Catholic Magazine and Review/Volume 3/March in India
MARCH IN INDIA.
As a little variety, our readers will perhaps be pleased with the following extract from a letter describing a late march in Hindostan; particularly when we inform them that the writer is a Catholic officer of an ancient and very respectable family in England.
"After much trouble and annoyance in preparing for our long trip, we commenced our March on the 21st of November. (1831) We generally commenced our daily march at four or half-past four in the morning; its extent varied from ten to fifteen miles. When we had not the advantage of moonlight, we found our way along in the dark till past six, when it was day-light. I always rode a-head of the regiment, and started generally a quarter of an hour before the corps. My business was to superintend the marking out the encampment and pitching the tents, and to meet the colonel to point it out to him as he arrived with the regiment. I had also to see after the supplies for the men, and seek for carriage for them when required; and this was a daily source of annoyance, as we had set out with a wretched turn out of Hackeries, or two bullock carts of the country. As we were in Bengal, no camels could be had, and the carriage bullocks were so small, that we were forced to have wheel carriage, the very worst to march with, being so liable to break down over the dreadful roads generally found throughout India. The one we travelled beggars all description.
Our servants always went on over night to prepare breakfast by the time of our arrival at our ground. Sometimes the men did not reach the camp till past ten o'clock; but it was generally nine or a little after. Of course at this season of the year it was cold, and the sun even at nine o'clock was pleasant; and even at times we were glad to go into the sunshine during the day, as the tents were too cold. Latterly one might have remained out all day with impunity, as we got into a high latitude. In fact it was so cold, that we commenced our march at half-past five, or near six. From Midnapoor we went North, and got upon what is called the New Road, running direct from Calcutta to Benares, at Bissunpoor, on the fourth day. The road lien through belts of jungle and low ground where patches of rice are here and there cleared away for it, by the poor, miserable peasants residing in the few huts and small villages by the way. Bissunpoor is a large, mud built town, and was formerly famous for its silk cloths. It is now a wretched place and nothing about it worthy of note. The road has only been made within a few years for the numerous pilgrims going to the famous Juggernath temple below Cuttack, from the upper provinces. We daily met members of these poor deluded people, on their way thither, with merely the clothes on their backs, and two small waterpots slung by a pole across their shoulders, containing the sacred water of the Ganges, as an offering to their great Lord of the Earth. These poor wretches suffer most ou their return, being destitude of every thing, and hundreds of miles from their homes.—At each stage along the New Road, there are small travellers' bungalows, or houses; which are kept up with servants attached to them, for the use of those who may be travelling by dak, that is, by palanquin with relays of bearers at each stage, or any others who may choose to make use of them. I believe it was the Marquis of Hastings, who had also large serais, or buildings to accommodate the pilgrims and others going up and down this road, built at each stage and kept up; but these are now allowed to fall to decay. The native travellers found these walled places a great protection against the rogues who are always ready to plunder a weary traveller who falls asleep after his journey. They must carry a little money for food, and to pay the government tax at the temple. There are mile stones all along this new road, which we found a great comfort. Bissunpoor is 81 miles from Calcutta, and at 100, we came to a pretty little civil station called Bancoora. This was our first halt; and hitherto we had found the road passable, and from Bissunpoor the whole country appeared under cultivation, but only for rice, as it is very low, and in the rainy season the road is nearly impassable, being on a level with the fields. Bancoora is surrounded at a little distance by jungle, and is situated on a rising ground, with its public offices, jail and civilian's houses, a moderate sized town, looking very pretty as we entered it.
We now soon came to most wretched roads, and wild, dreary, jungly country, all the way to the next station, Hazareebagh, 137 miles further on. The roads over an undulating country were intersected by ravines ten feet deep, and as many wide; and up and down the ascents and descents nothing was seen but pointed rocks and hollows, with scarcely a vestige of earth upon them. Such is our grand military road from the lower to the upper provinces! Some parts of the road were pretty through the hills; but it was all forest, wild and jungly. At the several halting places, there were several small villages, and partial cultivation of rice and sugar cane, with small patches of mustard, linseed and sesame, from which they express oils by a rude process, squeezing the seeds in a wooden mortar by the aid of a bullock. Hazareebagh is an open spot on a level plain free from wood and jungle, and being high, I should think it must be healthy. There is no town, but some bazaars, owing to its being a cantonment for a local regiment.
Soon after we left this place, the rain came down in torrents, and continued with us at intervals till near the end of our journey, much to our annoyance and discomfort; and it twice obliged us to halt. We were allowed only forty-nine days for the journey, it being forty-two marches, allowing six days for halts, and one for crossing the Ganges; but we performed it in exact time. On the fourth march from Hazareebagh, we descended from the hills into the plains, by the famous Dunghye pass, winding through the forest down two very steep descents of considerable length. A thick heavy fog huing over the forest as we came through it, and half its beauty was thus lost to us. It is famous for tigers; but we saw none. The whole way from Bancoora is dangerous on this account; and two poor camp followers in our train were carried away by tigers early one morning. People do not travel singly on this road on this account; and the Post-runners have flambeaux, and small drums to make a noise as they proceed at night. The scenery down this pass is said to be very grand; and I regret much that the fog prevented us from enjoying it. At the foot of this pass we quitted the New Road, and struck off to the North by a road going by way of Gyah to Dinapoor. Here the face of the country was changed; and in lieu of forest and barren soil, the whole was free from wood and jungle, and scarcely a spot left uncultitivated, containing moreover numerous, populous villages. All the rivers we found fordable, and most of the hill–torrents dried up. On quitting the high road we lost the mile stones, though not the traveller's Bungalows, which continue as far as Dinapoor. The mile-stone at the foot of the pass was the 279th from Calcutta. Two days after we came to Gyah, a famous place of Hindoo pilgrimage, where a fine temple of granite is erected on the edge of the river flowing under it, on the spot where it was said that their god Vishnoo placed his foot, and thence called Bishenpud, or the foot of Vishnoo. visited the temple in the old town; but was not permitted to go into the inner apartment, where the pilgrims perform their devotions. These appeared to consist of running round an octagonal basin of silver let into the ground, representing, I suppose, the footmark of their deity, and muttering prayers, whilst an old Brahmin priest was scattering the sacred flowers and leaves into the basin, seated at one angle of it, and repeating aloud some prayers or incantations. There were two fine piazzas with cupolas over them in front of the temple, and large bells hung from die centre. The whole place was crowded with small temples, and numerous images of green stone, and pictures representing parts of their mythology. I was told that there were 1400 priests belonging to this town, who live by the folly of their deluded victims in the most abominable debauchery. The old town has nothing remarkable but the temple; and partakes more Of a religious than a commercial character. The new town, separated from the old by the civil station and the public offices, was laid out by a European many years ago; it has very broad streets with fine shops and houses on each side, and is a place of great Commerce. This is the civil station of Bahar, and appeared to be a quiet, pretty place. In four days more, after sixty miles we came to. the civil station of Patna, Bankipoor, on the banks of the Ganges, leaving the city to the right four or five miles, though there are bazaars and houses all the way along the river to Patna. The only remarkable thing here was an immense Gola, or round granary, built in the year 1784, as a security against famine, a very severe one having occurred a year or two before. There are 140 steps to the top, winding round it, and as many on. the opposite side. I went to the top, and had an extensive view of the river and surrounding country. The city of Patna being so embosomed in trees, though close by, was not distinguishable.—Our next march lay through the station of Dinapoor; which is, like Berhampoor, a barrack square for European troops and officers' quarters. We passed through Dinapoor, and encamped three miles beyond it, at the place where we were to cross the river. This we did the next morning, it being Christmas day, and in the rain. We halted on the opposite bank to get our baggage over. The river at this season is full of sand-banks, and the current not so strong, as at the height of the rains, We were now in the most fertile district of India, and the whole way there was not a spot uncultivated, save the numerous mangoe groves. We passed through Chuprat the civil station of the district, but the road was outside of the town and station. We were deluged with rain here for three days, a most unusual thing at this season, when only a few showers are expected.—As we advanced to our final district, jungle and wild, uncultivated country shewed that we could expect not much better from the station, and so it proved. We reached this place. Goruckhpoor, on the 8th of January, and glad l was to, have reached my journey's end, being sick of marching and tents. The last march was for ten miles through a thick forest, which extends close to the cantonment on two sides. This place looks as if it had been recently cleared from jungle and wood; and I can fancy it something like the back settlements in the new world. It is very low, and in the rains must be swampy. It is sandy, and clouds of dust are raised by the slightest wind, and by men and animals going along the road. There is not a stone in the whole place. The soil however appears fertile, as the gardens in the cantonment seem to thrive with fruit trees and vegetables, which are good and abundant. I have seen all the society here, and have got into a house, but shall defer a description of both for another opportunity."
A letter lately received from the same intelligent officer, conveys the following information relative to Religion in India; it is dated from Goruckhpoor, April 28th, 1832.
"In India we hear nothing of controversial publications. All our Methodist missionaries are only anxious to retain their own places, by sending home to England and to Calcutta reports of a most exaggerated kind, Of the good they work among the poor deluded Hindoos, and of the number of their conversions. We have a couple of Church missionaries here, and very well off they are. They have a nice little church, partly built by their Society, and partly by contributions from the government and residents of the place. They have a very respectable school and parsonage houses; and a tract of waste land close to the place, on which they settle their native converts, for when a native renounces his faith, he is shut out from all intercourse with his family and connexions. They can have but few converts as yet, since only a very small portion of this land is cultivated, and the remainder contains a few trees and brushwood, here and there cleared away. One of these parsons appears to be a gentleman and a man of education, but I am told he is a poor preacher: the other looks like a mechanic. As there are a number of clerks in the civil offices, these with some of our officers, make up a tolerable congregation at their church."