The Night Side of LondonRitchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
History
The Night Side of London
Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
It is the condition of a public-house that it must do a good business
some way or other. Mr Hinton, who has just got his license for Highbury
Barn, says the dining apartment fell off and he was obliged to institute
Soirées Dansantes. Sometimes the publican gets a female dressed up in a
Bloomer costume; sometimes he has for his barman a giant, or a dwarf, or
an Albino, or a Kaffir chief—actually as an attraction to decent people
to go and drink their pot of beer. I find the following advertisement in
the _Morning Advertiser_:—
“The Sheep-eater of Hindostan.—To be seen, the Sheep-eater of
Hindostan, representing an exhibition which took place on the 3rd of
March, 1796, before Colonel Patrick Douglas and other officers of a
battalion of Native Infantry, and a great concourse of the
inhabitants of the military station of Futtehghur. It is engraved
from a sketch, taken on the spot by a native artist, and under the
inspection of Major-General Hardwicke, F.R.S. The Sheep-eater was a
native of India, about thirty years of age, five feet nine inches
high, slender, well formed, and rather muscular. He was attended by
a very old man, whom he called his father or preceptor, termed by the
natives Gooroo or Priest, who stated he had formerly followed the
same practice. He was above the ordinary stature of the natives of
India, and wore his hair, which was of great length, coiled into the
form of a turban; and his beard was twisted like a rope, and nearly
reached his feet, being five feet eight inches in length. The
exhibitor began his operation by raising the sheep from the ground
with his teeth. He then threw the animal on its back, and, with his
teeth and hands only, separated the limbs, and stript the flesh from
the bones. After mixing dust with the meat, by rubbing it on the
ground, in that dirty state he swallowed what he tore off. The last
part of the operation was chewing the leaves of a plant, the local
name of which is Madaar (asclepias gigantea), and the milky juice,
which is of a very corrosive nature, he swallowed. Having made a
collection of money, and the assemblage of people being much
increased, he offered to eat a second sheep, and actually commenced
the operation as before. It may be proper to observe, that the sheep
in most parts of India are as small as the Welsh sheep of Great
Britain. No. 1. represents lifting the sheep from the ground with
his teeth only. 2. Having thrown the sheep on its back, he extends
the limbs, preparatory to No. 3. 3. Ripping the animal open from the
flank to the breast. 4. Having removed the intestines, &c, he buries
his head in the body, to drink the blood collected. 5. Exhibiting
his face, after this sanguinary draught. 6. Having devoured every
portion of flesh from the bones, he chews the plant Madaar. 7. After
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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