This trait of jealousy is every where apparent: nothing could offend a native more than the erection of an edifice, that should afford a command over the interior of that enclosure in which his family resided. An instance of this was attended with considerable trouble and disadvantage. The late Colonel Watson, who was Chief Engineer under the presidency of Fort-William, had obtained the grant of a large piece of land, for the purpose of forming a spacious dock for building and repairing ships. It happened, that, in enclosing the allotted space, he overlooked the untoward circumstance of a claim on the part of a very opulent native, who resided close by, to a part of the circumscribed area, which was the _sine quâ non_ of the undertaking. The native said nothing; and, in all probability, would have given up his land, or at least have sold it on equitable terms, rather than have thwarted the Colonel’s views; but, unfortunately, the latter erected a large wind-mill, so near to the native’s house, as to annihilate all that privacy his family had formerly enjoyed. The native remonstrated, but to no effect: the grant was urged against him; and, in lieu of soothing measures, defiance was proclaimed. The consequence was, that the matter went into court, when, the plantiff gaining his cause, the wind-mill was stopped in its career, and, with the exception of a slip, on which some vessels have since been built, the important, and immense, fabric, has been suffered to fall into decay! No woman can be more jealous than those of Hindostan: their animosity towards rivals is unparalleled; and this, even when they do not care a farthing for the bone of contention. Yet, on the other hand, when more than two ladies are retained by the same gentleman, the whole generally become perfectly passive, at least in exterior, appearing to associate with tolerable cordiality. The mention of plurality, may possibly startle many of my readers; especially those of the fair sex; but such is common among natives of opulence, and is not unprecedented among Europeans. I have known various instances of two ladies being conjointly domesticated; and one, of an elderly military character, who solaced himself with no less than SIXTEEN, of all sorts and sizes! Being interrogated by a friend as to what he did with such a number, ‘Oh!’ replied he, ‘I give them a little rice, and let them run about!’ This same gentleman, when paying his addresses to an elegant young woman lately arrived from Europe, but who was informed by the lady at whose house she was residing, of the state of affairs: the description closed with, ‘Pray, my dear, how should you like to share a _sixteenth_ of Major ———?’ The courtship was allowed to proceed, merely to make sport of the good man’s _foible_: a term peculiarly appropriate!