GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 325 



" five heat ; for after every North-zvefier, the heat fenfibly in- 

 " creafes till the rains commence. Every one now begins to 

 " look forward to that feafon, wifliing it was come. 



" The thermometer has been known to rife to iro, at that 

 *' time people are nearly fufFocated ; they creep for relief un- 

 " der verrandas^ or the porticos, where the dews are cooling ; 

 *' but fliould they indulge a fleep, death is the certain confe- 

 *' quence. 



" The baneful influence of the fun is a melancholy reflec- 

 " tion ; the number of fudden deaths amongft the Englijh by the 

 " coup de Soldi, and the caution they are obliged to ufe to pre- 

 " ferve life, makes this feafon very uncomfortable, and when 

 " it happens, as it fometimes does, that the rains are late before 

 " they fet in, the mortality exceeds belief. 



" Life and death fo rapidly fucceed, that medicines very fre- 

 " quently have not time to operate before the great event has 

 " taken place. People live as if in a camp, talk of death as fami- 

 " liarly, and as if it was an event more probable to take place to- 

 " morrow than the next day., — " Let us eat and drink for to- 

 " morrow we die."' 



The illnefs of which moft peopie die is what is called here 

 a pucker fever, /, e. the ftrong fever, which frequently carries a 

 perfon off in a few hours ; the phyficians efteem it the highefl: 

 degree of putridity, but fome have a more lingering illnefs, 

 fuch as a bile in the il:omach, which indeed is a diforder very 

 few are entirely exempt from in thefe cafes ; the intenfe heat 

 relaxes the coats of the ftomach, fo as to prevent digeilion, 

 which occafions much illnefs, and ofttimes death. 



The 



