The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-06-30

wv WLglA eAAO HAS lOa z
of life and death; and q tOlerabIy largt
revenue is collected from the inha6i
tantk, thanks to its inexhaustibly fer.
tile soil, where the same crops have
come up on the same ground for cen.
tlFies, without manure and without
signs OF failure.
About the beginning of last year the
young Prince determined to spend the
time before reaching his majority in q
pilgrimage to England, which he
reached in june He hired a house in
London, and worked hard at seeing
the sights required from a conseien-
tiOus traveller; attended debates in both
Houses Of Pariiment, was present at a
Queens ball in gorgeous apparel,
where, in his cloth of gold tissues, neck
laces, and strings Of Jewels, he looked
like the prince in fairy tale. He
paid q visit to the Queen at Windsor,
who he said, "Was very kind;n attend
ed a meeting Of the British Association
at Liverpool, where, being asked to
speak, he said few words much to
the satisfaction OF his audience on his
intention to do all in his power TO en-
courage the cultivation Of cotton on
his return to India; went into Scotland
where he distributed the prizes at a
great volunteer festival, and made a
second little speech, greatly to the pur-
pose, about the good feeling growing
up between East and West, and On
the friendly relations of India to En-
gland. He ended by a visit to the
Maharajah DaIeep Singh, In Suffolk,
which he Is said to have much enjoy
ed. He seemed much pleased, alto
gether, with his treatment during his
whole stay, and was turning his steps
hOmeward to India through Belgium,
the Tyrol, and Italy, the way by Paris
where he otherwise wished to have
gone. being blocked by the war, when
he was Overtaken by the winter.
The snow fell, and his followers
were extremely anxious to carry back
q box Of the strange stuff to ''shoW
them at hOme.n Even the moderate
degree Of cold In an English October
had tried the men very painfully, and
probably affected poor Rajaram him~
self. He was taken i'll at Florence
with heart complaint, from which he
had already suffering before at Inn
sprucR on his journey. Nothing,
probably, could have been of much
use in such case; he disliked being
attended by Western physicians, and
the end was very sudden at last,
though the best doctors in Florence
were summoned to his aid for the satis-
faction OF his most careful and judici-
GUS guardian, Captain West. Almost
as soon as the breath was out Of the
Rajah's body, his poor attendant began
their preparations, intending at first to
burn it, on the Lung 'Arno, the very
midst Of the city, as the ceremony
must be performed on the banks of a
river. This, of course, could not be
permitted, and with much difficulty
Sir Augustus Paget obtained permis-
sion from the Italian authorities to al
low the funeral to be carried out after
at the end Of the Caseine,
two miles from the town.
1t was dark night; a clustering
north wind was blowing, and the
cold was biting, says an eyewitness;
the pile had been built already breast
high, and near it was a fire, rouud
which a group of HindOOs We're stand
ing sadly and silently. "The Rajah
was the k;ndest and best of masters,
and these poor fellows are as grieved
at his loss as if he were their own
fatber," was the affectiODate tribute of
his English servant.
Presently came up an omnibus con-
tanning the body, which was then
brought out upon a plank. AS it was
borne along, the light frUm two feeble
lanterns fell on the placid features of
q young and apparently cOrpulent
man. The turban and q richly en-
broideTed robe which wrapped the
corpse were of bright scarlet; the
bracelet, necklaces and jewels around
his neck and arms were said to be of
great value, and were all afteTward
in the fire. The body was
then laid reYeTentially upon the pile.
One attendant placed betel-nut in the
mouth and hand; a second piled cam
phOF around it, another mutteFed sew
eral prayers. A Brahmin priest per-
formed strange ceremonies with a
white linen cloth, which he folded and
offering up prayers while
kneading dough, to be placed along
side the corpse, which was then care
fully fenced in with logs and planks,
forminga sort Of box, into which were
thrown perfumes and essences; fresh
logs were piled up for about couple
of yards more; eamphOr, and a mix
tuTe Of beesWax and turpentine, and
a quantity of brushWOOd and shavings
were added, and the mass was then
kindled. The flames shot up brilliant
driven by a strong gust OF wind,
throwing lurid glare on the numer-
Gus spectators, the muddy Arno, the
black elumps Of trees, not yet quite
bare of leaves, and the groups of Indi-
ans Of every different shade OF color
from coal black TO light brown, with
their giistening white teeth, and tur-
bans differing in shape according to
f,r v-as,E- 81 4
his settled station near the funeral fire,
the long, cold hours with a kind OF
TuOuTnful, forlorn resignation which
was extremely tOuching-many OF
them weeping bitterly. At seven in
the morning the wood was all con-
sumed, the embers We're extiBguished
by, water from the river, the ashes
were collected and placed In a porce-
lain jar to be carried home. Every
thing used In the funeral pile was then
taken o1t ia boat and sunk in mid
stream, and the attendant laid fresh
earth on the spot itself, traced in the
form of q heart, around which were
then placed some vessels containing
rice. Then all the HindoOs knelt and
praved with their faces to the ground
the dismal ceremony was finished,
and the fOrlorn retinue departed IN
silence, bearing with them the vase
with the ashes to be thrown into the
Ganges when they should reach their
native land. The next day they had
all left Florence.
And thus, far from his Indian, and
even bis English friends, his country,
his young wife and child, amongst
men Of an alien religion, Of foreign
and unsympathizing race, the poW
boy Raiah passed away
EARLY TMPRFssToNs.-Go 10 ,