134 
HINDOOSTAN. 
hooka fm6ker Is of the kliatri caft, which includes the fu- 
perior people, and ranks next to that of the Brahmin ; the 
drefs is that commonly worn in the above province, but 
partakes more of the Mogul habit than of that of the real 
Hindoo. The fegar finoker is of the vhyfe caft, which com- 
prifes the commercial people, or all thole who are employed 
in traffic, as banyans, Sc c. Thefe are very prompt in their 
offers of accommodation to all Europeans who vifit Bengal. 
Under the Britifn aulpices, the melioration of manners 
in this part of India, and the general content diffufed 
throughout all degrees of the handicraft people, have be¬ 
come extremely viable and ftriking, efpecially within the 
laft ten or twelve years, or at lead; from the era when the 
r.oble marquis Cornwallis received as hoftages the two 
ions of Tippoo Sultaun, and by his treatment of them, 
and honourable return in fafety to their iniidious father, 
eftabli'ihed the character of Engliili lenity and reftitude; 
which ftopped not here, but held forth its protection to 
ail degrees of Hindoo people, wherefoever or liowfoever 
opprelfed : nor from that time have we heard of any of 
thole {hocking inftances of rapine and plunder, which 
formerly difgraced all our details from Hindooftan. 
We might here fum up the general character of the 
Hindoo people in the conquered provinces, as impref- 
ftvelv given by their hiftorian, the Reverend T. Maurice : 
“Strangers in general to the turbulence of ambition, to 
the fever of intemperance, and all the tumultuous vio¬ 
lence of the more boifterous paffions, they are too often 
the victims of one moft fatal and degrading vice, infatia- 
ble avarice ! When inflamed with this paffion, its influ¬ 
ence is laid to know neither limit nor reftraint. In the 
accumulation of wealth all their faculties are abforbed ; 
but, ever mindful of the grafping extortion of their Mo¬ 
hammedan oppreffors, they are reported to bury their 
wealth under ground, and dare not trail even their chil¬ 
dren with the fatal fecret. The moft cruel tortures can¬ 
not compel them to reveal the place of its concealment •. 
the horror of threatened defilement has alone any influ¬ 
ence over their firmnefs ; and to avoid this menace, they 
fly for refuge to the deilroying fteel, or elude the inven¬ 
tive malice of their perl'ecutors by fwallowing a dofe of 
poifon. Thus are the plains of Hindooftan, like thofe of 
modem Tartary, enriched with hoards of fecret treafure ; 
and in this manner may partly be accounted for thofe 
enormous fums of lilver bullion which are conftantly im¬ 
porting into the country, and fwailowed up as it were in 
a vortex, without ever being exported, or vifioly increaf- 
ing the quantity in circulation.—If, however, they are 
fometimes hurried away by the deftructive paflion, and 
by the flings of jealouiy, often the refult of difpropor- 
tiona^bv marriages, into extremes which militate againft 
the miM caft of character by which they are in general 
diflinguiihed, the Hindoos have a thoufand excellent 
qualities to counterbalance the deleft. They are not lefs 
ardent in love of their country, than zealous in their at¬ 
tachment to’the inftitution of their forefathers. In do- 
meftic life, tliey are tender and afieftionate ; and in their 
morals, for the moft part, unfullied.” 
Tnus people of every profeiuon, from the highefl to 
the' ioweft, are fecn exercising their functions with active 
induftry, and with cordial aifeftiqn towards each other. 
Thele profeffions are here called by the name of cajls, 
though erroneoufly ; the casts being, as we have feen, 
but four, and applied for the purpofe of diftinguifhing 
the four dalles or degrees of rank into which the whole 
native population of Hindooftan is divided. The names 
of thefe profefiionai cafts in Bengal are as follow : 
Sud/ope, or warehoufe keeper. Byde, a phyfician or me¬ 
dical man ■. thefe can never acquire any knowledge of 
anatomy, iince .their religion forbids the killing or diTfecl- 
itig of any animal whatsoever, except in iacrifices to their 
idols. Canjlo, a writer, clerk, or lecretary. Dybuc/t , an 
aflronomer, aftrologer, or calculator of eclipfes. Augrec., 
a ploughman. Bcrayc, a pawn-planter, or cultivator of 
U ic pawn-plant 5 the leaves of which are ferved up on all 
great occafions with the betel-nut. Coomfiar , a potter, or 
maker of earthen-ware. Navy, a {having barber. Manly, 
a florift or flower-dealer, who makes chaplets and orna¬ 
ments for the idols. Ghajfa-kyhcrt, a gardener. Aukeer, 
a milkman, or feller of milk, curds, and whey. Sunkaury, 
a maker of {hell ornaments for the wrifts, &c. of women. 
Canfaury, a brals and copper fmith. Kumaur , or Lbhaur., 
a blacklmith. Tilly, a retailer of fruit, rice, ghee, &c. 
Bowry, a palankeen-bearer, fometimes a grafs-cutter. My¬ 
ra, a maker of (weetnieats. Gund-bunnya, a feller of gums 
and fpices. Kapauly, a rope-maker, which they form from 
the bark or rind of the cocoa-nut. Sonaur-bunnya , or 
Shroff, a money-changer. Tamooly, a feller of pawn-leaves 
made up with fpices, and called donna, bera,-&c. Chooter, 
a houfe-carpenter. Gzoalla, a cowherd, or keeper of cat¬ 
tle. Chaunhary, a preparer of fine lime, to be eaten with 
pawn-leaves and betel. Koalhoo , an oilman, or feller of 
oil and bran. Tauntee, a weaver : their women {pin the 
thread. BTiaut, a profeflion or caft employed to fpread 
reports in praife or commendation of thofe who chufe to 
hire them for that purpofe. Kuluye, a paftry-cook or con¬ 
fectioner. Joogee, a feller of cloth. Doam, a maker of 
bafkets, mats, &c. Chaffa-dcba, a thraflier of rice or other 
corn, which is effefted by treading or trampling upon it 
with cattle: he yokes three oxen together for this pur¬ 
pofe, and rides upon the middle one. Dandy, a rower or 
boatman. Baaty, a dealer in rallies. Sculy, a maker or col¬ 
lector of toddy, which he obtains by tapping many fpecies 
of the palm-tree. Doby, a waiherman, who cleanfes the 
cloth or linen by foaking in water, and beating it upon a 
ftrong board or ftage full of holes or notches. Soonrec, a 
diftiller. Maul, or Buddec-a, a ihake-catcher. Poad, a 
labourer. Baagdy, one who performs the Ioweft or moft 
menial offices. Jellee-a, a filhermun. Nihaury, a fiftmion- 
ger. Mooched, a ihoemaker. Haury, a fcavenger and night¬ 
man. Puchmar, a bird-catcher; which they effect by placing 
flicks in various directions among the boughs of a tree, 
and fmearing them over with a ftrong gum, from which 
the birds cannot extricate themfelves. Kaun, or Dvffahec, 
a public linger in the ftreets and highways. Pvttoo-a, a 
painter of the Hindoo idols. Shikaury, a hunter, or game- 
killer. Moordajho, or Moorda-fcraujb, a remover of dead 
animals. Kawra, a pig-dealer. 
The mufic and mufical inftruments in Hindooftan, are 
for the moft part coarle and unharmonious. The mufici- 
ans, however, are very numerous in Bengal, and are cal¬ 
led by the name of the inftrument they repeftively play 
upon, viz. Tumboora, player on the tumboora, a ftringed 
inftrument fomewhat like the guitar. Sittar, player on 
t)ie guitar. Saurinda , violin performer. Tobrie, performer 
on a kind of bagpipe. Kuplyaus, player on an inftrument 
made'of two hollowed pumpkin?. Omorti, player on a final 1 
kind of bafe-viol. Kko/e, performer on a fort of drum made 
of earthen ware. Kurtaul, player of cymbals. Doyra, 
player on the tabor. Phaunjree, player on hollow brals 
rings. Tubla, player on a wooden drum. D'holuh, player 
on a finail drum. Iultrung, performer on China cups, (truck 
with final! rods of iron. DTiauk, performer on a drum 
beat with the upper fur face turned downwards. Soorna, 
player on the hautboy. Barnh, blower of the trumpet. 
Joorghaje, beater of the double drum. Whole, beater of 
the great drum. Katinfy, player on a brals plate beaten 
with an iron rod. Eorung, great trumpeter. Ramfnga, 
blower of the ferpentine horn. Tickora , player on the ket¬ 
tle-drum. Surmungla, player on an inftrument formed of 
reeds, by rubbing with the fingers. Bawifree, player on the 
bamboo flute, by blowing into it through the nofe. Hence 
it is evident that the Hindoo mufic and muficians are in a 
very wild and uncouth ftate. 
The following are the names of the fervants or re¬ 
tainers in the principal families in Bengal, where fuch an 
eftablifhment is maintained. Jemidar, the head fervant or 
officer, or comptroller of the houfehold. Chaubdar, or Af- 
fahburdar, the principal fervant in waiting, carrying a kind 
of filver mace. Souma-burdar , the next in office, carry- 
