Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-05-23

the above mentioned grand yiaduct.
and are transported in many Instances
to far distant places on the backs Of
the naked natives. The long neck-pec,.
hanging in front of the carrier is firmly
clilsped by his hand, and in street sprnklinS he
uses his fingers as does the Niolnist in PLAYING
his instrument. The longer our distance from
the city the more numerous the water carriers.
On arry ing At the gates OF entrance To the gar
dens, il was not until after some red tape pro-
ceedings that We were permitted 10 enter with
in the high stone-work walls surrounding the
enclosure. We were very much interested in the
exhibition of the tropical animals many of them
of species rarely seen elsewhere in their perfec-
ton Of development and in such good condi-
ton. of the families of monkey. tigers and
leopa-ds and of many other species there was a
rare variety. The cages containing the more
ferocious and restless animals were ta>telully
and securely built at remote distances from
each other, in groves and upon the SUBMITS OF
hillocks. Smooth carriage drives and walk,
bordered with shadetrees and Towering shrubs.
ramiiied throughout the grounds. There
were large numbers of water reservoirs. some Of
them no more than ten yards square. Others
ti(ty, with entertainments from two 10 twenty
feet high, distributed with reference 10 the
wants of the animals. The water carriers were
As numerous and as busy As ants. On our re-
turn We drove by way of the city park, which
was brilliantly Illuminated with gas. one oi
the military bands was entertaining with line
music 4 large concoursc of Calcuttians; there
were few ladies present, all Europeans. We
rarely see native woman in the streets. either
walking or riding all not out from absolute
necessity are kept secluded. After our return
we sought the agreeable artificial breeze OF the
swinging punka, which i seen in motion in
every room in our hotel, and in fact, wherever
we call, in shops, offices, and in livery stables
even. All along the passage ways from the
cellar TO the garnet of the great Eastern Hotel,
the dark skinned Hindoos sitting on their heels
are seen pulling away at the punka ropes.
Calcutta, Thursday, March 9Th, ls19.-IIav-
ing become somewhat accustomed 10 the night
" screeching of iackals, and the cawing OF
crows, and having had little oil applied to the
punka pulley TO relieve it of the squeaking,
and dressed ourselves in armOr TO protect Us
from being pierced and nibbled bv the SwarmS
of jumping and creeping insects that disputed
our right TO the bed the previous night, we
slept tOlerably, until the dark form of our ser
want with coffee and toast, apparently fearing
TO awake us, whispered TO himself something
which aroused us 10 the consciousness that in
less than half an hour our carriage would be
ready for a drive to the public gardens five
miles distant from our quarters. our carriage
-syas ordered 70. hs ready at sly O'Clock; but vi
ine agly sIS nent in the East procra,-
~ 1table festrye, and it WAS
mot un!1aIo Il -tloek III B. We crd'sed
the brids>s.IS Iioos'h and were
After Crossin, mile or more,
our course was and in sight of it,
1t was the usua IN the morning when the
perform their AGED ablutiOn services in theholv
fuid. In swarms like bees, each bearing brass
vessel or an empty cOcOanut shell with him. 10
fill and carry home some of the holy water, af-
ter the bath, they plunge into the stream sure
that their bodies are fully immersed As on
ward we proceeded, We were met by natives
bringing into market vegetables and fruit. After
passing through the densely populated native
portion of the city, mud houses with matched
roofs half concealed in tAe .iungle> were more
and more sparsely seen until we turned off
from what appeared 10 be the principal high
" q
gateway opening into the botanical garden,
directly in front of the most interesting
tree, or compound OF trees, that sur
passed our expectations Of ii from any
thing we had read of the banyan. The cal
cutta banyan tree is regarded the finest
specimen Of the kind in India. Ii is said to
have three hundred and fifty large trunks that
have shot down from the under surface of the
horizontal limbs of the main body of the tree,
in long flexible shoots like Irvine, which have
taken root in the earth and developed into
trunks. many of them a foot i'll diameter, AMI
some Of them are larger where connected with
the limb than the limb Is itself. Many of the
longest main limbs have several supports thus
developed. Besides these larger supports there
are upwards Of three thousand lesser ones,
varying in size from that of a thread of Irvine
10 several inches IN diameter. The tree,
VIII its huge trunk and far extending branches.
and The thousand of supports, some OF them
fifteen or tweaty feet high, form oI itself 4
grove OF immense proportions
While driving through The garden, We mo-
ticed many other trees Ui rare p:"IilctlOni the
cotton tree in particular, with lis >carltt leaves
intermingling with the bright green, the palms
and the cocoanuts as in rows We saw them
bordering the drive ways ami walks. The
feather palm, the most beautiful Of all the palm
family unless we except the fan palm Ia which
we have before referred, We never saw IN such
numbers and Of such proportions H. We did in
the centre of some Of the plats into which the
garden is tastefully divided.
In driving along one of the Ion" avenues,
near the most populOus part of the city, and
parallel TO the llo0.lv, we noticed 4 large
granite building one story high, one hundred
and twenty feet long by about fifteen feet
wide. The building occupies the entire space
between the street and the river, excepting 4
narrow beach between; its foundation i
twenty feet high, Of stone mason work, which
Is extended on all sides 80 ~ 10 afford an open
space in lis rear about fifteen feet wide the
whole length of the building, with wall sur
il about four feet high. Ii i called
he Minterloch, where the llindoo, burn their
lead daily, in numbers of fifteen and upwards,
according 10 the mortality among them We
pas sed through the builllng Out into the rear
curt and witnessed the process of burning the
lead rs practised universally bN the lllndoo>.
The funeral pile is made of wood four feet in
ength, having two large sticks or logs on the
,round with cross pieces above, So ~ 10 form Il
ind of arch upon which the body i placed,
liter doubling the legs upon the body 80 ~ Ia
il 10 the length of the wood. The
wood is then piled around and upon the body
bout two feet in thickness. and thu, prepared,
he nearest relative OF friend OF the deceased
,uilds with kindlngs or agots fire IN the arch
which he personally attends To until the whole
Tile is ablaZc. Other friends and relatives SIT
round the pile on their heels, apparently
without emotion. Standing or >qualtlns about
he place are u half dozen persons OF more |
moking and talking u ii it was but The burn
ling of pile of litter. II requires ahnu' three |
our>' time and fifty cents worth of wood 10 |
Ompletc the process of burning human body
Ot so long if the friends eau afford Ia hc>mcar |
with clarified butter and Use sandal wood |
,r fuel The ashes are gathered and 'a>t lnl" |
he Gangcs, duty which l. not always dis |
harged faithfully 10y those IN charge We saw |
he ground in many places hal Snill heal'> OF |
n l..ata.a al il htI
cen removed, doubtless t"c ltlu'' VI wv nv
Iou> days work.
The Siime>e after burning their dead .ci,lCT |
he ashes, which are mixed with re" and some
eeciablr gums, rolled into a bali and covered
18th lin or gilt toll, and kept IN their HOUSES
MI lieut. To friends and relatives VIII" desire II.
The Parsces whom We shall Nl-li ~ the course
I Il few weeks, place their dead upon high
IwcrS, where in the course ot lew hours they
re- eaten by NulturrS. The relatives sometimes
ait Tor the birds to complete the pr"cc>>. The
ones TALL To the base Of the tower ~ thorough
deprived Of flesh ~ II they had passed
Irnngh the ~oap-makcrs' "aldr"n.
Frilny, March 9th, I>,g.-BN an invitation
ON General Iitchiirld our American CONSUL.
e visited Hall t,hnat, Ia wines pagan ni"l1-
Y. Cur approach To the idol VA through
al into dcnSelv populated 'lI-irnl al mllN"-
the city. The temple i an odd din-N st"u'
ructurr, with two dumc~ and 4 halt dozen
cited iurrets with q small court where lh"
lcrilire Is offered. II i crowded all around
: low walled enclosure hy compact hunsa-
Tvs, where live aud IN their WAY flourish ma
YES passing their usual aNoritlon~. pom =
one platform about two feet above The ground.
Il recess ten feet distance from the ra--as"
ay, j. the idol Kali in u sitting Po>iui" with q
ny nce lace Of human skulls dangling from
e ncrk, and girilC oI skulls about The waist
one hind u short, heavy sword, IA the Other
rrunLlcss head rank with blood prolruilus
,, ., mouth hong, red tongue dripping
lth blood. lpv.. -,,.thrr I,ro, nan ot
ere is one small and 81. II nu,'. to dt
,ke~ fixed in the ground the sma" a.
= neck uf a Kid, the larger onr~ Tor The hh..
Tor their dccapitation in sacrifice. Il Wa
2 goddess Kali who DESTROYED the demons,
ms spiritual and temporal enemies, She f
Ntroycd them 10y cutting oil their head with y,
r sword; wherever the blood fen upon the :
plnd u new crop of demons sprung up, Ia
event such discOuraging results. She Tapped =