the rainy season, and keeping them in an air-tight
place is perhaps the best way to save them from
deterioration.
19. Yes for men. Ganja.
20. Ganja smoking is confined to the lower
classes as a rule. When a man belonging to the
better sort does indulge in it, he tries to keep
it unknown to his neighbours, as it is considered
disgraceful for a respectable man to do so. In
Bengal the classes who indulge in it are generally
boatmen, fishermen, mat-makers (domes), profes
-sional lathials (clubmen), factory hands, postal
runners, petty shopkeepers, professional musicians,
syces and mahauts, Hindu and Muhammadan
fakirs, and in a less extent masons and carpenters.
I believe the custom varies directly with the
swampiness of the locality. The drier the cli
- m a t e t h e l e s s t h e a m o u n t o f t h e i n d u l g e n c e . I t
is not so easy to estimate the proportion of people
of each class who smoke ganja. Of the fakirs and
mus i c i a ns i t ma y be s a i d t ha t a t l e a s t 50 pe r c e nt .
of them indulge in it; of the other classes taken
as a body 10 to 15 per cent. may be a fair
estimate. In Bengal almost every man amongst
the lower classes would not let the chillum go
untouched if he can get it ready and free of cost,
especially when he is about to do anything fa
-tiguing or has caught a cold. Such men smoke
more for the company than for pleasure, and a
good many gradually get into the habit.
It is as yet but a tendency, but I have no doubt
that with increased heterodoxy ganja and bhang
will lose still more ground to distilled liquor.
There will, however, always be a class who from
poverty or economy or religion will patronize the
old drugs.
Taking 100 as the total number of ganja
consumers, 1 should think that 75 per cent. are
habitual moderate consumers, 5 per cent. excessive
consumers, 20 per cent, occasional moderate consu•
mers, (0) per cent. occasional excessive consumers ;
for bhang-10 per cent. habitual moderate con-
sumers, 10 per cent. excessive consumers, 75 per
cent. occasional moderate consumers, 5 per cent.
occasional excessive consumers. I cannot say
anything about the percentage of charas smokers.
Bhang is drunk occasionally, i.e., during
the hot weather moderately by more than 50 per
cent. of the respectable classes of Marwaris, and
during festive occasions by about 75 per cent.
of them, of whom a good third take it in large
quantities and get more or less drunk. The
lower classes prefer smoking it, as thereby they
avoid the elaborate and somewhat expensive items
of spices, sugar, and milk. The habitual bhan-
geri has his pills all round the year, taking an
additional one perhaps on festive or mourning
occasions. 1 have seldom come across a man of
this sort, except amongst Purubia sepoys or
Marwari Brahmins, without trade or profession.
As for charas, in the Central Provinces I have The moderate and occasional drinkers are
never seen it used. In Bengal also its use is not generally well-to-do tradesmen and bankers, who
very extensive, except perhaps in the swampy and after finishing their day's work, bathe in the
malarial districts of Murshidabad, Purnea and evening and enjoy their glass or cup of thandai.
Malda.
21.. In Nadia the smokers prefer the varieties
known as " Jessore " and " Balughar." I do not
know where the latter place is. The smokers in
Raipur prefer the fiat, " kali" variety.
The Bengal people gave preference to the
" Nepal " variety. I have never seen native
charas.
Yes; Jatrawalas and worthless young men
in the villages smoke bhang, but not to any con-
siderable extent. A ganja-smoker run short of
his stock, sometimes smokes bhang.
Almost every Marwari in Raipur and else-
where drinks bhang in his " thandai " every even-
ing during the hot weather. H abitual Lb ang-
eris prefer to take it in pills which they some-
times dry up for use during travel or where they
do not wish to take the trouble of preparing it
every day. A good many people belonging to
the other classes drink bhang during summer
evenings " to cool themselves "----" thandai."
Bhang is often used in the preparation of majum,
a sort of sweetmeat, which is largely consumed
during festive occasions like the Holi and Cie
Diwali, and which is sold all round the year in
large towns, the principal consumers being pro-
stitutes and their visitors. Bharig is also used by
native physicians—baids—as a drug in the pre-
paration of " m6daks," emulsions for bowel and
nervous debility.
I should think they are on the decrease,
and the reason is not far to find. Wines and
spirits were forbidden by the Hindu Shastras, and
their use involved loss of caste. Pressure from
within and without have alike contributed to the
weakening of this sentiment. A good many of
the castpmeu , as formerly would have taken to
bhang and ganja, now drink wines and spirits.
The lower classes, who imitate their betters, are
gradually taking to arrack, gin, and cheap brandy.
Of ganja smokers it may be said that as a rule
they belong to the lower classes and are looked
upon as disreputable men even by the members
of their own class. Men who from the nature of
their work are exposed to the inclemencies of the
weather, like the boatmen, the fishermen and the
postal runners, take to it to mitigate the effects
of exposure and of fatigue. Syces, mahants and
clubmen and paiks take to it as they have very
little to do and much time in their hands which
they do not know how to dispose of. Petty
shopkeepers in villages take to it as they have
to wait in their shops the whole day and part of
the night for custom which is not always very
brisk. The intervening gap is well filled by a
smoke which makes the time pass less heavily. I
believe that irregular work, a life of exposure t o
wet and cold, fatiguing work and ihabits of idle-
ness, and violent and lawless pursuits lead to a
man's becoming a ganja smoker.
2s. The moderate ganja smoker spends about
one pice a day, and " bhang" without the ingre-
dients which are usually mixed with it would
cost less per head. I have known men to smoke
four annas or more worth of ganja in a day, but
these are extreme cases. An anna to two annas
worth may be put, down as the average cost of
excessive smoking.
29. Bhang drinkers mix sounf, k Ali niirch,
khas khas, kakri ke gulab ke phul, gulbairi
ke phul, allaichi, kawab chini, dbania, mithi
lakri, badam, cludh, shakkar. This is bhang
massala. Those who take it in pills use only
kali mirth and one or two of the above. Those
who smoke it do not ordinarily mix anything
with it except a little of tobacco or guraku.
Ganja smokers, who can afford it, dip the ganja
in rose-water and put a few—mse petals with it.
First a little tobacco is put at the bottom of the
chillum and on the top of it the ganja. Some
people substitute the tobacco by " guraku."