﻿NARRATIVE 
  ACCOUNTS. 
  2$ 
  

  

  new 
  one, 
  he 
  may 
  do 
  so. 
  But 
  then 
  he 
  must 
  act 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  rules 
  of 
  the 
  re- 
  

   ligion 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  newly 
  embraced. 
  It 
  would, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  an 
  abuse 
  of 
  toleration 
  

   if 
  any 
  man 
  in 
  any 
  community 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  exercise 
  his 
  free 
  will 
  in 
  acting 
  or 
  

   not 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  religious 
  tenets 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  belongs. 
  This 
  

   state 
  of 
  things 
  brings 
  on 
  anomally 
  in 
  society 
  and 
  impurity 
  in 
  action. 
  

  

  " 
  1 
  8. 
  And 
  secondly, 
  Jagna 
  should 
  be 
  made 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  rule 
  of 
  tie 
  Vedas. 
  

   And 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  enable 
  one 
  to 
  celebrate 
  the 
  Jagna 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  

   should 
  make 
  some 
  assignment 
  in 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  learned 
  and 
  pious 
  Brahmans 
  in 
  

   selected 
  localities, 
  who 
  will 
  perform 
  the 
  Jagna 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  the 
  assets 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  so 
  

   assigned 
  will 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  do. 
  As 
  Hindus, 
  we 
  firmly 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  calamities 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  threatening 
  India 
  will 
  be 
  completely 
  warded 
  off 
  by 
  this 
  means. 
  

  

  " 
  19. 
  I 
  earnestly 
  solicit 
  that 
  our 
  good 
  and 
  kind 
  Government 
  will 
  be 
  pleased 
  to 
  

   give 
  such 
  consideration 
  to 
  my 
  suggestions 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  think 
  proper." 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  of 
  Kuch 
  Bihar 
  was 
  within 
  the 
  area 
  where 
  the 
  earth- 
  

   quake 
  reached 
  its 
  greatest 
  destructive 
  power 
  and 
  probably 
  not 
  far 
  

   removed 
  from 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  seismic 
  vertical. 
  From 
  this 
  place 
  

   wc 
  have 
  the 
  account, 
  written 
  by 
  Mr. 
  D. 
  R. 
  Lyall, 
  C.S.I. 
  , 
  Superintend- 
  

   ent 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  to 
  the 
  Chief 
  Secretary 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Bengal, 
  

   on 
  28th 
  June 
  1897: 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  3. 
  In 
  a 
  matter 
  like 
  this, 
  personal 
  experience 
  is 
  generally 
  more 
  valuable 
  than 
  

   generalities, 
  so 
  I 
  record 
  my 
  personal 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake 
  itself. 
  I 
  had 
  

   gone 
  to 
  the 
  Palace 
  and 
  had 
  locked 
  on 
  at 
  the 
  crowd 
  and 
  seen 
  that 
  all 
  was 
  going 
  

   on 
  smoothly 
  and 
  then 
  left 
  at 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  to 
  five, 
  going 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  northern 
  

   gate, 
  the 
  main 
  or 
  eastern 
  gate 
  being 
  closed 
  for 
  that 
  day 
  for 
  carriages. 
  I 
  drove 
  

   round 
  by 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  Palace 
  and 
  turned 
  eastward 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   entrance 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  my 
  house, 
  when, 
  after 
  going 
  about 
  200 
  yards, 
  I 
  became 
  aware 
  

   of 
  a 
  great 
  noise 
  in 
  the 
  corrugated 
  iron 
  sheds 
  at 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  and 
  almost 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  two-storied 
  house 
  about 
  50 
  yards 
  ahead 
  of 
  me 
  

   subside 
  and 
  crumble 
  away. 
  I 
  pulled 
  up 
  and 
  now 
  became 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  aware 
  

   of 
  the 
  shaking 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  felt 
  it 
  while 
  driving, 
  and 
  I 
  see 
  from 
  the 
  

   papers 
  others 
  have 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  experience. 
  As 
  I 
  pulled 
  up 
  a 
  large 
  fissure 
  

   opened 
  in 
  the 
  road 
  just 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  my 
  horse, 
  a 
  second 
  under 
  my 
  buggy 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  

   close 
  behind 
  me, 
  and 
  others 
  were 
  visible 
  at 
  further 
  distances. 
  The 
  road 
  between 
  

   where 
  I 
  was 
  and 
  the 
  Palace 
  main 
  gate 
  had 
  been 
  nearly 
  clear 
  of 
  people 
  but 
  at 
  

   once 
  the 
  crowd 
  poured 
  out, 
  shouting 
  that 
  the 
  Palace 
  was 
  falling, 
  and 
  I 
  accordingly 
  

   turned 
  back 
  and 
  found 
  th 
  e 
  Palace 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  in 
  ruins, 
  but 
  the 
  Maharajah 
  and 
  

   his 
  family 
  and 
  household 
  were 
  all 
  safe 
  with 
  one 
  exception. 
  This 
  man 
  was 
  struck 
  

   badly 
  by 
  the 
  falling 
  bricks 
  and 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  Military 
  Hospital 
  where 
  he 
  died. 
  

   Several 
  more 
  sepoys 
  and 
  servants 
  were 
  slightly 
  injured, 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  this 
  one 
  

   fatal 
  case 
  in 
  the 
  Palace. 
  Up 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  I 
  had 
  heard 
  no 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  

   but 
  as 
  I 
  took 
  leave 
  of 
  the 
  Maharajah 
  to 
  go 
  and 
  see 
  how 
  my 
  own 
  house 
  and 
  

   family 
  had 
  fared., 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  rumbling 
  noise 
  from 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  sand 
  and 
  water 
  

   rose 
  up 
  from 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  fissures. 
  In 
  cne 
  place 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  certainly 
  rising 
  two 
  feet. 
  

  

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  ) 
  

  

  