THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID HIS HIGHNESS MEER JAFUR ALEE AND HIS SECRETARY. OFFICIAL SKAL. LONDON : SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. JKlo0Iem floble: HIS LAND AND PEOPLE. WITH SOME NOTICES OF , or MRS. YOUNG, II AUTHOR OF " OUTCH;" " WESTERN INDIA ;" " OUR CAMP IN TUBKKY," ETC., ETC. WITH from eDrtjjtnal SraiDtugS fm tljc LONDON: SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. 1857. TO HIS HIGHNESS AND THOSE OF MY INDIAN FRIENDS AMONG WHOM SOME OF THE HAPPIEST OF MY YEARS WERE SPENT, IN KINDEST RECOLLECTION, INSCRIBED. The Cloister, Chichester, May, 1857. PAGK THE AUTHOR'S APOLOGY 1 CHAPTER I. THE MARRIAGE . . . .8 CHAPTER II. THE DHOBUN OR LAUNDRESS . .36 CHAPTER III. TROOPS OF FRIENDS . . .49 CHAPTER IV. THE BORAH . . . .71 CHAPTER V. THE BURDEN OF SURAT . . .87 CHAPTER VI. FIRE- WORSHIPPERS . . . .103 CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER VII. THE MUSICAL DOMESTIC . . .116 CHAPTER VIII. THE OLD FORT . . . .130 CHAPTER IX. THE SECRETARY . . . .148 CHAPTER X. THE GOLDEN APPLES OF THE HESPERIDES . 163 CHAPTER XI. MAID A HILL 182 THE MOSLEM NOBLE AND HIS SECRETARY, (From a Photograph in the possession of his High- ness Meer Jafur) . . Frontispiece OFFICIAL SEAL AND SIGNET in Persian Characters Title -}*" SHEIK KHOOB, A favourite Moslem Servant (from life) Page 8 A PARSEE LADY (from life) . . 26 PARBUTTI DHOBUN (from life) . 36 NATIVE PEDLARS . . . .72 BOMBAY HACKNEY CART . . . 82 V- HADJEE AHMED (from life) . . .84 THE FORT, SURAT . . .92 MAHOMEDAN KIOSK on the Banks of the Tapti . 94 Y~ FRENCH TOWER . . . .96 VAUX^S TOMB, SURAT . . COTTON LEAVES AND BLOSSOM . DOWLUTABAD .... 140 ENTRANCE THROUGH SCARP TO DOWLUTABAD . 142'~ OUTER ENTRANCE FROM SCARP DOWLUTABAD . 144/~ TRAP-DOOR DOWLUTABAD . .145 THE " DUST EXCITER " . . 147^ VINDIA PURDASI (from life) . .163 THE MOSLEM NOBLE: HIS LAND AND PEOPLE, THE AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. WE all love gossip. That fact I hold to be in- disputable. The pleasantest chattings we can remember ever to have had were full of it ; and as for books, if we examine the matter closely, we shall find that the more personification, the more dialogue there is, the better we get on. How delightful, for instance, are the Sevigne Letters ; how charming the Walpole Memoirs. And why? Because they are full of gossip; we walk and talk with the writer; we see his friends, we understand pretty well what they think of each other; we enter into the racy scandal of the day; we tread a measure with the gayest, and laugh for the hundredth time at the jeu & esprit of the wittiest. With sedate history it is the same influence that leads us on ; B 2 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. Macaulay and Napier are our favourite writers. From their pages, as from the Girondists of Lamartine, life-like tableaux open upon us, and we move, and speak, and live among the actors. We can see the pale student, Robespierre, steal- ing to the glowing hearth of the beautiful Madame Roland; we can hear Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, rating all about her; and we know the very words of those who fell back by hundreds in the trenches upon that fearful night at Badajoz ! Now, gossip is of many kinds, but this we speak of is, perhaps, the worthiest, its key-note being sympathy. The aid-de-camp of the fairy king declares his power to u put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes." Steam by sea and land has not yet quite arrived at the despatch of Puck, but it has done much to bring, as it were, the ends of the earth together, to crumble away prejudices, and to originate the belief that there has been learning, and wisdom, and art in those eastern lands, which was even greater than our own ; and we can imagine that friend- ship, kindness, and all the sweetest virtues of humanity may yet be found in the families of those same lands, whose creed, climate, and aspect so differ from our own ! The travelled man, well aware of this, sym- pathizes with all the world, and that because THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 3 experience has given him knowledge. He has enjoyed the courtesy and hospitality of the wild and predatory chief of central Asia; he has been gratified by the cordial reception of the princely Moslem; he has listened to words of purest wisdom from the lips of a learned Brahmin; and he acknowledges and respects that kindred spirit which makes all men bre- thren. Our " home-staying youth, who has ever homely thoughts," lives in a seagirt isle, on which, but comparatively a few years since, his fore- fathers herded in caves, painted themselves with woad, and lived (in intellect little higher than their prey) on the animals they caught in hunting. The result is, that he views with contempt all that his narrow mind cannot comprehend; and because the outward aspect of the Oriental differs from his own, it pleaseth him to consider the descendant of the Mogul as an inferior being, or as one to be valued only for the rich- ness of his costume and the liberality of his largess. Now, what can alter this lamentable condition of the general mind? Evidently sympathy. And as the mountain sometimes finds it difficult to go to the mouse, and as all persons cannot travel, the subject may now and then come home to them in some pleasant form, " gilt and B 2 4 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. lettered;" and as the gentleman of England sits by liis seacoal fire, agreeable introductions may take place between himself and the varied classes of the East, from which opinions and acquaintances may be formed, liberal feelings may arise, and the whole atmosphere around him become the warmer, for the genial flow of kindness so begun. Under this impression, and with the spirit of Oriental gossip strong upon me, I beg to intro- duce some of my most esteemed and valued Oriental friends to the acquaintance of the reader, jotting them down just as I saw and knew them in their own land, where, surrounded by their people and dependants, they were honoured and beloved by all who knew them. It was a brilliant day, even in the Strand the cast shadows were well defined, and deep in colour. The grim hospital seemed less grim than usual; the very lion of Northumberland House appeared excited as by a tropic sunshine; and as our chat took the tone of foreign climes, beguiled perhaps by this very sunshine, a bril- liant-coloured, splendid carriage passed, dashing THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 5 by, as from the city, westward. It was a notice- able equipage altogether. On the box was seen one whose swarthy face surmounted a dress glowing like a crimson poppy. Within the carriage sat a portly, handsome, prince-like per- sonage, flashing with gold and green, with jewels and Cashmeres; and opposite to him another eastern gentleman, with eyes so keen and coun- tenance so expressive, that one felt at once how shrewdly he could try conclusions with the clearest-headed Templar of them all. Each, as the carriage passed, raised his hand with the graceful salaam of oriental recognition. "Who's that?" exclaimed my friend. "Oh! that is his Highness Meer Jafur Alee Khan Bahadoor, of Surat." "Who?" I was be- ginning again " No, don't ! do you know him?" "Of course." " Where ? how ?" "Here, and in India years ago; he is one of my kindest friends." "Really! how interesting! do tell me all about it ; I do so like to hear of Elephants, and Howdahs, and Jewels, and Hareems." And now, if the reader will allow me to consider him as my companion for the time, we will chat a little not, perhaps, about Elephants and How- dahs, but of pleasant days and kindly friends, associated with my recollections of his Highness Meer Jafur Alee Khan, as I knew him in his own land. b THE MOSLEM NOBLE. It is an unhappy truth that the moment any one begins to chat about India, every one looks bored. At St. Stephen's, in old times, as a certain noble lord could well bear witness, as soon as India, her rights or suf- ferings were introduced, honourable members strolled back to their clubs in search of rest and refreshment. In drawing-rooms it is much the same. Who among us does not dread the sallow-cheeked old colonel, with his interminable stories of tiger hunts and Seringapatam ? Who knows anything about the Museum of the India House, or cares whether they are Gunputtis 1 or Guavas, that people in Bombay eat for their dessert? Well, for my own part, I promise to make my subject as little tedious as possible, and, therefore, instead of entering into all sorts of dry details about Governor Duncan and the Nuwaub of Surat treaty bill, with long names of Begums that none but a student at Haileybury could possibly pronounce ; and without saying a word, at least at present, about how it was that his Highness Meer Jafur Alee first visited Eng- land in 1844 we will consider him as returned, not to Surat indeed, where his family and palace really are, but to the large porticoed house out 1 Elephant-headed deity of the Hindoo Pantheon. THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 7 there, among the Girgaum woods, a spot, by the by, that one can never think of without a sense of suffocation, so dusty were the ways, and so close the cocoa-nut plantations, in this part of the otherwise most beautiful island of Bombay. THE MOSLEM NOBLE. CHAPTER I. THE MAEEIAGE. " She is like the rising of the golden morning, when the night departeth, and when the winter is over and gone ; she resembleth the cypress in the garden, the horse in the chariots of Thessaly." Idyllium of Theocritus, on the Marriage of Helen. IT was in the month of June that my friend's carriage took me from the heat and horrors of cotton bales and screws on the Apollo Bunder at Bombay, to his house in the woods, the cha- racter of the locality being only redeemed by one pleasant avenue leading to the shore, by which some circulation of air passes between the stems of the crowded cocoa-nut trees, and pre- vents that total stagnation of atmosphere so common to the level parts of the island, particu- larly at the season immediately preceding the setting in of the monsoon. The retainers and humble friends of an Indian nobleman are legion, and the Meer's amiable and benevolent disposition left him no lack of these. There SHEIK KHOOB. (FROM LIFE) THE MOSLEM NOBLE. was Budr-oo-deen, the Meer's Hakeem ;* his man of business, the Delall ; his English writer, with the adopted title of Mahomed Jaffer, and a Persian dress ; Hubbeeb Khan, or the beloved, the Meer's favourite sepoy; with a crowd of coachmen, grooms, water-carriers, pipe-bearers, sherbet-makers, moonshees, and story-tellers beside ; the most important of the whole being Eamjeo, the Meer's confidential servant, or Jemidar, as they call him in the family a young, intelligent, handsome Mahomedan, who accompanied the Meer to England, wondered at Ascot, laughed immoderately at Astley's, and stood with true Moslem self-command, gravely and silently, with folded arms, in the corner of every drawing-room which was adorned by the handsome person and graceful manners of his master. Many among this crowd were old friends of mine, had travelled with me in England, had voyaged with me to India; and although they did not burst forth into a series of loud praises of my virtues, talents, and largesses, as they would have done had I been their country- woman, I met with kindly recognition, the more grateful as it was the more disinterested. Good old Budr-oo-deen, the Hakeem, smiled, and rolled 1 Physician. 10 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. his eyes with fearful activity as he welcomed me ; and I was glad to see him there, both from the personal regard I felt for the old gentleman, and because his very original character never failed to produce amusement to me whenever I have met him. The excitement of my arrival past, I found the Meer's people deeply interested in some transactions with little Dorabjee, the merchant, who had brought fine muslins and chintzes in abundance, to be admired and purchased as ankrikas 1 and scarfs, though he looked little suited to recommend them, being rather a grim- looking mahajun, 2 with a harsh black beard, descending to his waist. Dorabjee at once re- cognized me, as " a lady I know very well " i.e., "that I have imposed on, many times and oft' 7 after his nature. Kamjeo, the Meer's servant, was very busy in the transactions, re- ducing charges and settling payments; and it being rather hard labour to bring a Bombay Borah to the semblance of honest dealing, Ramjeo wore his working dress, consisting of a clear flowered muslin skull cap, full trousers, with a dark blue cotton handkerchief girded round the waist; and as I looked at his bare, glossy brown shoulders, it amused me to fancy / 1 Linen dresses worn by men. 2 Merchant. THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 11 how such an apparition would have startled the Habitues of Hyde Park, and how little chance Ramjeo would have had of being recognised as the Meer's handsome valet, last seen, shining in his rich livery of gold and green, the symbolic hues of the Prophet and the Prince. The great topic of conversation among the native gentry of Bombay was the approaching marriage of the fair daughter of Sir Jamsetjee 1 Jeejeebhoy, to her cousin, a young Parsee of gentlemanly and pleasing exterior, much liked and well spoken of. In consequence of the ill- ness of the Governor of Bombay, Sir Jamsetjee did not intend to issue any invitations for a general party, a matter of regret to many, for the knight's princely munificence was so well known, and the preparations made for the nup- tial celebrations were so extensive, that a parti- cipation in the sumptuous entertainment and interesting circumstance of the wedding was of course desired by many, myself prominently among the number. The Meer delighted my eyes with the exami- nation of a parcel, containing some of the most magnificent shawls that were perhaps ever produced from the looms of Cashmere, as Meer Acbar Alee, his Highness's brother, having 1 From Jamsheed, a celebrated king of Persia. 12 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. arrived from Baroda, they were both anxious to select shawls, with which to return Sir Jamset- jee's present, sent selon rfyle with the original invitation to the marriage. Now, the marriage gifts of the inviter are of comparatively small value, but my friends, as the prospective guests, were anxious to quadruple them in richness and splendour. This practice of making offerings at all marriages in the East, is one of the most mischievous in the social usages of oriental families, expense being thus incurred wholly inconsistent with the condition and means of the individuals concerned ; so that debts are neces- sarily contracted, which fetter with difficulty an undue proportion of life's business. The truth is, that marriage ceremonies in the East are altogether inconsistent and absurd, as affects what is supposed necessary eclat; and the pre- sents received from friends on these occasions are immediately disposed of, as the readiest means by which some portion of the enormous burthen of expense may be met by the father and family of the bride. These remarks of course do not apply to persons of the rank of Sir Jam- setjee or Meer Jafur; but among inferior classes, it might be found, if one's acquaintance was ex- tensive in families with marriageable daughters, that demands on the purse for " shawl money" THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 13 might arrive too frequently for Hymen's torch to lead to welcome sacrifice. On the day fixed for the presentation of the marriage gifts to Sir Jamsetjee, the Cashmerian shawl merchant, accompanied by Meer Jafur's Surattee Delall, arrived early with a handsome piece of Kinkaub, 1 wherewith to enwrap the shawls. This same Cashmerian I fancy to have been a good specimen of his race; he was tall, graceful, and fair, his complexion partaking of the European style of fairness, and not tinged with the sallow hue so disagreeable in a light- coloured native; his eyes were blue, and his hair a reddish brown, while his manners were pleasing, and he often spoke with much intelligence on the condition of his beautiful and interesting country. On the present occasion, he alluded with great sadness to the enormities which, his private letters told him, had been already per- petrated among the Cashmerians by their Hindoo ruler, Golaub Sing; among others, he men- tioned liis countrymen's habit of eating beef, and that on one occasion of a fat bull having been slaughtered, Golaub Sing burnt alive several Cashmerians as a punishment and warning. The poor man absolutely wept as he dwelt on the terror entertained by the people of the Sirdar, 1 Gold embroidered silk. 14 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. and said there was no hope, as long as the yoke of Golaub Sing was on their necks. And then he spoke, in the spirit of a mountaineer, of the beautiful and romantic scenery of the Kohistan, and gradually with his excitement recovering his good spirits, chatted cheerfully enough of what was passing, and spoke with a sort of awe- inspired reverence and wonder, almost arising to superstition, of the military powers of Lord Hardinge. A report was rife, to the dismay of shawl merchants in general, that Sir Jamsetjee, sen- sible of the expense caused to those who could ill afford it, from this custom of offerings on marriage, and of course feeling that the practice was quite beneath his dignity, if he availed him- self of it as a means, in ordinary use, for defray- ing a large portion of incidental expense, had determined in his own case to afford a distin- guished example against the continuance of the practice, and had already declined to receive the shawls of Sunkersett and of Gungadhur Shas- tree, the wealthiest Hindoo gentlemen in the Presidency. I had heard this news with great satisfaction while paying some morning visits to friends, likely to be very well informed on the matter, but as I repeated it to the Meer, the shawl merchant's countenance began to dis- play the most anxious interest, and at length he THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 15 burst forth, with rapid assurances of the whole being a mistake. He knew, he said, what the lady had heard, for he had been told the same tale; of course it was very kind of Sir Jamsetjee, as so rich a man, to refuse to receive anything from the poorer gentry but from noblemen, such as the Meer and his brother, it was quite another matter; Sir Jamsetjee of course would receive the shaws from them and the Cashmerian began to fold the intended presents not only with great care, but rather unusual despatch, the absolute sale of the shawls depending, it seemed, on Sir Jamsetjee's reception of them for as yet they had been merely selected, and although I have no doubt the merchant knew all the facts as well as I did, he cared not so to abandon his hopes, while he perhaps calculated a little on the Meer's rank, with his Highness's class as a Mahomedan, and his wrath was very ill concealed when I suggested, that perhaps Sir Jamsetjee would be more gratified if the shawls were not even offered upon this occasion. The Meer listened to the arguments of the merchant, and looked doubtfully at me ; in truth, he would not receive the idea that a Parsee could exercise so much forbearance as to refuse (and that in opposition to old established custom) a means so favourable for receiving wealth into his coffers, and so the shawl parcel, with its costly 16 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. wrapper, was placed in the carriage, and Meer Jafur and Meer Acbar Alee, in full dress, went forth to offer their compliments to Sir Jamsetjee. The shawl merchant looked first triumphant, then anxious. The Delall and he sat upon chairs at the open window, bending towards each other discussing chances, and from time to time suf- fering their voices to sink to low whispers, as they glanced through the open doors of the room in which I sat, quite unconcerned, because con- fident in the result. The stake of the shawl merchant was a matter of more than four hun- dred pounds (4,000 rupees), and the princely in- dependence of Sir Jamsetjee could be but little appreciated by this mercantile pair. They esti- mated the feelings of others by their own, and so even while trembling, dared to hope the best. In half an hour, however, all doubt was at rest. The carriage of his Highness dashed through the gates. The merchant and Delall spring from their seats. "Karnjeo, what news?" All praise to the noble-hearted knight, the shawls are de- clined, and my friends have returned, charmed with the courteous bearing of Sir Jamsetjee. As from this feeling of respect to the illness of the Governor, the wedding party was to be restricted to the native friends of Sir Jamsetjee's family, anxious as I felt to be present at a Parsee marriage, the idea was altogether aban- THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 17 doned, and I endeavoured to gain contentment, so that, in the best possible spirit, I might, with other evening loungers on the Esplanade, admire, night by night, the magnificent facade of the knight's mansion brilliantly illuminated ; wonder whether the pretty pavilion erecting in front of it was for a natch or a supper-room, and gossip about the report that Monsieur Koserre, the Herr Dobler of the day, had been offered four thousand rupees to do what any Kalatnee 1 would have performed more surprisingly, for three thou- sand nine hundred and ninety-nine rupees less. At about three o'clock on a certain day, how- ever, a servitor of Sir Jamsetjee's came to " call them that were bidden to the wedding," and he literally said in the Guzeratee tongue, " all things are ready, come unto the marriage." 2 A polite affirmative was at once written by Meer Jafur, on coloured French note paper, and en- closed in an envelope decorated with loves, doves, hearts, and violin players, an original design, perhaps, of the valentine producer's art-union ; and this suitable missive having been despatched, Meer Jafur and his brother Meer Acbar soon appeared splendidly and most be- comingly attired. The dress of Meer Jafur was of fine white linen, flowered in Surat tambour 1 Gipsy. 2 St. Matthew, xii, I. 18 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. work with gold and coloured silks; his turban was of Dacca muslin, striped with gold ; a long muslin scarf, such as Mahomedans always wear in dress, fell on his shoulders, and upon his arm he hore a magnificent green Cashmere shawl. Knowing well the powder of perseverance in all mundane matters (even those with the most discouraging aspect), I determined mine should not be lacking in a vigorously sustained en- deavour to see as much of this great Parsee wedding as the unbidden might; and, being altogether urgent in curiosity, the Meer, with his usual kindness, assisted my laudable ex- ertions with the loan of one of his open carriages, in which, with sketch-book in hand, I quickly followed to the scene of action, and a brilliant one in truth it was. Passing through the Sunkersett Bazaar (as this part of Bombay is called in compliment to the rich Hindoo landholder, Juggernath Sun- kersett, Esq.), our way was constantly impeded by groups of women bearing marriage gifts, all richly dressed, and followed by their male relatives, every tenth woman bearing on her right hand a salver, on which was a loaf of sugar and an infant's suit of crimson satin, broidered in gold or silver. As we passed through the church gates of the THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 19 fort, the plot thickened, and the crowd was so dense that we could proceed only at a foot's pace, ourselves attracting attention from the crimson silk reins and silver harness of our steeds. This fact from time to time favoured my advance, but the way was choking with the processions of women I have described, and the masses of bidden guests passing from every avenue towards the mansion of Sir Jamsetjee. Each guest wore a "wedding garment," and bore on his arm, closely folded, a Cashmere shawl. This wedding garment was a surcoat of fine muslin, falling in full folds to the feet, fastened with large bows over the breast on the left side, and girded round the waist with flat broad bands of a thicker material. It is proper that this dress should be of sufficient length to conceal the slippers, and must be of very ample dimensions. As we advanced, it was quite evident that the constabulary force had labour almost beyond their powers and patience in warning off the hired Shigrams 1 filled with half-caste women, and the Buggies crested with English sailors that marred the scene ; but if Constable C, who appeared the very genius of order, possessed any taste connected with his public zeal, he 1 Native carriages closed by Venetians. c 2 20 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. must have backed, passaged, and caracoled that bay Arab, which seemed ubiquitous, with right good will. On one side of us was the splendid mansion of Sir Jamsetjee its handsome portico and broad flight of steps occupied by the male members of the family, welcoming the wedding guests, while Cursetjee, the eldest son, pointed to the place of each on the chairs and benches previously arranged. Thus honourable men who were bidden, sat in the highest place. None were afterwards called on to give way, neither was it necessary to say unto any, "Friend, go up higher," 1 arrangements having been previously made according to rank; and thus "the wedding was furnished with guests." s On the upper step of the porch was seated Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, benevolence in his every expression, dignity in his every gesture. His garment was of white muslin, of the most delicate fabric and ample dimensions, and on his breast he wore a noble decoration in the gold medal presented to him by her Majesty Queen Victoria, in recognition of the princely munificence which dictated the erection of the noble hospital which bears his name. In front of, and nearly opposite to, Sir Jamset- jee's house, stretched a line of temporary and J St. Luke, xiv, 10. ~ St. Matthew, xxii, 10. THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 21 highly-decorated refreshment -rooms intended for the Natch and supper, and here the band of the 20th Native Infantry played polkas with the most untiring spirit. I had but time to direct my coachman to draw in at this particular point, as the best for seeing the passers by, when on the porch and steps of the mansion, I observed the guests dividing as \ if to flank an avenue, and in a second more came forth a procession as brilliant, interesting, and beautiful as could be imagined. It was difficult indeed to fancy myself the spectator of a matter of real life, so like was it to some of the rich, gorgeous, and well Imagined groupings, that delight us in a new opera, or a splendid ballet, where colour, light, and design, have exhausted their best efforts for effect. In this ( case, however, truth added to the beauty of the ~" scene, and instead of weary, worn-out coryphees, we had here the handsome friends and fair young relatives of the bride, bearing marriage gifts to the bridegroom's house. And on they came, trooping forth into the bright sunshine clasped hand in hand, bearing salvers ; their rich attire was of French satin of the clearest colours, bright blue, pale blush colour, and full primrose ; each Saree bordered with a deep band of gold or silver, and each foot flashing in a jewelled slipper. The band preceded this fair cortege. 22 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. and as the whole moved on, bright smiles and mirthful glances gleamed upon the crowd, but the slow and measured pace served well to dis- play the grace and natural dignity of the Parsee ladies. Scarcely had this charming procession passed, when a jewelled hand was laid on the carriage door, and Cursetjee looked in. " I have come," he said, " the bearer of my father's compliments, to beg you to honour my sister's marriage with your presence; you would, perhaps, like to see the ceremony, and your friends, the Meers, are already here." The reader, to whom I have already confided my anxiety on this point, will sympathize in the delight I felt at thus becoming a bidden guest ; in truth, at this moment the invitation appeared the very pleasantest I had ever received, and I immediately followed its kind proposer to the portico, where Sir Jamsetjee received me with the courtesy which so eminently distinguished the fine old knight, and I soon found myself in the seat of honour, " the upper room at feasts," between my friends Meer Jafur and Meer Acbar. Ours was evidently the most distinguished posi- tion, for Sunkersett was with us, with his fat, amiable son, and the Brahmin, Vinaek Gun- gadhur Shastree, Esq., with others of note, while upon the opposite seats, among those of THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 23 less degree, I soon espied "our family physician," Budr-oo-deen, whose eyes revolved more than ever, as I thought, and who looked much paler an odd old gentleman in sooth, and not at his ease as a wedding guest. But I am digressing, and while the Hakeem is rolling his visual organs, as if boldly defying any cobra in all India to fascinate them, the din of women's voices grows louder through the lattice behind my chair, the lights burn more brilliantly, and Cursetjee summons me to wit- ness the marriage ceremonies. The glare and noise on first entering the great saloon were quite overpowering, and it occupied some minutes before I could see and understand what surrounded me. It seemed that a few moments previous to my entrance a large curtain had been thrown down, which had been drawn across the chamber, the ceremonies connected with which had been strictly private, and from what I afterwards learned of the matter, very properly so ; but the mirth of the ladies was at its height, and although this was their sixth day of festivity preparatory to the marriage, rich peals of ring- ing laughter left no doubt of their untiring enjoyment, and their perfect appreciation of all the " Jest and youthful jollity, Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,"' 24 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. which had attended the performance of rites, mystical to the stranger. In the centre of the hall was spread a large square carpet, the border of which I was par- ticularly requested not to touch, even with the edge of my garment, it being for the time sacred. On one side of this were the bride and bride- groom, seated on richly gilt chairs ; the young husband in the usual dress of the Parsees, and the bride enveloped in a veil, or Saree, of gold gauze edged with pearls. They were a hand- some couple, and with little disparity of age, the bridegroom being perhaps eighteen, and pretty Ferozebhai 1 some four years younger. Facing the bride stood the Dastur, or chief priest, with the flowing garments and white turban peculiar to the order, and on either side, Mobeds (priests of the second class) holding a dish of coca-nuts and rice, and a small fan. Between the priests and bride were two small tables, teapoys as they are called in India (a per- version of teen-pong or tripod), each supporting a lighted candle and a green cocoa-nut on a silver salver. 2 As the Dastur thus stood, with hand upraised, he scattered rice and dried fruits towards the bride, repeating the nuptial bene- 1 Literally, the sister of the Turquoi. 2 Genesis, i, 28. THE MOSLEM NOBLE. 25 diction. This ended, the bride's feet were bathed with milk, the Kusti, or cincture of seventy-two threads, blessed and adjusted, with some frivolous customs, on which it is unneces- sary here to remark, inasmuch as I was assured, both by Manockjee Cursetjee and my obliging friend Nourojee Dorabjee, the radical editor of the Chabook newspaper, that they were mere grafts of Hinduism, and "contemptible to speak of." The concluding ceremony, however, had too much absurdity in it to pass unnoticed, and the reader will, if a bachelor, perhaps thank heaven that he at least was not born a supposed wor- shipper of A'tish (fire), to be liable to the sufferings I am about to describe, in addition to that of a " wedding breakfast." In the mar- riage chamber were some hundreds of Parsee women, of all ages and various ranks, splendidly attired, for even those less wealthy than their neighbours were radiant in gold and satin ; yet the elder ladies, and some even more \h&npassee, had reason to rejoice that the Saree, when re- quired, levelled distinctions by concealment. Every individual of this crowd from the moment, however, the nuptial ceremony was concluded, stepped upon the carpet, and commenced a little benedictory appendix, performed by extending the hands, and passing them over the faces and 26 THE MOSLEM NOBLE. garments of the bride and bridegroom, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, repassing them from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, and retiring, after a low salaam. I fancied I could perceive a pitiable shrinking of the suf- fering bridegroom from the bony hands of some of the elder ladies, and a gentle shaking of the pretty head of the bride, as if these harsh touches on her smooth face were absolutely painful. No doubt they were, but this is a u custom" in the East a word of most extended meaning, powerful enough at all times to set aside any supposed necessity for reason, and affording an excuse for anything, however mon- strous, absurd, or irrational. On entering the saloon, Cursetjee had intro- duced me to his mother, Lady Jamsetjee, a remarkably fine-looking person. Her dress was a rich crimson satin Saree, with a deep gold border, slippers worked in diamonds, and a nose jewel, composed of three large pearls, with an emerald pendant, an ornament which the Parsees as well as the Mahomedans very generally use. After the marriage I was presented to the bride, and had the pleasure of seeing her sweet face unveiled by gorgeous drapery. She wore trowsers of white satin embroidered in gold, a flowered lace under dress, with a pale pink satin boddice, worked with an elaborate design in LANDELLS.DEL? SIMP SOU