THE ARABIAN RACE. 



261 



money as he pleased, he would buy cattle, and slaughter daily for 

 distribution among the poor." 



The Banians of Bombay, judging from the form of the turban, 

 are mostly to be referred to the last-mentioned class ; except only, 

 that they had not in all instances arrived by sea. They were 

 spoken of, as " Cutch and Guzerati people, not properly belong- 

 ing to this part of India; who, by their superior enterprise, have 

 nearly or quite supplanted the original Mahratta caste of traders." 

 Like their brethren of Cashmere and Bengal, they are regarded in 

 the binary division of the Hindoos, as belonging to the ' left hand,' 

 and inferior. 



The mass of the population of Bombay, is composed of Hindoos, 

 who, by way of territorial distinction, are usually termed Mahrattas. 

 From my first view of them, I could only regard them as Arabs; 

 as the unconverted idolatrous Arabs, such as we are familiar with 

 in the history of the Mediterranean countries; and I soon perceived, 

 that it was possible at the present day, to obtain an insight into the 

 influence on the mind of the ancient system of image-worship. 



I perceived also, that in various points of difference from the 

 modern Arabs, the Mahrattas accord with the ancient Egyptians. 

 Thus, polygamy is rare ; the women do not conceal the face ; the 

 men carry burdens (with the balance-beam) on the shoulders; and 

 the drinking-cups and water-jars, are universally made either of cop- 

 per or brass. Other customs witnessed, have not yet become obso- 

 lete in Egypt; as that of the women carrying burdens on the head, 

 and their collecting manure (for fuel) with the hands. It is true, the 

 analogy in surrounding circumstances, (periodical rains compensa- 

 ting in reservoirs for the inundations of the Nile), tends doubtless 

 to as.similate the population ; yet with every allowance, the Mah- 

 rattas appeared to me to be more than a counterpart to the Egyp- 

 tians of Herodotus. The fact too should be noted, that the Sanscrit 

 language, which has been inherited by the Mahrattas, is regarded 

 by writers as originally foreign to India. 



In the vicinity of Bombay, stones, trees, and other natural objects, 

 are often consecrated with a mark of red paint : the original intent of 

 the practice, being apparently, to remind the passer-by of the omni- 

 presence of the Deity. I heard a Mahratta of the lower class com- 

 plaining of the Parsees; and saying, as he pointed to the sea, "the 



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