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breakfast 1 had the pleasure of paying my compliments to him, and 
assuring him that I was lodged greatly to my satisfaction, and had 
been well taken care of during his absence. I received the visits 
of all the civil and military servants of the Company, and contrived, 
in the course of the day, to return a few of them. I had applied 
to Mr. Neave to procure for me a proper suwarry. * He sent me 
this morning four chubdars, f- and two soontaburdars, X with tenhir- 
carrahs^; these were sufficient for the necessary parade on visiting, 
and receiving the visits of the natives of rank. The day was over- 
cast, and rain had fallen at a little distance, which was to me a 
very satisfactory circumstance, as it will assist in delaying the 
arrival of the hot winds. The climate here is greatly different 
from that of Calcutta. Fires had been used but a few days before 
I arrived, and the nights are even now rather cold. The first 
fire-place I met with was at Monghyr. I learned that the badness 
of my bearers was owing to my travelling at the latter end of the 
Huli, a festival kept up with great spirit by the native Hindoos 
and Mahomedans, in celebration of the vernal season. It is sin. 
gular that one of the amusements is, what is called in England, 
making April fools ; and as the periods of celebration so nearly 
coincide, for the Huli is always in March, it seems to point out a 
remarkable connection between the ancient religion of Europe, and 
that of this Peninsula. They also amuse themselves with throwing 
pellets of yellow or red powder, with which, on the last day, their 
dresses are so completely covered, as to have a most ridiculous ap- 
pearance. To end the festival, they make themselves so completely 
* The whole state equipage. t Servants of state carrying long silver sticks. 
X Servants of state carrying short silver sticks. | Running footmen. 
