^72 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



ac(|iuiinted with alloys unknown 

 to our practical chemists. 



Among those in general use tliat 

 have drawn the attention of Eu- 

 ropeans living in India, are the 

 alloys for the gurry, and the Bid- 

 der y ware. 



The gurry is a disk of a cubit 

 and upwards in diameter, about 

 half an inch in thickness in the 

 centre, but decreasing towards the 

 circumference, where it is scarcely 

 more than one-fourth of an inch. 

 It is used to mark the divisions of 

 time, by striking it with a wooden 

 mallet. The sound is in general 

 remarkably 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 

 cutvval's choultry, at the houses 

 and cutcheries of great men, at 

 the main guard of every battalion, 

 and head-quarters of every de- 

 tachment of troops. Some com- 

 manding officers have them even 

 near their doors, to the annoyance 

 of their visitors, whose eais are 

 Hot so blunted and insensible as 

 their own. In short, they are the 

 regulators of time and business 

 over all India. The exact pro- 

 portion of the compound of which 

 they are made I do not recollect, 

 but 1 believe it is somewhat va- 

 riable, as Vhe gurries are prized 

 according to the ])laces where they 

 have been manufactured. 



The Biddery ware is used par- 

 ticularly for hooka-bottoms, and 

 dishes to hand betel about to vi- 

 sitors, 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 

 originally, and I believe is still 

 exclusively, made ; for though the 

 people of Bengal have utensils of 

 this kind, I have no where seen 

 any new ones for sale, which would 

 be the case were they manufac- 

 tured there. 



Biddery is a large city, about 

 sixty miles N.W. from Hyderabad, 

 formerly the seat of mighty kings, 

 and one of the largest, or best 

 places of the Dekan, belonging to 

 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 in diameter. The place is 

 fortified, has high walls and exten- 

 sive outworks, particularly to the 

 northward; but whether strong, 

 or otherwise, I am not competent 

 to judge. I found them very 

 badly guarded ; as is generally the 

 case in the fortified places belong- 

 ing 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 Hydera- 

 bad, I i-equested Captain Syden- 

 ham, then resident at that court, 

 to favour me with a dustuk (order) 

 to the governor of Biddery, (which 

 place I was to pass on my way to 

 join the detachment at Jaulna,) 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 

 on a subject of the most indif- 

 ferent nature, without the concur- 

 rence and actual support of the 



head-man 



