'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎48] (77/562)

[ 48 1
I 755' people, is their hands, which, if touched by chance, you will be fure to find
J very cold, even in the middle of the hotted day •, while the hands of the
Europeans are burning with an exceflive heat, partly the effe6t perhaps of our
intemperate way of living. Let me add too, that the Indians are a very
quiet, inofFenfive people *, and at ibme diftance from the lea-fhore, we were
told, that we ftiould alfo find them honeft and fmcere. On the coaft, they
will make ufe of a thoufand tricks, and ftratagems, to over-reach a ftranger.
But for this we may thank ourfelves, who firft fullied their purity, and
debauched their manners. They probably had never known the crime of
cheating, had they not firft learned it from the tricking European, Among
the lower cajts the poor women do all the drudgery ; they get all the fodder
for the gentlemen's horles in the fort, and are obliged to bring it fome
miles. They likewife grind all the rice ufed in their own houfes; fetch
wood and cow-dung to burn-, and as the wafer near the fort is brackifh,
they are daily neceflitatcd to go a mile or two to a good well, and to
bring a large pitcher of this element upon their heads for the ufe of the
gentlemen of the fadlory. I have more than once feen a line of 40 or 50 of
them in a morning, engaged in this laborious employment. Their drefs is
much the lame as that worn by the women at Fort St. David ; and that of the
higher ca/ls, at both places, differs nothing from the lower, except, that the
wrapper which goes round the loins of the former is made of finer ftufF, and
that they commonly cover their breafts with a filk handkerchief. It is very
feldom that any of the women, unlefs thofe of the loweft rank, can be feen,
being forbidden by their call to ftand any where to be gazed upon by
ftrangers. In our morning walks, indeed, we fometimes faw them (landing
without their houfes for the benefit of the frefh air, but upon the firft fight
of us, they never failed to run in, and fhut and bolt their doors. Wc
could not but remark too, that whenever we had occafion to go into a (hop,
our guide always gave us a hint to ftand a little while at the door, while he
ftepped in-, and he made no fcruple to confefs, that his motive for doing it,
was to clear the houle of the women before we entered.
Much has been faid in regard to lervants in this country : fbme fpeak
hignly in their favour, while others equally depreciate them. The fervice
ot any^one of them is exceedingly cheap, but the number which you are
ODiigc-a to keep, makes it dear in the end. Perhaps it may feem furprizing,
though true, that an European gentleman or merchant in a confider-
able way of buhners, cannot hire lefs than a dozen or fifteen ; for as they are
a molt all of different cajis, the higher are not permitted to do the leaft thing
which is the bufinefs of an inferior caft. ' They all wear turbans; the prin°
cipal lervants commonly drefs neat and clean, in a robe of fine cotton cloth,
or mu in, particularly the Gentoos^ whole religion enjoins much bodily purifi-
<L 10n ' ' e re ore the firft thing they do ih a morning is to go down to
Iflliriv 1 an 1 W: I ' and afterwards to fay their prayers on the banks.
and » L r m , ,/ t I y P ray for ' the y w ' 11 be rure to fay, «
0 wil (hew favour for mafler, that maficr may fhew favour for
B