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and the creating, preserving, and destroying attributes, in Brahma, 
Yishnoo, and Seeva. Allowing the Brahmins, and a comparative 
few of the higher orders, to be enlightened by a purer system of 
religion, the lower classes of society are condemned to a state of 
ignorance in religion, art, and science. 
The Gurus have great power: but the ordinary Brahmins 
have taken care to reserve a sufficient portion for themselves, 
sanctioned and enforced by the code of Menu. At Poonah, the 
secular Brahmins occupy all the important stations; especially 
the lucrative office called Jeiram Bopput; a sort of censor, whose 
province it is to collect fines, which under the authority of the 
minister, he imposes arbitrarily on deviations from brahminical 
purity; drinking, domestic and family quarrels amongst the high 
and rich classes of society: this he manages with the greatest 
extortion and injustice. This officer is frequently summoned at 
the pleasure of the minister, and fined; which has eventually the 
effect of multiplying his abuses, by way of reparation for the mulct 
he has been obliged to bear; these are again connived at by his 
superiors, that he may enrich himself sufficiently to answer the 
call of the minister, as occasion may require. 
As the hot-winds commenced their fury, we reached the village 
of Chouna; a spot endeared to travellers for a spreading banian- 
tree, and a well of excellent water; no less attractive in India, 
than the Maison-rouge at Frankfort, or the vineyards of Monte 
Fiascone, to the European tourist. Running streams had hitherto 
refreshed us when we happily stopped on their banks; but a good 
well had not yet fallen to our lot: on the contrary, at Ustam, and 
most other villages, the water was so muddy as to be scarcely 
