USEFUL PROJECTS. 



499 



♦bent of metals for useful and cu- 

 rious purposes, but they are even 

 familiarly acquainted with alloys 

 unknown to our practical che- 

 mists. 



Among those in general use that 

 have drawn the attention of Eu- 

 ropeans living in India, are the al- 

 loys for the gurry, and the Biddery 

 ware. 



The gurry is a disk of a cubit 

 and upwards in diameter, about 

 half an inch in thickness in the 

 centre, but decreasing toward the 

 circumference, where it is scarcely 

 more than ^ of an inch. It is used 

 to mark the divisions of time, by 

 striking it with a wooden mallet, 

 The sound is in general remark- 

 ably clear, full, and loud, when it 

 is properly managed. In common 

 they are suspended on a triangular 

 pyramid made of three bamboos 

 tied together at top. They are 

 used in all large cities, at the cuti- 

 Valschoultry, at the houses and 

 cutcheries of great men, at the 

 main guard of every battalion, and 

 head quarters of every detachment 

 of troops. Some commanding of- 

 ficers have them even near their 

 doors, to the annoyance of their 

 visitors, whose ears are not so 

 blunted and insensible as their 

 own. In short, they are the regu- 

 lators of time and business in all 

 India. The exact proportion of 

 the compound of which they are 

 made 1 do not recollect, but I be- 

 lieve it is somewhat variable, as 

 the gurries are prized according to 

 the place where they have been 

 manufactured. 



The Biddery ware is used parti- 

 cularly for hooker-bottoms, and 

 dishes to hand betel about to visi« 

 tors, where more precious metals 

 are not attainable. It is of a black 



colour, which never fades, and 

 which, if tarnished, may be easily 

 restored. To relieve the sable hue 

 it is always more or less inlaid with 

 silver. It is called Biddery ware 

 from the place where it was origin- 

 ally, and I believe is still exclu- 

 sively, made ; for though the peo- 

 ple of Bengal have utensils of this 

 kind, I have no where seen any 

 new ones for sale, which would be 

 the case were they manufactured 

 there. 



Biddery is a large city, about 

 60 miles N.W. from Hyderabad, 

 formerly the seat of mighty kings, 

 and one of the largest, or best 

 places of the Dekan, belonging ta 

 the Nizam. It is situated on the 

 eastern brink of a table land, which 

 is about 100 feet above the level 

 of the surrounding country, and 

 from S. to N. six to eight miles ia 

 its diameter. The place is forti- 

 fied, has high walls and extensive 

 outworks, particularly to the north- 

 ward, but whether strong, or other- 

 wise, I am not competent to judge, 

 I found them very badly guarded ; 

 as is generally the case in the for- 

 tified places belonging to the native 

 powers of India. 



As I had been always very de- 

 sirous of learning the composition 

 of the Biddery ware, and could get 

 no information of it at Hyderabad, 

 I requested captain Sydenham, 

 then resident at that court, to fa- 

 vour me with a dustuck (order) to 

 the governor of Biddery (which 

 place I was to pass on my way to 

 join the detachment at Joulna), to 

 assist me in getting the desired 

 knowledge. I must observe here 

 that it is not only extremely diffi- 

 cult, in general, for travellers, but 

 almost impossible, without much 

 money, to acquire any information 



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