Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-05-16
Cremation In India.

The drive from PerambOre TO Madras
lies through a series of close and dusty
streets and dirty bazaars," the smell
of which at times was so dreadful that
we were obliged to hold our noses, the
atmosphere being at the same time so
close that we appeared to be passing
through the dry heat of an oven. Of
course the route was always the same.
First, through narrow streets of houses,
chiefly inhabited by half-castes, on the
fiat roofs of which, hybrid damsels, in
variably arrayed in white book muslin
with coral ornaments and black velvet
in their hair, might be seen, ready to
interchange glances with, and cast down
billets-doux upon the English officers
as they rode to and from the band.
Next, through a native quarter, where
we were liable to be solicited for aims
by ladies and gentlemen covered with
smallpox, leprosy, and other disgust
ing diseases ; where we saw droves Of
those nice, clean-feeding, healthy -fook-
ing Madras pigs which turns ones blood
to water, and puta sudden death to any
wonder we may have hitherto enter
tained as to the reason Jews are COM
handed under the Levitical law to ab-
stain from the flesh of swine; where we
generally also met Hindoo corpse or
two being carried to their burial--a sight
which was scarcely more pleasant t.Ian
decent to contemplate. At one time,
whilst we were at Madras, the cholera
made great rayages amongst the lower
classes of the natives, and have seen
as many as twelve or fifteen corpses
carried past in one evening Fancy an
old negro, dead, and clothed in exactly
the same suit in which he entered the
world, placed upon wicker bier much
too short for him, so that his legs have
to be violently bent at the knees his
bones nearly through his skin; his
brown, shriveled face striped with white
and yellow paint, the marks of his
caste; his black hair dyed the color of
carrots with saffron wreath of large
scarlet flowers round his head 4; his
mouth forced wide open by the gen.
erosity of his friends, who have stuffed
it so full of betel-nut and "paun
leaves, that they are all sticking out in
a bunch and his Enclosed sunken eyes
appearing as though they mournfully
contemplated what hideous figure his
relations had made him look like! Yet
the sight is by no means an uncommon
one for ladies in India.
During the dry season, which lasts
for nine months, the roads are simply
layers OF thick red dust, which settles
upon everything and spoils everything
it settles upon. This dust was the
most distinguishing feature of Peram-
bore-indeed the only thing for which
it may be said to be famous, if I except
Hindoo burying-ground, in which, ac-
cording to that religion, the corpses
used to be burned, and from which,
when the breeze set in our way, the
smell was more powerful than refresh
ing. We know that there is but step
from the sublime to the ridiculous, but
the manner in which some of these
burnt-sacrifces are carried out would
seem as if those who conducted the
rites had cleared the sublime at a
standing-jump. 1t appears that the ma
ture of "cold corpusses when sub
jected to the action of heat, is, IN con-
sequence of the sudden contraction of
the muscles, to sit up; SO it often, in
deed generally, happens that papa, or
grandpapa, Gas the case may be-, re-
fuses to be good boy and be burnt up
quietly, but will insist upon rearing
himself upon the funeral pyre and
watching the proceedings of his own
immolation. So that the sorrowing
sons and grandsons go to the funeral
armed with shillelahs," and as soon
as the remains of the old gentleman
give the least hint of rising they attack
him from all quarters, in the fashion of
Donnybrook Fair, and keep up con-
tinuous thwacking," until their pro-
genitor is open to reason, and permits
himself to be consumed in a decent and
orderly nner.-Forepce Marryatt.