1821.1 



Present Condition of the People of India. 



217 



how soon is the shelter from the heat 

 provided! It is afforded even by the 

 shade of a tree ; and in many cases 

 even a single leaf of the Indian arum, 

 held by a native so as to ovei shadow his 

 head, will be esteemed by him a suf- 

 ficient shelter, while travelling under 

 the meridWin sun, perhaps at 120 de- 

 grees of heal of Fahrenheit. 



Nor is it by any means uncommon to 

 see a small shed formed by two bam- 

 boos cut from the hedge, placed so as 

 to meet each other at the top, and co- 

 vered by leaves from the neighbouring 

 trees, form a nightly abode to a Hindoo 

 for months together, while not above 

 three feet in breadth at bottom, and not 

 exceeding four feet in height. During 

 certain mouths in the year, many from 

 clioice sleep in the open air during the 

 whole night, often on the terrace of 

 their houses, without sustaining the 

 least injury ; and any one who takes a 

 walk through the cliief stieets of Cal- 

 cutta sufficiently eai'ly, may see hun- 

 dreds of the natives sleeping in the 

 streets, at their own or their employer's 

 door, for perhaps the greater part of the 

 year. A few rupees, therefore, will 

 erect a dwelling which shall be as well 

 accommodated to the peculiarities of 

 the climate, as one erected in Britain 

 at ten times the expense. The effect 

 of this in the article of rent must be 

 obvious to all. But this brings with it 

 another advantage ; tlie expense of 

 erecting a comfortable habitation being 

 so very small, almost every one is able 

 to erect a house for himself. For this 

 the wages of three or four months will 

 often be sufficient, and sometimes a 

 much less sum. Thus the expense of 

 rent, which the generality of the inha- 

 bitants of Britain have to meet, the 

 mildness of the climate in India almost 

 wholly removes from its inhabitants. 



While the nature of the climate 

 creates such a saving of expense to the 

 natives relative to their habitations, it is 

 scarcely less favourable relative to 

 clothing. As defence from the rigour of 

 the seasons is so little needed, decency 

 and ornament are the only objects in 

 view. In these their simplicity of 

 manners, and the unchanging form of 

 their garments, reduce the expense to 

 a mere trifle; one fashion pervading 

 the whole country, their apparel never 

 grows old by merely being seen, as is 

 sometimes the case in Kurope, among 

 tiiosc classes of its iiihal)itaiits who are 

 far from being opulent. Further, 

 many articles of apparel higlily uecss- 

 MoNTHLY Mas. No. 352. 



sary in Europe are almost altogether 

 unknown to the inhabitants of this mild 

 climate. A separate covering for the 

 head, eitlier in the form of a cap or hat 

 is almost abhorred by Hindoos of both 

 sexes ; and although a Hindoo sircar 

 in a city puts on a turban for the sake 

 of appearing in a suitable dress for bu- 

 siness, he embraces the first moment 

 of his return to his domestic circle, to 

 lay aside the useless and unpleasant in- 

 cumbrance. In the same degi'ee a co- 

 vering for the feet, and even the legs, 

 appears to the natives of India equally 

 unnecessary. Altliough the dress of 

 the women extends to about the mid- 

 leg for the sake of decency, the feet and 

 the lower part of the leg are generally 

 left without any covering even among 

 them. By children of both sexes, 

 therefore, and even by men liighly re- 

 spectable in life, a coveiing for the feet 

 or the legs is regarded as quite super- 

 fluous. It is true that men in higher 

 circumstances wear shoes occasionally, 

 but they are never like those worn by 

 even the British pcasantijr ; they cost 

 scaicely more than a tenth of the price, 

 unless when adorned with gold or sil- 

 ver ; they are merely worn when out 

 on a visit, and thrown aside Avhen the 

 wearers are at home. Some wear 

 shoes when they travel ; but if they 

 have to go to any distance, the shoes 

 are perhaps as commonly to be seen in 

 the hand as on the feet; and this is 

 certain of being the case as often as any 

 stream of water or any miry part of 

 the road presents itself; the ease with 

 which they can pass a river bare-foot 

 or bare-legged, and the enjoyment of 

 washing their feet when arrived on the 

 opposite side, make them lay aside 

 every thing of the nature of shoes, when- 

 ever an opportunity of this nature pre- 

 sents itself. 



The effect of this benign climate in 

 lessening the quantity, and of course 

 the expense of household furniture, so 

 large an item of expense in Britain, is 

 scarcely less sensible than in lessening 

 that of their clothing and their habita- 

 tions. A bed is scarcely known among 

 them ; a mat ans\\ers every purpose of 

 repose, and almost any thing serves for 

 a pillow. This mat is in general 

 spread on the ground ; fiequently, in- 

 deed, when it is quite damp, although 

 some of them have so far profited l)y 

 the example of Europeans, as to pur- 

 chase a cot on whicli to spread their 

 mat, tile price ofwiiich, however, vl- 

 dom exceeds a few annas. For a co- 

 2 D verioR 



