Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

are upon the Road, rides out with all his Officers to meet the Meffenger who brings them: He no fooner fees the Packet, but he alights from his Horfe, and falls down on his Face to the Earth; then he takes them from the Meffenger, and lays them upon his Head, whereon he binds them faft; and returning back to the Court where he usually dispatches his Bufinefs, he reads them. This mighty Monarch fhews himself to the People three times a Day; the firft is at Sun-rifing from a Gallery, at which time Crouds of People resort thither, to give him the usual Salam, crying out, as foon as they fee him, Long Life and Health to the great King. At Noon he fhews himself again; and, laftly, at about Sun-set; being always ufher'd in and out with Drums, Trumpets, and other Wind-Mufic; and at any of thefe Times, if any Man, tho' never fo mean, has a Petition to the Emperor, it is receiv'd. This Monarch adminifters Juftice himself in capital Cafes, as his Viceroys do in their refpective Provinces. The King of Siam, according to the Cuftom of the Eaft, is an abfolute Monarch; he gives the Land to whom The King of he pleases, and takes it away when he will: Wherefore no Families can be ennobled by Eftates; nor is there any Nobility but by Offices, which the King confers and takes away at Pleafure; whence 'tis not uncommon to see the Son of a Lord tugging at the Oar. Only one of the King's Women has the Honour of being call'd Queen; and for the Seraglio they take the Daughter of any Subject. The Laws of Siam require an unlimited Obedience

Siam.

to Parents; any one who fhould prefume to op- Laws. pofe and contradict his Parents, would be look'd

on as a Monster. Lying is punifh'd by fewing up the Mouth. Sometimes Criminals are toffed by one Elephant to another, without killing them; for this, 'tis faid, the Elephants will do upon a Sign, they are fo extremely tractable. But their Punishment is ufually adapted to the Crime: One who has been guilty of Extortion has melted Gold or Silver pour'd down his Throat.

FORCES.] The Army of the Great Mogul confifts, 'tis faid, of 300,000 Horfe, and 400,000 Foot; befide 3000 Elephants: But, according to the best Accounts, there is allow'd Pay for a Million of Horfe; not that the whole Number is ever brought into actual Service; for the respective Viceroys feldom keep up above half the Number, and the Pay of the reft goes into their own Pockets. Notwithstanding the Great Mogul has fuch a vaft Extent of Sea Coast, there is no fuch thing as a Man of War, or a Ship of Force,

S 2

to

to be found in India; not but the Indian Merchants have Ships of 400 or 500 Tun of their own, built after the Englih Model; but their Sailors would make but a poor Defence, if they fhould be attacked; and their Skill in Navigation is very mean, infomuch that they are glad when they can find an Eurepoen Commander. An English Sailor, with very ordinary Qualifications, ferves for a Captain of one of the Mogul's Merchant-fhips.

CHARACTER.] The Indians are of a good Stature, wellfhaped, and agreeable Features; and it is generally obferv'd, that there are hardly any deform'd or crooked People amongst them. Those that inhabit the Northern Parts of this Empire, are of a deep tawny Complexion; and thofe in the South as black as Jet; thofe of the Mountains, in the middle Parts of the Peninfula, are all Coal-black to a Man: Indeed the Indians on the Coaft, who are mixed with the Portuguese, and other Europeans, are generally of an Olive-colour; but in any Part of the Country, the Natives have long black Hair, and black Eyes, let their Complexion be what it will. The Indians are to be diftinguished into Moors or Moguls, and Pagans or original Indians. The Moors or Moguls are a Mixture of Tartars, Perfians, Arabs, and almost every Mahometan Nation. Thefe having the Power in their Hand behave like Lords of the Country, and treat the ancient Inhabitants with fome Contempt, and feem to have ftill a greater Contempt, or rather Averfion, to all Chriftians in general, tho' they are ferviceable to the Moguls as Engineers, Mathematicians, &c. and frequently give great Pay to thofe who enter into their Service. The Siamefe are of a fmall Stature, but well-proportion'd; their Complexions are very fwarthy, and the Faces of both Men and Women are of the broadeft, with high Cheek-bones, dark fall Eyes, large Mouths, and thick pale Lips, fhort Nofes, and round at the End, and large Ears. The Siamese have a ready and clear Conception, and their Repartees are quick and very finart; they imitate any thing at Sight very well; and are neither lafcivious or intemperate, nor will wanton Difcourfe pafs for Wit, or be taken for Sublimity of Genius; drinking ftrong Liquours is counted infamous amongst them, and Adultery is hardly heard of at Siam They are polite and courteous, and their Minds are as calm as their Heaven, having the good Fortune to have the Command of their Paffions. They are great Lovers of their Wives and Children, and as well belov'd by them; their Children are faid to be exceeding engaging, and of a sweet

Natives of
Siam.

Temper

Natives of

Temper. The Tonquin fe are of a middle Stature, and cleanlimb'd; their Nofe and Lips are proportionable and well-made, but their Faces are a little flat- Tonquin. tifh, and of an oval Form. The People are

courteous and obliging to Strangers, especially the trading Part of them, and mighty fair Dealers. However, the Magiftrates are faid to be proud and imperious; their Soldiery infolent; and their Poor, who are very numerous, given to thieving. They are reckon'd very ingenious and diligent; patient in Adverfity; universally addicted to Gaming from the higheft to the loweft, from which nothing can restrain them.

RELIGION.] The original Natives of India, who are by far the most numerous, are Idolaters: There are reckon'd three or fourfcore feveral Tribes or Cafts among thefe Pagans, but the chief are the Bramins, the Rajaputes or Rafhboots, and the Banians or Chantres. The Bramins teach, that there is but one God infinitely perfect, and that their Images reprefent fome Heroes, and virtuous Perfons, who formerly dwelt on the Earth, and are now exalted to Heaven, where they apprehend them to be Mediators for them, which is the Reafon they give for paying their Devotion before thefe Images. They have fome confufed Notion of the Creation, and Deftruction of Mankind by a Flood: They believe a pre-existent State, and that the good and bad Fortune we meet with in this World, is either a Reward or Punishment for what we have done in a former; and those who behave themfelves well in this Life, fhall be rewarded in another State. The Siamese believe the Form of the The Siance. World only to be eternal; all vifible Objects they look upon as fo many rational Beings, who have lived and exifted in a former State, and muft die and revive again; and that the Heavens, the Earth, Plants, and all Things elfe, have their Period, and will be fucceeded by new Heavens, and a new Earth, &c. They allow the Soul to be material, and yet will not admit, that it is perishable; but that it animates ome other Creature, and knows Pain or Pleafure according

its deferving, till it enters a human Body again, whofe CirCL nftances will be fuitable to the Behaviour of the Soul in its feveral Tranfmigrations.

CUSTOMS.] The general Drefs of the Indians is a white Veft of Calico, Silk, or Muflin, which folds over before, and is tied with Strings either on the Right or

Left Side; the Sleeves are clofe to their Arms, Habit,

and are fo long, that they fit in Wrinkles about

S 3

the

The ufual
Compliments,

the Wrift; the upper Part is close to their Bodies, and fhews their Shape; from the Middle downwards it is gather'd, and fits full in Plaits, reaching a little below their Knees. The ufual Compliment in India is the lifting the Right-hand to the Head, and fometimes both; and, if it be to a Person of Diftinction, bowing the Body a little. When the Mahometans meet, the usual Compliment is, God give you Health, or, I wish you the Prayers of the Poor: The deep Compliment to a Prince, is bowing the Body low, putting the Hand down to the Ground, then to the Breaft, and afterwards lifting it up to the Head, and this repeated three times. Upon a Vifit, the Perfon vifited does not move to meet his Guest, but intreats him to fit down by him on the Carpet: They are very referv'd, feldom or never talking faft or loud. Tumblers and Jugglers go from Town to Town as in other Countries, and are

Diverfions,

Way of
Travelling.

.

fo dexterous in their Tricks, that fome of our own Countrymen have imputed them to Magic, and the Power of the Devil. One of the Great Mogul's favourite Diverfions is the Fighting of Elephants, and other wild Beafts; and the feeing Men engage with Lions and Tygers. The Roads are generally a deep Sand, which is fo hot in the fair Seafon about Noon, that it would burn their Feet, if they were not as hard as a Shoe-fole; and there is no fuch thing as walking in the Sand with Shoes on. When a Man of Substance travels, he ufually hires ten or twelve Chairmen to carry his Palanquin, which is a well-contriv'd Couch with Pillows, and an arched Canopy over it: In these they fit or lie, as they think fit; and it is carried by four of the Men at a time, two before, and two behind, who lay the Pole upon their Shoulders, and run at the rate of four or five Miles an Hour, their Fellows relieving them at certain times without ftanding ftill. A little before they defign to bait, fome of the Men are fent to the Villages, where they buy Provifions, and they dress it as they go along. Oxen are used to ride on, as well as for Burdens; they will trot on at a pretty round rate, and fometimes they run Races with them. It is very troublesome travelling in the rainy Season, the flat Countries being overflowed, and innumerable Torrents falling from the Mountains; but this does not hinder the common People from taking Journeys at this Time of the Year; for they will take Water without any Difficulty, and fwim with incredible Strength

across

across broad Rivers, which run very fwiftly. As to the Marriages of the Indians, the Fathers make the Bar

gain before the young People come to the Ufe of Marriages. their Reason; nor does either the Boy or the Girl,

when they come of Age, ever imagine they have any Right to difpute the Matter, but look upon themfelves as much obliged to obey their Parents in this Particular, as in any other Command: However, the young Man, if he does not like the Girl his Father has provided him, may take another, and have as many Concubines as he pleafes; but the Woman has no Remedy, and if she murmur at her Husband's Conduct, he may reduce her to the Condition of a Slave. They conftantly marry into their own Tribe or Caft; a Merchant muft marry into a Merchant's Family, a Smith into a Smith's, a Carpenter into a Carpenter's, and fo of every other Trade or Profeffion. The Wives never bring any other Fortune than their Clothes; and among thofe who are wealthy, it is, faid, the Father of the Hufband advances a confiderable Sum to the Wife's Friends; and, 'tis thought, never eats with the Husband, but waits till he has done. The Indians never fwaddle up their Children, but let them go perfectly naked, both Boys and Girls, till they are fix or seven Years old, and 'tis not to be imagin'd how foon they will crawl about the Floor. The Moors and Mahometan Indians are allowed four Wives, and as many Concubines as they can keep. As to the Solemnization of a Wedding, nothing can be more fplendid: The Bridegroom is carried by Night through the Streets, dreffed with the richeft Clothes and Jewels they can procure; the Streets are made as light as Day by a great Number of Torches, with Flags, Streamers, and Mufic, marching before them, and a Croud of their Friends and Acquaintance, who come to exprefs their Joy on the happy Occafion: Being come to the Bride's House, where the Marriage is celebrated, he takes the Bride home with him; and, from that time, the is feldom ever suffer'd to fee her nearest Male Relations, but in the Prefence of her Hufband.

CLIMATE.]

C

[merged small][ocr errors]

Hina, like other Countries, confifts of Hills and Valleys; but both the one and the other are made as level as poffible, and laid out in Plots, like Gardens, by the Industry of the Natives. The Soil, in general, is very rich, abounding in Corn, and Wine,

S 4

and

« EdellinenJatka »