BEN 



tra(^ion, and confequently fell at a liigh price. Tlie native 

 horfe of Bengal is thin, ill-fliaped, and contemptible, and 

 even in its belt ftiape never equals the Welfh or Highland 

 poney, cither in figure or ufefulnefs. The cattle piincipally 

 ufed for the team in Bengal are bullocks ; and the moft com- 

 mon vehicle among the peafants is a hacktry, which fee. 

 But Bengal is more defective in its breed of cattle than moll 

 other parts of India. The fize of its flieep is fmall ; their 

 figure lank and thin ; and the colour of three-fourths of a flock 

 is black or dark grey. The quality of a fleece of wool in this 

 countiyis vvorfe, if poffible, than its colour ; as it is remark- 

 ably harlh, thin, and hairy. 



The inland commerce of Bengal is very confiderable ; and 

 it is carried on by means of thofe rivers and canals that in- 

 terfett the country', and along the banks of which are many 

 towns and villages, with pleafant fields of aralile and pafture 

 Jand, which diverlifies the face ot the country, and renders it 

 very beautiful. Some of the canals, formed either by the 

 hands of men, or by the operations of nature, are wide and 

 deep enough to be navigated by large fliips. One of the 

 molt confiderable of thefe is the " Haze," or " Hare" 

 channel, that runs ftraight through the countiy into the arm 

 of the river that flow's by Dacca. The chief articles of com- 

 merce which the country yields are filk, muflin, callicoes, 

 cotton, and other piece-goods ; opium, faltpetre, gum-lac, 

 and indigo. Rice, wheat, &c. can only be reckoned cafual 

 branches of trade. Bengal has an inland trade with Thibet, 

 which it fupplies with cottons, befides fome wine and cloths 

 of European manufacture, receiving in exchange muflc and 

 rhubarb ; and a much more extenfive commerce with Aj^ra, 

 Delhi, and their adjacent provinces, in fait, fugar, opium, 

 (ilk, filk-ftuffs, and an immenfe quantity of cottons and muf- 

 lins. The maritime trade of Bengal, managed by the natives 

 of the countr)-, has been divided into two branches, viz. 

 that of Cattack by means of its port Balafore with the Mal- 

 dives, whither they tranfmit rice, coarfe cottons, and fine filk 

 fluffs, and where they receive in exchange cowries, ufed for 

 money at Bengal, and fold to the Europeans. The inha- 

 bitants of Cattack alfo carrj' on a confiderable trade with the 

 country of Afam, which they fupply with fait in great 

 quantities, receiving in payment a fmall quantity of gold and 

 filver, ivory, muflc, eagle-wood, gum-lac, and a large quan- 

 tity of filk. A more confiderable branch of trade, which 

 the Europeans carry on with the reft of India, is that of 

 opium, which is cultivated at Patna. The Dutch fend rice 

 and fugar to the coaft of Coromandel, for which they are 

 ufually paid in fpecie. They have alfo formerlv fupplied 

 Ceylon with rice, Malabar with cottons, and Surat with 

 filk ; whence they brouglit back cotton, ufually employed in 

 the coarfe manufacture of Bengal. Some Ihip^ laden with 

 rice, gum-lac, and cotton-ftuff^s, are fent to Baflbra ; and 

 return with dried fruits, rofe-water, and gold. The rich 

 merchandife carried to Arabia is paid for entirely in gold and 

 filver. 



The articles that are difpofed of to advantage in Bengal, 

 are all kinds of fpices, japan copper, iandal wood, and fa- 

 pan wood, and alfo tin, lead, ptvvter, and other European 

 commodities of various kinds. See East India Company, 

 and Calcutta. 



Bengal is peopled by various nations, but the principal are 

 the Moguls, or Moors, and the Gentoos, Hindoos, or Ben- 

 galefe, and both the Bengalefe and Moors have each a dif- 

 ■linft language. 



The Moguls, or Moors, are defcerdants of thofe who be- 

 ween two and three centuries ago reduced this kingdom, and 

 the whole empire of Hindoftan, undertheir dominion. They 

 ■were originally natives of Tartary. They nearly refemble the 



B.E N 



Europeans in traits and features; but differ more or lef» 

 from them in colour. The Moguls are olive, though, in the 

 Indian hnguage, Mogul fignifies white. The women are 

 very handfome, and much ufe bathing ; like the men, they 

 are of an olive colour, and different in form from the women 

 of Europe. Their legs and thighs are long, and their bodies 

 fliort. According to Thevenot, the Mogul women are chafte, 

 very fruitful, and bring forth with fo much eafe, that they 

 frequently walk the ftreets the very next day after delivery. 

 Stavorinus fays, that their morals are infamoufly bad, and 

 that they are addicted to the moft unnatural vices. The 

 Moguls are more courageous tlian the Bengalefe ; and their 

 " Sipahis" fonn good foldiers, when they are trained and 

 commanded by European officers. Their religion is that of 

 Mahomet; and confequently they hold in abhorrence the 

 idolatry] of the Gentoos. 



The Bengalefe, who are much more numerous than the 

 Moors, do not differ much from the Europeans in ftature ; 

 their colour is dark-brown ; the complexion of fome of them 

 approaches to yellow ; their hair black and uncurled : and they 

 are generally handlome and well made. They are indolent, laf- 

 civious, and pufiUanimous ; and nothing but hunger or thirft 

 roufes their aftivity. Some of them, however, are intelligent 

 and ingenious ; and though moft of them are poor, fome of 

 their banyans,or merchants, are veiy wealthy, and very expert 

 in matters of trade. Their women are faid to be uncommonly 

 wanton and intriguing ; proftitution is not thought by them a 

 dilgrace ; and they have licenfed places, in which the law al- 

 lows them, under a certain aficflfment, to diftribute their fa- 

 vours. Their artificers in gold and filver are very ingenious, 

 and imitate any model that is fet before them with great ex« 

 aftnels. Europeans are often furprifed to obferve the per- 

 feftion to which they have arrived in thofe branches of 

 fpinning cotton, and of repairing muOins that are torn, and 

 in almoft all the handicraft operations in which they are em- 

 ployed. The common people go almoft naked. They 

 wear nothing but a piece of linen, wrapped round the waift, 

 and pafted between the legs. Thofe of a higher rank have 

 a drtfsof white cotton, which doubles over before as high as 

 the flioulders, and is fallened with ftrings round the middle, 

 and which hangs down to their feet. Moft of them fhave 

 their heads, and eradicate the hair from all parts of the body. 

 Rich people wear turbands, and many of them wear fmall 

 ear-rings. The diefs of the women confifts of a piece of 

 cotton cloth thrown over the (houlders, under which they 

 wear a kind of coat and drawers. Thofe who can afford it 

 adorn their hair with gold bodkins, and their aiTns, legs, and 

 toes with gold and filver rings and bands, and alfo their ears 

 and the cartilage of the nofe. The inferior women wear 

 fimilar ornaments, made of a fort of cowries, and called 

 " chanclos." Their heads are bare, and their hair turned 

 up, and faftened at the back of the head. Rice is the chief 

 article of their food, the remainder of which confifts of vege- 

 tables and milk. They eat no fifli, flefli of animals, nor 

 any thing that has had life. Their beverage is pure water. 



Botli the Moors and Bengalefe are fondof theamuferaent of 

 dancing ; and for this purpofe they emplov young women, 

 who are trained up from their infancy to this diverfion, and 

 who are richly decorated whenever they arc engaged to per- 

 form. Dancing is accompanied with mufic, both vocal and 

 inftrumental. For an account of the other inhabitants of 

 Bengal, fee Gentoos and Hindoos. See alfo Brah* 

 MiNS and Faquirs. Befides thefe, fevei-al of the eallern 

 nations, Perfians, Armenians, and others, refort to Bengal, 

 allured by the advantageous trade which they are enabled 

 to purfue there. 



Four Eufopeaa nations have eftablilhed thsmMves in Ben- 

 Bb 2 gal 



