203 



a man in his own service. The cylinder was a common table- 

 shade, with this he charged a phial, and gave pretty smart shocks, 

 to the no small astonishment of those who were the subjects of his 

 experiments, and of the spectators. As the weather was very dry, 

 the operation succeeded remarkably well. He even proposed sen- 

 sible queries on the nature of the electric fluid, and the parts of 

 the phial in which the accumulation took place ; as, whether in 

 the glass or the coating, &c. which shewed that he did not look on 

 the experiments with an eye of mere childish curiosity, which is 

 amused with novelty, but had a desire to investigate the cause of 

 the phenomena. I am sorry to add that this man, being about 

 two years ago seized with some complaint which he considered as 

 incurable, repaired to Benares, and there drowned himself in the 

 Ganges." 



On leaving Cambay we crossed the Myhi, and returned to 

 Jamboseer by a different route, but not sufficiently interesting to 

 discriminate. I remained a few days with Mr. Callander, con- 

 versing with the Hindoos and principal people in Jamboseer, 

 whose manners and customs varied but little from those in the 

 Dhuboy districts. From thence I performed a solitary journey 

 to Ahmood, Baroche, and my own purgunnas ; during which, de- 

 prived of my interesting companion, I had leisure to reflect on all 

 we had lately seen, and to form an estimate of the happiness en- 

 joyed by the inhabitants of Guzerat under the native princes, com- 

 pared with the blessings of security and protection extended to 

 those in the English districts, or rather in the empire of British 

 India ; no longer under the government of only a commercial 

 company, but subjects of a sovereign who swaj's his sceptre over 



