'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of IndiaEden, Emily
History
'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India
Eden, Emily
Eden, Emily, 1797-1869 -- Correspondence; India -- Description and travel
One of our servants dropped down dead in the verandah three days ago. He
was talking and laughing with some of the others, squatting on the
ground in their usual fashion, and he just laid his head back and died.
He was a young man--one we always called Shylock, from his sharp, Jewish
look. There are several of his relations in the establishment, and their
screams were horrible: but twelve hours after they buried him. Yesterday
they gave a great feast to all the Mussulmauns, and when that is over,
they always seem very comfortable again.
Think of T. putting in a letter to F. yesterday, 'This happy result of
the war will of course ensure Lord A.'s _elevation to the peerage_;
there cannot be two opinions about that.'
Curious ignorance, combined with considerable vulgarity! 'Yet Nature
might have made us such as these,' as Autolycus says; though really I do
not see how she could, with any conscience, or without a great deal of
trouble. T. is anxious we should stop a few days at ---- on our way down,
that we may make acquaintance with 'my dear wife and daughter,' as he
fears it will not suit his finances to go to Calcutta at present. I
think I see the whole camp of 12,000 precious souls stopping a few days
at a station where there are three Europeans, just to make acquaintance
with Mrs. and Miss T.! But all J.'s letters are 'du Collins tout pur.'
Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The second shawl is come to hand safe. Capt. P. writes from Cashmere
that he has seen those that are in the loom there for us, and that they
will not be finished for some months, but he says he never saw anything
the least like them. He gives such a horrid account of the tyranny of
the Sikhs over the Cashmerees, and in their own jaghires, through which
he has been passing; their cruelty is dreadful. He has been through the
territories belonging to the Jumnoo family, to which Dhian Singh, the
prime minister, our friend Heera Singh, and an uncle of his, Gholâb
Singh, belong.
The number of persons without noses, or ears, are incredible, and Gholâb
Singh, who is the worst of all, actually flayed alive the other day 300
men who had offended him.
It is the practice of that family never to allow a female infant of
their race to live; they marry wives from other very high Rajpoot
families, but they will not give their daughters to inferior princes nor
let them live unmarried, so they are all put away as soon as they are
born. I wonder the wives do not get up a little rebellion of their own.
Wednesday, October 9.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account