Smyrna times., 1860-01-26
Mr. Gangooly on New England Winters


Rev. J. c. Gangooly, the converted Brahmin,
has published in the Boston Transcript the
following interesting account of his personal
experiences and impressions from change of
climate:
BosToN, January 9, 1860.
Mr.. EDIToR Wherever CO. the first stthing
| am asked is my impression of the winter
How do you bear our New England winter
slr!" "Does not the weather affect your
health !' &C., are the inquiries Of my friends
In answer, would say, bear the cold aswell
as anybody, and like the American winter, it
is so full of new and amusing scenes 10 me-
The skating, sleighing, SHOWS, queer-Iooking
caps, tippets, &C., are all novelties to me.
Before coming to this country | had read
about the western winler-of water frozen so
hard that heavy teams easily pass over it-of
the ground covered with snow several feet
deep. These accounts believed in part. but
the rest sounded to me like grandmother's
story. OF course | saw ice in Calcutta impor.
ted from Boston, but was puzzled to know how
water could be so hard by freezing. This was
very natural perplexity, because had no
idea of the thing at all. When told the la
dies here that the Hindoos boil simple milk so
hard that they make dolls, flowers, &C., out OF
it TO adorn their tables, they hardly believed
it until die the experiment before their eyes.
They by their own hands made flowers of diff
ferent shape and size, which, by half an hour,
became hard as rock.
AS it was year before last May that came
to this country, inquired of my friends how
soon the snow would fall and water freeze.
used TO look through the windows early in the
morning to see if there was any snow on the
ground. ln September | noticed something
white spreading over the ground; | rushed out
in ecstacy, and told my friends about it. Can
you imagine my disappointment when they told
me it was mere frost! In Boston | saw the
first snow. Astonished. stood to watch the
fakes falling from the sky. "Father," said l.,
thus thy blessings fall upon US, abundantly
and impartially; upon the good and the evil
alike" | wished very much that my Bengalee
friends could see such a sight; and finding il
was impossible, thought OF some way TO send
them little relic of The white mud. made
solid, heavy SNOWFALL. which seemed so dura-
Bile in the open air, that hoped TO send it TO
India by the first opportunity; took it to Mr..
NJ. IS and carefully laid it on the manile-pece.
Need tell you the result it is well known to
you all. In my letters to Bengal | described
the leading features of an American winter,
but could not write anything about freezing
hoped to do it by and by, after ! had some expe-
rence of it. Would you smile, Mr.. Editor,
when / say really wished to freeze little,
just to know what the sensation was! but the
Indian heat was so much in me that no such
thing has occurred yet. ! dare say there will
be some chance this winter for me TO under
stand freezing. You remember the cold days
you had last January; | rode then several
miles in the country in an open sleigh, without
a scarf or anything to cover my ears.
The second winter is said TO be more trying
to a tropical man than the first. There is some
truth in the proposition, but not great DEAL
Last winter | did not have an overcoat until
Christmas; this season wore it in October !;
did not wear gloves most of the time in this
winter, besides the mittens, put my hands in
the coat pockets. This is not for the cold
though; fear have learned Yankee habit
Last Monday rode II miles in on open sleigh,
and did not suffer more than my companions
My health is, on the whole, better in this coun-
try. My friends tell me to eat meat, even if il
is a very little, and to drink some warm drink,
but ] cannot do so. | never ate any meat, or
used any drink but that which comes out of the
bosom of our mother earth.
Now and then | wish to be in India, to zee
the land smile, the flowers bloom, and the birds
sing in these months. On the late Christmas,
your churches were decorated with leaves only
there were hardly any flowers there. In
Calcutta, you could cover the churchyard with
a few dollars worth of flowers; you could en-
terrain party of twenty ladies and gentlemen,
for instance, with fourteen kinds OF fruits, at
the expense of two dollars. Contrasts like
these create q bit of homesickness in me, but
cover it up with the garment of duty. and go on
in my way rejoicing. singing and praising the
glory of the Nest High. J. c. GANGooLy.