone buildings, and the adjacent fortress of Porhunder commands a very fine 
 view of the surrounding country, which is seen to great advantage at sunrise. The 
 valley in which both the town and the fortress stand, is richly cultivated, being watered 
 by those fertilizing streams, which in India are so highly valued as to become objects 
 of veneration. Hence the beautiful pagodas which rise upon the banks, affording, with 
 their accompanying ghauts, a scene of recreation and enjoyment to every class of the 
 inhabitants, and offering to the wayfarer rest and refreshment. — If we trace the institutions 
 and superstitions of the Hindoos up to their true source, we shall find that they 
 originated in very natural and laudable feelings ; and it must ever be a source of regret 
 to the philanthopic mind, that so good-intentioned a people should not have been guided 
 by true lights, and that their religious enthusiasm should have been perverted and 
 thrown away upon idols. 
 
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91 
 
 THE CELEBRATED HINDOO TEMPLES AND PALACE AT MADURA. 
 
 The singularly interesting remains represented in the accompanying engraving, occur 
 . in the immediate neighbourhood of the ancient city of Madura, which is situated in the 
 southern Carnatic, and was formerly a place of very considerable importance. 
 
 Madura was celebrated as the seat of learning in this part of the world, its college 
 being famous all over the East, and, previous to the changes whicli took place after the 
 Mohammedan conquest, exercised a strong degree of influence over the entire of the 
 native population. It continued to flourish during seven centuries, its institutions secur- 
 ing to both male and female children, for the sex was not degraded in those days, an educa- 
 tion of a very liberal nature. According to the rules established at the foundation of this 
 college, every person, without respect to caste, was eligible to become professors, upon 
 showing the requisite qualifications ; and at a somewhat late period, when the prejudices 
 of the Brahminical faith had become more confirmed, two persons presented themselves, 
 who were Pariahs, a brother and sister. An attempt was made to exclude these candi- 
 dates; but, confidently appealing to the laws passed upon the establishment of the college* 
 and being found to excel all other competitors, they were elected, and continued to be at 
 the head of the institution during the remainder of their lives. Tunvaluver, the brother, 
 and the author of many distinguished works in the Tamil language, became the presi- 
 dent ; and to Avyia, the sister, the country was indebted for the best elementary treatises 
 which ever appeared, her productions being to this day the class-books of the scholars 
 of the highest rank and caste in all the Hindoo schools in the Peninsula of India. It is 
 worthy of remark, that the neglect of female education, and the moral slavery to which 
 the women of India have been reduced, have exerted a very injurious effect on the con- 
 dition of all classes of society — learning has declined, and the character of the people 
 has suffered in proportion. 
 
 In the education of their women, the Hindoos were influenced by the soundest prin- 
 ciples, justly observing, that to the sex the care of the male children must necessarily be 
 entrusted at a period of life in which they would receive their earliest and strongest 
 impressions. Had this wise system continued, India would have presented a very dif- 
 ferent aspect at this time; but in adopting Mohammedan prejudices, it has effectually pre- 
 vented the advance of knowledge, and the progress of civilization and refinement. 
 
 The ruins at Madura are objects of particular interest in the present day, on account 
 of the attempts which are making to revive learning in the East, and to restore the 
 college at this place to its original splendour. In consequence of the influence which 
 was exercised by this college for seven centuries over the Hindoos in the southern pen- 
 insula of India, two celebrated Jesuit missionaries, Robertus de Nobilius, and Beschi, 
 flourishing in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, formed plans for its revival, but, 
 owing to dissensions in their order, were unable to carry them into effect. The father 
 of Sir Alexander Johnston, and the late Colonel Mackenzie, who resided at Madura in 
 1783, having procured an account of the ancient college, and copies of the plans of 
 Robertus de Nobilius and Beschi, in that year formed a plan of their own for the revival 
 of this college ; and Colonel Mackenzie, who was an officer of engineers, and who was 
 then superintending the building of the house for Mr. Johnston, which is known at 
 Madura by the name of Johnston's House, and which is now the proper of Sir Alexander 
 Johnston, at the request of Mr. Johnston laid out this house in such a manner as should 
 
9*2 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 enable him, whenever an opportunity might offer, to convert it into the Hindoo college 
 which he had planned. No such opportunity, however, occurred during the lives of 
 Colonel Mackenzie and Mr. Johnston ; but, as the house is still the property of Sir Alex- 
 ander Johnston, he has offered to make over all right which he has to it, according to 
 the original plan of his father, to any individual or society who may agree to carry that 
 plan into effect; and he is now in communication with a society abroad, who have the 
 intention of sending out to Madura six men eminently distinguished in different branches 
 of science, for the purpose of establishing themselves at Madura, and educating the 
 Hindoos of that part of India, and circulating amongst them the arts and sciences of 
 Europe. 
 
 In addition to their magnitude and splendour, the buildings delineated in the accom- 
 panying engraving, are remarkable for their dissimilitude to the general style of Hindoo 
 architecture. Upon inquiry it lias been ascertained, that the departure from the usual 
 mode exhibited in some portion of the palace was occasioned by the suggestions of the 
 Jesuit missionary, Robertus Nobilius, before mentioned, who, with a view to the intro- 
 duction of the religion which he advocated, recommended the ornamental appendages 
 of angels, whose appearance has puzzled many of the learned, surprised by the confusion 
 of various styles, which, however, notwithstanding their departure from recognized rules, 
 give to the whole an imposing character. 
 
 The great temple covered an amazing extent of ground, and, in addition to the 
 numerous shrines dedicated to the favourite deities ; Trimulnaig, the founder, erected 
 a magnificent choultry for the accommodation of travellers and wayfarers within its walls. 
 These remains are now beginning to excite a very great degree of attention, and drawings 
 illustrative of them have_been sent to Rome, a place which will probably furnish many 
 scientific and intellectual travellers, anxious to further the views for the dissemination 
 of knowledge, now directed to so interesting a portion of the British empire in the 
 East. 
 
 SCENE IN KATTEAWAR,— TRAVELLERS AND ESCORT. 
 
 The unsettled state of the country, tenanted by wild tribes of a very lawless 
 description, renders it necessary that those who undertake long journeys in Guzerat, 
 should travel well protected. The scene in the plate represents a party just arriving at 
 the halting ground, which, in the absence of better accommodation, has been chosen on 
 a plain thickly scattered over with the remains of tombs. The sepulchres of India are 
 so completely devoid of those revolting features which in other countries render them 
 so distasteful to the living, that no person can possibly have any objection to take up 
 an abode in them : wells are usually found in their vicinity, and they are generally 
 erected in pleasant places; while during the greater portion of the year, the nights in India 
 are so remarkably fine, that the shelter afforded by a pavilion, open, as the one in the 
 plate, to all the winds of heaven, proves quite sufficient for comfort. Fires are speedily 
 lighted in the evening bivouac, animals unloaded, and the baggage piled in a place 
 offering the greatest chance of security. Each person is provided with food, the 
 Hindoos contenting themselves with a simple meal of grain and vegetables, to which the 
 richer portion add butter and spices. The Mohammedan travellers, though allowed 
 a more generous diet, are well satisfied, when upon a march, with the same materials 
 prepared somewhat differently. Water is the common beverage, which, with the 
 

 « 
 
 
 



 # 
 
 
SCENE IN KATTEAWAR. 03 
 
 addition of sugar, and the juice of some of the abundant fruits, is easily converted into 
 sherbet. A cloak or blanket, or at most a thin mat or mattrass, suffices for the bed, 
 many sleeping as profoundly upon the bare earth, as if they were cradled on the couches of 
 kings. Wealthy persons travel provided with tents ; and the night encampment often 
 boasts a great deal more of comfort, than persons unacquainted with the climate and 
 manners of the people could possibly imagine. 
 
 The name of Katteawar is frequently applied by the natives to the whole of the 
 peninsula of Guzerat, but in reality it only comprehends a portion of the interior. 
 Accustomed to a predatory life, the natives of this district are very reluctantly compelled 
 to relinquish old habits, to which they return upon every favourable occasion. They 
 are a bold, warlike race, but not numerous ; a circumstance partly owing to a practice very 
 prevalent, that of female infanticide. It has been erroneously supposed that the efforts of 
 the British political agents employed for the purpose, and the treaties which they have 
 obtained, have occasioned the abolition of this frightful practice. According to the 
 best-authenticated accounts, it still exists to a very great extent among the higher classes, 
 who, in consequence of the difficulty of procuring suitable matches for their daughters, 
 murder them as soon as they are born. It has been ascertained, that since the year 1820, 
 in which many refractory chiefs were reduced to obedience, and obliged to conform 
 outwardly with the stipulations made by the British Government, not more than one 
 hundred females have been suffered to grow up to womanhood. Until the natives 
 themselves can see the enormity of this crime, no enactments, or representations from 
 persons professing another religion, can ever prevent its commission. Where no other 
 means are employed, neglect will speedily secure the desired end ; but in most instances 
 the infant takes its first and last draught in this world, of opium ; which sends it 
 immediately to its eternal rest. 
 
 The people of Katteawar trouble themselves little about the distinctions of caste. 
 Rajpoots by descent, and children of the sun, they worship that luminary, but, while 
 equally superstitious with their Hindoo brethren, are not imbued with the same religious 
 zeal. Katteawar is famous for a breed of horses which is esteemed throughout India; 
 and its camels, which come from Marwar, a province in the north of Guzerat, are also 
 considered the finest in India, being taller, more muscular, and believed to be of a more 
 noble character, than any other. 
 
 TOMBS OF THE KINGS OF GOLCONDA. 
 
 The name of Golconda is associated in the mind with ideas of Oriental splendour and 
 magnificence, of diamonds growing in its mines, and riches overflowing on every side. 
 Much of these suppositions are now discovered to be fallacies ; diamonds are not, and 
 probably never were, found in the district, which is indebted to the hand of art for some 
 of its most interesting features : Golconda, however, has from time immemorial been the 
 depot for diamonds brought from the neighbouring countries. The city flourished for 
 many years under one of those independent Mohammedan sovereignties which were at 
 length subdued by the mistaken policy of Aurungzebe, who in uniting the whole empire 
 in his own person, bequeathed so vast and unwieldy a territory to his descendants, that 
 it was broken to pieces and lost. Conquered at an early period by the followers of the 
 Prophet, the Deccan became the scene of several successive dynasties. It would be 
 impossible in so brief a record to follow the devious fortunes of the numerous adventurer's, 
 
 2a 
 
94 VIEWS IN INDIA. 
 
 who at different periods either held the supreme power, or divided it with other princes, 
 maintaining their independence by the sword. 
 
 The tombs represented in the engraving belong to the kings of the Kootub Shahee 
 dynasty, and their relations and principal dependants. The most ancient, that of the 
 founder, was built nearly three hundred years ago ; the remainder, at succeeding intervals 
 of a hundred and fifty years, the date of the latest erection. They occur upon a wide 
 plain, about six hundred yards from the fort, and present very splendid specimens of the 
 Saracenic style, which has spread itself all over the civilized world, and from which 
 Europe derived its gothic edifices. The body of the building is quadrangular, and is sur- 
 mounted by a dome, the basement resting upon a spacious terrace, approached by flights of 
 steps, and surrounded by an arcade, of which each face consists of an equal number of 
 pointed arches, and which terminates in a rich and lofty balustrade, with a minaret at each 
 angle. Above the arcade, the body of the building rises in the larger tombs. About 
 thirty feet, the four faces being ornamented in stucco, and supporting a balustrade, and 
 four minarets smaller and more simple than those on the arcade. From the centre 
 of this part of the building springs the dome, which from its magnitude forms the 
 principal feature of the structure. It swells considerably as it rises, the largest diameter 
 being at about one third of the height, and the general form resembling that of a lemon 
 with the lower part cut off. The lower portion of these edifices are composed of grey 
 granite, very finely wrought ; the upper portion coated with stucco, or chunam, some 
 being ornamented by the porcelain tiles so much in use throughout many of the buildings 
 in India. These decorations are in several of the tombs disposed in a kind of Mosaic 
 work, and have retained the brilliance of their colours undiminished. Extracts from the 
 Koran frequently occur as ornaments to the cornices, executed in white letters upon a 
 blue shining ground, all in good preservation, and producing a fine effect. 
 
 The body is deposited in a crypt under a stone of plain black granite, and immediately 
 over it, in the principal apartment, a more highly ornamented sarcophagus or tumulus 
 marks the spot. This is of polished black trap, covered with inscriptions from the 
 Koran in relief. In some of the tombs, the dome forms the roof of this principal chamber ; 
 but in others it is separated by a ceiling stretching over the whole quadrangle. 
 According to the usual custom in such buildings, there is a Mosque attached to each, 
 and formerly the whole was surrounded by pleasure-grounds, well planted with trees 
 and flowers, and watered by fountains. These have disappeared, together with the 
 carpets that covered the floors, and the rich draperies thrown over the sarcophagi, which 
 indicate the places tenanted by the bodies of the dead. The large tomb to the left of the 
 engraving, is sacred to the memory of a female sovereign, Hyat Begum : the monarch 
 her father, having no son, bequeathed the kingdom to the husband of his daughter, who 
 lies interred in a manner befitting her high rank and her splendid dowry. 
 
 LONDON : FISHER, SON, AND CO. PRINTERS. 
 

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