94 



INDIA.' 



Sallpetrt. 



narcs district, has long been celebrated for it. Paper 

 "V* is manufactured in some parts of Northern Hindostan 

 from the bark of a tree named dealt. It is very strong, 

 and capable of being woven, when gilt, by way of or- 

 nament, into the texture of silks and satins. Saltpetre 

 is manufactured to a great extent in the provinces of 

 IVrigal and Bahar, particularly in the latter. The ex 

 port of it is principally confined to the Company's in- 

 vestment, the greater part of which is made in the dis- 

 tricts of Hajypoor and Sanur, in Bahar. The climate 

 and soil are extremely favourable to its spontaneous 

 production. It is sent to Europe in an impure state, 

 but chrystallized, put up in bags, each bag containing 

 two bazar maunds, or about I6l-lt>. As the Company 

 are obliged to supply the British Government with a 

 certain quantity of it, each Bengal ship of 800 tons, in 

 time of war, generally brings home about 5000 bags. 

 S.ilt is made from sea water along nearly the whole of 

 the eastern coast, as far as the mouth of the Ganges, in 

 great abundance Tumlock and Hiljellee. which lie 

 to the south-west of Cakutta, near the Hooghly, are the 

 principal places where salt is manufactured for the 

 Bengal presidency. The land at these places is regu- 

 larly overflowed by the tide ; and, in order to retain 

 the saline particles, mounds of earth are formed, from 

 which the salt is extracted by filtration and boiling : 

 each mound will yield, on an average, 18,640 libs, of 

 salt, and requires the labour of seven men. Tne work- 

 ing months are from November to June, during the 

 drv season. On the West coast of India, salt is made 

 in'large quantities, on the coast of the island of Sal- 

 sette. The process is similar to that which is followed 

 in Europe.; but when salt of a superior quality is 

 wished for, it is obtained " by fixing a jagged piece 

 of stick in the water, when first let into the .reservoirs, 

 to which, as the water evaporates, saline particles ad- 

 here, to the weight of three or four ounces." Salt 

 made from sea water is in high repute among the na- 

 tives of India, principally from religious considerations, 

 especially that made from the waters of the Ganges : 

 .but European tables at Bombay, and other places on 

 the western coast, are supplied with a remarkably fine 

 salt from Arabia, " in pieces not unlike a cheese in 

 shape, and sparkling like a sugar loaf." 



The mechanism of the Hindoos is very rude and 

 imperfect, and probably lias been stationary for at least 

 000 years. The rice mill consists of two round flat 

 stones ; in the lower one there is a hollow, into which 

 the middle of the upper one is inserted ; it is turned 

 round by means of a wooden peg, and the flower 

 comes out through a groove in the under stone ; in 

 fact, it resembles the quern of Scotland. Two Indians 

 with their hand corn mill can grind only 60 libs of 

 flour in a day. On several of the streams, however, 

 in Hindostan Proper, particularly on the Ravey, there 

 are water-mills for grinding corn. The mill that is 

 used to extract the oil from the cocoa-nut is very sim- 

 ple in its construction, and, at the same time, answers 

 its purpose extremely well. It is thus described by 

 Sonnerat : 



" The pieces of this machine are, first, the trunk of a 

 large tree sunk in the earth, and strongly fixed, the top 

 in the form of a vase ; secondly, a mortar placed in the 

 middle of the trunk, and which, not being very large, 

 goes widening to the bottom ; thirdly, a pestle placed 

 in the mortar ; fourthly, a cross pole, adapted to the 

 top of the pestle, and which turns it ; this cross pole is 

 composed of equal pieces, tied together with ropes 

 which, being flexible, are not subject to break ; fifthly, 



9 



Bio .1: ! 



oil mills. 



a large bar of wood, flat, placed horizontally .at the gtatu-tire. 

 bottom of the machine, and to which the cross pole is ^ "~Y~^* 

 fixed. This bar, widening and increasing towards the 

 extremity, which is fitted to the trunk o the tret, turns 

 on a slope made at the bottom of the trunk, and re- 

 gulates the machine. Two bullocks, tied to this bar, 

 turn it, and the people along with it. At the top of 

 the trunk, is a ledge to prevent the oil from running 

 out. A man stands on the horizontal bar, and turns 

 along with it, puts back the grains that are falling out, 

 collects the oil as soon as it rises to the top, and put-. 

 it into vases." Sonneral's Voyage to the East 1/ittit . 

 vol. ii. p. 133. 



The same author thus describes the arts of the car- Trades of 

 penter, sawyer, blacksmith, goldsmith, and Shoemaker, l ' ie Hin- 

 as they are carried on in India : Hoes, 



" The Indian carpenter knows no other tools than 

 the plane, chissel, the wimbol, a hammer, and a kind of 

 hatchet. The earth serves him for a shop-board, and 

 his foot for a hold-fast ; but they are a month in per- 

 forming what our workmen will do in three days. It 

 is to no purpose shewing them the most expeditious 

 and easy way of sawing wood; they had rather keep 

 to the imperfect manner they received from their fa- 

 thers, than adopt a new one more commodious. 



' The sawyer places his wood between two joists 

 fixed in the ground ; and, sitting carefully on a little 

 bench, employs three days, with one saw, to make a 

 plank, which would take our people an hour's work. 



" The blacksmith always carries his tools with him, 

 his forge, and his little furnace ; working wherever he 

 is employed. He sets up his forge before the house of 

 the person who calls him, and, with the dirt of the 

 place, makes a little wall, before which he places his 

 hearth. Behind the wall are two leather bellows, 

 which the apprentice keeps going, by alternately press- 

 ing the top. In this manner the fire is kept up. A 

 stone serves for an anvil, and. his whole apparatus con- 

 sists of a pair of pincers, a hammer, a mallet, and a 

 file. 



" The productions of the goldsmith announce, in eve- 

 ry shape, the want of tools. Like theChihese, they have 

 not as yet arrived at the art of polishing gold or sil- 

 ver, or to work the gold in different colours. Yet we 

 have their filigree work in esteem ; that is, indeed, on- 

 ly a work of patience. The Indian goldsmith carries 

 his workshop with him wherever he is sent for. His 

 furnace is an earthen pot, an iron pipe serves him for 

 a bellows, and a pair of pincers, a hammer, a file, and a 

 small mallet, are all his tools. He makes his crucible 

 on the spot, with clay, mixed with charcoal and cow- 

 dung ; which gives a solidity to the crucible that pre- 

 vents its breaking in the fire. One shilling are the wa- 

 ges of the master and his servant for a whole day. 



" The shoemaker is of the most despicable caste, and 

 is also the poorest of all the artisans. He has no other 

 tools than an awl and a knife ; no shop for leather, or 

 ksts. When a pair of shoes are wanted, the money 

 must be advanced, and with this money he buys a 

 sheepskin, which he prepares on the same day, and 

 on the morrow brings the shoes. From the shoemaker's 

 working in leather, and eating meat, they are held in 

 the greatest contempt by the other Indians, who esteem 

 them the lowest order of men. Their huts are in se- 

 parate quarters, out of the towns and villages ; and in 

 the European settlements they perform the office of 

 executioners." Sonnerat, xi. 126-8. 



Fishing, as a source of trade, is little followed in Fisheries. 

 Hindostan ; there is, however, an extensive fishery on 



