194 REPORT—1863. 
the week, and is better than that usually obtained in freedom.’ The pri- 
soners are liable to diarrhcea and dysentery, but it is not due to the dietary. 
(Diet No. 22.) 
65. J. W. H. Connon, Esq., Hurdin, describes the various native races and 
castes, under the heads of their religion, manner of living, and food. The 
Hindoos are a much more energetic race than the Mahomedans. The lower 
castes, as Parsees, &c., pursue agriculture, and take but one substantial meal 
daily, and that is after sunset. They may eat perhaps a little cold bread in the 
early morning, and at midday they have a handful of parched gram. The 
lower classes of the Mahomedans are weavers, &c., and eat two meals daily. 
Mahomedans will eat any flesh but pig, on account of its uncleanly habits, 
provided the animal had its throat cut; whilst many castes of Hindoos, as 
Brahmins and Bunneahs, live entirely upon vegetable food. All Hindoos eat 
chapattee, which is a thin flat cake baked from flour of various grains. The 
cultivator of the land eats about 24 ozs. of this bread, with an ounce of ghee, a 
handful of dal, and vegetables ; but when very poor, they have scarcely any food 
but the chapattee. All like sweetmeats, and all eat milk plentifully. There is 
great want of muscular development ; but they are well-formed and have great 
powers of endurance. They are patient in suffering ; wounds readily heal, 
and yet the people readily sink under severe disease. The jail diet varies 
with labour, and to some extent with the day of the week. The health of 
the prisoners is good. Ophthalmia prevails; and yet the diet is better than 
the majority obtain when free. (Diet No. 22.) 
66. Dr. E. Srrons, Pertabghur, experienced difficulty in obtaining the 
information. Some castes (rarely the poorest classes), as Aheers and Gurereas, 
occasionally get a little milk, ghee, or buttermilk. Parsees, when rich 
enough, keep and eat pigs. The food is chiefly vegetables, and varies with 
the three harvest seasons—September, November, and aie The daily 
quantity of the labourer is 13 Ib. of attah, 4 ozs. of dal, 2 ozs. of ghee, or a 
little oil, with salt and pepper; green vegetables are eaten instead of dal, in 
their season. When meat is regularly eaten, the quantity is about 1 Ib. per 
day ; but Hindoos, who eat it only rarely, then take a much larger quantity. 
The labouring classes eat only one meal, and that in the evening; but they 
have 2 to 6 ozs. of chabena, or gram, at other periods. The better classes 
eat two meals daily. The meat is eaten as stew or curry. Various kinds of 
corn and legumens are ground into flour and made into chapattees; they are 
smeared with oil or ghee, and eaten with dal or green vegetables, which are 
boiled with oil or ghee. The diet is deficient in fat and flesh : the legu- 
minous seeds are very important. The large quantity of food eaten at one 
meal is injurious, leads to chronic dyspepsia, and retards convalescence 
from disease. ‘The jail diet is varied with labour and somewhat with the 
day of the week. (Diet No. 22.) 
67. Dr. G. W. Bonayra, Durriabad, states that a labourer, working in the 
fields from eight to ten hours daily, eats of wheat or other flour 3 to 1} seer*, 
rice 4 to 2 seer, dal 2 to 4 chits., ghee 4 to 3 chit., salt } chit., condiments ty 
chit. Wheat is preferred, and the coarse bran only j is taken out ; the flour is 
made into chapattees. Some grains are used both as flour and as dal, and are 
eaten as the latter, with 1 or *2 ozs. of ghee, by all but the poorest. Goat’s 
flesh or fish is eaten from three to twelve times a year in quantities from 4 
to 2seer. Most villagers keep cows or buffaloes, and take the milk, ghee, or 
butter for their own use, the latter if quantity of 1 to 1 seer daily, or two 
* Pukka-weight. 
