E L E P H A S. 
Seventeen to twenty feet high; but, to fliew how much 
the natives of India are inclined to the marvellous, and 
how liable Europeans themfelves are to miftakes, I will 
relate a circumftance that happened to myfelf. Having 
heard, from feveral gentlemen who had been at Dacca, 
that the nabob there had an elephant about fourteen feet 
hi'wh, I vvas de [irons to meafure him; efpecially as I had 
feen him often myfelf, during the year 1785, and then 
fuppofed him to be above twelve feet. After being at 
Tiperah, and having feen many elephants caught, in the 
years 1786, 1787, and 1788, and finding all of them much 
inferior in height to what I fuppofed the nabob’s ele¬ 
phant, I went to Dacca, in 1789, determined to fee this 
huge animal meafured. At firft, I fent for the mahote or 
driver, to afk fome queftions concerning this elephant; 
he, without hefitation, allured me he was from ten to 
twelve cubits, that is, from fifteen to eighteen feet, high; 
but added, he'could not, without the nabob’s permillion, 
bring me the elephant to be examined. Penmfiion was 
accordingly alked, and granted : I had him meafured ex- 
aftly, and was rather furprifed to find he did not exceed 
ten feet in height. The Eaft-India company’s ffandard, 
for ferviceable elephants, is feven feet and upwards, mea¬ 
fured at the {boulder, in the fame manner as horfes are. 
At the middle of the back they are confiderably higher; 
the curve or arch of which, particularly in young ele¬ 
phants, makes a difference of feveral inches. 
“ It has been dated by Bufifon, and others, that the fa- 
gacity of the elephant is fo great, and his memory fo re¬ 
tentive, that when once he has received an injury, o.r 
been in’ bondage, and afterwards efcapes, it is not pofil- 
ble, by any art, again to entrap him. Great as my par¬ 
tiality is for this noble animal, whofe modes of life and 
general fagacity I have had fo many opportunities of ob- 
ferving, yet a regard to truth compels me to mention 
fome faffs, which contradidt that opinion. The follow¬ 
ing hiftory of an elephant taken by Mr. Leeke, of Long¬ 
ford Hall, Shropfnire, while refident at Tiperah, con¬ 
tains many interefting particulars on this fubjedt. The 
cJephant was a female, and was taken at firft", with a herd 
of many others, in 1765, by rajah Kifliun Maunick, prin¬ 
cipal zemindar of Tiperah, who, about fix months after, 
gaVe her to Abdoor Rezah, a man of rank in the diftridt. 
In 1767, the rajah fent a force againft Abdoor Rezah, for 
fome refradtory condudt; who, in his-retreat to the hills, 
turned-her loofe into the woods, after having ufed her 
above two years as a riding elephant. In January, 1770, 
fhe was retaken by the rajah; but, in April, 1771, file 
broke loofe from her pickets, or faftenings, in a ftormy 
night, and efcaped to the hills. On the 25th of Decem¬ 
ber, 1782, fhe was driven by Mr. Leeke’s elephant hun¬ 
ters into a keddah, as above defcribed ; and, the day fol¬ 
lowing, when Mr. Leeke went to fee the herd that had 
been fecured, this elephant was pointed out to him by 
the hunters, and particularly by a driver who had had 
charge of her for fome time, and well recolledled her. 
They frequently called to her by name; to which fhe 
feemed to pay fome attention, by immediately looking 
towards them, when her name, Juggut-Pcauree, was re¬ 
peated ; nor did fne appear like the wild elephants, 
which were conftantly running about the keddah in a 
rage, but- feemed perfeftly reconciled to her fituation. 
From the 25th of December to the 13th of January, (a 
fpace of eighteen days,) fhe never went near enough the 
outlet {or roomee) to be fecured; from a recollection, 
perhaps, of what fhe had before buffered. Orders, hovV- 
ever, had been given not to permit her to enter the out¬ 
let, had fhe been fo inclined, as Mr. Leeke wifhed to be 
prefent when fhe was taken out of the keddah. On the 
13th of January, 17183, Mr. Leeke went out, when there 
were only herfelf, another female, and eight young ones, 
remaining in the enclofure. After the other female had 
been fecured, by means of the koomkees, or female de- 
coyers, fent in for that purpofe, the hunters were ordered 
to call Juggut-Peaum. She immediately came to the 
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fide of the ditch, within the enclofure ; on which, fome 
of the drivers w ere defired to carry in a plantain-tree, the 
leaves of which file not only took from their hands, with 
her trunk, but opened her mouth, for them to put ajeaf 
into it, which they did, firoking and'tare,fling her, and 
calling to her by name. Mr. Leeke, feeing the animal 
fo tame, would not permit the hunters to attempt tying 
her; but ordered one of the trained elephants to be 
brought to her, and the driver to take her by the ear, 
and order her to lie down. At firft, fhe did not like the 
koomkee to go near her, and retired to a diftance, feem- 
ingly angry; but, when the drivers, who were on foot, 
called to her, fhe carfie- immediately, and allowed them 
to ftroke and carefs her, as before ; and, Th_ a few mi¬ 
nutes after, permitted-the trained females to be familiar. 
A driver, from one of thefe, then faftened a rope round 
her body, and inftantly jumped on her back ; which, at 
the moment, lhe did not like, but was foon reconciled 
to it. A fmall cord was next faftened round her neck, 
for the driver to put his feet in, who, feating himfelf on 
the neck, in the ufual manner, drove her about the ked¬ 
dah, the fame as any of the tame elephants. After this, 
he ordered her to lie down, which fhe inftantly did ; nor 
did file rife till fhe was defired. He fed her from his feat, 
gave her- his -flick to hold, which fne took with her 
trunk, and put into her mouth, kept, and then returned 
it, as flie vvas directed, and as fhe formerly had been ac- 
cuftomed to do. In ftiort, file was fo obedient, that had 
there been more wild elephants in the keddah, . to tie, 
fhe would have been ufeful in fecuring them. Mr. Leeke 
himfelf then went up, took her by the ear, and bade her 
lie down; a command fhe inftantly obeyed. 
“ I have known feveral other inftances of elephants 
being taken a fecond time ; and was myfelf a witnefs both 
of the efcape and retaking of one, as follows: In June, 
17S7, Jattra-Mungul, a male elephant, taken the year be¬ 
fore, vvas travelling, in company with fome other ele¬ 
phants, towards Chittigong, laden with a tent and fome 
baggage, for our accommodation on the journey. Having 
come upon a tiger’s track, which elephants difcover rea- 
dily by the fmell, he took fright, and ran ofF to the 
woods, in fpite of the efforts of his driver. On entering 
the wood, the driver laved himfelf, by fpringing from 
the elephant, and clinging to the branch of a tree under 
which he was paffing ; when the elephant had got rid of 
his driver, he foon contrived to fhake off his load. As 
foon as he ran away, a trained female was difpatched af¬ 
ter him, but could not get up in time to prevent his 
efcape ; fire, however, brought back his driver, and the 
load he had thrown off, and we proceeded, without any 
hope of ever feeing him again. Eighteen months after 
this, when a herd of elephants had been taken, and had 
remained feveral days in the enclofure, till they were 
enticed into the outlet, there tied, and led out in the 
ufual manner, one of the drivers, viewing a male ele¬ 
phant very attentively, declared he refembled the one 
which had run away. This excited the ouriofity of every 
one to go and look at him ; but, when any perfoir came 
near, the animal Aruck at him with his trunk, and, in 
every refpeCl, appeared as wild and outrageous as any of 
the other elephants. At length, an old hunter, coming 
up and examining him narrowly, declared that he was the 
very elephant that had made his efcape about eighteen 
months before, Confident of this, he boldly rode up to 
him on a tame elephant, and ordered him to lie down, 
pulling him by the ear at the fame time. The animal 
feemed quite taken by furprife, and inftantly obeyed the 
word of command, with as much quicknefs as the ropes, 
with which he was tied, permitted ; uttering, at the fame 
time, a peculiar thrill fqueak through his trunk, as he 
had formerly been known to do; by which he was imme¬ 
diately recognized by every perfon who had ever been 
acquainted with this peculiarity. 
“ Thus we fee that this elephant, for the fpace of 
eight or ten days ; during which he was in the keddah, 
and 
