$84 
K U N J U R A.' 
plied to a particular aft of worfhip, which the Brahmins 
alone can perform, and by virtue of which they pretend 
fometimes to acquire praeternatural powers. In this way, 
they hope for the fuccefs of their muntur, or incantations; 
and in imitation of them, he fuppofes that the gypfeys 
may have preferved the name, on their arrival in the Eu¬ 
ropean territories. The author defcribes thefe people as 
a fpecies of MulTulmans in religion ; that is, lie fays, 
“they undergo circmncifion, and at their weddings and 
burials a Qazee and Moolla attend to read the fervice ; 
thus far and no farther are they MulTulmans. Of the pro¬ 
phet they feem to have little knowledge; and, though in 
the creed which fome of them can indiftinftly recolleft, 
they repeat his titles, yet, when questioned on the fubject, 
they can give no further account of him, than that he was 
a faint or peer. They acknowledge a God, and in all then- 
hopes and fears addrefs him, except when fucli add refs 
might be fuppofed to interfere in Tanfyn’s department, a 
famous mufician who flourished, I believe, in the time of 
Akbar, and whom they confider as their tutelary deity ; 
confequently they look up to him for fuccefs and fafety in 
all their profeflional exploits. Thefe confiit of playing on 
various inftruments, finging, dancing, tumbling, &c. The 
two latter accomplilhments are peculiar to the women of 
this feft. The.notion of religion and a future Hate among 
this vagrant race are principally derived from their longs, 
which are beautifully limple. They are commonly the 
production of Kueeer ; (fee his article.) On every oc- 
cafion of doubt they have a quotation ready from their 
favourite bard ; and, in anfwer to my queries refpefting 
the Rate of the foul after death, one of them repeated the 
following ftanza : 
Nor foul nor love divine can die, 
Although our frame mull perifh here; 
Still longing hope points to the Iky. 
Thus fings the poet Das Kubeer. 
“They conceive one fpirit pervades all nature, and that 
their foul, being a particle of that univerfal fpirit, will of 
courfe rejoin it, when relealed from its corporeal lhackles. 
“ At all their fealts, which are as frequent as the means 
will admit, men, women, and children, drink to excefs. 
Liquor with them is the fummum bonum of life; every crime 
may be expiated by plentiful libations of llrong drink : 
whence it follows, that any perfon who has accumulated 
roperty is foon confidered as a culprit; and, a charge 
eing brought againlt him, the complaint is carried before 
a. Puncha-et, or council of five, when the bufinefs com¬ 
monly concludes by his being obliged to provide a lethean 
draught for the fraternity to which he belongs. This is 
an exaft recital of what happened to two men who waited 
upon me, and to whom I gave a trifling prefent. It was 
found that they had communicated to me fome informa¬ 
tion which ought to have been concealed ; and they there¬ 
fore, in addition to the ordinary fine, underwent the pe¬ 
culiar puniihment of having their noies rubbed upon the 
ground. 
“Though profefling Iflamifm, they employ a Brahmin, 
who is fuppofed to be an adept in aftrology, to fix upon 
a name for their children, whom they permit to remain 
at the breaft til! five or fix years of age. It is no uncom¬ 
mon thing to fee four or five miferable infants clinging 
round their mother, and ltruggling for their fcanty portion 
of nourifhment, the whole of which, if we might judge 
from the appearance of. the woman, would hardly l'uffice 
for one. This practice, with the violent exercifes which 
they are taught in their youth, and the excefiive and ha¬ 
bitual indulgence in drinking intoxicating liquors, muit 
greatly curtail the lives of thefe wretched females. 
“There are in and about the environs of Calcutta five 
fets of thefe people, each confilting of from twenty to 
thirty, exclufive of children. There is a Surdar to each 
fet, one of whom is confidered as the chief. The extra¬ 
ordinary feats of agility which the women of this fet ex¬ 
hibit, are fo well known as to render any defeription un- 
necefiary. They have no regular habitations, being con¬ 
tented with temporary huts formed of rufh-mats ; and, 
when they have occafion to change their Rations, it is at¬ 
tended, as may eafily be imagined, with but little trouble, 
as both houfeand furniture would hardly be a load for one 
perfon. The people of each fet are, like our aftors, hired 
by the Surdar , or manager of a company, fora certain pe¬ 
riod,_ generally one year; after which, they are at liberty 
to join any other party. 
“The following was the traditional account they had 
of their anceftors. In the countries of Ghazeepour, Ui- 
lahaban, &c. about two hundred years ago, there were 
four brothers, named Sa, Sttmmoola, Ghoondra, and 
Moolla, who, finding it difficult to fupport their numer¬ 
ous followers in that part of the country, determined to 
feparate, and to march towards the four quarters of the 
world ; Sa to the eaft, Summoolla to the weft, Ghoondra 
to the north, and Moolla to the fouth ; that Sa,. arriving 
in Bengal, took up his reiidence at Hoogiee ; that, having- 
governed peaceably for many years, he died at Unwurpoor, 
near Barafut, where to this day his faithful defeendants 
offer up their prayers to his manes. He had three for.s, 
who fucceeded each ether; and the prefent chief furdar 
is the eighth in lineal defeent from the laft of thefe fons. 
Thefe Bazeegurs, having adopted, if not the religion, at 
leaft the name, of Muffulmans, are more civilized than 
the other wandering tribes. Their diet and apparel cor- 
refponds with the Muffulmans. 
“The Panchpeeree, or Budeea Nuts, differ from the Ba¬ 
zeegurs in many points ; though probably in their man¬ 
ners there will be found a Itronger limilitude to the gyp¬ 
feys of Europe than in thofe of any others which may 
come under review. They have no particular fyftein of 
religion, adopting with indifference that of the village near 
to which they happen to be encamped. The men are re¬ 
markably athletic, and alfo nimble and adroit in every 
kind of flight of hand, praftifing juggling in all its 
branches. As tumblers they exhibit not only feats of agi¬ 
lity, but great inftances of ftrength. There are about a 
hundred houfes at prefent of thefe people in Calcutta, 
formed into five divilions ; there is a furdar to each divi- 
fion, one of whom, as with the Bazeegurs, is confidered 
as the head of the whole. His revenues feem principally 
to arife from the offerings of ftrong liquor, which he re¬ 
ceives from his dependants; they, meaning fuch as have 
attached themfelves to Calcutta and its environs, feem to 
have nearly the fame boundaries as the Bazeegurs, though 
there are communities of this call fpread all over Bengal. 
They have a traditional account of four generations, and 
do not, like the Bazeegurs, confider themfelves as fo¬ 
reigners in Bengal. This particular tribe of the Nuts are 
fufpeCted of being great thieves ; many of them I under- 
ftand are daily puniflied for theft, and are no doubt often 
hanged. They alio have a peculiar jargon formed upon 
fimilar principles with that of the Bazeegurs. This for¬ 
mation of a feparate dialeft conveys no very favourable 
impreffion of either of thefe feels, fince many people may 
conceive it fo much refemhles the cant of rogues among 
ourfelves, invented for the purpofe of concealing their 
conduft as much as poffibje from honeft men. 
“Their marriage-ceremonies areas follow. All parties 
being agreed, and the day fixed on, they affemble before 
the bride’s houfe between nine and ten o’clock at night. 
The bridegroom, accompanied by all his relations, male 
and female, places himfelf before the door, near to which 
are fixed four plantain-trees, forming a fquare large 
enough to contain the company. He calls out with a 
loud voice, Give me my bride. The brother, or fome 
fuch near relation, guards the door, and prevents his en¬ 
trance, nay, rudely puilies him away. The laugh is now 
general againft the poor bridegroom, and many are the 
jokes on all hands played upon him. However, not to 
be put off fo, he makes two more attempts, calling out 
all the while for his bride; which proving ineffectual, he 
in much feeming grief, (for the whole appears a farce,) 
i retires 
