The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-06-29


spectful distance his three attendants
stood following the success OF their
masters strokes with extreme interest.
Aajaram was an heir only by auop-
ton, as the previous sovereign OF lloi-
apoor had no son. He succeeded TO
the principality about two years ago'
The littlestate contains about u MIL
lion inhabitants, including feudaterles,
over whom the sovereign has power
of life and death; and q tolerably large
revenue is collected from the lnhabl-
tants, thanks to its inexhaustibly fer
tile soil, where the same crops have
come up on the same ground for CEN
turies, 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 " house in
London, and worked hard at seeing
the sights required from u consclen-
tious traveller; attended debates in both
Houses Of Parliment, was present at
Queens ball in gorgeous apparel,
where, in his cloth gold tissues, neck
laces, and strings of jewels, he looked
like The prince in fairy tale. He
paid visit to the Queen at Windsor,
who he said, "Was very kind" attend-
ed u meetingo of the British Association
at Liverpool where, being asked to
speak, he said q 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 u
second little speech, greatly to the pur-
pose, about the good feeling growing
up between East and West, and Oh
the friendly relations Of India to En-
gland. He ended by O visit to the
Maharajah Daleep 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 ne 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
a 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
spruck on his journey. Nothing,
probably, could have been Of much
use IN such case; he disli!ied being
attended by Western physicians, and
the end WAS very sudden at last,
though the best doctors III Flureuce
were summoned to his aid for the sati3-
faction of his most careful and judici'
Gus guardian, Captain West. Almost
rs soon rs the breath WAS out of the
Rajah's body, hispOorattendant began
Interpretations, intending ut first to
burn it, on the Lung 'Arno, the very
midst OF the city, as the ceremony
must be performed on the banks OF %
river. This, of course, could not be
permitted, and with much difficulty
Sir Augustus Paget obtained permi3-
sion from the Italian authorities to al
low the funeral TO bo carried out after
midnight, at the end Of the Cascine,
two miles from the town.
Ii was II dark night; q 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 n fire, rouud
which a group Of Hindoos We're stand
ing sadly and silently. "Ihe Rajah
was the k,udest and best of masters,
and these poor fellows are rs grieVed
at his loss as if he were their own
father" was the ai1ectionate tribute Of
his English servant.
Presently came up an omnibus con-
tanning the body, which was then
brought out upon n plank. AS it was
borne along, the light from two feeble
lanterns fell on the placid features Of
q young and apparently corpulent
man. Tnc turban and q richly en-
| broiderod 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 afterward
consumed in the fire. The body was
then laid reverentially upon the pile.
One attendant placed betel-nut in the
mouth and hand second piled cam
phor around it, another muttered sew
eral prayers. a Brahmin priest per-
formed strange ceremonies with a
white linen cloth, which he folded and
unfolded, offering up prayers while
kneading dough, TO be placed along
side tbe corpse, which was then care-
fully fenced III 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; camphor, and u mix
| ture OF beesWaX and turpeuiine, and
| q quantity of brushwood ana suavingS
were added, and the mass was then
kindled. The flames shot up brilliant
driven by o strong gust Of wind,
throwing lurid glare on the numer-
Gus spectators, the muddy ArnO, the
black clumps of trees, not yet quite
bare Of leaves, and the groups of lnAi-
ans Of every different shade of color
from coal black to light brown, with
their glistening white teeth, and tur-
bans differing i'll shape according to
the rank OF The wearers. Each had
his settled station near the funeral fire,
and stood gazing inten.ly omit during
the long, cold hours with n kind Of
mourniul, forloru resignation which
was extremely touching-many of
them weeping bitterly. At seven i'll
the morning the wood was all con-
sumed, the ember5 were eXtinguished
by, water from tie river, the ashes
were collected and placed in pOrce-
lain lar to be carried home. Every
thing used in the funeral pile was then
taken out in Il boat and sunk in mid
stream, and the attendant laid fresh
earth on the spot itself, traced in the
form ofa heart, around which were
then placed some vessels containing
rice. Then all the llindoo5 knelt and
prayed with their faces To the ground
tile dismal ceremony was finished,
and the forlorn retinue departed in
silence, bearing with item the vase
with The ashes to be thrown into the
Ganges when they should reach their
native land. The next day they hgl