The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-07-30
ARABIAN NIGHTS IN THE 10TH
CENTURY.

When the breeze Of joyful dawn
blew FREQ in the sllken sails Of child
hood who had not wandered into that
delightful fairy land of the Arabian
nights? The golden prime" OF good
Harouu Alra5chid IS no more ; many n
revolving lustre has come and gone
since his "goodIy timc;" but years have
wrought little change IN the habits of
the east its gorgeousness is as rich as
ever, and still it showers on its kings
"barbaric pearl and gold" Railways
intcrscct the land Of the sun, and the
bulbul is startled by the shrek of the
locomotive; the competition wallah re-
poses under the solemn palms Gun
wood OF summer wind - the Union
Jack has for many a day ilOated III the
blue of "the deep sphere overhead =
colleges for the training Of young In
dian uristocrats have been established,
and are well attended, yet lmmemorial
customs not only linger but live all over
the east, Notwithstanding the western
light which system, and rule, aud col
lrge, and travel have borne over the
Indian ocean OF waited across the tide
less sea.
A marriage took place towards the
close Of April IN the town ot Bhownug-
CUR, in the kattywar peninsula, which,
illustrates the pertinaclty OF customs
in lndIa, and gives us at once u curious
and interesting picture of native life.
BhOwnuggur IS town distant from
Bombay about 300 miles, is the capital
OF Il state bearing the same name--a
state whose ruler IS his HIghness Tux
hutsinEh Juwuntsing, whose official ii.
tie is IhakOrC. The IhakOre completed
on the l95h OF April his seventeenth
year, ana is consequently minor ac-
cOrding to British notions, and, there
fore, holds his state under administra-
tors. But according to native ideas he
is every inch a man and a ruler, and
hence the poor young fellow had to
marry four wives ON the very day he
came of age. TO marry four wives
even in the east on the same day is a
most unusual thing, and the reason why
he was bound TO take four better halves
will be made plain by and by. Mean
while let us attend the ceremony and
hasten to Bhownuggur.
II is the 10Th of April, and we can
scarcely move i'll Bhownuggur Tor the
crowds who are making holiday, and
rejoicing with a gayoty of demeanor
and richness Of colOriDg that make II
Roman carnival seem tame. And well
may there be this huge con- estion OF
festivity-sounds and sights of Joy on
all sides, and stretching and vibrating
far-for the rejoicing is produced by
fourfold action, and four brides are be-
ing hOnored to-day. The Thakore mar
ries ~ the daughter of the Great Chief
of Wudwan, a princess fourteen years
old (2J the sister of the heir apparent
of the Goudul dynasty, who IS only
fifteen years old; (3) the sister of the
father of the reigning Chief OF Nanka-
neer, aged twenty-five; and a. the
daughter OF very Opulent landowner
of Dnuk, at Talaja, aged only ten or
eleven years. Wudwan was the first wife,
as in her veins there flowed the " bluest
blood" while Gondul, the second, is
not only the misunderstanding brought
an immense dowery-but the most
pleasant to her husband. Wonderful to
relate, she can "read little English
and desires to learn to play on the
piano" Long before this auspicious
10Th day of April the festivities CON
nected with the fourfold wedding COM
menced, the brides having to be brought
from their respective homes by the
trusty retainers despatched with all due
formality by the young Ihakore. Then
came the PROFESSIONS and marches and
counter marches by sunlight and star
light, aud the torches blazing, and the
long bray of the heralding horn, and
behind the "dancers dancing in tune.
What picture Millaiswould have made
of il all The Thakore's mounted and
foot guards; the huge elephants, fling
ing about thair trunks and staggering
under their howdnhs of blue and gold |
the camels and palfreys the drummers,
with their tom.toms; the royal chariot
by an interminable line of car
ria2es, aud on all sides the masses of |
ndmiring the rich robes of
the con- .iors, tuer gold and tinGel fash
ing and hckeIing in the sun, tie horses
and camels dyed of various hues and |
patterns, fantastic or grotesque, the |
flags fiounting the blue sky, the gar